orlando

Here's a look at the beautiful shore on St. Pete Beach, near Tampa. We spent the day looking for mermaids and admiring Dali paintings at the museum. Azalea spotted what could've been a mermaid, or seal, but no dolphins. Maybe next time.

Here's my girl at Lake Jessup, searching for snails after our feast of gator tail, clams, scallops and corn fritters.

Greggy staying out of the sun and watching for gators.

That baby loves the beach so much! If she had her druthers, we'd never leave and leave right on the shore. We are still in Florida and having a good time. Its hot, but its easy to escape the heat, by hanging out in the a.c. or shopping. I've had difficulty working here, it looks inviting outdoors, but is so hot it makes me feel weak and woozy, so I end up napping. Its also hard to get internet, so I feel out of touch and sort of like I time travelled. I'm ready for mountain temperatures and the quiet of my studio! At night, the sound of frogs, toads, crickets and night birds are loud enough to drown out most other sounds. Its nice, but hard to get used to. At home, its low, bamboo wind chimes and the rustling of tree branches. Do I sound homesick? Maybe a little. Its fun to be with the whole gang, but I miss my routine and little everyday rituals that make up my days.

So, we have one more day at the Orlando show before heading home, so stop by and check out the new pieces (which can be seen at Andrew's blog).

baby boy

It's a boy! How exciting! Azalea was disappointed at first, but decided she was happy anyway. I feel pretty relieved, the anticipation was too much! It felt strange seeing the baby rustle around and yawn, rub its eyes and snoodle down, getting comfortable. It was fun watching him, the miniature human. We decided to cook a feast and prepared country ribs, asparagus and potatoes on the grill, with corn on the cob and green beans cooked with caramelized onions and almonds. Andrew baked delicious dark chocolate cupcakes topped with a cream cheese frosting Greg made. Our friends Cheryl Ann and Michelle came over and brought a refreshing peach sangria (that I stared at, but didn't partake in). I have to say, today was a very good day!

pretties

My girl posing outside of Cafe Azalea, one of the only restaurants that makes a dish she'll eat without constant badgering - lobster and leek stew.

A necklace I made for a bird girl bezel, featuring ruby rondelles, herkimer diamonds, pink and green tourmaline, faceted labradorite, spinel and sapphire drops. This little necklace is for me, since I like pink and green.

I made this with some leftover chain from the book and a few shapes with a new texture I carved. This delicate blue piece features a kyanite crystal, herkimer diamonds, green amethyst, andalucite, sapphire drops, a petal shaped tourmalated quartz and labradorite. You'd think with all the mini wire wrapping that I'd get faster...nope, I still agonize over the placement of every bead.
So, we're getting ready to get on the road again, this time back to steamy Florida! I'm dreading the heat, which makes me wilt faster than spinach. The whole gang will be there, so it will be fun. Maybe we can go to Sea World or the beach. I am looking forward to eating gator tail and key lime pie! Our first stop will be in Fort Lauderdale, for Jane's show, so if your in the area, wear a piece from GGS and get a free bead! We like to see folks wearing the goods, rather than collected in a hidden box, only removed to admire once and awhile (like I do with most of my collection). Next, we'll be at the Maitland Civic Center, a pretty spot near Lake Lily, which is full of ibis's and slider turtles. It's also one of Jane's shows, so stop by and say hello!
Tomorrow is the day (we called and confirmed- no mistaking this time!) for our ultrasound and I am so ready, I could pop. My mom has this all-knowing, sort of annoying way that she annouces what the sex will be and if its the opposite, she claims that I misheard her. I want a girl, because Azalea wants a sister, but everyone else insists it will be a boy. I've heard everything to back this theory: how high I'm carrying, how big I am to what I'm craving. I know some folks like the debate, or the surprise, but I'm not one of them. I'm a planner and enjoy my lists and surprises throw all of the planning into disarray. So, if I don't have ultrasound pics by the afternoon, I'll probably seek out a 3-d ultrasound studio, even if I have to drive to Atlanta!

tagged

So I got tagged with some interesting questions the other day and since I hadn't played in a while, I thought I'd give it a whirl.

What is your current obsession?
I love 16" fashion dolls, cake, and sweet tea. To name a few.


What is your weirdest obsession?
This is hard...so many to choose from. I spend a ton of time organizing my toolbox before I leave anywhere, I call it my 'traveling studio' and its packed full of tiny art supplies. I have miniscule watercolors, collapsable brushes, small pots of gouche and little bottles of ink. That way, I'm prepared for anything. This is better than mentioning my inability to leave the house without food for later.


What are you wearing today?
A thin, dark knit shirt over a layered skirt that has embroidery and printing down one side. Cotton and comfy.


What's for dinner?
Pan seared steaks with a side of spinach, almonds and grapes. And sweet tea, of course.


What would you eat for your last meal?
Key lime pie, a basil pistachio truffle, my mom's fried chicken with rice and sliced tomatoes. With a cream soda float.


What's the last thing you bought?
Sapphires, labradorites and spinels wire wrapped into delicate chains, to make necklaces for my dolls.


What are you listening to right now?
Cold play, Glen Hansard and Azalea singing the theme song to Scooby Doo.


What is your favorite ice-cream flavour?
Pistachio.


What do you think of the person who tagged you?
I love Jean Yates. She's wild, smart and sassy. And I like how red her hair is. I also love that she loves dolls. So much to like about Jean!

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
HAwaii! I love it there. They eat spam like crazy and its pretty and warm. Where else would I want to go?


If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
The William and Mary Museum in London to stare at the miniatures and jewels.


