The Craftier Side

July 13th,2010

2010-07-13T15:44:00.000-07:00

Wow, long time since I was by here. Everything is pretty much status quo, still selling on etsy, addicted to facebook and farmvilled. My dog is now 2 and quite the handful as you will see from the pictures.

My daughter had a pretty tough year, but is now hopefully going to get the help she needs for an addiction to Oxycontin.....Terrible drug, so wish it was taken off the market. Seems everyone that I mention it to, has a friend, family member, neighbor etc who has had problems with it......

I am no longer selling Cookie Lee jewerly, just took too much for my time for very little in return, at least I gave it a shot.

Thinking of maybe going back to school to do something with animals, perhaps Vet assistant, Animal Cop or something along those lines.

So just thought I would pop in for a minute and say Hi......

Enjoy the pics!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2009-10-30T20:59:00.000-07:00

Just popping in to say hi, hope you are all ready for Halloween, my daughter and I spent about 8 hours today getting the outside of our house all decorated...phew, looks great though.

Dressed MO (the dog) up in his test clothes for his Halloween costume, he was not impressed LOL..enjoy

August 26th. Where does the time go...

2009-08-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, long time since I was on here....so much happening...but so little to tell.

Lets see, since my last post I had an awesome 3 week holiday up in BC on Gabriola Island at my parents house...fabulous weather, awesome beaches, great company and all in all a very relaxing visit. Definitely on my favorite places to move too. Mo had a fantastic time, he learnt to swim, got to chase herons and be off leash at a number of the beaches...one of them was 4 minutes away by car from my mum and dads...we spent a fair bit of time there...here are some cute pics:

We took the boat over to Vancouver Island and spent some time at a gorgeous lake there called Lake Cowichan...it is about 101 degrees...pretty warm for there. My mum and dad get deer coming right up on to the front lawn, this of course would seriously set Mo off and he would be at the windows barking like a wild thing:

I also started selling Cookie Lee jewelry, had my first party last night, it was a blast and made a few bucks to boot. If you are interested in checking out the catalogue on-line or having me mail you one...here is the link:

http://www.cookielee.biz/amandacraigmyle

I am going to do the craft show circuit again this year with my handmade beads and beadable items, booked every weekend except 2 from end of September to the beginning of December...should be fun, lots of work too but could bring in a bit of extra cash.

Not too much to talk about now but check out the beads on my etsy site....loving playing with the Double Helix reactive silver glasses...really expensive but so worth it.

Hopefully I will stop by again a bit more often.

June 7, 2009

2009-06-07T17:17:00.000-07:00

Phew...lots of changes in my house. My daughter decided to give it a go on her own, well sort of on her own, moved in with her boyfriends mum...but lets not even go there, much to our disappointment but as my friends say now comes Breezys reality check.

It is pretty weird not having a teen running around, but a few of her friends stopped by to see me yesterday so that was nice, and MO (the dog) was thrilled to have someone else to talk too.

I have been playing around with my bullseye glass again to create some of the metallic beads that have become the craze, though I enjoyed making them years ago, just kind of put it away for now.

Got MO a little swimming pool...couple of days ago we were in the 90's, but have cooled WAY back down to mid-60's...which I am very happy about, as since I got 'old' I don't do nearly as well as I used to when I was young.

Thinking about getting a new vehicle to haul the 90 LB beast around in...my little sporty car is just not really cutting it....anyway enjoy the pictures and hope all is well with everyone!!!

Thursday April 16th

2009-04-16T15:09:00.000-07:00

Yahhhhh...finally 2 gorgeous days in a row. Managed to get some gardening done, raking up all the old leaves, pulling weeds, but now comes the fun stuff...I am going to buy some annuals!!!

They always look so great when you first get them in, unfortunately this year...my big dog MO has decided flowerbeds make a great shortcut to other places.....does not seem to matter how many times he hears BAD or NO...next time he is jumping through it again!!

Wow my daughter only has 7 more weeks before grad, and less than a month until she turns 18!!! Time has just flown by!!! Then she is off to Mexico for a week with her grad class and thats it....reality will hit when she realizes she is now considered an adult, maybe get a job...LOL.

Enjoy the new pictures of my MO dog....and have a great week!!!!

Time sure gets away from me

2009-02-23T13:21:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe it is almost a month again since I stopped by to update this blog.

I hope everyone is well, I had a great time last weekend with my little sister (35), I had not seen her for about 3 years. We shopped, drank mochas and I got her addicted to Guitar Hero...I know I am too old for these games but I just LOVE IT.....wonderful time waster, and you never know, maybe one day I will get so good I can join a world tour...LOL.

Here are a couple of pics of her playing GH and with my daughter and MO.

Wow only 3.5 months until my daughters graduation......what she will do after that is anyones guess...right now we are just keeping our fingers crossed she makes it....she is very much like me in that way, definitely not scholarly but EXTREMELY social. If there was a class for that....an A would certainly come her way.

