Hatch is popping up everywhere!

It's things like this that make me sit back and say "WOW!". It's real.  

Thanks Catherine!!!

more progress

a little bit of this... and a little bit of that...

mushroom assembly line (the kids helped with this!)

artist bio card holder

this looks like a mess, but it's my layout for the bird hoops!

my drawing (pre-framing) - you recognize this, don't you? It's a more finished version!

This is going to be a crazy day!!!

Hope yours is good... check back for more photos of the studio later!

hot off the assembly line

This is my version of Hatch the stuffed owl! I finally used the good wool felt I've had for a year now. Is anyone getting tired of him yet? (I am) I do like his little heart on his bottom... the love bug bit him!!  I am also working on bird hoops... you'll see that hopefully in the next day or two! And I finished a large drawing of "Waiting to Play". I wish I had more to put in the Opening Show, but it's impossible at this point. 

I've been inventoring all the things you have been sending!! I keep getting surprises at the door! You would not believe the cool thing that Rubyellen did for me!!!! You'll see everything shortly... we're starting to set up displays tomorrow! I love it all-- it's going to be hard to sell your things because they are all very special. But I guess I'll let them go... if people promise to take good care of them!! 

I'm working on very little sleep right now and I'm trying to keep everyone up-to-date on when I receive their packages. I might get a little loopy soon.  Of course I've been watching American Idol while I work... can you believe that Adam was in the bottom two?!!! What's wrong with the general public?? Well... they're all good at this point but that was a surprise. (Just indulge me if you don't watch it, because it's the only show I watch right now.) I will miss Matt's performances. I'm picking Adam and Kris in the finale, but maybe Danny? And I've liked Allison all the way through... hmmmm. I have no idea!!!  Now I'm rambling...

Good night and I'll see you tomorrow!

xo ~ beth

tattoo me!

...a sneak peek at my tattoos for Saturday night!

 

My house is becoming filled with boxes and boxes of fabulous stuff!!! And I've been drawing today! Tomorrow I'll try to take photos of the progress! I also started a felt Hatch owl :)

thanks everybody for helping me make this Opening AMAZING!!!

And a HUGE Happy Birthday to sweet Clara!!! ;)

xoxoxoxo

Big Hugs!!!

i love this song...

this is it!

Thanks for your help in choosing one... I added a couple more pics and this is the one I'm posting!! Now, if you're in the Lancaster area and want to take it, SIGN UP NOW!!! I also have a couple surprises I'm including if you take the class!!

 

that kind of week...

yes, I know I'm a bit stressed out when I'm eating a whole one of these by myself in one sitting!!!

click click

Which do you like better? 

click

happy earth day

This Rob Ryan print is perfect for today! I ***wish*** it were mine!!!  If you want this one, get it here!

spring in my backyard...

I'm sitting here watching a baby doe nibble the budding leaves off a tree, hidden partly behind bright yellow forsythia flowers... and a little rabbit hopping through the wood's carpet of new green grass and brown leaves and twigs. Shhh... the doe is looking right at me!!

go green on April 22

From what I'm seeing, lots of crafters are going green on April 22 (Wed. this week). There's free stuff all around: tutorials, patterns and downloads. I wish I had more time on my hands to contribute... maybe I have something I can add? Here's a couple cool things I found:

You Grow Girl has a few downloadable Botanical iPhone and iPod Touch Wallpapers. I just need one of those now!!!

Jessica Jones at how about orange has the coolest tree card to download and print out! Let me know if you find any other cool stuff out there!

Well, I've gotten some pretty exciting news today but it's not my news so I can't share it. Let me just say that there's some hatching going on in some different places!! ;)  Also, my fortune cookie said today: "Do not burden yourself with trivial matters." Now if only I could decide which things are trivial and which things are not!! 

Enjoy this spring weather!!!

an outrage!!!!

I felt it necessary to share this letter with you... my friend Terri knows how strongly I feel about protecting agriculture. Remember that old post about Monsanto last year?? This sort of thing makes me so angry!  I will look into how to take action...

Dear Readers,

I normally do not use my forum for political purposes. Information I have received on some legislation concerns me enough to pass on what I know.  I ask you to do your own research, however to help me sort out fact from fiction.

Correspondence I have received regarding HR 873 and S425 has the potential power to eliminate organic farming and home grown food as legal activities. 

The main backer and lobbyist is Monsanto - chemical and genetic engineering giant corporation (and Cargill, ADM, and about 35 other related agri-giants).  This bill will require organic farms to use specific fertilizers and toxic insect sprays dictated by a newly formed agency to "make sure there is no danger to the public food supply".  This will include backyard gardens that grow food only for a family and not for sales.

