Going on a Temporary Hiatus!

OKAY, so I have convinced my hubby that it is in his best interest to let me move my scrappin' and beadin' stuff upstairs into our spare bedroom with a DOOR! Having everthing down stairs in the basement (open to the elements, meaning children) is just not working for me. SO! He had agreed to let me move my stuff into the spare bedroom which has his gym set and a spare queen bed in it.

Well, after measuring it all up, I realize that if I switch my master bedroom to the spare room I will gain more room for my stamps, beads, work surface and storage. SO, after another phone call, my sweetie Scott has okay'd having a moving-party tomorrow! We have to tear down the gym ensemble to move it piece by piece because it is so heavy, break down my desk's legs to get it up from the basement, empty and re-organize the two dressers that I am taking upstairs since I am going from 4 dressers down to two and clean clean clean. I can't wait!

SO I WON'T! I am beginning NOW! While Josh is off to shop with his dad and Scott is at work doing inventory, I will start decluttering and sizing down what I really need to go upstairs! Thank goodness that the local scrapbook store is having their annual customer scrap sale again in Feb. We are allowed to sell any scrap items that we aren't using or don't think we will use and sell them in the store for store credit. I plan to take advantage of this for the first time since I need to size down the stash for upstairs-moving purposes.

I will post before and after photos if I remember! I always plan to do before and after shoots, but then forget to take the pictures BEFORE the "moving" actually proceeds!

I KNOW that I will get more done with the art studio on the main floor. My kids never play downstairs like I thought they would when I originally planned where to position my crafty items. They like to color and craft in the kitchen all the time and when they settle down to play or read or watch TV they go to the living room, not the family room in the basement, even though there is a huge TV downstairs! And, being uncomfortable with me on a different floor from them, I never ever craft before Scott comes home from work. I always end up hanging out with them, sometimes doing nothing but vegging myself. WHY not craft while they play in the very next room within sight-distance? MUCH better plan in my mind. SO OFF I GO!

WISH ME LUCK!

Added NEW List to Blog

On the left side-bar of my blog, here, I added a list of things I am going to try to work on. These are NOT resolutions! I commented about 'resolutions' in yesterday's post... But, I have been giving some thought on what I could do to "better" myself as a wife, mom, friend, home-manager, financial strategist and business owner (not necessarily in that order). AND, if you notice, I did NOT add to 'be healthier', 'start dieting', or 'lose weight', blah blah blah. I don't know what it is I am doing, but it is working. I am down 20 lbs from my average weight from the past 3 years, so I am going to keep being positive that the weight is going to keep melting away without worrying about it for once! I was almost in a 16Petite jeans and now can get on my 10Petite jeans with ease!

I still want that tummy-tuck though. Call me shallow, but that gut just isn't going away since having those last three kids in under three years, and it just plain bothers me! And being skinny (never larger than a size 5!!!) all my life (until the last three births) doesn't help me either. I have this image in my head on how I look... THEN, I look in the mirror and get a shock! YIKERS! ECH! UGH! Well, at least I look better than I did even three months ago!

I intend to keep adding to my list and to review it often so I keep working on becoming a better-me!

Back into the Swing of Things!

UH! It has been difficult to get going today. I finally gave up at 2:30pm when I woke up from my nap! HA HA! This cold and cloudy weather doesn't help my stamina either, that's for sure!

BUT, I think I found some mojo and plan on cleaning up the craft space NOW to conquer all tomorrow! So, I am off to dust, windex and vacuum to forge ahead by 9am! AND, if I get really inspired, I might even pull an all-nighter tonight!

SOOOOOOOO, Check back!

The waiting is OVER!

KayLee loved guessing what her presents were!

Josh, Isaac and KayLee patiently waited for someone to play Santa and pass out all of the presents that were under, behind and around the tree. Josh is so cute with Isaac. I think being the oldest and youngest of the children they must have a special bond or something, because they are so sweet with each other!

Keri's (Christmas) Day

My sister-in-law, Keri, always has more presents than anyone... At least that is what we always tease her for. I am not actually sure if it is true, I think she just doesn't ask for expensive things like the rest of us! Here is a picture of her and her pile of presents just before opening them!

Christmas with the Anderson's

Christmas at the Anderson's was fun fun fun! Isaac (blond little cutie) got his first wooden train set featuring the one and only Thomas the Tank Engine!! Uncle Tony (my hubby's brother) and my eldest son, Josh, helped Isaac put it together! Isaac was nearby supervising....

And of course my three youngest loved their cousin Tristin's Tree house by Imaginix (?is that the name?). It made all sorts of animal sounds and had animals that went with it.

HOWDY!

Hey all! Sorry for the lack of posting yesterday. I was busy cleaning, decluttering and doing some final errand-running. I had a return customer from one of my fall shows drop into This Olde House and buy two more bracelets. BUT, I had to pick them up on Friday when Karen, the store owner, called and said they needed to be re-sized. No biggie there! I love Mrs. Valerie. She is from St. Louis and was in Jasper visiting her husband's family for an early Christmas so she stopped in and picked up a couple bracelets before returning to Missouri. When I first met her at the Jasper Armory Arts and Crafts Show she was in town visiting for Thanksgiving!

Just knowing she returned LOOKING for my goodies makes me feel so AWESOME! Thanks, Valerie!!

I have been unable to get to the craft studio (a.k.a. the basement) today; I have been busy making a batch of crocheted dishcloths for a surprise present for a relative. I found the most beautiful HOT colored cotton yarn and they just yelled "HER" name. I couldn't help but buy them and get ready to surprise the little deserving sweetie! I am done with them now, so I will be making some newbie bracelets (maybe earrings, too!) tomorrow and resizing the bracelets for a Monday delivery to Missouri!

