Fanciful Expressions

Winter Wonderland~Oops, I blinked and missed it

2010-11-27T09:16:00.008-05:00

It’s so pretty when it snows in Kentucky. Although most times it just comes and goes so fast you hardly have time to enjoy it.

Woke up to this.

Just two hours later. It was this.

Autumn

2010-11-11T10:24:00.002-05:00

Kentucky is so beautiful all year round but I have to say that the
cooler brisk air of Autumn is my favorite time of year. All summer
I long to feel the fresh air that fall brings with it.

Technorati Tags: Autumn,Kentucky,fanciful expressions

THE SHOW IN MIDWAY KENTUCKY

2010-10-01T11:25:00.001-04:00

Our show in Midway is doing so well and we’re having a great time. The venue is in a beautiful spot next to Damselfly Gallery. The owners Eric and Mary own the property next to the gallery and have turned it into a wondrous place where they will be hosting more outdoor shows, weddings, parties, etc.

This show has so many wonderful artists and I’m having so much fun getting to hang out with all this talent.

Sales have been very good. Here are a few photos.

My friend Marilyn of Ivytree Designs is a potter and jewelry maker. These are some of her designs.

My other friend is Linda Powell a talented visual artist. I collect her mini paintings.

Here’s a look at my table.

The sunset yesterday on my way home was magnificent! My photo doesn’t do it justice.

It was a lovely end to a happy day.

It’s Time!!!!!

2010-09-24T15:03:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow is the big day that I’ve been preparing for. The 2 week show that I’m doing in Midway, Kentucky in the Damselfly Gallery Courtyard. We’re open every day 7 days a week.

Here’s a preview of some of my designs

Count down

2010-08-15T13:57:00.002-04:00

Yes, the F.E.I Games are coming up soon. Sept. 25 through October 10. I’ve been working hard to to have enough jewelry to sell at the show that I'm doing in Midway Kentucky during that time. I'll have a booth that I'm sharing with two good friends at Damselfly Gallery. It's such an exciting venue and I'm really looking forward to it.

Here are a few new pieces that I’ve done.

Sorry if some of the pics are not the best. I was just getting quick ones for my own records. Didn’t spend much time on them.

Here’s hoping my creative muse stays around because I want to offer a lot of variety.

The Olympics ( for horses)

2010-07-30T19:19:00.001-04:00

Here’s a little peek of some of the jewelry that I’ve been making lately.

I have a HUGE show coming up in the fall ( my favorite season) and I’ve temporarily closed my ETSY shop because I’m going to need all of the jewelry that I can make. It’s going to be two weeks long and I’m doing it with two friends of mine. It’s going on during the F.E.I. Games ( it’s like the Olympics but for horses). We’ll be in Midway for the show which will have attendees from all over the world. I’m so excited about this.

I LOVE LOUISVILLE

2010-07-22T11:59:00.001-04:00

It was a steamy hot day here in Kentucky on Tuesday but we enjoyed a breezy ride on the Belle of Louisville with our DIL and the kids.

Today is my sweet daughter’s birthday.

Laurie is the birthday girl on the left. And that’s my granddaughter on the right. Been ages since we’ve seen them. I’m hoping to be able to get up to Northern Illinois maybe in the fall when the weather cools just a bit.

How are you all keeping cool?

Going back to Saturday

2010-06-10T12:31:00.001-04:00

Here it is Thursday and I’m just now posting about Saturday. Well folks, better late than never.

I had a booth at the Masonic Home Art Faire in Shelbyville on Saturday. It was a beautiful and sunny day albeit extremely HOT. But I did well and sold a good bit of jewelry.

Had a good time sitting next to my Bluegrass Etsy Street Team members. Such talented jewelry artists.

There was Kimberly Ries from Creative Eye Studio. And Joey and Kelly Graves from Whimsy Beading.

Here are some pictures

Kimberly

Joey and Kelly

My hubby

I haven’t blogged either

2010-05-24T13:15:00.002-04:00

I was just over reading my friend Jan's blog. She is quite remorseful because she hasn’t posted in a while. So am I. Not because she hasn’t posted but because I have not blogged in ages. Of course, I miss reading Jan’s post’s because she is so goshdarn funny. But, as for me, I just wanted to tell my peeps not to give up on me. I just have nothing much to say.

Been busy working on jewelry for some upcoming shows ( sorry, no pics just yet.) And I really need to bring some pieces over to Damselfly Gallery. So, soon as I can I’ll put up pics for y’all and you can let me know what you think of my new designs. All is good here.

Big news. Paige is growing her bangs out. She looks older this way I think. They grow up so fast.

Tyler is 4

2010-05-03T09:42:00.002-04:00

Saturday, Tyler turned 4 years old. I can’t believe how fast that came up.

His Mom and Dad had a party for him with grandparents in attendance. He was showered with many gifts.

He loved the giant Spiderman that his parents gave him. It was a great birthday party with yummy food and a chocolate “Transformers” cake and family. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Spring is on it’s way

2010-03-02T17:08:00.001-05:00

The snow is gone here in Kentucky and there are signs of spring. The air is a little warmer today and tomorrow will be warmer still.

Stores are selling potted tulips and other spring flowers.

The Easter candies are out on the shelves too. Another sign that spring is around the corner. Of course, I had to get some~~~just to bring a little bit of spring home with me. But, you’ll never guess what I got.

Chocolate mousse PEEPS…….Yes, chocolate mousse.

What a find!!!! You’re probably going to tell me that I must live under a rock~~~~that you’ve been buying them for years. But, I don’t care they’re mine now~~~~mine,mine,mine.

When you bite their ears off they look, oddly, like little chocolate snowmen. They’re good too. Don’t get me wrong now~~~they’re not gourmet good. But, I sure did enjoy biting into that sugary,puffy goodness. Simple things make me happy. Yes, life is good……….

A month, it’s been a month????

2010-02-18T13:41:00.001-05:00

I can’t believe a month has past. What a slacker I am. It isn’t as though I’ve been terribly busy~~~~~which probably explains why I haven’t been posting. Hubby’s part time job has been cut back to about 2 days a week. I’m sure it will only be a temporary thing. But, when he’s home I tend to hang with him pretty much and read or watch television or just talk. Lately, we’ve had a good bit of snow~~~not like out east but a lot for Kentucky. Here, it’ll snow and then melt after a couple of days. Not so this time.

Here’s the view from our back door. It’s pretty but I’m tired of it. Hurry up spring.

Paige is on a basketball team so I’ve been going to her games. That’s been fun. I’ve never been into sports but when my granddaughter is playing it’s exciting for me.

Here’s a blurry action shot of her playing. She’s the one in blue.

In this one she’s wearing an orange jersey. This one I get a kick out of. Everyone else is standing around and if you look at her feet she’s airborne. That’s our Paige for sure. Always bouncing when she walks.

So, my blogger friends, that’s what I have been up to. What do you do when you’re stuck inside?

I’m back

2010-01-18T12:56:00.001-05:00

Hi all. The holidays are done and I’m back in the studio. I’ve started putting jewelry back on Etsy. I’ve got three necklaces there now and will try and put up more tomorrow as I get photos.

It feels good to be in the studio again after a break. Here are my Etsy offerings for now. Oh yeah, I’m offering free shipping anywhere in the U.S. for the month of January.

Christmas filled with love

2009-12-28T14:00:00.001-05:00

Christmas was wonderful.

