Busy Bee

I wanted to say a big thank you to Will Oaks Studio and Split Rock Ranch, for their song title suggestions for some of my new bracelet designs. This has helped me out, and they will each have until the end of the year to select  an item  at  10% off in my Etsy shop. I am a busy little bee, getting ready for the show that I will be at this weekend, May 1 and 2, so there may be a lack of posting here on my blog over the next week or so!  The Beyond Artisan Marketplace is dedicated to showcasing fine art and one of a kind hand crafted items, by artists and artisans. See the poster on the left side of my blog for more info on this great show.

   

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Earth Day

Happy Earth Day to all my readers!

I think every day should be earth day. Every day we should respect the planet and our own little corner of the world enough to do something to preserve our planet. Just the smallest things we do can add up to make a big change. Here are a list of 10 things that our family does on a regular basis to be kind to our planet.

1. We  are huge recyclers! We recycle weekly, all  our paper, cardboard, plastic, metal, glass, drink containers/bottles, milk jugs and batteries. I have an area dedicated to this in my mud room.

2. Donate used good clothing to charities.

3. Old t-shirts and towels are cut up and made into cleaning rags.

4. When shopping, I use reusable shopping bags. ( I make sure to always have a couple of those nylon bags that fold up real tiny in my purse.)

5. I buy local and organic whenever I can.

6. We hold garage sales every 2 years to sell our unwanted items, toys etc.

7. We recycle our electronics.

8.  We use energy and water saving appliances at home.

9.  We recycle our printer cartridges.

10. We mulch our garden, which keeps the moisture in, therefor conserves  the amount of water used .

I used to compost when I lived in the city, but  unfortunately, I can no longer do that, as we now live in bear country, and that causes its own set of problems! I am in the process of switching to earth friendly cleaning products, and experimenting with different brands until I find ones that I like. I am sure there are still many more things that I can do! What do you do on a regular basis for the earth we live in? Lets keep our planet beautiful!

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Naming those bracelets!

I am waaaay too busy right now getting ready for the Beyond Artisan show, on May 1 and 2! I need your help naming these  new designs that I made for that show.  Please have a look at the following designs, and then see the info below for earning a discount in my Etsy shop for helping me out! 
First up a couple of bracelets in a new design that I am trying out, a sort of "Pandora" style.

This next one uses some fabulous vintage  Miriam Haskell glass beads in vanilla and apricot,  vintage pale pink glass disks, crystals, gold vermeil and a Venetian glass heart in a very soft palette for Spring.

 Brushed sterling beads and assorted  vintage Swarovski crystal beads in jewel tones make this one super blingy!

This one is in a similar style, but more neutral. Here I used glass beads in a smoky gray and clear color, mixed with vermeil gold and sterling silver.

Finally this sweet design with assorted charms, a sterling key, a druzy bezel  and a dangle of Aquamarine.

They all need names! I would love to hear your  suggestions for any of these designs. If I use your suggestion,  I will give you 10 % off one item

(sale or regular price) in my Etsy shop! Here are the rules:

1.The title must be a song title...any song!

2.If your song suggestion is used, I will notify you.

3.There can be more than one winner, there are 5 bracelets to name!

4.The  10 % discount must be used by Dec. 31, 2010.

Easy.... right! So get your thinking caps on, I am looking forward to hearing your suggestions!

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Betty, Lucy and Pat!

Some of you who have followed my blog for  awhile now will remember meeting Betty and Lucy, my faithful yet funky mannequins with the red hair. They hang out with me in my studio, and do all the modeling for the necklaces  and earring photos. Some people think they are scary....I think they are fun!

  
They work hard doing practice setups at home before shows!

They go on the road with me to various art and craft shows and home parties through out the year.

However, I  have always yearned for a "proper" mannequin bust, that I can actually use when I am designing necklaces. I like to see the design take shape on a body type form, instead of flat on of a beading tray! So, while I was on my vacation, wandering through antique stores, I found....... Pat!

 Now, I am not sure if Pat is a male or a female..hence the name "Pat"! ( For those of you who used to watch Saturday Night Live back in the late eighties and early nineties, you will remember the weekly sketch called "Pat".) 

 I am not sure how old my Pat is, but I am thinking maybe middle aged?? I think Pat looks more masculine with the collar down, and a bit more feminine with the collar up!

 Pat has already started working, for me and I am pleased with how its going! I might even take Pat to my next show! Pin It

West Coast Island

I am back relaxed and inspired by the natural beauty of the west coast. I hope you enjoy these images from Vancouver Island in Spring and maybe, you will be as inspired as I was!

  There are a lot of these "textured" rock formations along  the coast in the gulf Islands. I love the cool patterns!

 Pretty spring flowers in bloom...remind me of a bride and her wedding gown.

 
Taking a stroll at low tide, led me to these little sea creatures stuck to the rock.

 Apple blossoms...so delicate and pretty !

I found these fish eggs washed up on the shore, and loved the color contrast of the intense red orange color of the fish eggs, against the neutral gray pebbles.

Rhododendrons in bloom in this fabulous lipstick red color...absolutely stunning!
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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