...and 2012 comes to a close....

I'm a bit sad to say goodbye to 2012.

Many great things happened this year.

 - Phillip and I closed escrow on our dream studio/shop for E.B. Effects. Who would have thought back in 1988, from an apt rental, shared-garage doing a little side gig for a tradeshow booth, would have planted the seeds of success? We've watered and weeded and fertilized and grown a REAL business. But, know, we've thrown away our failed attempts too! The bug infested beauties and those that did not thrive in the soil we prepared so lovingly, but here we are embarking on 2013 with a lot of new and exciting adventures awaiting us and our team!

- We flew first class together for the first time EVER to Maui last summer! It was heaven! Who knew?

- I went to a handful of crafting events with friends...shared a lot of laughs and ate a lot of great food..and even got stuck in a MAJOR rainstorm, complete with HAIL!

- Completed SEVERAL awesome projects for the Disney theme parks worldwide.

- Did a few more home improvement projects around the house...and we hope to continue building this HOME of ours...our family is growing by leaps and bounds!

- Met a few gals I'm proud to call FRIENDS! You know who you are!!! Thanks for the friendships, lending an ear to listen to me complain, and CHEERS to the NEW YEAR and the upcoming adventures we'll have. THANK YOU ALL...for ALL the support and the many gifts you bestowed upon me.

- With much hard work...long hours...and many sacrifices...sleepless nights...and a bit of stress, we achieved a bit of financial freedom this year....and it feels GREAT! (this isn't here to brag...it's only here so I can remember and never forget it! It's SO easy to run up credit cards, car loans, etc.. AND SO HARD to knuckle down and be diligent and not try to keep up with the Jones' via credit!)

- Our baby boy graduated high school with this sweetheart by his side. They moved out on their own...and now we are officially empty-nesters!

- Our oldest turned 25! TWENTY-FIVE!!!! WOW! And on Christmas Eve got engaged!

- Our middle got married and is expecting our first GRAND BABY!!! GRAND BABY GIRL!!! I only feel 26....how can that be?

- I officially hired a bookkeeper! That's a big deal for me...but it will free up SO much time for other creative endeavors...Rusty Monkey still lives...Goals take time....and I want it done right, so I don't want to rush it!

- We entertained more this year than we ever have!!! BBQ's at work..Hot Dog Fridays...Halloween Party...Thanksgiving...Christmas Eve...

- This year these empty-nesters are spending a quiet night home alone!

(Beautiful vintage ornament hot air balloon created for me by my blog friend,
Angie Blasingame of Hopemore Studio)

Cheers to a HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS 2013!!! Up, up and away!!!!

Monday 12/26, I mean Wednesday 12/26!!!

Feels like a MONDAY!!!

So...where do I even start? This last 1/4 of 2012 has almost given me a heart attack!!! (not really, but I've definitely had my share of emotion!)

Kyle announces Yosi's pregnancy on 10/20.

Grandbaby gender revealed on 11/24. It's a GIRL!!!

Blankets made for Ty and Kyle 12/01 & 12/02.

Ty's from guitar print, blue, gray, red fleece.

Kyle's from flannel and a bunch of his teen t-shirts!

Guest room over-haul ... a whirlwind of painting, drapes, mini blind, bedding, carpet, etc....12/10 & 12/11.

Ty's 25th birthday 12/14.

Kyle and Yosi come home for the holidays 12/18.

Kyle and Yosi get married on 12/21.

 

Phillip, Kyle, Yosi, Me

Ty, Kyle, A.J.

Spellbinders contest project entry made on 12/22.

Folly - a gypsy parasol assemblage

Baby shower on 12/23.

 

Kyra, Me, Yosi, Kristen, Kristin, Janice, Ginger

Ty's Christmas Eve proposal on 12/24.

Congratulations! Ty and Jania....

Of course the mama was happy and cried!

...and she cried again when Ty presented Yosi with a glass candle holder puzzle piece to welcome her to our family puzzle....

...and she cried again when Ty presented Jania with a glass puzzle piece too! Right at that moment, I just knew a proposal was coming.

(Ty bought us each a puzzle piece last Christmas, so all five of our family members would always be together, no matter where we were in the world!)

Annual Christmas movie with the family on 12/25.

...and she welled up again when A.J. said to me yesterday in the theater that he and Kyra are next!!!

Great Aunt Janice, Kyra, and A.J.

Oh man!!! So much for the three years apart rule of thumb!!!

I'm exhausted!

I'm happy!

I'm ready for the NEW YEAR!!!

2013 will be another crazy year full of surprises, I'm sure....

