Beading Contest!

Happy Mango Beads is hosting a beading contest! Winners receive a $100 gift certificate! Coo!! Deadline is August 6th so hurry!

Books and Beads

So, we are now in August, which makes me think of The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. That was a good one. So many good books out there. I'm just finishing up Philipa Gregorys The Other Boleyn Girl, which was recommended to me by Joelle. As a mother, reading stories where children are regarded and treated as property sends a chill down my spine and puts a knot in my stomach, but I am enjoying it. A lot. I gave her a copy of Intensity, a page a second thriller by Dean Koontz. I read the last chapter with my eyes closed. Maybe not a fair trade in a book swap. So now I'm on the hunt for a good read. Any suggestions? Post a comment with your favorite page turner and I'll pull a winner to receive a bead bundle like the ones currently in my etsy shop! I'll choose a winner on Friday!

Exploration...

Exploration is the act of searching or traveling a terrain (including space) for the purpose of discovery of resources or information.

I have joined the ABS Blog Carnival and this months theme is EXPLORATION. Which I love! For me a trip to the bank is and exploration. These photos were taken right outside their front door! Exploration and discovery can happen around every corner.

Pulling these little bead bundles together has helped me explore colors and shapes and has helped me think of some new design ideas.

Working in clay makes every day an exploration. It seems to have a life of it's own and never fails to surprise and excite me. I've been exploring new shapes in the clay and new glaze combinations which I can't wait to pull out of the kiln later in the week!

Let Them Eat...

I recently received a preview copy of "Kids' Cakes from the Whimsical Bakehouse: And Other Treats for Colorful Celebrations" by Kaye and Liv Hansen. Actually it was quite a while ago that I received this copy to review and life has not been a cake walk, pun intended (see posts on fallen tree and dead car). So I did get to look through and marvel at the beautifully decorated, sweetly designed cakes (a bed cake for a slumber party! Too cute!), but I haven't had a moment to actually try any of the recipes. Magnolia instantly wanted to make a "Make-up" cake with tiny lipsticks and other dress-up accoutrements. Calder wanted to make, and eat, the treasure chest cake (great use of gold chocolate coins!). And we all wondered how you could actually eat the woodland log cake with the little whimsical fairies and flowers (I guess if I was feeling sadistic that day I could!?) There were lots of detailed written instructions which was great, especially for a pastry challenged person like myself, but being a visual person, some step by step instruction photos wouldn't have hurt either (what does it look like to draw on candy?). Magnolias fifth birthday is just around the corner, a fact she has been sharing with every person we encounter (did the kind checker lady behind the register at Target or the other dozen complete strangers really care yesterday? They all did a great job pretending to!) So I may have to bust out the measuring cups (and actually measure) to make a cake that is hopefully too beautiful to eat, but so delicious that we will anyway!

Dewy Morning

It was a bit of a dewy morning. The sprinklers probably helped too. It's amazing what nature can do and it is amazing when you catch her in the act of something amazing....

Have you caught nature in the act of something amazing?

Holy Moly! How did that happen?!

I just noticed! The little etsy shop that could is nearing 300 sales! WOW! Thanks to every one who has participated in the "FIRE SALE"! Thank you nanascraftycrafts! She was the 300th order!

The 300th sale will get this lavender pendant sent with their order! Actually all the etsy orders have had little thank you gifts thrown in! Thank you! 

Etsy Treasury! Check It Out!

How cool is this! Etsy seller "soap" included my listing in her treasury! Pretty cool!

Did I Blink?

Lot's of beads have gone/are going to lots of good/new homes! I am pleased! What I'm not so pleased about is the way this month is just speeding by! Not that I don't want to get into fall a bit quicker, but this month has just gone by way too fast.

Here is a recap of the madness around here:

We've been to 3 birthday parties.
Celebrated one of our own.
Got a newer car. YES!
Had a tree destroy our carport (and thankfully nothing more precious!)
Went to a really awesome library (more on that later!)
Saw movies (LOVED Despicable Me!!!)
Played at parks.
Stepped in dog poo (twice!)
Made new friends.
Had some reallllly yummy grilled corn. (salt, pepper and a touch of butter) YUM!
Visited with some really great friends.
Made lots and lots of beads (more on that later too!)
And a TON of jewelry!

What does the summer have going for you?

The Fire Sale Is On!

Here are a few of the newly listed items that are on sale in the etsy shop! And one that sold! I loved that one!

And the one that sold! I just love blues and greens!

The Etsy Shop

FIRE SALE!

The sale continues today! I'll be adding a plethora of new SALE ceramic bead and pendant bundles to the etsy shop today! The FIRE SALE continues this afternoon!

A Long Time To Make.

If you are anything like me you see something, fall in love and then HAVE to have it! I think that is particularly true of jewelry artists. I have been collecting beautiful pieces and treasures over the years and sometimes they just have to sit a while before I know how to use them. Sometimes that precious bit or bauble comes with an idea but evaporates from my mind when I get it into the studio! That was the case with the the beautiful silver ring I used in this bracelet. It was destined to be a necklace component! Or not. Clearly not, because now it is a bracelet component! Several years ago I purchased the beautiful swirled ring from Lynn Davis' etsy shop. My how time flies!

SALE! SALE! FIRE SALE! Baby needs a new pair of shoes!

Among other things so we are burnin' down the house! It's a fire sale! The ol' etsy shop is nearly over flowing with deals on ceramic pendants and beads! Get em while their hot!

She Said Yes!

He secretly learns how to ride a horse. She loves the ocean. His proposal was as romantic as it gets! On horse back, by the ocean, he proposed. His romantic proposal was the inspiration for a necklace my friend Lynn will be giving her sister as an engagement gift. Pearls and sea shells for the ocean, a heart with their initials on a heart represents their love, and a special horse shoe!

Lucky.

It was lucky that our renovation project VW van was parked where it was. It was lucky it didn't fall an inch this way or an inch that way. It was lucky that no one was hurt. It was lucky in so many ways that I can't even think of right now. At 5:30 AM we were awoken to a crunching cracking thud! I knew instantly, even from a deep sleep what it was and where. Our poor old VW van was parked just in the right spot to catch a huge arm of our gigantic California live oak. The sun wasn't even up yet but in the dim light at that hour I could see the damage. The van caught the limb only inches from our new bead buggy and our other old reliable car. Inches from our phone and power lines. Our poor carport was not so lucky. There may be a bit of roof damage but nothing compared to what could have happened. We've loved our giant tree. Parked outside our kitchen, we've watched raccoon families amble up its trunk. Squirrels chase and chatter at each other, round and round, up and down. Birds peeked in at us while we ate and chatted. Hearing the acorns drop on our roof from lofty heights when the wind blows in the fall is a ritual noise I look forward to. But now it is all gone. The whole injured tree endangered our little house as the Hagrid-ish tree man told us. We consoled ourselves at a local nursery trying to pick out a new tree, even as they were working to remove the giant in our front yard. Maybe a mango tree. Maybe a fig. Something that doesn't get too big or decide to "self prune" on our house. Now after two days of chain saw noise and heat wave temps, it is in pieces all over the yard, ready to be useful and beautiful in other ways. So much healthy mulch for the rest of our yard. Beautiful logs to stay and become part of the landscape. Lucky.

Oh! Really Can't Wait For Fall!

Not that I don't enjoy the mind melting temps offered up by the season (can you hear the sarcasm?) or the struggle to keep the kids occupied while I get work done, but I seriously can not wait for fall. Not only for the change in temps or the back-to-school shopping trip but for the fall issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry! Check out the preview page on their website! Goody! Bring on the fall!