Pretty Pretty Bang Bang

I knew this would happen. Our first assignment is a granulated ring band. I granulate all the time. It’s something I’m good enough at to be asked to demonstrate for class. So it’s only natural that I would mess up my piece. Multiple times.

On Monday Sarah did most of the granulation demo while I helped with information about how I do it. While she was going through the demo I started questioning my methods. Was my copper solution too strong? Was my flame too hot? Was I creating pits and scars? Argh! I knew that whatever I created was going to be subjected to intense scrutiny so it had to be perfect. Not a problem if I was messing around the studio making something for fun. A big problem if it involved public display and a grade. I talked to Sarah about how I was going to challenge myself in this assignment and decided to create a band with open sections. What I ended up designing is a ring of four sections that will be soldered to a band that will form the rim. I measured everything and cut out the sections to begin granulating. Since Steve was gone Tuesday night I worked in the studio before and after dinner. Things were going well until the third section. I overheated it and melted the piece. I hadn’t done that since my last high-pressure piece which was a custom creation. Grr. Ok, I cut out another section and went on to the fourth section. Granulation went well so I came back to piece #3 and re-granulated it. And melted it again. Now I was really hacked and decided that maybe I should call it a night. I cut out yet another section, formed it and got it ready to granulate on Wednesday.

Things weren’t going well yesterday either but I managed to get the third section granulated. I did get one of the edges a bit overdone, but it was nothing I couldn’t fix. I cut out a sample rim and put everything together to see how it would look. I have to say, I really like the design and am excited about the outcome. I was still feeling pressured and frustrated when I went to class so I took some time to talk to Sarah about my feelings. She laughed (which I knew she would) and told me to chill out. She liked my design and said to continue. She also said I didn’t have to make the second band if I couldn’t since I’m under the gun to finish my other pieces by February 1st for my show at Waverly House. Whew!

Today I have to work my other job so I’m taking a break from classwork. I did start to work on the next project design (designs are due next Wednesday) which is a granulated ring with a stone. I’m thinking of taking a river rock I found while I was at Arrowmont two years ago and setting a granulated section in the stone. Don’t be too impressed with my idea because I saw something similar so it’s not original! Still, I’ve never set anything into a stone so it should be a challenge. I think the organic nature of the stone with the precision of the granulation will create a nice piece. Let’s just hope I don’t continue melting everything!

As an artist I often feel the need to hone my skills and learn new ones. Most of the time I just create something new in the studio, but every few years I have the urge to return to school. The metals program at MSU is a good one and being friends with the instructor is a plus because I know her teaching methods and like her class. Being friends with her also has its disadvantages as she knows my skills better than anyone and knows how to push me. Plus, I can’t cut any corners with her!

A couple of weeks ago, while debating how to push myself artistically in the coming year, I asked her what she had in mind to teach the Intermediate class. She said she was thinking of devoting an entire semester to rings. She’d do a granulated piece, one with moving parts, one using negative space and other designs she hadn’t thought of yet. It sounded interesting even though I granulate all the time and I’ve already made a ring with a moving part. Thing is, I rarely make rings so I figured this would be a good way for me to design something different. Rings are tricky because of sizing them and I want to practice more sizing in case I want to add rings to my work. Plus, I rarely set stones and I thought this would be a good way for me to explore interesting stone settings.

Today is the first day of class and I’m a little excited because Sarah asked me to demonstrate granulation. I was very flattered when she told me that she thinks I’m better at it than she and I should demo today. I hold her skills in such high regard and have so much respect for her work that it’s an honor to be asked to do this. The downside is that since I granulate all the time, she’s going to expect my granulated ring project to be above and beyond what I normally do. I have one idea in mind but I’ll share that later should I decide to pursue it.

In the meantime, I have a bag that needs to be packed with tools and supplies. Look for updates on my projects and pictures soon!

With temperatures in the twenties during the day and the single digits at night, January has made itself known. Happy New Year. Steve and I celebrated 2009/2010 in a low-key way with pizza and Wii games at Kevin and Valerie’s house. I think the last time I had the desire to go out and party on NYE I was 21 and thought I couldn’t ring in the new year without a party. Since then I’ve been happy with small gatherings at friends’ houses or at home.

