ponder press – custom keycaps, jewelry and crafts handmade in Seattle

The lost crafter returns, again

The question was posed recently whether or not I need this site. Great question. Every year I say I’ll be better about posting. And every year I fail. Miserably.

But hope springs eternal, so why not give it a real college try this spring/summer/fall to see whether I can post regularly. And if I can, does it matter? Is it effective? Effective for/at what? Posting still won’t make me a good photographer or better photographer. And it won’t create time to do those things.

But I will show my work (possibly the only thing I remember from math class). And I’ll do my best to say where, in public, you can see my work.

Life remains a mix of work-work, crafty work, time with the husband and cats, and commuting. But spring is here, and I’ll use this sunny Sunday afternoon to do some embroidery and glue some book pages together for junk journals. (I originally typed embroilery, and I think that’s a good word for something.)

Here goes nothing.

p.s. If you don’t get the title of the post, I encourage you to watch The Lost Skeleton Returns Again. Skip to the bit about the sequel.

Enameled earrings for days

I woke up in early 2024 thinking that I’d get back to enameling this year. It’s safe to say that it’s about all I wanted to do this year.
Here’s the proof.

I’m excited to make more. I should tidy up the studio first. We’ll see …

And, I’m going to (try my best to) be better about adding enameled earrings to my Etsy store. I already added a few pairs today. I always feel so very hopeful/ambitious this time of year. I hope it lasts.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this year successful!

I’m back!

Oh, wow! It has been a month of Sundays since I last posted anything. But the time it right to be mindful (aggressive) about my online presence.
I still make things. So many things. And I still can’t focus. Nor do I want to.
For this return to my website, the ideal move is to just show what slowed me down last year.

We got these two cuddle bugs. That’s Brian Uno on the left and Clootie Dumplings on the right. Clootie loves to play with string and yarn, and he will seek out any roving wool that isn’t under lock and key. And both of them like to help with beading. When I say help, I mean step in a pile of seed beads, decide they don’t like that feeling and then shake their paws. Sigh … They are troublemakers, but man do they make our hearts full!

Here are some really delightful photos.

Clootie loves his “guardian.”

Brian is our budding hydrologist. Don’t get him started on the strange being that calls to him from the drain when the dishwasher is on.

too many legs!

Clootie looking very much like a little lion.

In short, we love them. We’re pretty sure that they are happy with their lives. We are a happy family.

Another new year?!

It’s the end of another year. And this year I’ve been particularly bad about blog posts. Have I written any in 2022? I’m afraid to check.

But hope springs eternal at this time of the year. The market season is over, and it feels like there’s nothing but free time ahead of me. That’s what my heart tells me, but experience reminds me that those thoughts are pure folly.

“It is not that we have too little time to do all the things we need to do, it is that we feel the need to do too many things in the time we have.”
Gary W. Keller

First there will be jigsaw puzzle season which lasts approximately three weeks (or three puzzles—whichever comes first).

Then I have a pair of socks to knit for a friend. The good news there is that I will use random bits of sock yarn, so the change in patterns will keep me interested. (Knitting socks in a solid color can be a bit of a slog.)

In addition to the socks, I’m planning on giving watercolors a try: watercolor on paper and on fabric to embellish with embroidery.

And about the time I’ve decided that I’m no watercolorist, it will be time to think about getting a stockpile of items made for the market.

I want to do more bead embroidery, punch needle, embroidery, mini mosaics, bezel making and the list goes on..

Oh, and there’s always the hope that I’ll have the time to read a book in the afternoons. I’m not talking about reading a page or two on my kindle until I pass out with the lights already out. No, I want to read an actual book in some cozy spot with a cup of not tea nearby. Although, I fear that I might have lost the ability to do as much. We’ll see.

And then, between the new year and early May there will also be Art and Soul, some big birthdays, possible business travel, possible for-fun travel. And cleaning the very, very, very messy studio. It’s really bad. Tidying up will be like Christmas part 2 as I rediscover items that I’ve since forgotten. You know, that actually sounds like fun.

Here’s to a new year filled with new interests, new ideas and items. It’s gonna be great!

Back to the Redmond Saturday Market!

A little mixed-media embroidery is good for the soul.

Like so many people, I made it through 2020 only to be left evaluating what I want out of 2021 and beyond. Over the past year I learned that I love working from home. And that the husband and I are thankful that we each have our own offices. I learned that I like a slower-paced/low-commitment lifestyle. I also learned that I really love my husband/spending time with him. We were able to go for walks, chat midday and hang out on the deck in the afternoon — time that otherwise would have been spent commuting.
I also realized that I most certainly want to get back to the Redmond Saturday Market. Even though I enjoyed a summer of free weekends, to what end? I felt unmoored without my Saturday routine, without that community.

Of course I had to try some round weaving.

Once I made that decision, I wasn’t sure that jewelry was the right thing to sell. What I make is small, and people do seem to want to handle it a bit before making a purchase. So, I started weaving. Then I started some fun embroidery projects. And soon enough I even did some needle felting for the first time in ages.

I need to make more time for needle felting.

That all means that I’ll have a few new items to sell in addition to jewelry, which I did make plenty of last year. At least it feels like plenty. Maybe people are so starved for my stuff that it will all be snapped up. Wouldn’t that be a good problem to have.

Another good problem is that all of these new products have left me with more ideas than time. So now it’s time to rebalance. I know I’ll figure out a way to make it work.
Better yet: I’ve had my second vaccine, and Art and Soul Portland is happening next month. I am very much looking forward to all of the classes I’m taking. I’m so excited I could burst! Yahoo!!!
Until then I’ll keep on stitching, weaving and more. In short, I’ll keep on keeping on. I wish the same for anyone reading this