Summer Vibes

It’s been a scorching Summer here in Texas, and it doesn’t look like the heat is relenting. We all pray for rain by the first week of August, but this year and every year since I arrived, it has gotten hotter and dryer. When I first arrived the local lakes were on the verge of flooding. I think anything predictable is thrown out the window at this point. My garden is down to just a few raised beds with plants that don’t depend on too much water. All my chili peppers have lost their heat, and are barely holding on.

I had a short reprieve last month when I took a long weekend holiday to Ann Arbor for their annual arts festival. Because it happened to fall on my birthday weekend, the hubby decided to tag along to help me celebrate. He was a real trooper walking through what felt like over a thousand booths. We managed two full days of the four, and squeezed in a tour of the Ford F-150 factory (which was unexpectedly fun).

I wasn’t able to take many booth photos, many artists didn’t allow photographs.

The Arts Fair was all over the University of Michigan.

My favorite vintage car in my favorite color!

Things for the most part is moving really slow. I want to blame it in part to the heat, but I know I could be moving a lot faster. My flower making exploration is still strong, and I won’t lie: tedious. I think it’s tedious to try to do something well without a passion for it. Here is my first silk orchid. This one took me three weeks to complete. I have a bad habit of pondering on my next steps for days. Some might say I am procrastinating, but I am just “thinking” deeply. If you are interested in making silk flowers, I highly recommend some instructional training from an experienced professional. I have never had formal training, except for the three days I spent in the UK this past Spring with Ann Tomlin. What she did was help light a fire under me, and gave me another perspective on how to build a flower and its accompanying parts. I felt like I was on the right path after working with her.

I have two exhibitions next year! This is my big announcement, and why I have been unusually quiet this year working on my hats. The first will be next June, and I hope to have twenty hats completed by the end of this year so I can begin working on my second exhibition which will begin next November with thirty hats projected. All my pieces will be available for sale, so they need to be ready to wear by exhibition day. Wish me luck everyone, and pray I will get 50 show pieces done in this very short time. I know it seems like a long ways away, but unique designs don’t come quickly. Every piece I am making is new to me, including all these silk flowers. Logically, these exhibitions have taken over my schedule to the point that I cannot take any bespoke commissions or be able to add any sample stock to my online store. It does make me a little sad that this part of my work has to be put aside.

To avoid the pitfalls that often come with deadlines, I embarked on a new workout and diet schedule to keep me in tip-top shape. Self care is front and center, including sleep. I no longer work late nights and sacrifice my sleep. Life is short enough as it is, don’t you agree? What I am giving up for the rest of this year is unnecessary travel. I don’t regard visiting my grandson unnecessary though or attending my son’s wedding. So there’s that. Lol. Where does time go anyway?