Blue Nickel Studios

admin May 1st, 2010

What follows is a brief montage of my oldest child’s 17th birthday back in February ( If I don’t get it posted soon, I’ll turn around and he’ll be 25 or something)  Noel wanted an “all-meat” pizza, and then he gave Linda a list of what meats that included:

Sausage,

Bacon,

Pepperoni,

Salami,

Meatballs,

Hamburger.

Chicken.

Linda was very concerned of a grease fire in the oven, but the cheese, besides seeming to glue this concoction all together, also seemed to keep the spraying grease confined to the pizza’s internal core.  It was a most interesting meal that is for sure.  I knew we should have fed him more than just hot dogs the year he was 3!!  

        

Here is my little boy’s first day on the planet….. 

 

And here is my little 6’5” boy now….it is so weird putting my head on HIS shoulder.  He is so wonderful though. Recently he did not get a summer internship at Microsoft that he had been hoping for.  He was pretty devastated at first, but you know what he said, after he calmed down a bit?  He told Linda, “you know Mom, there’s that verse in the Bible about all things working for good for those who love God…...I know there is a reason it didn’t work out”  When I was his age, I would have been upset for weeks I am sure….took him a few hours…

  

I guess we did something right in the last 17 years….(this of course, does NOT mean that he can’t be a butt-head at times, but Generally he seems to be doing okay)........looking forward to see what other wonders await us….Parenting, it’s not just a job, it’s an adventure!

Until next time, my friends,

Peace out!!

• Home
• Comments(5)

admin March 23rd, 2010

Hey there…I know it’s been awhile since I posted..I have been working on a lot of deadlines and was already Twittering more than I had time for…let alone getting in here to Blogland…but tonite I wanted to share with you my daughter’s fashion show that I got to go to today (uh…that seems like too many to’s…but whatever)....and I was LATE!!  I was so upset with myself and the truck in front of me….I got to see the tail end of the show, but I didn’t get to see this great scene take place….Linda was there taking pictures…so I got to see this…but I have to tell you this….Mimi and the one boy in class had the best designs…the other “creations” didn’t look unique or even “designed” so I think I missed the best part…. but I thought you all would love to see my creative daughter’s inspiration, and I invited her back to be a guest blogger here again at the Blue Nickel….so without further adieu….the fabulous Mimi Hansen brings you her Spring 2010 creation…...

   Hi guys! it’s been awhile! how are you all doing? good? anyhoo… these are my designs….(i was embarrassed cuz i had to fill out this form and since my hand writing was so bad Alex, the announcer person, messed up .. oh well…what’s done is done) well i guess i should start from the top.  My top is made with crepe fabric, with purple lining. with my new invention PEEK-A-BOO SLEEVES!!  well, i think they’re new…dunno. TELL ME IF THEY’RE NOT!! well, next comes the skirt, it’s made with lightweight cotton and cute deer and poodle fabric that my dad bought for himself but, i stole it (not really….) then i just wore black tights under it with my leg warmers i made…. if you look closely you can see the squirrels! then my shoes are from rocket dog, they have polka-dots and cherries on the tips super cute right? one of the cherries fell off….that made me sad but, i think i can fix it! yeah! it was really fun! my friend tabitha was really scared, and i told her i wasn’t but, when i got on stage i was all like “oh snap…. I AM scared…...snap…what’ll i do? my heart is racing!” but, i think i did well. just so you know at my school i’m probably the most…...eccentric one there….. like….. i have this kitty hat and i have a puppy eared hair band….. and lots of other things i told myself (when i dressed like everyone else) “i’m going to be cool this year! dye my hair! be a trend setter! gonna be a total remix of my old self!” and that ’s what i did!  i think my dad posted one of my outfits before  right? it was a pink/purple tutu with a purple top leggings, and my kitty hat and polka-dot socks i where that one all the time i like anime alot so i cosplay alot! (cosplay=costume play) my dad feels bad about missing the first part but, i don’t hold him accountable! i mean he was there in the end right?so why does it matter? at least he tried! this is Amelia Hansen of Shattered Glass ( my “company”) signing off! i hope you enjoyed this little blog thingy! hope to see you next time Byebye!

Okay so that’s my girl….(actually I did go in there and do some cleanup of spelling and puncuation….it’s the English major in me…I can’t help myself….)  She has big dreams, and I am very proud of her for becoming her own person…she is a beautiful girl….

