Gone Fishing

I'm knee deep in to-do lists trying to get ready for our annual trip back East. Seriously, this is my 2nd list in 4 days and both lists cover the entire page. How does life get this complicated? Anyhow, despite the fact that 10 days on a beach takes Hurculean effort to prepare, it's DEFINITELY worth it! The house sleeps a small village comfortably, something like 9 bedrooms and 7 full baths and is right on the beach ~a mere 30 steps or so and it's surf time! My entire family goes ~ that's Mom, Dad, stepmom, (oh yes, they really do get along) my family of 4, my brother and sister-in-law and their 4 boys, and my sister-in-laws mother. Now that's a party at the beach!! I'll take photos for a future post but in the meantime I found these jars in my studio. I thought they'd be appropriately timed. For all of you longing for the beach but stuck in dry-dock mode, here's a little beach to-go! I can almost taste the blue point crabs and ice-cold beer!

Life is Golden

Last night I read Sara's post about gratitude. It was a lovely reminder about how just a slight shift in your perspective can transform an ordinary day into an extraordinary day. Even the mundane events of daily life take on new meaning. Like my beautiful 3 year old daughter Rylie eating a still warm from the oven brownie. Completely and utterly blissed out by a 3" piece of chocolate. I watch her from a distance and smile. Her brownie bliss is a lesson for me. It's a reminder to notice the things that make me happy ~ quiet time with my family, the perfect score at a flea market, a really good cup of coffee, warm sand between my toes. The list is endless and for that I am grateful. I am lucky. I feel it and try as often as I can to acknowledge that fact. Thank you, Sara, for reminding me to stop and smell the chocolate brownies! And thank you for the very fitting color of the week ~ gold. Life really is golden even when it ain't.





Oh yes, did I forget to mention that today I got an email from Somerset Life asking me if they could do a piece on my bottles? Well, they did! Am I flattered that somehow they stumbled onto my blog? You bet. Am I grateful for the wonderful world of blogging and all the people I meet? Absolutley. XXOOXXO!

Some Friends

In my last post I mentioned Ulla and her amazing talent. If only you could see her studio.....I was in such a hurry that day that I didn't get a chance to go through all the pictures from my day with her. Here are a few more.

This one was a gift from her friend, Donna O'Brien, an incredibly talented artist. I'm so captivated by this woman's art. Visit her blog and see for yourself. WOW!

Another well known friend gave Ulla this bird in a basket. Does anybody recognize the work? It's the one and only Nicol Sayre. I swear it took me 20 minutes just to work my way through Ulla's house because of all the "gifts from friends"!

And this little wee one is a sample of Ulla's imagination. Amazing, and no detail left uncovered. Like this little wee one, though, it's time for bed. Sweet dreams!

Play date with Ulla

It's been a while since my last post. I wish I had some fabulous excursion to a remote tropical island to blame it on but the reality is my life has been warp speed lately and, oh yeah, my computer crashed. It took 2 weeks to diagnose and fix. Not that long in the grand scheme of things but in my little world of computer addiction, it was an eternity!
During that time of feeling as if I had lost an appendage I worked on boring, but neccesary, administrative issues and catching up on my summer to-do list. I also took a day to play with a friend of mine, Ulla. She's an INCREDIBLE artist and teacher, and I'm honored to know her. I went to Ulla's studio with the intention of learning how to solder but what I ended up with was soooo much more! Within minutes of arriving, creative sparks were flying and all bets were off! Here's a peak at the end result. I'm really happy with the way these vintage bottles turned out and can't wait to make some more. These will definitely become part of my gift line. Stay tuned for the official launch! Anyhow, let me know what you think. I welcome the feedback.






For all of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting Ulla and some of her incredible dolls (a small sampling of her numerous talents) here's a peak into her fabulous world....