Reminiscing, Holiday Cards & A Winner!

Tomorrow is December 1st!!! One more month of 2010! Can you believe it! I remember when it was New Year's Eve 1999 and everybody was on the edge of their chairs, waiting for the tick-tock of the clock to strike midnight and what in the world was going to happen?? Would the clocks even continue to tick-tock? Would the T.V. stop working? Would all of the cars not start? Would all of the computers in the world simultaneously shut off? Sometimes I think the computers are smarter than the people that invent them. Of course, we all know nothing of the sort happened and all was well, so we'll just ride out another 1000 years!

I don't know where I was going with that, but it was a fun memory. So *yay* ~ Jen was the winner of those awesome earrings from my last post!! Congratulations, Jen!! I hope you love them! They are really gorgeous!

So....did you get your holiday cards yet? It's such a tradition for me. I love making and sending them each year. I stress myself over it until I get them all done and in the mail. Wayne thinks I'm crazy, but it's just something I do. Anyway, I got an e-mail today from "Digital Freebies", with these awesome card templates. I just wanted to pass them along to you, in case you've been contemplating your holiday cards. So cute!!

Welp...gotta run ~ I want to go watch the Christmas Special that's on right now. Have a great evening and check back tomorrow for another freebie!!

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"A lovely thing about Christmas is that it's compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together." ~ Garrison Keillor

Friends, food & a freebie...

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends! Every time we get together it's always "we need to get together more often"...time just goes by and goes by and the next thing you know, it's Thanksgiving again! Hope you had a wonderful one, too!

And the really great part about this Thanksgiving was that Broc [my son] got to spend it with us! That's him there on the far right. All of our friends just love him! Of course, they all loved my Brussels Sprouts, too! I converted two more people with them! They are sooooo good! I used this recipe [minus the cheese part]~ and the secret is the butter. If you think you haven't used enough, add more. I don't think you can "over butter" them, that's for sure! And, when it's all said and done, I promise you will love them!!

So my weekend Sale is off to a great start! Thanks everybody!! And just in case you missed the post, everything in both my Etsy Shop & ArtFire Shop is 25% Off, plus "Free shipping" until Midnight Monday [November 29th]. All you have to do is use coupon code "Holiday" at checkout and the discount will be automatically deducted from your total.

So, to show my gratitude for each and every one of you, I'll be giving a pair of these awesome earrings away. All you have to do is comment on this post and Lita will be picking a winner Tuesday morning! Good Luck!!

Welp, gotta run for now...I'm making some new things today and will have them in the shop tomorrow! Surprises, surprises...something about airplanes & tiny cameras [so cute!!].

Have a wonderful weekend!! Stay warm & dry...shop in your P.J.'s with a nice cup of hot chocolate. Remember buy handmade things for all your gift giving this year!!

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration." ~ Ansel Adams

Happy Thanksgiving & a 25% Off Coupon!!

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!! I'm "thankful" that we are going to friends for Thanksgiving and I'm only having to prepare 2 dishes! Ugh...I can't imagine having to prepare a whole Thanksgiving dinner, with all the fixings, dirty dishes, house cleaning, etc., etc. I know one thing, I would have to have more than 2 bottles of wine ~ lol.

Oh well, I was trying to insert another picture, but apparently blogger is having some issues today. So, I just wanted to let you know about the Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale I'm having in both my Etsy Shop & Artfire Shop. Starting right now, there will be "Free Shipping" on all purchases and 25% Off!!! Please use coupon code "Holiday" for both shops to get the discount. That's it! Yay!! Etsy finally has a coupon feature, so no more waiting for a PayPal invoice, refund, etc. I'm so excited!! Let me know if you have any questions!! The sale ends Monday night @ midnight [November 29th]

Have a wonderful day!! Don't eat to much!