I hope this finds you getting ready for the New Year of 2008! My New Year's Resolution is to NOT MAKE ANY RESOLUTIONS! I never end up keeping them anyway and then feel guilty and disappointed in myself... SO, why do it again, right???? I am not making resolutions, but am going to keep track DAILY of overcommitting myself to things that would take away time and money from my family, friends, business and most importantly, God.

I PROMISE to post something tomorrow!

I finally found the camera today!!

Jodi & Grandma's presents....

OH, I forgot to tell you that Aunt Jodi (my sister-in-law) liked her purple link bracelet. I told her if the AUNT charm was too heavy (because it is realllllly heavy) to just clip it off and I would put it on a keychain or necklace for her. She loves purple so I think she really liked all of the different colors of purple in it.

AND, Great Grandma LOVED her necklace. (See earlier post below) She said it was beautiful and said she wanted one like it. I told her she described it to me over Thanksgiving, and then she said, "Well, you paid attention, didn't you?!" She was surprised when I told her that they were real freshwater pearls. She is such a cutie, I really love her!

More Shopping!

Okay, so I went a little crazy today at Bath and Body Works. I can't find an excuse except that all of the scents were addicting! I saved a ton of money and got tons of stuff. A little for future presents... (FOR YOU???) A little for ME! Okay, a LOT for me... Something for my mother-in-law that I saw she ran out of when I was visiting over the weekend, some body creams and handsoaps for friends.... I thought I would sell more to friends but now that I got them home, I don't know if I can part with them!

Scott treated me to my favorite restaurant, Rafferty's. Gotta LOVE that house salad with house dressing..... Geez! Just slap it on my thighs because that is where it is going! I mean, come on, honey on the croissant? Where do you think that is going to end up? In my lips to make them fuller? In my brain to make me smarter?? DUH, NO! Right on the thighs, but that is okay, I only get to go 3-4 times a year so I indulge myself when I DO get to go!

I went to Michael's and bought some coloring books for the kids for being good for when I was gone. I didn't see anything else I needed there at all craft-wise, which nearly shocked me! I went to JoAnn's and bought some cotton yarn to make some more dishcloths for someone in the family that doesn't have any yet... (IS IT YOU??) And I bought a new crimper for making bracelets. I dulled the last one when I used it on some copper crimps for another craft item.

AND.... On that note.... I will be returning to the table soon to make some newbies this weekend. Since I have been shopping for two days, my house is a wreck, so I MUST clean all day tomorrow and then get crafty when I have accomplished most of what is on my To-Do List. I will post some pics from Christmas tomorrow when I get a chance between dusting and laundry-folding! I hope you are enjoying the holiday vacation like I am! Nothing is better than some new crafty yarn, soaps & body creams, and eating out with the hubby (without kids)!

C YA TOMORROW!!

After Christmas Sales!!!

KayLee just got the cutest Christmas dresses for NEXT Christmas. I LOVE getting her dresses half-off! That is the only tradition I have for After-Christmas... GET HER A CHEAP DRESS! I also took advantage of JCPenney's home-decor sale and bought a couple sets of towels for the bathroom in a Rusty Barn Red color.

Great Grandma and Great Grandpa (Scott's grandparents) gave me money for Christmas and so I bought two more sets of PJ's at JCPenney's, too. I am going to throw out all of my old PJ's since they are too big and the pants keep falling off. Yeah, I know, bummer, right? Ha Ha! I love the luxury of NIIIIICE towels and NIIIIICE PJ's. Don't know why, just do. So, I am feelin' the love AND a little spoiled as well!

I went to K-Mart (aka Kame-Apart in our house) after the JCPenney's trip. I normally don't shop there, but knowing that Martha Stewart Christmas collections were 50% off, I had to go. I got about 6 or 7 rolls of wrapping paper for next year and coordinating ribbon to match. This year we ran out of the adult-looking paper, so I got a ton. They are all coordinating in brass, copper, silver, green, red, and snowflake blues and grays. Our gifts will be "HOT LOOKING" next year! WOO HOO! I also bought a four-pack of child wrapping paper for the four kids. I always just wrap each child's present in their own wrapping paper to have to avoid putting tags on the packages. Easier for me at least!

I also hit big ol' Wally-World and found some good deals. Gotta love 50% off! I bought some watches for the kids to play with since they broke all of mine when I let them play with them. HEY, maybe I should have bought MYSELF a watch, not them! NO, just kidding, I have a nice Movado watch that I wear now, so I let them have my old watches; well, except that Seiko, it was too nice still for them to play with! All the watches needed batteries anyway and I doubted that I would ever wear them again since I have my Movado. But, now they have gone to the dump. I forgot that I was going to give them watches for Christmas, but when I saw them on sale, I swooped them up fast!

All in all a FIIIIIIIIINE day of being a stay~at~home~mom! Josh babysat and I had a full day of shopping! I love Christmas Break!

THANKS, JOSH!

I have returned!

Merry Christmas all! I have returned from northern Indiana just a bit ago and unharmed I might add. There was a vicious (*in my opinion*) winter windy freezing rain storm on Saturday night that was quite ominous! No harm done, except to all the country roads. I honestly thought my van wouldn't make it out of some of the pot holes we went through!!

