Thank GOD 2007 is over... Lis described events of the year as the "perfect storm"... We did not pay much attention to ebay, while we dealt with other issues and life events...

2008 is getting off to a much better start - Our business is going the right direction, we are almost done with a complete re-do of our studios (we took over the whole building in January, so we actually have ROOM for our various art activities..)  Even the shipping area is more organized and seemingly spacious..

We will be spreading out not only our work areas, but setting up an area for our neighbors to market their wares here in Coker Creek during the season..

I now have all the office stuff in ONE room - and we call it the "office"..  everything has its own place, so it is easier to find things.. and just better all around.

Phil is doing better - he had quite a hard time of it last year healthwise..  fortunately, it is all treatable with rest but we were pretty frightened for a bit.  He managed to keep working throughout it all..

Our son George's band, "A Decent Animal" is on the move - heading for the left coast and more venues to play in. 

Gabriel, our little grandchild is adapting to the world as a two year old, and is just too sweet!

Back to ebay - with all the huh-rah-rah about the new changes - we are going to give it one more try.

So you can visit our store, and order custom hair forks, kitchen ware and various other bits - We appreciate you, our ebay customer and hope to see lots more of you this spring. 

and we hope your 2008 is smooth sailing!

Anyone who has been shopping on ebay recently may be picking up on the dissension and the changes.

We are "watchfully waiting" to see how things pan out.  The ebay store, as we know it may soon be a thing of the past. We will continue to sell on ebay, but it will be cost prohibitive to list a large number of our designs.

Things are changing at ebay - I would love to be a fly on the wall... 

Stay tuned.

Anyone starting to think fall?  We are.  Lis and I are making beautiful new earrings in great autumn and winter colors!  Perfect for back to school. 

Phil  &  I are working on new hair stick designs as well as packaging our kitchen items in nice wood crates with tea towels and fabric ribbon - they will be fine hostess gifts when you go for Thanksgiving or for Christmas and Holidays!  I think the little spreader with the small board is PERFECT for the dorm room or apartment as well.

It is not too bad here weatherwise.  Very Hot in the day, but we still cool off at night.  We are looking for barrels to collect rain water in.  With all the weather and climate issues, we are hoping that by not using the Air Conditioner, we will acclimate to the hotter weather.  We are also looking at collecting the rain water for our gardens, rather than taking the water out of the ground.

Stay cool everyone.

Whew!  It is hot and humid in the forest.

We choose to not use air conditioning, relying instead upon lots of water and cold food to keep us going.

When working in the shop, we don't push - work a bit and then drink  some water and settle down..  We feel so fortunate that we can work!

One of our little shop cats, Liam passed away this week..  He was born with a bad heart, and the vet said he most likely would not live six months..  He lived 15 months.

He was such a loving and sweet guy.. He purred even at the end, when his little heart just gave out. He had a beautiful long orange coat.  His two brothers, Pip and Blue miss him greatly, we are comforting each other. 

On a business note, our new gift set designs are coming along - and we have some new beadwork coming out!

We will be making something wonderful and name it for our little Liam.

Summertime is good - makes us long for the crisp days of fall..

Stay hydrated!

martha

Happy Birthday to America! 

A day to pause and reflect...

We are lucky that our forefathers were civic minded and far sighted.  They crafted a constitution which specifically protects our freedoms, irregardless of our personal point of view.

We should remember that with freedom comes responsibility.

A toast then, to the civic minded citizens of our country, who work for the good of all, and not the few!