Hubby made his yearly oatmeal chocolate cookies. He bakes I eat.

Paige and Tyler

Tyler took this picture of Grandpa.

He took this one too. He was pretending to be paparazzi .

He took this one too. Notice that I’m wearing the gorgeous necklace that I got for Molly Alexander’s Secret Santa swap from the talented Cindy Wimmer . Looked fabulous….it’s my go to necklace for so many things.

Here’s my son with Tyler after struggling with getting the Bat Cave out of the box.

DIL opening her gifts from Paige.

It was another beautiful Christmas surrounded with family. Now, on to the New Year to see what surprises await!

My Secret Santa Recipient

2009-12-20T17:42:00.001-05:00

My Secret Santa gift arrived for none other than Jan Thomason a wonderful paper artist. I’m so grateful to Molly Alexander for hosting this Secret Santa swap because through it I’ve met two wonderful people that I wasn’t aware of before. My recipient Jan Thomason and my Secret Santa Cindy Wimmer .

The earrings are Argentium silver. I cut out the stars from sheet copper with my jewelers saw and fused them into the silver with the torch. I cut individual beams coming from the stars into the silver with a cutting wheel using my flex shaft for sparkle. Shining down from the stars are pale pink and clear Swarovski crystals. The ear wire is sterling silver and also was handmade by me.

They’re very shiny which made them difficult to photograph but I did my best.

Merry Christmas to all of my friends, new and old.

Secret Santa you rock!

2009-12-18T17:31:00.003-05:00

Today is the day that my Secret Santa gift arrived. I knew it would be something good because of the list of artists that Molly Alexander invited to participate. Such talented ladies that it boggled my mind. I was honored that Molly invited me too.

So, when the package arrived I savored the moment. Carefully, I opened it. The anticipation was overwhelming. I knew from the return address that it came from Cindy Wimmer . This was gonna be fantastic!

I untied the ribbon

Took off the wrapping

A beautiful box!

But Wait!!! There’s something inside the box!

What is it????

It’s a GORGEOUS necklace

It suits me perfectly. It can be worn long or doubled

and looks beautiful either way. I love the bright colors

of the beads that Cindy used. And her wire work is flawless.

Thank you Cindy for a most wonderful gift. I will enjoy wearing

it often and cherish it forever.

And thank you Molly for letting me take part in this fun swap.

Secret Santa

2009-12-15T20:45:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago I received an email from Molly Alexander asking if I wanted to participate in a Secret Santa jewelry swap with some very talented women. The recipient wouldn’t know who their Secret Santa is until they receive their gift.

I just mailed out the gift that I made to ( Oops, can’t tell ;o ) You’ll know who you are when you get it.

I was thinking of the Star of Bethlehem when I made these.

Merry Christmas to one and all

Christmas is almost here!

2009-12-14T23:57:00.001-05:00

The decorations are all in place. Tomorrow, I’ll tell you about the Secret Santa.

Yay Santa !!!!

2009-12-11T12:36:00.003-05:00

DIL and I took the kiddos to see Santa the other day. Paige was being smart and asked for a “Red Rider BB Gun” and Santa laughed rolled his eyes and said “ for the thousand’t time your gonna shoot your eye out”.

Tyler had the same look one his face that you see in the above photo the whole time he was up there. Didn’t know what he wanted so he didn’t have much to say.

Tyler is entertaining himself while waiting in line.

They’re happy.

All in all it was a lovely day. I’m keeping busy with some special orders and getting ready for Christmas. Almost done with my shopping and decorating. When I have a chance to get some photo's I’ll post them.

Guess who we met?

2009-12-04T19:58:00.001-05:00

Joe and I went to Barnes and Noble where our favorite author was doing a book signing. Yes, we met Sue Grafton who was signing the latest copy of her new book, “U for Undertow” which just happened to be on both of our lists for Santa.

We’ve read her entire series which started with “A”. I highly recommend her books. The main character is Kinsey Millhone a private investigator whose adventures are highly addictive. You don’t have to start at the beginning if you don’t want to because every book stands on it’s own. But it sure is fun if you do start with “A”.

The best thing was that she is such a gracious lady. She had something to say to everyone she signed for and when I asked if we could have our picture taken with her she said yes. One of the store employees took a picture with my camera.

It was a real treat to meet her. I’m dying to start reading the book but Joe and I agreed it’s one of our Christmas gifts to each other.

The other fun thing we did was to see “A Christmas Carol” in 3-D. Wow. The graphics were awesome.

Hope you all are having a great holiday season with all of the hustle and bustle.

Aahhhh, beautiful fall

2009-11-16T23:05:00.001-05:00

This is a picture of the tree in our back yard. I love it. It really makes me aware of the passage of time and gets me pondering on life and the cycles that we go through. Lovely tree, beautiful life.

Joe and I worked on the yard and cleaned up the leaves but the rest are still waiting to take their flight to the ground. I’m sure if I take an “after” picture more leaves will have made their trip down.

What a week-end!

2009-11-10T11:40:00.001-05:00

I took all day yesterday to recover from a most wonderful week-end. Now I’m refreshed and back to myself.

The craft show, Trims and Whims, went so well! I don’t have much jewelry left. This is a good thing. I’ll be busy making new things now.

The weather was in the 70’s and I got to set up outside for both days. I love fall weather but this was more like spring. Anyway, Saturday was the big “Light up Shelbyville” event. They close off Main Street and have entertainment, food venders and craft venders all leading up to the Christmas tree lighting. It’s all so festive and lovely. So, after a full day at Trims and Whims I packed up my wares and did a trunk show at The Keepsake Shop in town. Then took everything back to Trims and Whims on Sunday for another great sale day. By Sunday night you’d better believe I was totally wiped out but smiling. Here’s part of my booth.

There is also some photography that my son did that I was selling for him. I’m so proud of him. He doesn’t have any formal training and yet takes the most amazing pictures.

Most of the pieces in this photo have sold. I’m thrilled that people respond to and like my jewelry. Here are new earrings that I’ve made. They’re fused Argentium leaves and Swarovski Crystal pearls. Very delicate and easy to wear. The necklace is copper with a Ruby Quartz drop.

That’s about it for now. I’ll post more pictures soon as I get them.

It's been awhile

2009-11-06T09:12:00.003-05:00

I've realized that it's been quite awhile since I last posted anything. It isn't that I've been sitting here doing nothing, I just haven't written anything.

Anyhow, I've got a busy week-end coming up. Saturday and Sunday I'm doing one of my favorite craft shows--Trims and Whims. It's here in Shelbyville and it's always a good one. After Saturdays show closes I'm off to another event in Shelbyville. It's the Christmas tree lighting. Always a fun time but this year I'll be participating as a vender. I'll be showing my jewelry at the Keepsake Shop in town.

A busy week-end--more after all the festivities.

Happy Birthday to Me

2009-10-07T11:59:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was my birthday and a great one it was. I love spending time with my family and my son, daughter-in-law and the grandkids came over and hubby took us all out to an Italian restaurant for dinner-yummy. Then we came back to our house for cake.

My cutiepie grandkids.

Me at 63---look at that cake. Mmmm

Hubby gave me a new camera. One that fits into my purse that I’ve been wanting for awhile. It’s so cool.

My son is a fantastic photographer and he made this picture of Queen Ann’s Lace (my favorite) and gave it to me. It’s so beautiful and I’ll cherish it always. Paige made a lovely handmade card for me from her and Tyler.

