A time of inspiration

It's that time of year when we no longer want to wear the summer designs and for most that means switching to warmer, richer colors and textures. Autumn happens to be my favorite season and the trees in my backyard are already turning golden and fiery red. It's a time of inspiration and a time of frustration. Frustration because I have more supplies on hand than I have minutes in the day right now. Also because I am learning the ins and outs of ordering supplies from suppliers I don't know and learning that some don't have very high standards. Don't worry, you won't see any chipped beads or stones in my shop but lately, dealing with returning damaged beads has taken up a lot of my time.

There will be plenty of new designs in the shop in the next few weeks including many more wire wrapped pieces and a few with gemstones I am very excited to share with you. I am fairly sure we will have another summer next year but to make room in my limited work area, I have decided to have a $10 sale of some of my summer designs. Grab them while you can!

Also, when you consider making a purchase of any kind of handmade goodness on Etsy, search for items involved in Etsy Project Embrace. All or some of the proceeds of these items go to the American Cancer Society. This project started in support of fellow artisan Laura Slocum who is battling ovarian cancer. She is now in remission so let me hear a big ol' Yahoooooo from all of you! For me it is also personal, in memory of my beloved father who was a fighter but lost the battle.

He had it comming...

A dog is a dog is a dog. Well, this dog is THE dog. At least to our family and I had to share some photos of him. Bullseye is the son of my parents-in-law's boxer Annie who is now half his size. He has been part of our family from day one and my husband even saved his life as the umbilical cord broke off and he was about to bleed to death. He was born with a big brown dot smack on top of his head, surrounded by a large white ring. Hence the name Bullseye. His markings have since changed but the name remains. My daughter is four months older than him so they have grown up like sister and brother, playing dress up, horsie, and sharing ice creams whenever mommy's legs couldn't move fast enough. He truly is a man's, woman's and kiddos' best friend!

Click on the first pic to see the facial expressions of my son at 6 months and Bullseye:-)

Essentials for fall

I constantly come across amazing items on Etsy and wonder why anyone would ever need to go to the mall with so many handmade goodies available online. Here are a few of my current favorites that are oh so perfect for fall. Enjoy these shops!