Sunday, March 6, 2011

Welcome to my Work, Studio, Home, Garden!

First things first! Welcome to my Blog! Welcome to my Studio, my home and my garden!
I am super happy to be participating in the Beads-of-Clay Blog hop again!
 Don't forget to stop by all the "live" blogs from 1-4pm today for their "live" giveaway 1/2 hour windows! A few of us are participating in the hop, but are not doing the "live" posting.... in these giveaways, you have a longer comment window in order to be entered to win. My giveaway winners will be announced on Monday.  We all have specials going on in our online shops for a limited time.

Use coupon Code BOCOPENSTUDIO gets you 25% off your order and special Spring Cleaning HANDMADE BEAD SURPRISES IN YOUR ORDER



Here is a little sample of some of the beads that I make.  I use mostly stoneware clay, but sometimes work in porcelain or whatever suits my mood...    This week I have been working on a few new pieces inspired by my friend and jewelry designer Staci Louise Smith.

and this leads me to Giveaway #1.....  Hot out of the kiln...
A lovely spring flower.  Comment on this post for a chance to win the piece shown here.
The kiln shed is a mess from a winter of working to load and unload the kiln, but the cold and my schedule chasing me out while leaving tools lie.  Mice have made their winter shelters and yard tools and summer toys are piled high.   
My Daughter Sonya (6) is almost finished painting her Enormous Fairy Statue.  We often work together.  She tells me that one day she will have a shop and sell my work.  That would be a lot of fun. 

And also still warm...

My second giveaway!   Again leave a comment below... leave one comment leave six comments... I don't care.  Let me know you came :-)
I have been feeling the Spring coming and I feel the pace of life changing.  My messy home has been driving me crazy and stubborn as I am, I have tried to find a way for everyone to better clean up after themselves.  I totally understand that I make HUGE messes in all the crazy things I do..... and that's more reason for everyone else to clean up after themselves, right?  Picking up after myself alone is a full time job!  ha!  So here's the improved system... See the different cube bins?  Everyone has one, even the dog. (Our dog Samson's box is turned around so that he can't open it with the handle-- because he was quite obsessive about doing just that) This replaces the large containers to the right which used to house all the winter hats, gloves etc.. for the entire family.  Maybe we can handle keeping track of personal property better than rooting through communal property?  Maybe?  I hope so.

  The kids and I are still working on their room.  My goal is to get rid of the toy box.  We have a place for dress up clothes, a place for each girl's jewelry and make up, a place for Lego's and barbies and horses... and we're still working on it.  I have to wait for more shelves to arrive at the store in order to finish the job.

Spring means gardening to me.  I grew the beans and potatoes picture last year and I will replant with them again this year.  I'll be outside planting peas and sugar snaps and snow peas and lettuce and bok choi and potatoes and onions the weekend after St Patricks Day.  I might not be able to wait that long to start planting onions.  And there is starting seeds inside as well.  Very soon indeed!   I love planting veggies! I plant my yard to the max and my mom and I have 2 community garden plots.  This year I will also be planting a garden that is grown for a local pantry.  I don't know where I am going to find the time, but I always do in the end.
I did a little experiment this winter... I planted and relocated a few things as I was cleaning out the garden for the winter.  I put a sheet of glass over the bed and I peeked in every once and a while to see what happened.  Even in the snow and not shoveling the snow off the glass for a week or more sometimes-- things still grew.  It was great to have these little babies out under the snow.... but a little rodent found them and moved into my little salad bar during the snow storms and ate quite a bit of what had grown bigger.  It was a fun experiment and new sprouts keep popping up even now.  I took the pictures here yesterday.
If everything goes well with the family today, then I will be listing the extra flowers pictured above in my etsy shop while we do our normal Sunday night routine.... PBS-- Nature and Masterpiece Theatre... I don't even know what they will be airing this evening, but I hope to be relaxing on the couch and listing on etsy by then :-)

Thanks for stopping by!  Thanks for your comments!  I don't always get back to everyone who comments, but I do really appreciate when you let me know what you think!

32 comments:

  1. I love the new beads! They are beautiful!!! :D And thank you for sharing a little bit of your world with us, my friend!

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  2. Wow, you are one dedicated gardener! I think it's amazing that you're going to be working in a community garden plot for a food pantry.

    I haven't prepped any gardening stuff this year, but for good reason... I'm moving to North Carolina this spring! (Don't mention it on FB; I haven't told everyone yet:D). We'll be moving away from my huge garden, but into a place 3 zones warmer. It's zone 7 there! (I almost can't imagine it - she says as it's balmy 23 degrees here, lol.) I have to move into an apartment at first, but I'm hoping they have lots of community gardens so I can experiment;)

    The bin idea is inspired! I'm going to have to try that. The flowers are gorgeous, too... are the ones with glass in the center shank buttons?

