Oh Deer!

There were two deer in our backyard the other day.  Well, actually in the backwoods behind our backyard.  As soon as I got the call from my neighbor Pam; I rushed to get Gabriel into his snow pants and boots and hurried into the backyard. 

Trust me when I say these pictures do not do the experience justice.  There were two deer and they were so close at one point.  That night we received another two feet of snow...

These pictures are courtesy of my neighbor Rob Botway.

Let it snow

We woke up to another two feet of snow this morning.  This is in addition to the two feet that Mother Nature was kind enough to dump on us just over two weeks ago.  ...I just heard another nor'easter is headed our way next week too.

Puff the Magic Dragon

I well-up every time I sit down to read Gabriel this book.  Seriously!  It's actually kind of disturbing & I can't control it.  No matter hard I try, I CANNOT get through Puff the Magic Dragon with dry eyes.

Now I'm the kind of person that finds *meaning* in almost everything.  A bird appears out of nowhere and  it's a message of some kind. I look at the clock at precisely 6:12 & I know my grandfather is near. 
 
So I decided to ponder those uncontrollable tears & here's what I finally came up with - The book - which is really just the song in print - is trying to tell me to enjoy my son & his childhood while I still can.  Because one day soon, sooner than I might like, sealing wax and silly strings are going to make way for other stuff.

"A Dragon lives forever, not so little girls and boys

painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys..."

Crying yet?

With that I've come to realize that "Balance" is my life lesson this time around.  Being able to balance my wants and needs with those of my family...especially the precious, oh so impressionable little cargo.  After all :

Balance = Bliss

I do find that when I am in balance, everything else in my life seems to harmoniously fall into place.   Just like magic!  Yet, it is something I struggle with everyday.  Why? 

"One grey night it happened, jackie paper came no more

And puff that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar.

His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain,

Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane.

Without his life-long friend, puff could not be brave,

So puff that mighty dragon sadly slipped into his cave"

I married my best friend

I just saw a commercial for Drew Barrymore's new movie "Going the Distance" with Justin Long.  One of the lines her character says is:  

"the only way you are content in life is if you marry your best friend"

That line got me thinking about my relationship...  We have been together five years, going on six and ...

...he inspires me, he motivates me, he supports me, he is my harshest critic & worst enemy.  He is my best friend.  He knows how to push all my buttons and how to melt my heart. 

I am definitely not suggesting that being married to your best friend will be all rainbows and puffy white clouds against a crystal blue sky 24-7/365.  It won't! Every relationship takes some amount of effort after all.  However, going though life with your best friend at your side "the good will always outweigh the bad" and the ride will be so much more fun!

That's a picture of our engagement tattoo by the way...we custom designed it to signify *home*.

3 Percent Less - The sad truth

Here on Long Island the local energy company - National Grid - is heavily advertising their "3% Less" campaign.  On the surface it's a No-Brainer!

This campaign focuses on using three percent less energy over the course of the next three years; under the guise that using less energy is not only good for the environment, but will be a savings to the customers.  And YES, using less energy in general is great for the environment -- we all should be that energy conscious.  However, there will never be a savings passed onto anyone and National Grid should not be advertising otherwise.

You would  think though, that using less of anything would save money, right?  I mean if you aren't using it, then you obviously are not spending money on it.  In this case, that is not true!

 Using 3% less energy is definitely good for the environment, but you will NOT see that reflected in your wallet - at least not in a good way.  Like all big corporations, National Grid has investors, employees, pension plans & medical benefits that need to get paid.  Where do you think the money comes from?  That's right, it's customers...US!  In this case using 3% less energy will only make the cost of the energy go up -- they will need to charge more for it to cover expenses. 

Did you know that National Grid charges a surcharge in mild winters where customers use less energy than they predicted.  Seriously, check your bill. Where's the savings in that?

In the Artists Den

Here is a peak behind the scenes into my studio, a.k.a. the spare bedroom...  

That's me and my little guy,  Gabriel sitting at the table where I do most of my work.  The Dremmel was a gift from husband one Valentines Day a couple of years ago.  We aren't your typical family.  

