Think, Think, Think.......Giveaway?

As my favorite friend Winnie the Pooh would say.......think, think, think. I am at home today taking care of my sickly girl. She is sleeping due to having one heck of an upper respiratory infection, plus strep throat. Hmmmm, gotta love those daycares! So, I am enjoying some computer time....trying to be ULTRA quiet, and I am doing some thinking. My thoughts are......."I wonder. Do I have enough readers to do a giveaway?" I know I have a counter on my blog, but I confess, sometimes I can not remember what the numbers are! You'd think after 3 years, my daughter Madelyn would return the brain cells she stole from me in utero. I guess she still thinks she needs them. I beg to differ!

SO! If I truly do have readers out there in blog land and you all would be interested in a little free jewelry giveaway..........post a comment.....say Yay or Nay, or what ever you want, I am not picky. Even if there is only one lone, solitary reader out there, please post. Your chances of being a winner are really good! HA!

I am thinking about a "Mother's Ring" giveaway. Don't be fooled by the name, it could be a Grandmother's ring, Nana ring, birthstone ring, or just a fashion ring for those without children! They are made from 0.925 sterling silver and Swarovski crystal rondelles. They are strung on jewelers professional elastic powercord, no fray and treated with super duty jewelers glue on the hidden knot! You can see some very bad pictures of some beautiful custom orders here.

Please, let me know what you all think.......if there is a "you all". If I get any kind of response I will proceed with a jewelry giveaway. If you all are NOT interested in the rings, give me your opinion on another piece, as I am willing to go for anything........earrings, pendants, bracelets, childrens jewelry, etc.......ANYTHING! I need something to get my creative juices flowing again. Do not get me wrong, I am happy with ANY orders I get, but they have all been mother's rings and birthstone bracelets. Oooo, I sound ungrateful. Sorry, that is not how I meant it to come out. I think maybe that since all of my orders are from around my hometown and from work, I am wanting to connect to more customers out there in the rest of the world!

My hubby is staying home tomorrow with the little one as I have a cholesterol clinic to run at work. Thursday......I have jury duty...........yeah, you can pick yourself up off the floor now........stop laughing.......I mean really........stop.

I will leave this post up until the weekend at the latest. Have a great week......go have fun! Take care and GO CREATE!!!!!!

Warmly,

Leslie

She's Done It Again!

Margot Potter, self proclaimed Bead Queen of the Universe, has done it again! She has created another GREAT craft video! Not only do I SO enjoy her humor and style, but I have been enlightened on new crafting medias and products. Okay, so maybe they are not new..new. But they are NEW to me, as I don't' get out a lot. Or maybe it has to do with Wal-Mart being the largest store in our beautiful little town here in Southeast Missouri. Pathetic, I know. Most of my craft shopping is done online, so I miss out on browsing great craft stores for the "new" products. But, I digress! Take a look at her great new video! I know you will enjoy it! I sure did, but then again, I do love me some Parisian goodness! Have a great weekend.........Go Forth and Create! Enjoy!



Warmly,
Leslie

Maddy and Spongebob Sittin' in a Tree.......

Every evening, as I sit in the spare bedroom, cross legged on the bed with my laptop, Maddy crawls up and sits in my lap. She, in her sweet little 3 year old voice, asks for Spongebob on the "pooter" (computer for those of you following along). I then pull up Etsy and search"Spongebob". We then look at everything listed as she eats her snack of dried fruit. She "Ooooos and Ahhhhs", claims she wants everything she sees, tells me what is "so tuuute", and on the flip side tells me what is "ugwee". I thought I would share some pictures of her favorite items she picked out. Items we come close to having full-fledged melt downs over as she is having trouble understanding that they just don't magically appear out of thin air when requested.

So, without further ado.....Maddy's favorite man.....Spongebob.....

Well, there it is in all of it's glory. That one was for you my Madelyn!

Tonight my husband and I are having a "get together" with some of my co-worker/friends at our house. It will be our official first PARTY in our new house and I think our first official PARTY EVER! WOW! How sad huh? So, we plan on having food, drinks, a little cheesy karaoke, some Guitar Hero, a little Rock Star, music, talk and I hope a whole lot of laughter! Have a great weekend! You all take care........go forth and create!

