Pretty Pretty Bang Bang

Tonight we decorated the Christmas tree and, as always, placing the ornaments on the tree took me on a trip down memory lane.

When I was a kid, we always had live trees. Even when I was living on my own, I managed to drag home a live tree each year. The first years of our marriage included live trees, but they were finally pushed aside when I received my first aluminum tree. It was a small 6 footer, but we loved it. The first year we lived in our current house, I managed to score an 8 foot aluminum tree off eBay and concluded we would probably never had a live tree again.

The best part of the tree, regardless of the type, is the decorations. I’ve been collecting them since birth and all of them have special memories for me. I love unwrapping them and thinking about the Christmases past. I remember living on Weller Street and having the tree tied to the curtain rods with macrame rope. I remember getting out the lights and plugging them in to test them (one of my favorite jobs). I remember the record player being full of Christmas albums, actual vinyl, and laughing at the songs that always skipped. Even when we upgraded to a cassette player, I still had recordings of the skipped songs.

Several years ago, my dad gave me some old glass ornaments that were my grandmothers. They aren’t the most beautiful and most of them are chipped or scratched, but I lovingly place them on the tree each year. I remember the tree she had in her beauty shop that was adorned with pink glass balls (I think I have some of those now). One year, if I remember correctly, she had a white flocked tree with red ornaments. They may have been blue, but I know she had a theme. When my sister and I were in grade school, she gave us her old artificial green tree so we’d have one of our own to put up in the playroom between our two rooms. It was one of those terrible fake trees, but we loved it.

As a child, I loved coming home and seeing the glow of the colored lights around the porch and windows. I loved my special ornaments with my initials and the year I received it written on them. To this day, I enjoy guessing which year I got which ornament. I’m usually wrong, but figure if I guess the decade that’s good enough. During our marriage, Steve and I have added several special ornaments to the collection. Last year, we decided to start giving each other a new ornament each year.

I’m glad the tradition of receiving a new ornament each year has been passed on to my nieces. I hope that someday, when they’re on their own, they’ll cherish the memories those ornaments hold for them. I know Steve and I will be adding to their collection as we add to our own. Merry Christmas!

While most of the retail stores are fully decorated for Christmas (including where I work), I believe November should be a month to focus on being thankful. Actually, we should be thankful every day, but you get my drift. With thankfulness in mind, I thought I’d list, in no particular order, the things I’m most thankful for in my life.

I’m thankful for…

A loving family. We may be weird, but that’s all part of our charm.

Friends who accept and love me for who I am – which is not easy!

A close relationship with my sister. At one time, I wanted a brother, but God knew I really needed a sister.

Good health.

A supportive and loving spouse.

The ability to create beautiful things with my hands.

Good health reports about people I love.

A warm, inviting home.

Music and a father who taught me to appreciate and love it.

Humor and a mother who taught me terrible jokes and puns that are still in use today.

A grandmother who taught me to sew, cuss and love unconditionally.

A grandmother who taught me to love reading, write thank you notes and live with grace.

Grandfathers who guided me when I didn’t want to listen to my parents.

My job. I complain about it (who doesn’t?) but I recognize that I have one and for that I’m grateful.

My cats. They always love me and give me a reason to smile each day.

Good food, good drinks and good friends to share them with. Or, I should say, “with which to share them.” My mom told me not to end sentences with prepositions.

My education.

All the little things in life that make it comfortable and enjoyable. My mom shared some advice she received one time: when praying, focus on what you have that you’re grateful for and not what you want God to do for you. When I go to bed each night, I try to concentrate on those things rather than asking for favors. Although, it never hurts to pray for the needs of others! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! May your life be blessed every day.

I’ve been out of touch lately and I’m sure my handful of readers has missed me greatly! Well, miss me no more because I have a fabulous post today. Ok, not really, but at least I’m writing something.

The last few months have been a whirlwind of activity as Steve and I have been preparing for the art show in Des Moines, IA. The show was last weekend and it was ok. Just ok. I guess I was hoping for something a bit more, well, lucrative, but it wasn’t meant to be. The venue was lovely, the people were terrific and the organization was great, but the customers were lacking. Yes, I know the economy plays a major part in it. I don’t need another person telling me that. Besides, I know that nobody needs my work.

