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!!

Censored Art & Mountain Tops....

Ahhhh....the weather has just been gorgeous here!!! So yesterday, we hiked up to the top of "Black Balsam Knob" with Ozzy & Lita {mistake}. I don't know why Ozzy thinks everything {dogs, people, lizards, cats, etc.} need "herding". We got all the way to the top of Black Balsam Knob and I got someone up there to take our picture for our Christmas Cards this year {which I think turned out really good}:And then Ozzy decided that this little fat Jack Russell Terrier up there somehow needed herding. Well, the Jack Russell wanted no part of Ozzy, or his herding, so he started running and Ozzy started chasing....they went half way back down the trail and then half way up another mountain, with Wayne and the Jack Russell's owner on their tails yelling "stop, sit, stay, wait, etc." to no avail! They finally stopped, on their own, and just stood there, looking at each other. Well, the Jack Russell's owner was very upset {understandably, since Ozzy was about three times his size}. He started yelling at Wayne about keeping the dogs on leashes, if we can't control them, blah de blah. But, his dog wasn't on a leash either and obviously, he couldn't control his dog, so I think he was mad @ Ozzy, Wayne and his own dog. I just kinda giggled to myself, since nobody was hurt and both Ozzy and the Jack Russell certainly could use the exercise {hee hee}. It was a beautiful day, though and Ozzy & Lita had a great time:I think I'm going to get this one printed & framed.

So, the winner of the "Bird Girl Journey" necklace is Jen!!!! Yay!! Ozzy loves you!!! He actually "licked" #1 and then grabbed #2 and tried to eat it! Thanks for posting comments, everybody!! Check back Wednesday for holiday shopping updates/discount codes & shipping information. Plus, another awesome "freebie"!! Ya'll are the best!!!!

Well, I decided NOT to do the after Thanksgiving show in Cashiers @ the cute little cottages. Although, it's cute and a great idea, my art ended up being ridiculously censored. I was told that this venue is geared more towards "upscale" art, rather than "funky" and that they did not want any "New Age" or "Fundamentalist" items there, namely "Skulls, Shrunken Ex-Boyfriends", Peace Signs, Goddesses or Fairies". Well, all of you that know me, know that most of my items would fall in the "funky" category! Actually my banner, my business cards and the sign on my car say "funky jewelry for your inner flower child" ~ so "humph" ~ they can keep their "upscale" clientele and I'll keep my funky peeps, like ya'll!! And this was a "juried" show! So, I don't know why they waited until after they accepted me and then told me what I could and could not sell! Oh well, their loss ~ my gut feeling told me I wouldn't make much money there anyway and end up wasting two whole days right after Thanksgiving, which tends to be the time I get really busy.

So thanks for listening, and loving my funky stuff!!! I love ya'll!!!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression" ~ First Amendment of the US Constitution

Happy October & A 31% Discount!!!

Happy October everybody!!! October is my most favorite month of the whole year! Not only is it always the prettiest, coolest, best weather month, it's also the month of my favorite holiday ~ Halloween! I love Halloween! Maybe that's one of the reasons I ended up living in "Transylvania County" ~ This picture was taken yesterday, on our hike to "Bridal Veil Falls" in "Dupont Forest". I just love the way the trees & sun reflected in the nature made pool of water that the leaves were floating in ~ gorgeous!And since October 31st is my most favorite day of the year {besides my birthday}, I'm having a "Happy October ~ 31% Off Sale" all weekend long {from right now until midnight Sunday, October 4th} in both my Etsy shop & my ArtFire Shop. All you have to do is type in "Happy Fall" in the comments to seller section @ your time of purchase. And on "ArtFire", just type in "Happy Fall" in the coupon code section and the discount will be automatically taken. This is my biggest sale ever! A great time to jump start your holiday shopping! You can either wait for me to send you an updated PayPal invoice, reflecting the discounted total, or you can pay at checkout and then the discount will be promptly refunded to you through PayPal. That's it! Let me know if you have any questions.

Once again~ Thank you to all of you that read by blog, buy my jewelery, look at my pictures and love me still! Ya'll are the best!!! Happy October!!!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Dear Father, hear and bless thy beasts and signing birds, and guard with tenderness small things that have no words." ~ anonymous

Rainy Day Activity....

