Fab Fibers

In Rememberance.

2011-04-08T13:25:00.004-04:00

My Bailey on the left and Bev's Cricket on the right.

They were the best of long distance friends. When

Cricket would come to visit they played so hard, they

could hardly breathe, their little tongues dragging on the floor.

Cricket always pulled at Bailey's ears, leaving them swollen

and a little sore. She learned to grab him by the hind leg,

or go up underneath him when he got bigger than her, to pull him down.

Bailey's been gone for 2 years now. Just this week poor

Cricket was diagnosed with cancer and had to be put to sleep.

Bailey and Cricket are back together again, running like they used to.

That I am sure of.

BTW - Bead Table Wednesday

2011-01-26T09:46:00.003-05:00

Yeah for me! Finally I am able to get a BTW

posting done. This is what's on my table for this

week. It's getting close to Valentine's Day and I have

the "hearts" for it...plus a couple other goodies I love.

A couple of bead sets from Gaea, a very chic, shabby

heart from Menagerie Studios, Jade Scott heart, a

couple of pendants from Spirited Earth, and a couple

of other great pendants and beads. So now that I've

shown my work I 'd better get busy so I can do a

Show and Tell Friday....

Michele Gabriel Studios

2011-01-22T22:47:00.006-05:00

I got some great beads from Michele's shop on

Etsy. I knew I was gonna be very happy with her

pendants and I was. The one thing that really struck

me when I opened the package was how much effort

she put into wrapping her beads. Cardstock folded to

make a cool envelope, sealed with a bit of her clay and

a very personalized note folded in the top. Impressive!

Can't wait to do something with her pieces.

Meet D.O.G.

2011-01-16T15:09:00.002-05:00

The newest baby in our family. A little

chihuahua boy named D O G (pronounced

DeeOhGee). Shiny blue/black with a white

chest and the most beautiful dark eyes. I do

love puppies!

Bead Table Wednesday

2011-01-10T21:23:00.003-05:00

Heather at HumbleBeads has a little flickr

group going: Bead Table Wednesday

Just so we can take pictures of what's on our

bead table for the week. A little inspiration for us,

a nudge to keep our creative juices flowing, an

incentive to use all those good art beads and

other goodies we've just been staring at lately.

Well, maybe not for you, but this is gonna get me

motivated. Something fun for the New Year.

Grab that camera and post your projects.

New Year Sunrise

2011-01-07T19:55:00.001-05:00

New Year, new day January 2011

ABS Ornament Hop

2010-12-07T23:12:00.004-05:00

In the spirit of the season, I joined the ABS Ornament Hop.
Its the first annual, and hopefully there will be many more,
because I thought this one was really fun! All we had to do
was make an ornament or two using art beads. How simple
is that?

The first ornament pictured uses two of Humblebeads

Winter series pendants. I added a nice Green Girl

Studios nest charm and some accent beads.

I love word pendants. So I chose to use a bead from

Diane Hawkey that I got at her open house in November.

I added one of her accent beads and used a dragonfly from

Vintaj, along with some of their accent beads.

My last ornament I just kept simple. A beautiful snowflake

pendant from The Classic Bead, a silk ribbon was all

it needed to fit right in with my other special ornaments.

Remember, this is a hop. Follow these links, there are a lot

of fun ornaments to be seen. Maybe you would like to

design some of your own. Start a tradition of handmade

Art Bead ornaments. Merry Christmas to all.

Creative Impressions in Clay

Diva Designs

Elysian Studios - you are here!

Fab Fibers

For the Love of Beads

Humblebeads

Island Girl's Insights

Jangles

Jeannie's Blog

Lampwork Diva/Cindy Gimbrone

Mary Harding

Michelle Mach

Spirit Rattles

Wondrous Strange Designs

A Gift

2010-06-17T22:00:00.000-04:00

Well it has been a while since I've blogged and believe me
when I say I was totally unprepared for what I found.
Who changed my blogging world? This is gonna take a little
getting used to. So instead of jumping into the Bead and Button
show goodies I got last weekend, I am gonna start with a post about
a beautiful gift from my sister Beverly. It arrived just a day before
I left for Wisconsin, I knew something was coming (Beverly almost
had to cut her tongue out so she wouldn't tell me!).
I was thrilled when I opened the box and found this beautiful
pendant that she embroidered for me. A beautiful ceramic cab
from Summers Studio Ceramics. I love it! And I just so happened
to get a pair of shell earrings from Nancy at Round Rabbit,
(who is having a SALE). Don't they match perfectly? I thought so.
Love you Beverly!
I promise Bead and Button goodies tomorrow. Cross my heart ;^)

2010-05-09T13:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's day!

Butterfly

2010-03-10T09:37:00.004-05:00

I've been spending a lot of time on facebook and not enough

time on here, but I haven't totally been doing nothing.

There have been so many beautiful embroidered pieces being

shown by various beaders. Jean Hutter can whip one out a

day I swear...I'm almost embarrassed to say this but I have

been working getting this far for two weeks. Tore it out

three times, and spent lots of time just looking at it.

I'm so anal when it comes to beading, abstract is hard for me.

But I'm on the right track now (not going abstract but...)

and this might get done by the weekend. The cabochon is from

my good friend and ceramic artist Melanie from Earthenwood Studio.

The tinier ones are also from Melanie, I've been saving them

for a while. Lots of greens and bronze beads, little bronze flowers.

I'm thinking green for spring. Of course the picture doesn't

do it justice, no sun today, but its not freezing outside either.

And the days are getting longer....

Katie's doing Avon's Walk for Breast Cancer

2010-02-11T13:00:00.004-05:00

My good friend and fellow beader Katie Nelson
has committed herself to do this marathon walk for
breast cancer. She needs to raise a bit of money in
order to participate...$1800.oo to be exact. So she's
reaching out to all her friends and family to help her
come up with the money. I know first hand how hard
it is to raise funds. You have to be bold and go where
sometimes you might not want to. But in the end it is
so worth it and who knows? One day you might be in need
of the research finds to cure you of something.
Anyhow, bless her heart, here is what she has to say:
"This is a 2-day event in which I will have the opportunity
to walk up to 26.2 miles the first day and 13.1 the second.
Personally, I am shooting for the 1/2 marathon length
on both days since the walk is only 2 months away...
I am going to do as much as I can, but I have to be realistic,
too, since there's not a lot of training time..."
So to sweeten the giving she has put her necklace she made
from the Bead Soup Challenge up for auction.

Its a beauty! I've already bid on it, you can too.
Or just go to her blog and you can donate any sum
of money. I know times are tough all over and
money is probably a little funny (hahaha-NOT) at
your casa, but you can give up one little something
for a cause...maybe that $5.00 drink on a night out,
or $10.00 bill at Micky D's for a bad lunch you don't
really enjoy and probably didn't need.
Or, heaven forbid, give up one strand of beads and
put that money to a good cause. Love you guys!
Stop by Katie's and watch for her Walk coming up.

Three Cheers for the Bead Cruise Sponsors!

2010-02-09T19:45:00.013-05:00

This post is dedicated to all the sponsors of
Bead Cruise 2010. This year their generosity
was unbelievable. Heather makes up these special
booklets that every person on the cruise gets. Its
packed full of ads, designs and instructions and its
just a treasure all on its own.

The Bead Cruise Book. And this coming soon for
purchase (as a download item). When its available I
would get one...really, its a great "book".

A glimpse of the inside.

You'll find all kinds of information inside too. A trend report.

Its a bead book all on its own. And yes, those earrings are mine.

Heather surprised me with these and I totally love them.

Glass Beads from Sue Beads, little sand dollar charms from

Every Heart Crafts. Design by Heather from Humblebeads.

A cloth gift bag from Ornamentea held a pendant from

Summers Studio Pottery, handmade glass beads made by Sue

and a pendant from Ellen Ray ( you can get them at Ornamentea).

A beautiful pendant from Off Center Productions,

Earthenwood Studios, and one from Marsha Neal Studios.

We have Jangles, Paloma Antiqua and a button from Terri

at Creative Impressions in Clay.

A huge sampling of beads from C Koop Beads. She has a

way with enamels. Lucky for me Bella Modo our on board

bead shop had lots of her items for sale too.

Seed beads from Foxden Designs, and Charlene's Bead shop.

Some crocheted beads and faceted rounds from Halstead Bead.

A beautiful shell pendant from Gaea, sand dollar from

Every Heart Crafts, and a pewter charm from Green Girl Studios.

There was this beautiful bird from Humblebeads.

This was ONE door prize. I also got a book by Kate McKinnon.

There are so many more sponsors to name. Rings and Things,

Soft Flex, Vintaj, Tierra Cast, Hint(Beth Hemmila), Mary Harding,

Sova Enterprises, Bead Trends, No Easy Beads (Beverly Herman),

Margie Deeb, Barb Switzer, Expedition D (Lynn Davis),

Tracy Stanley, International Gem and Jewelry Show,

Artbeads.com and me...2ndhandrose.

My humblest apologies if I forgot anyone. But you guys are

the greatest and I will make sure that I support you in every

way possible. You are so very special. Thanks!

Bead Cruise Part Two

2010-02-06T15:49:00.007-05:00

First on shore adventure I went on was shopping in St. Thomas.

We left the boat and were herded like cattle onto these shuttle

bus/taxis. Of course they try to squeeze as many people on as

they can.

Beverly and our new international friend Hennie. She flew all

the way over from the Netherlands. Hennie was an absolute

sweetheart and we all were amazed at her designs. She made

some of the wildest necklaces.

Her fish one was made from fish found at a children's toy

store. Loved it!

So about half way to downtown the drivers pulls over to

the side of the road. I think he was dropping people off to

the beach, but it felt like if you didn't pay you were gonna

be left in the middle of nowhere. Joke on us, people got

out, he took our money and drove us on to town.

Main street was full of all kinds of jewelry stores. If you

wanted diamonds you were at the right island. There were

camera stores, ( I got a nice new one at a good price), and

lots of liquor stores. But we got directions to the island's

only bead store. You just turned down an alley (that in any

big city in the state I would avoid) and you found all these

little shops.

