CinLynn Boutique's Blogspot

New Creations

2012-01-19T09:16:00.000-05:00

I know I don't blog much. Lack of time and motivation on my part. But I have been busy creating a bit. Here are a few things that I recently finished. Hope you like them.

Little by little, I hope to get these listed soon. If you want any of them, let me know and I'll reserve them for you.

Thanks for looking and for your comments.

I've Had The Blah's!

2011-12-30T08:23:00.000-05:00

For the last few days I'v"e been beating off the blahs. Ever get them? I felt like something was trying to take over my body and I was refusing to let it happen!! Well, as it turns out, and it usually does, I was experiencing "change in weather" symptoms. My hubby was sick for such a long time...I think I'm paranoid!!!

Well, I was bored and made a few pairs of earrings. This is just a preview of one of those pairs. You'll see the rest when I list them.

Have a wonderful Friday and weekend too!!

Preview Day

2011-12-25T08:36:00.001-05:00

Just another Sunday here. Not much going on. Same old, same old. But I have been keeping busy creating new jewelry. So here it is. Please let me know what you think.

I'm unsure of the appeal of these, but they're made with antique copper and dark green pearl disk beads. Is there anything interesting about them, or should I think about re-styling them?

These are simple. Silver faceted glass beads with silver glass pearls. Basic silver earring. Small but a bit elegant too. What do you think? Appeal?

If any of you are on Facebook, you may have already seen this one. I haven't listed it yet, but I love the simplicity of it. It goes with everything.

This bracelet is the sister of another one in my shop. The difference is that this one has lapis beads in it. The turquoise in the focal bead are real turquoise chips. It also has lapis chips and coral chips in it. I love those Tibetan beads, don't you?

This necklace is new. I used Mexican zebra jasper as the beads. I like it, but what do you think?

These earrings are really feminine!! The pink focal beads are Czech glass. I love them! I added the glass pearls for interest. What do you think?

This purse charm/ zipper pull/ key chain is a real "hoot" isn't it? I loved these charms when I got them in the mail the other day and couldn't wait to make something with them. Do you like?

I found these leaf beads in a local bead store the other day and just had to have them!! I could picture a bracelet just like this! The yellow beads are actually yellow jade and the bracelet is sterling silver. I used silver plated head pins on these though. What do you think of it?

And last, but certainly not least are these chandelier earrings I made yesterday. I used antique copper connectors and added copper colored glass pearls and soft yellow that complement them well. These are long earrings for those of you that love big. Hopefully someone will love these too.

That's it for the preview. Thanks for stopping by and please leave a comment so I know what you think. Thanks!!

Have a great Sunday!

Easy Orange Cookies

2011-12-23T08:20:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we decided it was time to go get our passport photos taken so we could renew our passports just in case we want to go somewhere in the future. So off to Walgreens we went! We got them taken and the girl said they would be ready in about 20 min. We didn't think it was worth going home and coming back, so since Home Depot was right across the street, we decided to waste our time there.

As you can imagine, as a woman, I find it hard to find interesting things to look at in the winter months, so off to the magazine rack I went! What did I find? A super simple cookie recipe! Now how uncouth is it to stand there and write it down instead of buying the magazine?!! I didn't care....so out the paper and pen came and I wrote it down!

The top cookies are orange cookies (Yummy!)

The bottom cookies are lemon. Also (yummy!). Okay, so how are they made? That's the best part!!!

You take 1 box of cake mix, in this case I used orange for the orange cookies and lemon for the lemon cookies. Dump it in a bowl. Add 1/2 cup melted butter, 1 beaten egg and 1 c. Rice Krispies! Yep...I said Rice Krispies! I also added a teaspoon of orange zest for the orange and lemon zest for the lemon.

The batter will be a bit crumbly, but that's okay. Just form them into balls and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. You then bake them at 350 degrees for about 12-15 minutes or till done. My oven is slow so it always takes longer.

How simple is that!!?? I have spice cake mix (I'm going to add raisins to those), cherry chip ( how about some chocolate chips in those) and I have a butter pecan cake mix ( some chopped pecans will be great with those!).

They are so easy, I let my 2 year granddaughter help with the orange ones. She had a ball!

I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!! Bon Appetit!

Another Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-14T07:19:00.000-05:00

I can't help myself....I love this necklace and want everyone to see it! In my shop! http://www.etsy.com/listing/88371012/burnt-orange-necklace-antique-copper

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Simple, Elegant Wedding With My Jewelry

2011-12-08T08:30:00.000-05:00

A couple of months ago, a young lady that I've known from birth asked me to make her wedding jewelry. I was so touched and thrilled to have the opportunity. I was also very nervous! I wanted so much to please her. So I had her come over, look through my beads and give me an idea of what she wanted. She chose a very elegant but simple style for her and her maid of honor to wear. The photos below are the finished result.

Her accent color was sky blue. These are light sapphire and matched perfectly! She wanted simple earrings and a bracelet. Her dress had a pretty pearl and light sapphire sash/cumber bun and she didn't want to distract from it by wearing a necklace.

Her maid of honor was her sister. The colors she chose was paprika and pearl. She wore a pretty paprika colored dress and these match perfectly! Notice that she had a necklace made for her as well.

As you can see, the earrings were the same. Simple but elegant!

Now comes the reveal! How did they look? The photos below show it all!

I took this photo with the two of them together. You'll have to look close at the detail to see the jewelry.

This is Jennifer wearing her maid of honor jewelry. Everything matched. Even her lipstick!

And this is Rachel the bride! Notice her pretty cumber bun. We added Swarovski crystals in light sapphire to accent it. She was a beautiful bride! And I'm so touched that she asked me to make the jewelry that I had to show it off! Thanks for looking.

I Set Up My Display!! Now Hopefully Some Sales!

2011-11-27T09:08:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I finally got my display set up in my friends shop! Here is a photo of what it looks like. I sure hope I'll be able to sell some things this way! Have a great Sunday!

Wonderful Weekend

2011-11-22T19:47:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful weekend we had visiting our son and daughter in law in Illinois. On Saturday, they took us to a little town called "Bishop Hill." What a wonderful little place to visit! The above photo shows the main street. Here's a bit of information about the area:

In 1846, a group of Swedish immigrants seeking religious freedom left their native land under the guidance of their charismatic spiritual leader, Erik Jansson. The site for their new utopia, later called Bishop Hill, was described to them as a “land of plenty, brimming with milk and honey,” and they struggled to make it so. These Janssonists built a successful communal society based on economic and religious principles. Many of the structures erected during this building campaign still exist. The colony grew and flourished for fifteen years before disbanding in 1861.

Today Bishop Hill is a quiet country village where the charm and character of the original colony has survived the test of time. Bishop Hill is a National Landmark Village, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and it is an Illinois State Historic Site.

Join us! We invite you to taste the history of this once-bustling 19th century settlement. Sample our fascinating museums, quaint eateries, unique gift shops, and art galleries. Spend hours or days here with family and friends. (from Wikipedia)

One of our favorite places in Bishop Hill, was this little bakery. Oh, what wonderful baked goods you could find there! Their pumpkin cream muffins were out of this world!! But besides baked goods, there were even trinkets and antiques to be found. Loved it!

The above shop has pottery, quilts, artwork, knitting, yarn, rugs, jewelry and many other items! I could have spend hours in there! But I only came out with a small piece of pottery. One of my weaknesses. LOL There were a LOT more little shops there to look through. And yes, you could stay all day. They even have lodging. Check it out!! Here is the website:

http://www.bishophill.com/

From there we headed northwest to the town of Le Claire, Iowa. Ever heard of it?? You may have, if you watch the TV show, "American Pickers." It's the home base of the show. The building on the left in the photo below, is the building in Le Claire.

The show follows Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz, as they travel around the greater Midwestern United States as well as the eastern and southern U.S. in a Mercedes Sprinter, buying antiques and collectibles.They work with Danielle Colby-Cushman, who runs the office of their business, Antique Archeology, from their home base in Le Claire, Iowa. While Danielle researches potential leads, Mike and Frank attempt to track down potential sellers on the road.

Wolfe and Fritz explore people's homes, barns, sheds, and other outbuildings, and other places where they have collected antiques and collectibles. They call upon casual collectors, hoarders and, occasionally, people who have inherited overwhelming collections of apparent junk.. Wolfe, who has been "picking" since age four, has a particular interest in antique motorcycles, old bicycles and penny-farthings, while Fritz has a fondness for antique toys, antique oil cans, and old Hondas. They have purchased old advertisements and commercial signage, film posters, a rare 15-gallon visible gasoline pump, and a Piaggio Ape (pron. ah-peh) that one of their friends told them is probably the only one of its kind in North America. (from Wikipedia)

We watched an episode the night before we went and they had picked up a metal sign that said "spinners" on it, as well as, a VW sign. We saw them both hanging in the shop. Pretty cool! I was surprised at how small the building is. But it was fun, and now I can say I've been there.

We did check out some other antique shops and gift shops while there too. If you get the chance, take a trip out there. Both places are so fun to see!

Finally!!!

2011-11-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

Finally!! For the last 2 days I've been working on photos of the these earrings. I had to retake them twice because I had something messed up on the settings on my camera. Well, after adjusting, readjusting, deleting, checking them out, I think I finally got them right! These are the new photos of my new earrings! I won't be listing them for awhile, so if you see some that you would like, let me know! I'll make a special listing for you!

As you can see I've been really busy making earrings lately. I guess I'm on a roll! These beautiful aqua faceted teardrop earrings are hung on sterling silver lever backs! I love this pair!

Okay, I'm not sure about these. They're long and just different. I used Czech glass beads and antique brass. What do you think?

These coin beads are simply black with swirls! I think they're really funky!! The coins are about 1 inch in diameter and so they're a bit large. They're medium weight. I used gunmetal on these too! But this time hung them on lever backs.

I don't know what it is about emerald green briolettes and antique copper, but I love the way they look together don't you?!

I was fascinated with these brown glass beads when I saw them! I somehow knew they would make cute earrings! Am I right? I used antique brass bead caps and spacers and added mocha brown Swarovski bicones for interest. Anyone like??

Don't you just love the blue ab crystals in these?? I do!! I used gunmetal bead caps and antique silver ones too! I added Czech glass beads for interest and the earring wires are nickel free for all you sensitive ladies!

Some of you may have seen these already. I posted them on facebook to see if anyone liked them Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that many do. But I love the pearl teardrops. I added milky ab Czech glass rondelles and these are made with sterling silver! Very elegant I think!

And last, but certainly not least, I love the black crackle beads on these new earrings, don't you?? I used gunmetal to set them off. I actually really love this pair! I hope someone else does too!

That's the preview! If you're interested in any of these just let me know and as I said, I will make a listing for you. Otherwise it'll be awhile before you see all of them listed.

Thanks for looking. Have a wonderful Thursday and weekend too!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-02T07:33:00.001-04:00

November 1st sunrise. I love the way the sun is shimmering over the water.
Have a wonderful Wednesday.

Can Anyone Give Me A Suggestion??

