Tagged!

Thanking the Smaller Places blog for tagging me in this meme.  If you want to participate, feel free.

1. Thank the person that nominated you and link to their blog

2. Give your readers 11 random facts about yourself

3. Answer the 11 questions from the person that nominated you

4. Nominate 11 bloggers to receive the award

5. Invent 11 questions for your nominees.

Eleven Random Things About Me

1.  I got a bead, or beads, stuck up my nose when I was a toddler.  The bead obsession begins.

2.  I learned to both swim and ice skate in/on ponds.

Stock photo of Snake Pond, Sandwich:  swimming lessons

Shawme Pond, Sandwich: Every kid in town learned to ice skate here

3.  I got a concussion while slam dancing at a high school punk rock dance when I was a senior in high school.  Had to go to the hospital and everything. 

4.  Pepper is the first dog I've ever owned.

Long Beach, WA, 2005

5.  My fear of heights tends to take a back seat to my desire for a good photograph.  The thought of getting aerial shots of the northwestern Oregon coast on a gorgeous summer day was more important than my intense fear of helicopters.  

Cannon Beach

Tillamook Lighthouse off the coast

6.  My very first law job was in a San Francisco firm that included Malcolm Burnstein, the attorney for the Berkeley Free Speech Movement in the 60s. To a 25 year old Deadhead and 60s fanatic from the east coast, this was really mind blowing for me.  Mal treated me really, really well and I worked for him and his wife/law partner, Catherine, for 6 years.  Great people. 

Web image

7.  I was obsessed with the west when I was a kid and I wanted to live there so bad.  It just seemed like there was so much more to do and see out there...it was more 'happening' than boring old Cape Cod.  The light blue states, with the exception of Alaska and Hawaii, were what interested me most. And also western South Dakota.

8.  The best summer of my life was the summer of 75.  All 1975 was awesome, as I recall. The music from that year is so, so great.

9.  When I was in college, I was obsessed with Kajagoogoo, esp the bass player, Nick Beggs.  I don't remember how I got an address for him, but I wrote him a fan letter and sent it off.  I was absolutely blown away when a few weeks later, I received a hand written response from him.  I wrote 2 more letters and received 2 more hand written responses back.  Then in 1995, MTV did a 'where are they now' thing on 80s band.  I found out Nick worked at the music school in London and I tracked down the address.  I wrote again to thank him for his gracious responses when I was in college and how much it meant to me.  He wrote back AGAIN, AND sent me a couple pictures.  Of course now I follow him on Facebook and he is still a gracious and very down to earth guy for being a famous musician.

10.  I absolutely love stuffed animals and always have.  As an only child, I had a tendency to anthropomorphize them.  This is why I related so much to the Calvin and Hobbes comic.  They were real to me, not toys but pets and friends.

11.  I know enough about Star Trek to hold my own (a little bit) in conversation, but I'm not a fan of the franchise at all, except "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home".  Lost in Space was my go-to space show and still is.

It should be noted that it took me TWO HOURS to find facts about me.

Answer the Questions Asked by Tagger:

1.  What's the oldest item in your immediate environment?  Probably antique marbles, beaded purses and/or postcards.

2.  When has a project exceeded your wildest expectations? How?  Can't pick just one project, but every time a craft idea comes together perfectly, it's just the best feeling ever.

3.  Chocolate: white, dark, milk or not at all?  Milk chocolate.  But I'd rather have sweet & sour, fruity or cinnamon candy.

4.  If you could have dinner with three fictional characters, who would they be?  The Ninth Doctor, Albus Dumbledore and Indiana Jones.

5.  What's your all time favourite movie? To Kill a Mockingbird.

6.  If you could choose a career other than your actual one, what would it be?  Psychologist.

7. How many cats is the optimum number?  Zero.  I'm a dog person and very allergic to cats.

8.  What is the most versatile tool in your arsenal?  I'm not entirely sure what this means, but I'll say my awl or jewelry pliers.

9.  Winter or summer person?  Neither.  Fall.

10.  What do you most wish you could organize properly? My craft room and supplies.  It's a hot mess in there.  And also my tupperware cabinet.  It's like Fibber Magee's closet in there.

