It’s been an interesting last few days… I tried to take the free teleseminar by Christine Kane on Wednesday but only got through less than half without war with my children (which really, was me warring with myself, not my kids). I did hear enough that had me considering the Uplevel Your Life program (a group life-coaching for women). Thursday, after Zumba, a friend brought to my attention (without trying) that I wasn’t paying attention…while chatting about meditation in everyday actions (insert the need to reread Hand Wash Cold here). After freaking out about Lysol being sprayed around my children (and at least eight others) in the kid care at the gym, I came home, tucked my monkeys in bed, and downloaded four podcast interviews with Karen Maezen Miller. I made soup and bread (in the trusty bread machine) while I listened to Karen remind me that I didn’t need to “fix” anything but to let my anger be my anger, let my sadness be my sadness, let my exhaustion be…just that. So, I’m back to it - letting my practice be just that, practice. I just needed a little refocusing and cleaning of my lens.

If you have the opportunity to find yourself unwinding into one of her books please drop me a line. I’d love to hear what beauty you noticed after reading her releasing words.

In the afternoon we ventured out to the Sparks Marina to check out the Arts in Bloom Festival. There were many artists with handmade wares but we were there to support my friend Amanda who was selling her handmade pottery. Turns out she didn’t need our help with sales as her table was busy and she had little left in her collection by the end of the day.

This Sunday Amanda will be there again with all new pieces. I got a sneak peak into some fun and functional new pieces she’s been working on that you need to scoop up for yourself. She’ll be set up near the stage.

Hope you get out to the marina to enjoy the sun and art. Have a fabulous Mother’s Day!

by Anne Domagala

Here’s hoping your weekend leaves you feeling buoyant. I’ll be taking my boys to Rancho San Rafael Park Family Kite Day to enjoy the warm air and sunlight.

Woke to little smiles
Makes even sleepy days bright
Lucky mom am I

Want to make a unique piece of jewelry for Mother’s Day? Want to restring an old necklace you’ve been meaning to repair? Want some time to let your mind and hands relax into creativity? Then join me, next weekend!

I’m teaching a beading class at the Nevada Museum of Art next Saturday, April 17th. You can sign up here. If you have any questions, leave a comment and I’ll email you.

Hope to see you there!

We’ve had some recent competition in the house over a bell rattle that was my husband’s as a child.

In an attempt to seek out a solution by adding another toy based on the bell noise I crocheted this jiggle bell toy. *Please note* that after letting my son Finn test this toy I determined that this is not age appropriate for our 16M old boys because of the potential choking hazard. He wanted to nibble on the bells. This is better suited for an older child ready to rock-out with some more advanced instruments.

This is my first attempt at a tutorial so please let me know if you have any questions or tips of your own.

Here we go…

What you’ll need:

-Embroidery floss or yarn
-Crochet hook to match the size of your yarn
-Jingle craft bells with holes for stringing

1. String some bells (I used five small bells) on some embroidery floss (leave floss attached to original skein). It’s a good idea to string more than you think you will use.

2. Crochet five chain stitches (see video tutorial here, click on “chain stitch”).

3. Pull first bell taut to your crochet hook.

4. Crochet five more chain stitches and add another bell. Repeat until you have your desired length and have used all but one of your bells. I made our toy just big enough to fit over my boys’ wrists.

5. After your last five stitches you can place the last bell. I didn’t do this but wish I would have to make it look even all the way around. If you do this crochet one more chain stitch and stop. If you want your toy to look just like mine then crochet five more chain stitches after your last bell.

6. Next, clip the embroidery floss about three inches past your crochet hook and last loop. Pull that tail of floss through the last loop on your chain and pull it tight.

7. Tie the two ends together with a couple knots. You can put a dab of glue on the knots for security. If using glue, please be sure this glued knot doesn’t have the potential of going into a teething toddler’s mouth. Clip tails from knots and enjoy!

I was lucky enough to meet Ashley last summer at the West Street Market here in Reno. I bought one of her beautiful bird mobiles for my boys’ room. She is as amazing in person as she is on her blog. And, she totally hit my soft spot by loving up my boys.

Congrats Reno on making the Design Guide and many thanks to Ashley and d*s for putting us on the design map!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! May yours be full of little red headed boys and tall pints of Guinness.

Fueled by many conversations about staying motivated to have a “regular creative practice”, a couple of my girlfriends agreed to a week-long make-something-everyday challenge.

I’d say we’re off to a fabulous start, wouldn’t you?

Day 1: Cork Trivets by Anne, Silver Chain Necklace by Shannon, Maple Bud Arrangements by Me