The sun is shining (finally)

yet, I'm in a slight funk.  I never seem to have enough time to do anything.  And, even worse, I can't seem to concentrate on anything long enough to get it done.  Not at work, obviously, because I HAVE to finish things at work.  I mean in my other life.  My life that needs gardening and quilt making and home decorating and baking and cooking.  And as much as those, it needs drawing and painting.  I haven't drawn or painted since before the babies.  Maybe I need to give up coffee.  It seems to scatter me.  I know I need to give up the internet.  It drains me.  What is the use of reading about lovely things on Apartment Therapy, when my own house needs my attention?  What good does it do me to spend my free time on Jezebel, when I would be happier writing a letter or drawing a picture instead of wasting my time away reading bits and pieces of useless news?  Ugh.  I hate the internet. (And yes, I see the irony of this.)

On a lighter and more cheerful note!  My flower garden in flourishing!  And the veggie garden is getting on like a house on fire:

It's even fuller now!  Look at that strawberry barrel in the middle!  The Shop Monkey worked so hard on it.  Drilling those holes in that thick wood was terribly irritating.


We had the craziest heat-snap (new word?), and I took advantage of the 90 degree weather to let my sweeties run around without clothes.  Is there anything cuter than a baby running around in a diaper?  Maybe two babies?  Two babies dripping with homemade yogurt and fruit popsicles?

I'm making a real effort to grow houseplants.  See my success below:

Alas, I'm not trying as hard as the babies are trying to climb onto the table.

No, I didn't pose him there (but he does make a nice tchotchke).  I was reading to his sister when I looked over and saw him climbing up.

What is this sketch?  It is me and the Shop Monkey playing darts in the basement after the babies go to bed.  We're drinking champagne because it's a Wednesday.  

And yes, I did win!! Haha!

I love this sweetie.

I bought this sofa at auction and I plan on recovering it in a deep blue velvet?  Green?  Turquoise?  Help!  Does it need tufting?

I repainted my side table.  It was kelly green.

And my little sweetie sweetie. <3 nbsp="">

5 stone ring

I've finally photographed my new 5 stone ring.  I was waiting for the weather to cooperate, and it really has for the last week.  So sunny!  It is gorgeous.  My poor little flower garden is struggling, but I won't depress you with my tales of gardening woe.  The vegetable garden is doing great though!  You should see my garbanzo bean plants. So excited for hummus from fresh beans.

So, this new ring has a tapering shank, that has an angled concave surface.  I really like it.  I wish I had a photo from the side so you could see the band.  The stones also taper in size towards the sides, does that make sense?  For some reason I can't think of another way to say it.  Haha.  MORE COFFEE.

On the baby front, my little sweeties aren't quite talking, but they're so close.  Addy "answers" questions with the cutest sounds.  Right now they are chasing each other back and forth around the kitchen/dining/hallway loop.  They sort of go back and forth peek-a-booing around the corners.  I hope they are best friends, but I suppose you can't force it.

Busy busy

ahhhhhhh!!!

I've been a bit busy, but I'm now getting back into the swing of things.  My schedule is changing a bit, I've decided that I would rather work 3 longer days, rather than two short days and two long days.  I hope that helps me to be more efficient.  Changing the schedule gives me a whole day with my sweeties, which I kind of like! (Yesterday was the first day, and they took a 3 hour nap, so check back with me in a few weeks, haha.)  It gives me a little taste of what being a SAHM would be like.

Spring is springing here, so I've been working like crazy in the garden(s).  We have a large raised bed vegetable garden, and this year I decided to create a flower garden as well.  We had this big gravel area with a fire pit that we just didn't use and it was terrible trying to weed in the gravel.  So I removed all of the gravel and tilled it and amended the soil.  I've been starting flowers (I hope I'm successful!) and planting some seed.

Before.

Before.

Now.  We just never used the gravel firepit, it just took up a prime location.

I have these lovely clumps of peonies.  They gorgeous.  I will be separating them this fall, but for now I'm just looking forward to blossoms.  There are rose bushes as well, which we (over) pruned this winter.  But I think that most will be better for it.  I'm planning on a little table or bench on the little gravel spot to the left.  Wish me luck!  I'll post pictures if I ever get it to look all crazy country garden.  It might take a few years.  I think that is the hardest part about this for me.  The hardest and probably the most beneficial.  I am a planner by nature, but I'm also someone who likes instant gratification.  Being forced to let go of my own agenda and proceed according to a different timeline has been very informative.  I'm trying to relax into, and let go of being in control.  Since I can't FORCE the flowers to grow, all I could do is make myself go crazy.

