HAPPY HOLIDAYS

It's Saturday December 24, 2011 3:36 am - I just wanted to say Merry Christmas, Happy New Year & I hope to be back on line more by mid Jan - or shortly thereafter.  I have been able to get a few new hats listed on my HAF site - but otherwise - getting much done on the computer these days - just doesn't happen very often.  I miss everyone, am going to try to stop by and say hi to a few people in the next few days. 
I have been knitting more - and just finished a hat for myself with my 1st cables!!!! and wonder why I shied away from trying it for so many years!  Managed to sell a couple of custom order ones! Parked in a  parking lot in Colorado Springs with signs out and the hats & scarves on the hood and trunk of a car!  Haven't been out for a while - not sure when I will be able to go back out there - but selling the two that I did helps!  Wanted to post pics of them - but they are elsewhere for the time being - hopefully soon - I'll be back and post them.
Until then Wishing everyone and a wonderful Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2012

Taking Care of Family Matters

I'm not going to go into details - I just wanted to put something on here - I need to take care of some family matters.  I will be putting the ArtFire Studio and my HAF shop on Vacation mode for a while.  I am hoping that I will be able to still take care of things with both in the very near future - but I just have to see how things go. 
I will be back tho!
Love ya all and have a wonderful day.

ArtFire Crazy Train Rider PineRidge Treasures

Alright, I admit it, I have been doing a lousy job of keeping up with things!  Too many things going on and some big changes in my life happening very quickly........................

Crazy Train riders are so fun to explore - see what other people are up to, what they create, what inspires them.  Lisa, creator of PineRidge Treasures lives in Michigan and is inspired by  "nature, especially colors like ocean blue and leaf green, natural stones from the Earth, and living creatures including birds, fish and insects."
So, let's see what she makes.   Lovely Pink & Gray Czech Pearl Necklace

and look, Dangley Pink & Gray Czech Pearl earrings to match that pretty necklace

I was looking to see if maybe she also had a matching bracelet, nope, but found this pretty Coral Pink w/ Lady Bug Charm Bracelet Love that little ladybug!  However, she does have a section for custom orders, so I imagine if you found something you wanted, and wanted matching earrings, or bracelet, Lisa would probably be happy to make something for you.







And did you know about the Christmas in July Sale going on over at ArtFire??
No?  Well, you gotta check it out! PineRidgeTreasures and a whole lot of other studios are participating in the annual Christmas in July Sale - don't miss out on this one! ♥
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

ArtFire Crazy Train Rider Moonlight Eternal

There are more than a few jewelry artisans out there, but not all of them craft jewelry for the men, but Moonlight Eternal does.  And some of them are unisex.

I could see this smart looking Shell & Wood Disc Necklace on a man or a woman

This Men's Organic Wood, Bone, Shell & Gemstone Stretch Bracelet would look great on a man, but I'm kind of thinking it would look pretty great on women too, at the beach,  a pool party, even at the office, for either men or woman.

Yeah, ya know, we have our boyfriends, jeans, shirts, how about their jewelry too! hehe Gotta love this coconut Shell & Wood Mens Necklace.











 So follow the moonlight over to Moonlight Eternal's shop for some unique & different creations such as tiaras, crowns, circlets, chokers, anklets, toe rings, etc, and there's even a couple of darling pumpkin candle holders.
One of the awesome things about shopping online, you not only get unique handcrafted items, you can do it in the moonlight if you want!
Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day.

ArtFire Crazy Train Rider Florabunda Studios

I'm a little late posting this, but I still have to do it.  Hallie, creator of Florabunda Studios lives in NC and has some fantastic photos of Grandfather mountain.  My family used to live around this beautiful mountain many many years ago.  I'd also like to mention, that Hallie  has a tendency to create a variety of items, just about anything that comes to mind to try, she does!  Some people may say that you should stick with one or maybe two things, but personally I think that learning to create things with a variety of mediums, techniques, etc can often help with finding ways to be even more creative with what you work with.  I know it has for me.

But, back to Hallie, this beautiful mountain, and this striking 12" x 18"  photograph titled Above the Clouds

It's summer, and a hot one, doesn't this 8" x 10" photo of The Mossy Grove  look so refreshing, cool & inviting? I can imagine the serene feeling one would get with this photo hanging on a living room or den wall.

