Happy Halloween

My husband, two of the kids and I, carved these pumpkins that will line our long and winding driveway through the spooky trees to our house tonight. It is an annual tradition, and it is always fun to see what characters we end up with. The one with the glasses is the Mad Scientist! These are two of my crazy kids posing with the Jack-o-lanterns. Have a happy, fun and safe Halloween!

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More Halloween goodness!

My sons' class is having their Halloween party at

school today because tomorrow they have the day off.

So here is the tray I took to the classroom this morning for their party.

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Halloween Week

My son and I decorated for Halloween at the front of our house this past weekend. We now have a spooky graveyard!

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Music Monday- Coldplay "Cemeteries of London"

So we rode down to the river where the toiling ghosts strain for their curses to be broken…

We’d go underneath the arches where the witches are in there saying

There are ghost towns in the ocean… The ocean…

Singing la lalalala la le… And the night over London rang.

Cemeteries of London, by Coldplay, an interesting video filled with vintage movie clips to kick off your Halloween week!

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Bring Me to Life

Please read the post below, regarding the necklace made with Ugandan beads. I did not have a name for it when I posted, but after much thought I decided to name it after the Evanescence song,"Bring Me to Life"

how can you see into my eyes like open doors
leading you down into my core
where I’ve become so numb without a soul
my spirits sleeping somewhere cold
until you find it there and lead it back home
-Evanescence Pin It

Ugandan Beads Silent Auction Project

Today Betty and I are doing a little modeling, to show you the project that I have been working on recently. If you have been following my blog, you will recall that a few weeks ago, I had posted about Ugandan beads, and the women that make them.These women live in terrible poverty, and used to work in rock quarries trying to support their children on less than a dollar a day. Making and selling these beads at fair trade prices, helps them to feed clothe and educate their children. So I decided to purchase some of these beads, from a bead supplier here in Canada, called Titan Beads, and create something for a silent auction that will be held during my Christmas craft show. Then 100% of the money paid to me by the winner of the auction, will be donated back to a charity to help the women of Uganda. I believe I may donate through Beads for Life , which puts the money towards community development and provides funding in the areas of health, vocational training and education, sustainable life skills, and affordable housing. So here is what I have made for the auction in November, a triple strand necklace that combines these unique recycled paper beads with Thai and Bali silver, Swarovski crystals, prehnite, silk cord and one funky lampwork glass bead. Check out the close up photo of these Ugandan beads, and you will see how they are made out of recycled paper, using such items as old magazines, calendars, and even cereal boxes.

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Are you making changes due to the economy?

With all the big changes in the economy, it got me to thinking, if I should be making some changes in my jewelry line, if I want to weather the storm, so to speak. Lets face it, the "storm" may be here for a few years! I also sell to alot of Americans, and from what I read many of my friends south of the border are already tightening their belts. I work mainly with sterling silver wire and beads, as well as some gold filled wire, and wonderful artisan beads... and that keeps my finished pieces in the more expensive category of jewelry. Lets face it...jewelry is a luxury item, certainly not on the priority list of personal or household needs, and may not be in the budget of certain shoppers for awhile. So I have been thinking of trying out some other less expensive materials, mainly wire, and introducing a more economy friendly line of jewelry to my Etsy store. I will still have my sterling and gold designs, as I love to work with those precious metals, however I have been doing some research into some other types of wire that I think I may try out. Today I ordered some samples from one of my suppliers, and I am quite excited about checking into the possibilities of working with some new metals in my future projects. I am keeping it quiet for now, but stay tuned and I will update you soon with what I am trying out! Is anyone else rethinking the materials that you use, or the finished designs that you create, due to the economy? Pin It

Music Monday-Duffy

After reading some interesting reviews, I recently purchased Duffys' debut CD, Rockferry, to see what all the buzz was about. Well I must say I was quite impressed by this young Welsh singer, she is certainly not a pop princess, but a talented singer songwriter with soul and an awesome voice! She has a somewhat old school 60's vibe. I remember as a child listening to my dads' Dusty Springfield albums, and in a way. Duffy reminds me a bit of her, with some of Lulus' gravelly voice . (Remember "To Sir with Love"?) Ok I am old! Any how, Syrup and Honey is my favourite track off of her new CD...enjoy!

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Tagged!!

