My List...

just went out the window today. We were going to go to the LEAF festival in the mountains and visit with friends and listen to great music this weekend. We are so far behind (both I and my hubby) that we are about 99% sure we can't do that. We think we are going to tackle our to-do's instead. So you'd think I'd be to-do-ing this afternoon, but it was so nice and we ended up playing in a dish of water in the yard, eating applesauce popsicles and tossing tiny rocks in the frog pond.


Things I SHOULD have done today:

Worked on the book (outline, due May 30th!)
Answered my emails (38 and counting as of 3:44 pm!)
Weeded the yard (Chicken tour, 1,000 people in my garden next Saturday!)
Cleaned out the chicken coop (see above!)
Moved some hostas so the new fish pond doesn't look un-done (see above!)
Laundry (we are seriously in danger of choosing between nudity or dirty clothes!)
Cleaned off the studio table so that I could easily make jewelry
Sorted my mail
Finished an ad I promised to a publication a week ago (they will wait if they want your money!)
Finished a felting project I promised to a publication two months ago (not due for 10 days, so what's the rush?)
Gone to the thrift store to find some handles for the new tote bag I am working on.

So, hmm, would you like an applesauce popsicle?

Wendy's jewelry

Do you ever come to our technique demos on Thursday night at Ornamentea?

The fabulous Wendy Pitillo-Rae is our resident metal smith. She demos all kinds of metals techniques and makes them look easy. She uses beads and metal in her own jewelry and it has a very ancient-but-modern feel that I like. I just did some browsing on her site and am going to send a note to my hubby with a 'hmm, aren't these earrings lovely?' hint and a link. We'll see if that works.

Altered Couture Book Review

This new title from Somerset Press, Altered Couture, is filled with art-to-wear ideas for those of you who aren't content to just wear a plain old tee shirt or skirt from the mall. While many of the projects are a bit over the top, the ideas could easily turn into something you'd see in Anthropologie with a bit of editing. The Birdcage Jacket on page 55 is perfect as-is, in my opinion. I may steal the birdcage stitching idea for a skirt of mine that needs a bit of a spruce up. I am thinking that a few stitches outlining a cage on one side, door open, and a few clouds on the other with a freezer paper silk-screen of a bird somewhere...hmm, now to find the time to do it!