Pretty Pretty Bang Bang

Well, my final project is done and all I have left is the critique (crit) which is today. First, we’ll start by cleaning the school studio (which is a pit) then continue with the crit at Kevin’s house tonight. Because the crit will take so long (two classes of students), Kevin is trying to make it more enjoyable with a cookout. Which reminds me, I have a cake to bake!

The final project was to incorporate powder coating into the piece. Because powder coating is extremely durable, we were to create something that would celebrate the durability of the coating as well as adding color. I chose to create two sets of rings/pendants that were cast. I started by carving the piece from wax. Once it was cast and cleaned up, I powder coated the pieces. I sanded off areas to create the final look. All pieces are slightly different, including the design carved into them. The idea was to take the core design and break it up over the other pieces. I decided to use red for my color since I liked the contrast. Here’s the group:

Here are just the rings. Yes, they are wearable and are actually comfortable. They fit me (of course).

Here are the necklaces. The round one is 1 1/4″ in diameter and the rectangle is 1 1/2″ high.

And I’m sure you’re dying to know what became of the monkeys. They were made into a charm bracelet for a customer for Mother’s Day. It’s so cute!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there. I chose not to become a mother, a choice I’m very happy with, but I appreciate all the sacrifices and hard work other women go through to raise children.

I spent the day with my mom and had a very nice time. First, we went to brunch, then a little shopping at TJ Maxx and Marshall’s, then a neighborhood home tour. The weather was crisp and windy, but sunny and clear so it was nice to walk around the ‘hood and enjoy the sunshine.

I have a lot of admiration and respect for my mom. Sure, she has driven me crazy in the past (and still does occasionally), but I think she’s a great mom. So to my mom I say thanks. Thanks for raising me to be an independent, opinionated person. Thanks for instilling great values in me. Thanks for all the sacrifices you made for me over the years. Most of all, thanks for being my mom and loving me unconditionally. 

I guess it’s a sign I’m getting old. I’m actually excited about the new windows being installed in the basement. Seriously, it’s like Christmas for me. Yesterday, Pavel (trainer and contractor) installed two of the six windows in our basement and they are gorgeous. I didn’t realize just how bad the old ones were until I had new ones in their place. Gone are the old wood frames, cracked glass and painted screens. Now I have new vinyl windows that slide open and actually lock without using duct tape. Plus, I don’t feel any kind of air coming through the cracks. Maybe the energy savings will help these windows pay for themselves. In the meantime, I’ll just enjoy being able to look outside while I work.

Well, as many of you know, I’ve suffered for the past few months from a case of bad hair days. I do think that may have come to an end. After my talk with Duane on Tuesday, I called my former stylist Brook and begged for her forgiveness. She laughed, told me she doesn’t hold grudges and booked me an appointment for yesterday. Yes, I had to go a bit shorter than planned, but it looks so much better! She trimmed off the overly-razored ends, reshaped the neckline and sides and took out the weird lump I had on top. While I’m not a fan of the way she styled it, I think I love the cut. This morning, at the gym, one of the guys told me it looked much better (he should know since he’s a stylist) and I think that’s a good sign considering it wasn’t styled in any way. I haven’t yet done it myself, but I’m already anticipating it being better. Steve told me my face looked thinner so at least I’ve got that going for me!

I made a mistake. I knew I shouldn’t have done it at the time, but I did it anyway. I let a friend start cutting my hair and I’m really unhappy. I told him I was a difficult customer and I was really picky about my hair. I have made my cutting desires crystal clear. I’ve taken in pictures, talked about how I style it, discussed lifestyle, products, etc. but I’m still unsatisfied. Today I called him to take him to lunch so we could talk about it. What I really want to do is find someone else to do my hair and remain friends with Duane. He wasn’t available for lunch but was willing to listen to me. I told him our friendship meant a lot to me, that I knew I was a hard customer, that I didn’t want to hurt him but that I was unhappy. He seemed to understand and told me he would either fix the problem or I could move on. I made the silent decision to move on. We ended the call on a good note and I began thinking of alternatives.

Then he called a few hours later. Now he’s offering to meet me tomorrow on his day off and fix my hair. I feel like I should offer him the chance to fix it, but I’m scared to lose more hair in the process. I really don’t mind it being a little shorter in the summer, but I don’t want to lose so much I can’t do anything with it. Of course, I can’t do anything with it right now! Valerie thinks I should move on and my gut says I should, but I feel bad not honoring Duane’s offer to fix it.

Advice anyone? Have you ever been in a similar situation? Does your hair mean as much to you as mine does to me ( I doubt it!)?

If you’ve been reading my blog on a regular basis, you know I’m fighting this season’s fashions. I’ve been a regular at Banana Republic, Ann Taylor Loft, Gap and Old Navy over the past few weeks, but still can’t seem to find anything exciting to add to my wardrobe. It doesn’t help that I’ve become disenchanted with crop pants so I really don’t know what to buy. I’ve tried on skirts, dresses, crop pants (yes, I caved), shorts and just about every style of top imaginable. Then it hit me. If I can’t find exactly what I want, I’ll create it.

Case in point is last Thursday when I stopped in to one of Springfield’s premier boutiques. It’s a place I enjoy visiting, but rarely have the money to purchase unless they’re having a sale. It helps to be good friends with one of their sales staff so I get some great inside info on sales. I stopped in to say hello to my friend Prudy and have a look around. I was searching for something to wear to my mom’s upcoming retirement party, but was about to give up and just dig something old out of the closet. I wanted a cool new top to put with some skinny ankle pants. I had a vision, I just didn’t have the reality. Prudy pointed out a really cute sleeveless dress in black and white and told me it had been a special order, but was mis-sized and didn’t fit the woman. I liked the dress, but it was a dress and I wasn’t looking for something, well, that dressy. Then Prudy told me that she thought it would be a lot cuter as a tunic. Voila! We pinned it up and created a tunic top out of it. Now all I needed was the skinny ankle pants. Prudy took me to the back room where they had a rack of clothes for 90% off (yep, I said 90% off) and I found a pair of cotton sateen pants which we shortened and took in at the leg. Now I have a completely unique outfit to wear!

I rummaged through my closet and decided to do the same kind of alterations with some of my existing clothes. A pair of slightly too short jeans are now long crop pants, some wide leg khakis are now wide leg flood pants and several shirts that were too big are being taken in at the waist. I figure $50 or so of alterations is far cheaper than buying something new. It’s the ultimate in clothing recycling!