There will be Mrs. Schiefer's almost EVERYWHERE you look!!! lol

Happy New Year EVERYONE!!!

It's a GIRL!!!!!

Twice confirmed!!!

Two technicians!!!

It's a GIRL!!!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!

The proud daddy-to-be....

Kyle and his little girl....

Can I just say, I cannot believe Kyle (or any of my boys) is old enough to have a BABY!!!!

And Yosi...how cute is she? All bundled up in New York with a little baby inside!

I was having a bit of fun in Photoshop....she's 16 weeks, and the little one is said to be about the size of an orange....

 

They did a 3-D ultrasound on Saturday. It is the coolest thing I've ever seen...

 

 

 

Yay for Kyle and Yosi!!!

 

Yay for Yosi's family!!!

 

Yay for our family!!!

 

 

A Riddle for Thursday...

What's Brown, and Cream with spots of RED?

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Stay tuned....I have an idea brewing in my HEAD!

****

On another note...CAN you believe it's almost THANKSGIVING!??? ALREADY???

Me neither....

The leaves have changed color...The rain is here...The car is dinging "caution possible icy roads".

Crazy!!! I think we were a bit spoiled by the awesome SUMMER weather we had.

Craft Warehouse open house with the girls this Saturday...EB Feastival Lunch next Friday with the guys and their gals....Holiday Home Tour on Dec 2 with the girls.

Shopping...Baking...Feasting...I feel the pounds sneaking on now.

but....SOON it will be CHRISTMAS break too and Kyle and his girlfriend, Yosi will be home on leave for a much needed visit...and maybe an improptu baby shower!!!

Three more weeks until we find out if it's a PINK or BLUE!!! Gotta love technology....

As much as I would love to spoil a little PINK baby....I know ALL about the BLUE babies!!!

I'm VERY excited....!

October 20, 2012

Yes. I know today is November 1, 2012.

But, I've been bursting with news to share on my blog and want to be sure to note the date,
October 20, 2012 ... the date I first heard THE NEWS!!!

I'm gonna be a grandma! Yep!!! A Grandma...

Glammy? Grandma? Grandmother? Non? Nana? Grammy? Gramma Tina?

That was fast! An empty nest at the first of October, then a grandparent-to-be less than 3 weeks later!!!

Our middle son, Kyle, and his girlfriend, Yosi, who lives in NYC are expecting
May 14, 2013.

Kyle is in the Army and will most likely face deployment in January 2013, but we are hopeful that things work out in their favor....He just recently returned from a one-year deployment to S. Korea, and that felt like forever!

There are still a lot of variables and details yet to work themselves out, but if his dad and I are any watermark of beating the odds and nay-sayers of a young relationship, they will be fine!

They are over-the-moon with excitement. Her family is full of excitement. I'm chock full of emotion. I am full of many adjectives actually, but "full of emotion" seems to cover them all!!!

They are hoping to come home in December for the holidays so we can officially meet Yosi and see the "belly"!

A baby... A BABY!!! A little Schiefer grandson or granddaughter...WOW!!!

America. Free to Dream....

From a vintage clipboard and a handful of ICE Resin products, I've created a home decor piece that is very close to my heart.

As an assemblage artist, I find the process of creating quite inspiring and fun.

There is NO formal plan...There is just....

First, there is the collecting. The finding. The dirty, dirty digging... I LOVE that part.

Then, there is the spark. The moment you hone in on a piece of the pile and an idea begins to form.  Most call this moment "the moment a piece speaks to them"... I guess, in a way, that's true, but I've had a piece "talk" to me...lol Oh, the conversations we would have...I'd let the "pile" do all the talking...YES, I'd shut up to hear the stories...ok, so I'd TRY to keep my mouth closed, but probably not!

In this instance, the piece was a textured and embossed ABC cover of an old dictionary. A mold and clear casting was created. The texture and the graphics of the casting were so unique - delicate looking, but sturdy. I spent several days just touching and looking at the piece. (ok, I didn't just sit there for days holding and staring at the casting, but it was in my "space" so I could re-visit it over and over again).

Next step? Consult the "pile"... (yes. yes. I have a pile...more like a mountain, er, mountain range!)

Vintage clipboard.

ABC's...Clipboard? Yes. That works.

Add some softness to the hard edges?

Old upholstery fabric samples from the books my mom "donated" to me from her shop...

Oooooh. ICE Resin ribbon in coordinating color? Yes. That works.

Textured "ribbon" from old, VERY old cheesecloth-meets-muslin-like mesh dust-cover fabric I had saved from under-the-old-box springs I had torn apart a few years back to retrieve rusty box springs (to add to the collective pile, of course!). Yes. That works.

