My favorite flip flop beads to date.... Available in my Etsy store.

I think fall arrived this morning. Frost on the pumpkin...literally. Yesterday was such brilliant day. I spent the afternoon working in the yard with hubby to get things cleaned up and ready for winter. Raking leaves and pulling up the corn stalks from the vegetable garden. Norm cleaned out the chimney while I made beads in the garage. I heard him pounding on the roof or should I say "felt" him pounding on the roof, since I had my music player's earphones in my ears I didn't hear him hollering at me. He was actually about to fall off the roof because his foot got stuck in the gutter. He managed by himself and was rather annoyed with me, (and rightfully so), when I finally emerged from the garage to see what the commotion was about. Thanks to me he's limping this morning..... I'm such a doofus!

"Twist & Shout"

"Dream Seeker"

We have been blessed with the most amazing weather in the last few months, (knock on wood!). Hardly any rain and lots and lots of sun. I find myself full of energy and ready to go every day. I've made lots of beads this week. Lots of "Hippkitty singles" in my Etsy store and I'm about to add these gorgeous bracelets also. I love them both! I'll be working on a pendant to match the "Dream Seeker" bracelet and hopefully some earrings to match "Twist & Shout".

A fall get-together....

We had a little mini golf tournement and barb-b-que with a few friends yesterday and a good time was had by all. As you can see it was a perfect fall day. Who could ask for more? Good friends, good food, laughter, sunshine, and lots of love.....

By the way, "Wicked" was fabulous! I would highly recommend seeing it if you get the chance. My favorite part, of course, was the colorful, wildly creative costumes and set design. I love the Paramount Theatre in Seattle. The architecture is amazing. The interior is very ornate and has beautiful crystal chandeliers. Very Old World Europeon. We didn't, however, purchase the best seats so it was a little hard to hear at times and the lady sitting in front of me kept leaning over to whisper in her friends ear, blocking my view, but we had a good time anyway.

The downtown area of Seattle is a vibrant and exciting place to be and I especially love it after dark. I would have been happy to plop down on a bench on the street somewhere and just watch people. I need to plan another outing there soon.

"Wicked"

We're off to see "Wicked" tonight in Seattle. I can't wait. We will be wading through rush hour traffic to make our way there. Should be interesting.....

The "Hippkitty singles" theme I started in my Etsy store is becoming quite popular. So I just added some lapis blue beads. Do you blue? I do too!

Summer's Gone......

I spent the afternoon greeting folks and chatting with the other artists participating in the Harvest Jubilee Art Show. I had a really great time. I met some fabulous artists from my area and I'm so overwhelmed by the creative talent I am surrounded by! If you live close you really should think about checking out this show of talent next year.
I didn't come away with a prize this time but it's no wonder. I was competing against world class artists and this particular show doesn't delineate the different art categories. All artists, painters, sculptors, and 3 dimentional artists were competing against each other for placement. I wish I would have thought to bring my camera to take a photo of the amazing pieces that won. I was blown away!

It's fall already. Summer is gone. I harvested my pumpkins yesterday and picked the last of the beans. We have a few more luscious ears of corn to enjoy before the frost comes. It was a pretty productive little garden this year. I'm still sick about the two tomato plants I had to destroy because of fungus but I'll do better next year.
The focal bead in the photo above is available in my Etsy store.

Harvest Jubilee Art Show

Floyd Norgaard Center in Stanwood, WA 98292

"Farms, Fields and Foliage"

September 18, 19 & 20

There are just a few hours left on my "Stash" auction.

Meanwhile I've been making some really fun beads for my Etsy store. A whole series called "Hippkitty Singles" for those of you just wanting one or two single beads and you don't want to spend much. These singles are cute and important enough to be used as focal beads if you so desire or you can add other beads like gemstones, crystals, or pearls, and make a simple necklace or bracelet. I won't be insuring these packages in order to keep the shipping costs down. I really just want to make my beads affordable for everyone and I really enjoy making whatever bead I want. I'm headed out to the studio to make some more....

It can't be over yet!

Labor Day weekend marks the end of summer in my eyes. It's been an amazing summer. We had some fantastic weather, we had some fun times, and we accomplished lots of special projects. But I'm not ready for the summer to be over. I'm not ready for rain and gray skies. So I'm hoping for a nice, warm, Indian summer.

Today it's pouring rain so I've been inside doing paperwork and I finished up a necklace that I've been working on the last few days. I sculpted a bunch of hearts from paperclay some time ago for a project that has yet to see the light of day. I drilled a couple holes in one of the hearts and painted it in some bright colors and turned it into a necklace. Czech glass oval shaped beads in matte black are wire-wrapped in sterling wire to form the chain for this really bright, happy, heart focal. A few dangles here and there and this piece is a show stopper!

I've also decided to clean out my bead box and offer up a huge collection of great beads for Ebay auction. There will be about 173 beads in all. Huge focal beads, including a couple of my floral cube shaped beads, entire sets of beads, small cubes, encased florals, buttons, discs, hearts, you name it! I'll be starting this auction Monday evening at 7 pm, (Pacific). Be sure to check it out. It's a designer's dream auction! I'll add a link when the auction starts.

Hubby and I are on our way to dinner and a movie. We are seeing "Julie & Julia". Have a great long weekend!

Oh, and I just purchased tickets for Norm and I to see "Wicked" at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle later this month. Can't wait!