October Fest Reveal

It is time for the October Fest Blog Hop.  I had fun making fall beads and a fabric wrapped pumpkin.  I will be making the blog post from my phone while I am out of town this weekend so I will have to wait for the fun of looking at all the fall ideas until I get home.

 

Just click on the picture above you and you will jump right to the host blog. or look below for a complete list of the participants. 

 My favorite fall beads are this frit combo and I just love them with some copper.  The leaves are ones that hubby makes for me.

And the fabric pumpkin has a secret inside.  It is a fat quarter of fabric wrapped around a roll of toilet paper.  I was in a friends fabric store earlier this month and she had a little patch of different colored pumpkins like this on the bathroom counter.  So festive.

Now to add a little note.  Here in South Dakota it is no longer fall.  It has already dropped that white stuff on us and has gotten quite cold.  Got to love it here.  9 months of winter and three of summer and nothing in between.


Host Toltec Jewels            http://www.JewelSchoolFriends.com  (you are here .... beware! ;)  
Heather Otto                     http://www.thecrafthopper.com
Mischelle Fanucchi               http://www.micheladasmusings.blogspot.com
Marlene Cupo                   http://amazingdesigns-marlene.blogspot.com
Shaiha Williams                http://shaihasramblings.blogspot.com
Shelly Graham Turner          http://shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com/
Shelly Joyce                         http://www.aujourlejour-shelly.blogspot.com/
Charlie Jacka                    http://clay-space.com/blog/
Pam Sears                        http://crazycreativecorner.blogspot.com/
Margareta Saari                  http://magsinhelmet.blogspot.com/
Marita Suominen                 http://momentofjewelry.blogspot.fi/
Lisa Posthumus                   https://www.facebook.com/lisa.posthumusharper
Jeannie Dukic                      http://site.jkdjewelry.com/blog
Cheri Reed                          http://creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.com/
Arlene Dean                        http://aglassbash.blogspot.com/
Duffy Blevins                       http://bubbasjewels1.blogspot.com/
Susan Kennedy                   http://suebeads.blogspot.com/
Dita Basu                           http://www.alankarshilpa.blogspot.com/
Sonya Ann Stille                 http://dreaminofbeads.blogspot.com/
Audrey Allen                      https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wrapped-Up-In-Magic/145456948869148
Kashmira Patel                   http://sadafulee.blogspot.com/
Kathy Lindemer                 http://bay-moon-design.blogspot.com/
Kris Mattingly                    https://www.facebook.com/kris.h.mattingly
Lennis Carrier                    http://www.windbent.net/
Shannon Hicks                   http://uptwnsh-fallingintothesky.blogspot.com/
Paula Hisel                         http://simplybeadiful.weebly.com/simply-stated.html
Karin Slaton                       http://backstorybeads.blogspot.com/
Shirley Moore                    http://www.beadsandbread.blogspot.com/
Alicia Marinache                http://www.allprettythings.ca/
Valeria G. Rome                http://fancysphynxdesigns.blogspot.com/
Lo                                     http://thecreativeklutz.blogspot.com/
Zoe Marcin                       http://beadsteaandsweets.blogspot.com/
Carolyn Lawson                http://carolynscreationswa.blogspot.com
Kimberly Booth                 http://thepinkmartiniboutique.blogspot.com/
Sherri Stokey                    http://www.knotjustmacrame.com
Tanya McGuire                  http://www.tanyamcguire.blogspot.com/ 
Debbie Rasmussen             http://kepirasmussen.blogspot.com/
Christine Stonefield             http://sweetgirldesign.blogspot.com/
Tanty Sri Hartani                http://tjewellicious.blogspot.com/
Sandra McGriff                  http://skyescreativechaos.blogspot.com/
Renetha Stanziano              http://lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com/
Evelyn Shelby                     http://raindropcreationsbyevelyn.blogspot.com/
Colene Waltermire              https://www.facebook.com/groups/426147797447039/?fref=ts
Lee Nova                           https://www.facebook.com/groups/426147797447039/?fref=ts

Facebook Group Reveals:          

https://www.facebook.com/groups/426147797447039/?fref=ts

Owls, owls everywhere.

Little Hooters are what these guys look like.  I have been thinking about how I wanted to make an owl bead for about a month now.  It took a challenge to get me to get them made.

If you click here or on the button above you can go and vote for my little guys.  (You do have to be a member of Artisan Whimsy to vote.)

 I of course had to think it out and make them in nice bright colors.  I made quite a batch of them up the other day because I am headed out in the morning to DesMoines IA for a bead show at the fairgrounds this weekend.  The first part of the week they will be headed for Etsy as well. 

 They are about an inch tall and the hole runs top to bottom. They also have faces on both sides so if they turn you still see a little owl.

They look like a little birdy family.

New Flowers are on............

 ................their way to the bead show in Hopkins, Minnesota today.  These are the new 2 part, 3D flowers that I have been making for just a bit.  I have used them in several of my jewelry pieces but have not really had very many to take to shows.  So I guess this will be their debut. 

