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Warning: This will be a baby photo heavy post. Just sayin.

My last post I hoped that next time I blogged it would be with photos of my sweet little man. I had wondered at that point if I could even get any bigger. I could... and did.

That was just 4 days before I went into labor... holy jeez I can't believe I was that size.

36 hours of labor ended in a C section. Not what I had wanted for his birth but totally worth it because wee Gareth was perfect. 8lbs 6oz born on August 29, 2012. Three years to the day since I married my amazing husband. I don't think we could have gotten a better anniversary gift.

my best friend took this one. i absolutely love it, especially since you can't see how swollen my face is. they pumped a LOT of fluid in my poor body.

only a couple of days old here, about to get his picture taken for the paper

his big sister is quite smitten

by far one of my fave pictures of him.. only a few weeks old here

Now he is already 10 weeks old. He is smiling, cooing, nearly giggling, and we both made it through his first round of vaccinations.

hangin' on his special nana made quilt

I can't get enough of these little toes

he recently discovered his hands taste delicious

Gareth and his daddy sneak naps while mommy gets some work done.

Frank loves Gareth! I think the feeling is mutual from that grin. :D

Gareth and his cousin Carley

 I love being a mom. <3 br="br">

38 weeks 3 Days

While I have been posting pictures occasionally of how big this baby belly has gotten, I have definitely not been very good about updating on the ol' blog. As you can see by the title of this post, I'm extremely close and boy am I feeling ready. I took this sometime last week.

I definitely am at that point of feeling like I couldn't possibly get any bigger... though I'm sure if he decides to wait the full 40 that I will be proven wrong.

We live in a small 2 bedroom house so wee Gareth will be in our room for at least a couple of years.  It has been a bit of a task to figure out how our room will work for everything but I think I finally have things arranged well. Adele helped me decorate the baby wall the other day. I have pinterest to thank for the simple idea of putting cute fabrics into embroidery hoops. I splurged on a couple of the prints but still only spent about 25 bucks as I already had some hoops lying around and the rest were half off at the thrift store.

A slightly blurry photo but you get the idea.

I was also excited to see lots of hot air balloons the other night. It was kind of a sweet moment, though I'm not sure the hubs thought so. We were all excited to see them up in the sky but I insisted we find a good spot for me to take some pictures. I honestly hadn't seen so many since I was a little kid and it was so nice to share the moment with Adele too.

This was just the ones that were close as we were leaving the grocery store, but Adele counted 87 up there at one point. So funny to me that this nationals competitive event has launch sites mostly in residential areas and we see this gigantic amount of whimsical treasures but the air show in Battle Creek that used to be so great for them I maybe saw 3 balloons up this year and I live just a couple miles from the airport they launch from there!

I've also been busy finishing up a few things like my most recent Spin Along offering. For the first time I decided to combine the Spin Along with a jewelry piece because the artist that inspired this particular one was perfect for it. That artist? Alexander Calder. Here are the pins that will be coming with each SAL.

The Spin Alongs are taking me a tiny bit longer to put together than I anticipated. Mostly because everyone who is participating is someone who I know personally and I decided that just a pin was not enough. They should all be out and on their way tomorrow though (only a week late.) :D I think they will be worth it though.

Much love and hopefully next time I am able to blog it will be with pictures of this little fella's face

things that made me very happy today

Handspun single - spun from an artbatt from hobbledehoy.etsy.com

It was a gorgeous day out today. The first truly decent day we have had in weeks actually. The much needed rain we got yesterday too away the humidity and lowered the temps for perfect deck spinning weather.

His wee face from the ultrasound a couple of weeks ago. <3

I went to the doctor today. Everything is still moving along quite well for me and our baby boy!

"I have to snatch the leaves mommy!!!!"

AND! I got to stop and see my sister and my niece on the way home from the doctor. My niece has a grand obsession with dinosaurs as of late and I think she is trying to become one here with a boost from mommy into the trees. It is seriously a wonder this photo isn't terribly blurry as I was giggling quite hysterically while taking it.