Growing list:

Indian Prince Calendula

Korean hyssop

Shasta crazy daisy

English red tip daisy (habanera)

New York Aster

Coreopsis 

Yarrow

Blue and white balloon flower (fingers crossed)

Blue fescue

german chamomile

Two types of poppies (not sure if those will come up...)

chabaud carnation

red lighthouse salvia

and for instant gratification, cosmos and zinnias (annuals).  There is also a hosta in one corner and a hydrangea that I will probably have to move. 

And I have a spot along the driveway that I'm going to plant a shade wildflower mix.  I hope that works out too.  I'll plant it now, and then seed it again in the fall.

And I've planted a wormwood bush!  And A little square of elven thyme.  And I'm planning on getting some dahlia bulbs.  But I won't be planting those until late April. And then I'm going to plant anenome bulbs in the fall.  I love windflowers.

Well, I hope you skipped past all of that gardening business, if it bores you. :-)

So much for posting weekly, ha ha

I just can't seem to manage it.  I think, with me, blogging takes copious amounts of free time in order to allow my brain the freedom to come up with things to post about.  When I'm busy or preoccupied I tend to clench up and nothing but what needs doing gets free.  I'm also a compulsive perfectionist, so if something isn't 1000% finished I hesitate to share.  But!  I'm going to take a leap and just put it out there.

Ive decided to change my business name!  For real this time!  

jyaffa.com

I've been holding off on telling anyone about it until it was complete.  But really, I don't know when that will be.  I've been working away at it, a bit here a bit there, but it's still pretty bare.  I haven't really had a chance to add things for sale yet.  But I'm going to make that a priority this weekend.  (When I'm not busy rototilling my new flower garden!!! OMG!  So excited! About everything!)

And finally finished that new ring I posted about earlier.  It's pictured below.  Guess which one it is? And I have new earrings and a new 5 stone ring too, but no pictures of those just yet.

Not the best of photos.  But it is gloomy like an Alaskan winter morning here these days.  I find that when it is overcast outside I can't get dynamic photos.  They just look a bit dead to me.  Maybe I need to blast the exposure?

Hmm, still nothing.  And it's really unfortunate, since I have to ship those to rings on the far right today, so I won't get another chance to photograph a group.

And my tiny sweeties are still tiny and still sweet.

She's soooo sleepy here.  Right after I took this photo I took a video of her nodding off.  Adorable.

 Fresh new haircut!  And seaweed snack.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig.

Well, that was definitely an experience.  The flight there wasn't the greatest, but the flight back was quite okay.  The weather wasn't fabulous, but it was great hanging out with family.

She is such a little funny-bunny!  She cracks me up.  

Enthusiasm!!!

Thank goodness for this hot tub.  We spent a lot of time in it.

Something new!  I think this is the first time that I've worked with a champagne diamond.  I really like them!  There is so much depth I feel.  I like colorless diamonds too, but I must admit that I prefer the more colorful diamonds, and I like inclusions.  I like the idea of a totally unique diamond.  It makes it more special to me.  My diamond doesn't have any (that I can see), but I wish it did.

oi! where did January go?!?

Well, dearies, I'm off on a well deserved vacation tomorrow morning.  Please wish me luck on my long plane ride with two 13 month old babies.  (!!!!!)  I hope it is relaxing. (hahahah.  I just re-read that, and was like, the vacation, obviously.  Not the plane ride with two young toddlers!)  I have so many ideas, I almost feel like it would be more of a vacation to remove my computer from my studio and just work on new projects for a week. Oh the bliss!  Someday.

And I have another project going too!  Besides new things.  I am working on my own website.  And I've decided to change my business name.  Or, rather, start a new business, and change the direction of my old one.  I think.  But I'll save that for later.

(p.s. I've decided that to motivate me to make new things I'm going to keep the prototype for myself! Haha!  I've already had a new pair of earrings cast, I just need to finish them.)

Merry Holidays!

I've been extremely busy.  Which is good.  But I think it is causing me to go bald.  So I suppose me and the Shop Monkey will be a matched pair.  I recently made this platinum version of the sunken treasure ring (haha, I always think of this as my wedding ring), using an old cut stone that a customer provided.  I really like the way it turned out.  And you have no idea how heavy this thing is.  WANT!

