Pugfest!!!

"If you think dogs can't count,

try putting three doggie treats

in your pocket,

and then give him only

two of them!"

-Phil Pastoret

This past Sunday, Mike and I put the 'boyz' in the car and headed for Milwaukee Pugfest. Both Popeye and Junior were not happy campers on the ride to Milwaukee. They both had on their harnesses that the seatbelts go thru, so they were both strapped in the back seat. They whimpered and cried most of the way down there. They'd much rather be on my lap in the front seat of course, but I knew they'd be much safer secured in the backseat. They finally quit their sorrowful moans about 15 minutes before we arrived at the event. As soon as we got them out, they were ready to go!

So here's a recap of Popeye and Junior's big outing...

They just entered the building and are overwhelmed by all the other pugs...

We weren't in the building 2 minutes, when Popeye decided he had to poop! By the way,
Junior followed suit about 5 minutes later...




Ahh...they both feel better now and want to check everything out...



Junior finds a frilly little girl to check out...


There are ALL kinds of pugs at Pugfest!!!




A huge, three-legged pug on steroids???

No...it's Gus, an English bulldog whose color is fawn like a pug. Notice the line of drool coming from the side of his mouth.

There were old pugs...

"faux" pugs...

black pugs...

brindle pugs...

sissy pugs...

'pooped' pugs...

and sleeping pugs.


It was a quiet ride home. The boyz both fell fast asleep after their big day.

However, Junior seemed to get his 'second wind' once he got home, and was up to his usual mischief again...gutting his little stuffed animals!!!

The Family Of Geese

"Happiness comes of the capacity

to feel deeply,

to enjoy simply,

to think freely,

to risk life,

to be needed."

- Storm Jameson

For the past three days, I've had the pleasure of being able to watch a family of geese in our backyard. It's a father, mother, and their five little fuzzy yellow babies. Each day, they wander about, enjoying the sunshine and the lush green grass. This is the first year that I've ever had a little family of birds that I can watch throughout the day. The dad is always on guard, and shoos away any other adult goose that comes close to them. As the day wears on, they go for a swim in the river. It is sooo cute!!! They float along in the river in a line...mom in the front followed by the five little babies, with dad in the back. Early this morning, I looked out the window to see if they were in the backyard, and sure enough, there they were. The sun was just coming up, and they were in the grass just at the shoreline. Mom was sitting in the grass with her head tucked down, and dad was standing with his head tucked down. I didn't see any of the little babies, though. All of a sudden, they decided it was time to get up. The momma stood up, and underneath her was a pile of fuzzy yellow babies, ready to wander around the grass! She must've been laying on them to keep them warm.

I love watching the birds in our backyard. My daughter always teases me that someday when I'm old and gray and living in a nursing home, I'm going to be the one in the wheelchair by the huge birdcage, watching the birds all day.

My Workshop At Valley Ridge

This past weekend I taught my first workshop, "Re-sin-blage': A Charming Exercise in Jewelry Adornments" at Valley Ridge Art Studio in Muscoda, Wisconsin.

It was a two-day workshop focusing on making charms with resin, as well as basic metalsmithing techniques used to construct a piece of jewelry.

We spent the first day learning about the many ways in which resin can be used, and made molds to fill, as well as pouring resin into our bezels and also making resin paper.

I did demos on the correct way to mix, tint, and fill a variety of objects.

At the end of the first day, I relaxed with a glass (or two) of wine and socialized with the gals. My husband came along for the weekend for moral support. We actually made the weekend a nice little getaway for ourselves!


Our second day focused on basic metalsmithing techniques. I began the day by showing the group the proper way to use a jeweler's saw. There were a few people in the class who have never used a jeweler's saw before, and I am happy to report that everyone was sawing (and not even breaking blades) before the day was over.


I also showed the group how to make their own tube rivets - when a regular eyelet just isn't long enough. Many of our finished bezels were thicker than the length of the longest eyelets. Not only did everyone in the workshop learn how to make and set their own tube rivets -- they were all making them, and they all turned out perfectly!

So here are some of the finished charms made by participants of the class...



an example of encasing natural objects into resin...

making bezels out of unusual objects...

a variety of bezels using vintage book pages....

another book made with resin paper...

rhinestones framing a vintage photo...

aren't these a cute combo??...

here are some more...

...and more

...and even more!!!

And this is the group (minus Kathy..she's taking the picture).

Megan, Mina, Chris, Linda, Karen, Christine, Becky, and Myself

I had a fabulous time teaching the workshop, and the time just seemed to fly by. Everyone in the class was wonderful, and they made my first teaching experience better than I ever could've imagined!!!! Thank you all, ladies...you all did a fantastic job!!!!

My First Workshop of the Season

It was 'old home week' at Valley Ridge Art Studio this past weekend, where I attended my first workshop of the season. Stacey Webber, an amazing metalsmith, showed us how to form and solder shapes in her workshop entitled, "Spheres, Cones, and Cubes...Oh My!" A really cool bonus was that all the gals participating in the workshop were 'veterans' of Valley Ridge...we all have taken many workshops together in the past, and get along sooooo well together!!! We had such a great time, and learned a lot!

The first day of the workshop, I happened upon this cute little nest laying in the grass.

Although we had a lot of catching up to do with each other since the last time we were together, it was all business while we each worked on our projects.

Stacey is a pro at soldering! Here she is giving us a demo on now to solder our boxes.

So here goes...I'm beginning the soldering process on the multi-knuckled cylinder I formed.

At the end of day 3, I managed to complete 3 shapes. Before I left home for Valley Ridge, my husband challenged me to make a sphere. I love taking a challenge, so there was no way I was coming back home without one. I got it done on Sunday afternoon.

Surprise! I cut open the triangle, and soldered a lip around the inside of the top to create a little container. When it is closed, the cover stays firmly in place. I just didn't have the heart to cut apart the other two shapes to make them into little containers.
Ta-da!!! Here are our completed pieces!!! Yes, I know....my hands are the dirtiest ones of the bunch!