KEEP WORKING AT IT

I missed you last week!  I just had too many ‘irons in the fire’ and did not get my blog completed for last week.  My apologies.  Life does get in the way, but it can’t keep us from moving forward on those things we put on our priority lists!  Just remember to keep putting one foot in front of the other and before we know it, progress!

This little quote from Thomas Edison made me smile, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work”.  There is quite a bit of truth in this little sentence.  When you have completed what you set out to do and look back at how far you have come, it feels good and motivates you to keep going.  Rarely was it not worth the effort put forth.  Stay focused on your goals, put forth your best work and don’t forget to grab those opportunities when they pop up.

Last week I did complete the 3 wind chimes for my favorite gallery in Lowell, MI, Glass House Designs.  It was definitely a tough week for them, as the river flooded Main Street with all the rains last week.  The shops on Main Street luckily had forewarning that the flood waters were coming their way, so they could prepare with sand bags and moving store inventory and supplies so they were not damaged.  The determined business owner that Susan is, she had her shop up and running on Tuesday this week.  She certainly did not do that without determination and hard work!  I continue to be inspired by her strength and generosity. 

My favorite of the 3...

 My new business cards are in my ‘hot little hands’.  I do love my local printer, Cascade Printing.  They not only did a great job on the cards, they were extremely patient as I worked through a few iterations narrowing in on the final design.  I felt it was important that I created the design (why leave the fun part to someone else?) since it represented my creative spirit.  If you are not adept at creating on the computer you can always provide the images you want and lay it out by hand so they are clear on your direction.  It is good to get in and “get your hand dirty” so the card you create (as with any artistic piece you do) has you “written all over it”! Cascade Printing was able to take my electronic designs and provide guidance on what cutting tolerances they needed.  They also helped me with a few Adobe tips on the layout.  They are my ‘go to’ team for print work.  If you are in the Grand Rapids area, I would highly recommend them.

I am still working through the etsy website which is my last web page for the new 2dogsglass website.  I am hopeful that I will be able to get it completed this weekend.  So very close.

Kentucky bound next week!  I am excited about my trip to Kentucky.  Ever since I was a child, this has been my favorite state to visit.  The rock, rolling hills and open spaces are inspiring.  Last year we stopped along the side of the road, because this young horse was just too beautiful not to stop on our last day and say hello!  He was very excited and ‘danced’ in his coral for us.  My mother-in-law, Nancy, and I are headed there again this year for a weekend art retreat.  It will be a long weekend to refresh our artistic spirits.  A full day absorbing the art in Berea, KY followed by 2 days of creating mixed media books.  I just can’t wait to get there! :-)

hope our beautiful friend is there again this year!

We were assigned homework before the class even started.  Artist trading cards (ATCs).  These are the first ones I have ever made and it turned out that my design took me far longer than I had planned.  But I had fun creating these little cards.  I decided to do the napkin collage process on actual playing cards (upcycling) and then embellish them.  I did make extras to be able to experiment a bit with the various steps.  I am going to really enjoy seeing what everyone in the class created and will have my first set of cards to start collecting ATCs. 

quite a difference a few napkins can make!

I will be sure to share with you our fun-filled art weekend in KY!