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs! ~ unknown author

Thanksgiving, Black Friday & Cyber Monday!!

oops...looks like I dropped the ball on the last give away, so I just went down and got Ozzy to pick a winner and the winner is [insert drum roll here] #3, which is Perry!!! Yay Perry!! You won those gorgeous earrings from my last post!! Congratulations!! I hope you enjoy them. Sorry about that. I've been so distracted...I finally had to get a new computer and it has taken up ALL of my time for the last week. Getting programs installed, moving files, rearranging my studio, etc. I think I'm finally making some headway, so *Yay* for that! Whew, what a lot of monotonous, exhausting and not very much fun work! I need to get back to my beads, they are collecting dust over on my desk. I did get in some awesome new charms today, so I'll get busy making something with those. hee hee...so this was cracking me up today! Are you ready for the holidays!! I mean, Thanksgiving is this Thursday already!!! I usually have my Christmas cards ready to address by now and I haven't even made them yet! Thank goodness we are going to some friends for Thanksgiving and I only have to bring a green bean casserole and some awesome Brussels Sprouts [made from this recipe] ~ and they are so good!!! If you, or someone you know, is not a big fan of Brussels, they will be after eating some of these. So what's your favorite thanksgiving dish [besides the turkey]. I would love to know!!

And I'm so looking forward to decorating the tree and seeing these little ones again...my favorite ornaments from when I was a little girl...so cute!!

As you all know, Friday is "Black Friday" and Monday is "Cyber Monday" ~ the two busiest shopping days of the year! So, starting at Midnight Thursday [November 25th] and going until midnight Monday [November 29th], EVERYTHING in both my Etsy Shop and my ArtFire Shop will be 25% off, PLUS "Free Shipping" and "Free Giftwrapping" all weekend long! So start looking around now and get ready for the sale!! Happy Shopping!! Etsy has a new "coupon code" feature, so I'm going to try and figure that out...I'll post the coupon codes for both shops Thursday...stay tuned. In the meantime, have a great Thanksgiving!

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

P.S. I just want to thank everybody that commented on my last post ~ I am so very thankful for each and every one of you...especially you, my sweet little sister, Karen!! I love ya'll!!

A hike to a mountain top & some more "free" earrings!

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous around here lately! So yesterday, we took full advantage of it and went on a hike up to "Stone Mountain"in Dupont Forest. Although the trail was a tad harrowing at times,the whole trek up there was totally worth it!! Absolutely breathtaking! The dogs had a blast!And I got some much needed fresh air & down time. If you are interested in seeing all of my photos from yesterdays hike, you can click here ~ enjoy :)ah...now I can get busy creating again. I did get these made yesterday:they are called "Strawberry Fields Forever" and are for sale in both my Etsy Shop & ArtFire Shop! But, I'm giving a pair of them away on my blog!!! Yes, yes!!! But, instead of you just posting a comment like "I love these", or "I would love to win these", let's make it more fun this time! All you have to do is post a comment about what you like to do to wind down, like hiking, biking, reading, sleeping, etc....I would love to hear what you have to say! Ozzy will be picking the winner Monday ~ good luck!! So Ozzy got is stitches out and he's doing great! The turtleneck shirts worked out perfect and kept him from being able to lick his incision. But, in saying that, Lita was so jealous that we had to put a shirt on her, too! She loved it! She don't know why she had it on, but it ranked her right back up to "boss" status ~ lol

Welp, I'm off to get some things ready for the ArtMart this weekend @ the Transylvania County Arts Council! Come out and see me if you live close enough. The party is tomorrow night from 6 to 8 and the ArtMart Public Sale will be Saturday from 9am until 4pm. It'll be lots of fun and a great opportunity to jump start your holiday shopping!!

Have a great weekend peeps! Don't forget to comment on this post for a chance to win these gorgeous earrings!!

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"The better part of happiness is to wish to be what you are." ~ Desiderius Erasmus

I just see it...

...ugh! I did a show at the mall this weekend and it was terrible!! One of the worst shows I've ever, ever done. I guess "mall shoppers" don't appreciate art or handmade things [for the most part]. The only items I saw selling were those fleece scarves that represented various football teams and these angels:I really don't "get" the hype over an angel with a "John Deere Tractor" dress, but hey, who's judging! To each his own. Besides a lot of "crafters" there were several amazing artists, but the person most talented was a guy named Chris Moffet that has only been creating art for a little over a year now. His woodworking skills are just incredible! So after a boring, boring day, I came home with Jack:

and I LOVE him!!!! I have him hanging up in the stairwell, so I can see him every time I come and go from my studio! He's awesome! The show was to benefit the "Enka Fire Department", so, hopefully, they raised some $$ for that. The kids had fun riding around in the remote control firetruck:I don't know how much trust I would have had in a puppet driving my kid around, but like I said before, to each his own.