I have to honor this woman's willingness to try new things, to explore other creative avenues, such as crochet, and she made this adorable Colorful Hand Crocheted Wristlet Bag W/ Charm










Hallie also has some pretty cool paintings, along with a variety of photos & a few other surprises, do check out Florabunda Studios, you'll be glad you did.

As always, I'm so glad you stopped by, I'm interested in what you think, & invite you to leave a comment.
Have a wonderful day.

ArtFire Crazy Train Rider Angelas_Adornments

It's been a crazy crazy week, and so once again, I'm a bit behind. 
Angelas _Adornments has some pretty cool jewelry, but I'm going to focus on her other art, namely her watercolor paintings

I absolutely love There is Magic in the Forrest watercolor painting.  I want to go wandering around that forest!

Paintings of windows fascinate me such as this European Window

She has one other art form kind of tucked away, but worth mentioning, her Replica of Ancient Venus of  Willendorf made with polymer clay.



Angelas_Adornments also has some very pretty jewelry, but I'll let you explore that part of her shop.

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a fantastic day & a great weekend.

ArtFire Crazy Train Rider DesignsByBarb

I'm a little envious, this woman is sewing up some of the cutest kids clothes.  I've been trying to get things set up so I can do a lot more of that - sewing in general, not just kids clothes. 
Sorry, I got off track there!
 Barb has been sewing for over 50 years. She owned & operated a handmade clothing & lingerie shop.  She also owned & operated a ceramic & porcelain doll shop where she taught ceramics & porcelain doll making, along with raising 4 children. 

I love this Girl's Blue Shirred Top 3 Tiered Dress , love the colors & the design.

Look how cute this Girls Custom Halter Short Set for infants, babys toddlers, love the little ruffle on the legs.  Cute!

Oh wait, she crochets too! look at these adorable Custom Baby Crochet 4 Color Athletic Shoes, so so so sweet!
It looks like pretty much everything she makes is available in just about any size you need - child size, just let her know when ordering if the listing isn't for a specific size.  DesignsByBarb For Moms & Kids has some adorable clothes, and some other goodies, be sure to check them out!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!

ArtFire Crazy Train Rider DaBeezNeez

While DaBeezsNeez does create some pretty cool jewelry, she also knits.  Since so many of the features have been on jewelry artisans, I'm going to feature her knitting.

This Yellow Matinee Set is just adorable!  I found it interesting that she calls her "sweaters" matinee coats, maybe it's a UK thing? But whatever it is, the whole set is just precious. 

This Toddler Cardigan: Country Side Scene with Shepard Toy is so sweet. Comes with a toy to keep the little one entertained while sparking creativity!   It takes time to add in those little details, I started a sweater for my grandson, by the time I got finished with the front, he was too big to wear it!  But, I'm also not the worlds fastest knitter!

This Turquoise & White Matinee Coat is one of my favorites.  Isn't that gorgeous.



I almost went into shock when I saw her prices, not because they are high, they are quite reasonable for these hand knitted items!  And you would almost think, well but they're coming from the UK, isn't shipping a lot of money? Not in this case!  If you are looking for something a little special for that special little one, I highly recommend paying DaBeezNeez a visit.  Besides, you just gotta check out a shop with a cool name like that!  You will also find some chainmaille, beaded jewelry, knitted toys & doll clothes, and more!

Thanks so much for visiting and have a great day!
P.S. If you are trying to leave a message and have a hard time, please let me know with a message in my Artfire  shop : lisianblue  just click on Contact Artisan under the picture on the left side   Thanks!

HAF Artist Bonnie Lynn Embry

Up and coming Handmade Artists Shop has some great indie artists, I'd like to introduce you to one of them,
Bonnie Lynn Embry creator of Miniature Crochet who crochets up some pretty darling items.  I'm going to let the pictures do the talking in this case!

Aren't those adorable! Bonnie has some other great items too, such as jewelry, keychains, coasters, face scrubbies, cell phone cozies & more.   From what I can see, she does nice work, and wouldn't it be so much for fun to get that special present (for you too!) from someone that takes the time to make a quality item, and not something that thousands of other people have.  Something unique. 

