Let the fun begin

Let the fun begin!

Starting today, for 13 days new goodies will be added to the shop!

Have a great weekend!

xo

Soon, very soon

Happy Halloween (almost)

October's Design of the Month will start tomorrow, Friday September 30th.
For 13 days, I'll be adding a few new pieces everyday to the DOTM page (because 13 is a lucky number)

There will be spooky bracelets, creepy necklaces (and cute ones too), maybe a black cat and a spider or two. Plus, so much more!

I hope you'll come back and join in the fun!

Boo Ha Ha

Liquid Gold

I've been a hobby beekeeper for about two years now. But this is my first year for harvesting honey. The first year you leave all the honey for your bees so they can make it through the cold winter months ahead. By the second year hopefully your bees have been busy little things, so there will be enough honey for you both.

My girls (bees) did good this year.

Last weekend we harvested this years honey...

Honey supers full of honey ready to be uncapped...

Uncapping the comb with the heat knife, so the honey will flow when placed in the spinner.

Placing the frames in the extractor and start spinning...

And spinning...

and spinning some more.

Look at all that pretty golden goodness.

Now I'm looking forward to designing some fun labels for the bottles!
xo

Hip to be Square

Because I run a online business, I only take credit cards through paypal. I knew I was going to have to figure something else out if I was going to be doing shows this year.

I heard about the Square, so I gave it a try.

Let me say, I think it's the best thing! Really!

It's easy to sign up for it, once you do you'll receive a FREE little white card reader (in a couple days) that goes right on top of your phone (smart phones only)

They only charge you 2.75% for each sale and there is no monthly fee, none!

Banks charge more than that, plus a monthly fee of $45.

I tried it out this last weekend for the first time. So easy, it's my new favorite thing this week.

xo

Something new

The Chain Gang

xo

Soups on!

A few weeks ago I joined Lori's Bead Soup Blog Party.

Everyone got paired up and we exchanged our beads (A focal bead, a clasp and a few spacer beads)

My partner was Wendy Blum  (you might remember I sent her this soup mix)

She sent me this amazing Peruvian Amazonite focal, silver toggle, pearls and crystals.

Once I received my soup mix, I knew I had to make something with an ocean theme.

So off to the studio to make some "ocean" beads to go with my soup mix...

This is what I made, a Carmel by the Sea Necklace...

With a seaside glass bezel to hang the focal, a amazonite colored heart and a starfish all wrapped in sterling.

A little glass bottle is filled with beach sand from Carmel California.

(I collect sand from the beaches I visit)

Thanks again to our party host, Lori for putting on such a fun party!
If you'd like to check out all the party goers, here is the list.

Thanks for stopping by...xo

Before and After

As I'm getting ready for a couple upcoming shows, I wanted something for my table...something charming, something that would be fun and go with my name, Garden Path Beads.

Kurt came up with an idea and offered to make it for me.

I still can not believe he took this scrap metal...

And made this sweet garden gate for me...

Complete with a couple of my lampwork bees...

It's perfect! Just PERFECT!

I've been busy over these last few months getting ready for some fun events!

Here is a list of the happenings for the next few weeks...

Saturday, Sept. 17th
The Bead Soup is reviled (here on my blog)
This event is where you get matched up with a partner and you send each other beads and then you make something from the goodies they send you. This year my partner was Wendy who sent me an amazing Peruvian Amazonite focal bead! Fun Fun Fun

Sunday, Sept. 18th, 2011
I'll be selling here- (loose beads only)
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA BEAD SOCIETY
Ramada University Hotel
324 E. Shaw Ave.
Fresno, CA
9:00am-5pm

Saturday, Sept. 24th 2011
I'll be selling here- (Halloween goodies only, sorry no loose beads)
HALLOWEEN & VINE
Hermann Sons Hall
860 Western Ave.
Petaluma, CA
9am-2pm
www.halloweenandvine.com 

Saturday, Oct. 15th, 2011
I'll be selling here- (lots of fun goodies, maybe a few loose beads too)
GLITTERFEST
Elk's Lodge
212 S. Elk Lane
Santa Ana, CA
10am-4pm
www.glitterfest.com

If you are in the area, I hope you'll stop by and say hi!
Maria xo

To the top

My sister Pam climbing the cables.

Pam is almost to the top...

My sister Pam and I on the top of Half Dome in Yosemite yesterday...it was a long day (14 hours) of hiking, but we made it to the top!

Sweet

 

Did you know it takes about 556 worker bees to gather 1-pound of honey from about 2-million flowers.

Can you tell what I've been thinking about lately? Yep...harvesting my honey!
Soon, very soon.

It's going to be a busy week here...
My sister, Pam and her husband are flying in to go hike Half Dome (like we did last year)
We'll take some time and celebrate Pam and Kurt's birthday (both were last week)
Plus, I'll be spending every extra minute in the studio (I have a couple upcoming shows)
 

xo

What a HOOT

I added a couple goodies in the shop...

I also have a few loose (I mean single, hehe) owls. But I need to take pics of them and then I'll put them on the bead page in the next day or two.

