Santa brought me a new friend...a little early.

The other day, I was in Wal-Mart with Sam and Alan.  I forget exactly what led me there, but while we were walking around Sam said he had to go to the bathroom.  He's been potty trained since he turned 2, but you really never know how long of a timer a little one has between saying he needs to go and him actually going.  So I took him out of the cart, held his hand (boy is he getting tall!) and started towards the nearest bathroom.

After Sam did what he needed to, he asked to wash his hands in the little sink which wasn't a problem.  I gave him some soap and used the rest to wash my hands.  While rinsing them, I looked in the mirror. Then, I LOOKED in the mirror! Was that...?  Naw, it couldn't be....could it?  Sam was still washing his hands, so I dried mine and reached up to my hair...*PLUCK!* I pulled the offending strand close and examined it shrewdly...it was!!!  Shortly before my 31st birthday, I was formally introduced to my first white hair.  I say white because it was bright and sparkly...I named him Edward.

Edward must have recently turned, because I could see the auburn color which I usually dye my hair with, the mousy dark brown that's been my bane since my 20s and then he revealed his true color- bright white.  He would have sparkled spectacularly in the sun; as it was, he did a pretty good job of it in the Wal-Mart bathroom.

And like his namesake, I'm sure he's dying to introduce me to a world in which I am surrounded by his friends as my own become distant memories.  They'll probably sparkle in the sun, too.  I'm hoping that my hair turns in shocks, so that for a while I might be able to walk around like Rogue before I end up looking like Ororo (Storm).

That being said, 10 days before I say goodbye to 30, I've been thinking back on this year as well as how I felt right before I turned.  I remember being apprehensive about turning 30 but I shouldn't have been.  This past year I've felt more ME than I ever have before.  I feel like I fit who I am- I don't have to worry about being mature lest I be seen for nothing more than a stereotype for my age (like I was as a teenager- boy am I happy to see THAT super-serious girl go out the window) nor do I have to be concerned with discovering who I am and who I want to be.  Past the age of parties and 'experimentation', I can be 'me' without having to worry about people wanting to change it or shoving me aside because I am so strange.  I feel accepted and cherished for who I am, and know that those who invite me to share in parts of their life (locally or on facebook) do so because they see a value in me as I see in them.

This year also marked the blossoming of a dream that I've had forever- being a full time artist. (Those of you who knew me in school know I was always drawing or working in the art room)  Being able to use my art to pay for food, shelter and the clothes on my family's back, no longer having to slave away for some corporate machine- that means so much more to me than I could ever really say.  Knowing that pieces of my soul have been spread around the world and that they are loved...it humbles me.  I still put in lots of long hours, but at the end of it I am content instead of drained.

When all is said and done, 30 has been a pretty good year!  I hope that it is just the beginning of a phenomenal decade- I'll get to see Sam grow and blossom into a young man, continue to work and evolve as an artist and spend time with the love of my life.  I'll get to deepen existing friendships and plant seeds for new ones.  Most of all, I'll enjoy the richness of living a life full of caring and creativity.

Thank you for your part in making 30 grand!

Autumn update

It's been a while since I've written on my blog, so I figured it was time to dust it off and update.  I am starting my 3rd month as a full time artist and while it's been great, it's been scary too.  Back in August I left a 3rd shift job that was killing my spirit, both in what I had to do and the hours/times I had to work.  Since then, I've been a lot happier and I feel my energies coming back to me.  I've been able to do things for my family that I haven't had the ability to do in years and it feels amazing!  I know I owe it to all of you- because if you didn't like, share and purchase my jewelry and sculpture, I'd still be a zombie.

Of course, that doesn't mean that my new 'bohemian' artist life isn't without struggle.  Organization, something I've never been the best at, is So Much More Important now.  Self motivation and discipline are also in the forefront.  I have no one telling me what to do, so I have to tell myself.  It's great, but some days it can be hard.  I work on jewelry and sculpture throughout the day and evening, and if there's something "dangerous" I have to use like fire or certain chemicals, I wait until my son is asleep to do it.

Then there comes the uncertainty.  I know many of you will know what I mean when sometimes there's that doubt devil hanging out on your shoulder, just digging in with that little pitchfork.  Now that I am "on my own" there's no biweekly paycheck from that slave-away job.  This little devil likes to insinuate that I am selfish for pursuing my dream while my son and husband rely on me to help support the household.  So when a sale comes in I am absolutely elated.  I do a little dance, tell my husband, make a complete idiot out of myself because another bit goes into the pot and I'm that much closer to feeding my family.

So, Thanksgiving is coming up and while I don't agree with how the "tradition" was started (genocide and war don't sit well with me) I do think it's important to reflect and be thankful for the good things in my life. I am thankful for my home, my family, my friends, the artistic streak that helps me translate raw materials into pieces of art others find beautiful.  I am thankful for my customers and my followers, and those who have started out as clients but have become dear friends.  I am thankful for the collegues and mentors that I have met, the people who have encouraged and supported me.  I am thankful for my health and my happiness.  I am thankful for You.  Thank you.

