Flora & Fauna.....and taxes

Ok, well, the calendar says it's spring but to look outside it says otherwise. I've even had to drag the space heater into my art room to stop the chattering of my teeth.
  

I had a wonderful time on Hilton Head with my mother, we lazed on the beach, rode bikes and shopped - does it get any better than that I ask?!? While I was there I managed to start on a few larger sketch/drawing books for my shop (which is starting to look much better!) I just loved the fabrics and knew they'd go well on some journals.

To the left is another on I just listed I call it "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not" and have 3 more done to add too! Woo hoo - I am on a roll!  


I just ordered a banner for my booth to use in craft shows, it's really kind of hard since I am not in the sign making business and I can't be sure as to how it will turn out....we'll see when it comes in I suppose (either way it will be used because I am not raking out another $30 for a new one)! 


Sooooooooo, I guess I've procrastinated on mailing my taxes long enough, I mean it is April 18th after all. Amazing that Tom and I had one of the toughest years ever in 2010 with both of us being unemployed for 8 months and I still have to write a check - Aiiiiiiiiiii!!
I think it's a Grateful Dead moment for me, I'll need the 10 minutes to warm up my pen and checkbook ;o)

Shake it Sugaree...........at the Shores

Meowsée du chat

Sadly we got 5 inches of snow last night which makes me even more grateful for the week at the beach trip I am heading out on tomorrow... 

I just got about 30 new fabrics for my books, I'm super excited, as a matter of fact so excited that I made a book in spite of saying I wasn't going to bind another before I left (oh, and about me not purchasing any more fabric until I used what I had.....I LIED!) 
Isn't the material on this book fun?! The fabric is called Le Musée du chat, there is a Katisse, "The Screech", "The Meowna Lisa" and "Venus de Meowlo" the kitty's are taking in - ok, keep the groaning down, just having a little fun here!


  
Oh, and great news! the shipment I was talking about in my last post has been delivered! Woot! This made for a great day. I hated that my customer had to wait so long (a month) but at least it's finally been delivered. :o)  
Not much else has been going on, just time to get packed and get this house cleaned so that I can come home to a mess after Tom and my pooch Chance have their bachelor time wrecking the place for 12 days...oh well, it's always good to be back home in spite of it.
  
And now I leave you with some beautiful kitty music...loved the production...and this song gives me goosebumps every time I hear it...

Making tracks...............at the Shores

Just Beachy

I'm looking forward to the annual week at the beach on Hilton Head with my mother, I'll be flying out on Friday the 1st and not a moment too soon. Even though the sun has been shining here the temperature has been hanging below freezing still.  I need to spend the week getting a couple custom orders done, one of which is to replace a shipment of 3 books to Canada which tomorrow will be a month since I've shipped them - incredibly sad, my first "lost" shipment. I am grateful my customer has been very kind, not to mention patient and I'm happy to replace them but anyone who has ever read this blog knows I'm not a huge fan of making things twice which may be one of the reasons I love to cover my books in fabrics - I could probably bind a book a day for the rest of my life and never do the same one twice with all the beautiful material out there!  I am re-thinking shipping internationally, I mean I've just had one order placed from outside the USA (yep, the one missing) since I've started selling my books late last May, they are  impossible to track, expensive to ship and the orders infrequent. For now I think I will stick to domestic orders.

Little Stevie for ya

Getting ready to find my place in the sun.............at the Shores

Spring? Are You Here?

Well, well, well...it looks as though I've made it through another long winter without packing my bags and heading south! It isn't super warm here but the snow has all melted and the lake isn't frozen any longer, I'm grateful for that for now!  
Did you happen to catch the supermoon the other night? I snapped a shot from my bedroom window, it was so bright, the black spot at the moons 5 o'clock position is a squirrels nest in the trees.
  
As always I'm working on my bookbinding, a couple new listings in my shop : 

Kinda spring-like, yes?  

And now for some spring music courtesy of Tom Waits :o) 

 

dreamin' of spring.............at the Shores

The Hurried-er I Go....

The behind-er I seem to get! I have been binding books 7 days a week lately, custom orders keep coming and I try to squeeze out a book or two for my shop which has been absolutely impossible to build up stock in, don't get me wrong, this means they are selling there too and this is a good thing for sure but it always just looks so pitifully empty! I need to start thinking about making books for the June show, do I not list them? Hmm, not sure I could stand having books sitting on my shelves unlisted.

The one above "Deep Peace" (is it crazy I name my books??)  is an 11 x 14 art journal, I bound 100# Strathmore bristol board in it. The colors on this batik fabric just makes me swoon. LOVE this one. So did my beautiful friend, Susan, it wasn't listed 30 minutes before she put the sold sign out on it. I love that she's getting it!  

The other one "Ashanti Women" is made from another fabric that I couldn't say no to, look at those colors I ask!...actually I think I might be a fabric addict, I can't help myself, if I am in a store that has it I WILL look and help me on this crazy world wide web, a bazillion fabrics all at my fingertips. I gotta stop, at least until I make one book from each, then I can justify buying more...sorta. I finally found a supplier for nice strong webbing for my ties in pretty colors to boot (yeah - I ordered almost every color they had = 21). I found them on Twitter, I have no idea what I'm doing on there but noticed that my shop hits have almost hit 1000 the first month I was on there and began tweeting my goods! LOL Anyway, back to the supplier, I highly recommend Strapworks for any of your strap/webbing/lanyard/hardware/belt/elastic/velcro needs, they've been super helpful in helping me choose what I needed for my books - bonus, they have plugged my shop more than once so you can say I am attempting to return the favor here ;o) Seriously, they're A-1.

  

SO, I am posting this video simply because I have liked this song....forever, and I had such a CRUSH on him pre-Yusuf days, I heard he's doing music again but I dunno....

Feeling an old familiar fluttering of the heart................at the Shores