I have returned from my mini-vacation refreshed and ready to hit the scrap/bead tables! I have some new bead ideas and have set myself a little bit of a 2008 plan for Christmas next year already. Anticipating another busy fall to Christmas season next year, I have decided to have 75% of my Christmas finished by July 1st. THEN all I have to do from July to December is cook/bake/freeze homemade goodies, shop for the sister/brother in-laws that hubby and I end up drawing for in the swap, and wrap up loose-ends. Not a bad plan, I think. I am sure it would keep me less stressed and more able to focus on the 'Merry' in Merry Christmas!

Well, I better go unpack. The back of the van was filled to the ceiling on the way home. The kids raked in the toys, Hubby got a new nail gun to go with his new air compressor, and my In-Laws gave me some AWESOME new pj's and three new turtleneck shirts! I also got to shop for a new coat from my hubby. He told me I could get one and I found a really beautiful down-filled, calf-length black coat with fox fur trim on the hood. YUM!

Apparently I need to darken the door at Gordman's in Evansville next week/end sometime! MIL said she got my pj's and shirts there and they are sweeeeet! OH, and my Sister-In-Law gave me another CraftMate tote with more bead organizers, so I guess I need to buy more beads to put in them! I was contemplating on returning it since I just got another one, but my son, Josh, said that would be silly since he "KNOWS" that I will just end up needing another one eventually. And, of course, being as insightful as he is, he is right. SO, I am keeping it!! THANKS, JODI!

I hope you all enjoyed today

and didn't eat too much!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday!

I hope you all enjoy the next few days before Christmas. Don't stress yourselves out and get all crazy shopping! Remember the REASON FOR THE SEASON! Keep focused on what Christmas is really about! Friends, Family and Jesus' BIRTHDAY!

I am so blessed to have such a SUPAH life with a wonderful family and such awesome friends! It is only because of Jesus that I have these things! So, Merry Christmas and.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS!!!!!!!!

Aunt Jodi's Present

Our (three youngest) children's Godmother loves purple! And, thank goodness she doesn't have internet at her house so I could post this for you all. She always gets a little something from the kids for Christmas, since we take it very very seriously that if something unfortunate were to happen to my hubby and I at the same time, that Jodi (and her hubby) will get Eli, KayLee and Isaac until they are grown. They always treat all of their nieces and nephews so special and I feel so at ease that if something does happen to Scott and me that the kids will be well taken care of.

I bought this 'aunt' charm along with another 'aunt' charm for another order. I let the gal choose which charm she liked best, and so since I had this left over, I thought I might as well add it since it was available and would look nice with this style (link) bracelet. I hope she likes it!

When I showed Eli, KayLee and Isaac their present for Aunt Jodi, they all just Ooo'ed and Ahh'ed, so since I got their approval I think it is good enough to give to her!

Freshwater Pearls and Swarovski

Great Grandma Anderson will by stylin' by Christmas Morn! I made this freshwater pearl and Swarovski crystal necklace today for her. She kind of hinted that she would like a pearl necklace with just a little sparkle here and there with some sterling or crystals, so I hope this is what she had in mind! If not, then I will make her another one and keep this for myself!! It is only 16" long, but will fit her nicely since she is so thin and has a slender neckline! I will let you know her reaction when I return from our trip up north.

Wrapping It Up - Literally!

UGH! I was up last night till near midnight (with Scott) wrapping up all of the presents.... ONLY to open them less than 24 hours later. We are having our Christmas early so that we can keep it special and small for the immediate family. We already had Christmas with my parents, now we will have the Anderson Christmas over the weekend.

I had a last minute nameframe order to fill last night and yesterday I ended up spending all day making gift bags for Eli's teacher, teacher's assistants, two office workers and the nurse. The two ladies in the office and the nurse probably don't get too much appreciation since they don't actually TEACH a small group of kids like teachers do, so I didn't feel it was fair to leave them out. (Especially since Eli had an issue one day at school which was unpleasant so that involved the nurse taking care of cleaning up after him twice! She needed to be rewarded JUST for that!!) The office gals and nurse got some Avon goodies; a selection of shower gels, sprays, lotions, scrubs and something else. His teacher and two assistants got a candle, a selection of handmade greeting cards by me and an Arbonne hand, foot or body lotion. ALL each had a handmade gift bag with a special tag made just for them. I hope everyone loved their 'gift of appreciation'!

I ran out of time to take pictures of the bags, so no post of that, but they were cute, trust me! The kids (Eli and Josh) have a half day of school today to jump-start their Christmas break, so I will have a chance to do some crafting with Josh helping keep watch on the little ones. I will post those pics tonight or sooner! I promise!

Have a wonderful Happy Christmassy Day!

Sincere APPRECIATION!

WHEW! I am DONEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I finally have all orders finished AND delivered, believe it or not! OF course, with those comes additional orders... People seeing something I made for a friend and wanting something for themselves. Some people call this business success, I call it "spreading the loooove". I really really can't express exactly how much I love (*LOOOVE*) doing what I do with this business. Playing cupid or elf, setting up friends with gifts from other friends and family. Or simply seeing how the person reacts when they receive their order is payment enough. If I can make enough money to pay for the actual costs of supplies in the item (like a bracelet or a nameframe) and just a PINCH of money for the time that it took making the item, I am ecstatic! And, sometimes I don't even make that! But, that is okay!

I keep getting told that I should charge more, but I really am about "spreading the love". I know that if I charged what a "real business" would charge by doubling the wholesale cost to make it retail everytime and paying myself an average $25.00 an hour for my time, I wouldn't have as many customers. AND you know what that means, don't you?? There wouldn't be as many happy people 'okay' with treating themself to a nice gift; OR as many happy people "paying it forward" by being able to afford to give a nice present. I would much rather keep the happiness around me and see other friends and customers be able to afford to give a nice gift that elsewhere would cost an arm and a leg.