Here is the link to a summary HR 875 for you to read for yourself:  http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h.r.00875:

Because of the current wording of the Bill one website I found (http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=12671) listed the following possible redflags:

• Legally binds state agriculture depts to enforcing federal guidelines effectively taking away the states power to do anything other than being food police for the federal dept.
• Effectively criminalizes organic farming but doesn't actually use the word organic.
• Affects anyone growing food even if they are not selling it but consuming it.
• Affects anyone producing meat of any kind including the processing wild game for personal consumption. 
• Legislation is so broad based that every aspect of growing or producing food can be made illegal.  There are no specifics which is bizarre considering how long the legislation is.  
• Section 103 is almost entirely about the administrative aspect of the legislation.  It will allow the appointing of officials from the factory farming corporations and lobbyists and classify them as experts and allow them to determine and interpret the legislation.  Who do you think they are going to side with?  
• Section 206 defines what will be considered a food production facility and what will be enforced up all food production facilities.  The wording is so broad based that a backyard gardener could be fined and more.
• Section 207 requires that the state's agriculture dept act as the food police and enforce the federal requirements.  This takes away the states power and is in violation of the 10th amendment.
• There are many more but by the time I got this far in the legislation I was so alarmed that I wanted to bring someone's attention to it. (to the one person who reads my blog)

Since the bill is currently in committee we have an opportunity to contact our Representatives and Senators to encourage them to read the bill and voice your opposition.  This bill is designed to promote factory farming operations like Monsanto, ADM, Sodexo and Tyson to name a few.

 One reader said:  "It will literally put all independent farmers and food producers out of business due to the huge amounts of money it will take to conform to factory farming methods." 

 DO NOT TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, READ THIS LEGISLATION FOR YOURSELF. 

Pay special attention to

• Section 3 which is the definitions portion of the bill-read in it's entirety.
• section 103, 206 and 207- read in it's entirety.

My belief is that government control over the food supply is not in the interest of families, freedom, or our nation's health.  I am told  Stalin used the food supply to gain control over the population.

Here is what you can do, after you do your own research:

1. Contact your congress members at 202-224-3121 and ask them to oppose HR 875 and S 425.  Ask them if they have read the legislation and what their position is?
2. Get in touch with local farmers and food producers by attending a local farmers market and asking them how business is.  
3. Attend a local WAPF meeting, this is a good start to learning about what is going on in farming and local & state initiatives .  The website is http://www.westonaprice.org/localchapters/index.html
4. Check out the Farmers Legal Defense Fund at http://www.ftcldf.org/index.html
5. Get active at the local and state levels, this is the quickest way to initiate change.
6.  Keep me updated on developments, as I know the information in this email could easily be out of date before you even receive this correspondence.

Marilyn Moll

www.urbanhomemaker.com

free web buttons

Link to www.hatchstudioandgallery.com with one of these! If you want a different color, just ask! Thanks so much!!! :)

sneak peek!

I thought I'd give you a little private sneak peek at the studio so far! This little sign is in the window, making people wonder what is going on!  Here is my gorgeous maple floor!! Craig is still putting up the moulding around the edge. All those boxes are what we brought home from IKEA yesterday!

I found green shag carpet for the reading area that looks like grass... I guess I told you that already...

My corn plant adds more life to the place...

Here is one of the four maple chairs I found in the "As Is" area when I was in Cincinnati!! I love them...

It might be strange to show you the bathroom but I think it's nice... I love the brown ceramic tile in there...

I have a storage area where the utility sink is. It looks very messy right now... it's been Craig's work area for now...

And the BIG NEWS-- I got my sign today!! Yipppeeee!!!!

I can't wait to put the furniture together and start displaying all the great art and the crafts all my friends are sending to me!! :)

ikea love

How did I spend my day yesterday?? At IKEA ... 12 hours straight!!!! We rented a trailer and drove an hour to Philadelphia, only to have to go back home, drop off the first load and return to get a full second one! But I'm excited because the space will look awesome!!! And I didn't really spend that much all together. But enough to scare me into knowing I really need to book classes and sell stuff to pay off this huge bill!!!

 

 Here is the work tables I bought... the new Norden dining table in white which extends to seat 10 people! It looks like an art table!

And here are the work chairs... they are a chartreuse green!! The same color as the chevette I drove in high school. Call me crazy but they matched the green and white theme that seems to be happening now. 

