Okay People! My stats are showing that many people are still returning to this address on blogspot. (Including my own sister who called me today asking why I'm not posting!) So if you've been wondering where all my daily posts are, they're located at www.thebasketmakerswife.com
Pretty much, the same address, but remove "blogspot" at the end. Don't forget to make this change in your Bookmark Folder!
The posts on this site will soon be removed. I don't want to lose you!
(And admit it... you would be lost without me...)
Monday, March 5, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
The Blog Has Moved.
I believe the transfer is complete. This Blog is now located at: www.thebasketmakerswife.com
Don't forget to replace any bookmarks made in your browser, with the new address.
If you see an "under construction" page, do not fret. I'm probably doing some minor adjusting to get it all finalized. But so far, it's been up and running all evening!
Don't forget to replace any bookmarks made in your browser, with the new address.
If you see an "under construction" page, do not fret. I'm probably doing some minor adjusting to get it all finalized. But so far, it's been up and running all evening!
Monday, February 27, 2012
We Are Moving!
No, not us. The Basketmaker’s Wife Blog is moving! Since beginning this blog journey four months ago, I have learned a lot about blogging the hard way. Mostly, what not to do. However, as soon as my confidence about how the blog looked and operated grew, a change was needed.
The development of this blog began over a year ago and to get the ball rolling and simply start it, I went with the popular and free weblog publishing tool, Google's Blogger. At that moment, it seemed like a good match. As time went on though, I became aware that all the content was not owned by me, but by Google.
That's not a good thing. Protecting all the content being published is very important, especially since I am writing about basketry events & organizations, workshops, other artists, along with various people commenting on the blog as well. In addition, during Mr. Basketmaker's research, he found that many Google Blogger users had their blogs shut down without any warning. All their content gone since it was all owned by Google. It was time for a change.
One of our main concerns with the "move" was that the blog’s subscribers have been increasing exponentially and if we're not able to transfer the email feed with the new host, then we (meaning "me") would be contacting a lot of people begging them to re-subscribe to the blog. Another reason to make the switch sooner than later.
So, by painstakingly playing dumb, I was able to get a lot of help over the phone from the new host's technical people (actually, playing dumb, for me, is not that painstaking). We are using the Wordpress interface that is uploaded to our new host, giving us complete ownership of all the content. It's been designed, configured and all posts transferred but it will not go live until Monday evening or Tuesday.
Hopefully, it will go without a hitch! (or is it now 'glitch'?)
BTW, the new address, in case you used the blogspot one is simply, www.thebasketmakerswife.com
The development of this blog began over a year ago and to get the ball rolling and simply start it, I went with the popular and free weblog publishing tool, Google's Blogger. At that moment, it seemed like a good match. As time went on though, I became aware that all the content was not owned by me, but by Google.
That's not a good thing. Protecting all the content being published is very important, especially since I am writing about basketry events & organizations, workshops, other artists, along with various people commenting on the blog as well. In addition, during Mr. Basketmaker's research, he found that many Google Blogger users had their blogs shut down without any warning. All their content gone since it was all owned by Google. It was time for a change.
One of our main concerns with the "move" was that the blog’s subscribers have been increasing exponentially and if we're not able to transfer the email feed with the new host, then we (meaning "me") would be contacting a lot of people begging them to re-subscribe to the blog. Another reason to make the switch sooner than later.
So, by painstakingly playing dumb, I was able to get a lot of help over the phone from the new host's technical people (actually, playing dumb, for me, is not that painstaking). We are using the Wordpress interface that is uploaded to our new host, giving us complete ownership of all the content. It's been designed, configured and all posts transferred but it will not go live until Monday evening or Tuesday.
Hopefully, it will go without a hitch! (or is it now 'glitch'?)
BTW, the new address, in case you used the blogspot one is simply, www.thebasketmakerswife.com
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Getting Ready for the NCBA.
The North Carolina Basketmakers' Association Annual basket convention is less than one
month away. This is my favorite out of all the conventions simply because that was the first basket-related gathering I attended with Eric four years ago. And one of the first "basket people" I met was Pattie Bagley... I mean, Madam President of the GBA (unmistakeable shameless brown-nosing).
Eric puts in many hours and long days getting ready for any convention, but especially NCBA's since it's one of the largest basketry conventions in the country. As most of you already know, I go downstairs to Eric's workshop many times throughout the day to say "hi" and, yes, annoy him a little. I cannot help it. It's so much fun! But weeks before a convention, he's so focused that he barely knows I'm there.
Eric puts in many hours and long days getting ready for any convention, but especially NCBA's since it's one of the largest basketry conventions in the country. As most of you already know, I go downstairs to Eric's workshop many times throughout the day to say "hi" and, yes, annoy him a little. I cannot help it. It's so much fun! But weeks before a convention, he's so focused that he barely knows I'm there.
Yesterday was one of those days. And I tried to get his attention to no avail. I grabbed the dog's front paws and started dancing. I threw the dog toy over his workstation to play fetch with the dog. I even performed my best "stripper-who-wears-sweatpants" interpretation. All I heard him say was “these stupid handles are frustrating me.”
Uh oh. Time to leave him alone. No playing games today. (Come on people. I'm not that heartless!) His new handbag design has a complicated handle and lid configuration with many wooden parts that
need to fit precisely. And being a new design, means that Eric needed to come up
with a system or "jigs" for making everything come together many times over. I snapped some pics (after abandoning my attempt to distract him) of what he was working on.