And yes we found the bead store. We Americans are so

spoiled. There was mostly Venetian glass and few odd beads.

We have so much more variety to choose from, so lucky!

Tomorrow a tribute to the sponsors of the 2010 cruise. They

really rock!

Bead Cruise 2010

2010-02-05T22:05:00.007-05:00

On my list of Bead Cruises, BC 2010 has to be the number
one best cruise ever. Heather has totally got the planning
part down. This years group might have been just a bit
smaller than previous years, but it didn't lack in anything.
The ladies were absolutely the funniest and sweetest yet.
Our teachers were very talented, and just as much fun to
be around outside of the classrooms. Our days were filled
with beading, hanging out with the other cruisers and in the
evening we were shopping with Bella Modo...who I must say
has the biggest line of Swarvoski crystals, Vintaj brass and
anything else you could have wanted. Pam and Belinda were
so very sweet, and Belinda was the most knowledgeable
person I've ever seen when it comes to Swarvoski.
Unbelievable!

Our second stop on the cruise. St. Thomas Island.

A view of our ship from across the bay.

Next stop was St. Maarten. There's a French side and a

Dutch side of the island. Anywhere you wanted to be still

had beautiful beaches and clear blue water. Warm sunny

days and gentle breezes. There is nothing wrong with

wanting to live on an island.

Tomorrow I will post some more about the Cruise.

I have lots of pictures and things to talk about.

New Addiction?

2009-12-17T19:50:00.001-05:00

Okay, I don't think that's gonna happen, I am more
addicted to buying beads than getting tats. But today I
went and got my second tattoo in 35 years. The name
of the shop is called New Addiction, its by the college
in Kalamazoo. Nice place, good people and Jeret did a
fine job. Good thing I didn't find something bigger to
get done. About half way through I was asking myself
what was I thinking...Geary had warned me that it was
gonna hurt. But only once did I say out loud "ouch!" So
there it is, in all its red and angry glory. Pink dogwood
flowers, they look kind of bright and red, but there is
more white that will come out later. Its climbing up the
right side of my calf. And I do have an idea for another one,
but I think its gonna be a bit smaller...ouch!

Begin the Beguine...or Starting Again

2009-12-07T09:14:00.009-05:00

Begin the Beguine is a 1982 Spanish film about a man who
returns to his homeland after many years. Its original Spanish
title is Volver a empezar, which means Starting Again;
the English language title refers to the song "Begin the Beguine"
by Cole Porter.

Starting again....
Well that's me in a nutshell. Where did this last month go?
I feel like such a slacker, but I know I've been busy doing
things, they just didn't include blogging. I really blame it on
FaceBook. It seems I do spend way to much time hanging out
there. Shame on me...

So I'm just gonna pick up and carry on like today is the first day.
Last month one of my favorite bead artists, Kristie Roeder of
Artisan Clay was having a contest/sale anticipating her 300th
sale on Etsy. Kristie was giving away all kinds of neat things...
for every piece you bought you got a copper raku piece for free.
For the 300th sale (that was me)there was a surprise and
for the one who spent the most money (me..lol. But I didn't
spend that much) there was another.
And then she packaged everything up and stuck a beautiful
button on top. Well, I made out like a bandit and it felt like
Christmas at my house when I was opening everything up.
Thanks Kristie! I love it all!

My purchases above. See the beautiful button in the center?
I got one of her grab bags with tons of beads in it.

Kristie's beautiful copper beads. There were two donuts, but
one went home to New Orleans with Beverly. I'm sure she'll
do something fantastic with it. She said she'd whip me up
something using the heart...I better get the beads together
soon, maybe I can wear it on the Bead Cruise? Huh? Bev?

This was part of the give away. A surprise for me, and this
is a beautiful necklace. I love wearing it!

Another great part of the give away for being the 300th
customer. This is HUGE...when Krisitie said she was giving
a box away, I thought "ok, what a cute little trinket box this
will be". It is so kewl! 6 x 6 inches and I love it!
So Kristie, my apologies for taking so long. And a great big
THANKS for all the great gifts. I love the copper beads so
much I think I am gonna horde them for a while.

I'm having a sale!

2009-11-08T01:18:00.004-05:00

There's a sale going on in my Etsy shop. 20% off on

everything. I think its time to put in something a little

more seasonal, don't you? Summer's gone and Christmas

is right around the corner. For goodness sake! Where does

the time go?

Autumn surprises and The Bead Shop

2009-10-17T12:50:00.018-04:00

Wednesday I took the morning and drove to have my yearly
mammogram. It was a very cool and rainy day, but just enough
sun to brighten the colors a little. So I took some autumn shots
to share.

The beautiful red oak tree in front of our house. The maples
are holding on as long as they can, already in three days they
are turning yellow and falling off. I remember one fall sitting
in my living room looking at a tree in our front y ard
and the very last leaf that was on it let go and fluttered softly
to the ground. I could almost hear its sad sigh....
ok, that's a little deep even for me...lol.

Our country roads.

My neighbors beautiful burning bush. It has to be as big

as a mini van. And even more red when the sun shines on

it. Ours are being ravaged by the deer who love the tender

little nubs at the end.

Dried soy bean fields ready to be harvested and colored woods.

So while I was in Kazoo, I thought I would look around at

a couple of shops (Michael's, Barnes and Nobles).

I drove past this bead store that I have been to a couple of

times, but I must say that it just wasn't stocked with much

that I was interested in, everything was crowded, and it was

way too dark inside. So in passing by I noticed that there

was more light and it looked different. So I went around the

block and stopped. Imagine my surprise when I walked in.

Someone had been cleaning the place up. There was a wall

of chains! Great displays of glass beads! Strands of stones.

Lots of metal charms, wood and bone. If you have a tax

I.D. you can get a discount of 10% off.

ANTIQUE COPPER! And at a reasonable price too. Look

at those little leaves.

Brass and bright copper chain, Czech glass.

More glass that was just beautiful. Little glass lentils, and

wooden beads. There was bone, ceramic and I could just

go on and on.

Up close of my favorite glass beads. I was like a kid in a

candy store. So if you get to Kalamazoo and need to buy

beads, stop by Cindy's shop, The Bead Store on Westnedge.

You won't be disappointed that's for sure. Her daughter

is there to help and she's a sweetie!

Dreaming of Bead Cruise 2010

2009-10-10T15:43:00.007-04:00

Well the weather has definitely taken a turn to the cooler side.
The leaves are turning, mums are everywhere, and I have my
load of pumpkins bought for decorating outside. I noticed the
days are getting shorter. So with all that happening, I've been
daydreaming about Bead Cruise 2010. This will be my fourth
one and all I can say is they have gotten better every time.
Heather puts in a lot of time and effort to make this an experience
to be remembered. I'm sharing some more of my pictures from
2009.

Blue skies and sunny days in Belize.

Warm sands and turquoise waters in Costa Maya. Oh yes,
and Mojitos too!

Chance to make lots of new friends and meet great teachers.

Great food. I love sushi and this was the best I've ever had.

AbFab (Absolutely Fabulous) bead finds

2009-09-26T12:21:00.007-04:00

Absolutely Fabulous....that's one of my favorite shows on
BBC, actually they have quite a few good ones that I like to
watch. But what does that have to do with bead finds you say?
Absolutely nothing...lol! I'm just wandering around in my
mind on a cloudy Saturday morning.
Last weekend was a fun day all by myself, doing a little
shopping, running to Grand Rapids to a Rings and Things show.
My favorite thing to do in the Spring and Fall. Lucky us we
get to see them twice a year around here. So I made a list and
off I went. But before R & T I stopped at Hobby Lobby, just
to look around, and guess what I found while I was there?
Vintaj! They are carrying Vintaj now. How lucky for the people
who see it being used in everything, now they can go and buy
a piece or two for themselves and not have to break the bank.
I was excited...there is enough selection that if I need something
in a hurry I can get it there. Thanks Vintaj, its good to see
something made in the States hanging on the wall.

I didn't buy a lot of beads at Rings and Things, I made a
vow to use up most of what I have and that could run into
years...but there were a few items I couldn't live without and
one or two I should have gotten more of.

Kyanite, peridot, garnet, carnelian, onyx, petrified wood
and a yummy strand of faceted mixed rutilated quartz.

I got strands of copper, silver and these cute owl heads of
sterling too.

One last thing to tell you, I found that Jade Scott, an
artist and designer was having a three day sale in her Etsy
shop, everything is 50% off and boy howdy after I got this
piece for myself I had to go and get another one. She makes
the coolest pendants, but her jewelry is wonderful too.
Better hurry if you want something sales ends tomorrow and
things are going fast.
Ok, the very last thing...here's Rubee begging...
"Come ON Mom, you said we would go for a walk!" My little
girl is so sweet.

Happy Birthday to Me

2009-09-20T22:19:00.008-04:00

Oh lucky me, I have made it through another year!

Not that I thought for one minute that I wouldn't,

but sometimes you never know. Anyway, on Wednesday

I will be the great age of 55. Who would of thunk?

I remember (yes, my memory is still partially there) back

in elementary school thinking about the year 2000 and

what age I would be then. I couldn't comprehend being

that "old"...yet here I am. For turning 55 I can get a

tall cup of coffee at the Coffee Beanery for only $1.00.

Woohoo! So in celebration of my birthday I bought

myself a piece of jewelry from Ingrid Dijkers.

Ingrid is a multi-talented artist, not only in her

jewelry making skills, but she is a journalist and a

doll artist too.

She also has been doing the Michigan Ren Fest for a few years.

I was hoping to get there this year and visit her in her shop.

But it's looking like it won't be happening, time is running out

and there is so much to do around here. Next year for sure.

Ingrid has a nice blog, and a beautiful website.

I have so much more to write about, this week

was busy and I did so much. I'm going to get

back on the blogging, I've been missing that.

And here is Rubee Dew looking bashful. It's been one

week since we brought her home and we just adore her.

She is so different from Bailey, but that's what we love

about her. She is such a smart girl. God sent me another

Angel that's for sure.