Some people's mindframes are "I gotta make money" or "money is success". Not me. (I probably used to have more of that attitude, but not anymore.) Money is nice and needed, don't get me wrong. I like having money to buy food, pay for my utilities and home, and to buy myself some new cotton-wool blend socks as I did last night. But, to me, happiness IS success. I just giggled yesterday when I played "ELF" and delivered some goodies that will be given as presents next week. I actually said to myself in my head, "Now THIS is what IT is all about!" And, by "IT" I meant LIFE. To have something you enjoy to do and would do FREE but actually get paid for is such a blessing.

Thank you to each and every ONE of you. Whether you are loyal return-customers, family or friends that support me, I appreciate all you do in my life. I would not be this successful this FAST since taking on Anderson Arts (since November) if it weren't for YOU!

Well, I am off to make some presents for my Grandma-In-Law, Mother-In-Law and more! Have a SUPAH day and I will post some pics when I get a chance today or tonight. (Don't forget to add me to your Favorites so you remember to return to check in on me!)

IF there's anyone that you have forgotten about and need a quick present, I always have something sitting around, or can whip something up quick for you. JUST CALL or EMAIL (in profile at left)! I would love for you to have that 'She's gonna love it' feeling when you give a gift instead of thinking, "I hope it's okay!!!" and worrying about it. It's not too late! Let me help you "spread the love"!!

Check out this YOUTUBE!

Honestly, there is nothing sexier (to me) than a man who is confident in himself to sing! Listen to this Christmas Medley by some acapella men from I.U.!!! It is a FUNNY rendition of Christmas songs... BELIEVE me, you will LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks, Kris, for sharing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8

KayLee's PreSchool Program

NO, KayLee's nose isn't bleeding! She is dressed up as a reindeer for her Christmas program. Isaac was amazed by the little red dot, isn't that funny? She was sooo cute up on stage in the church sanctuary. She kept waving at us. Over and Over and over and over and o v e r.... Geez! She should take acting classes because she wasn't the tiniest bit shy on stage in front of a hundred or more people! She loves her Christmas dress, it is soooo soft AND shiny with a satin cream shirt underneath. She was allowed to wear her cream tights to match, too, so that made her day! I just had to share. *OH, and Daddy doesn't look proud, does he?*

Here ya go!

As promised, the name frames ended up being pretty darn nice, in my humble opinion! I usually don't like gray, but the GOGEL came out wonderful!! It looks like a blue gray, and I supposed it could pass for a steel gray; I think it will depend upon the decor in the room. It will probably pick up the colors it surrounds! The other two are pretty two in wines and burgundy. I hope everyone likes their nameframe gift!

Personalized Name Frames

I made a nameframe for a friend. She had her last name made in it for her mother-in-law... I think she will be the favorite daughter-in-law after this Christmas! I now have 4 more to make. Only taking orders for two more days so I can finish up my Christmas shopping and get ready to spring into Christmas-action on Friday. I will post my finished frames tonight or tomorrow. Check back!

January and March Earrings!

Here are some pretty little dangle earrings for a couple of sisters ages 9 and 11. Their birthdays are in January and March, so their mom wanted some earrings made for them for Christmas. They are dainty in size, measuring 3/4" in length. But have a sparkly presence with the Swarovski Crystals and sterling silver. I think the size is perfect for two maturing girls growing into young ladies. What'cha think, Mommy Hillory and Aunt Tiffany?

SOLD! THANKS, HILLORY!!

Eli's Titanic Rendition

Not exactly sure what Eli was trying to do, here... BUT it reminded me so much of the movie, "Titanic" I had to share... How does it go, again.....

"I'm flying, Jack, I'm flying!!"

Jeanie has arrived...

KayLee is a new mommy, now. This is her new American Girl baby, Jeanie. She named her all by herself. She has been putting her to bed in the new baby crib and feeding her bottles and changing her clothes WAY too often... But she loves having a real babydoll now.

She also enjoys toting around the wicker suitcase that holds all of her 5 outfits and matching Bitty Bear's clothes. KayLee told me this morning that Jeanie slept all night in her crib! NOW if I could just get MY youngest Isaac to stay asleep all night, I would be happy! Maybe I should take some parenting hints from KayLee and ask her how she got Jeanie to sleep through the night!

One Down, TWO to go!

My parents left a tad bit ago. We had a really fun Christmas-weekend together. The kids sooooo love their presents and were really excited to see Grammy and Grumpy again! Now, we just have to have our Family Christmas on Friday and then go to the hubby's side of the family on Christmas Eve/Day!

Eli and Isaac really enjoyed riding around in the new mustang GT! KayLee got to ride, too. They did a pretty good job at taking turns, surprisingly enough!!

We had a second day of snow... yesterday;s turned to slush and then froze overnight so it was pretty slick. That made it difficult to get the mustang moving, but Eli caught on pretty fast to the steering wheel and reverse gear shift, so it turned out to be great fun!

Christmas with My Parents

My kids are enjoying Christmas with their Grammy and Grumpy! They just opened their presents and I can't describe the shrills and shrieks that were going about the house about a half hour ago! Josh loves his new monitor and seems to stay out of sight playing his games on his new flatscreen!

I will have to post pictures later... Going to head back to the LOUD fun! Have a fun day!

Expect MORE SOON!

OH, I just remembered... You can expect to see new items again. My "backordered" secret component came in the mail today... HEE HEE! I am good for another 70 bracelets! So, that will hold me for quite a looooooong time!

