Ms. Messy Comes Home

10 Months.

I can hardly believe it’s been that long since I blogged here.  When I popped in to harvest some photos from this blog and got looking back at the postings, I realized that I miss Just Make a Mess.  I miss it a lot.

So I’m back.

I’m afraid I got terribly sidetracked.  I looked at the post about how I over-analyze and second-guess myself at times, and that’s certainly the case with this blog.  I thought maybe I should do a different blog.  Different name, different focus, different format. I created a blog for my art studio and there it sits…sad, lonely and pretty much empty.  I tried another focus with a Homesteading theme.  It’s ok but nothing special.  Here are some of the other things that were a result of this wandering journey:

I started teaching art classes…

My band played some gigs….

I even planted a garden…

Oh…and I’ve lost 93 pounds.  Yay me!

So I dabbled with other sites and flirted with different formats, but I have come to realize that I need to just stay here.  I like it here.  It’s home.

And there’s no place like home.

An Apple a Day

Now that I’m back I need to just update a couple of things.  For those of you who were following along on my weight-loss, here’s the skinny.

When our Weight Watchers group was abruptly closed by the company when our leader, who was fabulous, became ill,  I realized the only one I could truly count on in my efforts to lose weight was myself.  My husband is incredibly supportive, but at the end of the day, it was up to me.  As it should be.  But I was scared.

Even the little bit of success I’d had with WW felt like a major achievement and the thing I feared most was putting the weight back on, as I’d done after losing 50 pounds on Nutri-system.  I was NOT going to let that happen.

Over the summer, while I kept my WW online membership, I did not track.  I did, however, try to continue the healthier eating habits we’d established.  I was determined to listen much more closely to my body and give it what it was really needing rather than what I thought it might want.  And I gave up Diet Coke almost completely, switching to water instead.  I now drink approximately 3 to 4 liters of water a day.  I eat salad….and chicken…..and fresh-baked artisan bread.  I eat potatoes and pasta and rice.  I even sometimes eat cake.  All in moderation, of course.  And my body is happy.

The last time I blogged about my weight-loss was April 12th.  I’d lost 12.8 lbs.

This morning I weighed in.  Total loss as of this date:  25.6 lbs.  Yay me.

Unstuck

While many of my friends would consider me unhinged…or perhaps unglued… today, I’m simply “unstuck”.

When I took the blog dark earlier in the year, I really thought I was just taking a short break.  A week, maybe 2 or 3.  I thought I was just a little stuck, a little overwhelmed, a little blocked.  In reality, I was hip-deep in quicksand with nary a jungle-vine in sight.  Indiana Jones had nothing on me.

I subscribe to a blog called “Write in Color” by Melody Godfred. She always has something interesting to say that’s pertinent to any creative person, whether they be a writer, a visual artist, or a musician.  I know, because I am all three of those things. (Note:  I am just now, at age 48, becoming comfortable with applying those labels to myself.)

Today, however, her blog hit me right between the eyes.  I felt like she was writing specifically for ME.  The entry was titled “Do You Suffer From Analysis Paralysis?”.  Why yes….yes I do.

Today that ends.  The blog is back, boys and girls…..and I have a plan.  A plan that will be just one more way I can stay motivated and productive, and you are welcome to come along on the ride.  Yay me.  And yay Melody Godfred!

Click the link and check her out.  You’ll be seriously glad you did.

Doggy Bag

Because I have to divide my time between my home studio and my work studio, I end up having to haul a lot of stuff back and forth.  If I intend to get anything done it’s necessary that my art and jewelry supplies follow me around.  What this mostly means is that I cuss a lot because something is invariably missing from my bag because I forgot to pack it.  I am very, very good at sabotaging myself, apparently.

I do, however, have a wicked-cool doggy-bag to haul all my stuff around in.  This is one of my Laurel Burch bags.  Yes, one of them.  I also have a purse and a suitcase designed by Laurel Burch.  It’s not all that surprising that I’m drawn to her work…just LOOK at those colours!!  A bag like this can lift your spirits from the depths of the doldrums and put a definite skip in your step.

What came out of the bag at home today:  gesso, acrylic retarder, impasto medium, iridescent medium, camera, large tube of acrylic titanium white, large tube of an amazing copper/burgundy/metallic gold acrylic paint.  I don’t remember what the colour is called but it’s the kind of colour you just want to squeeze a glob of into your hand and smear  all over your canvas….or your face.  I know.  I’m weird.  But this colour is THAT yummy.

What went into the bag to come to work with me:  my journal, my sketchbook, watercolour pencils, 6 x 6 watercolour paper, letter-sized watercolour paper, water pen, scotch tape.

Things that stay in the bag all the time:  archival ink pens, drawing pencils, a small ruler, gum eraser, white eraser, a very basic drawing pad, a bottle of masking fluid, and my camera  manual.

This poor bag has a constant ebb and flow of supplies.  Things go in, things go out.  It’s like a daily tide of supplies and goodies.  Sometimes everything stays inside because I don’t get to it or my Muse takes a powder, but sometimes…..sometimes magical things happen when things come out of the bag.

Now a question for all you creative types out there:  Have you ever bought an art or craft supply just because you fell in love with or were intrigued by it, but didn’t have a single clue what you were going to do with it?  Something you just HAD to have that you may or may not have ever done anything with?  Sort of like a tube of amazing copper/burgundy/metallic gold acrylic paint?  Let me know in the comments.  Come on….fess up….have ya huh?  The lady with paint all over her face promises not to laugh.

Introducing Firefly

When I made the decision to focus on my own jewelry I also made the decision to let the Cara Luna name go dormant for now.  I needed a name that encompasses the new direction my jewelry designs are taking.

The new name  is a hint.  I’m not quite ready to reveal the new line as I’m still doing some research and trying to budget for the new tools I need.  Suffice it to say that it involves melting something.  Glass to be exact. Oboy, oboy, oboy!!

I’ve started the website that will feature the new line.  It can be seen HERE.  It’s just the flash intro and the “Coming Soon” page, but it’s PRETTY.  Yellows and oranges are my thing these days;  I think it’s tied to my fire obsession.  This page will ultimately link to my Etsy store and should be up and running as soon as I have enough product to post.  So check it out and tell me what you think.

While you’re at it, leave me a note here in the comments if there’s something specific you’d like to see in the new line.  I want the line to reflect the tastes of those close to me.  I’m not terribly interested in designing for anonymous people whose tastes may or may not even resemble my own.  Let me know what you like.  Who knows, you might see it here soon!

In the meantime, dream of Fireflies.  They’re magical, mystical, and miraculous.