I had the most perfect day. I am blessed with a wonderful family.

Lovin’ The Fall

2009-10-01T12:16:00.001-04:00

This is, without a doubt, my favorite time of year. Cool, crisp mornings. Beautiful days, not too hot.

I’ve been working on some jewelry but don’t have pictures yet. I hope to get some in the next couple of days.

Paige was here yesterday and wanted to experiment making dyes from plants. Since I have no idea of the proper way to do that I just let her have a go at it.

She came up with some interesting colors. It turned out to be a fun project for her.

Midway Fall Festival

2009-09-21T11:38:00.001-04:00

The week-end at Midway way was a success ! I actually made money and had a good time to boot. Saturdays weather was beautiful and a lot of people came out. Sunday it rained all day but was a good day too. Hubby and I stayed somewhat dry in our tent and were comforted with kettle corn, funnel cakes, cheeseburgers cooked on a grill and polish sausage sandwiches smothered with sautéed onions . I love fair food. It has no health benefits what-so-ever but it’s soooo good.

This train was on display. It was huge.

Here’s me trying to appear as dry as possible.

Here’s Joe. I’m so grateful he was able to get time off of work so he could help me.

I couldn’t have done this show without him. He’s such a sweetheart and he worked so hard helping me set up and breakdown and made sure that I remembered to drink plenty of water. What a guy!!!

Aren’t these Alpacas so cute. I wish I’d gotten pictures of them on Saturday when it was dry and their “do’s” were all fluffy and sticking up.

As the show was getting close to ending, Mary, who owns Damselfly Studio came by and wanted a lot of my pieces for the store. So, I’ll be working to replenish my stock. Mary always does so well selling my things and I’m so pleased to be shown at Damselfly. If you’re ever near Midway, Kentucky do be sure to stop in. She has great treasures in her gallery.

It was a great show and I look forward to doing it again next year. Today Joe and I feel like we were run over by this.

Could we be getting old?

No, just sadly out of shape I think ;o)

A show and a play

2009-09-14T15:46:00.003-04:00

I did a craft show at the Shelby county High School over the week-end. It was their first one and unfortunately not very well attended. There were so many talented artists and artisans exhibiting too. Here’s how I set up my space.

This Saturday and Sunday I’ll be set up at the Midway Fall Festival in the lovely town of Midway. It’s the first year for me~~~~wish me luck.

Last night we went to see our favorite thespian, Paige, in the production of “Suessical the Musical”. Of course, she was magnificent.

Here she is outside on the way to the theater before the performance.

This is after the show with her friend~ The Cat in the Hat.

Grandpa and I enjoyed the show very much. It was funny, lively and just good entertainment.

Kudos to Shelby County Community theater for the many fine productions that they put on through out the year.

Bell House

2009-09-03T14:33:00.006-04:00

Paige and I usually go out to lunch when she comes over. One of our favorites is Bell House. It’s located right here in Shelbyville. The house where it’s located was built in 1902, and has been lovingly restored by the owners Bob and Sue Andriot. It’s a beautiful addition to the heart of the town where we live. The food is fresh and wonderful. They are open for lunch and in the Fall they plan on being open for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights.

Here is a peek inside. It’s great to have a local restaurant with such a lovely ambiance.

Our hosts Bob and Sue Andriot

Here is a look at what we had. Yummy , Aunt Emma’s Chicken Salad with fresh fruit and a warm bread stick and the best potato soup I’ve ever had and ,of course, a mouth watering brownie with ice cream,chocolate syrup topped with a strawberry.

Would you like a look at the menu?

My new model

2009-08-28T21:35:00.001-04:00

I had Paige model these earrings for me. I’m pretty pleased with the way they turned out.

I think she’ll work out.

She’s been working hard with rehearsal’s for Suessical the Musical, and sitting for me to take pictures of my earrings (not easy, it takes me forever to get it right). Busy girl.

Hope you all have a lovely week-end.

Where oh where has my living room gone?

2009-08-23T11:35:00.001-04:00

Paige was here on Wednesday and had fun being a clothing designer. She used my mannequin that I display jewelry with. She’s such a fashionista.

She’s my great pal and we always have fun together. We have a lot in common. We both love going to the antique shops in town, having lunch at McKinley’s, also in town. And, Barnes and Noble is another hangout for us. Half-Price books gets our business too.

But just hanging out to be together may be my favorite thing to do. BTW you’ll be seeing more of her since I’ve decided to use her as my model to get photos of my jewelry.

Now, on to the question of where did my living room go?

Tyler and Grandpa have a new toy. Thomas the Train……

Of course, They can’t put it away when they’re done playing because the track would get messed up. We can’t have that after all the trouble they went through to build it.

Hmmmmm, there’s a truck on the track….What should we do?????

I think for these two boys I could get used to a train in my living room.

I’ve been featured !

2009-08-21T12:23:00.001-04:00

Kim Ries of the Bluegrass Etsy Street Team posted an article about me on the team blog. I’m so excited!!! This is such a wonderful and generous group of women and I’m pleased to say that I’m a part of this group. Check out the article and while your there click on some ( or all ) of the links there. I promise you’ll see some delightful things.

How do you like these?

2009-08-20T19:56:00.001-04:00

I’ve still been getting more photos.These are some of the latest.

Still doing a lot of fusing.

I’m trying to get a lot more earrings going for all the shows that I have coming up.

I’ll be posting a list of those soon.

Time with Ty

2009-08-14T21:56:00.000-04:00

Hubby had a day off yesterday so we had Tyler spend the day with us. Went to the farm down the road to buy some watermelon and corn to have with dinner. They have a petting zoo there and we stopped so Tyler could feed the animals.

We had a good time. It was hot out so we couldn’t stay to long. I think he looks so cool in his shades. I must say he ate well at dinner. Besides dinner he had his fill of the wonderful juicy watermelon and corn on the cob,fresh from the field. Mmmmmm.

Our DIL gave us some tomatoes and a red pepper that she grew in containers on their deck.I cooked up the pepper with some olive oil,Italian seasonings and garlic. Oh so good.

Hope you all have a lovely week-end.

I made baubles

2009-08-10T19:43:00.001-04:00

I took more pictures of some of the baubles that I’ve made. Take a look…..

These are fused Argentium and copper. Very light~~~I try to make all of my earrings lightweight. No stretched out earlobes here.

Here’s another pair that I really like. These are Argentium Silver with copper bands fused into it. For textural interest I’ve hammered them and added three small holes in each one.

A couple more

2009-08-09T11:35:00.001-04:00

Here are a few more of the pieces that I’ve been working on. These little copper and sterling flowers are very light and easy to wear. I thought copper would be nice for the Fall.

This pendant is made of fused Argentium and copper. I really like the fusing process and really get into the zone when I’m doing it.

I’m hoping to get a few more photos today. It’s a hot one here in Kentucky so I’m sure I’ll be indoors for most of the day. Hope your all having a great week-end.

I’ve been working---Honest

2009-08-07T17:25:00.003-04:00

So, really, even though I haven’t been posting a whole lot, I’ve still been working and producing jewelry. Here are some pictures to prove it.

I’ve got shows coming up in the fall that I’m very excited about. One being in Midway, Kentucky. An adorable little town, where I currently, have jewelry displayed at Damselfly Gallery.

I’ll be posting more about that and other shows that are coming up in September.