Tomorrow I may have some snippets from one of the projects that had me busy these last two weeks…later my friends…

• Home
• Comments(7)

admin February 1st, 2010

.....is (are) my kids….I love them so much….they are growing up way too fast….

especially this one…Noel, my oldest, turns 17 in17 days….sigh…he is so hard to get a good picture of…. 

But when I do get a good picture…it is so worth it….He has his mother’s eyes….I simply adore his smirks….generally he’s a pretty old soul…but not always thank goodness!!

Here is the generally happy Max who just turned 14 in December….lately he’s been not so happy…I think sometimes his braces are cranked up too tight…Linda says it’s hormones…I am not exactly sure how that affects moods, but I keep hoping he will be happier again…he is named after Maxfield Parrish, and seems to be an artist as well.  

see he still smiles….so I am happy with that… 

and then there is our Princess who packs a punch…sometimes literally….Mimi, who is really Amelia but became Mimi when Max couldn’t say Millie which is what we were going to call her, is 12.5 years old and busily planning a “japanese” anime summer Bday party already…Mimi would be without a doubt the loudest in our home, I think just to make sure we don’t forget she’s there..Like that would be possible!!   Mimi has become seriously into fashion of her own choosing, often not the status quo….   She is intense, but can be most loving at times as well…a strong will that we hope will serve her well, if she can keep it in check…  

That’s them….my best projects ever….and I didn’t do it all alone…most of the credit goes to Linda I think….she is the best mom in the world…and you can tell her I said so…

Have a great evening or day peeps whenever you are reading this…if you have kids…give them a hug for me…I’ll do the same here for you!

• Home
• Comments(7)

admin October 25th, 2009

Yep today is October 25th….and yes I said Christmas….I have worked “retail” for over 22 years now, and in my world it is Santa and snow and etc. I am rather embarrassed though at some of the Garage Sale Fodder that comes through my back door sometimes.  I mean seriously, WHO is going to buy some of this “stuff”?   Amazingly it all sells eventually if you mark it down low enough.  But enough of that little tirade…thanks for listening, I feel a little better.   

Let’s move on….

Back on the 3rd of October I posted a link to my mini Open Studio Tour as part of the Quilting Arts Open Invitation Studio Tour....And I said in that post that I would send out some scrap bags to two lucky winners…..I never really gave a deadline, and I didn’t do a lot of promotion for it…..and well, honestly, the little contest has been forgotten, but we are nearing the 200th post here soon, so I have remembered and I am hear to announce da winners!!  The winning numbers were 14 and 10 from the 20 comments I received.  

#10 is Pamela:

Pamela Smith on 04 Oct 2009 at 5:42 am

What a fabulous studio to create in, Scott! Love the tchotchkes, the riot of colors and patterns, and charming gifts from your loved ones ~
Have a great time at Quilt Market!

And #14 is Raelyn:

# Raelyn on 05 Oct 2009 at 8:40 am

Thanks for the tour – it just shows that you can create fabulous things no matter the size of the space. Thanks!

So Pamela and Raelyn, please send me your address by email at bluenickel5 (at) earthlink dot net….  

And just so you aren’t without any “pretties today” here are some snapshots to keep your eyes happy…..

Here is my family from this past summer at the beach….it was 107 at home this day….so we were so very glad to be here that week!!      Linda is the soon to be shortest one on the right if you couldn’t tell   

Linda

Linda’s friend Jeanette sent me these scraps from her house awhile back…there was such a variety and some really funky stuff too…Love getting me some more “paint”.....

 

And here is my favorite from the batch!  

Love the Pennsylvania Dutch look!

And the last picture….something I just discovered in time for the holidays…some crosstitching I did awhile back on a REALLY tiny count  I really love the little elves!  I think they came from a vintage Danish Cross Stitch book from Linda’s Grandma….Now if only I could get them  into something for the holidays….that way they won’t get sucked back into the bowels of the studio….

Happy Pre-Holidays everyone!!  And thanks for dropping by the studio blog…I know I can be inconsistent in my posts…usually it is because I am so busy working on so many things at once.   I am really trying to get done writing up the instructions for the three newest quilts I did for Free Spirit.  Once they are done, I will be doing a little arranging here on the website/blog and create a page that has just the links to the directions for all those quilts that I have done for Free Spirit all in one easy to navigate place…...