Mr. Basketmaker's goal is to finish
up all the basket parts for the new handbag and the Cottage Jewel basket over the weekend so they can be
mailed to students sometime next week. This will give them plenty of time to
properly finish the wooden parts before the convention classes begin.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Five Questions Friday
Yah! My favorite day of the week... Friday! Mostly because I get to irritate Eric with questions. I don't know why he still has not gotten used to this every week. He's a slow adapter.
What is your favorite movie?
Eric: To Kill a Mockingbird. I remember being home sick one day when I was twelve or thirteen and was flipping through the channels and came across the opening scene where she's looking into the cigar box. That memory, and the movie, just stuck with me ever since.
Do you scream on roller coasters?
Eric: No, I’m a dude.
(editor’s note: I have never been on a roller coaster with Eric, but there has been many times I came around the corner in our home and he let out a little scream. So I think he’s lying, and he would be flailing like a 15-year-old girl.)
In the song Yankee Doodle, is he calling the pony or the feather “macaroni”?
Eric: The feather.
Do you shampoo your hair first in the shower or wash with soap?
Eric: Shampoo first.
Do you dance crazy when no one is looking?
Eric: That’s a dumb question.
(editor’s note: He dances crazy in public so it does not matter).
What is your favorite movie?
Eric: To Kill a Mockingbird. I remember being home sick one day when I was twelve or thirteen and was flipping through the channels and came across the opening scene where she's looking into the cigar box. That memory, and the movie, just stuck with me ever since.
Do you scream on roller coasters?
Eric: No, I’m a dude.
(editor’s note: I have never been on a roller coaster with Eric, but there has been many times I came around the corner in our home and he let out a little scream. So I think he’s lying, and he would be flailing like a 15-year-old girl.)
In the song Yankee Doodle, is he calling the pony or the feather “macaroni”?
Eric: The feather.
Do you shampoo your hair first in the shower or wash with soap?
Eric: Shampoo first.
Do you dance crazy when no one is looking?
Eric: That’s a dumb question.
(editor’s note: He dances crazy in public so it does not matter).
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Mr. Basketmaker Speaks.
The following post is from my imaginative, captivating and endearing husband, Eric. (I'm being excruciatingly nice since I'm trying to convince him to let our dog Chance come with us to North Carolina. As soon as he agrees, I'll be back to picking on him.)
I have always been very interested in birch bark baskets. Birch bark has a very distinctive feel and is very flexible, making it a great basket weaving material.
I have worked with the bark just a little bit, having made five or six container-style baskets threaded with spruce root. Even with just this small amount of time working with this material, I’ve never forgotten the experience. It makes me want to go back for more. Recently, I came across a video of Vladimer Yarish to bring all the Birch bark thoughts back.
During my travels, I have met basket makers from all over the world. One basket maker that I cross paths with every now and then is Vladimir. He is a traditional, Russian birch bark basket maker from Veliky, Novgorod. He is very experienced in homeland craft. If you ever get a chance to take a workshop with him, I guarantee it will be a truly unique experience.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
The Award Goes To...
Eric and Roland of the "Basket Bald" team.
Since January 4th, upon exiting the plane in Manchester, Mr. Basketmaker has been nagging me about when I was going to post his obnoxious win of our family's annual shuffleboard tournament held in Florida.
I say 'obnoxious' because him and his teammate, my Uncle Roland, would yell out "yuuuuuuup" every time they scored points or made a good shot. (If you have ever watched Storage Wars, then you are familiar with Dave yelling out "yuuuuuuup" for each bid, branding him the most disliked person on the show.) Well, the same opinion befell team "Basket Bald."
So I am announcing, to the world (well... the 5 people who may read this) that Eric now possesses the coveted Talbot Cup trophy. He has been wanting to win this award for three years now. His life is complete.
Since January 4th, upon exiting the plane in Manchester, Mr. Basketmaker has been nagging me about when I was going to post his obnoxious win of our family's annual shuffleboard tournament held in Florida.
I say 'obnoxious' because him and his teammate, my Uncle Roland, would yell out "yuuuuuuup" every time they scored points or made a good shot. (If you have ever watched Storage Wars, then you are familiar with Dave yelling out "yuuuuuuup" for each bid, branding him the most disliked person on the show.) Well, the same opinion befell team "Basket Bald."
So I am announcing, to the world (well... the 5 people who may read this) that Eric now possesses the coveted Talbot Cup trophy. He has been wanting to win this award for three years now. His life is complete.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Someone Won an Award.
For weeks (seven weeks to be exact), Mr. Basketmaker has been nagging me to write this particular post. And for the last two weeks, he's been wallowing that it's now too late to even bother.
Well, nothing is ever too late (except for maybe when I told my dad I would fill up the gas tank. Then did not tell him before he left for work the next morning that I forgot. Now that, was too late.)
I would like to post it all, but at the moment, I am being lazy. And there are quite a bit of photos that need processing that will accompany this long-awaited announcement. And, in my defense, I have good reason for being lazy at the present moment. Mr. Basketmaker woke up this morning and said "It's a nice day today, almost like spring." He then proceeded to open the bedroom window and stated "We're going to do some spring cleaning today."
Mind you, I am not a morning person. And, it's February in New Hampshire. Spring is like 6 weeks away! But I need to pick my battles. So I got up, and joined in the cleaning. And our bedroom was in dire need, I must say. It could have easily passed as a snapshot of a room from the show Hoarders. Not particularly proud of that, but I wanted you to get a visualization of the long day I had and why I'm not completing this post. I also cleaned the oven. So enough said about that.
