Just gotta love Cooper!

Wow, look what Pam brought to the class on Saturday-she finished her Russian Spiral bracelet! Isn't the sea foam color gorgeous? Below her spiral (in the same photo) is Saturday's Caterpillar bracelet that Pam almost finished during class-another beautiful example. Great job!Below is my Caterpillar that I finished this morning. Okay Pam, I what the above Caterpillar finished by class time Thursday! LOL

This afternoon, I taught the Russian Spiral stitch at Bead Haven. What a fun and creative group of gals! I was very impressed with this group's work. We stitched three beads at a time; we gabbed; we ate yummy treats from Sweetopia (Thanks, Cindi!); we admired color combinations; gabbed some more; shared beading tips with each other; ate a few more treats; and just had a great time. The top photo, starting from the left, features Lori's, Jeanne's, Suzanne's and Pam's bracelets in progress. The second photo is a closeup (from the top) of Suzanne's, Lori's, mine, and Pam's. Click on the photos, and you can zoom-in on their beautiful work.

This is a "new" antique button bracelet I recently made. It is made with all very vintage and antique buttons from my mother's wonderful, extensive button collection. All the buttons are metal with the exception of the closure button which is Czech or German glass. The glass button is the newest button-most likely a 1930's button. The leaves are new Czech Republic glass beads. I will offer this as a class one time in July at Bead Haven. Click on the picture and you will get a closer look at these intricate buttons-miniature pieces of art. Hope you like it-I think my mother would be very pleased...

This is my new "Bottle Cap 6-Pack" bracelet. It was so fun to make and will be offered for the first time ever this July at Bead Haven in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I have had this idea rolling around in my head for a long time and I am finally pleased with the results after much experimenting (and ruining quite a few bottle caps)! The bracelet is inexpensive to make since you supply your own favorite bottle caps. So bring your 6-pack (bottle caps that is), get hammered (use our hammer and tools) and join in the fun creating with your favorite beverage bottle caps! Thanks Matt and Sara, for saving the great bottle caps. (Blue Moon is still my favorite bottle cap and beer.)

Wouldn't old vintage soda pop bottle caps be cool to use? So many possibilities...how about a necklace...12-pack?

This morning I taught my "Altered Treasures" class at Bead Haven in Cedar Rapids. Look at the wonderful projects that Martha (red & black Russian bead) and Pam ( lavender Czech bead) are creating! They did such a great job. It was such a fun class-and as always I also learned many things from their insights. Thank you, Martha and Pam!

This third photo shows both projects plus Pam's embroidered cuff (from a previous class) which is still evolving. Didn't the gals do a wonderful job? Just beautiful work girls!! Make sure you click on the photos so you can zoom-in and get a closer look at their work!

Have you dug Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota? Here is the Wall Drug soda fountain where people are getting ice cream treats after having their free ice water, 5 cent coffee, chocolate donuts, onion rings, blueberry pie, maple donuts, buffalo burgers, fries, cherry pie, more 5 cent coffee, ...you get the idea.

Look at these "cuties" along the roadway as we rode through Custer State Park in South Dakota.

I will post over the next couple days some photos I took from our recent trip to South Dakota. Here is a photo of the annual VolksMarch up to the face of Crazy Horse Memorial - that's my sister Anita standing directly under Crazy Horse's left nostril...

Look at the beautiful flowers from Matt & Sara that surprised me when I recently walked out on my patio. How very fragrant they are! I love them. They cover just about the whole table!

More than 2,000 runners and walkers participated in the 2.5 mile and 7 mile courses of the Cedar Rapids Run the Flood run Saturday morning.The routes, which took competitors through some of the worst-hit areas from last year's flood, raised money for the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation for Flood Recovery.

This is "Toby"...a precious Goldendoodle.

Today is...

"What You Think Upon Grows" Day: A day for promoting the idea that the power of positive thinking can turn your dreams into reality.

It's Friday...

...Joe Friday.

1) What TV program did the character "Joe Friday" star?

NO GOGGLING!

2) Bonus Point: Who was the actor?

(This photo reminds me of my Jr High Science Teacher.)

Meet Dempsey...

Dempsey is in training to become a "Helping Paws" service dog for an individual with a physical disability. He trains everyday, but he still has time to be a puppy and play! His favorite hobbies are meeting new people, looking for bunnies, and educating people about service dogs. Read more about Helping Paws at www.helpingpaws.org. See more photos of Dempsey on today's "Daily Puppy".

Hope you all had a relaxing Memorial Day weekend!
Matt was home so it was great having him here for the long weekend! Here he is Saturday practicing his swing. I enjoyed watching him and getting in a little reading. (I enjoyed going barefoot on the cool green grass at the driving range.)

The Cedar Rapids Kernels at "Perfect Game Ballfield"- Saturday, a beautiful night for a ballgame!

