Design of the Month

I wanted to introduce the new design for February, because with it's heart theme I think it would be nice for Valentine's day, which will be here in a couple more weeks.

It's a Sterling Silver Puffy Heart Pendant, simple, but sweet...
Click here if you'd like to place an order.

I also have been working on a new addition to my Fairy Doors...

Little Fairy Houses...

...a little labor intensive, but fun to make.

If you'd like a closer look, they too are on my site.

Have a great weekend...
I think we'll be meeting up with the kids (Anthony and his girlfriend)

Maybe a movie and lunch/dinner. Kurt & I have been working overtime the last couple weeks, so we both are looking forward to a nice break...

xo

Introducing....

Something new...

Something fun...

Something magical...

Fairy Houses.

They will be making their way to my website tomorrow Friday Jan.28th.
I also added a few more Fairy doors too...

xo

Hearts for Haiti

My friend, Julie and I wanted to do something for Haiti.
So we decided to make a couple bracelets with a "Heart Theme" and donate the money.
I love how Julie's turned out, very sweet and delicate in pink and black. It would be perfect for Valentine's Day!
I chose to do a beachy theme, because I love the beach...I also made a little heart shaped sterling tag that says: Follow Your...
So if you've been wanting to give to Haiti, here is a wonderful way to do so....
Here is a link to the auction.
Hugs
xo

Here comes the sun...

and I welcome you with open arms...
xo

Waterlogged

(Molly looking out my studio window)

We have been having some crazy wet weather this week in California. Along with the buckets of rain we also have had thunder & lightening, high winds which caused power outages all over. While we need the rain & snow, we just don't need it all at once. Last night we got a dusting of snow. But 20 minutes up the road in Yosemite, all roads going in and out are closed due to down trees. We'll be getting a break from the storm over the weekend with 2 days of sunny skies...we need it.

I put a few loose beads on Etsy today...enjoy!

Happy Weekend!

xo

Sweeter than Honey

Can you tell I've had bees on the brain lately...

While playing with PMC (fine silver) last week, I found myself making little houses for bees. Do you like? I'm also working on some new Fairy Doors too! Which should be ready next week.

xo

The adventure begins...

Last weekend I headed up to Santa Cruz to meet up with my friend, Julie to take a beginner beekeeping class.
At the end of class, Kathy our teacher opened a bee box to show us first hand what we can look forward to. I can't wait until Spring when I get my bee babies!


Kathy smoking the bees to calm them down a bit before opening the hive...


Prying the box open...


A little more smoke, you don't want angry bees...


Pulling out a frame...


Look at those busy little bees...

Dripping with honey...

I started a new folder on Flickr where I'll put all my photos, if you'd like to follow me on this adventure of beekeeping.

After class, Julie and her hubby Steve showed us (Kurt & I) around town. We ate some yummy Mexican food, walked around, went to some fun stores and pigged out on frozen yogurt and cookies too.
We had so much fun, I'm ready to move to Santa Cruz!
Thanks Julie and Steve for showing us a fun time...
xo

The soup is simmering...

I received my goodies in the mail last week from my Bead Soup Party partner, Lorelei of Designs by Lorelei.

I LOVE them! Very pretty and earthy...I've used the beach pebbles (ones the right) before, but never with the holes drilled on the sides, for a dangle. So those will be fun. The silver leaf clasp is very pretty too. I also love the ceramic green leaf "Dream" focal.
Now I'm going to let the beads simmer for a couple days (think about what kind of design I should use them in) I'm not sure if I should make them into a bracelet or a necklace?
What do you think?

On February 10th there will be a blog hop, everyone will be showing off the new designs they came up with from the beads their partner sent them. I can't wait to see what Lorelei did with the beads I sent her!
xo
Update-Lorelei posted a pic of the beads I sent her too, if you'd like to see.

Ecosystem

I love terrariums. They are my way of getting my gardening fix during the cold months. I've been playing around with making little things to adorn these little ecosystems, like mushroom plant picks...This week while working on hedgehog orders, I made a hedgehog plant pick. Do you like?