When I was in high school, New Year’s Eve parties were huge. One of my classmates, Chris Wilson, was known for his parties. The rule was that once you arrived you weren’t allowed to leave. His parents had their party upstairs and Chris and his brother Shan had their party downstairs. Everyone left their keys with his parents and we were locked in for the night. The idea was that sometime after midnight the girls would venture upstairs and sleep in the living room while the guys slept downstairs. I really don’t remember much about that because it seemed like we never went  to sleep. I do recall one year when my best male friend and I fell asleep in a walk-in closet, but that was pretty innocent. What amazed me about these parties was how innocent they were for the time. Some people drank (this was back when parents actually bought their kids alcohol) but my friend Cindy and I showed up with our sodas and just enjoyed the party. I don’t remember any peer pressure to drink or being made fun of because I didn’t. I also don’t remember any couple pairings or sex although it probably happened. What I most remember is how much fun the parties were and how I couldn’t believe my parents let me attend them. I’m sure they thought that since Chris’s parents were upstairs we would be fine and we were.

I have daydreams of NYE parties where everyone dresses up, there’s a band and confetti and balloons drop at midnight, but the reality is that I enjoy our quiet celebrations. Spending the last night of the year with friends and loved ones is the perfect way to welcome in a new one.

As I prepare for New Year’s Eve, I started thinking about where I was 10 years ago and how much things have changed (thankfully). It never ceases to amaze me how time flies but I’m sure everyone feels the same way. I won’t bore you with all the details of my life in the last 10 years, but here are some of the highlights:

At the end of 1999 I was the marketing manager for Ozarks Public Television. It was a job I had a love/hate relationship with. When the new year began, I was once again thinking of leaving but just couldn’t make up my mind, as usual. I had an office, a title, a nice salary, a little clout and a lot of security but I wasn’t happy and hadn’t been for a long time. Steve had been encouraging me to quit, but I had it in my head that I needed a job and a title to be a success. One day in March, as I was preparing to go to a meeting, a voice told me to quit. Just like that. I was sitting at my computer and it came to me that I just needed to quit so I wrote up my resignation letter and did it. My boss tried to talk me out of it, but I wasn’t going to budge on my decision. After I left, I ended up doing freelance for the station for about six months until I cut the apron strings, so to speak, for good. I didn’t even volunteer for a couple of years. Make no mistake, it was tough. After about a week or two, the vacation mentality wore off and I found myself feeling inadequate and lost. I looked for another job, but didn’t find anything interesting. Quitting that job was one of the toughest decisions I ever made.

Quitting public television did lead to the next phase in my life which was becoming a metalsmith. After a few years and a venture into beaded jewelry design, I took my first class in metals at Missouri State. The first few weeks were quite an adventure and I really felt out of my element. First, I was the oldest person in the class. Second, I hadn’t taken all the art prerequisites and wasn’t good at sketching. Third, I missed the first day of class and instantly felt like I was behind. Soon, I got my bearings and started enjoying the work. I learned a whole new language, sacrificed my manicure and fell in love with it. I also became good friends with the instructor, a woman who scared the hell out of me for about six months! One class lead to another which lead to another and here I am. I can now refer to myself as a jewelry artist and that sure beats an office and a title.

Ten years ago I weighed 40 pounds more than I do today. I know I’ve talked about my weight loss in the past and it’s not like I’m bragging (because I still have a lot of room to improve) but losing weight was a huge success for me. It meant that I took control of a situation and experienced a feeling of accomplishment I wasn’t sure I’d ever have. What’s interesting is that losing weight didn’t make me instantly happy. Have you ever felt like if you lost that last 10 pounds (or whatever your goal is) your life would be perfect? It’s amazing how untrue it is. It took me many more years to make peace with body and myself. I now realize that 10 pounds will make a difference in how my clothes fit and how I feel but it doesn’t mean I will suddenly look like a supermodel. I will always have body issues but I can make less of them by doing the best I can every day.