And we shall call you Rubee...

2009-09-14T22:35:00.006-04:00

because you are a bright little jewel in our life.
This is our newest addition to the Garvison family.
Her "real" name is Briar Hills Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
But that was a bit too much and we shortened it down
to something a little easier. Rubee Dew....

9 months old today. A little girl in a big dog's body. We have
lots of fun together. We're working on our housebreaking
skills. She's used to running in and out, playing in a fenced in
area. But she is a smart girl and she's learning fast.

She's just the sweetest thing. Gives lots of kisses and isn't
afraid of anything. Rubee didn't have a clue how to climb
stairs, but after one day she's up and down them like a champ.

An absolutely gorgeous color. Black and Silver. Never seen
one that color before. This is her show coat. Sheri had to
choose between Rubee and her brother to keep and show, the
handler like Coop better and we got Rubee.

She has toys, lots of them and getting more all the time.

Can't help it I like squeaky things...lol!

She's used to sleeping in her crate at night. I'm trying to

keep it that way. Beverly and I have a bet on how long it

will be before she's sleeping in bed with me.

I'm winning so far, but it's only been 3 days. We'll just have

to see how it ends up.

Trinkets and Treasures

2009-09-09T19:12:00.011-04:00

My treasures I found last weekend at the Arts and Crafts
Fair. I think I got some pretty good ones this time around.
My garden statuary....

I'm thinking I'll just store it in the barn till next spring, its
too late to do much of anything and I am not feeling the pull
of nature like I do in the spring. And if you look, you can see
that the leaves are slowly falling from the trees. Not the full
beauty of fall, but hey, autumn officially begins on the 22nd of
September.

While we wondered around the park last weekend I found
these cool wooden objects. I really liked the little bird house.
I know the man, Don Olson, and over the last couple of years
I've watched his work get better and better.

I also picked up this wine stop for Geary for Christmas.

In the park are these huge oak trees. Scattered all over
were acorns. Now I love gathering acorns as much as a
squirrel. I use the tops for caps on woolen acorns that I
make. So the day after the show I went back to the park
to get some the acorns before the hordes of squirrels who
live there could get them. I swear as I was standing under
a tree, I heard this squirrel doing his little bitchy squawking
above me and darn if an acorn didn't fall out of the tree just
missing my head! Do I think he had sense enough to drop it
on me? You betcha, little tree rats that they are!

Anyway these are some of the perfect acorns I brought home
with me. There was this different tree that had these sweet nuts.
Look at those caps! Are they not the cutest? I'm not
sure if its an acorn tree , so I brought a leaf home with me to look
it up. Alas, I haven't done it yet, but I will.

Next week is the Allegan County Fair. My favorite thing to
do in September. And only two more days before we travel
to Ohio to see about that sweet little girl, and hopefully we
bring her home with us. I'm sure we'll fall in love with her.
I saw a pamphlet from the Humane Society, their logo was
this: Come and Get Your Love

Labor Day Weekend Fun

2009-09-06T22:51:00.007-04:00

Every year on Labor Day weekend there is a craft show
in our town. My sister Bev and I used to do this one show
every year. It was always a biggy. Now I just go and
wander around looking at all the stuff. This year was a good
one for having quality vendors. Lots of interesting things
to look at. Still an over kill on jewelry booths...
like one out of four.

Traffic is heavy after the bridge goes back down.

There weren't as many vendors and I would say the crowd
was way down from other years.

There was this one artist that I just loved. He had tables
and mirrors made of oak with inlays of leaves. I fell in love
with the ginkgo leaves. The dragonfly at the top was inlaid
mother of pearl. Other leaf types were oak with acorns and
a Japanese scene with cherry blossoms. Just gorgeous and
way out of my price range. Anywhere from $850 for the
mirrors to over $1500 for the tables. Beautiful work.

One of the things I found was this garden statue. It has the

four directions with a whimsical picture for each. I got it

and Aman, my son carried it to the car for me. That thing

must of weighed over 50 pounds! He carried it about two

blocks for me. Gee, thanks for bringing me along mom!

But I bought him a couple of beers for all his hard work,

bless his heart. Tomorrow is for cooking out with family.

These weekends go by too fast.

Green Girl Studios Give Away

2009-08-27T19:19:00.003-04:00

Head on over to the Art Bead Scene and enter to win this

great group of mermaid beads donated by Green Girl Studios.

Don't forget to enter in the ABS monthly challenge too.

All kinds of great give away stuff going on over there!

A Healthy Body Needs Fiber

2009-08-21T17:26:00.003-04:00

And this bowl full of roving is what you need to get you

going. The only thing I got at the festival this year. But I

get roving every year, you can't have enough and these

colors were especially yummy. I got some ideas for this

batch. I want to try my hand at painting with roving.

I saw some of the coolest wall hanging/pictures

made out of fiber. And ornaments too. I better get started

this month is almost over and it won't be long and Christmas

will be here. NOT ready for that yet.

Fiber on four legs

2009-08-18T19:38:00.013-04:00

Alpacas, my favorite to watch but the llamas are much more

friendly. And they don't spit on you unless they are being

bothered. Like you wouldn't see it coming. The kids petted

lots of llamas while we were there.

This is the wool on a back of a sheep. It was the softest

and curliest I've ever seen.

Bluefaced Leicesters.

Jocelyn petted as many sheep as she could get her hands

on. Something about little people didn't scare the sheep as

much. This one looked her right in the face and said BAAAA

Baby J just laughed! Jocelyn would stick her hand in the

pens and the sheep would run in circles. We had to finally tell

her to stop before we got yelled at.

Icelandic sheep. It was a little warm for all that long hot

hair. I would think they must get pretty stressed in the heat.

Angora goat. Ray and I thought he had a great goatee.

Pygoras. Little pygmy angoras. I like the little versions of

animals.

They were judging the goats while we were there. I thought

this young lady and her goat were a perfect match. Just

because of their hair, she was way cuter than the goat........

Horns do have a special purpose! Other than knocking you

into next week. They were good for dragging around

uncooperative animals too. This guy wanted no part of what

she was trying to make him do.

So those are my pictures from the Fiber Festival. Glad we

went on Saturday because Sunday was a washout. Lots of

rain. Just an observation...it looks like people are still

counting their money. Not a whole lot of shoppers like last

year. It was easy to walk down isles. I did buy some

roving for felting, couldn't go home empty handed.

It's better to be the Shearer than the sheep...

2009-08-17T09:44:00.011-04:00

Michigan Fiber Festival. The one thing I look forward to
every year. This time I took my nephew Ray and his wife
Jennifer and the kids with me. We wondered around and
looked at all the animals and then went through the vendor
barns. This year we got to watch the sheep shearer doing
his thing. Its amazing. I've seen three different people do
this and I am no expert, but this man was great.
He grabbed a sheep out of the bunch and flipped it over on
its back and started the removal of the fleece.

First cut down the center and the sheep just laid back like
it was something it knew it was suppose to do. Or else they
are like turtles and when you flip them on their backs it
throws them for a loop. Not quite sure.

It wasn't a very good day for this demo. Very hot and humid.
Bet the sheep were glad to loose this wooly coat.

So after cutting down the center and through the sides, he
came back up the neck. Sheep stayed still.

A couple of passes sround the head. I remember reading
that before there were electric clippers they used shears.
How they kept from cutting more than wool off is beyond me.
Another observation about this man was that he didn't knick
any area on the sheep. No blood at all. Good job.

And there you have it, the wool...almost in one piece. He
rolled it in a cube and stuck it in a large plastic bag.
It's really amazing to watch and realize that this is just the
beginning of the process. There is so much more to the
hanks and skeins of wool we buy in the shops.

And excuse the pun, but sheared sheep are butt ugly!
Thank goodness for Adobe...so you don't have to look at it.
Tomorrow I'll show some of the cuter critters.

I wanna be a helicopter pilot!

2009-08-14T23:09:00.008-04:00

My goodness, its hard to believe that its been three weeks
since I last blogged. Or three weeks already since my
Bailey has been gone. Chris, Jaimee and Dane were here.
Bev and Art have come and gone home. Things are
kind of getting back to "normal". Last weekend while
everyone was here, we had a cookout. It was the hottest
weekend we had yet this summer, air so thick you needed
gills to breathe. I think the down south and out west
bunch brought the heat here to us. Thanks guys.
Take it back...Anyway on Sunday Amiee and Eric came
back to visit with Bev at my house. Eric is a helicopter pilot,
that's his business. So they flew the chopper down.
It was so cool!

Over the tree tops. Yes, our yard is big enough to land in.

Bev is there videoing it. We are such goofy geeks for stuff

like that. But hey, how many people land in your front yard?

Aimee's job is to jump out and keep anyone from running

toward the blades. That's self explanatory.....

Takes Eric a minute to shut everything down.
That's little Baylor, Eric's son. He's a funny young man

once you get him going.

We had a fun day and they left just ahead of some big

storms that were coming across the lake.

So this weekend is the Michigan Fiber Festival. I'm meeting

my nephew Ray and his family and we are gonna go look

at the critters and whatever else we can find.

Suppose to be another hot weekend. I really preferred the

cool summer we were having earlier. But I'll be taking

pictures and putting them up tomorrow. I plan on having

a great time!

My first Cheerio or how I make Aunt Rosanne Laugh

2009-08-01T22:23:00.011-04:00

I am waiting so impatiently for this week to get

over. It was definitely not one of my better ones.

But my sister Beverly (NoEasyBeads) and her

husband Art will be here tomorrow...yahoo.

Later on in the week my brother Chris and his

wife Jaimee and baby Dane will be here too...

double yahoo! I am really looking forward to seeing

everyone. We are gonna cookout and enjoy the

Blueberry Festival that's going on next week. If

that don't cheer me up a bit, nothing will. Well,

these pictures below have definitely made me

laugh when I felt like crying. Nothing like the

Danish to make you laugh. Enjoy!

What's this? A cheerio? Looks like kibble out

of Terra's Bowl. A special treat for me?

You want me to do what? Eat it...you're

joking right?

If it was any smaller I might not be able to pick it

up at all.

