356 days of crafting

I wanted to start a new blog today and remove an old blog, but it seems you can't remove a blog. That's OK I can blog anywhere. So here's my idea I want to create something everyday. Starting January 1st 2008 I want to craft something or at least work on a craft everyday and then blog about it. Why blog? Jeeze if you are reading this you probably either have your own blog or subscribe to at least two other blogs. Do I really have to answer that question.? But to answer your question: I am working on a creative process to live a more artful and creative lifestyle. I ultimately want to stop taking calls and teach various arts and crafts. My goal the past few years has been to gather the tools. 2008 I want to use the tools. Get good with the tools and use the other tools like getting an Etsy space and start marketing my craft work and maybe do some art shows or craft showcases. I also want to start using my marketing tools and get the advertising specialties business going. I have my target income goals - which are just that goals. If I don't make them I don't fail. If I surpass them I surpass them and can afford more tools and toys. The goal is to go forth and create and be happy.

Tomorrow, my first day of this new artful life, I am going to play with resin - weather permitting of course. I may also work on any of my three knitting projects. I need to start filling out my calendar with stuff like our trip to Yellowstone, the Arizona Renaissance Faire. I need to do some organizing also. After the craft sale I did back in December my supplies seem to be a little scattered and my organization needs to be re-labeled.

I need to start planning my new garb for the Renaissance Faire season. Since I have dropped 70lbs since the last time I went to a Renfaire I need to make new clothes. Hopefully I will have to do that next year too, the year after I should be at a stable weight. I figure if I lose about 100lbs a year (I have until early March to make that goal) then I'm doing good. I have all or most of the materials and pattern blueprints. Heaven knows my linen and wool stash is obscene. Of course I won't have anything in a color I want. but that's normal. That's what all the white linen in various weights is for.

So meet me back here tomorrow for the tales of great resin adventure and maybe some pictures of other stuff I am working on. My husband gave me a portable lighting studio to take better pictures of my craft work. Another tool to put to work!!

Exercising the Jewelry demons

Had to get this one out. It is a freefrom bezel with sterling silver wire glass beads on a faceted citrine. It is so un-me. I am more calculated wire wrap tight and organized. This opens up a whole new world for me.

For now my insomnia is gone .. it's 11:00 and I am sleepy - time to go to bed. They are replacing some servers on the network at work tomorrow so I have to go into the office. That takes away three hours of my day away from me. I'm starting my etme chant early.

Reruns and my procrastination

I'm watching Craig Fergusson again dealing with my insomnia. It's a rerun. Last night it was a rerun of a show that was on the last day I blogged. Ben Kingsley - very funny. I mentioned at the end of that entry to tell you about the haunted lamp. Ok here goes. One of my many hobbies is paranormal investigation. I've seen some crazy stuff. My house is haunted. We thought we had a paranormal thing going on until I debunked it. We have a lamp in my office that would go on by itself. It's not just a on/off thing it has four settings. When it went on it was never just on, it was two or three settings into the pattern. It entertained us for weeks. Then one day I was having a bad day at work and I plugged in my laptop and the light went on. I was hoping that it was the ghost cheering me up. It wasn't. It's the electronic brain on the lamp. When ever the slightest change of electricity happens in the house it goes on... or off. We hooked up a tester to the house and the change in current didn't register. We don't have 100% of the explaination but pretty much if something gets plugged in in the house the lamp changes. We were bummed. It doesn't change the fact that the house is haunted. We had the former owner over a few weeks ago helping us troubleshoot a septic system problem and I mentioned the lamp and we started exchanging wierd experiences from the house. He told stories of seeing someone peeking out the upstairs windows way back when. He knew the people who owned the house since the 30's. It has a history of activity.
I'll spin tommorrow. This used to be my Sunday but my shift changed and tomorrow is my Friday. Friday, which is my new Sunday, I have an appointment with my web designer. Are you taking notes? We hope to bang out the details for my website for Promotional Products domination. Have you looked at how your advertising dollars are working for you? I could probably save you some money!

So I've been busy with the beads

I'm sitting here with my spinning wheel 5 feet away and a pound of some luscious creamy merino 4 feet away posting pictures of my late night frolic with beads and wire. Something must be wrong. It's ok... I'll run out of pictures before my insomnia runs out, Plenty of time to spin. Congress is pulling an all-nighter. With my sleep patterns I might be too. I am told it's a woman over 40 thing. So are mood swings, night sweats, and hot flashes. However most women go nutso about chocolate. I have done the opposite. I turned against sweets, I dislike chocolate and would rather have a salad with that miso vinegrette dressing than cake, pie, or pudding. I probably wouldn't turn down Tiramisu but would get part way through and wish I had a salad. The diet thing is going OK -thanks for asking. I am bouncing between minus 40 and 50 pounds lost. I have a short term goal. If I lose 70 more pounds I'm going to Disneyland!!! I miss going there. I haven't been able to fit on a ride in some time. It's also the "only 100 more pounds to lose" mark. It's past than 50% milestone. And damn it! I wanna ride the Indiana Jones ride over and over and over again. With the new Indy movie in production they might spiff it up a little. I have fond memories of that ride. I think we were there for opening day. It was back in the day when I did Archaeology. My better half still does. We went with a bunch of other Archaeologist, it was a hoot! One season we worked up in Orange County on a freeway project and we went to Disneyland a lot. Did I say a lot. I mean a lot. It was a fun summer. I might even splurge on a Monte Cristo sandwich from the Blue Bayou. Good times!