In 2000 I turned 34 and was a mess, emotionally. I had this notion that by the age of 35 I had to make my final decision on whether or not to have children. I knew, deep down inside, that I didn’t want them but I was afraid of waking up ten years later and regretting that decision. I can tell you that neither Steve nor I have regretted it. We love our nieces and enjoy being around our friends’ children, but are quite happy with the personal decision we made not to have children of our own. Our long-range plan is to endear ourselves to our friends kids so they can take care of us when we’re old. I’m talking to you, Guccione’s!

I’m sure the next 10 years will fly by as quickly as these past 10 have and I hope I have as much fun living them as I have the past ten years. I’ll end with this final thought. Marriage may be rosy and romantic in the beginning, but it just gets better with time. Steve, I love you more today than I ever have. I look forward to our future adventures together, good and bad, fun or not. Happy New Year everyone! Be safe, be happy and be healthy.

Another Christmas has come and gone and I’m once again amazed at how quickly time has flown. Looking back, it was a great celebration made special by time with family.

We left Springfield on Wednesday afternoon with the threat of bad weather hanging over our heads. The weather reports for northern Missouri into Iowa weren’t good and we wanted to get as much driving done in the daylight as possible. I was scheduled to work 12-4 p.m. but my boss, being from Iowa, told me I could come in early and leave early so I could get a head start. She’s so sweet! By the time I got home and we got the car loaded it was almost 3 p.m. and time was a-wasting. Luckily, the temperatures held and we only encountered some thick fog and drizzle the entire way. By the time we arrived the girls were in bed so we unloaded, had a glass of wine and chatted with Ralph and Blair about the next day’s events. It was a relaxing start to the weekend.

Christmas Eve arrived and the girls were wound up! They were so excited to see us but Santa was much more exciting than Aunt Tammy and Uncle Steve. It was so much fun to share the excitement and joy of Christmas through a child’s perspective. Church was at 7 p.m. so we decided to have appetizers at 5:30 and wait to have dinner after the girls were all nestled and snug in their beds. I love attending Ralph and Blair’s church because it’s a traditional service with no powerpoint, no band and no fanfare. The service was the reading of the Christmas story with singing between scriptures. Of course, the service ended with candlelight and singing of “Silent Night.” As I looked out the windows I could see the snow coming down and the moment was magical. I really felt the spirit of Christmas.

We hurried home and got the girls tucked in for the night. Ralph read them “The Night Before Christmas” and they fell asleep quickly. The four of us enjoyed delicious tortilla soup and some red wine before the Santa festivities began. These girls may believe in Santa, but they are smart little cookies. Blair had to make sure all the wrapping paper bits were destroyed along with the left over wrap. Steve wrote the tags so the girls wouldn’t recognize the handwriting. It was so much fun! All the while Blair played Christmas music on LPs and we talked about how much fun it was going to be the next day when the girls saw all their loot.

Christmas morning the girls had been instructed not to get up before 7 a.m. Steve arose around 6:45 and wanted to go downstairs to set up the video camera. Julia saw him and told him that he wasn’t supposed to go downstairs before 7! He told her he needed to go to the bathroom and she informed him there was one down the hall. That little bugger is a bit too smart for her own good! The girls were so good to wait for Everett and Mary Kay (Blair’s parents) to arrive before they dug into their goodies. The big gifts for each of them were their American Girl dolls with accessories. Julia got Molly from 1944 and Lydia got Kit from 1934. They were in heaven. Unfortunately, Molly’s braids didn’t last the day before Julia announced that her hair was much prettier without them. Oh well, when you’re 6 years old I guess that makes sense.

Ralph fixed a delicious beef tenderloin, mashed potatoes, steamed green beans and salad for dinner. We honored our Grammie with a dessert of Christmas cookies and Spumoni ice cream. By 7 p.m. the girls were beat so they went to bed early and the grownups had some fun. Blair and I challenged Ralph and Steve to a game of 80s Trivial Pursuit. Believe it or not it was close, but Blair and I won (even when I tried to cheat!). It was a blast and a great ending to Christmas Day.

