Jewelry To Keep

Lots of New Things

2009-08-31T16:05:00.003-04:00

I have not blogged in several days. And I have had all good intentions of doing so. But ArtFire and Facebook have kept me busy. And then I did sneak in a visit with the grand kids as well.

So let me tell you the exciting news. ArtFire has now made it possible to have a tab on your Facebook page for an ArtFire Kiosk. Now I know that doesn't sound very exciting but just wait until you hear what that does. Anyone can click on that tab and when they do it opens your ArtFire Studio right there on your Facebook page. So friends can browse your studio without leaving Facebook. And if they see something they simply can't live without all they have to do is click on the image and they can buy it right there and then. How awesome is that application. Those geeks at ArtFire are always looking for ways for us to get our pieces before the public eye.

The other project I work on was to create a Facebook page for Jewelry to Keep. I want a separate page where I could not only showcase all my jewelry but also items from all the great Artisans on ArtFire. And I wanted to "try" and get 100 fans so that I could keep my jewelrytokeep url. Well, within 2 days I had my 100 fans so now it is official...... www.facebook.com/jewelrytokeep is all mine. So besides showcasing Crazy Train Riders and Artisans from ArtFire and from the ArtFire Jewelry Designer and Jewelry Supply Guild on my blog, I will also be showcasing them on my Jewelry To Keep Facebook Page. I hope you will check it out and even become a fan.

2009-08-16T10:46:00.002-04:00

I have not posted to this blog in quite a few days. Actually it's been over a week. I guess I haven't caught up from my trip yet. But it is great to be home.

Today I am featuring another ArtFire artisan. Amy's studio is Ajewelgift. She works mostly with glass and has many different items in her studio to choose from including jewelry.

But my favorites are her "dog" themed pieces. She has plates, pendants and barrettes all with dogs or paw prints on them. I have featured one of her plates and barrettes here. I am sure you can figure out why I picked this particular plate. It is on my wish list for sure.

If you haven't done so already you should check out Amy's studio. I have linked all the photos so you can click on them and travel through cyberspace to her studio. She also has really cute earrings and other assorted items. She will do custom pieces too if there is something you specifically want. Happy Shopping.

Lover's Leap

2009-08-08T21:17:00.004-04:00

We are finally in Virginia. This is our last state. After months of traveling across this great country we live in I can hardly believe we are in the last state before we head back to Florida.

Today part of our route was through the Blue Ridge Parkway that goes through southern Virginia. The picture was taken at Lover's Leap. There was still some early morning fog hanging in the valley when Jim went through. Since I was several hours behind him at this point most of it was gone by the time I stopped at this lookout. So it was interesting to see the picture with the fog still there.

Today's ride was much better than yesterday. We were still in some very significant hills but at least there weren't as many switchbacks which made the ride much easier. Yesterday there were so many twists and turns I felt like I was on a major ride at Universal. If I was ever going to get car sick it would have happened yesterday. And for the life of me I couldn't understand why the speed limit would be posted as 55 and then 10 feet later it would be 30 to go around the turns. And then 55 again and then 10 feet later 3o. Couldn't they just leave it at 30. Because I certainly wasn't flooring it between the curves. It was quite an experience. There were sections where I am sure Jim was going faster on the bike than I could go in the car. I am really glad that part is behind us.

We have about 2 more days to go and then we should be on the shores of the Atlantic. And believe me I can't wait to see him dip that front wheel in the Atlantic so we can head home. Two days later I will sleeping in my comfy bed in Sanibel. But it has been a fantastic ride and I am glad that we decided to do this. I think even Beau has had a good time.

Almondtree

2009-08-06T07:34:00.005-04:00

Here is another reason to love the Internet. I know for certain that if it were not for the access the Internet gives you I would never have seen Almondtree's products. She is located in Singapore. But thanks to ArtFire and the Internet here she is on my blog. She has some fantastic products in her studio.

Of course I was attracted there when I saw her jewelry. So I went to her studio to see what else was there. Besides awesome jewelry she also has jewelry supplies. Her cellophane beads are adorable. And she has some amazing artwork.

I know have featured many studios on my web page and I will continue to do that. But you really need to see all that Almondtree has to offer. There is a wide range of products and her style shows through in all of them.

I love this ACEO. It has a Florida feel to it and would look great in my house. It may be gone by the time you get to Almondtree to look around.

We Are Almost to the East Coast

2009-08-01T17:38:00.003-04:00

We decided to take our course due east across Illinois and Indiana then into Ohio, down to Kentucky and then on to Virginia. The original course that was set out for us had us going south into Missouri and then skirting the southern part of Illinois then onto Kentucky and then Virginia. By going straight across until we get to Ohio we can cut out a few hundred miles, Jim can ride on the Ohio bike trail and best of all I can see the grand kids for a couple of days before we get to Kentucky. So that is the plan. Our rest day will be in Ohio. Just a short hello but we probably won't see them again until Christmas time so it will be worth it.

It was nice to see windmills again in Illinois. You really can not appreciate how big they are until you are right up next to them. Some of them were pretty close to the road too and I was amazed at how quiet they were. But is was amazing to see whole fields full of them. We probably rode by hundreds of them. I hope they are making lots of energy. And it's weird too because some were turning and some were not. But most of them were.

Then it was on to Indiana. Still lots of farms. And beautiful countryside. Jim saw an Amish family in their buggy selling veggies. I missed them. Tomorrow we will be in Ohio and in 2 days we will be in Kentucky. From there is should only be a couple of weeks and we will be on the east coast of the US and our trip will be complete. It has been fun and I can't believe we are definitely on the back end.

We saw this happy face on our way into Wateska, Indiana. Guess they have the right attitude. And it was the last picture taken before someone killed the camera with a banana. I can't believe we are going to be on our third camera this trip. When we were in Ohio we need to get a new camera. Someone had a banana in the same compartment of his bike bag as the camera and with the heat the banana got mushy and leaked banana guts and juice into the camera and shorted out the LED screen on the back. Technically I think it still takes pictures. You just have no idea what you are taking a picture of. So we need a new camera because you know if we don't have one we will see something awesome.

Gem Kitty

2009-07-30T09:47:00.004-04:00

Gem Kitty is a fellow artisan with a studio on ArtFire. I love her jewelry. She uses various stones and metals and puts them together in a very eye catching fashion.

She has necklaces, bracelets and earrings in a wide range of colors and designs. I have a few of her pieces here. I love the colors in the bracelet.

It really puts me in the mood for autumn. And since I use a lot of turquoise in my jewelry you know these earrings really caught my eye.

Pay Gem Kitty a visit. I don't think you will be disappointed when you do.

From Minnesota to Iowa

2009-07-28T09:14:00.003-04:00

We have finally made it through Minnesota and into Iowa. Another state under our belts. The western part of Minnesota was much nicer. There were several lakes that we rode past and it was very scenic. The eastern part of Minnesota is mostly farms. Which are nice but after a few miles of nothing but corn you are ready for a change in scenery. We finally did make it to the Mississippi and that was nice. Two nights ago we ate at a restaurant that was right on the river. They had outside tables so it was nice.

The next day's ride took us across the river into Wisconsin but then back again into Minnesota. The route was supposed to take us back inland to farm country again so we edited it and rode straight down along the river. It was a beautiful ride. The road was a little beat up and therewere a couple of spots where the shoulder was tight. That may be why they took you back inland. But for the most part the road was good and the traffic was very light. So it was a nice ride along the river and through all the cute little towns there.

We will be in Iowa for the next couple of days. Then we skirt the southern part of Illinois and go into to Kentucky for the trek east to Virginia. If Jim can keep up at his 100 mile rides every day we should be done in 3 weeks. That would get me home in time for preseason. I will be happy if we are home by the first football game of the season. Preseason is a bonus.

Andrea's Designs

2009-07-21T10:18:00.003-04:00

I have to admit that I have never been much of a scarf person. In my defense I have lived in Florida since I was in the third grade. So that makes me an honest to goodness transplant. And one that has taken root and is not about to leave.

Today I visited Andrea Designs on ArtFire. I am now a scarf person. I guess I just had not been exposed to the right kind of scarves. Hers are phenomenal. The colors are gorgeous and she has so many different styles and designs to choose from.

So now you are asking yourself what is this nut going to do with a scarf in Florida. Well we do have the occasional cold snap. And if I don't want to wait for that to happen I do have family that still live in those colder places in the country. And somehow we always manage a visit when it is cold. Why I don't know but we do.

And come to think of it Christmas is right around the corner and I think they could all use a scarf. So I am leaving now and going shopping.

Pictured here are just two of my favorites. But there are many more to choose from. And several different styles and sizes. You have to buzz on over there and check them out. You will be amazed and delighted.

Nice People

2009-07-20T22:29:00.004-04:00

Today will be our last day in North Dakota. We are in Fargo which is right on the eastern border. As soon as we leave in the morning we will be crossing over into Minnesota. Yipee!!!
Another state under our belt.

We go pretty much to the east and slightly to the south in Minnesota until we get around St. Paul. From there we are going back and forth between Illinois and Missouri. I think it is because they are trying to take us along the Mississippi River. The maps take us on scenic routes where there isn't much traffic so it is pretty safe for bicyclists. But that isn't always the fastest nor the shortest route. But they have been pretty.

I have to say that we have had some really pleasant experiences. I am pretty sure I already blogged about the elderly farmer that bought us lunch a while back. And then 2 days ago when we were in Minot it was very windy. I was getting out of the van and a big gust of wind came along and just flung my door wide open. I had a hard time closing it and it made an awful sound when I did. I went into the store to make my purchases and when I came back out I could only open the door a few inches. Upon further inspection the wind had buckled the door and made it overlap with the front panel. So I had to get in the passengers door and go about my merry way.

Once Jim arrived and I told him what happened we looked for a body shop. Luckily there was one a few blocks from our hotel. So off we went and were expecting a big bill. We told the man there to just fix it so we could open the door and we'd worry about cosmetics when we got home. He said he could do that and it would probably be about $60 more or less. So we took Beau for a walk and he got out his crow bar and set to work. We came back a few minutes later and the door was fixed. There was only one little area on the front panel that was missing some paint. Otherwise it looked good too. And the best part was he only charged us $20. Now how often does that happen where you live. Never in South Florida that's for sure.

And people have been so helpful with directions and telling us good places to stay and eat. It really renews my spirit to know that most people are really genuinely kind and giving. That has been one of the best parts of this trip. And I am sure I will have more stories to tell before I get home too. We are almost halfway now too.

I had to put the picture of the oil well in this post. I never would have imagined that I would see an oil well in North Dakota. Farms and animals yes. Active, working oil wells no.

My Magic Me

2009-07-17T09:39:00.004-04:00

These pictures alone would be fun. So what makes them special you may ask? My Magic Me does. She takes your face and incorporates into what ever type of picture you may want. She will also take your picture and maybe change the eyes to give you a little vampire type look. Or maybe change you into a cat or unicorn.

She has some really unique looking prints in her studio. You would do yourself a big favor to check them out. And if you have any teens in your family or friends circle I know you will find some very interesting gift ideas there. I know my granddaughters are getting a certain one for Christmas this year.

Circle to Culbertson, Montana

2009-07-14T20:21:00.003-04:00

This is our last stretch in Montana. Yesterday's ride was kind of hilly as shown in the picture below. At times it was like being on a roller coaster. You go up and then you go down and then right back up again. There weren't many flat patches. Today there were some rolling hills again but longer stretches of flat ground to cover.

When we got into Culberston there were two motels and a campground. So I figured we would not have a problem finding a place to stay. Right? Wrong! Both motels were booked. So we figured we would stay in the campground. They were booked too. The lady at the campground told us that they are doing major road construction. It is a really big project so they had to bring in a lot of workers and they are all staying in the motels and campgrounds there. Since we didn't need any hook ups for our van she let us park it under a tree near the bathroom and spend the night there. So at least we had a place to sleep. We went to the local casino for dinner. Every town we have gone through so far has a casino with a restaurant in it.

After dinner we came back to the van and settled in for the night. Later that night we were startled awake by severe lightening and thunder like I had not heard in Florida. It wasn't the loud cracks that I was used to. It was long low rumbles that went on forever. And sometimes louder than others. Then the wind kicked up. When I saw the van was rocking I am not using that saying as a figure of speech. It was rocking baby. And it wasn't rocking me back to sleep. I was afraid to look out the window. I was sure I would see Dorothy and Toto flying by. At some point I finally went back to sleep and it seemed like as soon as I did then Beau was whining to go out and it was morning. At some point you just have to give up and get up. And that is what we did.

It was off to the local diner for breakfast and then off to start another journey. We are hoping the road work wouldn't be too bad and it would be smooth sailing into North Dakota. One more state under our belts.

Jim took this picture when he was riding today. I knew the Boyce's had a cabin in Georgia but I didn't know they had a ranch in Montana too. Life must be good.

Bead Lady 5 Designs

2009-07-12T10:21:00.004-04:00

Don't these poppy jasper and antique copper earrings make you want to reach for the stars? And these dark topaz and brass hearts have a romantic Victorian feel to them.

These are just a small sample of the great jewelry Bead Lady 5 has in her ArtFire studio. She has designs with a vintage feel but also some that are modern and all are gorgeous. There is a little bit of something for everyone no matter what you taste in jewelry may be. I know you will find her jewelry as exquisite as I do. Check it out today.

We're Heading East

2009-07-08T21:48:00.005-04:00

Here is a picture of the entire group. From left to right it's Tom, me, my hubby Jim, Bob and John. And in the front row is Beau and Eli. We met Eli along the way. He was riding with another guy who decided this wasn't the thing for him after 7 miles. So we have been meeting up with Eli at rest stops along the way. We took this picture outside our motel in Missoula.

On our trip to Adventure Cycling we looked over the maps and decided to take a more direct route east and end the ride in Virginia instead of Maine. That meant that we would have to go solo and leave the group. Which was very sad as we really liked traveling with them. But it also meant that we would get home sooner and we also might be able to get another visit in with the kids in Ohio. And I have been getting very homesick. I miss my house, my bed and the beach. And mostly I miss my Florida kids. I haven't seen them since April. So we made the hard decision and decided to go for it. Do I have a great hubby or what? I know he altered his route for me but I'm taking it while he still wants to do it.

So when we left Missoula we went east and ended up in Lincoln. It was a cute little town. We stayed in this little cabin. It was set back off the road and surrounded with lots of pine trees. Very cute. And all the amenities including internet. Yipee. Then we had dinner at Ponderose's. We had a yummy dinner and the atmosphere was great. Wood carvings everywhere and super friendly people that love to tell us about their little neck of the woods. And Jim asked the waitress if she knew where he could get a little American flag for the back of his bike and she gave him one off the top of the bar left over from the 4th of July.

