I know, I know...It's Been a While...

Actually, it's been over ONE WHOLE YEAR since I've last posted, and I likely have zero followers now, but I'll just have to swallow that pill. I've been thinking about posting all year, and am pretty confident that I can commit to po

sting on a regular basis in the future...and not posting just anything, mind you, but really interesting and brilliant little pieces of things I find worth sharing.

I guess that's the good thing about a long hiatus: you can re-group and re-charge! (We'll just pretend I was off exploring Europe all this time!)

As a mother of both a teenager and pre-schooler, a homeschooler, a full-time student, and artist, I think it's fair to imagine that I might have something to offer. I would certainly be interested in things that someone like me might present! In any case, it's good to be back...

So during the past year, we've moved into a lovely house that fits us quite well (despite occasional leaks and hiccups which, thankfully, the landlord efficiently covers), I am in my third semester at school (as a member of the honor society, with an almost 4.0 GPA!), my mother has moved in with us (which is actually going well, so far), and we got a chinchilla (that happened to be pregnant, so now we have two...for one!).

Lately, we are busybusybusy with homeschool and college-school, but the hubby and kids have all joined a local Kung-Fu gym, which is awesome and they love it. I've begun a garden in the backyard, and will no doubt bitch and moan about that more later!

So, it's pretty late, and I think this is probably a good, brief, back-in-the-saddle post, for now.

Wherever a man may happen to turn, whatever a man may undertake, he will always end up returning to that path which nature has marked out for him.

~ Unknown

A Few New Ideas

Hello, Lovelies! It's been a very tumultuous past few months for me, so I apologize for the lack of communication! We are so happy in our new place in Colorado, and I am so excited about the new year. The winter isn't as bad as it appears, and we LOVE seeing snow that doesn't melt when it hits the ground!

First, I must regrettably admit that I have let Fire Wire Gems go by the wayside lately, in lieu of lots of excuses (including visitors, drama from said visitors, and of course, the holidays), but all I can do is move on and move forward - and get back on track now! I am making new pieces daily, and am preparing to finally launch the new collection very soon.

I am confident that my new jewelry collection will be all that the supposed anticipation expects. And of course, there's always the accessibility and affordability to entice those customers, isn't there? Not to put the buggy before the horse, but I am also in the preliminary planning stages of taking the next big step in my artistic bravery: I shall attempt to take a stab at the local trade show industry. The area is ripe for it, with fairs here and there all-year-round, so here's hoping!

That being officially published, I am also slowly-but-surely finding my way into the social world of northern Colorado. I've found a few Meetup groups and have actually attending a couple of meetings with relative success! Now, I think I am finally ready to resume my activism here - and Boulder being just a few minutes away, I'm in good company.

In the meantime, I've kept busy by creating new paper designs, as well as crocheting, of all things! Here are the invitations I whipped up in a rush for Lorenzo's spur-of-the-moment 13th Birthday...

I used black card stock leftover from Jen's Bridal Shower project, silver pen, and pasted black & white printed copy paper. I found the 4 different "13" images on Google, and made the entire design as simple, clean, and of course, as cool as possible.

The whole thing took me probably about one hour, altogether. Lorenzo really liked them, and that's just as good as a satisfied customer to me! For the record, the kids *ahem, teenagers* enjoyed a movie, lunch at the food court and scavenger hunt with prizes (Best Buy gift cards), at the local mall, which turned out to be a real (relatively economical) success!

Next, I created a few custom bookmarks for my dear friend, Olga, who is hard at work with a full-time school schedule. These took a bit of time, but I am very happy with the outcome.

All but the "Love" bookmark were made from actual bookmark stock, which I purchased somewhere or other in a pack of 50. So, if I'm not careful, this could become my new creative outlet (as though I didn't have enough going on already)!

I used cut-out images from different magazines, and hand-drew the black & white design, myself. All calligraphy was also done by hand, which makes the backs of each even more unique...You should know by now, I'm a sucker for a good quote (or 5)!

I found each quote online, by keyword searches relating to the image on the opposite side.

Here's the Dancing Skeleton

Dream Girl...

Create! (Made by hand, Not Fairy Godmothers)...

READ...

And, Love...

Any imperfections I must insist only add to the character of a gift to a good friend who will surely utilize these handmade items (hence, the lamination!).

With that, I hope to post another "progress report" much sooner than previously, and with more eye candy for those who are interested! In the meantime, be comforted, and know that if I can get off my ass and create something from nothing, so can you!

