*in order to move forward with my life I am saying good-bye to this Blog*

now come and visit me

HERE

Trying to figure out the YouTube thingy...

I have been busy trying to figure out this YouTube stuff. I posted a free inchie tutorial on it late last night. You can find it on the left sidebar of this Blog.

SwapBot swaps have been keeping my collage juices flowing. It always amazes me how long it takes me to do each one. I am so OCD with that kinda stuff. lol...with EVERYTHING I make I'm OCD!

I don't get alot of readers on my Blog anymore because I abandoned it for so long so I am going to have a contest. Why not. In order to be included in the drawing, you must read my Blog and leave me a comment on at least two posts (starting with today) and watch and comment on my first YouTube video here: here. I will pick a winner after 20 people have left comments.

Sounds like alot of effort...for what though...well, how about a fabulous piece of artwork..something new, not something I've had laying around the studio for months! AND, a grab bag of little goodies, just for fun. Sounds good right! And in case you don't know much about my artwork, maybe you could check out my Flickr pics.

hi, I missed you

Just a quick note to say Happy New Year (all be it a couple months late) as well as give you some insight into the things Josh and I have been working on these past few months! As you may or may not know, much tragedy was brought to my family at the end of this year. And because of it, much of our life has changed. The changes we have made are all positive and has brought a sense of hope, fire and excitement to our lives. Although my gallery is now closed, BIG things are yet to come! I will be selling ALOT of my gallery inventory on both my website and on ETSY. Included will be artwork and supplies as well as a few kits and surprises. Everything will be on sale and all orders over $50 will include free shipping.

Many of you have emailed me over these past few months requesting my new teaching schedule. I will continue to teach a variety of classes at both the Orange Art Center and at BayArts, please follow the links to check dates and availability. I have decided to not teach classes at my home studio, but instead to offer classes online. I have had an overwhelming response to this notion! I myself find it hard to travel to other states where classes I wish to take happen to be. Airline and hotel costs plus the cost of the class and supplies is just ... well... too much! Also, packing all of the supplies to take... what a pain! So the world of online teaching...here I come.

I will have three or four classes available every two months. So be on the lookout for the schedule which I will post here on my blog very soon. Classes will be available for purchase both on the website and on ETSY. In addition to the cost of the class, supplies will need to be purchased on your own. A complete supply list will be provided as soon as the class is purchased. If you prefer, a complete supply kit for each class offered can also be purchased for an additional fee. More to come on that later.

So, you want to know what the BIG news is...I know I have promised to reveal what it is Josh and I have been working on. Well... We have secured a studio space! A fabulous studio space. It is located in Lakewood, Ohio in the old Lake Erie Screw Corporation Building on Athens. Josh and I have decided to share the studio space, for now. Josh, carpenter extraordinaire, will continue his woodworking business and with our newly acquired studio, be able to continue to design and build custom furniture out of reclaimed wood and architectural elements on a more full time basis. I on the other hand have greatly reduced the art I have been producing. I feel that I am working in too many mediums and have decided to simplify my art. Teaching will be the place where I can play in a variety of mediums, but as far as seriously producing work, I have decided to limit it. I will continue to produce mixed media collage, as it has been a passion of mine for FAR too long and it is who I am. In addition to collage works on wood, I have decided to push myself further into metal smithing. It has always been a goal to incorporate the two mediums. Through collage, enameling, and silversmithing, I will reach the artistic goals I had been searching for! When all is settled into the new studio space, Josh and I plan to host an Open House where you can see all that we have been working on. We hope that to be in mid April.

I'm here...kinda

I said things were changing, but I didn't know HOW things were going to change. After everything that has happened over the last two months, everything in my life is changing. These THINGS are BIG!

For starters- I am (very sadly) closing the gallery.

It has been a difficult decision, but it must be done.

There has been much sadness felt by many of you because of my closing and for that I am sorry. But ladies dry those tears, because when one door closes another one opens!

First of all, you can find me teaching at Orange Art Center, and also at BayArts.

wait it gets better....

