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 Summer!!

Good Morning everybody!! Hope you are all doing great and enjoying these awesome first days of summer! I've just been in somewhat of a slump lately, because of everything going on down in the Gulf, so I'm channeling my energies and creating lots of "sea" themed items, like this:

appropriately titled "Save The Sea" ~ I just love it! It's got many charming little charms, including a human hand, since WE are the only ones that can save the sea. And then I made these [which I especially adore]:
they are called "Whale Watching" AND, you can WIN your very own pair, just by commenting on this blog post! How easy is that! The winner will be picked by Ozzy bright & early Saturday morning. Good luck!!

So, I've been busy with my photography, making prints, taking pictures, playing with PhotoShop, playing with PhotoShop and playing with Photoshop and my beads are just sitting there looking at me sad & dusty...so, for the next week I'll be focusing on making new things, since I have several shows coming up and my inventory is way, way low. Plus, I need to make some new things and get back into my creative design part of my brain. But, we did go on an awesome canoe float last Sunday for a friend's birthday and it was beautiful! Here's a photo that I turned into a "painting":Welp, I'm off to make some new things...have a terrific day and good luck winning the earrings!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." ~ Unkonwn

Happy December!!

Hey everybody!!! Happy December! First off, I want to congratulate Jen!!! She won the awesome earrings from my last post ~yay!!! And then, I want to congratulate Kay! She won the $50 Gift Certificate just by shopping with her "Thanksgiving" discount! Yay!! Congratulations to both of you and "thank you" to all that left comments on my blog, and shopped with your "Thanksgiving" discount. Ya'll are the best!! And this week you can still get "free shipping" until midnight Friday, in both my Etsy shop and ArtFire shop. You still have until December 18th to have gifts shipped out for Christmas.Even though it's not looking a lot like "Christmas" yet, it certainly is starting to look a lot like "Winter" ~ I took this picture from my front porch....makes me want a cup of hot chocolate! And I have been fighting a nasty cold, but I think I'm on the upside of it now.

I'm off to make some new things!!! Stay warm & toasty!!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"The things which our friends do with and for us, form a portion of our lives; for they strengthen and advance our personality." ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope all of you had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend! This is the poem I wrote for my Mom {you can click on it to view it larger & clearer} to go along with this:A gorgeous "Mother/Child" leaf necklace from Elizabeth Scott ~ my Mom loved it!

We've had house guests all weekend and they just left this morning and then tonight we are having "music Monday" here {of which I can't wait!}, so this will be a short post ~ I just wanted to wish everybody Happy Mother's Day and a happy Monday. But before I go, I have to share this:the "Mountain Laurels" are beginning to bloom ~ soon my whole back yard & the forest will be a sea of pink. I love the Spring!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter." ~ John Keats

Just Another Muddy Monday...

....I feel like I live in the Rain Forest! But, I have to admit that it's just absolutely gorgeous around here right now. I've never seen so many different shades of green in my entire life! We have had lots of {much needed} rain the last few days and everything is just so happy!!! The forest has literally come to life. We went on a five mile hike yesterday, up to "Twin Falls" and then along "Avery Creek". The water in the falls & the creek was thundering down so loud ~ it was awesome. And the wildflowers are in abundance in the forest ~ like these:and theseand theseand my favorite of all ~ the Pink Lady Slippers...but the best part about this hike is that we shared it with friends:Here's Sandi & Karen standing next to what must be the largest & oldest "Mountain Laurel" we had ever seen ~ it was awesome!

I hope you are enjoying your Springtime, wherever you are. Don't forget to comment on my last blog post for a change to win these awesome earrings:the drawing is tomorrow ~ good luck!

Happy Tuesday!!! ♥

"It's the journey ~ not the destination that's most important"

Happy Earth Day ~ Be Free!!

I hope everybody is having a wonderful "Earth Day" and takes the opportunity to get outside and enjoy it! This weekend is "Earthfest" @ Brevard College. I'll have my jewelry there on Saturday {April 25th}, so for all of you that live close, please come by and see me! It will be lots of fun!

Congratulations to Stacy!!! She was the winner of these awesome earrings from my last post. Be sure and check my blog post this coming Friday to see what's up for next Wednesday's give away! I promise you'll love it! Plus, I'll let you know how much $$$ I'm sending to the "World Wildlife Fund", as I indicated in my Newsletter that was sent out last week. If you haven't done so, please sign up for my newsletter ~ you'll be glad you did :)Well Spring has really started popping around here! All of my blueberry bushes are getting lots of attention from these little guys ~ it will help them to produce awesome blueberries in a few months! Yummy!!!! And the birds are going nuts! I think I'm the only person with bird feeders in my whole neighborhood ~ and with that, come all the birds, squirrels and these precious little fellows: {photo by Jennifer Rowe}So far I've counted two of them that live under the deck. They certainly make lots of noise, but they are just so fun to watch! According to what I've read, they only breed twice a year and their babies move away, so I don't have to worry about being invaded by them {which is good, since I wouldn't want to have to drive them away}.