All righty than, its in my mouth. Now what do I do?

I'm really not too sure about this. Its dry and hard,

sheesh, I have two bottom teeth, how am I suppose
to crunch this up?

Guess I have to gum it to goo.

You're kidding right? Bring on the mashed bananas,

something I can really get into. I could starve here.

Listen Mom and Pop, I am seriously not here for

your entertainment. But if it made Aunt Rosanne

laugh than I guess its ok.

My Beautiful Bailey is Gone.

2009-07-28T23:38:00.003-04:00

Geary and I sure never saw this one coming. Our sweet

Bailey passed away this morning from complications with

medicines and a Pancreatic condition. She died at the Vet's,

poor Dr. Martens had to tell me, I don't know which could be

harder...the giver of bad news or the receiver. They gave

her a bath and wrapped her in towels so we could bring her

home. I brushed her coat for the last time, rubbed her ears

and kissed her little head. We wrapped her in a soft fleece

blanket and I sewed the seams around her. Geary found a

spot in the field by the barn, in the shade of a tree and we

buried her there. That's where she always went to explore,

and eat the bugs or roll in turkey poop. There will never

be another one like her, she was everything to us.

I'm going to miss her so. My heart just aches.

Sept. 18, 2000 - July 28, 2009

What were you thinking?

2009-07-20T14:15:00.005-04:00

Seriously Heather and I did ask ourselves that the next day

when we finished our first ever attempt at etching metal.

Only because we over did it in the stamping department and

it took us a while to get them all etched. But I really enjoyed

this project the best. I got a sheet of 24 gauge copper at

Hobby Lobby with my 40% off coupon. It was a large sheet

too. We also used pieces of Vintaj brass purchased from

Bello Modo. We followed the instructions from the Etsy Metal

blog. Its an excellent tutorial. The etching chemical I got at my

local Radio Shack, had to order it special as they didn't carry

it in the shop, but I got it in two days so that was great. What is

the chemical you ask? PCB Etchant Solution, 16 oz. for $10.00

and it does a lot. Heather and I made a video and she's gonna

put it up for all to see, but I couldn't wait.

On the far left, under the finished pieces is the copper as

purchased. Pieces on top are done and pickled.

Some more of Vintaj pieces that I etched and shaped for

future resin projects. If you haven't tried etching metal

you shouldn't be afraid. It was lots of fun and if you are

careful, there is no danger that I could see. But I live life

on the edge...just kidding, why did I say that...

what was I thinking?

Icing on the Cake

2009-07-19T22:23:00.007-04:00

All righty then, I finally got a little caught up on all the

busyness of last week. Heather and I spent two days

working with our etching projects, but of course we

couldn't do a couple of stampings we managed to make

a hundred pieces of brass and copper. Talk about over

doing on a first time project! We cut, stamped, etched,

pickled, polished and made some killer stuff.

We have a nice video to that Heather is gonna edit and

put out so you can see.

Then our friend Melanie from Earthenwood Studios

came for a couple of days to visit with Heather and stay

at my house. We spent a day (a very long one), getting

our pieces ready to make some resin pendants.

Heather and Melanie pounding, heating and preparing

stuff to put into our pendants. I was taking some pictures

and making a couscous dish for lunch. I got a little behind,

couldn't find any of my small items to put into my pendants.

So needless to say I still have things to make. Beverly and

I can work on some when she gets here. I paid very close

attention and managed a couple of pieces, so I can finish my

stuff later .

These are the four finished pieces of mine, above.

A couple of Heather's pendants....above.

And these are Melanie's. Three totally different artists,

and three totally different looks. We used Ice Resin that

I purchased from Ornamentea.com. Very easy to mix and

super easy to pour. No smell, but could be messy, so take

your time! Heather will be heading home soon. That's gonna

be a sad day. We have had so much fun these last few weeks.

But she'll be back at Christmas and my sister and brother are

coming in here intwo weeks. Best summer I've had in a long time.

This week Geary and I head for the tennis championships in

Indianapolis. We love to go to those matches.

A Give Away

2009-07-19T11:30:00.005-04:00

Nancy at Round Rabbit is having a give away. Go check it
out and enter, she has lots of ways to do it.
I'm getting some pictures together of the fun stuff I've been
doing this week. It has been a very busy one for sure.
So look for another post later on our etchings and resin
projects. It was a great learning experience and one I will
keep working at.

A Day at Silver Leaf Ren Faire

2009-07-12T09:38:00.008-04:00

It was a perfect day for the Renaissance Faire. After much

driving around the farm country of Michigan (I took the wrong

exit and got confused-that's another story all together!) We

were so far out in the country OnStar couldn't get a fix on me,

that was kind of scary.

Anywho, we made it to Silver Leaf. Lot's of people, lots of fun.

Heather and the girls, Ray and Jen and their 3 children and

Kayla. Kayla and I had been before, but its still fun. The

theme for the day was Believe the Magic...fairies, elves and

other mystical creatures roaming around. Just makes you want

to dress up and join in the fun. But how they can run around

in all those hot clothes, velvets, leathers, fur...too hot for me!

The Pirate Bonny Lass and her squeezebox....rrrrrrr

A wonder example of a Wizard...not that I know many!

This is Dead Bob...he's pretty funny for a dead guy.

Heather and I are off to finish our etchings and try our

hand at some other projects while we wait for things to get

done. Have a glorious day Mi' Lords and Ladies!

2ndhandrose

2009-07-07T10:04:00.005-04:00

Thanks to Heather, last night we got my Etsy shop up and

running. A new banner and avatar was created and its they

are fine looking if I do say so myself. For the rest of this

month I am offering free shipping with each purchase.

Please go and check it out, I am excited to see it happen!

2ndhandrose Designs by Rosanne Garvison

Thanks again Heather for your generous time and help.

Bambies and the Gardener Extraordinaire

2009-07-05T19:59:00.006-04:00

This morning one of our resident does brought her twins

out to play by the pond. Its so much fun to watch them

frolicking around. They have pogo sticks for legs and

bounce all over the place. Its a peaceful feeling to look

out your front window and watch the wildlife.

Here's another strange but true story in my life. I like to

think of these events as messages for me. They don't

come as words, but the feelings I have when I discover

these things speak volumes. Life just feels better.

About ten years ago, my father passed away. He was the

gardener extraordinaire, everything he planted grew, and

he loved to plant roses. So that spring I thought I would

carry on the legacy and grow roses like my father. Me,

who up till that point hardly put anything in the ground.

For two years I planted rose bushes. I weeded, hoed,

watered, fertilized and for one year I got flowers. After

that first year everything went down hill...fast.

Finally I gave up and just left them alone...totally. The

grass that used to be pasture for my horses grew back

up and the roses disappeared. Or so I thought....

Yesterday Geary left this sweet little rose on the counter

for me. I asked him where he got it. "In your rose garden"

He said there were plants out there blooming. What?!?

Are you kidding?

So I grabbed the camera thinking this has got to be

documented if its true and marched outside to the

pasture. Sure enough, hidden in the grass were

blooming and growing rose bushes.

Hey Dad! Look at these will ya! I know they are

puny and need some help. So we'll see what happens from

here. Amazing!

Its the 4th of July!

2009-07-04T09:29:00.006-04:00

Happy 4th of July! Today's a day for parades and
families. Fireworks and cookouts. Cold beer ...yum!
It's warming up nicely around here with just a chance of
rain (between you and me, it looks like a good chance.)
Geary and I are going to a party on Donovan Lake.
A friend of ours plays in a band and we are gonna go and
hear him play. Everyone else is up north at the lake,
boating and watching fireworks. I love these holiday
weekends.

Here's my display of fireworks. Heather and I had a little
clay play day. These are hot out of the oven and not quite
finished. Need some sanding and antiquing. But they are
gonna be nice when I'm done. In the next picture is a little
present from Heather, she was busy "hatching" eggs...lol!
Can you "spot" it? Ok, enough of the innuendos.

Next week we are playing with metals and etching.
We have bezels for resin. Heather found old books and I
have paper, stamps and ink. Wahoo....its gonna be great.
For next weekend we are planning on going to the
Renaissance Faire at Battle Creek. The theme for the
weekend is Believe the Magic, but darn, we don't have our
Faerie wings made! So we'll have to look like the regular
visitors. I have this idea for a costume that I would really
love to make and wear one of these days. I see it very clearly
in my mind. We'll take lots of pictures for sure. Its gonna be
fun.

Making the Commitment

2009-06-26T21:38:00.005-04:00

Right here, right now...

Opening after the 4th of July

Watch for my Grand Opening...

you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Little Pretties

2009-06-24T17:11:00.005-04:00

It hasn't been a very productive week so far for me, but
I did put together a couple of bracelets and I really liked
the way they turned out....

A Humblebead focal with Vintaj bead caps and a beautiful
robin's egg raku lampwork bead from Sue Beads
(who I hear is going to Portugal, you lucky girl you, and is
giving you free shipping if you buy her beads by Saturday).
Along with some lava beads from Rings & Things and
faux beach glass from my local bead store. Let me tell you,
it looks great on a tanned arm...being that my arms and the
tops of my feet are the only things getting brown.
Who turned the oven on, cause I am cookin' this week!

Another bracelet I really like. Its a rather weighty piece.
Another Humblebead, this time her owls (so cute!).
A few of Heather's disk beads and lots of Czech glass, a
couple lampworked beads from my personal stash
(meaning I've had them for so long I can't remember
where I got them)and some beads from Quest Beads.

I wire wrapped the owl and made the clasp from wire
purchased from Bello Modo. I really like Heather's
whimsical creatures, they just make things fun.

We have electricity!

2009-06-21T19:51:00.006-04:00

Alrighty now! We finally got electricity this afternoon.
It's not like we suffered, because we do have a generator,
but its an inconvenience just the same. I'm still happy to
feel a little more "normal".
I put the pictures of Harborfest on my Flickr . Even got
the sequence in the right order. I discovered something
new today, but I won't explain it cause you all probably
know about uploading pics anyway.

