Working, working, working…why is computer work so time consuming? Blah…
I’m attempting to make this website prettier and easier to get around. New pages for all my jewelry and creations. New pages for my portfolio and all my cute clients. Updated event page so you know where to find me. Please take a tour around and see what you think.
More to come…
Life is short. Believe in fun.
I’ve been working behind the scenes to create new things and, thank goodness, Halloween is on the way! My favorite time to design scary stuff.
The picture above are some new pieces of Jack O’Lantern cherries…aren’t they fun! Lots of new things are being put together behind the scenes so stay tuned for a release date!
Always believe in fun!
Susan
It’s been a little over 18 months since I started my vegan journey. If you read through my first post  then you have a sense of what being the only one of four that follows the same diet. But today I want to talk about how I got here.
After several years of not loving being a meat eater I knew that I was on the verge of change. But you know how you can feel change coming but try to ignore it? Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt…lol. Yeah, well the universe had other ideas.
Maybe five years ago I began having peri-menopause symptoms. About four years ago those symptoms decided to be  even more present…and bothersome…and more constant. Add to that I was dealing with (and still am) some joint pain and you are put in a position of doing something. My something was to play with my food intake.
First I gave up all processed foods and white sugar. That helped a lot. Second I cut back on (but didn’t quit) caffeine which also had an impact. I bought a bread maker and started making all our baked goods from scratch and with American grown wheat. We made eating foods that are green a priority and juiced quite frequently. Eventually all our meals were made from scratch (time consuming) and everybody felt better in some way
Along the way a friend going through the same thing talked about Maca root and how that had helped her…so I gave that a try. Worked like a charm! (please don’t run out and try anything without consulting your physician) Actually worked for about 2 full years. No hot flashes or night sweats…was a beautiful thing. Until it wasn’t.
In between here somewhere I found a new doctor. An integrative doctor. They take your entire lifestyle into consideration and prescription drugs are not the first line of defense…which is exactly what I wanted. No drugs but a lifestyle modification.
So I went vegan. All at once.
And a funny thing happened. Most of my symptoms either disappeared or dramatically reduced.
It took about 6-8 months to really grasp the differences. First it was small things like waking up easier and falling asleep quicker. Then it was no night sweats (which had come back with a vengeance when my body didn’t like the maca anymore). Hot flashes quit. ( yay!)
Joint pain and joint flaring was still an issue. And sometime debilitating. As an example my shoulder would flare and I wouldn’t be able to lift an arm for the better part of a day without yelling in pain. So my new doc suggested we do some food elimination. So in addition to vegan I went gluten free for about 6 months.
Let’s just say this was not my favorite time. Try not eating any animal products…no meat, dairy, cheese, yogurt, etc. then add to that anything with wheat or flour in it. Have you looked at ingredient list lately? Gluten is in EVERYTHING! No pasta, no bread, no crackers, bagels…you get the picture. It’s a whole new diet and one that took quite a bit of research.
At the end I didn’t feel much different without the gluten. I have added a full regimen of vitamins. You’d be surprised how many things your body is missing. Make sure your doc does thorough blood testing! I feel like a different person.
Maybe you want a change..in how you feel…in your well being? Try some food experimentation…you never know how much better you can feel until you try it!
Until next time,
Susan
Sooo…anybody familiar with creative schizophrenia? Anyone have an artsy habit they can’t quite corral into one genre? Do you feel like your creative endeavors are wanting you to do everything…and nothing? Well…let’s talk.
This can get bad…like really bad. (and that makes me want to do this…)
I find myself wanting to create for my jewelry line so off to the studio I go. I arrange my things, start with an idea, begin putting it together…and boom! All of a sudden my paint starts calling my name…what if when this thing is done I paint it? So I go get the paint out and start playing with that. Halfway through I notice there’s a piece of fabric on the floor…oooh! That might work too. Maybe I can sew it together for a packaging idea. So I play with that for awhile. Out comes the sketch book so I can see if my ideas will work together. What about ribbons? What if this thing had some tied onto it? And out comes some ribbon. Oooh…but maybe it needs resin? Maybe the pieces would look good glossy…and layered….and …and….and…
By this time I am working in four square inches of my table and not much is getting completed.
What is it with this? And what are your tried and true ways to keep your creative schizo self in check? Bah….
Here are a couple of things I find helpful when I cannot for the life of me get this under control…
Those are my three go to’s when I get stuck inside my creative schizophrenia brain. Inevitably one will work and I can get back to accomplishing things.
Try it and let me know how it works for you…or maybe you have a better idea? Would love to have you share it!
Until next time,
Susan
So…I still feel like I am recovering from two shows in one weekend. Glitterfest and the Bernardo Winery show were both scheduled together. Oy…
This doesn’t happen every year. Only maybe once every three or four. No matter how you slice it it’s stressful.
I finally got my mojo in gear about a month beforehand and created like a maniac right up until the very last moment. Thursday night I packed my car for a Friday set up at the winery.
My husband helped out and we set up my booth plus a friend of mine who vends in the tent next door. Took us the better part of three hours to get it all together. Then home again, home again…only to unload the car and reload the car for Saturday’s Glitterfest.
Saturday we divided to conquer the show world. Boys to the Winery and girls to Glitterfest.
I have to admit I don’t have many pics from the Winery this time. First day the boys took maybe one picture and day two I spaced completely. Whoops….but both were a great success. Crazy to do but both worked out well.
And even with all the planning, making, and stresses it was over in a flash! All of a sudden it was Monday and all that was left was the mess!
Thank goodness everything is pretty much put away now. But I’m about to do one more show…so some things are still hanging out here and there. Last in person show for the year will be at the Irvine Fine Arts Center in Irvine California…maybe I will see you there…???
Until next time,
Susan