So, what do you think of the new stuff? I’ll post more as I get the pictures.

A Musical

2009-08-04T22:52:00.006-04:00

Good news..... Our sweet as pie granddaughter, Paige, auditioned to be in " Seussical the Musical" , at our community theater, and got a dual roll!!!! Yes folks, not one but two parts to play. We're all so proud of her and she's so excited that she's about to burst. Rehearsals start on Thursday. I'll keep y'all posted on her progress.

I'm still here

2009-07-24T00:17:00.003-04:00

Hi all. I'm still here. Just haven't posted for awhile. Summer~~~~ what can I say? I have been working on jewelry. Spending time with the grandkiddos too. Reading what others are posting but I haven't been commenting too much.

One thing I decided is that I won't do any outdoor shows in the heat of summer. I did that last year and melted. Heat and I don't get along. That being said, it's been fairly cool here lately.

I have several shows lined up for the fall. So that's what I'm concentrating on now. I'm tired now so, good night all. Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite...

Can you believe???

2009-07-10T20:05:00.006-04:00

I sure can't believe that a week ago I said that I would be posting pictures of some earrings. Well, let me tell you. I've been working on it. First, my tumbler died on me. Finally made my way to Harbor Freight to get a new one. Some day I'll have me a real good one, like a hundred years from now when maybe I'll be able to afford one.

So, then, I made some earrings. Still have to get pictures. I planned on making some bracelets. My jump ring maker works fine, but, guess what????? The thingy that you put on your flex shaft to cut them won't work right. Or maybe, it's the saws~~~~I don't know.
I just ordered some new ones and I hope they work. Ever get the feeling that no matter what you do things just won't go right????

I did make a bunch of earrings but I'm so disappointed that I didn't get to work on the bracelets like I had planned to.

Well, tomorrow is another day. Tyler is coming over to spend the day with us and I always look forward to that. We always have a nice time with the grandkids.

More to come when I get pictures of the earrings.

Happy 4th

2009-07-04T15:08:00.003-04:00

Happy Fourth of July!

God Bless America!

Coming along

2009-07-03T10:25:00.004-04:00

No pictures to show today, however, I've worked on the new pieces and they're almost ready to go into the tumbler. Plan on doing that today.
I've been working with Argentium~~~I love that stuff. Fusing is big on my list and it fuses beautifully.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention--I ordered some gel liver of sulfur and it was delivered yesterday. I'm all excited about trying it. That's on my list of things to do today too.
Well, off to work for me.

Oh, my achin' back

2009-06-29T11:54:00.006-04:00

I've been down with my back out for a few days now. Starting to feel sorry for myself. I'm going to attempt to move around more today and maybe get into my studio and make some pieces that I've been thinking about while not moving and laying on a heating pad.

If I make any progress I'll post it later tonight.

Bluegrass Etsy Street Team

2009-06-16T13:38:00.007-04:00

As you can see by the tag over there->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->
I've been invited to join the Bluegrass Etsy Street Team.
What a wonderful opportunity for me. I met some of the ladies at the Art Faire here in Shelbyville and have to say how nice they are. They're so helpful and Libby from Auroras Garden blog is helping me make my Etsy shop more of a draw. Come check out all of our shops over at Etsy. You won't be sorry.

One More Blog about Illinois

2009-06-14T19:28:00.006-04:00

This is my B.F.F. in Illinois.

This is B.F.F. with her two girls.
What in the world are we doing, you ask?????
We're trying to figure out who has the biggest mouth.
I think B.F.F. wins. What do you think?

We don't really look like that all the time. Here are her lovely daughters, Amanda and Mindy.

Amy and I have our more subdued moments when we don't look so goofy.

Our quick trip

2009-06-13T09:55:00.004-04:00

Our trip took us to Illinois where we got to see hubby's dad and son. Also, got together with some good friends. While hubby and his dad went to downtown Chicago to visit some friends I went shopping.

This is in Long Grove,IL

It's filled with quaint little shops and restaurants.

I bought some cool stuff like chocolate wine and chocolate covered strawberries. Also, the country store has a soup mix that's sooooo good. We've been buying it there for years so when we can get there we stock up.
It was a really fun trip.

Another barter

2009-06-12T23:14:00.005-04:00

Here's another barter that I did. For a pair of my earrings I got this lovely original, framed water color painting done by Pat Greer. It's hanging in my living room and looks beautiful there. I'm so blessed to be associated with so many wonderful and talented artists.
In this economy I'm fortunate to be able to barter. My home is all the better for it.
More news later about the Etsy Street team that I'm going to join....

Art Faire Better late than never

2009-06-12T12:41:00.018-04:00

I wasn't putting you on when I said I'd post about the Art Faire that I did last Saturday. We left town on Monday and somehow time got away from me.

Anyway, Paige and Tyler made these lovely silk paintings for me. Pat Greer, amazing artist, was doing demos for painting on silk. They are lightweight and beautiful.

Paige with one of the ones she made.

The process.

Of course, I had to buy this awesome bird feeder. Old dishes and vases put together.

Bartered a bit too~~~love to barter

The two pictures above are a hand carved wood brooch and hand carved welcome plaque.

There was wonderful entertainment all day long, from ballet,to folk songs and dulcimer playing and more.......

Here's a peek at my set-up.

I would like to thank Donna Williams for the great job putting this wonderful Art Faire together. The grounds at Masonic Homes in Shelbyville are a lovely setting.

More to come~~~~the laundry is calling to me. be back later....

Art Faire Update

2009-06-07T19:44:00.005-04:00

The Art Faire on Saturday was wonderful. Perfect weather. Right now, I'm still recovering from all the fresh air and sunshine~~~Cough,cough,Aaaaachoooo.... Allergies and sun stroke.

More detail's tomorrow or Tuesday-----I'm packing for a trip.

Art Faire

2009-06-05T23:01:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow is the Art Faire at Masonic Home. It's a lovely setting and I'm so looking forward to it. This will be my second year to be at this one. Wish me luck blogger buddies......More after the faire. Hopefully, I'll have some pictures to show you all then.

Ruby Zoisite?

2009-05-27T22:03:00.011-04:00

Yes, Ruby Zoisite~~~that's what the tag said so I guess that's what the stone is. Anyhow, it's a lovely green with black striations.The bracelet is Argentium that I fused and shaped.

There's a little iridescence in the stone that doesn't show up in the pictures.

I'm so pleased with this one. It's going to be hard to give it up.
Maybe I'll keep it for just a little while....
Do you all have the same problem? You make something and put a good bit of yourself into it and hate to let it go then.

I always get happy when my pieces go to a good home...

Busy

2009-05-26T12:12:00.005-04:00

Well, I have a few more pieces that I've been working on and completed.

I've really been focused and that's a good thing. My brain seems to be buzzing with idea's again and it feels great!!!!

This pendant is one of my fused pieces that I'm really happy with. I'm having a fun time with the fusing that I'm doing. On a roll and everything seems to be going together smoothly.

These final earrings are custom made for a good customer of mine. I'll get them to her today. She wants them as a gift for her daughter's birthday. The butterfly's are handmade by me,of course. I'm happy with the way they turned out. The patina makes them pop, don't you think?

To the Gallery we go.

2009-05-24T13:46:00.007-04:00

Here are a few more pendents that will be taking a trip to the Damselfly Gallery.

They are Argentium and copper.

All fused with lots of texture added.

