Crescendoh - Diane Cook

My Friend, Diane Cook

Every now and then, a little angel walks into your life, and you think, wow, this is a great lady. I trust her immediately, and would like to get to know her a bunch better.

One of those little angels for me is Diane. She has been a constant inspiration to me, forever giving, and continually hysterical! Just all round nice.

She is featured on Jenny Doh's blog called Cresendoh, as one of her Guest Curators, and this is the link. Please click to read a wonderful bio about Diane's life, her inspiration, her desire for art, how friends have touched her life, and how helping others is her passion. No surprises there!

I am so proud to call Diane friend, and feel lucky to have her help in many areas. She is a wonderful teacher, and a hoot to take classes with. We laughed our way through Adorn Me in Houston together, finding humor in the silliest things, and cracking up like school girls. It was a blast. So if you're in her area, take a class from her, she is very talented teacher.

Good luck Diane, here's to your wonderful future and new discoveries, and the new retirement coming up followed with much success. Let's go find some more fun together soon!

Bird box, new listing

Spring has sprung!

It has been so lonesome in my workshop without Chester. I had to have some form of nature close to me again. I went out and bought a bird feeder to hang outside my workshop window.

This has been a riot. It is flocked with adorable backyard birds, fighting over the seed, and looking so cute and fluffy. There a ton of red headed finches, and lots of sparrows. It is about a foot from the window, so I'm loving it. They're used to me standing there working on projects, and talking to them. I have to tell you, I feel a bit like Cinderella talking to her little birdies!

Inspired by the new flock, here's another little bird box. I hope you like it. That's a real quail egg on top of moss. It has been covered in resin. And the word "nurture" to remind us of how important it is to have nature surround us with her beauty, every single day.

I'm listing my sweet box on Etsy tomorrow.

Go outside and enjoy spring today, somewhere, somehow. And blow a kiss to your sweet backyard birds.

Crown box

FIT FOR A QUEEN!

I got so inspired!! I'm not sure why I had to make a little crown for one of my sweet boxes, but I'm glad I did. This was challenging, to say the least. But it turned out pretty cute, if I do say so. I used three pieces of strip brass, and attached them all with solder. Whew. Wasn't sure it was going to work, but it did.

Then it had to have some bling, don't you think? So I attached a vintage button, and some vintage necklace rhinestones.

I was going to list this on Etsy, but I need to live with it for a little while, just to enjoy the accomplishment!! Ha ha.

Queen Elizabeth, eat your heart out.

What do you guys think, like it? Should I make more? I'm working on a birdhouse right now, hmmm. This is challenging!

Moving On

LIFE

Finally, moving on

Where can I begin to thank so many of you for leaving such amazing and comforting messages for me regarding the loss of my sweet Chester? I felt the love, believe me. I had a little tear, after reading each comment.

I have tried to thank each and every one of you, and if I missed you, please know the kind words were an amazing comfort to me. I'm coming up for air. Still shedding a few tears each day, but I know that will go on for a long time! After all, we were together 24/7! So many of you have mentioned your "workshop" pals, and you fear the loss of them one day. Just give them extra kisses from me, every single day, okay?

So, what's been going on in the last two weeks? I just haven't felt like sitting down and writing until now. But with wonderful friends that have been visiting, it has helped get me out and have some great fun. My friend Shelley from Montana visited for a week or so. What a joy it was in having her here. We went to Europe together two years ago, with Susan Lenart Kazmer. THAT was a blast. She was a great comfort during the awful trauma going on here with Chester. There must have been a reason she was here then!

And now Caitlin is here, a neighbor on the island (our WA home in the summer). I've known her since she was about 8 and is just graduating from college. She's spent the last four years at Annapolis. I'm so proud of her. So I bought this fun pin at the antique show in Alameda, CA weeks ago. Thought it might look good on a little etched box, and it does! She loves it.

And of course I had to make a little bag to hug it. I put a photo transfer picture of her on it, that is in sepia. Thanks again to Diane Cook and Colette Copeland for their inspiration on designing showcases for jewelry, published in Belle Armoire Jewelry, Winter 2010 issue. I loved what they did with felt, ribbons, and pictures. I've spent a small fortune gathering vintage laces and materials to make some for my specialty pieces.

I was reminded about not mentioning which sewing machine I bought, after seeking everyone's advice. Ended up with an electronic White D'Lite machine. I love it, lightweight, electronic, and has the floating foot dealy ma jig thingy. That's a technical term in sewing!

Anyone ever been to the Heart Castle in San Simeon, CA? If you can visit it, well worth while. We love taking visitors the 40 minutes from our house, up to a huge paradise on the hilltop in San Simeon. Built by William Randolph Hearst in the 30's, he spent about 11 million on it. Can't imagine what that would translate to in todays dollars!

Isn't she beautiful? When she started beading for me at about 11, I always said she was 11 going on 25! So now she's 21, and we went wine tasting together with WH, how fun was that?

This is the indoor pool at the castle. If you think that's amazing, the tiles that line the pool are covered with gold leaf! Ooooooh, so decadent! Would love to swim in this indoor pool. Just like the movie stars did in the 30's. Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, Carol Lambard....you get the idea.

This is a picture of Mr. Hearst's private library. Just amazing. He collected ancient art works from around the world. Spent about 26 years building and decorating this amazing place. His mother was a school teacher, had William at about 21, and took him on a year long European tour when we was a young boy. Inherited a silver fortune from his father, then made his own fortune in newspapers. Patty Hearst is his grand daughter. You remember her??

He knew how to enjoy LIFE.

Chester's passage

My Sweet Chester boy

Hi my sweet blogging sisters. This is one of those posts I dreaded. I have been unable to bring myself to sit down and type out the words. If I did, it would make this event permanent. So with a tear, I bring you news of my precious Chester boy joining the angels last week. I don't want to get too morbid, so I won't elaborate too much. I just wanted to share, it really helps.

The last four months have been extremely stressful. Our twelve year old Yorkie, Chester, has been ill with a tumor in his bladder. He's been undergoing chemo, which is a lot easier on dogs than humans, thank God. He did fine with the treatments, every three weeks. But the outcome was, it did nothing. He lost the battle, my brave little boy.

How do you say goodbye to your companion of twelve years? One who has kissed your tears away in sorrow, made you laugh until you wet your pants, brought such joy into your life 24/7, and reminded you of when it was time to stop working, and begin playing.

My worry has now turned to sorrow. I wouldn't trade one day of time we had with him for anything in the world, the happy times and the days of illness. At least I could hold him, comfort him, and feel the warmth of his soft coat.

Aren't dogs (okay and cats) amazing? They teach us so much about ourselves. They teach us to find the strength to help them when they are ill. They teach us about the circle of life, in a calm and peaceful way. They teach us about being brave and letting nature take her course.

I have to have Chester's pictures all over the house. His little brush with his hair rests on my nightstand, so I can pet it every night before pulling up the covers. This might sound a little obsessive, I don't know really. I just know it comforts me in being able to imagine him comfortable again, without pain, playing ball, smiling and giving loving kisses somewhere.

When does the pain go away? When does the house not feel empty?

Thanks so much for letting me share the pain.

It feels better, really.