And as I mentioned before, I pick my battles with Mr. Basketmaker. So I will be writing "his" long-awaited post he's been pestering me about... tomorrow.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Eric's Upcoming Workshops.
Today's post is to announce that I finally updated Eric's Workshop schedule on his website (erictaylorbasketry.com). Yeah, I know. I would much rather be writing about what I watched on TV today or how much our dog Chance loves his "Mr. Kitty" (not to be confused with the cat I'm having an online twitter battle with that I've named "City Kitty"). But this blog is titled "The Basketmaker's Wife" so I have to publish a certain percentage of basket-related content.
So Eric has a very busy schedule this summer. Which means I do too since I'm on the road with him. You can get the detailed info off his site, but to summarize, in March, we will be heading to North Carolina for the NCBA. Then in April he's in Indiana and in the last two weeks of May he is back in North Carolina to teach at the John C. Campbell Folk School. (For those of you worried about our dog Chance, my parents are back up from Florida for the summer and will stay at our home while we're gone).
In June he is close to home with a local workshop, but then we're gone for a few weeks starting off with a workshop in Connecticut and then on to St. Louis for classes at Tony Stubblefield's for four days and immediately after, at the Missouri Basket Convention first week in August.
After that, we're able to come home for a couple weeks and then we're gone again for 14 days to Michigan and Illinois and when November comes around, we're back in Atlanta.
I really cannot wait until Christmas!
So Eric has a very busy schedule this summer. Which means I do too since I'm on the road with him. You can get the detailed info off his site, but to summarize, in March, we will be heading to North Carolina for the NCBA. Then in April he's in Indiana and in the last two weeks of May he is back in North Carolina to teach at the John C. Campbell Folk School. (For those of you worried about our dog Chance, my parents are back up from Florida for the summer and will stay at our home while we're gone).
In June he is close to home with a local workshop, but then we're gone for a few weeks starting off with a workshop in Connecticut and then on to St. Louis for classes at Tony Stubblefield's for four days and immediately after, at the Missouri Basket Convention first week in August.
After that, we're able to come home for a couple weeks and then we're gone again for 14 days to Michigan and Illinois and when November comes around, we're back in Atlanta.
I really cannot wait until Christmas!
Friday, February 17, 2012
Mom asks Five Questions Friday
Yah! It's time to ask Eric five questions. But since it is Joanne's (Eric's mom) birthday, I gave her the honor of asking the questions. We took her and Bruce (Eric's step-dad) to an Indian restaurant in Concord, NH and I brought my Power Puff Girls notebook and pencil to write everything down.
Mom: What is your favorite basket to make?
Eric: How can I favor one basket over the other? I do have a few baskets that I dislike weaving. Or rather, I do not look forward to weaving. But I'll leave that for another week. So, I would say that the first basket of a new design is my favorite to weave since I cannot wait to see it finished.
Mom: What is your favorite ethnic food to eat?
Eric: Since Lynne's favorite is Thai food, I will have to say that. But Indian food comes in a close second.
Mom: What was your favorite place to visit?
Eric: While teaching classes?
Mom: Yes.
Eric: Well, there are so many places I look forward to going. I don't think I can narrow it.
Mom: What's your favorite city you've been to?
Eric: Again, there are numerous cities I really like. But if I had to pick one, I would say Chicago, because we get to visit Lynne's sister and spend time with the nephews and then we take the "el" into the city and have a great time. Me drinking the local beers and Lynne enjoying the martinis.
(editor's note: of course the nephews are in bed! They're not out bar hopping with us!)
Mom: What is the best vacation destination you like the best?
Eric: I don’t really have a regular location. We like to mix it up. But what I enjoy the most is camping with Lynne. It's so peaceful and we get to "unplug" from everything and just enjoy our time being outside and doing whatever we want like hiking, checking out other people's sites, stoking the fire or napping!
Thanks Joanne! Great questions!
Mom: What is your favorite basket to make?
Eric: How can I favor one basket over the other? I do have a few baskets that I dislike weaving. Or rather, I do not look forward to weaving. But I'll leave that for another week. So, I would say that the first basket of a new design is my favorite to weave since I cannot wait to see it finished.
Mom: What is your favorite ethnic food to eat?
Eric: Since Lynne's favorite is Thai food, I will have to say that. But Indian food comes in a close second.
Mom: What was your favorite place to visit?
Eric: While teaching classes?
Mom: Yes.
Eric: Well, there are so many places I look forward to going. I don't think I can narrow it.
Mom: What's your favorite city you've been to?
Eric: Again, there are numerous cities I really like. But if I had to pick one, I would say Chicago, because we get to visit Lynne's sister and spend time with the nephews and then we take the "el" into the city and have a great time. Me drinking the local beers and Lynne enjoying the martinis.
(editor's note: of course the nephews are in bed! They're not out bar hopping with us!)
Mom: What is the best vacation destination you like the best?
Eric: I don’t really have a regular location. We like to mix it up. But what I enjoy the most is camping with Lynne. It's so peaceful and we get to "unplug" from everything and just enjoy our time being outside and doing whatever we want like hiking, checking out other people's sites, stoking the fire or napping!
Thanks Joanne! Great questions!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
How Twitter Saved Us Hours.
