Sugar High---Jelly Belly Warehouse Trip

We set the GPS for our destination and headed off for adventure.

Seriously.  Jelly Belly Lane....how's that for an address?  We had no problem finding the place---it's not exactly what you'd call  nondescript.  (And, no, it wasn't actually that gray today.  I think my windshield may be in need of a vigorous scrubdown.)

Once inside, the kiddos were enthralled by the vast variety of goodies on offer---especially the Harry Potter treats.

Bertie Botts' Every Flavored Beans!  (Kosher!)

Chocolate Frogs! (Not kosher---bummer!) 

While we waited for the tour to begin, we browsed around --and took (polite, appropriate) advantage of the free samples. 

And the photo booth.

The tour was so. darned. cool.  There was a tram, first of all.  Everything's better on a tram.

And, obviously, the mandatory paper-hat-wearing added to the overall experience. 

Snazzy, hey?

And then---Peaches, are you listening?---there was the Jelly Belly Fine Art.  Portraits, to be exact.  Composed entirely of Jelly Bellies.  Like so. 

There was an Elvis, too.  But, sadly, not a trace of Inigo Montoya.

Best of all, The Huz  drove, freeing me up to make oodles of earrings in transit. (I do tend to multi-task, even while I drive,  but I almost never pull out the pliers while I'm in the driver's seat.  At least not on the highway...) 

Eyes on the shop tomorrow, folks.  Lots of new pretties headed in!

Busy, busy...

I've had my nose to the grindstone of late, cranking out all kinds of pink earrings.

But now my kiddos are on Winter Break, so we're off to the Jelly Belly Warehouse.  I'm not actually a fan of jelly beans, but I love factory-tour type thingies, so this should be fun.  Pics forthcoming...

Global Climate Change: Right in My Backyard

It's been a wacky, wacky winter.  We had a sprinkling of snow back in November, and since then, nuthin'.  So I wasn't too stunned when last Tuesday's forecast called for sunny skies and temps in the mid-fifties, although thirties had been the norm for a few months.

I rounded up the troops and the spray paint, and took care of some projects that have been languishing on the back burner, waiting for their (literal) day in the sun.  Shani quickly amused herself with a stick and some dirt (she's nothing if not able to self-amuse, thank heavens!) and I got to spraying.

Short sleeves, folks.  Mid-January.

I found this huge, hideous/marvelous frame in someone's back alley when we got back from camp.  I'm planning to put a chalkboard inside, now that it's all shiny and chrome-y.  It used to be all peel-y and dull bronze-y.  Ugh.  Shiny makes everything better.

These jobbies are on their way to becoming mini-chalkboard signs for my craft-fair table.  Tip:  When spray-painting balsa wood, stick it down to the surface you're painting on with a scrap of duct tape.  Otherwise, you'll find yourself taking some much-needed (but less-wanted) exercise as you chase the wily little bits of wood around the yard. 

And here's what Wednesday brought. 

Finally!

That's more like it!

Hope you're enjoying the weather where you are, too...

2012: Mindful

Maxabella loves is having a blog link up focusing on one word for 2012.  I let this one rattle around in the old noggin for awhile and came up with a bunch of good ideas---which other, more expedient bloggers had already used.  (Perhaps I should choose "timely" as my word instead?)  So I put it on the back burner for a day or so, and settled on mindful. 

I find, as my kids get older, that it's tough to hang on to all of the little moments in the day---that the carpools, the dishes, and the laundry (and let's face it: the Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter time) can crowd out the important things if I'm not paying attention.  Too many times I tell them,"Just let me finish this...(load/post/call)," and when I'm done, they've flitted off to their own diversions.  (Or, on special occasions, they've set the neighbor's dog/sofa/box of Mike & Ikes on fire.)

This mindfulness should come in handy in my work, as well--- my impulsivity spawns countless wasted efforts when I don't slow down and think.  

 Here's to a 2012 full of captured moments.

My 300th Post...and a Virtual Temper Tantrum

Yup, this is the big 3-0-0.  You'd think I'd have held out for something a little less crass than on online hissy fit, but not so much.  I got this great custom order last week.  This very nice lady from across the pond wanted me to make her a keychain like this one,

but with her kids' names on it.  No problem.  So I went out to the hardware store, grabbed a box of washers, and got started.  So far, I've wasted 9 washers.  NINE.  Out of a box of 8.  These suckers are apparently made out of diamond all of a sudden, and now I also have a flattened "a" stamp to show for my (wasted) efforts.  Then I went online this evening to find another washer order---which required, of course, a plethora of "a's." I am at the point, my friends, of name calling and plate throwing---and those of you who know me well know that's not a place I find myself in often.  

Tomorrow will be a day of hardware-store hopping---to Home Depot to snag a box of less resilient washers, and the to Harbor freight in search of a new set of stamps. 

Studio Tour: Up close, personal, and un-edited.

