Give-away Winner!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered my give-away.
I was overwhelmed with the participation!

The winner is: Ginger!

Please stay tuned to my Etsy shop as I will be listing new things very often!
You may even find the perfect gift for someone on your Holiday shopping list.

And ...
Happy Halloween!!!

Give-Away Time!

I have been thinking about doing a give-away for ages now.
I even held a poll on my Facebook fan page.


I met a milestone on Etsy last week that I am very excited about...

I had my 400th sale!!

It's time to give my lovely friends some goodies!! ♥

I could not decide what to give away, so you are getting a goody bag of 3 of my creations!
Keep them for yourself, give them as holiday presents, it's up to you!


In the goody bag:
* A carnelian nugget necklace
that has been wrapped in copper wire and hangs from a copper chain.
* An adjustable copper ring with purple and hot pink beads wrapped into it.
* A copper spiral barrette or shawl pin.

Here's what you need to do:
* Become a follower of my blog.
*Visit my Etsy Shop, and tell me what your favorite piece is.

For extra entries:
* Add my Etsy shop to your favorites.
*Become a fan on Facebook.
* Leave a comment on my Facebook page telling me what your favorite item in my shop is.
*Tweet, blog, Facebook this give-away and post a link to it here.

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each step that you do!
The give-away ends Saturday, October 29 at midnight.
I will announce the winner on Sunday, October 30.


Good Luck!!

Wandering Thoughts of Summer...

I have long been absent from blogland. It was not without want to be here. I have had so many things going on in my life... who doesn't these days? Summer is such a busy time of year!
I must admit that I really, really dislike summer.
I was made for cooler weather.

Autumn is sheer perfection, in my book, and I cannot wait for it to be here!

In the summer I come to a halt. It is far too hot and humid for me!
My garden suffers horribly because of my distaste for humidity.
Although I did manage to grow some beauties this year...


I wondered why my son always had a yellow nose until I saw him sniffing my lilies.

Aren't my Hollyhocks gorgeous?! They look like crepe paper flowers!


I found a collection of hands on one of my treasure hunts. This one is an antique mold from a rubber glove factory.
You can see here how well some of them fit into my show displays.
I think they look very gypsy-ish.

Riding life's roller coaster is amazing and exhausting, isn't it?
There are so many things that have happened lately that really make me appreciate my life and the wonderful people in it.
In the midst of all the government and economical hardships, I have come to realize that my job is to not only care for the people that I love, but to do it in the most self sufficient way that I can.
We need to get back to our roots.
We need to make things from scratch and get our hands dirty.
Bake our own bread and mend our clothes.

I have always been very frugal. It is almost a game with me to see how little I can spend on things. I have been putting that to good use lately.
I have lots of experiments going on around the house right now.
Making my own wine and building an outdoor adobe oven are on my to do list.
----------------------------------------------
I am in the midst of art show season. I have a small break until September and then I have 2 weekends in a row with shows.
I have revamped my booth a little this year and am happy with the results.


This was my great-grandmother's dress. It is amazing!
I have lots of new goodies in my shop.

Here are a few new goodies...




I have many new things to list and a whole heap of new ideas swimming around in my head.
I have big plans coming up and will be sure to check in more often.

See ya again real soon!!

Stalkers and Valentines...

I love Valentine's Day.

Perhaps it is because I am head-over-heels in love, or because I am a hopeless romantic. Perhaps it is because my birthday is near Valentine's Day and I know when I start seeing red and pink hearts in the stores that my birthday is near.
Whatever the reason, I love it.
I slip love notes in my husband's lunch box and bake cupcakes for my little ones. It is a wonderful excuse to splurge on candy and treats for my Valentines. And this year I have a few extra-secret surprises up my sleeve for them.

This year I have also created a few pieces of Valentine's Day inspired jewelry.
Hopelessly romantic with a little bit of my rustic edginess to them.


They echo the fact that my heart has been pierced by Cupid's arrow.

And I haven't forgotten that men need a Valentine treat to let them know that they are special, too. This stag antler pendant is perfectly romantic and masculine at the same time.

And I think purple has, unofficially, become a Valentine's Day color. This amethyst point necklace is perfect for a Valentine, or for a February birthday girl.

All of these jewelry creations are now available in my Etsy shop.

I am also very excited to be featured in a Solo Exhibit by Beatrice and Violet on Etsy Stalker this week! Violet has been so sweet in our communications and asked me the most interesting questions in my interview. I have been overwhelmed and delighted to the core to read all the kind words that others have written about my jewelry. It has been a wonderful experience.

You can read my interview and enter for a chance to win this moon pendant here.

I am working an a thousand projects at once (as usual), one of which is a horse stable for my daughter's birthday next week. And perhaps a painting or two! I'll be back very soon to share more of my creations with you.

My Holiday Wish List...

Dear Santa,

I have been a very good mama this year.

I have helped my kids with their homework, and always made sure their teeth were brushed and hair was combed.

I have hugged them everyday and told them how special they are.

I have tried to stay afloat in the sea of laundry.

And I only snuck into my kids' Halloween candy once or twice (ok, maybe 3 times).

I have been exercising regularly (well, I have been thinking about it).

So, anyway... I have my eye on a few things...






Top to bottom:

Night owl shirt by Circular Accessories
Moravian Star by LA Glass
Vintage Hair Pin by Pulp Miscellania
Pantaloons by Bayou Salvage
Felt Robin Hood Hat by Frixiegirl

I will be extra good next year, I promise!

