Some bling for Spring!

OK, as promised earlier today , here is the finished "Copacabana" bracelet! Certainly not for the faint of heart or  any shrinking violets in the crowd, this is a statement piece! Big, bold, chunky, and very retro with loads of "Shake , Rattle and Roll"!  The bracelet is mostly vintage beads, including cherry red, white pink and turquoise,  vintage, opaque Swarovski crystals from the 50's, big  round vintage turquoise beads  and lemon yellow glass beads  from Czechoslovakia, and these funky vintage "pearl " beads which add the texture to the bracelet. There is also a cute sterling heart charm and my own hand made clasp.  These are the very cool shoes that inspired this bracelet.

This definitely says "FUN"...with a capitol "F"!! Perfect for Spring. Pin It

Off to find Spring........

I am getting ready for a trip out to our other home on the west coast , where I am sure to find Spring. I cannot complain, our weather here in the foothills of the Rockies, has been fairly mild, no snow for a long time, and lots of warm sunny days. However, when you live here you learn not to be fooled by Mother Nature! She can throw a blast of winter weather at us any time she feels...and I do believe there are some flurries in the forecast later this week! The west coast weather is much milder, gentler and in full Spring mode where flowers are in bloom and trees are about to blossom.  I took this picture there last Spring. There is a childrens learning garden there, where they plant and take care of vegetables and flowers. I thought this display of painted boots was too cute...and hey Mr. Robin was posing too so how could I resist that great photo op! So I am taking an Easter break, with strolls on the beach. Before I go I hope to have my "Copacabana" bracelet finished and posted for you all to see. Remember that shoe calendar picture from a couple of weeks ago...well I am almost done! Thank you for your patience. I hope that all my readers have a happy Easter, and that you will have some quality time with your families like I am intending on doing. Pin It

Blogger Templates

Ok, so how many of you on Blogger were playing around with your blog designs today? Well as you can see I was! How exciting...I  have often thought about changing the look of my blog, but was not sure how to go about it, probably way too tech for me! So I don't know if I am 100% sure about the new look, I like some aspects of it, but may tweak it a bit in the coming weeks. What do you think? Any suggestions? Pin It

Delaying Spring, in Lake Louise!

We had a great weekend away in the Rockies, the skiing was fun, the hotel was amazing and there was a lot of snow! Even tho Lake Louise is less than 2 hours from where we live, there was a ton of snow there! Skiing on Saturday was perfect...a fabulously sunny day and the views are incredible from the top of the lifts. Here you can see the ski runs on the mountain.



The hotel was luxurious and the food in every restaurant was world class. My sons' favorite was the gourmet hot chocolate. On Sunday we went for a 2 and 1/2 mile walk across the frozen lake , all the way to the other side and back . Along the way we saw people on cross country skis, skiing across the lake, and a horse drawn sleigh on the trail next to the lake, which I thought would be a fabulous ride at Christmas time.


As we walked further we saw 2 waterfalls that were frozen, they were that pretty shade of ice blue, so magical!
We made it all the way to the other side!



Here we are, in front of the Olympic ring ice sculpture that was in front of the hotel. Pin It

Heading for the hills!

Tomorrow we are heading up to the Rocky Mountains for the weekend, to Lake Louise, to take in a bit of skiing and to visit our daughter who lives and works in the hotel there. This time we splurged on a hotel room at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Hotel, on the lake, so I am looking forward to those little luxuries like not cooking for a few days!


My husband and I usually ski for about 3 or 4 hours now as we can no longer seem to go all day like we used to. Our kids pass us on on the hill now, and are always impatiently waiting for us at the bottom. I figure I am in no race, I will take my time, enjoy the scenery, and get down the mountain in one piece! After half a day my legs are like jello! I am also a fairweather skier...hate the freezing cold, and prefer to go now.. in the Spring time, when the weather is usually warmer. The lake at Lake Louise stays frozen until about mid June...that is where the hotel is situated.
In the summer many tourists from around the world, flock to the area that is renowned for its beauty.


I hope you have a great weekend, what ever you may be doing in your neck of the woods! Pin It

Lacey bracelet

I love this style of bracelet, loose, flowing with lots of movement! This one reminds me of lace, with the different sizes of "holes" that are in the sterling silver chains. It is a very feminine style and drops down onto the top part of your hand...so pretty! I think this looks just as fashionable with jeans and a white t-shirt, as it would with a wedding gown. Neutral and versatile! I listed this bracelet, a couple of weeks ago in my Etsy shop.