I'm a lucky girl: I finally have a room of my own, and it's even heated.  The house we bought in Milwaukee is a duplex that we use as a single family home.  My studio is the upstairs kitchen, which means it's got oodles of cabinets, a double sink, and lots of space.

 My workbench is nestled in the nook where the stove should go.  Love the task lighting!

 Lots of Dictionary Sacrifice earrings on the bench block today.  (I finally got wise and schlepped a concrete block upstairs to use under the bench block.  Before that, I was doing all my metal stamping on the concrete floor of the basement.)

Beads hang out on the bench with me-made findings.

A repurposed  rake provides storage for strands of beads and wire spools.

 This is pretty much the way it always looks.  There's never just one project going at a time...


Between craft fairs, I keep everything set up in my "showroom."  Makes it easier to find items when they sell, and also gives me the opportunity to switch things up if need be.

 This is where the heavy drilling and cutting happens.  Right now, I'm trying to put together some storage for my metal stamps.  Naturally, I can't find the right size drill bit...which means it's time to hit my neighborhood hardware store.  The blow dryer is handy for drying off findings after they've been tumbled.

 Here's my trusty $3 paper cutter.  Bought it from friends at a yard sale years ago, and have probably used it more than any other piece of equipment I own.  More than my money's worth...

 I have a (ridiculous) collection of tool boxes and jewelry boxes, which hold everything I need until I need it.  Or until I forget about it...

 The south wall is where all of the cabinets live.  Original to the house. Awesome, no?

 The kids like to hang out with me, so they have their own work table smack in the middle of the room.

 Reclaimed heat register---sprayed silver, and used for storage.

There you have it---my little haven o'craft, Milwaukee-style.  Where do you get crafty?

In which I bear precious little resemblance to Charles Dickens

I never could have done what I have done without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time.


~Charles Dickens

Well, we can add those to the list of ways old Chuck and I differ.  Wish he was here to organize the studio, post these listings, and make beads today...

All's Quiet on the (Mid)Western Front.

Not a lot going on at the moment.  We're doing the dailies, of course, and waiting for snow.  Other than that, things are slow.  It's been gray and overcast for most of the week, making for lousy picture-taking conditions as well as an acute case of homebody-itis.  I had an death-defying bout of what we'll politely call "gastro" last week, and actually went so far as to spend a full day in bed and drink several bottles of vile Gatorade.  (UGH.)  That, combined with the dismal weather, has made me feel like curling up with a book and a mug of hot soup and blowing off the real world.

But the guts are doing much better, thank you, and we actually got some snow this afternoon, so I'm a tidge  more chipper than I've been.  My new cell phone is on its way--- since the old one disapparated two weeks ago and, providentially, I was due for an upgrade.  Those of you who haven't heard from me in a fortnight can rest assured that I'll be programming in your personal ringtones by Tuesday evening.

The kiddos and I are dreaming of the garden we're going to create this spring.  Milwaukee has finally passed its chicken law---city residents are able to have up to 4 chooks---and Akiva is bursting with mini-coop plans and breed options.  The girls are eying seed catalogs and debating the virtues of raspberries over blueberries, and I'm trying to fathom our 95% concrete back yard growing anything.  Lots of raised beds, I suppose.  Yup, feels like January.

Craft Show III, ADD, and Me.

It's been a busy week.  Sunday, I did my third show, which I helped to coordinate.  Had some new tricks up my sleeve, including the nifty stamps I used on my once-plain brown paper bags.  The setup is essentially the same as it was last time...

...but there are a bunch of things I'm looking to change up.  My bunting is starting to look kind of rumpled, which is not quite the image I'm shooting for.  Also, I'm feeling like all the green is a bit much, so I'm on the prowl for ideas about what to cover the table with.  I forgot a bunch of my signs, and had to fudge a couple and do without one entirely.  And see that solitary burlap display in the back?  Must. be. revamped.

Luckily, I had a slew of helpers this go round.

I'm pretty sure this one ate most of my profits.

And this one wasn't too happy to leave once the festivities had ended.

The studio has taken a hit during this succession of shows, so I'm hoping to put it to rights this week.  My workbench is hidden under all manner of findings and tools.

And my Power Tool Station (okay, the counter next to the sink) is the very picture of disarray (and headless silverware).

Naturally, I'm coping with the urgent need for organization in the way I know best: ignoring it and doing something altogether different. Here's a dark, amateurish photo of the business card holder I put together this afternoon while the Huz took the kidlets to a movie.  It's made of balsa wood, buttons, and the ever present paper bags.  Amazing what lurks inside these cupboards of mine.

On a final note, my new bracelets were the hottest seller at this event.  (Which was cool, since I've been sweating blood over them.)  Any clever ideas for quotes or phrases to stamp on them---with no more than 30 characters?  Yeah, that's been keeping me busy, too...

Off to light candles with the family...hope your week is filled with light!