Sunday, December 26, 2010
Hello from New Oleans
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
And The Winners Are!
Whew!
Drum roll please!
The first name out of the bowl is - Hazel!
The second name out of the bowl is - Chapati!
The third name out of the bowl is - fhjgsk - sorry - popcorn husk - Nurse Pickles!
And the fourth name out of the bowl is - Maggie!
Ladies - Please contact me with your snail mail so I can pop these into the post before I head south.
It’s Almost that Time Again!
Sorry for the corny heading but I didn’t have time to think of another! :0)
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Sometimes Simple Makes a Real Statement
When I started thinking about this post an ad popped into my mind and it has stuck there.
Have you ever seen those ads that say ‘Make it today – wear it tonight’?
Has anyone ever had that happen? Don’t the ‘simplest things’ turn out to be the hardest?
Well – that’s what usually happens in my world. The best laid plans and all that….
Rant over and I am digressing anyway.
The title was referring to jewelry that isn’t all hyped up with doodads hanging here and there. It’s about how something simple can make a huge statement.
I give you the following - (click to enlarge)
See what I mean? Simple – but makes a knockout statement!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
One last Giveaway!
I am giving away 4 – yes – that is four! of these gorgeous little pins.
They are coffee or tea (you decide) cups with an attached spoon. Both the cup and spoon have little rhinestones around the rim and down the handle. They measure approx. - 1 1/4” x 1 1/4”
- that’s one and a quarter inches by one and a quarter inches.
I’ve always sold them for $19.99 – now I’m giving them away.
If you would like to be in on the draw – please tell me in the comment section. I will ship them anywhere in the world - no need to be local.
The pins are all the same - no differences between coffee or tea.
There were 6 pins when I first started this post but 2 have sold since the post went up.
I will make the draw on Wednesday – December 8th at NOON – mountain time. I will need addresses shortly afterward so I can pop them in the mail before I leave.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
‘Tis a Dark and Foggy Night
Looking out the windows this evening I can barely see the new trailer sitting in my driveway. All the streetlights are shrouded with fuzzy halos and I can’t see into my neighbours back yard.
The fog reminds me so much of New Orleans that I am sitting here all warm and cozy with a smile on my face and tingling with anticipation of the holidays to come.
A week from now and probably right around this time, we will be pulling out of the driveway and pointing the front of the car southward. What happens after that will be a totally new experience for us with our new trailer and tow vehicle. We will be like little kids at Christmas when we make our first stop in Great Falls, Montana. Won’t it be fun to discover how everything ‘really’ works on our first night away from home?
I’ve been trying to talk him into ‘camping in the driveway’ but he won’t go for it. I personally think it would be a great way to figure out how this thing works and what else I might need to pack. He’s probably wondering how his Touareg is going to drive and not about if I packed his underwear or not! When we do pull into the Walmart in Great Falls – at least we know that the store is open all night and he can buy some if he needs to. They let people camp in their parking lots because they know we are going to spend money in their stores. Smart move on their part.
With the upcoming trip constantly on my mind I’m going to post the pic of ‘The Grand Tour’ once again. Unfortunate circumstances have cancelled the sale of that particular bracelet and it is now back on the market. I’m also still taking orders for anything I’ve posted so far and will continue to do so right up until December 7th. If I haven’t got the trailer packed by noon on the 8th I might be in big trouble. Either that or we do a lot of shopping!
So without further ado – I give you ‘The Grand Tour’
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
And the Winners Are!
It’s that time folks. I can hear my clock beginning to chime which means it is 12 noon here in Alberta.
Placing my hand into (the bowl I use for my popcorn every night – okay okay – I did say it was going to be a hat but bear with me) and pull out the first name!
The winner of the first copy of Making Mixed Media Art Charms and Jewelry is – GINA!!
And putting my hand back into the popcorn bowl for the second copy of the same book – I’ve drawn KERRI !!
Ladies – please use ‘send me a message’ to give me your snail mail addy and I’ll be popping the book into the mail for you! Merry Christmas!
I truly wish I had a copy of this book to give away to all the people who put their names in for the draw. It really is a great book!
Moving on.
