Where Have I Been???

It's been forever since I wrote a blog entry! I got out of the habit and it's so easy to stop doing something and much harder to start doing it again after an absence. It's too hard to go back and catch up (besides being boring as hell to read!) so I'll sum things up and start fresh.

One of the more noteworthy events in our life has been the addition of a new dog back in late November. She was about 7 months old when we brought her home from the local animal shelter so she's about 10 months old now. She was hopelessly rambunctious and ran rough shod over poor Dodger dog but some obedience training and a routine have helped quite a bit. She's still rambunctious but a bit better behaved than she was when she first came bounding into the house. She's a sweetie!

It's been a wet and wild winter in Western Oregon this year. If it weren't for a couple of trips to Reno and Houston, the rain might have made me nuts! Felt like I needed these:

We've had a bit of snow, lots of rain and very few sunny days. I'm hoping spring comes quickly and we see a bit of sun!

Summer's Over!

We have the cutest little tree frogs here in Scappoose! They're really most prevalent in the fall and can usually be heard calling (croaking) out to their mates. This li'l guy was on my front window ledge this morning, just sitting there above my flowers. He stayed there for about 2 hours before moving on. Won't be long until the croaking sounds fill the night!



Listed some new things on Etsy and nabbed a Treasury too. You can click on any of the Etsy pics on the right side of the page and go right to my online shop.

Wahoo! First Etsy Sale!

Finally got an Etsy sale! I love this bracelet and I hope its new owner likes it as much as I do. I made the lampwork beads with Bullseye odd lot glass in Seabreeze and a blue-green aventurine color, then swirled some silvered ivory stringer around the middle of the focals. Freshwater stick pearls, Swarovski crystals and Hill Tribe silver completed the look.

I think the new camera is making a huge difference in my pictures. Crisper and much better detail. I picked up a macro lens and a portable light studio and that's making it easier to take close-ups and get the colors right.

Remember this little ditty from childhood?

I see the moon,
And the moon sees me.
God bless the moon
And God bless me.

That's what comes to mind when I look at this photo:

I took this one with the sunset setting on the new camera. No editing at all. Isn't that cool?

Spur of the Minute Trip

Last Thursday, Randy discovered that he had to go to Central Oregon for a class so I gladly tagged along. It's one of my favorite spots in the State - sunny and dry with beautiful vistas and rivers. I entertained myself shopping while he was in class, then we went and explored. On the drive home, we stopped at Lake Billy Chinook, which we'd never been to. Beautiful! Of course, Randy liked all the fishing possibilities; I liked the sun and scenery.

After that, we drove down to the Deschutes River and watched the Warm Springs tribal members fishing (catching!) salmon and steelhead at Shearers Falls. It was a beautiful drive and we visited some of my favorite spots along White River, the Deschutes River and Mt. Hood. Ahhhhhhh, the sun!



So now we're back home on the cloudy side of the State. I'm not looking forward to winter's grey skies and drizzle. I'll have to remember that a quick jump in the car and short 3-hour drive away I can rediscover all the beauty (and sun!) of Central Oregon.

Took the Plunge!

I finally did it!! I listed a set of beads that I made on Ebay! I finally feel like my skills are good enough that I can sell my beads to strangers. I really like the set that I listed and thought about listing them on Etsy, but decided to give Ebay a chance (maybe some extra exposure will get them sold). You can click on the Ebay link on the right to see what I've listed on the 'Bay; it should update itself any time I list other items (notice how I've already decided to list more?).

Learning New Stuff

I finally got a new digital camera and a portable lightbox! I'm hoping for some improvement in my bead photos - closer, clearer shots. If you ever want to reaffirm that you know next to nothing about technology, get a new camera. I feel like such an amateur! Here's the camera I got:

I love it so far, especially like the ability to manually focus (although it's nice to rely on the macro function when I'm lazy!).

I'm addicted to making a different style of earrings than I usually make. A bit longer and more dangly. They've been popular at the market so I'll keep making them until I burn out or run out of Swaro crystals, whichever comes first. Okay, a small admission: I'd have to make a bajillion pair to even come close to depleting my crystal stash. I'm selling these for $15 a pair at the market.




I went down to Bullseye Glass last Thursday to pick up some of the new oddlot rods. One of the colors is Carnelian and it's really stunning. Here are some beads I made using the Carnelian and another odd lot color, Creme Brulee. The Creme Brulee has beautiful swirls of cream and beige and the Carnelian sets it off so nicely. I think I'll try to sell the beads without making them into a piece of jewelry. There are soooo many jewelry artists on Etsy and I'm hoping they'll get more attention if I list them as a set of beads.


Look for more beads made with the Carnelian. It's quickly become one of my favorites and I want to experiment with it alot more.

Planning for Saturday's Market

I've got some new goodies for the Scappoose Market. Here's a preview:

Swarovski Cosmo Jet Crystal Earrings
on Sterling Ear Posts $15.00


















Lampwork Bracelet with bone and sterling accents $30:















Lampwork beads with Hill Tribe silver on 1mm sterling snake chain $45


Red & Black Lampwork with Silver on Sterling Chain $45


So if you happen to be in the Scappoose area tomorrow and want to see more jewelry or buy some farm-fresh produce, swing by the Scappoose Farmer Market!