Oh! I have been tagged!
Silver Canyons Happenings has tagged me so now I have to tag 7 of you!
Here is how it works, for those of you unfamilier with the game:
1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Ok so here are my 7 random strange but true facts about myself:
1. I love to read True Crime books, and my favourite author in this genre is Ann Rule.
2. I had my first child at the very tender age of 18.
3. I got my first tattoo this past February, while on vacation in Maui...two starfish in the waves! (Yes... I was completely sober when I had this done!)
4. I was born in London, England and moved to Canada as a child. It took me 37 years to get around to taking my Canadian citizenship exam, but finally got it! All my family, eventually moved back to England, and I stayed here in Canada.
5. My favourite TV shows are, CSI, Survivor, Desperate Houswives, So You Think You can Dance, The Tudors and Prison Break.
6. I am afraid of heights, but I am fine in planes and helicopters.
7. I love fashion, and adore shoes, purses and coats!

So here is who I have tagged:

My Gypsy Goods

Pregnant with Cancer

Something Just to Start

More than Sew So

Make every Day your Lucky Day

Kala Pol Studio

Just add dots

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"Dream Weaver" necklace and earrings set

Though the dawn may be coming soon

There still may be some time

Fly me away to the bright side of the moon

And meet me on the other side

Dream weaver.... I believe you can get me through the night

Dream weaver.....I believe we can reach the morning light.

Gary Wright

Today, Lucy is modelling this dreamy, soft, feminine set. This is a pretty necklace that I made that features one of Rebecca Werners lampwork beads, which I feel represents the moon. Also lots of silver chain, faceted aquamarine nuggets, pale blue chalcedony briolettes, Thai silver and Swarovski crystals for a bit of sparkle, are "woven" together to create "Dream Weaver".

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Earrings

Due to the fact that my earring selection was almost non existant, lately I have spent my jewelry making time replenishing my earring selection. I have a couple of shows coming up in November, and it is always smart to have more than enough earrings ready to sell. Earrings are the bread and butter of most jewelry designers, as they are usually the least expensive items in our collections. Customers who cannot afford a pricier bracelet or necklace, will usually spring for a fashionable pair of earrings, either for themselves or as a gift. I must admit, that earrings are not my favourite thing to make, I prefer the creative challenges that bracelets, and especially necklaces provide. However, it is fun to try and come up with something a little different in the earring category, which is what I have strived for in these latest little creations! Oh.... and check out my new "Link to Me" button on the right hand side. Sheila, of Designs by Sheila, took my Entrecard image and created a button for me! Not only does she do buttons, but she also does wonderful banners, blog templates, headers etc. Please check out her blog.

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Featured on SolSisters!

Oooohhh....I am so excited to be featured on SolSisters blog today!! SolSisters were kind enough to have my jewelry showcased, after I had suggested a name for one of her lovely bags. SolSisters is located in Las Vegas, Nevada and she makes fabulous bags out of wonderfully vibrant fabrics. These days it is very trendy and environmentally responsible to have a fashionable bag, that you can use for all of your purchases, when you are out and about at the mall. Plastic bags are definately not cool anymore! Solsisters has some great funky bags, totes and purses in her store, that would fit the bill! This is the bag I named! Please check out her Etsy store for her latest designs! Pin It

Thanksgiving table

Our Thanksgiving dinner was wonderful and it was areally nice weekend spent with the family. I thought I would post some photos of our dinner table, as I was very pleased with how the centre piece and the decor turned out. Everything, thet I used, I already had around the house, with the exception of one medium sized pumpkin,and the small pumpkins. I made the place name tags on the computer, attatched them to toothpicks and then poked the toothpicks into tiny inexpensive pumpkin gourds. I love the warm color theme of gold, cream, orange and red, and added in the silver accents as a bit of sparkle. So although Canadian Thanksgiving is over for another year, I hope this will inspire my American friends to do something creative with their Thanksgiving tables!

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Entrecard

Arrrggghhhhhh! I am really finding entrecard to be REALLY slow tonight! So if I have not dropped on you, my friends...please forgive me, it is not for a lack of trying!! I think I managed 5 drops in about 20 minutes, and a couple of those were "invalid", so I had to go back and do them a second time. I am giving up tonight, I don't feel to good either, think it may be the flu! So I will try again tomorrow. Bye for now! Pin It

Music Monday- I wanna rock your gypsy soul!