Bonnie Lynn Embry's  Miniature Crochet Handmade Artists Shop

Thanks for visiting and have a great day.

ArtFire Crazy Train Rider TrueColors Pearl & Gemstone Jewellry

Today's artFire CrazyTrain rider is TrueColors, who lives in Ireland and creates some very elegant jewelry.
There are some gems, that are always in style, such as pearls.  I very fortunately inherited a very simple but beautiful single strand of pearls necklace from my grandmother who was born in the late 1800's.  Pearls are classic elegance. 

TrueColors seems to know just what to do with pearls, such as this simple, but classy single strand Freshwater Pearl Bracelet

or this luxurious Cool Pink Freshwater Multistrand Bracelet

Of course she has Cool Pink Freshwater Pearl Earrings to match!











Necklaces, oh yes she does have some very pretty necklaces, such a the Madagascar rose quartz one or the amethyst with a sterling silver butterfly , and she also gladly does custom orders. If you're looking for some simply classic elegance, pay TrueColors a visit

Maybe I will get that pearl necklace out and wear it sometime!

Thanks for visiting and have an elegant day!

ArtFire Crazy Train Rider 1BeadAtATime

Before I get started on today's Crazy Train rider, I'd like to draw your attention to a new page I added, just above to the right of Home, you'll see ARTISTS.  There are number of artists that have influenced me, not just my art, & I thought it might be fun to add this to my blog. There may be other pages added in time.

A few changes:  Comments will now require captchas and they won't be published until I publish them.  I honestly dislike doing this, but after getting a few unwanted comments, I decided to do this.   If by some chance you aren't asked to do the captcha thing, please let me know! Thanks. 

And, on to today's ArtFire Crazy Train Rider:  1BeadAtATime.  It's a very good thing that I am not a huge jewelry junky - or I'd be even more broke than I am! 

I'm a blue jeans kind of person, I even have 3 different jean dresses.  so, naturally I'm drawn to this awesome Denim Blue Beadwoven Bracelet

That is one very cool bracelet!

This Blue Spiral Ceramic Pendant on Beadwoven Necklace is also super cool.  Think it would even work with that awesome bracelet - no, I don't think jewelry always has to match exactly.

I'm sticking with the blue for this post even if they may not work with the necklace or bracelet, I really like these earrings: Blue & White Glass Bead Earrings - simply pretty!



Oh yes, 1BeadAtATime does have some very cool  jewelry in other colors too, including some beautiful wedding whites.

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful day.

ArtFire Crazy Train Rider Nancy'sBagsetc

Nancy & her husband live in Rhode Island.  Like many of us that sew she started out by watching her mom & her sister.  She started out making doll clothes & then her own clothes - nothing like starting with the difficult thing!  After she married her husband, she started sewing pillows and other decor items, and then on to baby & children's clothes.  Nancy has a variety of clutches, totes, purses, organizer, pillows, sachets, and other home decor items in her shop, Nancysbagsetc on ArtFire.

I love this Shoulder Bag in Batik Cotton love that fabric and it looks like it is well made! 

and check out this lovely Embroidered pillow, recycled vintage tea towel, embroidered flowers, hhmm it's June right, this would be such a nice wedding gift, or a gift to yourself!

Speaking of weddings, look at this adorable Ring Bearer Pillow

 Having spent many many hours sewing myself, I tend to also look at the seams of items - it looks like Nancy pays attention to the details, and does a nice job of sewing on her items.



So, if you are looking for something a little extra special that you don't have to pay an arm & a leg for, I really recommend you pay Nancysbagsetc a visit.
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

HAF Featured Artist Jewelry Geek

This weeks featured HAF artist is Kristin, creator of Jewelry Geek.   This is one busy lady, she is going to school for her master's degree in library sciences, has an 11 yr old son,  is married to a Navy man, and creates some very cool jewelry.  Kristen enjoys listening to Chinese flute music as well Celtic music & bagpipes, as well as mid eastern music.   ooh I love bagpipes!
Not only does Kristin have some very pretty jewelry, she also has some very creative photos of it in her Etsy shop. 

