The End of Sunny Days

I went up to The Oregon Garden on Thursday. It was a glorious sunny day. I got lots of plants placed, ready for planting. Also had a little time to wander around the Garden with my camera and snap a few pics of the Autumn foliage.

I spent a little time in the Conifer Garden chatting with Doug.

The Witchhazels are SPLENDID just now.

We had a heavy rain on Friday and it has beaten many of these lovely leaves off of the trees. I'm glad I had the chance to see them before the rain. Now we have a week of gloomy, rainy days predicted.

I wish I could get one more sunny day. I have been VERY busy in my studio and have many new brooches, hairclips and necklaces to photograph. It's too dark in the house and on the porch now. I went out today and bought bright white light bulbs to use with my light box. The last ones I had were too yellow. Will experiment tomorrow to see if I can get a decent indoor picture. I have to come up with something  because winters in Oregon can be very long and dark and I don't want to wait until Spring to photograph my jewelry.

A Winner!

I have been such a wicked girl. I've been so wrapped up in Halloween and Day of the Dead and beading and craft night with Bryn (my daughter) that I haven't been posting as much as I should have been.
But here I am to atone.
First of all, we have a winner of the Sepia Heart Brooch from last month.

She is (drum roll) Janet of Singing Woods! Congratulations Janet! Once again, a brooch that has one of Nan Emmett's cabs, makes it's way back to Texas.
So, I'm thinking "what do I offer for this month's Give-Away"..... Hmmmmm.... Maybe something sparkly for the Holidays.....

So leave a comment any time this month to win this Black and Green German Torch Brooch. The black torch centerpiece is vintage German glass. I almost kept this one for myself (although my jewelry box is overflowing with brooches I've kept), but I'm offering it with all my love to one lucky reader. And while I'm on the subject, I want all of you to know that I appreciate you coming to my blog to see what mischief I'm up to. You are all my best buddies, my comrades, my fellow artists and kindred spirits!

Win some Goodies

Head over to Andrew Thornton's Blog to win some FABULOUS goodies. He gives something away every Thursday, and I have him listed in my sidebar, but this week he has a huge cache of beads and stampings and .....

View, Click and Comment

I'm on a big push to get people to Andrew's Treasury page. We've sold 4 items off of it already, but we need more people to view it, click on the items, and leave comments to keep it towards the front of the Treasury where it will be seen. Click here to magically be transported through cyberspace to the Treasury. There are lots of items of all differant price ranges  to choose from and they would make great Christmas presents for you or someone else.

A Mermaid for Andrew

My blogger friend, Andrew Thornton recently underwent surgery for skin cancer and has been flooded by hospital bills. I remember when I was diagnosed with cancer. I wasn't afraid of the treatment, and I wasn't afraid of dying, but I was terrified that I would bankrupt my family. Luckily, I recieved some help which put my mind at ease. So helping Adrew get a little bit of peace of mind is my way of "giving back".
I have created this necklace, using a ceramic cabochon from Spirited Earth and have it listed now in my Etsy shop. When it sells, all proceeds from it will go to Andrew.
I also sent a message to the Etsy Beadweavers Team (I belong) and many of them have also donated items in their shops to help defray Andrew's medical costs.
I'll be creating a treasury on Etsy on the first of November with all of the donated items. So check back often; I'll keep you updated. Be thinking about Christmas and Hannukah presents or a little something for yourself that will be steeped in good energy because it was part of a great effort among many friends.

Under Lock and Key

I have always been fascinated by keys. They unlock such wonderful mysteries - Secret Gardens, pirate chests, big creaking doors...

So one of my favorte things to bead around are keyholes and keys.

There's just something special and mysterious about them.

Most of these are in my Etsy shop for sale.

This isn't anything involving a key, but wanted to show you anyway.

My neice, Katie just had a birthday and she wanted a necklace in autumn colors, so this is what I made her. I like it so much I'm going to have to make something similar for myself!

Halloween Beads and a Scrumptious Pendant

A few months ago, I won Cindy Caraway's blog give-away and recieved not only this fabulous handmade pendant...

But Cindy also sent me some delicious Halloween beads....

And so I made a couple of Halloween Necklaces out of them....

Paired with my Day of The Dead Skulls, I'm ready for the Holidays!