Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July!

Puppers Wuppers

I forgot to mention that Luke (we) celebrated his 6th birthday on Wednesday! He's now officially middle aged, I guess. My family will be so embarrassed that I'm sharing this, but I always call him Puppers Wuppers. And sometimes, when I get really carried away, and he's too cute, it turns into a fiasco of a song, going something like, "Puppers Wuppers Boopers Boppers Snoopers Poopers Poppers..." and on and on it goes. Luke was treated to a new stuffed penguin toy, which he has already eaten the legs off of, a minty fresh rope bone (which he has no interest in, of course), a squeaky ice cream cone he likes to play catch with, and a big bag of treats. It's a dog's life.

I really am trying hard to clean things up and get caught up from being in Dallas for a week, but it's tough, knowing there's a holiday weekend right around the corner! I'm sluggish. Things that I can usually complete in an hour are taking me half the day. Good grief.

Home again, home again, jiggity jog

Howdy! Wow, the time does fly! We're back from the Dallas gift market, and it was a great show! Hooray! While we were there, they were having a pretty strong heat wave....but it cooled down on the last day (naturally), so we had a pleasant drive home. Hee hee. When I go on these trips, I always have good intentions of blogging on the road, showing pictures of yummy meals, fun people and quirky things we see, but it just gets....well....hard. I was doing good to take these few shots of our booth...and even those are in questionable form.

Below, lovin' man is jokingly telling me, "excuse me, miss, we don't allow flash photography in this booth." Sigh. And by the way, hats off to him....he drove me everywhere, lifted heavy things, greeted customers with a smile, and bought me wine at the end of the day. He's a keeper.

The show was a great success! Thanks to everyone who met us at the show! Now, you've given me a huge mountain of work to do, and I'm grateful! Time to get crackin'!

Wishing you all a happy and safe holiday weekend!

Plants on a summer morning

Whew. It's HOT here in the Heartland. The munchkins and I headed to the pool yesterday, along with everyone and their brother. While standing in line to get in, my kids said, "Mom, take off your flip flops and actually feel the sidewalk!" (insert sizzling sound)

There was rarely more than 2 square feet to swim in because it was so crowded, but I was happy just to sit and soak in the cool water. Aaaah. 3 little boys with mohawks were giving the lifeguards a run for their money...we promptly moved to the peaceful side of the pool. (is there something about mohawks that turns adorable little boys into rebels without a cause? hmmm.)

So when it's this hot, what's a girl to do, but head south, to Dallas, of course! We are almost ready for the Dallas Gift Show. Had such a great time in January, we are back for more! Looking forward to seeing old and new customers alike! If you are a buyer visiting the show, come and say hi! We are in the FINDS section on Floor 13.

Open Studio on Wednesdays!

Hey gang! Just a quick note to remind you that this week we begin our Wednesday open studio days! Yahoo! I've talked to several mommies who are already desperate to find fun, affordable activities to keep the kids busy. Here are the updated OPEN STUDIO hours for the summer:

Wednesdays, 9am-1pm

Saturdays, 10am-4pm

Grab a flower pot and mosaic! Snag some garden stones and get busy! Pick up an art doll and work some magic! We can't wait to see what you come up with!

Iowa Arts Festival show and tell

Hola amigas and amigos. Que pasa? It's time for a little show and tell here at the Bear blog. Last weekend was the Iowa Arts Festival in downtown Iowa City. Lovin' man and I try to make a point of visiting every year. Many of our friends show and sell their work there, and it's just simply a really fun time!

We both grew up in a small town south of Iowa City....and I remember shopping there often with my mom as a kid, and once we got old enough to go exploring in a car on our own, Iowa City is always where we ended up, to see a movie, listen to music, or visit the funky shops. I really love visiting this town. It's a short drive for us now, but feels like a different world. Summers in Iowa City find you with your hair tied back loosely and a mess, slouchy, comfortable clothes and a yummy cool beverage in hand. It's a very accepting environment. Everyone is welcome all the time, in whatever state you happen to be in.

Well, anywho.....we found some fabulous goodies at the arts festival....Lookie, lookie!!!

We couldn't resist "Yellow Dog Cruising" by Florida artist Morris Johnson (aka: MOJO). MOJO has visited Iowa City a few times....then we didn't see him for a while. We were so tickled to see he was back! As you all know, we LOVE our yellow dog, so this one is a no brainer.

And these little guys were too cute to pass up.....also made by MOJO. Check out more of MOJO's work HERE.

And I was SO HAPPY to reconnect with the fabulous Connie Ward, and her daughters! Their work is so joyful and comforting at the same time. Absolutely wonderful. I bought this piece from Laura...I love the quote: "At his whisper, birds start singing when my heart needs melodies." Sigh. She's going in the bedroom.

Check out their blog, Things with Wings!!! Click HERE.

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend! See you soon!

Last day of school!

Today is our last day of school....I can't believe it! Miss girly has graduated 8th grade....moving on to high school this fall. EEEEK! (not sure what Luke is doing in this pic...possibly in the middle of a yawn? Weird.)

And little man will start middle school this fall. Double eeek! We are looking forward to lots of lazy days in the sun...some swimming, some road trips, and lots of ice cream. Yahoo!

New specs and a new mag!

Howdy! Thanks for all of your kind inquiries about my eyeball. It's much better now, thank you! I've found this to be another life lesson...you don't really appreciate what you've got until it's compromised. I've been blessed with good eyesight most of my life....and this recent debacle has made me so grateful for it! I'm being a good girl now, and wearing my protective eye wear. I found some great (cheap) pairs of glasses at Claire's. I picked up three pairs. Here, I am sporting the red ones. You likey?

