Thursday's Thoughts: Winter Dreams

With temperatures hovering at 97 and the North Carolina humidity high as a kite, my thoughts sometimes turn towards the cooler months and the brisk December air. Though I have truly been enjoying the summer sun and the wonderful greens of the garden and the trees, I feel a strong need for a winter reminder. So I'm sharing with you today some Etsy finds to cool us off a bit. Enjoy!

Polar Bear lampworked glass sculpture by koicreek

Gorgeous Winter vase, one of a kind by earthfired

Winter Moon ring by littlebugjewelry

Beveled Star window ornament by theglassmenagerie

Winter Storm photograph by SpruceConnect

Winter Birch watercolor by paintingsonpalmer

Chickadee in Snow by naturemandalas

Stunning ruffled felt jacket by cotylee

Winter Memory earrings by PoleStar

Sweet winter blocks for your shelf by lisabees

Breathe deeply, enjoy the moment, and remember to buy handmade!

Mother's Day Giveaway... But It's Not Just for Moms!

A fabulous necklace for a fabulous woman in your life!! There's only two weeks left, but I'm holding this giveaway in time to ship out this necklace to the lucky winner for Mother's Day! "Golden Shimmer" is approximately 16 inches in length with a lampworked glass pendant that is an additional 1 1/2 inches long. It contains white agate, gold mother of pearl, unakite, and a variety of glass beads and crystals. It's unique, one of a kind (as are all my jewelry items), and quite lovely on the neck with an open blouse, a tee or tank, with dressy attire or with casual clothes.




To make this fair for all entrants, there is just one chance per person to win. All you have to do is follow my blog OR my Facebook fan page, leave a comment here OR on my FB fan page telling me which WOMAN in your life would receive this necklace and why. It could be your true mom, another relative, your wife, a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker, or even yourself, if you're feeling the need for a treat... you make the call! Happy entering, and good luck to all. Winner will be posted here and on FB next Monday, and I'll mail the necklace out as soon as I have shipping information! So make sure you leave your contact info so I can email you for shipping address.

New Necklaces and Upcoming Show

Yesterday I spent the day beading, beading, beading. It was very relaxing... such a nice change of pace. The autumn sun shone through the windows, the doors were flung open, a wonderful breeze blew through, and I finished four new necklaces and two pair of earrings. My husband and I have a show this weekend at a regional winery, so I wanted to get a few new pieces done for that. Now I need to go through my inventory and choose what I will display for the fall and winter seasons, make sure everything is priced, labeled, and tagged, and then start packing up!

But before I show you the new jewelry, let me show you the gorgeous sky I got to enjoy this morning, although briefly...


The Dance... using an upcycled enameled pendant with black glass, brown coral, and more...



Sweet Innocence... with a beautiful lace agate and amethyst pendant, grey cat's eye beads, lilac pearls, amethyst Swarovski crystals, faceted lilac glass rondelles, and more...



The Autism Puzzle necklace and earring set... with a silver colored puzzle pendant (text reading words such as family, kindness, love, trust, unity, charity, hope, etc) and beaded with jasper rounds, African opal, mother of pearl circles, serpentine and more... with extendable silver-plated clasp...



Black Beauty... a very dramatic, short choker beaded with lampworked glass beads and millefiori glass...



And finally, Millefiori earrings which would be so pretty with Black Beauty... on platinum-plated earwires and hanging 2 inches from the top of the earwire...

New Bracelets!

I have completed the photos for these new bracelets, the first that I will list on Etsy. Most are gemstones, a couple are glass... so there's a variety of pricing which is important in Etsy shops.

My personal favorite... Winter Roses... a bracelet and earring set featuring carved agate roses, petrified jasper, pearls, sterling silver, and more:






Presenting Harvest Song, featuring a lovely fossil coral focal bead... very chunky and eye-catching!


Twilight... with Picasso Jasper, Onyx, and Sesame Jasper... for the larger sized wrist...


Another of my favorites... in the rich, warm, earthy colors of fall... November Woods:


And two bracelets with only glass beads... lampworked, cat's eye, seed beads, and more... First, Spring Waters, second, Blue Stars...