whew!

Just finished my last written exam for my drawing class. Now that those are done and I have no more textbook reading to do - the rest of the quarter will be all drawing, thank goodness - I hope to be a bettter blogger, both posting and reading, and to catch up on email. I'm sooooo backlogged on everything in life, it's ridiculous. But I do have to share this one new-to-me discovery. Darn that Amazon suggestions feature...here's what it presented to me after I put something on my wish list: Marie Claire Ideés. After reading the reviews, I decided I had to have it, so I went directly to the magazine's website and subscribed since some reviewers complained about ordering through Amazon. My French is pretty rusty so hopefully I input all my info correctly. Then I decided I wanted the December issue because the photos on the website were just too enticing. I did some calling around and found a local store (a cigar shop of all places!) that carried it. Here are a few yummy pages - if I read it correctly, the cute bags are ones that readers made and sent in for some kind of contest and fundraiser for a medical charity. There were ten pages of those bags so these are only a small selection.

free cookbook and a good cause

Barilla is offering a little pdf Celebrity Pasta Lovers' Cookbook and is donating $1 to America's Second Harvest with each download. They've probably already surpassed the $100,000 by now but it looks like some good recipes and is guest edited by Mario Batali and Giada De Laurentis. Buon Appetito!

more charms

Here are the charms I got back from one of the swaps I participated in. What a wonderful variety - I love the uniqueness of each one!

change is good

I was getting tired of that winter blog template, especially now that the sun has returned. Please let me know if you have any problems viewing this new format - I've been learning a lot lately about how different web browsers "see" things differently and the things you can do to overcome that.

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon at a spinning class. No, not the kind you would go to at a gym, but the kind you would go to at a yarn store! It was a lot of fun and I might have found a new addiction (just what I need...more stuff to acquire). I'll post more about this along with photos over on my knit blog in the next few days so bookmark this site if you're interested.

On a different note, I've been enrolled in a drawing class at our local community college for the last few weeks which has kept me very busy and filled me with a lot of self-doubt about my artistic abilities. I feel like this drawing class is harder than any biochemistry class I ever had in college - how could that be?! I'm glad I decided to push myself even though I will probably never be very proficient at drawing. I think I needed this change in my life for reasons that will become more apparent later. And I'll let you know if I figure that out!

so sorry about the pop-up ads

I removed the tag board for now until I can get the upgraded version with no ads. Thanks!

seems like a lifetime ago...

waaaay back in November when I mentioned the Divine Definitions swap I participated in. Well, it looks like they have finally been sent back out, so I'm going ahead and showing you what I made. I soldered jump rings to mini light bulbs then attached eyelash yarn, glittery stars, metal beads, and soldered charms made from two glass pebbles sandwiched together. On one side is my chosen word, "illuminate," and on the other, a brief definition, "to light up; shed light on; enlighten." I can't wait to see all the other swappers' creations and will share them with you when they arrive.

tag board

I decided to add the message board on the left so you can ask me questions (or just chat). This way you'll be able to see my responses more readily instead of via email or comments. Blogger doesn't allow me to directly email people who leave comments, and there's no way to reply to people who leave them anonymously. So feel free to use this new feature if you like...just type in your info and message and then click on TAG.

four inches of snow and counting

Brrr! At least our silly dogs are enjoying themselves...

wishing you a peaceful day

A few years ago, we visited friends who were living in Atlanta, GA at the time - one of the places we went sightseeing was the Martin Luther King, Jr National Historic Site. They handed out these cards which I still keep posted in my studio and thought I'd share it with you today as our country celebrates this day of remembrance. The only thing I would change to the pledge is to add the phrase "and all living beings" after the word "people" - let's not forget to care for all the plants and animals that sustain our planet and humanity.

messy people unite!

Yet another book for me to add to my long list of must reads. Click on book cover for more info.

winter wonderland

a little late for a white christmas but beautiful just the same

No time to post much right now, but as promised, here are photos of the charms I've been madly working on...

latest collage

How is the new year going for everyone? I've been pretty productive considering I've been sick for the last several days (that's two nasty colds within a month - ugh!) I finished adding the duplicate stitch to a knitted bag which will be felted. You can see a photo of that on my knit blog here. I also started making 36 charms for a swap hosted by Diane Downs. Lastly, I made the above collage which will be made into 8 charms for another swap hosted by Romona Ashman for ArtFest. I'll have photos of those next week.