Ginny's Small Studio

Last to Know

Where have I been? Why wasn't I informed? I just discovered Pinterest. I am sure all of you know all about it and have been playing there for months. What a wonderful way to waste a few moments and be inspired at the same time. It is so surprising to see how quickly repins happen and to see what is repinned. 

I don't think I showed you our new classroom all finished and cleaned up.

Here is from one side and below from the opposite of the room.

Imagine how difficult it is for John and I to keep from continually spreading out projects on these nice big, inviting tables. Do you know about cutting mats.com?  They will make mats to your measurements and mail them right out. The large ones can be pricey, but for our classroom, I think it will be worth it. I have a full size mat on each table. 

I want to again thank all of you who have come into the new store to welcome us. It has been wonderful for me to see familiar faces and meet new customers. Keep coming back!

Opening Day

Oh what a wonderful day we had today.  Our very first customer was Kathy Herda who greeted us at the door at exactly 10 AM.

Then we had a steady stream of old and new customers and blog readers who traveled as far as two hours away to come celebrate with us.

We laughed, they shopped, we nibbled on little French cookies (thank you Gfellers) and chocolate dipped strawberries (thank you Bennetts) and we caught up with each others lives and had a great time. 

I wish you all could have been here with us.  But there is always tomorrow.

A Little Break

We went to a fabulous party last night.  There was the usual great food and drink and interesting people and talk, but where this party differed was it was all about family and music.  The party was at Chris and Gayle Pritchard's. Chris has been singing and songwriting and strumming the guitar his entire life.  He has passed on this passion to his two childrem. Even his son-in-law is musical. I asked if one had to audition to be in the family.  The SIL answered a resounding and quick "YES!"

So last night, even though the only thing I play is the radio, John and I were invited to be a part of the Pritchards' "Fam Jam". John and I got to hang out with the cool kids.

There were not one, not two guitars in the room...below is Chris and Dave known locally as the "BackBay Boys".

No not just two but five guitar players and singers.

There was Chris and Dave plus son Brian, son-in-law Rob and the well known blues singer, Cletus Black.

Not shown is daughter Hailey who also sings and strums a bit of guitar.It was a great time with great music and definitely interesting people.

How fun to watch one guy start just playing a few chords and then everyone else picking up on the chosen tune. The passion for music was thick in the room, the non-musicians singing along and wishing we played too. 

Chris and Gayle are good friends and many of you may know Gayle from Art Continuum and the Creative Block workshops,  She is a wonderful instructor for quilting, collage, assemblage, etc. She also is a generous friend.  She introduced Susan Lenart Kazmer to teaching at the first Art Continuum. Gayle will be teaching at our new store.

 

Speaking of stores, I was thinking this morning about how it was so easy to build out the stamp store years ago.  You know: the average stamp is so wide, I have shelves so long, multiply that by the # of shelves and order accordingly. This store is so different because the merchandise is much more varied.  Yesterday I realized that I really need a huge table of some sort in the middle of the room, maybe with a second surface above. John is at the groaning stage.  "More projects?", he asks with a deep sigh. How lucky I am that he is ready and willing to help me with all my ideas.

Happy New Year to all of you out there. Thank you for all your comments and encouragment.

 

 

Yikes Twins!

Nine years ago my son Wes and his wife Wendy had twins. Ryan and Rachel are wonderful kids (as all my grandkids are), but Ryan and Rachel created such a change in the life of Wendy and Wes who up to then had only Alli, that Wendy started a business and named it after them.  At Yikes Twins, the inventory includes many different hooded towels for babies and kids.  There are super heroes, animals and princesses.

Wendy has worked very hard at making her company a success and it definitely is.  Yikes Twins Towels can be found in stores all over the country including Barney's of New York.  Vogue (magazine) just named Yikes Twins Hooded Towels the NUMBER 2  2011 TOP GIFT FOR KIDS!!!!!  Congratulations, Wendy.

City of Brotherly Love

Talking, that is talking a lot, runs in our family. We have spent a wonderful amount of time catching up since my brother and sister-in-law arrived. But we have also managed to do a bit of rambling about in spite of the rain and wind. I am loving every minute of their visit. I love my brothers!

One of our favorite places is the Morgan Conservatory. But then, you knew that. Lauren, who is the program coordinaror gave as a wonderful tour of the facilities.The Morgan grows their own Mulberry trees to harvest the Kozo bark.

