Welcome to Studio Saturday! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you’ll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner.
This weeks winner is Christine Brandel. Congratulations!
This weeks winner is Christine Brandel. Congratulations!
You have won a woodland beads from the studio of Jennifer Heynen.
Send Jennifer an e-mail with your address and she will get it right out to you.
This week we visit the studio of Tari Sasser at Creative Impressions In Clay
This is my birthday weekend. I turn the big 5-0 on Sunday! Plus I am having a party tonight.
I am excited to entertain again and I have lived to see 50. If I live as long as my Great Grandmother, I’ve got another 49 years. I’m on my way to the second half of life.
Above is a design that has been hanging around my studio for a couple years. My original intention was to create a ceramic button that looked like resin. This is round 3 or so of testing glazes. I still don’t have it right. So will continue testing. Or I may ditch the design all together. I’m not sure I like it anymore.
My question this week is:
What was the best or worst birthday for you?
Leave a comment and you could win the necklace shown above.
I’m off to see the wizard about my birthday!
Pixybug Designs
April 17, 2010 at 11:41 amMy 40th was the worst. No cake, no party, no presents. Husband and daughter fell down on the job. The best was my 30th. I had just had our daughter, and she was amazing (and still is).
Tari of ClayButtons.com
April 17, 2010 at 11:43 amMy husband and oldest daughter have been working hard to pull this one off. I've been working hard also. I was almost to the point last night of saying "this has become too much work why did I want a party?"
Alice
April 17, 2010 at 12:59 pmHappy Birthday Tari!!!!!
My best birthday was when my husband (we had only been married a couple years) told me he was taking me to Kansas City for the weekend. When he picked me up after work with my travel bags he gave me a birthday card. At the very bottom he wrote that we were really going to Las Vegas. Weeks before my birthday he had secretly made arrangements with my boss for a week off. What a great surprise!
Now we have been married 28 years and feel like we're lucky if we get each other a card.
TesoriTrovati
April 17, 2010 at 1:34 pmI was sort of dreading my 40th in 2008 a bit. But it turned out to be the best! On my birthday, I was contacted by Bead Trends to ask if I would like to be the Designer of the Month the following March…that week I had my head shot taken which is the best picture ever (a 20 year old college student thought I was having my senior portrait taken – lol! I think he may have had beer goggles on!), about 2 weeks later I found out I won the Bead Trends cover contest, and Stringing was vying for one of my all time favorite pieces, and then I got to go on a trip to San Francisco with my husband and parents. 40 was a great way to start…it can only get better! Happy birthday to you! Enjoy the day. Erin
EmandaJ
April 17, 2010 at 1:46 pmMy worst birthday was when I turned 13. I was camping with Campfire Girls for a whole week in the woods and I started — you know STARTED — for the first time ever! I was not prepared, I was emotional, and very upset. And everyone thought it was kind of funny!
My best ever birthday was when I turned 30. The very next day I met my husband.
Emanda
Diana P./Vintage Blue
April 17, 2010 at 2:20 pmI don't remember exactly which birthday it was but I remember my parents taking me to the World Trade Center observation tower. I was petrified! I hate heights so I was freaking out up there. Of course, after what happened I now thank them for that birthday gift.
Susanm
April 17, 2010 at 2:31 pmMy best birthday was my 50th which was last year. My husband and I went to France for 2 weeks. The night of my birthday we ate dinner in a lovely little restaurant in the tiny village in Langudoc where we had rented an apartment. There was hardly anyone there, but the food was amazing. We had a wonderful bottle of local rose – a few days later we drove around the countryside looking for the vineyard and finally found it late in the day. The owner opened up his storefront for us and we sampled his lovely wines. We brought back several bottles – I plan to open one on my birrthday next month.
It was a wonderful birthday because I shared ther adventure with my husband and I have great memories of the trip.
I hope you have a terrific birthday. Enjoy!
Susan
*~tabby~* crooked heart art
April 17, 2010 at 2:47 pmbest birthday is always the ones spent with family and friends 🙂
and the surpriese 37th!! now that was fun and a huge surprise
Sabine
April 17, 2010 at 3:26 pmMy 40th birthday was the best. We had a pool party (not that I look good in a suit, but it is the only time in Michigan that the water is warm enough to swim). Several good friends came over and we enjoyed each other's company and some wine until it got dark.
Erin
April 17, 2010 at 5:31 pm8th birthday–had a party and invited all the girls in my class. Expected many fabulous gifts. They all gave me these crappy $2 gifts from walmart. very disillusioned.
Erin
Gail
April 17, 2010 at 7:25 pmThe best birthday I've had was my 50th.My daughter planned the whole party.It was great!It was a complete surprize!I've had so many bad birthdays,I can't pick one out.
EB Bead and Metal Works
April 17, 2010 at 8:11 pmMy best birthday was when I turned 30, mom bought me a ticket to see Bon Jovi in concert (how awesome was that)! My worst was when I turned 25 and I was in the field for that, though mom sent me a care package with a birthday cookie inside, so that helped a little.
Sue
April 18, 2010 at 4:25 amMy best birthday ever was when my children organized a surprise party for me when I was 40. I could here them down stairs laughing as they prepared thinking I was asleep. Their joy was contagious.
glassbead, isinglass design
April 18, 2010 at 1:46 pmMostly just wanted to say –
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
And welcome to the fifties!