Have a great 3-day weekend.

xo

Lucky Lucky Lucky

I'm so lucky! He (my better half) did it again!

Wait until you see would he made me from this pile of scrap metal!

It's almost finished, then I'll take a pic and share...I'm just saying "I'm so lucky"
xo

P.S.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment about Saturday's post. Thank you for your kind words. I too was blown away with all the different ideas people came up with to fill their shadowboxes! What a fun challenge that was!!!

The Challenge

A few weeks ago Lorelei picked 23 lucky people and challenged them to fill one of the above enameled shadowboxes anyway they wished. I received the pinkish rectangle shaped one on the left hand side.

The shadowbox sat on my work table for a few days before I knew what I wanted to do with it!

I thought flowers would go well with this shadowbox. Lampwork flowers...

So that is what I choose to fill my box with.

I then added little glass chips (frit) and poured a little resin into the bezel to hold everything in place. I added a lampwork heart dangle and some silk ribbon to complete the piece.
Thanks again Lorelei, this was a fun challenge!

Here are the links to all the participants-
 1.Lucid Moon Studio

2. Ann Rishell

3. Malin de Koning
4. Gray Girl Studios

5. Maria Grimes (you are here)

6. Beads of Busy Gals- Elizabeth
7. The Silly Pearl
8. Shay Stone- Shays creative journey

9. LissC

10. the Beading Yogini

11. Grubbi

12. Jenny Davies- Reazor
 13. Beth of Elizabeth Williams

14. Artybecca

15. Stefanies Sammelsurium

16. KreativeKsapylet

17. Shirley- Beads & Bread

18. Hilary Frye- Frye Style

19. Heather Wynn Millican

20. Staci Louise

21. Suzette- Ellie's Bijoux

22. Marina - Fanciful Devices

23. Andrew Thornton

Feelin' Fallish

Added a couple things to the shop.

If you'd like a peek, go here.

xo

Night hiking

A couple weeks ago we went night hiking in Yosemite. I thought it might be fun with the full moon and all.

NOT!

ok, the moon reflecting off the granite was really pretty, but even with our head lamps it was still hard to see. So it was sloooow going.

We saw a few of these (I have never seen one of these during the daytime) 

Glad we tried it, but I don't think we'll do it again.

xo

Soup Mix

I received my "Bead Soup" mix from my partner Wendy Blum. The focal is a Peruvian Amazonite (which is much prettier in person) Looking forward to some play time to see what I can come up with. 

You have a little more time before I go to random.com, to get yesterday's Facebook giveaway winner!

xo

A Giveaway!!!

Today I'm having a giveaway...

A fun Fall giveaway for a cute little acorn and 4-glass head pins.

This is a Facebook Giveaway, so we'll have to be "Facebook Friends"

But, it's easy for us to be friends!

Just click on the link below...
https://www.facebook.com/people/Maria-Grimes/100000006884795
(then click on "add friend")

Once we are friends, just leave a comment on my Facebook wall (not here on blogger)

That's all it takes, easy peasy...good luck!

I also put a set in my Etsy store, just in case you don't want to wait to see if you're a winner...

xo

Show and Tell

These are the beads I sent my "Bead Soup" partner Wendy. As you can tell, I was in a Fall mood when I made her beads (wishful thinking) with acorns and fall colored blooms. I also added a few glass head-pins.

I received the beads she sent me this weekend! I need to take a pic of them...I love them! Very Summery and beachy feeling. 

Come back tomorrow, as I have a little giveaway! Which is always fun...xo

potato potahto

  baby potato...so cute!

I can not believe I've never grown potatoes before!

And I only did this year by chance. Saw a bag of them as I was leaving the garden shop and said "what the heck, I'll give them a try"

We've been having potato salad for dinner and fried potatoes & onions for breakfast the last few weeks.

The package only gave planting instructions, I had to look on line to see when they would be ready for harvest (when the plants die back) 

I had no idea how easy growing potatoes were! 

They are my new favorite thing...

xo

Hello Sunshine

Looking out my window at my garden, it's like a little spot of sunshine. 

My bees are loving all the yellow blooms this year! Between tomato blooms to cucumbers to pumpkins to sunflowers, my bees are happy visiting those sunny yellow blooms this Summer.

In the photo above there were at least 7-8 bees tucked inside just that one bloom!

What are you growing in your garden this year? 
 

Deadlines

 

As if I'm not busy enough, I signed up for a couple more things to participate in..what was I thinking?

I know! I just didn't want to miss out on anything! Now I think I have a panic attack coming on...so many deadlines! But it's a fun busy...

Above are the beads I sent to my Bead Soup partner, Wendy Blum. They are incognito until she receives them...I hope she likes them! Once she receives them, I'll show their identity and I'll show off what she sent me. It's like Christmas in August! Fun Fun Fun

Weekend plans?

I am taking a little break to go night hiking!

With the full moon tomorrow, we thought it would be a perfect time to give it a try.

I must admit, I'm a little nervous about coming face to face with a bear (IN THE DARK!!!)

What are your weekend plans?