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Beach wedding necklace

My trip to Maui, was the inspiration for this necklace that I designed with freshwater pearls, sterling silver and artisan lampwork beads. Kind of like treasures from the sea, coming together to create this beach style piece. I think this would be perfect for a beach wedding! I called it Ebb Tide.

Ebb Tide.
Ebb Tide lyrics
Writers:
Sigman/Maxwell

First the tide rushes in
Plants a kiss on the shore
Then rolls out to sea
And the sea is very still once more
So I rush to your side
Like the oncoming tide
With one burning thought
Will your arms open wide
At last we're face to face
And as we kiss through an embrace
I can tell, I can feel
You are love, you are real
Really mine
In the rain, in the dark, in the sun
Like the tide at its ebb
I'm at peace in the web
Of your arms Pin It

Inspired by a calendar!

I have one of those page a day calandars in my kitchen, you know the kind that you change the picture each day. This one is all shoes...I adore shoes, so every Christmas my husband and son buy me one of these shoe calendars. Well a few days ago, there was an amazing pair of shoes...actually a work of art, that really caught my attention! The artist is Marina Dempster. Check these out... the shoes are covered in tiny seed beads!

I loved the texture, and pattern, but most of all the color combination was stunning. The colors to me are tropical, retro, fun... what gorgeous colors for summer! So..... I have been inspired, and have started a bracelet, made entirely of vintage beads in the same color scheme as these shoes! I already have a name for it as well. Alas...I have run out of wire, so must wait to finish it until the wire order arrives. So stay tuned for my "CopaCobana" bracelet!
Please visit Marinas' website, for more information on her background, career, and current work. Here are some more pictures of this amazing artists' work:

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SRAJD?

I am sure that some of you have often seen this logo or one similiar to it, on several jewelry sites and blogs, and wondered...what is that all about? SRAJD stands for :

Self representing Artists in Jewelry Design

Well OK...but what does that mean? When you purchase jewelery from an SRAJD member, you are buying directly from and supporting that artist.
"It is the mission of the SRAJD organization to raise awareness of the benefits of buying directly from the artist. "
This is an international group that was started in the USA, by jewelry designer Laura Bracken. A selection of sponsers that are jewelry designers, are listed each month on the SRAJD sponser page with links to their websites or shops. There is also a separate list of contributing members, with links to their websites as well. This is a great resource, should you be in the market for original handcrafted jewelry, and a wonderful opportunity to support jewelry artists from around the world. There are some amazing artists listed here, and they are all offer something different and unique. There is also a wealth of invaluable information for jewelry artists, as well as tutorials on techniques, color theory, Bali silver etc. If you are a jewelry designer, or just staring out making jewelry and are interested in becoming a member or a sponser...the fees are very reasonable....please check out this website!


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Silver Girl

Another bracelet in the silver and gold series...this one is called Silver Girl. I used mainly sterling silver beads in this one, accented with just a few small gold vemeil beads, as I focused more on the textural elements instead. I also added a big holed freshwater pearl bead for interest. On sale now in my Hot Rocks Etsy shop.



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.......and coordinating earrings!

Staying with that same gold and silver theme, but adding a touch of black with some vintage Swarovski crystals. These are long...3 and 1/4 inches, fashion forward and a bit edgy! All made with sterling silver and gold vermeil. I created the silver wire coils that fit through the big holed, gold pandora style beads. These earrings are now in my Etsy shop. Pin It

For our heroes!

I finally have some new designs that I will be listing on Etsy this week. After watching the Vancouver Winter Olympics on TV, and enjoying the amazing skills of all the athletes, the excitement of a win, and the despair of a loss, I was inspired to create a selection of jewelry, entirely in silver and gold. Here is the first item, a bracelet, that I will be listing in my shop this afternoon. I combined sterling silver, and vermeil ( gold plating over sterling silver) beads, with lampwork beads by USA artisan Melissa Rediger. So in honour of all the Olympic athletes, that entertained us for the past 17 days, this one is called "Heroes".

I, I wish you could swim

Like the dolphins

Like dolphins can swim


Though nothing, nothing will keep us together

We can beat them, forever and ever

Oh, we can be heroes just for one day


I, I will be King

And you, you will be Queen

Though nothing will drive them away

We can be heroes just for one day

We can be us just for one day


I, I can remember

(I remember)

Standing by the wall

(By the wall)

And the guns, shot above our heads

(Over our heads)

And we kissed, as though nothing could fall

(Nothing could fall)


And the shame, was on the other side

Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever

Then we could be heroes just for one day


We can be heroes

We can be heroes

We can be heroes just for one day

We can be heroes


David Bowie Pin It