2011-10-20T07:20:00.000-04:00

I've been busy making a LOT of jewelry lately, but selling little. I have so much inventory I don't know what to do with it all. Well yesterday a friend of mine who has a business, told me I could display my jewelry in here shop!! Yay!! But I have to supply displays. :( I have no idea how to display them! That's where you come in! I would be so happy if someone could help me and give me some suggestions here. It can't be a large display because she does massage and so her office is not huge. Any ideas??? Please???

No Words......Just A Photo

2011-10-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

October sunsets

A Walk At The Beach

2011-10-17T09:41:00.000-04:00

I started my post this morning talking about the recent removal of our huge trees. I had problems getting my photos to download right, so I switched it up and decided instead, to talk about our walk yesterday at Rosy Mound park. If you want a hike, and a good workout, this is the place to go. But look how pretty the water looked!

There were some people 4 wheeling on the beach. You would have thought it was winter the way they were bundled up! LOL

I don't know if you you can see the way the leaves are flying sideways due to the wind. Okay...so it's not that interesting! I was having a hard time choosing what to photograph.

We are at the bottom of this stairway. Rosy Mound is know for it's hundreds of stairs. There are 97 here to climb back up to get back to the parking lot! Whew!! That was a workout!

But at the top of the stairs in one of the lookouts, this is what we saw. Pretty, isn't it!

And last, but not least, hubby is playing around behind this awesome dead tree on one of the paths. Lots of "arms" on this one!

Have a wonderful Monday!

Scones! A Great Rainy Day Fare

2011-10-14T16:17:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I was reading a post by Deb of The Wug's Backyard Blogspot, and I found myself wanting to make some comfort food. One of my favorites is this recipe for scones that I found on Allrecipes.com. Don't they look delicious?

World's Best Scones

Ingredients

13/4 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or rubbing between your fingers until it is in pea sized lumps. Stir in the currants. Place bowl in freezer to re-solidify the butter. Mix together 1/2 cup milk and sour cream in a measuring cup. Pour all at once into the dry ingredients, and stir gently until well blended. Overworking the dough results in terrible scones!
With floured hands, pat scone dough into balls 2 to 3 inches across, depending on what size you want. Place onto a greased baking sheet, and flatten lightly. Let the scones barely touch each other. Put in fridge until the oven is hot. This is important for a good scone I think. Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon of milk. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash. Let them rest for about 10 minutes.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the tops are golden brown, not deep brown. Break each scone apart, or slice in half. Serve with butter or clotted cream and a selection of jams - or even plain.

Now when I make them, as I did this morning, I always add pure vanilla extract to the milk/sour cream mixture. I made, first of all, apple cinnamon ones. For these I omitted the raisins and added cinnamon and chopped apples. They are yummy! You can sprinkle a bit of cinnamon sugar on top before baking if you wish.

The other batch, again I omitted the raisins and this time I added coconut. To the milk/sour cream mixture, I not only added the vanilla, but also some coconut extract. I think these are some of hubby's favorites!

I've also made cherry (using dried cherries), cranberry (using craisnins), cheese, vanilla almond and pumpkin. For the pumpkin ones, I use pumpkin pie spice and a package of pumpkin pudding.

There are really so many ways to make them and they always turn out great!

Enjoy!

Another Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-12T07:30:00.004-04:00

Missed the sunset last night. But we did get the leftovers!

Hubby was looking out at the water while we were at the end of the pier. The colors were still fabulous!

Look how the moon was shimmering on the water! Love it!

Have a great Wednesday!

Why I Made Two Pairs

2011-10-08T07:42:00.002-04:00

Last week I heard some great news about the daughter of a good friend. She's getting married at the end of this month!! So I've been invited to a personal shower for her today and had no idea what to buy for her. Well, yesterday I was in my craft room fooling around with some of my latest beads and made the earrings in the above photo. I loved them so much that I made a second pair to give to her as a gift! That's personal wouldn't you say?

I also put together a "floating" pearl choker for her too. I sure hope she likes it! I'm not very in tuned to the tastes of a 27 year old!!

So you may wonder, what are these?? I love rose gold and decided to put a pair of rose gold earrings together too. What do you think? Are they elegant enough? I did think the pink went well with them.

As you can see, it didn't stop there. I have been looking at this faceted briolette for some time and trying to decide what to do with it. Yesterday I decided! Keep it simple!! I hung it on sterling silver chain! I really love this!

And in the bottom photo, you can see that I made earrings to go with it! What do you think?

I thought that was enough for 1 day. So off I went to photograph them. Hope I didn't bore you, but I did want to show off a bit!

Have a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-04T19:51:00.003-04:00

My crazy cat Vinnie. He was chasing his tail on the railing! How does he do that? He's so fat!!

2011-10-03T08:08:00.003-04:00

Today I have nothing to say (believe it or not), but I did want to show off a few of my newer pieces that haven't been listed yet. I have so many things waiting in the sidelines! Even some that haven't been photographed yet. So much to do....so little time! Please let me know what you think, okay?

These are just a sample of what I have to list yet! WHEW!! I need about 8 more hours in a day and then maybe I could get them listed. Let me know what you think please!

I love this pair!!

Thanks and have a great Monday!

BOGO Sale or Business Stagnation Sale I Must Scale Down

2011-09-30T07:35:00.010-04:00

In the last few weeks I've been doing a lot of thinking about where my business is going and have decided it's not going anywhere. I have so much inventory that I've decided its time to clear out some of the older items. So I've marked everything in my clearance section BOGO or buy 1 get 1 of equal value or less FREE! The above necklace is an example of what's in there. I have so many more things to add, but NO ONE has taken advantage. Now my question is, is the economy so bad that people aren't buying anything??? Or is my jewelry really BAD? I'm taking it personal and I know I shouldn't. LOL

The above photo is a sample of the many items I have made but have not listed. I haven't listed them because I simply have too much inventory already. Until I move some of the old stuff out, I won't be adding much new. Here's another sample of new:

I have shown this one off on FB. I really love it, but I won't list it until I start to move some of the other things. And earrings....oh do I have some new earrings to list!! Look at this pair:

I have several others too.

I know I showed you one bracelet, but what about this one:

Personally I'm luvin' this one!!

And how about a new purse/keychain/backpack charm? I have several made, but they sure aren't moving. Maybe I'm the only one out there that thinks they're cute. I hope the price isn't too steep. I can't give them away people!

Know a boy that loves football?? This would be great for him!

I love this one myself!

So as you can see by this sample of new items, I still have a lot to list. Keep in mind that I have to pay Etsy to list things. I simply can't afford to keep giving them more money each month than I make in sales. So because of this and because I have more important things to do in my life, more important priorities as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, I've decided, with hubby's consent, to scale down drastically by the end of the year if things don't change. I will keep my shop open and hope that someone finds it, but I will not be promoting or adding new daily. I want a small inventory that will be easier for me to maintain with little time involved. So I'm not quitting (yet), just needing to scale back. So I hope you can see my dilemma and pass the word that I really need to move the older inventory. I will keep adding to the section until I have the majority sold.

If you see anything in the above photos that you're interested in, or if you're interested in seeing some of the other items I haven't listed, send me an email and I'll be happy to sell it or show it to you.

Thanks for reading this. Have a wonderful Friday and weekend too.

Whiners Of The World........Unite!

2011-09-27T20:53:00.010-04:00

("Because Pouting Works, That's Why" by Gravel Alley Primitives on Etsy)

Whining.....now that's a topic to consider! Lately I've been accused of whining....a lot!! And rightly so. I feel that, as a woman in her 50's, I have the right!!! I'm not taking the aging thing too well. I get migraines, I have gas, my fingers hurt and don't work like they used to, I have gas, I don't have the energy to do things, I have gas, I need to go to bed way to early, I have gas, I forget way too much, I have gas, I can't concentrate, I have gas and now my back is having issues again!!! AND I have gas! Now, does that sound like whining to you? Well to everyone around me it does! I've even been told to:

(You can find this button in "Shapechangers" shop on Etsy)

Can you believe it???

So I've decided that I can't be the only person in the world dealing with a whiny attitude. So why not start a whiner's club? Here's a card that all of us should own, don't you think?

All you have to do is make a copy or two of this card, sign it and keep it in your wallet and when accused (and rightly so) of whining, pull it out and show everyone that you are a part of the whiners club and have the right to whine!!!

Have extra cards in your wallet so that when you hear others whining you can give them their very own card and they too can become a proud member!! I think this club could really take off and become huge before you know it!!!

Whining is not a new phenomenon. It has been around from generation to generation. In fact, it's so popular that some famous people have even made comments about it.

Here are a couple that I especially love:

"It takes a genius to whine appealingly." F.Scott Fitzgerald

Isn't that the truth?

Or:

"Magnetism is one of the Six Fundamental Forces of the Universe, with the other five being Gravity, Duct Tape, Whining, Remote Control, and the Force That Pulls Dogs Toward The Groins Of Strangers." Dave Barry

Ha ha!!! So if you find yourself, as I do, being a huge whiner, treat yourself to a new coffee mug or whine to someone about how much you need it!

This a great example of the perfect cup! You or someone you love, can find it in Art & Soul's Etsy shop!

If you really love me, you'll buy this for me!! (said in a whiny way!)

So if you are one of the millions that find yourself or someone you love, whining endlessly, be sure to let them know they're not alone!!

Drink up your coffee, tea, cocoa or wine and whine a bit more!! Have a wonderful day all my whining friends!! And join the club!

Wordless Wednesday .... Almost

2011-09-21T08:01:00.004-04:00

A gorgeous evening on the pier last night. I wanted to share! Hope you like it and have a wonderful Wednesday!

Skunks And Sunsets

2011-09-15T09:29:00.004-04:00

Last weekend hubby and I went upnorth with some friends to their cabin. We had a wonderful fall-ish weekend! We woke up Saturday morning to sunshine and a shocking critter that was caught in a live trap that J. kept stocked to catch the raccoons to send off to another area of the woods. Instead of a raccoon, there was a white and black critter in it. Yes, it was a skunk! Now what! I asked J. what he was going to do about it and he said he would probably have to shoot it! I pitched a fit, so he and hubby decided they were going to save the pretty little guy. As you can see in the above photo he was mostly white with a bit of black. Fortunately he didn't stink!
So hubby and J. got a big tarp and stood behind it as they inched their way towards the cage. I actually got it on video, but I'm not quite sure how to put it here so you'll have to take my word for it! LOL
As they would inch their way toward the cage, the little guy could hear them and would flatten out getting ready to spray! I had the camera on them just in case! TeeHee!! This was a slow process since the little guy had such good hearing. They finally had to take fishing poles and put them in the corners of the tarp and place it gently over the cage. (You see, if the skunk can't see you, he doesn't feel threatened).

As you can see in the above photo, they did accomplish it and they used an arrow to prop open the door so he could get out. He escaped while we were in town that day. I was hoping to photograph it. But I sure was happy to save the little guys life!!

So off for our day of garage saling and hiking. I found some red wine at a garage sale a lady was selling because she doesn't like red wine. I paid $5 for 3 bottles and looked them up online to see what they would cost to buy them. One was $18 and the other was $22!! The third one is made at a winery up there and runs about $12 a bottle! Did I make out or what!!!

Then off to the stream!! K. , J.'s wife is an Indian! So we went to the stream to see if the salmon were in the stream yet so she could spear some. There were none there yet, but the scenery was gorgeous!!

