Switching things up a bit

 Wow, its been a while since I've posted anything here, let's correct that! 

I've found a new interest.....jewelry.....making some that is. No, its not the macrame bracelets I made in the past, now its earrings, beaded drop earrings. I've become addicted to beads 😬, beautiful semi-precious stone beads especially, nature is gorgeous. Now..... we know however most addictions have a down side and this one is no exception. What is that down side you ask? All the things you need to buy to go with the beads; tools, findings, storage, etc. And then there's learning all the techniques you need to know and practice, practice, practice....... over and over and over again 😳.  Despite any frustrations I am enjoying it. I've made a start 😁

Update on screen progress

Progress has been slow but steady. A goose and her goslings are the focus right now, there will be more little ones on the panel second from left, and still more foliage and birds to do.

Anyone remember this mural I did on canvas quite a while ago that I couldn't seem to sell?

 Well I decided to add it to the back of this folding screen and I have to say making that first cut was not easy. 

The screen will stay with me.

Inspired to Paint

Its probably been about 3 years since I bought a four panel blank canvas folding screen with the intention to paint it to sell.  I was finally inspired a few days ago to drag it out of the back of a closet to set forth on the task, albeit no longer with the intention to sell it.
I had saved this picture of a folding screen that I really like and it was/is my inspiration for my project.

I love the graceful simplicity of the design.
So here's how my version of this is going so far.....

There are four panels, one is folded back on the left. I'm going to be focusing more on the addition of birds. These are just five of many more to be added (along with more foliage, still filling it in).

I also plan to give it the appearance of age with some stain. When I put the background color on I noticed it crackled, a really pretty fine crackle and I think the stain will work beautifully with this.

Sometimes its just hard to understand

Sometimes I see something that just jolts me and reminds me of that saying 'life is just not fair'.

I'm guessing its the reputation of the artist and the opportunity to impress their peers that the buyer is really purchasing because, call me ignorant, but it surely can't be about the bunny. I'll just hope this is part of an auction or something that will benefit an organization in need.

Full Time Is Working Well

One of the benefits of working/cleaning full time again is I've lost 10 lbs(!) and I'm also managing to keep up with the new car payments! The clients who have moved just this past week is still a work in progress, I'm going over to the new home today (and tomorrow) to try and help get things organized while they are away for the weekend.  Moving from a three story house with tons of storage to an apartment with very little storage is proving to be quite the challenge. Its a lovely apartment though, brand spanking new renovations and a view to die for.
I spent Friday and yesterday at another clients (also away) scraping moss off of their brick patio while simultaneously pulling up weeds between the cracks of the bricks, it had gotten way out of control.  Sore back and hands and it looks lovely once again.
I need to remember to take before and after photos to show other potential clients!! Then again having just turned 68 this week I'm not sure this is the kind of work I should be advertising ;-)

Art and Crafts On Hold

I'm hoping once I get adjusted to doing cleaning work full time again that I'll be inspired to devote the weekends to creating, although, now that I have a reliable car I'd also like to get out and do a bit of exploring, trips outside the city, see some farm country, some mountains maybe.

And its finally official, the family I've been working with for 6 years that are moving, are moving to an apartment that is just a half block from me, the move is next weekend.  I can walk to work two days a week (well 3 actually, a new client is also close) and when winter comes I won't have to worry about losing that income because of snow or a car that won't start. I did mention in my previous post that as I'm getting older the smallest things can make me happy ;-)

Lots of Good Stuff

Last week was a good week.  So I've got three new clients for cleaning, two homes I've already work in and the third will be this Tuesday.  Both homes I've done so far were really in need of help, its good to feel needed, it makes doing this kind of work easier on the ego.
I had taken my 'new to me' car to my mechanic on Tuesday and got the great news that he couldn't find anything wrong with it.  He did point out though that one of my tires was bigger than the other three so I had to call the salesman where I bought it to get that situation fixed.  They were more than happy to replace the tire and sent me to the person who does their tires for them.  I got a brand new tire.
When I was leaving the tire place which was right smack in the middle of a road construction project I was having trouble getting out of their parking lot and back into traffic, cars just would not stop for me.  Construction worker to the rescue!! He was driving one of these......

and coming right towards me, I was in the area they were working on.  I backed up to get out of his way when he stopped, lifted up the bucket end of this thing and started to turn it out into the street, right into the traffic, it was the coolest thing!!  Traffic of course stopped in both directions and I was able to get back into traffic.  He pulled the bucket back out of the way and he had the biggest grin on his face as did I.  It was just too cool, it still makes me smile.

