Hot Rocks Glass Jewels

Kitty Bling!

2012-01-27T13:30:00.001-07:00

This was on my calendar today, and I knew that several of my readers that are cat lovers would appreciate this cute handbag. Apparently "Jinx the Cat", is entirely hand beaded with Swarovski crystals! Isn't he cute?

Fine Arts Day

2012-01-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, was Fine Arts Day, at our local school. Several artists, (about 21) were invited to come to the school and teach several classes to the students throughout the day on their field of expertise. The students selected their choices in advance and signed up for classes that they were interested in. Among the artists involved, were floral designers, painters, potters, photographers, one man did caricatures, there were instructors for highland dance and Latin dance, another man taught improv, and one of our local celebrities taught a group songwriting and then performed the song at the assembly at the end of the day! My son was one of four boys who worked with a professional videographer, that went around the school, capturing the entire day on camera. They will work to edit their film and produce a video for the school. I taught jewellery design to several groups of grade 7 and 8 students. It was an amazing day, and what a fabulous opportunity for students to be able to create and learn from the artists in their community. All of the children in the school, from kindergarten to grade 8 attended the classes, and it was exciting to see how all of them used their creative brains! There was a fabulous lunch supplied in the school library for all the volunteers, and teas, coffees, water and cold drinks were available all day long. I was absolutely thrilled to be involved in this wonderful day! I think every school should have the opportunity to hold a Fine Arts Day during the year.

I was way too busy to get photos, but these are pictures of the projects that my students were able to choose from. The top piece was a project that could be used as a key chain, belt/backpack clip, or attach the design to a chain for a very cool necklace. The second photo is a pendant necklace. They all chose their own beads, buttons and ribbon, so every single one of them turned out unique. They enjoyed hammering the metal tags, and each student chose what word to punch onto their tag. Some put their names, one girl put "dance" onto her tag, and one boy designed a necklace for his Mom, and put the word "Love" onto his tag. How sweet is that?! One very thoughtful girl designed a necklace for one of the schools volunteer Moms, who lost her young son in a tragic accident last Spring. She put the boys name on the tag, and hung a pretty pink heart amongst other beads. That woman was very touched.

It is days like that, when I feel very blessed to be able to introduce my passion to kids, and see the thrill and enjoyment in their eyes when they make something with their own hands that they can be proud of!

Upcycled Mason Jars

2012-01-22T19:38:00.003-07:00

They say that with the right lighting, any mood can be achieved. I just discovered the coolest light fixtures on Etsy by BootsNGus, and just had to share with you!

How cool would these be in a country kitchen?

Great conversation pieces for your shabby chic decor!

I love this rainbow colored piece.

Check out their shop on Etsy for more vintage finds.

Two, two, two necklaces in one!

2012-01-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

One of my daughters, who attends the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, is organizing an event to help raise funds for future field trips for the environmental engineering program. I offered to help out, by donating a prize. Since the event is taking place near Valentines day, I decided to go with a bit of romantic heart theme, and created this necklace, which is actually two necklaces in one! This is a long style necklace, created with a mix of vintage and new chains, an assortment of wonderfully textured brass beads from days gone by, and genuine Swarovski crystals. The large heart pendant is awesome!

With a quick flip of the brass clasp, the lucky recipient can switch out the pendant. The second pendant consists of vintage brass ball chains and lilac colored Swarovski chain suspended from a pretty brass petal flower bud.

So there you have it...two necklaces in one. I think, in the future, I will make other necklaces with this option!

Grandmas Jewels....reinvented.

2012-01-12T08:15:00.002-07:00

I have a customer who recently gave me a bag of jewelry, that once belonged to her Grandmother. She has requested that I design 4 sets of jewels for her, from a wonderful selection of vintage beads and baubles.

It was a lot of fun going through the bags and boxes of necklaces, bracelets and brooches, and playing around to see what beads and sparkly gems went together. After taking apart several necklaces, a few old earrings, chains, and repurposing a rhinestone brooch into a pretty pendant, I came up with the first of the four matching sets. I am really happy that I have managed to create "new" fashionable pieces that this lady can wear, while still keeping the sentimental value of the vintage jewels and most importantly the special memories of her Grandmother .

Dreaming of Dressing Rooms

2012-01-10T09:50:00.000-07:00

I need to reorganize my closet. Or should I say OUR closet. I think my husbands stuff is taking over, and I just realized that he has more sections of the closet than I do...and that is just wrong! Now, he is certainly not a follower of fashion, so I am not quite sure how this happened, but it needs to be rectified soon!
I love a neat organized area for clothes, shoes and accessories, so that got me to dreaming of having a glamorous dressing room.
Something like this would work nicely. I love the ample storage of the white cabinetry and how neat and tucked away everything is.

traditional closet design by newark interior designer Kingsley Belcher Knauss, ASIDI

This one would work nicely as well, love all the mirrors.

http://zsazsabellagio.blogspot.com/

http://www.houzz.com/photos/closet

However, this room has the shoe storage that I am looking for AND the gorgeous chandelier!

I really love the vintage style of this mirrored vanity.......

http://ffffound.com/image/8e551a8dc3689e1d271e4305650e6ff1cebe09d9

This one is stunningly beautiful...a bit over the top perhaps, plus I would have to take shares out in Windex to keep the room sparkling clean!

http://cdn.freshome.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Walk-in-closets-20.jpg

You never know when you need an island in your dressing room! Great for displaying your jewels!

www.google .com

http://www.taylorhannaharchitect.ca/gallery/interiordesign

Here we have it all, the hidden storage, lots of space for shoes, boots, hats and bags, mirrors, a makeup vanity, the gorgeous chandelier, AND a chaise for napping!

I'll let you know how it tuns out.

Hot Rocks on Sale!

2012-01-09T08:07:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day back to the routine after the holidays, and I just realized that the next month is action packed! I have several custom orders that I will be working on, on Jan.25th, I am teaching a jewellery making class to the grade 7 and 8 students, at the local school, I have a necklace to make for a fund raiser at the University of British Columbia, and a line of jewellery to design and create for a new boutique opening in southern Alberta! Whew....I am exhausted just thinking about it! Needless to say, that new designs for my Etsy shop will have to wait a bit longer. So in the meantime I am having a big clear out sale in my shop. Everything is 35% off, my biggest discount ever! To get the discount, just add this coupon code at the checkout Clearout35.
Happy Shopping!

Handmade Christmas Review

2012-01-07T17:06:00.001-07:00

Sorry I have been absent for the past week! We took a little mid week break, and went to Banff for a few days to visit one of our daughters, and to partake in a little R and R. As of Monday, everything returns to the normal routine, the husband goes back to work, and my son, much to his dismay returns to school after the Christmas break. As the holiday break comes to a close, I wanted to share with you, some of the amazing handmade goodies that I purchased for gifts before Christmas. This past Christmas, I set out to buy handmade as much as possible, and I had great results with all of these gorgeous items, from some extremely talented and creative individuals!

From Rockitbot, I bought this cool all in one iPod/iPhone Nerd Herder wallet for my son.

Several people received these fabulous handmade french inspired soaps from DancingMooney, located in Oregon. I kept one for myself, and this is honestly some of the nicest soap I have ever used!

One of my daughters was the lucky recipient of this deluxe camera strap from Phatstraps , for her DSLR camera.

From Ireland, the talented Kate Ramsey of FeltFieltroFilc, made this stunning silk and felted wool scarf for one of my other daughters.

The same daughter also received these cool fingerless gloves, from BonzieDesigns, also located in Ireland.

Seriously, some of the best tea I have ever tasted came from Wildroot, in Bellingham, Washington, where the ingredients for this awesome tea are organic, locally grown, ethically wildcrafted and fair trade certified. I bought 5 different flavors, and gave 4 away to the kids, and once again, I kept one of these for moi!

My husband was totally spoiled, with this beautifully handcrafted leather messenger bag, from RusticLeather located in Texas. As you see...I managed to get in on a sale price during Black Friday!

Daughter number 3, got a turquoise Sassy Scarf created by Michaelah Polegato of Calgary, similar to this one.

Two of the daughters got these extremely cool bags, (which make super beach bags or shopping bags) as well as wallets, made by recycling the material from billboards! Designed and created by the very creative Canadian artist, Jill Lennox. Her website Recreate It is coming soon.

Of course, Christmas gift giving would not be complete without all 3 daughters, receiving some of Moms handmade Hot Rocks Jewellery! I made each daughter a personalized necklace, featuring the color of their birth stones, their initials, and I was lucky enough to have found a couple of dog tags made in the year that they were born that I embellished, and added into the mix. Unfortunately I could not find a dog tag with the birth year for daughter # 3, so she got a pretty locket instead.

