Work, Work, Work

So this is one of the perks of my day gig. I get to meet super cool people like William H. Macy. Sometimes.  Other days I get to make mean faces at people in hopes of eventually getting a project out the door. But today, it was more fun. Mr. Macy was beyond charming and down to earth. He made a point to say something personal or share something personal with everyone.  In my case, he noticed the necklace and I was happy I've almost mastered soldering so no weirdness on the jewelry. Jennifer, who took our picture, made sure he knew I had made it. She was incredibly cute. He also really struggled with the marker choice since I brought "The Cooler" (incredible movie) to be signed and the background is black and there was no silver pen. We finally decided on black marker and he could write on the white suit. He was very happy to not have to sign over his crotch (his words). Chatting with William H. Macy over whether or not he would be signing over his crotch? Priceless. This was definitely the high point of my day. Maybe even better than this. 

He's promoting the movie "The Deal" which he wrote and starred in with Meg Ryan. It sounds like it's going to be lovely and funny so I can't wait to check it out. 

Doll Heads a Plenty

It's been a crazy week and weekend here in the lonestar state. Work was nuts and lots of stuff on the home front to keep us busy all weekend. It would've been nice to go to LA this weekend but as tired as I am already, I just can't imagine it after another weekend of travel. I finally got around to opening my ebay packages one of which included these treasures. Rolland is beyond creeped out but I love them. I can't wait to see where they end up.

Besides some studio straightening the entire house got a scrub down early yesterday. It left us plenty of time to do some fun shopping (new iphone for Rolland) and cute glitter covered pink house for the holidays. I was also able to pick up this cookbook for a song at Sur La Table. It's been on my wish list for a long time. Ever since our trip to Vegas I've had more kitchen inspiration and pulling out the cookbooks. This weekend also found me in front of the stove so now the freezer is stocked with tomato sauce, oatmeal cranberry cookies ready to bake, extra cinnamon roll filling and Irish Soda Bread. This doesn't include the pumpkin bread (with raw seeds on top) on the cake plate and the 3 pans of cinnamon rolls I've got ready to take to work tomorrow.

The key for all this productivity has been a serious cut back on television, at least on the weekends. We had been spending far too much of our weekend time, pre-Vegas trip, vegging out in front of the tv. We just didn't have much energy left over from the work week but I've set the alarm and made sure we get up pretty close to when we do during the week and most importantly, I try to go to bed earlier to accommodate the alarm. So far so good since I've also been headache free. This has been awesome! I've been reading some headache prevention books and trying to do most of the suggestions including the diet - some days are more successful than others - but it's been a definite improvement in my quality of life.

Fall in Texas

It's almost fall here I can feel it! Well, mostly I'm trying to will it into fall so I'm taking the 70 degree high as a sign to wear boots and sweaters. This week I was supposed to go to LA for a class but work has been crazy since my return and I can't really justify heading out for another 3 days but I'm already thinking of my goodies for Silver Bella! I can't wait for all the girlie fun.

Instead, we're going to do some housekeeping this weekend - I like to fall clean instead of spring clean - and hit the farmer's market. We've been doing pretty well about eating at home since getting back from the trip. All the restaurants were super tasty but I think we have a little bit of restaurant burnout. If it really is fall temps, we're opening the windows and putting on the vegetable soup!

p.s. In case you were wondering about the odd photo, my Pegasus pic is being used on this guide. Not a big deal but I thought it was kind of fun.

Bouchon and turn down service

Tonight was our dinner at Bouchon and it was more than tasty! The restaurant was lovely and very art deco so a perfect atmosphere for a romantic dinner for two. I've included a shot of the eclair that I had yesterday in anticipation of tonight's dinner. All of it was yummy!