Today we headed out again and made it to Great Falls. On the way here we stopped in Fort Shaw for lunch. It was a tiny place with only 3 tables in it. An older gentleman came in after we were there and said he saw our Florida plates on the van. From there we struck up a conversation. He had lived his whole life in that neck of the woods on a dairy farm milking cows. He said he doesn't milk them anymore. Now it's just him and his dogs. He was a right friendly guy and when he was leaving he even paid for our lunch. He said it was his contribution to our adventure. You don't run into people like that everyday.

On Jim's ride today he went over the continental divide. That was quite a ride up in the van. And the ride down was spectacular and twisty. Glad I wasn't on a bike.

So tomorrow we leave Great Falls and are off to Geraldine. It should be a flatter day. There were a lot of rolling hills today and some were steep too.

Silver River Jewelry

2009-07-08T09:15:00.004-04:00

Silver River Jewelry is the Artfire Jewelry Artists and Supply Shops featured artist. She has some amazing pieces in her studio. She works with different stones and wire and creates lovely works of art. I have posted two of my favorites here but believe me this is just the tip of the iceberg. You have to visit her studio to see what I mean.

Here is how this artist describes her work:

Fine artisan jewelry made with a variety of techniques including wire wrapping, metal smithing and lapidary (rocks). I make elegant, affordable, well made jewelry with a touch of whimsy. Custom Orders are always welcome

Have fun browsing and shopping in Silver River Jewelry's Artfire Studio.

Winchester Lake in Idaho

2009-07-06T23:57:00.002-04:00

We camped at Winchester Lake State Park in Idaho. It was right on the shore of the lake. It was a beautiful campsite. The town of Winchester was very small. But everyone was very friendly. We found a nice little tavern for dinner and a great diner for breakfast with the biggest pancakes I have ever seen in my entire life. This is a picture of us at our site with a nice fire for the evening. It really got cold once the sun went down and by the morning I was frozen solid. We were at about 5,ooo feet elevation so the temp really dropped. This was one of our nicer campsites on the trip so far.

ArtFire Jewlery Artists and Supply Shops July Giveaway

2009-07-05T14:21:00.001-04:00

The Ajdjss Guild's 2nd Blog Giveaway begins--And this time it's all about the color Green!!!

Green is the color of nature, fertility, life. Grass green is the most restful color. Green symbolizes self-respect and well being. Green is the color of balance. It also means learning, growth and harmony. Green is a safe color, if you don't know what color to use anywhere use green. Green is favored by well balanced people. Green symbolizes the master healer and the life force. It often symbolizes money. It was believed green was healing for the eyes. Egyptians wore green eyeliner. Green eyeshades are still used. You should eat raw green foods for good health.

Okay so here goes:

1.Nine Guild Studios--9 green items--
2.Visit each studio with the special green item. If the item is a piece of jewelry describe the outfit in detail what you would wear with it. If the item is a jewelry supply piece then describe in detail what you would make with it.
3.Come back to our blog and leave your comment and the following: Studio name, name of green item, your name, your email address so we can contact you if you are the winner.
You receive one entry for the above mentioned info.
You receive another entry if you have a blog and you mention this giveaway on your blog with a link directly to our blog. You must include your blog link so we can check it.
You don't have a blog? Promote the item on twitter, facebook, google, thisnext.com etc You must include your link to the promotion and receive another entry.
Buy one of the items and get 5 more entries. You must include the info about order for us to check. The "bounty" for this giveaway will be 3 items from our guild.

To enter go to the ArtFire Jewelry Artists and Supply Shops web page at http://artfirejewelrydesignsjewelrysupplyshop.blogspot.com or click on the link above.

We are in Idaho

2009-07-02T17:51:00.005-04:00

Oh No Mr Bill we are actually in Idaho now. Tom has Mr Bill strapped to the front of his bike. So I had to include him somehow in my blog.

I now know where the Amber Waves of Grain came from in America the Beautiful. And they are beautiful too. We are definitely in grain country. And there is a lot of it too. As far as the eye can see. And that grain loves to grow on hills. Today's ride was beautiful but very hilly. There was one downhill that I was a little freaked out on in the van. I would have been screaming on a bike. Besides going down and down and down you were going around some nice curves and not all of them had guard rails. But it was nice country and we made it to the campsite. We are right on the shore of the Clearwater River. It is very peaceful here. Beau is laying in the sun enjoying the peace and quiet. It was very cold last night because we were up in the mountains on Winchester Lake. We had a nice campsite right on the Lake. It was surrounded by tall pines too. I will download those pics and post in next update. That's it for now.

Royal Designs

2009-06-28T22:45:00.002-04:00

Royal Designs is this week's featured artist in the ArtFire Jewelry Artists and Supply Shops Guild.

Here is the artisan's bio:

Beading is a time consuming, thought provoking and occasionally frustrating process which I totally love. I'll work a piece until the pattern "feels" just perfect. There are times I give up when I can't find the rhythm but more often everything goes together as it is meant to. I only offer what I would love to wear! As a teenager I designed and made necklaces for a local store. I've come a long way from those little plastic beads! My pieces consist of semi-precious stones, Swarovski and Czech crystals, Swarovski pearls, freshwater pearls, sterling silver, gold vermeil and more. Rarely do I use a base metal. I'm proud to inform you of the materials used in each piece. As a mom of two college kids and 4 fur babies time is precious. I work a full time job to pay those tuition bills but beading is my work of choice. I learned so much about color and patterns as an art major in college and hope that you recognize the time, effort and love I put into each piece!

Ride Across America Days Five and Six

2009-06-27T12:42:00.008-04:00

Here are some of the pictures of the waterfalls from yesterday's ride. They were spectacular. And the road was a historical drive path so it was not only beautiful but very peaceful. When you weren't seeing gorgeous views of the mountains and the river gorge you were driving on tree lined roads in dappled sunlight. What a great way to recharge the batteries.

Today's ride was another one where we had great views of the mountains and the river gorge. It is amazing how far the Columbia River goes and right through the mountains. And all along the river is a railroad and there are more freight trains going all along the river carrying all our goods to the middle of the country. I never realized how much freight goes through here and by train.

We had another stay at a campground. It was nice but nothing special. A piece of grass and some water. No electricity. And you had to use quarters to get hot water for your shower. Fifty cents for 3 minutes. I didn't think I could shower and wash my hair that fast but I did it. It is really amazing what you can do when you have to. We are at the bottom of the hill tonight and it is looming in the background for the guys. I hope they sleep well because right off the bat tomorrow it is straight up the side of the mountain. It is giving me the willys and I will be driving.

DAY SIX

Well the guys are headed up the mountain and I am off in the van. It was another ride through the mountains but this time there was nothing and I mean nothing around. Hills, river, farm animals and windmills on the tops of the mountains. That's it. No towns, no stores, no gas, nothing. But once the guys make it up the first big hill it isn't too bad. And there is very little traffic on this road so it is nice riding for them. There is an occasion semi and a few pick up trucks and that is it.

The campground for tonight is on an Island in the middle of the Columbia River. There is one little road that leads to the Island. It was a good thing I got there early as there was only one site left. So I grabbed it and settled in for the day to wait for the guys. It is Friday and I guess a lot of people camp here on the weekend. I can see why. This is the Hilton of campgrounds. We have water, electric, real bathrooms with showers. You still need to pay for a shower though but hey they are nice showers. And you are surrounded by the river. There is even a little beach type area on the river. And lots of boats on the river too. We have a nice shady spot and the site is big. Not the little postage stamp sites we have been getting. This is much better. I better enjoy it because tomorrow we are back to a primitive site. You can't have the good life all the time I guess.

Ride Across America Day Four

2009-06-25T14:20:00.002-04:00

Just a quick update to let everyone know we are OK. I could not find the library so I am actually outside a Motel 8. LOL You have to love wireless connections. But I am on battery so I have to be quick. And Jim has the camera so the awesome pictures will have to follow at another time.

Yesterday was an awesome day. The drive was through some of the most beautiful territory I have seen yet. We passed 5 different waterfalls. And at some points there were lookouts where you could see the Columbia River just winding it's way through the mountains.

Then at other times you were in the woods with trees all around and driving like you were actually in the middle of a forest. Beau and I stopped at all the waterfalls and went for walks. He actually made it to see one of the falls. After that he was more interested in sniffing the bushes than actually walking around. He is not much for sight seeing. Definitely ruled by his nose. So for some of the stops he got a walk and then went to sleep in the van while I checked out the falls.

Our campsite last night was nestled in the trees and was near the river. It seemed very nice until the first train came through. Unfortunately there is a railroad track that runs right through the park. There was no where that you could escape the train horn. I heard it once when I was going to sleep but after that either I was too tired or no more trains came through. Everyone said they had a good night's sleep.

The guys had a couple of hills yesterday and one big one at the end of the ride. But they all made it and are back out riding again today. Beau and I did laundry and are going to get groceries. Then it's on to the next campground. The weather has been awesome. It's sunny but cool. And there hasn't been any significant rain lately either. So all is well on the trail. Pictures of the awesome falls and mountains to follow.

Ride Across America Day Three

2009-06-23T23:42:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we spent the night in the City Park at St. Helens. It was a nice park and very busy. Lots of families, kids and dogs. Beau had a great time checking out all the dogs.

The camping sites were in a nice wooded area of the park. There was also a nice one mile jogging/walking path so I was able to get a nice quiet walk in. I tried to get Beau to go with me but he wanted no part of it. So he stayed at the campsite with the guys and I walked on my own.

On the third day the goal for the guys was to ride from St. Helen's to Corbet and we were going to stay in a campground that was listed on the map as a place for cyclists to stay. I had a mission to find a Wal Mart in Portland on the way there to get my prescriptions refilled. Then I was off to check out the campground. We were unable to reach any one by phone the night before to confirm that they had sites available.

So I started my journey from St. Helens to Portland to find the Wal Mart that was on my GPS. Everything was going well until I saw the highest longest bridge off in the distance. I kept telling myself that there was no way that I could possibly have to go over that bridge. Until I heard the GPS navigator say merge left and exit to route 30 by pass. On No Mr. Bill. I was going over the bridge. I said a few quick prayers and told Beau not to look out the window and over we went. When I say I was hyperventilating I am not exaggerating at all. But we made it.

The next big adventure was when the navigator said you have reached your destination and there wasn't a Wal Mart in sight. But there was a gas station up ahead so I quickly pulled in and inquired where this mysterious Wal Mart was. It was 4 miles up the road. I knew it would be pretty hard to miss a Wal Mart. So much for the GPS navigator. But we found it in a jiffy. I got my prescriptions and more food for Beau. I decided to call the campground and just verify that they had sites. And much to my surprise they told me they no longer have camping at their park. This was not good.

I quickly called the guys and we went to plan B. I was to stay at the Wal Mart until they got there and then we would look at the map and make another plan. Well, their route didn't take them by the Wal Mart so now I had to find them. Luckily they were only a half a mile a way and it was not long until we were all together. The problem was finding a place to camp.

The end of the story is there was no place to camp that was in biking distance or at least not in a distance that was reasonable to do after already biking 50 miles. We did find a hostel in Troutdale that the guys could stay at and Beau and I had to rough it at a Motel 6. The Hostel does not allow animals. It is dorm style and the guys are sleeping in bunk beds. And all the bottom bunks were taken so they are on the top. I hope no one forgets in the middle of the night.

The pictures here are from the garden at the hostel. We did join them there for dinner and beverages. It is very beautiful and looks like a fun place to stay. I hope tomorrow is a little less adventurous even though it all did turn out well in the end.

Ride Across America - Day One

2009-06-22T14:28:00.005-04:00

So the big day, June 21st, 2009, has finally arrived. They are leaving to start their ride from Seaside, Oregon to Bangor, Maine. The plan is to ride an average of 50 miles per day and camp along the way. The miles will vary depending on the locations of available camping spots. There will also be one rest day per week.

Here are the brave cyclists, from left to right, Tom, Bob, Jim and John, at the starting point in Seaside. The plan for today was to ride to a primitive campground 4o miles from the starting point.

My job is to ride to the stopping point and scope out the area. Also, I will pick up any provisions along the way that may be needed at the campsite for that night. The campground they planned on staying at Gnat Creek Park only has 3 campsites. And it is first come first get. Plus it is on an honor system. You have to get the little envelope out of the drop box, fill out the pertinent information, put $5 in the envelope and then put the envelope in the drop box. There is a stub you put in your windshield. When I did my check there was a tent on one campsite and the other two were vacant. So as not to miss out on having a place to stay I filled out the envelope and deposited my $5. Then I put a small soft sided cooler we had and Beau's bed on the picnic table at the site so if any one came along they would know it was taken. Then I was off to meet the guys at the half way point to have lunch and discuss what to do for dinner that evening.

We met at a Supermarket in Astoria. They had a nice deli so we had soup and sandwiches for lunch. Then the guys continued on and I went shopping for food for dinner. I bought deli chicken, potato salad, 3 bean salad and some snacks. Plus beer and water to drink of course. Then I made my way back to the campground.

I passed the guys on the way. They seemed to be doing great and making good time. I got back to the campground and much to my dismay someone had actually stolen my cooler. The cooler was no big deal. But I had all my vitamins inside it. And my iced tea mix and Jim's instant coffee. And my champagne glasses from our hot air balloon ride were in there too. How rude. I always thought campers were considerate of others and didn't mess with your things. I was very disappointed. I think it was someone just passing through as we found out there was a lot of traffic that went in and out of that little park.

It wasn't too long before the guys showed up. They all looked good and said they had a nice ride. There was one hill but none of them thought it was too bad. We had a nice evening and settled in for the night.

Today they are riding 51 miles to St. Helens, Oregon. There is a city park that allows tent camping. It is only $10. And there are real bathrooms with real toilets and showers. Still no electric but showers and toilets are a big improvement. The local library is right next to the park so I am updating blog while waiting for the guys to arrive. Beau is sleeping in the van. It is still very cool here so he is OK in the van. I took him for a long walk in the park prior to coming to the library.

Not sure what the plan is for tonight. More to come when next Internet op presents itself.

Oregon Coast Drive

2009-06-20T16:48:00.005-04:00

Yesterday we drove almost the entire coastline of Oregon. It is as beautiful as the coastline drive in California.

We started in Reedsport and drove all the way to Seaside, which is where Jim will start his Ride Across America with his friends tomorrow.

When we first started our drive we were right in the middle of the sand dunes. The first picture is of the dunes but you really can not appreciate the size or magnitude of them from this picture. The weather was not the best so we really could not get a good shot. You can see all the big rain clouds in the picture. When we started the drive it was sprinkling but that soon turned to actual rain. So some of the drive was not the best for picture taking but spectacular to see none the less.

