REALLY?

I took Mia school shopping tonight and I have to tell you it was funny.  Well at least it was to ME.  Mind you, she is heading off to kindergarten and the child needs shoes.  My intention was to go find a pair of shoes or two and some clothes if we had the time.  HA!  Mia had a gift card from JC Penny so we went there first to find something for her to spend her money on and we NEVER made it out of the store.   Can I just tell you that the girl spent it on two lip glosses?  Really?  TWO? 

I couldn’t convince her to purchase clothes, shoes, accessories or anything.  Lip gloss.  ugh!  (My mama didn’t rear me that way)  That wasn’t the funny part.  Nu uh.

We went to another department to look at clothes for Mia and all of the sudden I felt overwhelmed.  Glitter, rhinestones, peace signs, crazy colors, lots of lace, etc.  Clothes were everywhere and they all looked like clothes she shouldn’t be wearing at this age..to me.  Apparently I freaked out a teeny, tiny bit because my daughter said, “Just settle down Mama.  We can come back here later.  Just relax.” 
Really?  Did I just hear that? 
You should have seen the hand motions that went with it.  Cracked me up.  Needless to say, I’ll be shopping another night. 
I gave up and left (with two lip glosses).  Her little lips were slathered with that stuff and she was so happy.

Boxwood is da BOMB

Boxwood isn’t just for landscaping (in my opinion).  I LOVE it outside and have it for a border in my front yard landscaping, but I wanted to put my loverly container to use so…I purchased two bunches of plastic boxwood and plucked them all apart and make this arrangement for the house.  It makes me smile!  Isn’t that silly?  I finally found a use for this container.  I purchased it many years (like 12) ago and have used it for this and that but I think this will last a long time with its new use…a home to boxwood sprigs.
 

It is currently on my kitchen table but I’m sure it will migrate every few months to a new home.

I won’t bore you with the step by step tutorial because you all can see how it is done below.  You’re welcome.  : )

Simply Mesmerizing

Quite a few years ago (let’s not mention how many, ok?), I went to see an exhibition of a few pieces from artist Dale Chihuly.  I was mesmerized by the glass and how breathtaking it was.  Beautiful colors, amazing shapes, enormous pieces of glass twisted into magnificent works of art.  It is something you have to see in person to really appreciate!  I’m thrilled that I got to see a few pieces of his work and would LOVE to own one of my own some day. I want a basket or a seaform some day.  These pictures were taken many years ago so I had to scan them in but I wanted to share just a few things that I saw that day. 

 

I was standing in front of this large piece.  Fabulous.  I grinned all day.

This one hung from a ceiling.  I’m not doing it justice.  It was VERY large and I don’t know if you can tell but it was in various shades of orange.

Now this one was on the floor and all of it was clear glass.  I know it looks strange but I tell you it was wonderful.

Have you ever heard me rave over something like this?  I’m a glass geek.  I can’t help it.

If anyone else has seen some of his work, let me know.  I’d love to hear what YOU thought!!

Call me a sucker but…

when it comes to silly, sappy, “girly” movies, I fall for them and get caught up in them.  I finally got around to seeing When in Rome.  I loved it.  It was cute and made me laugh and I totally fell for it.  Sucker!  I know, I know.  I just can’t help myself.  My poor husband.

Did anyone else think it was a good movie?  Are you a sucker too?

I’ve been working on things around the house.  I’ve spray painted so many things that my husband just laughs at me when I pick something up because he thinks I’m going to spray it.  If it doesn’t move, it has a fair chance of being painted a new color.  I’m nesting again.  I have NO idea why but I just can’t seem to help myself.  Move this, paint that, rearrange here and there, repurpose this and that.  It makes life…unpredictable, right?  That is how crazy I am.  CRAZY I tell ya!  Pretty sad isn’t it if that is all the more crazy I get?  Oh well.  I’m having fun.

2010 - Customer of the Year

Connie – 2010 Customer of the Year

I am honored to say that I have had a wonderful customer these past few years and her name is Connie.  She helped me design some wonderful pieces of jewelry and I’m so thrilled that she chose me to help her with sentimental gifts. 

Connie is a woman that gives generously, loves fully, and enjoys laughter.  She blesses those around her in a way that only Connie can.  She is an avid gardener and flowers thrive near her.

Thank you Connie for blessing my life.

Name it

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Here is what I found in my window.  What do you think was happening here and do you think this could have a title or name?  How about – Don’t throw me under the bus?  These are small little toys (fairies to be exact) from the Tinker Bell movie.  No toys were harmed in this scene (that I know of).

Piece by piece

“Really?      Puzzles?       NOW?”  I ask.  “Sure, let’s get them out and let Mama make some coffee and I’ll help.”  I stagger towards the kitchen and notice the early hour and that she is totally ready to start her day.  Me?  Not so much at 7:10.  Not THIS ready.  Recently she has become fascinated with puzzles.  Ashley wants to do them all day long.  She is very independent and gets frustrated but sticks with it and I admire her diligence to complete the puzzle.   She is only 2 1/2 and I’m surprised by her determination to complete them by herself.  Her little face gets so serious while she puts it together.  I love these phases.  Soon we will be on another kick but for now, puzzles are IT!

