Saturday, March 7, 2009

Studio Saturday-Grandma Lady

Welcome to Studio Saturday! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments!

As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner. Last weeks winner is thecolorordreams, Congratulations! You have won a surprise new flower beads from Jennifer at Jangles. Send us an e-mail with your address and we will get it right out to you.
I'm a grandma again! Way too young to be a grandma at 48, even though I love it! I was in Minneapolis last week for the birth of Alexander Jack. A beautiful, healthy 8lb8oz baby boy. This is my daughter Kristen and Artem's (husband), second child. Shown also is big sister Anastasia who calls me "Grandma Lady." It's been quite an adjustment for her especially at 2 1/2. Kristen is my oldest child. Kali, in the second picture, who is beaming as she holds Alexander, she is my youngest child. There is a sixteen year difference between she and Kristen. It's insane, I know. We have yours, mine and ours. Kali is ours, Kristen is mine, with 4 more in between of mine(2) and yours(2).
My life revolves around my family. I have weeks where I don't seem to accomplish much at all in the studio. It's really tough when there are orders to fill. I have a family with 3 still at home, they have to come first.
Don't get me wrong I have many days where I want to lock myself in my studio and ignore everything so I can get work done. It's tough to ignore the banging on the door :) and the what's for dinner question!

Question this week is:
What is it that keeps you from getting work done?

Leave a comment and you could win 2 sets of Dot Baby Buttons to celebrate my new grandson.

Tari "grandma lady" of Creative Impressions In Clay.


24 comments:

Maria said...

Congrats Tari!
Sweet pics...I too have a brother that is 16 years younger than me (my mom remarried)
The number one thing that gets in my way of getting things done (right now) Spring Fever! All I want to do is be outside in the sunshine, planning my veggie garden (I live in CA)
Enjoy your new grand baby, he is so cute!
Maria

Jennifer Pellicone said...

Like you, I have children that seem to think they come before beading! However, the biggest problem I have...training a Guide Dog Puppy! She must be with me at all times. She goes for final training this week so we will loose her, but we are getting another 8 week old in 2 weeks. Yikes!

abeadlady said...

Congratulations Grandma Lady. Aren't grandchildren the greatest?

Procrastination is my greatest failing. I always think I will have more time than I really do. I also overcommit myself often, which, of course, leaves me scrambling when deadlines approach.

Arline

Alice said...

Congratulations!!! My youngest is 12,and I really miss having a little one around (except for potty training and the like). But I'm not ready to be a grandma yet as my oldest is just 19.

Let's see, the things that keep me from getting work done in my studio (aka dining room table) are my many volunteer activities and, of course, supper, laundry, bills, and all the other household responsibilities. Of course my family comes first, so 'studio time' comes last on the list. Fortunately I do not have to count on this income to pay bills!

Congratulations again grandma!
Alice

Doreen said...

Oh, that is so easy....spending way to much time at the computer! I subscribe to lots of blogs and just need to see what EVERYONE is doing!

Anonymous said...

The house finally gets so bad that I have to do something about it. And when no one has any clean clothes left to wear!

CreekHiker / HollysFolly said...

My day job as a rubber stamp manufacturer and community ed instructor used to be the #1 thing that interfered with bead making and jewelry design. Now...it's looking for a "real" job!

Ruth Ann said...

Making jewelry and handbags has become the biggest part of my life and I don't let anything get in the way of my work except my wonderful husband.

He not only works and tends the yard, but also does most of my housework for me, leaving me free to follow my bliss - and earn a living with my jewelry and purses.

SueBeads said...

Congratulations! How wonderful to have such a big family! I am 43 and can't imagine being a grandmother in 5 years!!!! My family also keeps me from getting my work done - first of all, it's too hard to work while children are fighting, or calling for food, or to kill a bug or whatever! But also, I feel guilty if I have to work on a weekend I have the kids (they go with their dad every other weekend, which is prime working time!). Good luck to all!

Anonymous said...

My day job that helps to pay for all my crafty needs gets in my way constantly. I teach high school students and am able to involve my love for beads in many lessons!!

Enjoy that baby........they grow up too quickly!!

Lucie said...

Congratulations!!!! How wonderful!!! Hope that you'll be able to get back to your studio soon without any major interruptions :) Good luck with that :)
Again, congratulations, Grandma Lady!!!

rosebud101 said...

Congratulations! I wish I were a grandma! My computer keeps me from getting work done. I have to limit my time.

Anonymous said...

