Downtown Glam: STOP! Hammer time...and Giveaway!

Downtown Glam: STOP! Hammer time...and Giveaway!: Somehow I feel like I should be wearing really baggy pants and doing some MC Hammer dancing.  I've been spending a lot of time at the hammer...

Downtown Glam: STOP! Hammer time...and Giveaway!

Downtown Glam: STOP! Hammer time...and Giveaway!: Somehow I feel like I should be wearing really baggy pants and doing some MC Hammer dancing.  I've been spending a lot of time at the hammer...

Lorelei's Blog: 7 Days of Giveaways Day 7 and Final Day

Lorelei's Blog: 7 Days of Giveaways Day 7 and Final Day: ATTENTION:  RENEE C ! Contact me, you won yesterday! Welcome to the final day of the week of giveaways! What a fun we've had eh?? Prett...

Focus On Life: Make Art (3/52)

This week was a little bit easier. On some wonderful news, we were able to get us a minivan. It is not anything special. But it is ours. And we own it. I am not a very artistic person. My drawings are limited and I believe I design Jewelry better than drawing. I have sketched something to make maybe twice.

Below is a collage of some things made this week.

I have a few more that didn't make it into my collage. I may add them later. But for now I have a toddler that is awake and ready to get dressed.

Lorelei's Blog: 7 Days of Giveaways - Day SIX

Lorelei's Blog: 7 Days of Giveaways - Day SIX: 2 more days!! Welcome back to my 7 days of giveaways! If you are new to the scene, I am giving away beads, jewelry kits, tools, and tute...

Lorelei's Blog: 7 Days of Giveaways: DAY THREE

Lorelei's Blog: 7 Days of Giveaways: DAY THREE: Welcome back! It's day three!! I am excited to share these new giveaways with you today!! If you are new to the scene, I am giving away bea...

Lorelei's Blog: 7 Days of Giveaways: DAY TWO

Lorelei's having a week long of giveaways, 
Lorelei's Blog: 7 Days of Giveaways: DAY TWO: Welcome back! Today is day 2 of my week of giveaways! I will be giving away some great prizes up til the 7th day, January 27th.  Giveaway...

Lorelei's Blog: 7 Days of Giveaways: DAY ONE

Come on over to Lorelei's for a week of giveaways. !!


Lorelei's Blog: 7 Days of Giveaways: DAY ONE: Welcome to my first ever week of giveaways! That's right, you read me right. I am giving away something here on my blog for 7 straight days...

Focusing on Life: Take Time Your Yourself (3/52 Photos)

This one may be the hardest yet. I have three kids and a husband. I do not get alone time. I try to bead something every night. It does not always work out that way. Usually when I sit down I am to exhausted to do anything. Or I am in a creative slump. So to grab time to relax is very hard to do. So as I sit down to start this blog post I am whirring ideas around in my head to see what I can actually accomplish.


So here I am Saturday Morning and have not had the time to slow down and take time for myself. The top post was started earlier in this week. Yesterday I had to run Mark to the ER, he has gout in his left foot. Then it was off to take my daughter, Mya to her first therapy session. Came home and rounded the family up for dinner and dishes, laundry, and then of to bed not one, not two but three times for the boys. By the end of the day, I was to tired to do anything and had lost my light.. I did make two set of earrings, photographed one in the bad lighting of my studio. 

These will be rephotographed and added to my etsy later. So on to what I will do for myself today. I will get my house cleaned, we have company coming tomorrow, And I will clean my studio. I shall be back with a followup post that will show what I actually did.

Focusing on Life: One Word (2/52 Photos)

I have struggled more with this weeks post than last weeks, I am notoriously unorganized. Everything room in my house is chaos. Especially the bead studio/ office. I need to get more organized this year and figure out a way to keep it organized.

So any advice that cam be given will happily be accepted. I have mulled over what one word I would use this year.. Travel (see Family and Friends) , Clarity to get myself fixed ( which is a loss cause.) But I know I can get organized..

Focusing on Life: Self Portrait (1/52 Photos)

I am a little late to posting this, but hey, I joined today..  I saw Patti's post and knew I had to join. It's not something that I should fall behind on. :) So I emailed Sally Russick and asked if I could sign up.

So I took two of my best days, I had a birth photo of Mya I would have done all three. I was not dressed up or prepared to have photo's taken, I am one who does not like to be in front of the camera. These photo's are my first pictures with my sons Mason and Timothy. I am a very insecure person.

Mason 10/12/10                                           Timothy 1/6/12

Goodbye 2012!!

2012 has been a bittersweet year for myself and my family. We started the year off  with the birth of our son Timothy. He weighed in at 8 pounds and 2 ounces.

Timothy Brayden 1/6/2012

I  cannot believe that in a few days My little baby will be 1. We are planning a small party with family and close friends. If it is not to cold we will have it at a local park. Below is a photo of Mason kissing Baby Timothy.

This past year we also lost two of our beloved pets. I miss them so much, I am holding back the tears as I plow through the photos of these fur babies. First is our cat, Angel. My daughter received this cat when a girl knocked on our door and said her parents told her to get rid of the kitten, or they will kill her. I took the kitten. Mya named her Angel for her white fur reminded her a Angel wings. Mya was 5 at the time.

Angel laying in a box.

She was chased away by my in-laws dog. We could not find her in the woods, So I know she hid well and is smart enough to survive outside on her own. But we do miss her dearly.  Next my dog Bandit, he was  a horrible babysitter, but a wonderful friend. He was a loyal little guy.

Bandit, doing his best to beg for something.

Bandit would take any type of food you offered him, If he did not like it, he would hide it under his bed, or in the laundry basket. He loved Mason so much. Sadly Bandit was killed my the same dog that chased Angel away.

We are saving up to get Bandits son from my mom, He is a shaggy little guy that looks just like my Bandit. But it may be a while until we can pay for his shots and pet deposits.

I have been lucky enough to befriended many people this past year. Two that hold a special place in my heart is Lori Anderson and Patti Vanderbloemen. These two ladies have helped me out in many ways. I love them dearly. I was scared to death to ask Lori to do a bead swap with me. I see these women as Celebrities. She agrees and sent me some beautiful beads, I admit mine were not quite up to par. Patti has sent me beads, and books, and tools.

I actually have had many women gift me parts of their bead stash. I  threw out most of my old beads and cleaned out my plastic bead trays to hold these beautiful gifts. I still have a few empty trays. :)

I was also lucky enough to join the BSBP in 2012. Among other smaller and just as exciting bead swaps. I also signed for a  few "Pay It Forwards" I have about six more months to send mine out. :)
Below is what I received from those that I signed up for.

Another beautiful soul I have met this year is Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp. She has battled a  personal illness. And is in recovery. I love Marie to pieces. She is a kind soul that will do all she can to make everyone else smile. Lorelei Eutro is another splendid soul. She is an amazing designer and full of life. Unfortunately I have not met any of these women in person. But maybe I can in the future. 

I have also been lucky in contests this year. The first one I won was from Feng Beads, A beautiful string of handmade fraggle and spacer beads. From Marla James and Melinda Orr, I won a bracelet, I won a pair of books from Katie Hacker, The E-book from Lori Anderson, entitled "Follow the Path". 


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