Thank you!

 

I had a wonderful Mistletoe Market. 

Thank you to all who came and adopted my creations.

I am posting in my group on facebook (Cindy's Gnomes & Friends) what I have left so non-locals (and those unable to make it to the Market) can pick. I am making more!  I have wish lists for more that what remains. That makes me smile.

I have taken the week off from creating because I needed a little break. 

Again, thank you to all. I appreciate you and am humbled by how much people love my creations. I get so much joy out of their creation, and even more joy seeing the response and knowing they are going to loving homes.

Life

 

I am back creating the Limited Edition Autumn/Halloween Gnomes. It was difficult to jump back in, but I know it was the right thing to do, and putting it off was not in my best interest.

The 40 in this limited edition are all spoken for, and are all shaped. I have bisque fired half of them, the others are drying. I will begin glazing this week.

I also will be making some commemorative pieces for my family. When Mom was half way through her treatments in 2000, a tree was dedicated in her honor at the SC Botanical Garden in Clemson. At the time of her passing in 2011, we took a few tablespoons of her ashes (at Dad's request) and sprinkled them at the base of the tree. we did the same with a small amount of Dad's ashes last week. We also took a few snippets of leaves from this gorgeous Japanese Maple. I will impress them into clay and make ornaments for my siblings. I will share photos when I get them started.

Below is the labor of love my family contributed to and my nephew's wife put together for the funeral. A life well lived with much love. He will be missed but we all must continue on with life.

Gnomes!

 I have been busy, busy, busy making mini gnomes since November!

I made 40 for the Mistletoe Market and then they started flying out of the store. By the end of December I had made 94!

I then decided to make some limited edition ones for Valentine's Day, St. and Easter because a friend had asked me to. Silly me didn't think they would be in high demand, so I made a limited run of 12 each. I now have people waiting in line for me to finish any gnomes!

None of the ones in any of these photos are still available...

they have all been claimed or sent to their new homes.

The only ones I have that are not claimed yet are these 30 every day gnomes that are not finished yet.

I am not complaining at all! But, I do need to get some more angels made as well, there are only 4 of those left.

Thank you all for appreciating my creative venture. I appreciate you!

PS: The facebook group Cindy's Gnomes & Friends was started to help people see what I have available and to let people know a little more about my process.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1302988350199628

Painful

My week started off with me feeling a little off kilter. I knew that I had been dealing with a kidney stone on the move. There had been the lower back pain that shifted with time, as well as other telltale signs that I had a kidney stone.

Tuesday I was dealing with the knowledge that it was about ready to pass. I was feeling quite miserable and only got about 2 hours of very interrupted sleep. Wednesday morning, it was still there... they finally passed on Wednesday afternoon. A horrible feeling. I do not wish that on anyone. I have experienced it worse a few years ago, but this was pretty bad as well. And no, I was not at home waiting on it, I was at work, trying to keep a cheerful face for those customers I helped that day.

As I said, THEY passed in the afternoon. And the smaller of the two was JUST as painful as the larger one!

The rest of the week has been much better!

Up and running!

Thank you to my brother Rick for checking out the wiring diagram and the kiln and fixing the mistake I made. I am now able to fire the large kiln with no problem.

The small kiln I have not given a test firing yet.  It seems possibly the tube of the kiln sitter was out of alignment and the sensing rod was getting hung up thus keeping it from tripping the power off. I do not have anything of my own to test fire it with at the moment, so it will have to wait until I can get some things made. (* EDIT - still not working correctly.  Will just have to use the large one for the time being.)

In the meantime, my car went into the mechanic last week.  I have had a whining noise from under the hood for a few months, but the most disconcerting was the new grinding noise coming from the rear axel area.  It sounded like I was dragging a branch.  I did not see anything, but thought it could possibly be the wheel bearing go bad.  I needed the car for a house/pet sitting a half hour drive away.

I dropped it off on a Thursday morning.  Their schedule was packed with appointments and they had to work me in around them. To get an appointment otherwise was at least a two week wait. I waited patiently to hear back.  They called at about 4:45 on Friday afternoon for me to come by to pick it up (they close ot 5:00).

