teeny tiny collage necklace (c)

Production for the first Holiday Show in Washington
I'm super in love with these new pieces.
One of my favorite finished pieces for one of its glamour shots for the etsy update. And a shot of the production work going on in the studio these past few days. I love making these teeny tiny collages and had been mulling over the various ways to renew and present them this season...and I am so pleased to debut them here today, at the show on Saturday and on etsy Monday. (More social events tomorrow will likely keep me from being able to post them to etsy tomorrow).


It's been a social weekend. Breakfast out with friends from California visiting family (and us), great place - Maltby Cafe -- we'll definitely go back.

And look at how cute this espresso stand next door! Later an apres Thanksgiving dinner in Kirkland - yum, those brussel sprouts were *so* good and the sage-y dressing and pumpkin pie with cool whip - it was all good. Artsy folks too - he welds really amazing sculptures and household items, she makes beautiful art quilts (and this year's Advent banner that will be unveiled at church tomorrow morning).

thank full

For temp work -- lots of organizational projects. I love doing all these tangible things! Clearing piles, making filing cabinets pretty and easy to read. And look how pretty the view is from the break area! The first day I was headed there to make tea though...I saw a rather large harbor rat run across the floor up a pipe and over the ceiling of the Registrar's office! Ack! The place is really beautiful and very clean. Cannot stop the wharf rats from coming in from the rain and cold. And it was *pouring* down rain that day! So dark that I didn't even notice that we drove right under the Space Needle. So these other photos were taken on other mornings.

Around the Seattle Center. I love these swirly like photos.
Thank full also for the beautiful places we have found to go on walks. Will be thankful when we find thermal pants to wear under our sweatpants for these walks. It's colder here! A wet, windy cold.
To be incorporated into jewelry projects.
A very cool two-sided sculpture in the park.

Taking photos while waiting in the Park and Ride lot on the way to the temp job in the morning. It's *dark* at 6:00 a.m. The rest of the photos are from after work waiting to be picked up. (We are currently a one car family).
A few items from my thankful list: love, family, being in the Pacific Northwest, health, excellent library system, PCC, Trader Joe's, Thanksgiving leftovers, beeswax candles, decaf wet cappucinos, Good Earth Tea, art days, flickr, *comments*on*my*blog*, craft swaps, mail, making new friends.
What are you thankful for this year? Hope your Thanksgiving is full of grace, laughter, stories, games and good friends/family.

Finally, an all out art day!

It's been much too long since I've spent more than a few minutes on art.
So, yesterday though there are still to do lists "a mile long" I ventured down into the basement studio to spend hours spilling paint, smooshing it all around with my fingers and hands. pulling out all the media to use pens, oil pastels, paste, stencils (Mary Ann - yes, I used stencils yesterday. Soon, I'll be making some again too).
And today I got a temp job for three days! (So needed)
Sermon today was all about abundance
and
abundance rocked the house today.
Signed up for my first Holiday Show in the new town.
December 1st.


Gotta find the boxes full of product
Make new business cards (I see the reason for using just website and cell phone number now - definitely leaving off the studio address this time)
Make new hangtags

New signage for the booth
New frames for new artwork

More photos of the art day on my flickr page too.
(Please leave comments here, or on flickr)

a new house (photos next week)

My new hat. We were driving back from signing all the house papers! And ran across this huge red and white sign -- Reindeers and Red Ribbons Holiday Craft Show (or similar words -- with a bright red reindeer wearing a big red ribbon). We stopped, for a bit of a visual change. A *wide* variety of crafts represented. I bought this great hat - it's acrylic (I know, yarn snob), but I love the colours and the bulky, elfy shape of it. Love it!

Also, this wise owl stuffie.

Also picked up a lot of flyers for arts and crafts shows in the area. Gotta find places to get out and sell my work too. And trades this season. If you make stuff, let me know if you are interested in trades.

A block, maybe two, from our new house. (Still have the inspections and stuff to go through in the next week). It is certainly a wild and busy time, full of excitement (and stress), we fall into bed each night hoping for a deep, restful, restorative sleep -- missing it because we are so full of questions, fears, stresses and creative ideas for all that is happening in our lives. And yet we are thrilled with all the journeys we are on.

Boo!

Here it is. Perhaps the most recognized part of the Seattle skyline (Mt. Rainier & the Pike Place Market sign too?) As seen on the way home from church on Sunday.
The lovely Japanese Maples in our yard. (and the windows to my temporary studio).
The gorgeous moon we saw as we left PCC on Tuesday night. Can you see the trees framing the yellow moon?
The first set of library books. (I picked up another 6 - 3 waiting for me and 3 more that jumped out at me in the featured paperbook area...photos on flickr later).
The sets of Koigu purchased at Web-sters of Ashland on the drive up here. The colours are glorious, I'm really hoping for no pooling of colours (I'm not a fan of the lightening bolt look on my socks).