I am going to shoot for 3 or more NEW bracelets a week until I run out of time, money, beads or ALL of the above! So, after this weekend (we are celebrating Christmas with my parents who are traveling in from TN) check back to see some 'WOWSERS!' of lampwork and Swarovski designs!

Close~UP of Candy!

Just had to share a Close~UP of the wrapped candies!

Swap Update!

The Swap (mentioned earlier below) I was in last night was AWESOME! I took a picture (below) of the holiday-tree that I made before I took off to Tiffany's to give it away... sniffle sniffle. I wish we had an elephant-Christmas swap so I could have tried to win it back. I usually love giving away my things but this one was difficult to part with. Mainly because I always keep the "first" of something I make. I like to re-do it with a little more perfecting for the real gift-giving. At least I am/was happy with this 'first' one. The little packages are the Hershey's milk chocolate nuggets. I told Kim if she didn't like it (not everyone likes the same thing) to re-gift it. She said NO she wouldn't do that; she said she loved it, but was going to have to try to figure out a way to keep her boys out of the chocolate!

I received an awesome gift of many gifts. Lavone gave me a wonderful square wooden basket with chocolate-raspberry truffles (YUMMMMMM), Josh Groban Christmas CD, a small book about "how to have a happy life" (which I read already last night when I came home!), a candle (that I burned all day.... till even right now) and her homemade gift was bath salts in a homemade tin/bucket. NOW, if you know me... I LOVE Bubblebaths. BUT NOW I live in a house with NO tub! SO, I guess I will just have to improvise by soaking my feet in them before I give myself my next pedicure! THANKS, Lavone!

EDIT 12/20 : I CASED THIS FROM: http://lilybeanpaperie.typepad.com/ - I apologize for not giving credit where credit IS due already! I honestly forgot in the panic of having to get this and all the other stuff done lately!! Please check out LilyBean Paperie, her stuff is amazing!! Enjoy!

Tuesday NIGHT!

Ok, so the posts below are short and sweet. I don't have too much energy or UMPF left for the day, AND I am STILL not done with my project that is due tomorrow evening for the "handmade-gift-SWAP".... Actually, to be perfectly honest... I haven't even started it yet. That is okay, I do my best work under pressure!

SO, the descriptions of the new beads aren't as "descriptive" as I would like, but it is all I can do right now to keep living. Every breath is getting harder and every sniffle is hurting my head. I really must rest now. I will have to work on the Swap Project off and on all day tomorrow to get it done between diaper changes, snacks, meals, cleaning, etc. At least I have everything I need to get it done already! NO last minute shopping! WHEW!

Enjoy the bead-posts and your evening!

Yellow Topaz & Taupe!

Look at that mongo focal (large) bead with flowers! OH! All on top of a large clear taupe base that has a scroll in an opaque taupe! YUM!! I am invisioning a pendant and bracelet set with these babies! The workmanship on these are divine. This lady is so particular (a.k.a. ANAL! like me!) she is such a perfectionist! I am glad because it makes her beads stand out amongst the rest!

Raspberry Pink Out of Place!

Some how the lamp-artist thought that the middle bead amongst the red set DIDN'T belong to the set on the right! I plan to extract that center pink-violet bead from the other red and baby-pink beads and put it with the set on the right! The red-raspberry set on the right are amazing! They have such depth with the clear encasing. Beautiful!

I love raspberry anything! From salad dressing to body lotion to HOT lacey raspberry panties (right, Tiffany?)... I might need to keep these!

Bad Picture...

Ok, if I wasn't so under the weather and had some or ANY type of energy I would re-take a picture of this set of beads right now. Maybe I will do that tomorrow. These are black and light pink and are SPECTACULAR in person. Honestly, I admit that these need to be re-taken. I will do that later. This picture just doesn't do the beads justice!

Neutrals for Anyday!

The set on the right has neutral-tone left~overs from the French lampwork artist that made them. They all have a cream undertone, so I might just keep these altogether and make a chunky bracelet out of them with some wood beads and big Bali sterling beads.

The set on the left are beautiful and in neutral tones as well. These would make a beautiful bracelet that would go with everything from jeans to a business suit. That is why I love lampwork, the style is so vast. They can look more casual, but being such art-work related, they can go UpScale as well!

UFO's?

This lampwork shape reminds me of a UFO! I think I might make these into keychains or into pendants with dangles... I love the added detail of the blown bubbles in the center of each colored dot. PURTY, HUH MA?

Potential Sterling Keychain here!

Good things come in small packages, you know?? I thought about turning these into a sterling keychain ensemble... There aren't enough for a bracelet, so I think that is my best bet. Beautiful teal, blue, turquoise and yell0w-green colors. Yum!

Don't WAIT Till the Last Minute!

Geez, I am having a supahhhh long day. It does not help that I am under the weather with a cold either! I put Isaac down for a nap and decided to join him since my head felt like it could use a rest. It felt like I had taken some cold medicine already and was feeling all jiggy in the head and legs, but I haven't taken any medication all day. I bet I had a fever! ANYWHO....

I am in a Handmade Gift Swap, and of course have known about it for a month, but haven't started on my project yet. It is due tomorrow. Yeah, not good. THIS is WHY you should not wait until the last minute to do something. You never know if you are going to get a headcold and have three of your four children have the same thing as you the day before a project is due.

STUPID ME. OH WELL. I will take some pics of the newbie-beads and then proceed to the hand-made project at hand. Check back...... THANKS!

My APOLOGIES!

I apologize, but I have had to help out a friend tonight unexpectedly... so I was unable to get to the camera and take some pics.

