Friday, February 29, 2008

Curiosity & Contests


That is actually how I started making jewelry. The word "bored" never crossed my lips. I could always find something to keep me entertained, even if it was just picking on my little sister {of course, to hear her tell it, she's lucky to be alive today}. There are only 18 months between us, so my parents really had their hands full. I remember one time @ Easter, I was not quite 3 and Karen {my sister} was 6 months old. My grandmother had peeled one of the eggs that I had found and I was walking around eating it. Well Karen was in her little seat thingie on the floor and I thought she would probably enjoy a bite of that egg, so I proceeded to stuff it in her mouth. It's a good thing my grandmother came right up to check on the happenings, or she could have very well choked. To this day, she doesn't care much for boiled eggs & they are one of my favorite foods. So I don't know why I felt the need to share that story, but I did, so I hope you enjoyed it.

Speaking of "curious", the website called "Land of Odds" is holding an "Ugly Necklace" contest, so I submitted my little "Shrunken Ex-Boyfriend Necklace":


Now, one of the things really unique about the whole contest is that you had to write a poem to go along with your entry. Since I've always been meaning to make up a story about this little fellow anyway, I wrote the following poem:

"The Shrunken Ex-Boyfriend"
There was quite a charming young man, his name was Chuck.
Although he was charming, he was just a mere schmuck.

He had a lovely young girlfriend, her name was Suzy.
She loved Chuck's attention, but was quite the fluzzy.

Sometimes Chuck would get drunk and go out with the boys.
You see, he treated the girls like they were his toys.

One day Suzy walked in his bedroom and flicked on the switch.
But what Chuck didn't know, was that she was a witch.

The girl in the bed started screaming & crying.
"He said he was single, but I knew he was lying".

Poor Suzy she stood there, with her mouth open wide.
She said "Chuck, you get dressed & meet me outside".

Outside he exclaimed "It meant nothing, I swear".
But Suzy, at this point, did no longer care.

A Black tear rolled down her cheek, her little heart sunken.
One nod of her head, and poor Chuck became shrunken.

So let this be a lesson, if you're living life reckless.
One nod of a head, and you could be on a necklace!

So let me know what you think about it! Also, the contest entries will end on March 15th, and then the voting will start. If my little fellow is in the top 10, he will be posted on their website and then you can vote for him. I'll let you know if that happens {fingers crossed}.

Happy Friday! Have a terrific weekend ~

Xxoo & peace always ~ Kathy

"Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great." "Mark Twain"

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Tranquility…


tran·quil·li·ty or tran·quil·i·ty (tr²ng-kw¹l“¹-t, tr²n-) n. The quality or state of being tranquil; serenity.

After an all day, night & morning of marathon jewelry making, I decided to treat myself to a "Spa Hour" {my own Spa, of course}. Last week I splurged and bought this amazing Facial Mask from "Pangea Organics". I usually never spend that kind of money on beauty products for myself, but I figured if Beyonce' is "worth it", then by golly so am I. After a super long bubble bath, I used this stuff on my face:


To say that my face is softer than a baby's butt would not be an exaggeration. Of course, I have to admit that the stuff looks like something that came out of a baby's diaper, but it smells & feels wonderful. I would highly recommend it to anybody feeling the need to distress. And, on top of being an amazing product, the box is made out of 100% post-consumer newsprint, without glues or dyes and is embedded with herb seeds! You can soak the box in water and then plant it in your garden. The herbs that come up are some of the same ones used in the products. Isn't that amazing! I'm really trying hard to be more "green" these days and eat all organic & natural foods ~ it's just good for you and "you're worth it"!!

Speaking of tranquility, I just couldn't pass up this awesome little pendant from "BeeDazzlesGifts". It's called "Tranquility" and I can't wait to make something with it ~ it's just gorgeous. Please do check out this shop, you'll be glad you did:


We took another 8 mile hike on Monday and once again, I felt rejuvenated & energized. It wasn't quite as strenuous as the hike last week, even though it was almost twice as long. It was a beautiful day and we had a great little picnic lunch, too. So I'll leave you with this picture from our hike & hope you have a wonderful weekend & a Happy March!


Xxoo & peace always ~ Kathy

"Be able to be alone. Lose not the advantage of solitude, and society of thyself." – Sir Thomas Browne

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Spring Is In The Air!!!


It was a gorgeous day today! Not a cloud in the sky, a tad breezy and 60 degrees! Wayne played around with his new wood chipper and I fertilized all of my poor little plants that are still struggling to survive up here. I bought a few new ones that prefer "low light", so I'll see how they do. I just wanted to pop in and share this awesome little necklace with you that I made today. I named it "The Bonefish Necklace" and I think he's just perfect for Spring:


I made a few other things besides this little fellow and they are all listed in the shop, including this awesome little bracelet:


Well, Wayne's waiting for me in the hot tub so we can watch the sunset.