...sometimes rainy days bring out the creativeness in me. I made all of these yesterday and they are for sale in the shop. Just in time for summer! I just love that pink flower :)

And this is what Ozzy does on rainy days {or everyday for that matter}.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! We are having Music Monday here tonight, so I've got to get some things done ~ Happy Monday ~ seize the day!

♥ & peace ~ Kathy

"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." ~ James Dean

Bartering...who needs money anyway!

It's not that I don't have "courage" {most of the time - well, sometimes} ~ it's just that I'm afraid I may offend someone by asking if they are willing to "trade" some of my jewelry for what they have to offer. So I finally got up the "courage" to ask a lady here in town that teaches Yoga, Pilates, Nia and now Zumba if she would be willing to trade jewelry for classes! And, I'm excited to say, she was so excited {I think even more than me} that I now get to take classes for two whole months, twice a week, with no "out of pocket" expenses {kinda like "free" health insurance}!!! *Yay* ~ and I'm sure after those classes are done, I'll have something else she'll have to have and we can barter some more. I'm stoked!!! Well really, yesterday was my first class and I'm sore! I would have never imagined trading my jewelry for pain! But like the old saying "no pain, no gain" and I've "committed"! So now I'm "bartering" for comments on my blog ~ in exchange for this wonderful little "Peace" bangle:and, of course, all you have to do to win it is comment on this post! Lita will be drawing the lucky winner on Monday {March 2nd} ~ good luck!!!

Happy Wednesday ~ I'm off to fix us some "brunch" and then go on a short hike :)
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Courage is the greatest of all virtues, because if you haven't courage, you may not have an opportunity to use any of the others" ~ Samuel Johnson

Happy Monday & A Winner!!!!

Congratulations Galen!!! You were the lucky winner of the "Bird Girl Journey" necklace from last Wednesday's post! Don't forget to check my blog this coming Wednesday {February 11th} for a chance to win another awesome little treat! These are some awesome little earrings that I made yesterday and listed in the shop. I named them "Juniper Berries" ~ they are really quite lovely & very "Springish". Let me know what you think about them.

I have to cut this post short ~ I'm getting ready for my show tonight @ The Hobnob! Wish me luck!
Happy Monday!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"The three grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for." ~ Thomas Chalmers

Revolutionary Road...

...a sad & depressing movie, but awesome acting by Kate Winslet & Leonardo DiCaprio. It's about a married couple that just find themselves living an average, somewhat boring, life. Most people just learn to live that way, but some don't...... If you haven't see "Revolutionary Road" yet, it's one you won't want to miss. I'm sure it will get lots of great reviews & awards. Next week we are going to see "Taken" and then "Slumdog Millionaire" {maybe not in that order}. They are both supposed to be really, really good. We had forgotten how long it had been since we saw a movie in the theatre, and then realized it was 10 years ago when we went to see "The Sixth Sense" in Washington, D.C.! Bruce Willis still had hair! Well, we certainly won't be able to catch up, but we really enjoyed the show. Plus, the improvements to the seating {at least at the theatre we just visited} were awesome. And, I certainly had forgotten how much I loved the popcorn & those tiny little pieces of "crunchy" ice in my coke!

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend so far!! It's gorgeous outside today! I just got finished making flyers for the "Jewelry Trunk Show" that Paula and I are having on February 9th at "The Hobnob". Hey, if you live around here, come by and see us! Jerry & Suzanne will be there playing music, too. It will be tons of fun!!!!!!!
Happy Saturday!!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Don't let life discourage you; everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was." ~ R.L. Evans

Be Happy!

Even if your "childhood" was not that happy, it's never too late to have a happy one! So many people seem to dwell on the past to the point where their lives are miserable. I guess it's easy for me to just tell them "get over it" and, I'm sure they try and can't. I wish there was a magic button that said "be happy" and all you had to do was push it to erase all of your sadnesses ~ ah, that would be awesome! So, in the meantime, let's just pretend that this is the happy button:Whenever you're sad, just click on it and make yourself smile! And, speaking of smiling, this made me smile:our hike up to "Maidenhair Falls" ~ the ice was gorgeous! And this made me smile, too:a little bracelet I made yesterday ~ named "Green - Peace" ~ you know where to find it!

Happy Saturday!!
♥

"Old age is like anything else. To succeed at it, you've got to start young." ~ Anonymous

And the winner is....