But it was not all bad. Actually, money aside, the show was terrific. My favorite part was meeting artist James Beardon and his “studio wife” Stephanie O’Neal. Cool, cool people who make and promote cool, cool sculpture and art. Because they have such great taste, the loved my work too! James and I worked out a deal where I came home with two gorgeous sculptures and Stephanie got two gorgeous granulated pieces. I can see this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Of course the best reason to go to Des Moines is to see my sister, brother-in-law, and two of the most beautiful girls on the planet. Lydia and Julia were thrilled to visit Aunt Tammy and Uncle Steve at the show, and Julia made a lovely sign for my booth promoting my wares. I plan to have it laminated so I can hang it my studio. Julia enjoyed helping customers at my booth while Lydia and Steve entertained themselves watching other artists on the floor below. I’m so glad they’ll be here in two weeks for Thanksgiving because Ralph and Blair were gone most of the weekend we were there.

So the show is over, but there’s still work to be done. I need to get back in the studio and do some specialty work, and I think I’ll plan a special show here for my good customers. In the meantime, guess I’d better get to work on cleaning the house because we have guests arriving in a short time!

As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Well, I have enough lemons to make barrels of the stuff, but I prefer gin!

I won’t go into details here, but things have been stressful in my world as of late, and I haven’t had the brainpower or desire to post anything. Those who are close to me know the story and have given me lots of support and laughter.

It’s times like this that I’m reminded of how truly blessed I am. I have a terrific, supportive husband, a great sister, wonderful family and friends who are willing to listen to me and make me laugh. This too will pass, but it won’t be an easy road to travel. In the meantime, I have a good stockpile of wine and an even better stockpile of love.

But things aren’t all doom and gloom. Steve and I have been working towards the big show in Des Moines and it’s coming up very soon! I’m hoping for a good event since it’s my only official show of the year. If I don’t sell a lot, at least I’ll be fully stocked for my galleries. I keep thinking I should have a private show of my own, but I just don’t have the time to coordinate the darned thing!

I have to get back to work, but I want to end this with a plug to support local artists this holiday season. We’re all struggling, but it’s support from our customers that make our jobs worth doing. Have a great week and a Happy Halloween!

I didn’t become a metalsmith because I craved attention, nor did I think becoming a metalsmith would make me rich (which it hasn’t). I became a metalsmith because it was something I truly enjoyed doing and I was drawn to the medium. Any recognition I have received is welcome, but unexpected.

I do remember the first piece I sold, the first expensive piece I sold and the first time I saw a stranger wearing my work. All of those experiences gave me a little rush of excitement and pride. It’s always nice to know strangers like and appreciate something I made with my own hands. Over the past couple of years, I’ve attempted to branch out and have submitted a couple of pieces for consideration in two books. Today, I found out my latest submissions did not make the cut. It’s disappointing. I really thought I had some great pieces that were not only visually appealing, but technically challenging and well-photographed. The first rejection I received was crushing, but upon seeing the publication, I realized my work wouldn’t have fit into the juror’s vision for the final project. Perhaps that’s the case here too.

I know, I know, two rejections are no big deal and that doesn’t mean my work is terrible, I’m a bad artist or that it won’t fit into something else in the future. I guess I was just hoping this would be my little moment in the spotlight. I wanted just a little sign that maybe I had a grain of talent. I’m not fishing for sympathy or compliments from any readers either! This is just a moment I’ll have being sad and I’ll get over it.

I know my work is good because I work hard to make it that way. I also know the world is full of talented people who never step into the spotlight. Winning awards and being published in books is not an indication of talent. Some people are one-hit wonders and never do anything else. Others go on to great things. Art is subjective and I think I’m now officially rambling!

So it’s over. No more waiting to hear if I was accepted or not. The next step is to get my butt into the studio and make something bigger and better. Let the next publication have a crack at it!

Steve and I often comment that we’re living in our dream house, however, we enjoy thinking about the little things we’d change had we been the original designers.