The little specs you see on the rock are sea lions and seals. At one of the look out points where you could stop and take pictures there were rocks with sea lions and seals on them. A few were even swimming in the water. It is amazing how big they were and how steep the rocks were. It made me wonder how they managed to get up on the rocks in the first place. Some of them were huge.

Besides seeing all the coastline we also drove through some cute little seaside towns and drove over some amazing bridges. It was a very scenic and enjoyable drive.

We are in Seaside, Oregon. It is a quaint seaside town. It reminds me of Hollywood Beach in Florida with all the little shops and the boardwalk. Only there are no mountains in Hollywood. And the sun is out a lot more!

Jenny Lake Hike

2009-06-20T16:25:00.005-04:00

When Jim was at the visitors' center for Jenny Lake, a young girl there told him about the hike around the lake. She said the views were spectacular, there was a beautiful waterfall and that the hike was relatively easy. She had 2 of the three correct at least.

So we started out on our adventure. And the beginning of the hike was relatively easy and the views were without a doubt spectacular. I only have a couple here but more are on my facebook page. Most of the path was rocky as shown here. So while it wasn't too bad of a hike it was slow going.

Jim also told me that the hike to the Falls was only 2 miles. And remember the relatively easy part too. Some of the time when you were walking right along the lake edge only high up in the hills it was gorgeous. The day was nice too. It was partly cloudy so it wasn't real hot. And we only got sprinkled on a couple of times, but no real rain to speak of. Which was an improvement since it had rained every day we were there so far.

Now we are starting to come to the part of the hike where you are approaching Cascade Falls. Now the relatively easy part goes right out the window. We were going up and up and up some more. Some parts were just the rock path and some parts were like steps. But they all went up and sometimes straight up. It was not easy by any stretch of the imagination. The loud sound of rushing water was all that kept me going as I knew the falls had to be near. And I didn't want to walk all that way and not see them. And remember I mentioned Jim said it was 2 miles to the Falls.

Well when we got up there and I read the sign it was 2.7 miles. That's close enough to 3 for me to say it's a 3 mile hike. At least the hike back was better. Going down is much easier. And it was a beautiful waterfall. I have to admit it was worth the effort. And I did need the exercise. So I am happy that we did this hike. But relatively easy it was not.

Snake River Float

2009-06-16T20:47:00.003-04:00

We did a raft float down the Snake River. It was very beautiful and peaceful. I know they have rafts going down the river all the time. But we did not see another raft or person the entire time. We floated for 10 miles. The scenery was unbelievable. When we first started out I heard an unusual sound. At first I thought, "is air coming out of the raft?" My mind kind of works that way. Then when I realized it wasn't that I thought maybe it was something in the raft that I wasn't aware of and I didn't give it another thought. Well, actually it was probably in the back of my mind but I was busy looking at all the nature around me. Then the raft driver asked "do you hear that rustling sound?" And of course I was happy to reply. He told us it was the rocks on the bottom of the river moving over each other with the current of the river. WOW. I had no idea. Later on when we got to some of the more shallow parts of the river you could see the rocks and even some exposed rock beds. I had no idea that the bottom of the river was all rock.

It was cool to be floating down a river and see mountains all around you. And mountains with snow on them. There were also lots of trees that had fallen into the river due to either shore erosion or beavers. And they would make little islands in the middle of the river and in some cases even completely change the flow of the river.

We didn't see any animals but we did see geese, pelicans, heron and eagles. It was a great experience and I have so many more pictures than what I have here. The first picture is a beaver lodge we saw along the side of the river and the second is one of the many views of the mountains from the river. My connectivity here is slow so the pictures were not loading well. So I could only post two for now. I am going to make an online album for my pictures and will post when I do. I have also been putting some of them on Facebook for those of you who are on that site.

Designs By Patricia Hall

2009-06-15T19:35:00.004-04:00

Designs By Patricia Hall is today's Crazy Train Rider on ArtFire. Patricia likes to work with natural stones, lampwork beads, and shell beads. She has many different designs and styles in her studio. And she will do custom sizing for you if desired. If you like jewelry made with natural stones or shell then this is the site for you.

Blockhead Radio: World of Widgets Round 1

2009-06-15T19:17:00.000-04:00

Blockhead Radio: World of Widgets Round 1

Grand Teton National Park

2009-06-13T19:29:00.007-04:00

Yesterday we drove past the Grand Tetons on our way to Yellowstone. They were so phenomenal. So today we decided to go to Grand Teton National Park. We weren't disappointed. The mountains are even more spectacular up close.

We drove up to both Jenny Lake and Lake Jackson. There is a gorgeous Lodge at Lake Jackson that I am sure would be fun to stay at. We had lunch there and it was very good. The lake is the largest in the park and you can go sailing, fishing and boating on the lake. They also have houseboats there you can rent.

The pictures here are of Jenny Lake. It is amazing how crystal clear the water is. They have a path that you can walk on to go down by the water. It was just an amazing view. The beauty is so breath taking. We are going back tomorrow to hike some of the trails. And Monday we are going on a raft ride down the Snake River, weather permitting. I'll be sure to post pictures.

Then we stopped in town to take in some of the sites. The pictures posted are of the main part of downtown Jackson. The antler arch is the entrance to the town park. There is one on all 4 corners of the park.

There is an actual stagecoach that goes through the town. Beau growled at the horses when they went by. I guess he's never seen a horse before so he wasn't sure what to think. Most of the shops have their doors open so he kept trying to go into all the shops. I never knew he was a shopper. I even found a bead shop but they didn't have anything new or different to offer.

We Made it to Wyoming

2009-06-12T23:41:00.005-04:00

So we have left South Dakota and ventured on to Wyoming. I was really hoping that once we changed states the rain would be behind us. No such luck. It rained for almost the entire 6 hour drive. But once we got close it did stop long enough for me to get some nice photos of the Grand Tetons. And imagine my surprise to see snow. I must say that everything out here is also lush and green. Must be all that rain.

So we are staying in Jackson, Wyoming. It is a quaint resort town. I am sure it is lovely in the winter too. There are some nice ski slops and they advertise sleigh rides through the town too. But I can't imagine riding on these winding roads in snow. The mountains are gorgeous though.

Today we drove to Yellowstone and saw Old Faithful. It was impressive. Quick but impressive. The park is awesome though. After the eruption we took a hike up to a look out point that over looks Old Faithful and all the smaller geysers. It was quite a hike up there but well worth the view. We did see some buffalo out in a field while we were up there but we were so high up they looked like little brown specks.

Tomorrow we are going to drive through Grand Teton Park. We had Beau in a doggie day care today so tomorrow we are going to give him a break and take us with him. We heard him howling as soon as we walked through the front door. I guess he didn't like it. Poor baby. There is another one in town we may try next week. They don't put them in cages so maybe he won't miss us as much. Speaking of Beau, it's time for his walk and then night night. Later all.

Kickinskreations

2009-06-12T22:02:00.004-04:00

Do these look like candles to you?? They look good enough to eat to me. But they are really candles. And if they smell anywhere near as good as they look then they are winners in my book. These are just a few of the delicious looking candles in Kickinskreations Artfire Studio. There are also some standard looking candles there too. But these really do it for me. Oh and did I mention they have soap too. And some interesting "adult items" too.

South Dakota

2009-06-09T22:31:00.006-04:00

What can I say about the weather in South Dakota? Not much. It was less than optimal for our entire 5 days here. When you hear on the news that they are having unusually cool weather for June you know you are in trouble. Especially when you aren't fond of cool weather to begin with. When we pulled in to town it was sunny and in the 70's. OK not so bad. But then the next morning it was in the 40's and raining. Jim really wanted to do a hike to the top of the Crazy Horse Monument. They only allow you to go all the way to the top once a year and we just happened So we drove over there. It was only 1 mile away. When we got there is was very cold and damp. So Jim did the hike and Beau and I hung out in the van. The brochure said it would take 2 to 4 hours to complete. Jim was back in an hour and a half. What can I say? I knew he was good. So then we drove around town for a little bit and the sun started to come out. We took a little walk with Beau and looked for a dinner spot. We also stopped and got some provisions for the room. But by the time we came out of the restaurant from eating it was raining again. Sunshine didn't last long.

The next day when we got up it was still raining. So we decided to check out Bear Country USA. It's a drive through park with wildlife. There were elk, reindeer, wolves, sheep, bears, lots of bears and a few buffalo. The brochure said to stay in your cage with the doors closed and the windows up. The animals run free. I have to admit that when we were in the section with the reindeer and elk I did roll down the window to get pictures. But when we were in the bear section the windows stayed up. You can tell I was a good do-bee by the rain drops in some of the pictures. Those bears were big. We even saw one bear try to get into the back of a pick up truck a few cars a head of us. And he didn't want to get down when the truck started moving either. I wonder what was in the back of that truck. That was a good attraction for a rainy day.

The next day when we got up it was still a little chilly but no rain and no fog. I forgot to mention all the fog that comes along with the rain. So we were up bright and early and off to Mount Rushmore. It was a great day. No fog and you could see the mountain easily. We did the entire 1 mile hike around the monument. It was really amazing. And then on the way back to the hotel we did the scenic drive through Custer State Park. There were signs that said road was narrow and twisty and they weren't kidding. Some of the turns were quite sharp. And then they had these one lane tunnels you had to go through. You have to beep your horn before you go through to make sure no one is coming the other way. But there was plenty of wild life wandering around. We saw wild donkeys that are obviously used to being fed because they would walk right up to your car and if you weren't giving them food then they just moved on to the next car. We also saw herds of wild buffalo and lots of babies too. So there will be buffalo around for a while.

Another interesting thing we saw there were tons of Army vehicles. And a sign that said Army operations in progress. We found out from one of the rangers that the Army does training maneuvers there the first two weeks in June every year. Fun.

Today was another rainy day. We did a 1 mile hike up the side of one of the hills in town and then just hung out for the day. I did make a new bracelet today. So it was a productive and fun day even if the weather was crummy.

Tomorrow we head out again. I think we are going to try and see the Devil's Tower on our way to our next destination. Beau is hanging in there and seems to be having a good time. He is a real trooper in the van when we are at restaurants or sight seeing. We usually don't leave him for long and the weather has been cool enough that we don't have to worry about him over heating. We found a pet day care online that we thought we could leave him at but when we went to look at it we didn't like it. It was all out door cages and I didn't think he would like it there. So we just did what we could with him and it worked out fine.

Tomorrow we hit the open road again. We will be still be heading west toward the coast.

One Lovely Blog Award

2009-06-08T22:23:00.004-04:00

I received a "One Lovely Blog Award" from Haffina Creations. I am so honored that she sent me this award. I am also glad that now I get to pass it on to 15 more blogs. So below is the list of blogs that I have chosen for this recognition. They are blogs that I follow and enjoy and hope you will too.

Almondtree Design

American Girl in an England World

Amy Designs Musings

Bijoux Designs For You

Blissful ArtFire Friends

Caly's Jewelry Creations

Rocky Creek Gems

2009-06-07T20:52:00.004-04:00

Rocky Creek Gems is today's Crazy Train Rider on ArtFire. She has some beautiful things in her studio. Some of her bead work is phenomenal. Not only is she creative but she is very talented as well. I am showing two of my favorite pieces from her studio here but she has many more on her sight.

Here is her bio from her studio:

Rocky Creek Gems and Gifts is named for the little creek that runs through the 86 acres of our family property just outside La Grange, Texas.I have been making things for as long as I can remember. I'm not a "single-craft" person! I enjoy working with gemstones, beadwork, knitting, crocheting, quilting, sewing, embroidery--you name it! As a former middle school science teacher, I particularly love making use of unusual items.

Make sure you check out her studio. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Where Am I Giveaway Update

2009-06-06T15:04:00.002-04:00

This picture was taken on Jim's hike today. They were having a special hike in the area today to raise money for the local food bank. So if you made a food or monetary donation you got to hike all the way up to this moneument which is still in the sculpting phase. Normally you can only go part of the way up and look at it from a distance. You were not allowed to take pets on the hike so Beau and I had to be content to look at it from afar. And we didn't even get to do that because it was very foggy out and you couldn't see it. Maybe on another day we will get to see it. The sun is starting to finally come out here so I hope that the days to come will have better weather. And I sure hope that includes a warming trend too.

I hope we have good weather when we go to see the other mountain carving in this area too.

More Giveaway Hints

2009-06-05T17:29:00.003-04:00

Since no one has commented on the previous post and commented on the ArtFire Jewelry Artists and Supply Shops Guild post I am going to post some clues here. We left Dayton on Wednesday morning. We traveled through 3 states that all begin with the letter I. Now we are in our final destination for this leg. We will be here for several days seeing the sites. There are several things to see and do here. I can use those for more hints tomorrow if they are needed. And no we are not in a state that starts with the letter I. So if you comment here and tell me the 3 states that start with the letter I, then I will give you another clue just for you. Oh and if you aren't on plurk we also went through 2 times zones. We went from Eastern time to Mountain time if that helps any.

Studio On The Hill

2009-06-04T16:10:00.005-04:00

Studio On The Hill is this week's featured ArtFire Studio for the ArtFire Jewelry Artists and Supply Shops Guild. Studio On The Hill features both jewelry and supplies. I have featured two of my favorites in this posting. Here is the artisan's bio from her studio:

Hi, I'm Karen from Artisan Jewelry. I am both a jewelry artisan and instructor. I have taught both private and group classes for many years now. Currently, I am teaching classes at Paint Creek Center for the Arts in Michigan. My latest passion is working with metal and wire which is reflected in many of my designs. I can usually be found in my studio with a torch in one hand and a piece of glowing metal on the soldering brick. I love to work with copper and silver. My favorite beads are Swarovski crystals and lampwork glass.

Since I really like all things that remind me of the beach, I especially like these starfish earrings. They remind me of many happy afternoons walking the beaches in Sanibel and looking for shells. I have found several starfish but they have all been alive so they remained right where I found them. Which is a good thing I guess.

Check out Karen's jewelry. She has some really nice designs. And if you need supplies you can find them there too.

Time For Another Giveaway

2009-06-03T19:58:00.008-04:00

So we are on the move again. And I am starting another giveaway. We had a great visit with my son and his family for my eldest grandson's 8th grade graduation and a surprise 40th birthday party for my son. And then to top the weekend off we all went on a hot air balloon ride. It was awesome even if there wasn't a lot of wind and we didn't go very far. The view was awesome and it is so calm and peaceful up there. I highly recommend it if you get the opportunity.

