glimpses

I have become a collector..

..of stones.

I have drawers of them. Right now I have this one tray sitting on my bench because it makes me happy to look up every now and then and see this rainbow.

I am ecstatic to get my new work listed.

It's been a long while since I've had a shop update and to be honest when I first started these new pieces I felt a bit rusty. I have had ideas and designs bursting out of my head, but when I actually sat down to start:  I stared outside.

I stared at my stones.

And then I stared at my sketches.



And after a little bit it all came flooding back so that I am now at this happy frenzy state where I am a little schyzo in my studio.I am all over the place.
Like a hummingbird that can't quite settle.

I start things and before finishing them, I start other things just because I am feeling this overflow of inspiration and I can't wait a couple of hours. I have to sketch. To try it out.

It's a wonderful feeling really.



I've been enjoying the fresh air outside, too.

I've learned the hard way that I need to balance even the things I love.

If I don't force myself out and into the open, I inevitably hit a wall.

That's what happens when the pendulum gets stuck in one place.


This, admittedly, is odd because I love - scratch that - need being outdoors in fresh air to feel normal. But, for some reason I tend to hibernate in the winter (fairly normal human behavior I think). I become sluggish and more tired. Getting outside clears my head. I guess that is the one downfall from working from home: the tendency to be cooped up.

So now I am getting out more.

Besides, it's these little glimpses that make me feel my most creative.

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A Morning in Pictures

And listening to........






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Reconnecting

There is so much to say.

Now where to start....

Norbert and I almost completely disconnected the last few weeks and it was wonderful.

We gave every ounce of ourselves in the months leading up to Christmas that when our last package shipped we packed up and headed out. 

We spent a week in New Mexico with our family, eating, drinking, talking, crying, laughing and sleeping.

You know.

All the good family stuff.

 

(the blue hour!)

When we got back we decided to get some work done around our house that had been on the backburner for oh, so long.

Have I mentioned that Norbert is a jack of all trades??

It is quite convenient, I must say, to be married to someone who can fix just about anything.

He is so much like my Dad in that way.

We decided to rip out two partitions in our front room to expand the area and as a result we need to do some drywall/electrical/venting/painting/wood floor work. Oh yeah, and when I say we, I actually mean not me :)

Norbert's handling this one totally on his own.

So that means I've been full-time mommy.

Last night, was the first time since before Christmas that I've done anything 'blue hour designs' related.

I have so much business and design work to catch up on that I won't be getting into my workshop until Monday.

I am soooo ready.

Seriously.

By the way, I have a stockpile of designs and stones to work on.

I feel like a horse biting at the bit here.

I can't wait to get to work.

I can't wait to show you new work.

And what else have I been doing?

I blew through this and I'm on to the second one.

Don't you love it when your Christmas hints are granted? ;)

I'm well-rested you guys.

Now it's time to hit the ground running.

Things are changing and it feels good.

As a matter of fact, it feels pretty freaking fantastic.

2010 is over and out.

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daydream..

I am finishing up some pieces tonight.

Light work.

Cutting some chain, wrapping some beads, hand buffing some pieces.

Writing thank-you cards.

This is my last big shipment for the holidays, and I'm listening to this beautiful song 

with a glass of Chianti.

I do love Armstrong's version, almost as much as Edith Piaf's.

When I imagine going to France which I will soon I've promised myself

I hope to hear this song wafting through the evening air while sitting outside at some small cafe surrounded by cobblestone, gorgeous architecture and good company.

It's a nice daydream, don't you think? ;)

Norbert and I watched the Edith Piaf biopic, La Vie En Rose, earlier in the year.

I highly recommend it.

Marion Cotillard (whom I love) is absolutely outstanding in this role.

Tonight, though, it's the The King and I.

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Wrapping it up...and giving

Heya :)

I know I said I was out of the rabbit hole, but in actuality I kept one foot in. And a pair of hands. ;)

What free time I have had I spent it with friends and family (lots of holiday parties and evening trips to the bookstore for browsing, bagels & coffee...one of our favorite pasttimes). And some decompressing moments at night curled up in bed, reading.

I have a lot of thoughts in my mind that I'd like to share, but I think I'll save that for later. I'll be blogging much more in the coming weeks as things start winding down here in our part of the world.

Now, it is time for much more important news:

The randomly chosen winners of my Call for Pictures giveaway.

First off, is Bonnie wearing my 'Company of Circle's necklace.

She said that the necklace is special because it signifies her and her two sons. :)

Next, is Aimee wearing my 'Harvest Moon' earrings at her sister's wedding.

This is the only pair I have made of this design. 