And don’t forget the 200th post is coming up…and I have a LOT of stuff to giveaway!!

• Home
• Comments(2)

admin October 10th, 2009

Hey there, I have had these pictures loaded for awhile for my daughter Mimi to bring you an entry about her Ball Jointed Dolls (BJDs)  You can tell these pics are old, cause well ….there are crocuses in the photos….just another shameless attempt on my part to get the number of entries in the blog up to snuff for October to make up for the sad showing in September.  You know us guys…all about the numbers…

Anyway here she is …....my Mimi!

   

Hey, it’s me Mimi! Really my real name is Amelia , but everyone calls me Mimi. Enough about me I’m just here to talk about the pictures.

The sweet girl with black hair is Rose, and the one with blonde hair is NekoMimi (see why I bought it?). NekoMimi translated is “Cat Girl” but NekoMimi is much more catchier! I got Rose  for Christmas, and I bought NekoMimi (it took alot of restraint for me, ‘cause I’m a natural born shopper!) she was A LOT!!   Anyhoo, there called BJDs. they move just like a human and you can make them look like anything you want. They have no hair so you buy wigs, and eyes, etc.  Just by putting on a different wig and eyes she (or he) can look totally different! I love them!!  

  NekoMimi in this picture is suppossed to look like a ghost but, that pic really isn’t that good.

(she’ll haunt you and meow next to your bed….oh scary! hehehe just in time for halloween! good scare huh? hehe)

   

Well, g’bye!

• Home
• Comments(1)

admin October 10th, 2009

Okay, so I already admit this right out of the gate….I am feeling “strange” right at this moment…and the feeling is called “strange” cause I don’t exactly know what to call it….seems like boredom, but I have PLENTY to do… seems like frustration with my kids, but I just got a break from them, and really they are very good kids….seems like I am sad I am not at Quilt Market with my recently made industry buds, but I will hopefully be going to Spring Quilt Market, and really I don’t have any GOOD reason to be in Houston now anyway….seems like a lot of things, but I can’t pin it down…

and why am I feeling this way??  .....could be because I am on vacation still and was up at 4:30 AM, could be because I only have a few days left to going back to my Workville job (which is my newly created word for it here, I don’t want to use the real name of where I work for some privacy issues….it is legitimate work though, just kinda, well….boring)...aww, who really cares why anyway….I know I will snap out of this…maybe what I need is to just get away from the computer…sometimes I think I am way to “plugged in” you know what I mean??

But before I go try to work on something creative (which I think will help the blue funk feeling dissipate) I will drop in a few pictures lingering here on my desktop…and I still promise to give you more of my Market quilts in the next couple entries..this is just a “filler” entry…

  was playing with blocks..this may become a new banner for the site or a business card or something…it was just fun…

These two quilts are presently hanging in the stairwell to our studio….the one on the left may be hanging up in the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum this next spring if I get my entry in soon enough…   

and just so you know what vacation souvenirs can be like with the Hansens….here is a broken toy soldier or something we found last Spring at the ocean…and brought home to clean up… this happens when your wife is a doll maker, and you personally like funky bits….he is cleaned up now, but we need to either find a head or make a head for him…and maybe give him something more to wear…the autumn winds are blowing outside this morning….and they are coming from the East, so that really means Old Man Winter is on his way now.

 and here is the love of my life….who always makes me smile…from this summer….see how brown the grass is…it’s green again now..

And this maybe just what I need to do…..    pausing a bit, while the good stuff cathes up….

Oh, and you really need to check out my friend Mark Lipinski’s newest line of fabric Winter’s Grace....I think this really is his best one yet….Way to go Mark!!

Wow, the wind and rain have really picked up out there…this last week has been a wonderful Indian Summer ….I think Autumn may be coming back today…Maybe she took a brief rest just for my vacation….how thoughtful…

Later my friends…

• Home
• Comments(3)

admin July 8th, 2008

 We had the best family day on Saturday the 5th. Took a ton of pictures, and it will probably take me all week to post them all.  I still have one more quilt from the quilt show to post, but it will have to wait for another day.  Before we even got to Rosario Beach on Fidalgo Island near Anacortes, Washington, we stopped by the Snow Goose Produce stand on the backroads between Conway and LaConner in Northwest Washington state.  What treasures and treats there were.   I am only posting a few tonight.

Beads and Bells from Africa.  How could I only choose 5 dollars worth??   I had to budget somewhere.  Later I will show you what I chose in another post.

