Today was sunny, and a little bit warmer… and my biking season is off to a good start!
This afternoon I crossed the 100-mile mark… remember, there’s a decimal in there!
Very exciting… the mileage is already racking up and it’s just early March!
And the “glacier” has finally melted away from the bike path… with the last stretch
being a little sketchy section at the S-curve by Oak Street Beach. So barring any new
snow storms, we’re good to go. Bring on the miles…

The sun was out today and I took the afternoon off for another bike ride.
The temperature is expected to go up over the next couple days yet. And it’s hard
not to get my hopes up too high and think that Spring is just days away!!! So while
I know that it’s STILL Winter, and that is will most likely snow again… it is always
great to get out and play. Today it was especially nice to see that the “glaciers” are gone
and it was refreshing to hear the waves once again crashing along the lakefront.

But tonight… it’s back to the studio!

Snow-covered cars… a brief warm-up… a “roll” of snow sliding down a windshield.
Beautiful. Unexpected. And sadly, not going to last very long with today’s temps!

With the sun shining today, it was a great day for another bike ride along the lake.
A little chilly, but at least the bike trail was relatively dry. So with several layers on,
I set out for a great bike ride along Lake Michigan. Only to find… glaciers?!

A very Merry Christmas to all of my loyal friends & customers who stopped by
my “Home For The Holiday” Home Shows this season. It was wonderful
to see all of you at my place enjoying some holiday cheer!

Especially those of you who came to the “Mud & Metal Show” on the 20th…
the second of the Home Shows, and scored a wonderful 20% off everything!
It was a one-time-only event to celebrate the season and offer a little shopping
relief during these tough times! Don’t expect it to happen again… it was a
special treat just for this 2009 holiday season! Metalsmith Sarah Chapman and
I thank all of you for stopping by… we hope your purchases make wonderful
gifts for your family & friends… plus the ones you’ve saved for yourself.

Hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season!
Merry Christmas to you all.

As we near the end of the year, the holidays are racing towards us.
And as always, many of you will be shopping last minute to finish off your list.
I, for one, haven’t even started my shopping yet…

So not only am I hosting a second Holiday Home Show for the last-minute shoppers…
with my friend & talented metalsmith Sarah Chapman…  so you can cross off all the
names on your list in one fell-swoop… but I’ve also got a gift for you!

If for some reason you can’t see the above coupon, it is for a free clay ornament!
Just for showing up. No purchase necessary. Limit one coupon per person.
Just my holiday gift to you.

Just print out the coupon and bring it to the Mud & Metal Holiday Home Show.
Sunday, December 20, 2009 – 10:00am-6:00pm
Contact me for address details & directions…

So I was driving down Grand Avenue today and saw some great holiday decorations!
Now I have no idea what the store does… what they sell.. what they do…
or what they have such an incredible holiday display?! Don’t care. But I love it.

It looks like it’s just white paper folded, stacked, attached, folded again… etc.
The result is a wonderful origami-esque take on White Christmas. Love it.

Today is December… and I’m still riding my bike in the morning before work!
Although it’s not bright, sunny & “summery” any more…

Beautiful colors along the lakefront bike trail this morning.
Especially these statuesque, mature gingko trees still hanging onto
their leaves in splendid golden colors. More beautiful colors this fall…

So… for those of you who have been watching my work and paying attention
over the past couple years, you may have noticed that certain stamps get used
more often than others - with one or two in particular!

So I thought I’d share with you “my favorite stamp”!
Yep, it seems like this is the one that I turn to “when all else fails.”
There are literally hundreds of stamps in my arsenal – and yet a few favorites
keep surfacing… when I go to make my surface textures! Surprisingly…
it is also one of my first handmade stamps!

Tonight I stamped a couple serving bowls – all with that one stamp!!!
One stamp at a time… over… and over.. and over!