Gaming = Chocolate

We're so happy to welcome our gamer customers!! We've had a great response to our World of Warcraft inspired pendants, and I've been delighted to converse with WoW gamers from around the globe. 

Thought I'd fess up on my gaming history. I don't play World of Warcraft, but my husband/co-designer does. Actually, I used to play a game called Asheron's Call---perhaps you've heard of it? mwahhaha. (That's me, back in the day). Well, I'd end up spending the entire night flitting from town to town, questing, chatting, and just being a social butterfly of sorts, in between making spells and collecting ingredients. I realized that I couldn't be a casual player---it was all or nothing for me. (Kind of like my relationship with chocolate --- see current stash below).

 

So I've decided I won't even think about playing WoW. After all, if I did, I'd never have time to make jewelry, now would I? ;-)

Two Months Ago Today...

...I lost my precious, beautiful, angel dog, Poco. That's his picture to the left, which I use as my avatar. I can't let today go by without writing about Poco. Truth is, I'm still crying every day for him. I went to a wonderful pet loss support session last night, which was very helpful. But, like any loss, it's just the dragging passage of time that eases the pain, but also, sadly, takes you farther and farther away from your lost one.

Poco was my Buddhist monk. I'm not saying that lightly. He truly personified (dogified?) every aspect of goodness: kind, loving, peaceful (a proactive peacemaker), accepting, brilliant....I could go on and on. We experienced lots in the 10 years we spent with him, and I was grateful for every day he was a part of my life. From peacefully dealing with an aggressive foster dog, a house disaster, movie-making, modeling, and so much more, he was a shining angel star. 

Then there was the intoxicating, unique, most wonderful smell of his fur. 

Logically, we know that dogs live shorter lives than we do. We know we will be faced with the inevitable pain of loss at some point. But for some reason, logic went out the window, and I stupidly thought I could wish him to live for 30 years or more. And it wasn't just for my own selfish reasons--the world was a better place with Poco in it. He danced and made so many people smile. He was loved everywhere he went. He was so beautiful, inside and out. 

Some pictures of him...

I did this painting about three weeks after he died:

It says "Dog is Love" in the center (same design from my pendant) and "we will be together again" on the bottom.

For Poco, with every bit of my heart.

Cutie Patooties

I've been finding so many cute, adorable things lately, I just had to share a few. You can bet there will be more of these type posts in the future from me, as I love all things related to animals (who are inherently cute). If you didn't already know, I've been a dog welfare/rescue/rights volunteer for many years. So it's not just about how they look. ;-)

1. Okay, I don't have any feline family members. My allergies to cats prevent that (I'm also allergic to dogs, but we don't discuss that). But if I did have kitties, I'd have a house filled with these things.

 Not just because of my Italian heritage, but because the thought of kitty catnip in ravioli shapes is simply too perfect. Seriously....plush kitty ravioli! With catnip! Hats off to Organic Dog for this clever, adorable invention.

2. My husband recently came up with the idea to do a dog toy exchange club-- you share used dog toys with others. The dogs would love it, no? "Another dog's toys? For moi? Oh Daddy, that's a brilliant idea!" Anyone who has a doggy family member knows the scenario----oh yippee! a new toy! chew, chew, slobber, slobber.....next, please. Okay, some pups love their toys and keep them. But for those with doggy toy ADD, the doggy toy exchange program seems like a good idea, eh?

Well, while sniffing around about doggy toys, I found a whole website dedicated to honoring dogs and their successfully decommissioned toys. Yes, here it is: LickedToys.com. Now, instead of getting frustrated with your pup, cleaning up the puffs of toy filling and reminding him "how much that toy cost," and "what a waste it was to chew it to bits" within five minutes of receiving it, you can pull out your camera, document your proud pup amidst the destruction, and submit it to LickedToys.com. Now isn't that a much better way to react to your pup's natural desire to chew and shred and tear and... :-)

3. The sweetest collection of (forest) animal illustrations I've seen is from an illustrator on Etsy, her shop called In the Forest. The bear paintings had me in tears, as they resembled my precious angel dog, Poco, who passed at the beginning of this year. Just take a look...you'll see what I mean. Sweet, folksy yet hip, beautiful illustrations. 

The Mother of All Organizing Tools

I'm the first to admit that I tend to be a messy person...but in my own organized way. As a former boss once told me, "You're office is so messy, but whenever I ask you for something, you're always able to find it so fast!"

