One year later...

Imagine my surprise when Facebook showed me that my last blog post was a year ago today. For someone who always has an opinion and something to say, this was unexpected. So I'm firing my blog back up!

Do you really want me to open your e-mail???

"I just unsubscribed from your e-mails and for only one reason. They come in from Arts Business Institute and the subject is always just… Arts Business Institute. There is absolutely nothing there to make me WANT to open it. Tell me in the subject line something about what it’s about. Make me WANT to open it rather than just delete every single one without opening. When I get hundreds and more e-mails every day, I do a quick skim and I’ll open just those e-mails that interest me. Unfortunately even though I’ve been a longtime supporter, I haven’t opened one of your e-mails in a very, very long time."

This is what I just sent to the Arts Business Institute. A good organization but they don't know the first thing about sending out a good e-mail that will be opened. I don't have all the answers but this one is easy. If you want someone to open your e-mail, give them a reason to want to!

A little clay from the Garage Sale Art Fair

Today I finished posting the pictures of the accepted artists for the 19th Annual Garage Sale Art Fair that I run with Michael Kifer down in Kalamazoo (on Feb 28). Then I just kind of sat back and smiled at the images from all the wonderful artists that will be joining us this year, some for the very first time. Then the slight feeling of panic sets in. It now rests on us to do everything we possibly can to insure that these artists leave our show happy with their sales and the show itself. Now to find a "good weather" dance that actually works...

From the top, John Bauman, Kristy Jo Beber, Fong Choo, Eric Strader and Brian Beam. A little bit of clay from the show.

White Sheets

For those people doing art fairs as part of their life, hotel rooms become an integral part of the whole equation. I don't really ask for much. I want the room clean with a good bed and a decent shower. All the other things are an added bonus but not crucial. So the latest trend in hotels upgrading their bedding is a great bonus for me because I dearly love snuggling under good sheets and a wonderful comforter. Now I rarely stay in the rooms that add the fluffy comforter but even the lower end hotels have nicer sheets now. Which brings me to my search for crisp white hotel-like sheets for home. And do they exist?

So far my quest has left me disappointed but I search on for those crisp but soft, smooth white sheets that just about guarantee you a great nights sleep because not all of life's goals have to be lofty ones!

Break time is over

For the first time in my entire career, I took a break from the studio this winter. I concentrated full time on the small show Michael and I run until the first of March and then concentrated on home life and other things. For fun I took an enameling class at Kendall College of Art & Design to add more color into my life and my work. Now it's time to get back to the studio because I have a great schedule of shows coming up and I have lots of ideas for new work. But I will look back on this winter as the best winter I can ever remember. What a gift!

What I've learned about having your ears pierced...

After watching thousands of women try on my earrings over the last 37+ years, I've learned a lot about having your ears pierced and what's really important.

1. Finding someone you trust to do the actual piercing is the most important. Whether it's a Doctor or the store in the mall with the piercing gun, make sure they follow sterile procedures. And my first choice would be a Doctor that uses the gun since it's quick, sterile and as painless as any piercing can be. Do not use the self piercing earrings that I did because I thought my Mom wouldn't notice. Trust me, waiting for parental consent is much easier.
2. Take someone with you, regardless of your age. Yes they can hold your hand but more importantly they are looking at your earlobe from a different angle and can tell you if you're putting that little dot somewhere weird. What may look great to you when looking straight into a mirror may be the totally wrong position when you go to actually wear earrings. And don't put it too far down on your lobe because as you age your ears keep growing and if fashion ever dictates heavy earrings again, you're asking for stretched out or torn holes.
3. Pay close attention not just to the position of the dot but the angle that the piercing goes in. Both up and down and side to side will affect your entire earring wearing life. If you ever want to wear hoops, be especially careful or you could have hoops going in two different directions. And trust me again, it's not a good look.
4. They'll let you choose your starter earrings so choose carefully because you have to love them for at least 6 weeks last I heard. And there are very few earrings that I could love that long!
5. And then there are all those instructions that they give you for after care. Those things we tend to not listen too because we're too busy admiring our freshly pierced lobes. Listen to them and follow them exactly. If they tell you to turn them a certain number of times a day, do it. Because it hurts like heck to do it if you haven't been doing it regularly. If they say leave the earrings in without changing for 6 weeks, don't do it a minute earlier. In fact if you can hold out another week, do it. You want the best possible results for long term use.
6. Finally the time comes for you to take out the starters and put in sparkling new earrings. Make sure they're clean. Make sure your earlobe is clean. Change them often. 
7. And of course, the best place to find interesting earrings is at an art fair. Handmade by the artist in the booth who can adjust them if you put them on and discover that despite all your diligence, your holes are crooked...

Cancer - or lack thereof

5 years ago today I had the mammogram that saved my life. Couldn’t feel it even though they said it had been growing for 6-8 years. But the mammogram found it. I looked at the images before I left and I said to the tech, oh that doesn’t look good. She said they would call me if it was something and I got the call a few days later.

For some people this is a life changing experience but I was lucky. For me thankfully it was more one of those little bumps in life we all get. A touch scary but eventually over other than the drugs.

But last night it interrupted my sleep. There’s such a fuss made over the 5 year mark and even though I haven’t quite made it there, it will be here soon. My hope is that I’ll be able to stop the nasty drugs and then I won’t have the daily reminder.

But I’ll always remember the day it all started because it was my birthday present 5 years ago. Even though the spot I saw on the images wasn’t actually where the cancer was…