I will be sure to leave a home brewed-beer out for you again this year, I know you get tired of cookies and milk.

The Holidays are Upon us...

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We spent it with my parents and had a perfectly lovely meal. Of course, we ate until we were stuffed and then ate some more.

Our home is infused with Holiday Spirit. I am very excited about the Holidays this year. Perhaps it is because my little ones are so excited, it is very contagious, you know. We have been decorating, baking, singing songs.
I am hosting my first Holiday dinner this year and am already thinking of my menu. Should we go with the traditional dinner? or should we do something interesting and start our own traditions?

Hmmm. Decisions, decisions.
Does your family have any dinner traditions for the Holidays?

I have also been creating some new pieces. Holiday Bling done Gypsy Moon style...




These are now available here in my Etsy shop. They would make great gifts, or would make a great gift to yourself. You have been good this year, haven't you?

I have many more new creations and will be adding new items to my shop daily.

We woke up to snow this morning. There was much jumping up and down and clapping from my two little ones. The first snow fall is always so beautiful. I love the snow, I just wish there was some magical way to keep it off the roads.

I will leave you with this magical clip from my FAVORITE Holiday movie, White Christmas.
What a wonderful era this was, ladies wore dresses and pearls everyday, and men wore suits everyday. Oh, to dance with Danny Kaye would be amazing...

Ancient Dreams...

I have always had dreams of another existence.

Images flash when I close my eyes of bonfires with men bearing swords and furs sitting around, laughing in celebration. They are raising their mugs and slapping each other on the back, the sound of drums resonates throughout.


And in the Forest...
Running, climbing, living among the trees.
Gathering berries and lazing next to a stream.
It is beautiful.


These visions are a part of my inner self.
They are my sanctuary when I need a place to hide. I have so many dreams and visions like this, surely they must have been from a past life.


I have often suppressed these inspirations when creating my jewelry. Deciding instead to create what I thought others would want to see.
I have always been been a bit eccentric, never following the rules. So, why would my jewelry designs be any different?

Lately, I have been listening more to my heart. And I like it. And apparently, so do others.
My new designs have been very popular, for which I am extremely thankful. It is so inspiring to create something that is a part of your soul and have others fall in love with it.

It encourages me to create more of these wilderness inspired designs. I don't really have a good name for this style...Feral Fantasy? Wilderness Gypsy? Celtic Tribal?
Believe me, there are many more rolling around in this noggin' of mine.

Autumn is Calling Me...

My favorite time of year is beginning to show it's face. The leaves are just beginning to turn, and the apples are heavy on the trees. What is it about autumn that I love so much? I have such a feeling of giddy nostalgia and there is a certain spookiness that hangs in the air as Halloween approaches. I could, quite happily, live in eternal autumn.

Here are a few of my latest creations that speak "fall" to me...


"Archimedes in Love"

"Woodland Copper Moon"

"The Poet"


"Feral Tendencies"

I will be selling my goodies at the Saline Oktoberfest Celebration this saturday September 25, from 10 am to 7 pm. If you are in the area, come by and say HI! After 7 pm, my husband and I will most likely be found in the Bier Garten slurping up spaetzle and German beer. :)

Catching Up...

I am busy listing new items this week. There are many more to come!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This treble clef barrette is a custom order for a customer, however, it has inspired me to do some other treble clef pieces.

Mina's Treasure

"You are but mortal woman.
Time is now to be dreaded - since once he put that mark upon your throat."
~Bram Stoker's Dracula

And the Winner Is...

Well, I finally persuaded the Mad Hatter to pull the winner's name from his magical, feathered hat (we all know that time does not work the same in Wonderland as it does in our mundane world and he couldn't understand why I was in such a rush). And the winner of my copper barrette is...

Jennifer MacNeill-Traylor

Congrats to you, Jennifer!!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a peek at some new items in my shop this week!



I love this new style of barrette and have many more to be listed soon! I got the inspiration for this style while watching The Lord of the Rings (again!).

Catching Up and Checking In

I hope you all haven't forgotten about me. My adventures in blogland seem to get pushed to the back burner when my life gets hectic. We had Kindergarten graduation and now summer vacation is officially underway! I am now trying to find a new balance between my business and little ones who are home all day long needing attention. Sometimes I have to remind myself that the choice to work from home was made so that I can be here for my little ones. I am working on creative ways to get my work done and still supply them with wonderful memories of summer fun. We have been going outside in the morning and having fun, and then coming in for the heat of the day. They work on art projects or have some rest time while I get some jewelry projects done. I cannot tolerate the heat (I am like a flower, you know, and wilt when it gets too warm...) so this plan seems to work pretty well. I am getting ready for several large art shows this summer and am furiously trying to stock up on inventory.
Here are a few goodies that I have been working on~

This is a vintage assemblage locket that I just love. Inside I tucked photos of two of my great-uncles, both military men. One was missing-in-action in WWII and the other led a very interesting life as a Merchant Marine.

This belt buckle was created by my husband, Pudge. Wouldn't it make a great Father's Day present for some lucky dad?

Introducing my newest eye ring color! To be listed this weekend in my Etsy shop! I think this one is going to be popular!

As you can probably see, I have discovered Picnik for photo editing. Where have I been?? I could have used this ages ago. I think I am hooked. I love experimenting with it's different effects. I absolutely love the 60's effect!

I promise to do better with keeping in touch and will post pictures of some special order work soon (hint...think horses)!