Summertime Tease

I bought all these great beads (and Buffalo pin because I have a thing for Buffaloes and buy them when I can)at Nawbin Beads & Curiosities in Traverse City, Michigan last month. When you go to the link, check out the Fordite!
These pretties are just hanging around for the summer I guess. I am enjoying summer or rather, enjoying the inside of my vehicle this summer and beading is on hold for one more month. I may eek something out in the dead of night one of these days, though. Ya never know.
I seem to have a color scheme going on. It was completely unplanned. I just got what my wallet would allow and what spoke to me that particular day. All I can say is: Welcome Back Turquoise!!! I have missed you the past few years.

Keep it Simple

Our community is now without a bookstore.
I feel dumber already.
Browsing through the titles, sitting down on the floor in front of the shelf with the intent of leafing through a book only to be there hours later, completely engrossed in it. The conversations with strangers, the coffee that tries to be good, the cookies that look good but are not(but we occasionally buy them anyway), the recommendations the guy at the cash register always offers. Where will I get all that now? Where will my whole community get all that? It is so much more than it appears. This will force me to start using the Library again. And I am sure I will have more money in my pocket since I won't be buying, just borrowing. But it just won't be the same. I can't talk in a normal voice and truthfully, the Librarian here isn't so nice. And they don't allow food and beverages...unless you are a toddler attending story hour.

So in my yearning for what was, I soothe myself temporarily by making jewelry. I decided to keep it simple. As simple as opening a book.

The Sweet Smell of Vacation

Golden Moments

I am a bit overwhelmed with jewelry that has to get done by Wednesday and some family matters I have to attend to by that day as well...fun family matters, but it starts out as work nonetheless. I am having an extremely difficult time focusing and feel scattered. Then there is the phone. Which won't stop ringing. I have tried to pinpoint the time in my life when when I went from joyously leaping for the phone to cringing when it rings (and it has nothing to do with the caller). I think it was around the birth of my second daughter. I am not a multitasker, so when I have to do more than one thing at a time, I get rattled. I always pull it together, always get the job done, always breath a sigh of great relief, always enjoy the after-moment. I let my head wander when I am stressed, to my happy place...it always involves water. My go-to place is the cove on my parents lake. When I get my new camera, I will show you. I can never go in the cove without thinking I will see Kermit on a log, playing banjo. I am genuinely a tad disappointed when I don't see him. My other happy place has always been Colorado. It wasn't until last summer that I knew exactly where in Colorado. It only took me from when I was 3 years old to figure it out...I take my time :-) Creede, Mineral County, Colorado. Rio Grande winding through the region. Rich Dark Western History in the old mining area. Nothing but Beauty. The town has a fabulous Repertory Theatre, art galleries, a true treasure of a place. It is the only town in the whole county. A perfect place for someone who gets crippled by indecision. My other happy place. I go there often in my mind. I am drawing from it right now. I go back to this image in particular~the Bird Man, my Bug, and my Sunshine Girl, enjoying what the Rio has to offer before the rain comes. A warm, refreshing, cleansing rain.

Global Esty Craft Party

Hello Hello!

Busy weeks around here. Great Arts on Fire Festival this past weekend with Sally Russick of Wireworked. School year wrapping up, summer schedules to negotiate, jewelry to be made. So as soon as I start a Blog, I seem to have neglected it. I need to get through the next few weeks then I can devote more time to updating jewelry posts, etsy posts, food posts, crazy Mama posts. And when I get my new camera, I will have some pretty sweet pictures to post of the veggie garden, jewelry, pets, nature, kids, the Bird Man. In the meantime, I cannot take a picture of the latest news here: a Carolina Wren has built a nest in our boat and the eggs have hatched. So the Bird Man is beside himself that we cannot use the boat until the babies fly off. And the boat that the nest is in is leaning up against the dog kennel that belongs to our English Pointer, Ruby...ya know, the bird dog! I keep reminding him that we have kayaks and we don't need that old fishing boat to have a good time...just a little arm strength and good balance.

I am off to sweat my yaya off in Hot Yoga. But I will leave you with the latest show info:

This Friday from 6-9pm, there is an Etsy Craft Party at New Visions Studio and Gallery at 201 Vine Street, Scranton. All kinds of handmade goodies will be available to purchase, so come on down, say hello, see what the vendors have been making and enjoy the Gallery!

Namaste everyone!!!

Arts on Fire Festival

Sally of Wireworked and I will have a tent at this Saturday's Arts on Fire Festival. We are really excited to be participating in this event:-) Come on down and see what is going on!

Of Kindness and Passion and Plain Ol' Good Heartedness

A few weeks ago, my daughter and I finally made our pilgrimage to Earth and Wears, Lyn Carey's shop at 68 Main Street in Dallas, PA. Lyn makes beautiful pottery and ceramic jewelry. I am a very proud wearer of one of her pieces I fell in love with last year. See me and the Gorgeous Necklace?! She also makes really cool mugs. I really wanted to buy one, but if I came home with one more mug, the Bird Man I live with would change the locks. He doesn't understand when I pick a mug to drink out of based on my mood. And he doesn't understand why we bought a matching set all those years ago, if I was just going to add individual mugs to the cabinet anyway. So instead I bought oil and vinegar containers. Been looking for just the right ones for years. Who knew I would find them in Lyn's tiny shop?! And it is tiny! Teeny tiny, in fact. But you know what Grandma always said...Good Things Come in Little Packages! As small as it is, it is not cluttered and I never felt claustrophobic. Lyn's jewelry is so beautiful and earthy and very unique. Lyn has other people's pottery in her store too, all very beautiful and creative. I love seeing people's different styles side by side like that. There was other artists' handmade creations: jewelry, accessories, handbags, change purses, and beautiful journals. Sally of Wireworked gave me one of the handmade journals from Lyn's shop as a gift. She said she was drawn to it and wanted to give it to me. It is one of the most cherished gifts I own. The color and feel and size...great dreams and ideas seem possible when I hold that journal and write in it. When I walked into Lyn's shop for the first time, I had the same feeling---Greatness was all around me and I needed to take my slow time and soak it all in. Lyn welcomed my daughter with open arms and an open heart, answering all the pottery questions she had, making her feel special. The whole ride home, my Little Sunshine Girl talked non-stop about wanting to feel the clay in her hands and really create something lasting. Who knew a visit to a teeny tiny Handmade Shop could spark such a passion in us? I came home and filled the vessels with EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar. The Bird Man thought they were perfect---"Just what we needed!" he said. And he really meant it :-)