The bark is stripped and cooked and then pounded into a pulp.

Then it is made into paper.

The Morgan also had a great display of handmade books and papersd. I was enjoying looking at them so much that I forgot to take photos and only took these three:

We also took a ride over to Westside Market which has been in business for 100 years. This is an extreme farmers market with one building full of fruits and vegetables all displayed beautifully. The second building has vendors selling cheese, meats, spices and bakery goods. A feast for the eyes and the hips!

I love the architecture of the building. Here is a section of the ceiling and the front of the building.

We have done some other things, too, but no photos. It is tough to remember taking photos when one is having such a good time talking and laughing,

Saturday, Sunday, Monday

Yesterday we drove a few hours to a small antique swap meet.  It was a beautiful dive through rolling hills spattered with Fall colors. This Fall has not been spectacular, but rather quietly lovely.  The wind was blowingwith gusts of 35 MPH so many of the vendors had packed up and were leaving. This, my friends, makes it a great time to bargain and we got some treasures. It was a fun, fun, fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Today was a good day to clean the house since my oldest brother and his wife are coming from CA to visit us.

I am really excited that they are coming. We ususally go to CA and visit everyone at least once a year so family seldom comes here. We get to show them why we love Ohio so much.

As I was dusting my antique hutch, trying to get into all the grooves and spindles, I wondered how many other hands had dusted this particular piece of furniture in it's 100 plus years. Did all the owners love it as much as I do? What were they thinking while they dusted it? Sometimes I wish all old things came with a diary. Oh, and photos of the rooms and families they lived with.

I bought the hutch in The Netherlands when we lived there in the late 80s. It has traveled from there to Westport CT, to Westlake OH, to La Crescenta CA and back here to OHio. I wonder where it will go next.

Happy Birthday, Tim!

Another month, another son has a birthday. Today is Tim's birthday. Many of you know my son Tim from the Creative Block/Stampers Anonymous/Art Continuum days. Tim, my middle child, and I were partners for 10 years in the aforementioned business. We worked really well together and had a lot of fun. I always felt blessed to have that opportunity to work together. Not many moms and sons are able to do that.

He was always a bold child taking on whatever was before him, exploring, playing and challenging himself.

He grew up to be a fine young man. During high school he played baseball, basketball and football.

At graduation he was one of two students singled out for "great achievement".

In college at Miami University of OH (and in high school) he set a long list of records in baseball and was drafted into the Milwaukee Brewers franchise.

He is married to Karen, a wonderful young woman and they have two awesome boys. I am very proud of him and I love spending time with him and his great sense of humor.

Happy Birthday, Tim.  We love you.

Doppleganger

We are back in Doctor/Hospital mode here at the Carter-Smallenburg abode.  John had some (yes, some) huge kidney stones that evidently he has had for years and years. On Thursday the doctors inserted a tube in his kidney and then drilled the largest stones and suctioned them out. The result is a tube that is still inserted in his back that drains.  He will have this until later in the week when he goes back into the hospital for the second surgery.  The reason that I share this very personal bit of information is that the dressing for his surgery has to be changed by a professional from Cleveland Clinic every day.  Today's nurse was a very tall guy that was an exact double for Jeff Goldblum, the actor. He even spoke in the same deep voice and cadence as the actor.

It was pretty weird.  We kept look for the hidden camera thinking we were being pranked. He was a friendly, efficient and funny guy.  When I finally mentioned that I thought he looked like the actor, he told us stories about being mistaken for Jeff Goldblum, particularly when he spent time in CA. He said that once his photo even appeared as Mr. Goldblum in one of the gossip magazines. 

When I was a teenager, I was often mistaken for someone named Paige Timmons who apparently lived in the same town, but went to the rival high school.  I never met Paige, but I often wondered if she was mistaken for me. It was unnerving the way I was looked at when the "accuser" found out I wasn't Paige. The likeness must have been close.  

Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?

By the way, John is progressing well.  He is just a wee bit grumpy about having to rest and stay at home.

It has been beautiful here in Northern Ohio.  70 degrees, sunny, breezy and lovely.  The trees are just beginning to show signs of acquiring their Fall colors.

Happy Birthday Wesley!