Saturday....
It was a little cool and foggy in the morning. But that was
all right, it made for a perfect day when the sun did come out.
There were quite a few people there first thing. They had
tours of the lighthouse.

The large stage where music played all afternoon and
evening. First thing they did was have the local Dance Studio
girls do a recital for us. Lots of fun to watch and most of the
girls were pretty good. Once they got over their stage
fright that is.

Some more pictures of the boat racers. It looks like a pretty

exhausting job. They don't get much time to practice, cause

the boats get there just before the festival. So whatever

conditioning they do has to be done in the gym. You could

tell who was fit and who wasn't! I'd have probably croaked!

A Day at Harborfest

2009-06-20T19:34:00.003-04:00

Only have time to show one picture of the Dragon Boat

races on the river. We had terrible storms come

through here early Friday morning and evening.

Winds were clocked at 60 mph and lightning strikes

at the rate of 2000 an hour. That was a lot of lightning..

looked like strobe lights. Needless to say large trees

were downed and electric poles snapped in half.

We are running the generator, so we have to turn off

the air to run the computer. And wouldn't you know it,

its humid and in the 80's now. Only sounds bad to me,

cause we have had very cool temps up till today.

I need air, more than the computer...such a sissy.

Anyway Kayla and I made a day of walking

around the river and going in the downtown stores.

So I'll have more on Harborfest later.

Harbor Festival

2009-06-17T23:12:00.003-04:00

It's the first festival of the season for our
town. Harborfest starts tomorrow. Dragon
boat races, foodfest, music all day and into
the night. And with bands like Tin Can Phone,
Twilight Hotel, Saturday June Band and
blues bands like Jordan Lunardini and
Ronnie Baker Brooks and last but not least
Ronnie McDowell how can you not have a
good time on the waterfront? Seriously,
I haven't got a clue who these people are,
but sometimes we get pleasantly surprised
once they get to playing.
They have a craft fair along the river too.
Beverly and I did it a couple of years, but
we found out that its hard for people to carry
money in their bathing suits, so sales were
very poor. Then one year we had our
booth right under the helicopter landing pad
and when they arrived our booth decided
to leave...lol! We were so upset! Anyhoo,
no pictures to show, but maybe when Kayla
and I go on Saturday I'll take the camera with
me. I've been making some pieces of jewelry,
but its been pretty cloudy the last couple of
days. Not good for my pictures.

Hip to be Square

2009-06-15T12:47:00.005-04:00

Don't tell me that I'm crazy

Don't tell me I'm nowhere

Take it from me

Its hip to be square....

One of my favorite songs from Huey Lewis and the News.

And a bracelet using my favorite lamp work nugget beads

by BluHealer. Black matte glass rondells and silver beads

for spacers. Three square beads of Hill Tribe silver.

A square sterling clasp and a sterling charm

from Hip Chicks Beads that says "dreams".

Friday's Fabulous Finds

2009-06-12T16:06:00.006-04:00

Okay, I admit it. I had a little pity party going on last week.
Even though I had my own special fun in Arizona, I still felt
left out from the Bead and Button Show. Once you've been
to one, its hard to not go every year. So before I left, I did
a little shopping of my own. Got some great things to show
you and in reality I saved my credit card from exploding.
So here are my fabulous finds:

Beautiful buttons, pendants and a connector from
Summer Studios.

Pendants from Chinook Jewelry. Love the color on that
dragonfly. And Mellisa is making me a special mermaid too.

A special treat to me from Stone Studios. Are these not
the coolest? I will never look at beach rocks the same again.

Of course I had to have some more of Bluhealer's great
beads. I just love the colors and those aqua nuggets are
to die for. The softest shade and shape. I carried them in
my pocket for a while, just so I could hold them and look
at them.

Another special find, this time on Ebay. 3 Angel's Glass Art.

Nice petite spacers and just enough color for interest.

I love the coffee colored ones. I have some Humblebeads

and Round Rabbit coming too.

Not too shabby shopping, and it was fun opening the

packages up when I got home. Now I have to clean my

bead room so I can get something done. That's my

project for the night.

Another Great Give Away!

2009-06-11T21:55:00.004-04:00

Wow...this is a wonderful box of goodies if I ever saw one!

Silver Parrot is giving away her stash clean out.

Great beadsthat she says she'll never use...

but look at what there is, and she says that's just a little sample.

Drawing is tomorrow so if you want it you have to post

a comment on her blog and blog about the give away.

Hurry time is running out!

Getting Back to "Normal"

2009-06-09T09:21:00.003-04:00

We finally made it home just before midnight. Followed

behind some big storms and had to wait out some delays

at the airport.

Those were the best four days I've had in a long time. My

nephew is the sweetest and we bonded in no time flat. Little

guy had cut two teeth while we were there the first day...

He had some congestion too. But he's not the fussy baby.

I got to know my sister better too. The one and only time

I had met her was on her wedding day and I think she was

a little stressed...lol! We played cards and drank our wine

and laughed a lot.

So today I'm playing catch up. Lots of orders came in at the

shop, thank God for that! So I'm off to try and get back to

normal....

We're here!

2009-06-05T13:30:00.003-04:00

We are here in Phoenix! The weather is a bit
warmer than I'm used to, 105 degrees. Word is
that its gonna be cooler today, only 95! I'm glad
I packed my summer stuff.
We've been playing with the little one. He's the
sweetest of baby boys. Terra the dog is happy to
see us too. Babies and dogs, my kind of vacation!
My brother even fixed us breakfast this morning.
My taking pictures for later. See ya!

Head West Young Lady!

2009-06-03T14:43:00.005-04:00

In approximately 24 hours while all the bead shoppers

are heading east to Milwaukee, Mom and I will be in a

plane landing in Arizona. Bailey is going to my sister's,

Geary is gonna be home and enjoying the peace and quiet.

I can't wait to see my brother and sister and hold the little

pooter...I've been going easy on my back this week so it will

let me alone. Cause I want to carry him everywhere!

Every time I think about seeing Dane, I get all squishy

inside. That four days will just fly by. My brother told me

I will be boiling when I get there...isn't that what air is for?

Turn it down for me boy!

June ABS Challenge

2009-06-02T21:12:00.004-04:00

Farbstudie Quadrate (Color Study of Squares).

Wassily Kandinsky, born in Russia in 1866. He is credited

with painting the first modern abstract works.

This is the painting chosen for this months ABS challenge.

And what fun this is gonna be...color, color and more color!

Any and every crayon color in the box can be used. Three

great prizes from three great ceramic artists. Monday is

the first Featured Designer of the Week. So get your

entries in...you could be featured!

Bluejean Baby

2009-06-02T09:08:00.007-04:00

A beautiful leaf pendant from Erin at EveryHeartCrafts.
Large blue glass trumpet flower with a Swarvoski crystal.
Chain from my local bead store. Blue frosted beads from
my treasure box.

Simple but beautiful.

Would you Like to Swing on a Star?

2009-06-01T22:14:00.004-04:00

Would you like to swing on a star
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Or would you rather be a mule?

A mule is an animal with long funny ears
Kicks up at anything he hears
His back is brawny and his brain is weak
He's just plain stupid with a stubborn streak
And by the way, if you hate to go to school
You may grow up to be a mule

Or would you like to swing on a star
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Or would you rather be a pig?

A pig is an animal with dirt on his face
His shoes are a terrible disgrace
He ain't got no manners when he eats his food
He's fat and lazy and extremely rude
But if you don't care a feather or a fig
You may grow up to be a pig

Or would you like to swing on a star
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Or would you rather be a fish?

A fish won't do anything, but swim in a brook
He can't write his name or read a book
And to fool the people is his only thought
And though he's slippery, he still gets caught
But then if that sort of life is what you wish
You may grow up to be a fish

And all the monkeys aren't in the zoo
Every day you meet quite a few
So you see it's all up to you
You can be better than you are
You could be swingin' on a star

No I'd just like to be Baby Joselyn swinging
on a swing! She's the sweetest...

A Wonderful Day for a Party Indeed!

2009-05-30T22:09:00.014-04:00

Southview Bed and Breakfast. Built in 1896 and still
owned by the same family. Its for sale now though, too
much for an older couple to take care of.

The beautiful kitchen we worked in. Look at that replica
old stove. Novella's kitchen is as big as my house. Ok, not
quite that big, but it seemed like it.

View from the kitchen doors. Looking south of course!

Novella (left) she owns the B and B, sister Sue (right)

Kayla the graduate, ready to party.

My favorite girls. Alley Kat (Allison, on bottom)
Baby J (Joselyn) sitting on her lap. The weather was perfect
and the kids played outside all day. Running around like
only children can do.

Lots of food and a beautiful cake with the school colors.

Gathered around watching Listening to Kayla read her

cards and opening her presents. A college dictionary,

a silver and turquoise cross, a LAPTOP!, and a portable

DVD player. And lots of cash of course.

The rain stayed away and the sun shone all day.

Thank you Heavenly Father for hearing our prayers!

PARTY TIME!

2009-05-30T09:34:00.002-04:00

TODAY'S THE GRADUATES
PARTY DAY! YES, I'M SHOUTING.
I KNOW WHY I'M NOT A
CATERER, I WOULD BLOW UP
AND POP IN THE MIDDLE OF
IT ALL...LOL! PRAY THAT
THE RAIN STAYS AWAY....

Congratulations Kayla!

2009-05-29T14:39:00.004-04:00

Last night was Graduation night for my neice Kayla.

Class motto: "What lies behind us and what lies before us

are tiny matters compared to what lies within us"

Ralph Waldo Emerson

It was the largest class they ever had graduate from the

school...88, not big by any means. But they are a very

talented and artistic group of young adults. Most were

headed on the college...one was accepted at Princeton.

Sue, Kayla and Kevin. (Her parents)

Another young adult ready to face the world, hoping to make

a change. Good luck!

Grandma's coming with who?

2009-05-27T23:24:00.008-04:00

Did I hear that Grandma's coming next week
to see me again?

But who's that other person that's coming too?
Who's Aunt Rosanne?

Shall I dazzle her with my smile?

But what if she wants to kiss me and
squeeze me..oh no!

