Greetings Russia!

Today I found my work on a Russian blog and I just had to say- HEY THERE  you folks in the Russian Federation! It's fun to look at the WebStats and see where people who visit my website are from and of course it makes you realize what a web it is- all across the globe...

After I wrote the above, I checked my email and found this:

восторг 

Здравствуйте! Я из России,Башкирия,г.Уфа.Посмотрела ваши изделия,какая красота!красотища!Что за клей вы используете?Есть ли ваши магазины у нас?К сожалению,с английским у меня плохо..(..... Удачи и процветания Вам! Елена.

What can I say? Whoever it is- speaks my language. 4 exclamation points in 3 lines! Who can argue with BAM! Anybody who knows what it says feel like translating?

Nearly 2 months have passed since I wrote my last entry. Shows are no joke. The ramp up. The epic effort. The back home heap. The backed up correspondence and orders. The cat in dire need of attention.  Not complaining... Just saying... that's where I went!  Chicago Quilt Festival was really fun and I am grateful to all the wonderful customers and people that made the show so fabulous! Big BIG thanks to my brother, Michael for his help in setting up and breaking down! All of you who helped are so appreciated. It was awesome to see my brother and his beautiful wife Cindy and my amazing nieces- Rose and Celia. 

A sweet customer came to the show from Omaha, Nebraska with her friend. They had bought some pieces from me 10 years ago in Omaha and they have been looking for me ever since. They found the website and decided to come to the show. She told me a little story about a lost earring. She found she was missing one after the fact and figured it must have come out of her ear when she unloaded her car. She searched the street and when she couldn't find it she asked all the businesses on the block to keep an eye out for it. About a week later someone found it by the curb, in the street, sunk in mud where many cars had run over it while parallel parking.

She took it home and washed it and her husband scraped it a bit and she has been wearing the pair ever since. She brought them with her to show me and the errant earring was a shade darker but I have to say it still looked good. Thanks for the great testimonial!

By the by, I did finish 7 small wall pieces that I wrote about in my last post. I was going to try to post them before I left- Ha ha ha ha ha. I finished them the night before I left for the show and was happy to see how they came out amidst the last minute chaos.  Still haven't had time to photograph them but I really will soon! The picture above is of a large pin in the Peapod Violet series also finished minutes before I got on the plane. I'll post it on Etsy later this week. 

I promise to someday put something up on the blog that isn't lime green. When, I couldn't say. Best to all of you out there- thanks for stopping by!  Good night Russia, or I guess it is morning or afternoon where you are....

Quilt Fest Chicago comin up!

Here's my new postcard I just sent off to the printer. The inside of Sunlime. I wanted to make a card that was more about process and the internal landscape of my work rather than a layout of new jewelry. And I am happy with how it came out. It was fun and a little nerve racking to work on as I have so much else to attend to. That's one of the push pulls before a show. All the details that have to be handled and then "go be creative!" 

But it's happening and it's exciting to see new things popping up. I am working on some miniature wall pieces I hope to finish and have in my booth. They are a thrill and a half to work on! I hope to get some pics of them up here when they come to fruition. 

It all takes time and I can't go all night like I used to. Must lay on bed. 

Thank you to Joline for your help with the card- you saved me as I slid into techno oblivion. And Adrian helped so much, thank you thank you as always. 16 years old and smart as a whip. Great ideas and quite hilarious. 

Sunlime

I've been working on some new lime jewelry and I noticed the table as the Seattle sun graced it. I hardly pull the curtains open in the dead of winter in the studio as it makes it a lot colder. Since I start work about 1pm it's only a moment til the sun goes down. But here we are, now in March, and I am so grateful to let the light in!



Here are the rollies drying in the vent box. They don't look like much.... but the story is on the inside! I've made some pieces in this color combination before. The lime seems great for spring so I am expanding the series.

It's called Peapod Violet. I rolled some new shapes and I plan to make some of them beaded pieces for Quiltfest in Chicago. I'm on the cusp of when all things seem possible to do before the show and when the days have numbers and the hustle is on.  It's time to make lists.