Today on Music Monday, in celebration of Canadian Thanksgiving, I am featuring, Canadian musician, Colin James. I love the song "Into the Mystic", originally performed and recorded by Van Morrison and is on his awesome album, Moondance, from 1970. I have always enjoyed the original version, by Van...but I must say that Colins' version just may be my favourite one! Enjoy!!




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Giving Thanks!

As Canadians, we celebrate Thanksgiving this Monday, October 13. This is a similiar holiday as the one celebrated by our neighbours to the south of us, but we celebrate several weeks earlier than our American friends, who have their Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November. Families and friends gather together, and we have the traditional turkey feast and pumpkin pie, and our homes are decorated with autumn colors, pumpkins, and gourds. The kids are all coming out on the weekend so we will have eleven of us around the table for dinner. All 4 of our children, 2 grandkids and the boyfriends, of two of our daughters are also joining us. Daughter # 2, is currently dating an Australian fellow, and this will be his first Thanksgiving ever! He seemed a bit confused about the whole holiday, as Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Australia, so my daughter told him there would be a big feast, and he was fine with that! Daughter # 3s boyfriend is originally from England, so I don't think his family is much into the holiday either, but once again he is apparantly looking forward to the dinner, and celebrating with our family this year. So I am busy with all that comes with preparing the house and the meal for Thanksgiving..but I love it!! I am so thankful for my wonderful husband, my fabulous family, my health, my beautiful home, the country that I live in and the freedoms that we enjoy. This holiday that we celebrate is a good reminder, to not take these things for granted, as they can so quickly change. I will be taking a few days away from the computer to relax and spend time with my family over the weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!

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My Ugandan beads

Well... last week, I received my order of Ugandan beads in the mail! I had written a post previously about these beads made out of recycled paper by Ugandan women, as a means to support their families. I ordered some different sizes and colors, and I think they will be a nice addition to some projects that I have in mind. I am also planning on making a necklace incorporating these unique lightweight beads. Then, at my Christmas open house in November, I will hold a silent auction for the necklace. The winning bidder will receive a lovely piece of jewelry, and 100% of the amount of the winning bid will be donated to a charity that goes to help these women and their families. I am quite excited about this event, and if it is successful, I hope to make the Hot Rocks silent auction charity, an annual event at my open house. Reading about these women in Uganda, and what they must endure on a day to day basis, really puts things into perspective, and makes me realize how fortunate we are living in a civilized country! Pin It

Hot Rocks Clearance Sale

The Scorching Hot Summer Clearance Sale, is still on in my Etsy store, and its a great time to buy as these rock bottom prices will not be further reduced! So if you are looking for gifts for Christmas, or something special for someones birthday...please check out my store. All designs are one of a kind, and made using precious metals, artisan beads, Swarovski crystals, vintage beads and semi precious stones. I have several new and exciting items for the Fall season and the holidays, that I will be listing next week!

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Music Monday

Featured this week on Music monday is Queen! There will never be another voice like Freddie Mercurys', and this video is a classic. Check out Freddies jumpsuit!



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Love You Forever- Childrens book by Robert Munsch

Today my husband and I started our Christmas shopping. I know, I know......I am starting early, but we have been doing this now for about 8 years, and it is so worth being organized. First there are no crowds to battle with in the malls, or in the parking lots. The weather is better, no running in the freezing cold from the car to the mall, and no coats to lug around once you are inside the mall. There is great selection out in the stores right now, especially if you are looking to purchase any of the very hot toys and games for Christmas. Plus we get this all done so that in December, we can relax and actually enjoy the holiday season, without all the stress!! We have a big family, so that means a few trips to the big city over the next few weeks, for my husband and I to buy all the Christmas gifts, for our 4 children, 1 son- in- law, 2 grandchildren, 2 daughters boyfriends, 1 cat and 1 hamster, oh yes and something for each other! Amongst the Wii and Nintendo games, we try and fit in some classic games and toys, and most certainly some books...especially for the kids. Today, as I was browsing the childrens section in the book store, I came across one of my favourite books, written by popular childrens author, Robert Munsch , called " Love You Forever", and I bought a copy for myself! This is such a wonderful story about the love that a mother has for her son, and even although it is a childrens book, it is a lovely book to give to parents, grandparents, or even older adult children, that are hard to buy for. I find it to be a very moving story, and I always get teary eyed when I read it. Robert Muncsh writes great books for kids that have marvelous illustrations as well, and most of them are hilarious!You can read about these award winning books here. Check out his website, to hear him read Love You Forever out loud.

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