Archives

February <                                                                                                         > April

Tuesday, March 1st

                  Mom & Me at her Birthday Party on the weekend

Happy Birthday to the Greatest Mom Ever!

(I know a lot of people say that, but it really is true with you ~ xoxo.)

Thursday, March 3rd

My dear Grandpa passed away this morning.  There isn't a single person that knows him that can't help but smile when they think of him, he was just that kind of guy.  Loveable, sweet, kind, humorous, generous, smart as a tack... the best.  The best of the best.  That was my Grandpa. 

Tuesday, March 8th

I love this, it's so beautiful.  Thanks for the link Andrea.

"A very long time ago, there were no groves because everywhere was a grove with no roads to bisect and no people to erect stones and fences and bridges. The trees were very, very young and had much living ahead of them. The enormity of their lifespan loomed in wooly mists around them, so they stretched out their root fingers and wrapped them around each others, intertwining and holding very tight. The ferns found pockets of root fingers where they could nestle in and the moss stretched itself out over the soil and everything became very soft. The trees grew and made patterns of light and dark on the ground and the vines swirled in to trace the patterns. Spotted spiders moved back and forth and up and down, making nets to catch the mist, and the mist would linger on the nets in drops that cupped the light. It was very quiet all the time because the trees needed to focus on their lives. It is not easy to grow so much, for so long. Some trees became tired and lay down on the soft ground; others leaned and rested their tops on another. Growing is forever, they whispered, and when one tree had to stop, another would grow out of it and reach very high into the grey and gold sky.

The trees rested and waited for the mist to come and cool them. They were very large, but still not very old, and had much more growing to do." ~ Kallie Markie

Monday, March 14th

I've been converting my archives into books!  I've got the hard copies with me but they can also be viewed online: 

It's been quite the undertaking & there's still a lot more to go, but it's coming along.  And so are beads!  I'll be working all week to get something organized for sale here soon.

Thursday, March 17th

Happy St. Paddy's Day to you!

In honor of the green theme of the day, I want to share with you some amazing greenery:

These living walls provide biodiversity, help buildings & homes with heating and cooling, clean the air & are some of the most beautiful arrangement of plants imagined.  I'm so inspired by these that I'm starting to scheme up a small version of one in our home.  I'll talk more about it once I know for sure that we can make it happen. 

The man behind many of these vertical gardens is Patrick Blanc from France.  His work is so exciting, I can hardly stand it!  Have you ever seen a living wall?  If so, where?  I would love to hear from you. 

              Life emerges out of the ruins at Fort San Lorenzo, Panama

Monday, March 21st

Hodgepodge ~

            Photo courtesy of Sue Flood

A sweet Emperor Penguin whose plumage shows a perfect shaped heart.  Makes me feel all fuzzy inside.

Happy Spring to you!  It's cloudy with snow in the forecast, but still, things have shifted.  It was light out at 7:30 last night!  I love when the days start getting longer. 

                                  Lilacs in the yard last year

It makes me dream about my garden again.  Thinking of our plans this summer; finishing up projects, transplanting, anticipating the lilacs & wondering how I'm going to fix a few pesky problems that arrive with the new season, like the grass growing between the cobblestones & the drainage by the garage.  It's nice to have my head in these warmer thoughts when it's so white outside.

Have you ever tried these?  I must make them for Chris.  They look too good to be true.

I love Katie's idea of fun!

I was exploring tap dancing videos on the weekend & wanted to share a few with you.  I recently switched tap teachers & have been really enjoying the new lessons.  These videos only inspire me more:

And then there's Gene Kelly:

Wednesday, March 23rd

I've had some inquiries about the upcoming bead sale.  So to keep you up to speed, I'm still preparing for it.  Here's a picture of my work table.  It's covered in every glass color imaginable:

I'm in the thick of it, making Monet beads.  I'm just going to keep going until this energy leaves & it's time to move on.  That said, if you liked the Monet beads (I'm thinking of you Carol ;), there should be a lot available for purchase.  I took a little sneak peek photo of some of them below:

I'm also really enjoying making colorful, juicy hearts.  They get me all excited when I take them out of the kiln.  Each one has so much personality!