And in classic right brain dominant fashion, I need to see stuff. I can't file things away and ever expect to remember not just where they are, but that they even exist! (Unless the item involves chocolate, in which case it will, unfortunately, be continually front and center in my thoughts).

We were walking through Costco the other day when I first spotted a great shelving unit. It seemed like just the thing my craft room/work space needed. I was tired of having to crawl around on the floor to find the exact jewelry supply container I needed. And the stacking plastic drawer units I was accumulating were starting to list from excessive weight. So we loaded the heavy carton into our shopping cart, continued down the aisle, and came to a stunned stop in front of the most amazing organizing unit I had ever seen.

"Can you believe this?" I asked my husband/partner. "If I had this, I'd reach a level of organization I have never known before." Everything would be in one place, visible, accessible. And my little craft room would be less cluttered, with fewer pieces of storage necessary.

After looking it over from top to bottom, we decided to go for it. We put back the boring shelving unit and instead, lugged the big box with my new super duper organization tool home.

It took a few hours to assemble, and then the fun began. Deciding what to put where was just as much fun as emptying out all the little storage bins that cluttered my craft room. The unit is made by Whalen Storage and is called a Multi-Size Bin Rack with Wire Deck and Melamine Top (in Black Wrinkle finish), and you can read more about it here. 

Check out the just opened box, and the shining end result. Organization never felt so good.

        

Not Exactly Wash 'n Wear

I had a totally different idea for today's blog entry, until I received an unexpected return. My friend Terrilynn brought me a glass tile pendant I had made for her of her sweet dog, Isaac. Without realizing it, she had tossed her clothes, along with the necklace, into the washing machine. It wasn't until she took her clothes out of the dryer that she found the necklace. 

She found the pendant part, with Isaac's adorable face, still in the washing machine. To her delight (and mine!), the pendant was intact, amazingly making it through the wash with nothing other than the paper backing and bail coming off. (The photo above is the actual pendant and necklace, after the laundry ordeal.)

I was amazed that the photo stayed nearly perfectly intact, and did not detach from the glass tile. While I never advise getting your pendants wet, under any circumstances, it was a nice surprise to see the strength of the Judikins Diamond Glaze in action. 

The pendant will be fairly easy to repair (I'll just glue another paper backing on, then reattach the bail). And Isaac can once again secure his place next to his Mommy's heart. :-)

What Makes a Style Distinctive?

When I was an art major in college, there was another art major I knew who had the most distinctive style I had ever seen. While the rest of us were creating what was assigned, in the manner in which it was assigned, he had a creative style that permeated everything he did. You could identify his paintings a mile away (well, maybe not a MILE). I was always impressed by that.

So today, when I read this post on Indie Public about Pantone's recently released Spring Color Trends forecast, and found Natasha Newton's beautiful work, it got me thinking about this again. What really makes a style unique? And couldn't color be one of the most powerful distinctions in creativity?

Natasha Newton has everything you would expect in an accomplished and note-worthy painter----beautiful compositions, emotional content and technical prowess. But what really struck me about her work was her color palette. Her use of color is consistent and sets such a particular mood for all her work. While the subject matter is near universal (trees, landscapes, birds), and her stylized simplicity is not ground-breaking, it's that sultry, smokey neutral palette that acts as the cherry on top.

(The stunning colors in my Whiskey's eyes. :-)

So rather than pop on the latest "in" colors....maybe there's something to be said for finding your own palette...and sticking to it.

Finding a Clay Heart in the Backyard

It's a day for soaking up a bit of sun. I hobbled outside today (fractured & sprained ankle) and sat down on the low wall in our backyard. As I placed my crutches down, what did I see in front of me but this little piece of broken clay. Is it just me or is this a little early Valentine heart? 

In honor of the timing of this find, I'm going to feature some artists who I heart big time. 

If you're into modern design, an artist you should know about is Jessica Kestler. All the aspects of beautiful modern design (clean, defined forms, contemporary color palette) can be found in her delicious acrylic works. Wall candy or mesmerizing abstracts to get lost in...she's a master at this and no doubt will become an important figure in the fine art world. 

It was through Golden Paints (my favorite acrylics company that bends over backwards to create and support products that artists truly want) that I became familiar with the work of Nancy Reyner. All her work is wonderful but her energy field paintings blow me away. Looking forward to seeing her work in person, as she exhibits up in Santa Fe. She also wrote a very popular book, "Acrylic Revolution: New Tricks and Techniques for Working with the World's Most Versatile Medium." You can find more info and purchase the book on her website. I've also seen it at Barnes and Noble. 

More later...time to ice my ankle.