11.  What do you do to find inspiration?  Go to the beach, day trip, Pinterest.

So whoever wants to play along, please do.  I'm not going to tag anyone.  I'm also too lazy to make up 11 questions so please feel free to use mine.  It took me 3 hours to draft this post so I don't have the energy to think of my own questions!

8 Photos of Happiness

Thank you, Kathy at Giggling Trucker's Wife for inviting to join the 8 Photos of Happiness blog hop. 

Doing stuff and making memories with my new family (includes a bonus pic of the pups cause they are family too!!!).

Victoria/Vancouver Island/British Columbia.  Didn't spend near enough time up there as I should have. This is the BC Legislative Building in Victoria.  Taken 2010 on what would be my last trip to Canada.

Beach combing and finding ultimate holy grail items like beautiful frosted marbles. 

And speaking of marbles, I love love love them.  I recently won an eBay auction for literally thousands and thousands of them.  The price was great too I might add.  This is just the top layer.

Mt. Rainier and the Pacific Northwest (taken Dec. 2008 from Bonney Lake).  This is also going to have to also represent how happy photography makes me.

The San Francisco Bay Area  was a fantastic place to vacation, and then eventually live for ten years. (taken January 1991 from the Marin Headlands)  

Memories of the Grateful Dead years before Jerry died (taken at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA, June 1990).

Making crafts and buying all the supplies!

This blog hop has been brought to you by Vidya Sury .

Anyone who wants to play along, please do!

Blue Goldstone Blog Hop!

Back in January, my buddy Liz over the Bead Contagion offered up some free blue goldstone round and donut beads to beat the winter blues, if she could get some crafters to create something with them for the big reveal today.  Blue goldstone is a synthetic glass stone and sooooo gorgeous.  Dark blue with pretty sparklies, how could I turn down the opportunity to participate??  I received my package of beads and then started to wonder how best to use them.  I've never worked with donut beads because usually people do wire wrapping or create a beautiful hanger from peyote stitched seed beads.

My first thought was maybe I could create some kind of hanging thing for a window or porch or something.  I started out one afternoon at the beginning of February and I wasn't 100% crazy about the way it was coming out.  I got frustrated and started to mutter, 'what have I gotten myself into?'  It was at that point that I noticed the smallest donuts were drilled through the top and bottom.  The large one wasn't but the small ones were.  I abandoned my hanging thing idea, and ended up reorganizing my glitter and watching the Superbowl while I obsessed mulled over what I should do about this project.  I decided that I'd go the jewelry route.

The following day, we'd had some awful weather and that was the day I fell on the ice.  Decided to go ahead and work on the project because I was unable to stop thinking about it (this is what happens to me when I have an idea....I wake up all night thinking about it too), despite the fact that my back was killing and hunching over the table wasn't the world's smartest plan.

Since the goldstone beads were such a dark blue, I had a hard time matching any other shades of blues with it. Clear, silver and white pearl go with everything so I knew those would be the additional elements.  But I really needed something to punch it up a little bit, so I opted for dark red Swarovski crystals.  I had enough donuts to do a matching pair of earrings.

I was able to fit some small crystals in the center of the little donuts. 

The donut center beads alternate clear and red.  Aren't the goldstone beads pretty?  

I'm not a wire wrapper, and I'm not so good at peyote so I just ended up doing a real basic wrap and loop for the larger pendant.

I wish my pics had come out better.  I had hoped to shoot photos of this set outside, but the snow took forever to melt and my friend Clair wanted to purchase this from me so I didn't want to make her wait until the weather got good enough for me to finally take pictures outside.

Thank you, Liz, for hosting the hop.  It was an honour to participate!!!

Christmas Eve

I normally don't participate in blog hops, but I am doing this one.  It's hosted by the Aloha! Mark Koopmans Says Hi from HI blog.  The premise is to "set aside a moment to reflect on the year that was and share some hopes for next year, in 100 words.  Me? Keep to 100 words?  I normally do my year end reflection and hope for the following year on NYE so I will try keep this one short.

2013 was a lot of things, but for me it was mostly about bonding & spending time with the kids.  That was the best part. 

My amazing little family.  

My hope for next year?  That I can take his name, spend more time with the kids and that we can continue to live in this awesome rental home. 

Have a joyous holiday!!