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!!!

Xxoo & peace always ~ Kathy

"The really important things in life can't be said, only shown" – Ludwig Wittgenstein

Friday, February 22, 2008

Get Out There ~ Life Comes @ You Fast!


Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the "daily life stuff" that the fun things just seem to pass us by. I guess I "asked for it" when I bought Wayne a hiking book of the "Pisgah National Forest" {where we live, by the way} and told him to pick out hikes for us to take at least once a week. I told him to keep them on the "easy to moderate" range until we could get used to the climbing, right! So, we head out, Wayne with trail book in hand, a compass, a map, a whistle, water, trail mix and 1 walking stick. Wayne had picked the "Coontree Loop" trail for us to take. He said it was "moderate", so I'll let you be the judge of that by taking a look at the trail head below:


This was the first of at least a dozen "foot bridges" that were made of logs that crossed a gorgeous creek that ran all along the trail.


Four (4) miles and a blown out knee later, we ended what I found out to be a "more difficult" trail. But I have to say that although I was on the lookout for buzzards {since I was almost 100% certain that I was going to die @ some point) I never saw any. My legs were like spaghetti's and I was totally exhausted, but at the same time exhilarated and refreshed. After an evening of sitting in the hot tub and slathering my knee with Arnica Gel, I'm ready to tackle another "more difficult" trail {but probably not today}. None the less, I feel a sense of accomplishment that I was in the need of here lately. Daily life can sometimes become boring and monotonous and I often go to bed wondering what I did that day that may have made a difference either to me or somebody else. I've decided that I am only going to "work" until 1 pm on gorgeous days and then I'm "getting out there" ~ hope you do the same :)

Have a wonderful weekend!!!.

Xxoo & peace always ~ Kathy

"You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - "A.A. Milne"

Monday, February 18, 2008

It’s Never Too Late To Have A Happy Childhood!


Sometimes I wake up and hope I'm still a kid {just for the day}. I lay there, waiting for my Mom to come tell me it's time to get up and to shut of my alarm clock. For some reason, when I'm in a deep sleep, I just don't hear the alarm clock and it can be going off right in my ear. The Doctor said it's because I have low blood pressure and I sleep deeper than most people. I'm kinda glad of that, really, I get to dream without interruptions. Anyway, I woke up yesterday feeling a little "kiddish", so I had to make this awesome little frog necklace. I named it "Mr. Jeremy Fisher", which is most appropriate for the little fellow, I think. Besides, the tale was always one of my most favorite "Beatrix Potter" ones:


I hope kids these days read these stories and remember them like I do, rather than play video games all day {sigh}. When Broc {my son} was a kid, we didn't even have a TV, so all we did was listen to music, read stories and play games. He says now {at age 27} that he was really glad of that. He says he barely ever watches TV and would rather read & listen to music. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, since I'm exactly the same way ~ So teach your children well….read them stories, play games with them and just be silly with them ~ sing, dance, laugh & make funny faces. You'll all be better for it in the end.

Besides Mr. Fisher, I made several other new little pretties for the shop, so please check them all out when you get a chance.

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day! Wayne gave me my most favorite perfume ~ "Chanel Coco Mademoiselle", which is absolutely wonderful {and something you don't wear when you are feeling "kiddish"} ~ hee hee.

We are going to hang out with some new friends to night and play music, visit, etc. I'll post later on that. I need to run for now, though and finish up our taxes {yuck} ~ I'd rather be fishing, like Mr. Jeremy Fisher! Hope you have a wonderful Monday & a Happy Week!

Xxoo & peace always ~ Kathy

"Make one person happy each day and in forty years you will have made 14,600 human beings happy for a little time, at least." ~Charley Willey"

Saturday, February 9, 2008

10% Off Valentine’s Day Sale!


I'm still here!!! Sorry it's been so long since I've written. We've been busy doing things around the house and I'm getting ready for a Valentine's Day trunk show on Monday. For those of you that know the area and live around here, the show will be this coming Monday {Feb. 11th} from 6 to 9 pm @ the "Hob Knob". The "Moonshine Babies" will be playing, which is always a special treat. And, to celebrate all of my wonderful customers & say "Happy Valentine's Day", from now until midnight on Valentine's Day {Feb. 14th} everything you purchase from my Etsy shop will be 10% off. Just remember to put "Happy Valentine's Day" in the comments to seller section @ your time of purchase and wait for me to send you a PayPal invoice. Don't forget to say "Happy Valentine's Day" though, because the sale is only for my blog readers.

So now I need to get busy making some new things ~ here's a very cute little necklace I made yesterday called "A Taste of Honey". I just love the little copper Honey Bee ~ he's so cute:


And you know where to find it ~ in the shop ~ I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!

Xxoo & peace always ~ Kathy