My sister called me last July and said "Lynne, you have to get on Twitter!" Because I dislike following any trends, I immediately said "no." (I'm waiting for the trend of wearing ponchos to run its course since I've been wearing ponchos for the last decade and I really miss wearing them!) So my sis called me the next day and then the next. So I caved and opened a twitter account strictly to follow her and her business (kidzaw.com).
I sent out about a dozen tweets with the '#' or the "@" in front of her name or keywords. But it did not matter because I had no followers, except for one. And that one follower was my sister! So she was getting all those "promotional" twitters about herself, sent to herself by her sister.
Then, February rolls around and I've been writing my blog for awhile and other blog writers are linking to my site, and two of them asked me to guest blog on theirs, and many asked why I was not on Twitter. So I asked Twitter to resend my password (because I could not sign on since I forgot the dang password because my memory is horrible) and logged back on. So I started following a couple people, who followed me back, and then I started sending out Tweets.
After a week of tweeting, or twittering or twiending (still don't know what you call it) I was hooked. And I was finding other fellow twitterers whom I knew! (and ones who knew me but I could not remember who they were - remember, my memory is horrible). So that was a kick. But during that second week of being on Twitter, we experienced a positive advantage of belonging to this social network.
We're traveling I81 on our way to the Georgia Basketry Convention. Eric sees a sign saying there is an accident 50 miles up. I jump on my Blackberry and log onto Twitter. I then search I81 and see lots of posts about the accident! Including this aerial shot showing both sides of the highway shut down.
So I tell Eric that people are twittering about both lanes, north and southbound being closed due to an accident involving 3 semi's with one carrying toxic materials, and it's backed up for 10 miles! So I grab the map and then we make the decision to get off the highway right before the 10-mile backup! We got off at Route 11 (I think) and it followed right beside the highway. And for 10 miles, we watched all the cars and trucks at a complete standstill while we were traveling on the side road at a comfortable 40 - 45 miles per hour!
So thanks to Twitter, we saved ourselves at least 1 - 1.5 hours, and made it to Atlanta at 8:00 pm. If we would've been stuck in that traffic, Eric would've been frustrated and we would've arrived well after 9:30 pm, and then the next morning he would've been cranky (can I say 'would've" one more time?). So Twitter saved us time and contributed to our happy marriage!
Also, it was good for my ego when the Discovery channel replied twice (yes, twice) to my tweet about how I believed their "thinkgolditsFriday" tagline for their show Gold Rush was a typo and should be "thankgolditsFriday" and the Food Network's very own Robert Irvine of Restaurant Impossible replied to my tweet wondering if he knew Lou Frerrigno with a response and a "LOL."
I'm loving twitter! (if you would like to follow me, visit @brushandbasket on twitter. I cannot guarantee that it will benefit your life in any way, but it will help a poor basketmaker's wife feel a little more popular!.)
I sent out about a dozen tweets with the '#' or the "@" in front of her name or keywords. But it did not matter because I had no followers, except for one. And that one follower was my sister! So she was getting all those "promotional" twitters about herself, sent to herself by her sister.
Then, February rolls around and I've been writing my blog for awhile and other blog writers are linking to my site, and two of them asked me to guest blog on theirs, and many asked why I was not on Twitter. So I asked Twitter to resend my password (because I could not sign on since I forgot the dang password because my memory is horrible) and logged back on. So I started following a couple people, who followed me back, and then I started sending out Tweets.
After a week of tweeting, or twittering or twiending (still don't know what you call it) I was hooked. And I was finding other fellow twitterers whom I knew! (and ones who knew me but I could not remember who they were - remember, my memory is horrible). So that was a kick. But during that second week of being on Twitter, we experienced a positive advantage of belonging to this social network.
So I tell Eric that people are twittering about both lanes, north and southbound being closed due to an accident involving 3 semi's with one carrying toxic materials, and it's backed up for 10 miles! So I grab the map and then we make the decision to get off the highway right before the 10-mile backup! We got off at Route 11 (I think) and it followed right beside the highway. And for 10 miles, we watched all the cars and trucks at a complete standstill while we were traveling on the side road at a comfortable 40 - 45 miles per hour!
So thanks to Twitter, we saved ourselves at least 1 - 1.5 hours, and made it to Atlanta at 8:00 pm. If we would've been stuck in that traffic, Eric would've been frustrated and we would've arrived well after 9:30 pm, and then the next morning he would've been cranky (can I say 'would've" one more time?). So Twitter saved us time and contributed to our happy marriage!
Also, it was good for my ego when the Discovery channel replied twice (yes, twice) to my tweet about how I believed their "thinkgolditsFriday" tagline for their show Gold Rush was a typo and should be "thankgolditsFriday" and the Food Network's very own Robert Irvine of Restaurant Impossible replied to my tweet wondering if he knew Lou Frerrigno with a response and a "LOL."
I'm loving twitter! (if you would like to follow me, visit @brushandbasket on twitter. I cannot guarantee that it will benefit your life in any way, but it will help a poor basketmaker's wife feel a little more popular!.)
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Happy Valentine's Day.
Eric often gives me ideas or suggestions for a blog post. And I welcome them. Because when I'm having a block, and I'm desparate and look to him for help in a last-minute situation of what I should write that day, he usually has a blank stare and tells me to skip a day. So he is not one to come up with things on the fly. So two days ago, he sent me an email out of the blue for a post to do on Valentine's Day which was a vintage ad he found online. Which I'm using for today's post.