Needless to say I was busy for several days and barely had time to plurk let alone blog. But I am back on the road again and in full giveaway mode too. I am going to do this week's a little bit differently though. I am a member of the Artfire Jewelry Artists and Jewelry Supply Shops Guild. And we are having our first guild giveaway too. So I am going to promote that giveaway along with mine. To read about the guild give away click on the name of the guild above or go to

http://artfirejewelrydesignjewelrysupplyshop.blogspot.com/

So for this week you need to go to the guild blog above. There are nine studios listed. For each shop that you post here along with the name of a red item from there studio I will email you a clue to determine where my location will be at the end of the week. So instead of posting clues here I will be sending them to you directly. You need to tell me how you want them sent to you. I can go to your studio and contact you that way or via plurk or your blog.

So hurry on over to our guild blog and check out that giveaway. And you can enter that one while you are there too. And if you are really good and also a little lucky you could win both. The bracelet shown here is the one I am giving away this week. Good luck and happy detective work.

I Am on Giveaway Hiatus

2009-05-27T16:45:00.003-04:00

So I am back at my son's house in Ohio for my grandson's 8th grade graduation tomorrow. We enjoyed our time in the mountains hiking and relaxing and also visiting with my husband's side of the family while we were up that way. So now we will be here for the rest of the week. Then we will be starting our journey out west and back. So that will be the perfect time to start my Where Am I Now Giveaway again. I have some ideas in mind for that too. More info to follow on that front. So for the next few days I will busy with family and will be doing some promotional blogs. And I will be sure to posts pictures along the way too.

She Designs Jewelry

2009-05-21T19:56:00.006-04:00

She Designs Jewelry is today's ArtFire crazy train featured artisan. She has a nice selection of jewelry on her site. I am featuring two of my favorites here.

From the Artisan:

Welcome to She Designs Jewelry! My name is Sheila Hendricks. Please enjoy looking through all my lovely creations! I also take custom orders, so if you have something specific in mind, please let me know. I would love to create something unique for you! I have some new ideas swirling in my mind and will be working on them in the next few weeks. I hope to be sharing those with you soon! I blog a few times a week so stop by there to catch up at http://www.shedesignsjewelry.blogspot.com

Please visit often as I add new things often. And please send me a note if I can create something special just for you! Thanks! Sheila Hendricks, She Designs Jewelry

Bead All About It

2009-05-19T18:24:00.003-04:00

Bead All About It is today's ArtFire Crazy Train featured studio. And the name says it all. There are so many great beads to choose from. I love the variety and the quality of the beads that are here to choose from. The two that I am featuring here are beauties too. The top one is Mookiate and the bottom one is African Turquoise.
Here is From the Artisan:

Xtra Xtra "Bead All About It" news. Welcome to our studio!! Here you will find a wonderful selection of top quality, beautiful ,semi-precious gemstone strands, pendants and other gorgeous items to create your one of a kind necklace, bracelets, earrings and more. You will be very pleased. We'll be adding more items often, so please be sure to stop back often. Lots of beauty with unsurpassed quality! Looking for something particular..Let us know! We have semi precious for every price range!

Jenn Found Me

2009-05-18T17:47:00.009-04:00

I can hardly believe it. Jenn of Jennuinecandles guessed where I was on from the first day's posting. She is getting too good at this. But in all fairness we really did not move that far. After next week we will really start to cover some territory.

Since I do not have to give you more clues to narrow down my location, which is Front Royal, I can just tell you about our hike today. It was very cold yesterday and I was really worried about Jim being out on the trail in just shorts and a light weight jacket. It started off chilly but it got colder as the day went on. I was in the van working on jewelry and when I stopped to take a break and go on a little walk with Beau I was amazed at how much colder it was. We went right back in the van and I put long pants on and put Beau's jacket on him. We started out on one of the trails and we came upon a deer grazing and eating. He didn't even seem to be too bothered that we were there either. He just stopped eating and watched us for a while and then just moved a little farther away and started munching again. I had a hard time getting Beau out of the woods. He loves all the different animal scents.

On today's walk he even rolled around in the grass on his back. He was a happy little Basset. It was much warmer today. The air was still cool but the sun was out an it felt really good. It made you feel all nice and toasty. When Beau and I were walking in a meadow today I heard someone yell out hey Beau. It was a hiker that we had met on the trail yesterday. He remembered Beau and came over to pet him again. Everyone remembers Beau on the trail.

IT'S ALSO CRAZY TRAIN TIME

Today's crazy train rider is Deb Vandet Designs. She has a little bit of everything in her studio. I especially like the microscope slides that she has decorated and turned into pendants. My husband is a medical technologist and has worked in medical laboratories for over 30 years. Still he wasn't as impressed as I was. I think it is very creative.

Here is Deb's from the Artisan

Welcome to debvandetdesigns! Handmade jewelry for you and artful adornments for you and your home. I use mixed media and a variety of techniques, new and recycled components to make my original designs. Whether your style is girly or goth, I might have something you'll love. If not... I would love to make it for you. Custom work and collaboration on a piece of jewelry that is personal and meaningful for you is a joy for me.

So Now Where Am I?

2009-05-17T18:50:00.001-04:00

Isn't this scenery beautiful? This is what we have been looking at for the past 6 days. And it is what we will be looking at for 5 more days. But we have changed locations. We finished the southern part of the Appalachian Trail as it runs through the Shenandoah National Park. Now we are going to be exploring the northern portion. But to do that where do you think we need to have our home base. That's all I am going to tell you for today. Tomorrow I will post more clues and the giveaway for this week.

Also of note from our adventure.... I found this very interesting. Everyday as we were driving into the park there were so many squirrels running all over the place. At times we were stopping and swerving just to keep from running them over. And we also saw plenty of deer in the brush just by the side of the road and some even in the road. I was able to take this picture of one by the road. But today when we were driving we didn't see any not any squirrels or deer. Was it because it was rainy and cold?? Or did they know it was Sunday and they were sleeping in?? Or perhaps they were all in church?? It was just very different than all the other days we were there. Where do you think they were???

Creative Haven

2009-05-16T14:54:00.003-04:00

It is Creative Haven's turn on the Crazy Train. And she is very creative. Here is how she describes her craft.

From the Artisan: Welcome to Creative Haven! This is where you will find all things created by me. I love to design jewelry among various other arts and crafts. I am always trying something new and different, so if that's what you're looking for you've come to the right place. You will find everything from jewelry to wood projects.

2009-05-15T12:31:00.002-04:00

Today we all went hiking. Jim's legs are tired from his 3 days of 5 hour hikes. And it is supposed to rain this afternoon. So he decided to do some shorter hikes today. And Beau and I decided to join him.

We did 2 different one mile paths. At first Beau wasn't too sure about going. So he consulted with Hiken C. A. Bear about it. Then once he was actually on the trail and started to pick up all the different "scents" the woods have to offer, there was no stopping him. He even came upon a bunny on the trail. It is amazing to me how tame all the animals are that we have seen this week. It's like they know there is no hunting in these woods. Now, don't get me wrong, they do run from you. But they will give you a little look over before they do and they only run when you get close. Yesterday I got a good picture of a young deer that was eating grass by the side of the road too. But this picture of Beau and the Bunny was too good. This is a cute B & B in the Shenandoah National Park. And now Beau is on his bed sound asleep. And I may be doing the same thing too.

Where Am I - 2nd Edition - Day Three

2009-05-13T10:03:00.003-04:00

This morning we had a nice drive in the mountains to drop my husband off for today's hike. It is just gorgeous early in the morning when everything is waking up. We could hardly drive for all the squirrels in the road. And we saw a couple of bunnies hoping around too. But the highlight was all the young dear that were coming down by the road side to eat. We saw 12 different dear. One was even so close to the road I was able to get a picture. I'll have to post it later as my husband still has the camera with him while he is hiking. Tomorrow Beau and I are going to do a little hiking too.

So for today's clues. I am staying just off I-64 at one end of the Skyline Drive that goes through the Shenandoah National Park. The name of the town I am in has something in common with a Mike Myers movie.

If you read some of the posts from previous days that may help you too. At least you will know which places are incorrect. Have a great day and good luck with finding where I am.

Where Am I Now - Second Edition - Day Two

2009-05-12T09:11:00.005-04:00

Good Morning Everyone. Take a good look at the earrings. The two guesses yesterday both picked the wrong necklace to go with these earrings. I must say that the necklaces they picked would go with these earrings but it is not the one that is made with the same beads. So check again on that one. However, both of yesterday's guesses were in the correct state. The 3 states we went through were Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia. We drove along the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania and crossed the Potomac in Virginia.

This morning I dropped my husband off for today's hike. I dropped him off at Turk's Gap which is just above Beagle Gap. And if you are a hound lover then what could be better than Beagle Gap. The mountains were gorgeous this morning. But the twisting winding roads were a little nerve racking. I have to get used to driving in hills again. So far on this trip we have been traveling on highways so I didn't notice them as much. But now we are in the parks and driving up, down and around.

We are staying just outside one end of the Shenandoah National Park. The next two weeks will be spent in the National Park. We will be driving there and back to our home base each day.

That's all you are getting for today. Happy guessing.

Alisuns Too For Won

2009-05-12T07:00:00.006-04:00

It's Alisuns turn to be featured on the Crazy Train. She has this second studio just for items that she wants to "destash". As any of you who are into crafting or making handmade items know, after a while things begin to accumulate. You may have a few beads from this project and some left over chain from another. So what to do with all of your stash items is sometimes a mystery. Many ArtFire artisans have seperate studios set up to "destash" and Alisun is one of them. Here is her studio description

AlisunsToo is the store where in order to give good homes to unused supplies and vintage pieces (some were made 30 years ago) you Always Get Too For Won. Here is the simple Too rule. Buy an item. Shop for another item OR ITEMS that equal the purchase price. Pay the shipping price ONLY if it weighs more than 13 oz.

That's it. Have fun shopping! This is where you will find all my destash, and stuff that doesn't fit in my Alisun's Custom Crafted Jewelry store (www.alisuns.artfire.com).Things will never be the same here, and I can't promise that I can recreate some of the things I've listed.Have fun browsing!

Where Am I Now?

2009-05-11T18:42:00.005-04:00

Are you ready for installment #2 of Where Am I? We traveled today so we are in a new location. Can you guess where I am. To win the pair of earrings at the left here is what you have to do. Read all the clues and see if you can figure out what city and state I am in. Also, you need to go to my web page and tell me the name and/or number of the necklace that matches this pair of earrings. Every day this week I will blog with more clues to my location and hopefully by Friday we will have a winner. Here we go.................

Today we traveled for a total of approximately 7 hours. We traveled south for almost 400 miles and went through 3 different states. We drove along side a big river for most of the morning and crossed another big river in another state. We will stay in this location for several days so that we can do some hiking.

That's all you are getting out of me today. Tomorrow I will get more specific about some of the information I have given you today. So if you can't figure it out yet, check back tomorrow for more clues.

So far it has been a great trip. I can't believe that we have been on the road for over 3 weeks now. It seems like we just left. And Beau is having fun too. I am hoping to get my camera either fixed or replaced soon so that as well as giving you clues I can include pictures too. So there will be more fun as this trip progresses.

Last clue

2009-05-07T10:10:00.002-04:00

Franni is closing in on my location. She is soooooo close. I am about 30 minutes west of Corning in a small town. There is a village in England with the same name and it is what you would take instead of a shower. Hope that narrows it down enough for a winner. If not, then Franni is the winner.

Tomorrow I will post the winner and then on Monday I will start a new thread. We will be driving most of Monday so I will start it in the afternoon and update on Tuesday. So if you don't win this week you will get another chance next week. I feel a little like Matt Lauer crossed with Waldo. LOL. Good Luck all.

Next Clue

2009-05-06T12:03:00.003-04:00

I only had one guess yesterday and it was not even in the right state. So I will tell you that I am in the state of New York. There are several long finger shaped lakes here and several vineyards. That should at least get you into the right part of the state. Tomorrow I will really narrow it down for you so we can have a winner by Friday.

Another hint I will give you is that I am in a very small town. We are staying with my mother in law so I do not have Internet access at her house. So each day I go to the library and log on. Fortunately for me the library has a beautiful Internet cafe so I can have a cappuccino and chat and post to heart's content. So I can only check in with Plurk, facebook, Twitter and ArtFire once a day. That will have to hold me over until next week. I am pretty sure the place we are staying next have wifi. Yipee.

My First Giveaway

2009-05-05T07:49:00.003-04:00

So I thought I would have a little fun and do a giveaway at the same time. Since I am going to be traveling all the time I am going to do a series of giveaways with a Where's Waldo theme. Every time I am in a new location I will give you clues as to where I am and you need to figure out where I am to win the giveaway. So if you follow my progress at some point just knowing where I was and what direction I am going in will help you out a lot. And everyday I will give you clues to help you pin point my location. So here we go.

I just left my son's house in Dayton Ohio. I traveled north and east and it took us 9 hours including stops to get to our destination. For this giveaway I am looking for both the city and state we are in. More clues will be coming tomorrow to help you narrow it down.

The prize for this giveaway is the heart pendant shown above. Good luck.

Janelson Arts

2009-05-03T09:57:00.005-04:00

Janelson Arts is today's featured ArtFire artisan. She makes beautiful lampwork beads. She has a variety of colors shapes and styles to choose from. I have featured two of my favorites here but there are many more on her web page. I know you could make a lot of nice jewelry with her beads.

Vote Handmade Launch

2009-05-01T14:10:00.006-04:00

Below you will find the official press release regarding the Vote Handmade initiative. This is exciting news for the Handmade Community.

Tucson, AZ – Today marked the launch of a new social media website, VoteHandmade.com. Powered by Reddit code and ArtFire.com, Vote Handmade serves as a link sharing platform for artisans and crafters of all types and specialties.

On VoteHandmade.com, users can share handmade items from venues all over the web with fellow users, up voting and down voting just like on Reddit. This allows artisans the opportunity to not only socialize and share links, but also to promote their quality product and drive buyers to their online studio.

VoteHandmade.com also aggregates news, instruction and business tips for the online craft world. With hundreds of thousands of handmade sellers and millions of handmade items currently listed for sale on the internet, VoteHandmade.com is a great place to see the best of all venues and all artists as voted on by their peers.

VoteHandmade is like the world’s largest juried craft show. Any user can submit an item from any site. VoteHandmade is free to use, free to join, and free to promote.

More About ArtFire.com

ArtFire.com is an interactive craft marketplace designed to bring artisans from different geographic locations and backgrounds together. On ArtFire, artisans are able to not only set up a customizable studio, but also are given the chance to meet fellow sellers though a number of interactive features available on the site. Artfire is more than just a venue, it’s a vibrant artisan community.