She'll see how big and strong I am...

And what a little angel I can be. I can't wait till they get here!

Tidal Pool

2009-05-27T14:32:00.007-04:00

It started with this beautiful ceramic pendant from LeAnn
at Summers Studio Pottery.

I added lots of brass links and a stone that was matted
and crackled, bought from a local bead store. Connected
with some Vintaj brass rings.

Some little bubbly glass beads from
Unicorn Beads and a brass plated clasp.
Very soft and really pretty.

Twilight

2009-05-25T13:53:00.003-04:00

Okay, I admit it...I'm a fool for the Twilight series of books

and movies. What can I say? I'm a sixteen year old trapped

in an older woman's body. Won't somebody let me out?

A Humblebead surrounded by Montana blue faceted roundels,

onyx faceted squares from Rings and Things. A

silver wire wrapped blood red drop of Czech glass.

Waterlilies

2009-05-24T12:00:00.005-04:00

I couldn't let the ABS challenge go by without
using an art bead by Humblebeads. Soft New Jade
and faceted yellow jade accent the focal bead.
Nuggets of a blue stone ( I would call it Dumorite)
and Bali silver rondells.

A beautiful leaf clasp to finish it off.

Now we are off to play! Bailey is doing her early morning
stretches outside. We watched the deer along the wood
line eating grass and munching leaves. They watched us too,
then slipped silently away. Almost like ghosts....I'm gonna
slip away today and enjoy the afternoon with my Geary.
Yesterday was our 28th anniversary. My one true love,
may we share many more happy years.

Wisteria Lane

2009-05-23T13:08:00.005-04:00

A gift for a friend. Seems I like the dragonfly theme a lot.

Dragonfly pendant from Earthenwood Studio.
Water colored silk cord from Jamnglass.
Lots of Vintaj brass and chain.
Size 11 seedbeads, and vintage Czech glass flowers.
Another entry for ABS?

And the Winner is:

2009-05-22T08:32:00.002-04:00

KATIE NELSON ! See it just goes to show, it is the luck

of the draw. I used a random number generator this

morning. There were 21 participants total.

And it picked Katie's number. I hope you enjoy the beads

Katie. I have your address already ;^)

May ABS entry

2009-05-19T09:09:00.003-04:00

Two months in a row! That has to be a record.
This is my May entry for the ABS contest.
Monet's Water Lilies...my interpretation of.
Our pond has waterlilies, but in our pond the water is a
shade of brown and dark blue, not vibrant like Monet's.
Lots of dragonflies too.

I went with the more earthy tones. A dragonfly focal made
by me. A water colored silk ribbon from Jamnglass, a leaf
from Earthwood Studios and a Vintaj clasp from Bello Modo.
I wire wrapped jade stones and used chain from the local
craft store. The rings around the silk were just wire wrapped
as if to make jump rings and then cut to size.

Lorelei's birthday giveaway

2009-05-18T10:18:00.004-04:00

Today is Lorelei's birthday and she is treating us with a

giveaway. Are these not the coolest? I love all the colors

and designs going on in these beads. So go leave a

comment on her blog and give yourself a chance at owning

these beauties. I did and I am keeping my fingers crossed.

And a reminder that there is still 5 days to get yourself

entered in my giveaway. Just leave a comment and a

post to your blog and you will be entered to win this set of

beads. Drawing is on the 22nd.

Get Excited

2009-05-17T16:04:00.004-04:00

And that's exactly what I did when I opened my package
from my new BFF Renate. Back in April lots of people
from all around the world participated in a giveaway:
Get Excited and Make Things
It was a great way to meet a lot of fellow artists and jewelry
designers from all over and get a special made for you item.
Anyhoo, back to my bracelet...I love it!
In my favorite metal, copper, with a hand stamped plate
and green wire wrapped stones. A perfect fit too. It was
packaged in the sweetest flowered box. Thank you
so much Renate for sending me this beautiful gift.
I love it! XOXOX

Mackinac Island Review

2009-05-15T20:36:00.016-04:00

I went through the pictures that I took from our trip
as chaperone's of 18 Juniors and Seniors. So with that
being said here is our trip (the short version). You can
see more pictures on my Flickr.

Here we are, two of the 6 chaperons. My sister Sue on the
left and me on the right.

Our group of young adults from the Tech Center.
Purpose of this trip was to explore the possibilities of
Hotel Management. It was really interesting to me, I had
more questions than the kids...

It was more about the horses by the time we got to the
island. Horses everywhere. Jennifer are these
Gypsy Vanners? They were beautiful. All I could smell
was horses everywhere we went. Much nicer that car and
diesel fumes. I know, you probably have to have been around
horses to know what I mean.

These were the guys that took us for our buggy tour
around the island. Hard working horses that's for sure.

One of the scenic areas we stopped at. It was a chilly, but
sunny day. Our wagon had blankets we huddled under.
The only flowers to see were some daffodil's. No leaves on
the trees at all. In fact we saw a pile of snow in the shade
of a tree.

Outside the Grand Hotel.

The second floor lobby where you could lounge. The

man who decorated wanted to bring the feel of the gardens

indoors. Lots of flowery colors, but not over powering.

We had a short talk from the hotel manager and then we

went in for the buffet luncheon. 80 feet of tables loaded

with the best food I have ever had.

Overlooking the town from the top of the Grand Hotel.

A quiet downtown street. It must get pretty crowded in

the summer.

If you didn't like to walk or ride horses. And if the wagons

didn't do it for you either, you could rent bicycles. There

are hundreds of them everywhere. Living on the Island

could be a healthy, if not expensive, way to go.

Speaking of healthy foods, look at all that fudge.

Fudge everywhere, any flavor you could want. I think I

bought 3 pounds of it. I don't care if I ever have fudge again!

Seems like every other store sells fudge. Their claim to fame.

Our favorite came from Jane's. Yummo!

Have I got your attention? Giving away...

2009-05-14T12:26:00.005-04:00

Ok everyone, I have something fun to give away! (Wicked fun!)

Carolyn Driver from Blue Heeler Glass sent some beads

my way. I have been buying her beads for a long time, back

when she and her husband Chuck were living in Alaska...

1998 or so. Anyway these little beauties are here for your

taking. And I'm holding them in my hand just loving the

summer colors!

Carolyn had titled this series Calypso...so I did a little research

and found some things I really didn't know. Calypso was a

sea nymph in Greek Mythology, the daughter of Atlas.

She desired to make Odysseus (Ulysses) her immortal

husband. She bore him two children, but had to release

him when Zeus told her too, so he could return to his wife.

So with that little bit of information for you to think on,

here is how you can go about getting these beads.

All I would like you to do is leave a comment and a link

to your blog showing this give away. I will draw a random

number on Friday May 22. Good luck to everyone!

Thanks Lori for your help!

Something wicked this way comes...

2009-05-13T13:43:00.001-04:00

Something wicked fun that is! I am still
running around like a chicken with my head cut
off. But I have plans and things to show, only
not till after tonight. Most important thing for
me to do today is get my haircut. Yes, it takes
all day as I drive 150 miles round trip to get it
done. But Dorothy is good at what she does.
So stay tuned, I'll be back!

Now I can play...

2009-05-08T16:02:00.007-04:00

Finished with the rummage sale today. Most everything

went out the door and the rest we took to the Mission for

them to sell. No one was sad to see it over, but they all

said they would be back in the fall...who could ask for more

than that?

Now I getting myself ready to go to Mackinaw Island for a

two day, one night field trip. Susan and I are chaperone's

for the senior trip to the Grand Hotel. It's the seniors from

the tech center. We are taking a chartered bus to Mackinaw

City where we will spend the night and the next day we are

going to Mackinaw Island and touring the Grand Hotel.

They are serving a luncheon for us, and then we will head

back home. This is gonna be so much fun, only thing wrong

will be the weather, as its going to be very cool (in the 50's).

Oh, we are getting a buggy ride too. I think it's taking us

to the hotel as there are no motorized vehicles on the island.

I am so excited!

One more day to go!

2009-05-07T21:56:00.002-04:00

These are my girls that help with the rummage sale.

There's still about 10 missing from the picture.

One more day of craziness left and then I'm done till Oct.

My feet are screaming at me and I want to soak in my

whirlpool tub. But first I need sleep....

I think that I shall never see...

2009-05-06T17:18:00.005-04:00

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
-- Joyce Kilmer

My most favorite tree in my yard. It's not quite as full as

it will be, but it's still beautiful.

Good-bye my friend

2009-05-05T21:58:00.004-04:00

I lost a very dear friend last night.
There's a crack in my heart,
an awful ache........we used to pick
on each other, showing no mercy,
and then laugh like crazy. Your
laugh was so loud and pure.
My heart aches for my friend Julie.
I'm gonna miss you Donnie Roe.

Bead finds from Rings and Things

2009-05-03T19:40:00.007-04:00

These are some of the beads I found at R and T yesterday.

My bead Fairy was there to guide us to the show as it

wasn't in the same place as it usually is, and if I would have

read it on their website I would have known. But I wasn't

the only one, we met two women that followed us to the

right destination. Thank goodness to for Onstar, although

I didn't quite make all the turns it wanted us to, that's where

my fairy came in to guide us.

Fancy Jasper, snakeskin jasper, brown lava, and silver mist.

New jade, amethyst, mother of pearl (faceted) and rhodonite.

I got a couple of plated leaves in copper, I was leery of

them at first, but once I got them out of the package and saw

how substantial they were, I was really pleased. And I got

a coupon for 15% off on any order before the end of May...

I got my nose in the catalog!

Dane is looking cool in his shades, trying to

keep a low profile, especially since his Aunt

Rosanne has been acting pretty crazy lately.

Day one of sorting rummage...somebody brought

in a box full of dresses and ruffly slips from their

square dancing days. So of course I put on the

ruffles and treated the girls to my version of the

Can Can. All the older women said they remember

wearing these under their skirts in high school.