                     

 Baskets from Africa too.  What a colorful display!?      

Did I mention a budget? Well this one begged to come with us, and I couldn’t resist.  Actually all Linda (the lovely Basket model pictured) has to do is say “I do like it”, and I will buy it, budget or not.  They are cool baskets, and I could fill them all up with fabric!  But only one could come home!

   

And the last shot from our 1st destination the Rosario Beach.  These Trillium leaves are stunning even without their spring white flowers.  The scupltural feel is to me quite refreshing, and SO GREEN!  They are a delicate plant, I think, and not super common in these parts.  I wish we had them in our woodlot!  sigh!     So thought I got no sewing done tonight, I hope you enjoyed this post!  I am hoping to sew some more soon, so you may have to wait awhile for a post, but I have a TON of photos to post so get ready!

• Home
• Comments(0)

admin May 2nd, 2008

This is definitely the color of the month around this corner of Western Washington state.   I have no pictures at the moment, but hopefully will soon.  The month of April flew by, and I simply don’t know where it went.  I had a student of mine give me EQ5 so I am really excited to start using it to plan more and more quilt patterns.  The capability is there, now I just have to get to it. 

This morning my daughter announced to us that she knew I was the tooth fairy because she lost a tooth and didn’t tell us, put it under her pillow, and lo and behold there was still a tooth there this morning.  I was bummed, as I enjoyed the child-like joy of the whole tooth-fairy gig, and was relieved when my wife informed Mimi that it was up to the parents to report the lost tooth to the tooth fairy’s retreival department.  I am quite sure my daughter didn’t buy that, but I sure liked it.  I mentioned that I thought the information was going via tmail these days…..I crack myself up…..  anyway, my little girl is growing up too fast….

and my oldest boy is too!!  He starts driver’s ed in a month.  That is scarey!  In six years, they will all be of driving age or older.  The oldest will be 21!  What a shock it seems to be.  Feels like yesterday when all 5 of us could sit on the sofa and cosily read a story together.   Those days are long behind us, along with eyebrows on my face that you can actually see…..

Hope to show some more pictures on the next post…..and more posts this month

• color
• Comments(0)

admin February 18th, 2008

It was a beautiful day today.  So why am I so “blue”????   I don’t exactly know.  We went to see a wonderful movie today: The Spiderwick Chronicles…..simply spellbinding….lots of excitement, suspense, and surprises (for me, since I never read the book)...and it even made me cry at the end (there was a “father” issue thread throughout the flick….all of America has the “father” issue going on I think)....I have been doing my own 365 day project apart from the Flick’r phenomenon, and I have just wasted an hour (at least) this evening browsing Flick’r’s 365 day pool of people doing the same thing.    I really wanted to sew today, but all afternoon it was so sunny, that I couldn’t bear to be inside, but outside, I just became overwhelmed by the entropy of the winter season….and yet sensed the burgeoning of spring as well….with the destruction of winter comes the hope of spring…...I am totally exasperated with my children whom I love, but don’t ever give Linda or I a moment to think.  Today they just drove me nuts…..

Doesn’t help that I am feeling very up in the air over the whole changing jobs thing…..it definitely would be easier to stay in a job that bores me and drives me insane, at least it was stable…..but I don’t think that would be best…but maybe…

Linda found moles had infiltrated the vegetable garden, and she was very sad about this…..she wanted to give up, but she has decided to try another anti-mole campaign…..I don’t want her to give up…..

I am empty now…I had much more to write, but I am worn down to the bones….This entry has been much more “diary” like than I wanted it too…..

Did have a nice breakfast with Noel for his 15th birthday tomorrow though…..That was a great start to a less than lovely ending today…

Here is my very handsome son at breakfast….  with the look I love from his mother

• family , randomness
• Comments(1)

admin January 4th, 2008

  this is what we woke up to across the driveway on New Year’s Day….and we had to drive 2 hours to Whidbey Island to visit Linda’s Mom….  Max came out to help a little bit so we could clear a path….

          It was a terribly stormy New Year’s Eve evening, but we were very blessed to have every building, human, and animal safe on our acreage the next day…

Here is Linda’s Santa that she made me this year

I am so excited about him….she is planning on making some more of them next year to sell.  I think they are the bee’s knees….speaking of which…here is her spring “line”.....     

• Blog
• Comments(0)