This is a repost from April 12, 2006. Holy crap I’ve had this website a long time. Enjoy.

It all started when someone left out a few baby carrots. I’m not going to point any finger (ETHAN!!!), but what’s done is done.

It started out benignly enough.
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These pictures are pretty old now, but better late than never!

We had my brother and his family come visit us a few weeks ago. The weekend after they came, we were having the entire house interior painted, so the house was either scary “you’ve been robbed!” clean, or a mass of migraine inducing “a twister came through here!” messy (the basement).

We boxed up a lot of stuff, and had a lot of boxes around which the kids LOVED. Ethan, Jocelyn, cousin Kade & Eric built a massive box fort which sadly, I didn’t get a picture of. But I did get pictures of Elizabeth, the adorable almost 2 year old!
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In case you haven’t heard, we’re moving to Colorado this summer.

Which means we need to sell this house. Which means we need to get it ready, just like the little piggy, for market.

So the last two weekends have been avoiding the house like crazy while workman paint it from head to toe, and then install carpet from head to toe.

Have I ever told you how awesome new carpet is? Ours was AWFUL. And so the new carpet is doubly sweet! It’s sooo beautiful!

Also? Big empty rooms with newly laid carpet is perfect for fiddling around on the floor.

Ethan likes to just settle into a certain position that makes me cock my head to the side and say, “Whaaa?? HOW?!”
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Pssst! I also have a VIDEO TUTORIAL of this piece!
I taught a class for this pendant this past weekend, as my final class in VA! The ladies were all so sweet and fantastic, joking that they would miss me so much they’d have to road trip out to wherever we land in the Denver area so they could keep taking my classes! It was a great class, but very bittersweet. I’m going to miss teaching at Star’s Beads!

This can be worn on a chain as a pendant, or you can make two, attach earwires, and wear them as earrings! I also have a matching bracelet that I also sell a kit for. I’m hoping to post a bracelet tutorial as well, but it will probably not be for a while. One can use this tutorial and easily adapt it for the bracelet if wished.

If anything is unclear or needs more direction, please let me know so I can improve the tutorial! If you make something, I’d love to hear your feedback and pictures!
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It’s Jocelyn birthday this month.. so I made a kid banner for March.

Click here to see all past banners.

RANDOM THINGS THE KIDS HAVE DONE THIS WEEK MONTH:

A week or so ago, James and I were cleaning out our guest room really thoroughly (getting this house ready to put on the market!) and the kids were also supposed to be cleaning their rooms.

We were all working pretty hard, when Ethan came in, toting a nerf gun, and announced, “When we’re done with all this work, I suggest we have the BATTLE OF OUR LIVES.”

Nerf gun battles abound at our house. We agreed that sounded like a fantastic idea.

LAST MINUTE PARENTING WINS THE DAY

Today is Dr. Suess’ birthday, and our school is honoring it with a book character dress up day. I didn’t remember until late last night, so this morning was fraught with quickly trying to come up with SOMEthing, ANYthing, for the kids to dress up with.
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Amy: Here, look at these photos. One of these 6 photos have got to go.

James: The first one.

Amy: The first one? NO. No. The first one is NOT going. Look, there’s no other photos like that one. It’s got to stay. Look at these last 3, one of these three have got to go.

James: Then why didn’t you say one of those three had to go, instead of one of all six had to go?

Amy: Because I thought you would have enough SENSE to see that it would HAVE to be one of the last three!

James: …

Amy: …

James: The middle one.

Amy: Yeah. The middle one.

fini.

And here, I show you, the photo that got axed. Bid it adieu. It shall live here, but not with it’s sisters on Etsy or my website.

Farewell, sweet photo.

I’m cross-posting this post with another blog, a group of ladies in the DC metro area that meet up once a month to talk all things metal smithing – the ladysmiths – check them out!

I’m taking Abby Goldblatt’s enameling class at the Art League this term, and have been having a blast. We’re learning cloisonne techniques which is really interesting, but I’m also just having fun and laying some color down on metal to see what happens. Even the simplest things are making me giddy, and every week I have to fight down the urge to order a KILN!

I have done torch fired enameling from time to time, which is really fun and easy — with the added benefit of instant gratification. I’ve always had in my mind a picture of a series of enamel tiles like quilt squares, and I took this class as the opportunity to explore this concept.
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It occurred to me that a lot of the time I struggle to do all the things I WANT to do because I don’t think I have enough TIME.

I don’t blog as much as I want to — not enough time.

I don’t create NEW jewelry as much as I want to – not enough time.

I don’t stop and play with my kids as much as I want to should – not enough time!

I know this is really all bullshit. I have plenty of time if I would just DO IT ALREADY. It’s this mindset of — but I work full time, but I have a husband and 2 kids, but I need to clean the kitchen, but I really want to watch old episodes of Doctor Who while I sit here and make copies of jewelry I’ve already made — it really is bullshit. Just clutter in my head that I need to clear out to make room to DO IT ALREADY.

So this is a new years resolution. There’s lots I can do — even if I don’t have hours of time at my disposal. If I have 10 minutes – I can jot my thoughts right here in this blog. I can doodle in my sketchbook. I can grab a nerf gun and/or barbie doll and fire away/braid away.

Here’s to getting past all the stuff I need to do to the stuff I WANT to do — 10 minutes at a time.

And that’s 10 minutes. I’m off to my first enameling class of the term now! Can’t wait!

-amy