One of my cleaning clients that I've been with for about six years (can't believe its been that long!) is in the process of moving. When I first learned about this I was pretty nervous, this family is one that I see twice a week so its a big part of my income.  As luck would have it, it seems they may be moving just a half block from me!  I had told them about this beautiful apartment building just down the street from me and they checked it out and like it.  Its one of the very few places to rent that offers the amount of space that they need and moving there will keep them close to the places they need to stay close to. I've been helping them with the packing and was able to score a couple of things they were getting rid of.....some potting soil and clay pots, a couple of bottles to complete my bar setup :-).  I had taken some babies from a friends spider plant and they're growing like crazy so I was happy to get some pots and dirt. I'm getting easy to please in my old age lol.
And to round out the week of good stuff two sets of bracelets sold :-)

Lazy but productive weekend

I'm trying to fill my work week up with new homes to clean, closing up those empty slots of time will really help now that I have a car payment to squeeze into my monthly budget.  I need this extra work!  I listed my availability on our local community facebook page and got a couple of responses. I met with a really nice young family early this afternoon who happen to live right around the block from me (how totally convenient!) and it looks like we'll be able to work something out, tomorrow after work I'm meeting with another potential client (also really close by)who seems pretty interested so hopefully everything will fall into place.
I have to say that even though cleaning homes isn't the most glamorous job to have, it has definitely helped keep me in shape and healthy, important at my age (old!).  And I have to say it is a nice feeling knowing you're helping someone have a nice place to come home to......lord knows we all need a pleasant place to be where we can shut out the world for a bit these days.......sigh.

OH!......and somebody/anybody pleassssseeee buy a bracelet!!😩 LOL :-)

Panic Attack Over.......

.......well, almost.  Now I need to figure out how to pay for this..

Once I was done morning the loss of my old car I decided to see if she was worth a down payment on a 'new to me' used car.  I started with an online search of small dealers near me and found one that seemed to have a large stock of used cars and at reasonable prices.......I took my final ride in my little red convertible to Active Auto. Not sure how these guys did it but I managed to leave there with a 2007 Hyundai with, low miles, one owner, no accidents, great maintenance records and a very fair price.  However, there is still the issue of fitting the higher insurance and new car payment into an already stretched budget. So, I'm looking for more work and ways to promote my art.  Need a small gift for anyone? Please visit my website http://karenhetzer.com

Time To Rethink......

Well, I got some disturbing news this morning....its about my car, my 28 yr old car :-(.

I took her in for inspection and to get a coolant leak fixed this morning and upon inspection it was determined the car needed not only a new pump for the coolant but also the thermostat, and a new muffler, and two new shocks, and something for the steering was starting to go (I stopped listening, he didn't stop listing)........in other words time has finally caught up with her and she's just rusting and falling apart bit by bit.  I am having the pump replaced just to get me to the end of the month when the stickers expire and I can figure out the best way to go forward, putting more money into the car is not an option, and getting a new/or used car may also not be an option.
Meanwhile, working on some bracelets.

And I got a free simple hat pattern from myblueprint.com (formerly Craftsy) and plan to knock out a few quick hats.........

knitting calms me and I need calming about how.

And Grows and Grows....

I think a new plan is going to be focusing on taking part in a craft show or two.  There seems to be no interest to buy from visitors to my website so maybe I'd have better success at a craft show/fair. This makes me wish I still had Gladys.....does anyone remember Gladys?..... I did love that RV! Still think of that dream of traveling from craft show to craft show....sigh.

I've also got my ACEO prints/notecards I could sell....
 

and I could step up the knitting projects

and put together a fairly good collection of things to offer.......do a couple of paintings, maybe even some wood stools (like I use to make).

We'll see how the summer of creating goes :-). I'll check into some local show listings online.

The Collection Grows

 

http://karenhetzer.com

A Few More

To Purchase click HERE

Still Into Simple....but...

The bracelet making is still holding my attention, right now I'm focusing on learning new ways to do the finishing.  Knotting and burning seems a bit sloppy so far so I am continuing to practice, but would also like to discover ways to avoid some of that (I'm not a fan of the burning to seal things) so I spend a lot of time searching online for tips and tricks.  Today I was working on mastering the uni knot, its a nice way to attach a hook (the way fishermen do) when I don't want to do the adjustable closures I've been doing so far, and no burning involved! Here's a couple bracelets I did today.

The one with the hook closure is my first attempt at using the uni knot and it worked out well.
I now have 51 bracelets in my collection!
Next chance I get to work on these I want to start working on more complex knots/designs.

Sweet and Simple Bracelets

I seem to be focused on very simple bracelet designs.  Here's two of the latest that can be found on the website in the 'Bracelet' link.