Going to the gallery

2009-05-17T19:49:00.003-04:00

I've got a few goodies to take to Damselfly Studio this week.

The pictures are not the best, I didn't have good lighting.

This gives you an idea of what they look like. They're all fused pieces.
I'm rather happy with the way they turned out.~~~~Not the pictures but the
jewelry.

Beads

2009-05-10T17:11:00.008-04:00

Look at what I got!--Went to a bead show in Louisville last week and scooped up a beautiful bunch of beads. Luscious beads, colorful, yummy beads.

Hope all of you Moms are having a lovely Mother's Day. My son and daughter-in-law cooked a lovely brunch for me and DIL's Mom. We dined on omelette's,sausages, bacon,homemade waffles with fruit and whipped cream and her Mom's homemade bread.
A wonderful feast for Mother's Day. Spending time with a loving family is the best way to celebrate anything. Thanks Jason and Stacy, Paige and Tyler....I LOVE YOU ALL.

Jasmine

2009-05-04T21:09:00.009-04:00

We had to put our other sweet kitty,Jasmine,to sleep last Tuesday. I was not able to blog about it until now. Too,too sad. She wasn't a young cat (15years) but she always seemed like a kitten to me. It was hard enough but having just lost my Jake in November,it was too soon. She couldn't walk and couldn't control her bladder or poop. Our vet took an x-ray and felt that it was a mass in her spine that was doing this to her. Could have been cancer or not but the fact is that it affected her nerves and made her life miserable. So, we had to make the kindest decision and say good-bye. I felt that she was missing Jake an awful lot too. So, they're together at the Rainbow Bridge waiting for me and Joe.

They always cuddled with each other.
Rest in Peace,both of you.

Tyler's Birthday

2009-05-04T10:39:00.004-04:00

We celebrated Tyler's 3rd birthday on Saturday. He was so happy to have Grandparents there.

He huffed and puffed and blew his candle out.

Yeah Tyler!!!!!

He enjoyed his cake!!!

Feet and Lavender

2009-04-17T20:56:00.010-04:00

Well, the week-end is already here and I've not accomplished much jewelry making. Maybe it's spring fever or something of that nature. Yeah, that's it, spring fever.....
Really, it seems to be more of a dry spell for creativity. I've just been doing silly things like cleaning,laundry,washing floors~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buying comfy shoes
Yes, these are seriously comfortable shoes. I go for comfort these days.

And, isn't this the cutest planter? It's my size of coffee cup~~~I must have had too much caffeine because now that I look at the picture, the lavender isn't sitting too straight. It smells divine though. I always thought it was the blooms that smelled so good but it's the leaves too.
So, that's what I've been up to. Tomorrow, Tyler is coming over to play with Grandpa. Here's wishing you all a splendid week-end.

Saturday

2009-04-13T22:20:00.004-04:00

Here's a sleepy little Tyler. All cuddled with Grandpa on Saturday before Easter. They are both so content.

He has Risen

2009-04-12T12:19:00.002-04:00

Happy Easter

New earrings

2009-04-04T23:23:00.010-04:00

I've made some new earrings. They'll be going up on Etsy soon. I have a few more to finish then I'll put them all up.

Also, I wanted to mention that the very talented Deborah Truesdell,a wonderful artist of Little Art Room in the Back is giving away a piece of her artwork. You should check it out.Although, I'm hoping to be the lucky winner ;o) it's a really cool piece. I'd love to own some of her art.

I'm Pumped

2009-03-31T19:26:00.004-04:00

Guess what???? Deryn Mentock of Something Sublime won the necklace that I gave away. She received it the other day and guess what???? She blogged about it. I'm so thrilled that this wonderful artist likes the necklace that I made. Go over and see what she said. Thank you, Deryn. I'm really glad that you won.

New on Etsy

2009-03-26T20:47:00.013-04:00

I've been working away getting new pieces done and getting them posted on my ETSY store. I've got more to photograph and get on there but I did these today.It seems to me that it takes so much time to photograph, edit and post stuff. I take more time doing that than making my jewelry. Maybe when it comes to tech things, I'm just slow.
Then there's having to name my pieces.

I had trouble coming up with names for my kids and the cats that I've had over the years. Now, I have to come up with names for my jewelry.

I'm just not that clever with words. If I was, I'd be a famous novelist or something. Well, at least I'm happy making my jewelry. If you want to see more pictures take a look at my ETSY store.

Spring

2009-03-24T22:59:00.005-04:00

Aahhhh!! Spring is here today. This is blooming in our back yard.
Click on it for a closer look.

Hope everyone is having a lovely day.

And the winner is

2009-03-23T06:48:00.003-04:00

But, first, I want to say Happy Birthday to my sweet and wonderful son. Sunday, we had dinner at his house and did a little birthday celebration. His birthday was actually on the 13th but they left to go on vacation then. So, Saturday, he and his brood got back armed with some great vacation pictures. Then we got to do the Happy Birthday song. He had some help blowing out his candles on the cake.

Jason, I just want to say what a fine man you've grown up to be. I'm so blessed and honored to say that you're my son. BTW~~~~how's it feel to be 36?

Now, on to the drawing for the necklace. I decided to have my granddaughter do the honors. She was so excited because she's familiar with many of you because of my blog.

First, I printed all of the names of everyone who commented. Then I cut them out, all equally and folded all in the same manner. We put them in grandson's hat.

Then Paige took the hat, closed her eyes tight and pulled out a name.

Is the suspense getting to you?????

There's the winner's name in her hand. She already knows who it is :o)

Scroll down
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Scroll a bit more
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AND THE WINNER IS!
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DERYN MENTOCK OF SOMETHING SUBLIME!

So,Deryn, just Email me the snail mail addy of where you'd like your necklace shipped. And it will be on it's way to you right away.

As I've said before, I wish I could send something to each and everyone of you who've read my blog and made such kind and wonderful comments. Keep reading~~~I had fun with this and I'm seriously thinking of doing another give-away in the coming months. I want to thank all of my blogger buddies for all of your support.......

Monday

2009-03-21T13:09:00.003-04:00

Don't forget to check on Monday.........I'll announce the winner then.
Until Monday then.........Have a lovely spring week-end.

Last Chance

2009-03-20T09:15:00.004-04:00

Today is the last chance to make a comment to get in on the drawing for the necklace. I'll leave the comments open until midnight tonight. I'll announce the winner on Monday.
Remember, it's easy to enter. Just leave a comment and you're in.

Give away

2009-03-16T10:23:00.008-04:00

I've decided to give away a necklace. All you need to do is leave a comment on my blog. Let me know that you're interested. I'll leave the contest open until Friday of this week.

On Saturday I'll print out names of everyone who comments (leaving out duplicates), cut them up and have hubby pick the winner's name out of a container. I'll post the winner's name on Monday.

This is open to everybody so let your friend's know about it. Oh yeah, are you getting curious about what I've decided to giveaway? You are???? Well, I suppose I should include a picture.

As of now, comments are officially closed.
12:40 A.M. EST

I'll be posting the winner on Monday~Good Luck

My 1st teaching gig

2009-03-12T21:45:00.060-04:00

Workshops..... Where do you suppose that word originated? Work can= drudgery. This was hardly drudgery. It was FUN teaching talented women. I had a blast teaching my first EVER jewelry ( workshop ) funshop. Here's a look at how things went.