I have been urged by MANY of you, including those of you outside of the Cleveland area to teach all around the country...and I need to be with my family right now, but I have found a solution.

I have decided to teach all of the classes once offered at papercuts & gluesticks ONLINE! Details are still getting worked out but I am ready to keep the spirit of the gallery alive by bringing art to EVERYONE!

Are you ready? I know you are! Leave a comment of email me if you would like to be notified when classes become available!

kisses-kari

Everything is changing....

I thought if I wrote it out, saw it all up on my computer monitor it would lighten the load. I thought that if I shared the last six weeks of my life with the world, it might help.

Tonight at about 9:45pm my mother-in-law passed away. I was unable to tell her I love her and be by her side, but I have faith that she knew we all loved her very much. Deb Lake was 53 years old. She died from complications from Whipple surgery...

It all started about six weeks ago when Josh's mom (Deb) called and told us she had been in the emergency room for 2 days and learned she may have pancreatic cancer. To make matters worse, the doctors said it may be in the late stages and she may not have long...she would need surgery right away. However, this would prove to be difficult becuase she had just not been able to afford her medical insurance since her divorce just several months prior.

Cancer seems to be everywhere!

As a matter of fact just several weeks earlier I had learned my Grandfather had Cancer...liver Cancer...and back Cancer. His wife, my Grandmother, is a Breast Cancer survivor. My father came in from Germany when he learned of it and was pretty hush hush about the whole thing.

Back to Deb, she needed to go to many specialists and have lots of tests done and figure out how she was going to pay for it all! I was making lots of phone calls to the Cleveland Clinic to see if they could do anything for her. Oh- Deb lives about 7.5 hours away in Northern Michigan, so you can imagine her location was yet another hurdle to jump in an attempt to get her medical care.

It was possible for her to come here to Cleveland and have the surgery and stay here for a couple months to recover. But as it turned out, the University of Michigan would be able to provide her with the surgery she needed and that was about 5 hours away (for her) Good News!

Then word that my Grandfather had passed away at the age of 89.

I was numb with all of the Cancer invading my life- I think I shut down in the head. I found it difficult to be in my pretty gallery with pretty things- so I took off for three days and stayed at home.

Upon returning- I opened the gallery door and smelled GARBAGE! Really smelly, fowl smelling dumpster garbage! GROSS! What in the world is that smell! I dont have that kind of garbage- just paper bits and what not. This went on for three days! Then one day I needed something from the basement where I have a play room set up for my daughter when she comes to work with mommy and as I walked down the stairs- there it was, that smell getting stronger, and stronger with each step I took! OMG- the basement had flooded!

Are you kidding me! My wool rug- ruined (and reaked of a horse barn) all her tables and little pink stool, a box of legos... where was the water coming from- I dont know and there was no drain down there. I checked the storage closet, shipping boxes-ruined, box of vintage papers and one of my FAVORITE ledgers, soaked. Half of a vintage set of encyclopedias-gone Oh I wont bother to go on about those things- The leak was from the street above (thats my guess anyway) Everytime it rains the parking area in front of my gallery floods and the sewers are cracked- they are due to be replaced, that was supposed to be done this year, and was then put off until 2009. As of five days ago- will not be corrected until 2010!

A week ago, last Thursday, Deb went in for her surgery, the procedure took about six hours. She came out and was doing fine. And the best news of all... it was NOT CANCER! Days later she wasnt doing so well, throwing up her broth, lots of pain, not sleeping. By Thursday, she was determined to go home ASAP- she was drinking her broth and wanted to not take all the pain meds, they said she may be home by the weekend. Hours later, she was in pain, needed more pain meds and was throwing up her broth...not good. Then at about 3:30 am my sister-in-law called and said that they had moved her to the ICU- she had a clot and they were going to do a CT Scan and another surgery. Josh hopped in the car and drove 3 hours to be with her. After the CT scan and checking her artery with the scope-nothing was found- they needed to go back in. Josh came home- we both are unsure why, but I think he felt it was okay to. He got home around 8 oclock and we ate dinner, he still had a bite left on his plate when his sister called.