Such a beautiful day!!
The next day we had to come home. :( But we sure had a great time!

A couple days after we got home, I told hubby we needed to go for a walk on the pier to get some sunset photos. This was the best one I got. I plan to get some better ones later, but for now, this is it! Hope you like it.

All in all, it's been a great week! Having hubby home for a few days (he's been laid off. Going back to work tomorrow) has been so much fun!

Have a good day today and a wonderful weekend!

Why Is Everything Breaking Down At Once?

2011-08-31T08:37:00.005-04:00

I'm going to complain today on "Wordless Wednesday," cuz that's what I do best...according to hubby! LOL We seem to be in the midst of a breakdown at our house! A couple of weeks ago I went to thaw something in my microwave and it would come on, but it would not defrost, warm....nothing!! Dead!! Just like that!! How can that happen?? It's only about 10 - 12 years old! LOL Well as you can imagine, that meant a trip to Lowes! I love to go to Lowes when it means I can buy something! LOL But before we went, hubby, as usual, had to do his research to find which is the best rated model so we could get another good one. So we looked at all the models they had available that were on his list, but he couldn't find the one he wanted. I started wandering around the store and found the one in the back! Unfortunately it was the only one they had left and it was black. We have white in our kitchen, and if I was going to change, I don't think it would be black! So we found a similar one next to it in white and ended up buying that one. The funny thing is, it was less money than the one we bought 10 - 12 years earlier! Go figure!

This is my new "baby!!" She's cute, isn't she?! Does what I need it to do for sure.

You would think that would be enough, but nooooooo! I was doing laundry last Friday and was waiting for my first load to finish. I went down and checked on it and it didn't rinse and spin the last time. It quit!! I was able to get it to work, but every load after that I had to manually make it rinse and spin. Soooooooo, I told hubby it was time to get a new washer and dryer. So, again, he did his research and said that Home Depot had the ones he felt were the best. Off we went! We found what we wanted, and on sale too! But he wanted to check Lowes first. Off to Lowes! The guy asked us how old our old ones were and we had to stop and think. I said I think the dryer is 24 years old and washer is 22! He started laughing! "You're kidding me", he said! "They never last that long!! What kind did you have?" Well, we told him they were Kenmore and he said, "yes, they were good products back then." Still are in my opinion.

They didn't have what we wanted, to back to Home Depot. We bought front loaders in white, cuz they're in the basement and no one sees them anyway. But they didn't match since "Irene" made their deliveries slow or non existent! Couldn't get the dryer. So we went with a smaller less expensive one which doesn't match completely but, oh well.
I'll post some photos later. I'll also have to tell you about our tree episode! But I think I've bored you enough.

I started with a photo of one of my newest creations and so let me leave you with a photo of one of my newest creations:

What do you think?

Have a great Wednesday!

2011-08-24T07:23:00.008-04:00

It's been awhile since I've blogged and as my life goes, there's not much of interest to share. I've been sticking around quite a bit the last couple of days due to the fact that I've been a bit dizzy and feel like I could black out. (I love the header photo by aRT4bAREwALLS on Etsy! In fact, she has so many cute things, that I had to favorite her shop!! Check it out!) Anyway....I think it's been a virus!

That didn't keep me from being busy though. I babysat on Monday, but still found the time to photograph some of my new items! Here are a few of them for a sneak preview. Let me know what you think and if there is any interest please.

First...Earrings:

The main dangle beads are natural turquoise! I loved the beads!

I'm not sure what kind of a gem stone these are, but I had to pay for them by the gram!

I love the crackle glass!

Same gemstone in antique silver.

Now for the bracelets:

I may have already shown you this one. But I love the Swarovski crystals in it! And the green!!

Recognize this one?? Nope....it's purple this time!!

This one may get a re-make before I list it. Hubby thinks it's a bit blah.

And this one......oh, the photos do NOT do it justice....is just beautiful! Plain and simple, but gorgeous!

Bored yet? Probably! But I'm still going to show you more! LOL

Now, on to the necklaces:

Did I show you this one yet?? Sorry, if I did! I love the colors!

Here's the sister one in brown! I really love this one!

You need to really appreciate this one! I had to re-do the photos 3 times! This one is a bear to photograph! I would appreciate any suggestions here. There's something about photographing pearls! The main bead is a blue quartz. Isn't it pretty?

This one is really pretty on!

Now we have 1 new purse charm:

Handmade lampwork beads (not made by me) make up the main part of this one. I listed the other one yesterday.

And last, but not least......this is the way I feel some days! LOL Just for kids! (or big kids too!)

What a tweetie!

Well, I smell someone cooking bacon in our neighborhood! I'm hungry, so off for breakfast! Have a wonderful Wednesday!

I Guess Blogging Isn't My Thing

2011-08-04T08:39:00.005-04:00

I always thought that I would enjoy blogging, but I have to say lately I haven't had the time for it or the motivation. When I do write....hardly no one reads it anyway and I can be a bit of a bore for sure. It amazes me that I can talk so much in real life and can't think of anything to say when I get here. I try to be witty and I flop. I've tried to be poetic...but I'm not. So this post isn't any of those things. It's just me being me.
All I can think of doing is to share some of my recent pieces of jewelry. These are not in my shop yet and may not make it there because I'm doing another home show on Friday night. I have a LOT of pieces I have not photographed yet too. If they don't sell at this show, stay tuned and they will be listed.

I have showed these off on FB. So these may not be new to you.

I love these purple ones.

This bracelet will be re-made before it's listed on Etsy. I'm not sure about it the way it is.

Don' t you love it?

I've already sold 4 of these!! Everyone loves them!

I'm a huge fan of turquoise and coral!!

Unsure about this necklace too. There may be a re-make in its future too.

So that's all I have to show off aside from 2 backpack charms. I still have 6 necklaces, 5 bracelets and 3 pairs of earrings that I haven't photographed yet. If there's anything here you like and want, let me know!

Have a great Thursday!

How Was Your Weekend?

2011-07-18T07:14:00.000-04:00

Good question? How was your weekend? Mine was full!! We had out of state company, so it was like one big party everyday! Thank goodness my mother in law has a pool. It was so hot! One good thing we did, is have a jewelry show (my jewelry) on Friday night! WOW! I did awesome!

You may recognize this bracelet because it's in my shop. But Friday morning I made another one using antique brass components. I didn't get a chance to photograph it because it was one of the pieces I sold on Friday night!

These are a pair of earrings that have not been listed yet. But they do follow the turquoise theme, don't they!

And lastly, this is new. Not listed yet, but I think it's a pretty purse dangle, don't you?
I also got a great haircut this weekend. I've been growing my hair out since December, trying to even up the layers. This weekend I had it cleaned up and shaped. I'm so happy with it!!

So that was my weekend. What did you do?

Big 2 Day Sale!

2011-07-14T07:58:00.000-04:00

I was thinking that it was a good idea to have a sale in my shop for today and part of the day tomorrow since I'm doing a home show on Friday night and maybe on Saturday. Everything in my Etsy shop will be for sale at this show. So if there is anything you've had an eye on for awhile, I'm offering 20% off your entire purchase by using the coupon code ONSALE20. Be sure to add it before you check out to receive it. Here is the link to my shop! CinLynnBoutique

I'm looking forward to seeing you!!

Silent Saturday

2011-07-09T13:28:00.000-04:00

Just a photo of my clematis in bloom.

Recipe Of The Day

2011-07-07T08:40:00.000-04:00

This morning I had to get up early to make a triple batch of Tabbouleh for a large crowd. I love this salad so much that I crave it! As you can see in the above photo, it's very healthy and oh so yummy!!
So I decided to share the recipe with you. Hope you don't mind.

Tabbouleh

1/2 cup Bulgar (cracked wheat)
1 or 2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
2 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh snipped parsley
3 Tablespoons fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil

Place the cracked wheat in a bowl and cover with 1 cup boiling water. Soak for 30 min. Drain and squeeze well to squeeze out the excess water.
In bowl, combine all ingredients. Toss and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Toss before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

If you're on Weight Watchers, like I am, there is only 4 pts. in each serving.

I hope you all enjoy this! I know I will! I just made a batch for me too!!

Cin's Serenity!!

2011-07-02T09:04:00.000-04:00

"Cin's Serenity!" That's the name of the wonderful treasury that Ashley of the shop Fringe and Flourish on Etsy, made as an ode to me and my favorites! Wasn't that sweet of her?? You can see the treasury in full here, and if you click on the title at the start of this post, it will take you to the real one so you can click and comment there as well!

As you probably noticed, there are even items from Wugylees shop! You know her here by her blog, The Wug's Backyard Blogspot.

Thanks so much Ashley!!! Much appreciated!

Being Sick Is No Fun! Or...Is It?

2011-07-01T09:01:00.001-04:00

For the last few days, I've had a sore throat, a cough that won't end and a terrible headache! Thankfully the headache is now gone and I can go on with my life! So what did I do with myself since Wednesday? Well I snooped and snooped around Etsy and made a couple of treasuries! Both can be seen along the side of this post. "Play Misty For Me" and "Black Cat Society." You can click on them to go to the treasury!

I also decided it was time for me to make some new earrings for my shop. The above photo shows a cute pair, don't you think?

The ones in the above photo I'm not too sure about yet. They may or may not get into my shop. We'll see about that!

I'm totally in love with these "beachy" earrings with the pearls and starfish! Hope you like them too!

Wowza!! I love the copper in these!

Then I got to thinking that I haven't made any purse charms in awhile, so here are a couple of new ones that I made! I love them myself!

On to bracelets! I actually made 2 bracelets. One is already listed in my shop, so you'll have to go there to see it! LOL But this one is made with acrylic diamond beads with Swarovski elements. I love the silver with it!

And last, but not least, I made this set as a custom order for someone who ice skates! She loves them, but I need to make them just a bit bigger! I love it when people love the custom designs I come up with! Welcome custom orders!!!
That's it and thankfully I feel well enough today to get to the grocery store and get some food in the house. Yes, I AM on a diet (lost 6 lbs. so far), but I still need to eat!
Have a great weekend!!

Advice Anyone??

2011-06-28T20:31:00.001-04:00

As some of you know, I recently added the above bracelet to my Etsy shop. Well I guess I'm a bit surprised that I still have it since so many people raved about it. It makes me second guess myself and my jewelry.
But it hasn't stopped me from making another. This time in blue!

What do you think? Do you like it in blue? I have some purple/pink ones to make up too!
So I guess the advice I need, since I haven't sold the green one, is...is it the color? Is it the price? I have $25.00 on the first one and it will be the same for this one. Is it too much?? Too cheap??? What is it????

I'm in the process of making a custom order with green flowers in a bracelet with a figure skater charm, and a necklace with a charm. I think it will be very pretty!

I would appreciate any input anyone has. What can I do to make my shop more appealing?
Thanks ahead of time!

Okay Here's The Scoop.....OR.....Somebody Has A New Hat!