(This picture just exudes happiness doesn't it?)

And lastly, is Samantha wearing one of my signature burst rings. 'Lemon Burst' to be exact :)

She is also modeling one of her fabulous knitting projects.

We will be emailing the gift certificates to the winners today.

I just realized that all three winners happen to be artists/crafters as well. Very cool :)

I can't even explain how wonderful it was to go through all of the pictures and read the lovely notes for every entry that came in. We LOVED it. I know I mentioned this before, but it's just so nice to see the faces behind the names. It makes my work feel even more special :)

THANK YOU everyone who submitted! We will definitely do this again next year.

And on to another important piece of news:

We will be closing our shops from December 23rd to January 7th.

We plan on relaxing, eating, drinking, laughing, talking and dreaming up a storm during this time so that we can come back in the new year with renewed vitality.

And honestly, I can't wait to show you what my thoughts and dreams have been preoccupied with...

you'll see :)

p.s. the newsletter went out this morning. Email me at info@bluehourdesigns.com if you'd like to subscribe, leave a comment below or sign-up on our website.

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What is missing....

...from this picture??

I live in Colorado and..

..there is no snow.

*sigh*

(yep, that was a sad sigh)

p.s. tomorrow I will announce the winners of our 'call for pictures'  giveaway!

I LOVED looking through all of them....loved making that connection :)

see you then...

EDIT: I jumped the gun on the announcement.

I will post the winners here at the beginning of next week when our newsletter goes out.

Sorry for the jump!

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Deep down the rabbit hole

I've been a bit busy lately. Okay. That's an understatement.

The reality is, that we have felt the full onslaught of the holiday shopping season here in our little workshop.

We've had moments of insanity. I'll admit ;)

But, we weathered through primarily because of pure passion and excitement.

And now it's time to breathe: 

I spent some time today in the (abnormally) warm Coloradan sun watching my sons play.

Moments like these are what make me breathe with such contentment.

I love seeing their growth. The development...the stage of boyhood that they have entered.

It is so incredibly beautiful to me...

I have left the rabbit hole!

goodnight :)

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Thanksgiving prep

A peek into our kitchen tonight:

  

We're doing Thanksgiving prep to this music.:




It's blaring. And it's happy hour. So I guess that means we're having a hell of a good time.

And just so you know, this is definitely my favorite song from the King. ;)

Oh. Can't forget this one too:





See you on the other side.....

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The other morsel....

...is this:



A chance to win one of my 'burst' rings over at Mrs. French's lovely Bliss.

You can enter here.

She will be choosing a winner on Friday :)

And on a side, yet very important note, I hit two milestones within the week.

1. I passed the 1,000 sales mark on Etsy AND

2. I passed 3,000 hearts on Etsy, as well.

These were MOMENTOUS occasions that were most definitely celebrated in this house!

(by everyone under this roof in fact!)

THANK YOU!

p.s. AND don't forget to go enter to win one of my rings!

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Stacks

Here's a peek of us at work this week....

Beautiful stacks of packages...

really, very beautiful to us

Writing thank-you cards to every wonderful customer...

And while in the midst of this we are also knee deep in family revelry.

We've had lots of little ones' laughter and pounding echo off our walls the past few days because my sister and her mini-me also visited. The boys were beyond thrilled.

And of course, I am listening to music constantly.

This band being a new favorite:

This may turn into a two post day....

if not I'll see you tomorrow morning with another morsel of information ;)

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Business & Inspiration...in that order!

Good Morning!

First order of business this cold morning is to alert you of our next giveaway lined up over at Bloesem.

You can enter here.



Tis' the season of holiday giveaways and specials so hop on over to Bloesem and enter to win a chance at a $100 gift certificate for use in our shop!

There are more goodies up our sleeves for the holidays so keep your peepers on this page for all updates :)

My next bit of news is to lay out our holiday shipping schedule:

For U.S. Christmas delivery - orders should be placed by Friday, December 17th.

For International Christmas delivery - orders should be placed by Wednesday December 1st.

If you place your order before these dates you should be on the safe side for on-time Christmas delivery.

And lastly, I had to share with you a jolt of inspiration for your Wednesday morning.

 GORGEOUS, right??

Man alive would I love one of each. Really, really!

Especially that coat!

I also love that they are a small business run by a husband and wife team.

(can SO relate)

The model above is the designer, Emerson, of the sweet line, EmersonMade.

I found her via Bliss.
Go take a look at the rest of her line. I love the streamlined and tailored look of her clothing.

Okay, time to head to the studio!

Norbert and I have been working together every morning while the little ones hang out with Nana and Papa.

It's been really nice having company in the workshop :)

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