What are you thankful for?

Sam's 3rd birthday Construction cake

My mom used to make my birthday cake each year when I was little. I remember one year she bought me a cake instead (I don't remember why) I was very upset because it wasn't a "special" cake, lol. So I swore that when I had a child of my own I would make his cake special every year. #1 was a dinosaur, #2 was an airport and this year makes #3! I hope that he loves his special cakes as much as I loved mine and passes this tradition on to his future little ones.

I've had a lot of people want to know how I made the cake, so here it is. The white paper is holding back a bunch of gravel that will fall down when the cake is presented to my son.   This is what I used, but feel free to use it as a jumping off point for your own construction creation!

Materials:

Cakes:

2 boxes yellow cake mix

2 boxes dark chocolate cake mix

4 containers chocolate buttercream frosting

12 eggs

oil

yellow food coloring

Decorations:

"quart" sized carton of Whoppers

bag of gummy worms

Oreo cookies

Animal crackers

Bamboo skewers

tin foil

Figures:

Set of CAT construction vehicles

bag of construction figures and signs (I found both of these at KMART)

Bake cake and follow her directions for prepping it. Cover a large cookie sheet with foil and put it top down.  I started with placing one round towards the left side of an upside down cookie sheet. frost middle and lay down gummy worms. Push them into the frosting a bit. cut wedge out of second cake, then put it on top of bottom one. frost entire cake. Then take the third cake (you should have 4 total) and cut part off and set this aside (I used a springform pan side as the template. Cozy it up against the other cake. Frost top and gummy worm again. cut the same shape out and set aside. Frost the whole thing. Take one of the two cut outs and put it on top of the 2nd cake.

Stick a couple bamboo skewers in to help it stay. Frost. Cut other bamboo skewers to size and space them out around the cake to create buttresses for your retaining wall. Keep them about 3 whoppers apart. Then take your whoppers and stack them around the bottom of the cake -this is a great way to hide your messy frosting edges! I did 3, then 2, then 3 on most of mine. The first cake has only two rows because it is shorter.  Grind up animal crackers, then oreos in a food processor.  Apply to cake.

It's okay if you want to drive the toys around on the cake before putting them in their final places!  Keep the frosting containers around so you can use the small bits that are left over as an adhesive for the dirt ad gravel on the figures.

Most of all, enjoy and have fun!

Idea for slicing the cake to look like caution tape (will add photo once it's cut open) on the inside came from Here.

If you'd like to check out my other artistic endeavors, you can find me on facebook at GossamerScapes and Gossamer Memories Photography and also at GossamerScapes on Etsy. 

June giveaway- I love you guys!***Closed***

Wow, June has been a pretty amazing month! I've been bringing Dragon Guardians to life, learning new things (like being able to make my own cabochons) rockhounding, and making the lovely pieces you've been commissioning from me- I love every crazy minute of it! Thank you for helping me live my dream every day; there are no words to explain how amazing that is-and how blessed I feel to know each and every one of you.

Last month's Giveaway:

First up, the giveaway I announced on May 31st has ended and a winner has been drawn. Congratulations to Melissa C. of New Hampshire, US!!! You've won the $20 credit to my etsy shop (which you can use towards a custom creation as well!) Please contact me within 48 hours at GossamerScapes (at) gmail (dot) com to provide me with your info and discuss how you would like to use your credit.

What would you do for a...

I made a post on my facebook page asking what you would do to win the necklace shown to the right (might be up a little too) and the responses were hilarious to read! It was a great and fun way to make people aware of the upcoming giveaway. I actually felt quite flattered that you would do some of those things to win jewelry from me! Luckily for you, I will not make you do those crazy things, instead all you need to do is follow this LINK and enter your information!

Commissions/custom orders:

As always, I welcome custom orders and commissions- you can contact me via email, facebook or etsy should you have any questions or would like information. Since I work with such a wide variety of lovely supplies, I can work within most budgets. Let me know what you are thinking of and what your price range is and we'll work together to create the perfect piece for you or a loved one!

Finally! A newsletter (and giveaway!) ***CLOSED***

Hello and Happy Thursday! Thank you for supporting and encouraging GossamerScapes over the past 2 years (it's amazing to know it's been that long) by making a purchase and/or becoming a liker on facebook to see all the new things coming out of my studio! I appreciate all of the kind words, commissions and encouragement you have given to me, and I am ecstatic to reach such a milestone! I could not have done it without your help- thank you! This email comes in the face of many changes that facebook has incorporated into their business pages. Along with many other small business owners, I have noticed that my posts are not being seen by the very people who have taken the time to like my page- who want to see and support the growth of GossamerScapes! Now facebook wants to charge page owners so that you can see our posts! I know you would all agree that you choose artisans like myself because you love that each piece you purchase represents a dream and that your hard earned dollars go directly to my supplies, equipment and family - NOT to have the money filter back to the large companies and line the pockets of rich CEOs and stockholders! As a response to the changing facebook climate, I am happy to reveal the first installment of the GossamerScapes newsletter! I will be sending this out once to twice a month, with the occasional additional newsletter for holidays, giveaways or special promotions! As a bonus, I am giving away a $20 credit to my ETSY shop (which can be used on/towards a custom creation or anything that is available in my facebook albums) All you need to do is follow this link and enter in your email address, name and state and country of residence- you will be entered to win (I will use the email given to notify the winner) and it will ensure that you don't miss out on future giveaways and specials! This fills out a form seen only by ME- I will never sell your email address! I hate spam and I am certainly not going to help others send it to the people I owe everything to. I will continue using my facebook page since I do love being able to interact with all of you, so please feel free to stop by and say "hi"!