2011-06-20T22:53:00.000-04:00

So...here's the scoop......A few weeks ago my dear friend Deb...you know...the one that writes The Wug's Backyard Blogspot....was once again having one of her famous giveaways! This time she was giving away one of her gorgeous hats (check out her shop for more pretties!). Well being the hat person I am.....I mean that I'm not, I thought it might be a good idea to try to win it and see if I could BECOME a hat person! Well, you guessed it...I WON!!
Yesterday (Monday) I received my pretty win! I was so excited, I forgot to photograph the package, but the above photo shows off the pretty tag that was attached to the ribbon decorating the package. If you follow her blog, you may remember the post Deb did, on Monday, on the Etsy shop where she purchased them. Go to her blog and check it out. They really are pretty!

Anyway, after I opened the package I saw my hat for the first time! I swear my hands were shaking I was so excited!! So I put it on and had hubby take a few photos. I'm terribly NOT photogenic so I apologize for that, PLUS I did not look my best. But below is how it looks on me:

I'm really loving that crocheted flower that can be worn on the hat!!

I tip my hat to you my friend Deb and say "Thank You!!"

I now think I may be a hat person! It's so comfortable and the perfect size for me too! As a matter of fact I love it so much I've even been adding "enter me" to my comments on her blog to win the next hat too! Yep...you heard right! She's giving away another hat! Only this one is red!! Oooooooo how I love this one too!

All you have to do is comment on her blog and add "enter me" to be entered to win this beauty!! You could be the next one to show off YOUR new hat! (Or maybe I'll be winning that one too! Who knows?!! Tee Hee!!)

Sneak Preview Saturday

2011-06-18T08:01:00.000-04:00

Just a quick sneak preview of my latest creations. Stay tuned....coming to Etsy shortly!

See anything YOU might like?

I Want To Show You........

2011-06-15T15:25:00.000-04:00

I want to show you what I made for my niece for her graduation gift. I hope it'll be a hit! First off we live in a beachy area since our city is on the shores of Lake Michigan, so what teenager wouldn't love some beachy jewelry! The above photo shows the necklace and earrings I made. But then, I thought I would love to make her an awesome bracelet. So this is what I came up with:

What do you think? Do you thinks she'll like it? Here's another view:

I think it's awesome, but what do I know, LOL! I haven't been a teenager for a long time! So I would really love your opinion on this.

Next I want to show you my latest winnings!! Unfortunately, the photo is no longer there, so I can't show it off, but I can tell you about it! Oops! Here it is!

I won a gorgeous crocheted hat from Wuglyees! She has a giveaway every month on her blog The Wug's Backyard BlogSpot You really should check it out! You may be the next winner! Thanks Deb!! Please let me know if you think my gift will be suitable and thanks so much for looking!

Bragging Rights!

2011-06-11T18:01:00.001-04:00

I just have to do a bit of bragging today on my blog! Recently I entered a contest in Priscila Peters Decor's blog. And guess what?????........I WON!!! I wanted to show off my beautiful winnings too! I absolutely love it!
Thanks so much Priscila!

Fond Memories Of My Grandparents

2011-06-08T07:40:00.000-04:00

A while back my cousin friended me on FB and sent me these photos of our grandparents. They brought back a lot of memories for me and I thought I'd briefly share a few (I don't want to bore you! LOL)

My grandmother (my Dad's mother) raised 11 children, my Dad being the oldest. She was a multi-talented woman, as you can see by the above photo on the piano bench, and a few of my aunts became very good at it as well. One of them taught my brother and I how to play the piano (I don't remember any of it).

Some of my fondest memories was the old house they lived in down the street from us. It was huge! It had a massive wrap around porch full of stuffed animals (my grandfather did taxidermy on the side). Scared me to death! But I loved going down there.

Anyway, my grandfather, whom I loved very dearly, was a true watchmaker! He could make a watch from anything. He's sitting at his bench in the above photo. He taught my Dad his trade, and my Dad taught 2 of my brothers the trade as well!
He was very special to me and it was sad to lose him at such a young age. He died in his sleep when I was around 7 or 8. He loved animals. He had a shed in the backyard with a tree growing out of it for his pet squirrels. Those squirrels were so tame, that my grandpa would put peanuts in his shirt pocket and they would sit on his shoulder and eat them out of his pocket! It amazed me!! The reason for the stuffed animals on the porch.....he loved animals and loved to look at them. My dad would say that he could walk in the woods and deer would walk up to him and eat out of his hand! He never saw anything like it!

I don't want to bore you with my history, but I wanted to share these priceless photos!

What do you know and remember about your grandparents?

What Do You Think?

2011-06-06T07:21:00.000-04:00

I'm doing a bit of showing off this morning. As some of you know, my husband P. and I celebrated our 39th anniversary last week. Now we don't usually buy gifts for each other, but we do, some years, buy something we both would love to have and is needed for our home. This year was no exception and I just had to show off the new things we bought.

First off, we bought 2 end tables for our living room which, unfortunately, we had to order and so we won't have them for a couple more weeks. So we have no photos of them....yet!

Then we were in need of a floor lamp. Now I love conversation pieces and unusual things. When I saw this one, I felt we found it. P. agreed and so it is now a part of our home!

Don't you just love it?? It was the style that caught my attention. And, by the way, yes....that is my love seat! Hopefully after we save a bit more money, we'll be replacing those too. They're about 20 years old, so it's probably about time.

We had been looking to replace our dining room outfit for some time. The old one was round and had chairs with wheels that flew all over the place. But it took up a lot of space in my small dining area, and so we felt this was a better choice for that area. We had 2 options that we had been interested in, from 2 different stores! When we decided, we had to wait till Tues. to buy it! I called ahead and the found out that the bench had been sold! Bummer!! BUT....they had another in the warehouse! Yay!! I love the black and wood combination!

So that was our shopping spree and we finally have space in our dining area. And yes, the bar stools will either have to be painted, or we'll have to buy new. What do you think? Would they look alright painted black?

Thanks for looking today and have a wonderful one!

Look What's Blooming In My Yard!!

2011-06-03T09:05:00.001-04:00

Good Friday morning to you all! I was out in my yard this morning and I couldn't believe how pretty everything is beginning to look. I love all the pretties in bloom. The header photo is a close up of my rhododendrons that are in full bloom in my backyard! I have three of them -- all purple! Seems like everything's purple right now!

Well almost everthing! My poppies are definitely NOT purple! But aren't they pretty?

These are Japanese Iris's! I so look forward to their full purple beauty this time of year. I have a lot of these in my yard. These are in my front yard.

This is a tree Peony. I usually have at least 6 flowers on this in my backyard, but this year there are only 2. But so pretty aren't they?

I love columbine! The photo above is a bush in my backyard tiered garden. I wasn't aware I had any in white, but it sure is pretty!

This is also a columbine in my backyard tiered garden! Yep...it's purple! LOL

These are Alum flowers! I love them! This year I had 4 blooms! A record! Yep, you got it....purple!

A close up view of the Japanese iris's.

These are the flowers on one of my Weigelia (Not sure of the spelling) bushes. The darker pink ones haven't bloomed yet. But they are so pretty, don't you think?

And here is a larger photo of my Rhododendrons! I have three bushes in my backyard and they are so colorful right now!

And lastly (aren't you glad?) here is just one of many pots I have in my backyard. I love the Gerbera daisies!

I hope your gardens are all looking good too! Have a wonderful Friday and a wonderful weekend too!

Nothing To Say Sunday

2011-05-29T11:27:00.000-04:00

This is my wallpaper!! My son is such a clown!

Nothing to say so I just thought I'd share this photo with you today. Hope you like it!

This Is One Spoiled Cat!!!

2011-05-26T08:44:00.000-04:00

I never thought I'd be the one to spoil my animal. But the other day I was getting ready to leave, and I went to make my bed and this is what I saw!! I didn't have the heart to move her (Her name is Roxy), so I made the bed around her! If hubby knew, he would have said "Awwwwww, you are so pathetic!" I am!

Happy Thursday to you all!

What Would Morning Be Without Coffee ---- The Nectar Of Morninghood??!!

2011-05-24T21:08:00.000-04:00

(You can find this shirt in the shop Manvsink on Etsy! This is a cool shop!)

Yesterday morning I was thinking about how wonderful my coffee was tasting as I was checking my email and making some everyday changes in my Etsy shop. That got me thinking of what I could find on Etsy that would be coffee-licious!! Here are a few things I found.

For one.....when we first get up in the morning we have to decide what kind of coffee we want. So this seemed to fit the bill:

(You can find this in Timber Ridge's shop on Etsy! Great shop to check out too!)

So out comes the grinder and we get busy grinding that gourmet coffee!! Ummmm, doesn't that smell awesome???

(You'll find this in SycamoreHill on Etsy)

So we place the freshly ground coffee in the coffee maker, add the water, and hit the "on" button. Then we wait...and we wait.... Why does it take so long???

(This awesome mug is found in DailyGrinder's shop on Etsy! Check it out! It's really a fun shop!)

Finally that pot is finished!!! Do we drink it black? Or do we add cream, sugar or both??

(These can be found in LennyMud's shop on Etsy! Great pottery here!)

Okay, I've decided.....I'll have mine black! Ummmmmm, doesn't it taste good? We're savoring the flavor and enjoying every sip...but suddenly our cup is empty!!! Now what can we do??? I believe I know:

( You'll find this in Gayanaart's shop! What a great collection of quotations and aphorisms!)

And what would a great morning cup of coffee be without a little something to eat with it?

These bonbons look so delicious and you can find them in the shop Lollidreams on Etsy! I only dream of eating these with my coffee!! YUM!!

Finally after the 3rd or 4th cup...we're ready for the day!! Go get em!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!!

I'm off for another cup!! LOL

Friday!! Isn't It Grand?

2011-05-20T07:40:00.000-04:00

I'm always so happy to see Friday come around, especially when it's my Friday to watch my granddaughter! Isn't she cute? I took these photos last Friday.

I loved this one so much, I had it made into a 5x7 and it's in a frame!

I know this is probably boring to you, but I don't have much to say and not very many people read this anyway. Just trying to keep it regular.

Oh, and by the way, that's my black cat "Vinnie" in the header photo. Isn't he precious? Okay, so he's not...but we love him anyway! LOL

Have a wonderful Friday and weekend!

Thursday!! Showoff Day!

2011-05-19T07:41:00.000-04:00

I've dubbed this "Showoff Day!" A day to show off my latest creations and whatever else I feel like showing off!! LOL

Today I'm showing off some of my latest creations because I took photos last night and I just can't wait! I haven't listed any of them yet, but they will be listed little by little over the next several days. What I need from you is your opinions.

Are they interesting enough?
Are they ugly?
Are my prices too high or not high enough?
Will they appeal to anyone?

You get the drift...things like that. So here goes with the showing off:

First off...here is another checkered bag that I will put in my shop for $24.99. I love gold!

This is probably one of my favorites!! It is so colorful and summery! This one will be $19.99. Is that too much? Or too little?

I love this one as well!! This one will also be $19.99. What do you think?

This is a great summery set! The necklace is a longer style and can easily go over the head (unless of course, you have a large head...hence the clasp).
I'm not going to sell them as a set, but for the sake of space, I thought I would show them to you together. As for the price...I haven't decided for sure. I'm thinking for the necklace, maybe $19.00 and for the bracelet maybe $9.00. What do you think? Too much? Maybe.