Hmmm....I'm glad I can't say the same ;^)

Rings and Things

2009-05-01T13:08:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow is the day that Rings and Things
comes to Grand Rapids. I'm ready to go spend
the afternoon with my sister Sue and Kayla.
Meeting Dort there too since I haven't seen her
in a while. I get so excited when they come to
our area. Wahoo!
After this weekend I'm pretty much gonna be
gone. Next week starts the Spring rummage
sale at our Church, if you hadn't heard it before,
its something I got involved in and then somehow
I managed to become the person in charge of it...
twice a year. Anyhoo, it sucks all my energy for
the next 7 days, starting Sunday. So I'll be
reading your blogs and falling to sleep in my dinner
after Sunday night.

Art Bead Scene Entry

2009-04-30T16:33:00.003-04:00

It's finished! And wouldn't you know it.
Today is the day with the least amount of sunshine possible.
The picture doesn't begin to do it justice, ah well such is life.
The art bead was made by me, in Heather's (polymer clay)
class on the bead cruise. It was just so perfect for this month's
challenge. I added a strand of pastel button pearls,
galvanized size 11 one cuts and a strand of size 8 seafoam
green seedbeads. In that strand I added a few mother of pearl
flowers and some sterling. I think Venus would approve.

Local Yocal...

2009-04-29T15:03:00.005-04:00

I stopped into my local bead store today. Just to

look around, nothing else. Sure, sure. Like that ever really

happens. They are stocking the most beautiful filigree items.

In copper, brass and silver. Way over priced....

Like that big filigree pendant, which I paid $12.00 for...sheesh.

It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

Now they have chain. And then there was some stones I

couldn't live without...

A Miracle and other wonders in my world

2009-04-29T13:47:00.014-04:00

Who knows what prompts Mother Nature into growing
things that just should not be there. I planted these
daffodils at least 15 years ago. I think they came up the
first year and after that they never showed up again.
Did they lay dormant all these years waiting for the
right atmospheric conditions? Did the deer usually get
to them before they could blossom? Regardless of what
prompted them, they are there in the pasture surrounded
by deep grass...a miracle!

This is Katie, the k-9 wonder dog. She the girl of our best

friend. One of those designer dogs, you know, a Labradoodle.

Part golden Lab, part poodle. Only 9 months old and monster

of a dog. But really pretty sweet. I asked Jim as I petted

her and pulled out gobs of hair "aren't these dogs suppose to

be hypoallergenic and shed free?" Jim says the only ones

who believe that are the breeders that sell them! Wouldn't

want that mess in my house. There's something to be said

for small dogs, like my Bailey. Maintenance free,

just the way I like things.

I caught this picture of her just as she flopped down to play

with me. Reminds me of a Muppet.

And last a picture is of my nephew. He's 5 months old now.

Mom and I are going out to see him ( and his mommy and daddy,

of course)in June. Before he gets past the baby stage.

His little shirt says Captain Crabby...

now I ask you, does he look the least bit like a crabby baby?

Kindle2 Update

2009-04-26T11:19:00.004-04:00

I got my Kindle2 just a couple of weeks ago. I absolutely

love it! I can't believe I didn't know about this sooner, cause

it would have saved me a lot of money for books I bought over

the year. Even though you have to purchase the books anyway,

through Amazon. I just finished reading The Host by

Stephanie Meyer. I got so caught up in it, I have been staying

up way past 2 in the morning reading for the last few days.

I'm getting kind of tired here...lol! Maybe the novelty of it

will wear off in a bit, but I really enjoy reading, so maybe not.

I do have to force myself to do something else other than read.

I made another playlist for reading by. He's a Korean composer

and pianist. Great music to relax by.

Mixed Tapes Challenge - Class of '73

2009-04-23T11:15:00.008-04:00

Class of '73...that's me.

I've been spending the last couple of days

tripping through memory lane with my husband.

Humblebeads has a contest going on...

Share your favorite high school songs,

make a playlist, find some pics from your

high school days. Three chances to win some

great Humblebead prizes. So I've put together

my playlist for your listening enjoyment.

Yes, I know all the words to the songs and the

memories they dredge up are the most fun.

Thanks Heather for the laughs.

My Metal Pendants

2009-04-17T12:41:00.007-04:00

I have things I want to talk about but

no time to do it...so here's a picture or

three of some pendants I made on the

Bead Cruise.

From Mary Hettsmanberger's class.

Okay it wasn't under my bed, but we did have the

biggest dust bunny rolling down the hallway

this morning. Unbeleiveable! Did you know

people actually make critters out of rolled up

dust bunnies they've collected...I don't think so.

So I'm off for now......cleaning...lol!

2009-04-15T13:24:00.004-04:00

Okay, I've been seeing this a lot lately
and I decided I would like to participate.
If anyone else is interested:

Pay your Art & Creativity Forward!

Creative people are adventurous!
So, if you would like to participate,
please leave me a comment and your e-mail.
The first five people will receive something
from me in the mail.
Here are the rules, and happy posting!

This offer does have some restrictions and
limitations so please read carefully:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like
what I make.
This is an adventure!

2. What I create will be just for you with love
and good wishes.
It will be made of actual materials,
not of cyberspace.

3. It will be done this year (2009).

4. I will not give you any clue what it’s going to be!

5. In return, all you need to do is post this text
on your Blog and create five things for the
first 5 people to respond to your post.

6. Send your mailing address after I contact you.

IMPORTANT: This offer is null and void if you
do not post on your own blog to pay this forward.
This text was used from
everyheartscraft.blogspot.com
Thank you and spread the love!

Will the real Venus please stand up?

2009-04-11T18:32:00.004-04:00

This month's theme over at the Art Bead Scene is the

Birth of Venus. It's a beautiful beautiful painting by

Sandro Botticelli, c. 1482–1486. Since I don't have

my entry quite done yet I thought I would treat you to

something I've been saving for just the right time, when I

don't seem to have much going on.

There's an earlier version of the Venus,

The Venus ( or woman)of Willendorf:

She was created between 24,000 BCE – 22,000 BCE.

If you want to read a little more about her go to

Wickipedia. Because the other Venus I have to show

you is the one created by me in a lamp work class at

the Bead and Button show a long time ago.

After you look at this you'll understand why flame

and sculptural glass are not the thing for me to do!

Venus of Willendorf (above)

I present to you my version of the Venus:

Backside

Profile. Isn't she a hoot? Those aren't eyes on top

of her head. Somehow her lips ate her eyes... No

comments are necessary, I'll wrap her back up

and put her away. Tomorrow I'll show my entry for

the Art Bead Scene...its much prettier!

A Day at the Beach

2009-04-06T21:39:00.007-04:00

I'm not sure how this will work, I've never
done my own video before...so have a look:

We went to the beach today.

The wind must have been blowing 35 mph.

Needless to say, the waves are beautiful and

the sun was bright, but with a temperature of

35 degrees, we froze our butts off. The sand

just about took the paint off our truck..ok it

wasn't that bad!

Its mine!

2009-04-06T11:26:00.004-04:00

Okay, so I gave it lots of thought and today I bought it!

Soon I will have it in my sweaty little hands.

I can hardly wait. Thanks everyone for all the input.

The first thing I'm putting on it is the Twilight Saga.

So Beverly, you will be getting those books after all.

Kindle

2009-04-02T21:19:00.004-04:00

I'm not much of a gadget girl...I don't need

an iPod, iPhone, Blackberry or any other

technological wonder. A simple cell phone

(with camera) is about all I can handle.

But I found this the other day while looking at

Amazon and since then I have been lusting

after it. Trying to figure out ways to get

this electronic marvel for myself.

I love to read, I buy books by the bag full,

usually I pass them on to my sister or friends.

But buying books can really add up. I save

my favorites for myself, but I am running

out of room to store them. Here is the answer

to my problem: The Kindle!

It will store up to 1500 complete

books for me to reread over and over again...

Just think of the possibilities...more room in your

carry on or suitcase when traveling...those books

get heavy. No piles of books sitting around the house,

on the nightstand or in the "library".

I need that room for my special bead books.

One of these days it will be mine. I just have to figure

out when and how.......

Blogging is like...

2009-04-01T18:17:00.004-04:00

exercise or dieting. You know how
you go at it religiously and slowly you
drop a day or maybe two and then it
seems like you quit all together? That's
kind of the direction I see myself going in
lately, at least with my blogging. Or maybe
my life just got really boring and I don't
have much to talk about. Yeah, that's
it...I've become boring. I've been
waiting for the daffodils to push up and
bloom. And I have seen signs that this
could be happening.

Actually, I've purchased a couple of really
great beading books and have enjoyed
pouring over the pages. Lot's of inspiration
going on there. The two books I got are:

A Charming Exchange
by Kelly Snelling and Ruth Rae

Semiprecious Salvage
by Stephanie Lee

Love them both, but my real favorite is
The Semiprecious Salvage. I find myself
thumbing through it quite a bit and actually
reading (I know that sounds bad). Usually
I look at the pictures or jump right to the
directions. But Stephanie has little stories
written through out the book, like pages of
a journal. She has some very interesting
ideas for making found art items.

And last, but not least Nancy at the Rabbit Muse
is having a great sale in her Etsy shop. 25%
off everything till April 5th. That's no joke
either. I'm gonna roam around her shop and
see if there's something I might need. So hop
on over and see what she has, you won't be
sorry!

My Mom went to Mexico....

2009-03-19T16:47:00.014-04:00

And all I got was this stupid hat! And she has the nerve to put it
on me so she can show other people. But I'll tolerate it, because
that's the sweet dog that I am. And I do look kind of cute, even
if I'm not a Taco dog.

Yes Bailey does hate hats. But I love to dress her up.
Finally I got some pictures done. I still have loads to do,
But I thought I should share these now before its ancient history.

Our ship the Norwegian Spirit. One of the smallest ships I've been on.

Leaving the port in New Orleans. That day was as cold as any
winter day in Michigan. Pretty nuts. I remember going outside
on the deck later in the evening and slowly feeling the temps
warm up. What a relief that was!

First night out we got our name tags and gift bags. Heather had Lorelei
as a helper. I finally got to put a face to the name of Lori.
She was so quiet...didn't she post about how she cusses and talks
all the time? That was far from the truth. She's a sweetheart and
I really enjoyed spending time with her.