****CLOSED****Repin what you Want to Win giveaway!

I've recently joined Pinterest and am loving it. You can find my boards at http://pinterest.com/gossamerscapes/ Some of my boards need fleshing out still, but the recipes, inspiration and well, just everything I've seen on there is amazing!  It's quickly replacing the bookmark feature in my web browser since I have all these lovely photos to remind me about them.  I've made a board just for my creations from GossamerScapes-which is what this giveaway is about- read on...

I'm going to pick one lovely piece from my Jewelry by GossamerScapes board http://pinterest.com/gossamerscapes/jewelry-by-gossamerscapes/ and then one person who repinned that piece to win it!  You can enter once for each piece/listing I have (follow the board to be notified each time I list a new piece that you can then share with the world!)  The piece must be shared from my Pinterest page so that I can track them; please post your email address below and your Pinterest name as your master entry so I can contact the winner.  If there is any customization needed I will contact you.  This contest will be open through Valentine's Day (Feb 14th)  so get repinning!

Haven't signed up for Pinterest yet?  Put your email in a comment letting me know and I'll send you an invite.

If you've come to this page from the internet and are not a liker of my facebook page you can find it here: http://www.facebook.com/GossamerScapes

Legalish stuff:  This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed, etc by Pinterest.  Void where prohibited; void in countries listed on the US OFAC list.  In the event that an international winner is chosen, any customs/duties/taxes are the responsibility of the winner.  Please remember that each piece is handmade by me, so slight variations can occur.  Items must be repinned from my Pinterest board directly to count as entries so I can track them.  Winner has 48 hours to respond to my email or they will forfeit their prize and another winner will be chosen.  OOAK pieces that are pinned will earn you a general entry for your very own custom piece instead of the piece that is actually pinned.  Rules subject to change.

"Mother" is just another way of spelling "Love"

Several bees have placed themselves in my bonnet today, and this is a post to address one of them. I am posting this on my page so it can reach as many people as possible. A fellow Mom has made a choice (being purposefully vague as this is not a forum for debate about said choice, nor do I want any started here) posted a question regarding the choice and was promptly lambasted and flamed for it. She has been harassed and received hate email for it. She has also received support- not necessarily for her decision but support for her freedom to make the choice of what she feels is best for her child (thank you to everyone who has given her support!) I've been thinking on this a lot and I see so much division and infighting among mothers that it really makes me sick inside. So I've written this to hopefully show my support for mothers everywhere doing whatever they can to make all those difficult choices that motherhood brings and to raise the question of what we are really doing. In this day and age, we are able to connect with people a world away, and yet I think this pushes us farther apart than ever. So, without further ado...

Understanding. Respect. Compassion. These are not words that hide in the dusty dregs of a dictionary. I appreciate that the world is filled with many different types of people, and while their views may differ from mine, I accept that they have lived a different life than I have. As a Mom, I try to make the best decisions for my child that I can, based on what I learn, what I believe and what I feel. I know that while another mother might make some different decisions, she is also trying to give her child the best start to life that she can. My way is no better or worse than anyone else's, just different. If someone asks for my opinion, I will always share with them everything that I have learned/experienced and they are free to take it as they will. I do not take it as a personal insult if someone chooses differently than I do, nor do I feel that it makes them less of a mother. I believe that if anyone wants to sway someone to their way of thinking, that they should do so with poise, respect and compassion. I don't know where the idea came about that the best way to sway someone is by creating a lynch mob and bullying them into submission, but I hoped that we had risen above such behavior. Quite frankly, I am ashamed by the actions of my own sex. We need to stick together, not alienate and bully each other. You and I are Mothers. Mothers are powerful, amazing people and should never act or be treated like anything less. How are our children supposed to learn to nurture, love and respect others when we can't even do it among ourselves? Imagine what we could do if we stopped trying to compete with each other/tear each other down and instead lifted each other up. We do not live in a perfect world. No one is perfect. Let's accept that and instead try to be the best we can be. Motherhood is not a game of king of the mountain-let's take each other's hands and dance around it instead, celebrating the miracle of life and the wonderful blessing of being a woman and mother.

In closing, I would like to say "Let's. Just. Stop." Stop the competition, the damnation, the alienation, the bullying, the judging. When someone asks for an opinion or advice, let's stick to information instead of insults. Instead of letting our differences (of opinion and/or practice) tear us apart, allow the things we have in common to bring us together. Remember- "Mother" is another way of spelling "Love".