Crystal Watches

I love, love, love this watch - these have a vintage look & very sparkly - love that sparkle ~ and these seeem to be different than ones I see other ladies wearing. Let me know if you want one - they're $29 each - I do have order them, so it takes a few days to get them in...

Ok, I know this one below is huge & possibly a bit much, but I like it... for those of us into wearing a crown, here's a good place to put it - add some rhinestones and tie it to your wrist...

for some reason, this watch reminds me of Texas - a little western & really BIG, but also victorian... I think I need one of these (or 2 or 3 ~ now what colors??)... white, black, red, bright green, light yellow, brown, GOLD & lastly SILVER (oh now this is my favorite or maybe the pink one - or the gold... :0)

~ these are $30 each ~

The ones below have square swarovski crystals - they also really sparkle. I have just the clear one & I love wearing it. My sister-n-law Misty, has the gold aquamarine one ~ my brother Scott said she has some friends that really like this watch...

~ these are $40 each ~

~ These sparkly ones are $29 ~

In the next few days, I am going to have a drawing for a give-away for something vintage ~ more details on that later...

Have a great weekend!!

Tomorrow - Back to School

Yay, oh... I mean oh so sad!! My kids go back to school tomorrow. I think I am supposed to be sad because I like my kids being home, playing & just being outside and just being "kids"and ~ but really, when I'm excited about them going back to school tomorrow.... NOW, I'll be able to get soemthing done around here.... i am making my list & now it's getting longer & longer - now, I just need to DO the things on the list.

One of my many things on my list is making more & more jewelry. Lazy Daze is in 3 weeks & I want to have my booth filled with lots of vintage sparkle. here are some pictures of things I'm working on... aren't these watches with roses yummy!!?

Vintage watch faces and pieces of old pink earrings... oh, I love these! I love this combination too... and i love the pink & white roses ~

Below is a necklace I am making ~ the pink bits & pieces are just laying waiting to be married with the pearls~

I love this bottle bracelet below, mainly because I love roses in any shape & size & color

~ I may just make this into a necklace ~ i want to wear it ~

~ A cameo mixed with vintage crystals and soldered ~

I made some new soldered pieces after a sweet new friend asked me to make some pendants make from the scrapbook papers she helps design. Thanks Terri for reccommending me. I had so much fun making these. I love the blue one on the right the most, since it's funkier (and different than ones I've made before) ~ but I like the simplicity of the pink one with pearls ~

Below is the front of the blue necklace, however,

really they are resersible, so either side is the front...

This is the "back" of the pink one... Oh, the company that makes these gorgeous papers are made right here in Cary, North Carolina. They also have trims & all sorts of vintage looking papers. If you scrapbook and you love vintage, you have to get some of this paper. They have a whole line in the "paris couture" theme ~ their web site is http://www.websterspages.com/

Thanks again Terri & I hope you both have a wonderful trip to Florida

See you soon ~ in the next day or so, I'll show you other vintage crystal pieces in corporated into necklaces... these are my favorites of pieces I've made ~

Spring Daze last weekend & Life here in Cary NC

When I got to Spring Daze last weekend, it was rushed as usual... I tried for weeks before to prepare, but still, I am ADD & can't figure out how to prioritize, I guess. When I got there, there were already people at my booth & many items were not priced... some didn't have clasps... I thought, oh nooooo ~ but I always try to bring my pliers, clasps, beads & definitely price tags.

It ended up being a gorgeous day & I did well being in the shade, ALL day! I felt bad for the people across from me - in the sun all day.

I only had one peice - walk away - which was so annoying!! Ted & Darlene stopped by my booth & took pictures, so I have proof that the ring below WAS actually there... but near the end, I kept thinking I would find it, but never did. I was actually wearing it earlier... ugh!!

Below are 2 bottle bracelets that I made recently. I love the one with the rose... I love roses anyway, I really like this white rose ~ repurposed for a bottle bracelet... these also look pretty draped over a lamp or picture frame corner.

here I am with Darlene - chatting - of course - mouth OPEN, as usual.

Below is my new sign I had made for shows like this... and some inexpensive frames I bought & used burlap behind it for a display for my necklaces. These worked out well. I then glued old buttons to the push pins to use on the frame.

the booth behind me had a baby doll clothes

I love this pendant - it reads "She was an artist & her life was her canvas"

I've been soldering a lot lately, here are 2 pieces I've finished recently & sold.

These next few necklaces are favorites of my recently ~ mixing the new funky beads, like Tiger Cowrie beads (shells) with a lone vintage brown rhinestone earring. I love brown & turquoise.

Another necklace with shells - I love shells and their many colors

Below: More sparkly bottle bracelets that I plan on listing on etsy

and a victorian bracelet.

These bookmarks belwo are awesome. there a mixture of vintage typewriter keys & in the middle there is a Bulova watch where the hands still turns. I love using old ladies watches on just about anything.

Blain & Caleb at Y-Guides Camp

I love getting the mobile phone pictures from my husband showing what they are doing while at Y-Guides camp... there are 3 pictures ~ above is Balin & Caleb finishing the 5K and below is going bed Saturday night - they both look tired.

Blain & Caleb as they arrived on Friday at 630 - Camp Sea Gull

Just some random pieces I've made recently...

I just wanted to get something up here on my blog - so here are some pictures of few item's I've made recently.

These ones below were inspired by my sweet friend & artist Alice! Thanks Alice. You are so talented & amazing I look up to you in so many ways. Alice also makes jewelry with vintage pieces... I just looking through all her beads & vintage pieces ~ I drool at all her jewelry she has made. Just gorgeous!! Amazing talent!!

This piece below (also inspired by Alice) has tiny beads, buttons & baubles collaged over an antique gold filigree piece... with lots of vintage glass pearls ~ I love old yellowed pearls!
So much character.

This piece below was made for my friend Linda Doyle ~ but now cannot find it! So Linda, if you are reading this ~ it has to be around here somewhere! So now you know what it looks like (and that I really DID MAKE IT~ I hope you like it ~ and if not, I won't bother looking for it!! LOL!! I'll find it!! Don't worry!!


This is my all time favorite bracelet... and I sold it... some day I'll make another. All sterling silver & freshwater pearls... then a satin ribbon ties it all off!

Small boxes that have collages of vintage bits, then enclosed in glass & soldered closed
The pieces made below were for my friend and customer, Tangee ~

Billy Graham's Prayer For Our Nation

(I received this in an email & thought it was such a great prayer)

'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have pollute d the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!'

Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,' and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'One Nation under God

Starting out organizing in 2009

I tend to work best & have more creativeness when there is a big pile of jewelry and rhinestone pieces at my fingertips... but, I am going to try this... "organizing thing". We're getting ready for Disney (leaving next Friday - at 3 am - hopefully the kids will sleep during some of the 11 hour trip - ah, who am I kidding??) ~ and so I am trying to get organized for it all, including other parts of my house. I love organizing (when I am in the mood :-), if it would only just stay that way. Here are some pictures of the "before" ~ in my jewelry area:

tah dah..... here are some "after" pictures:

what is it about getting more and more of these beautiful things? I just love them. How could you not love it?! Now, if only I was off to create more pieces of jewelry with these beautiful jewels... but I'm off to Nordstrom to use my gift certificate my husband gave me for Christmas... I love Nordstrom!! yummy ... I know exactly what I want... I'll show you that later!