Well, I hope to get back into my regular routine starting on Monday, and I also have a lot of reading to do catching up with all of my bloggy pals!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T18:51:00.001-07:00

Happy New Year to you all!
I wish you the very best in the coming year.
One of the memorable moments of 2011 was seeing these amazing fireworks next to the Eiffel Tower! I was fortunate enough to go to Paris this past summer, and these photos were taken on Bastille Day, which is a huge holiday in France.

One of my biggest accomplishments in 2011, was managing to keep off the 40 lbs that I lost in 2010!

I am continuing to control my diabetes with exercise and diet alone.....yay!

This year, one of my personal my goals is to continue to stay fit and eating healthy, but to challenge myself even more with more weight training.

I also plan on learning and adding adding a few new techniques to my jewelry designs. Riveting, working with embellished metal, trying out some resin pendants and incorporating leather into some of my creations...are all in the works for this year.

What are your goals or plans for 2012?

2011-12-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast Christmas went! It was a fabulous time spent with the family, lots of delicious food, fun times playing games, and a house filled with lots of laughter! The weather was warm...and the snow perfect for snowman building and making snowballs. On the morning of Christmas Eve, we had a visitor in the backyard!

If you look closely, you will see that he has a string loosely hooked onto one of his antlers, and that string is attached to a bamboo plant stake. So he must have been snacking in someones garden. It did not seem to be harmful, and I am sure that it eventually would have fallen off.

We roasted hot dogs on the afternoon of Christmas Eve, and the grand children built little snowmen in the backyard.

On Christmas Day, we went on our annual Christmas Day walk around the neighborhood.......

....where an impromptu snowball fight broke out!

The family have all returned to their homes, and it is now quiet here. I am busy cleaning up and getting ready for New Years Eve celebrations. I hope you all had a great Christmas as well!

Dreaming of a White Christmas

2011-12-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

I would like to wish all of you a very happy and safe Christmas! I hope you all get to spend this precious time with friends and family, and may your holidays be filled with much joy and laughter. For those of you that are dreaming of a white Christmas, these photos taken from my neck of the woods..(where we get lots of the white stuff) are for you.

Merry Christmas!

Susan

December Designs

2011-12-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

These are a few of the custom orders that I did in December, as well as, photos of a few pieces that are gifts for some very special people on my list ( that don't read my blog!!)

Ready for Christmas

2011-12-19T16:07:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but I have been busy..... decorating......inside,

and outside.......

I have done some baking.......

and wrapped my gifts......

I have a tree upstairs.......

and a tree downstairs.......

and there is snow all around!

I think I am ready for Christmas!!

Is there such a thing....as too much bling??

2011-12-13T08:02:00.001-07:00

If you have been following my blog for awhile, you know that I love to add these tiny bits of crystal bling, known as Swarovski crystals to many of my creations. Well here are some other very interesting objects, that have been embellished with the famous Austrian crystals.

Got an extra $75,000 to spare? If so this toilet can be yours!

Or if that is too expensive for you,how about this one, for only $25,000! Designed by Lets Crystal It, in West Palm Beach Florida, this toilet is covered with 100,000 Swarovski crystals.

http://www.trendhunter.com

Of course you will need some toilet paper to go with that fancy toilet of yours.(Ouch!)


www.trendhunter.com

This dazzling bathtub, took designer, Lori Gardner, 3 years to create. 44,928 Swarovski crystals were fixed to the antique bathtub by hand. Portions of the sale of this gorgeous tub, were donated to breast cancer research.

http://theluxury.org

You may want to sip on some vodka, while relaxing in your bubble bath.

The Embellished by Relish collection of Swarovski-studded bottles, are designed by Absolut Vodka. The bottles are actually empty and can be filled up with anything you want. Each bottle is decorated with 5,000 Swarovski crystals. All six of them can be had for $6,700!

www.luxedb.com

Midnight Solstice

2011-12-09T07:29:00.001-07:00

Here are a few photos of another one of my recent vintage skeleton key necklaces. The key is form my travels in England, this past summer, and I have embellished it with tiny metallic blue Swarovski crystals. I also added some pretty glass beads, a dragonfly charm and a cool vintage brass bead. I call this one Midnight Solstice.

Happy weekend everyone!

Birthdays

2011-12-07T08:19:00.001-07:00

Today is my birthday. I think that birthdays are great times for reflection, setting goals and dreaming. As I reflect on my life over the past 53 years, there have been several challenges, times of great loss, many wonderful memories of happy celebrations, and moments of great achievements. I am fortunate to have some fabulous friends that are very close to me, many of which I have known for over 30 years.

I have four super kids,

and two delightful grandchildren.

I have brothers and sisters that I love dearly,

and a Dad and Step mom that I admire, love and respect.

I also have an amazing husband, who is also my best friend, and we do everything together.

I have many dreams to still fulfill....most of them involve traveling.....and some personal goals that I am striving for! I am grateful that I am able to work at home doing what I love, creating little pieces of joy that make people happy.

I dream of one day being permanently near the ocean on Vancouver Island, with my husband.

But for now, as I celebrate my fifty third year of life, I am very fulfilled and happy!

Dreaming of a white Christmas?

2011-12-05T08:23:00.001-07:00

I don't have to just dream of having a white Christmas anymore! This weekend we received 7 and 1/2 inches of snow, and it is a white winter wonderland here, where I live!

When you wish a upon a star.........

2011-12-01T08:10:00.001-07:00

I want one of these!

Hurry on over to A Little Etsy Love, for a chance at one of winning these gorgeous hand made stained glass stars, from Piggy and Dirt!

Piggy and Dirt (aka Becky&Kurt), are husband and wife artists that create these beautiful stars.

All the details on how to enter, this giveaway are on A Little Etsy Love.

Good luck!

Vintage Christmas Inspiration

2011-11-30T07:44:00.001-07:00

I just discovered this fabulous blog, called Everyday Beauty via Pinterest, when I was looking for some vintage Christmas inspiration.

Andrea Singerella, designs vintage style jewelry and gorgeous book marks, and she made this fabulous vintage style Christmas wreath. So pretty! Her blog is a delight for the eyes!

I love the soft pastel colors that she used in her wreath.

Check out her beautiful handmade book marks ......scrumptious!

All that Glistens is not Gold!

2011-11-28T06:59:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, we drove into the city to do a little Christmas shopping....I am almost done as i have shopped on Etsy, and at some local art and craft shows, and have managed to buy most of my gifts handmade this year! However, I still had to pick up a couple of other items, as well I needed to shop for something to wear to the husbands company Christmas party. I already had a classic little black dress, so I just needed a little something to go with it. I was in the BAY...which is one of our Canadian department stores, and there were sales everywhere! I am thinking "Great...I will surely find something amongst all the racks of gorgeous clothing, here!". Within minutes, I found this sweet light weight soft gold cardigan, which will go perfectly with my dress at home. Luckily the rack that holds all of the pretty gold sweaters, says 40% OFF Bianca Nygard FALL and HOLIDAY ... perfect!

Just imagine this sweater, above...only in gold.

I try it on, it fits, and then comes the hard part....standing in line and paying. So there are 3 cashiers on duty, but the line is at a standstill, so I wait, and wait, and finally get to the desk, the cashier rings it up...and wait a sec..."Is the sweater not on sale?"...I ask. " No"...says the clerk. OK...am I going mad, or did I read the sign wrong? So I pay full price for the sweater, and then head back to the rack thinking, I am a little crazy here! I check the rack.. the rack with the exact same sweaters says - 40% OFF Bianca Nygard FALL and HOLIDAY. OK, I am not losing my mind, and this gold sweater looks pretty darn Holidayish to me! So I head back to another cashier, stand in line again, and explain my situation. She says she will go and check, which she does and then returns, and tells me that she is not sure, the sign is confusing. She then scans the tag into the system, and explains to me that no, it is not on sale, it is a specially priced item, and items whose price tags end in .99, are not part of the sale. I am getting pretty mad, now, but I keep my cool, and suggest to her that perhaps the sign should be taken down, or the sweaters removed as it is very misleading for the customer. "Well that is not my department, I have no control over the signing." She tells me. Oh, Brother...REALLY!!! She continues to tell me to go and speak with a manager if I have a concern. So I ask her, where would I find a manager...and she tells me" Go look in the cosmetic department...there is an event on there, and you should find them all hanging about that area. "

OK...this is good customer service? She could have called a manager for me, but no, I have to go and look for one! More wasted time...but I am not letting this go because I feel it is wrong. I managed to track down a manager in cosmetics, and repeated the scenario to her. I told her that I would still take this sweater, and that my concern is that the signage is very confusing for the consumer. The manager explained that I am not the first customer to make a complaint regarding the signage issue, and that she will pass on my concern. So I am thinking, "WELL PERHAPS YOUR COMPANY SHOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!" But I politely thank her and think to myself "OK..I have had enough I'm outa here!" So not only did this store waste over half an hour of my time, the customer service is deplorable!
Nuff said.