Eric, on the other hand, likes advertising for more bizarre reasons. He shows me these ads he finds on the internet and I just shake my head. I don’t get it. And it’s most likely a guy thing. He shows me ads with the Three Stooges, or with Santa smoking or peddling vodka or one about an ironing board and how it's the best gift to buy your wife. His latest find was a bizarre Japanese ad. I'll just leave it at that since it crosses political correctness boundaries today. (If you would like to see a sampling of his bizarre ad fetish, check out his Pinterest board here.)
He is always laughing hysterically as he shows me and I just roll my eyes and mutter "Uh huh." In my opinion, slapstick is humor for the simpleton. Now, I'm not calling my husband one of the simple-minded, but he loves the Three Stooges. Need I say more? I'm just saying.
When I ask him why he thinks these ads are so funny he says “No, this is different! These ads make you shake your head and ask what were they thinking! Like one of my favorites, a baby drinking soda. Then there’s the 50’s and 60’s ads with doctors endorsing their favorite cigarettes. Can you imagine? Just call me weird but I find that stuff funny! If that happened today, a mere fifty years later, the ad agency would be fired!"
Well, I agree with him about that. There's no way advertising like that would ever make it past the Art Director's desk. But in all confession-type honesty, some of the ads he shows me I do find amusing and I'm laughing on the inside. But I will never let him know that.
Picture is a vintage Valentine's Day Ad found on tressugar. ©2012 Sugar Inc. PopSugar Entertainment & Culture
Sunday, February 12, 2012
I Created a Pinterest Monster.
I've received several invitations to Pinterest over the last 6 months. And I just could not take on another time-consuming network. For Facebook, I pretty much stopped making status updates. I was not on there daily anyways.
Two weeks ago my sister told me I HAD TO GO ON Pinterest! She said she was obsessed. So the next day I did. There was a small learning curve but it became pretty easy to figure it all out. The simplest way to describe it is that it's like reading a magazine for ideas but without any ads! And you can pick the subject you want. Ever do research online on gardening ideas? And you see lots of photos you like and you have to print it or save the file to your desktop? Well, with Pinterest, after you install the "Pin it" button in your browser toolbar, when you see a picture you like online, just hit the "Pin it" button and a window comes up on what "board" to pin it to on your page, select it and it's loaded instantly! You can have all kinds of boards with different subjects.
So I was telling Eric that he would really like Pinterest . He said, "No. That site's for chicks only!" I explained (in a calm voice like you do for children) that it is the perfect place to store all the photos and images he researches for our Fantasy Football League. As soon as I told him what he could do with this site, he signed up and was online until 3:30 in the morning! I am not kidding.
He's obsessed and I created a monster. I woke up this morning and he had more followers than me! It's Facebook all over again. I was on for a few years and had 70 friends. He has been on for only 7 months and he's well over 400 friends. I'm so unpopular (weep weep).
No wonder he was up until the early morning! I viewed his page and he created these long writeups for the pins he made for his "TV Shows I Grew Up With" board. If you want to see a side of Eric many don't see, read this board. Direct Link here to his Pinterest page. Hit on his "TV Shows I Grew Up With" board and you can read all the text that I have pictured below.
Editor's Warning: at times, he does have a warped sense of humor. If you want to view a Pinterest page from an unpopular, but normal person, visit mine. The links are at all the words that say "Pinterest".
Two weeks ago my sister told me I HAD TO GO ON Pinterest! She said she was obsessed. So the next day I did. There was a small learning curve but it became pretty easy to figure it all out. The simplest way to describe it is that it's like reading a magazine for ideas but without any ads! And you can pick the subject you want. Ever do research online on gardening ideas? And you see lots of photos you like and you have to print it or save the file to your desktop? Well, with Pinterest, after you install the "Pin it" button in your browser toolbar, when you see a picture you like online, just hit the "Pin it" button and a window comes up on what "board" to pin it to on your page, select it and it's loaded instantly! You can have all kinds of boards with different subjects.
So I was telling Eric that he would really like Pinterest . He said, "No. That site's for chicks only!" I explained (in a calm voice like you do for children) that it is the perfect place to store all the photos and images he researches for our Fantasy Football League. As soon as I told him what he could do with this site, he signed up and was online until 3:30 in the morning! I am not kidding.
He's obsessed and I created a monster. I woke up this morning and he had more followers than me! It's Facebook all over again. I was on for a few years and had 70 friends. He has been on for only 7 months and he's well over 400 friends. I'm so unpopular (weep weep).
No wonder he was up until the early morning! I viewed his page and he created these long writeups for the pins he made for his "TV Shows I Grew Up With" board. If you want to see a side of Eric many don't see, read this board. Direct Link here to his Pinterest page. Hit on his "TV Shows I Grew Up With" board and you can read all the text that I have pictured below.
Editor's Warning: at times, he does have a warped sense of humor. If you want to view a Pinterest page from an unpopular, but normal person, visit mine. The links are at all the words that say "Pinterest".
Saturday, February 11, 2012
From Eric: Weaving = Paperwork = Stress
Today's post is from my very own basket maker Eric!
If you had told me about how much paperwork there was involved in being a basket maker, maybe I would have taken extra time in choosing this path. Don’t get me wrong. I love what I do. The thing is I just didn’t think there would be all this extra stuff that would keep me away from the baskets. Spending days going through convention contracts, invoicing, scheduling hotels, prioritizing orders and emailing never entered my mind when I began making baskets.
After getting home from a trip, it starts all over again. You have to keep an eye on the next gig (like I’m a rock star) and look down the road to the future. It can all get a little crazy trying to match dates and which baskets and my schedule.