I'll be offering a couple today on my website. Along with a couple Fairy Doors and a couple Sterling Necklaces.

Have a great weekend!

xo

Mmm Mmm Good...

I was looking for a simple but tasty soup recipe the other day. My dad sent me this one (thanks dad) it was perfect...
sitting by the wood stove, sipping hot soup and listening to the rain, while watching Mad Men.

Vegetable Soup
2 medium Zucchini sliced thin

2 medium carrots sliced 1/4 inch thick (I used a small bag of mini carrots)

10 white button mushrooms, sliced

2 stalks celery sliced 1/4 inch thick

frozen corn- 15 oz. package ( I skipped the corn)

1 large russet potato-peeled and cubed

1/2 lb green beans cut in half diagonally

4 cups reduced sodium vegetable broth (I used chicken broth)

3 cups canned unsalted crushed tomatoes -drained

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tbsp chopped garlic (I added more, I love garlic)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 2 tsp dried

1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano or 2 tsp dried

Add ground pepper to taste
I also added 1-onion (chopped) and a rib eye steak (cut into small pieces)

Cook the onion and beef in a large pot over medium heat, until beef is cooked through.

Add the other ingredients and bring to boil and then simmer for about 20 minutes until

the vegetables are tender. Once done, take some of the vegetables out to puree in a food

blender then returned to the pot or if you like your soup more chunky skip doing that step. I have a Cuisinart Smart Stick so I just used that for a couple seconds. Salt and pepper to taste.
Bon Appetite

Beads and other goodies...
I have two Fairy Doors and a couple other things coming tomorrow on my site...
xo

Time for change

The new year always gets me in the mood for change...

I want to paint every room in our house. The only problem is we have an open floor plan, so all the colors will need to complement each other...Now I just need to figure out what colors I want to live with for awhile...or at least until next year.
xo

A warm morning walk...

Somebody got just what she wanted for Christmas...
Molly LOVES blankets (baby blankets) because they are soft and warm.
I'm not sure if it's just Molly, but she loves to burrow...whether it's in her burrow bed or under her warm blanket on those early morning walks (or rides in her case)

I'll be working on Hedgehogs this week, plus a couple other things too...
Have a great week!
xo

A Family...

A family of Hedgehogs will be heading over to my website tomorrow...

xo

Party Party Party

Lori is hosting a bead soup party...I'll be there, will you?

I hope so! It should be fun, fun, fun...

Tomorrow I'll have a couple new beads on my site.
xo

New Goodies are up...

I just put a few goodies on my site. I hope you enjoy...
xo

A New Start

A new year...a new start.
Today it's back to work...
I feel refreshed and ready to start a new week, a new year.
I've been enjoying seeing what people are coming up with for their sayings/words for the DOTM.
Some of you are picking a single word to inspire you throughout the year, like:
HOPE
SING
FAMILY
PLAY
I like this idea so much I've decided to make a bracelet for myself using a word to inspire myself throughout the year...my word is going to be...
ORGANIZE
I just feel better/happier when I'm organized in my life.

I have a few new things going on my site today, I'll send out a newsletter when they are up and ready.
xo

Hap Hap Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a very Happy Holiday!
Mine was a very nice one filled with much happiness...
Oh and looky what I'll be doing this Spring...yup beekeeping.
This is something I've been wanting to do for a few years now, so this will be the year!
It should be an adventure and I hope you'll have fun following along on this adventure with me...

It's that time again, time for the new DOTM. This Month's Design of the Month is something fun and personalized...

Is there something you'd like to say? Something you'd like the world to know?
Maybe your New Years Resolution? A favorite quote? A saying? Kids names? The possibilities are endless...
Plus, you can pick the color of lampwork beads you'd like....How fun is that!
You can check them out here. Plus on Monday Jan. 4th, I'll be adding a few new things on my website too.

Have a Safe and Happy New Year Everyone!
xo

Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas...