For this bracelet, I don't have a clue what to charge! That one will be a surprise unless any of you gift me a suggestion.

These earrings are only in my web shop (click on "web shop" to enter my shop and go to earrings). I was re-taking photos of them to show off how pretty and delicate they really are. I have on them $16.00 with free shipping!

These are sterling silver with Swarovski briolettes. I love the sterling silver flowers in these! I will be asking $18.00 for these.

And last, but certainly not least are these pretty mat crackle glass earrings finished in gunmetal. I LOVE these!!! I will be asking $15.00 for these.

So there you have it! What do you think? Too much...too little...any interest....appealing...etc. I appreciate ALL comments and help on this one!!

Thanks...Have a wonderful Thursday!

Wacky Wordless Wednesday!!

2011-05-18T07:24:00.000-04:00

What else can I say? Something to chuckle about cuz I do believe it's so true!!!

Have a great Wacky Wednesday everyone!!

This Says It All!

2011-05-15T10:33:00.000-04:00

Not much to say this morning, so I'll let this cartoon say it all! C'mon girls, are you with me?

Have a wonderful Sunday!

What's New???!!

2011-05-14T08:04:00.000-04:00

So if you've been wondering what I've been up to (probably not, but bear with me, LOL), I've been on a new kick. Yes, I have been making jewelry as you will see in this post, but I've also "branched out" a bit. As most of you are not aware, I used to sew. I took a tailoring course in high school and loved to sew! I made everything I wore. I even made mens suits! But as time went on, it was more of a bother than it was worth, so I limited my sewing to curtains and things like that. I still make them from time to time.

So getting back to what I've been doing....you get an idea in the photo above, but here are some more photos! I'm making small tote bags! They're so cute! My granddaughter loves hers!! (She chose the red one, that's why there aren't many photos of it.

This is the green one that will go in my shop. I have a gold one that I haven't finished yet, but I'll be getting it done soon. These are a test to see if there would be any interest out there.

Keep in mind that she's not even 2 yet. So you can get an idea of just how small these are.

PLEASE give me your input on these! How much should I sell them for, etc. I appreciate it!!

Here are a few other new things to put in my shop soon!

Enjoy your Saturday! Please let me know what you think! Thanks!

Black Squirrels And Hummingbirds

2011-05-10T21:27:00.000-04:00

These tulips are under my tree (the one with the hummer in it) and I just HAD to show them off!

The other day Deb, from The Wugs Backyard Blogspot, talked about putting up a hummingbird feeder and was so excited on seeing one! Well that got me thinking that maybe it was time to put my feeder out. So on Friday I dug it out, cleaned it, made some nectar and then filled it. I didn't notice any for a couple of days, but Monday morning voila! I saw my first!! As Deb was saying, they are crafty little critters. As soon as I would get my camera, they would fly off! So I decided to just wait and try to catch them later since I needed to head out the door at that time. Well I was just about to walk out the door when I saw him again!!! This time I got the camera and I swear he was posing for me!!! LOL! I just HAD to show off my photos! (I know....I'm not the best photographer, but I DID get photos!!) So here they are!

Not a lot of variety, but he was a pretty fellow! Last night I was watching a female drinking! They love my feeder! Yay!!

By the time I got those photos I was REALLY running late, but I was looking out my back door and I watched two black squirrels chasing each other in the yard. That got me thinking about how we take black squirrels for granted around here. Evidently they are native to our area and people come to visit and are amazed! They've never see black ones before. So, I decided to show them off in the photos below.

They were so cute chasing each other into the neighbors yard!

They chased each other up the tree! Sorry about the photos, but they're a bit too fast for me. I've been on squirrel watch this morning trying to capture some better ones, but not seeing any this morning! :(

What I DID see is 2 hummers chasing each other away from the feeder!! This little guy is sitting on a branch close to the feeder to keep watch of "his" property!! LOL

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed a visit to my backyard this morning! I love this time of year when everything comes alive again, don't you?
Enjoy your beautiful Wednesday!!

I Need Your Opinion ..... Continued

2011-05-04T06:54:00.000-04:00

Here I am, another day... another listing in my Etsy shop. I listed the earrings to match the necklace. They're lever back garnet red with antique copper earrings and are made with garnet red faceted teardrop Czech beads that I added antique copper bead caps to, and then I hung them on a pretty antique copper flower connector and then hung them on lever backs.

These earrings hang 2 inches (5.1cm) from the top of the wire.
I listed them for $18. Again, I would love to know what you think. Is that too much or too little?

What about my photos? Do I need to re-take them? Please tell me the truth! I'm not a professional photographer so any suggestions you could give me, I would gladly accept and use!!

Which one should be the front runner? I chose this one only because of the simplicity of it:

But I also love the top photo. It's always nice to see earrings hanging. It's also nice to see them in size proportion:

I try to include one like this in all my earring listings. Granted, some don't have them, but I'm learning as time goes on.

This is also a nice one, I think, but too much like the one I'm using as a front runner:

And then as the last photo, I added one that shows that it can be a set too. Most of you suggested listing them separately (and I agree), but I did still want people to see them together.

So any suggestions you may have are welcomed on my end. And thanks again for looking and helping out here! I really appreciate your input!

Happy Wednesday!

I Need Your Opinion

2011-05-02T20:34:00.000-04:00

This garnet red and antique copper necklace has a vintage look . I love the old fashioned style. I added a bead cap to the main bead for interest and antique copper spacers between the other beads. I then wire wrapped them and added them to a connector. I finished it by hanging it on a pretty chain and added an antique copper clasp to finish.

This necklace is 18 1/2 inches (47.0cm) in length. I would be happy to make it shorter if preferred. The pendant is 1 1/2 inches (3.8cm)

I just listed this necklace in my Etsy shop for $28. Do you like it? What about the price....is it too high or low?

Which photo would you use as a front runner?

Would it be best to sell as a set or separately?

I really appreciate any input you can give me. I know I need to improve my photos, but let's not touch that one in this post! LOL Thanks everyone!

Wedding And Beads! How Are They Related?

2011-05-02T11:57:00.000-04:00

I know....it's a funny title. But they do go together, at least they did for me this past weekend! We were invited to a wedding up in Petosky Michigan on Saturday. We decided to go up on Friday and just mozy on up. We stopped in Manistee (no not at the casino! We don't gamble) at the Townline Bargain Barn first! I love stopping there....so much junk...so much great stuff too!!! I bought some inexpensive beads for my grandson to make mommy something beautiful when he comes over. He loves that!!

Next we made our way to Traverse City. I love it there! We walked around downtown and then headed out of town but made a stop at Nawbin beads (I put all the beads together in the photo above)! I love that store! 45 minutes later, and a lot less short on cash, we left and headed for lunch.

Next on the agenda was a quick stop in Charlevoix! Little did I know, but there is a bead shop there too! Missed that one! Drat!

Then off to Petosky. It's about a 4 hour trip from our house but it took us about 8. LOL We settled in our hotel room and started a search for something to eat. Checking the phone book, I found yet another bead store!!! (They weren't open, so I had to wait till Saturday to go). But we went to a local downtown pub "Uncle Lou's" and had pizza and wine for me, hubby had beer. We then needed to walk it off, so off to JCPenneys we went! Yay....I found a new dress to wear to the wedding! Jackpot!! (No...we don't gamble!).

The next morning (Sat.), we headed for downtown and again, I spent a bit more than planned in the bead store, but look at all the goodies I found! I can't wait to begin creating! Then my son and daughter - in - law met us and we got ready and went to the wedding. The photos below are my grandchildren dancing (they did a lot of that). He was so cute, he walked up to my granddaughter and asked her to dance. I don't think they missed one dance after that!!

Now keep in mind, he's only 5 and she's almost 2. What energy they have! I sure wish I had a little bit of it! LOL

Isn't he handsome? I thought this photo was adorable!!

Here's my little sweetie showing off the pearl necklace Grandma (me) made for her! Mommy said she couldn't find the bracelet. Haley must have run off with it somewhere. She felt so bad!

And here we all are as a family! Not the best photo, but we're all together in it! Little did I know, but Haley spilled water all over the stone and I sat in it!! I was just a bit wet when I stood up! LOL

Heading home the next day we stopped at Old Navy outlet, where I bought a lightweight jacket, and then over to the Bass outlet where I bought 2 more pairs of shoes! We were about out of money by then, so home we came!

My son and daughter -in- law (from Iowa) left this morning and left a void here. I love having them, and miss them when they go home.

All good things must come to an end though. And all and all, it was a wonderful weekend! It was sad when it was over. But we're so happy for the bride and groom (my daughter in law's brother)!!! Hope they have a happy and wonderful life together forever!

I sure hope you all had a wonderful weekend too!

Some Days I Feel Like A Fruitloop In A Box Of Cheerios!

2011-04-22T08:02:00.000-04:00

While looking through Etsy, I came across this cute illustration by tillbiedron! I do think it says it all, don't you?

Do you ever have those days when you can't say anything right and when you do finally get a logical thought together the words get all jumbled up in your mouth and people look at you with puzzlement like you're a fruitloop? That's a daily thing for me! LOL

I then decided to check out some of her other work. She's only been on Etsy since November of last year but what a shop! I love her banner too! She's a fabulous artist!

Let me show you a few more of her illustrations and fabulous wedding toppers!

Ha ha! She says she loves clowns (most clowns that is)! I think this is adorable, don't you? She has 3 available on this one!

And then for the kids room, this is priceless!!! Who wouldn't want this hanging in their baby's room! AND there's 2 available!!

And then we have the fabulous wedding toppers! This is just a sample of the toppers she sells in her shop. Aren't these adorable??? What I really love is that you not only get the wedding topper but the illustration that goes with it!

This is priceless! What a wonderful memory from a wonderful day!!!

There are many more cute and imaginative items in tillybiedron's shop and I encourage you to take a few minutes and browse!

Have a whimsical day everyone!! And get yourself out of that cheerio box if at all possible! LOL I'll be working on it! Tee Hee!!

Did Someone Say This Is April 18?????

2011-04-18T07:40:00.000-04:00

So my question is.....is it REALLY April 18th?? I was wondering because when I got up this morning and looked out the window I thought I might be dreaming and that it was January all over again! What is up with this snow??? Yesterday my backyard had green grass and needed to be raked! Today...... WHERE'S THE Shovel!!!! Just a glimpse in the photo above! I just couldn't help but take a few photos of the "white stuff" to share with you so you could believe me!

This photo is the front yard. Look at hubby's truck! If he were driving it, he would have to get his snow brush out! Whoaaaaaaaaa!!!!

And this is my front flower bed. Look at those poor daffodils. They don't look happy do they?

There's only one good thing about this snow. Yes, I said ONE GOOD THING!! We have a friend visiting here from Equador who was born and raised in Columbia and has NEVER seen snow. He was so hoping for this to happen. All I can say is, "Well Andreas, I hope you're happy!" LOL

Have a wonderful day everyone!

What?? Am I Really THAT Old??

2011-04-06T07:13:00.000-04:00

The other day in The Wug's Backyard Blogspot, she was writing about antiques and collectibles and asked what we collected. Well in my response I told her that I collected salt and pepper shakers when I was a little girl and that my grandmother had given me a set of Tobys. That led to "what are Tobys?" And so today I thought I'd share a few photos of my Tobys, and a few of my salt and pepper shaker collection.