The Dremmel is my favorite tool --  I use it for everything... cutting, grinding, sanding, engraving ...everything!  Okay, the Dremmel and the torch.  I really like the torch too!

Unless I have a specific idea in my head busting to get out - like the oh so popular banner rings - I need everything splayed out in front of me to get to the juices flowing.  My sketching skills leave much to be desired, but I do try to scribble down ideas.  It's either that or loose them forever.  If I can't work on a project the minute I'm inspired to, it's gone. As long as I can understand my drawings, that's all that matters.   

Usually everything is all over the floor and I'm down there sorting though until something sparks an idea.  The the picture above is very deceiving - it was for an interview with the Three Village Patch; a local news source dedicated to our hometown.

So now that I let you into my world, what's yours like?  How do you get the creative juices flowing?  Are you organized or messy like me?  I'd love your thoughts...

Brooklyn Bound

Here are some pictures from the last Rumblers event under the BQE in Brooklyn - it was the 10th annual Kustom Kills & Hot Rod Thrills Car Show.  

The supporters were out in full-force.  Motor heads from all walks of life were there to either show off their ride or hopefully score one!

Everyone takes pictures of the cars, while I did too, most of my pictures are more candid moments.  I hope you enjoy them.

The waiting begins...  the space for the show is limited.  All the vendors need to be set up before any cars are allowed in.  This is the in-between time...

  Now, this picture...

Is a result of this...

And this...

The scavengers were sure out that day!  With the way that crowd was behaving you would think those photographers never saw a HOT Rockabilly Chic before. Gosh!

I will follow-up with pics of all the cars & some video too, so be on the look out! 

Gabriel's Ring

I'm sure it comes as no surprise to family and friends that I've been neglecting my blog lately.  When you wear all the hats, something has got to give.  This time it was the blog.  A LOT has been going on and I'm here to bring you all up to speed...

My son has been bugging me for months to make him his very own four finger brass knuckle ring.  I kept putting it off, and putting it off, not really being inspired.  That changed on Friday; the night before the Rumblers 2010 Kustom Kills & Hot Rod Thrills Car Show (look for a separate post on this event).  I suddenly became inspired, as this would be the perfect place to debut Gabriel's new ring - selfish, I know.  ...it says "WANNA PLAY" and is his favorite phrase of all time - he only says it about 100 times a day.

It was a HIT!  Everyone loved it.  Of Course with Gabriel rocking the ring, how could they not love it! And, YES it is most definitely for sale!  For $35 your child can have their very own custom four finger brass knuckle style ring & be the "King of the Playground".  It's crafted from 5mm wide copper and has a felt backing to protect the little fingers.

More on what's been going tomorrow...

West Meadow Beach

Gabriel & Mommy

Going to the beach today with Gabriel was the BEST thing I did today.  The tide was so low and there were sand bars everywhere.  

We walked out to one, made foot prints in the sand and witnessed nature up close and personal.

Gabriel's little hand holding a baby jelly fish

The shores were littered with these jelly egg sacs - I knew they were eggs of babies, but had NO IDEA they were baby jelly fish!  

Apparently come the end of August, these little guys will be grown.

hermit crab

This little guy was one of many hermit crabs scurrying along the sand bar.  The hermit crabs were all shapes and sizes from the tiniest spec to this guy - he was the largest we saw today.

The tiny snails were fun to watch too.  There were hundreds making their way along the sand, some burrowing deep before our eyes.

This really was a fun afternoon.  North Shore beaches are so rocky that it takes low tide for nature to reveal itself.  This was truly a first for me as I've never walked out to a sand bar.  I'm so happy that I could do this with Gabriel today, allowing him to experience this for the first time too!  We go to the aquarium all time, but it's nothing like this.  Today was beautiful, for sure.

Reminiscing

Although I didn't know him then...this reminds me of my grandfather. He was a carnie before he met my grandmother in Texas and settled down. He told me stories about climbing the Ferris Wheel to set it up and take it down. As a matter of fact, my grandmother got on the ride and my grandfather wouldn't let her off - he was smitten. With that began a new chapter and the carnie life was left behind.