Black Friday SALE!

2011-11-23T08:30:00.001-07:00

Starting this Friday, Nov. 25 at 8:00am MST (mountain standard time), as readers of my blog and fans of my Facebook Page, you will be able to receive 15% off all items in my Etsy Shop! Simply enter the coupon code: BLACKFRIDAYBLOG, during the checkout process. The sale will continue until 6:00pm MST (mountain standard time), on Monday Nov. 28th.
Happy Shopping!

Snowflake and Pearls

2011-11-22T07:41:00.001-07:00

This is one of my favorite creations....and its looking for a good home!

Snowflake and Pearls, is a long assemblage necklace that I designed, using a fabulous very sparkly, vintage rhinestone brooch, some pearl buttons from days gone by, vintage copper and brass findings and chain, some frosted glass from a chandelier, and a small vintage key from my travels in England.

Now listed in my Etsy shop
I am getting ready for the Black Friday Etsy Sale. Tomorrow I will post the secret coupon code which will enable you to get 15% off any item in my shop, from Friday, Nov. 25 until Monday Nov. 28!

Stay tuned

2011-11-21T16:02:00.001-07:00

I had lots of fun at the Redwood Meadows craft sale on the weekend, and although it was not quite as busy as I would have liked to to be, I did manage to sell several items to wonderful new owners! I still have a few pieces left, which is great news for all of you, as I am spending the next few days listing items in my Etsy shop, and preparing for my Black Friday weekend sale. I will have 10 % off everything in my shop from this Friday Nov. 25- Monday Nov. 28. However for you, my loyal readers...you will have the opportunity to get 15 % off! Stay tuned for the special coupon code that I will give you later this week, that will enable you to get in on that secret discount!

As for now...here is one of those pieces that I just listed in my shop!

"MOM...the Chauffeur!"

When I found this vintage Chauffeur ID tag, I knew that it would make a fabulous Christmas gift for one of the many Moms that spend their time chauffeuring their kids around! So in honor of Mom, I added some bling and sparkle...but not too much that she could not wear it with her everyday jeans and T-shirt! The sparkly bits consist of modern cut glass and Swarovski crystals. The tag is from British Columbia, Canada, and has the year 1968 engraved on it. I also added chrysoprase and labrodorite stones. Apparently Labradorite is a protective and grounding stone that provides relief from stress...and what Mom doesn't have a bit of stress in her life! As for the stone chrysoprase, it is said to help one to focus, and see problems clearly.... again ....perfect for Moms!
I also added vintage brass buttons including one that is from the Royal Military College of Canada, a vintage forest green tassel, and a vintage skeleton key from England.

A little secret.........

2011-11-18T08:22:00.001-07:00

Thanks to my pals for all your lovely comments on my last post regarding some of my new necklaces. Yes, Nancy....some of those designs do feature a few of those vintage finds from last weekends shopping spree out west! Lin....yes, I will be listing remaining items from this weekends show on Etsy, next week. Here is a little secret I am going to let you in on...for Black Friday, I will be offering 10% off every item in my shop, HOWEVER....if you read my blog, you will be able to get 15% off, every Hot Rocks design in my Etsy store! This is just a heads up, my sale will start next Friday, and run through Monday. More details, and a special secret discount coupon code for my readers to follow, so stay tuned!

2011-11-17T12:54:00.001-07:00

Here are some of my brand new, vintage creations making their debut at the Redwood Meadows show this weekend! 100% handmade and one of a kind!

Homemade low sugar Cranberry Sauce

2011-11-16T07:32:00.001-07:00

Just 2 more days, until my next big craft show, so as usual I am swamped with items on my "To Do" list! This show runs Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday, so it is another big show, but my last of the season. So as I will be quite busy over the next several days, I thought I would share my fabulous Cranberry Sauce recipe with you.

I know that American Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and for the rest of us....well Christmas is not far off either, so print it off and save it for your turkey dinner feast. We Canadians, celebrated Thanksgiving a month ago, and as usual I bought my canned cranberry sauce to go with our turkey. Well...a couple of days before Thanksgiving, I took out that can and read the nutrient information, and was shocked at how much sugar was actually in a serving of cranberry sauce! So, being a diabetic, this was concerning....there must be a better option. So I made my own!

So you are probably thinking...oh yeah...like I have time for that! Well it is so super quick to do, and you can make it a day or two ahead and put in your refrigerator until the big day. The canned whole cranberry sauce, Ocean Spray, that I used to buy, has about 22 grams of sugar per serving (1/4 cup), and 110 calories. According to my information, this recipe has 69 calories, and 12 grams of sugar...almost half as much! It tastes great too!

Cranberry Sauce

3 1/2 Cups of fresh cranberries

1 Cup of water

1/4 Cup of Organic Agave Syrup

Orange zest of 1 orange

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

Put all the ingredients in a pot, and cook over medium heat for 30-45 minutes. Cook until thickened and most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir occasionally. Watch it carefully, you don't want it to burn!

Cool before serving...it is hot!

*Makes 1 and 1/4 Cups of sauce.

Time Away

2011-11-14T18:47:00.001-07:00

I just got back from 4 days away, at our seaside home, on Vancouver Island. We encountered a wind storm, on the day we arrived, but the rest of our weekend was super. We did some antiquing in a few of the quaint little seaside villages and towns, where I discovered some great vintage finds to add to future jewelry designs. I always find it exciting to get my hands on some interesting little object that I can add to a necklace or bracelet! We also went for a walk through the forest and down to the beach where we saw a couple of sea lions swimming about in the water.

We drove to the town of Ladysmith (Did you know that Pamela Anderson was born there!) There was already Christmas decorations up outside city hall! I loved the colors of these beautiful trees!

There are still flowers blooming in my garden at my Vancouver Island home, and there are still leaves on the trees. It was all beautiful, fun and very relaxing!

However, after a fabulous weekend away it was time to come home and get back to reality! Unfortunately, we flew back home today, welcomed by blowing snow and frigid temperatures.

Handmade or Mass Produced?

2011-11-08T19:14:00.001-07:00

I have been preparing for the next show coming up, which is the Kananaskis Country Christmas, taking place in Redwood Meadows, on November 19th and 20th. I always enjoy doing this show because it is local...right in my backyard, so to speak! I enjoy seeing those familiar faces of friends, and acquaintances from the area I live in, as well as the city folk who travel to come out and enjoy a day in the country.

The one thing about this show that is different from some of the other shows that I do, is the fact that the shows organizers allow booths consisting of local artists and artisans, like myself, as well as small local retail shop owners, and the Tupperware, Arbonne and Silpada sellers. For the handful of local potters, jewelry designers, and local crafts people that set up booths at this show, we have to compete with local retailers, who are selling imported gift ware, jewelry, and knitted hats and scarves from Indonesia! Can we compete with their prices.... in one word.... no.

I would like to think that people that are attending these shows are there to support their friendly neighborhood artisan...but I don't think that is always the case. Quite often the cheapest price tag wins. Don't get me wrong, I love our local retail shops, but they have a chance to sell their goods, all year long at their brick and morter stores. Most artists only do a handful of shows a year, and the holiday season is our biggest selling time. The shopper, comes to these shows with a only a certain amount of money in their pockets to spend...so the competition is very tough!

So, this season, when you are attending your local arts and crafts Christmas shows, please take the time to ASK if the seller made that item themselves........or is it a mass produced, imported item. Then you...the buyer can make an informed decision where you want your hard earned money to go to.

Jack Frost

2011-11-07T11:12:00.000-07:00

Jack Frost came to play......

.... and left pretty patterns on my balcony glass!

Swirling, frosty, cold and silvery white.

Winter has arrived!

2011-11-05T12:31:00.000-06:00

I have recently started my Christmas shopping! This year I have made a conscious effort to support artists and artisans with my Christmas budget, rather than all the big box stores.
Last weekend at The Beyond Artisan Marketplace, I bought several fabulous, hand crafted Christmas gifts, from local artists...I cannot mention them here, just in case the recipients are reading this! I also have been scouring Etsy, and I have also purchased some absolutely gorgeous items from some extremely talented artists....and I am still shopping. It does take a little bit of time to search Etsy, or other online shops for that perfect gift, however the effort is so worthwhile, as is many cases you are getting a unique item, often one of a kind, sometimes recycled or upcyclaed...good for the environment, and the best part....you can shop from the comfort of your home. However, you have to start your online shopping soon, because you must account for shipping time...and time is ticking away!
Today, I am helping you out by sharing with you some of my favorite amazing handcrafted items on Etsy, that can get you started on your Christmas shopping. Happy Shopping!