Saturday was a bit stressful as Steve and Blair worked all day on Blair’s office phone system. Steve installed a new one and, of course, there were glitches. Mom and Burl arrived mid-afternoon and we planned a nice evening of dinner and more gifts. Unfortunately, Steve and Blair were late, but we still had another delicious meal (thanks again, Ralph) and some fun with mom and Burl. The girls got some gorgeous handmade American Girl dolls clothes from mom and were thrilled. Once the guys were fed and the girls were in bed, we had another Christmas celebration with mom and Burl. It was nice to have the time to enjoy our gifts and see everyone enjoy theirs. As usual, the stockings were the best part of the exchange. Mom had found some stuff Ralph and I had made when we were younger and put it in our stockings. Ralph got a Santa boot she’d painted in Campfire Girls and I got a needlepoint keychain of a unicorn I’d made in high school. It still makes me giggle to look at it.

This morning I slept late but we hit the road as soon as we could since we were both anxious to get home. Thankfully, we didn’t hit any bad weather and the cats were so glad to see us. Now it’s time to put away all the trees and trimmings until next year. Hope everyone had a magical Christmas.

I consider myself a good cook and baker. I always receive rave reviews for my cakes and cookies and I enjoy making them. Trouble is, I enjoy eating them too which is why I reserve my baking for holidays and special occasions. Christmas, being the biggest baking holiday of all, means I get out my grandmother’s recipes and go to town on the oven. This year has been a bit more hectic and busy so my sister has made most of the family favorites, but I didn’t want to miss all the fun so I decided to make some myself.

Since Ralph was doing the Spritz (one cookie I have never mastered in that damned cookie press) and most of the sugar cookies, I decided on Pecan Drops and Cinnamon Oatmeal. Both are easy and delicious, but I wanted to try something new this year so I turned to the trusty Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. This is the standard for all great basic cooking and I have yet to meet a recipe that let me down. Until today.

For those of you who would like to play at home, please turn to page 111 of your BH&GNC located in Chapter 6: Cookies. Here you will find a simple drop cookie recipe for Lemon Tea Cookies. The ingredients are basic and the recipe is easy to follow. As usual, I read the recipe several times, arranged my ingredients and set out to make them. I had fresh ingredients ready and the whole thing was easy to assemble. I was a little concerned that the dough seemed excessively sticky, more like a stiff muffin batter, but since I hadn’t made the recipe before I wasn’t going to mess with it. I went over the ingredient list again to make sure I hadn’t left anything out or shorted myself on flour or sugar. Nope, all looked well.

When the cookies came out of the oven they had spread dramatically on the sheet, had rough tops (kind-of like pancake bubbles but not as large) and stuck to the pan. This made me really mad since the directions said to drop on an ungreased cookie sheet. Grrr. I managed to get them off of the sheet without ruining them, but I wasn’t impressed with how they looked. The recipe called for brushing a sugar/lemon juice mixture over the top so I decided to see this thing through and finish them. Once the mixture had been brushed over them I took a bite and decided they tasted ok, but I wasn’t overly impressed. I think I was hoping they would be more like a lemon shortbread cookie and not some flat, pancake-like thing that looked like a 5 year-old had made them. Steve told me he’d take them to work but I’m actually embarrassed to admit I made them. While they are perfectly edible I am not pleased.

Those of you who might have much more experience than I in the kitchen can feel free to weigh in on what might have gone wrong. I think it’s just a recipe that didn’t turn out they way I envisioned it and didn’t taste as fantastic as I’d hoped. Edible? Yes. Pretty? Not at all.

It’s rare I venture into a store clearly marketed to people half my age, but something compelled me to go into Express the other day. Perhaps it was the fun, funky fashions in the window or maybe I thought they’d have some cool, cheap accessories, but I certainly didn’t expect much out of the store. While I’m not overweight at all, I always feel like a fatty whenever I’ve tried on their clothes. I know I have to go up a size and even then many of the styles don’t fit correctly. At one time I was a fan of their Editor pant and bought several pair but now, I have no idea if they even carry that pant anymore. Still, curiosity got the best of me and I went inside.