I PROMISE to post them tomorrow. Right now I need to finish up some odds and ends for my friend, so I will catch you all tomorrow!

Good night!

I smell like CHILI!

I put on another crock-pot meal this morning and I am REEKING of chili powder, onion and garlic. I never made chili before (yes, really!) but when I found this crock-pot recipe, I thought I would try it. There aren't enough chilibeans in my opinion, and too many spices! What the heck IS cumin, anyway!?

It sounds more italian... But then again, IS chili Italian?? I don't know! Never really thought about the origin of chili, the meal. Hmmm... Might have to google it, or it will bother me. In addition to the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, this recipe called for chili powder (obviously), oregano, cumin, basil, 4!! cloves of garlic, parsley, onion and green pepper! Sounds like lasagna to me! AND I am supposed to top it with cheese before serving... again, sounds italian!

Santa, a.k.a. the mailman, came today and brought me some more goodies! I will have to take pictures of the new beads before I play this evening! I am kind of at a beading stand-still since I am waiting on a stringing necessity to come in from being on backorder... hence why there aren't any new bracelets right now. I hate 'backorder'!

BACK LATER with some pics!!!!!!!!

Miss J!!!!

Hey, Miss J..... YOUR order is complete.... HALLELUIAH! I will deliver tomorrow!

Miss J (being discreet because these are Christmas gifts!) ordered 4 keychains and a bookmark all in sterling to be given as gifts for Christmas. I had an absolute fabulous time making these off and on today. I didn't get much else done since my hubby is under the weather and all of the kiddos were home running around stir-crazy from being trapped inside the house.

My children LOVE the outdoors and would rather run, bike, swim or swing any day of the year instead of being trapped indoors. We are a family who does not let the cold keep us from taking the kids outside, but today it was damp and cold. PLUS it really rained last night so the grass was all wet, so we didn't let them out. They did, however, make up for it by running around and jumping off the bed in the extra bedroom! They about gave me a heart attack...

In reference to this morning's "crockpot" post...... IT turned out fabulous! OH MY GOSH! This is an awesome recipe and was totally worth all the time and effort preparing for it. Just goes to show you that IN TIME (since it took 5 hours to be done) hard work DOES pay off!

BLESSINGS ON YOUR EVENING!

PURPLES!

My assistant, JOSH, aka my 17 1/2 yr old son, kindly posed for the camera with my sterling beaded bookmark I made earlier today. I love this bookmark. I honestly thought that the bookmark would get too heavy with all the crystal and sterling beads, but it is not heavy at all. AND WHAT BLINGGGG! I need to make myself one of these just so I can carry around a book and show it off! Ha Ha!

I doubt if I would get much reading done, I would be too busy playing with the beads! I used all shades of Purple... Violet, lavender, amethyst, tanzanite and more! I used just two of the tigereye beads I used in yesterday's children's bracelets (see this morning's post below)... And, of course, some Swarovski Pearls in lavender as well... Pretty, huh?

SOLD! THANK YOU, MISS J!

SILVERS!

Here is the first of four sterling keychains! I made all four in individual monochromatic color schemes as you will see below. I began with the more formal colors of silvers, grays and whites. I didn't attempt to add black, since it would just overpower and shock your eyes when looking at the over-all keychain, and you wouldn't be able to appreciate the other crystals and pearls on it.

I used 5 different colors of crystals (black diamond, clear, clear AB, crystal satin and black diamond satin) and 3 different colors of pearls (dark and light gray and white), all by Swarovski. Different sizes of sterling beads and each keychain you will find my signature charm... it passes for a snowflake in the fall/winter and a daisy in the spring/summer!

SOLD! THANK YOU, MISS J!

COPPERS!

OH, this is a Beaute! (I am saying that with my fake Australian Accent!) All of the Coppers and Smokey colors are just gorgeous together. I love Swarovski's Pearls, in any color, but the cream is so pretty. It is perfect with just about any color and it gives it just a touch of formality when you need it, but with cream (unlike white) you can keep it on with even more casual outfits, too!

Can't you just see this dangling from your outside pocket of your purse? You will for SURE be able to find your keys with this keychain! LLLLLOVE IT!

SOLD! THANK YOU, MISS J!

TEALS!

I have just fallen in love with this Tahitian Teal Swarovski Pearl! AND the Indicolite, and Aquamarine Satin Swarovskis are just beautiful with it! A dash of cream pearls and a sparkle of sterling... Mmmmm! I love it!

SOLD! THANK YOU, MISS J!

GREENS!

And FINALLY! The green one! All shades of green from Khaki to Olive to Peridot to Grass green! AND the Swarovski pearls in two tones of green just add that special touch! I love green, I guess I am partial since I have green eyes and they are the rarest color of eyes you can have... UNLESS you are my Eli, he has one blue and one green. That only happens one in a million times.... Some days it is obvious to see the difference in his eyes and other days you have to have him look into the sun to see it. I try not to do that too often since he could go blind doing that! HA HA!

SOLD! THANK YOU, MISS J!

After the Crockpot........

I decided to throw some chicken into the crockpot before taking on the camera shoot. MAN! Crockpot cooking does NOT save time, in my opinion! I think it took more time to prepare the meal for the 5 hours of cooking time than it would have taken me to prepare a regular meal in a skillet or in the oven! Well, if you know me, I am always up for a new recipe. SO, I decided to try this herb chicken & shrimp recipe... I didn't realize I had to brown the cut-up chicken fryer FIRST before putting it in the crockpot; AND i didn't realize I needed to skin the chicken before browning it either! It took an hour just to prepare the whole thing before actually turning the crock pot on!! THEN after I turned it on, I only THEN remembered that I had to get the raw shrimp de-veined and de-shelled (?) to be ready for adding to the crockpot during the last 20 minutes of cooking time! SO, there I went again, de-veining away...