I’m one of those people who puts on a bracelet far more often than a necklace. I’m not sure why that is. Could it be that with an – ahem – heftier shelf – I’m distracted by what is laying on top of it? Or could it be that I really like the sound that dangly bracelets make? Yes that’s it – I like the sound! And I do! Really!
With that in mind I give you this -
Wear it with some matching earrings and a great pair of jeans…..wow!
$22
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Hoo(t) Knew?
Did you know that owls are making a comeback once again? Pretty soon we are going to see owl everything according to the world’s fashion forecasters. Hoo(t) would have known?
I love owls. I consider myself lucky when I get to see one. They aren’t a popular bird here but we do have them. One always appears in the same vicinity along the river. It sits and watches the cars go by – safe on its perch atop a fencepost. It is massive and regal. I sigh when I see it and smile.
With that in mind – I made the following. Give a hoot if you like it.
This bracelet has 3 different types of owls, a tree for them to perch on and not only some lovely maple leaves but also 2 deep green leaves. I added a moon and a star to light the way for happy hunting and a safety chain so they don’t get lost.
And finally – today is the last day to put in your name for the draw of this fabulous book!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Let’s Throw Some Earrings Into the Mix
I find that there’s nothing like a pair of earrings to finish your outfit or just make you feel better for the day. Some days I go around wondering if anyone has noticed my earrings because I think they are so special. Anyone else do this or am I just weird?
Here are some earrings that might do just that (make you feel special).
$25
I’ve had a number of comments about the earring cards that I make.
My mother is the girl on the right of the 3 little girls in their matching dresses. The other two are friends of hers.
The figure in the long dark dress carrying ice skates and pushing for the Suffragette Movement is my Grandfather. What an – er – um – lovely – yes that’s it – woman he made! It’s nice to look back and see how forward thinking he was.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Another Giveaway Contest!
For some reason the universe seems to feel that every book or magazine I order must come in duplicates. Too bad I couldn’t order something like money or precious gems and have the same thing happen!
Anyway – here I am once more offering a book this time called
Making Mixed-Media Art Charms & Jewelry
If you would like to win this book – I have TWO of them on offer – so double your chances!
Just leave a comment saying you would like to have your name put in the draw for December 1st. I will then notify the winner(s) for their snail mail address and it will then be winging its way to them.
I wonder – will it multiply in the mail like mine did?
Monday, November 22, 2010
The Power of Belief
URGENT re LUISA aka LEATHEREAGLE
*************************************************************************************
Perhaps - with the combined power of many thoughts and prayers - we can change the situation for Louisa. Thank you. Aims
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Almost Full Circle
Last year - December 26th - The Man's new (to us) beautiful blue Touareg burnt to the ground - fatally damaging our little 13 foot trailer that took us from Alberta all the way to Key West and to the Mexican border and to the west coast of California. The little 13 foot trailer that is my home during the summer while I help my brother with his white water rafting business.
That little 13 foot trailer is rising from the ashes (literally) like a Phoenix and is being reborn as I type. I found a wonderful guy who has promised to rebuild it with plenty of love and fiberglass and who will have it done by the time next summer rolls around again. It won't be the same little trailer when we get it back, but a trailer that has new paint and 'The Love Boat' hand inscribed under that back window once again. I'll probably post multiple pictures of it once it is returned to us once more.
However! Because of all of this, we have gone through a type of hell here at the Big Blue Barn. As most of you know, because of The Man's need for a vehicle to drive the 40 minutes to work - my 1996 Red Cavalier sports car was put into action. Too much action. It was also involved in an accident and because of its age was written off by the insurance company.
It never fails to amaze me just how many - slightly damaged -vehicles are written off by the insurance companies. I often wonder what the reasoning is behind it all. Is it to create more jobs? Or perhaps its a plan to increase the volume of landfills? I know it's an attempt to increase their bottom line as they sell all salvageable parts. We even notice how the government is involved in it as they erect barriers along our major highway that will 'save you' but destroy your vehicle in the process. Let's not go there.
All of this being said, the salvage company called me the day after I signed away my little red sports car and asked me if I knew anyone who wanted it for free. This man had not even seen my vehicle - he just didn't want the job of hauling it away. He told me it wasn't worth the effort.
