Want!

http://geeky-dad.tumblr.com/post/3869493918/my-daughter-is-turning-one-soon-and-i-decided-we
How cool is this?!?!  I've been looking for a great growth chart for my son. The ones I've liked so far were a bit too expensive for what it is. Yes, memories ... how do you put a price on memories ... well, $50+ for a very large paper ruler seems like a lot to me. But this, well, this is just full of awesome.

I've been featured!

My very creative and talented friend, Tish (of Just A Tish designs), featured a glass pendant I made in one of her fantabulous necklace designs.

http://justatish.blogspot.com/2011/03/sandra-wills-glass-artist.html

Love it! Be sure to check out her blog as well as her jewelry site:

http://www.justatish.com/

In addition to jewelry (stop by to see her awesome wire work), she also sells stone specimens and some supplies.

But, back to the pendant and necklace design, doesn't it just scream Spring to you? It's great and I adore how put all the colors of the beads and gemstones together.

Thanks for the love, Tish!

Yay! New toys!

So I just finished a month-long contract doing some technical writing work. I had fun, but now that my brain has gotten a good workout, my muse is starting to pop back up.

I just ordered new business cards and matching earring cards from www.zazzle.com. I think I'll enjoy the professional pop they'll add to my work. Plus, I don't have hours to dedicate to making my own cards now that my little man requires so much attention.  Instead, I'll just be adding adhesive earring clipcards to add to the back of the earring cards. I need to get new shutters (after 5 years of using them), but my earring displays will be top notch this year.

I also ordered some goodies for my kiln. Some new pre-cut dichro glass ovals and circles, and various glass enamel decals for pendants, a business card slumping kit for a special order I have, and lots of textures to use with the metal clay I got for Christmas. I think I'll start simple, with some shaped pendants and textures applied to those, before trying too many fancy things.

As I start making new things, I'll post pics of course. So stay tuned. :-)

Making those Valentine's flowers last

My husband sent me flowers yesterday, as is his usual Valentine's Day custom. I love the arrangements he sends me as they are filled with roses, lilies, orchids, and other lovelies. The florist always does a great job, even when he waits to the last minute (like he did, ahem, yesterday). [side note: The florist laughed at him when he called, but I can't say that I blame her. I laughed too, when he told me about it last night, but they sure didn't hold it against him.]

There is also a balloon and a bag of rose petals that came with it. I love every detail.


Anyway, back to the point of this post. Making the flowers last longer. I noticed the red tulips near the bow were drooping a bit, so I threw in a few pennies. My grandmother always said that adding a penny or two would perk the tulips back up. Guess we'll wait and see.


Then, I stumbled upon this post:
 How to make that valentines day bouquet last

So I also added a sugar cube to the water.  I'd added a good bit of clean water earlier this morning, when I noticed it was starting to get low. Being lazy or clever, or a bit of both, I used a turkey baster and a reusable sports bottle to add the water to the vase so I wouldn't have to move it.  Kept me from spilling water and getting the leaves wet, so it worked well for my use.


Maybe some of those tips will work for you. If so, drop me a note and let me know which ones you tried. :-)

Seems so familiar

Today was my first day contracting as a tech writer for $oftware company. It was kind of neat, exciting, confusing, frustrating, and familiar all at the same time. I'm reintroducing myself to tools I haven't used in years, getting help creating GPG keys and such, settling back into IRC, and checking out the projects/goals that are planned for me.

Several years ago I worked for a different $oftware company doing similar work with similar tools. It was back when the company was young, vibrant, and fueled by the passion of its young staff as well as lots of caffeine. I loved it back then, but the company was successful and grew and grew. I felt less and less comfortable in the corporate environment, had five managers in six years, felt that goals were no longer obtainable, and eventually said good-bye to many wonderful people.

Shortly thereafter I started making jewelry with some friends and, long story short, that's still where my focus is today. However, I still take the occasional contract job. It's nice to keep my skills polished, I like learning new things, and the extra money helps with bills, savings, and jewelry/glass supplies. Seems like a win to me.

Anyway, today felt a little like the old days of vibrant young company to which I dedicated myself and most of my free time.  I hope I continue to feel this way throughout the project. It's nice to be reminded of such a great time in my life.