...Ozzy picked #8, which is Barbara {he really liked that number, too. I had a hard time prying the little piece of paper out of his mouth}. Congratulations, Barbara!!! You are the lucky winner of these fabulous earrings from last weeks post:

But no worries if you didn't win them, you can still buy a pair from the shop. Be sure and check my blog this Wednesday {01/21} to find out what I'll be giving away next Monday!

Gotta run for now & start cleaning house to get ready for my "Sushi Party" tomorrow!
Have a great Monday!!!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Sometimes it's important to work for that pot of gold. But other times it's essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow." ~ Douglas Pagels

Sushi...

Not that this cute little elf has anything to do with "Sushi" - it was just way to cute not to share. Of course, I just started my brand new "Mary Engelbreit" calendar for 2009 and it is just full of cuteness. I really do think each new one, year after year, is my favorite so far. And now, about that "sushi".......I decided to have a "Sushi Party" for the upcoming inauguration on the 20th. And since I know about sushi as much as I know about fixing cars, I bought this book! I started reading it last night and, I have to say, that I'm really impressed. I'll be trying some of the receipes over the next week, so I'll be sure to share them here, along with any "tips" that the book suggests. Another thing I got was this:which seems to have everything you need to begin your adventure making sushi. I'll let you know. In the meantime, I'll be making lots of new jewelry for the shop ~ like this little necklace that I made yesterday:

I named it "Hint of Spring" because of the colors & because I'm ready for Spring now that the holidays are over.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn." ~ Hal Borland

End Of Year Clearance Sale.....

...starting tomorrow {Sunday, December 28th @ 8 am} ~ lots of things in the shop will be 50% off, plus I'll have a $10 Earring special. So don't miss out!!

Happy Saturday!!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

Music Monday & Whimsical Women...

Music Monday was at our house this past Monday!!! We had about 20 people show up. But about 1/2 way through the night I got really, really sick. I think I ate some bad chicken, or something. I ended up going to bed and leaving everybody playing music in my living room. And poor Wayne had to clean up all the mess afterwards. But everybody had a really good time and the music made me sleep better {between trips to the bathroom}. My stomach is still not quite right. I think I had a touch of salmonella! Now I'm afraid to eat chicken.

...hee hee - Ozzy & Lita's "Halloween avatar" ~ for some reason the "chicken" made me think of it and laugh. So tonight I'm just going to eat some soup, or something. I have to get better for the "Whimsical Women" Art Show/Sale this Saturday, hosted by Shannon Whitworth!!! I hope we have a good turn out. The weather is supposed to be nice, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. And then next Tuesday, we are headed to the beach for a week of "R & R" ~ I can't wait!!!
Here's one new thing I've made ~ I really love it, too! The Chalcedony Druzy is just awesome! And, of course, it's for sale in the shop if you feel you must have it! There won't be another one like it, I promise :)

Happy Wednesday!!! ♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"He that plants a tree loves others besides himself." ~ Thomas Fuller

Frozen Art Show!!!

Brrrrrr......so yesterday's show was pretty much a bust. Everybody was freezing to death and not very many people were out shopping. Our hero of the day, though, was Wayne! Yay!!! He bought me a propane heater and we stayed snuggled up around it like Ozzy & Lita do when they have a good bone to chew on:You can't tell by this picture, but me Mike & Paula were all getting our butts toasted while we waited for customers to shiver & run by...awe, this lady actually spent more than 5 seconds looking @ my jewelry ~ sweet ;)and this sweet little lady scored some really cool head-bands from Carolyn...

but Mike's glass pendants....and Paula's awesome yarn broaches, hair pins, bookmarks & earrings were the hit of the day!

And I'll be making some new things with some of Mike's glass pendants {which will also be for sale soon in the "Purplebus Studio" on Etsy}, so check back often!

Happy Sunday! Stay Warm & Toasty!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

“This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, Love to complete your life.” ~ Winnie the Pooh...

Friends...