Alexander Calder inspired Spin Along Announced! On Sale July 29, 2012

The second SAL in my Artist series will be inspired by the amazing Alexander Calder. Calder is very near and dear to me because not only was he a traditional artist of sculpture and two dimensional pieces, he also pioneered the mobile and kinetic pieces as art forms and was a metalworking jewelry makin’ genius. These SAL’s are going to be up for sale in the shop on my birthday, Sunday July 29th for two weeks. I’m going to have all of the fiber dyed prior to them going up for sale so I can crank em’ out quick before this baby comes! Your only choice? Do you want a Betty Batt - super textural, chocked full of nothing but locks and fleece off of my vintage Fricke carder, or a traditional bricobatt, still textural but a smoother spin with a base of top.
The fiber in these spin alongs will be inspired by Calder’s bold primary color palette with hints of secondary colors and will each be accompanied by a handmade jewelry piece created by me, inspired by Calder’s jewelry and mobiles.
The rundown:
On Sale July 29, 2012 through August 12, 2012
Each SAL will include
2.5+ oz. sized batt
Calder inspired handmade jewelry piece
Shipped by August 17, 2012
A preview of what to expect :D
2 D Works/Lithographs

Freestanding Sculptures - this first one is actually only about an hour from where I live!

Mobiles/Kinetic Sculptures

Jewelry

This artist was such an innovator, full of character and whimsy.

 I’d say this picture pretty much sums him up, standing in front of the BMW art car he designed among other works.

Listings will be available in the shop on Sunday July 29th, 2012 and the Spin Along will be hosted in my ravelry group here.

BricHaus Officially Coming At Ya!

It started as a joke as we walked through a Ren Faire village on a hot summer day.

"What if we had a booth together at a show?"

"Yea, we could combine our names somehow!"

Which led to our own rendition of The Commodores' Brick House. 

We might be silly but, it definitely works, so for the first time of hopefully many, Dani of Pumpkinhaus and I will be sharing a booth at The Midwest Fiber + Folk Art Fair this year. We are BricHaus.   :D

You can find us in booth 305 F and don't miss our friend Faun of Hands + Notions booth right next door in 304 F!

Self Portrait No. 1

I have been neglecting by blog lately. Such an easy thing to do.  Sharing a picture here and there from my phone, a quick link on twitter, a reminding note on my facebook page that my newsletter is out announcing the latest update, falling down the pinterest rabbit hole - that is where my interwebs time has been spent.

Then I read a few really good blog posts from others and think, "Why am I not doing that still?"

Mom and I went to the bookstore today. There is something truly special about going to a bookstore with someone else who is perfectly content to sit on the floor with a coffee and look at craft books for a solid half hour. It had been a long time since I had found any inspiring books. Like Thomas Mann's new book Metal Artist's Workbench: Demystifying the Jeweler's Saw. Now I was broke mind you, so looking was all that I could do, but my favorite part in this book was that each featured artist had an accompanying picture of their benchpin. For the non jeweler readers out there, this is what a virgin bench pin looks like.

They take a helluva beating as they are one of the most used tools by a metal worker and consequently show wear for the acts that are most performed on them. Sawing in the wooden part, lots of hammering on the metal part.  Such a spectacular self portrait of each metal artist. It inspired me to take a photo of mine and share it, my own self portrait.

Mine is often the most handy place to clean up metal with steel wool (awful!) which causes the holes that were drilled in it (I will never drill on my pin again after taking a class with Joanna Gollberg who pretty much said "it is naughty, don't do it, crap will get stuck in there!" she was definitely right...) to become filled with the icky stuff, but it makes it mine I suppose. Little nicks I've used to guide my blade when cutting, larger nicks where I absently mindedly was sawing both metal and wood, and the whole thing delightfully dirty. Novice mistakes, missed hammer blows to the steel, the lever to tighten it that never stays in. I love my benchpin.

I picked up a few chicks

This past Saturday I went to a shearing at one of my favorite wool suppliers, what a fabulous event it was! Rather than just having the event for one farm, they had several other farms with so many fleeces to choose from. One of the lovely ladies even had a bottle fed lamb with her that was oh so cute!

