I know.  It’s a poor excuse for my vanishing act.

It’s summer time, so with that title you might picture me at the end of a dock, fishing pole dangling, enjoying the solitude.  Though if you’ve ever met me, that image would make you laugh out loud!  I’m actually in my natural weekday habitat — a noisy office, sitting in front of a computer screen, going about my day job.  It’s a job I love — Community Manager for an online small business community (OPENForum.com — check it out!), but as with most of us, full time employment can make creative pursuits (and start-up side businesses like

I haven’t been posting here near enough and I’ve made a commitment to myself to start writing more regularly.  So, I have decided to participate in #reverb10, although I’m starting several days late.  #reverb10 is an online project to reflect on the year and manifest what’s in store for the next.  Since I was recently laid off from my day job, I now have the unique opportunity to focus on what comes next in my creative life.  While I will still need to find a new job, I can spend more time flexing my crafty muscles, making more jewelry, pottery, and my latest inspiration, lighting.

They (whoever they are) say that you should end your year doing what you wish to spend your next year doing. And since I wish to spend the next year building up my creative life and taking it to the next level, it seems apropos that the first #reverb10 prompt to which I’m responding, is:

12/6 – MAKE

Here’s a picture of a work in progress. Skull earrings.  I’ll post what the finished product looks like when they are done.  They are made out of shrink plastic that I’ve covered with colored pencil and rubber stamped on the Skull image.  Once it’s shrunk to size, I edge it with silver leaf pen.  I’ll add beads and ear wires and they are good to go.  I guess they look a little Halloweenie, but I like the orange.  I may make them in other colors as well.

I need to make a bunch more things for the holiday sale I’m in at the West Side YMCA.  I’m working on a couple of ceramic lamp bases, and I also want to finish the chandelier that I started in my design class this summer.  Oh, I also have a bunch of holiday gifts I need to finish making.  Much more enjoyable than applying for jobs, but I do have to make sure I schedule time to do it all.

I’ll post more soon and may include responses to the previous prompts for the days I’ve already missed.

If only the ideas in my head and the supplies in my apartment translated into action, creation…  Alas, life continues to get in the way.

I have spent a lot of time focusing on my day job, which hasn’t been all bad as said job offers a measure of creativity for me, has been particularly fulfilling in the last couple of months and provides me with the ability to eat, pay rent and indulge my addiction to craft supplies, books and magazines.

If only I could somehow find the ongoing energy to add leisurely craft time back into the mix, someday this dream of an active craft blog and Etsy and Artfire stores might be a reality.

I have managed to get back to the pottery studio and have finally glazed a bunch of tiles and mosaic pieces that are holding promise to actually become completed projects soon.  I have a mosaic mirror made from my silkscreened tiles currently in the display case of the West Side YMCA, along with my many talented fellow students and teacher.  I keep threatening to post images of stuff I’ve made.  And now that I own TWO digital cameras, there’s really no excuses…except I keep making them.

I’m hoping that the relatively slowed down pace of the rest of the summer will provide me with more opportunity to create and take action.  I’m also taking some steps to put myself out in the creative community again.  Hopefully this will get me where I want to be.  We shall see..

Meanwhile, it’s 4:12am 4:22am and the insomnia monster has obviously reared its ugly head again.  Oh well, what’s the Web for if not to surf on a sleepless night…

It’s been two months since I put up this site and my Etsy page and I haven’t yet managed to upload any images or any items for sale.  What can I say?  Life gets in the way.  I intend to do it soon, I promise.  In the meantime, I was in Toronto at the Creativ Festival and I took some great classes.  I’m  incorporating some of what I’ve learned in some new jewelry pieces I’m working on.  I particularly have a new appreciation for Swarovski Crystals.  They are beautiful, but I was never sure how they fit into my design aesthetic before.  Now I am finding ways to use them and like how it’s working out.

I also took a Quilting 101 class in Toronto and I’m pretty psyched about finally learning how to do this, since I’ve wanted to for years.  There are some great fabrics out there and I’m so inspired by the colors and patterns that I’ve found.  I’m even more excited to start silkscreening my own fabrics and using them in quilting and other projects.  Yes, a million ideas running through my head, and still nothing on this page to show for it.  A little bit of a let down.  Still, I’m hoping when I finally open up the store, it will have been worth the wait.  I’m guessing that before the holidays is probably the ideal time to do it.  Gifts for your friends and family!  Handmade, by me!!!  Okay, getting a little ahead of myself, since there’s nothing up here for sale yet.

But, really, soon.  I promise…

I’ve had this idea to put up a presence online for the better part of two years and I’m finally on my way.  Eventually, I’ll have a store up with ceramic and jewelry items that I’ve been working on.  When it’s online, you’ll be able to buy at girlingothamdesigns.etsy.com.  This will be THE online place to buy Girl in Gotham Designs originals.  Sign up for my mailing list if you want to be notified.  And stay tuned for new and exciting things…