While rummaging through, I also found a set of English cottage ware that was my Mothers. Forgot I had those! But another thing I found was an old doll that was part of a doll collection I had as a little girl, most of which got left in a trunk in the attic of a house we moved away from. That doll is the one in the first photo. It's a British guard. That doll reminded me that I'm not as young as I used to be! LOL That doll must be 50 years old!! Imagine that! Let's not talk about it, okay? Now I'll show you my Tobys:

First of all, I have a teapot and cream pitcher. There's a reason why these are in a box! LOL

Notice the handle on the cream pitcher. Evidently it's rare to see them with a gun handle.

The one on the far left is a sugar bowl. The middle is one of a set of salt and pepper shakers as is the woman on the end. In fact, let me show you the set with the woman:

I actually think they're kind of cute, don't you? Now on to my salt and pepper shaker collection. I actually have about 35 sets, so I picked out some favorites to share.

I forgot how old these were till I took the newspaper of them and the paper crumble! Ha ha!! This last one has always filled my house with laughter! Unfortunately, I broke one a LONG time ago, but you'll see by the photos why this was such a conversation piece!

Isn't she sweet? You take the bow off to fill it! But wait you say.........where are the holes?

Yep...you got it!! Conversation piece for sure!!!
This just skims the surface of my collection, but I hope you all enjoyed the tour.

Have a great Wednesday everyone!!

Another Wordless Wednesday!

2011-03-30T07:29:00.000-04:00

I'm at a loss for words today (normal for me) so I thought I'd just show you a couple of new things I've made and haven't listed yet. Hope you don't mind.

Backpack Dangle

Have a wonderful Wednesday!!

What?? It's Friday??

2011-03-25T07:29:00.000-04:00

Here we are again. Another week has passed. It's still cold here and it snows from time to time. I'm so ready for spring! I'm sure you are too. But it looks like we'll be waiting a bit yet. In the meantime, I wanted to show off a photo I took while in Mexico. This was a huge building and I loved the doorway way up at the top. Interesting!

Have a wonderful Friday and a great weekend too!

Want To See?????

2011-03-21T07:21:00.000-04:00

I've put it off for a long time now, and finally got busy yesterday and straightened my work area up. If I were a smart girl (no comments please! LOL), I would have taken before photos, because there is NO way you can appreciate the work I did!! It started out with my husband asking me if I needed the 2 top shelves in the cabinets next to my work area.

(The shelves on the far left are the ones I'm talking about!)

I told him he could use them if he wanted and he said "OK, but I thought maybe you were going to use them." Well, I got to looking around and told him "yes, I would like to use them to organize my area." So, I won them!!! That triggered a cleaning spree! That counter was filled with my props for my photos! Doesn't it look great now?

And from there, I started to clean and put away my tools, beads, etc. My table now has space to actually do my work!

Wow!! It scares me every time I walk down there! But now everything is easily accessible!

Now you may wonder, where does she keep her beads? Well, even that area got a makeover!!

It's so organized it's scary!! But I really like it cleaned up, I just wonder how long it will last! I have some items in the works, so I'm sure by the end of the week, it'll be back the way it was! LOL Next time I'll let you in on that too.......NOT!!

Have a great Monday!! Don't work too hard!

Nothing To Say Friday!

2011-03-18T08:25:00.000-04:00

As usual, I have nothing to say! So I dubbed it "nothing to say Friday!" Why is it so easy for some people to blog everyday and have something to say everyday, and for me to sit here looking at the screen saying "duh!?" I have no trouble talking usually, in fact there are many people, I'm sure that would love to tell be to be quiet! But trying to put thoughts in writing does not come easy!

I guess I'm a bit like the cow in the above painting by mwickland . I'm just so happy just staring at the screen and reading what everyone else has to say! Isn't he cute, by the way?

Have a great weekend!

♫♫ Monday Monday.....So Good To Me!! ♫♫

2011-03-13T21:32:00.000-04:00

I know....what is she saying!! What's good about Mondays!!!! Well, it's just positive thinking that's all. If I'm not positive, I'll get depressed! But I have no reason to be. I've had a great weekend since my oldest son and daughter in law are here visiting and I've been able to spend a LOT of time with both my sons and their families!! I treasure those times!

But I also have had a few minutes here and there to create, so I thought I'd once again give you all a sneak preview!

First, I made these earrings. The flowers are sterling silver and they're so pretty! Simple, but pretty. I actually really like these and I hope someone else does too!

The focal "bead" in this one is a Mexican beach stone. It's actually a fossilized coral piece. I love the texture! I tried to keep it a bit beachy by adding beach related beads to the chain. I sure hope someone sees the beauty in this one!

There really is 1 more necklace that I made, but I haven't had time to photograph it yet. It's a handmade lampwork bead in lavender and cream that I made into a pendant and added to a sterling silver chain. Very simple, but oh so pretty! I'll show that one off a bit later.

Thanks for your patience and I hope you all have a wonderful Monday and a wonderful week too!

Friday --- Yep, It's Here!

2011-03-11T07:59:00.000-05:00

Yep it's Friday! And every other Friday I have the privilege of babysitting my grandchildren! My granddaughter (in the above photo) and my grandson when he gets out of school! Today is the day! It's going to be a great day!

Have a great day and weekend!

It IS All About Me!!

2011-03-09T08:23:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I refrain from blogging because I feel that no one wants to read about ME all the time. I guess that's why this is MY blog, so that I can write about ME if I choose to. Well today is not much different! LOL I have recently made some new items for my shop and I just HAVE to show them off!! But first, let me show you something I found while looking through Etsy this morning!

This comes from a very cute shop called "Clear Jade Studio!" She has some wonderful artwork there and I highly suggest perusing through her shop! You won't be sorry!

I'm ready for the crocus' and other spring flowers to "wake up" for the spring, aren't you? Instead of seeing this happen, we've got rain, rain and more rain today!! I guess the bulbs do need it, don't they, if they're going to sprout....so I should stop complaining and just put up with it! Can't change it anyway.

Okay, enough of that. Now I want to show off my latest creations that have not been listed yet. (If there's something you would like, let me know before I list them and I'll reserve them for you).

I actually made this some time ago. I have been uncertain of the appeal and so I've neglected listing it. Do you think it has any appeal?

These earrings were made a few weeks ago. Another item I was unsure of. But maybe someone will love them....right?

For this necklace, I re-vamped an older seed bead chain and added this awesome agate slab. Now this one I think may have appeal!

These earrings I feel take on a vintage sort of look! They're Moukaite hearts with antique brass bead caps and findings. I think they're rather cute, don't you?

There's a great shop on Etsy called rufusandroxy (check out this shop for sure!) . They sell great beads! I feel in love with these beads and just HAD to have them! These earrings, I think, are AWESOME!!

And lastly (aren't you glad?), I am showing off my "trash to treasures" recycled bracelet. I bought an old necklace at a yard sale and transformed part of it into this bracelet. Hmmmm, not sure of the appeal. What to you think?

Well that's it for now. But I'm sure I'll be writing about ME again soon! Ha ha ha!!
Have a great Wednesday!

I Feel Like A Pig!!

2011-03-03T08:07:00.000-05:00

These are gift tags by damore4 on Etsy. Aren't they cute?

You heard it! Yep...I DO feel like a pig! A Miss Piggy for sure! Why you may ask? Well let me tell you the story......get your coffee and get in your favorite chair, cuz here we go:

Once upon a time a girl (me) was having trouble trying to come up with "new" ideas for family suppers. She thought and thought and thought some more, but wasn't having much success. Suddenly her husband (my hubby) piped up: "How about pigs in a blanket! We haven't had those in a long time and I love them!" So the girl (me) made a deal with him. She said, "If you stop at the meat market in Allendale, I'll make the pigs!" Well she knew full well he wouldn't remember to do it! LOL One afternoon she found herself in Allendale! "Should I stop and get some and surprise him?" she asked. She caved and went and bought the meat! Last night was the night. Here are the photos of a work in progress!

First she (me) started with good quality bulk breakfast sausage, cuz she knew the grocery store kind just would not be as good (the local butcher is much better and less fat), and then she made them into links as you can see above.

Then she cheated because it was known throughout the land that she (me) couldn't make very good pie crust from scratch. Never got the hang of it! She cut them into squares to make rolling them around the links work well. She (me) then rolled them up and.....viola......

.....this is how they looked! Yes, she did know she had a bit too much dough! She (me) had to just bake it and it it plain....that's when the Miss Piggy took over. Anyway, she (me) then popped them into a 375 degree oven and baked them till done, about a half hour or so.

See how pretty they came out?? She (me) was so happy! And not a bit of grease, cuz the sausage was so lean!! Her husband (my hubby) was so happy!!!! What did she serve them with?

You got it.....a cranberry spinach salad! Not only beautiful, but delicious too!

Well, the girl (me) ate and ate and ate some more!! She couldn't believe how many "pigs" she ate! And in the night, her body told her she was a "pig" too! She had a tummy ache and almost lost her cookies! Fortunately it never happened and she lived happily ever after!

They were delicious!!! Hubby had wished I had made a double batch, so I made a deal with him.....you stop in Allendale and get more sausage (this time 2 pounds) and I'll make more!

Hope you enjoyed my story!

Not Much To Say -- So I'll Be a Show Off!!

2011-03-02T07:14:00.000-05:00

These are photos of my Kittys!! Aren't they adorable?! Not much else to say, so I guess this IS a wordless Wednesday! LOL

My New Green Collection

2011-02-19T08:59:00.000-05:00

Yep, I wanted to show off my new green collection. I've been a bit busy the last couple of days.....since I was sick and couldn't do anything else......and I got a bit creative. I love the green colors I had in my bead collection and decided to make a green collection of jewelry. Watch out, cuz I still have more of those greens, so they'll be popping up in the future! Anyway, I wanted to show them off and see what you think. They'll be great for summer! The above bracelet I listed yesterday. But the rest have yet to be listed.

I started out with this bracelet. The beads I used are green Tagua nut! I knotted it with brown leather and lime green cotton cord.

I went from the bracelet to this summery necklace. I used a yellow cotton cord on this one and added one of my Mexican beach stones. It's so lightweight and comfortable!!

I couldn't stop , so I made some earrings to match! I think they're cute!

So here is my latest collection. Hope someone likes them!

Where Did The Week Go?

2011-02-18T06:46:00.000-05:00

Doesn't it seem that sometimes the weeks fly by and you sit back and wonder if you accomplished anything worthwhile? I feel that way at times, especially weeks like this one, when I'm sick. I just don't feel like doing anything worthwhile! But yesterday, I did accomplish a few things. I took over 100 photos of all my necklaces hanging on my necklace form. There's a sample at the top of the page! Actually that one I haven't listed yet, so I guess you could say that it's a teaser! LOL

I also want to say thank you, to my wonderful hubby who has taken such good care of me the last couple of days. He's made dinner, did the dishes and doted on me. What more could a girl ask for!! Today I hope I can clean the house a bit and do some laundry since I feel a bit better. It's the coughing that drives me crazy.