Well I posted three more of my crafty art projects. I think I can spin now... or go to bed. Naw..

Equal Opportunity Crafting

Ok so I did the knit blog entry. Now for the other crafts I do. It started with disgust for the price of the cute jewelry in the trendy catalogs. I know you've drooled on them too. So I decided to make my own. Not exactly like theirs, but just as cute. I study bead and jewelery magazines and read books, I am working on my skills. Here are some examples of my work. I am not in the designer phase yet. So they aren't exactly original. I need more tools and skills. So if things look likes something you have seen somewhere it probably is. It was probably a really cool piece. I like working with silver best, copper second and gold third. Gold and diamonds aren't my thing. I've never been a fan of pearls, but they have recently started growing on me. Does that mean I'm an oyster? My doctor called my age spots "barnacles of aging".

Happy Aniversary

now is it an aniversary if I didn't write every week or month? This week I have been blogging for a year. Or trying to blog for a year. I well my three posts today should make up for something. Or not.

Catsup or Ketchup while I catch up

I read my march first post and have to say since then I have dropped another 26 pounds for a total of 40 pounds. It could have been more but I still can't find the time to exercise. It takes away from my crafting, working and working. My crafting is taking over my life. Spinning, knitting, lampworking, jewelery making, gardening and paper crafts I need a clone or more hours in the day. I still have to work and work on building the business as well as manage the house and work on the house. Thank goodness I am 40 plus and are in that hormonal stage where I don't sleep anymore. I wish I was 20 years younger when i could sleep if I wanted to but had the energy to say up for days.

My goal this week is to spin up a bunch of alpaca. It's summer! Time for playing in the water which means it's time to break out the flax!! I read in one of the last issues of Wild Fiber that Yak is supposed to turn out better with a wet twist. I am thinking of using the travel wheel. I love my kromskis. But I am liking my sonata better than my Minsteral because of a squeek that won't go away!!! I have gone through the information about it and oiled the proper parts and corrected my tention but still a few minutes into a peacefull spinning session it starts. Squeek squeek squeek squeek. It didn't use to bother me much, but lately it started to really grind on me. I shoud break down and call the company and get it straightened out.

Random thought:I'm watching the Late Late show and Ben Kingsley is on... looks like he and Bono have the same stylist. {{{{shudder}}}}

Time to count the zzzzz net post ask me about the haunted lamp.

I am turning into one of them

I knew the world was coming to an end when my sister was visiting and she took my laptop and placed a link in my favorites for her BLOG. My sister, the non geek, the history nerd, has a blog. It's one of the many knitting blogs. It has the typical posts of what's on the knitting needles and links to other witty knit blogs . It made me think: maybe if Ihad some encouragement to post more often - other than my promise to myself to post once a week do or die, maybe I would post more often. So I thought about it for a few.....months......and decided I too would become one of them. After all I was proud of my fingerless gloves. I could throw in some stuff about my spinning and my jewelery and maybe my garden. I too will avoid speaking of "the job" I might even leave out " the business" but I won't leave out "the house" as it too is an endless craft project.

The Story of My Life

I promised myself that I would write in my blog once a week. Ok it's been over six months but so much has happened. We moved into our almost completed house, I was diagnosed with a condition (Lymphedema), I am working back at home, and have started a diet (-14 lbs!!) There have been a lot more things but hey I have six months to catch up on.

I guess the world situation hasn't improved but I feel less paranoid because people are starting to think like me. I guess you all should feel paranoid now. There is a local gun shop that has a comercial on the radio that is a discussion between a responsible couple discussing disaster planning and thinking about planning and preparing for post disaster lawlessness. It was a refreshing perspective. I think being prepared is inportant. I have been eyeing this really cool all weather survival tool. It's a fire started like flint and steel but more high tech. It's the kind of thing that if I was ever on survivor I would turn it into a piece of jewelery and wear it and save the day with fire to boil water. That's another thing. You would think that if you were picked for survivor you would take the wait time and read up on many ways to start fire, the indiginous edible plants, try a few shelter construction methods and different survival techniques. But no, they don't even know how to go camping.