“We wanted to give artisans the chance to promote their items in a way which was not only free but also fun,” said John Jacobs, CEO of ArtFire.com. “Vote Handmade allows them to share and interact with artisans from the many different venues on the web.”

“We felt it was important to build tool specifically designed for artisans,” Said Tony Ford, COO of ArtFire.com. “It is our hope that the crafting community will use VoteHandmade .com to further their business and networking online and shoppers can go to one place to see the best of the best artisans in all craft disciplines.”

La De Da Creations

2009-05-01T08:33:00.005-04:00

La De Da Creations, as if that name isn't fun enough, just wait until to take a stroll through this ArtFire Studio. The subtitle is eccentric, whimsical, perfectly imperfect. I think that is a great description. In Laura's own words her items are groovy, fun and crazy.

She has so many different items in her studio to choose from. There is an assortment of fun jewlery like this Peace Sign ring, jewelry displays like the one pictured here, as well as bookmarks, incense burners and even body lotions from Laura's day spa. Laura works with polymer clay which is something that I would love to learn some day. You can really use your creativity and the possibilities are endless. Once you visit La De Da Creations you will know what I am talking about.

This studio is one of my favorites on ArtFire and one I love to browse through often. Maybe it's because it takes me back to the days of my youth. I know it's definitely a fun place to shop.

Oh and did I mention that this jewelry holder glows in the dark. So break out the incense, grab the body lotion and let's all have some fun.

Catfluff

2009-04-30T12:19:00.007-04:00

I love the items in Catfluff's ArtFire studio. Her shopping tote at the left reminds me of my trip to France. Every morning I would ladies of all ages going to the boulangerie to get their fresh baked bread for the day's meals. It brings back wonderful memories of the 3 weeks we spent traveling the countryside there.

She has many other items for sale and all of them are unique and fun. I particularly like these wine covers. They are so much nicer than the paper gift bags you usually receive bottles of wine in.

She also has pillows and other nice items in her studio. So be sure to give them a peek and see if there is anything that you just can't live without.

Bijoux Designs For You

2009-04-28T11:02:00.009-04:00

Bijoux Designs For You is my featured ArtFire Artisan for today. The thing I liked when I visited this studio was the variety of items there. There is jewelry but also bookmarks and wine charms as well as place mats and microwave mitts.

Here is the artisan's bio from her studio:

We are a mother/daughter team who share the love of creating.Creating has been in my blood forever. First was sewing clothes for my kids when they were little and decorating the house. Then followed the art of quilting. I love the therapeutic nature of the hand quilting stitch and being snuggled into my finished creation.Then came painting on any surface that didn't move. Our final stop has landed with jewelry. The wealth of beautiful beads and stones that are available gives constant inspiration allowing us to interpret them into fun or delicate and unique creations to accent your wardrobe and home.

So stop over at Bijoux Designs For You and do some looking around. I know you won't be disappointed.

The Power of Youth

2009-04-27T10:55:00.004-04:00

The big dog is our beloved Basset Beau. Beau is 12 years old and has been slowing down lately. He has had some medical problems and would sleep most of the day. He has even started to make his walks shorter and shorter.

We are in Ohio visiting our son and his family. They have an eight week old puppy, Bella. At first Beau ignored her. But she wouldn't be deterred. She even resorted to biting his tail when he would walk by. She also would run circles around him when he was lumbering along.

Last night Bella finally won. Beau was like a young pup again. OK, maybe pup is too strong a word but he did have a different spring in his step. He chased her around a little and played with her a little bit. It was a great thing to watch. The old man playing with the youngster. So I guess there is something to be said for hanging out with those little whipper snappers. Bella helped Beau find his inner puppy.

It's Confirmation Day

2009-04-26T20:06:00.003-04:00

Today was the big day. Our oldest grandchild, Gabriel, made his confirmation. It was a nice ceremony and of course Grammy got teary eyed. Another one of life's rite of passages. My family is growing up. After the ceremony we had a wonderful family dinner at my son's house. My daughter in law made a wonderful

meal. She is the ultimate party planner. I know who I am going to ask to do my parties for me. Next week is

Jessica's Communion. More pictures will be posted. I can't wait to see the dress.

Wooley Creek Tribal and Ethnic Jewelry

2009-04-25T15:19:00.004-04:00

It is Wooley Creek's turn to be the featured ArtFire studio on the Crazy Train Ride. Here is this artisan's bio:

I have been beading since 1990. We also do other crafts. My husband and I set up at Powwows and Flea Markets to sell my crafts and Vintage Native American Jewelry. We also sell on Ebay. under the name of Wooleycreek. I am disabled and spend most of my time doing things I can sit at the table to work on. Beadwork helps pass the time when I can't walk!

So pop on over to ArtFire and check out all of Wooley Creek's items. You never know when you might just find that special gift you were looking for.

SPRING CLEANING SALE

2009-04-24T11:26:00.002-04:00

The ArtFire Jewelry Designer and Jewelry Supply Shops Guild is having a Spring Cleaning Sale from now until May 1st. All guild members have discounted items in their studios for this sale and have a category titled Spring Cleaning where you can find their discounted items. In addition to the sale there is a contest going on too. So even if you can't buy anything check out the participating studios and you could win a necklace, bracelet or a pair of earrings.

For contest specifics and to find participating studios go to http://artfirejewelrydesignjewelrysupplyshop.blogspot.com/

Have fun shopping and good luck in the contest.

Ally is a Teen Now

2009-04-24T10:41:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday Ally. My oldest granddaughter turned 13 last weekend. Here is a picture from her birthday dinner. It was a great milestone when each of my son's turned 13. But my first teenage granddaughter is even better. I enjoy her so much and love the young lady that she has become. Enjoy your teenage years Ally. Next stop, 8th grade and senior at St. Bonaventure. Love you - Graham Cracker

We made it to Ohio

2009-04-23T08:23:00.002-04:00

We are in Ohio. We will be here for 10 days. It is so nice to have internet again and to be able to twitter, plurk and post to facebook, artfire and blog. I never realized how much I would miss doing that.

We had nice drive north until we hit Kentucky. It was very windy and the big van really gets tossed around in the mountains when it is windy. I hope once we venture out west and I am driving with Beau that it's not that windy. It was a little scary at times.

So we will be attending Gabe's Confirmation and Jessie's communion and then just chilling with the kids. It is a little cool for this Florida lady but it is supposed to warm up into the 70's today. It was 35 this morning. Brrrrrr

And to think just a 3 days ago I was swimming in the pool with the Florida grandkids.

Beau is happy to be in one spot for a while. I think he was a little confused though. He woke me up at 4:30 this morning. That's a record for him. Hope he gets his clock back on schedule quickly.

Will keep you posted on adventures from Buckeye country. Later dudes.

Silver River Jewelry

2009-04-21T20:14:00.004-04:00

So tonight we are at a Red Roof Inn in Loqust Grove, Georgia. And they have great internet services so I am able to do my post on Silver River Jewelry. It is her turn to be on the Crazy Train and get featured by all of her fellow artisans who are participating in the crazy train. Silver River has so many awesome items on her web page. Her tag line is Stones Metal Passion. And that is evident in her work. Here is Silver River's bio from her studio

I have a passion for my family, the outdoors and designing jewelry. I am also an avid reader and enjoy being on the water. I love summer and am not so thrilled with winter (this is an issue since I live in Ohio lol!).I love what I do. For me the whole process is fascinating. It is like treasure hunt, from finding the perfect combination of stones or beads, to manipulating the metal with hammer and fire. Digging a stone out of the ground that looks like nothing special only to open it up and find beauty inside. There is something elementally satisfying in that.

So be sure to hop on over to Silver River's site and check out all the great jewelry that is there.

Hopefully, we will be in Dayton tomorrow at my son's house. I will update then. I know he has good internet service. Yipee.

DJ Storeroom

2009-04-17T08:17:00.003-04:00

Today's featured ArtFire Studio is DJ Storeroom. She has many nice items in her studio. I love her pouches and handbags.

Here is her Bio:

DjStoreRoom is registered in Singapore as a sole-prop business in 2009 February and operated by myself, a work-from-home-mother. I operate my business daily, from Monday to Friday ending at 6pm each day to focus on my family, marriage, child, friends and other commitments.

Setting goals and priorities is important to me as I seek to bring forth my greatest potential and courage in achieving sweet victory and showing magnificent actual proof in my life.

Handmade Treasures by DjStoreRoom is my creative outlet where my handmade bags and crafts are being sold. Crafting and sewing allows me to focus on my hands and my projects, and it makes my happy which in turns fuels more passion for creating. Sharing tutorials for sewing bags and more helps to create value for others while creating value for my own growth. Vintage Treasures by DjStoreRoom is where collections of antiques, collections and artefact's are sold. Every piece has their own history and story. Once gone, they will not be easily found again. Our Environment::: Smoke-Free :::::: Fur-Free :::

3z Art

2009-04-15T14:04:00.010-04:00

I love browsing around in the 3z Art Studio on ArtFire. There are always new and interesting things to find for your home there. And no matter your taste or style I am sure you can find something that will interest you there. I did. Today I found this awesome switch plate with sea shells and rocks on it. Not only do I have a sea shell spread on the bed in my guest room, but it is in these exact colors. So I ordered 3 of them. I am so excited. If you have stayed in my guest room you know how nice they are going to look. I do love the switch plate covers most of all in this studio. But there are other fun items there too.

All of the switch plate covers are hand crafted using the age old technique of decoupage. 3z uses a minimum of 3 coats of sealer to insure quality. This process allows you to clean all plates with a damp cloth. They are made from fabric instead of paper which forms better to the light plate. The fabric is folded over the back of the plate to prevent the edges from folding up. Then they are finished off by insulating the back of the plate.

Coasters are made using salvaged ceramic tiles and many coats of sealant to protect the fabric. They are backed with felt to protect your furniture.

All the Mouse Pads are hand-made using a technique similar to heat pressing. They have a non slip rubber backing.

So buzz on over to the 3z Art Studio and you will be amazed at all the designs and patterns there are to choose from. And you can custom order most items too.

Have Online Business Will Travel

2009-04-14T07:58:00.004-04:00

One of the things that Jim and I wanted to do when we retired was travel. We wanted to be able to see other parts of the world while we could still travel relatively easily and not have to use a walker to get around. So we are getting ready to start another summer adventure. We have decided to do some of the things we can do and take Beau with us. He really does not do well in a kennel or even if we leave him with someone. Since Maddie's passing he has really become attached to me. And of course we are around all the time now so that contributed to it I am sure.

One of the things I love about selling my jewelry in an online format is that you can do it from anywhere. When we travel I just pack all my jewelry, beads, tools, packing supplies, and my laptop and the store goes where I go. I am totally and hopelessly addicted to the Internet so I would be on the computer regardless. When I go online to check email and the news, I also check the store. It is really a good situation for us. And when I have sales, and I hope I have sales as they have been slow, then I can mail them out from where ever I may wander.

So that is the plan for this summer. We are traveling all over the United States visiting family, attending important family events and just seeing this country we live in. The last 3 months of our trip (yes I said 3 months, we will be gone until September) will be Jim riding his bicycle with 4 other men from Oregon to Maine. And Beau and I will be following them in the van providing support, seeing the country and making new jewelry. He has a web page to document that trip and you can follow it at http://gramps5.blogspot.com if you are interested. Of course I will be providing up dates here as well. You know I can't keep my mouth shut for that long.

Lastly, you may have noticed that my blog advatar has changed. That is my new summer travel one. I will find another one for Fall. I love to change "my look" and this affords me the opportunity to do it very easily.

Accessories By Gottjoy

2009-04-13T14:04:00.004-04:00

Accessories by Gottjoy has a great variety of items to choose from in her studio on ArtFire including jewelry, fan pulls, pens, and bottle stoppers. All are embellished with wonderful gems or lampwork beads. Each piece is exquisite.

Here is what Joy has to say about her work:

I have been making jewelry for several years. I got hooked on it when I discovered the cool things my co-workers were making. I knew once I purchased those first beads, I was in trouble. I've been know to buy 2 or 3 strands of something I like, just in case I might need more than 1 strand. So now I will share my over indulgence with you, by selling some of these items in my destash store "GottBeads" here on Artfire.

You have to go to Joy's studio and check out all her items. If you can't find something you like

then you just aren't in the mood to shop. Go back when you are.

Alisun's

2009-04-12T10:27:00.011-04:00

Alisun's Studio is our featured artisan for today from Artfire. She makes one of a kind handmade jewelry. Here is what Ali has to say about her work.

I pledge that everything in my shop is hand-crafted; is either my own design, or I have legal permission to use it. I pledge to provide my customers with the highest quality product I'm capable of producing; to treat my customers courteously; to provide them with excellent service; and to conduct my business in an ethical and socially responsible manner.

Alisun's Custom Crafted Jewelry is my full-time at-least-8hr/day obsession. I enjoy custom crafting my 3 Generations necklaces, bracelets, and Core of My Heart earrings and hope to have a selection of styles of them up on the website soon. I work in gemstone and Swarovski, with gold filled or sterling silver wire. I enjoy the look of the fine metals and crystals, and use them almost exclusively. The occasional finding or pendant will be plated, but if it is, I have noted it in my listing. Although I have a category called "custom" almost any style in my studio can be custom made for you.

Picard Creative

2009-04-09T13:49:00.008-04:00

Picard Creative has some of the coolest magnets in her ArtFire Studio. She is funny, creative, witty and has a great sense of humor. I love browsing through her studio. You never know what you are going to find. And she will make custom magnets for you too. Just tell her what you want and she will whip it right up. Here is her bio from her studio.

I am a mom of a teenage boy-(he is the love of my life) I live with him, my boyfriend (sometimes, when I like him) and my 2 crazy cats- Oreo and Lilly. I own a brick and mortar shop called "The Cats Meow" it is a super cool shop which features many, many handmade items.

I am also a graphic designer and altered art/collage artist. My goal is to transition into being more of an artist/creator of fun things- I love my store, yet business is not so hot right now- so I need mulitiple streams of income. Plus, I am so creative and hyper that I cannot just sit in the shop all day doing nothing! lol

So make sure you check out Picard Creative on ArtFire. I know you will find something to make you smile.

The Jewelry Shop

2009-04-08T15:47:00.008-04:00

Today's featured artisan is Amy from The Jewelry Shop. Here is what her Bio on ArtFire tells us about her shop

The handmade jewelry offered for sale at The Jewelry Shop is made by three family members - Amy, Jim, and Lynda. I'm Amy and I run the shop. In our shop you will find handcrafted wire wrap jewelry, beaded jewelry, and the occasional silver fabrication piece. The name of the person who created each piece will be on the listing.We have been creating jewelry for about 10 years now and are ready to share some of our creations with you. We hope you enjoy browsing the shop. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

Most of the items in Amy's shop have a vintage look. Her items are very different from what you normally see on a jewelry web site. I love the items I have featured here but there are many

more in her shop. Please hop on over there and have a look. I know you won't be disappointed with what you see.