Many conventions and workshops have to be planned almost a year in advance. Overlapping submissions and other commitments can bring on a flurry of stress. I’m already anxious about next year's new baskets. I think that I will just email Lynne with the new workshop dates so that she can update them to the website and the other items I have not completed. Then maybe I can weave now.
Eric’s correct about paperwork. It’s almost mid-February and I myself have not done any invoicing for my freelance work completed in January. But one thing that is worse than doing my paperwork, is doing Eric’s paperwork! a.k.a. the stuff he dumps on my desk because he doesn’t want to do it!
It’s so apparent that Eric does not like paperwork when we go to Workshops. Almost always at least one person comes up to him and asks if he was able to send an order out or something or other. In Georgia, three people needed things that I thought he dealt with. (Sorry Gail, Trisha and Sharon). And, if I can really embarrass him — yesterday he found a $50 check he folded inside his name tag holder from 9 months ago!
I think Eric should've married someone with more money. (or learn to not misplace checks). Then he could hire a secretary. Instead he's stuck with me and all my whining. Last week, one of his students piped up “Lynne, you need to train him!” Well, my answer to that is you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
If you had told me about how much paperwork there was involved in being a basket maker, maybe I would have taken extra time in choosing this path. Don’t get me wrong. I love what I do. The thing is I just didn’t think there would be all this extra stuff that would keep me away from the baskets. Spending days going through convention contracts, invoicing, scheduling hotels, prioritizing orders and emailing never entered my mind when I began making baskets.
After getting home from a trip, it starts all over again. You have to keep an eye on the next gig (like I’m a rock star) and look down the road to the future. It can all get a little crazy trying to match dates and which baskets and my schedule.
Many conventions and workshops have to be planned almost a year in advance. Overlapping submissions and other commitments can bring on a flurry of stress. I’m already anxious about next year's new baskets. I think that I will just email Lynne with the new workshop dates so that she can update them to the website and the other items I have not completed. Then maybe I can weave now.
Eric’s correct about paperwork. It’s almost mid-February and I myself have not done any invoicing for my freelance work completed in January. But one thing that is worse than doing my paperwork, is doing Eric’s paperwork! a.k.a. the stuff he dumps on my desk because he doesn’t want to do it!
It’s so apparent that Eric does not like paperwork when we go to Workshops. Almost always at least one person comes up to him and asks if he was able to send an order out or something or other. In Georgia, three people needed things that I thought he dealt with. (Sorry Gail, Trisha and Sharon). And, if I can really embarrass him — yesterday he found a $50 check he folded inside his name tag holder from 9 months ago!
I think Eric should've married someone with more money. (or learn to not misplace checks). Then he could hire a secretary. Instead he's stuck with me and all my whining. Last week, one of his students piped up “Lynne, you need to train him!” Well, my answer to that is you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Five Questions Friday: On the Road
We just returned from the Georgia Basketry Convention and I asked Eric random questions during the trip to use for Five Questions Friday. (Come on. You didn't think I got up at 5:00 am to ask Eric questions and then post them at 6:30 in the morning, did you? Of course I ask my questions before that!)
How far east can you go before you’re heading west?
Eric: What? I don’t like that question and I don’t get it.
If we travel west by car and we're in eastern Massachusetts on our way to Wisconsin, when are we officially in the west?
Eric: When we fly and land at an airport in Arizona. Then we are out west.
Do you think prison buses have emergency exits?
Eric: What? (said while laughing) Yes. Because the guard on the bus has a gun.
What if they all run out the emergency exit. How does he stop them all?
Eric: He's got one of those quick sharp-shooters.
Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?
Eric: (Laughing). I don’t think so. Especially since I always see a a guy on the road waving a sign.
Okay. There’s a speed of sound and a speed of light. Is there a speed of smell?
Eric: What? (laughing again. Guess he’s not annoyed at my questions this time). Uh... yeah. It speeds up after you don’t shower for a few days (I think he’s talking about me).
Outside of Georgia, what was the favorite place we ate at while on the road? (as I say to myself "Please do not say McDonald's.")
Eric: Peking Restaurant in Wytheville, Virginia.
Note: We usually would not eat chinese food while on the road but Eric read online that it was an area favorite. And it was fantastic. Very light and no MSG!
(I had to ask him one more question)
When can we start talking about the Patriots again?
Eric: Uh... not yet.
The image I used above is of a tin road sign reproduction sold on Amazon. If you want it, click here or the image below.
How far east can you go before you’re heading west?Eric: What? I don’t like that question and I don’t get it.
If we travel west by car and we're in eastern Massachusetts on our way to Wisconsin, when are we officially in the west?
Eric: When we fly and land at an airport in Arizona. Then we are out west.
Do you think prison buses have emergency exits?
Eric: What? (said while laughing) Yes. Because the guard on the bus has a gun.
What if they all run out the emergency exit. How does he stop them all?
Eric: He's got one of those quick sharp-shooters.
Eric: (Laughing). I don’t think so. Especially since I always see a a guy on the road waving a sign.
Okay. There’s a speed of sound and a speed of light. Is there a speed of smell?
Eric: What? (laughing again. Guess he’s not annoyed at my questions this time). Uh... yeah. It speeds up after you don’t shower for a few days (I think he’s talking about me).
Outside of Georgia, what was the favorite place we ate at while on the road? (as I say to myself "Please do not say McDonald's.")