We had a really great evening last night over @ some of our friends' house. They are movie producers/directors and have written & directed several films. But the one we watched last night is called "At Last" and it's a movie about them & their lives and how they got back together after 30 years. It was really sweet & heartwarming. At first I really just wanted to stay home last night and make some new things for the shop and get ready for this weekend's show. But after it was all said & done, I'm really glad we went. And the dinner Tom & Sandi made was awesome! So if you having been putting off friends lately, you need to go visit!And this is my new favorite necklace! I love it!!! Of course, I'm keeping the originial one for myself and I have 3 more of the bead-caps and Sandi already put in her order for one, so I'll only have 2 for sale in the shop. So, if you are eying it, you better snatch it up. It's just gorgeous, like having your own little garden, so I named it "My Secret Garden" ~ very appropriate, I think.And then there are these, that I named "Organically Grown" - the Pink Peruvian Opal is just gorgeous! So I sit back and look at the new things I've made and think "gosh, my style is taking on a victorian flare and I must remy this right away"And out comes "Wish You Were Here" ~ these awesome little earrings that are totally inspired by "Pink Floyd" ~ So now I'm back!!! But while I was out on the front porch taking pictures, I got the feeling I was being watched......

low & behold, this little fellow was standing right on the edge of the woods watching me take pictures of my jewelry....he stood there for the longest time. I think it's cuz he wanted his picture taken :)

Happy Thursday!!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

“You can't stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.” ~ Winnie the Pooh

Broccoli Cornbread & "Free" Earrings....

Back by popular demand & just in time for your Thanksgiving Day dinner, the ever so popular "Broccoli Cornbread" {another one of those comfort foods}:

Ingredients:

4 Eggs

1 Stick of butter - melted

8 oz. of Pepper Jack Velveeta - melted

1 Cup of Chopped Onion

1 12 oz. Can of Mexicorn - drained

1 Box of Frozen Chopped Broccoli - thawed & squeezed dry

6 oz. of Cottage Cheese

1 Box of Jiffy Cornbread Mix

Directions:

Melt the butter & velveeta cheese. I usually melt the cheese in a small double-boiler or saucepan over medium/low heat {make sure you keep it stirred, so it won't stick to the bottom of the pan, or get all yuckie}. Then mix all ingredients really good in a large bowl & pour into an ungreased 9x12 baking dish. Bake @ 400 for 30/45 minutes ~ just check with a knife or toothpick in the middle to make sure it's not still runny. It will be very moist, though. And then eat it all and enjoy it ~ believe me, this will start a tradition!

And, for the "Friday Freebie" ~ I'll be sending these gorgeous earrings to one of my lucky blog readers ~ just comment on this blog post {a simply hello will suffice} and I'll draw a winning number on Friday! Good luck!

Happy Monday! ♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Laughter is an instant vacation." ~ Milton Berle

Well, Ain't You Somethin?!.....

This little picture & saying has always been one of my favorites....along with this one:And I already have my 2009 Mary Engelbreit Calender all ready to go. I get a new one every single year and have been for about 14 years now {I guess it's one of those traditions by now}. Most of the pictures & captions are repeated year after year, but I still love them like they were brand spanking new! And speaking of brand spanking new ~ I've made several new things for the shop:

This awesome little Dragonfly necklace that started off as a gift for my Sister's friend, but then I decided it was just to cute not to list at least one for sale in the shop. I really love the picture, too. You can see how red my maple tree is right now - it's awesome!!!And then there's this little "Here Comes The Sun" necklace that is just adorable...
And then there's these ~ the labradorite stones are stunning!!! I named them "Kashmir" {my most favorite Led Zepplin song}...
And of course you can't jump start the holidays without a little "Mint Julep" ~ right!
And there's lots of other new things, too ~ check them out when you get a chance.

Happy Veterans Day!!!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"To become a real boy, you must prove yourself brave, truthful, and unselfish" ~ Pinocchio

Funny Etsy Finds & New Fan Pulls!!!

Hello everybody!! I just had to share a couple of really hysterical things I've found lately on Etsy. This made me laugh out loud:

"Hanz" from A l'Heure de l'Apéro. He looks a little like my Sister's boyfriend!And these super hilarious "see through" skirts from Pantherbyhand, who is also responsible for these:I guess the reason I think these are so funny is because I try to picture Wayne in them and that makes me laugh! I hope these make you laugh, too ;)

So today, I started making fan pulls again, after several requests, so they are for sale in the shop - check them all out when you get a chance and let me know if you like them:Happy Tuesday!!!! Good luck to whoever becomes our next President....

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Love one another"