From ceeglass, Recycled glass napkin rings

From ileaiye- Ponch Cape

The Atomic Apple

Silk and Felted Wool Scarf by Kate Ramsey

Vintage inspired Woolie Mittens, by Bonzie

Retro Red Cupcake Stand by Gracefilledhands

Upcycled Dictionary Page Art by BlackBaroque

Laptop bag by SewMuchStyle

Edible Vintage Style Candy Buttons by andiespecialtysweets

2011-11-03T08:37:00.000-06:00

I just love vintage portraits of women and children. I find them beautiful, innocent and ethereal ...... yet mysterious. I am always drawn to images on postcards, or old photographs portraying women or children from way back when, and wonder...... who were these people? Today, I am sharing some that I recently discovered, As well as some from my personal collection. Enjoy!


Love her jewels!

This is one of my favorites. I have her photo in a frame, and take her to my shows as one of my props. I wish I knew who she was.


How cute are these girls!


Isn't she adorable!

Recovering!

2011-11-01T07:45:00.000-06:00

I think I am finally getting back to some form of normality after this past weekends show. It was a very successful show for me, with lots of familiar faces returning to purchase some more Hot Rocks! Thank you to all who came out, and for your loyal support! I was fortunate to have some fun and crazy neighbors, who kept the atmosphere light hearted , even during those long slow times. The gals from Buckles and Beads were a total riot! Now I have to get back to the studio to build my stock back up for my next Christmas show in less than 3 weeks time.

Paris Catacombs

2011-10-25T08:00:00.000-06:00

Halloween is less than 1 week away. Our whole family always gets into the "spirit", by decorating our front yard like a graveyard, and getting creative with the traditional carving of pumpkins into Jack-o-lanterns.

As I was going through my photos from our recent trip to England and France, I came across this one, and thought it may be of interest as a Halloween week post in my blog!

I took this photo in the tunnels of the Catacombs, in Paris....right before my camera batteries died! This is the one and only photo that I got, after standing in line for a couple of hours to get in. The remains of approximately 6 million people are down in these tunnels ...and it is kinda spooky. The maze of underground tunnels were once old quarries, that were selected to hold the bones of Paris' dead, after the city's cemeteries became full in the 1800's. Now it is a tourist attraction. In many areas, the bones are arranged in artistic designs...very bizarre...but interesting! I was a bit creeped out down there in the dark, damp tunnels with all those skulls looking at me, and was glad when we finally reached the end. However, my husband and son thought it was one of the highlights of their Paris trip. Me...I preferred the Louvre!

Brittania Collection

2011-10-24T07:26:00.000-06:00

Here are some items that went to a boutique in Calgary, over the weekend. These necklaces are part of my Fall Brittania Collection, and feature many fabulous finds from my trip to England this past Summer. Hopefully they will find new homes soon!

Show Preview

2011-10-19T08:32:00.000-06:00

I have been extremely busy preparing for the big art show which takes place next Friday. I have managed to do a trial setup of my booth arrangement, and I am happy with the results. I am currently finishing up a couple of necklaces that I have on the go, and then I will fatten up the stock with a few more pairs of earrings....coz you can NEVER have enough earrings at these shows! I also have to finish taking photos of everything, as I like to keep a visual record of my work. Early next week, time will be spent tagging and pricing, and finally packing everything up for the trip into the big city. So here is a little sneak preview of just a few of the pieces that will be coming with me to the Beyond Marketplace, in Calgary this October.

Across the Sand Dunes

2011-10-17T14:17:00.000-06:00

One of my cuff bracelets, was recently featured in this very creative treasury on Etsy. I don't usually post many treasuries on my blog, however, I felt this one deserved some special recognition, as I felt the theme of this one was very unique! Enjoy!

Beyond Artisan Marketplace Fall 2011

2011-10-16T09:43:00.003-06:00

This fantastic show is less than 2 weeks away! If you are in the Calgary area, print off this coupon for a discount on admission. I will be there with my latest designs. Hope to see you there!

2011-10-13T08:12:00.001-06:00

This Summer, when we were in London, we spent some time visiting Hyde Park, one of the great parks within the city. Kensington Palace is located there, and has the most beautiful Sunken Garden. It is quite like something out of a fairy tale.

However, while we were visiting there in July, there was an interesting interactive art display featured around this garden that I found to be quite cool!

The project was created by artist Emma Molony. Visitors and locals were asked to write down a secret or a wish, and place it into an orange plastic sphere, which featured pretty, laser cut silhouettes. They were then hung up and displayed around the garden. There were more than 1,000 displayed balls, some even held the secrets of former inhabitants of the palace!

You could actually walk along and read the secrets that others had written down, through the colored balls. Of course, we all participated, my husband, my son, and I, each wrote down our secrets and desires and placed them into the balls.

I loved the way that the luminescent, tangerine colored baubles, contrasted with the lush green vines that climbed the trellis.

What an eye catching display!

Dreams.....

2011-10-12T07:44:00.000-06:00

Dreams are renewable.
No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.
Dale Turner

2011-10-07T18:19:00.000-06:00

This coming Monday, is Thanksgiving Day, here in the Great White North. That makes it a long weekend! Yes, we shall be feasting on turkey, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce, and of course the traditional and most required pumpkin pie. So to all my Canadian readers I wish you a happy, safe and very enjoyable Thanksgiving weekend! To my readers from other parts of the world, I wish you all a wonderful weekend. ( American readers, don't be jealous....your Thanksgiving will be here soon.)

Have you thought about buying handmade this Christmas season? I certainly plan to do a lot more shopping from artists at local craft shows and on Etsy, for gifts this year. Support your local artist, and you are supporting your local economy! Plus you will have something unique that those big box stores can't offer. So enjoy your weekend and in the meantime, please check out these very cool Canadian Etsy Shops! These are very talented artists, that have some amazing shops on Etsy. Great for getting gift ideas, because you know that Christmas is just around the corner, eh?!

SummerBreeze

Greeting cards and original abstract art

The Spirited Fairy

Eco-Friendly 100% Vegetable based candles

Hand Knit Hugs

Classic Knits for todays children

The Soap Gallery

Simply delicious body care

Mgotovac Original Art and Crafts

Original art and crafts

Raceytay

Photography

My Hand Bound Books

Hand bound books

2011-10-05T12:00:00.000-06:00

I have been busy preparing for my first big show of the season, the Beyond Artisan Marketplace, held at the end of this month in Calgary. I am introducing a few metal cuffs to my collection this Fall, and they each feature a unique vintage find! This first one showcases a pretty filigree buckle from the 1920's, that I picked up in England this past summer. I added a vintage green button covered in brass filigree to the center.

This cuff below also incorporates a buckle finding from the 20's, layered over top of some brass filigree.

On this one I used an old pendant that is encrusted with tiny purple, lilac and pink crystals, and framed it with some new filigree findings.

I know that cuffs are all the rage right now, and each one of my designs will carry a little piece of history with it to its new owner!

Jewelry Pouch Giveaway- Dunis Studio

2011-10-03T07:29:00.000-06:00

My friend, Duni, has a fabulous giveaway on her blog right now. She has one of her gorgeous hand made jewelry rolls up for grabs! What lovely lady would not want this to stash your precious Hot Rocks Jewels in, while jet setting around around the globe? All you have to do to enter is to visit Dunis blog, and leave a comment! Easy...no? Good luck!

Taking a back seat

2011-09-29T13:23:00.000-06:00

It is just 4 weeks until my first big show of the Holiday season. This is always such a busy time of year for anyone who does the Christmas arts and crafts show circuit. I still have so much to do, in terms of designing new pieces for this 3 day artisan sale. Plus, there is all the thought and prep that I need to put into creating my booth for the show. Thanksgiving is next weekend, and I am hosting the family for the big turkey dinner, which I enjoy doing...but it is more time away from the studio! I also still have to clean up the patio furniture, and get everything on the deck put away for winter....I am trying to put that off, because that really does signal that Summer is over, and Winter will be arriving soon. Am I feeling a little time stressed? Do I have enough on my plate at the moment? You betcha!

I also signed up for a "Get Ripped" fitness class, by Jari Love, that I go to 3 times a week. Yes.... she really does look as good as the photo! I really enjoy going to that class, getting my butt kicked and sweating it out! They say that getting regular exercise, really helps deal with stress so I am going to keep making my exercise time a priority. The blog may have to take a back seat for a few weeks, but I will try and post, and read my pals blogs as my time permits. Well must go and lock myself into the studio.