 We got some plants and shelving and my desk and counter too... I even got a green shag rug that looks like grass for my reading area!! Then I already found little round red seat cushions for the rug that the littlest kids can sit on while we look at Eric Carle books and the like.

I will definitely post photos as we put the hundreds of boxes of furniture together! My floor guy (Craig) is taking awhile to put up the trim. Of course the fact that he has a full time job also is a good excuse.  My sign out front should be done by tomorrow (fingers crossed!!). 

I am SO missing reading your blogs right now but I have been going morning till night working and I go to OM competition tomorrow afternoon out of town...ugh. I just want to sleep in my own bed!!!

designing t shirts

I've been having fun designing t shirts 

for the shop in my studio/gallery!

These are for the kids-- they can color 

in the owls with fabric crayons!  

I'm working on the adult sizes now.

There is so much to do to get a studio and gallery open! Just when you 

think you've thought of everything, there are 10 more things to add to the 

list! Luckily everyone has been so great to work with. I have some 

wonderful friends!!  Tomorrow Craig and I are going to buy the furniture. 

The floor is in. The sign is going to be installed on Thurs. or Friday. 

I set up my Paypal account. I have a Fed. ID number and all that 

business stuff I need. I ordered sales slips. I have to order shopping 

bags. I have checks. I ordered stamps with the logo. I have to make 

all of my things that I'm selling. I'm making a giant bulletin board and 

need linen fabric for that. And I have some prints to be framed. And I 

need to send out press releases and design ads, update my website 

with more info and make up sign-up sheets for classes!!! And make 

invitations for the opening... see? SOOOO much!!!

Meanwhile my Odyssey of the Mind team goes to compete at the State 

level this Saturday! One more road trip!

Hope you're having a great week!

orlando, tampa and easter!

What do you do when you're about to open your first studio and gallery? You go out of town on vacation!!!  Not really... our spring break was just planned last fall before I realized the craziness of the month of April! 

We drove down to Orlando to see my sister Jane and her family (see that exciting video of our road trip below!!!). Last Sunday we took a pontoon boat out on the water to be in the sun and do a little gator-hunting! We saw plenty of alligators! You don't swim in that water!!

My brother-in-law Todd and the kids...

Jane and my niece Anna...

Craig maxing the relaxing...

One of the many gators... coming after us!!!...
Caroline always loves driving the boat!!...

We spent some time swimming at their pool at home. Jane is a wonderful cook and made us a great dinner. Of course Florida was having unseasonably cold weather while we were there. That didn't stop the kids from swimming at all, though!

My niece Lauren...

I fell in love with their puppy Gracie. She is a little sweetheart. Ellie almost got a sister but I don't think Jane would let me have her!!

My beautiful sister Jane...
On Monday we checked into our hotel: The Hilton Grand Vacation Resort. It was a beautiful place to stay! 

You can tell these two cute kids are brother and sister!!...

For souvenirs, the kids decided they wanted to get into the Florida vibe and Caroline got her hair wrapped...

Nathaniel got his tattoo! I wanted one too but I'll wait for my Hatch owl later.

We got to go to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for dinner (though Jane's steaks are just as good!!) and we saw "Monsters vs. Aliens 3-D" which turned out to be really, really funny! 

Jane and the girls joined us on Wed. for some swimming at the resort. This is my niece Anna...
We also got to go out for the best sushi I've ever had and then went over to a fun Irish Pub. Orlando is a lot of fun... plenty to do!! Of course we all watched American Idol when we got back (yes...I'm addicted).

On Thursday we drove to Tampa to stay with our friends Brent and Nicole! It's been a couple years (too long) since we've seen them. They are like family. Brent showed me how to use the manual settings on my camera so I hope I can figure it all out now! He's an awesome photographer! 

They have a beautiful home also and the kids swam (again!!)...

Here is Isabella... I could just take her home with me!!!...

Nathaniel and Blake hit it off immediately. He wants him to be his little brother now!!...We went out to dinner at Bonefish and had another great dinner! We could talk with them all night (and I think we did!). The next morning they made a great breakfast and we unfortunately had to hit the road back to Pennsylvania. Here's beautiful Nicole...

We got home Saturday night and woke to a gorgeous sunny Easter day! Here are the kids, sleepy but ready for church!...

My flowers were up and the forsythia is all in bloom! I hope this spring is as pretty as today was!

After church, we came home and changed and made a great Easter brunch! I made cinnamon rolls because they're Caroline's favorites. I hid eggs all around the house and they had their own Easter Egg hunt! It's been a restful day and now I need to get the gallery and all that's involved ready for the opening day!!!

Happy Easter! 

xo ~ Bethany