Here are some of the ladies really concentrating. That's Betsy in the forefront, her friend Jennifer next to her, Michelle ( only 12 years old ) wait until you see what she made. That's Marilyn sitting at the far end. Here is what she made. Isn't it gorgeous?

Here's a picture of everybody busily making their creations. DIL Stacy took the picture.

Here's DIL Stacy making pieces of her necklace.

Linda and Stephanie are wearing their creations. Great work!

Here's Laura with her lovely creation.

This is Michelle with her awesome necklace. She's a jewelry making natural.

I'm looking forward to doing another workshop. Michelle, you're welcome back next time.

I'd like to thank the members of Artractions for all their support and encouragement. Stephanie, Linda P, Linda A, Laura. YOU ALL ROCK !

This is Betsy's sweet service dog. She wasn't interested in making a necklace at all. Isn't she just so cute though? I just had to include her :=)

GIVEAWAY

I've been noticing that so many of my blogger friends are doing giveaways. So, to celebrate spring, I'm jumping on the bandwagon. I'm not sure yet if it will be earrings or a necklace. Check out my blog on Monday( 3/16 ). It won't be complicated. You'll just need to make a comment then or during the week. I'll leave it open until Friday ( 3/20 ). and over the week-end I'll print out all the names of the people who have left a comment, cut them up, put them in a container and I'll have hubby draw a name. That's it!!! I'll post the winner on the following Monday ( 3/23 ).

Hope you all have a great week-end and I'll be looking forward to next week.

I'm still here

2009-03-02T13:10:00.009-05:00

Hi all. I haven't disappeared. In fact, I've been making a few new pieces, spending time with my grandkids and getting ready to teach my very first workshop.

I'm on the board of Artractions which is the cultural arts commitee for Shelby county. The members have been so encouraging and supportive of me and my jewelry making. They invited me to offer this class at Artists on Main in Shelbyville.

Am I a little nervous about it? You bet I am. I want to give my students my best and I hope I do well for them. I've kept the class small so I can get a feel for it, I'm easily overwhelmed. The date of the class is March 8. I'll be sure to let you all know how it goes.

In the mean time, here are a few new pieces that I've done. You can click on any of these to make them larger.

This one is made of copper and silver. The focal is copper with Argentium silver wire fused to it to make a bezel. Then I mixed up some two part epoxy into which I mixed some paprika for color and poured it into the bezel.
A couple of eyelets put in backwards look like little flowers.
The links of the chain are sterling silver to which were
added copper colored pearls and automotive fuses filled
with tiny little beads.

This is copper with Argentium silver fused to it.

This one is copper with Unikite

Here we have Argentium silver fused to copper. The chain is Sterling silver and copper with automotive fuses.

These earring are fold formed copper with Sterling Silver

fused to it. Then I textured them.

Snow and Ice

2009-01-29T10:54:00.015-05:00

Looking out the window makes me glad to be inside.

Well, winter has arrived with a BANG in Kentucky. While I'm not all that fond of snow and ice I have to admit it sure is pretty. Our back yard looks like a wonderland~~~all white and pristine.

Lots of beautiful birds at the feeders.

The tree branches are heavy with the weight of the ice,touching the ground. Hope they don't break.

Our cardinal is a pretty one isn't she?

The bright red male was here,however, by the time I ran and got my camera he was gone. Probably a little camera shy.

This will be a good day to work on jewelry. Not tempted to go out at all.

If you double click on the pictures they'll get bigger and you can see more details and the ice shows up more.

Flutterby Necklace

2009-01-25T19:07:00.013-05:00

Well, I've been working. I've finished the first necklace in my butterfly series. The butterfly is handmade by me. Cut out of sterling silver sheet then brought to life with texture.
The chain is of steel links that are also hand made. On one side there are fused sterling circles and brass circles and a wire wrapped glass sea opal dangles.

The other side of the necklace has a lace wrapped connector with blue seed beads. Reminds me of a
cocoon.The clasp hook's on to an
old key that has a Swarowski
crystal heart in a pretty shade of blue attached to it with sterling wire..I plan on making one more necklace with the butterfly theme. And maybe some earrings........

Then I think I'll do somekind of Ginkco leaf things.

How blessed I am to be able to be doing something that I love .
Life is good.

More Etsy

2009-01-20T14:30:00.006-05:00

I've done another bracelet to put up on Etsy. I had fun with this one. It's sterling silver and copper. The center piece is copper with Argentium fused to it then hammered. Now I'm working on a couple of butterfly necklaces.

New Pieces and I'm sooo behind

2009-01-15T20:23:00.007-05:00

I'm going to put some new stuff up on Etsy. I was going to reopen today but I don't think that's gonna happen. I'm hoping for tomorrow. I'm not the best photographer and I could probably use a better camera. However, I'm happy with the way my butterfly bracelets came out. The butterflies are cut from sterling silver sheet. Then I hammer away with various hammers and steel stamps until I get the look that I want. The chains and clasps are also handmade by me.

I darkened everything with liver of sulfur (smelly stuff.) After that I polished all the high spots.

Happy Birthday to my Honey

2009-01-10T22:46:00.006-05:00

Yesterday was my hubby's birthday. Happy Birthday to a wonderful husband, person, best friend and awesome Grandpa.

Tyler was trying to blow out the candles from across the table.
He was ready for his cake.

Helping Grandpa open gifts

Wire wrapped links

2009-01-04T15:25:00.015-05:00

I've been having fun today. Take a look at Deryn Mentock's tutorial on how to make wire wrapped links. It's wonderful, so clear and concise. If it's something you would like to try you can't miss. I've made a few today. I can't wait to include them in my work. I was looking for anything I could get my hands on to wrap. Below is an example of window screen, velvet, a candy wrapper and lace. Yes, that's right!!! A candy wrapper!!! Yes, I ate the candy to get the wrapper~~~~it's a sacrifice that I HAD to make for the sake of art!! Cool art supply Huh?

New Year,New Stuff

2008-12-30T17:08:00.003-05:00

I've been giving a bit of thought about the new year coming. Time to shake out the cobwebs that have been taking up residence in my head and change things around some. I
figure my blog is a good place to start. I'm not sure I'm completely satisfied with the look just yet but hopefully my blogger buddies will keep coming back to check things out. In the mean time I want to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR filled with many blessings.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2008-12-25T12:29:00.003-05:00

"GOD BLESS US, EVERYONE."
Tiny Tim

Cookie time

2008-12-20T20:07:00.005-05:00

Christmas is near~~~~do you know how I know this? We spent the day baking hubby's yearly oatmeal,chocolate chip cookies. He baked and I ate them, that's where the "we" comes in. They are so good and chewy and smell divine. He likes to bring them to family, the people he works with and we also take and deliver them to some of our neighbors.So, Merry Christmas all....I'm going to grab some more cookies!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2008-12-12T18:25:00.005-05:00

Ben Stein's Commentary on Christmas
I found this commentary at Nomadic Creations http://stacieflorer.typepad.com/nomadic_creations/ and I liked it so here it is..
my two cents.

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
My confession :
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year.. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
Billy Graham 's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina ) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'
In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem ( Dr Spock 's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves..
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace. Are you laughing yet?
Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.
Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it. no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.
My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,Ben Stein

Ring-linga- ling

2008-12-08T16:07:00.016-05:00

I just finished up with these two rings. Both are fabricated with sterling silver and the charms that I made to solder on are also of sterling. They're custom made for my clients two daughters for Christmas. I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out.