I thought I might share some scenes from this holiday season!  When I was growing up my family didn't celebrate holidays, so this was really my first time decorating etc.  I really enjoyed it, and I think it will just become more fun as things become traditions.  (I actually have a little notebook that I'm writing it all down in,  that way I can remember what to do next year.  Starting from scratch is a bit hard!)

Not specifically a holiday photo, but her face is so awesome that I had to share it.  Even if it is a bit blurry.  Hehe!

I had these little tiles made by a really cool ceramics artist on Etsy.  Her shop is called Art-Craft-Home, and Stephanie, the owner/artist, was so helpful and awesome.  The tiles are so nice and unique.  You can't see it from here, but the chanukiah and dreidel are raised up from the back ground.  I can't wait to display them next year!

Every year (two years running!) I make a big batch of Gløg.  Which is basically just a very strong mulled wine.  Here is my recipe.  But don't use all of the port or brandy, and if you use all of the sugar, use two bottles of wine.  If you make it the way it is written (use as much port and brandy as you like, I don't really think you can overdo it, haha), keep it in a jug and cut it with regular red wine.  It's like a mulled wine concentrate this way!   (And I know, I spelled Hanukkah wrong!  In my traditions book.  Haha.  Maybe I had had too much gloooooog?)  

Aquavit night!  Every Thursday night during the winter, we have a fire and Popcorn Dinner®.  Dark beer and a little bit of Aquavit!  And then we watch shows on the computer.  It's funny how having children makes the most prosaic things fun.  I really look forward to aquavit night.  (Poor Dieter.  The pugs are still sort of exiled into the outer darkness....except for all of the dropped baby food they scavenge, beggars.)

LOOT! And my sweet, sweet husband bought be this antique drexel sideboard for our anniversary.

And I made this triangle bunting out of scrap fabric I had.  I really like the way it turned out.  It also doubles as birthday bunting!  The little felt ball bunting was another Etsy purchase.  I wish I had just bought a big bag of the felt balls and made my own instead.  You win some, you lose some.

And fun LED lights!  I love twinkle lights.  I know it is usually associated with Christmas, but how would I know that?  Not ever really having celebrated either Hanukkah or Christmas?  That's what I tell myself anyway.  (Ha!  I also have twinkle lights around my front door. )

And sweet, adorable sweetie babies.  They've started giving kisses.  It's probably the best thing I've ever experienced.

Happy Holidays!  And a Merry New Year!

Congrats S and J!

How much do we all love that nail polish?  I know I do.  And that's a girl after my own heart.  I could totally drink a beer right now, I just spent 30 minutes waiting in line at the post office.  Nothing makes me want to step in front of a train more than people who package their things up at the counter.  OMG. Do that at home!  So inconsiderate.

And, my sweet little devil squids turned one yesterday!

Happy birthday, my little sweeties!

My sister is closer to 40 than to 30. HAHAHA. (wait, I'm only two years behind!)

Sometimes the things I like the most are the pieces that I throw together from scrap metal that I have lying around.  No planning, just working with existing pieces and some strict limitations.  I sometimes feel that constraints and limitations help me get to where I would like to be, rather than leaving me frustrated by too much freedom.

I haven't done a whole lot of fabrication in a while, most of my stuff now is lost wax casting.  But I used to do all fabrication, and I had some 12 gauge 18kt yellow wire gathering dust.  It was in the form of two fat jump rings and a bit that was left straight.  I really like what I came up with, it was super hard to let them go.  I might have to make myself a pair.  They just seemed so wearable.  I would wear them every day!  (I hope they get as much love as I would have given them in their new home.  If you have doubts about that, send them back to me posthaste.  You know who you are.)

I sort of felt my way along as I was making them.  Went oval with the rings, instead of round.  I hammered and flattened the straight pieces.  Then I added a file finish, then florentine, and then a super heavy matte.  I soldered the ear wires directly to the earring, I wanted them to just slip on and stay on without a lot of movement (plus, I didn't have tiny jump rings or the wire to make them!  I love it when design decisions are made easy for me, haha).

  

And of course, I didn't take a photo before I shipped them out.  I was a little rushed for time.  Which seems to be my new state of being.  But my sister took some lovely photos of them and sent them along.

Isn't she lovely?