The Keys of Life

2011-09-27T08:47:00.000-06:00

Did you know, that at the turn of the 20th century, it was fashionable for a woman to wear a necklace with several keys? Apparently, the more keys that a woman wore around her neck, the more rooms she had in her house. That translated into wealth, as that meant that she was married to a man with money. At that time, keys were a status symbol.

In Greek mythology, the Goddess, Cybele, holds the key to Mother Earth, closing her up in the winter and opening her again in springtime. Wearing three keys together is said to unlock the doors of love (holding the key to ones heart), health and wealth. Keys represent the forces that open and close, and can lock away our treasures as well as our secrets. Keys also represent power, or the arrival of a certain time in our life, such as getting the keys to a new home, or the keys to a new car!

But perhaps the most important key could be the one held by St. Peter!

Doors to a View

2011-09-23T08:28:00.000-06:00

I took this photo from the inside of one of the hot houses in Londons Kew Gardens, this past Summer. I was drawn to the interesting patina and color on the inside of old metal doors, but of course the view out to the gardens is stunning as well. Have a super weekend!

"Pass the cranberry sauce, please."

2011-09-21T16:48:00.000-06:00

Do I dare say that the "Holidays" are just around the corner? Well, for us Canucks here in Canada, our Thanksgiving is a mere 19 days away! Yep...we celebrate early here in Canada...before everything freezes up, and we can still get out and get our turkeys! ( Just kidding...we still get out even when there is a deep freeze and 4 feet of snow, coz we are a hardy bunch, eh?) Anyhow, Thanksgiving got me to thinking about food, which got me to thinking about turkeys, which in turn got me to thinking about cranberry sauce! So with that inspiration in mind, I created this little number, which started with the fabulous vintage red beads, which reminded me of....you guessed it....cranberries! There are a lot of other interesting bits and pieces in this bracelet, including some very cool and very old metal buttons, handmade glass beads by UK artisan, Lorna Prime, Swarovski crystals, vintage beads from Czechoslovakia, freshwater pearls...and much more. All these were hand wired to a lovely vintage brass chain, for lots of movement..cha cha cha! Aptly named "Cranberry Cocktail"

Geocaching 101

2011-09-19T08:07:00.001-06:00

We had a super weekend! The family, came out and since the weather was so nice, we decided to do some hiking and combine it with a little Geocaching. What is Geocaching, you ask? Well, Geocaching is like treasure hunting, with the use of GPS devices. First you have to go to the Geocaching website.The GPS co-ordinates and clues are online at this website. If your kids or husbands like their tech devices, they will love this aspect of the game. From there just follow the instructions, and get outside and have some fun! Containers are hidden, not buried...and they are all over the world! Yes, there are probably several Geocaches in your neck of the woods! Once you locate the hidden container, you can take out some of the treasure, and then replace it with some loot that you have brought from home, so that the next Geocachers will have some goodies to find. This activity gets everyone and especially the kids... excited to get out and get some fresh air and exercise. This trip was the first time that the grand kids, and some of our own adult kids had never been, but it was a big hit!

We enjoyed the scenery.......

Here are some of the gang, using their devices and info to figure out the location of the next Geocache.

Taking a break near the river.

A beautiful necklace to take home!

Found the treasure box!

2011-09-16T07:15:00.000-06:00

Just a few more lovelies, that I created this week. Happy weeekend to you all!!

Sparkling Keys

2011-09-14T11:20:00.000-06:00

Remember my post, The Man in the Dusty Antique Shop, well here are just a handful of those fablous vintage keys after being cleaned up.

I found some awesome vintage Swarovski medallions from a seller on Etsy, and used these as embellishments to make these cute sparkling key pendants.

2011-09-11T18:51:00.000-06:00

We just got back from a wonderful weekend getaway, to Banff. I love going to Banff, we are so lucky to be so close to such a beautiful part of the world! It was the hubbys birthday today....September 11th, which is not the greatest day to have a birthday any more, as the world is always filled with the reminders of that fateful day 10 years ago. However, none the less we, had a super time, with amazing summer like weather...HOT! We actually went Geocaching for the first time, and had a blast. Out of the two hunts, looking for the "cache", we found only one. The other one really stumped us, and we came out of the long, hot, sweaty, uphill hike, with nothing. However, it was worth it, being outdoors and getting our exercise in the beautiful natural surroundings of the Rocky Mountains! A superb weekend!

Wired Monkeys

2011-09-07T11:50:00.000-06:00

When we were in London this past Summer, we visited the Tower of London, which I have been to on two previous visits to England, but never tire of. It is absolutely amazing, and I think probably one of the best things to do if you plan to visit London.

Anyhow, one of the most unusual things that I saw while we were there, and I am not sure how this relates to the Tower itself...but there were these very interesting monkey sculptures!

They are made out of what appears to be chicken wire, and perched up on one of the walls. I thought they were quite amusing!

Busy little bee!

2011-09-04T19:40:00.000-06:00

I must apologize for the lack of posts over the last few days, but life has suddenly become super busy! My son is heading back to school on Tuesday, so of course that meant shopping for new clothes and the required school supplies.Yesterday, we also entertained our good friends that we have not seen since June. I also have been madly working on an order for one of the art galleries that I supply to, as well as getting my Etsy shop back up after being closed for the whole summer. So, between creating, photographing, editing, posting, shopping, cooking, baking and cleaning, there has been little time for blogging!

I hope to catch up with you all this week. Hope you all had a great holiday weekend! Here are photos of some designs, that will be off to the art gallery soon:

Shopping for that special Treasure!

2011-08-31T18:56:00.001-06:00

On my last post, regarding my shipment of vintage beads, one of my readers, asked where I purchased my beads from. While I do scrounge through antique shops and flea markets for vintage treasures, I do most of my serious bead purchasing online. Craft supply stores like Michaels, are great for beginners, or for someone who just wants to make a personal piece of jewelry. If, however, you want to sell your work, you need to buy wholesale, and look for competitive prices, or look for unique beads and findings to make you jewelry stand out. I have spent countless hours searching for certain bead suppliers, but I know the time is well spent when I locate a fabulous and dependable supplier or an amazing bead artist. Now...some of them I will keep secret, so that I can keep some of those goodies all to myself. However, for all you beaders, jewelry designers and crafters out there, I will share with you some of my favorite sites.

For sterling and Bali silver (wholesale only) www.bamiyansilver.ca
For vintage and unusual finds: www.agrainofsand.com and www.jewelex.com
For wire and jump rings: www.theringlord.com
General beads and findings: www.artbeads.com and www.ringsnthings.com

There are also many great suppliers and talented artists that create handmade beads and findings on Etsy, eBay, and Artfire.
Happy shopping!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Package of treasures!

2011-08-29T17:00:00.000-06:00

Look what arrived in the mail today! Some FABULOUS vintage beads for my Fall designs. There is nothing like new supplies to get those creative juices flowing.

I am so excited! These are gorgeous aren't they?

Love Locks

2011-08-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

On the Pont de l'Archevêché, which is the bridge that crosses from Notre-Dame Cathedral to the Left Bank of the River Seine, and the Pont des Arts bridge, thousands of ribbons and padlocks with messages, names and initials are attached to the metal rails. These are known as "Love Locks", and are quite a sight to see. Since my son is an avid lock collector, this was certainly a trip highlight for him!

I found it to be a unique form of art!

Apparently, you are supposed to pledge your love to each other, lock the padlock to the bridge, and toss the key into the river below. The story goes, that to break the pledge of love, one must find the key and unlock the padlock. Yeah...right!

A Visual Banquet!

2011-08-24T07:28:00.008-06:00

Well you can't visit Paris without going to the Louvre...so we went. The Louvre is one of the largest museums in the world, and if you want to see some amazing art, sculptures and artifacts, you will not be disappointed here! First let me tell you that this place is MASSIVE! It is quite overwhelming, and you will never see it all in one day.

All I can think of as we approached the Louvre is, The DaVinci Code!

We picked a couple of sections and took our time to appreciate everything. We spent most of our time in the Egyptian section, which houses the most Egyptian artifacts outside of Egypt itself. This collection alone is housed within 20 rooms!

I was quite taken with this mummy.

Check out the intricate wrapping pattern.
I loved the colors and designs on this sarcophagus.

and of course we just HAD to go and view the Mona Lisa!

The interior was stunning!

The way the artist used the the colors in this painting were intriguing. The faces are neutral colored, with the background and garments being brightly colored.

I also loved the intricate details on this metal door!

Everywhere you looked, was a feast for the eyes!

Inspiration a la Art Nouveau!

2011-08-22T08:02:00.000-06:00

Just down the street from where we were staying in Paris was this amazing building....very Art Nouveau!