Add a bit of ICE Resin mica sheet over a mini-word flash card.

A bezel with the word FREE...filled with resin.

Add a Bingo marker, so just the B GO are visible.

Embellish a bit more. Punch holes. Add wire. Add chain...

Soon, the piece spells out a phrase...so meaningful. So close to home...

America. Free to Dream. Just B. And GO forth.

*****

My post featured today over on ICE Resin Creative Team Wednesday...

I created this piece in honor of my middle son, Kyle, who is currently in the Army; out of respect for family members and all my friends’ husbands, wives, sons and daughters serving now, and previously, all around us. To those who have and are risking their lives daily and are separated for months on end, to ensure our American freedoms.

As artists, as a society, not only are we free to dream and create, but we can openly convey our feelings, wants, and desires through a variety of media … written words, sculpture, music, fashion, Internet. In my corner of the world, I cannot imagine my life without the simple freedom I have and the joy I find when searching for found objects and cast-offs to then use to express myself through art. Too often I think I take these and other simple, daily freedoms for granted simply because it has always been a way of life, my whole life, thanks to the many sacrifices of others beside me and before me.

Although not the traditional RED, WHITE, and BLUE, the colors that I well-up at while they are marching by in a parade, or raised at the opening ceremony of a graduation, or flown in mass numbers by a nation at a time of devastation and in need of commiseration, this piece holds a special place in my heart as a constant reminder…


AMERICA. FREE to DREAM. Just Be. And GO forth.

Can you believe it? I'm actually on my blog!!!!

It feels like it's been FOREVER since I've blogged...and I guess it has! My feelings are correct!

Been VERY busy with SO much in life...


Project deadlines...theme park openings spanning the globe. Lots of long hours for the entire E.B. crew. Lots of new costume projects and deadlines. Work. Work. Work. All good, considering the alternative, but some days it truly feels like over-load...It IS over load...I guess my feeling are again correct!

One that's out the door...Big Rock Candy Mountain...photo credit and article link

Kyle is home on leave from Korea.

A.J. graduated from high school.

Our favorite...one and only family dog, Wonka had to be put down un-expectedly due to complications of diabetes...we didn't even know he was diabetic...and he was NOT vet appointment deprived by any means...the symptoms just came on fast and were irreversable..Not a happy time for any of us...

We have a new back porch. We love it. Especially since it will keep rain from dumping down on the new (almost 3, or maybe even 4 years old! My how time really does fly!) door.

We are trying to get settled in the new shop, but really, just landed and hit the ground running full-steam ahead.

The Rusty Monkey wall started to be built today. YAY!!! That is a happy adventure down the road...
that road is getting shorter...I hope!

Lots going on...

LOTS!!!

Just wait until this is done....I hope it will look something like this...

A SERIOUSLY WONDER WALL!!! Thanks to Layla and Kevin Palmer over at the Lettered Cottage for the inspiration....

Cheers!!!

Reminders of my boys are everywhere...

As my boys are growing older, I can't help but find myself thinking about "when"...

If you are a mom of grown children, you can most likely relate.

My baby will be turning 18 next weekend and my middle, Army serving-son, will turn 21 this Saturday ... a BIG birthday to be sure, but he is ALL the WAY in KOREA!!! I will not get to hug him. Kiss him. Squeeze him. Or toast to his big day in person.

But, have no illusion, I will be thinking of him and will be toasting him from his home-town. Cheers!

The photo above is a bit of a reminder of those two younger boys. The lunch box was deftly sand-blasted by A.J. when he was just a little guy. The Monkey stamps served their purpose, stamping many letters to Kyle whilst in boot camp...."To my Middle Monkey...Love, Mom Monkey."

Good thing lots more memories are yet to be made....

ps. This post was not meant to only focus on the two younger boys...Ty, our oldest, will be 24 this year. TWENTY-FOUR!!! Now that's a BIG reality check! 24...That means, I'm.....yeah, I'm celebrating 26 years of marriage this month too! :-) CHEERS to July....

Goodbyes and Surprises....

Kyle was home for a little less than a week, but fortunately, part of that time fell over the weekend!

He spent time with us, his brothers, his friends and his dog, Wonka.

We ate well. We had some good laughs. We heard some good stories.

Then the time came for him to depart. Great! Here come the tears and red, swollen eyes. I can't help it! I try to think of things to distract me, like bugs, cleaning the bathroom, traffic, etc., but the dang emotions ALWAYS win!!!