NOW... ON TO THE GOOD STUFF!! SEE BELOW!

Swarovski FUN!

I posted this morning about re-organizing the crystals... They have now been given some lush accomodations, even with some fabric on the bottom of each compartment to keep them from crashing into each other causing unnecessary chipping. I have other containers that have either sterling(6), copper (3), pearls(3), natural or czech beads... AND I have some that are empty just waiting to be filled!! I love pretty things!

LAVENDER Tigereye & Ballerina!

A new friend of mine ordered some matching jewelry for her two girls. One of the girls likes pink, the other purple... so I made these sets for them. Both girls are in dance classes already at ages 4 and 5... so I was asked to add the ballerina charm. It looks huge in the picture, but I am sure it will be fine when on the little girls' wrists.

I wasn't sure about using Dark/Deep Purple for a little girl... SO, I ordered both the dark purple and the lavender and honestly, I love the lavender better. You can not really see the Tigereye effect in the dark purple and it doesn't have much sparkle like that of the lavender's. My KayLee fell in love with these two sets, so I made her a similar bracelet, see below. (KayLee got the darker purple... I wanted to make hers different since she saw this set and the pink set ~below~ ; so I made her bracelet out of the darker purple tigereye.)

I hope the girls love their Christmas presents!

PINK Tigereye & Ballerina!

This is the pink set, matching the above... This one is a pinch larger made for the older of the two girls who is 5 years old. My KayLee has given it her approval, so I think the girls will love their jewelry!

Kathie's Matching Earrings!!!!!!

LOOK at these beauties! OH MY! If these weren't already spoken for, they would be on my ears right now!! These are for a matching bracelet... Kathie's. They were on hoops, but Kathie's ears aren't pierced so I had to order some clips, which took FOREVER! "Backorder" sucks!! I think these turned out beautifully. She didn't want them to be too long, so I think these are PERFECT!! I hope she likes them!

MY REWARD

Again, as in this morning's post... I had to reward myself for working so diligently yesterday on orders, so I recycled some sterling wire from another bracelet that needed to be made larger.... Ever since I bought these Tahitian Swarovski Pearls, I have wanted something made from them. This picture doesn't show their color very well, but trust me they are beautiful! Just a little sparkle here and there with some Swarovski crystals and sterling and VIOLA... a one-of-a-kind just for me!! HEE HEE!

Here's KayLee's....

KayLee loves her new purple Tigereye bracelet! She wore it to church today! I am very proud of her because as soon as she got home she wanted to take it off so she wouldn't break it while playing on the floor! She is so smart! That little cutie!

SUNDAY!

Oh, GEEZ! I have been so busy! After re-organizing all of the Swarovski crystals into MORE containers, I finally got to tackling the orders. I had to split them into more compartments so the crystals didn't start hitting each other and chipping. After I noticed a couple of the larger ones with small little chips, I realized what was happening and that was going to KEEP happening if I didn't address it right away. I am now onto my THIRD CraftMate case (each of which has 9 containers with 14 compartments each!!!); now that is A LOT of crystals! Maybe I will take a picture of that, too, just for fun!

I finished only 7 of the 16 orders, but should have most, if not all, done today. I love making the keychains the best, next to bracelets! Keychains give you free-reign on creating what you love, so they are fun fun fun! There are just a few items that I will post as of right now. Most of my orders are for gifts and YOU just might be a recipient, so I can't share those! BUT, there are a few items that I can share, so I will zip on over to the camera in just a bit and shoot-up!

ANYWAY! I had tons of fun yesterday doing some childrens items, so NATURALLY, my KayLee had to get in on the action... So, I made her a bracelet last night as well. THEN, I had to reward myself for a job well-done, so I created a gift for myself with some Swarovski Tahitian Pearls and just a tiny touch of sparkle with Indicolite (teal) Swarovski crystals and sterling beads. I had some left-over wire from re-vamping another bracelet, so I recycled it and made myself a little goody. I HAVE to wear my "WORKS"! It is the cheapest advertising around!

I will be back in a hop, skip and a jump with some pics for you. TILL THEN.....

Get ready to have FUN!

I guess you could say I am getting into the spirit now! Click on the link below and ENJOY!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1204896466

I apologize for not posting anything as promised. I was SUPAH busy today attacking some cleaning and reorganizing that had been pushed aside long enough. I will post many new items this weekend as I finish them. This is going to be a BUSY weekend for sure!

NO NEWS

So that is good news, right? Well, it kinda makes things boring, but really... Nothing to post right now. I am finishing up some stuff around the house. I went Christmas shopping this morning for the 4 kids (Josh isn't in the picture below, I think he might have felt funny about sitting on Santa's lap being 17 1/2 and all!), so I am glad that I got that much done. I took it easy today and spent "naptime" (which means chillin' to a movie, since they never sleep anymore) with KayLee and Isaac and I enjoyed every minute! I better since my nap-time days are numbered!

Some of my orders are being held up by some of the sterling findings and crystals being on backorder, but they should be in soon! I am going to be a mega busy this weekend, but will hopefully have all of the orders completed and delivered by Monday! That is the goal so I can begin to relax and enjoy the holiday season with my family!

Hope you are getting into the spirit of the season!

I will post something new tomorrow!

Children are PRECIOUS!

