Playing Tag

Well, we have been tagged, so kindly, by Amy.
Here are the rules of the game: Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog post containing your own middle name game facts. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
My middle name is Marie. So, here goes:

• M - Making Things. I love making things. Arts, crafts, cooking, baking, gardening. You name it. Although now that I have said that, it all sounds a bit too Martha. I like to make things, sometimes I am not as proficient at all of the things I want to do.
• A - Art. I love art. I love going to museums, looking in galleries and shopping in art boutiques. I have lots of art on the walls of my home. I guess I had no choice but to love art with both of my parents art majors and artists themselves.
• R - Reading. I love to read. (an English major and former high school English teacher) Unfortunately, I don't make enough time for it in my life.
• I - Interesting Ideas. I really like coming up with ideas, whether it is a detail for an art project or a children's birthday party, I like to keep things interesting.
• E - Entertaining. I love throwing a party! I know it sounds silly, but I love to have people over for a small dinner or great big bash. I like the planning, the prep work, the details. I don't even mind the clean-up.

Okay, that's me. Now I have to tag some other people. I hope they are in the mood to play along. Forgive me if you're not. So, I will tag my blogland friends: Rick the Palm Springs Savant, Tiffany Jane from Beyond the Vintage Path, and my new friends Heidi from The Wise 5, Lia from Art Junk Girl and Amy from Abundant Curiosities. Kerry will take her turn later this week.

editors note: Amy from Abundant Curiosities was recently tagged, so I will add Brandy from Brandywine Boutique.

Studio Tour, Part I

It occurred to me that we should give you a studio tour. So, here is the first installment. This is the outside of the studio. It is a one room building in my (Rachel's) back yard. To the best of my knowledge, it was build at the same time as the house, in 1890.
Kerry so eloquently wrote about our studio last March in this blog. But I don't think that we have given you a visual tour.
(This is also a way for me to stall. Amy tagged me, and I just can't think of what to write. Gee, I hate writer's block. But, come Monday, I promise to get it done!)

It's all in the details

Kerry and I hosted a garden party last Saturday. We decided to have the party primarily to launch our new line of jewelry. We also wanted to thank our former customers for their past business. And, we both enjoy throwing parties.

We tried to think of all the details that would make that evening special: printed invitations, candles, decorations, wine, nice cheese, and of course, goodie bags.

We filled each "Swag bag" with handcrafted items. Kerry painstakingly cut, folded, hole-punched and tied each bag. We choose the familiar brown paper bag for our container, that way we could spend more on the contents. Each bag was tied with a colorful, printed ribbon and had a hand stamped tag to express a wish. All in all, the bags were an interesting addition to our decor. Hopefully each guest enjoyed the things we put inside, too.

My Perfect Mess

Good News!
My messy work bench is a sign of high productivity and sophistication! In fact the TimesOnline (UK) reports, "Do tidy desks mean efficient workers, as the corporate mavens would have us believe? Not according to Abrahamson’s research: “People who said they keep a ‘very neat’ desk spend an average of 36% more time looking for things at work than people who said they keep a ‘fairly messy’ desk.” " Citing a book called A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder — How Crammed Closets, Cluttered Offices and On-the-Fly Planning Make the World a Better Place by Eric Abrahamson, who is a professor of management at Columbia Business School, the article goes on to say, "Order and uniformity are the enemies of those serendipitous random connections that can be priceless."
Nevertheless, my perfect mess will be picked up in time for guests on Saturday!

Hope for a Cure

The color teal and the word "Hope" were chosen as the recognizable symbols of the Ovarian Cancer cause. We encorporate these into our "Your Word" jewelry line, where we ask you to choose your words carefully: Words are powerful! They can profess love, start wars, calm a crying baby or evoke tears. Choose the word necklace that speaks to you and tells everyone what you want to say. 20% of the purchase price of out two necklaces will be donated to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. Find a link to the first design, here. And the second one here. The fundraiser is sponsored by SheFinds.

a friendly public service announcement

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
According to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the US and fifth leading cause of all cancer deaths among US women. A woman's risk of ovarian cancer is 1 in 67. 22,430 women will be diagnosed with it this year; 15,280 will die from it, and only 50% will survive longer than 5 years.

The numbers are shocking!
As with any cancer, they say that early detection is the key to successful treatment. If diagnosed in the early stages, ovarian cancer patients have a five year survival rate of 90%. The signs and symptoms of this cancer are easy to overlook. What can you do? Become aware, be informed and listen to your body.

We can't do a lot, but Kerry and I are participating in a SheFinds.com, Shop for the Cure fundraiser. We have designed two necklaces to honor and support the research being done in this field. Check back tomorrow to see our designs.

oops, friday flower

I forgot the Friday flower, again! I will make up for it with a field of mountain daisies. Breathe... in with the good, out with the bad....