Today is my first born's birthday. There is something special about one's first born. He is the child that I learned to be not only a mother but a grown-up. His father and I were just 20 when Wes was born and determined to prove that we were not too young to be parents. He survived it and survived it well.

Moms have a different relationship with each child. 

Relationships change throught the years as circumstances change and as both mom and child get older. There will always be a special place in my heart for my first born son, Wes. Happy birthday.

Wes has five really wonderful children. Above he is with his wife, Wendy.

Summer Parades Ohio Style

Every June, Avon OH holds a parade, a duct tape parade. All entries must be made from , yes, duct tape.

So small town.  So much fun to see the entries.

And the first place winner was........

Yesterday was my daughter's birthday. I couldn't be there again.  She lives 2000 miles away, but we talked on the phone and she was happy.  Happy Birthday, Amy!  I love you. Bonus Dad John says he does, too.

Amy way back when:

And Amy and her husband now:

Road Trip Three

When driving across this huge country of ours there are big impressions being made.

I am always amazed at how much open land we have. We would drive for hours between towns and they were usually small towns. Why do we all crowd into the cities?  

I was dismayed to see so many empty industrial parks, so many empty main street buildings and so many abandoned farms. We really are in trouble here in this beautiful land of ours.  

I was impressed with the many, many wind farms we saw everywhere that is everywhere but here in Ohio. We have plenty of wind.  Where are our wind turbines? One of the most prosperous towns we overnighted in was Cheyenne WY.  Why? One of the reasons is that they have a few large wind turbine manufacturers there and even a school to train future workers.

We stopped briefly in NV to visit my daughter, Amy and her family.  Amy was busy making a mountain of handmade Thank You cards for her daughter's school.  She had a small assembly line going with my granddaughters Ginny (left) and Amanda (right).

John sat down to help and their other grandfather who was visiting from Holland joined the girls, too. And so was born the international grandfathers' competition.  Look at them go!

We did some antiquing on our trip.  Knowing that the wonderful Mary Ann Moss was beginning another of her fabulous online workshops this month using old Victorian photo albums, we picked up a few.  You can see her class info at the "Dispatch from LA".  You can see the albums we found in my Etsy shop.

We had a good trip and we needed a good trip.  We two have had quite a winter this past year. We are ready for normal again.

 

Road Trip

In spite of the fact that that I have not blogged in almost a month, it seems hundreds of you kept checking in here to see if I am back. Thank you for your continued optimism.

John and I were on a road trip.  We drove to Berkeley CA to participate and celebrate his daughter's wedding.  Kate converted to Judaism a few years ago so this was a Jewish wedding with many of the traditions unfamiliar to us.  The brides did a fantastic job of planning many things to bring everyone together.  There were dinners, services, lunches, cocktails. breakfasts and the actual wedding.  By the end of the weekend, everyone knew everyone on both sides of the family.  

We all stayed at the same hotel.  This was the view from our room.

The wedding ceremony took place on a hillside overlooking San Francisco Bay.  If you look closely at the brown hill right in the middle of the trees, the little white specks are goats.  It was an amazing place to have a wedding and the weather was perfect.  The guest sat on white cushions placed on the wide stone stairs.

Kate and Margee were married by a wonderful rabbi who was kind, loving and humorous besides having a deep full awesome voice. They were married under the tradional chuppah.  

This particular chuppah was constructed of squares made by family members.

Here is the square that John lovingly made for his Sweet Kate and her Margee.

There were other traditions that were wonderful, if not immediately understood:

John also made their "guest book".  The girls requested that he draw a tree and then the guests stamped their fingerprint as leaves and signed their names.  At least the guests who were not in the witness protection program stamped their fingerprints.

It was a wonderful wedding and we wish them a lifetime of happily ever after.

 

 

Sunday Night

We had a great weekend. Yesterday we took off for an antique mall we heard about 2 hours south of us. We love to drive through Ohio.  Once you are outside the bigger cities, it is like driving through history. 
We love the miles and miles of century old houses, working farms that are nothing short of picturesque and then the old towns with their ornate 1800s buildings and town squares.  We also love the bonus of the Amish buggies that come along. This trip, a major road was closed and so our two hour drive turned into an adventurous 3+ hour drive, but that enabled us to see a few other small towns that we would have missed.  