Wishing you and your loved ones a Very Merry Christmas.
xo

Holiday Gifts

Every year I make (most) of my holiday gifts.
Which also include foody gifts...
This year I made Pomegranate Jelly and Cookies (4 different kinds)
I'm lucky enough to live in central California where we grow tons of pomegranates. I love them! So when I found this recipe I knew I had to try it! And instead of pressing tons of pomegranates, I bought the juice (Costco) which made it so easy peasy...My friend Melissa loaned me her Cuttlebug machine to make my tags, which I think turned out pretty cute. Thanks again Melissa!

I'm warning you...

I'm warning you now, these are so addictive! Before you know it you will have eaten the whole tray of these crunchy, buttery, salty, sweet, chocolaty treats. I'm just warning you...

Saltine Cracker Toffee

Ingredients

• 4 ounces saltine crackers (one sleeve)

• 1 cup butter


• 1 cup dark brown sugar


• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips


• 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).


2. Line cookie sheet with saltine crackers in single layer.


3. In a saucepan combine the sugar and the butter. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Immediately pour over saltines and spread to cover crackers completely.
4. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Let sit for 5 minutes. Spread melted chocolate and top with chopped nuts. Cool completely and break into pieces.

Snug as a Bug

(please excuse Kurt's "painty" hands)

When I realized a couple months ago that Molly did not care for wearing hats much, I was rather bummed. But we are trying really hard to over come this because she looks so darn cute in them...

xo

Etsy shop update

I just updated my Etsy shop with some new goodies...
I still have a couple more things here that I'll try and get photographed and listed over the next couple days...
The Etsy show last night was fun!
I meet a couple people that I've only talked to on line, so finally meeting them in person was nice...
A few good friends ventured out in the rain to say hi, plus I meet a lot of new friends from the show.
All in all it was a great night!
xo

Over the river and through the woods...

To The Cirque du Noel Etsy Holiday Craft Show I go...
If you are local, I hope you'll stop by tonight.
December 10th 6-11pm.
The Big Red Church, corner of Van Ness and Yale, Fresno, CA
xo

LOVE ♥

I love, love, love this time of year...
xo

Miles and Miles of Fun...

This weekend we hit the road...
After a four hour drive, our first stop was Anaheim California, no we didn't go to Disneyland. We went to a Air Brush Show for Kurt. When we were done there we hit some of my favorite stops...
Rogers Gardens (love this place!) Versailles (for the best Cuban food) and Sprinkles (for dessert) It was a fun and looong day...
Sunday we headed up to San Francisco for Wicked (which was so good) After we grabbed a bite at Cheesecake Factory (I like their Spicy Crispy Beef) and then headed home.
We were anticipating coming home to freshly fallen snow...but the storm was a little delayed, it just started snowing about 15 minutes ago (so pretty)
I'm taking it a little slower today...I feel like I'm boarder line on getting sick, I think I just over did it a bit...but it was worth it!

I also will be putting the Money Order in the mail today (to the Toys for Tots)
Thank you again to everyone who placed bids!
xo

Ahh Friday...

I finally feel like I've got a handle on things around here...
The Toys for Tots auction was a huge success!
Again, thank you everyone who placed a bid/bids. Thanks to you, so many children will have a very Merry Christmas this year. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I've been working over-time on getting things made for my show next week. I've been making mostly repeats of things I've made in the past, but I also have been working on new things too.
Like the bracelet above...something fun and colorful, that you can wear year round.
Do you you like?

Today I'll be turning up the Christmas tunes and decking the halls...
Our tree has been up for almost a week now and it still sits bare. But not for much longer...
Ho Ho Ho

We have one Wicked weekend planned!
We are taking the kids up to San Francisco to see Wicked. So looking forward to it...
Hope you have a great weekend too!
xo

P.S. My email link on my site is now working again. I'm not sure how long it was down? So if you sent me a email and I never responed (I never got it) so please send me a new one. Thanks

Going, going, gone...

Today is the last day to get your bids in for the Toys for Tots Auction over here.

Bidding ends at 6:00pm PST (West Coast Time)
xo