Catepillar Peacock

2009-04-05T10:35:00.010-04:00

Caterpillar Peacock is the featured ArtFire Studio for today. The artisan is Lyndsey and she is in Ontario, Canada. Here is how she describes what she does.

I'm a big weirdo, through and through. I like strange things that make me laugh. If you've ever seen the show Clone High, I like to think that it's my EXACT sense of humor. Funny and ironic, and kinda off kilter. This helps explain what I make, teeny tiny hats. I crochet them first and then felt them in my washing machine until they're just right and finally I block them to just the right shape. I make all sorts of hats: berets, fedoras, top hats, you name I can crochet it. Well, that's what I make to sell, mostly. I've been expanding out into other things as well, like jewelry, but not your run of the mill jewelry, it's soft and made of wool too. Right now because of spring I've been working on making plant inspired stuff, like ivy vines and calla lilies. It's been a lot of fun.

Lindsey says she has been crafty since she was a little girl. Her Mom taught her to crochet when she was 8 and her hands have been busy making things every since that time. She says she gets inspired by everything around her, nature, colors, games, comics. It sounds like she has a very creative mind.

Lindsey also likes to do custom work. So if you have an idea for a tiny hat that you would like her to make just give her a shout on ArtFire.

I really like seeing all the new items that pop up daily on ArtFire and Caterpillar Peacock always has some nice things to offer.

Pirate Pixie Crew

2009-04-03T08:53:00.012-04:00

Pirate Pixie Crew is today's featured studio from ArtFire. Here is a little bit about the studio in the owner's own words.

Name: Lynne

Products: Hat's, bags, armwarmers,legwarmers, scarves/cowels - soon to be added bunting and eye patches

Shop theme: Fun and adventure. When you buy one of my hats you become a member of the Pirate Pixie Crew. The story of how there came to be a Pirate Pixie Crew on Captain Skulduggery Dugs Galleon can be read on my website or in my profile. I want to encourage people of all ages to use their imagination to have fun. There is a new "Captains Log" on the website that is going to be updated most days with what has been happening in the world of Captain Skulduggery Dug. Hopefully soon we will have story pages where when people login they can add their name to the stories,so they become personalized. I want to encourage children and parents to read together and feel that by putting the children's names into the adventures this might do that.

Methods: Crochet, sewing and knit.

This is the website that runs alongside my shop.
There is a bit of a bio of me on my blog.

I just love this little newborn hat. I know it would be adorable and certainly keep that precious little head warm.

And how about these mittens. I love the exposed fingers so you can actually do things with them on but still keep your hands warm. If only it got cold enough to wear those in Florida. NOT. I'll keep my warm climate. But they are one of my favorite items in Lynne's studio.

Any who couldn't use a pretty sweater to keep your iPod warm. You wouldn't want to go out in the cold weather and expose your tunes to that climate would you??

So all of you who do not have the good fortune to live in a sub tropical climate like I do need to visit Lynne's studio on ArtFire. Pirate Pixie Crew is the place to go for all your cold weather needs. I may just have to get that top hat for my Christmas visits to Ohio.

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-01T11:53:00.002-04:00

Easter egg hunt on Artfire.com !

What is this ?
Well hopefully it will be a very fun event that will benefit everyone in a different way.
Lots of Artfire studio's are participating and the Eatser Bunny is hiding an Easter egg in each of their shops. It's up to you to find them and fill your "basket".

How do you play?
You will find a form for this contest on the ArtFire Easter Egg Hunt Blog. This contains tips to help you navigate Artfire.com and find all the Easter Eggs.
When you find them all you will find that each egg has a letter on it ( or the word "space" ) !
Use all the letters to make a sentence.
The sentence has to be in exact order to score all points.
Even if you manage to assemble a sentence different from mine ( always a possibility I guess) with all those letters it will not be counted as correct.
When you start assembling the sentence you will see when it is correct :) ....( now that is a seriously big tip )
Fill in the answer form and submit.

When?
The Easter Egg hunt starts on April 1st 2009 and will run for 3 weeks ! You have plenty of time to find the answer.
The participating studio's will be hiding their eggs in fun locations around their shop...you will receive a hint to find them.
Don't start looking now :) The eggs won't appear until April 1st !
What can you win ?
highest score : 50$ giftvoucher
second highest : 20$ giftvoucher
third highest : 10$ giftvoucher
These vouchers can be spent in all the participating studio's ! So plenty of choice .

So hurry on over to the ArtFire Easter Egg Hunt Blog to get your entry form. And then go to ArtFire and start looking for those eggs. There are fifty of them so you are going to be busy. And of course there is one in my shop. The hint for my shop is white jasper. So get going and in three weeks you just may be shopping on ArtFire and hopefully in my shop too.

Sign of the Times

2009-03-28T09:00:00.004-04:00

Every year I look forward to the Annual Art Shows that are held on Sanibel Island. They usually offer some very unique items and it is fun to see what every one is making this year. And the Art is usually phenomenal.

The Sanibel Rotary usually holds their 3 day show in February. This year I was away on the weekend it was held so I was not able to attend. The Lions Club has their show in March. This year it is this weekend. I visited the show yesterday.

As usual there were so many nice things to see. We did purchase a totem pole for out by the pool. The art and photography was exquisite as always. But as a person who makes jewelry, that is where my main focus was. My husband knows that he either has to wait or go on without me. I will be a while at the jewelry booths.

The first thing that caught my attention was the prices. Several of the designers had significantly lower prices than in past years. Some even had their original signage up with the price crossed through and the new price written in. At first glance you could think it was a marketing strategy. But judging by the prices I don't think that was the case entirely.

I did talk to several of the vendors. They did say that the traffic through the event was good and sales were fair to moderate depending on who I talked to. Some did tell me that sales were down at other shows and so they were marking down some items to move inventory. The one thing I did notice is that the vendors with lampwork beads and designs seemed to be doing a little better than those with gems and crystals. And for good reason because some of the lampwork designs were extraordinary.

So the message I came away with is that everyone is having to reduce prices on some items to entice sales. But for those who are still buying they are looking for something out of the ordinary and mid price range. The one purchase I witnessed as I was shopping was for a beautiful bracelet with lots of dangles made with lampwork beads (similar to the bracelets made by Risky Beads that is pictured at the top of this post) and the price was $65 which is a good price for the amount of time and beads in this particular piece.

For those of us selling we need to price our items fairly but not so low that we can not afford to continue to do what we do. And for those of us buying there are some good bargains to be had.

Adorable Hats

2009-03-23T18:00:00.002-04:00

Aren't those the most adorable hats you have ever seen??? I thought they were. I certainly would have loved to have hats like that when my kids were young. OK, I know I raised them in Florida and it doesn't get that cold. But there were some days when I would have killed for them to keep something on their heads to keep their ears warm. All I could find were the knit caps and they pulled them off as fast as I put them on. At least if it looked cute and fun I might have stood a chance.

I know it is officially Spring and we are looking forward to warmer days and wearing shorts and tee shirts. But every time I see these hats on ArtFire they make me smile. And hopefully I have a few readers who are in the cooler parts of the globe. Not everyone is putting their sweaters away just yet.

So take a look at these adorable hats. They are made by Miss D at Custom Cosplay on ArtFire. I am sure she would be thrilled to send you one to keep your little ones ears warm and cozy.

First Craft Show

2009-03-22T10:46:00.004-04:00

I have sold my jewelry at a couple of church bazaars during the holiday season last year. That was a great experience and really prepared me to launch out and try an honest to goodness Art Fair.

So yesterday I took my dog and pony show to an Arts and Craft Fair in the Park in Fort Myers, Florida. There were approximately 20 vendors at this fair. I was a little disappointed as I thought it would be a little bit bigger. But the park was on a main street and they did have a large banner out so it did attract a fair amount of traffic.

Prior to the this event I did read as much as I could about selling at fairs and I posted inquires in forum on ArtFire and the forum on ArtFire Jewelry Artists and Supplies Shops Guild of which I am a member. I received a wealth of good advice and hints from my fellow artisans which really helped me out. And whoever told me to bring duct tape was a real lifesaver. It was a breezy day and without the duct tape I would not have been able to use a couple of my displays. But the duct tape on the bottom kept them secured to the table cloth. And the table cloth clamps kept them in place so I was good to go.

I had a steady stream of people milling around under my tent. I had read somewhere that it is good to put your table at the back of your tent to get people to come in and look around. That did seem to work out well for me. And then I had items on both side of the tent so there was plenty to see and if someone was in one area when another person walked up there was still items they could look at too. The only thing I forgot, and it wasn't on my list, was my camera. I really wanted to get pictures of my booth all set up. So I guess that means I just have to do it again.

I sold a few necklaces and bracelets so it was a good day. I was able to cover my entry fee and still make some bead money. As I told someone, I can't buy the house on the beach yet but now I can buy more beads. And for me that is a good thing.

For my fellow artisans, the necklaces that I sold all had pendants on them. And the bracelets were all woven bead patterns. I didn't sell any earrings which was kind of surprising to me. It could have been the way they were displayed. I had them hanging from different items. I think for my next show I will take the time to put them on cards and get something to hang them on. I think that way people can get a better idea of how they will look on. Or maybe it's just how they are used to seeing them displayed.

Lastly, I was able to network with fellow artisans and I did get some good leads on some shows for the fall. And I just loved talking and interacting with all the people who came to see my jewelry. It was a very positive experience and I look forward to doing it again.

The picture above is one of the necklaces I sold. The pendant is pink turquoise magnesite and the necklace is salmon agate and onyx. I also sold a similar one that I had not even photographed yet. It had a yellow rectangle pendant and the necklace was oval yellow turquoise beads with silver spacers and green bicones. The pendant had some green in it as well.

ArtFire Jewelry Artists and Supply Shops Guild

2009-03-19T12:48:00.003-04:00

One of the great parts of belonging to the ArtFire Community is that you get to interact with so many talented artists by participating in the forum discussions. And you also get to share ideas, learn from each other, support each other and just have fun. But for those times when you really want to ask questions, get help, share idea or just have fun with people who are engaged in the same craft activity you are you need to join a guild.

I have joined the ArtFire Jewelry Artists and Supply Shops Guild. It was started several weeks ago and is still in it's developing stages. We still are feeling our growing pains but I know it will grow, just like ArtFire has, and that it will provide me with the encouragement and support I often need. And I hope I can be there to offer the same to the other members.

So I would like to post a Spotlight that I made on By Hand with some of the featured items that members of our guild have posted. If you are a jewelry artist or a supplier on ArtFire and you would like to join this guild you can find info in the guild area on ArtFire. I think you will like it there and I look forward to meeting more artists along the way.

In this spotlight from right to left are

1. Nature Whispers
2. Liberty Doll
3. Bead Lady 5
4. Creative Haven
5. Suz Bax a.k.a. Jewelry To Keep
6. Gem Kitty
7. Bacis Creations
8. Catinalife
9. Caly's Jewelry Creations

Getting Ready for Spring

2009-03-14T16:37:00.005-04:00

Spring is right around the corner. I can see signs of it all around me. The biggest is that all of our orchids are blooming. That is probably the only thing I like about the cold snaps that we get here in SW Florida. Once we get a nice cold snap and then it warms back up all the orchids begin to bloom. They bloom at other times of the year but then they take turns. But now all of them are in one stage or another of blooming. So we will have beautiful blooms to look at for several more weeks.

Another sure sign that Spring is approaching is I have been able to wear shorts and a tee shirt all day long. And the flannel pajamas are washed and in the back of the pj drawer. So I am a very happy camper. I am not a winter person. I must say that it has warmed up very quickly though. It seems like I was just complaining about how cold it was and not I have the ceiling fans on and have seriously contemplated putting the air conditioning on.

So to get everyone in the mood for Spring I am going to post my new jewelry that I made with spring in mind. I am going to try and post using the spotlight that I created on By Hand. I am really having a good time on that site. I love to window shop and see what everyone has posted. And when you window shop it just shows you random items so you never know what is going to pop up. And sometimes you even see some of your own stuff. So that is one good reason to make spotlights. Hopefully others are seeing your stuff too. And another good thing about spotlights is they are an easy way to share several items at one time with someone. You can post them on your blog, on facebook, on found handmade and actually anywhere you can paste in an html code.

So here is my newest creations just for Spring. And start making your spotlights today and share them with everyone you know. I also make some with items from different artisans on ArtFire to show off a variety of items too. It's fun. And if you click on items in a spotlight it will take you to rapid cart so you can see details and even purchase it if you like. What more could you ask for.

Online Jewelry Party

2009-03-11T12:19:00.004-04:00

I saw this idea in the ArtFire forums several weeks ago as a way to get people to your site and to boost sales. I thought it was an awesome idea. So I am launching it today.

Here is how it will work.....

Mary decides she will host an online jewelry party for my studio. She picks the dates she wants her party to run. I recommend one week. That gives her friends plenty of time to visit the site but doesn't drag on forever.

Next she sends out invitations to all her friends. I would recommend sending out both email and snail mail invitations. I will provide an invitation that can be printed out on your home computer and forwarded via email explaining how this process works.

For Mary's efforts she will receive any item worth $20 if she has at least 5 people who "attend" her party. She will receive an additional $10 to spend if 2 or more of her attendees book a party to host. Lastly, Mary will receive 10% of total sales at the party to spend as well. So if Mary has several friends purchase items, she will be able to get some nice jewelry free just for inviting her friends to an online party.

I will also give friends the option to show that they attended the party by sending me an email via my contact button in my studio. That way Mary gets credit for them viewing the site without the person having to purchase anything.

I invite everyone to feel free to try this out. We can all share ideas that work and those that didn't. I think this could help all of us to increase traffic to our own sites and to ArtFire in general.

March ArtFire Giveaway at Risky Beads

2009-03-10T09:17:00.003-04:00

Risky Beads does the best giveaways. I know because I have been the lucky recipient of her generosity. That's in another blog if you want to know more about it.

Here is the March ArtFire Giveaway. Once again there are so many great items that you can win. And you get to view so many cool shops on ArtFire when you enter.