I was looking for something inexpensive and fun to wear under my vintage tuxedo jacket for an outing this weekend. I thought I’d find something sparkly that wouldn’t break the bank and I did find a very nice ivory cowl-neck sweater that had some great possibilities. I’d been in the store for about 10 minutes and hadn’t had a single person talk to me or even look my way, but I really didn’t mind. I figured I could shop just fine on my own. I carried the top to the dressing room and that’s where things started to get annoying. I can forgive the lack of service and even the fact I was being ignored, but the girl working the fitting room was just too annoying for words. First, she needed to know my name. Let me get this straight, I walk around the store clearly looking for something and you ignore me but once I have something in my hand and need some service you need to know who I am. It was all I could do to tell her my real name. Then she asked if I had an Express Card. Not wanting to hear the whole spiel on savings and rewards, I politely told her that I didn’t but I wasn’t interested. I thought that was the end of it. She was pleasant and so was I but I wasn’t in a chatty mood and she didn’t seem interested in helping me so that was fine.

Then she crossed the line. I was pulling the top over my head when I heard a slap over the top of the dressing room door. She’d thrown a pair of jeans over it announcing that I should try on their (insert style name here) jeans. Wtf? I didn’t come in here for jeans and how the hell do you know what I want or even my size? I again politely told her that I wasn’t shopping for jeans, but thanks anyway. She chirped that she just wanted me to try them. I glanced at the jeans which were a size 6 and laughed. There was no way my gut was going to squeeze into an Express size 6 jeans. Not to mention the fact I have dozens of pairs of jeans and I’d never mentioned looking for them in the first place.

I understand retail. I worked it throughout college and I work it now but I don’t understand this need to constantly push crap down my throat. I don’t want your special in-house card. I don’t need your 20% savings or rewards points (except maybe at Banana Republic!) and, if you don’t take the time to ask me what I’m shopping for, I don’t need you assuming I want to try on your jeans just because you have a quota or contest to win.

Clearly I’m too old to shop at Express. Or maybe it’s not that I’m too old, but too sophisticated. Yeah, that’s it!

Whew! I’m actually feeling caught up on my list of things to do before Christmas. I finished all special orders and sent them off yesterday, made the one gift I decided to make this year, have almost all the presents wrapped and have finished shopping. Now all that’s left is baking cookies, but I don’t feel too pressured to do that since my sister, mini-Martha, is taking care of most of that. I don’t want to arrive at her house empty-handed so I plan on sharing my tub of cheese popcorn, making a cheeseball and taking a couple of bottles of wine. Santa’s elves need some liquid libations as they wrap Santa’s gifts on Christmas Eve.

Normally, I begin shopping on December 26th and continue throughout the year until I’m done around Thanksgiving. Over the past couple of years I’ve slacked off on that kind of shopping. Sure, I take advantage of sales and never pass up what I think might be a perfect gift, but I’ve realized that waiting sometimes makes my shopping easier and more personal. I do a little cyber-shopping, but would rather touch and interact with my possible gifts. I think most cyber-shopping takes the personal touch out of giving, but sometimes that’s the way to go. Several of Steve’s gifts came from the Internet since none of them could be purchased locally. I figure if I order early enough and the gift doesn’t live up to my impossibly high standards, I can return it and re-shop in plenty of time.

The hardest part of the season is figuring out what I want. Steve has been pestering me for gift ideas and I really don’t have many. Thankfully, I’m blessed with a rich life full of people and things I love and desire. That said, I always have a list of things I want. Unfortunately, they are usually really, really expensive. For example, I found a gorgeous pair of hand-tooled leather boots I would love to have. They are $800. That’s more than my entire gift-giving budget and, quite frankly, a ridiculous amount for boots. Oh, I’d love them, but would be embarrassed to show them to people. Working at The Harem has only made my desires worse. I see all the beautiful things we carry and the high standards Kathi, the owner, sets for the store and my own standards rise. Still, I enjoy a great inexpensive sweater from The Gap and my six year-old jeans are still my favorites so I haven’t crossed the line too far!

This year I’m really looking forward to once again spending Christmas morning watching my nieces open their gifts and squeal with delight as Santa fulfills their wishes. Remember when something simple and inexpensive meant so much? Hopefully we all do and will experience it again and again. My favorite thing to open on Christmas is my stocking which is usually filled with silly little things that make me laugh. One year I received a portable paper towel holder and I loved it. It’s actually being used in my studio and serves an important purpose there. The cost? Free.

Merry Christmas, everyone! May your days be filled with love, laughter, friendship and family.

Let me start by apologizing for no new posts lately. Steve and I are in the process of moving and updating this blog so things have been changed. I’m working on the appearance next. So, on to the post.