It all started when my grandfather ran away from home at the age of 9 and again at 13.  The second time he ran away from home, he worked in a bowling alley on 42nd Street in New York City setting up the bowling pins; it was 1939.  From there he joined a traveling carnival and ended up manning the Ferris Wheel.

The story I was told over and over again goes like this... Nanny (that's my grandmother) was at the carnival with her brother (my Uncle Dink...hey it was Texas in the 40's) and they got on the Ferris Wheel.  My grandfather saw her and was immediately smitten.  He had no idea Uncle Dink was her brother.  Round and round they went, with my grandfather refusing to let them off the ride until she agreed to a date with him.  Which, from I what was told, was a pretty long time. 

When it came time for the carnival to move on, the sheriff made sure my grandfather went with them.  You see, his son was also smitten with my grandmother.  From what I understand, not a week went by that my grandfather was back and they were married.  That was 1945.

Henri Bendel "Open See" Recap

It's official, I'm "Too Edgy" for Henri Bendel.  As you may, or may not know, on Friday, March 26, I dragged my behind out of bed at 4 am to get to the Henri Bendel "Open See".  I arrived on the line at 7:30 in the morning and there were at least 100 people on line in front of me already.  True to their word, at 9 AM the line started moving and we were shuffled in to the building in groups of 20.   ...escorted downstairs to wait on another line to sign in by category of business, from there we went to a waiting room, where Henri Bendel graciously provided coffee and tea.

It is not an exaggeration when I tell you, of the hundreds of people that showed up for the open see, at least 95% were jewelry vendors.  At around 12:30, I got my five minutes to pitch my product to one of the accessory buyers.  She flipped through my catalog, looked at 5 of the 7 trays I brought, looked up at me and said "you're too edgy for us".

"Too edgy", hmmm...I can not tell you that I did not see that coming, because I did.  My items are somewhat sophisticated, yet definitely edgy.  In a word "chaotically couture".  However, I got out of it what I wanted; the experience and the exposure.  The preparation for this meeting also forced me to create the wholesale catalog that I was putting off for ages.  With the new product and catalog finished MerCurios is ready for the next chapter, with wonderful things on the horizon.

The opportunity of a lifetime & the stress to match

Today is March 11 and I'm stressing out.  I'm stressing because I am pitching my product to an exclusive, trendy 5th Avenue boutique in two weeks.  I'm stressing out because other than the 2 bracelets that I created today, I haven't developed any product for the meeting -- I need at least 2 to 3 dozen pieces to feel like I have a fighting chance.

I'm stressing out because I have what's called "starving artist syndrome" in other words, I need to be inspired to create.  And it would appear as though my muse has run off to inspire another.  This absence is temporary, I know.  Still stressful nonetheless.

The stress coupled with the "what if's" is weighing heavy.  Will they like my schizophrenic one-of-a-kind style?  Will they think it's a good fit for their boutique?  Will they appreciate its uniqueness?  Or will they want it mass-produced? Come to think of it, in addition to the actual product, I need line sheets and a bio too!  Some nice displays wouldn't hurt either!

One would think 20 + years in the fast paced NYC fashion industry, working for the likes of Emmanuel Ungaro and Liz Claiborne doing fashion shows, in-store events, and  managing a 10 million dollar business in a sales capacity at the height of my career would have prepared me for this.  In some ways it did.   But it is different when it's your baby & your business.  ...I never felt guilty traveling or working late when another was providing my income.  Now, I get intense pangs of guilt when I tell my son I'll play with him later, because "mommy is working on an important project".  I'm a great mom & I know it.  I spend a great deal of time with my son and family, yet I still feel guilty for taking that much-needed time to help myself.  Any doctor, family counselor, self-help guru, or other mom will tell you that you need to take care of yourself first and foremost, otherwise you're no good to anyone else.  I know this to be true, so what's with the "mom guilt"?

Anyway, I do my best work under pressure, I always have; so I am positive that I will pull through.  Without inflicting too much damage to the family on the home-front too.

For what it's worth guys, I'm a really private person by nature.  It took some courage to share these to share these thoughts and emotions with you.