Tuesday, April 29, 2008
1:49 PM

We're here, amazed spring is almost over.

Asian New Year Festival

Gracie, who is now 2 and a half, started a toddler program at a local learning center. As a result, our family is cycling through many, many, many colds and viruses as our immune systems catch up to speed.

There's a detailed update of Miss Gracie on my LiveJournal.

I'm working hard on jewelry- new spring and summer collections.

spring beads

I haven't painted or collaged or scrapbooked in ages. I really want to get back to those things. I miss them so much. I'm still just trying to figure out how to find balance between being a mom and being an artist.

link : 0 comments
gracie girl in the art studio life in general



Sunday, February 3, 2008
10:34 AM

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This is so very, very clever. I have a binder I keep all my stickers, ephemera, and journaling things in (for collage and scrapbooking), but I am so tempted to make one of these now because just being able to see it all easily would encourage me to us it more.

This would also be great great for unmounted stamps, of which I have so very many.

Yes, I will be making this!


link : 6 comments
ideas and inspiration in the art studio



Saturday, February 2, 2008
1:15 PM

I know most of you read Ali Edwards' blog but in case you *didn't*, you have to check out this wonderful thing she linked to:

This is SO inspiring, I think. A reminder that sometimes good things don't have "GOOD THINGS" written all over them.

I really need to take Gracie to the local museum. But they don't allow cameras, which stinks, IMO, because I want to be able to capture some of her expressions when she sees some of the big installations.

I so wish we had a local science museum. Not one of those one-room things, but a serious science museum.

Happy Saturday!

link : 1 comments
ideas and inspiration



Friday, February 1, 2008
1:59 PM

"Nothing will sustain you more potently than the power to recognize
in your humdrum routine,
as perhaps it may be thought,
the true poetry of life."

-- Sir William Osler (1849-1919) Canadian Physician

link : 0 comments
quotes



Wednesday, January 30, 2008
12:28 PM

Lately, my obsession has been stamping with huge, detailed rubber stamps, embossing with block powder, and then painting with the brand new watercolors I got for Christmas. (I'll post a picture of a card I made later today, if I can find it...)

Right now I am obsessing over the Medallion stamps by Holly Berry. The images are like mandalas- and would be perfect to stamp and paint. I was just interested in the details, but apparently the idea of the stamp is to cut them apart and layer them, each "zone" becoming another layer.An example is here. It all sounds beautiful.

They have a zillion different designs, and they are HUGE stamps, anywhere from 3.75 inches square to 6 inches square, which is big for a stamp. They are also expensive- about $15 each.

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Maybe after we finish dealing paying off the Christmas bills.

link : 1 comments
material goodness



Saturday, January 26, 2008
4:53 PM

New (at least to me) Tegan & Sara video. I *love* them. I think along with Neko Case, they are my favorite musicians at the moment.

Yes, they are twins.

They make me want to be 19 and cool again.


link : 2 comments
ideas and inspiration



Monday, December 17, 2007
8:21 AM

To do the useful thing, to say the courageous thing, to contemplate the beautiful thing: that is enough for one [wo]man's life.

-- T.S. Eliot

link : 1 comments
quotes



Tuesday, December 11, 2007
5:37 PM

Someone sent me this and I think it's pretty funny:

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HOVERCAT

link : 6 comments
meow



Wednesday, December 5, 2007
10:33 PM

Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you're going to do now and do it.

- William Durant

link : 1 comments
quotes



Monday, December 3, 2007
6:54 PM

We received a catalogue from The Museum of Modern Art in NYC, and I am just in AWE of the things they carry in their museum shop. So amazing and beautiful and fun and unique! And the prices are incredibly fair, especially for museum/handmade gifts.

A few of my favorites:

- A snowglobe ring (for only $6!!) If I lived near the museum, I would buy one for every single girl I know. I love this kind of stuff. Glitter. Snowglobes. Sparkles.

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- An amazing modern dollhouse with cool furniture.

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- Beautiful colorful ornaments...

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- Intricate pop-up cards I wish *I* had sent out. I am definitely getting my cards from MoMa next year.

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- Beautiful note paper with 3-d butterflies that fold out when you open each sheet.

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- Super cool finger-tip crayons in really great colors. All kids stuff is always in the primary colors- I love to see secondary and tertiary blends, too. (These are meant for kids, but I want them for *me*!)

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- And finally, a really pretty lamp/lampshade that I can't really figure out, but it looks cool.

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Seriously, go buy someone something. I can guarantee even if it's not what they *thought* they wanted, they will find it incredibly unique, thoughtful, and won't forget it.

link : 3 comments
material goodness



 

 

 

 

 


Chel (pronounced "shell"). 33. Mama to Gracie. Artist. Friend. Adoptive parent. Scrapbooker (not a very good one, at that). Long distance swimmer. Animal rescuer. Wife. Beader maker. Vegetarian. Rubber stamp collector.

Why the change? This new face of gingerblue.com is the culmination of three online journals/blog (the adoption blog, the baby blog, the art blog), plus the personal web page I have been maintaining since 1995. Here you'll find updates on Gracie, updates on my jewelry making, what I have going on in my art studio, and what's going on with life in general.

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I have found that the art of simplicity simply means making peace with your complexity
-india.arie

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list of all archives

BY CATEGORY
gracie girl
gracie's adoption
everything creative & crafty
life in general
links
quotes
material goodness



About Me
Koyaanisqatsi: A Life out of Balance
Distractions (on hiatus)
Spirit
Wishlist Info (mine & Gracie's)


Gingerblue Beads
Etsy Shop
My LiveJournal
Facebook
Flickr Photos
www.flickr.com



get in touch with me





 



 



 



CLAY & BEADS
The Clay Store
Prairie Craft
Fire Mountain Beads
Stewart-Gill Arts
Poly Tools
Cool Tools

STAMPS
Above the Mark
Purple Onion Designs
Fontwerks
Michael Strong
Barbara McGuire
Fancy Pants

PAPER GOODS
Paper Shop Ink
Knock Knock
Seven Gypsies
Autumn Leaves
Making Memories

INSPIRATION
Ali Edwards
Donna Kato
Dale Chihuly
Georgia O'Keefe
Claudine Hellmuth
Amy Butler

GROUPS/CHALLENGES
Etsy FEST
PCA Guild of Etsy
Art Inspiration Challenge
Studio Friday

SCRAPBOOKING
Scrap Scene
Scrapbook Express
Scrap-Mart
ScrapyLand
2 Peas
scrapperie

WRITERS/POETS
Elizabeth Berg
Mary Oliver
Alexander McCall Smith
Muriel Rukeyser

COMEDIANS
Jim Gaffigan

MUSICIANS
india.arie
Neko Case
Duran Duran
Paul Simon
Innocence Mission

ANGELS
Christopher Reeve
Fred Rogers

MISC. & SUNDRY
Sagbottom
Adventures of LawMommy
DoodleGirl
Small Sweet Life
AllSorts
Misguidedangel.nu
In the Life Of...
Chickeny Goodness
A Typical Woman
Faisal dot com
Twisted Stitcher
In Wonderland
Bea's Log
Ellessu.net
Chaos Theory
The Onion
dinyel.com
Living as a [Life Artist]
Jeanne's Bliss Blog

more soon

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For the Love of Cats
Alley Cat Allies
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
Vietnamese Orphans Relief Fund