Umbrellas

Umbrellas

Originally uploaded by CleverGirlBek

I made a couple of pairs of umbrellas yesterday… I love these and it’s hard not to hoard them… I have made a few sizes, but this size is, by far, my favorite and the most wearable (size and weight wise…) I found a bunch of teensy aquamarine bits to accent the earwire and replace the Swarovski bits I had been using but I’m kind of digging the industrial and whimsical sentiment….This size just doesn’t need anything else…

I love making these…Forming metal is one of the most relaxing activities in the world… Making little cups from sterling silver feels so good- even better I like the way the curves fit right on my fingers perfectly- like little “finger print” protecters… It’s soothing to just dance them around on the table….

I know, I’m weird like that…
:-)

The mind of a child….

Card for my dad

Originally uploaded by CleverGirlBek

When I was 5 or 6… My mom told me to make him a card and I should draw something that he likes….

and this is what I gave my dad (who was a little mortified)…

(my parents were very casual about nudity in our house and until I gave my dad this card there was a stack of playboy and penthouse in their bathroom…)

The part that really gets me is that it didn’t occur to me that this was an inappropriate picture for a kid my age to draw, especially for their dad, but that it did cross my mind to put a headband to visually explain how the bunny ears were held on…

Ok- so this one is a little goofy. Wait until you see my very surreal “holiday” card from the same year (I covered a couple of holiday traditions with a surprise ending)… Oh yes, it is coming soon to a blog near you…

Buy handmade.

Did you take the pledge? Here’s the link: Buyhandmade.org

Sign it. Live it.

and BUY IT on Etsy!

Ok. Now on to my birthday news… It was a tough one this year, lots of mixed feelings and mounting health problems….Blah blah blah..

I did wake up this morning to a little birthday treasure hunt that hubby invited boy to join in (which makes it even more fun)….

Turns out that the baldguy signed up for his very own etsy account and raided my favorites. Yup. My birthday was handmade this year and it all came from my Etsy favorites list!

Links to the treasures coming tomorrow, after some sleep which will renew my ability to put some pictures on here, hopefully…

The best gift, by far, was that the baldguy took the time to figure out the whole Etsy thing and he listened… And I’m thrilled to report that all of the sellers were hugely helpful in answering his questions, getting the packages out, and providing excellent customer service to someone new to the whole Etsy thing. Big round of applause for the artists of Etsy- for not only making awesome things but also balancing good business practices on top of it! Yay!*hugs*

Off to bed to burn off the last hour of this day as I have to catch up on work tomorrow.

Oh and I usually name my present, if we have the funds, and buy it myself around my birthday. That being said, every year since we have been married we have mourned the loss of a major appliance (or a technically minor one that we “need”) or welcomed a new major medical device(insulin pump, muscle stimulator, TENS unit…another insulin pump…) into our lives -always between October 31 and November 7th…. This year, it is our garbage disposal (garberator, or in this case the in-sink (garb)erator :-) BUT, it is covered, thankfully. And I squirreled some money away…Woohoo. SO I did splurge and I have a fabulous custom bag coming from MoxieAndOliver

(ok and a little coordinating case for business cards and my id n’ stuff)

I will, of course, share photos when it arrives! Caitlin is a sweetheart and so talented! She is the very same genius who made my cane straps for me- her work is beautiful and unique- I saw the cane strap and knew I needed a bag to match it! It feels so good to put a bit of my hard earned money into another artists work…To get a little snapshot of their creative spirit to treasure…. Sure I could have bought a bag at one of our local mass merchandise chains but these days I am enjoying buying handmade, direct from the maker – better products, unique products, better quality, and tons more fun.

Oh and I am having a little free shipping thing until midnight… I was hoping to get to my blog a bit sooner but Lexo the Great read me “The B Book” (because my name starts with B) and one of my most favorite kids books “My many colored days” by Dr. Seuss (link is to the hardcover version…we are still reading our gnawed board book version and loving it!) SO for my friendly blog readers, free shipping until midnight 11/8 (up to $5, free shipping will be given via a shipping refund from paypal…if you are paying with propay I will send you an invoice reflecting the discount, just put “beclever” in the notes to seller area)….

What are you still doing here! Shop! Shop! Shop!

32.

Me. Tomorrow.

November 7th.

32.

Where has all the time gone?

Back to bed to put my leg up…  More tomorrow…

*hugs*

b