here's something cool i found....a nice camera bag that doesn't look like an industrial/safari bag.... i'm hitting this convergence of lots and lots of deadline work, but just itching to re-do my studio. by "re-do" i mean emptying it, painting the walls and getting rid of the carpet. i know. when husband moved his office out of this room, and it became all mine mine mine, i was so anxious to get in, and had a show deadline, so i never finished painting the walls on "his" side. the walls were done in a weird light blue, flat finish paint when we bought the house. i couldn't stand it anymore, so began to paint them white with eggshell finish. problem was, he had a huge wraparound desk with hutches, and i couldn't possibly move that. so the paint stopped where his desk began. now that area is where i make my jewelry and do non-torch soldering. so i get to look at a yukky blue wall all day. plus, my back is to the "wall of windows" on the opposite side of the room. what a waste! my huge worktable is at the window end, with daylight tube light fixtures build and installed specifically for the table placement, and my collage materials spill over one corner on (and under!) an 8' conference table. the other wall is all stanless shelving units. i need to see everything. if i were to prioritize, i would say the flooring has to go. there are years worth of doodads and paper snippets in the loopy carpet. not to mention 10 years of dogs and cats scratching their "nests" have made it quite fuzzy in spots. i'm lucky, in that this room was never completed by the original owner we bought the house from...the floor is still the plywood underlayment, so i can do anything with it. i'd like to get some cheap rolled shinal vinyl type of product, so i won't worry about plaster and dye and paint and flying bits of metal getting all over it, and it would clean up easily. but, i have those deadlines looming, so i'll have to daydream for now. the countdown to squam is giving me the butterflies. i can't believe it's been a year! it's sort of my new years eve touchstone - a marker where i can look back and see how far i've come. or not :) this year has brought amazing changes, so it isn't difficult to see the progress. my necklace designs have been selling out as i make them! the other day i stopped into Szozda Gallery, where i unceremoniously dumped all my collages and necklaces after last week's festival. (thank you Caroline!). i figured she was probably feeling like a warehouse for my work, and i should clear out. she had gone through everything and picked out some designs and already had them on display. while i was there, someone came in and bought one. what a treat to see the process of decision that someone went through. and i was glad i had dressed up a bit (ie: didn't have on my sweatpants!) because she introduced me as the artist who designed the piece they were buying. it was such a rush! okay - enough time away from gemstones and baubles and vintage what-nots....enjoy the day and sending blessings to you.