This month's prize consists of these fabulous gifts: Shamrock shaped Green Clover & Aloe Candles by Soy Scentual, a jar of Pamper Your Hiney Lime Cooler Lotion from Shine Your Hiney Soap, a bar of Lime Margarita Salt Bar Soap from soapdeli, The Birds, set of 6 cards by Barbara Neely Designs, Run of Luck Shamrock vinyl wall decal by studiojk, an Irish Flag Shamrock Luggage ID Handle Wrap from Binhog Designs, a 5x7 print of Dandelion by Joanna's Photography, a Swarovski Emerald and Clear Bicone Inline Bracelet by Alisun's Custom Crafted Jewelry, a Tiny Green Aventurine Pendant by RockyCreek Gems & Gifts, and Emerald Acorns earrings from my shop, Risky Beads. Finally, the products are being photographed on an Olive Green Baby Ruched Tote Bag from jennyndesigns. Please see this listing to see the style of the bag. It's just a smaller version! There's also a tube of Creme de Menthe lip balm from Nella Scents thrown in as a freebie! These products retail for $160.00!!!

So hurry on over to the Risky Beads blog and see what you have to do to enter. I guarantee it will be worth your time and effort.

Hurray for the By Hand Giveaway

2009-03-06T13:12:00.003-05:00

Enter through March 18th to win ALL of the following prizes listed: Choker Necklace with Glass Beads Set into a Greeting Card - $6.99 - from Twilight's Fancy, Tin of Breakfast Blend Tea and Tea Sacs - $19.50 - from LiberTeas, Two 9oz. Palm Wax Candles in Cran-Orange Delight and Pure Indulgence - $20 - from Jennuine Candles, Clean Cotton Soap - $4.50 - from Hartley Soap Co., Winner's Choice of Three Sheets of Personalized Labels - $16.50 - from Bohtieque Design, Square Glass Tile Wanderer Pendant - $8.50 - from Ela Steel, Needlefelted Bear - $15 - from EJ Crafts, Millefiori Polymer Clay Girl Doll Key Chain - $7 - from Ben-David's Art Studio, and a Matted 5"x7" Angel Amongst Us Photo Print - $10 - from Melissa Butler Photography. The grand total of all prizes is $103.49! This contest is open worldwide to participants age 18 and up. The winner is responsible for any taxes or custom fees that may be applied to receive their prize. The contest will end on March 18, 2009 at 11:59pm EST.

Go to http://www.byhand.me for details on how to enter this giveaway.

Time For a Tea Party

2009-03-03T13:38:00.006-05:00

I am sure you have seen all the news articles about the health benefits of drinking tea. I love the web page Real Age. It is written by Drs. Oz and Roizen. I like it because as a health care professional myself, I think the advice there is honest, practical and based on scientific findings and not just promotional in nature.

There are several postings there about the health benefits of drinking tea. There has been an abundance of writings about the benefits of drinking green tea. Some of the studies suggest that drinking green tea on a regular basis will help you to maintain your memory, improve your blood pressure and decrease your risk for developing cancer. There are some that suggest that drinking green tea can even help you to maintain a healthy weight although that link has not been as strongly proven as the others.

But just recently I read that black tea also has some nice health benefits, especially for women. It turns out that drinking black tea can reduce a woman's risk of developing ovarian cancer. And drinking black tea also has been shown to reduce the risk, for both men and women, of developing Parkinson's Disease.

So, while just drinking tea because it tastes good is incentive enough for plenty of people, there are now more good reasons to enjoy this health improving drink.

And if you are looking for some really good tea to enjoy while you are reaping all the health benefits it has to offer, check out Liberteas studio on ArtFire. There are several blends to choose from and they all sound yummy to me. The pictures in this post are all from Liberteas studio as well. From top to bottom they are: Masterpiece Chai Spiced Black Tea, Breakfast in Bed Flavored Black Tea and Potpourri Gunpowder Green Tea. If you click on the pictures it will take you to them in Liberteas ArtFire Studio

New Handmade Sites

2009-03-02T10:43:00.002-05:00

There are two new hand made sites making a splash on the Internet. And the best part is they are promoting handmade art work rather than selling which is refreshing.

The first site is By Hand. It can be found at http://www.byhand.me

This site has so many features you could spend hours there and not be bored. There is an artisan directory where you can look up specific artisans and view what they have posted. There are community forums where discussions can take place on a variety of topics. And there are clubhouses where people with like interests can discuss specific topics and common interests.

But the features I like the most are window shopping and spotlights. You can click on window shopping and the site randomly displays items that are posted on the site. If you see something you like you click on it to get more information about it. Or you just keep clicking and get more items to view. It's like seeing the whole store from your chair.

Spotlights has to be my favorite part of By Hand. A spotlight is any group of nine items that you wish to display on the site. You give your spotlight a title and then post the items. For instance, I made a spotlight titled "It's a Dog's Life" and posted various items made by ArtFire artisans that were for dogs. I also made another one titled "Here Comes the Bride" with bridal related items. The possibilities are endless. And any spotlights you create can be viewed by anyone on By Hand.

Now this may sound complicated, but it isn't. The sites designers could not have made it any easier to use unless they actually listed the items for you. All you have to do is decide what you want to spotlight, give it a title, click on the boxes and pick the venue you are pulling the items from (ArtFire, Etsy, 1000 Markets etc) and the put the proper id number in and your item magically appears in the box. Fill all nine boxes and publish. And if that wasn't enough to have you jumping for joy..... all items that are from ArtFire have rapid cart automatically attached to them. What does that mean?? Well, if someone clicks on that item it displays with the rapid cart option which allows the person to purchase that item right there on the spot. What could be better than that??

This is an awesome site. I have been making spotlights and will continue to do so as often as my brain comes up with an idea.

The second site which I love is Found Handmade. It can be found at http://www.found-handmade.blogspot.com. This site displays handmade items from all over the web in a window shopping format as well. And the best part is you can request to have your spotlights from By Hand displayed on Found Handmade. It is a great site for just looking around and seeing what is out there.

Both of these sites are great places to visit. I have found so many unique and awesome items on both of them. And the variety is what is so great about them. I visit both of them several times a day. You should too.

It's a Dog's Life

2009-02-22T16:38:00.017-05:00

Beau, my 11 year old Basset Hound.

Man's best friend has never had it so good. Dogs are a great source of companionship. They are always there to greet you when you come home. And they are always happy and looking for ways to please the Master. And in return we accept them into our hearts and make them a part of the family. And there are plenty of ways that we can pamper our pooches. I am as guilty as the next guy. Now that my kids are grown my Basset Hound is my baby. And I was very happy to find lots of cute things for my little buddy, little being a relative term, on ArtFire. So I want to share some of my favorites with you.

Spoiled Bratzwear

Hatz 4 Bratz

Blueberry & Lime Bullseye Jammeez

Chilly Paws

Diva Snuggle Sack

Cream Dog Sweater

Blue Shed Crafts

Hand Knitted Terrier Sweater

Pawsh Dogwear

Jackie O Collar

Dog Park Princess Collar

My Doggie and Me

Pup Tart Squeaky Toy

Flip Flops Squeaky Toy

So as you can see there are so many cool things for your special pet on ArtFire. And believe me this is just the tip of the ice berg. Spoiled Bratzwear even has a doggie wedding gown on her site in case your pooch has that special day coming up. I don't know about you but when Beau needs something I am going to shop on ArtFire. I hope you will too.

I Won

2009-02-18T11:25:00.009-05:00

On an earlier post I blogged about the contest that Risky Beads was having called Love Potion. The challenge was to visit Risky Beads Etsy Studio. I highly recommend doing this. There are so many lovely pieces there. And they all have interesting names. I thought of doing that for my jewelry but I am not that talented and quickly began to run out of ideas. So Risky Beads has many talents in her arsenal. But back to the challenge. After viewing her pieces you needed to write a love story using just the names of her jewelry design. I had so much fun doing it and I won.

OK.... so now I have to tell the rest of the story. Only one other person besides myself entered teh challenge. So Risky Beads declared a tie and awarded both of us the pendant of our choice from the Risky Beads Studio on Etsty. Risky Beads also has a studio on ArtFire with many great designs there as well.

So here are the items we won.

I chose this piece titled Tree Hugger 2

The other winner chose this piece titled Chemistry

Great contest and great prizes. Thanks Risky Beads for making me a very happy winner. And I will be stylin for sure when my prize arrives in the mail.

Sports and Jewelry

2009-02-10T08:39:00.010-05:00

About 2 years ago I saw a bracelet made with Swarovski bicones in alternating colors. When I saw it the first thing that went through my mind was wouldn't that bracelet look made in Dolphin colors? So of course I had to try it and it was awesome. But my mind didn't stop there. Then I thought wow, I could put a little silver dolphin charm on it and it would really be a Miami Dolphin Bracelet then. But I didn't stop there. Next I thought, I wonder what a heart would look like in Dolphin colors. That turned out to be my favorite one of all.

Shortly thereafter the University of Florida won the National Championship and I needed an idea for a birthday present for my daughter in law, who is an avid Gator fan and alum. So out came the beads. And I was able to find not only a Gator charm but also a National Champs charm.

And from there the idea just blossomed. I have made Buckeye jewelry for my other daughter in law who is an Ohio State alum and enthusiast and many, many more.

I really enjoy making custom items. It is really fun to make something that you know is going to have special meaning to someone. And who isn't a sports fan of one kind or another. There are so many options open to be creative and make something for that special sports nut in your family. And more ladies are becoming sports fans so this is a match made in heaven. And when a team is on top there is no better time to get those items out there.

So I think I will go make a Steeler bracelet and see what happens. I know there are a lot of Steeler fans out there.

You can order your favorite team bracelet at my ArtFire Studio. Choose team spirit category and tell me what you would like to have made. The possibilities are endless.

Listing Help From Red Panda

2009-02-09T14:49:00.006-05:00

In the ArtFire Forums section, Red Panda was kind enough to offer all of us some friendly advice on how to post a good listing. I thought it had several good ideas in it and some I really had not thought of but made good sense to me when I read them. So I thought it would be a good idea to post them here and spread the good advice around. I believe that when we help each other out then we all can succeed. And you will also get to see some of Red Panda's lovely chainmaille designs throughout the article.

Alright! First off and foremost, your title! I usually name my items descriptive words, Hence all four words in my title describe my item. The title is important for search, so I like to use at least one or two words that a person may be searching for to get my item (like "rainbow bracelet"). However, do not over do it by using a ton of keywords in your title. This looks a bit ebayish, and hey, that's what your tags are for! More on this later.

If you accept offers, check "Yes". This is a feature that AF offers that I haven't seen much elsewhere. I don't personally accept offers BUT I think it is a great feature for those that do. :)

Next, add as many pictures as you have! Verified members such as myself have 10 whole picture slots. That's twice as many as on etsy. Fill them up! I always only use nine because then there's not an extra blank space for the last picture. AF replaces pictures in the picture slots instead of giving each one their own, so there will be a blank space if you use all ten. Hence, nine pics!

Try to take pictures of your items from all angles. One that shows the whole piece, a close up, a close up on the clasp, a picture of the item in use, the back of the item, etc. Your buyer's can't pick up your item and inspect it, so try to give them that feeling through your pictures.

Describe your product to the best of your ability! Write whatever comes to mind, then re read it and edit it. One of my favorite things about AF is that you have an "inspiration" section. In mine, I wrote all about how I re-designed the bracelet as I was making it.

Select the category that you think your item fits in best. The most relevant category.
List all your materials, and then, fun time! Tags! I LOVE that artfire has unlimited tags. Here's what you should ask yourself. "what would someone search for to find my item?" Those are your tags. I use all the spellings of chainmail, as well as all the colors I used in my bracelet (along with both "rainbow" and "colorful"), among lots of other things that people would search for to find my bracelet (like bracelet, for example! lol).

I don't mark down my prices using the manager, although I do have sales from time to time. If you would like to use the manager, which I think is another great feature that AF uses, make sure to do that at the end!

Hit ADD PRODUCT and head over to the front page to watch your item appear. That's what I do anyway. lol!

If you have a system that works for you then by all means go with it. But if you are like me and just starting out and can use all the help you can get, then I think you will find some real useful ideas in Red Panda's article.

Can You Brew A Little Love Potion?

2009-02-09T12:38:00.003-05:00

That was the question posed this morning on Risky Beads blog page. They are having a fun contest and I just could not resist. So do as I did and let your creative juices flow. You never know what might happen. Here is the scoop........

Valentine's Day is almost here! Think you're ready? Well, prove that you're up to the task by brewing a little semantic Love Potion and win this pendant:

Here's how to enter:Go to my Etsy shop and write a little love note using only the names of my pieces. You can add words like 'the' and 'a' if you like, but the winner will be the person who forms the most coherent and romantic love note using the highest number of my pieces with the fewest extraneous words. You can enter up to three times, must only use items that are currently for sale and only their titles, and cannot use the piece in the giveaway--Love Potion. Comment below with your entries.The winner will be chosen on Valentine's Day, Saturday, February 14, 2008.Good luck, Lori

So buzz on over to Lori's blog at Risky Beads and see what you can come up with.

A Real Soap Opera

2009-02-08T09:20:00.006-05:00

As I am fairly new to the crafty online selling community, I was somewhat surprised to find several people selling soap. I guess I always knew that some people do make their own soap but I had never really given it much thought. But there is a significant market there so I decided to explore it some. Here is some of what I found out in the process.

Here is what some of those crafty Soap Maker had to say..........

B A Kid Again

Chocolate Cupcake with a Strawberry on Top Soap

I love making soaps again! I used to love it and then it took over as a business but I'm going back to it as a hobbyist again, yay!

I've made M&P (melt & pour), lye soap (cold, hot, and microwave processes), and just about any variation of those possible. When I was very young I watched my grandmother make soap in the basement and to this day I can still hear her, "You just stay back there cuz I don't want you to get burned!" and see her dressed up in her attire.

Why did I start making soap? Because I have 2 red-headed kids that have VERY sensitive skin. Now I make it because it relaxes me.

Soap Smith

Stardust Handmade Cold Process Soap

I made my first soaps in the mid 1970's. I was drawn to the craft because of the long history of soap making and the handing down of techniques through the generations. I am an avid gardener and enjoy incorporating my herbs into my soaps. I am a member of the Handmade Soap maker's Guild as well as the Pa. Guild of Craftsmen.

Now with the advent of the Internet, the soap making community has grown by leaps and bounds. I believe we have the responsibility to advance the craft and pass along our new found modern soap making methods. In that light, I teach and do demos for newbies as well as seasoned soap makers at conferences and symposiums. I also offer tutorials for the soap making community through forums and mentor many new soap makers.

I make cold process hand made soap as well as glycerin soaps such as my hand carved gemstone soap rocks. I also make a full line of bath and body products. I enjoy the challenges of formulating my products and take great pleasure in creating and recreating the products that have become customer favorites. My customers are my motivation & inspiration, they continue to support my efforts with their purchase and gratitude. For that I am most grateful.