WinterFest is over which means that Christmas can officially begin here. My studio work is mainly done and I only have a few special orders to fill and ship. Most of my Christmas shopping is done and I’m just waiting on the packages to arrive so I can open them and begin wrapping.

In the past, I’ve been a stickler for not putting up any Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving. I hate how the holiday comes earlier each year and retailers shove it down our throats right after Labor Day. Sure I get a head start with my jewelry inventory, but that’s about all the Christmas planning I do until after Halloween, at least. This year I broke my own rule and decided to put up a few decorations before Thanksgiving so I could enjoy the holiday for just a bit longer. It all started with the tree. Now, I’m pretty strict about the tree going up after Thanksgiving, usually the first weekend of December. However, being involved in an art show means that I’m working the entire first weekend of December and don’t have the time to devote to decorating. For several years I’ve been wanting to upgrade our 6′ aluminum tree to an 8′ model. These babies aren’t cheap. It seems like every time I search for one on eBay they are selling for $300 or more. I had little hopes in finding one before Christmas for a price I was willing to pay. Plus, 8′ trees are hard to come by since the 6′ model was the most popular. About two weeks before Thanksgiving, I got on eBay and started browsing and I found one that looked promising. It didn’t have the original box (I was ok with that) and didn’t come with a color wheel, but I didn’t need one. I asked Steve how much he thought we should pay for it. We figured that a good 8′ pine tree could run about $200 so we figured $250-300 would be an ok investment. Naturally, I wanted a deal and I got one. I ended up winning the tree for $150!

When the tree arrived, I debated on whether or not to put it up. After all, this was before Thanksgiving and I have strict rules about when Christmas decorations should be put up. I decided to bend the rules a little and assemble the tree. My reasoning was that I needed to be assured all pieces were there so I could leave feedback on eBay for the seller. I waited until the Saturday before Thanksgiving since I needed to buy silver paint for the wooden dowels which hold the branches. Once they were painted and the rotating stand was in place, assembly began. It was spectacular. All pieces were in great shape, the pompoms were bushy and it was the perfect height for the living room. Even without ornaments it looked wonderful. The Sunday after Thanksgiving Steve and I took the time to properly decorate it and put it in its proper position. We think it’s perfect what do you think?!

Thanksgiving this year was celebrated at my dad’s house in Jefferson City, MO. Unbelievably, it had been six years since we’d last celebrated a holiday at his house. Dad doesn’t like to travel, despite numerous invitations from us, so we usually have to go to his house for celebrations. I didn’t mind because I do enjoy spending time with my dad and Karen’s cooking is amazing.

We arrived late Wednesday afternoon. We would have been there earlier but I forgot my prescription so we got detained at the lake while Walgreen’s argued with our insurance company to get me enough drugs to survive the weekend. We spent some time wandering around the Marshall’s Mega Store and Target before finally getting back on the road.

Karen, my dad’s wife and my other mom, was such a good sport this weekend! Unbeknownst to us, she had already bought the Thanksgiving meal of smoked turkey and ham. When she mentioned that’s what she was planning to serve, we all protested that what we really wanted was ham loaf. Now, Karen’s given us the recipe for ham loaf so we can make it any time, but she does the best job at it. It’s one of those things we really love to have when we visit. Being a good sport and stand up person, Karen indulged us and made a gorgeous ham loaf to accompany her homemade mac and cheese, green beans and sweet potatoes. Here’s Karen making the first cut into that delicious, meaty loaf:

Blair, Ralph and the kiddos arrived Wednesday night and the house was full! Steve and I brought the inflatable bed and slept in the living room while everyone else took the bedrooms. I thought about playing rock, paper, scissors with Ralph to see who got the bedroom, but figured I’d let her and Blair have it and we’d park all of our stuff in there. The room was a mess and we stumbled over all our crap, but it was fun. The girls enjoyed bonding with their Nana and Papa and I enjoyed some quality time chatting with dad and taking a power walk with my sister. All in all, a great holiday with no stress and lots of great food.

Thanks, dad and Karen for hosting such a great holiday celebration! We look forward to seeing you again soon and not waiting six years for the next family event.