I never have birthday parties any more- had one at forty and got a lovely glass pitcher from some glassblowing friends, which was nice.
The most memorable birthday experience for me happened at a friend's party when I was five or so and there was a magician who made me drink milk and then pumped it out of my elbow- now how did he do that???
The Bead Gypsy
April 18, 2010 at 4:52 pmHappy, happy birthday, Tari! I think 50 is the best–it was my favorite so far and that was *almost* 5 yrs. ago… My husband planned a small surprise gathering (I am very hard to pull something over on, so he was pleased) and to top it all off he gave me a lovely tanzanite ring that I had been slobbering over for almost a year 🙂
Enjoy!
Karen
Connie
April 18, 2010 at 6:01 pmwell i'll take your rejects! i think that button design is nready and STUNNING!
my worst birthday was when i was 16. an important birthday to me….on that morning i went off with my older cousin supposed for just an hour or two…. to visit my old aunt out in the boonies while he looked at her broken dryer. he decided to fix the dryer. we were there all day….no phone, nothing to do…we got home really late – awful birthday!
cindydolezaldesigns
April 18, 2010 at 6:01 pmI mean this sincerely. If life just keeps getting better like this, I don't mind getting older. I often say things like "my youngest is turning 30, I feel old" or "I'm going to have a teenage grandson this year, that makes me feel old" But It really doesn't. It just surprises me. I really don't feel old enough to have 34 year old children or have a 13 year old grandson.
Best birthday was definitely 50. I had a great party. The first time I ever invited "everyone I know". My kids came from out of town, my husband and girls did all the cooking and party planning. We had great weather and a fabulous party around the pool. Next month I'll turn 54. Wow.
The Joy of Nesting
April 18, 2010 at 6:21 pmFirst Happy Happy 50th!!!! I hope you discover how wonderful this 5th decade of your life is!! This is the decade to realize your dreams, to become the woman you were always suppose to be. When being "eccentric" is now respected and admired!! 🙂
For me my 50th was the BEST! Since I was a freshmen in high school my goal was to retire early to move to Mexico by the beach and make art every day!! LW and I celebrated my 50th in our new home, in the middle of an awesome Mexican neighborhood, in the beautiful city of Mazatlan. The beach is a short walk away. But best of all the first question I ask myself in the morning is "How will I make art today!?"
Have a most audacious birthday party today and have fun getting to know yourself!!
Pattie 😉
Mazatlan Mx.
wadham97
April 18, 2010 at 10:22 pmMy worst was my 24th. The only acknowledgment of my birthday from anyone was a card from the Avon Company! No one else even noticed, not even my roommate!
info
April 18, 2010 at 10:48 pmI will never forget my worst Birthday….I turned 40 two days before 911…Everyone, including my self was in morning. I wore black all day and did not want to celebrate anything…A day I will never forget!
On the other hand, my best was the year my 6 year old son, handed me a birthday card that said "It's not all bad" on the outside. In side it read "At least I'm not pregnant"! I've never laughed so hard!!!!
Carol
April 19, 2010 at 3:59 pmHappy Birthday!!!
My worst birthday was when I turned 7. I had a party and every single one of the 22 girls brought me a coloring book and crayons. I thought it was very strange but I loved to color. My mom took them all away, except for one book and one set of crayons. She said I needed to practice coloring inside the lines which meant going slowly, page by page. She didn't want me to have a coloring fest! It took me alot of years to realize that coloring in the lines was fine and dandy but coloring outside the lines is where the fun is.
~Carol Lee
Clr Patricia Ugo
April 19, 2010 at 8:04 pmHappy Birthday!!! My best was the last one.My 50th.I had a surprised party with all the people I love, my family, at my son's restaurante with singers, lovely company, and wonderful food.Just great!My husband and my three kids prepared everything for me.I won´t forget it
Patti
April 19, 2010 at 9:00 pmMy worst birthday was my 36th. I was fired from my job, had to rent my house so we wouldn't have to sell it, my son fell down the steps and fractured his arm, my dog had to be put to sleep due to kidney problems and I moved into my in-laws basement (no windows). All in my birthday month of April. My most memorable birthday was my 40th when my husband presented me with a diamond heart necklace in a restaurant. He had saved all year for it and it was a huge surprise. Everyone in the restaurant sang happy birthday.
My best birthday is every new one that comes. Even though life isnt always easy, it is always amazing and full of creativity and love. Enjoy your 50th!
Susan Z
April 19, 2010 at 9:14 pmWell when I was a kid, my birthday usually was on the last day of school for the summer! So that was great. Now that I'm an adult birthdays are not really celebrated. However, a couple years ago I took off work on my birthday–packed up my jewelry making tools and went to a local bead store and said: It's my birthday and I want to make something beautiful just for me. So I made my self a lovely pearl, crystal and silver bracelet!
swopemelmel
April 21, 2010 at 5:30 pmI don't think I have a worst birthday. When I was younger we used to go to the river and cook out, go boating or canoeing and swim and fish and also camp out. I loved it and still do. Those are the b-days I remember most.