Isn't this soooooo hilarious?? OH MY! My KayLee loves ANYone and EVERYone! And, look at the poor girl! I think she has been scarred for life! HA HA!

Look at Eli (in green)... do you think he is happy sitting on Santa's lap? LOL! I don't think he is rattling off his list to Santa like he does here at home to me!

And my precious Isaac... he is like, "Will you get the picture already so these freaks will let us go home?"

Bubbles in the Flowers

As promised, here is a set of beads that show encased flowers with bubbles as the center of the flowers. You wouldn't think of this as too much of a big deal... but let me tell you... After I started researching lampwork to learn more about it, I found that a simple bubble in a glass bead can cause stress to the bead if incorporated into it in a wrong fashion. By this, I mean, the glass bead has to be molten at a certain temperature to withstand putting a bubble inside it on purpose as these were done. If the temperature isn't right, any type of bubble (added on purpose or by accident) will cause the glass bead to either crack or break altogether! Amazing! Enjoy your day!

Last one for Monday!

I LOVEEEEEEE orange and purple together! It is probably my favorite combination next to pink and yellow! I love all the little details of this one, the purple flowers, the metallic dots on the purple "saucer" like beads, the light purple scrollwork on the center focal bead, the yellow dots on the outside of the focal... AND let's notice the beautifully encased beads on either side of the center bead! The swirls are blended, not bleeding into each other, perfection at its' finest! There are dark and light purples, as well as dark and light oranges in sparkling 8mm Swarovski's and the Bali bead caps are a wonderful accent to this piece! Click on the photo to enlarge and see all the wonderful details!

On another design note: encased beads are: beads that have designs (such as swirls, flowers, stripes) that are covered (otherwise known as encased) with a thick clear glass coating, thus making the bead bigger in size and giving the bead more dimension. When I get a chance I will show you a bead that has an encased flower inside, and with an added detail of a bubble-center in the flower! REALLY COOL!

Have a wonderful evening and I will catch ya'll tomorrow! Sweet Dreams!

MONDAY!

AGH! It has been a typical Monday, I didn't get much accomplished, so I am off to work on orders while the hubby takes care of the little ones! I will try to post something new yet tonight! Check back!

Two Helpers

KayLee and Isaac decided to help me on the computer this afternoon! I told Josh to go grab the camera and catch my helpers 0n-the-job. Isaac is squinting, as usual, he hates the flash!

On a business note, I have been re-stringing some of my personal bracelets with my "Secret Ingredient". I am sure you all hate to hear that phrase again, but I am so glad to have found this item, as it will ensure life-long wear to my products!! YEAH!

Steamin' Hot Espresso 2

Hello! This one is posted in November under Steamin' Hot Espresso. I re-strung this one because I wanted to add in my "Secret Ingredient" (see earlier posts)... I also decided to break up the colors into a new pattern as well. I like to group colors together in batches as I feel it makes more of a statement... BUT not everyone likes that look, so I made this one a little softer by taking away some of the browns, adding more of the Opal Purple and bringing out a new color by adding in a Khaki/Olive tone that is found on the center bead's dots. No change in price... Well, then again, I took out some square (more expensive Swarovski's) and changed some other components as well.... So, let's make this one $60.00!

Perfect Gift for Mom (or for you, too)!

If you came to the two shows I was a vendor at, you might remember this watch face. I re-strung it to be neutral with just clear Swarovski's and sterling beads. (It was sterling and bright turquoise square cube Swarovski's)... As much as turquoise is a color, it is really quite a neutral, as it seems to go with just about any other color. Try it sometime and see if you agree.

This watch face is stainless steel, but all other components are sterling silver and Swarovski. It fits a 7 1/2" wrist snug. It is a heavy watch face in comparison to the rest of the piece, so I didn't want to make it too loose or it would just keep turning around face the inside of your wrist. $55.00 will bring this puppy home for Christmas. You can see it at This Olde House on 9th and Newton St. next week. If it isn't on display you just need to ask Karen to see the others she has behind the counter. She plans to rotate my items so she keeps the customers seeing new things every few days or so!!

Restringing with Secret Ingredient!

I have been pulling out some of my bracelets and re-stringing them. This one was made toooooo large. So, I re-vamped it and added my new secret Ingredient! I love it more than before. This bracelet is on the more pricey side. The lentil beads are made by a lampwork artist that is known in the "bead-world", so they were more expensive to purchase. I own the blue and green lentils from this set. You would think I would want these since they incorporate my favorites of the yellows, pinks and oranges, but I was just drawn to the others even more-so and I wear that bracelet 2-3 times a week. This one is $95.00, like I said, more pricey, but it is beautiful and will be a favorite accessory to your wardrobe weekly, I PROMISE!

It's DECEMBER!

Happy 1st of December! It is officially Christmas-time to me now. Even yesterday wasn't as Christmassy as today. Something about the MONTH of December makes me feel all snowy and fuzzy! I am headed out today for just a bit and then will return skipping to my scrap/bead studio (aka the basement)! I can't wait to get started on some new items! I have plenty to get me busy for the weekend, but will probably be halted by Tuesday until Thursday when my bead/sterling order will be arriving. I am out of sterling keychains and I want those to be done by Friday for delivery! SO, i guess I will be BUSY on Thursday night! YIKERS! But, I will take Tuesday to Thursday to get the tree up, make some cookies with the kids, and possibly even do some Christmas shopping! WOO HOO! Gettin' into the Spirit, FINALLY!

Off to pound the pavement to drum up some business! I will post again as soon as I get a newbie finished and completed!

Have a SUPAH Saturday!