It was not the wheel bearing (YES!!!), it was indeed a branch caught up in the undercarriage that was causing that noise.

The whining noise under the hood was the alternator and pulley that needed replacing, the alternator was nearing it's end of life. Thankful for the branch making me think it was a bad bearing for getting me to the mechanic sooner than later.

After a brief case of it overheating (a connector to the cooling fan knocked loose) that was corrected on Monday, all is running smoothly.

I am needing to get my hands back into the clay to create! It is my calming and rejeuvenating activity. And, I also need to get product for the store as well as Mistletoe Market.

There's no place like home!

After just over two and a half months, we are back in our house!  We moved back in on the 6th & 7th of January.

The new roof looks and works wonderfully, as do the new gutters.  Dad's bedroom repairs make the room look like nothing happened.

No photos to share. 

Where oh where has Cindy been? She hasn't blogged in AGES!

I haven't been very good about blogging... my apologies.
I haven't even spent the time browsing other bloggers writings... shame on me!
I am busy with work, my sister is just now able to be at the store more hours.  The radiation treatments took a lot of energy away.  The one thing we are the most grateful for is that it was NOT cancer.  If it weren't for Dad and the wonderful friends we have, I would have run myself into the ground!  I am thankful for that every moment of every day.
It is the time of year that we start stocking the shelves with wonderful gift ideas.  Terri had the window of opportunity, after recuperating from the surgery and starting radiation, and went to the Atlanta Gift Market in July with our friend Phyllis.  (I went to Chicago with Mary for the Craft & Hobby Association show)
We also are gearing up for Christmas and the other end-of-the-year holidays with card and gift making classes.  That is where it gets tough for me.  I want to offer everyone lots of classes, but in the evenings, I am the only one who can teach for the time being.  If I were to offer classes every Tuesday & Thursday evening, and throughout the days Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday, I would not have a milligram of energy for life.
Next week, Mary & I are headed off to Orlando for a trade show.  The rep group deals with paper arts (rubber stamping, scrapbooking...) and Mary & I will be taking several classes between us to learn new ideas and techniques.  We have a lot of talented & creative people in our lives, it is nice that Mary can be a part of our staff and share her talents with those interested, and share a big smile while she is at it.  And, since Terri is still physically unable to handle a trip like this, I am glad to have Mary as a travelling partner as well as someone whose opinion I can get while shopping for creative goodies for the store.
What do I do in my spare time these day, you ask... and do I even have any spare time?!?!?  Well, I still do occasional house & pet sitting and enjoy these little get-aways so the pet's humans can get away.  I am at my nephew's house this weekend, enjoying the dogs and the peacefulness here at the lake.
When I am at home, I am working on my pottery.  I have my Fall show coming up in November at the Anderson County Museum;  Mistletoe Market.  It is my 6th or 7th year (I lose track of time...).  That is the first weekend of November.
I would post photos, but I am not on my own computer...
I hope to not be such a stranger 'round these parts...

Home again!

Terri came home (well... to our house) on Thursday.
She is getting plenty of rest & plenty of spoiling from all of the wonderful people that know & love her.
The pathology report is due tomorrow, and her follow-up with the surgeon is late Tuesday morning.  We will know more then, hopefully.
Yesterday she conserved her energy so she could go with us to our usual Saturday night restaurant, New York Pizza, in Anderson, SC.  The owner & staff are like family to us & she wanted to be able to show them she is doing well... (and, enjoy their awesome pizza!).
We sure have good luck, Karma, angels, God, good spirits or what-have-you on our side.  This has been such a whirlwind couple of weeks & our true friends have emerged once again to give us support, love & assistance.  We could not ask for more (well, that she never had the tumor might be one request, but we learn from adversity...and we cannot change what was).
(I guess it makes me feel a bit like a wimp with migraines... LOL)
Friends have offered to help at the store & refuse payment, one thought I should not have given her a discount when she bought her items at the end of the day, another said she would be insulted if we even offered to pay.  But their help is worth a lot to us all. To Terri so she can feel less stress about the coverage at the store, & Dad and I so we can at least take a few hours off each.
Dad is a real trooper, he has worked just about every day (except Sunday) for 2 weeks.  I am grateful to Phyllis for helping me watch the shop yesterday so he could have a break.  I was able to get a couple of hours off Friday morning thanks to Mary for being an extra set of eyes at the store & a real help for anyone looking at the stamping supplies.
I have tried to keep up with updating everyone about Terri's progress, but it is not always easy to find the time when I have the energy.  Please forgive me if I missed anyone, it was not intentional.
Yes, this post will be cross-posted to the store's blog...

