Decisions, decisions...

Deciding what my focus is today is not easy. Intense weather, cat antics and new work all vie for my attention so I'll offer a smattering of all of these topics.

If you've ever peeked at my online shops, you may have noticed that I usually offer a few pendant style pieces that are at least a little bit unusual. My new design is tentatively called "A Thousand Flowers Plus One." Millefiori is, first, Italian for "a thousand flowers," but is also the name of a specialized glass that, up close, has tiny flower patterns in it. Two versions of this design will be available-one primarily navy and white and the other multi-color. The "Plus One" is a flower stamped charm of Thai silver that was captured in the sterling hanging loops I made to hold the glass focal point.

I created custom "chains" to coordinate and highlight these focal points with lots of tiny Czech glass beads braided into tough Irish linen, getting an effect similar to a sort of grosgrain ribbon, but so much more durable and interesting. Taken together, the effect is bright and fresh...and how Continental: Italy, Czech Republic and Ireland plus Thailand all in an American artisan made piece. What a wonderful world we live in!

The weather continues to be so intense. On top of all that earlier ice, snow has been falling now for over a day and a half, and if predictions are true, the winds will soon pick up again and the temperatures will drop further, making winter life all that much more interesting. Dakota is OK with snow and winter, to a point....she's been taking it in small doses as it's much too brutal to let her spend any amount of time outdoors! And honestly, I have been a total wuss, barely slipping out to take care of garbage and errands every few days, but otherwise, yep, I'm still mostly hunkered down here in the studio! Lucky me!

And finally, Purrmeister loves boxes, as is typical of many cats. Since Mariah took over his fabric cube as her new preferred hiding place....PM decided a box of paper to be recycled would be his newest nest.

And One Year Ago Today....

Recent new piece, still not titled or listed in my Etsy shop.

Purrmeister

I still kind of like my very first post but I am happy that a lot of things about my work and my blog have evolved and improved in 365 days!

A few fun facts:
I've created 264 posts, and I don't have time to count how many photographs....
My pages, as of yesterday evening, have been viewed just a couple hundred shy of 36,000 times, thanks to my participation in all the various blog advertising programs.
And 209 folks including fellow bloggers have "registered" to follow my blog.
Best of all has been meeting so many interesting and fun fellow bloggers and getting comments and feedback from any and all of my readers--you guys are great and keep me striving to do more and do better--and for this, I thank you so much.

I am happy with how this "blog collage" has been fulfilling my desire to show a "slice of life" behind the "Gallery View," including nature, gardens and gardening, animals and insects, the farm, the campground, the studio, and of course, all my furry friends. It does help me refine and clarify some of my thinking about the things that either inspire or feed into my studio work here. It's amazing how writing things down and/or taking photos can focus and distill thinking for me.

And so, in line with this whole list, I've included a "peek" of a new piece because I did spend most of yesterday taking photos of 9 new pieces and am partially done editing them...these will probably get posted in my shops over the next few days, if I can stay on track!! Frankly, between squinting in photography mode, and squinting at the computer, my eyes are just so tired I need to rest them soon.

And a recent photo of Purrmeister, who is truly growing bigger every day, right in front of my eyes...we'll keep an eye on him as we explore and enjoy....year number 2 here at WillOaks Studio, Behind the Gallery View!

Wordless Wednesday (Italy)

Pretty Good Camouflage

When I checked my photos, I didn't even realize Purrmeister was here at first. So the challenge is on to "find the kitty!"

In case you are wondering why there hasn't been art on display or any art talk here on my blog in awhile, it's because I'm "up to my chin" in new pieces in progress and am about due for a big photo session. I dove back into studio mode just as soon as my last Christmas orders went out and my family festivities were completed. Couple that with weather here that's been dangerously cold, and I can't think of a better position to be in--holed up in my studio, snug as a bug.

It's pretty awesome when I have an uninterrupted stretch like this - one idea can lead to the next and to the next and so on. So my goal is to take some time out over the next few days in order to have new work posted by about Thursday and Friday.

Finally, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my brother, Sandy, born 53 years ago in San Antonio, TX--You're the greatest!

Juxtapositions & Antidotes

I think you can tell which is which, right? How odd--desert cacti against glaciers (well, icicle wall anyway.) A juxtaposition I've never had a chance to see, much less photograph. I may need to play with this idea a bit more!

And even while the entry way tends towards quite cool (I'm about to move all my orchids to a warmer place) the geraniums love this micro climate and have burst into bloom. I thank them for the antidote to winter!

He Can Charm Your Socks Off...

...or, barring that, he'll tackle your ankles and you'll be very happy you have socks on!

Purrmeister hasn't lived here but 6 weeks and he's already made a big mark. He alternately tortures and emulates the adult cats. He uses my leg like a tree trunk (ouch!) or lays in my lap like a rag doll. He eats like there's no tomorrow and is growing in front of my eyes. And maybe the best part of all is how funny he is--often good for a laugh every hour or two.

Blossoms and Other Hanging Things

Help! I'm a prisoner in an icy cage that's growing every day. Aren't these icicles amazing & beautiful!?

In fact, I must have some pretty major issues with the gutters here because icicles hang in front of many of my windows now.

And although it was brilliantly sunny for awhile today, the temperature began at 8 degrees and warmed all the way up to....18! Not too much melting going on.

I wanted to juxtapose the hanging ice with the hanging cactus blooms, but I just couldn't find a perspective to do that from. This USED to be an Easter Cactus, but it changed it's calendar. It's an older plant that I got from one of my favorite senior citizen neighbors a long time ago in my Iowa days...so I call it "Marie's cactus." In fact, she had an enormous specimen of this cactus and I grew mine from some small bits that broke off while I was re potting it for her in about 1999.

Such interesting forms.

This is possibly my favorite orchid because I adore chartreuse!

And wow did I ever hit a bull's eye for this year's poinsettias! I tend to favor the salmon pink ones over red or white...so when I found these two big healthy (& matched) ones, to use in my "snow sleigh pot holder" for a grand total of $7...thought I had died and gone to (flower) heaven. My entryway here seems a perfect micro climate for poinsettias and they usually look good all the way to June, so finding the perfect pair is worth the effort!

Out With The Old; In With The New....

The last sunset of the last day of the last month of the last year

in the first decade of the 2000's.

The last sunset of the last day of the last month of the last year in the first decade of the 2000's. (detail)

These cats do not get excited about holidays.

But Purrmeister does get excited about being in the food bowl.

See? He really gets into the food bowl.

But there's hope he can eventually learn some table manners here
--or at least can quit standing IN the kibble bowl...
it's a new year's resolution for 2010!

I didn't make time to do a full survey of 2009 because I was getting ready to go to the New Year's Eve party I go to every year, BUT I did snap a few photos to mark the "END OF 2009" here on the farm and in the studio.

I do have a lot to be grateful for and happy about! The party was really fun and I even won a prize--a big, beautiful Starbucks mug with a MOOSE on it...so cute! All because I answered most of the game questions about Alaska and the great Northland correctly. (The theme of this year's party was Alaska and the great north--OK, it's a long story.) So I can quit saying "I never win anything now."

I didn't bring my camera to the party. And I'm back home now and about to call it a night, but since I've been pretty regular about getting posts up on a daily basis, I had to get this up and say....here's to a whole new year of new blog posts!!