Friday night

Surprise!
I'm back....and so soon!

The weather is perfect! Lots of sun and warm temps (60+).
I spent some time at the lake today. It looks awesome! Much of the ice has melted, but there are still some large areas that remain.
It might be wishful thinking, hoping that the warm temps and sun stick around, but a teaser like this is enough to put a HUGE smile on my face! Soon, very soon....

I am contemplating the winter clean up, debating whether or not to start the raking of old leaves and the bundling of sticks and twigs. Or should I just sit back and soak up more of the sun and fresh air, drink a Friday night beer and say "The work will still be there tomorrow"?
Regardless, it's time to get back outside.

Till next time....

St. Patty's Day, 2010

And a Happy St. Patty's Day to you!

My daughter is trying to convince me to head down to the parade, but I think I'd rather stay home and sew. I'm not too keen on dodging the heavy Irish drinkers....I mean, after all, EVERYONE is a little Irish today, and many folks like a good glass of ale to begin this fine day of parades and festivities! Personally, I will limit my consumption of ale to later in the day, when I may just sit down for a Great Lakes Conway's Irish Ale. Now THAT's a good beer!

I am a huge fan of Great Lakes Brewery (GLB, as we like to call it in Cleveland). Not only are their many varieties of beer awesome, but the food and atmosphere at the pub are terrific. They host frequent tours of the brewery and run a mean beer school (I've been twice and have sampled most beers brewed, save for a few that only come in four packs, meaning they will knock me on my butt, if I'm not careful.....I tend to stay FAR AWAY from those.....call me a lightweight, but that's the truth of the matter). GLB throws great parties, too! Christmas in July, Burning River Fest, St. Patty's day, Dog Days of Summer, etc. Check out their website for future shindigs and if you live in the area, or plan to visit Cleveland soon, make it a point to check out the brewery. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Wow, I think GLB should pay me for all this advertising! Seriously, have a Happy St. Patty's day, however you choose to celebrate, and I hope to greet you again with a new post soon!

Bye-bye....

It was a bad day. I lost my job. Well, technically I was Laid Off, but it all means the same thing. No job, nowhere to go, no money coming in. I only had the job for three months and already it's a goner. Time to join the the ranks of the unemployed....again. Seems I just did this in the fall, when the window treatment business took a dive. I thought it was safe to take a job in the food industry, but, apparently that's a mistake as well.

What do you do when your college education does not get you anywhere? Stick with the arts. Looking at the bright side, because REALLY, where else can I possibly look without crying, there will be more time for creating. So, lucky me! Now there's some positive thinking!!

2010 and Blogs

Happy 2010....

I recently watched the movie Julie and Julia and, in doing so, realized that the function of a blog might just be to express whatever is on your mind a little more frequently than I tend to do. Perhaps I'll make it a goal of this new year to post something on my blog once a week.

The movie was great, by the way. If you have yet to see it, do so. I'm not sure I liked the ending , though. Let me know what you think.....that is, if anyone is out there actually reading this blog.

I do love to cook and am almost tempted to try all the recipes in one single cookbook, just like Julie. What a creative idea! Of course, doing that would simply take too much time away from all my other interests, not to mention the chores and errands and sewing that I would miss out on. I guess I'll just work on getting my etsy shops filled and posting new items like a mad woman!

Till next time.....hopefully sometime next week.....Stay warm!

Busy, busy!
Bring on the fall shows! I have five scheduled, possibly six, before Christmas! So busy, busy me, creating as much as I can as quickly as I can!

Fall has arrived. Most of the leaves are now down in our yard. Lots of raking and clean up. Did you ever notice that yard work is neverending? Even in the winter, when the snow flies and the wind kicks up, there's work to be done....shoveling, chipping ice, spreading salt on the pavement. Never ending, I tell you. It takes away from free time....sewing time and dreaming time.

Check out my shows and those of my fellow Clevey buddies at clevelandhandmade.com.

Keep smiling!
Mary

Labor Day weekend!

Today I participated in the new, first year out, indie art show in Cuyahoga Falls called Salty Not Sweet. Not much of a turn out, as far as foot traffic goes, and not a very good fair for some of the vendors. But my, what tremendous vendors there were! A great place to shop and chat and meet new people! My closest fellow artists were the team of psycho reindeer. Awesome, unique t-shirts, hand drawn and printed by the charming couple themselves. Look them up at psychoreindeer.com. Being that I am an avid t-shirt wearer (they make GREAT pajamas!) I just had to purchase a couple for my very own!

Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend!
Goodbye summer! Hello fall fun!

JUNE!!

Morning!
Summer is here....so they say. It's a bit chilly in Cleveland. My garden has had such trouble getting established. If it's not the weather, it's the local rabbit population. Finally had to replace all the fencing, just so the rabbits could not squeeze their little bodies through the old, rusty openings. Also put in a perimeter of marigolds. That always seems to do the trick.

My tomatoes are barely growing. They need some real heat. The tomatoes might be complaining about no heat, but you won't hear me doing that. We don't have air conditioning in this old house, but the cross breeze is great! This weather has been perfect for sleeping. Love to wake up with those little birdies chirping! That's what summer is all about!

Can't believe it's already the middle of JUNE! Geez! Where does the time go?
I am desperately trying to fill my free time with sewing and creating while balancing such mundane chores as weed pulling, replanting of perennials, etc. YIKES! There's never enough time.
I am setting up my fall shows. I'm SO excited about all the ideas in my head! Can't wait to see them come to life!

Here's hoping your summer is warmer than mine here in Cleveland!
Till next time.....
Mary