Art Nouveau design is very organic and sensual, ornamental and asymmetrical, and is extensively influenced by nature, with its decorative use of flowers, plants, vines and the female form. Art Nouveau design was popular from the 1880's to about 1920.

Isn't this the most exquisite door way you have ever seen?

What a fabulous building to live in. It would be a pleasure just to come home everyday and see this magnificent work.

Just look at the details! Now this is inspiration!

City of Light

2011-08-19T09:00:00.000-06:00

After spending 2 action packed weeks in England, we took the Eurostar train from London to Paris, to enjoy a week in the city of lights. There is something quite humbling about being in a country, where you do not speak or read the language fluently. However, having read that the French people can usually speak English, AFTER you have made an effort to converse in French, we did just that, and put forth our very best effort each and every time we were out and had to order from a menu, or inquire about something. Being Canadian, and being exposed to the French language on all our packaging and having learned some French in school, did help...but we were still pretty lame at it! However, the French people seemed amused and grateful that we were trying our best to learn their language, and were very friendly towards us. My son who always hated having to take French in school suddenly seemed to be enjoying this new way of communicating, and actually admitted that speaking French was fun!

Our apartment was a quick 10 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower, so obviously that was our first stop in this very beautiful city.

This is the view we had from our apartment window.

There certainly was a lot of action outside our apartment, and it was quite entertaining to watch the world go by from the comfort of our living room. We got around on Batobus which cruised along the river Seine, and made stops at certain landmarks and attractions along the way.

We also took the Metro, which is the subway system in Paris and we walked everywhere, we must have walked 5 or 6 miles everyday! Walking was a great way to explore the streets of Paris, and who would have thought that we would have seen this:

Or especially this!

Charming Cottages

2011-08-17T10:01:00.005-06:00

Charming English Cottages ...romantic inspiration!

Not just a pile of rocks

2011-08-13T10:00:00.000-06:00

When we were first planning this trip to England, the one thing on my husbands bucket list was to get to Stonehenge. So we booked a private tour, which enabled us to go behind the fence and walk amongst the stones, with only a handful of other people. It was a cool, gray, drizzly morning,the I must admit it was pretty cool! but the weather certainly did not take away from the experience of this magical place.

Some people were really into it...chanting and softly playing drums......

A sacred and very special place.

I must admit it was pretty cool to actually be there amongst these giant stones!

The man in the dusty antique shop

2011-08-11T10:50:00.000-06:00

Over the past year I have been using some wonderful vintage keys in some of my necklace designs. I love the mystery behind old keys... wondering what doors they once opened? Were they keys to the doors of country manors, or simple city homes? Perhaps they were keys from a secret garden gate, or a backyard garden shed. Some are keys that were used to wind old clocks, and some of the smaller keys were probably from well traveled trunks and old leather suitcases. While on my recent trip to England I managed to acquire some fabulous old keys from a small antique shop in a picturesque Yorkshire village.

We arrived in the village, and my sister-in -law, brother, I strolled around taking in the sights, and browsing through some of the local shops. My son and husband had wondered off to do some antiquing, hoping to find some antique locks for my sons lock collection. About an hour later, we met up with them and they had great exciting news about an antique shop that they had found. Out of a brown paper bag came several wonderful old locks and keys that had been purchased by my son, and for bargain prices! Apparently, the owner had taken a liking to my son and his passion for collecting, and they had been let into the owners special attic area and allowed to dig through forgotten boxes, looking for old locks. Well, this is an antique hunters dream come true! My husband and son were so excited, and said there were tons of old keys, and that I had to come back to the shop to get some of them for my jewelry. Well, I did not need much convincing, so off we all went back to the shop. We arrived to a small shop, filled to the rafters with all kinds of wonderful things.

Once there, we were allowed access to the attic, and the boxes of many keys. My son was up the ladder, and passing boxes down to the rest of us, who were madly digging through them trying to find the best and most interesting keys. Meanwhile the owner, asked us in true British style, if we would like some tea! Well of course, we would...this was becoming a real adventure! I think I managed to get about 5 pounds of weight in keys, and we proceeded to come back down stairs where not only tea awaited us, but cookies as well! The teapot even had a tea cozy over it, to keep the tea warm.

Here is my sister-in -law next to the fresh pot of tea, and mugs.

This lovely soft spoken man with the graying hair, had invited his neighbor over as well, and here we were sitting in this eclectic antique shop, surrounded by all kinds of stuff, chatting and having tea and cookies! The bargain price for the keys was exceptional...he must have thought I was mad wanting all that "junk".

After we had all left and were on the way home, we started thinking...what if we went back, and he wasn't there, perhaps he was just a magical old spirit from beyond, like in a Hollywood movie!

At the Seaside

2011-08-10T08:01:00.000-06:00

During our stay in England, we ventured over to the east coast, visiting Filey and Brighton, and spending five days in Hastings, where my sister lives. Spending time at the seaside, as the Brits say, was fabulous!

Needless to say, the North Sea is very cold!

Brighton on the south east coast was lots of fun! We strolled along the famous Brighton Pier, and had a great day walking around this seaside town. The water that day was actually this very pretty aqua green color.

Brighton

My brother, and my husband hamming it up!

Playing at Spofforth

2011-08-08T20:48:00.001-06:00

In the medieval North Yorkshire village of Spofforth, there remains the ruins of Spofforth Castle. While in York, we took some time and went out to the country to see the romantic ruin. Spofforth Castle is actually more of a manor house than a castle and dates back to the 13th century. The cost to go and visit this heritage site is free, and on the day that we visited we were the only people there! What fun we had playing in and exploring these ruins!

How fun is this for a 13 year old boy? My son really enjoyed this place.

My husband...feeling like a king.

We had a picnic lunch on the grass.

I loved the texture of the old, crumbling rock walls and the way that the weeds, moss and various plants had made their home there.

At one time these windows were probably beautiful stained glass.

It is an amazing feeling to walk through these ruins, and wonder who were the many people that lived here, and what kind of lives did they live?

Gothic Inspiration

2011-08-04T09:26:00.000-06:00

While in England we spent 10 days in the city of York, exploring in the city itself, and visiting the villages in the surrounding countryside. York, is a beautiful walled city that was founded by the Romans in 71 AD.

Here we are, my daughter, my son and I, with my brother and sister in law, walking the walls of York.

Looking down from the wall into the street.

So as you can imagine with that kind of history, we saw some amazing castle ruins, churches and cathedrals.
The finest cathedral in York is the massive Gothic cathedral, York Minster, which happens to be the largest cathedral in Northern Europe. The original church was built in 627, but was destroyed by fire, and then rebuilt, damaged and rebuilt several times, with portions being developed by the Vikings, and Normans over several hundred years. In 1215 it started to transform into the Minster that is known today. It was declared complete in the year 1472. The ornate work on the exterior of this cathedral is breath taking!

Take a close look at the hand holding Adam and Eve.

Wow...they sure don't build 'em like this anymore!

The interior was just as stunning!

We then climbed the 275 steps to the tower, passing gargoyles along the way, where the views were amazing.

Strawberry Fields

2011-08-02T16:39:00.002-06:00

One of the first things we did in England was to go on a wonderful walk with the family through the countryside.

After strolling past fields of grazing sheep, we came upon a wide open field filled with gorgeous strawberry red wild poppies!

Nature has a wonderful way with color... not sure what the yellow flowers were, but the combination was stunning!

In and amongst all the fiery red poppies, was this lonely blossom, in a lovely soft shade of pink.

I really adore the color red, it always makes me feel warm and happy. I am going to make a commitment to use a lot more bright poppy red in my jewelry designs!

There's no place like home!