My 13 year old granddaughter, Ginny, is a gladiator in training for her local Renaissance Faire.  She takes sword choreography and she is very good at it.  This is her second year and this year she also gets to be a Barbarian.  Funny, but when I was 13 It never occurred to me to want to be adept at sword play or to be a barbarian.

Friends of Friends

Avon Lake.

PO Box 11.

I check it every time I go to the post office, which is almost every day.

It is almost always, always empty, but then I expect it to be empty.

This morning, I walked over to Box 11 amid the jokes of my friends, the postal workers.  They tease me about being an optimist every time I check.  They tell me I have to write a letter to get a letter.  They think that it is funny that I pay for an almost always, always empty PO Box. But today, I felt a thrill of anticipation.  Maybe there would be something, even a circular that I could make a great show of tossing in the waste bin. I opened the box up and there was a package!  Even better than a letter in my estimation.

I will share an excerpt of this witty note she included:

"...I made a few calls to some friends of ours (wink, wink) and I got the e-mail of a guy who knows a guy who has a cousin that can , you know, get "things". So, I got you what you need....See it pays to know people who know how to get things...."

Inside the package was this:

Thanks, Jane. Not everyone has a friend who is a good enough friend who will give you a kidney.  

Just saying.

Odd Bits

Remember last year when I was showing you unusual chandeliers?  Well, here is another for you.

Constructed of book sculptures, this piece of usable art was created by artist Lucy Norman. And this face sculpture, also made from books, is by artist Nicholas Galanin.

Both of these are on a great website sent to me by my friend, artist Tracey Truly. Tracey is a wizard at well, making wizards and other cool characters.  You can view her art here.

And while I am hooking you up to other websites to visit, I would like to mention that my good friend Gaye Medbury is teaching this spring in Virginia.  Gaye is a wonderful instructor and often taught for me at Art Continuum, Artful April and at my store.  Her projects are always well thought out, organized and she is a very generous instructor. Here is the link to Art and Soul where she is teaching.

Don't forget to check my Etsy shop often.  I add a few new things almost daily.  Yesterday, I was going to announce here that it was LetterPress day because I had listed 5 boxes of letterpress, but by the time I got them all uploaded, they were sold.  But I do have other new items, too.

Life

I am almost never sick.  I get some bug once every few years, but that is it.  Really.  The past 7 weeks I have spent in doctor's offices and medical labs all because of a really bad reaction to a blood pressure medication.  I think the doctors are trying to finish me off. I am feeling back to normal finally. Finally. Now that I have that off my chest....

I am dreaming of summer.

Dreaming of sitting on the patio with a cool glass of something with clinking ice cubes, smelling the sent of fresh mown grass and newly blooming flowers.

I am dreaming of bouquets of flowers in the house that have been cut from the garden.

But, alas, it is dark and dreary and wet outside.  I have been amusing myself by loading more stuff on my Etsy shop. This makes me happy because since I closed down Small Studio Emporium, I still have bits and bobs of stuff and it is more than I can use up myself. 

I also had a birthday since my last blog post.  My favorite thing about birthdays is all the phone calls from family and friends. Who needs gifts when a chatty call will make one happy? Although I did receive some pretty interesting gifts, too.  

We went to see The Adjustment Bureau last night with Matt Damon.  It was pretty good and did elicit some good conversation afterwards, but I think John liked it more than I did.

So what have you been up to?

So this is "outside"?

I have been getting cabin fever.  Two weeks of flu and colds have taken their toll on my energy and I haven't felt much like doing anything.

But then the phone rang this morning and son Tim suggested that John and I meet him for lunch downtown Cleveland.  I perked right up.  What mom doesn't love to be invited to lunch by one of her kids?  

Off we went to the Hard Rock for lunch, feeling very cool....well, actually feeling pretty cold.  It was 25 degrees. We had a lovely lunch and chat over the noise of the rock and roll of our youth.  Prompted lots of fun comments from John about our past history.  Thanks, Tim.  This was such a nice, spontaneous jaunt.

When we got home, the mail had arrived and the new Pottery Barn catalog was waiting for me.  I want to move into the Pottery Barn catalog.  It is always so inviting and unique.  Did you get your copy?

This page is one of my favorites:

Click on the photo to enlarge and enjoy the wall treatment of old documents, maps and blueprints.  So cool.  I know I am easily amused, but do any of the rest of you like the PB catalog?

post #662

I went outside today.  

It was the first time I have been outside this year.