Dragonfly Herbal

Peppermint Soap

My soap making evolved out of my love for making all sorts of things myself. I like to grow my own fruits and vegetables, make my own jams, jellies, and pickles, and cook and bake all sorts of things from scratch. When I found out I could make soap in my own kitchen, I had to try that too!

I make hot process soap using only essential oils for fragrance, and try to incorporate herbs and botanicals into my products in other ways, like using herbal teas for the water, and adding ground dried herbs. I'm interested in the different ways scents and herbs can enhance a soap and enhance the mood of the person using the soap.

I'm also in the process of going organic. I try to buy organic food as much as I can, and I use organic techniques in my gardening, so it just makes sense to use organic ingredients in my soap as well.

Lastly, I like making soap because I'm a science nerd! I have a biology degree, and I like reading about the different fatty acids and what properties they add to the soap. It's fun to experiment with different recipes. I actually like reading about saponification and fatty acid profiles and so on.

Maple Street Soaps

Cucumber Glycerin Loofah Bar

I first started making soap back in 2000. Seems like a life time ago. I love the different ways it can be made. It's an addiction that's for sure! I make soap because I have sensitive skin. I did lots of trial and error recipes and found one cold process one that I love.

Did you know that if you select the Bath and Beauty category of ArtFire it comes up with 4128 listings. And if out of those you just click on soap you will still get 2125 listings. That's a lot of soap.

There are many more so be sure to hop on over to ArtFire and check them out.

More Pearls

2009-02-04T22:27:00.004-05:00

I found two more artisans on ArtFire with really cool pearl offerings so I had to post them too. I know you will like them as much as I did.

Created by BELLA SWEET

A waterfall of Genuine Freshwater pearls cascade from a sleek silver snake chain. Pearls of cream, gold and grey dance together.

Created by Mzz Thang

Lustrous chocolate and creamy white pearls along with "drizzled" coco jasper make up this triple-strand bracelet. Bali silver beads and a silver plated lobster claw claps complete it.

It is just amazing all the ways that pearls are used today. I am sure if you browse on ArtFire you will find many more too.

Not Your Grandmother's Pearls

2009-02-04T14:03:00.014-05:00

Pearls have been used in jewelry and to decorate clothing for centuries. Long ago pearls were a symbol of wealth and could only be afforded by Royalty and the extremely wealthy.

A pearl is an accident of nature. Mollusks defend themselves from irritants, such as sand, that get into their shells. They form a protective substance called nacre around the irritant to keep it from harming it's delicate inner tissues. This is what forms the pearl.

Pearls were expensive because a natural occurring pearl was difficult to find. You could literally open hundreds of mussels or oysters and only find one or two pearls. Also, as the mollusk adds layer upon layer of nacre to the irritant, the pearl usually forms in different shapes. So finding a pearl that was round and symmetrical increased its value tremendously.

In the early 1900's the Japanese began to look for ways to entice oysters to produce round pearls on demand. They began with saltwater oysters and then began experimenting with freshwater mussels. Initial commercial freshwater pearl crops appeared in the 1930's. While the Japan were the pioneers in the cultured pearl arena, today the best cultured pearls come from China.

Today there are also artificially manufactured pearls or imitation pearls. Some imitation pearls are made from mother of pearl or conch shell, while others are made of glass and coated with a solution containing fish scales. Although imitation pearls look good they do not have the same luster as real pearls.

Pearls come in eight basic shapes: round, semi-round, button, drop, pear, oval, baroque, and circled. Perfectly round pearls are the rarest and most valuable shape.

There is also a special vocabulary to describe the length of pearl necklaces. A collar is 10 to 13 inches and should sit directly against the throat. Chokers are 14 to 16 inches and sit at the base of the neck. Princess length is 17 to 19 inches and comes to just below the collarbone. Matinee length is 20 to 24 inches and falls just above the breasts. Opera length is 28 to 35 inches and should be long enough to reach the breast bone or sternum. The longest is the pearl rope which is more than 45 inches.

White and black are the most popular colors of saltwater pearls. Other color tints can be found on saltwater pearls such as pink, champagne and green. But these are rare and hard to find. Freshwater and artificial pearls can be dyes and are available in a range of colors.

The pearl is the official birthstone for the month of June. They are also considered to offer the power of love, money, protection and luck. Some believe that pearls also give the wearer wisdom and cement engagements and love relationships.

Today many artisans use pearls to design gorgeous pieces. The size, shape and color vary so much that the possibilities are endless. While grandma was happy to wear a nice single strand or maybe even a double strand of all white or cream color pearls, that is no longer the case today. The pearl has come out of it's shell so to speak. And we are so much the luckier for it.

Below I have featured some interesting pearl designs from ArtFire artisans.

Created by SHINY ADORNMENTS

This bracelet is comprised of many lovely iridescent fresh water peacock pearls and really lovely aqua multi colored lampwork beads for a stunning look.

Dozens of iridescent purple and black cultured fresh water peacock pearls form a nice cluster pendant on this necklace. What a creative use of pearls.

Sweet and petite pink freshwater pearls and one white fresh water pearl compose these floral dangle earrings. All other components are sterling silver.

Created by ACCESSORIES BY GOTTJOY

This stunning freshwater pearl necklace was created using gold and copper peacock top drilled freshwater pearls. The focal point of the necklace is a copper heart that was designed and created by artisan Patricia Healey.

Light blue freshwater pearl top drilled at an angle were used to make this necklace.The focal point of the necklace are the beautiful boro lampwork beads in shades of blue. These beads were hand made by expert glass artisan Chet Corneliuson of BC Lampworks.

This double strand freshwater pearl and crystal bracelet is stunning. The light blue oval pearl strand is accented by 2mm round silver beads. The 2nd strand of white rice pearls is accented by 5mm aqua AB Swarovski crystals.

Created by NC TEDDY BEAR LADY

Freshwater coin pearls accent the pendant portion of this fabulous necklace.

The neck strap is made up of a random mix of, Swarovski crystals, fresh water pearls in two colors and sizes, Czech glass beads and antique seed beads. The pearls and crystals compliment each other wonderfully in this piece.

The tassels on the bottom of her feet and her necklace strap are an eclectic mix of fresh water pearls, vintage seed and bugle beads and vintage Czech crystals. Very nice use of pearls.

Two of my favorite pearl creations are this triple strand of pearls in varying sizes and colors. There is a mixture of freshwater and Swarovski pearls in this piece.

You no longer have to just wear a pearl stud if you want to wear pearl earrings. I made these from Swarovski pearls. It's all about the dangle baby.

Grandma may have loved her single strand of white pearls in maybe a choker or princess length but now we are taking the pearl to new heights and having fun doing it.

2009-02-03T14:35:00.006-05:00

A New Home for Handmade
Adam, also known on etsy and artfire as infivision, decided he wanted a better social community to promote handmade. While ning offers this to some extent, he felt it was too generic and has a poor user interface. In a quest for something better he developed http://byhand.me/. Designed and created in under a week and for under $100 - ok so he had to purchase the domain and a security certificate - ByHand serves as a free social network for those who make handmade and those who buy handmade. Here's a run down of what you can expect from the site:

Artisan Directory
Forums
Member Blogs
Social Networking
Chat
Private Messaging
RSS Feeds
And more.

The Artisan Directory is for artists and crafters with a business. Artisans can add their business along with where they sell online, social network profiles, and more. Members can rate and review these shops which helps shops further build their reputation online.

The Forums are where users can chat about handmade, ask for advice, promote shops, or just kick it! Have a question about a new technique you heard about? Are you a buyer looking for a handmade craft? This is the place!All members also receive their own blog. Member Blog entries are placed in the Community Blog for crafters and buyers alike to read and enjoy. Buyers can review products or make recommendations on their blogs or share artist interviews, while artists can promote their craft, selling tips, tutorials, run contests, and more. Members can also choose to have their blog entries posted to the front page of ByHand.

Everyone can help promote handmade by taking part in this vital section of the community. The social networking features of this site allow you to connect with other members of ByHand through all the various sections of the site. Any time you see a profile that you would like to connect with, just click on them. Members choose the type of connection they want to make, whether they be a customer, a favorite artisan, or a favorite supplier. Members can even make notes on connections to help remind them that they want to shop with artisan A for a gift for dad or reconnect with artisan B later for future, joint promotion!

Chat allows members to communicate in real time with other members of the ByHand community.The private messaging function allows members to send messages back and forth to other community members. Safer than giving out an email address for making those first time connections. This is great for buyers and sellers to connect on custom projects and more.

Additionally, RSS feeds can be added to all member profiles. Add up to five feeds. Include the feed for personal or favorite blogs or an online shop! For example, sellers can add their Etsy shop feed to the RSS feeds in their profiles and other users will see their latest product photos and content just by mousing over the feed!

All members also receive their very own memorable URL. This URL can be viewed from the profile page. Sellers can utilize this URL to promote their businesses! A byhand.me URL is much more professional than a simple blogspot.com or ning.com address, giving users who aren't technically savy a great way to direct folks to ALL their online selling venues without having to buy their own domain.

February Giveaway at Risky Beads

2009-02-02T21:42:00.004-05:00

This month Risky Beads Blog is running a contest that consists of the following prizes: Pink Sugar Natural Soy Wax Candles by Soy Scentual, a jar of Pamper Your Hiney Satin and Silk Lotion in Love Spell from Shine Your Hiney Soap, a Have a Heart beaded bookmark from bijouxdesignsforyou, a 7.5" hematite and Swarvoski crystal valentine bracelet with a toggle clasp from Jewelry to Keep by Suzanne Baxter, matchbook notepads (6) and floral envelopes by Recupe Fashion, a bar of Pomegranate soap from soapdeli, handmade valentine notecards from timelesspaperarts, Hearts Aflame earrings by GemKitty, and the Access ceramic pendant from Risky Beads. The 2 items that aren't pictured are: a 5"x7" Red Berries on Blue photographic print from MNH Photography and a beautiful Irish Wool and Linen bracelet from Painted Bull. These products retail for $110.00!!! Enter through February 8th at noon. Visit Risky Beads Blog now to enter!

Featured Artist - Gems By Jerri

2009-01-31T13:25:00.022-05:00

Today I am featuring Gems by Jerri. She has a studio on ArtFire which features bracelets, barrettes, earrings and necklaces. One feature she has which I really liked was the earring of the month club. You subscribe to it and she sends you a new pair of earrings each month. What a cleaver idea that is. And you get a new pair of earrings to wear each month. Sounds like fun to me.

Jerri lives in Texas and has been crafting all her life. She works for a jewelry manufacturer during the day and then comes home and makes her own jewelry at night. She started out making jewelry for herself to wear. Then she began giving jewelry that she made to friends and family as gifts. They liked her work so much that she has recently started to sell her jewelry online.

The most exciting part of making jewelry for Jerri is receiving new materials. She gets excited about what she can create with them and likens it to how you feel when receiving Christmas gifts. She also gets excited when someone orders jewelry from her online studio because then she knows she wasn't the only one that liked that particular item.

Jerri's least favorite part of this endeavor is photographing her jewelry so that she can post it online. I think this is probably one of the most difficult things for most jewelry crafters. Unless, you are really skilled with a camera it is sometimes difficult to get crystal clear pictures that really show off the detail of jewelry in a way that the buyer can appreciate.

Jerri is currently learning to work with polymer clay. She claims this could become an addiction for her. Polymer clay is something I have wanted to learn as well. At some point I know I will have to give it a try too.

In addition to making jewelry Jerry also enjoys reading, music and spending time with family and friends.

You can find Jerry on the web at:

http://www.gemsbyjerri.etsy.com/

http://www.gemsbyjerri.artfire.com/

http://www.gemsbyjerri.blogspot.com/

www.twitter.com/gemsbyjerri

www.facebook.com/people/Jerri-Chatham/1206458224

2009-01-26T14:00:00.006-05:00

Handmadeology is the brain child of Timothy Adam. If you are not familiar with his work you have to visit his blog at http://timothyadamdesigns.blogspot.com

Timothy does beautiful metal designs. He has a successful Etsy shop and has recently opened a shop on ArtFire. That is where I became familiar with his work.

But that is not all Timothy does. He has started Handmadeology as a way to offer guidance and give the tools of the trade to other online artists. I for one can use all the help I can get.

I visited Handmadeology today and was very impressed with all it has to offer. I only viewed 3 videos and read 2 articles but they were chock full of good ideas and a treasure trove of information. I found many helpful hints and can't wait to put them into being.

One of Timothy's suggestions was the importance of blogging. So I am finally getting my blog going and hope to publish it today. So click on over to Handmadeology and see what it is all about. I know I will be back often. I am sure if you check it out you will be too. You can get to Handmadeology at http://handmadeology.biz/home or just click on the sign above and it will take you there too. Have fun. I did.

Blogging

2009-01-23T10:34:00.004-05:00

How to start a blog? This is the question of the hour. I am told that one needs to blog to have a social network. And you have to have a social network if you really want to do business online. A social network supposedly allows you to brand yourself and by doing so give your business a name of it's own as well. You want it to become as recognizable as the Golden Arches. Do I want to sell my products online? Yes. Do I want to be as famous as Ronald McDonald? I don't think so. While that may sound like the ultimate goal I really don't want to work that hard.

I am a retired pediatric nurse practitioner who has been making jewelry for the past five years. I started out taking a few classes with friends and making jewelry as gifts for family and friends. I retired from nursing two years ago and since that time I have really started to blossom as a jewelry maker. I really love to try new things and to experiment with different techniques and beads to see how they work together.

I have taken a few more classes and I have read several bead/jewelry magazines and books. I want to start to learn a few more techniques and also try some new mediums. I did take a class on chainmaille. I loved the look of the bracelet I made. I can see how people become hooked on it. But I think it would take a lot of practice and definitely a lot of patience. So that may not be the best thing for me. I do like working with wire though. I have made some wire crochet necklaces. I want to try and make some wire bracelets and earrings. And some different styles of wire necklaces as well. Another medium I would like to try some day is polymer clay. It looks like you could get really creative with it. I will have to research this option some more before I start down that road.

I have listed some of my jewelry for sale on a wonderful site called ArtFire. I am hopeful that I will be able to sell it there and to build up a customer base. I am also planning on featuring some of the other artists there on my blog. So I hope everyone will visit my studio at ArtFire. You can get there by going to http://www.suzbax.artfire.com/ Check out the other artists while you are there too. I think you will be impressed with all it has to offer. There is nothing like buying original handmade products. They make excellent gifts as well. You can be sure that the person you are giving them to will not have anything like it already.

This blog is a work in progress so I hope you will check back often or even sign up to follow it. I hope it will be a fun and informative place for everyone who visits.