...Must come to an end. Or, a shift.

I've been thinking a lot about a column/series I wanted to write, giving advice to jewelry artists from the perspective of a retailer--the person selling their work. Yesterday, I had a couple sections written, and wanted to start getting them up onto the blog, but, I have also been itching to change up my website for a while, soooo....I fell into the website revamp rabbithole for most of the day. It was easier than I expected and today, it's all up!

So, head over to my new website: catherinechandler.com
and my new blog: catherinechandler.com/blog
and have a look! I'm thrilled at having everything in one place, having it all streamlined and beautiful. I will keep this blog up, but will start things fresh over there.

I hope you like what you see!

Our holidays this year were filled with heartbreak. And yet, we were buoyed by family surrounding us. On December 30, 2017, we had to put down our sweet Siamese kitty, Sammy. If you follow em on Instagram or Facebook, you've seen him there. His kidney disease flared up fast and furious, and there was nothing we could do to stop it. As heartbreaking as the whole situation was, by the end, I was glad to take away his pain and give him the gift of peace.

So, we have been in mourning. Only in the last week have I felt true joy enter my life again. Some may say, "It's just a cat--what's the big deal?" Well, I have always felt a strong kinship to animals, often preferring their company to other peoples'. I view animals and pets more as siblings than something I "own." I respect them. I love them. I try my best to understand their needs. This has allowed me to connect with many animals that often will not let people near them. I consider each of those connections a blessing.

Sammy was no ordinary cat. Much like my first cat, Dreamer, he and I had a strong bond from the beginning. He was always more dominant than his sister, Amber, and often stole the show with is cuddles and enthusiasm for playing with toys. Sometimes, his demands for attention were annoying, but I sure do miss being greeted by him reaching up for a hug, or being pawed at to be picked up. Always wanting to be picked up and held. He was mischievous, adventurous, had 10,000 different meows and loved playing hide and seek. Loved pouncing on hands under the sheets and hiding from pretend monsters. He went crazy over wet food, and learned how to beg for scraps from Ziggy. Sammy spent many hours licking us, nudging our faces, purring into our ears, and smothering us with affection. The love that animals can show continues to astound me.

We--David, myself, Amber, and Ziggy--are all readjusting. Ziggy and Sammy were cuddle buddies, and Amber spent a good week afterwards looking for her brother all over the house. We are now seeing parts of her personality come out that had hidden behind Sammy's dominance, and I'm relieved. We are happy to see her step into her new role as Queen Bee. When you invest so much love and energy into an animal, it is so hard to let them go. But I have always said, that is the responsibility you take on when you have pets, or even kids. Someday you will have to make impossible decisions.

Rest in peace, Sammy.