What's on the Menu?

Another Halloween is done and over with. Whew!

Trick-or-treating with the young-uns and the cousins over for another year. (Of course the parent-tax that is incurred for such shuttling around is pretty sweet - no pun intended!)

That means everything scary is over for another year, right? WRONG! In a last ditch effort to gain ratings, I have decided to join NaBloPoMo. Yep, I'm a first-timer at this thing, but it sounds fun. *insert scream of mortal terror*

National Blog Posting Month is just that - y'all are going to have to be burdened with my witticisms on a daily basis for thirty whole days.

It's as if I have all this time on my hands. As if I'm a stay-at-home Dad. (We did play the McDonald's Monopoly in hopes of the 20-year annuity, but to no avail *pouty lip*

But never fear! I have some things planned. I spent several hours today making jewelry, so that should last a while. Then there was Halloween at school. That's always fodder for some good stories (think projectile vomit in a crowded classroom!).

Then there's the large blog posting I'm planning for (think jewelry how-to with pix!).

Oh, and all the stuff happening with education these days (I mean seriously! What have I gotten myself into?). NCLB, RtI, AYP - makes my head spin!

But one thing that won't be included - no politics! Of course I'll be casting my vote for the right choice on Tuesday, but after that, it's up to the rest of everyone else. ...as if anyone would take me seriously enough to follow my advice anyway! I mean, if seventh graders don't listen to me, what makes me think that y'all would?!

*Deep breath* OK, I'm good. Was starting to get all fired up there for a minute!

The pumpkins above were carved by my precious children, and the photo taken by moi. And it's a pretty darn good one, if I do say so myself! I guess the wad o' cash I dropped on that baby back in January was finally worth it. The exposure ended up being about 8 seconds.

So, peace out. I'll be talking to you again tomorrow!

Pastel (and whatever) Guy

Check it Out!

Dear Laurie,

Thanks for blogging about me today on your blog, Blooming Lily . What a surprise to see myself on my own blogger dashboard! I love your blog and how you use lots of photos to highlight and support the independent crafters/artists.

Thanks!

Pastel Guy

Sorry it's been awhile.

But I'm still alive. This weekend was the Haunted House at the school where I teach, so I had to chaperone. But it's all OK, since I was able to count the hours toward my Administrative Internship. I'm sure you will hear more about that in the future as the date looms closer and the stress level increases!

I was able to get out into my studio to quickly make up these sterling earrings. The design reminds me of fuschia blossoms, hence the name, Sterling Fuschias. I had originally designed these earrings last year for a colleague of mine who needed new sterling earrings. They look even better on, and she wears them all the time, and apparently is complimented regularly. Says I to myself, "Why keep a good design out of circulation?" Fortunately I had written down the measurements ...

I always used to make one-of-a-kind pieces, but then I decided that was sort of silly. Why reinvent the wheel when it's perfectly OK to use something that is a proven winner? So I started writing down the patterns, the dimensions, the order, etc. that would allow me to make the same piece later on. What a time saver! The only other thing I need to figure out now is how to make some sort of a jig so that I can bend my wire into the same shape any time. I just remember that in order to achieve the big curve in the Nouveau Earrings, I wrapped it around a Sharpie Marker. For the swan, I used a smaller marker used for marking stained glass. If anyone has suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

As I was hammering away last night, I thought of a great posting idea, but it will take some preparation. So hang tight - it'll be worth the wait!

Peace out,
Pastel (and whatever) Guy
www.matthewweld.com - pastel website
www.studio206.etsy.com - jewelry for sale