Which language do you want to learn?
I wish my brain could hold italian, french, spanish, chinese, japanese and latin. That would be real nice.


What's your favorite quote (for now)?
Its a toss up between the old country saying 's**t or get off the pot!' and 'Let the beauty of what you love be what you do'. I think its a Rumi quote and I probably worded it wrong, but you get the idea.


What's your favorite colour?
Peachy pink, the color of my girls sweet cheek.

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?
Either my floral printed sarong that doubles as a scarf or shawl or any one of my hoodies. They are like security blankets.


What is your dream job?
Writing and illustrating stories, while making dolls and carving stones.


What's your favorite magazine?
Selvedge or sometimes High Fructose.

If you had £100 now, what would you spend it on?
A pair of metallic leather sandals with a floral motif from Anthropologie.


Favorite designer?
I like Jean Paul Gaultiers early work to make me swoon, but I think I'd actually wear Marc Jacobs.


Do you admire any one's style?
Cate Blanchett always seems lovely and cool.


Describe your personal style?
Think comfort, jeans, boots, flip flops, t- shirts with lots of jewelry. I wear bangles everyday, hoops in my ears and charms around my neck. I love embroidery and soft fabrics.


What are you going to do after this?
Sleep or eat ice cream.


What are your favorite movies?
Stardust, Lady in the Water, Sense and Senseability, Practical Magic, Hot Fuzz, The Matrix, Howl's Moving Castle and Pride and Prejudice.


What are you reading now?
The Oxford Book of Fantasy Stories


What's your favorite fruit?
Peaches.


What inspires you?
Beautiful art, sad songs, birds, strange flowers, art supplies and good books.


What's your favorite work of art?
Since this is too hard even to choose between a few, I think this question should be:


Occupations considered?
1. dermatologist2. archeologist3. law enforcement4. writer5. fashion designer


The rules:1. Respond and rework; answer the question on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention.2. Tag eight other people.

I'm tagging: Cheryl Ann, Jamie Hogsett, Nina Bagley, Heather Wynn, Carter Seibels, Beth Hemmila, Greg Ogden and Jane Wynn.

This afternoon, we thought we'd be discovering if Azalea would have a baby brother or sister, but discovered instead that the appointment is next week. Needless to say, I was disappointed after getting so excited, so I spent the next hour looking for one of those 3d ultrasound businesses. Asheville doesn't have one, so we didn't go and I consoled myself by making jewelry. My new acquisitions go with my collection of sparkly jewels perfectly, mostly labradorite and garnet, clear, pale greens and deep pinks of tourmaline. So, I spent the day laying out combinations of stones and thinking about the little baby nesting within me. I'm dreading the loss of my free time, but know how wonderful babies are, which makes that concern seem small. I suppose this means I need to work fast and finish lots of projects, since I'll be busy staring at the new 'freshborn' as my girl likes to call them. She's getting ready by practicing being a mama, birthing lots babies to care for. It's sweet, how nurturing she is. Anyway, we have another week to debate the issue!

Milwaukee

Here's my girl posed in front of the freshly opened wings of the Milwaukee Museum of Art. She tried to be patient and look at all the portraits and furniture, but it was hard. She had to be bribed with a wind-up robot. I was glad that our friend Anne Choi, who allowed us to accompany her, knew how to get that girl to see the work, not just glance.

I thought this was a nice, stormy looking picture.

Here's Azalea and Tara, camped out behind the curtain. Those girls were total naturals at the show, fearless and friendly. Can't you see them in ten years? They look so mature, it makes me feel sad.

Treasures from the show! Somehow, Melissa J. Lee knew that I collected small things and brought the wonder-cabinetesque goods in the box. The small grey piece is a piece of fossilized dinosaur eggshell! The loose beads are mostly from Bead Trust, a great place to find lots of unusual stones and cuts. I particularly love the rough hewn crystal eggs. The dark blue grey chunks are sapphire crystals from Kia, another source for the hard to find.

High graded tourmalines (which means the less pretty colors are picked out, leaving only the brightest beads, the pic doesn't do them justice). The tourmalines are also from Bead Trust. The beads in the middle are garnet crystals, uncut, from Kia. I can't recall where the rest came from. Andrew would know. They have such a magical quality, I can't wait to design with my new sparklies!

I just love opalized fossils, especially amonites! The big whopper has loads of flash, I can't stop staring at it. These beauties are drilled and carved by Gary Wilson. I'll probably set the cabachon in bezel wire, or place it in a book cover, Daniel Essig style.

So, we just got home last night, around one in the morning. I've spent the day lounging around, thinking about the show and all the fun we had. Andrew is so good at documenting things - I'm less swift at pulling out the camera. We were swamped pretty much the whole time, with no time to make anything during the show. Usually, it'll slow down and then we sit and string while chatting with a customer, not this time! We were happy and very tired. Our shopping was very efficient, only hitting our favorites and scanning the rest for the unusual.

I didn't go out as much this time, as I was knock down tired at the end of the day. I heard lots of amusing comments about my tummy looking big so soon. Folks would be like "so you'll be giving birth really soon, right?' or 'Oh my gosh! Are you having twins?'. I'll have to ask my midwife if I'm gaining too fast or what. Tomorrow we have our ultrasound appointment to find out what kind of baby I'm carrying! My family thinks it's a girl, Greg's is sure its a boy! Who is right? All I know is that I'm getting kicked a lot by a little 18 week nugget. It will be nice to know, so we can eliminate half the names we've thrown around. I'm pretty excited, I hope I can sleep! I'll post about the results as soon as I get the word! Hopefully, the little nugget is facing the right way so we'll be able to see.