Beautiful Day!!

It's a gorgeous day here in Western Michigan today. Cool, yes, but what's not to love when the sun in shining and you feel good!! We took the time to put away our outdoor furniture today and to finish raking the backyard....not fun, but we couldn't ask for a better day to do it! I couldn't help but admire the beauty in these mums that are fully in bloom. I just had to share!!

In the meantime, I've been working on a new treasury. The theme......The Gales Of November Came Early! Ever heard of Gordon Lightfoot?? Maybe that shows my age, but I just can't help myself! If you have an item that might work well with that theme, please post it here and I'll be happy to use it in my new treasury that I hope to get going by tomorrow!!

Hopefully the owner of this photo won't mind if I use it here! Keep in touch!

High Winds Equals Bad Hair!

You've heard the term "bad hair day" and probably even had them a time or two! I know I have them about every other day it seems!! LOL Well the last couple of days have definitely been "bad hair days!" The wind has been so strong that when I went down to the beach, not only did my car get sand whipped, but if I had been out in it, my face and hair would have been too! So I stayed in the car and watched others get it! Hee Hee! I also watched a girl who was going surfing try to walk to the waters edge with her surfboard! What a sight! The wind kept grabbing her surfboard and she would go flying down the beach. She was laughing so hard she just had to sit and gain her composure! I couldn't stay around to see if she ever got in the water or I wouldn't have had any paint left on my car! But in the meantime, I did get some great shots! The first ones are from earlier in the morning on Tuesday.

As you can see, the waves aren't much yet, but still awesome nonetheless!

My friends told me to take one of the lighthouse with the light on. Steady hand caught it! My hubby and I walk the pier on a regular basis when the weather is nice! Oh, I'm so glad I'm not out there!!

Here we were driving back to the beach towards noon. Look at those cloud formations!! Ominous, indeed!! No....I wasn't snapping this!! My friend took it as well as this next one!

This is driving over the bridge between Spring Lake and Grand Haven. That's the Grand River down there. But look at those clouds! Now we're hoping to see water spouts on the big lake. But this is what we saw!

Isn't this just gorgeous? As you can see the winds are really starting to build now! I love the clouds in the background!!

Don't you just love the beautiful color of the water? And the cloud formations once again are great!!

We left and decided to come back after the sun came out! WOW!! Aren't these fabulous??
But first look at the sand blowing across the road!

Pictures don't do it justice! But this poor guy got stuck and here he is after the tow truck pulled him out! No wonder they closed the beach yesterday!!

So here are the last of the photos when the sun was shining! Gorgeous!!

I hope you enjoyed your tour! I only wish I could have gotten some yesterday! The waves were even bigger! But the turbulence we did see on Tuesday just reminds me of the power our God possesses! And to think that Jesus told the seas to "hush, be quiet" and they obeyed! WOW!
Today we're looking at windy (not as windy) weather and rain!! How's the weather where you are?

Maybe Tomorrow

Yep....that's what I said! Maybe tomorrow! For what?? I just may surprise you all with a new post! Yes, I said it!! A NEW POST!! Maybe I'll show off my high wind photos I took down at the "big lake" (Lake Michigan). They're pretty awesome! Stay tuned....

Giveaway....Put On Hold

Hi! I know my last post mentioned a giveaway this week. Well due to a death and some other bad news, I have to put this on hold till next week. This week is just too busy for me. But stay tuned...it will happen!

Giveaway....Coming Soon!!

Yep...a giveaway! I'm thinking I'll advertise it starting next week, so stay tuned!! In the meantime, I wanted to show off my baby!! I made this treasury yesterday! I was so hoping to see it on the front page! But don't we all. So I'm sharing it here!

I hope you like it! And I'll get back with you all on the giveaway too!

Color Tour/ Weekend Away----Part 3

I promise this is the last one!! I know this is boring to some of you, but I've been having fun showing off my photos anyway.
On Sunday we decided on our way home we would take a different route. Am I glad we did!! The colors were phenomenal!! We were driving along 37 and I saw a roadside park and asked Phil to pull over to take some photos. Wow! Were we in for a treat!

This is what we saw at the top of the steps that led down to the lake. I have this photo as my wallpaper on my computer! I love it! Here is another view of this same area:

Isn't it gorgeous? I was so taken by the beauty because we hadn't seen a lot all weekend.


After we went down this steps, this is one of the views too. And this is one also! I love the boat in the background.

Looking back towards the stairway, this is what we saw. Sorry about how bad I look, but I had a migraine and I've put on a few pounds! Yuck! Didn't have a better photo.


So now hubby has his turn to show off the area!!


Yep, that's him!! Holding up the fence! Anyway, as you can see this was a great spot to stop and take photos!
From there we called some friends who have a cabin not too far from here. They were up for the weekend and so we headed towards their place for a visit! I saw this tree on the way, and thought it was so pretty, I snapped a photo of it through my window!


We traveled for what seemed to be a half hour or so and ended at some gravel! Didn't look right so after finding out we went the wrong way, we headed back! Again, I was amazed at the color in this tree!


I had to snap another photo!! Finally going the right way, we saw a lot more beauty that I didn't capture due to the fact that my headache was getting worse. But we met our friends, cooked some steaks on the grill, played some cards and off we went to head home. Coming out of their driveway, I always admired this barn. I had hubby snap a photo!



It looks like a postcard!! Someday I will paint this scene!! I love it!!
I hope you enjoyed our weekend away, and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend this week too!

Color Tour/ Weekend Away----Part 2

Here is part 2 in a series of 3! On Saturday we had a plan. First off (after breakfast, of course), we went downtown Traverse City and looked into the stores (including a great little bead store where I purchased a few items). From there we went to an old Mental Health facility that had been converted into shops! You HAVE to see this place.....awesome!!! I toured it as a teenager as part of my Psychology class when it was still a facility. I'd forgotten how awesome the buildings were.

