Are you shopping today? ...better you, than me.

Wishing you a restful, peaceful Thanksgiving...

Tucker, how cute are you...

How many grooves are there on the edge of a quarter?
(NO googling allowed.)

Sneek Peek...New Fall/Winter Earring Line

The PMS (Pamper Myself Ladies Day Out) will be held this Saturday, November 14 at the Riverside Casino Event Center from 10am-4pm. I will be there again with my jewelry along with other vendors. This is a well organized event with free admission, door prizes, fashion show, and just a fun day out! (I hope the chocolate-covered strawberries are there again, AND the Martini Bar!)

The above are earrings of silver, Czech glass, pearl and shell.

Above circles are earrings made of copper that I pounded the heck-out-of and then they were torched by-thank you, Julie!

The earrings here are made of Czech glass. Don't the faces look like metal? But they are 100% Czech glass and I wish I had more of them!

"Echo"...what a cutie! ....cutie, cutie, cutie

Look at all these beautiful Sidewinder bracelets that were created today in class at Bead Haven in Cedar Rapids, Iowa! Starting at the top of the photo is Rebecca's, below that is Sharon's, then Deb's and Shelley's! Click on the photo to get a close-up at all the stunning color combinations and workmanship done by this talented group of ladies! Way to go, gals!

What a great time I had last week in St. Joseph, Missouri visiting my wonderful son, Matt! It was so relaxing spending time there. We did many things, and visited many fun places.
Sara's parents took us all out to a fantastic and historic restaurant there in St. Joseph called "Hoof and Horn Steakhouse." What a nice evening we had!

Matt and Sara also took me back to Boudreuxs, and not to be forgotten "Foster's" martini bar. Those Dirty Blue martinis are sure tasty!

Sneakers...you make me SMILE!

Here is Jolyn's stunning formed cuff from a previous class. I still need to get a pic of Shannon's. (Jan-your cuff pic is still in Cindi's camera-hope to get it early this week, sorry.)

Here are a couple of formed cuffs from last week's class. They were created by Margaret and Kim. Aren't they beautiful? I still have 2 more to post from the class...Great job, ladies!

What a great game! Iowa over Michigan: 15-13

That's 8-0!

Go Hawks!

What a rainy day today here in Iowa!

Also, sorry but the cuff pictures did not turn out from yesterday. I have phoned the gals that took the class and asked them to bring them to the store, so that I may photograph them at that time.
Bead Haven Trunk show is this Friday evening and all day Saturday! Come visit!

They Will Appear...

To the gals that took the Formed Cuff class tonight at Bead Haven: The cuffs will appear on tomorrow's blog...really, they will!

Hello...it has been a time since I last posted...much has been going on the last month (as I know with all of you), a couple of shows, a great trip to South Dakota with my sister, some dental surgery, trips to the computer shop, AND my computer is now working.
Tomorrow I teach this wire-wrapped formed cuff at Bead Haven in Cedar Rapids...

Hawks over Cyclones: 35-3!

Have you heard...

You have probably heard part of this song on a recent commercial. It's so great to hear Cat Stevens again-even if it is on a T-mobil commercial. Here is the entire song...

Pluto...you make me smile!

Today, my sister and I went for a walk at nearby Lake Macbride. Some signs of Autumn were showing...

Here, two dogs were enjoying the water with their owners.

The lake was beautiful. So many people were out enjoying the area.

There were so many different kinds of boats on the lake.

It was a relaxing afternoon. Hope you are having a nice Labor Day weekend!

Want one?

Earlier in the summer, our aunt shared with us her secret to the perfect kolache. What a nice day we had.

Puppies in trainning...

Here are pictures of "Canine Companion for Independence" Puppies in training! The organization, established in 1975, enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly-trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships. Read more about the organization and see more photos on today's "Daily Puppy".

Cute Jutes...

Below is what was on last Saturday's worktable at Bead Haven. Stefanie and Alice were creating multi-strand necklaces out of knotted jute! Stefanie used red and black beads for her knotted necklace...very cool! Alice used blues and browns for her project...beautiful! The last photo is my project-multi color beads & circle components from old costume jewelry. We had a fun afternoon - great job ladies!

Trios...

Have you used the Trios Wire by Soft Flex, yet? You should. It is great wire and in gorgeous colors. (And of course, available at Bead Haven In Cedar Rapids, Iowa.) I called this bracelet: "Rolling Green Fields"... the fields around here are still quite green after all that rain last week! There is a little bit of autumn creeping in, but it's still pretty green for this time of year.

Wally, you make me smile!

My Booth at Brucemore...

Here are some pictures from last Saturday at Brucemore. It was a great day and I want to thank those for stopping by and visiting! My sister was such a wonderful help-I couldn't have done it without her! My booth was located on the Brucemore courtyard by the visitor's center. (Click on the pictures if you'd like to take a closer look.) The weather was beautiful--I don't think it got over 72 degrees so it was perfect weather for visitors to walk the grounds and take in all the various exhibits.

Brucemore Mansion in Cedar Rapids, Iowa...

The Brucemore Garden and Art Show is tomorrow, Saturday August 22, 9:00 AM - 4:00 p.m. It is celebrated as a festival of products and information for art enthusiasts and gardeners of all types. Headline presenters, unique products, and fine arts are featured. This juried show features more than 35 artists of pottery, painting, jewelry, sculpture, glass, and textiles. I will be one of them, so come visit me--it should be a beautiful day Saturday...sunny and in the 70's!

Here are two cuffs I made using even-count Peyote stitch. I like the clean lines that the Delica beads and the metal cuffs create. I need names for these two...any ideas??

On my beading table this afternoon..."Desert Skies...a medley of handcrafted Lampwork, Mother-of Pearl, Czech glass and copper.

Until one has loved an animal, part of your soul remains unawakened...

Below are two Twisted-Herringbone bracelets that I finished this evening. First, is a herringbone stitched tube featuring fall colors along with a Melissa Rediger lampwork bead flanked with Nigerian resin beads to each side.The second bracelet features, along with the twisted-herringbone tube, a spiked-fringe beaded bead along with chunks of coral and sterling silver.

On my beading table tonight: Indian Corn...

I finished two Sidewinder bracelets today-an olivine bracelet and the blue one pictured below. This one is made with Czech firepolish. The photo is a bit dark, but you get the idea. The olivine bracelet photo was just to dark to post--it was done with Swarovski crystals.

Below are a few new bracelets..two Caterpillars and a Spiral in the middle.

Some bracelets I'm working on today...

Meet Honey...you make me smile!