These are actually two flower beads layered one on top of the other, however I cup them more than my poppies so that they have a deeper look.  If you would like to see them in person and are near the Minneapolis area you can check out the show info here.

Work Table Wednesday

 Well my table actually looks just like it did last Wednesday, or maybe worse.  I did however find a small space so that I could make this pair of earrings up for a very good customer who asked for them while I was gone.

 While I was making beads for the earrings I made a few extra to list on Etsy, and to take with me to

Minnesota this weekend for the bead show in Hopkins.

Bucket List vs. Goals

What is the difference between my goals and my Bucket List? I have been thinking about this a lot this past month.  Weather it is because of my parents or my being here away from my everyday life I'm not sure.  Jeff will retire soon and we have had different ideas of what we want to do and where we want to go but we have never made any real plans.  We have not really worked toward any one thing.  So it has made me think and look (I have spent many evenings on the Internet while here.)

"Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans." - John Lennon -

"If you haven’t heard about the bucket list, a bucket list is a list of all the goals you want to achieve, dreams you want to fulfill and life experiences you desire to experience before you die."  This is from just one site  What's on your Bucket List?   I found many dealing with this subject.

Goals for me don't really seem to fit on my Bucket List.  They are part of every day life the way I think of them.  My goal today is too find the kitchen table so that maybe we can eat there tonight.  Lose 20 pounds.  Things like that.  Goals break down into parts and pieces so that you can put them on your to do list.  One if the ideas I found that I really liked was something like Jen talks about on her blog Jen on the Edge.  She sets goals one month at a time.

My Bucket List on the other hand is the bigger stuff the dreams and fun stuff I want to do one day.  I have for the most part done the big things I have wanted to do, going to Alaska, seeing a whale in the wild, not killing my kid before he was grown.  However I have been trying to make a list of the things I would still like to do or do again because I have been thinking about how often the everyday life stuff gets in the way of living. 

"Everyman dies. - Not everyman lives."   - William Ross -

 So I have decided that in the next few days I am going to write out my lists.  One of Goals and one my Bucket List.  I am sure I will have to add to them as I go along but, I am going to post them here on the blog - not to bore you all but to make myself ......
.............accountable for accomplishing them.

This has been a long post I hope I haven't put you all to sleep.  Oh and all the pictures are from the Olympic Peninsula in Washington and were taken this last summer while we were on a lovely little drive.

Wow oh Wow Work table Wednesday

 Several of the people I follow on my blog reading list do a once a week, what is on my work table post.  I thought today since I haven't even seen my work table for a month I would show you mine.  Honest this is exactly how it has looked for over a month because that is how long I have been gone.  Before I left for Florida I was working in that tiny little 2 inch space right there in front of the chair.  Now if this were my only workspace in the house it would be okay, but no, every flat surface in the house looks like that.  Jeff calls me a pile-it.  And he has always sworn that when he gets his dream house all the furniture will be A-frame style so all the piles slide to the floor and he can scoop them up with a shovel. 

I did want to show you something I am working on though.  This will be another cuff style bracelet similar to this one here.

Copper Diem - Ears To You Blog Hop

More fun with another Blog Hop, and this one to benefit a great organization called Ears To You.  Amy at Copper Diem has set up this blog hop and we are all going to make earrings for the Ears To You group. The big reveal will be on November 3rd.  So check out Amy's post and the other players by clicking here or on the picture in the right hand side of the blog.  Also make sure to check out the Ears to You site here.

New Jeans

 Those of you that know me know I wear jeans that my mother embroiders for me.  She has a big fancy Bernina machine and loves doing this.  Almost 2 years ago now she started this pair for me when I saw what the next door neighbor had digitized in the way of some new designs.

 Betty had made embroidery designs based on the Beatles album covers.  I went after a new pair of jeans just so mom could put these designs on a pair.  But here's the kicker. I wanted to put some crocheted flowers on the pants too and maybe some beads.  All this time later and I finally got that part done. 

I didn't put as many beads on them as I thought I would but then I think these will always be a work in progress.  I think they are another great group effort.

And today we went to see a new Bernina that not only sews, and embroiders, but also paints.  And it can paint on a plate.  Hmmmm...............think I have time to sew?

Art In The Bag

This is my Art in the Bag donation for this year.  Yeah! finished and now to get it too the girls in time for the auction.  They contacted me a couple of weeks ago and since I am not home I really thought that I would just have to say sorry no bag this year.  Then my parents next door neighbor gave me a huge cone of yarn (actually several cones so I could make more hats.) and I started working on the crochet part of the bag.  Mom had a couple of pieces of fabric to make the lining and inner pockets and the button can, gave up a button.  So this is truely a group effort.

I am really glad I was able to finish a bag because the auction this year is going to help fund the start of a Beads of Courage project in Omaha, NE.  Check out the Art in the Bag's blog to see some of the other great bags for this year.

October Blog Hop

Just for fun.  I have decided to play along in a blog hop toward the end of the month.  Since I am not home it is a good thing it is not until the 28th.  I do already have ideas to work on and have booked the day on my calender.  Hop over and take a look at the really long line of bloggers who will be playing along.