Learning to grow

STAY CLOSE, MY HEART
Its 80 right now and my family is pool side and I still need to unpack all my art supply's from my trip

but I wanted to post about the rest of my trip.

So on my last day in Ohio, Kim and I had a fun lunch with Lou and a few of her friends, then we headed to a huge joanns, now we do have Joann's in Californian but they are only a quarter of the size and 1/3 of the stock so when ever I am in the Midwest I always have to go into these mega craft stores!

Kim had to droop me off a little early at the airport because there was a big storm on its way and she had a long drive home, now the second that I steeped into the air port I get a call from Deb telling me that she thinks that my flight has been canceled because of the storm, so I go up to the ticket counter and my flight has not been canceled but moved from 6:30pm to 11pm... so with a big sigh and my eyes rolling to the back of my head I cheeked in my bags... now once I get past sercirty I see that there is a rather large mall to the left with the gates to the right now mind you it 4pm and my flight is supposed to go out at 11pm I start to walk towards the shops, I was hungry and thirsty and had 7 hours to kill....

(view of a snow covered Chicago airport)

once I made it down by the shops something told me that I needed to turn around just to cheek on my flight to make sure.... so I turn around and walk over to the terminals and it was so strange because most of the flights has been canceled so there was no one around, once I got to my gate number there were two attendants they were talking about how all the flight were going to be canceled because of the storm I walked up to the counter and they asked where I was going I said Chicago .... and they said do you want to get on this plane its going to be the last one out and there were a few sets left...
so on I jumped! we did up on the run way for 3 hours and there was talk that we were not going to get clearance to take off but in the end we got the OK!
I arrived into Chicago around 11 hungry and tired so I talked Garry (Debs Husband) into taking me to white castle he was fearfully and warned me that I did not want to try it but I assured him that I did!
and I really liked my little dubble cheese burger!

we all awoke to a winter wonderland and the boys took me


for a walk down a little back road

to this pound that was mosley frozen over but on a small patch of watter there were geease.

it was so beautiful, but oh so cold!

On Saturday and Sunday I teched 2 jewelry work shops, here are a few girls working on altering there angle pendent, All my students were amazing and they did a fantastic job!

on my last day, Deb and I played with PMC! it was a great treat for me as all I wanted to do was make myself a chain link bracelet
here is my messy work station
and here are the two bracelets that I created right before they head for the kiln.


and here you have my completed projects:

MUSE
is a tinted PMC necklace with braided and knotted fibers and silver chain with tinted PMC earrings.

LEARNING TO GROW
STAY CLOSE, MY HEART

and here are textured PMC chain link bracelets, that are so wonderful and perfect that they will be on wrist all the time!

STAY CLOSE, MY HEART

Stay close, my heart, to the one who knows your ways;
Come into the shade of the tree that allays has fresh flowers.
Don't stroll idly through the bazaar of the perfume-markers:
Stay in the shop of the sugar-seller.
If you don't find true balance, anyone can deceive you;
Anyone can trick out of a thing of straw,
And make you take it for gold
Don't squat with a bowl before every boiling pot;
In each pot on the fire you find very different things.
Not all sugarcanes have sugar, not all abysses a peak;
Not all eyes possess vision, not every sea is full of pearls.
O nightingale, with your voice of dark honey! Go on lamenting!
Only your drunken ecstasy can pierce the rock's hard heart!
Surrender yourself, and if you cannot be welcomes by the Friend,
Know that you are rebelling inwardly like a thread
That doesn't want to go through the needle's eye!
The awakened heart is a lamp; protect it by the him of your robe!
Hurry and get out of this wind, for the weather is bad.
And when you've left this storm, you will come to a fountain;
You'll find a Friend there who will always nourish your soul.
And with your soul always green, you'll grow into a tall tree
Flowering always with sweet light-fruit, whose growth is interior.