If anyone wants to help out at the store, please email the store ( mercantinc@aol.com ) with days & times so we can have a written list.  A few of you have told me days, but I for some reason cannot remember when they are...

Life's surprises

Just as life seemed to begin to find some element of normalcy, something happens to cause turmoil.

A wonderful Christmas with Mom & Terri

As I posted before, my Mom passed away last July.  I have been having troubles getting my creative muse motivated & I am missing her so much.

My sister Terri did a lot in the last 5 years of Mom's life in taking her to appointments as I had previously.  Terri had a better mind for comprehending and retaining the medical information.  I would understand as they told me, but then it wouldn't make sense later.

Now, Terri is facing her own diagnosis of a Cystic Tumor on the surface of her brain.  And, like Mom, she is facing it head on with a great attitude and complete trust in her Neurosurgeon (one of the best in his field).

Terri is the closet to me in age of all my siblings.  We shared a room growing up, and now we share the responsibilities at the store.  Although our teen years we rough (whose aren't? that surge of hormones & trying to determine boundaries with the world is not easy for anyone)  we are very close now (as we are with the rest of the family - we are blessed that way!).  I know this is difficult for the rest of the family, especially those who are not nearby.  I remember from the years I lived so far away from most of the family. 

I am trying my best to be strong & to keep an even keel at the store & home.  Terri's surgery is tomorrow morning at 11.  We are keeping the store open.  Terri's husband will be at the hospital with her.  The procedure should take nearly 3 hours.  Dad & I will keep ourselves busy & act as the information hub for all of our family & friends.

This is the time I really wish Mom were here to talk to & hug & cry with.  I know the tears don't help Terri, but they are cleansing for me.

If anyone reads this, thank you for reading it all as it rambled on.

My award

I participated in one of the two or three shows I do each year.  I was in Clayton, GA for Celebrate Clayton.

The weather was fabulous, the entertainment was great, and the organization these volunteers have come up with as the show has grown is amazing!

 They have streamlined their set-up times so as not to have any one vendor waiting forever to get to their space.  You are given one hour to put up your awning and unload your 'stuff', then you move your vehicle and make room for the next vendor to come in and do the same.  In the past, some vendors have wanted to do their entire set-up before moving their vehicle (which sometimes was a BIG truck with an even bigger trailer!)

 On the two days of the show, they had a shuttle van that brought vendors to and from their vehicles (parked a couple of blocks away).  The amazing thing is that the van on loan for the shuttles is a church van from Mountain City, GA,  If you saw some of the news photos of the tornadoes that hit that area a couple of weeks ago, that church is shown with it's steeple upside-down.

 You may see a flash of blue in some of my photos.  I was honored again with the Judges Choice of Best Pottery at the show.  This is something I still have problems believing.  I know I like my work, it comes from a place deep inside my creative self.  But to have a pair of judges pick mine is an honor and humbles me.  As one friend on facebook said, I was channeling Sally Field when I said 'They like me, they really like me!'  Hey, if I have to channel someone, I'm so glad it is a talented person like Sally Field!

 My new Large Mugs were a hit!  And I had return customers buying the Small Mugs as well.  That is another heart-warming thing, to know I have return customers; both at this show, the Mistletoe Market at the Anderson County Museum in November, and mostly, at The Mercantile.  Thank you from the bottom of my creative heart!

 The one down-side to the weekend was somehow wrenching my back!  Friday night set-up went great.  My friend and fellow vendor Mike and I put up both awnings and set up the tables, zipped down the sides and all was well.  The next morning we went to load in our product and set-up the displays.