Of course I'm going to start out with these fabulous BlueBerry Earrings with copper.  Pretty aren't they? and I love the photo too!

oooh talk about sparkle - these awesome Swarovski Crystal Chandelier Earrings have 23  crystals per earring, and are 5 3/4" long!  Wouldn't those be fun to wear with that special little black dress!!! Elegant!

This beautiful Green Pearl & Crystal Bracelet is stunning!  Pearls in any color are so versatile - play them up - or go casual - either way, they work.

Most of Kristin's creations can be worn with casual attire or dressed up ( in my kind of dressed up anyway)- I absolutely adore this Large Shell Pendant Choker with clear to dark purple glass bicone beads.   In fact, I have the perfect blue and purplish dress that this would look fabulous with.
But, those great crystal chandelier earrings are calling my name!!
And all of her creations are very reasonably priced.  One of the fun things about hand crafted jewelry - you can get some unique pieces at some great prices - and no malls!  Shop in your pj's on a lazy Sunday morning!  I love the idea of having a piece of jewelry that thousands of other people don't have! 

I highly recommend visiting JewelryGeek on etsy or her great blog.

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!
P.S. I wrote a blog on my other blog titled Thank You & My apologies.   But, be sure you go visit Jewelry Geek, OK!

ArtFire Crazy Train Rider Hippies Creations

It's been a busy busy week, and the upcoming week is starting out even busier! So, I hope I can half way keep up with these -
Today & yesterdays  Artfire CrazyTrain Rider is Hippie's Creations!  For some reason that may not make sense to most people, that name conjures up "handmade goodness" to me!  This mom of 3 boys from Scottsville Virginia loves to create art on wood and  crocheting. 

It's easy to see she loves to crochet, look at this adorable Purple Crochet Top.

And such cuteness as this Penquin Earflap Crochet Hat - isn't that so adorable!

I must have babies on the brain, when I first saw these cute little Crocheted Coin Pouches, I thought they were little baby mittens! I was browsing through quickly!
And they are so reasonably priced, you'll have change left over to put in them!











So, if you are looking for something a little extra special for that special someone in your life (including YOU) be sure to check out Hippie's Creations, where you will find handmade crocheted wearable and decorative creations, made to order!

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

LOVE

I decided to put this on here - as some of you know I frequent Creative Nachos for the Thrusday Sweet Treat - every week, the very creative wonderful sunny & supportive Natasha gives us a theme to create whatever our little hearts desire and this weeks theme is love. Of couse, my collage of my family that I did for lasts weeks theme would have been perfect, but already used - I had another idea - but it's been a crazy hectice week, and it just didn't get done. Wed evening I was sitting at the bus stop and I was thinking about my grandson - and the words just came.

"Love Ocean"

A little bluish with a tinge of grey

discolored his light chocolaty skin

with a mass of thick black hair, wet & unruly

Breathe,

Breathe,

Baby,

P l e a s e

Breathe,

Minutes turn into eternity

Finally

A breath,

A cry,

Relief

Of course his eyes are a deep brown

with long thick eyelashes

features of his father

yet so much like his mother

I felt him reach inside

my chest and grab a hold

of my heart.

kh 6-1-11

My grandsons name means ocean - so I chose that as part of the title.
The large background picture is my grandson at 6mos ( I think), going clockwise from the top, 10mos with his mom - my daughter, 3 yrs, 4, 5, & 10.  He is now 11 1/2.  He is one of the sweetest, kindest, loving souls I have ever had the pleasure to meet.  He's also a bit of a trickster, and he has given me many many smiles, laughter, gentleness & love when I have hurt so bad I could hardly stand to be touched.  He has massaged my back with his small hands, the love and care from them did me more good than the very light "massage", he has figured out ways for us to play together when I could barely move, but still be comfortable.  He makes up games within  a game, cleans off the coffee table so I can sit on the couch while we  play with legos, he calls me from 400 miles away to help him with his homework, sometimes I think just so he can talk to me,  and spent 3 hours on the phone with me Christmas day when I wasn't able to get there for Christmas this past year.  I love being able to play with him, the play is not just for him!  He is love.

