Christine Hansen's Blog, page 9

Making a statement...

Statement: I like love beads.
June 2010 Statement Necklace, in honor of the 2010 Bead & Button Show. Features 45 lampwork beads by me, some of which are from my Fractal Swirl series of beads.

Hungry for more yummy eye-candy? Check out the following links to my sister ABS Carnival Bloggers - they made statement necklaces too!
Cindy DolezalCindy Gimbrone D. Lynne Bowland Janel Dudley Jeannie's Blog Jen Velasquez Sharon's Jewelry Garden Kate Clawson 

Looking Good!

Dr. Salloom of Mountain View Veterinary Hospital called yesterday to let me know that Dr. Everett, Rufus' surgeon, had reviewed the x-rays taken last Friday. He says they look good, but he wants Rufus confined for at least another month, with the soft bandage on his leg. Nothing unexpected, and quite honestly, I'm happy to keep this big happy bouncy (!!!) puppy confined for six months if it means his leg will heal better. Of course, confinement in practice is much different from confinement i...

Meet the Author (or at least one of them!)

How cool is this? My co-author, Peg Krzyzewski, will be at the Kalmbach booth Saturday, June 12, at 3 p.m., at the 2010 Bead & Button Show. It's possible that our book, Making Mixed Media Art Charms & Jewelry, might be available, so if you stop by, do be sure to have Peg sign your copy. I'm very excited for her, and wish I could be there with her to celebrate all things charming! You GO Girl, and show everyone just how wonderful mixed media art charms are!

Free at last! (from the cast...)

Rufus in his red cast, tagged with love Rufus got his cast off today for his follow-up x-rays, and Dr. Salloom says the x-rays look great and that Rufus' leg is healing well. We are waiting for Rufie's surgeon, Dr. Everett, to review the x-rays as well, and give Rufie a clean bill of health. Hopefully we'll hear something around the middle of next week.

A detail shot of Rufie's last cast...
Rufus is still battling the inevitable cast infections, but he's on antibiotics and out of the cast,...

Rufus Update, 4.29.10

It's been crazy-busy around here lately (with 2 kids and 3 dogs, I wonder why?!?), so here is a quick update on how Mr. Rufus is doing:

Rufus is still chilling in The Mosh Pit, wondering when the heck he's going to get to go on a real walk again. (Mama's wondering the same exact thing!)

Rufie is still in a full leg cast, and I've been taking him in once a week for bandage changes. He does have a couple of bandage sores happening, which we expected with the full leg cast. We are all (Hansens and...

Anticipation…or…are we there YET?!?

Sunrise in my front yard, anticipating the day ahead

This month's theme for the Art Bead Scene Blog Carnival is "Anticipation."

For me, anticipation is a double-edged sword. While it's exciting and pleasurable to look forward to something, it's also frustrating to wait and a little scary because I don't know exactly what to expect.

Here are a few ways we artists encounter anticipation on a regular basis:planning, executing, and finishing our own projectsparticipating in swaps and stalking the...

Bandage Check #1 earns an A+!!!

Rufie, doin' time in the pen...

Took Mr. Rufus in yesterday morning for the first of his weekly bandage checks...and the vet says it looks GREAT!

This is terrific news for everyone - our greatest concern at this point is Rufus developing an infection (either in the bone, because of all the metal, or on his skin, because of the full cast), which may result in him losing his leg.

Rufus' spirits are still up - and he's very interested in going for a walk, but we're not q-u-i-t-e ready for that yet ...

Farewell Fentanyl!

Rufie, post-surgery, with Fentanyl patch on neck

It's Friday night of one of the l-o-n-g-e-s-t weeks I've ever had - but that's OK, because Rufus made it through surgery (which was my biggest worry) and is now beginning the long road to recovery.

Rufie's spirits are good and he got his Fentanyl patch off today. So far, his toes peeking out of his full cast are still looking really good (we're watching very carefully to see if they get hot or swollen – we'll need to take him to the vet right...

Rufus Update, 03.23.10

Just got off the phone with the vet's office this morning – Rufus is doing really well and ate his breakfast this morning, which is always a good sign!

The tech I spoke with said that they will be removing Rufie's IV pain control drip at 11 a.m. today, and then they'll be watching him for a couple of hours to see how he does.

My plan is to pick the kids up after school and take them with me to fetch Rufus.

Regarding Rufus' surgery... anytime one of my loved ones goes under anesthesia, my benchma...

Post-Surgery Update on Rufie

From left: Rufus, Ivy, and Sam, keeping the soft spots warm last night

Just got off the phone with the vet - Rufus came through surgery OK, but he isn't awake yet. Doctor Everett said Rufie's injuries were worse than they appeared on the x-rays, so he wasn't able to fix it as much as he'd hoped. He was able to do a partial fix, and the rest we just have to be patient and see if Rufie heals up well.

Rufus has a full cast on his leg, and will be going back every two weeks to have the cast...