After John and I returned from CA after his mother's service and helping the siblings clear out the old family home, we returned to OHio for just a couple of days to check on things, have Christmas with my son and his family and then we went back to NV & CA. We were only in OH for a total of 5 days in Dec. Returning on New Year's Eve, we both came home sick. I was laid out completely with stomach flu and I am still pretty weak.  I seldom get sick, but when I do, I make up for the healthy years. Poor John who wasn't much healthier became nursemaid. He is is the best.  We both survived.

While we were in the West we had several of these beautiful big roasted turkeys.  Nothing says Christmas dinner like turkey.

The most hilarious gift of the year was exchanged between my two brothers.  Better than the gift itself, were the many jokes that bounced around the room when this unique kitchen knife holder was opened..

I was so pleased to attend one of my friend, Tamara's, art parties.  We did felting!  The company was wonderful, the dinner delicious and the project fun.  I had never felted before.

No trip to CA is complete without some mockery.  The sign below assumes so much:

*that the food will be ready

*that the take out staff is organized

*that change/charges can be made quickly

*that anyone really cares enough to mark the time

Have a happy and healthy New Year.  I have missed you all.

Home Again, Home Again

We have been in California for almost two weeks. We were there to attend the memorial service for my mother-in-law. The service was held at Cal State University in LA where she was a Professor Emeritus. The stories about how she helped so many in their educational pursuits as well as careers were wonderful.  We knew many of the stories but just as many were a surprise. She was an amazing woman and so unselfish.

The rest of our time was spent clearing out her home.  We made a dent, but are by no means done. She and her husband had purchased the home in 1945 and her four children had all grown up there, each leaving at least several boxes of stuff. The amount of photos was overwhelming in itself. Add to that the papers, photos, and mementos her mom left to her. Simply, it is quite a lot.  She didn't really care about having things, but just living adds stuff.

We did spend one day on our own.  We had breakfast with my brother and visited Zinnia on Mission St in South Pasadena. I called Tamara, the owner and my friend, before going there to make sure she would be around.  I am glad I did because I was greeted by a full marching band  on either side of her front door when I arrived! Can you imagine her going to all that trouble just to greet me?

Well, okay, she didn't go to all that trouble.  It was just a coincidence that the strolling band arrived at her store at the same time I did. They were there to serenade the Mission St shoppers.

I love Tamara's store, but decked out for the holidays, it was very creative and cool.

All through the store Tamara and Joe Carrion (who also designed some cool stamps for me when I was owner of Stampers Anonymous) drew in black and white Christmas themes.  Modern and old fashioned at the same time, they did this window complete with a scalloped wood Christmas tablecloth.

I thought that we had a very cool bathroom at the Creative Block, but Zinnia has an even better one.

I am always so inspired when I am at Tamara's store.

Right down the street from her, a block or three, is my cousin Jeff's art studio.  We stopped in to see him and his lovely and talented wife, Lorraine.  If Zinnia inspired us, BurkeTriolo Studio knocked our socks off.  Everywhere one turns is a great idea, great art or clever use of space and materials. Most of the design work was done by Lorraine who should be an interior designer. It is all a lovely artistic blend of old, new and funky.  Jeff and Lorraine are such gracious and welcoming hosts.  It was a great day for us and a needed change from the sad work of clearing out John's mom's home.

 

Home Again, Home Again

We have been in California for almost two weeks. We were there to attend the memorial service for my mother-in-law. The service was held at Cal State University in LA where she was a Professor Emeritus. The stories about how she helped so many in their educational pursuits as well as careers were wonderful.  We knew many of the stories but just as many were a surprise. She was an amazing woman ans so unselfish.

The rest of our time was spent clearing out her home.  We made a dent, but are by no means done. She and her husband had purchased the home in 1945 and her four children had all grown up there, each leaving at least several boxes of stuff. The amount of photos was overwhelming in itself. Add to that the papers, photos, and mementos her mom left to her. Simply, it is quite a lot.  She didn't really care about having things, but just living adds stuff.

We did spend one day on our own.  We had breakfast with my brother and visited Zinnia on Mission St in South Pasadena. I called Tamara, the owner and my friend, before going there to make sure she would be around.  I am glad I did because I was greeted by a full marching band  on either side of her front door when I arrived! Can you imagine her going to all that trouble just to greet me?