This one is for the youngest daughter who wanted a butterfly.

This daughter is a musician and wanted a treble clef.

I enjoyed making these and I'm planning on making more~~~~especially the butterfly.....

O.K. back to decorating the house for Christmas. If I don't focus I'll never get it all done.

Christmas Parade

2008-12-06T20:44:00.018-05:00

Today was the day that Santa Claus came to Shelbyville!!! A good time was had by all....There were dogs and horses and miniature horses! Tractors and marching bands. And, it was cold!! And fun. The marines started it off.

I just love,love,love living in a small town.

I really got into the Christmas spirit today. I feel so blessed and grateful that I'm here and it's now.

And here's is Santa!!!! He comes to town on a fire truck!! Merry Christmas, Ho,Ho,Ho!!!

Good News

2008-12-01T12:32:00.041-05:00

Well, the Christmas spirit is upon me. I'll be in the studio all the rest of the day today. Fortunately, the weather is grey, rainy and chilly. Good studio time,not very tempted to go out and about.

I also want to announce that I've been lucky enough to get my jewelry into Damselfly Studio and Gallery http://www.damselflybeads.com/1601.html in charming Midway,Kentucky.

Midway is the cutest little town. There's a train running right through the middle of it and it has shops and restaurants so you can spend a day there browsing (And hopefully, buying.) I feel as though I'm walking around in another century when I go there.

Here are a few of the pieces I've placed there.

I made this one with Argentinium silver with Garnet beads.

Here's one with silver fused to copper for the pendant. I made copper beads and those are Unikite beads at the ends of the copper beads. The chain is sterling silver...........

Remember this one from Deryn Mentock's http://somethingsublime.typepad.com/ summer challenge? I've finally decided that I can part with it. I can always make another, right? Although it won't look exactly the same.

And finally, a close-up of one the the fused silver to copper earrings. So, if you're anywhere near Midway, Kentucky do stop in at Damselfly.

More later, gotta get to work!!

COOL STUFF

2008-11-18T19:12:00.013-05:00

I was checking out LLYYN'S blog the other day. She's such a talented artist. Anyway, she mentioned that she bought some things from PatinaQueen over at ETSY. So I took a look. Little keys, jump rings, chain, filigree pieces,bead caps and etc.etc.etc.

I received my order yesterday and Lynn was right. Look at the cool stuff I got!!

All of the patina is done by Patina Queen and the quality is excellant. Here's more.

Aren't these little swallows adorable??? I'm getting all kinds of inspiration from these pieces. But first, I have some commission work to take care of.

Guess I'd better get busy!

Happy Birthday!!

2008-11-13T14:00:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was Granddaughter Paige's 10th Birthday. It's hard to believe that this wonderful treasure has been in our family for 10 years. We are one lucky family. She is such a joy to have around.

Happy Birthday, tweenager!!!!!!

An End

2008-11-05T23:17:00.006-05:00

We said good-bye to our sweet Jake on Monday. The cancer in his lungs took over and breathing was so difficult for him. I still can't believe that he isn't here with me. Jasmine, our other kittie is looking for him everywhere.

This journey that I'm on will be very different without my little buddy~~~hopefully, healing will take place and I'll be able to smile thinking about the wonderful years that I had with my constant companion.

THANK YOU

2008-10-23T12:20:00.005-04:00

Thanks to all who have commented about Jake. Your words hold me up during this trying time. An update----he's still hanging in. Still eating, though I can see his appetite isn't quite the same.His quality of life is still o.k. He has good days and bad days. I'm grateful to God for giving me a little extra time with Jake. I'll take whatever I can get.

I should mention that we have another sweet kitty too. Her name is Jasmine and right now she's been very understanding about not being our main focus.

This is our girl Jasmine.

Taking a break

2008-09-25T18:36:00.009-04:00

I'll be taking a short break from blogging. I know it's been awhile since I've written anything. My sweet cat Jake was just diagnosed with lung cancer. His veterinarian tells us that there is nothing to be done for him because of his age. He's been my companion for 17 1/2 years and I have to admit this has got me down. I'm trying to spend as much time with him as I can until we have to say our final good-bye. Just writing about this brings me to tears. He's such a good kitty and I love him so much that I'm not sure how to make the final decision. He's still eating,drinking, grooming and being his cuddly self. I can hear him wheezing when he breathes but I don't think he's in any pain yet. I pray that God will guide me to do right by Jake and let him go at the right time. I want him to stay with me but I don't want him to suffer either. Here are some pictures of my sweetie.

He's a fan of do it yourself shows. And he always watches "Ghost Hunters" with me.

Isn't this just the sweetest face?

He likes to stop and smell the flowers.....

Check out the article

2008-09-08T19:52:00.007-04:00

My friend, Jessica Moreau-Berry wrote an article about Studio Spaces here . And, guess what!! She mentions my studio,which happens to be a mess right now as I have some orders to finish up and don't have the time or energy to clean it. Jes has pictures of her studio there and it's beautiful. I'll be planning on redecorating mine soon I think. Actually, I'm pleased with mine the way it is~~don't want to scare hubby into thinking that I'm planning a project for him. While you're checking out Wishstudio Blogzine take a look at Sara Lechner's studio. All I can say is WOW.

Prayers for kitten

2008-09-05T14:28:00.006-04:00

Hi all,

Please send good thoughts and prayers for little kitty. My friend Denise called me this afternoon to tell me that the kitten is very sick with pneumonia. She and her hubby Eric are taking care of him around the clock ( plus caring for other rescued animals). Any prayers that you could send their way would be a great help. Thanks, all my friends in blogland.

Blah,blah,blah

2008-09-01T10:26:00.017-04:00

Well, there it is. On the left is my "new" vintage suitcase. The woman that gave it to me came by on Saturday to visit and was so pleased that her Mother's treasure was put to good use.

Here's a view of what I did with the top. Dover publications has a CD of vintage travel stickers. I printed some out and aged them with Distress ink,beat them up a little and voila, my friends mom had been all over the world..Here's a look at the inside. I don't know if it's my "lucky" suitcase or coincidence...but sales were very good this week-end.

This is ending up to be a long post. Would you like to get a nice cup of coffee or tea and then continue? I'd like to announce that " Serendipity" in LaGrange, Kentucky is carrying some of my jewelry. The Mom and Daughter that own it are very sweet. It's a cafe/gift shop~~~~I love any place that you can eat AND shop at the same time.

And, just for fun. My friend and jewelry partner, Denise, works for the Humane society and this is a 2 week old rescued kitten. He has to be bottle fed every 2 or 3 hours so he got to join us at the Farmers and Artisans market.

Until next time~~~~~

Jewelry Challenge #4

2008-08-25T14:29:00.007-04:00

Here is my take on Deryn's jewelry challenge #4. In this piece I used sterling silver,copper and brass metals. Each layer was cut and forged and heat treated. I drew a bead on the copper wrap. The charm at the end is brass,cut and textured, hanging from copper wire. The chain is made of annealed steel with the hook and eye clasp placed on the side. I'm happiest with the way the silver looks. I'm gonna use that texture on something else as well.

Lucky Me

2008-08-21T17:48:00.007-04:00

I just keep on being lucky....I sold a pair of earrings to a woman at the Farmer's Market and the following week she showed up with a great old suitcase for me. I had mentioned to her that I was looking for one for my display. It's from the 1930's and quite beat up~~~~isn't it grand? It's quite musty smelling so I'm letting it air out for a bit. I'll be posting the after pictures in a few days.