She said the Deb was- well she wasnt going to make it. The surgeon went in and saw that her bowels had,

died.

She was on ventilators and Josh needed to come. We called our friends to come stay with the kids and we got in the car and we drove.

We got about 30 minutes out and the cell rang- she had past away, she was gone.

We turned around and we came home. We leave tomorrow for Michigan. The gallery will be closed. I will reopen on Friday.

I am not sure what the future holds- I am healthy, Josh is healthy, as are the kids.

I know that on Friday I am not returning as the same person I once was, I know that change is more than coming, it is here. I know that from the food I put in my body to the business I run- NOTHING will be the same again.

I am making the changes- forcing them upon my life for the better. In an effort to create positive change from all that we have gone through these past six weeks. I will change the direction we are going- I have to.

We have wasted too much time.

I am 33 years old and feeling that I have wasted alot of time. I plan on living for a long time, to see my kids grow up, to watch them have babies and get a head full of white hair. I want to be the old lady you yell at for driving slow and the one who takes forever in line at the bank. I am going to make the most of whatever time I have left, because I guess you just never know when that might be. Its funny- my parents bought my sister and I a dog (Maggie- bearded collie and the BEST DOG EVER) when I was six, my mom told my dad it would be a good idea to get a dog in order to teach us kids about death. Maggie was about 18 when we had to put her down! My Grandfather was the first of my Grandparents to pass away, and Deb was my kids first. With all my love, may your heart have wings to fly you to God- we will miss you

Things are different now, everything is changing.

I'm in love

Okay, it is not often that I really...I mean REALLY want something. And I admit, when that does happen to me...I gotta have it...and I gotta have it right now! SO this is what I'm after:


Can you see the need? Do you love it? I drug my husband up to the bike shop today so we could see it...drool over it, and I... begged for it. Oh....why couldnt I have seen this earlier...what a fabulous birthday gift...oooh CHristmas is coming, RIGHT? Oh my gosh I think I would be willing to ride it in December! No wait...not my beautiful bike in the snow...thats no good...I would be tortured all winter long (and Cleveland winters last FOREVER!) THats okay, I promise to take good care of it...and then ride her with pride come Spring! I think I am going to create 6 pieces of artwork strictly for the purpose of saving for my dream bike! OOH, I must get started right away, before some other gal comes along and snags her for themselves. That would be bad...so I'm going to call dibs...that right ladies, Kari's got dibs on that beautiful and sassy little number, that gorgeous Electra Gypsy coaster... my hot little 3 speed...oooh, I think I'm gonna sleep good tonight!

Guess who came to the gallery?

Oh my gosh, you will never guess! Picture this....I am in the gallery all Sunday morning with the prospect of a full cleaning of the space...organizing, painting, washing floors, etc. My hair is a frizzy nightmare because of the humidity so I have it pulled back with a dirty t-shirt on to top of the extreme casual look I have going. My daughter came with me today to paint (shes four in case you didnt know) and we are in the gallery arguing about how she is using too much paint...okay so in walks.....Sarah Ogren! I had never met her before and obviously wasnt expecting her, or I would have brushed my hair, changed my clothes and had the cleaning frenzy the night before....so SURPRISE here she was...I was so glad to have met her in person. She was on a road trip with her dad on their way to DC. She was just "passing through and thought they would stop by." I was so happy and bummed at the same time- I know that there are so many people who have purchased her art from my gallery that would have loved to have met her too! Sarah, if you are reading this, please come back again, I will throw ya a party or something and we can all make some art together! Thanks again for stopping by. I know that this should be a lesson learned, like the one your mom always taught you about wearing clean, no holes underwear in case you are in an accident and an abulance comes for you and you got yer...well you know that infamous...I shouldnt be wearin' these anywhere, anytime, throw them away already undies...the ones the paramedics are all laughing about right NOW!

Anyway...thanks Sarah..thanks for stopping by and saying wonderful things about the gallery...It was nice that you made the trip!