This is only a PART of what the facility looks like! They are huge and all interconnected.

There are a lot of the buildings that are vacant and haven't been restored yet. But inside, there are restaurants, shops and offices. A lot of empty spaces yet, but they're working on it.

This is one of the outside buildings. It's a Cheesecake shop!! Yummy! I should have zoomed in on this one or cropped it before I put it here.


Another building outside is this one! Called "Left Foot Winery." It's a tasting room! We really liked their wine and bought a bottle! From there we were in the mood.......On to more wine tasting!!
So from there we went up the arm of the Mission peninsula with our map and we went to the wine tasting spots along the way. Here's some photos of a couple of the stops we made.


This was a good winery...not the best, but we enjoyed it! Notice the lines of grapevines in this next photo.


I should have erased our taillight from the photo! (Tee hee!) And then we have a luscious bunch of grapes used to make white wine. Not sure which kind.


After our last stop at a winery, we went down on the lake side and stopped at a brewery to have something to drink and an appetizer. It was called the Jolly Pumpkin! Cute, huh?


While we were there the "game," Michigan State and U of M started! Hubby's eyes were glued!
But we did leave after we ate, and pulling out of the driveway, this was the scene.

Gorgeous, huh?! Not nearly as gorgeous as the photos I'll show you in part 3! We went down the arm and Phil let me stop at a bead store that I've never been to before. He said "Take your time...I'll stay in the car and listen to the game!" So....I took my time! All together including both bead stores, here is my stash!

Maybe it doesn't look like much to you, but I'm thrilled!! Can't wait to "play" with it! Time...if only there was more time....
That is the end of part 2. Part 3 will come maybe tomorrow, you never know! Stay tuned!

Color Tour/ Weekend Away----Part 1

I wanted to tell you about my lovely weekend away with hubby, but I have so much to say that I thought I would post it in installments! So here is part 1. We left early on Friday morning to go up north to Traverse City for 2 nights. We were hoping to see a bit of color and WOW, did we ever!! On our way to up, we stopped to a favorite place in Manistee called "Townline Bargain Barn!" A great little junk shop that is very popular.

We got some real bargains here too! Some cookies, tape, cards, pet dish, etc.! I always love to stop and look around!

From here we took the scenic route along the lakeshore, although the color wasn't peaking there yet. But another favorite stop is this little road side stop where you can virtually see for miles! I love the views from up there!


The steps were a LOT to climb, but so worth it!!

From there we drove up the Leelanau peninsula and came to the little village of Leland, also affectionately known as "Fishtown!" This little town tugs at my heart strings every time I go there. My father loved Fishtown! Before he died it was a favorite spot of his! I was a bit disappointed that the candy store was closed at the dam.


But at least we got some great views of the dam itself! It's so pretty!

There's a restaurant up in the left with a balcony so you can sit out there and eat and listen to the dam.

This is a shot going in the opposite direction. There was a beaver swimming in it, but unfortunately I was not able to get a photo of it! Wish I had...he was awesome!

I took a photo of a couple of fishing boats. Out beyond the stones is the "Big Lake!" Of course, I'm referring affectionately to Lake Michigan!

I loved this fish on the top of the smoked fish store!!

So from there we headed over to Suttons Bay and then down to Traverse City where we spent the night. Another day this week I'll show you what we did on Saturday!! Just too many photos for post! Hope you enjoyed the little tour!

Woo Hoo! Featured Fan Today!!

Hi! Just a short note to let you know that OurKnickKnacks has chosen me to be their featured fan today!! Please take a look and check out my shop too!! And please don't hesitate to check out theirs as well! http://www.facebook.com/OKDecor

I've Put It Off Long Enough!

You may wonder just what is it that I've put off long enough. Well let me tell you the story, okay? Back in June when my son and daughter-in-law were here for a visit, my daughter-in-law brought me some beautiful beads from Mexico. She brought me a natural turquoise donut and a strand of natural turquoise rondelles and also a strand of pink dyed jasper nuggets. I loved them all!! I needed a bit of time (nearly 5 months--pathetic!) to think about what I wanted to make for myself from these. Well today I woke up with a migraine, so I decided to stay in which gave me some creative thinking time (after the headache went away, of course!). So I set to it and I made this beautiful necklace and earring set

.....for ME!!

I was so excited about the earrings that I made a pair for my shop too! Unfortunately, I don't have another donut until I go to Mexico in Dec. to make necklace like this for my shop. So it will have to wait. But, below, is what my earrings for the shop look like!

Aren't these cute? Be patient...I'll be listing them soon!!

From there I was looking at a pendant that a friend of mine had picked out some time ago. Again I asked her to please be patient with me and I would come up with something that would be likable to her. So what do you think? I LOVE this new necklace for my friend Ronnie!!

I found the tree of life back in July and have just been waiting to figure out what else to add. I decided to leave it simple! I even put it on a leather cord for a chain! So simple! Should have done that in the first place! Duh!

Then on Thursday I went to a local bead store and found these wonderful Picasso jasper teardrop beads! I loved them so much, I bought enough for 2 pairs of earrings! Here they are:


You may think these look the same, but look closely....the top pair are made with antique brass, the bottom pair are in gunmetal!

And the last thing I made is this beautiful purse pull! I know.....not ANOTHER purse pull!! Actually I have 3 I made yesterday too that need to be listed!! But this one is made with a gorgeous blue quartz! I love the color, don't you?

So I'm not going to bore you anymore with new things I've made! Big deal, huh? I just wanted to share. What have you been working on???