I didn't care - I got my vehicle back and I had it fixed for the paltry amount the insurance company gave me for it. Because of all of this nonsense we had to buy another vehicle to get The Man to work and so we ended up with a lovely used Saturn Vue SUV.
Whew! Complicated? You should have tried living the stress all of this generated.
Never mind - there was a silver lining in the end.
On Friday we picked up a new (to us) Touareg. I'll not go into the horror that was the 5 hour drive to Medicine Hat through the snow and ice covered highway. Five hours of it! My nerves were frazzled because it was another five hour trip home - in the dark! I HATE driving in the winter!
But - now The Man has the vehicle he has always wanted once more.
To add to this we are getting a brand new 30 foot trailer delivered to our driveway on Wednesday! Our little 13 foot trailer could probably fit in the entire bedroom! We have spent months looking at trailer after trailer, wondering if this was the way to go. What decided it was the fact that The Man was told by his employer that he MUST take the holidays he has accumulated over the years he has worked there - or lose them. His choice - holidays - or payout.
He chose holidays.
So what does this all mean? The Man has eight weeks holiday time coming to him! And what are we going to do with it?
On December 8th we are hitching up our new trailer to our new Touareg and heading to Las Vegas where we will go to an Andrea Bocelli concert. We saw him six years ago in Las Vegas very close to the time we are seeing him now (more on this in another post sometime). From there we are traveling to New Orleans where we will stay in the same RV Campground we stayed at in 2008. Not only are we going to enjoy Christmas in New Orleans once again but we will have the chance to see much much more than we have in our other three trips.
Not only that - but with the ability to sleep 6! in our new trailer - my beloved brother and his partner are planning to come and join us for a week in January. I can only imagine how happy this time will be for the four of us! New Orleans will always be a place that needs to be introduced to others! No fair grounds or people wearing Mickey costumes are needed to be the main attraction of this incredible place. New Orleans stands on her own two feet beautified by its residents. They are the loveliest people we have ever met in our travels around the United States. That says a lot!
As I sit here with almost 6 inches of snow piling up on the deck outside my window where the thermometer reads almost 25 below Celsius - I think of what awaits us in a very short time.
We love everything about New Orleans! That must be obvious by now - but I don't care. I will continue to extol its virtues forever!
We will be gone from December 8th until February 7th! It seems unbelievable to me! And - this is the first time I've ever been excited and NOT frightened to leave The Big Blue Barn! I find this incredibly amazing all on its own!
Well - there it is! I'm a lucky gal. I know it. Thanks to the very hard work The Man does every single day we are going to have a wonderful time!
For those who have wondered how we managed to get away to New Orleans and all those other places before this? It has all been accumulated overtime and earned days off for The Man. That boils down to me not seeing him very often or being in bed and asleep before he gets home from work. We've managed. And now we get to hang out with each other in the city we would love to call home for longer than ever! And not only that - we get to see 12 basketball games with our favourite New Orleans Hornets! Woohoooooooo!
Okay - all this being said - I need to get back to my studio! I still have orders to fill and jewelry to create for the next couple of weeks. Shipments will be made up to December 8th for anyone wondering if they could get their purchase before we leave. Of course you can!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
A Donut Wrapped With a Ribbon
I also contemplated ‘The Hole Marks The Spot’ or ‘The Blue and White Circle That Is….’ or ‘A Miniature Life Preserver’ or ‘The Biggest Lifesaver’. So I picked one. Whatever title I picked would work and it would still be one pretty necklace.
The donut pendant is one I made with my own hands out of polymer clay. It’s a one and only and I sometimes think it is what a galaxy would look like in the daytime.
Have a look and be careful you don’t fall in……
Sorry for the photography. I need a Daryl or a David or a Brett…
A choice of two different earrings to wear with it.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
I Better Bookmark This Page!
Pewter Bookmarks - $15
A Question of whether I can ship ‘abroad’ has arisen.
YES – I can ship anywhere in the world!
Please contact me through the link on my sidebar!
As usual - click to enlarge.
Length - 16 1/2 inches
Length - 19 1/2 inches