Happy !

2008-08-11T12:59:00.007-04:00

A lady approached me at the farmer's market on Saturday and asked if I would consider trading some earrings for some old silver jewelry she had. She was going to bring it to a consignment shop but they told her she'd have to polish it first. Then she thought about how long it might sit there before it sold. So, we made a trade. She was happy to have new earrings for herself and her daughter and I was happy to get her old stuff to remake into new. In my book that's a good deal and everybody is happy.

~~~Happy,happy,happy.

Busy,Busy,Busy

2008-08-07T11:33:00.013-04:00

I've been making new pieces to put up on Etsy. Got a few up yesterday and need to get more pictures of some others. These are my favorites. I've fused sterling onto copper for this look. Sort of a moon over the ocean.

The most difficult thing for me is getting good pictures. I think these turned out o.k. but it took a long time. And thank goodness for digital camera's. I'd be going through an awful lot of film otherwise.

These were fun to work on because I got to use several techniques. The silver was heat treated then I polished all the high spot's to show all the texture. I've said it before and I'll say it again~~~~love my torch!

Well, that's it for now. I have more work to get going on and more pictures to take.

Lazy Summer Week-end

2008-08-03T21:17:00.008-04:00

I enjoyed a nice week-end. I sold jewelry at a local farmers market and after that really nothing. Just hung out at home~~~~ didn't even work on making more jewelry. Just stayed low key. The farmers market is one that I usually do each Saturday morning and the setting is so pretty. It's in a cute small town on their courthouse lawn.

It seems that quite a few people were buying Christmas presents already. Can it be that close already? Starting tomorrow I'd better get busy making more jewelry. If sales keep going as well as yesterday I don't want to run out of stock. :D

Oh, and I did play with my camera a bit. Took some pics of Jake my sweet cat. He's a handsome fella, if you ask me. Especially being a senior citizen and all. He was 17 years old in April and he was a gift to me from my son when he was a kitten of about 8 weeks old.

I like the soft focus look of this one.

THANKS MOLLY!!!

2008-07-27T15:51:00.017-04:00

Molly Alexander http://beautifullybrokenme.blogspot.com/ has honored me with a "Brilliant Weblog" award. I'm truly excited and humbled to be mentioned with such talented artists and bloggers. Thank you, Molly. You are kind and generous.
Now I get to choose 7 other bloggers to nominate for the award. Not an easy task as there are so many talented and wonderful artists whose blogs I enjoy regularly. But here goes:

Stacie Florer http://stacieflorer.typepad.com/nomadic_creations/

Jessica Moreau-Berry http://sweetpeas.motime.com/

Deryn Mentock http://somethingsublime.typepad.com/something_sublime_from_th/

Sharon Thomlinson http://allnorahsart.blogspot.com/

Lynn Davis http://z-llyynn.blogspot.com/
Jen Worden http://www.jenworden.com/

Jen Crossley http://amarkintime.blogspot.com/

The Rules:
Put the "Brilliant Weblog" logo on your blog
Add a link to the person who awarded you

Nominate at least 7 other blogs

Add links to those blogs on yours

Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs

And be sure to check out the artists that I've nominated--you will be amazed by their talent....

Other Stuff

Our town had an "Arts Walk" over the week-end. It was so very hot out and I think that it kept many people at home. By Saturday evening when it was all over, I'd have to say that I was "well done" and over cooked. First thing my hubby and I did was drive through McDonald's and order LARGE ice cream cones to enjoy on the way home. Then at home the ice packs came out of the freezer directly to my head and feet. Ahhhh~~~that felt good.

I still enjoy doing the shows. With the price of gas I stick close to home though. I'm looking forward to the ones that are in the Fall. My favorite time of the year.

Here are some pictures of my set-up

#1 and #8

2008-07-20T11:45:00.014-04:00

Here I am with more to add to Deryn's Summer Jewelry Challenge. Finally got around to #1.

For this one I used copper,silver and brass. The copper piece at the front was flame colored and I added some eyelets, however, I have the back side of the eyelets showing to the front~~~ they remind me of little flowers like that. Next is a textured piece of silver~~~then the brass piece.

I'm loving the way this one turned out. I used some homemade tools on it to get the design. I hammered wire into it to get the spirals. Then, accented the spirals using a nail and a hole punch. Then I worked from the back with a small dowel to get the raised effect. Instead of a bead at the top of the bail I used a small gear that spins.

The neck chain is steel and copper that I formed then flame colored. Then I did # 8~~~ two of them.

Didn't have a watch to use so I made a center piece using the same technique that I did on the brass piece of #1. The rest is made with sterling silver,hammered and an eyelet added and hammered and flame colored brass. All connected with sterling silver jump rings.

This one is copper and brass and sterling connecting it all. The center piece reminds me of a Yin and Yang symbol.

The challenge is helping me stretch myself. Sometimes I get stuck in a certain mode that doesn't let me try new things or go beyond my comfort zone. Doing this is giving me that boost that I need to do the techniques that I haven't done in a long time.

For this I'm grateful. Thanks Deryn.

Project # 2 Of Deryn's Challenge

2008-07-08T13:22:00.006-04:00

I had a blast making these! I used flame colored copper, then I crimped it and folded it. Copper wire was used for the wrap and copper beads are hanging inside. The brass rose beads on the top are from some old, old jewelry that I had in my stash. I made the ear wires from GF 21 Ga wire. After I assembled everything I decided the folded copper would look better if I filed the high spots of the crimps and polished them a bit.

I like the aged look that they have.

Deryn's Challenge

2008-07-02T22:55:00.013-04:00

Here are my entries for Deryn's summer challenge. I started with #3. Don't know why, but that one really called to me. In fact, I did two different ones.

I etched both brass pieces first. Then hammered the "shelf" so it would have texture when I folded them over. The shorter piece has some Swarovski crystals and Lapis Lazuli. I "repurposed" some beads from jewelry that I had in the 80's. Days of big hair and chunky earrings. Looking back I can't believe that I ever thought that looked good.

The other longer piece has glass pearls, FW pearls and a stick pearl. The circle hanging at the bottom is a textured copper washer. Both neck chains are made of annealed steel wire.

Here are Paige and Suzi one evening on our deck after catching lightening bugs to use as a night light. After Suzi's visit, I'll recover a bit first, then I plan on doing more pieces for Deryn's challenge.

Finds

2008-06-23T12:05:00.010-04:00

These are my new acquisition's. They're wonderful little oil paintings done by my friend Linda.

They are tiny--2" x 2" and 2" x 2 3/4" canvases. Treasure's all. I have 3 of them which makes it a "collection". I'm sure there will be more down the road for me since I envision seeing them in all the rooms of our house. I just love looking at them.

I should point out that the sail boat was a gift for hubby--he enjoys boats. No, he doesn't go out on the water- just loves picture's of boats. Granddaughter Paige pointed that one out and said Grandpa would enjoy it. And she was right. She's always so thoughtful.

This one is an adorable little bowl-with a cat painting in it. Another addition to my collection of "Cat things " that I collect. I wonder if I'm addicted to "collecting" stuff.

Anyway, I picked this one up at an Art Fair in Midway, KY that I spent the day at with Paige, my daughter-in-law and her mom. What a delightful girls day out we had.