With that in mind, this closing quote really surmises my mood as of late...

Creativity is the sudden cessation of stupidity.

~ Edwin Land

American Scientist and Inventor

Jen's Bridal Shower

In early September, I hosted one of my now sister-in-law's Bridal Shower in Austin, Texas, and put together what I think was a lovely little line-up of goodies and games...starting with the handmade invitations. The bride's color scheme included black, champagne, chartreuse, and a sort of merlot burgundy - plus, she likes pink, so I tried to incorporate those into anything I did.



I purchased the shimmery champagne damask stationery in sets of 10 per pack at Papyrus, stamped and glittered the ring cutout, cut and pasted the scrapbook paper stock, and hand-tied the bow to the front. On the inside, I printed and glued the top and bottom on normal print paper, then slid the cloud-edged map print outs under the bottom panel. The picture doesn't quite do it justice, but it was a lot of fun putting it together from 'scratch'.




The Bridal Bingo cards were one of my favorite aspects of this project, because - out of instigated necessity and sheer OCD perfectionism - I personalized each and every calling card. Each card was peppered with images of the bride, groom, and flower girl (my daughter!), as well as an image of the proposal site, and items related specifically to them (i.e., Jen's affinity for the Apple brand, James' name over his favorite color). This naturally omitted irrelevant items including "nosegay" or "Vegas", which come standard on most bridal bingo games, but are completely obsolete in this case.

As a bonus, I printed a section behind the bingo cards for guests to bestow good wishes and advice in writing. This doubled as a keepsake that could be bound or displayed in some small way in the future. Normally, those old bingo cards would likely end up as unused rubbish after the shower. The bingo sheets were inserted by two opposite corners onto a single black sheet of card stock, which also worked as a firm surface for writing those wishes or placing the bingo markers (Hershey's kisses). Simple and sublime!



Another part of this project that I particularly enjoyed was that I was able to compile over twenty recipes from invited guests (but didn't get a photo of the finished product!), and present it to the guest of honor, complete in a chartreuse binder album and with plastic sheet protectors for when it gets messy.

Other games not already mentioned included a Door Prize via the nearest birthday or anniversary list, which the guests passed around at the beginning of the event. This list was also compiled just for the bride-to-be, for future reference! We also had a lot of fun playing Bridal Pictionary, and the Famous Couples Matching game, which included such duos as Peanut Butter & Jelly, Zeus & Hera, Bert & Ernie, Louis XVI & Marie Antoinette, and of course Romeo & Juliet, etc.




Finally, my absolute favorite were the prizes! These consisted of simple stationery items from Hobby Lobby ($1.99 each), a guest soap set and a Willow Tree praying angel figurine (both of which were re-gifted), a small Ikea vase ($2.99), and silver heart measuring spoons purchased online at beau-coup. I wrapped all in plain, inkless packing paper, embellished with satin ribbon I had lying around, and a pea-colored embroidery thread I'd had from a custom necklace I'd made years ago. Since a couple of our games, like Bridal Bingo, lasted for more than one round, I also gave a few pieces of my Fire Wire Gems jewelry from old collections as prizes.



All in all, it was a great event, and one which I had a great time organizing and hosting! It was a lot of work; particularly since I was in the middle of an out-of-state move. But I think everyone appreciated all the details of the big picture, and I hope to have the opportunity to use these resources again!




What is there more kindly than the feeling between host and guest?

~ Aeschylus

Civais Media Group Launches FireWireGems.com Redesign

Civais Media Group announced the official redesign and re-launch of FireWireGems.com, a new e-commerce website featuring handmade wire and gemstone jewelry. The new site features everything from shopping carts to wish lists, customer account access and order tracking. And the contemporary and streamlined presentation lend well to Fire Wire Gems’ dynamic and progressive designs.

Fire Wire Gems chose Civais Media Group to provide Big Commerce site design and consulting management to help optimize marketing and site traffic. Visitors to FireWireGems.com can now purchase quality handcrafted jewelry without linking to Etsy’s checkout capabilities. Now, Fire Wire Gems can be a successful business online without having to research and develop web design and e-commerce expertise.

“I absolutely love the new site, and I’m so excited that my customers can remain on FireWireGems.com when they want to make a purchase,” says Angelica Epelbaum, Designer at Fire Wire Gems. Civais Media Group has enabled me to become a better business owner by allowing me the time and energy to focus on MY business!"