When we arrived we instantly swooped in on a large group of fleeces that had already been skirted that day. I instantly saw the one little lady I was looking for, Lightening.

Her tight little curly-cued sproingy fleece is so incredible to work with! She is a romanov/dorset/corriedale x and I just finished dying up the rest of her 2011 fleece, such a treat!

I was also quite intrigued by a few other ladies who were crosses. Elle, a Romney/Corriedale x. This fleece is so lofty and wonderful feeling, I can't wait to get it all washed and dyed so I can start carding it!

 Finally, there is Polly, a Suffolk/Romney x. So funny that I ended up with two romney crosses because on it's own, I'm not wild about the fleece. Crossed with these two breeds, they are heavenly!

OOh spring fleeces!!! :D

the common woman

 "The common woman is as common as the reddest wine." - Judy Grahn

The first time that I heard of this poet was through the poem this quote was extracted from, Detroit Annie, Hitchiking, as read by Ani DiFranco. Every time I hear that last resounding line read, I am left mulling over how simply eloquent it is.

What makes a woman who she is?

A friend asked recently what music I listen to when I work, what I found inspiring.

Oh what possibilities. I really love listening to a good variety of amazing artists... ) I still really had to think about that question. I had to think not just about what inspires me, but what might also inspire that dear friend.

Not a common woman.

  My mom gifted me with a subscription a little over a year ago to MaryJanes Farm. What an amazing publication! It makes me feel empowered as a woman while still being filled with a wonderfully feminine theme. Power tools and fabric yo yo's all in the same magazine? Founded, published, and touched in every way by MaryJane herself, it outlines the way I would like to live.


Not a common woman.

My Mom is one of the strongest people I know. She inspires me every day to keep going, to keep living my dreams. I hope she knows the feeling is quite mutual.

Always will be far from a common woman.

 My poor weed and grass ridden flower garden sits neglected for now. It is still to early to clean up all the leaves and get my hands dirty.  April has barely begun, frosts will still come, maybe even snow. 

"Nothing is more the child of art than a garden." -Sir Walter Scott

Gardening is stimulating to my creative side in ways that my hammer and copper sheet could never fulfill. Gobs of wool and sparkle couldn't hold a candle to it. I long for it all winter and itch till the first of Spring to get out there.

I'm glad that the term 'artist' covers everything that I do, because I don't think I could define myself in any specific way other than that. I like to think that who I am, what inspires me, and what I do all make me unique and not a common woman.

Update 2.24.12

There will be an update in the shop  tomorrow starting at approximately 6PM EST. I'm rolling out a new product in the shop and will also be listing some handspun yarns (and maybe a few odds and ends too!)

Textured Mohair Cloud Batts!

and some yummy new handspun!

newsletter signup

Hey everyone! I feel pretty awesome about the progress I made today on the things that I am not wild about doing (graphic work being on of them. :D)

I decided a few months ago that I wanted to make a new banner but had been struggling to figure out what I wanted to do. Today I gathered several seemingly random objects for a photo shoot to resolve that issue.

My trusty ball peen hammer, my favorite drop spindle loaded with fine yarn (spun from Yarn Hollow fiber,) an antique handcarder, some BFL locks, a few pieces of jewelry, a jeweler's saw, a chasing hammer, a few pieces of jewelry, and some BFL locks got thrown on the table on top of some watercolor paper...

...and while the dogs frolicked in the giant snowflakes that began falling with a vengeance today and the Lions lost in that last damn seconds of the game I took what seemed like a gazillion photos of the same thing.

What do I have to show for it? A new banner AND a new business card design (another thing that had been plaguing me.)

So then I finished setting up my long neglected mailchimp account. So if you would like to be added to my mailing list to receive Bricolage Studios news, updates, and show information please follow this link and add your email to the list. I will only be sending out 1-2 mailings a month so no worries about your inbox getting clogged, plus you can unsubscribe anytime!

Happy New Year!!