It's a brand new year!

Resolutions...  did you make any?

This new year I have simplified my expectations to just

a couple of lifestyle changes...

Our house has been pretty empty for the past few years
with our children away at school.

This January we have a new roommate...  
she is 23 (as of the 6th) and has her eyes on travel and adventure!  
This new year brings us together again and together we will settle into a new rhythm...

Resolution #1...

Try to be respectful and listen more carefully...

~

This past year was an incredible growing experience for my metalworking passions...

Along the way I had become a bit too committed to my "studio" time
and found that some of the more mundane domestic responsibilities
were falling short on the "accomplished" list...

Resolution #2... 
Work studio time in around household responsibilities...
~
 My brain is exploding with ideas for this new year!  

Santa was nice enough to put a couple of new toys under my tree and I am looking forward 
to getting to know them and see how they will change my work...

Additionally, I purchased a bunch of fabulous hand dyed silk ribbons last year
and my mind is working away at finding ways to add them to 
add a new texture and splash of color!

Not really a resolution, just a additional incentive to be playful...
~

I hope that any and all who read over this post, enjoy a new year that is filled 

with the love of family and friends,

good health

and financial security...

May the Joy's of the World be with you in 2011!

Just a little peek of winter in a small town in Iowa.

This picture was taken the day after Christmas.  We woke to the blanket of freezing frost!  

It turned the town into an ethereal wonderland.

What a magical view to see on our last morning in Iowa!

On my work bench

Anthropology earrings, textured hoop earrings and one pair of peacock inspired earrings!  

A little bit of what is going on in my studio...  

Time is short...

Holiday shows begin next week.....

100 years and counting......

This year we are celebrating our homes 100th year!  Built in 1910, she has survived the changes of the times.

  

This was one of the first homes built in the neighborhood.  At the time this was a new and "segregated" development with a trolley running down the street... one of the new homes with electric lighting.  Today the neighborhood is diverse and thriving with shops, restaurants and bistros within an easy walk.

  

She survived the depression of '29 and was divided into apartments in the forty's after the war ended and the soldiers returned home. The area took a downturn in the seventy's when the Marta rail was developed.  Speculators wanted to reinvent the area with apartments and condos, Properties were purchased and the homes were allowed to fall into disrepair...  

We purchased this home in "96.  Moved in just before Halloween, exhausted and aching, we sat down at the end of the day and watched game 6, the Atlanta Braves vs the New York Yankees in the world series...  

In this home, we have raised our children into adults, celebrated successes and endured the loss of loved ones. All in a nurturing atmosphere that somehow seems to come from the house itself.

Over the years we have made a few improvements and tried to keep the beast of age from overtaking her, this home has nurtured our family for the last fourteen years.  

This week we finished the last area that had not been restored... The stairway!  We stripped layers of paint away and revealed the hardwood floors and hand rails, bring back the original beauty of the area as it was designed.

Now, as I look around... other areas of the house are ready for new paint and floor refinishing........ 'D

Happy October!

Welcome Fall!

To celebrate I am pulling out my autumn hued gemstones!

It is time to hit the water.....

Wow!  The weather has finally broken... 

Unbelievable heat this summer and now for the first time in weeks I can walk outside and breath.  

My mind slips off to re~live autumn camping trips and splashing kids in the North Ga rivers...

Maybe a trip to the ocean is due...

An earring army for a wedding posse