Blog
1/30/08
After today I will no longer be posting in my blog here. Please check out my blog or my newest venture with friends, Midwest Creative Collective. We're going to be having a lot of fun there and hope you will join us often.
1/24/08
I had the coolest thing happen a little while ago. I was in the kitchen having lunch and saw a big pigeon land in a neighbor's tree. Except this big pigeon turned out to be a hawk! It's not something we see a lot of in the area I live in in Chicago! I don't really know why because there are a lot of trees and open areas plus the lakefront but we don't. He was gorgeous. We have a shrub the size of a Volkswagen in the yard that's always full of twittering birds. It was suddenly verrrrry quiet in there. LOL Smart birdies. Of course, by the time I got my camera and got back, he was gone. I'll have to keep a watch out for him.
It's amazingly cold in Chicago today. My little stray kitties were out staying warm in the sun. Fuzz was in his 'bowl' and Mookie was just sitting waiting for him to get out. Mookie thinks it's his space. As soon as I fed Fuzz, Mookie jumped in so I had to tuck him in with his blankies. They stay toasty warm in there. I only wish there were 2 spaces for them.
This is Mr. Fuzz. I usually wrap him like a big burrito and he will stay all day. Every once in a while I see movement under the blankies so I know he's still there. He's a real cutie. I wish we would've found him as a kitten because he'd be inside now for sure. He hates coming in even to warm up his paws.
12/31/07
I think I'm more than ready for this year to be over. I did finally have my back surgery and the jury's still out on whether I did the right thing or not. I think I did but I'll be glad when the healing is all done.
Someone very, very close to me also just lost her battle with cancer a few days ago. I'm glad she's at peace now but, damn, am I going to miss her. I can't imagine parts of my life and jewelry making without her. We always had so much fun. Another friend had a 'less is more' attitude but M and I both were, "Nope! More is more and the more the better!!!" I don't know who's going to tell me to just go ahead and buy it at Bead and Button this year.
It's snowing in Chicago tonight. Don and I are going to stay in and behave. Like at our our ages we feel like doing anything else. LOL I made Beef Carbonnade and we'll have a salad. Of course, champagne is on the menu somewhere. I hope I can make it up past midnight--actually I hope it's until midnight--and then I'm off to bed. Sheesh...remember the old party hearty. It seems like a lifetime ago.
Everyone have a safe and very Happy New Year!
10/25/07
This has been quite a summer. And not especially in a good way. I am no longer working as an RN because of my back issues. I miss it but not so much anymore. It was such a part of ME for so long that I'm still not quite sure who I am when I'm not an RN. I'm starting to figure it out though.
I'll probably finally break down and have back surgery soon. I see the neurosurgeon early next month and I think I'll just schedule it. When you have to put your underwear on with kitchen tongs like I did this morning (I know--tmi LOL) it's time to just bite the bullet and get it over.
I have been doing some teaching and lovin' it. I am teaching PMC at Blue Fire Beads in New Lenox, Il and will be teaching chainmaille there after the first of the year. I'll put it on the events page so please look and please come see me there. I enjoy teaching and I think the people who've come to my classes have a good time as well. I guess as long as I can be talking about something, I'm happy.
I DO like to talk.
Hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween.
10/12/07
I can't believe how long it's been since I've been here. I found this really cool map that I want to see if I can get on here. I'll probably screw it up but I'm going to try anyway. Here goes...Well, never mind...it didn't work. Every time I think I've got so computer savy I get knocked down a peg.
6/11/07
Well...last week was Bead and Button in Milwaukee. I am still totally exhausted and totally pumped all at the same time. It was a great week. I took a lot of classes...metalsmithing, soldering, lampworking and glass fusing. One of my lampworking classes was with Leah Fairbanks. Boy does she rock! She makes the most amazing beads and is just the nicest person. Here's a pic of one her demos (and one of the 2 pics I took at the whole show! LOL)
I love the beads I made but I sure will never be any competition for her. She's got nothing to worry about. I took a class with John Winters as well. He does things with glass and metals that I would have never even thought of doing. He gets gorgeous results. He's a total hoot, too. I loved fusing. I think that I will have to try a little more of that soon. I don't think that metal working is really my thing, but I enjoyed the classes and I am glad that I have an idea of how to do smaller things. I just kept thinking that I could've made 10 PMC pendants in 1/2 the time it took me to make one with traditional metalsmithing. Gotta like that instant gratification, right?
My goal now is organization. My studio is a sty and I finally can't stand it anymore. I'm going through years of magazines and cutting out things I want to keep. The rest goes in the recycle bin. It's kind of sad when I see the 'keep' pile and the 'throw-away' pile. I wonder why I spent all that money on magazines I didn't get much out of. OK...back to the grind. I think I need to go back to work. It'd be easier!