We returned back to our hotel to find the turn down service crew had been by and it included a turn down for the bear and lion as well. The lion's tail is not normally this jaunty. :)

Grand Canyon

Finally made it in Vegas so I can post some pics. These are of us at the Grand Canyon yesterday. That is one gorgeous national park! Rolland was much braver than I as he got right up to the edge and made me very nervous. Of course, it wasn't a long way to go for me since I hate heights! I can't make fun of Abby at the vet anymore since I had some serious leg shakes sitting on the rock overlooks. Yikes! I did overcome my issues and scampered over some rocks, down steps, around trees to get the perfect shots. Seriously, if you get a chance a road trip to the Grand Canyon is the perfect decompressing kind of trip. Even my stuffed baby bear and his lion loved it - they didn't have to do much hiking since they were riders in my bag but still. :)

Now, we've made it to the Bellagio where, amazingly, you have to pay for the internet! OY! But, since we're that big of tech nerds, we paid and I've clearly made use of the connection. I'll have more pics soon - including the Bouchon eclair I could eat everyday!

Road Trippin'

We've made it to Flagstaff and changing clothes for colder weather then hitting the road for the Grand Canyon! If you're interested in more play by play you can follow me on Twitter in the sidebar or actual twitter. Photos should be forthcoming tonight!

Last Minute

I finished up my swaps and got all the goodies in the mail. All the clothes and shoes I need to pack up are being piled up over anything that doesn't move - Abby shouldn't lie so still - and after a good night's sleep we'll be on the road heading West. This is our first seriously long road trip so I'm excited and on the verge of seriously over packing but I refuse to acknowledge that this might be the case. Although truthfully, it's slightly Best in Show with the tank tops right now. My husband is frightened that I understand why 7 kimonos could be reasonable.

Pretty Little Felts

This book is awesome! Julie is one of the brilliant and lovely creators of the Art Nest and her new book is wonderful. It's full of projects that convince me I might actually be able to sew and give the perfect gifts for the holidays. Once I get done with all the travel in the next couple of weeks, I think I have my new projects lined up!

B-day Necklace

This is a new piece I made for my friend and former boss Jen. She's kind of outdoorsy and granola-ish in a slightly east coast preppy way. :) She went on vacation to Alaska a couple of months ago and thought the fish beads were a perfect fit with the natural stones. I hope she likes it. I only drew a little blood with the wire this time. :)

P.S. I've uploaded a couple of new charms to the etsy shop if you want to take a look.

Happy Tuesday night!

Up, up and away!

A couple of weeks back this was the site greeting us on our commute home. I took this from our open sun roof. There was a balloon festival in Plano and the sky was filled with balloons. It was especially troubling to Maya, our akita, because she's not having anything to do with the hot air balloons. Normally she's completely laid back and sweet (photo showing evidence of said sweetness). She does demand pets but willing to give plenty of kisses in return but with the hot air balloons across the skies she was on full alert barking her ferocious bark and standing on the wall straining towards the balloons - seriously, I think she's sure if she could reach just a little higher she'd get herself a balloon. Apparently, even puppies dream big!

Colonial Crow

So when I saw this post on Jane Wynn's blog I headed to her Etsy shop  fast enough that I think it made one of those Wiley Coyote skidding noises. I was fast enough that I was able to snap it up and now it's all mine! I've worn it several times but today was the first day it ventured into the work world and it got lots of attention! I saw several looks of envy and there were lots of "it's fabulous" comments. Suzanne and I have been in a bit of necklace competition lately and she has declared me the winner. I'm not saying it was this piece but there you go. :)

Alphabet Charms

Finally, a pic of the great charms I received from the alphabet charm swap. I was really happy to be included in the swap and after receiving such great work I was definitely a happy girl! These are just awesome and I can't wait to assemble a charm piece that highlights these pieces.

I've gotten very little art done the last few weeks. Everything has just been really hectic and when I've gotten home I've been hibernating with a book or sleeping. This is the last weekend before our big Vegas trip and it's getting pretty crammed with stuff (including the King Tut exhibit that I can't wait to check out) but I'm determined to get a few things made so we'll see how it goes. I may need to actually chart out my time and make sure I allot art time! I figure since we're driving to Vegas I can take some jewelry supplies with me. My friend Suzanne thinks I'm crazy that hanging out in the Bellagio and making chain is my idea of an ideal vacation! :)