Around the Corner

Those dog days of August are nearing an end. Temperatures here in Stokes County have been nice and cool during the night, and this morning I woke up to a refreshing 62 degrees. Ahhhhh. Our crabapple tree already thinks that autumn is here; it has dropped most of its leaves which lay in a golden puddle against the still green grass. And while I am not necessarily enjoying the dusk settling in earlier and earlier and the days becoming shorter, I am not missing at all the repressive heat that we experienced for the last couple of months.

Here are a few of my favorite pre-autumn finds on Etsy. As always, follow the links for a closer view.

I simply love this sweet acorn-adorned bowl by TinaFrancisDesigns...

One of my favorite Etsian artists, AmberAlexander, who showcases lots of animals...

One of my favorite jewelers, kathiroussel, showcasing a to-die-for necklace. For those who are vintage lovers Kathi also has a wonderful vintage shop...

Ver cool and earthy Twig Earrings by SwanRiverStone...

Love this scarf with all its lovely fringe by none other than Fringe...

Thick, luxurious washcloths or dishcloths by Easy123. I have some of her work in both my kitchen and bathroom, and I strongly recommend these cloths if you want to get away from commercially made cloths or sponges...

Aren't these the sweetest hair adornments ever? By littlebrownbird...

And of course there has to be a bird here... this sculptural bird in a box by lorinichols... LOVE it!!

And these wonderful felted acorns, which you can also see in the opening photo. I'll be purchasing more from fairyfolk to continue adorning my twigs for my autumn table decoration.

Enjoy the end of summer, spend time in your garden or walking through the park, sing loudly, and celebrate love!

New Products This Week

I live in an area surrounded by many vineyards and wineries, and I do one show a year at a festival to celebrate Autumn Harvests at Shelton Vineyards. So I have decided it's time to begin working on a new product for this show in particular, but also for the Etsy shop and any other local shows that I do. Can you guess what this product is? If you guessed Knee Deep Wines, you guessed wrong... although hey... that might be a fun new venture for the next decade. I like the sound of the name too, don't you?

This new product is much simpler... wine glass charms. I worked with one of my favorite glass bead sellers on Etsy, LindenAvenueDesigns, and she created custom lampwork beads for me. I wanted to work in themes, so the colors I chose were based on those themes. I think these will be fabulous gifts for weddings, housewarmings, birthdays, anniversaries... and of course they're perfect for those summer dinner parties and gatherings. Here's what I have so far. Where the themes are highlighted, they are for sale in the shop. Others will be listed today or tomorrow.

My first set... Spring... now resides in the gift shop at a local gallery. It's a set of four in the happy colors of pink, aqua, ecru, and yellow and accented with crystals and seed beads

Earth and Sky... a set of four in cobalt, pale blue, rich brown, and spring green, accented with Swarovsky crystals and seed beads

Summer Flowers... a set of six in bright, cheery floral tones, accented with an orange gemstone round and seed beads

Fiesta!... a set of six in turquoise, red, orange, yellow, green, and cobalt, accented with silver swirls and seed beads

Sand and Sea... a set of four in royal blue, gray, sand, and aqua, accented with a mother of pearl oval bead and seed beads

Elements... a set of four in Wind (very pale pink), Earth (moss green), Fire (orange-red), and Water (cobalt), accented with gemstones, Swarovski crystals, and seed beads


These have been a nice change of pace for me, and I believe they will sell, at least at the local wine shows! But today, there is sunshine and warmth after three cool and rainy days, so I'm heading out to the painting studio... with a big smile on my face!

Tuesday's Treasures... Five Fabulous Finds

It's another gorgeous blue-sky day in North Carolina... sunny, and soon-to-be warm! Perfect for painting, which is what I'll be doing today. Here's my weekly edition of Tuesday's Treasures... in honor of this luscious autumn day and my good mood, I'm presenting bright and cheery items. Enjoy these great finds, and be sure to follow the links for more details on the artist and the work!


Bright and cheery bowl by sosorosey...

Sweet and lovely Little Acorn necklace by AmberSky...

Senorita Betty, a watercolor print by amberalexander...

Gorgeous and soft Cumulus Scarf by Tissage...

And finally, a gorgeous photo by thegardenshed...


Until next week, remember BUY HANDMADE, SHOP ETSY!