And no, you may not squeeze his cheeks! :) I know,  they are so tempting!

Thank you for visiting and have a wonderful day.

ArtFire Crazy Train Rider TwoTootsies

One of the fun things about doing the ArtFire Crazy Train - besides seeing all the cool stuff, is the shop names - love this one TwoTootsies! 

I love anklets so I decided to check out the anklet section first - and found this pretty Periwinkle Anklet - it's blue right- so of course I'll pick it!

and speaking of blue - this Deep Blue Agate Pendant is gorgeous

and might as well have some pretty Cobalt & Copper Earrings to finish off the trio, right!



So, go visit TwoTootsies for some cool jewelry, she has an awesome sea shell necklace - perfect for these summer days. And, very reasonably priced for handmade jewelry.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

HAF Featured Artist Gemlover

It is my pleasure to introduce you to John, creator of Gemlover. on ArtFire.
Johns states that he has a passion for rocks and rockhounding since was a small child.  After majoring in geology in college, he has been a Graduate Geologist for the past 40 years.

John's wife bought some gemstones and brought to him one day and asked what they were.  That started his journey into gemology, as well jewelry design & manufacture.  He became an Accredited Jewelry Professional in 2009, and is also a Jewelry Design and Repair Certificate.  John is also a retired paramedic and  resides in Easley, South Carolina.

It is easy to see that he not only loves what he does, he's very good at it.  I enjoy wearing matching stones, but not necessarily matching settings - and these are right up my alley - especially because these wonderful earrings are made with Lapis Lazuli - their blue!

I can see pairing those sweet earrings with this stunning Lapis Lazuli Pendant, I love the wrap design and that is one gorgeous stone he cut.

John certainly seems to know how to bring out the beauty of a rock,  or a gem.   This Snowfield Druzy Quartz Necklace is simply gorgeous.

I have loved quartz since I was a child, even dragging home a large quartz rock with me after my family went out Christmas tree hunting one year.   However, it was quite different than this lovely Honey Quartz Necklace, with it's unique sterling silver wire wrapping.  I love the emerald cut of this beautiful stone.

I highly recommend you pay a visit to John's shop, Gemlover on Artfire, or his blog Rasmussen Gems & Jewelry LLC where you can learn a little more about his work with these beautiful stones.   John also has a shop on the Handmade Artists Shop, as Rasmussen Gems and Jewelry LLC

Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

Beauty In The World

BEAUTY IN THE WORLD

 It is a little long - read - look at as much or as little as you want. 

 One of my favorite place on the web, is Creative Nachos, created by the very talented and supportive Natasha.  Each week she gives us a theme to create something based on that theme.    In some ways, this weeks theme Beauty In The World was the easiest and the hardest for me.  Easy because I knew immediately what I wanted to do, but it just kept expanding, and trying to pare it down was just not an option!

First and foremost, My Family with all it's imperfections, also gave me a lot of love, strength and an appreciation of many things in life.   There are a few people not included in this collage, only because I do not have a picture of them.

 

From top left: My paternal grandmother & her sister as young women.  My grandmother gave me a lot - a lot of love and many many lessons - she was a school teacher before you had to have a degree to teach school. She raised her 3 children, through the great depression years with some help of her parents after she & her husband divorced when my dad was about 8 years old.  She traveled to Colorado from Michigan with her dad in a wagon & then back to Michigan to get the rest of the family.

My maternal grandparents -  I believe this is their wedding photo.  All 3 of my grandparents were born in the late 1800's .  My grandfather was a farmer, he had a farm until the day he died.  I can remember many times that he would go out & get a watermelon and cut it up outside and we would gleefully sit and eat watermelon with it's delicious juices running down our chins.  My grandmother made the best blackberry pies from the blackberries in the yard that we would gladly pick!  I learned a lot about being  charitable from these special people.

3,4,5,6 My parents - just after WWII.   They met just before my dad went overseas, wrote a lot of letters and were married shortly after he returned. #4&5 were taken at his mother's house.

#7- My maternal grandmother approx 60 years old, getting her BA in education so she could keep teaching! with my sister before I was born.