2011-07-31T14:56:00.001-06:00

After five weeks of traveling around England and visiting Paris, It is nice to be home. Don't get me wrong, we had a fantastic trip, and saw some amazing places, but it is always nice to come home and rest your weary head on your own pillow. I am sure I have plenty of posts for the next several months after our adventures across the pond! It is funny, that here in Canada, we think that anything that is 100 years old....is...well...old. Over in England, we saw buildings that were over 800 years old! I loved the castles, cathedrals and abbeys, the ruins, the quaint villages and cobblestone streets. Of course the pubs on every corner were fun, and who could go to London and Paris without being influenced by the fashions? Due to the fact that I am still recovering from jet lag and a 7 hour time difference, I am posting a few photos to whet your appetite.....with many more to come in the next few days. Enjoy!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Packing

2011-06-20T08:23:00.000-06:00

On Friday, we leave for our most anticipated vacation to England and Paris. I am currently in the midst of packing for the trip and these are my latest observations regarding that topic:

1. Packing for a vacation is a lot more fun than unpacking after you return home.
2. Women should have a larger baggage allowance than men.
3. One pair of shoes DO NOT go with every outfit.
3. There comes a point when you must stop second guessing yourself, and what goes into the suitcase must stay in the suitcase!
4. Packing for a trip to the Tropics is WAY easier than packing for a European vacation. (Bathing suits, shorts, a few tank tops, sunscreen and flip flops are all you need for Hawaii)
5. Unnecessary items such as socks, make way for much needed items such as the flat iron.
6. Layer and wear your heaviest items on the plane...however remember that belts, shoes, jewelry, jackets and sweaters have to be removed when going through security, and that can work one up into a hot sweat..especially at my age!
7. Due to the fact that one is allowed only ONE carry-on bag weighing a mere 11 pounds, ones purse must fit inside ones carry-on luggage. (obviously no big purses will fit the bill and had to buy very small purse to fit this requirement) Currently in the carry-on bag are the most needed iPad, camera and extra batteries, passport and pertinent travel info, snacks and gum, hand sanitizer and lipstick and fragile gift for Dad.
8. Stick with a color scheme for maximizing the mixing and matching of pieces to create coordinating outfits, each top should work with at least 4 bottoms....however, that being said, the very cute bright yellow top made it into the suitcase, even although it did not meet these stringent requirements. Rules CAN be broken!
9. Question...How many lipsticks does one need for a 5 week vacation? Really???
10. This really should not be as difficult as it is.

2011-06-16T08:09:00.000-06:00

Just a few of the pieces that found new homes over the weekend:

2011-06-14T09:04:00.000-06:00

As promised here is a picture of my newly acquired piece of furniture from the lovely ladies at Frosted Furniture. It is an old dresser from the 1800's, painted a very soft blue. I love the mirror and all the detailing around it. It is now sitting in my dining room, and holds my tablecloths and special linens. I plan on looking for a very large glass vase which I can place on one side of the dresser, and then seasonally switch up the contents. In the Fall, the vase could be filled with willow or large pine cones. At Christmas I could display glass ornaments in it.

I was told that the reason that it was so low to the ground, was because the ladies back in the day, would sit on a low stool in front of the dresser. The low stool enabled them to sit there comfortably with the dress bustle trailing down behind them.

Even though the fashions of that time were beautiful, feminine and romantic, I am glad we don't have to dress like that today!

Success!

2011-06-12T21:20:00.001-06:00

Wow! What a weekend! The Vintage Chicks Show was amazing! I met some fabulous women, both customers and fellow vendors, made some great sales, bought some cool stuff, have several custom orders AND have 2 requests from boutique owners to commission my jewelry. It doesn't get any better than that! The two gals across from me, from Frosted Furniture, were lots of fun, and kept sending their customers over to my booth. Thanks ladies! One of them bought this necklace from me, and wore it at the show on Saturday. It matched her adorable furniture perfectly.

The ladies from Frosted Furniture, take those drab, brown vintage pieces of furniture and paint them beautiful colors, like lemon yellow, sea foam green, Tiffany blue, lilac and pale pink. Needless to say, I fell in love with one of their gorgeous pieces and just had to have it! It now sits in my dining room.....pics later this week. The vendor booths were amazing, and the creativity and effort that was put into each one was astounding.
This booth won best booth for the show, and was on the other side of me.

Here is my finished booth.

See that cute chair in the front of my booth with the basket it on it? Yep....bought that too! ( from pictured booth above)

Even the concession stand was great, with the caterer supplying herbal teas, fresh coffee and awesome menu items such as pulled BBQ beef on bacon brioche,
gourmet sandwiches and wraps, sausage and egg breakfast burritos, beet broccoli and grapefruit salad, yam wedges with lime chipotli, scrumptious wholesome muffins, chocolate ganache brownies and lemon coconut cream cheese cookie sandwiches that looked divine...no I did partake in those goodies.....but they looked so tempting. Did I make you hungry? Overall it was a wonderful experience, and everyone was SO nice! I hope to be back next year.
I am totally exhausted, I know I have blogs to catch up on, and of course I have to give you all the details of my upcoming trip which is only 12 sleeps away!
That....I will save for later this week. Well I have tons of catching up to do with all of you, so that's it for today.

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Come see me at The Vintage Chicks Show!

2011-06-08T07:28:00.001-06:00

Just a reminder to my local readers about this weekends sale in Priddis. I am super busy, so will be back to regular posting next week.

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Out with the old...in with the new!

2011-06-06T07:39:00.000-06:00

I am writing this post from my iPad, as our home computer died this weekend. We had a computer geek fix it guy come out yesterday, who managed to save our hard drive, but the motherboard was shot so it's time for a new one. So, this coming weekend, while I am hard at work at the Vintage Chicks Show, my husband and son are going into the big city to pick up a shiny new iMac! We have been saying that once the P.C. dies, that we will replace it an Apple, so we are taking the plunge and quite excited about it! On another note, I am in the final preparations for that show, and the next few days will be spent tagging, pricing, and packing up my display and jewelry. Oh, yes....I am still finishing up that fancy name tag as well. I hope to get that up and posted for you before the end of this week. Also some of you expressed interest in my upcoming Paris trip, through your comments last week, so I will definitely tell you more about that next week, after things settle down here.

Honeymoon in Paris- new necklace

2011-06-02T16:28:00.001-06:00

Honeymoon in Paris

This is one of my newest creations that will be at the Vintage Chicks Show, next weekend. It is created withtwo differnet styles of vintage brass chains, beautiful old brass mirrored buttons (circa 1910-1940), Swarovski crystals both vintage and modern, vintage glass pearls in shades of pink, contemporary rhinestone studded beads for added bling factor, vintage crackled glass beads from West Germany, chunky rhinestone studded celluloid buttons from the 1950's...........did i leave anything out? Oh yes, a lovely pendant in silver and gold tones in the shape of a heart!

Because it is romantic and feminine and has a time worn elegance....like a chic Parisian apartment, I decided it would be called "Honeymoon in Paris"! Perhaps I am thinking too much about my upcoming trip to Paris.

Name tag quest

2011-05-31T07:35:00.000-06:00

One of the things that I am currently working on is a vendor name tag for the Vintage Chicks Show. Apparently it has to be "creative". So I figured, that since I design jewellery, my name tag should somehow be incorporated into a necklace that I can wear. Mmmmm...not as easy as it sounds, however, I would like to put forth a good effort as there is a $25.00 prize for the most creative and interesting vendor name tag! So I am putting on my thinking cap and heading off to the studio to see what I can come up with!

Mock Up

2011-05-29T19:20:00.000-06:00

For the last several days, I have been working on my mock up display for the upcoming Vintage Chicks show. I have set this up in my dining room area, and have played around with props and proportions, carefully working within my allotted 6' x 6' space.

I am going for a retro boudoir look, inspired by the Hollywood glam icons of the past. I must admit that memories of my grandmothers bedroom dressing table also gave me some inspiration as well! You have to imagine that I will have necklace, and bracelets draped across some of the items, and my new mannequin bust will most likely hold several necklaces.The smaller crystal dishes and trays will be great for displaying earrings, and the sexy leg adorned with the black fishnet hose will hold anklets.

I would love to hear your thoughts, suggestions and ideas for improvement, as there is still enough time for me to make some changes. Thank you!

New member of the family

2011-05-25T19:30:00.000-06:00

Today, I welcomed the latest addition to my family. She is going to be a great pal for Betty and Lucy!

Betty and Lucy

Although, I think the girls will be a tad jealous of her really great body!

Updates!

2011-05-24T09:06:00.002-06:00

We had a fabulous weekend, with lots of family time, which is always a good thing. The new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Stranger Tides, was very enjoyable and I would recommend seeing it if you are a fan of the previous "Pirates" movies.Saturday night was spent at my daughters house, and we stayed up till past 1:00 am playing Cranium. It was guys vs. girls, and to say we are a competitive family is an understatement! Unfortunately the guys beat us...but only by a hair...we shall get our revenge at the next game.
As promised, I have some new creations to show you today.

This bracelet combines several vintage beads and buttons with Swarovski pearls and mirrored lampwork beads together on a vintage brass chain. Check out that cute little vintage brass key. When I found it in a box in an antique store, it was totally black. I cleaned it up and voila....a wonderful shiny brass key was underneath!

This leather cuff is a totally new style for me. Here, I added a vintage cut steel shoe buckle with part of a very old belt buckle adorned with a pretty green glass stone to a wide leather cuff. Then finished it off with some emerald colored rhinestones from some old earrings.

I am really enjoying working with these vintage keys lately. I find them, clean them up, and am thrilled to discover the fabulous design details on them. This necklace has several interesting keys, I liked the one that says "Master"! Also check out the one with the lion design. This is a long necklace made with big faceted glass beads, brass chain and several keys.Such a fun piece!