Warmly,

Leslie

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to you all! A special Father's Day "shout out" to my father Mel and my wonderful husband Tim! Both of whom really are 2 of the most fantastic fathers in the world! They are truly the best! Another great man and father was my step-father, Glenn, who sadly has not been with us for over 3 years as he passed away 6 weeks before my daughter was born. He is GREATLY missed every minute of every day! Happy Father's Day Glenn, we love and miss you!

Father's Day is defined by Wikipedia as a celebration of fatherhood and male parenting, and to honor and commemorate our fathers and forefathers. Who knew? Betz White wrote it best in her post about her father. I could not agree more........about my OWN father that is!
Our Father's Day is being spent by lounging in our PJ's, drinking good coffee, playing with Play-Doh, napping, watching Shrek 3, spending time with each other as a family, just in general......nothing too special!

I REALLY want to take a moment to thank EVERYONE who stopped in here over the last 3 days to read my blog!!!! Thank you Margot at The Impatient Blogger for the Linky Love you gave me! I am truly touched by your words in your post. Thank you again, I am SO glad to have helped you that day! Please, everyone, stop back in, read, browse, feel free to leave comments..........I LOVE COMMENTS! It lets me see who is out there in the web world AND puts me in touch with other blogs and websites that I did not know about! Love it!

Currently, I am awaiting a shipment of beads to finish new orders, make new designs that are swimming around in my head and well......just plain make my day! It's like Christmas every time there is a box on my front porch! Fun!

Everyone....go forth and create, celebrate your fathers, kiss your babies, hug your husbands, and just in general..........have a great day!

Oh, and here is a picture of our little beauty that allows my husband to celebrate this day called Father's Day! Thank you Madelyn for coming into our life and bringing out in us feelings that can not be expressed into words! We love you!



Many blessings to you all!



Warmly,

Leslie

I Have Found A New Love!

I do not remember how I came across The Impatient Blogger, but I am hooked! Margot Potter is a genius! Hilarious, beautiful, and above all things......a crafter and fellow beader! Her blog is a daily "must read" for me now! You have to see her video below. It is a cute jewelry tutorial, but more than that, it is a breath of fresh air in the crafting community! I will definitely be browsing more through all of the links on Margot's blog.........who knows where it will lead me! Oooooh, I can't wait! Enjoy!




Warmly,
Leslie

Full Weekend........Fun Weekend!

Hello all! What a weekend! My mother came in for a visit. She had a complex surgery on her hand weeks ago and was just now able to drive her car. She was not released for even a few days and she was on the road here to see "her baby girl". Ahem.......not me.....the other one.......yes MY baby girl. You know the one I gave birth too. The one who I labored with for 20 hours. The one whom I love more than life itself. The one who is 3. The one who was HOLY LIVING HEATHEN this weekend! Yes that one. My sweet Madelyn was AWFUL this weekend! Please, someone tell me that this is normal, 3 year old behavior! Talk about your Dr. Jekyll Mr Hyde! Whew.....I am beat! I even overheard my mother on her cell phone talking to her long-distance "boyfriend" about my dear little girl acting "bratty". Ahhhh! The "B" word! The worst thing you can call a child! Man-o-man has she put me through the ringer this weekend with her ups and downs........"Love you mama! Your my best friend!"........two seconds later she spits at me! YES! SPITS! What the heck is she picking up at that preschool? Anyway, enough of that, or I will have to go into detail on her punishment for that one!

Oh! The above picture is another story......long story short, my dear sweet FIRST Robin disappeared many weeks ago, right after I posted about her on my blog. Her nest sat empty for many weeks, but I figured I would leave it there. You know, just in case. Well, the last few days I have witnessed another robin flying off every time I pull in the garage. My husband decided to check Saturday and look what we have!!!! Doesn't it seem late to have eggs? Oh well, I will take what I can! The FIRST Robin never moved when we went outside or used the garage. This NEW Robin flies off every chance it can. I have threatened to call the DFS, as I believe she is abandoning her babies WAY to much.......I mean really.....what would you have me do?