Eric: Peking Restaurant in Wytheville, Virginia.
Note: We usually would not eat chinese food while on the road but Eric read online that it was an area favorite. And it was fantastic. Very light and no MSG!
(I had to ask him one more question)
When can we start talking about the Patriots again?
Eric: Uh... not yet.
The image I used above is of a tin road sign reproduction sold on Amazon. If you want it, click here or the image below.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Quick Shout Out to National Basketry Organization
The National Basketry Organization
is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the ancient and modern art of basketry by promoting the art, skill, heritage and education of this traditional and contemporary craft.
Not only is it an organization for the basket maker, but for the collector, the novice weaver and those who admire baskets as well. Even though I am a painter, I enjoy reading about other craftsmen and the work they do so it is also a good resource for the studio artist in various mediums too.
If you are not an NBO member and/or you do not receive their email newsletter and quarterly magazine then you're missing out on a valuable basketry resource along with their unique benefits! Also featured in their quarterly newsletter is a list of Upcoming Basketry Events brought to you by Basketmakers.com, a site edited by Susi Nuss. This is also another stop for invaluable information for everything basketry!
To subscribe to their email newsletter, click here. Learn about NBO's membership here. The NBO currently relies on its volunteers for various tasks involved in running the organization. If you would like to serve on a "task team" or volunteer in other ways, you can add this request on your membership form. Or if you would like to donate directly to the NBO, click here for their form.
Also, if you're interested in advertising via their newsletter or magazine, click here for their detailed media kit and schedule.
Lastly, to meet the board and the dedicated faces behind NBO (Like Lois, Matt, Michael, JoAnn, Susi, and more) click here. If I missed anything or if someone has anything to add, leave it in the comments and I will update the post.
Not only is it an organization for the basket maker, but for the collector, the novice weaver and those who admire baskets as well. Even though I am a painter, I enjoy reading about other craftsmen and the work they do so it is also a good resource for the studio artist in various mediums too.
To subscribe to their email newsletter, click here. Learn about NBO's membership here. The NBO currently relies on its volunteers for various tasks involved in running the organization. If you would like to serve on a "task team" or volunteer in other ways, you can add this request on your membership form. Or if you would like to donate directly to the NBO, click here for their form.
Also, if you're interested in advertising via their newsletter or magazine, click here for their detailed media kit and schedule.
Lastly, to meet the board and the dedicated faces behind NBO (Like Lois, Matt, Michael, JoAnn, Susi, and more) click here. If I missed anything or if someone has anything to add, leave it in the comments and I will update the post.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
January's Employee of the Month
At the beginning of the year, I came up with an "Employee of the Month" program to boost morale in our two-person-one-dog operation. Eric was December's winner. Last month's? It's our dog Chance.
Why Chance? Because he was a good sport and endured a week-long stay at the dog kennel while we were in Florida visiting family and Eric taught one of his workshops. While we were playing shuffleboard, sitting in the hot tub and taking long walks in the nice sun (and drinking margaritas at the local outdoor bar), Chance was all alone, at a kennel, with strange dogs, experiencing limited outside time and probably being taunted by mean kitties.
Since he clearly sacrificed the most for our business, Chance is January's Employee of the Month.
His tail wagging a mile a minute leads me to believe that he's pretty stoked about this honor! (or he really needs to go out and pee... could go either way).
Why Chance? Because he was a good sport and endured a week-long stay at the dog kennel while we were in Florida visiting family and Eric taught one of his workshops. While we were playing shuffleboard, sitting in the hot tub and taking long walks in the nice sun (and drinking margaritas at the local outdoor bar), Chance was all alone, at a kennel, with strange dogs, experiencing limited outside time and probably being taunted by mean kitties.
Since he clearly sacrificed the most for our business, Chance is January's Employee of the Month.
His tail wagging a mile a minute leads me to believe that he's pretty stoked about this honor! (or he really needs to go out and pee... could go either way).
Monday, February 6, 2012
Saturday at the GBA
Usually during Eric's workshops I do not spend the whole day there. But at the Georgia Basketry Association's gathering I spent both Friday and Saturday there. I hung out in the back corner and did some work on my laptop for a couple clients and then walked around doing a little socializing.
Teaching at the table next to Eric's was Darlene Hyry. She hosted one of Eric's classes down in Florida two years ago. She also showed us her extensive basket collection in her home. The photo is a little blurry because she was busy weaving and moving and I did not want to interrupt her (yeah... I was trying to blame it on her but the real reason is because I had my camera on the wrong setting most of Saturday. So I apologize for the out-of-focus pics).
Also teaching next to Eric was Thomas Holtkamp and his students were weaving the seat to a deco-inspired bench. They were a little crammed in their corner since his classes always sell out and every seat (no pun intended) was taken. Pictured is work-in-progress by the ever-lively Sharon Baiardi who owns The Basket Cases in Florida. She also recently hosted one of Eric's workshops and you can find the post about that event here. I tried to convince her to give me the bench when she was done but she wasn't buying it.
New to the convention teaching scene but definitely not new to basket making is Matt Tommey. (Click here for his website.) He's from Asheville, NC and has been making baskets for 18 years now. His specialty is vine basketry and they are beautiful sculptures. I've been following Matt on Facebook for awhile now and he is a respected and accomplished artist. So I was excited when I heard he would be teaching at the GBA. I also learned that he is on the board of directors for the National Basketry Organization.