And it seemed as though the most interest I got in my work was from other vendors, specifically other jewelry vendors. And it's the same old question time and time again "when you look at a pile of beads, how do you know what you are going to make with them, if you don't follow a pattern, or copy something from a magazine or website" and time and time again, I have the same old answer "I just see it" ~ and that's all it is and all I can say about it.
Oh, and I guess you are wondering who won those awesome earrings from my last post?!? {insert drum roll here} ~ lucky #3, which is Chris!!!!! Yay!!!!! Congratulations!! I'll have these on their way to you in two shakes of a lamb's tail! I hope you love & enjoy them!!! Karen [my sister] will be upset, but I might have to send her a pair for Christmas! Enjoy!!

Gotta wrap it up...almost time to take Ozzy to the vet to get his stitches out! Hooray!!! Life is good for me and my little Ozzy. Hope you're week is off to a great start!! Check back Wednesday for another give away!!

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"A dog is a smile & a wagging tail. What is in between doesn't matter much." ~ Clara Ortega

Crystal Balls & Fantasy Photography...

Good Morning peeps!! Hope you're having a most wonderful of weeks! It's a little drizzly, cold & foggy here in the forest, but sometimes that's a good thing. I tend to be more creative when I can't go outside. On nice days, I just want to be outside with my camera. So yesterday's creativeness brought about these:

I just ♥LOVE♥ the huge crystal glass balls! And they are not only earrings, they are a looking glass into a tiny world beyond. So pretty!! I named these "Ice Princess" and they are for sale in both my Etsy Shop and ArtFire Shop. However, I'm going to give a pair away to someone that comments on this blog post. You know the drill...just leave a comment and then on Monday [November 8th], Ozzy will pick the winner! Good Luck!!! Oh, and don't forget, Daylight Savings ends this weekend, so set your clocks back one whole hour Saturday Night before you go to bed!!
So, I've been playing around with PhotoShop [again, yes again] and I've just all but fallen in love with fantasy photography. This is one I did yesterday...it's a night scene, using my hand and my cousin's little girl. I really love how it turned out. I got inspired from "Lissy Elle" ~ her photographs are truly amazing. Check them out and see for yourself. You'll be inspired, I guarantee :)

Now I'm off to create! I hope you have a wonderful weekend! If you live nearby, come see me at the "Biltmore Mall" ~ I'll be peddling my wares both Saturday & Sunday during regular mall hours! A great weekend to jump start your holiday shopping, for sure! And now, I'll leave you with a poem I wrote yesterday to my brain ~ enjoy:

"An Unquiet Mind" - a poem written to my brain...

You awake me while I'm sleeping
creating things alone
Knowing my hands are needed
you can't make things on your own

Why don't you go to sleep now
rest with the body you're in
for tomorrow will come bright & early
and that's when you can begin. ~ Kathy Hardy

Happy November 1st!!

Hello, hello!! I hope everybody had an awesome Halloween!! I certainly did! We went to a great party that had an "Old Gregg" theme. If you don't know who "Old Gregg" is, click here to watch the video. I know, it's somewhat disturbing, but the more you watch it the funnier it gets. The band playing at the party call themselves the "Fishsticks" and they were all dressed in characters from "Old Gregg", with the lead singer [Raymond Rainey] playing the part of "Old Gregg" himself. It was hilarious!!But my friends Mark & Leslie had the best costumes ~ I love it!!They were Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) people. Día de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday to celebrate the dead. Awesome peeps & costumes!!

And so October has gone with a flash, a bang and lots of fallen leaves...speaking of leaves, #4 [Lindsey] won that gorgeous Maple Leaf Necklace from my last post! Congratulations, Lindsey!! I hope you enjoy it!!

And for those of you concerned [thanks so much], Ozzy's surgery last week went well. The vet removed a huge mass [the size of a softball] from his chest and it was [thank goodness] just a huge mass of fat. They sent him home with a big incision and a drain sticking out of his chest, of which he managed to break off the very first day! So we solved the problem by keeping him in a turtleneck shirt that I cut the sleeves off of. He seems to enjoy it, actually :)

And right now he's laying here looking at me and probably wanting some attention. So I'll cut this off and say goodnight!! Happy November everybody!!

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"If you think you're too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito." --Betty Reese