Well, I'm off to enjoy Earth Day outside!!! I hope you have a great one, too!!! Thanks for reading my ramblings and commenting on my posts ~ ♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love." ~ Sophia Loren

Happy Thursday!!!

Well, I think Ozzy could have argued this statement yesterday! It's usually Wayne or I who decide when to take a rest when we are on a hike. But yesterday Ozzy made the call! He just laid down right on the trail and took a rest. Even Lita wasn't trying to make him get up. All in all, it was a very trying hike to say the least. We did the "Coontree Loop Trail" ~ the most difficult one we've done so far, plus it was almost 5 miles, which is probably a little much for Ozzy to handle. It was lots of climbing up, up, up to the top of the ridge and then back down, down, down. But he sure loved it when we got towards the end and he could play in the water:It really was a great hike {once it ended} ~ we all had a good time & the weather was perfect!So between the hike yesterday & my exercise class this morning, I feel refreshed, renewed & inspired! I started a new line for the shop ~ it's called "Keep It Simple". I'll be making lots of really cool, really simple Spring & Summer jewelry for the line and it will all be under $35! That way, you can have some really cool "one of a kind" jewelry for your Spring & Summer wardrobe and have plenty of money left over for those Pina Colada's @ the Cabana! {Wow, did I just say that! ~ Summer here I come!!}

This one is called "Simply Organic" and is made with an awesome Tagua Nut!And this one is simply called "Simplicity" ~ made with an awesome carved shell pendant :)

And if you haven't done so already, don't forget to give me some ideas for those empty wine bags. Leave your idea in the comments on last Monday's blog post for a chance to win this awesome little necklace! The winner will be drawn this coming Monday {March 16th}. Good Luck everybody!!

Happy Thursday!!! ♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Looking forward to things is half the pleasure of them." ~ Lucy Maud Montgomery

Hello Snow!!!

Woo-hoo ~ we finally got some snow that actually hung around for a little bit! We were beginning to wonder if this Winter was going to just pass us by. I took this picture on the way up to "Caesar's Head State Park", but as soon as we crossed into South Carolina, the roads got really bad. Apparently they don't have the equipment to keep the roads {at least this road} clear. Right after we went around this curve there were a couple of trees down and the road got really slippery. So, we just turned around and came back home. Luckily, the roads were good enough around here for the mail person to come:And Ozzy & Lita had a blast! Lita kept running Ozzy up under the bushes and snow kept falling on his head. He didn't seem to mind, though :)So after a hard day of play, we are getting in the hot tub to watch the sunset. But first, I have to congratulate Julie of "Gypsy Moon Designs". She was the winner of the "Peace" bracelet from last Wednesday's post. Be sure and check out my blog post this coming Wednesday {March 4th} for your chance to win something awesome!!! I want to also take this chance to congratulate one of my dearest Etsy friends, Ginger Wagner {msbelle} She is the "featured seller" right now on Etsy!!! Yay, Ginger!!!! You are so deserving of this! Your work is awesome. Enjoy the ride :)

Happy Monday!!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"The innocent brightness of a new born day is lovely yet." ~ William Wordsworth

I See Spring!

Yay! I think Spring is just around the bend. I have all of these little "buds" popping up everywhere in my yard. And, today it's going to be 63 degrees ~ time for a little "spring cleaning". I don't know about you, but I need motivation to clean anything. So, yesterday we took the dogs for a walk up the parkway. The great thing about Winter around here is that they shut down the parkway to vehicles. But, you can park @ the entrance and walk, which we did:

There is still plenty of ice up there and, lots of snow. Lita had a blast rolling around in it and she loved running right up to the edge of the grass and taking a big "sniff" of the mountain air:It was gorgeous up there. I want to go back today! But it's not all "play" around here. I made this awesome little necklace for one of my customers yesterday and I love the way he turned out. You just can't help but smile when you look at his happy little face:So until we meet again....Happy Trails.......be sure & check back Monday to see who the lucky winner of the "Bird Girl Journey" necklace is! And, if you haven't already, be sure and comment on that post for your chance to be in the drawing! Good luck & have a wonderful weekend!!!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Sometimes our thoughts turn back toward a corner in a forest, or the end of a bank, or an orchard powdered with flowers, seen but a single time...a feeling we have just rubbed elbows with happiness" ~ Guy De Maupassant

Friends {Old & New} and A "Freebie"

One of the things that I pride myself on is my list of friends {old & new}. Yesterday we went to dinner & a movie with our "new" friends, Tom & Sandi. We went to see "Taken", which was not as good as we thought it was going to be. It's just your typical "shoot em up, car chase thriller", with a totally predictable ending. The non-stop action just made my adrenaline pump way to high which, in turn, caused me to eat more that I should have at "P.F. Changs" {that's my excuse anyway, and I'm sticking to it}. Ah, but just getting out and doing something was certainly with the trouble. We had a great time.

