Life

I am finally feeling settled enough to take time from organizing and recombobulating to start  disorganizing and discombobulating again.  I always feel that I need to put away and start fresh when  a new project springs from wherever they spring from.  I've been making some soldered and glass tile pendants, and working on an online art journaling class with Pam Carriker.  Tonight I just took some time to do some art for me and it felt good.  Soon we will leave our fairly well organized and decorated new home to head for the mountains.  The weather is warming up here and the cool crisp air of the mountains is calling my name.  I'll be busy working at the Red Rock Lavender Festival, getting stuff ready for The Quilted Wings Boutique in October and hopefully teaching some classes at Embellish too.  In between, I'll go hiking and bike riding, hit some antique and second hand stores, eat pie in Alpine and relax on the deck with coffee and a book.  That does sound nice.  I am so lucky. 

Here are some photographs of some of my recent projects, a bobcat that walked through our backyard and the beautiful Palo Verde tree blooming

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Getting Settled

I know that no one reads my blog regularly, but I feel the need to explain where I've been for the past few months.  We bought a house, prepared our house for sale, moved about 40 minutes away, sold a house (WHEW!) and unpacked.  Believe me that's A LOT!

OK - so the move is over, most things are put away, my studio is organized (or as organized as it's going to get) and it's time to settle into life.  I am starting this "settling" stage by taking Pam Carriker's Journal 365 online class.  It's a year long class so I feel like a can actually keep up.  I've made my journal, and already spilled paint on the cover.  It's not very creative, but I liked Pam's simplicity of the black and text and I just wasn't inspired at the time.  Here are some photos of my new digs and the journal for the new adventure.

Closing out 2010

Dear 2010,

You have flown by!  I don't know why, but it seems like just yesterday we were looking forward to you as the new year. 

This year has not only been busy, but full of lots of changes.  Early in the year, I took several workshops at Art and Soul in LasVegas.  I was exhausted after four days of classes, but inspired to make lots of art.  I didn't have near as much time as I had ideas, but did follow through on lots of them, and the list is still there somewhere in my head.

During the month of May we made a wonderful trip to Italy and Greece with our good friends Rick and Cindi.  We were treated to wonderful and unforgettable food, scenery, and experiences   The trip was fabulous and definitely something I would love to do again!

2010, you also brought some great sadness.  My dear friend Peggy Ziebell lost her battle with breast cancer in July.  She was a dear, brave friend and I miss her everyday.

I taught some soldering classes at Embellish and found that I really enjoyed that.  People were really appreciative and it was fun to see them get excited about learning something new.   Working at the Lavender Festival in late June and July was great fun as well. 

After spending a lovely fall at the cabin, I made a trip back to Wisconsin and really lucked out when it came to the fall colors.  I just happened to be there over the "peak" weekend and could not get over the beautiful colors, nor taking pictures of them!  Thank you 2010 for scheduling things that way for me. 

We returned from the cabin in early November and decided to make some "major" changes in our life.   We decided to look at moving to an active adult community called Saddlebrooke.  After looking at the possibility, and finding a house that we liked, we made an offer, bought the house, and put our house on the market.  This all happened in a 3 week period, during which we had company twice, I made a trip to LasVegas and we made a trip to the mountains! 

Needless to say, Christmas really snuck up on us this year.  Because the house was on the market, we didn't do a lot of decorating and that was sort of disappointing.  It's a little hard to get in the Christmas spirit when you are constantly wiping down counter tops, washing mirrors and windows and sweeping the floors.  I think this is the cleanest my house has been for an extended period of time EVER!  I did have a little aluminum tree in my studio and the early morning sun reflected light all over the walls like a disco ball. 

Now as you come to a close, 2010, I look forward to the 2011 and the changes it will bring, but will also look back with fondness, happiness and some sadness on this past year. 

Thank you and farewell.  

Catching My Breath

 

Sunflowers - Summer 2010

I honestly don't know how other bloggers can post EVERY DAY! (or even every week!)  Am I too busy, too disorganized, or just plain lazy?  OK, I'll stop beating myself up and get going.

It has been a very busy second half of 2010!  The sunflowers in the mountains were so phenomenal this year I couldn't stop taking pictures!  I have been to Wisconsin to visit family and friends.  We have had visits from Leslie - Stan's sister, JoAnn and Curt - Stan's cousin, Rich- his brother and Kayla and Richie - his niece and nephew.  I've also been to Boulder City to do an arts and crafts show and made several wonderful trips to the mountains.  I taught several classes at Embellish and made 4 large glass vase snowmen for the North Pole Experience in Greer.