 As I squatted down to un-zip the sides of the awning, my back wet out.  I could not get up.  I just sat myself down on the street in agony.  Luckily, the extremely helpful Boy Scouts from Troop 40 were on hand to help, as well as some event volunteers.  A very BIG thank you goes out to all of them for their help!

I slowly and VERY carefully worked my way through set-up and asked for help when I couldn't do something.  I even fashioned chair cushions out of the foam pads I pack around my pottery.

One of my customers is a massage therapist and gave me some simple exercises to do to try to relieve the pressure.  Thank you Joyce!  While I was down by the Rock House to get my award, Joyce stopped by my booth to check on me.  Mike told her I was still hurting, and she brought some pain-relieving rub for me.  My friend Pat, who is a nurse, told me how much Ibuprofen I could safely take.  Thank you Pat!  By Sunday, although still sore, I was able to move MUCH better and still asked for help when needed.  And lastly, but definitely not least, my friend Mike made sure that I got to the drug store to get more Ibuprofen and some ice packs before returning me to my car to get to where I was staying for the night.  He also was usually the only one around to help me when I needed someone to lift anything.  Thank you Mike!  I would not have made it through the show without the help of all these wonderful people.

The most humbling moment of the show was when I saw a convoy of Search & Rescue vehicles from Athens & Augusta headed out Route 76 toward Lake Burton & Mountain City (and on toward Ringold, GA and possibly beyond) to help with those so severely affected by the tornadoes.  I admire the people who can take on jobs like that, they are a special breed!

A labor of gratitude

I have been keeping busy.  Not getting as much pottery made as I would like to, but that is mainly an energy issue.

In among working and casting mugs, I made this wreath as a Thank You gift to the nursing staff and everyone on the Cancer floor at AnMed Hospital.  They took such wonderful care of Mom during her recent stay there.  

One of our wonderful customers brought us a beautiful Magnolia blossom that she had made.  2 days later, Mom was in the hospital.  I brought the blossom to her to keep on her night table, knowing it wouldn't wilt or need watering.  The staff loved it and could not believe that it was made out of balloons!

When Mom was released, I decided that I wanted to make them some Magnolias and give them directions to make them themselves.  After discussing it with Mom, we decided that making a wreath for them to display would be the best idea.

2 of the small Magnolia blossoms on the wreath

The completed wreath

So, off to the party store to buy white balloons.

With a little help from scissors, wire, unshelled almonds and floral tape, the blooms started to come into shape.  (I also made some Poinsettias from red balloons.)

We had this beautiful artificial mixed greens wreath and I added the blossoms, a few small ornaments and artificial berries, whipped out a big festive bow, and voila!

The photos are not the best, I am still having problems with lighting...  But, you get the idea.

I just need to finish writing the Thank You card (I made one last Saturday...) and get this delivered to them this week.

The instructions are all written, if you would like a copy, leave me a message with your email and I would be glad to share.

I need to take a photo of the Poinsettia (and the card) as well and add it here later so you can see how it looks.

Mom is getting stronger every day.  We miss having her at the store with us, but know that staying out of crowds and conserving her energy is best for her in the long-run.

A belated Happy Thanksgiving

With all of the prep for the show and sales, I have not had the energy to sit and post.

I hope you all had a wonderful day yesterday. What I like most about Thanksgiving is that it is a rather low-key holiday. Yes, there is all of the food prep and eating, and dessert, but all in all, it is a more relaxed holiday that most.

Even when we were young and traveled over 300 miles to our grandmother's house (Nana), the actual day was relaxed. That is because in our family, everyone has always helped in the preparations. And with the Macy's parade on the TV, and then football of every shape and form, you just get to sit and relax and let the food digest. That is, after the dishes are cleared and washed.

Thank you to all in the family that contributed yesterday, whether it was a phone call from afar or helping with the gathering here.

I am thankful for my health, my family, and my network of friends. With that, I can continue to create, which makes me feel fulfilled. There is an empty space in me when I cannot express my creativity in the ways I want to.

I am grateful to those who love me and encourage me to create and grow. Your love and support is what keeps me going.

Oh, I also had a very nice Birthday yesterday as well.