Something new from something old

I’m tired of using shoes as a door stopper so I made this yesterday to put at my back door.  I wanted something that wouldn’t break but could function as a decorative element. 

Ring a ling.a.ling

When the phone rings, I get nervous.  There is that moment when my heart races and I wonder if it is good news or bad news that awaits on the other end.  I find myself dreading answering it at times.  Too many people are facing big issues in life around us and I want some of the outcomes to be different.  Ever been there?

Sale – Kaleidoscope Lampwork Bracelet

Sale price is $48.80.

There are great colors in this bracelet.  Red, lime green, royal blue, turquoise and white.  This is a super fun bracelet with lots of colors and personality!

Sale price good till 7.18.10

Play with your jewelry

Go ahead, play with it.  Have fun taking it apart and putting it back together to fit your mood.

This is on sale till Sunday.

Sale – Chic Bracelet

Calling all ladies who love to wear the wonderful kelly green color.  I LOVE this color and made this bracelet, earrings, and pendant set.  It doesn’t have lampwork beads but boy is it ever yummy!  Check it out!

Sale – Timeless Beauty Bracelet

Next item on sale.   Price good through 7.18.10. : )

Sale – Full of Fun Necklace

Today’s item to be added to the sale is a necklace with lots of colorful lampwork beads.  This necklace can be adjusted to be worn short or long.

This item is being marked down for the sale to

$36.50. 

I only have one and this will not be duplicated so grab it while you can.  This sale price is good till 7/18/10.

More items being added to the sale each day!

SALE - Miracles Bracelet and Earrings

Sale, Sale, Sale!

This week I will be having a sale on the items in my shop. 

I will put a new item up for sale each day for the rest of the week, ending on Sunday.  Don’t miss the sale.

Questions from Mia

Each day brings wonderful experiences with children and I love it when Mia (my five year-old) asks questions.  She asks questions ALL DAY LONG.  Here are some recent questions.

“When is kid’s day?  There is Father’s Day, Mother’s Day and Grandparent’s Day.  When is it kid’s day?”  I thought that was a wonderful question.

“Why are boys so rough?  They don’t play like me  and I don’t like their games.”

“Why can’t I marry Daddy.  He can be married to both of us, can’t he?”

“Why do you get to drink Coke whenever you want to?”

“Is Ellie visiting with Grandpa in heaven?”

“The gas station is up the street?  Do you mean up in the sky, in heaven?”

A what?

I COMPLETELY forgot to follow up and tell you what this is.  It looks scary doesn’t it?  Well, it is called a frog.  Yes, a frog.  It is used in the bottom of a flower vase or container to help the stems stay in place when creating a flower arrangement.  I use it all of the time and it keeps the difficult flower arrangements together when the stems want to flip out.   Now you know.

You will hear me say…DAILY

“Don’t make ugly faces at your sister!”

“Please use your manners.”

“Can you go get a tissue because I don’t really want that.  Thanks though.”

“Does it help to whine?”

“I’m going to count to three.”

“Awe, how sweet of you to hug her.  WAIT!  Not that tight!”

“Please eat your food.”

“Please share.”

“Did you wash your hands?”

“I’ll set the timer and then you can switch when it beeps.”

Forgive me if I randomly say one of these things to you.  I just can’t help myself sometimes…they just blurt out. 

I’m going to do it

I’m going to do it.  I’m going to blog more often, I promise.  I mean at this point, anything is an improvement, right?  Right. I didn’t blog the past few weeks while we were out of town in Florida, but I’m back and ready to jump into it.  I have felt guilty for not putting up new things so…my apologies.  Okay, I’m done.

So what have ya’ll been up to?  We went to Florida and it was wonderful.  I’m in the process of getting all of my photos together (all 335 of them) and will post them (no, not all of them) soon.  Walt Disney World was unforgettable and I SO enjoyed the delight of our children as they saw new things each day.

They danced on this bridge near the castle to music playing in the park.  Simply precious.

Mark and his girls.

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On to business.  I have a VERY messy studio that I would be mortified to show to anyone which I need to be tidy up.  I need to set up my new torch, concentrator, and all of the fun accessories I purchased.  OH JOY!  What is it about children that zaps all of our energy?  I can’t seem to find any of it lately.  Did someone hide it from me?  I know they stash things all of the time and I’m going to run across it one day in a drawer under a shirt or in the zipper of a little purse here in the house.  I just KNOW IT!  If anyone finds some extra energy around your home, mail it to me.  No, FEDEX it to me!  I’ll pay for the shipping.  giggle…

I’ll be back soon with pictures of two bracelets that I’ve been hiding and some pictures of my family.

Custom Design Stories - 2

Men love to give jewelry.  Thank goodness since women love to receive it also!  A win, win for everyone.  I recently worked with a husband who requested a custom lampwork design for his wife.  It was her birthday and he wanted to have a necklace and earring set for her special day.  We designed this necklace with pastel colors and a hint of blue so that she could wear it with LOTS of things in her closet.   

He contacted me after her special day and told me that she loved it and he was so pleased to have a unique gift for her. 

This is the part of my business that I LOVE!  Working on custom designs and getting to know my customers and their stories.  I LOVE it!