Even Wonka knew he was leaving and wanted to go....WONKA NEVER gets in a car by himself...He knew....

I can keep it together, for the most part, during the first hug and good-byes, but it's always that SECOND and later rounds of hugs that get me, cause I know I'm running out of time!!!

Well, I cried. He welled up. ***GEEZ, WHEEZ! I'm welling up again!!! He's been gone for TWO days. Two days!

That's only the beginning of a LONG, LONG, LONG separation.


ONE YEAR in Korea.


Boot camp was long.... 2 months.

AIT training was longer... 4 months.

ONE YEAR!!! That will feel like forever!!!

EVEN more so, since he won't be coming home AT ALL during that time.

In the last hour before taking him to the airport, I asked him if there was anything he needed or wanted. He said, "Salt Water Taffy!"

We were siting outside of Carl's Jr. eating a quick bite in his car (yeah, that's just how we roll!) and I racked my brain...where to find Salt Water Taffy - FAST???

Hmmmm....I called Harry and David down the street and they had it! Score!!!

A mixed bag of taffy - not exactly sure how many would be black licorice or banana, as he prefers - but I got him a good sized bag and three bags of assorted licorice. That should keep him in candy snacks until he hits Korea...LOL

****

For balance, yesterday, I checked the mail and Somerset Studio - Gallery magazine was there!!! Yaa HOO.....

My House 13 was there, but the big surprise came when on page 32 ... SO was my Life of Charlotte - 1688 canvas!!!

I hadn't expected that.

I actually had to do a double-take.

My eyes recognized it, but my brain was clearly lagging behind a bit.

This photo is a bit blurry, and for that I apologize, but my phone, sometimes has a mind of its own.

I originally had submitted it for their FEARLESS call for art. Here is the article I submitted, to explain the meaning behind the art....

Title: The Life of Charlotte - 1688

Category: Fearless Challenge

Inspiration

When I think long and hard about the word Fearless, I begin to wonder if any of us truly are?

I am a woman who is brave, stubborn, headstrong and capable of overcoming many obstacles, but does that make me fearless?

Recently, I came across this page in an Outline of Literature journal. It outlines author’s Jean de La Bruyere’s circa 1688 book, Characters, poignant reference on women – a woman, much like my imagined dear Charlotte. Using phrases like “wishes she were a man”, “women are ignorant”, and “sluggishness of their minds”, really moved me. I found myself reflecting on how much has changed over the years and how thankful I am to the many generations of women before me that were truly fearless enough to have their voices heard. They overcame condemnation, defeat, and prejudice enabling me to explore who I am as a wife, a mother, a business partner, a sister, a friend, a daughter. Ever changing. Always dreaming. Continually moving forward on my life’s journey, while still looking back...

I have fear. Fear of rejection. Fear of failure. Fear of inadequacy.

Will I be judged by what I am wearing? Or by the fancy label I am not wearing? Where I live or how I live? Will others have negative opinions of my art? The answer is yes, but I will never have to fear being a woman in 1688.

Technique

Over the last few years, I have created numerous keepsake canvases with photos of my family. This, The Life of Charlotte, is the first art canvas I have created. Inspired first by the reference text, I envisioned an imaginary life of a woman named Charlotte living in the year 1688. I added a Memoirs element to further my imagination – I wonder what she would have written in her life journal?

Usually, I paint my canvases with acrylic paint. This time, however, I experimented with a new technique – no paint at all. Instead, I used a moss green pigment cat’s eye ink pad and walnut wash dauber. I lightly dragged the moss pad over the surface, daubing the edges of the pad in places, creating oval markings. Next, I added more to the edges to darken them. After that was dry, I used the walnut dauber to add another layer – light on the surface, darker on the edges – leaving some of the white canvas to show through. This gave the illusion of multiple colors.

When that was dry, I used matte finish Mod Podge on the surface. Using a spool of naturally aged vintage thread, I wrapped and tied the edges like a gift box. Then I added a scrap of cotton lace vertically. The edges of image and the text were inked using the moss ink pad. Both were layered and Mod Podged directly to the canvas. I used a vintage word stamp and a date stamp – rolling a 16 and then an 88 – on a scrap of coordinating paper layered onto a scrap of chipboard. A tiny button was added to the centers of the paper flowers and in a vertical row underneath the vintage tag element.

Using the same moss ink, I inked a raw wood clothespin, wrapped the top with thread and tied on a miniature paperclip. Lastly, I added The Life of Charlotte, cut from the same book. The authors name was added to the bottom side of the canvas. I enjoy clipping text and images from old books, though not original antiques, and creating my own story.