(I love how it looks like that giraffe is sitting right on my head.)

And that necklace I'm wearing...that's made by my friend Jen at Jangles! She makes the coolest stuff! I have a few of her pieces in our store. I'm still complaining that I was unable to attend the Bead and Button show and take more of her classes. Oh well, there's next year.

She's also been featured in the latest issue of Studios magazine...check it out! I love this mag! There's something so inspiring about seeing how fellow artists work, how they organize their stuff, etc. This issue is the best yet.....so pick it up! There's much more to discuss, but I have to get the little man out the door. Only a couple days left of school! Eeek!

Top Chef came to town!

Just a few pics from Thursday afternoon out with the kids! We headed down to Green Square Park, where a mini farmer's market was being held, and TOP CHEF was in town! We love that show!!! Not only is it great entertainment, I can thank the show for introducing new foods to my kids!

When we heard that one of Lily's fave contestants, Jamie Lauren, was visiting our city, we had to go! We watched Jamie and Richard Blaise (another fave of ours) demo some cooking, then met them for autographs and pictures. It was great!

During the demo, Richard and Jamie confirmed several things for us....yes, Padma is as beautiful in person, yes Andrew was the most annoying roommate ever, and yes, Stefan really is that big of a jerk. Ha.

Jeepers Peepers

Well, yesterday was interesting.....here's a brief synopsis....

7am: (sitting at the table) Hmmmm...my left eye feels kind of weird, like there's something in it.

9am: (both kids off to school, driving to work) How annoying, I need to get that thing out of my eye.

11am: (after flushing and blinking furiously) I just can't seem to get this thing out of my eye.

12pm: (after whining and explaining my tearful eyes to several customers) Call lovin' man and complain to him about my predicament.

12:15pm: call Mom and complain to her about my predicament.

1pm: Still extremely annoyed, and in a little bit of pain, call lovin' man back, and he takes me to the doctor.

2pm: Very nice doctor places dye in my eyeball and confirms that the problem is not an item in my eyeball, it's a scratch on the surface of my eyeball.

2:10pm: Very nice doctor inquires about my line of work. "Dori, do you do any kind of painting, or work with pieces of metal, sanding wood, or handle fibers?"

2:11pm: I gulp. "Ummmm.....yeah. Every day of my life. Why?"

2:12pm: Very nice doctor gently scolds me for not wearing protective eye wear while working.

2:30pm: With antibiotic drops in hand, decision is made to find the cutest protective eye wear in the world.

I remember while in Dallas earlier this year, we found Eye Bobs in an adorable gallery there. Love these so much!!! I'd love to carry them in my store. Should I? Whatcha think? Here are some of my favorites....

Messy Desk

Staying busy as usual around the studio, and at home. I spent most of Sunday morning tending to the unruly front yard. Planted some flowers in pots for the front stoop, some plants for inside the house, a couple of plants in pots for the back patio. In the studio, I'm working towards going back to Dallas Market in a few weeks. Creating samples for the booth, and trying to stay on top of everything. Eeek! I am excited about some new items we'll be showing there, including holiday decorations, more home decor, and some collage/painted pendants to hang around your lovely neck! (shown above, scattered on my desk)

This is another pic of things on my messy desk.....when I first moved into my studio, not only did my sweet friends help me paint the place (some of them climbing on very tall ladders), but they gave me a thick piece of glass to cover my pepto pink desk, so I can tuck pictures and mementos. I love it!

Looking forward to a trip to Iowa City this weekend....the Iowa Arts Festival! And guess who's playing Friday night.....the Squirrel Nut Zippers. Oh my! If you're in the area, stop by and support art! Later gators!

My interview

Hey gang! Several of you have written me and said that you've seen the latest episode of "It All Adds Up", featuring lil' ol' me. Thanks for all of your kind words and enthusiasm!

It's now available on Kirkwood's Workplace Learning Connection Website! So click HERE, then page down to the bottom, and click on May 2009 to check it out! Mine is the second interview!

I had a fun time, visiting with the lovely ladies, Carissa and Carol! Just the other day, I was delighted to meet Carol's adorable baby boy! Enjoy!

We Been Road Trippin'

Whew! Hi there! The fam and I have returned from a long weekend in Chicago. Please excuse us while we get our wits about us again. Photos are coming...we had a blast...but a couple of us brought sniffles home with us. Ugh. Oh well, onward and upward.

We love Luke.

We love our big dog. No offense to any of you petite flowers out there, but we definitely prefer our big brute. I'm lazy...I don't want to bend down to the floor to pat him on the head...I need a dog that's gonna meet me halfway.

I love it when I'm lounging on the couch, and he stops to check on me, simply by popping his knobby yellow head over the back of the couch and nudging me with his wet nose. And the only acceptable chew toys and bones are the ones that barely fit through the doorway. And those eyes......

Fun was had by all! Thank you!

Holy moly! Still catching my breath from a whirlwind weekend! Saturday was a rockin' day at the store ALL DAY LONG! It was great! Thanks to all of you who came out and supported ART! Hooray! We saw old friends, met new friends, and just had so much fun!!!

My little man set up a table outside, selling his creations...including tie dye t-shirts.

He sold yummy treats such as rice krispie treats (sold out), scotcheroos (sold out), oreo truffles (sold out), and chocolate chip cookies (only 3 packs left).....and we made cards and magnets from this great drawing he created, of a fish!

In my frenzy to prepare for the Arts Festival, I noticed this little note, which was written on one of the tables in the studio......and it reminded me that this is what makes it all worth it!

"Kali Nicole loves this place." Aaaah....Kali Nicole, wherever you are...thanks, kid.