Taking Matt Tommey's class was our dear friend Pattie Bagley. She is one of the first "basket people" I met on the circuit. I believe it was 4 years ago at the North Carolina Basketmaker's Convention. So her name is permanently etched in my brain. The reason why I say this is because I've found one of the frustrations of traveling with Eric is that it is so hard to remember everyone's names! I recognize faces and the location where I have met them, but their name always comes to me about 10 seconds after they said "hello Lynne" and walked away. However I am getting better. But I will never forget Pattie's. And really, who could?
And I have big news. Pattie Bagley was elected President of the Georgia Basketry Association. So she will be very busy this year since she also teaches out of her home studio and is a resident artist at the John C. Campbell Folk School. She also needs to finish her vine basket. I heard that she talked most of the class, instead of weaving, and was not a good student. Bad Pattie.
I'll finish off with some pics of Eric's Jewel Basket class. One of the students Cathy made two identical baskets - one was for her friend who was stuck in Denver from the snow storm. Hope she appreciates all her hard work!
Again, I apologize for the quality of the pics! The time when I need the pictures to all be good is at a basketry convention! I'll try and remember to check the settings next time. The same thing happened on our honeymoon. We were hiking The Narrows in Utah and I had our camera on the smallest setting. So all those pics could only be printed 1 inch in size! Furthermore, not being able to blame Eric for that one was soooooo hard! (Excruciatingly hard.)
Teaching at the table next to Eric's was Darlene Hyry. She hosted one of Eric's classes down in Florida two years ago. She also showed us her extensive basket collection in her home. The photo is a little blurry because she was busy weaving and moving and I did not want to interrupt her (yeah... I was trying to blame it on her but the real reason is because I had my camera on the wrong setting most of Saturday. So I apologize for the out-of-focus pics).
Also teaching next to Eric was Thomas Holtkamp and his students were weaving the seat to a deco-inspired bench. They were a little crammed in their corner since his classes always sell out and every seat (no pun intended) was taken. Pictured is work-in-progress by the ever-lively Sharon Baiardi who owns The Basket Cases in Florida. She also recently hosted one of Eric's workshops and you can find the post about that event here. I tried to convince her to give me the bench when she was done but she wasn't buying it.New to the convention teaching scene but definitely not new to basket making is Matt Tommey. (Click here for his website.) He's from Asheville, NC and has been making baskets for 18 years now. His specialty is vine basketry and they are beautiful sculptures. I've been following Matt on Facebook for awhile now and he is a respected and accomplished artist. So I was excited when I heard he would be teaching at the GBA. I also learned that he is on the board of directors for the National Basketry Organization.
Taking Matt Tommey's class was our dear friend Pattie Bagley. She is one of the first "basket people" I met on the circuit. I believe it was 4 years ago at the North Carolina Basketmaker's Convention. So her name is permanently etched in my brain. The reason why I say this is because I've found one of the frustrations of traveling with Eric is that it is so hard to remember everyone's names! I recognize faces and the location where I have met them, but their name always comes to me about 10 seconds after they said "hello Lynne" and walked away. However I am getting better. But I will never forget Pattie's. And really, who could?
And I have big news. Pattie Bagley was elected President of the Georgia Basketry Association. So she will be very busy this year since she also teaches out of her home studio and is a resident artist at the John C. Campbell Folk School. She also needs to finish her vine basket. I heard that she talked most of the class, instead of weaving, and was not a good student. Bad Pattie.
I'll finish off with some pics of Eric's Jewel Basket class. One of the students Cathy made two identical baskets - one was for her friend who was stuck in Denver from the snow storm. Hope she appreciates all her hard work!
Again, I apologize for the quality of the pics! The time when I need the pictures to all be good is at a basketry convention! I'll try and remember to check the settings next time. The same thing happened on our honeymoon. We were hiking The Narrows in Utah and I had our camera on the smallest setting. So all those pics could only be printed 1 inch in size! Furthermore, not being able to blame Eric for that one was soooooo hard! (Excruciatingly hard.)
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Goooooo Pats!!!
Tomorrow I will post the rest of the pics from the Georgia Basketry workshop, because today is all about our Patriots who are in the Super Bowl (again!).
And it's another matchup with the Giants. We will be watching the game down here in Atlanta with Jud and Suzanne. Jud will be making chicken wings with Suzanne's special sauce and he's also making fried pickles. I never had fried pickles so I'm looking forward to tasting them.
Go Patriots! Go Gronk! (heads up... any comments that say 'go giants' will be instantly deleted. I know, not fair but too bad since I control this blog.)
And it's another matchup with the Giants. We will be watching the game down here in Atlanta with Jud and Suzanne. Jud will be making chicken wings with Suzanne's special sauce and he's also making fried pickles. I never had fried pickles so I'm looking forward to tasting them.
Go Patriots! Go Gronk! (heads up... any comments that say 'go giants' will be instantly deleted. I know, not fair but too bad since I control this blog.)
photo from boston.sportsthenandnow.com
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Full Class at the Georgia Workshop.
Eric taught the Cottage Smalls French Bread at Friday's class in Atlanta for the Georgia Basketry Association. It was a full class and he was running around nonstop. So I let him off the hook for "Ask Eric 5 Questions Friday." He said Saturday's class will be easier since a couple students got held up in Denver due to the snowstorm so they were not able to make it. But I think the only major thing on Eric's mind, quite honestly, is tomorrow's Super Bowl with his beloved Patriots! (so I apologize now, on his behalf, to his students for his absentmindedness).
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