Have a wonderful Friday and a wonderful weekend too! Sorry to bore you this morning!

I'm Sick And I'm A Big Baby!

2011-02-16T09:39:00.000-05:00

Yep, you heard it right! When I'm sick, I'm a big baby! I would love someone to dote on me! Bring me some tea, some tissues and give me a back rub! But noooooo, I'm handling it all alone. My hubby is working and doesn't feel too sorry for me. You see, when he's sick, he never complains! (I wish he would so I wouldn't feel so bad as I whine and whine and then drink wine)! "It's just a cold! You'll get better!" LOL

So I decided to just show you something warm and summery and leave it at that. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Migraine, Backache and Computer Troubles.....What Next!?

2011-02-14T07:25:00.000-05:00

(photo by lakevermilionphotos please take a look at his shop)

As my title says, yesterday included all of that! I woke up with both the physical things (probably slept wrong) and my computer kept wanting to crash! I was able to backup most of what I wanted from it, except for the 83 photos I took yesterday morning that needed editing! Arrghh! I erased them from my camera too! I was a bit distraught as you may very well have guessed! I felt like going out and climbing a tree and falling asleep (like you see in the above photo!) I went to my meeting and when I came home, my head was really pounding!! But I was determined to retrieve those photos!!! So I pulled out my puter, took the panel off and reset some of the ribbons. I've done this several times in the past, cuz this is an ongoing problem! Sometimes it's just dusty, but not this time. I then fired it up again......it spit and sputtered, and then...YAY...it came on! I quickly downloaded the photos and was able to edit them too! And today, for some odd reason, it's working! For how long? We'll see! In the meantime, we're looking to buy a new one.
Anyway, here's a few of my new photos!

This is one of my newest necklaces! I haven't listed it yet! Do you like my new necklace form? I do, as you will see in the next few photos! Thank you for your patience! LOL

Don't you just love the color in this trapezoid? I do! And it's all sterling silver too!

How about antique brass? I think this is a beauty!!

I've already listed this one! I love the color of the pearls! And it's gold instead of silver!

Here's the bracelet that matches the above necklace! I haven't listed it yet, but will soon!

I also made these earrings to match. Hmmmm, not too sure about them yet! May have to go back to the drawing board. What do you think?

And lastly, this is a remake of an older necklace I had around for a long time! I really like it! What do you think?

I sure hope you all had a wonderful weekend and have a great week ahead!!

If I Were A Bear

2011-02-09T20:14:00.000-05:00

(Photo by Joanna's Foto )

If I were a bear...
The winter would go by fast.
I would sleep in my den
Till the winter was past.
If I were a bear.

(Photo by Nature Is Art Photography )

If I were a bear...
I could nap in a tree
Or out in the snow
Wherever I choose to be.
If I were a bear.

(photo by Schmetzpetz)

If I were a bear...
I could sleep soundly in my bed
I could sleep the winter away
And wake only to be fed.
If I were a bear.

(artwork by amberalexander)

If I were a bear...

I could dance to the moon
I could sleep the day away
Or only sleep till noon.
If I were a bear.

(photo by Melissa Milligan Photography)

If I were a bear...
I could be a red gummy
Or any other color
Cuz I would still taste yummy!
If I were a bear.

(Wuglyee is the mascot of Wugylees on Etsy)

If I were bear...
I could be soft and cuddly
I could sit on a shelf
Or I could be a Wuglyee!
.....If I were a bear....

Lately with all the snow we've had I've often thought about a bears life of sleeping the winter away. Wouldn't it be nice??

I would like to thank all of the Etsy shops above for allowing me to use their artwork!!

Can I Show Off My Newest Creations?

2011-02-05T21:01:00.000-05:00

I hope you all don't mind, but I'd really LOVE to show off my newest creations. First off, I had a request for a custom order. It was for a purse charm. Here is the finished product and I have to say that the customer loves it and wants another in a different color!

Isn't it great? If you love it too and would like one like it, let me know! I'd love to make you one!

And then I had a lady tell me she was getting married and she showed me her dress (which is gorgeous, by the way) and said she was having a hard time coming up with jewelry to accent it. I told her I'd see what I could do. These may not be right for her, but they will go in my shop...soon! This first one I loved so much that I made a matching bracelet and some earrings. I'm not too sure about the earrings yet, but I can still change them before I list it. What do you think?

I love the gold chain and the champagne button pearls on this one! It is so feminine!!

I also made this next necklace thinking it would look great as well. I loved this one too when I got it finished! What do you think?

This one is also made with a gold chain. The bigger beads are a glass bead in a sand and cream color. I added the Swarovski bicones for interest. This is AWESOME!

I would really love to know what you think and if they will have any appeal! Please leave me your thoughts in the comments below! I love to read them!
Well, I'm not going to bore you anymore today. I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday and get plenty of rest for the coming week!

Snow, Snow And More Snow!!!

2011-02-03T07:53:00.000-05:00

I couldn't believe it when I woke up yesterday morning. The weather people were actually right for a change! Even Vinnie (the cat in the photo above) was in shock!! Poor little guy wanted to go out so bad, but as you can see, the snow was too deep for him. But he was insistent, so I opened the door so he could see for himself! Nope....he wasn't going out there! LOL

So, what was I going to do? I baked some delicious Oatmeal Raisin cookies (sorry no photo). I then got busy and created. First I made this bracelet:

I really love this one! I haven't gotten around to listing it yet, but maybe this afternoon. I then started to rummage through my bead stash and decided it was time to make a new purse dangle. Who doesn't like pink?

Thought it turned out quite well! From there I thought maybe a pair of earrings....Yeah! So here are the earrings I made:

As the day went on, it finally quit snowing and I decided to venture outside for a photo or two. I wanted to go out in the backyard, but when I opened the door from the garage, this is what I got:

So needless to say, I didn't go out in the backyard! But I did take a photo of what our deck looked like (the same deck Vinnie was looking at longingly in the top photo). Pretty drifted I'd say!

Hubby took the day off since he couldn't get out of the driveway or down our street. So what was he doing?

Yep, you got it!! Snow blowing! That was only the 3rd time that morning!! And he had to do it again when the snow plows came through!!! If I was a good wife, I would have helped! Tee Hee! Nope! I'd much rather be indoors warm, creating and watching! By the way.....I will shovel off the deck a bit later today! The sun is shining and it's going to be a great day! Hope you have a good one too!

Okay -- I'm In!! Another Wordless Wednesday Post

2011-01-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

One of our gorgeous photos of our recent Mexican trip!

I know I said "wordless" but because of my big mouth, it's hard to keep it at that. Stay warm and enjoy your day!

I've Got Coconut On My Mind!!

2011-01-24T15:21:00.000-05:00

Ever since I talked to Deb of Wuglyees and The Wug's Backyard Blogspot last night and this morning, I've had coconut candy on my mind! You see I had a sweet tooth last night and dug into the coconut candy we brought back from Mexico! You can see what it looked like in the photo above!
Well, as is normal for me, I couldn't keep my big mouth shut about it, I had to talk about with Deb. Her mouth started to water to the point that her hubby had to run out and try to find some coconut candy for her!!! She got coconut M&M's which are a favorite of mine too! Last night she even dreamed about chocolate and candy!!! Did I start something or what!!!! TeeHee!! So, as promised, I am posting a photo for her and anyone else that finds it interesting, so you can see what it looks like! Look at all that gooey coconut!! Yummy!!

As you can see we bought one in white and one in yellow!! They taste exactly the same, just a different color. They taste a bit like a macaroon, but chewy like candy!

Well after bragging (a LOT) about it's tastiness, I promised I would share a wonderful recipe for Macaroon Tartlets! Here is the recipe! I hope you all enjoy it. It's one of my personal favorites! Please comment and let me know what you think.

I Made The Front Page And I Got An Award!!!

2011-01-22T20:11:00.000-05:00

When I awoke this morning I was thrilled to receive the wonderful email from rachelheath, letting me know that the treasury she put me in made the front page on Etsy last night!!! The treasury is at the side of this post. The necklace is above!

Also when I awoke yesterday morning I had another nice surprise!! I received this award!! Cool! It was a busy day, so I was NOT able to respond before now....sorry Jo-anne, but thank you so much!!

Jo-anne "Blossy at "Blooming Lovely" has awarded me with this.

What a lovely surprise. Thank you.

Rules for accepting this award:
Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post
Tell us seven things about yourself
Award 15 recently discovered new bloggers

Contact these bloggers and let them know they've received the award

I would like to pass this award onto:

A Little Piece of Me
botanicals and beginnings
By Your Side
Cheryl's Purple Cow - Raising Awareness One Bead At A Time
DeShawn Marie Handcrafted Soap
Finding Charm
From the Ash Tree Meadow
A Painting A Day By Kristen Stein
Krafty Max Originals
Linda B's Blog
Maudies
niecynotes
Susan Hemann
{The Ardent Sparrow}

Now for the 7 things you may not know about me:

1. I'm one of Jehovah's Witnesses
2. I married my high school sweetheart almost 39 years ago!
3. I was a cheerleader in the 8th grade.
4. I have 2 sisters and 3 brothers by my father and 3 different women.
5. I get seasick watching a boat rock in the water. (Go figure! My dad used to have a cabin cruiser!)
6. I used to have a cocker spaniel named Brandon (aka "Braindead!")
7. I have 2 wonderful sons!! One is 34 and the other is 32! And I have 2 wonderful daughter in laws and 2 wonderful grandchildren!!

That's it!! Hope you aren't bored with this post!
Have a great Sunday!

Quiet Thursday

2011-01-20T09:04:00.000-05:00

After being gone for 2 weeks, I've had some really busy days since I've been home. But today is going to be a quiet day for me, sort of soothing like my photo (I took on vacation) above. Take some quiet time today and reflect on the beauty of the earth and what a wonderful creator we have!

Happy Thursday!

Beads And Surprises

2011-01-19T06:56:00.000-05:00

As many of you know, I was on vacation the last 2 weeks in Mexico visiting my son. The first photo is a picture of a pretty little black cat sitting on a doorstep! I thought it would make a great photo!! The above photo is a picture of the beach. But oh, what I came home to!! I had a special gift waiting for me from my dear friend at Wuglylees! You see, Deb had a giveaway on her blog as she does on a regular basis (so check it out so you can enter), and I happened to win!! I never win anything, so you can just imagine how thrilled I was! Well this is the package I came home to.

Look at how pretty it was wrapped!!

What a pretty little card she added to it!

And this is the necklace I won! Yay! Pretty, isn't it!

Okay, now I'll quit bragging about my win! Oh, first though, I need to tell you that I won the next giveaway too! But I passed it on since I had just won this!

Back to the vacation! Of course I can't go anywhere without buying something! So I had a field day buying beads in 2 different towns!! Had a great time there as you can see from the photo below!

I know that a lot of these beads I can buy here. But the strands were much longer and cheaper than here, so I just couldn't resist!
Also, while walking on the beach I was able to pick up some Mexican beach stones. Amazing! They already have holes in them to use in jewelry making! Evidently the birds do that while pecking at them to get what's inside. What's inside a rock??? Ummm...