Colinette Jitterbug. I just couldn't decide between these three, so we bought them all! I just recently heard on one of the knitting podcasts that Colinette Jitterbug runs short, so I'll definitely be knitting these magic loop, toe up, two at a time, so that I can get as much length as possible. So soft and beautiful.
The papers I got in my paper/ephemera trade with Binky (Thanks Binky!) this past Saturday.


Ta for now.
Happy Halloween.

catching up...

Feeling a bit like we are still in the tunnel. House hunting. Job search. Changing addresses. Still trying to figure out what phone service to use to have a land line in the house. Saturday I went to a North Seattle ArtFest meeting. That was fabulous, I met 5 amazing artists (Tara, Gwen, Janet, Delores & Binky), and am thrilled to be able to meet up with them again. And what a great space that Third Place Books is! I only got a teensy bit lost on the way there (and not at all on the way back). Bought two new pairs of shoes today (job interview coming up). And three new blouses and a rockin' wrap dress. Have been to the local PCC twice, Trader Joe's once, QFC once - lunch for the movers. Have explored different parts of the Tolt Pipeline, a couple of hiking areas. We haven't made it on a ferry ride yet - maybe next weekend. We haven't made it to Ikea yet. We have looked at about 10 more houses and *really* like one. We had a leak in the laundry room ceiling (the main level bathroom is directly above the laundry room - landlord had a plumber over the next afternoon, all's better). Cable & internet installed. 7 books checked out from the library, 11 requests, 3 more waiting for pick-up. Creating my daily collages. Catching up on my podcasts. Went to University Congregational United Church of Christ - very nice people, kids co-led the service last Sunday - they were so incredible, memorizing beautiful Bible passages and telling their stories of love! Had a Dick's burger and fries after church. (I like the Kidd Valley burgers better - we went there our first night in town - they have a non-bun option). What's going on with you?


Collide. My very first wholesale account (back in 1998). What a thrill that was...laying out all of my product (on the floor in the back, it's a small -- but *amazing* store) and having the owner pick out piece after piece to buy! That feeling was so great. And then, I got this great check! We always find something to buy here when we swing through Cannon Beach - even before she bought some of my work!

some traveling photos INPO

(in no particular order) just photos i like from the trip. more posted in my flickr account later. second day in our new home, second day at the library. monday we may have internet access at home. good thing this library is open 7 days a week (well, good thing for me, maybe not good thing for the folks who work here).

A slight detour off I-5, to see a church we longed to see and to try to find Webster's. Drove right by the church -- great art sculpture/quote on the front "Peace is not found in fear or violence" - living the good life at that church! So, Webster's, not as easy to find, finally after cruising Main Street a couple of times, still unable to find 11 Main St. we pull into a little indentation in the street to a parking space walk across the parking area to the information stand, no one there. Ask a bystander, also a tourist, turn to walk to a nearby store to ask, look up, and there two spaces from our parked car -- Webster's! Looked through all the Koigu - found two sets of skeins (oops, no picture, bad blogger). Ashland is *so* beautiful.
Two days later...found the yarn store in Cannon Beach. They have Socks that Rock. Had never seen it either, nice feel, not any colours I liked remaining, so I gave up that yarn, only to purchase three skeins of Colinette Jitterbug (again, no photo, sorry...maybe if I get requests, I'll take some). Love them all. The biggest stash I've ever had!
And more architecture of SF to be added to flickr soon too.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for our journey. We are so blessed.
Tomorrow, studio day! (and house-hunting a little)

we made it!

view from one of the bedrooms at the front of our house.
our traveling days were amazing. i'll post photos and more later.

movers left at about 2:30 p.m.
i came to get my library card at about 4:30 p.m.
soon, i'm headed home for something warm for dinner and the curl up on the couch with my new library books!
it's been cold and rainy all day -- but i couldn't be happier!

the call of the neon fish....

Our final Half Moon Bay walk on Tuesday night. The sun was setting as we parked the car and power walked to the beach for glimpses of the sunset and ocean. Misting rain just a tiny bit. A call to our new home. Tears, but happy tears. We'll miss this beach, these walks, that fenceline, the hawks, our favorite birds and our made up names for them. Barbara's Fish Trap. The pumpkin patches. The changing horse. The winery cat. Peet's! Wouldn't you know it, just as we move a Peet's opens in Half Moon Bay. We stopped there once last week, only to find that it was just a training day. So, I didn't actually get the opportunity to have a Peet's from HMB, but I am so pleased for the rest of you to finally have the chance to have smooth coffee, espresso and glorious teas.



We're staying with a friend for a couple of nights as we catch up on rest before our days of driving and exploring. Don't know if I'll have an opportunity to share photos and stories along this journey, but I definitely will once we get settled in our new community. Blessings all.