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Enjoying myself at Chelan, WA last fall
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ABOUT ME....HMMMMM...I guess allI can say about myself is that I just am! But, I would like to believe I am absolute perfection at it' s best LOL But I will concide to being just me and excepting all my imperfections. I'm short, getting older and I am beginning to really appreciate the color grey .
UPDATE AS OF JAN, 2009
First I want to thank all of my VERY UNDERSTANDING customers that worked with me through my illness. Thank you all so much. I am back or on my way back and you will be seeing some changes in my store along with allot more new decals and hopefully a web page. That probley won;t happen until after my move though. I am also hoping to add ceramic supplies at some point along with my finished pieces. So bare with me through the changes that are coming.
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The last two years has been an awakening period for me. As I mentioned before my son Michael moved back home from his dads and finished his senior year back at home. He has sence moved out on his own. My daughter Hailey has left and come back home mroe times then I can count now...AHEM...Well, she is back and this time wiht another half, two wonderful little step-sons and pregnant! My youngest son Eric...wonderful young man who is to smart for his age seems to have a life all of his own and one that I do nto understand at all. He changes daily or at least his hair does. I look forward to the day he becomes a parent.
Since my last update I had become single, lost my home, business and best freind pretty much all at once. I am passed allot of the EECK that went with all of that. I am still not through all of it but my heart has softened a little bit. I am still losing my home but attempting to rebuild my business with what I have left. My ex-bestfreind is still that...an ex! I said my good byes to him and hoped he found whatever happiness he was looking for. Needless to say...alot of changes happening in my life. Some good...Some not so good, but certianly foul of unknown opportunitites and possiblities. Everyday I wake up being thankful for another day and being able to still brush my own hair :)
Originally, last year, I had planned to go back to school and take up welding...I decided not to attend school until after my move. Well, I did not have to move as soon as I had been told. I am still currently at my home but moving day for sure will be this April. So once agian I am hopeful to go back to school. I am still interested in welding but I may concider porperty management and perhaps HR.
NOW ON TO CERMAICS....
I love the ceramic feild. I have taught all phases of it. The most rewarding for me has been working with physically & mentally disabled individuals and children. But now that I am older I do not have the patience I used to have, or so it seems. My mom said as I got older I would lose some of that...patience! Now I teach classes in my free time which is very rarely now a days. I teach free hand drawing and painting on ceramic utility pieces. One of these days I will get some of my pieces online for you all to see. My thoughts are to open up another art studio someday and my own web site. Perhaps when the kids are done coming in and out of my door and I have retired.
I started in the ceramic business out of survial. When my marriage ended years ago my hobby became a business overnight and it just grew and grew and GREW. I eventually left my home town and left Yakima valley to be closer to my parents and my wholesale business came with me. Once the kids were all in school I could no longer make delivers all over Washington or Oregon so I ended the wholesale phase of my business and I opened up my first painting studio on a wing and a prayer. Over the years I have learned a lot of the ceramic business from trail and error but I have also made it a point to become a certified Duncan instructor. I love to experiment with colors, glazes and techniques. If someone said it could not be done I had to make sure. Not only have I have turned out some pretty interesting pieces I have learned allot along the way.
EATING CROW TIME...Against my better judgement and taking the advise of my other half I closed my store approx. 6 years ago and moved it to my property so I could work at home and become more present in all their lives....BAD IDEA...BAB, BAD IDEA...It seemed like everyone in my life became brain dead once I was readily available for them and it seems they still are to a certian degree. Once I was workign at home I attempted to manage the house, the kids, the business, the finances...You name it... I assumed the position on my own accord and of free will never asking for anything or expecting anything. I simple figured my turn would come...MAN...What a wake-up call I have had over the past few years! It didn't take long to realize that one must be disciplined to work at home! I am not saying I am undisciplined but I do struggle with staying focused. I soon discovered that I absolutely hated working at home...Did I mention I absolutely hated working at home! If I had no life when I ran the store it was because I was so busy running the store, but I loved it and everyone I meet. My time management skills were at an all time high, I was scheduled and so were the kids. Everything got done that needed to get done.I was disciplined and focused in the store. Once I began working at home all that flew out the window...I couldn;t manage to get anything done. Then to top that off...I had absolutley no life because I couldn't leave my property in the event a customer might show up LOL. Unfortunatly within a few months of reopening my studio at home we had a string of really sad and unfortunate events happen in all our lives, the worst begin the loss of my father. Without realizing it I had buried my head in the sand and shut most of the world out. I slowely turned away from my business, my customers, freinds & family. I all but became a recluse. After I began to wake up and join the real world again I was on overload coming down from an overload. Every area in my life needed my attention. It was time for change and making decisions. I re-discovered Ebay.
I decided it was finally time to close the shop up and this time for good and I was finally okay with it. So I have spent the last few years downsizing and selling the molds I knew I did not want. I tried selling bisque but being a perfectionist I knew that was more work then I could manage. Everytime I went into my shop & studio everything became overwelming once agian. Thanks to the help of a wonderful friend, Colleen, together we have managed to sell more molds then I care to think about and opened up another Ebay store for books and misc. things. Then we decided we still didn't have enough to do so we began selling molds for yet another local ceramic shop. Last year I realized I would be out of molds at some point so I turned to my decals.... So here I am, selling ceramic fire-on decals.
I do plan on continuing wiht the cermaic decals even though my life is so busy at the moment. My time is now spent at Wal-Mart where I currently work on the grave yard shift stocking shelves. trying to just be present in my kids life and cleaning up the mess I am in. The cermaic industry is certainly changing. It is sad to see shops dropping like flies. I have seen this happen before but it always seemd to come back one way or another. Everyone's lives are becoming so busy just managing simple everyday life and practicality is becoming a biggy. That is what makes ceramic fire-on decals so neat...They are quick and easy and can be used on so many practical things. Whether you own a shop or are just a hobbist you can really turn out some fantastic pieces with ceramic decals.
I hope to do business with you some day. I promise do my best to be the best supplier for you. At times life does get int he way but if something happens and I can not deliver on my end you can be assured I will make it right one way or another.
With all that said...Come back often to see what is new with the decals and if you want to keep up on me, the kids, the move, my school, my job search...You name it!
If there is ever anything I can help you with or you are just looking for someting special just drop me a line and if you get the chance sign up for my hit and miss newsletters LOL and sign my guest book. I appreciate everyone of you and the business you bring me. Keep it coming...Maybe some day I won't need to have a job outside of my decals.
THINGS THAT MAKE ME ME...bubbles, flowers in the spring, fresh air, sunlight through a dirty window, green, enabler :), mom, artist, inability to hate, family dinners, enchilladas, wearing PJ's to the store, pony tials, Patsy Cline, the smell of lavender, a hot bath, achy feet, forever holding on to what tomorrow has to offer, my children, listening to a good audio book, candles in the middle of the night, being by myself and being okay with it, new freinds, old freinds, blackberry wine, dyslexic "thank god for spell check", knowing the taste of cermaic dust, 50's & 60's music......
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