Life is full of surprises if you are open to them...

I like change. It keeps life interesting and exciting. It can be difficult to go through, but when you're on the other side of it, doesn't it usually seem like it was for the best?

I love making glass beads and jewelry. I love having my studio at The Workhouse. That makes it even more difficult to be saying and doing this... I am moving my studio back to my garage.  It has been a great 2 1/2 years, but it is time for me to move on. April will be my last month of The Workhouse being home to my studio. It's definitely bitter sweet.

Why the change? I have another passion and career! It has been quietly brewing for many years. It was brewing so quietly that I didn't fully acknowledge it's existence until after it hit me, seriously, like a lightning bolt. Have you ever felt like you were just meant to do something? Like you just had to do something? That is how I still feel about beads and jewelry and that is how I feel about being a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP). I didn't know that NTPs existed, but as soon as I did, I knew that was what I needed to become.

It was just before Thanksgiving 2014 when I discovered the NTP training program. It was only a week after that before things came together and I was enrolled. Some people like to take their time and ponder their options before making major life decisions, not me, when I know, I know. Luckily school didn't start until February, so I had some time to adjust to my decision. It seemed crazy to take on something new when life was already so full. I remember thinking on multiple occasions, and even laughing about it, "I have no idea how I am going to do this, but I know I am." And I did! In October 2015, I graduated as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP).

I have since been juggling Larissa Spafford Designs and getting my budding Nutritional Therapy practice going, along with everything else that comes with life. I have been doing some serious soul searching and wondering how I can continue to do both things well. The answer I have come up with is I can't do it all. Well, I probably could, but I don't want to. I want to have free time, to enjoy time with my friends and family, to have time to do other things I enjoy. I want more balance. To have this I am going to work less on glass and jewelry and more on Bend Nutritional Therapy.

Some things aren't changing though...you will still be able to find my work at The Workhouse, Red Chair Gallery and my Etsy shop. And...beginning in June I will be teaching nutrition workshops at The Workhouse!




 

Hearts

We don't really make a big deal about Valentine's Day around here. Mainly because we have our very own special holiday to celebrate this time of year. It is the anniversary of our very first date. Honestly, we don't remember the exact date, but do know it is right around my friend Kerri's birthday on Feb. 6th. This year was our 16th first date anniversary!!!!!!!!!!!! It just so happened that Robbie's mom was visiting so we were able to go on a dinner date without the kids. I really like celebrating our love on our own day.

I've only made hearts one time before as a special request from a friend. Other than that, I've never really wanted to until this year. I don't know what gave me the idea that I could just sit down and make awesome hearts right off the bat, especially after a two week break from bead making. It didn't exactly work out like that. These were a new challenge. I almost quit a few times, but I'm happy I didn't because I like how these turned out.

The Calm Before the Storm

I am getting excited for one of my busiest craft fair seasons to begin. Right now is kind of like a calm before the storm and I'm just enjoying it. Mostly. I felt a tiny twinge of anxiety last night when I was typing up an e mail to send out to my mailing list. It was the first time I really put the pieces of my schedule for the next 6 weeks together. Seeing it all in black and white was a little intimidating. I'm going to do shows in Seattle, Chicago, Bend, and Port Townsend. And somewhere in there is Thanksgiving. And hopefully some snowboarding. AND actually making the things I will be selling. And being a mommy & wife. Yes I am.

This weekend I will be at the Bend Indoor Market again, one last time before the holidays. The market has been pretty slow for me. People keep saying it will pick up for me around the holidays, but guess what, I won't be there. I keep telling people that so hopefully this weekend will make up for it. I'll just have to wait patiently and see.

November 12,13 &14th I am going to be participating in The Best of the Northwest in Seattle. I really love Seattle and am happy to be going there and participating in this show again. I will be and staying with friends, which always makes doing a show WAY better. After Seattle I'm going to Port Townsend for a day or two to visit my family and friends. I really want to spend some time with my grandpa Norman who just had his 90th birthday!

The last 10 days have been pretty intense for me. My husband has been out of town, so I've been doing double duty. Triple if you count being mommie, daddy, AND the work he does for my business. I feel like I've been holding everything together pretty well, but am SO relieved, happy and excited that he's coming home today! The boys have been so sweet. They have been extra nice and helpful and have been really good about spending the weekends with me at the Indoor Market.

Most mornings between getting the kids to school, and bead making, I've been walking up to the top of Pilot Butte, a tiny state park right in Bend. The panoramic view from the top is amazing. You can see SO far. Rolling hills and buttes, and all the surrounding mountains. There is my personal favorite Mt. Bachelor, Broken Top, The 3 Sisters, 3 Fingered Jack, Mt. Washington, Mt. Jefferson, Black Butte and Mt. Hood way off in the distance. You can also see Smith Rock just outside of Redmond. Every day it's been so clear and beautiful. Of course today, the one day I remember my camera, it's hazier and you can't see as far and clearly, but you get the idea. It's gorgeous! Walking up to the top and back really helps ground me and get my head out of it's early morning sleepiness, and prepare me for the creative and busy day ahead.

One day, ok maybe more than one, when I got home from walking and took a warm shower, all I wanted to do was curl up in bed and go back to sleep. I had to remind myself that my beads aren't going to make themselves. Despite being really tired I AM still really excited about some new jewelry designs I'm working on. So I dragged myself out to the garage/studio, turned on the music and fired up the torch. Instantly I felt refreshed and remembered how much I love this medium, how lucky I am to get to do what I love every day and live in such a beautiful place. It's good to know that after 12 years of bead making I still love it just as much, probably even more because my skills are better.

An exciting thing that happened this week is that I taught my first private lesson since moving to Oregon! It was really fun. I STILL don't have my own place set up for teaching. If you have been patiently waiting, THANK YOU. I have some ideas of how to winterize the garage, and once that is finished I will be back to private lessons at my house. It should be soon. I think the frosty mornings are going to be the biggest motivator for me to make it more comfortable in there!

Tomorrow we are celebrating our youngest son's 8th birthday with a party at our house!!!!!!! I'm baking him a cake and decorating it with the theme of his favorite book, Richard Scarys Cars and Trucks and Things that Go. Better start baking now!

Contemporary Craft Market in Santa Monica!!!!

Thursday I'm heading to Santa Monica for this show. You can print this postcard from here or their website for free admission. I will be inside at booth #501. Hope to see you there!

And the countdown begins!!!!

January has whizzed by and it's already February. The countdown to my next show, the Baltimore American Craft Council Show has begun. The few short weeks leading up to me leaving for a show is a time my husband and I affectionately call 'crunch time'. It's filled with a flurry of glass melting, jewelry making, ordering supplies, price tagging, packing, and shipping. This time it's also going to include finishing my wholesale catalog. If all goes well there are no meltdowns that involve me crying.

I always attempt to be focused, make a list of things I would like to make and go about making them. Sounds simple, right? Well for some reason, maybe being so focused and having to ignore my urges to go off in a new direction, I always end up wanting to go off in a new direction. I've learned from experience that right before a show is not the best time to be doing this. It's right after the show, when the pressures off, that is the best time. But I always find myself getting the best ideas right before the show!

At this point I've got at least one new idea I feel confident I can successfully pull off before the show, and now that I've decided to go for it there are two more ideas seriously bugging me to try. Sometimes when this happens I give into the reality of how little time I have to do too many things in. Sometimes I just can't. I wonder which it will be this time?????