Lucky you...You have one beautiful family and the perfect reason having difficulty getting to your studio. I have an addiction to my computer. There are always hundreds, literally, of emails and of course, I go to the blogs first. One blog leads to a web site to another web site to yet another.
If I want to get ANYTHING done, I can't go near my computer. Today was another example of getting absolutely nothing done.
The only reason I can see for you to go into your studio is to design a button series after your new grandchild. Is there a theme in Alexander’s nursery? Again, congratulations… Donna [PeaPodPeony of Etsy]
p.s. login will just not accept my password?????

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! You have a beautiful family and the new Grandbaby is adorable! :-) Both of your daughters are beaming in these photos. What keeps me from working on jewelry...just busy family life, like many have said. I have 4 boys ages 4 months to 8 years old so there is always something going on!!!

Connie said...

Lucky you! beautiful grandchildren - beautiful daughters! Right now I get nothing done because - we have a new puppy! She has to be watched all the time- we are toilet training her - and she tears up everything!
connie

Anonymous said...

What keeps me from getting work done? Way too many hours at the computer either doing graphic work or checking out other people's work, be it beads, mixed media, drawing, painting, lampworking, knitting and oh yeah, playing Majjong on the computer!

Beadily yours
Susan Feldkamp
nightbeaderatlarge.blogspot.com

sharon said...

congrats! life is soooooooo precious, so enjoy! and if that gets in the way of art so be it, we always find a way to get back to it, right, and with a vengeance!! i'm like everyone else, housework, bills, cooking, day job, blah, blah, blah, all get in the way, but i think it has made me a better delegator!! enjoy family!
http://www.livewirejewelry.blogspot.com

gaela said...

Congrats! Babies are just wonderful. I'm 49 and don't have a grandchild yet, but my oldest son did get engaged this year,(he's 28), so I imagine it will be a while. What keeps me away from my beadwork? That's easy~this computer for one, then my passion for fabrics, sewing and knitting. Right now I have 4 knitting projects going, 2 of them are beautiful spring sweaters from "French Girl Knits" by Kristeen Griffin-Grimes - Everything in that book is beautiful!

Anonymous said...

A million things always seem to line up ahead of my creative priorities! I have 3 (grown?) children who still call me constantly. A new 21 yr old daughter in law who says Im like the mom she never had. Hense she calls me every day. Especially since she is expecting now and my son is in the army so is away a lot. I have 5 g-kids (Im only 48 too btw LOL)and now another is on the way. Four g-kids are from my 2 daughters, ages 4 thru 11 mos.and #5 is my newest from my daughter in laws previous relaionship. She is a lovely little girl and I love her same as the rest. I think I will have great g-kids before I even pop a gray hair hahaha. So with babysitting, Dr appointments, housework, etc and the mandatory Sunday family dinner, I have a full schedule. But thankfully I am an insomniac LOL, so I mostly work in the wee quiet hours when I should be sleeping. Luckily I am the queen of the catnaps! I sleep when the little ones take their naps. But I wouldnt trade any of them for even a second of free time. They make everything else seem less important. And I dont want to miss a second with them.

Anonymous said...

I'm kind of the 'go to' person for all my friend's problems, as I'm quite good at providing a ear for listening, or can offer quite good advice. So most of my time is spent tackling people's problems, rather than getting work done! My boyfriend thinks I need more 'me time' though, as I cannot save the world on my own apparently. I'm gonna give it a good go though!

Dale said...

For me, it's my day/night/all the time job that keeps me away from beading. As a teacher in Korea, the hours are very, very long. However, i love making it to just unwind after work in the evenings.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! You are very lucky to have such a melded together family. Your youngest daugher is a cutie. And, yes, 48 is pretty young to be a Grandma Lady. Good luck with Alexander Jack and keeping his big sis from feeling left out!

Patricia

Tari of ClayButtons.com said...

Thank you all for your kind words of congratulations! We all have such busy lives and accomplishing work or things for ourselves can be such a task. As my husband and I say "it just shouldn't be this hard!"
There are days it just is hard to get things done!
Right now my biggest time waster is my computer! I just need to turn it off during the day. I get so distracted checking email, reading blogs and facebook, etc.
Thank you for your comments and warm congratulations...back away from the computer...

trishia said...

I know this post is old-ish, but I had to comment! found your blog today, and this post caught my attention while I scanned through the archives.

I made my mom a young grandma and now she's a grandmother to 6 at the young age of 44 (five of them mine, one my brothers). Aren't large families just wonderful, though?!

anyway, love that you celebrate your family on your blog, and LOVE your posts, I've already got a ton of tabs open with links from the posts I've read so far. Grandma Lady, you're awesome! Thanks for the posts, I'll be a regular reader from now on. :)