First stop Costa Maya. The dancers were so colorful and looked like
they were having fun. I wanted a twirly skirt like the women were
wearing. Lucky for me and everyone else around I couldn't find
one. I have no shame when it comes to making an idiot out of myself.
Do you know you can look really scary in one of those bright red
table clothes? That's all I got to say about that!

Santo Thomas de Castilla

Altuna Ha ruins in Belize. One of the coolest places to visit.
Amazing to think that you are walking in a place built thousands
of years ago. Image what it looked like back then...all fresh
carved stones, they had a market place in the center of the temple.

Cozumel, Mexico
I have many more things to share. Please come back and look.
Check out my Flickr page, there will be lots more there.

Give Away

2009-03-16T09:05:00.004-04:00

Lorelei is having another give away. This beautiful bracelet

is up for grabs. Head over to her blog and put your entry

in today. Just remember...it's mine to win....hahaha!!

Feeling Froggy

2009-03-12T23:14:00.004-04:00

Would you believe this is the only picture out of 300 that I

managed to get to Adobe? It has been a wonderful, wild two

weeks and I am still trying to get myself together. Work wants

to punish me for leaving it alone for so long and I am playing

catch up there.

Lucky for me I did get to stay an extra day in New Orleans with

my sister due to fog and plane cancellations. I came home to

my little girl Bailey, Geary had picked her up from my sister's

house so I could have her home that night. He even gave her

a bath...first one in all her 8 years for him. She must have

thought her world was coming to an end!

I am also sitting in front of a beautiful full screen HD monitor.

Geary was so excited about getting it. I have to admit it is a

beautiful thing. Really it is great to be back home.

Going away is fun, but the coming home is always so

much better. I beleive my husband really missed me this time!

I am STILL rocking and rolling from the swells we had at sea.

I wonder when will it go away, or if it could be something else

like an inner ear problem. More than anything, it is an

annoying problem.

So over the weekend I will get through the pictures, put most

of them on my Flickr page, and share the special ones with

you all. I promise I won't be boring, cause you've probably

seen a lot of them on other blogs.

I just want to add another thing. Heather puts on the

BEST cruises ever...that girl makes them better every year.

This year was especially great with all the sponsors who sent

stuff for the gift bags. They were SO full of great goodies.

It was like Christmas in the Tropics.

I loved seeing my old friends and making new ones.

The teachers were spectacular, Mary Hettsmanberger's class

was very inspiring and loads of fun. I made the best clay beads

Heather's class. Not as good as hers but I don't want to be...its

more fun getting them from her!

I'm dreaming of sun and fun

2009-02-23T12:11:00.003-05:00

Yep, that's gonna be me in about 4 days. I've been

waiting for this cruise to get here for months and

then wham! over night, I'm feeling rushed and running

out of time to get things together. I have to iron and pack.

Pull out ALL my clothes and then put half of them back..

Pick out beads, and tools, make lists and lists and

more lists because I've misplaced the first lists...nuts!

I am so excited about leaving this Michigan weather

and getting warm with family and friends in New Orleans.

I'm dreaming of jambalaya and debris sandwiches

at Mothers. Staying with my sister and her husband

and of course Cricket, my buddy. I remember the first

year he tried to climb in my suitcase and go with us.

What a sweetheart he is.

We got a trip to Turquoise Coyote planned. I love that bead

store. After the first rush in the Big Easy, then it'll be fun

and sun on the ship cruising to Mexico, meeting new beaders

and teachers. Rekindling past friendships. I'm gonna take

lots of pictures. Everywhere I go. We're thinking about

seeing the ruins on Belize, laying on the beaches or by

pool. And a massage...with hot rocks...absolutely the

best.

2009-02-20T23:45:00.009-05:00

Look what I got today! Mellisa from

Chinook Jewelry awarded it to me today.

It goes to people-like anyone of my bloggy

friends out there-who take the time to

leave a comment, or a word of encouragement.

Or the one I love the most, a compliment on

something that I created and shared with my

friends. You all make me feel so special.

There are some rules that go along

with this award:

1. The winner may put the logo on their blog.

2. Put a link to the person who sent you the award.
3. Nominate 5 blogs.
4. Put links to their blogs.
5. Leave a message for your nominees.

So I am making my list and passing on the love to

all my friends. Thanks so much Mellisa...your

pretty cool yourself!

Nancy at RoundRabbit

Beverly at NoEasyBeads

Mary Harding

Barb at Marr-Haven

Heather at Humblebeads

Ah Shawl!

2009-02-16T11:46:00.001-05:00

I was reading Marcia DeCoster's blog today.
Did you know that on top of being a great
bead designer, she can also knit? And I don't
mean just mittens! She showed a lace shawl
that she was working on for the upcoming
Bead Cruise.
Then, there was Barb's post about some new
patterns she had by an area woman
Suzanne PufPaff. It is a great design using
an Entrelac variation. When its all done it
becomes a butterfly. Really pretty and lacy too.
Maybe I should get out my needles and do
something elegant, right after I finish sewing
and beading.

This girl is good....

2009-02-09T16:33:00.004-05:00

A little while back Lorelei had posted this bracelet on her blog.
As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it. It just jumped right
out at me and said "get me, what ever you have to do, get me!"
So I thought it over and made an offer to Lorelei for a trade and
now I have this as my own. It is absolutely beautiful. If you've
ever thought about buying one of L's designs, do it, you won't be sorry.

What a Wonderful World

2009-02-08T19:03:00.002-05:00

This is my sister Beverly's favorite song.
Everytime I hear it I think of her!
This little clip will make you feel all warm
and fuzzy too.

Thought for the day...

2009-02-02T08:23:00.003-05:00

A life wrapped up in itself is a very small package.

Anonymous

Beautiful Bead

2009-01-30T12:13:00.004-05:00

Isn't this a beauty? I absolutely fell in love with it, then

I bought it. Kristin Child is the lamp work artist. Her

Etsy shop is redsidedesign. And she's having a sale,

25% off on her beads. The pictures do not do justice to

the bead. This is so yummy and I'm keeping it for myself.

And since I'm keeping with the theme of hearts lately,

here's one Kristin has for sale too.

Hmmm...theme of hearts - Queen of Hearts...

Queen of everything...don't I wish!

Spring's almost here...

2009-01-29T17:57:00.005-05:00

Yep, spring is almost here, we can see the deer moving.

OK, that's not my joke someone sent it to me,

but it was kind of cute. Poor things, I really haven't been

seeing any critters lately. They seem to be hunkered down

for a while. I was thinking that Ground Hog Day is almost here.

I love that movie with Bill Murray, must have watched it

a dozen times.

Mom made it out to Arizona to see Dane and his parents

yesterday. I hope she's enjoying the warmth.

I know she's having fun with the baby.

I love this picture.

Enough!

2009-01-27T09:45:00.004-05:00

No, I DON'T want to hang myself! But I sure would

like to hang up winter. I have had enough and that's

all I have to say about that. There really are some

bright sides though. Its gonna get up to 30 this

weekend and there is a festivity in town. Ice Breaker

weekend. Ice carving and chili cook off contests.

Geary and I and maybe Bailey will make a day of it and

see the sculptures. The last few years it has been so

warm that the ice melted almost before it could get

carved, that won't be the case this year. Wah hoo...

let the carving begin! Only one month to go and I'll

be eating jambalaya in New Orleans, than sailing on

a ship.

Have a Heart

2009-01-22T14:06:00.015-05:00

Seems like everyone is gearing up for Valentines Day.
Everywhere I look I see hearts and more hearts and
lots of seasonal colors...red, pink, white.
I gathered a few of my favorites. Believe me there's
more than I have time to list! Check out their blogs,
and websites and then go to their shops, nobody
knows better than you what you like! Sorry Geary!

Lynn Davis

Nancy Schindler

Jennifer Jangles

Beth Hemmila, Hint Jewelry

Mellisa at Chinook Designs

Red poppies from Heather at Humblebeads I love these!

Mary Harding has new hearts...I got one today!

Lorelei one of my favorite jewelry designers.

And another one from Nancy...she opened a new shop today
Round Rabbit Extra. I got one of these too!Lucky me....

An Owl for Lorelei

2009-01-21T09:04:00.005-05:00

Original artwork by Charles Denault. This is our

favorite painting. Just wanted to share ;^)

I love anything with birds or ducks. I'd even like

to raise chickens if they weren't such dirty birds.

I could see my dog eating poop all day long...forget

the chickens!

Color Splash, and Great News

2009-01-20T20:27:00.006-05:00

While we were in Ann Arbor visiting my Aunt in the hospital.
I happened to look up a bead store that I thought we could
go take a peak at after visiting hours. It was kind of a nerve
soothing adventure, as hanging around the hospital
just drains everything out of you. And since the store was
just a mile down the road from the hospital I knew we
would be able to find it easily enough. The name of the store
is The Bead Gallery. Its located on East Liberty.
A really nice place with all kinds of good stuff.
I found double drilled wood, lots of springy colors and
lots of faceted things. They also have stones, pearls, crystals...
just everything you could want in a bead store. But........

What I really seem to have a craving for is the color red.
I can't get enough of it! I even bought a couple of red shirts.
The other day I stopped at our local bead shop and picked
up some things for my sister. I couldn't help but grab these
red seed beads and glass pearls, AND the cinnabar pieces.
It's that just a lovely red pile? Now I better
get busy and make me something before Valentine's Day.

There is good news about my Aunt.
She's coming home on Thursday. It was unbelievable
how fast they want you up and moving. The second day
she was sitting up in a chair and the day we left they had her
walking the halls. She had more stitches than the
Bride of Frankenstein and I don't say that to be funny.
It was a major reconstruction. And tonight they
removed the last of the drainage tubes and some
of the stitches. Still has the trachea tube,
but her breathing is great. They even had her blowing
in that little breathing apparatus through the trachea.
She will still be fed through a tube for the next month
at least till her jaw heals. Bless her little heart.
She is not gonna take this sitting down.