Mother's Day - Better late than never

So Rich was home from school a week before and then the week after mother's day because of finals. We planted loads of flowers and started the vegetable garden. I think this year I am only going to play flowers, herbs and tomatoes. In the past I haunted the farmers market looking for tomatoes to make the perfect tomato sauce for pasta. So this year I am hoping to have enough basil and tomatoes in the garden that I won't have to venture far to make the sauce and I do love to make the sauce.

I can't believe how another year of higher education has made him more mature, more willing to help out around here when he is home and more equipped to handle decisions. The pursuit of his education makes me the proud mom but the little tweeks in his personality regarding being more polite and more of a gentleman makes me oh so happy.

When he's working in the garden I can still see him as a little boy at the lake house on a pile of sand playing for hours and hours, his friends coming and going and late into the evening covered in sand and ready for food and a shower being all tanned and in the morning ready to play again. Yesterday we had lunch with Best Friend's mom and her brother and it felt like being home. I love to watch Rich dote over his grandma and I can't wait to venture home soon for a visit with the rest of the nieces and nephews and now grand nieces and the such. I'm not sure when they grew up but they did and I love being part of their lives. Each of them feels a little like my own child and their complex natures really do make me want to be close to them and figure them out. Each of them have so much going on. I am venturing home to celebrate my nephew graduate from med school and yet a niece is leaving for germany, one just arrived home from italy, there's a new baby to hold and cuddle, and I miss them all so much that I am going to hug them very hard.

Business stuff is clicking right along. April was the best month I've ever had but I think most of that was some very large wholesale orders. Etsy is clicking along just fine (I will write more about this in my next post) and I am working on two new lines, a clothing line I've been working on part time in stolen spare moments forever and a line of baby hats like you've never seen before. I am the elf in the shop working on those and for those of you that have noticed, I've let my listings spin down a little as I have hundreds of new new new designs I am posting soon. I have been making and just waiting for a little etsy marketing move before I list them. Now that that has happened, look for them. I have a whole new line of earrings that are over the top and I purchased hundreds and thousands of vintage watch cases that I am going to fill with some wonderful treasures. I am also going to start playing more with resin and the kawaii fun stuff and adding them to my store. You all know I love having new things working through my studio to offer to new and existing customers. I have sold more custom photo pieces than ever before so if you are looking for a one of a kind gift you should let me know. The bracelets make a wonderful gift for a new bride filled with photos of either her wedding party of people who couldn't attend the wedding to let them know they are still close to her on her special day. I can however fill a piece with your art, your children, your pets, your travel photos for a one of a kind keepsake. You can always contact me at Summerpoet@msn.com and you can find my work at www.poetsummer.etsy.com. I am always open to wholesale orders.

Thanks for spending this time with me, Carrie.

Ring Around The Rosie

Why give me a ring
when you own my heart?
When I feel your love I want to
throw my arms in the air and twirl
in circles and just maybe
one of those circles
would turn into a ring
you could wear on your finger
and look down and know
little pieces of of my heart
are in every turn

I LOVE LOVE LOVE to make rings. I love the wire, the idea that even when I just figured out how to put a whole world of fun on a bracelet, that even smaller I could put it on your finger. I made a little globe ring with an elephant dancing over the top under an umbrella. Oh what an afternoon of whimsy and delight. I even found a way to put the photo charms on rings with the back of typewriter keys working as the perfect little steampunk frames. When I went to the pumpkin farm with family people would stop and say, "is that a little circus ring?" ha. I am working on a book of rings, different styles, a do it yourself little zine. I have been working on it for months and I so get sidetracked. Being the be all end all of your own business sounds like fun until 40 people want something and you realize you have two hands, a worthless child and the phone is ringing. Fuck me. So things get put aside but I am making Christmas cookies this year, two kinds, a few dozen, some kolachky to take to Best Friend and that's it.

It snowed last night. It didn't just dust, it really snowed, enough snow so that this morning I could see a thousand little animal footprints in the driveway. Summer's done. The fall, just a few more days and that's over. We'll be all done eating turkey soon and it's on to the remainder of the Holiday season. If you'd like me to make you a funky scarf (I've been known to make the longest scarves in the world) drop me a note and I'd be glad to get it started. I have a new store on etsy called Hersteria and there are some offerings there. Hersteria is from an Eliot poem about love and laughter and fun. Did I mention how much I miss Best Friend this time of the year? I will get to see her soon and all will be good with the world. I am traveling to visit family for a little weekend (if I can get myself away) and that will be my holiday treat to myself.

I am working on bracelets for Marshall Fields, Suzy Snowflake and Frosty The Snowman. Do you have some Christmas treasure of your heart you'd like to see on a bracelet? I'd love to design something just for you. You can find my art at Poetsummer.etsy.com and on feebay at Poetsummer. You can always email me at summerpoet@msn.com. Thanks for spending this time with me and take care of yourself, pamper yourself a little and 20 minutes a day at least for a little meditation, prayer and thanks. You will be better for it. Carrie.