Well, okay, she didn't go to all that trouble.  It was just a coincidence that the strolling band arrived at her store at the same time I did. They were there to serenade the Mission St shoppers.

I love Tamara's store, but decked out for the holidays, it was very creative and cool.

All through the store Tamara and Joe Carrion (who also designed some cool stamps for me when I was owner of Stampers Anonymous) drew in black and white Christmas themes.  Modern and old fashioned at the same time, they did this window complete with a scalloped wood Christmas tablecloth.

I thought that we had a very cool bathroom at the Creative Block, but Zinnia has an even better one.

I am always so inspired when I am at Tamara's store.

Right down the street from her, a block or three, is my cousin Jeff's art studio.  We stopped in to see him and his lovely and talented wife, Lorraine.  If Zinnia inspired us, BurkeTriolo Studio knocked our socks off.  Everywhere one turns is a great idea, great art or clever use of space and materials. Most of the design work was done by Lorraine who should be an interior designer. It is all a lovely artistic blend of old, new and funky.  Jeff and Lorraine are such gracious and welcoming hosts.  It was a great day for us and a needed change from the sad work of clearing out John's mom's home.

 

End of the Season

This is the last of the Fall color outside my window today. Most of the other trees have lost all their leaves, but this Bradford Pear has shown great fortitude in keeping it's colorful leaves.

Tomorrow, Thanksgiving, is the real end of Fall before all the craziness of Christmas and New Years.  I love Thanksgiving.  It is a no pressure holiday.  Just show up and enjoy good food and each other.  

The pies are ready.  They are my only directive from my daughter-in-law, Karen, who is doing the major cooking, cleaning and entertaining at their home.  I love going there, but I also miss being the hub of family gatherings.  Are you impressed with the pies?  Me too.  Photo courtesy of Paula Deane.  I did not make the pies.  My late mother is having a fit wherever she is.  Homemade from scratch was the standard when I was growing up.  Here, among Karen's family, getting "bakery" shows you really care. So, off we went early this morning to pick up one of those delicious and very large pumpkin pies from Costco.  It was like a feeding frenzy at the aquarium.  As fast as the bakers could load the displays with pies, people were removing them.  Many carts had 5-10 pies. Maybe they were for restaurants.  We got ours and checked out quickly.  Then off to Baker's Square to get the Chocolate Silk pie that is a 2nd favorite with the in-laws.  Baker's Square sells thousands of pies at each location during Thanksgiving, the manager once told me. The overload is handled by parking large refrigerator trucks behind the restaurant. They are so organized, that it also only took a minute to pick up this pie.

Since I didn't have to make the pies, although both are easy ones to make, I had enough time to buy these beautiful papers for future art projects. The designs are handscreened on heavy dark brown paper.

Thank you to everyone who sent such caring and kind words of sympathy to John and me and also his family.  They were very comforting.  Thank you.

Good Mail...Again!

Earlier this week I received a wonderful box of goodies from my friend Judi Delgado in CA.  Today from closer to home friend Jane (Ambrogi) Becerra, I received two awesome sugar skulls.

Sugar Skulls are a tradition during the celebration of Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday honoring and celebrating those loved ones who have died.  It is a day when gravesites are cleaned up and decorated. Personal shrines may be erected and filled with sugar skulls and the departed's favorite foods and drink. The final touch is to scatter marigolds around which are believed to lure the spirits to the offerings.  It is not a morbid holiday, but rather a festive party holiday honoring those we have lost and miss.

Thank you Jane for these wonderful skulls.  You did a superb job making them and I am honored that you shared them with me.

Each week, John and I drive down to the antique mall where we have a room, a very small room, all to ourselves to decorate and fill with vintage and antique goodies to sell. Today was our day for this week.

We added some new things such as these burlap coffee bags:

And we added this small red bookcase and filled it with old jars filled with old stuff and more doll parts and we added a good assortment of those very useful old cheese boxes and just a ton of stuff.

We are really enjoying this little project of ours.  John loves the hunt (as I do, too) and I love displaying the goods.  We have been moderately successful so far and we have learned quite a bit in the process.  It is always good to keep learning and challenging ourselves.

Odd Bits

Since I last posted life has been full of stuff.