My biggest concern now is trying to capture their magic using my little Olympus point & shoot.  It's not doing them justice, but it's also cloudy out this morning so when the sun shines, I'll try again.

Speaking of my camera, I'm really starting to miss the Canon with the wonderful 50mm 1.4f lens. *Sigh*.  I'm hoping to invest in a new camera soon, but I want one that can take awesome macro shots, landscape & portrait shots without changing lenses... you know of one like that?

Friday, March 25th

My photo wasn't clear, so I got this from the web.  I saw was a very similar sight.

Hey, I saw 2 robins on Monday!  They looked cold, but there they were in a tree, covered in snow.  The first robins of the season, that's promising!  We've had below normal temps for the entire month of March, it has to break soon, the robins & I command it!  

I've convinced my mom to string the bead sets for the upcoming web sale & I'm getting closer to pinning down a date.  I'm going to make her this as a thank you.  She won't be able to do this until next Tuesday, so it is most likely that I will take photos on Wednesday & have the sale up & running Wednesday night or Thursday morning.  Hope that helps for those waiting... patiently, I might add. 

Chris & I are going to remodel our kitchen this year!  It's very out-of-date & dark.  I want lots of light & a better layout. 

I love this little kitchen.  It's bright & open with warm highlights & beautiful flow.

And this one:

Isn't this scrumptious?  I'd kill for that floor.  Simple, yet stunning!

We've been drawing up a blueprint for our own kitchen & this morning we are off to look at appliance & cabinets.  Wish us luck.

Monday, March 28th

This video cracks me up because it reminds me of when I was first dating Chris & I would come over to his house on Sundays while him & his buddy, Mikey recorded music in the basement bathroom.  I guess the acoustics were pretty great in that particular room.  I should clarify that Mike & Chris never sat in the tub together to record.  That would just be weird.  Perhaps The Belle Brigade had acoustics in mind when they recorded this silly, little video.  It's fun & aren't their harmonies lovely?  You can go to their website to sample more of their catchy tunes.

I had a day planned for beading, but I just got back from a big grocery trip & after unpacking everything & putting it all away, the entire experience ate up several hours.  I have to still go back out to run a few more errands & tonight we are going out for dinner to celebrate Chris' mom's birthday ~ Happy Birthday Pat!

                        Chris & Pat having fun wearing sombreros

So if I do make beads, it won't be very many.  I was hoping for one more big day, but this weekend has been so busy, I just never got back to the torch after Thursday.  That's okay, there should be enough from the last couple of weeks to have a sale.  The beads will be off to my mom's tomorrow for stringing!

Wednesday, March 30th

I showed this handmade quilt just over a year ago.  It was a birthday gift from my friend, Skye.  It's still on the bed & keeps us warm at night & brightens the room during the day.  Each time I look at it, I discover a new pattern or color.  It's just beautiful & I absolutely love it. 

Skye has been working on several quilts since that time & she truly has a talent for it.  She just recently developed a website to show her works of art & I wanted to share it with you.  She creates custom pieces so if you're looking for a very special gift to give, you might consider one of her quilts.  They are one-of-a-kind, with each design reflecting the qualities of the person receiving the gift so they feel very personal & of course, you also give the gift of warmth, which is highly coveted in these parts.  

Thursday, March 31st

BEADS FOR SALE!  First please note:

To purchase beads, click on the underlined name of the bead(s) you wish to buy.  This will open up an email to me with the title of that bead set or focal in the subject line.  Send the email to me with instructions on how you would like to pay (paypal is preferred, but if you don't have paypal we can arrange for another method of payment).  Also, please indicate which country you live in (Canadians will have to pay GST).  I will add up your total, including shipping & will send you an invoice.  I greatly appreciate & insist that payment is made promptly & no later than 3 days after your request.

There are 2 pages of beads for sale!  "Monet Bead Sets" on the first page & "Monet Heart Focals" on the second page.  Click on the photos below to access these pages.  I will update frequently with SOLD signs beside the beads that are spoken for along with the initials of the person who has committed to buying them.  Refreshing the pages as you shop is highly recommended.   Thank you. 

          Monet Bead Sets for Sale!  Click on photo to view.

          Monet Heart Focals for Sale!  Click on photo to view.