I was also able to get a lot of shells with holes to use in summer style bracelets. I'm sure looking forward to putting a few things together. Time......that's the difficult part! I'll be sure to show them off as they come together.

Have a great Wednesday!

Repeat After Me........."There Is No Snow...there is no snow!"

2011-01-07T08:27:00.000-05:00

If you really put your mind to it, you can convince yourself that there IS not snow!! Look at these beautiful spring tulips....only a few short weeks from now and we'll be looking at the reality of the photo....at least here in Michigan. For the time being, just look at their beauty and imagine yourself picking them. And repeating...."there is no snow!"
Have a great weekend everyone!

Look What I Won!!!! Yippee!!

2010-12-28T18:27:00.000-05:00

I can't help myself! I just can't keep it to myself!! I finally won a giveaway!! Wow! Never happens to me. I'm so excited! And the photo at the top of this post is what I won! I showed the photo of it to my 5 year old grandson and he said "Grandma, where are you going to put it?" I said "I'm not sure yet." He said "Well, you can give it to me!" Ha ha ha! He loves it too! And I can tell you that in person, it is just as beautiful if not more than what you see in the photo!! Thanks so much Cathy of Artsy Butterfly! Check out her blog HERE! Also if you want to see all her pretties, how about checking out her Etsy SHOP! I LOVE her artwork! I know you will too! Have a great Wednesday!

Beads, Beads And More Beads!!!

2010-12-27T07:19:00.000-05:00

That's what I did this weekend! Went crazy online and bought MORE beads!! Can you believe it? It's not like I don't have enough, LOL! I just have a weakness when it comes to beads!! I guess I just spent way to much time online in a bored state of mind, although I wasn't a bit bored!! Whatever the problem was, I did get a bit carried away.... not only on Saturday, but then again on Sunday too! Will this madness ever end???

Anyway, the bracelet you see at the top of this post triggered a bit of the spending. I loved the beads so much in this one, as well as the charm, that I simply HAD to order more! You understand, don't you? The sad part is, I just received those in the mail on Friday!! The Etsy seller beadsnsupplies has wonderful beads! I love Czech beads! So I did stay busy over the weekend and created several things. Stay tuned for more new creations being listed in my shop! I'll be adding all week!

Getting Creative......Again!

2010-12-25T08:34:00.000-05:00

These earrings are so cute!! I love the copper hearts and the silver together, don't you?

The last few days have been extremely busy for me. No...not because of Christmas. As Jehovah's Witnesses, we don't celebrate Christmas. But we have been providing snacks, baked goods, coffee, tea, etc. for a special school that is going on this weekend! A LOT of work. But even though it has been busy, I have managed to find some time to make a few new items for my shop, and I thought maybe I'd let you all have a sneak peek at them. I'll be listing them as the week goes on.

These earrings are beads from an older pair that I decided needed to be updated. Gunmetal!!

I love the pinkish colored coral beads in this one. I know....they look more orange! Even in my light-box I was not able to capture the exact color! But I love this one!

This bracelet is AWESOME!! The focal bead is so pretty! I hope someone falls in love with this one!

These are really cute! I used Lapis nuggets for these and Swarovski bicones in dark indigo blue!

If any of these appeal to you more than others, leave me a comment below and that will be the first item I'll list.....tomorrow!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

That's What Friends Are For!

2010-12-22T07:33:00.000-05:00

“A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked”

Bernard Meltzer quotes

Yesterday I experienced that first hand. I was distraught due to a lack of sleep and I dumped on my friend Deb. She didn't judge me...she just listened and then simply told me I would feel better after getting some much needed sleep! What a wonderful friend!!! Thanks Deb!

Turtle Tuesday

2010-12-21T06:04:00.001-05:00

(Here's a sneak peek at a new bracelet I haven't listed yet! Do you like it?)

So dubbed because I know for a fact that I will be moving VERY slowly today. Didn't get much sleep last night. Guess maybe it was the eclipse or something...I don't know, but I'm going on about 5 hours of sleep for today. Blaaaahh!

I hope you all have a wonderful day today!

Wordless Saturday!

2010-12-18T07:08:00.000-05:00

Not much to say today, so I dubbed it wordless Saturday. I wanted to share this cute photo of my granddaughter eating an orange!! She was really enjoying it wasn't she!

"Grandchildren are the treasures of a long life."
Don't know who wrote that, but it fits!

A Wonderful Giveaway By A Wonderful Photographer!!

2010-12-16T16:07:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to announce a wonderful giveaway going on from now until next Wednesday!! Wouldn't you just love to win the above photo?? I would!! So I entered too! If you want to enter, please click HERE to connect with her blog and get the details!!

Have a wonderful day and weekend too!

A Blast From The Past! And We Have A Winner!!

2010-12-15T18:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes we feel we would love to leave the past in the past. Well, in many ways, I agree with that. The past brings up sorrows as well as happy times too. But one of the turning points in every young person's life, is graduating from high school and getting on with their lives. So I decided to show you all my senior picture, when I was ready to "get on with my life!"

A year after graduation, I married my high school sweetheart and we've been married for 38 1/2 years now and have 2 children, both boys, two wonderful daughter in laws, and 2 grandchildren, a boy and a girl. It's been a lot of years, but I can honestly say that we've been happily married all these years. I do think it's because of the fact that shortly before we got married we learned what God's standards are for marriage and families. Any time we do things God's way, we succeed!

Okay, enough of that. You're all probably wondering who the winner of my giveaway is and which earrings they won. Well, here we go.......(drum rolls)....and the winner is:

Peggy Goodin!! Yay!!! And these are what she won:

I love having a happy winner!! And I know she will be a happy winner too!

But wait...........what's this???? I have 2 winners!! Yes, I said 2!!! I decided as a surprise, I would select 2 winners, and I hoped they would select different earrings too! The second winner won these:

Okay.....I'll quit teasing now. Who won these?? You won't believe it, but it was Deb Malloy!!! Also know affectionately as "Wug!" Yippee!!!

So for the winners, I will need your approval and address information. Congrats to you both!!
Have a wonderful weekend!

LAST DAY!!! GIVEAWAY --- In Celebration Of My 200th Sale!!

2010-12-14T23:16:00.000-05:00

This is absolutely the last day for my giveaway!!! If you haven't entered yet, there is still time!! Please check out the rules HERE and feel free to enter!!! Tomorrow I will announce the BIG WINNER!!!

GIVEAWAY --- In Celebration Of My 200th Sale!!

2010-12-14T06:27:00.000-05:00

My giveaway continues!! Only today and tomorrow left to get in on it! If you want to enter, please go to the rules HERE and let me know which ones you would want! Time is running out and I know you don't want to miss it!

GIVEAWAY --- In Celebration Of My 200th Sale!!

2010-12-13T07:17:00.000-05:00

My giveaway is still going on! There's still time to enter! Check out the rules in yesterday's post! I wish you all the best on this one! The earrings up for grabs are also in yesterdays post. HERE is the link. Hope to hear from you soon. You can comment on this post as well! Thanks everyone.

GIVEAWAY --- In Celebration Of My 200th Sale!!

2010-12-12T14:48:00.000-05:00

Yep....here it is.....a giveaway!!! Not just ANY giveaway, but I'm celebrating my 200th sale!! So rather that choosing 1 pair of earrings to giveaway, I'm giving the winner a choice of 3 different ones! So now you're probably wondering...'what are the rules?' Well here's the list!

1. Leave me a message here and tell me which ones you would love to win! Leave me a way to contact you too!

For additional entries:

2. Promote this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter and come back here and leave a link. If you promote on both, leave me 2 links and I'll add you 2 more times!

3. Follow my blog.

Easy rules aren't they? Now the drawing for the winner will be Thurs. morning. I will mail out the winning earrings either Thurs. afternoon or Friday morning depending on when I get the winners information.

So here are the earring choices. I hope you like at least 1 pair.

WOW......THAT WAS FAST!!

2010-12-07T18:29:00.000-05:00

You may wonder, "what was fast??" Well maybe you remember the other day when I listed this new necklace. Yesterday it SOLD!! I love that when that happens, don't you!! I know it will go to a wonderful home too!

Now I'm wondering why some of my other items haven't found a new home yet. Like this gorgeous bracelet :

Or how about these earrings ?? :

They've been in my shop for awhile, and they're getting lonely!! I thought they were pretty, but I could be wrong.

I have a new pair of earrings I'm considering listing in the next day or two, but I don't want them to sit there forever. Do you think these will?

I guess the only way to know is to try it, huh? I'm going to be doing a giveaway in a few days. I'll let you in on the details soon! Stay tuned, okay?

This May Bore You, But.......

2010-12-03T07:12:00.000-05:00

HERE is the link to visit this gorgeous treasury and click and leave a comment.

This post may be boring to you and if it is, I'm sorry. But a friend on FB and Twitter who also has a shop in Etsy, littlefoxphotos, put my earrings in here gorgeous treasury! I'm so proud to be a part of it! She made everything look so pretty and appealing too. Please take a look and leave a comment or two!

As you can see, I also added my latest treasury too! I made this one about an hour before I found out my earrings were in the above one. Once again, take a peek at it HERE, and please click on it and leave me a comment or two! I would very much appreciate it!!

Have a wonderful day and weekend! Keep warm!

My Sale Is Over.......Now What???

2010-12-02T07:53:00.000-05:00

As you are probably aware, my sale is over (no more pestering everyone about it!)......now what??? It was exciting to do that sale since I did have several sales from it! Yay! Thanks to all who supported me! I even got a custom order from it. Someone asked me to turn one of my purse charm/dangles into a long necklace with matching beads interspersed throughout the chain. You can see from the top photos how it turned out. Never mind the fat model or that photo....it's hard to take a photo of yourself! LOL Anyway, I loved the necklace so much I'm thinking of making more for my shop! What do you think??? Is it a good idea??? I would love your input!

Also, yesterday we got our first snowfall. Hubby put new tires on my car a couple of weeks ago so now more slipping, sliding or spinning! That would make a great song wouldn't it!! Oh, that's right the first part of it IS a song by Paul Simon, "Slip Sliding Away!" <<"Slip Sliding Away!" Click on it! You'll love the song!

Well I'm running out of things to say, but if you're in the mood, check out my dear friends shop, Wuglyees ! She makes the most beautiful crocheted items! Look at this for example: If you want to look at it closer, click HERE. She has a matching hat too!

I hope you all have a wonderful day and I look forward to reading your blogs too!

LAST DAY OF MY 15% OFF SALE!!!!

2010-12-01T07:25:00.000-05:00

Here is a sample of what I have. I renewed these this morning! View them HERE

I've sure been having fun with this sale! I have had several takers! I like that so much! But unfortunately all good things must come to an end and today IS the last day! Please take a few minutes and see if there's anything you might like! You can enter my shop HERE. Tomorrow I'll write a REAL blog post! LOL I want to show you something I've been working on for a customer. I love it! Till then, happy Wednesday!

3 DAY SALE HAS BEGUN!!!

2010-11-29T07:34:00.000-05:00

This is just a sample of what I have!!

Just to let everyone know that I'm having a 3 day sale going on now and running through Thurs. 12 a.m.! Everything is marked 15% off!! Tell all your friends!!

Stop in and see what I have to offer! Enter my shop HERE.