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  3. I love the bin idea. we have one in our daughter's room but at 20 months she has figured out she can take everything out so for now they are empty. I am so excited to be button partners!
    Have a great day!
    Shannon C

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  4. Love the organic shapes on the giveaway beads. I hope I win one!
    Erin S
    eastrother1@gmail.com

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  5. Once you figure out how to get organized... can you let me know? I love your new flower-y beads... they are fun!

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  6. Thanks Carol Dean! I can't wait to pick some surprises for you! I LOVE picking your surprises.

    Summer-- That's so exciting! You are going to have such a longer growing season! I am so excited for you! Yep-- the flowers are shank buttons!

    Shannon- at 6 and 8 I hope we are old enough to handle the sorting of toys into their proper place. I am REALLY excited about the button swap! I have been trying to make at least a couple of buttons with each new firing... I'm going to have trouble deciding what to send you :-)

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  7. Thanks Erin!

    Oh my Cindy!-- If you figure it out before me, you do the same, OK? Thanks!

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  8. How do you have time for all that! I really want to have a garden this year. But I'm going to start small. Zucchini, onions, beans, and I didn't know a person could grow bok choy. I might have to look into that. But being in Wisconsin, that might limit it.

    Neat studio...good luck on organizing! I would love to win the give away....

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  9. We have been trying to get organized all winter, I am still in the process and hoping that when we are finally done it will mean less work for mommy. I love your new beads they are beautiful. I am up in Canada and we still have tons of snow on the ground with very cold temperatures, I am hoping that warm weather comes soon. I have always wanted to plant a garden I love fresh veggies, I am hoping that one day that will be in my future.

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  10. HELP HELP!!!! I could use some of your expertise in cleaning my home. I wouldn't even show my shop space for it is a disaster.
    GOOD LUCK TODAY!!!

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  11. Those flower shaped beads are really cool!

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  12. Love the new flower shapes, good luck on the cleaning! Organizing...I need to as well, a constant battle.

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  13. Marge--I don't know how I find the time for it! I just get obsessed about growing stuff.. every year it gets worse. It all started out with my first ground floor apartment and a couple of pots of tomatoes :-)

    Penny- less work for Mommy is such a good thing! A girl can dream :-)

    Gerry- notice how the actual studio photos are limited here.... one day I'll get it figured out and then it will be time to move. ;-)

    Thanks Lorelei!

    Thanks Kristi!

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  14. Love the shapes of the beads, not least the ones in the scond giveaway. They seem to have a lot of potential (and a lovely colour).

    Oh, I wish spring would come here too. It's on its way but soo slowly. The winter aconites are just beginning to bud and there's just a few green leaves as far as snowdrops go. There's nothing as lovely as seeing the garden -- and nature in general -- beginning to wake up after a long, cold winter.

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  15. I'm lovin' the cube system! Good luck with it! Also...the new flowers that you have designed are so unique and creative! Love them!!!

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  16. Your work is amazing and I really love those new flowers!

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  17. Thanks for sharing not only your wonderful artwork, but lots about you. It is such fun to see your unique bead shapes here. I love how varied your work can be.

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  18. I love, love, LOVE that you use glass in your beads! Really catches the light.

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  19. I love the oragnic flowers! I so-o-o need to organize my studio. You inspired me.

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  20. What a great post! I particularly love your spring flower, such a cheery color combo :)

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  21. LOVE your flower beads!! They are so unusual and very, very pretty. Thanks for sharing the pics of your home and family.

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  22. Hi Kristie!
    Your new flower beads are to-die-for! I love them :)! Sonya is so very cute!

    Janet/Pink Poppy Studio

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  23. Lots of beautiful inspiration, that's why your work is always pretty, Love it!

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  24. Love those flower beads! So unique and pretty!

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  25. Love your work! The spring flower is lovely, so colorful and unique.

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  26. It's so funny that the dog figured out to pull the handle to get his bin open. I place baskets around the house to gather all the crap that accumulates. Then when I get into a "this is it - I can't take it" mood, it gets put away. Love having a basket in the kitchen by the door for hats, gloves, scarves & little shoes. Allows for easy access for the kids to get their own things too.

    Love the beads and can't wait to see how the gardens grow this year! Thanks for sharing...

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  27. Oh my, love your pieces. Thanks for your Tour. Off to check out your shop. Thanks!

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  28. I love your new beads, they are so elegant and I especially love the spring flower, very unique! Please count me if for your giveaway!

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  29. My daughter is getting her ears pierced this coming week - she is soooo excited. I think that I will have to look around your shop to find some original earings for her as a surprise!!

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  30. Gorgeous new work! And I really enjoyed seeing all the projects you have going on. I too have been trying to organize various areas of the house. Whether they stay that way...that is the question.

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  31. Days later I am just now getting to everyone's studio event blogs ... I love your new flowers and of course, all your beads/buttons are just beautiful. Keep creating! :)

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Your comments are much appreciated