Stay tuned............

2011-05-19T08:34:00.001-06:00

I have to apologize for the lack of posts this week, but I have been concentrating on making new pieces for the Vintage Chicks Show, that is quickly approaching. I hope to get some of my new creations photographed this week, and post the pictures here for your viewing pleasure, sometime next week. There are also some new designs, using a completely new material for me, so stay tuned!
This weekend in Canada, is a long weekend, the first of the summer. I am hoping to get out into the yard at some point and do some gardening and plant cleanup after the long winter. However, it looks like it may be a bit rainy, so I might have to rethink my weekend plans. I will get my Johnny Dep fix this weekend, as we have tickets to the Imax theatre to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, On Stranger Tides. I will let you know my opinion, so yet another reason to stay tuned. So wherever you are, and whatever your weekend holds for you, I hope you all have a safe, fun and wonderful weekend, and pop back in next week for all the updates!

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Saturday night out

2011-05-16T08:52:00.001-06:00

On Saturday evening, we attended my friends fundraising dinner for The Mustard Seed. The proceeds from this event went to help Calgarys homeless population. There was a silent auction with several pieces of art work, several baskets of goodies that were raffled off, and a 50/50 draw. Unfortunately we were all a bunch of losers at our table! The bracelet that I donated for the silent auction sold for $160.00, so I was very pleased!
Here I am with my friend, Brenda, who decided that she wanted to help feed the homeless and organized this fundraiser...I have to give her a big huge applause!

We went to this event with 3 other couples.
Here are the ladies..............

and here are our guys!

We had a great evening ,and it certainly was for a good cause.

Create your own book

2011-05-13T15:40:00.000-06:00

Have you ever wanted to take your personal photos and design a book? Well, I found this great website where you can do just that...and it is so simple to do! The website is called Blurb, and here you can download your pictures and design a book with or without text. There are tips and tutorials to help you on your way, you can even set your own price and sell your book, or if you like you can share it on Facebook! You can create a small 7 inch square soft cover color photo book from as little as $13.95, all the way to a large hardcover coffee table book, with premium paper for under $200.00. There are options for every budget. Imagine the fabulous personalized gifts that you can create! Family history books, weddings books, graduation or school memories, birthdays and anniversaries, ....hey Fathers Day is coming up..and what a neat gift idea to create a special book for Dad. A lot better than another shirt!
This person made a book consisting of all her sons art work within a period of a few years. That is so cool!

Here is a book of an artists paintings. Proceeds from this book go towards this persons college fund...neat idea!

On the website you can see books that have just been published, staff favorites, best sellers and many different categories of books that have been published by ordinary people like you and me.
My husband had mentioned the other day, that he had recently heard, that in the near future, our children and grandchildren may not have photos of family and treasured moments to hold in their hands, as they will be forever gone.....once stored on someones hard drive. By publishing our photos in these books, our memories and captures of our loved ones will be around for future generations to enjoy. What a great idea...I am off to make mine!

Donating for the Homeless

2011-05-10T07:40:00.000-06:00

This Saturday, I am attending a fund raising dinner, that is raising money for Calgarys homeless people. It is being organized by a school friend of mine, Brenda and her daughter. They thought this idea up all on their own, and I have to really give these ladies credit for taking the time to organize this event. Last that I heard, is that they had sold over 160 tickets! On the night of the dinner, there will be 50/50 draws, raffles and auctions to raise even more cash for the homeless population.
I am donating this bracelet that I made for her event, and hope it will bring in some money for a good cause. It is entirely sterling silver, hand wired with gorgeous amethyst chunks, aquamarine, glass beads, vintage beads, Swarovski pearls and crystals.

Mothers Day

2011-05-09T07:26:00.000-06:00

I hope all of you Mothers out there had a fabulous Mothers Day, yesterday. This year, mine was quite different from past Mothers Days celebrations. My husband, son and I awoke at 6:00 am, and traveled 30 minutes into the big city to pick up up my daughter and my 11 year old granddaughter. All of us then proceeded to the Sport Chek Mothers Day Walk and Run! This year money was being raised for new neo-natal equipment for the hospital. We had registered for this event a few weeks ago, after one of my friends had invited us to join her team. It was a cool and rainy morning but we had so much fun! There were over 14.000 people that participated this year. One could register as a 5K or 10K runner, or a 5K walker...........we decided to go with the walking option, as we were charity run virgins! As the event started we took our positions near the back of the pack with the rest of the walkers (runners were lined up ahead of us), and then we were off! Let me tell you, I have never seen my husband walk so fast! My granddaughter and 13 year old son kept up with him and they soon disappeared into the vast crowd. My daughter and I were walking very briskly, and interspersed our walking with periods of jogging. MY husband, son and granddaughter finished in 40 minutes, and my daughter and I came in at 43 minutes. We were all really pleased with how we did. It was a great feeling, to do this with some of my family, and a great healthy way to celebrate Mothers Day. We have decided to do it again next year and make it an annual Mothers Day event for our family!

The Vintage Chicks Show

2011-05-05T09:04:00.000-06:00

I recently found out that I was accepted into The Vintage Chicks Show, that will be held n June 10 and 11, in Priddis, Alberta! The Vintage Chicks were inspired by the highly successful and very popular, Spokane based Farm Chicks show.

Farm Chicks Show

In these shows, it is not just about the product you are selling, it is also extremely important on how you display your merchandise. Each vendor creates a "boutique" style space...no tables a-la- old- school allowed! So this idea makes for a very visually appealing show.The Vintage Chicks Show also supports local handmade businesses, rather than mass production.(very good ladies!) So if you enjoy, vintage, retro, eclectic, shabby chic, country, farmhouse or rustic style this is the show for you!

This is a booth from the Vintage Chicks Show last year!

This show features antiques, collectibles, re-purposed finds, art and handmade goods, artists, restylists, repurposers and dreamers of all things old worn, torn and tattered! I am so excited to be included in this show. Now, it is off to get the creative juices flowing to get inspired with ideas for my little 6' x 6' space!

Thirty four years goes by in a flash!

2011-05-03T08:32:00.000-06:00

Today I was inspired by Lin, at Duck and Wheel with String. Her daughter turns sweet sixteen today, and her post is about how quickly our children grow up. How eventually, they leave home and build their own life, and how hard it can be for us as parents to let go. I could not have said it better myself.

My little girl turned 34 years old yesterday...talk about the time flying! I remember every detail about her birth, I was only 18 years old and a single mom. We had many struggles in those early years..life was not easy as a young single parent. The teen years were ...well...challenging at times........ as most teen years are. However, I have many sweet and wonderful memories and treasured moments of her years growing up, that will always be with me. The birthday party sleepovers, the boyfriends coming and going, the weekend nights of waiting up until she arrived home safely (even 10 minutes past curfew seemed like forever!), her high school graduation. Through all the ups and downs the challenges and growing pains, she turned out to be a wonderful young lady. She now has a great career, a husband and a wonderful home and is also a Mom herself, and I still treasure every moment I have with her.

Mission accomplished....Spring Found!

2011-05-02T08:57:00.000-06:00

Last week, I went to the west coast of Canada, on Vancouver Island, in search of Spring, and I am happy to report that I found it! After many, many months, of snow, ice, and cold temperatures here in the foothills of the Alberta, Rocky Mountains, I thoroughly embraced every moment of Spring that I could get in 10 days on the west coast. So without further adieu, here are the pics!

I found Spring here!

and here!

"Hey, who's that crazy lady taking pictures of everyones front yards?"

Flowers on fences and trellises.

The monk and his flock.


Trees with big pink flowers...oh my!

Who says palm trees don't grow in Canada?


I have no idea what this is, but it is beautiful!


The deer have lots to eat here!


My son on the rocks!

Finding spring.... I am very happy!!

Beach Walk

2011-04-20T10:50:00.000-06:00

In two more days, I am heading west to the coast in search of Spring. I may be MIA for a while, as I hope to be breathing in the fresh ocean breezes, and smelling the sweet scent of Spring blooms! I am wishing you all a Happy Easter, and in the meantime I hope you enjoy this Etsy treasury with a collection of beautiful beach inspired items.

Spring Sale and New Items!

2011-04-19T07:26:00.000-06:00

I currently have a Spring Sale going on in my Etsy shop, where I have reduced most of my Winter stock. I also added some new items yesterday, including bracelets and some earrings. AS well, there is one more day to get in on the ADDITIONAL 10% OFF which ends April 20th. Just add the coupon code BLOG10, during the checkout process. My shop will be closed from April 21 until May 2nd for the Easter break. There are currently some great deals in my shop, and with Mothers Day approaching you may just find that perfect gift for Mom.....or for yourself! Below are some brand new one of a kind creations, just listed.