Yum

A pretty little bouquet of headpins...

They're already made into earrings along with many more.

Loving the raku frit ones especially...

I think these make the prettiest "daily" earrings. I've been wearing mine like crazy.

This weekend I'll be at the Art Spectacular at the Carillon in Washington Park.

If you're local please stop by and say hi!

:)

Another bullet

The Bullet.

Our old Boston, Tammy-(who passed away 6 years ago) was lovingly nickname "the Bullet" by our old neighbor.

Lighning quick.

Maybe it's just a Boston thing.

She's always on heh move and it's so hard to get a good photo of her.

Ridiculous.

And growing like a WEED. I swear she's grown 2 inches at least in these 2 wks of having her.

I seriously can't wait to be able to sleep in again though. It's like having a newborn all over again...

In other news...

Gearing up for my largest art fair to date. Then another large one the weekend immediately after that.

3 weeks I have to get my butt in gear, get more stock and sew tablecovers.

Gosh, I hope my sewing machine will work for me this time...

A little stressed...

Gabe has his tonsils/adnoids out tomorrow.

He told me at the park awhile ago he thought he was going to throw up...

All of the neighbor kids have been passing the sickies around for a couple weeks and I was hopeful we'd avoided it---high fever and throwing up and lasting over a week...

This CANNOT happen now! I will be paranoid all day and night waiting for something to pop up and have to cancel his surgery at the last minute...

School starts next Monday for Chloe and Sept 6 for the boys. Amazed at how many blogs I've read where their kids have started school a week or more ago!

Listening to chatty boys upstairs who are supposed to be napping...(

Feeling a little funny now myself. Telling myself it's allergies and exaustion from the dog having me up so early each day so I crank up the kiln and go ahead and torch at 7am for awhile...

(I'm totally a sleeper...torching at 7am is so not my thing!)

I need a nap now...lol

Colors

Pardon the dust on the bust (lol)

I've had a handful of glass button flowers (inspired by Cassie Donlen) that I knew I wanted to make something with and it finally came together the other day :)

Fun fun colors...

Bits and bobs

I have pendants on the brain these days...

Fun interchangable bits of whimsey...;)

Gettin down to business...

Busy busy busy...new bracelet I whipped up yesterday....love it!! Petite and comfy :)

I have two big art fairs coming up in a month from now...time to get BUSY!

Introduction

Why har-roww there!

My name is Gigi!

(Mom made me this nifty temprary nametag from an old washer).

I am 2 months old today!

I love:

toes

shoelaces

hinges (?)

wicker

an old towel

my teddy bear

I have:

the softest fur

nice white socks on my front feet

1 black toenail on my left foot (my birthmark;)

a pretty pink argyle collar

sweet puppy breath

a funny soprano coyote howl (that comes to visit at 5:45 am each morning)

a cute little bellybutton on my chubby belly

I came to live with my new family 3 days ago. So far I'm fitting in just fine...;)

I might be a smidge happier if these kids would let me down on the floor now and then though...lol

Coming home.

The biggie was able to be crossed off last night.

To be continued...

Charleston part 4 (the end.)

 That would be me.

Our last day we spent sweltering at Charlestown Landing.

Ours pics from there were nothing special so I won't be showing those...but we had a fun time.

The kids loved the little zoo they had.

But man was it hot that day...

 Later we ended up at the beach to cool off and say goodbye to the Atlantic...

 Sawyer

swoon.

love this shot-sooc too!

Another goofy "family photo"

I think I love it ;)

I look talllll and skinny lol

 Started finding a few jellyfish laying around...

 Love the evening light on the beach...

 Sawyer's footprints over to everyone else...

Sandbar at Sullivan's.

 Finally! 2 sand dollars that could come home with me.

We loved that enormous tidal pool/sandbar area at Sullivan's Island! It was so cool.

Sawyer way back in the distance looking for seashells...

Can't wait to go back. Can't wait.

My new necklace

Oh my goodness-I think I'm in love!

I know it's nothing fancy-but it's just so me...

Simple sterling bits melted into pebbles, slightly flattened with the kiddos initials on them.

So dainty-each are about the size of my pinky nail :)

love love love it!

Charleston~part 3

USS Yorktown

Loved showing the kids the type of ship their Papa had been on for years when he was a Navy diver.

Inside

Future pilot?

Climbing all over that ship and up and down all those super steepsteps brought it all back to me when we used to visit my Dad on his ship.

Submarine hatch

Downtown wandering around

Charleston by the fountains downtown. Forget the name of the area.

I really kinda like this photo of us.



Another try at a family photo near the fountains in some alley.

Sawyer gets a little lost over to the right side lol

There are continuous shots of Travis falling after this one was shot..

Should have posted those instead lol

The best Greek food-p.e.r.i.o.d.

Seriously-melt in your mouth gyro meat-wow.

Run don't walk if you're in the area.

Downtown-Meeting street or King-I forget.

Chloe found a live conch

She threw hiim back of coarse...

But then some other teenage girls found it and were talking about taking it home :(

Sunset.

Sullivan's Island over the tidal pool.

Our last evening...

Breaking for a craft

 Toilet paper roll crafts~

Today's choice was owls.

 Bend the ends in towards each other to create little ears and paint...

 Add a little wedge for a beak

 Some google eyes...

 I used scrapbook paper for wings

All lined up pretty on the window ledge...

 Chloe's

 Gabe's

 Mine

Sawyer's.

He wanted his just like his brothers-lol.

Timewise it was just about perfect-not too long to cause a huge mess but long enough to keep them entertained and not arguing-lol.

We're in the midst of some crazy heat in Illinois so it's been more arts and crafts with the kids and less heating up with the kiln...but I've got some ideas cooking up with my time away from my studio :)

Vacation Part 2

A few from the next day or 2...

 Yes, I'm a foot picture taker...

 Pretty much sums up how all of the group pictures turn out.

Walking around downtown Charleston.

 Hyman's seafood downtown Charleston.

Vanilla Ice and Sandra Bullock also ate at our table lol

Family photo taken at the Angel Tree-John's Island, SC.

 The Angel Oak Tree

This is maybe 1/3 of it?

I've never seen anything so enormous!

1500 years old approx?

 Gabe at the Battery

Sawyer at the Battery

Canons at the Battery

 Unitarian church, downtown Charleston.

The cemetary has always drawn me in-it's amazing.

The biggest onion rings I've ever seen...

Pitt street bridge, Mt. Pleasant~

A beautiful spot for a sunset walk :)

Hung out with this crazy guy and his huge great danes for awhile.

A crab pulled up on Pitt street bridge.

Sunset view from Pitt street bridge~

Gorgeous!