Royal Wedding Invitation

Hi,
I'm inviting you all to the Royal Wedding. I'm sure they won't mind if I bring along a few extra guests. But to get in, you will have to play along with  some clever subterfuge. This invitation has been extended to me by my friend at Kit and Kaboodle, via http://wessexreiver.blogspot.com/
In order to attend you need to:

1. Award yourself the title of either Lord or Lady.

2. Use the first name of one of your grandparents.

3. Take the name of your first ever pet and double barrel it with the name of the street or road you grew up on, then string them together to come up with your guest moniker.

So practice your curtsies and bows and deck yourselves up - Oh, and let me know what name I need to sneak onto the guest list for you.
Cheerio, Ta Ta, and all that...
Lady Flora Taffy-Sprague

Coburg Stash

Not far from where I live is a delightful little town named Coburg. It has streets lined with ancient trees and quaint little shops. Over the years it has become a Mecca for antiques dealers and there are many, many shops there filled to the brim with all things old, charming, and handmade.

This week-end (April 28-30), my friend Janice at Primrose Lane, is hosting a huge assortment of vendors selling antiques, vintage goods and clothing, garden art and fine, handcrafted jewelry. I have been invited and have been busy beading my little brooches. Here is a sampling of some of them.

The show is Thursday (Noon-6), Friday (10-6) and Saturday (10-6) in Coburg, Oregon, just north of Eugene. It is held at the Coburg Grange and the IOOF Hall (across the street from each other). Parking is shared with the Dari-Mart. Can't miss it, this is a tiny little town. Hope you can make it.

Arachne and the Squirrel

We have a lot of wildlife around our house and I delight in hanging feeders and birdhouses in the trees. But the squirrels have a habit of taking them over. So I hung some feeders outside my studio windows, thinking that they would be unreachable by the squirrels.
Arachne has a great time sitting in her bed and watching the birds.

But this morning, the clever little squirrel was sitting atop the air conditioner and made his way on the window sill to the feeder.

The squirrel never made it onto the feeder. I think he was a bit intimidated by Arachne staring at him through the glass. My Sweety went out and put some peanuts in the tree feeder for the squirrel, so hopefully he'll leave this feeder alone.

Mini Skulls and Snuggly Parking Meters

Decided to make some Sugar Skulls in tiny size 15 seed beads. I really like them more than the big ones and they seem to be popular. Here's a couple of them. They are only 1.5 iches.

You can get them (and bigger ones in size 11 beads) at my Etsy shop here.

I also saw something that I thought was very creative - not a stretch for a crazy great town like Eugene - Sweaters for the Parking Meters!

In other issues - my mom is on a steroid now and is breathing much better and has lots of energy. My sister is on her way back to South Africa after a 3 week visit here. The sun is shining and I'm on my way outside to plant some violets that I brought back from my parent's house. Hope you are all enjoying spring.

Day of the Dead in April

Doesn't quite have the same ring to it as "Christmas in July".
I made some beaded Sugar Skulls* last year around Day of the Dead and they sold quite well. But I didn't think anyone would want them at other times. So I didn't make any more. However, since they sold so well last year, I thought I'd get a head start on making them this year so I would have more of an inventory come November. But when people see them, they want to buy them NOW. So I keep selling them almost as fast as I can make them.

No two are alike.

This week-end I was in Los Angeles to see family and I brought one for my sister-in-law. She wore it all week-end and kept getting comments on it. My 9 year old niece shyly approached me and asked if I would make one for her. She decided she wanted a little one in greens and purples. This is what I made her.

* For those who don't know what a Sugar Skull is; it is a colorful confection made of sugar to be consumed by children, young and old, on Day of the Dead, also called Dia de los Muertos. This is the day that the Mexican culture celebrates and remembers their loved ones who have passed on. It is a rich and beautiful celebration.

A Winner....

The winner of the March Give-away is .....(drumroll please)....Simply Smitten!

Please e-mail me your mailing address and I'll send you your brooch. And for all you blog lovers, click the link above to read SS's wonderful blog.

Soooooo.... what shall we give away for April?

How about this cheery little Cup of Tea Brooch? If you would like to sport this little bling to your next coffee klatch, just become a follower of this blog and leave a comment.