To top off all of that, we bought a new house!  We have been talking for some time about eventually moving to Saddle Brooke - an active adult community north of Tucson and decided it was time to see if it was possible.  Well, in that process, we found a house we really liked, and our offer was accepted.  We decided it was "now or never.  So. . . now our house is on the market and we "decluttered" (which really means - get rid of half of all your stuff!) over Thanksgiving weekend.  Now we live in our "decluttered" home with everything neat, tidy, shiny and labeled with little cards that say "granite counter tops, custom lighting, etc. . ." 



Mark, Chris, Brett, Marina & Sadie



Great Blue Heron






















I've posted some pictures of the sunflowers, the beautiful fall colors both in Wisconsin and the White Mountains, my visit with the kids, the snowmen and "Doodlebug" Arts and Crafts show in Boulder City. 

Modeling our "monkey" pajamas

Wax/Tissue Paper/Dried Wild Flower Collage

Terry Flat Loop, Alpine AZ

Oh, one more thing that has kept me busy - Unraveling the 439 chains and pendants that I helped Carlanda take apart and reprice!

Doodlebug Boutique December 2010

Big Plans

So. . . I did have big plans to really stay on top of my blog throughout the summer, but here it is July 29 and it's been over a month since I made a post.  To say that a lot has happened since then would be exaggerating.   Most important of all was the loss of a dear, dear friend, Peggy Ziebell.  I knew Peggy for quite a while, but we became closer the last 10 years or so, making art together, quilting, drinking coffee, playing cribbage or bananagrams, making therapeutic shopping trips to IKEA, visiting with both she and Greg (her husband) at our cabin, even playing in the snow, snowshoeing, going on a lavender tour (the husbands were not too excited about that!), birding, participating in basketball pools, eating Frost, collecting buttons and scrapbook paper, etc. .. etc. . .etc. . .

Peggy was diagnosed with breast cancer in August of 2008.  She had a lumpectomy, underwent chemo and radiation, was declared clear and went on with her life.  She, however, was one of the unfortunate ones that had a relapse, and a year later she was told that the cancer had spread to her liver.  She fought another courageous battle with several different chemotherapy treatments, but in late June made the decision to give up the fight.  She was told that her liver was more than half metastasized breast cancer.  Peggy went home and spent her time with family and friends under their care with the support of hospice.  She lost her battle on Thursday, July 22.  I will miss her terribly. . .  This journal page was my small tribute to her life and all the times we shared.  To Peggy. . .

Classes!

Oh my gosh, after teaching for 27 years, I decided to teach some more, but something way different this time! I taught two classes last week at Embellish Boutique in Pinetop. After getting some great tips from Sally Jean Alexander at Art & Soul in February, and some more practice with soldering, I was ready to share my limited knowledge. The first class was using a glass bubble and a dictionary definition. We taped and soldered the outer edges and then added the jump rings, and some beading at the bottom - what fun!  Some people even went home wearing their creations!

On Saturday we made glass slide pendants with dimensional objects sandwiched between - a bit on the tricky side, but everyone did a great job.  Most people went home inspired and excited.  What a great group of women.  It was so nice to share the afternoon with them and see their creations.  The photos show a pendant that Trish's (the store owner) aunt made for her!  It has some of Trish's grandmothers jewelry as well as a picture of her grandmother in it.  What a nice surprise and a heartfelt gift for Trish!  I wish I had gotten a better photo of it and more photos of the other pieces.  Next time. . .

Catching Up

I hate to say it again, but where does the time go?  The month of May was spent in Italy and Greece - now I can't complain about that!  It was so. . . beautiful. . . I took nearly 1500 pictures.  Don't worry - I am not going to post them all!  Here is one picture of Tuscany right outside the villas we stayed in.  The scenery was gorgeous despite the "unusual for May" weather we kept hearing about.  Everywhere I turned, I saw a picture and at times had to force myself to just put down the camera and just take it in. 
We spent 5 days in Tuscany and Florence.  We visited beautiful ancient cites and amazing sights in Florence and spent our days eating our way through them.  Our favorite town was San Gimignano, but we also liked Volterra as well.  Castellina, Radda and Siena were also places we stopped. We sampled wines at a vineyard and ate wonderful meals.  It was really dreamlike - especially with the cloudy, overcast and rainy weather!   In Florence, we went to the Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, the Uffizi Gallery and the Statue of David at the Academia. 

We tried to find the restaurant in Palazzo Vecchio where Stan had lasagne florentine on his first visit, but couldn't find it.  We asked at several places and finally one waiter said they served it.  When the order came, it was not the same, disappointing, but still delicious!  More on the trip later. . .