Playing with Copper and Other Nonsense

 So, this last weekend after trying to come up with a good idea for a custom item for a good friend, I opened up my box of copper and brass scraps and started playing around and came up with the piece above.  I like how it turned out and I'm thinking that I want to utilize this type of work in some of my collars and cuffs as well as make a few pendants and such for my shop.  I forgot how much fun it is to play with copper and brass, I miss it so much!

While I was playing in my studio, lucky Abner got to go for a ride in the Tonka dump truck with Ciaran and Edolie.  I'm not sure if he had fun or not.  I thought it was great that Ciaran put a small piece of wood over the opening in the back of the truck so Abner didn't have an accident and fall out.  It's nice to see the kiddos getting over their fear of the tortoises and wanting to spend time with them.  I'm not sure how anyone could be afraid of, or creeped out by a tortoise, they are to damn cute!

So that's it for now, I have to go organize the lab so I can make it messy all over again!

My Favorite Little Pieces of Advice

Some of my favorite pieces of advice came from working with the kids at the school-age program I ran oh so many years ago. Some of these are from the kids, some from my co-workers but all valuable just the same. Sometimes you don't need big fancy(or ugly)words to get your point across. It is amazing how simple but how relevant to life some of these statements are:

"Just because you can, doesn't mean you have to!"

"There is a difference between being a strong person and just being a bitch."

"You were given two ears and one mouth for a reason."

"Don't go out with your hair wet!"

"Worry about your own underpants!"

"Treat your friends in the same way that you would like to be treated."

The only two words keeping you from doing that are "I can't."

"If he smacks you, and then you turn around and smack him, is that going to solve the problem?"

"They can't chase you if you don't run!"

"A little bit of embarrassment goes a long way."

"Hate is a very strong word, make sure you mean it before you say it."

"Sometimes, your opinion is only important to you."

I had to throw in the one about going out with your hair wet just because that has always cracked me up. My grandma used to scream that at us as we left the house even if it was 90 degrees out. Words to live by I tell you!