#8 Me & my children about 12 years ago, with my beautiful intelligent daughter, and my nutty then 13 yr old son being himself.

3rd row, my wonderful grandson Kai @ 10 mos', 5 years, my daughter & her son @ 5 years, her daughter, Evie born Jan 2010 at about 4 days old - we laughed at this picture she looked sort of like a smurffette.  Miss Evie @ almost a year, sitting the same way her mom did.

Last row, Kai,  Evie & Spike.  My son's wife, Steph,  holding their just born daughter,  My son Alex holding his 4 day old daughter Namine' born March 27 2011,  & 4 day old Namine' w/her eyes finally open.  She had been asleep  the whole 2 hours we were together, opened her eyes about 5 minutes before we were leaving.  She has beautiful lavender blue eyes - hope they stay that color!

Jaz, my constant companion, now 11 1/2 years old. It amazes me what he can fit his  body into!

Beauty to me  is the simple things,  everyday things, an appreciation for this earth that was given to me by my mother.

After going to the dentist, a 20 minute walk, I spent almost an hour walking home with my camera in hand to take pictures for this project.  This is where it started really getting hard to pare it down!

Top row - Spanish Broom, a great bush in this desert climate,  a blooming Yucca by a turquoise wagon wheel, flowers growing where they weren't intended to grow - next to a fire hydrant

2nd row, flower buds,  A mulberry tree - reminded me of blackberries, Roses - my mother had at least 6 rose plants in the yard.

3rd row, another plant growing were it probably was not intended, a bridge, I envision a very different yard surrounding this bridge than the one that is there,  click on the picture to see the wonderful patterns in the leaves of this awesome succulent.

bright balloons dancing in the wind, steps surrounded by huge pine trees,

4th row, a leaning young evergreen,  a rock perfectly balanced on the bottom of a gate & the shadows of the gate,  wonderful sweet little yellow flowers.

My Flowers

The red rose bush isn't really mine - it's in front of my apartment, so I figure I get to take care of it.

The Christmas cactus was my father's "Christmas tree" while in the hospital shortly before he passed away.

The Easter Cactus belonged to my father in law, it was one of his joys & I felt very privileged to be able to have it after he passed away.

The Peace Rose is from my peace rose bush at my former apt - I could say a lot here - but I will leave it at this, my mother did instill in me a great appreciation of the earth.  Which I am sure came from her parents, as the earth provided for their family of 8 children.

If you have made it this far, Thank You!   I would also like to draw  your attention to something I just found out about - this is truly beautiful. There is a camp for children with chronic disease or health problems that they can attend for free, even their transportation is provided for.  Even if you can't go volunteer, there are ways we can help them out!  Victory Junction was founded in honor of Adam Petty, yes of the racing car  family!  Looks like a really cool place.

A few more additions

Morning Glories - they always remind me of my maternal grandmother, they always grew in a planter in front of her porch.

all birds, but especially hummingbirds

My  Uncle Conway (next to the sign, 1 of my mother's brothers.) taken during WWII, he always treated me like I was a very special person, he passed away when I was about 10, and  he was way too young,  

An interesting tidbit, my father was from Colorado, my mom was from North Carolina, they met in Washington DC just before he went overseas.  He did basic training and stayed at Fort Carson, Co for a while, then another base, then to FT. Bragg, NC.   After my parents were married, they lived in Denver until my dad finished his master's degree, my sister & brother were born in Denver. Then they  moved to Berwick, Pa.  where I was born & about 3 months later moved to Albuquerque New Mexico.
My mother went from NC, to Denver, Pa then Alb.
My daughter was born in Alb. after she got married, she moved to Ft. Bragg, NC, and then to Fort Carson, Co. She now lives in Colorado Springs. .

The Sandia Mountains, east side of Alb.  as a child I would often sit next to the sliding glass door and just gaze at these beautiful mountains.  There were a lot fewer trees and buildings in the way then.

My mother was the youngest in her family, my dad had a younger brother who died at the age of 2, so he basically was the youngest child, and I am the youngest child.

Have a beautiful day.  Remember to "stop & smell the roses"!