But the one thing about "old" friends is that you can always pick up the phone, or send them an e-mail and it's like you never missed a beat. One of my dearest and oldest {time, not age} friends is Christine {Chris}. We've been friends since high school and we were room-mates for a couple of years in the early 80's in Louisiana. In our mid 20's she and her family headed back to southern California, where she still lives today with her husband & two "furry" kids. She flew down here last summer for a week and we really enjoyed her visit and hope she comes back soon:hee hee ~ here she is with her little Bug!!! She {we} drove that car into the ground. I remember there was a "tricky" way to start it, which involved a screwdriver?!? {I think}. Maybe she'll post a comment on this blog to refresh my memory! And boy what memories we have! I know I don't have enough space on "blogger" to even start on those stories!

So, today's blog give away, in honor of those friends near & far, old & new, and to those yet to be met, is one of my best seller's ever. My little "Bird Girl Journey" necklace:She is being enjoyed by people all over the world! Of course, all you have to do to win her is comment on this post. I'll announce the lucky winner on Monday {February 9th}, which is also the day I'll be having a "Valentine Jewelry Trunk Show", along with another one of my special little girlfriends, Paula. We'll be setting up @ "The Hobnob" from 6 to 9ish pm. Please come see us, if you can.

Wayne {my best friend & soul mate} and I are going to ride up to the Parkway today and check out the snow!
Happy Wednesday!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"The gift of friendship ~ both given and received ~ is joy, love, and nurturing for the heart. The realization that you have met a soul mate...a kindred spirit...a sister...a true friend...is one of life's sweetest gifts!" ~ unknown

Whimsical Art, Giant Bubbles & Llamas...

These little guys were so much fun! I think there were about 8 or 10 of them {total} and they just walked around and visited everyone all day @ the "Whimsical Art Show". The kids & dogs loved them! They were really sweet and love getting "hugs" ~ this little guy's name is "Rockstar".And these giant bubbles were awesome! But the real *hit* of the day were these guys:"The Mason Jar Drinkers" ~ a delightful group of young men from Brevard College that were just amazing & so much fun to listen to. The weather was perfect {a little chilly, but perfect none the less}. There were lots of shoppers, lots of wonderful art & great food! Wayne and I were serving "Chicken & Sausage Gumbo" {that I got up and made a huge pot of @ 7:oo yesterday morning}, which was eaten up within a couple of hours and everybody loved it! So, I'm glad I stayed home for a few extra days to do this show and I can't wait to do it again next year! And a huge *thanks* to Ms. Shannon Whitworth for making it all possible ~ Thank you, Shannon!

I'm off to fill some orders and start packing up for the beach. Have a happy Sunday!

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Don't just be good, be good for something" ~ Unknown

Vote for Ozzy & Lita!!!

Hey everybody! Ozzy & Lita's photo has been submitted for the next issue of "JPG" magazine. Please vote for them! Thank you so much!!!

Happy Thursday! xxoo & peace always ~ Kathy

Blah.....I'm Sick :(

I thought this little necklace would make my throat feel better, but it just made my neck warm, instead. It was inspired by my severe sore throat & pounding ears. The only relief I have is my "Gypsy Cold Care" Herb Tea, Chicken Noodle Soup & Zicam. But it seems as though if one of those things is not in my mouth, my throat is causing me excruciating pain. And of course, tonight is the benefit dinner in support of the programs for the Cradle of Forestry Interpretive Association that I've been anxiously awaiting to attend for a month now. I'm going anyway ~ I'll just sit in the corner with my Kleenex and hope I don't draw much attention. At least I'm not coughing {yet}. Ugh! Any suggestions!!!! Please!!!! I need to get well, fast.

Happy Friday!! xxoo & peace always ~ Kathy

"If you want to find a deeper meaning in your life, you can't find it in the opinions or the beliefs that have been handed to you. You have to go to that place within yourself." ~ Wayne Dyer

I Believe....

...It could happen ~ A new necklace for the shop, plus a few others.....check it out

Happy Wednesday!!! It's getting all nice & fallish around here:
...the perfect weather for riding up the Parkway with the top down:Ozzy & Lita seem to think so, too. We're off to enjoy the day!! Hope you do the same :)

xxoo & peace always ~ Kathy

"A mind at peace, a mind focused on not harming others, is stronger than any physical force in the universe." ~ Wayne W. Dyer