I have had many requests for pictures of the jewelry orders that I have been filling. I am so happy to say that I am being kept VERY busy with each delivery I make. As I deliver, I get new orders.........YEAH!!!!! I am by NO means a photographer, so please bear with the pictures. Also, I forgot to buy lithium batteries for my camera, going on a week now, so many of the first orders did not get photographed.......sorry! But you will get the idea! I also want to put in that while I love making custom "family" style jewelry, my love is REALLY for the organic, artisan style of jewelry design. I just love in general that there are those out there that actually like my work! So, here goes.......
Custom order for Vivian. Double strand Sterling & Swarovski bracelet. First strand her children. Second strand her grandchildren.
Mother's Rings....Front row Sterling & Swarovski mothers/grandmothers rings. Last row September birthstone ring and a custom Swarovski black and sterling stardust ring. Sorry again about the picture, as it REALLY does not do the crystal rondelles justice! My mother loves these as she, as well as MANY others, suffer from arthritis and these stretch to fit even then most swollen-knuckle days!
Custom necklace for co-workers niece. Sterling name blocks and Swarovski June birthstone on stretch cord with sterling lobster clasp, as per request. She bought one for her granddaughter years ago and asked me to make one for her niece for her dance recital this coming week. Turned out MUCH better than the picture!


And you get the point I am sure. Don't want to bore you all to death! More custom orders for mothers rings, mothers bracelets, grandmothers bracelets and just bad pictures in general...........beautiful jewelry though! Too bad my pictures do not do them justice....they sure do sparkle and the colors of the rondelles just pop! Each one is so special to every person I return it too. They just gush which makes me EXTREMELY happy! I love making someones day. You know I love my "day job" as a community education nurse, but what I teach is depressing sometimes, so this just makes my day!

I hope this satisfies everyones wishes on seeing what has been keeping me SO SUPER busy most nights after work. My husband, by the way, has been MORE than wonderful in helping with the regular household "stuff" that needs to be done after work while I have been in the studio finishing orders! Thank you Tim!

I sincerely hope that everyone had a great weekend. I did not get into a lot of what we did as a family with Nana this weekend as my post has run on long enough! Just know that we really enjoyed having her and we miss her already! You all take care! Much blessings to everyone. Go forth and create. Have a great week and if you have any questions about the "family" jewelry contact me or leave a comment! Or just leave a comment on your opinion of the jewelry........that would make me happy too!

Warmly,
Leslie

Tiny Bubbles......

Beautiful weather, dinner Friday night with family, great food and wine, a little crocheting, some reading, relaxing, bubble blowing, sprinkler play, dancing, and just spending time with the hubby and baby.............That's what great weekends are made of!


Good times had by all! Oh the weather was fantastic even though the forecast called for storms we had a small burst of rain for a couple of minutes and then sunshine again. We seemed to have been surrounded by huge cumulus clouds, but they just passed us by. They sure did put off some beautiful lightning shows though. Here are some pictures from the weekend.....


A beautiful little gift from mother nature after the short rainfall we had. Look close and you can see it is a double rainbow. We could not get the whole rainbow in the picture but the entire arc was there!





















A little lounging and a little ballet dancing to start off our Saturday. Isn't she sweet? I mean really....




A little time in the sprinkler in her new 2 piece suit.


Oh, and there are tons more pictures, but I will not bore you. Just know we had a great weekend and I am hoping you all did too. It was nice not to have an agenda or somewhere we all had to be. Back porch sitting is so much fun, but maybe it is because we never had one before until now.......so this is out first and we are loving it! By the way isn't that a nice fence our contractor put up for Maddy? He was such a great guy and really conscience of the fact that we had a little one. He did many things like this just for her and for us without even being asked. They are like little gifts.....

You know I spoke of my father and his long time girlfriend Patty coming to visit over Memorial Day weekend. Patty has a 6 year old grandson named Cody. Cody was Madelyn's age when he was attacked by a neighbors Pitt Bull which went through 2 fences to get at the little guy. He was left, at barely the age of 3, without an arm. Read here about his new arm.


One of us is always out on the patio with Maddy and I know that a fence does not take the place of diligent parenting and of course I have nothing against dogs of any breed, as we are an animal loving family, but I will say the fence makes me feel better knowing it is there. Maddy has no fear and is our little "darter". Exhausting is what she is at times! So, does it keep animals out or keep her in? Either way, I love the fence he put up for us! It made for a great time this weekend! I do not think she liked her sprinkler as much as she liked last years wadding pool, so I see us getting another pool this year. She did however use the sprinkler to drive her tricycle through, like a car wash. Now if we could only get her to put our vehicles through it....hmmmm.....we'll work on that one.


Have a great week. I will have jewelry pictures soon as I have been swamped with orders after last week and I am loving every second of it! Let it never stop! Go forth and create! See you all soon and enjoy!



Warmly,

Leslie