5/27/07
I never thought it would take me this long to get back here. A lot had happened since the last time I was here. I just deleted the whine because no one wants to hear it! Especially not me!!!
Let's see...since I was here last, I've taken a class by Brad Pearson. OMG, how amazing was THAT!! He's a wonderful teacher and I feel like I learned so much from that class. I look at the beads I made and am surprised that they are mine.
I went to the Missouri Bead Retreat with Mari. I think we talked the whole way down and back. LOL. She just seems like a sister that I never had. The Retreat was at a beautiful spot in the Missouri Ozarks. There were a bunch of torches set up for OT, classes, lots of food and Becky's great ..tinis. There were various versions of martinis and they were all great. One night the drunk fishermen next door came over and torched or watched. They were pretty funny but what happens in Missouri stays in Missouri, right? We also hit the outlet mall at Osage Beach. Coach, baby...
Next on the list is Bead and Button. I've got a roommate lined up and although I don't know her, I think I'm really going to like her. We've done a little PMing back and forth and she seems like she's going to be great. I have my list in hand, not that it ever makes a lot of difference but it makes me feel so organized. HA! I'm taking quite a few classes so I'll have all sorts of new things to do. After 2 days of soldering, I will be the soldering queen, I think! If I can figure out how to do it, I'll post some pics.
Off to the PetSmart now. One of our cats has asthma and has to use an inhaller. I didn't think she'd like it much so I told Don we would have to puff her and then give her a treat right away so she would think it was a good thing. Well, she's turned into the TreatQueen! She will come and get us to get puffed just for the treat. During the day if she wants something she will come and lead me to where her puffer is and then take me to the pantry. She's a total hoot but since I give her something every time (she's too cute to resist) we run out of treats a lot faster. Of course, she doesn't like the cheap stuff either...nope, not the Nutmeg...can you say spoiled?
We are finally taking some pictures today for the website so there might actually be something to buy here soon. That would be novel.
Have a great rest of the holiday weekend everyone! Be safe but enjoy.
3/21/07
Boy this has been something, trying to get this started. I had the name for such a long time before I did anything with it. I finally got the nerve to get the site set up and now it's going to take me forever to get things going, I'm afraid. Even though I can change things all the time, it just seems so permanent somehow.
What I'll probably do here is bore everyone with my cat stories. LOL! Or maybe it will be my raccoon stories instead. You'll just have to tell me to stop talking about the cats and talk about jewelry instead.
I've had so much fun lately taking classes at BlueFire Beads in New Lenox, Il. Mari, Keith and Brooke are really special people and I love going out there. It's a long drive for me but it's worth every minute just to be able to spend time with my mentor, Mari.
I took Anne's class in September and then Kate's class in February. Brad's class is coming up next month and then Tink will be there in September. Absolute heaven...Mari also has a bunch of us there every month for Open Torch night. We've become good friends and I think we all so look forward to that first Friday of the month.
Mari and I are also going to Missouri for the 2nd Annual Missouri Bead Retreat in May. I can't imagine 4 days without sleep, but I think that's what it'll be. Those St. Louis gals are nuts! Very fun nuts, but nuts none the less! LOL
Then comes Bead and Button...I have classes scheduled for the entire time and can't wait for that. I hope after all of this I can make it to the Gathering in July. I'm going to need a vacation after all of this!
OK enough of this. I've got a pile of things waiting to do so off to the pile I am..
OMG! I was just at lampworketc.com and 'Austin Hamilton' has been at Freckles again! I almost fell off my chair laughing. Freckles is my avatar (or picture) there and comes up on all my posts. A friend made his ears wiggle and then a week or so ago, I noticed he had flames coming out his ears. Today he is talking to me--his little mouth is just going like mad. He is SO CUTE! I don't know who is doing it but I absolutely love it! Let me see if I can get him popped in here. 
Isn't he a hoot??? I love the way his eyes change color as well.
My friend Mari Johnson decided that Freckles should write my artist statement since I had such a hard time with it. I like Freckles version the best, I think.
"My Mom's Artist's Statement
by Freckles Kauzlarich
My Mom is a great person and a great artist.
She feeds cats, 'possums and those bastards, the raccoons.
(Which kind of bothers me, but I figure it's her cat chow, whatever.)
She's also generous to a fault and funny as hell.
My Mom's friends love her because she's kind, caring and compassionate.
But also because she's speaks her mind.
All these attributes come shining thru in her jewelry and beads.
If you don't believe me, ask Velcro. Pffffffft."