My cousin Kathy from CA briefly visited us and we had a wonderful time.  We had not seen each other in a very long time, but it didn't matter.  The chatter began at the ring of the doorbell and didn't stop until she drove away. Years ago I had begun to research our family on my mom's side.  It was slow going since letters had to be written and then responses waited for. Enter the computer age. Kathy took up where I left off and within a month or two had just about every living relative connected by FaceBook and she had completed the tree for 4 generations. She and I and John spent part of the evening going through a box of my mom's old photos. There were quite a few of her mom that she didn't have. Fun for both of us.

The only downside and actually, John and I got quite a thrill out of it, was that Kathy just doesn't get our art.  She tried to be polite and say all the right things, but I am sure many of you have had the same experience with family and friends that just don't get you.

She didn't understand my Bratz-Doll-meets-camel-body-while-serving-up-a-platter-of-dragon-head. She was impressed that I had painted it all to look like wood.  Thank you again Michael DeMeng for the great De-Mented Toys class in June here at Small Studio. And Kathy, I loved our visit. I loved your reactions.

We have had several days of high winds which have blown most of the Fall leaves onto the grass.  Fall was so short this year that I got almost no photos for you West-Coasters of the Fall color.  You will have to be satisfied with these:

Small Studio Emporium is temporarily closed for restocking and inventory.  I am not sure when it will open.  I am sorry for any inconvenience.

Small Studio Workshop featuring Lynne Perrella is now sold out.  

Reports are in on Mike Meador's service on Monday.  I think Chris and Andy made Mike smile down on everyone who attended.  Old friends told of his childhood and adult pranks and jokes.  Mention was made of his annual quirky Christmas card/gifts.  We will miss those.  Mike's musical oddities were remembered and Chris put out a table-full of little items to take that Mike used to give out at conventions and classes. Laughter and tears.  Oh Mike, we will miss you so.  In life, you made us laugh so hard we cried.  Now we shed tears through the funny memories of you. 

We voted today!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Today was one of those perfect Fall days: sunny, 75 and pretty clear with the trees just beginning to turn into their gorgeous colors.  While out running errands on the other side of town, we decided to come home along the Lake.  Not a surprise for us.  We can't get enough of the Lake or the rolling farmland. Ohio is so beautiful and so uncrowded compared to the East coast and the West coast.  We love it here.

I just happened to have my camera with me so we did some drive-by shooting......of lakeside homes.

You can click on the photos to see a larger version.  Here is just a sample:

The three homes above have this for the view out their front doors:

This house has it's back to the Lake:

Miscellaneous:

1. I forgot to mention yesterday that the company Tim works for was just named by INC magazine as one the 500 fastest growing companies in the US.  Good for them!

2. There are just a few spots left in Keith's one day workshop next week and a few more than taht is the two day workshop.

3. Today is Tim's birthday.  Happy birthday son! Here is an old photo of the two of us when he was in high school and I was the age he is today.  So weird how time passes so quickly. I don't know what we were laughing about, but it must have been good.

The Day So Far

Many of you know my son Tim.  He was my Creative Block/Stampers Anonymous business partner for almost 10 years.  Since we dissolved the company and I married, Tim has gone on to bigger and much better things.  He is now a plastics broker and works in the realm of recycling.  It may not seem too interesting to most, but I find it fascinating.  He invited John and I to see his new office and have lunch today.  Every mom is thrilled with that kind of invitation.  Me too.  

Attached to the offices are the warehouses where all the action takes place.  The first warehouse we were in is absolutely huge with aisle after aisle of giant bins and barrels and boxes of material waiting to be processed and/or shipped.  Plastic car parts, Rubbermaid storage bins, unrecognizable plastic parts from who knows what are stacked ceiling high.

Then there are the aisles of plastic wrappers in huge rolls.

The printed wrappers are removed from the hard cardboard rolls so that they cannot be used by anyone else.

Then everything is sent through a huge, really huge machine that turns it all into plastic pellets to be resold and made into something else.

Trucks, big trucks, were lined up to the loading docks receiving literally tons of sold by-product, taking it on to manufacturers who will recycle it all into usable goods.

The beauty of all this is that without companies like this, all this "clean" waste would be dumped into land fills around the country. It was just a few years ago that it all did end up in landfills. Plastic does not decompose, but it can be recycled easily.  I wish you could have seen the amounts just in this one warehouse and they don't even deal in small recycling like plastic bottles.  It definitely made me want to be sure to recycle everything I use.