Our chimney is very wide and creates a concrete wall on one side of the deck. It’s not unsightly, but Steve and I both think it would be cool if it had an outdoor fireplace/grill/wood storage area on it. We hate not having an outdoor fireplace and a firepit on the deck just scream “fire hazard.”

I have long had an obsession with sunken living rooms and I think, in a way, that’s what we got with this house. However, I’d really love a conversation pit. I told Steve it would be cool to have a three-sided pit with built-in cushions that faced the fireplace. The cushions would be dark orange and I’d have needlepoint pillows with the Zodiac signs on them. We’d have a built-in center table too.

Speaking of the fireplace, sometime in the decorating disaster decade known as the 80s, a previous owner thought shiny peach tile would be a good idea for the fireplace. The only saving grace is that the grout is charcoal grey and the tile doesn’t go all the way to the ceiling. Bottom line is that we are living with it for now. In dreamland, we would either restore the fireplace front like the original, which we think had a narrow shelf, or create a whole new facade with fieldstone. I like mixing rock/slate/stone with the natural redwood in the house.

The bar is the last area we’d fix. First of all, it was never a bar but a small area for reading or watching tv (although I’m not sure there was a tv in it). It had one wall of bookshelves and the other two walls were plain. This is an extension of the living room with a lowered redwood ceiling with lighting. The same genius who installed the peach tile converted the area into a bar. The work was actually done well, but the bar itself needs to be redone. When we moved in, the old bar refrigerator was still in place (and working) but we removed it and replaced it with our wine refrigerator. The newer cabinets and shelves were built to match the old ones and the storage is great. The only problem I have with the area is that it doesn’t really serve a purpose other than storage. Yes, the sink is convenient, but I hate wasting all the floor space. We’ve discussed putting a table and chairs there for casual dining or games, but we’re afraid it would seem crowded. Until then, we’ll just leave it the way it is and hope inspiration strikes someday.

All in all, we feel like we’re living in our dream house. If nothing ever changed, I think we’d be ok, peach tile and all.

I was catching up with a friend recently and telling her about my time at Arrowmont, the catalog I’d created and how I was getting ready for a big show. “Oh, yeah, I know,” she said, “I read all about it on your blog.” While I was glad she’d taken the time to read what I’d been writing about, I was struck by how her knowledge of my activities shut down the conversation. Without meaning to, she essentially told me that my news was old news to her.

It’s amazing how much we share now that the Internet, Facebook, blogging, texting and other forms of social media have taken over our lives. We know what people have for dinner, where they’re dining, who they’re dining with and what they think of their meal before the check has come. We know who’s in a relationship, who’s married, who just broke up and, in the case of Steve Jobs, who just died. It’s fun…and a little scary.

When Facebook made their now infamous changes recently, I took stock of my list of friends and decided to clean house. I also revisited my security preferences and locked everything down as tight as I could. What bothers me is that I know I’ve missed something along the way. While I don’t want to delete my FB account, I have backed off my usage. But it’s not all horrible. I have reconnected with several great people and I stay in touch with many I don’t see often enough even though we live in the same town. I also get to know people better and enjoy some of the things they share.

I love blogging, I love connecting on FB and I love hearing about things in the lives of my friends and family. But in the future, if we’re having a conversation and it turns to something you’ve read about on my blog or FB page, will you give me a chance to tell you more about my experience? Because I’ll guarantee I still have stories to share and experiences I never post in public. If you don’t give me a chance to share, you’ll never get to hear about all the really good stuff I didn’t want made public!

I’m back and have finally wound down enough to blog about my trip. Many people have asked how it was and I reply with this question, “Have you ever been to summer camp?” Arrowmont is a little like camp in that I bunked with several people, ate in a main dining hall, had arts and crafts time and enjoyed meeting new people. Of course, my camp never had nightly happy hours or art receptions, but I’m thinking I might have gone to the wrong camp!

