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...

My Creative Space: Lint (and Stuff)

Overheard on my lap only moments ago:

Akiva:  Shani, if you come and help me with the laundry, I'll let you play with this.....(pregnant pause)...lint!

He then produced a fist sized wad of dryer lint and offered it to his bewildered sister.  I swear.

(She didn't take the bait, in case you were wondering, and he continued about his laundering unescorted.)

In other news:

The Huz has returned from his five-day hospital stint.  The kids had as much fun visiting him as they would on any field trip.

Look what's heading into the shop tonight:

I have been tumbling the same batch of glass for a week, with very little change.  Sure, the edges are nice and smooth, but there's been none of that "frosty sea-glass" effect I was aiming for.  I'll set out in pursuit of some better grit---did I really just say "better grit?"---tomorrow, and we'll see if that helps any.  Meanwhile, I was playing around with some nice, thick annealed steel wire this afternoon and ended up with this bracelet:

And I really loved it.  But then, I got to thinking.  And I chucked that puppy in the tumbler with a couple pounds of stainless steel shot, and looky here!

Shiny!  I have to confess, I've been playing with it all evening.  The kids are starting to think I'm strange.  So as soon as I get some decent pictures, into the shop it goes.  It needs a name, though...any ideas?

Also, it rained today.

So  I figured I'd hit you with a couple of gratuitous kid-with-umbrella shots.

And speaking of gratuitous:

That would be the 2 year old.  Clutching her security-Glee-booklet.

 Check out more spaces at Kirsty's.

The moment you've all been waiting for?

We reached into the hat and pulled out a winner...

...and her name is...

Denise, let me know what pair of words you'd like on your Dictionary Sacrifice earrings, and I'll get them out to you posthaste. 

Thanks to all of you who commented,  liked always greener on Facebook, followed littlegreenbums,  and joined in the fun...lots of good ideas out there!  

(Lots of obsessive-compulsive word gamers, too, it seems.  My peeps!)

My Creative Space: Minimal!

There's been a lot less crafting time around here this week, as we're cleaning and preparing for Passover with a vengeance.  Luckily, the weather has been cooperative, so we were able to tackle the cars with the help of my munchkins.

 

I have been able to sneak a little jewelry-making in after the bulk of the housework has been done, though.  Lots of custom orders for Dictionary Sacrifice earrings coming in, and my first two orders from complete strangers! 

Don't forget to put your name in the hat for my giveaway...the drawing will be on the 21st

!

Feel like a Winner?

With all of the prep for Pesach, the novelty of running the Etsy shop, and the usual thrills, chills and excitement that are part and parcel of my daily grind, I've decided to chuck another log on the fire and have a little giveaway. The lucky winner will get a pair of uber-cool Dictionary Sacrifice Earrings similar to these:

I say "similar" because I've only got one big dictionary to chop up, and the ones in the photo are headed out to their new home (hi, Katie!) in the morning.   So I'll whip up a custom pair for my giveaway winner (it could be you!) and send them out in one of my fancy-schmancy, handmade, eco-friendly, upcycled, origami boxes.  Here's the deal:  all you have to do to be entered in the drawing is leave a comment on this post with a "________ &__________" combination.  (Twist & Shout, Pickles & Ice Cream, Mutt & Jeff...you get the picture, right?)  For a second entry, you can choose to become a follower of my blog or "like" Always Greener on Facebook.  Easy-peasy, right?  I'll draw the winning name on Thursday, April 21st.  Good luck!