Worst. Blogger. Ever.

I can only hope that you read the title of this post as Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons, as that's how it was intended. I am, of course, the subject of that sentence. Inconsistency is my middle name, in case you couldn't tell. I will try to be better, now that I'm taking this blog in a new-ish direction. Rather than focusing on my business and "exciting things," I'm going to just make it a random blog about me, which will occasionally include things about my business and "exciting things." Confused? Good, me too. ;-)

In the exciting things category, I got to see the last scheduled night launch of a shuttle by NASA. There's a sweet video and write up by my husband on my other blog here.

We also went to the Everglades:













And went to Key West on vacation:



















Since then it's been quiet-ish. Half marathon training for the Kentucky Derby Mini (my last long race - I really don't like running long distances), jewelry making (ooh, shiny), and swimming with manatees. I have no pictures of the last, because I do not have an underwater camera. But trust me, it was awesome.

So here's hoping that this new approach will make me a better blogger. I will probably also start up Wellness Wednesdays again, because I have been in a public gym lately, which means I've seen things that make me crazy. (Lat rows with 2 pound weights! Overhead tricep extensions! Augh!)

Have a great day!

Gasparilla

Last weekend we finally made the trek to Tampa for the Gasparilla Pirate Festival. We'd been wanting to go since we heard about it a few years ago and the timing finally worked out with our location.

We drove over Friday night from Mims, FL and checked into a hotel in Ybor City, a historical strip of bars, restaurants and little shops just north of the city. We had dinner at the wonderful Acropolis Taverna and then went back to watch Burn Notice - we're so exciting!

On Saturday we woke up early to head down to the Convention Center for the Invasion Brunch. We hopped the trolley car and were there before we knew it. We took the time to grab a couple of drinks from the outdoor bar and then headed inside. The tables had been moved inside because of the rain, but we snagged a seat by the window and awaited the invasion.

The Jose Gaspar was visible around 1pm and we awaited its arrival along the barricades. It was a sight to see. Men hung off the rigging and crowded the decks. They wore brightly colored pirate clothes, had scars painted on their cheeks and carried beer in a variety of leather pouches. They all wore huge hanks of beads on hooks around their waists and started handing them out immediately. I even got a kiss on the cheek from the first pirate off the boat!

After they disembarked and handed out a bunch of beads, the Mayor of Tampa handed over the key to the city and the party began.

We made our way to our seats for the parade, but thanks to the rain, they were mostly deserted, so we hung out along the barricades again. The parade was a big blur of people dressed in bright velvet and bead lust. Everyone, myself included, just went nutty for beads, screaming and clapping to get the attention of the bead throwers. There was no flashing though, because apparently the Tampa police had begun clamping down on that sort of thing.

After the parade we walked back to the hotel. I had a very bad stomachache (beer on top of rum on top of buffet food, no doubt) and we just kind of lolled about for the rest of the night. I'm sure there was partying to be had around the city, but we weren't really up for it, since we'd gotten rather cold and wet during the parade.

All in all, a very fun thing to do! A recommended activity if you're into pirates and public drinking! ;-)

Kentucky Derby Hat Update

I got my blank slates in the mail! I have massive piles of tulle and some beads and baubles to go on them, but I haven't started yet because I've been sick and not too creative feeling. I hope this feeling goes away soon and I can make progress!
Have a great day!

I made it out alive!

My work area is now clean and about as orderly as I get. At the very least I have room to work. Of course now it's warm-ish out and I'm going to go outside and saw, but at least I have the option to work inside now.















Here's what I'm working on: hearts for Valentine's Day in all manner of metals, finishes and sizes!

Have a great day!

Send help if I'm not back in 3 hours

I can no longer deny that my inside work area is a just a bit messy. I can usually work outside (which is better from a ventilation standpoint, anyway) but during this cold snap I've had to move my base of operations inside. Technically, I could work sitting at my nice little work bench/vanity where all of my beads, tools, etc are stored, but take a look at this picture and you'll see why I've been bringing my necessary tools to the dinette to work instead. I'll be sure to post after photos when I've finished. Wish me luck.

Kentucky Derby

So we got tickets to the Kentucky Derby this year (Yay!) and now I'm looking for a fabulous froufrou hat. Well, I was looking for a fabulous froufrou hat. Now I'm looking for a plain hat that I can decorate myself because I'm just not thrilled with either the aesthetic or the price point of some of the hats I've seen around. A beautiful hat that costs $300 is just not going to fly and neither is something "eh" for $20. Stay tuned for updates of my progress and my sure-to-be-frequent mishaps with the hot glue gun!

Happy New Year!

Whew, now that the dust has settled from the holidays, I'm getting back into the creative swing of things. I hope you've all had a great few months.

Yesterday I went to the fantastic Georgia Sea Turtle Center. I was blown away by the knowledge and helpfulness of the volunteers and really enjoyed seeing the veterinary staff work on injured and sick turtles. If you're in the Southern Coastal GA area, I highly recommend it.

I've been playing around with my new set of stamps so I can provide my customers with hand stamped jewelry. It's so popular and so personal (and so fun to make!) that I just couldn't resist entering this market. I am still hand cutting, shaping, forming and texturing all the metal I use rather than using pre-formed blanks, so each piece will be truly unique!

Much more to come in the new year! I'm finding tons of inspiration in my surroundings right now - Jekyll Island especially. I think this place will be making an appearance in my designs for quite awhile, even after the rig has rolled on.

Have a great day!