The beer was cold, the game was great-thanks Matt!

A beautiful Saturday evening at the ballgame...Kernels WIN 14-5!

Look Sara--Matt's smiling in a picture!

Fireworks after the game...

Sunday at Lake Macbride near sunset...red sky at night - sailor's delight.

Lake Macbride at Sunset...

Tonight it hit me as to why I like Gilles Marini so much--he reminds me of Luka! Yes, I still miss him. Thursday nights are just not the same.
And, even though Shawn Johnson is from Iowa...Gilles, you really should have won "Dancing With the Stars!"

"Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best. " ~ Henry Van Dyke

Here is a new necklace I started this morning. It is still evolving with fibers, vintage metal circles, and antique buttons.
The large hole ivory buttons are actually antique undergarment buttons. (No, they were not mine.)

If this doesn't give you a Friday smile, I don't know what will. So adorable...must be the name! He is Thursday's (5/14) adoptable puppy on the "Daily Puppy"...check it out!

Today is: "National Chicken Dance Day"...

Did you celebrate???

Hope you all had a great Mother's Day weekend. I sure did- my wonderful caring son was home for the weekend! I'm so proud to be his mom!

Here are two "Goddess" bracelets from my Saturday morning class. They were done by Beth (green) and Stephanie (pink). What a fantastic job done by this mother/daughter team!!

Just gotta' love "Colbie" from the Daily Puppy....

I AM BACK,
BECAUSE MY COMPUTER IS FINALLY BACK,
FROM BEING IN THE SHOP!
I apologize for any unanswered email-thanks for your understanding. Boy, you just don't know how much you miss your computer until you don't have it!
(I will post some photos soon, also.)

Here are a few things I just recently finished. Below is the "Cellini Spiral" necklace that I finished this morning. The next photo is a lime Sidewinder bracelet that screams "Spring is Here". I just finished this bracelet in the last hour. Don't we all have several projects going at once? Isn't that just a normal thing for jewelry artisans...are we crazy or what?And the last photo is of a wire-wrapped cuff that I formed myself and then wrapped with beads I like...pearls, turquoise, Czech glass, Miyukis, etc... etc... you get the idea?

Weird...

Did you hear about this one reported on April 13, 2009...

A five-centimeter fir tree has been found in the lung of a man who complained he had a strong pain in his chest and was coughing blood. The 28-year-old patient, Artyom Sidorkin, came to a hospital in the city of Izhevsk in Central Russia last week, Komsomolskaya Pravda daily reports. Doctors x-rayed his chest and found a growth in one of the lungs. They made a decision to perform a biopsy, but when they cut the tissue, they were amazed to see green needles in the cut.
“I blinked three times, and thought I was seeing things. Then I called the assistant to have a look,” says Vladimir Kamashev, MD.
The five-centimeter branch was removed from the patient’s body.
“They told me my coughing blood was not caused by any disease,” Sidorkin says. “It was the needles poking the capillaries. It really hurt a lot. But I never felt like I had an alien object inside of me.”
It is obvious that a five-centimeter branch is too large to be inhaled or swallowed, doctors say. They suggest that the patient might have inhaled a small bud, which then started to grow inside his body.
Meanwhile, the piece of lung with the little fir tree has been preserved for further study.

Note: I saw a photo of it-but I'm going to spare you a picture of it!

Did you know ...

Egg Salad Week begins today.

Wishing You A Happy and Blessed Easter

Look what "Esther" Bunny brought me! (Thanks, Anita!)

Saturday Classes

These two photos are from Saturday's classes. It is always wonderful to see all the creativity in motion! The ladies created projects with great color combinations! The first photo is of the morning Sidewinder bracelet class. Valerie did the bracelet, at the top of the photo, which was done with Czech 3mm Firepolish & Czech gem cut beads! What a stunning bracelet, Valerie!
I worked on the second bracelet. Scroll down to see the afternoon class project and remember that you can click on the pictures and get a closer look!
The afternoon bracelet class was called "Lovely Lentils." The gals wire-wrapped beautiful focal stones, and then embellished the soldered chain with Czech Lentil beads! Starting in the upper left corner and working clockwise are: Alice's (brown), Tina's (turquoise), Linda's(mauve) and Cathy's (purple). They did such a beautiful job. I hope all the gals enjoyed the day as much as I did. Great job, ladies!

Waiting For Easter...

Here is "Brook Trout" from yesterday's Daily Puppy. What a great face--you just can't help but smile...just what I needed today. Until one has loved an animal, part of your soul remains unawakened.

Look at these disk beads from Melissa's Sea of Glass! This photo is from Melissa's website. Just beautiful, Melissa! These will blend with so many different shades of seed beads. They will be treasured in a new "Altered Treasures" bracelet that I will make "someday"...