I was able to attend the conference for free (yay!) thanks to the generosity of The Enamelist Society and Sarah Perkins. Sarah was allowed to bring several students with her who would serve as volunteers for the workshop instructors. She allowed me to come and I was happy to do so. Once we got all the instructors settled in, we (the students) were allowed to attend the workshops. I found one I really liked, taught by Chris Hentz, focusing on soldering skills. Soldering is the one of the first things I learned in my beginning metals class and it’s something I do almost every day. Still, I learned some new tricks and truly enjoyed Chris, who was quite hilarious.

Sarah was the reason I created the show catalog in the first place. She encouraged me to take the job, apply for the show and was instrumental in the proofreading of the catalog. She’s a great friend! As one of my cheerleaders, she made sure everyone at the conference knew I’d made the catalog and even informed them that I had learned the program in order to create it. What a woman! I received many compliments and truly enjoyed myself.

The only thing about this trip to Arrowmont that was a little bittersweet was that I didn’t do any real work. Normally, I attend a week-long workshop and immerse myself in metals work while I’m there. This time, I was more of an observer and spent more time interacting with people socially. While it was different, I really enjoyed myself and am glad I went.

For now, I’ll immerse myself in studio work and get ready for the Des Moines show in November.

The thing I fear most about traveling is that I’ll get sick. I’d been battling some sinus issues before I left so I stocked up on my Zinc, Vitamin C and other necessities. The morning we left I was feeling much better so I had high hopes that it would be the only problem I’d encounter. What I didn’t count on was a severe allergic reaction to a new eye cream.

I have used Oil of Olay products for years without any issues. I’d recently bought an eye cream that promised to do everything. Well, not everything, but most things I needed. The first time I used it, my eyes stung a little, but I’d also gotten some makeup remover in them so I shrugged it off. Within a couple of days, my eyes had become itchy and dry. I stopped using the cream, but the problem continued. By Friday morning, things were looking pretty bad.

It was bad enough that I’d been suffering from sleep deprivation, but adding redness, scaly skin and puffiness only made me look worse. I put a call out to my childhood friend and optometrist, Dan Boone, who was willing to help (despite the fact I’m not a current patient). He instructed me on what to buy, how to use it and what to do if things didn’t get better. Fortunately, Walgreen’s was a short walk away and I had my necessary supplies in no time. Just 24 hours of using the allergy drops and hydrocortisone cream and my eyes look and feel so much better. I’m still puffy, but I’m doing ok.

So this trip is an experience on facing my fears and adapting. I’ve learned to live with roommates, survived on little sleep, had too much to drink (over the last couple of days combined) and dealt with an allergic reaction. Guess I’m just proving to myself that I’m made of stronger stuff than I thought!

Ask anyone and they’ll tell you I’m a high-maintenance traveler. I’m very spoiled when it comes to road trips and I blame my husband. Steve works hard to make trips comfortable for me and I’ll admit I like the attention. You can only imagine my surprise when I arrived at Arrowmont on Tuesday night, hungry and tired, only to discover I would be sharing a room with three other women (one being an Arrowmont work student), would be treated like staff and would get very little sleep. I’d been lead to believe I would have a private room and I wasn’t thrilled with sharing. Truth be told, I’m  terrible at sharing.

But, as the saying goes, when in Rome, right? The four of us discussed our morning routines and came up with a system allowing us to each have the bathroom to get ready and still get to where we need to go on time. When Sarah approached me and said she was going to try and get me a private room for the rest of the weekend, I realized that my routine was working and I really didn’t care to move. Weird, huh?

Last night J, S, L and I had a little party in the girls’ room and I realized that I was enjoying being a part of the “student” side of things. We are free to roam from workshop to workshop (although I found one I’ve stayed in most of the time), we’re on our own after dinner and we have had a blast. I was laughing so hard at J (our token male) last night that I was crying. What a terrific group of people. I can honestly call them my new friends and I hope we can stay in touch once we return to Springfield and our routines.

So it’s good for me to travel without my Steve security blanket. And it’s good for me to be put in uncomfortable situations. I realize that I may be high-maintenace (after all, I am taking up the most space in the bathroom) but that’s ok. I feel like I’m a summer camp and I’m having a great time. All that’s missing is the s’mores.