Civais Media Group offers the next big thing in internet retail: “big commerce”, or hosting solutions for small business owners. Instead of fitting your new business into a mold that doesn’t quite fit, Civais Media Group customizes your software based on your needs in order to reach more customers and sell more products – without HTML editing for the client!

James Gonzales, Account Manager at Civais Media Group says, "It's been a tremendous pleasure working with Fire Wire Gems, and we are happy to continue to provide support and service when needed."

Based in Austin, Texas, Civais Media Group partners with businesses large and small to provide state-of-the-art web design, search engine marketing, consulting and execution. The company is privately held. www.civais.com

Check out the Press Release HERE!

When you reach an obstacle, turn it into an opportunity. You have the choice. You can overcome and be a winner, or you can allow it to overcome you and be a loser. The choice is yours and yours alone. Refuse to throw in the towel. Go that extra mile that failures refuse to travel. It is far better to be exhausted from success than to be rested from failure.

- Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics

So Long Overdue, But...

It's been months since my last post, and I apologize to both of you - dear followers - for my procrastination. Apparently, I am very busy and important...if not perpetually distracted! Much has happened in the past 5 months, and I have a lot of news on a few different projects going on right now. It's very exciting, and I am finally feeling fulfilled, with my volunteering and activism.

First, I was able to meet with the City of Plano Environmental and Sustainability Department, where we swapped ideas and established a few priorities. They have put me in charge of coordinating the efforts of the Apartment Recycling Volunteers. Though it's not a paying gig, I'm confident that the experience and successes will grant me a nice notch for my resume. In my opinion, apartment recycling is something that is essential in becoming environmentally responsible as a society.

Having lived in so many multi-family properties, I am well aware of the incredible amount of trash these places create on a weekly basis. Since committing to recycling about 2 years ago, I've learned that our little family creates twice as much recycling as normal trash, alone. If we had a compost, we'd produce even less trash.

Initiating recycling at all Plano multi-family properties is a formidable challenge, but I am excited to take it on, and I'm even happier to lead it. Over the past couple of weeks, I have researched, submitted, and published a proposal, which can be found here, and am really eager to receive feedback.



Next, in accordance with MoveOn.org, I have made my first step as an official activist, participating in a Health Care Rally at the Dallas office of Senator John Cornyn as part of a nation-wide effort to support President Obama's Healthcare Program. I was able to read a speech which I'd prepared, regarding my personal story with the costs of healthcare in America. This speech can also be viewed here.

Another active-activist organization which I've recently become interested in is MomsRising.org. They are planning meetings with senators in each state with MomsRising members to broadcast and educate our representatives of the healthcare crisis as it stands, which negatively affects hundreds if not thousands of their consituents every day.

While my first rally was a great experience, I couldn't help but feel like we didn't make much of a dent, despite our petition which we delivered; particularly considering the politics Cornyn endorses. But, we did receive much attention, from both passers-by and the media, and if my participation - or my story - was able to show someone else that anyone can be a part of a movement toward progress, then it is all worthwhile.

Moving forward, my husband Vadim and I are always working diligently at home to improve our lives, as a family. We recently embraced our inclination to change, which has previously daunted us as we rarely could relate to our friends and neighbors. We thrive in our adaptation to the new and the different - particularly within new challenges and striving for knowledge and happiness. Stability is said to be routine, but routine is relative. What works for us has not been demonstrated to work for others.

This past week, we took advantage of the opportunity to take a spontaneous trip to Colorado, of which we'd heard so many great things, where we always thought we'd end up, but we'd never visited ourselves. Our ideals were solidified in the majestic Rocky mountain views in Denver and Colorado Springs, and now we're planning on moving out there before the end of the year! While I'm bummed about having just begun in my activism here, I know we truly belong there, and I'm so excited about our new adventure together.

I hope you take a moment to check out the organizations I've mentioned in this post, and to perhaps take another to find one that hits closer to home for you. If I can do even the smallest thing toward a greater good, then surely anyone can. Thanks again for reading - and I promise not to let so much time pass between posts!

You have been asking what you could do in the great events that are now stirring, and have found that you could do nothing. But that is because your suffering has caused you to phrase the question in the wrong way…. Instead of asking what you could do, you ought to have been asking what needs to be done.

~ Steven Brust

— The Paths of the Dead