Our weather has been awesome for the past few days and I actually managed to get outside and do some gardening, but back to grey skies now.

I have been making some really cool beads with new design I was playing with, I just love the way they have been turning out...still a couple of pairs on etsy if you are interested.

MO (my dog) is almost 90 LBS now and so DEMANDING...all he wants to do is PLAY...but I am still having so much fun with him, and he forces me to go out for a walk everyday...so I have lost enough weight now I am back into some old jeans!!! He absolutely LOVES puppets, so when I found this monkey I know he had to come home with us, and he is definitely MO's favorite toy.....

Anyway HI JHEIRA!!!! LOL...hope you are still stopping by, I really have to start updating this much more often!!!

SATURDAY DEC 27 2008

2008-12-27T18:34:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. We had lots of fun, but other than 'Mo' it was pretty quiet at our house. Mo did really well at opening his presents, but after a month of practising I should hope so...LOl.

A couple of days before Christmas one of my daughters friends brought over and adorable puppy and Mo and he (TANK) played for about 5 hours straight. There were a few nips and a few angry snarls but in general they did quite well together.

On a Christmas note, I got a BOSE speaker IPOD dock so now I have awesome tunes in my house again. Of course I wait until my hubby is out to crank it but then out comes the old school music and lots of bass and head bangin' (well not really but I do like my music loud...thanks to my mum!!!)

Anyway enjoy the pictures and have a HAPPY NEW YEAR...see you in 2009!!!!!!!!!!

December 13, 2008

2008-12-13T14:17:00.000-08:00

Wow, how time is flying...only 11 more sleeps til Christmas Eve. I used to love Christmas so much, I was always going to parties and having people over, but so many friends don't live near me anymore and others are home with their families so it has been tough to get into the Christmas spirit, but once I started shopping it helped...one day I must sign up for a twelve step program for shopping addicts but I love it!!!

But even with the economy as bad as it is around here, I am amazed at how many people have gone all out with their decorations. Our neighborhood has some fantastic displays and our house looks pretty awesome too thanks to my DH!

Mo has been practising opening presents in preparation for the big day. He is doing great but does tend to crush the cookies or whatever I have packed up. LOL. He is just too much fun. Forces me to go out for walks as well...but NOT today. It is getting so cold and we are in for some temps that we have not seen around here for 20 years. So definitely hang out in the house, sit by the fire and watch some DVDS kind of weekend.

I have closed my etsy store down until Jan 5th!!! It is kind of nice knowing I don't HAVE to go out to work...kind of like taking a real holiday!!

anyway thats it for now...HI JHEIRA!!!!LOL...thanks for looking at my blog on a regular basis and sorry for so long it took to update it, I will try and get to it a little more often!!! HAPPY HOLIDAYS.

November 2nd, 2008

2008-11-02T18:36:00.000-08:00

Hi there, hope you all had a great Halloween. After 3 days to decorate the outside of my house we had a blast. Not as many kids as normal but so many in our subdivision are growing up. I had my daughter and her friend dress up and hang out with us for a couple of hours as live actors in my scary scenes...they did so well!!! We had a fog machine going and they would appear out of the fog, or follow people very closely!!! Wonderful, just love scaring people ( I got that from my mum)!!!

Then there was me, as usual I had to go for as ugly as possible!!! The teeth were too fun.....poor little kids they just never know what to expect.

As for 'Mo' (my dog) it was his first halloween and after the initial barking at me, until I spoke he was good as gold with the trick or treaters, had to be in the thick of it...but here is a pic of him waiting for that next doorbell!!!

Wow only 2 more days until the election, it certainly is going to be interesting!!! It is my birthday this month, I am feeling SOOOOO old....but at least I still look a little better than I did on Halloween.

I have some new listings up on ebay, you can find me through my seller name which is the same as on etsy, it is rufusandroxy.

Hope you all have a wonderful week and I will chat again soon!!!

October 14th, 2008

2008-10-14T09:51:00.000-07:00

Man, I just don't know how the days keep flying by so fast. I think for me, after I turned 30 the days went by way too fast!!!

Already mid- October...time to start getting my halloween decorations up. Since I have so many animated ones, I wonder how 'MO' will do with them...bet he won't like the life size talking butler...LOL.

Speaking of Mo...this was a few cute shots I got of him with a chew toy the other day.

Been working on Christmas beads lately, here are some pictures of some of the ones that have sold on etsy. Many more to come!!! Debating whether or not to start listing some beads on eBay again, it has been a really long time since I did, but I kind of miss the auction/bidding rush!!

Have a great day.
Amanda

MO, Palin, and life in general

2008-10-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

Well first some positive thoughts. Having a blast with my dog still...he is getting HUGE!!! 6 months and he hit over 50 LBS. Lots of energy which is good, since it means I am losing weight with all the playing and the walks. Enjoy the new pics.

As for our politics...well I must admit I think Palin looks like a really nice, fun and animated person, but I really don't think she could handle being president if something happened to McCain. I don't think I have ever watched a vice presidential debate before, but I, as so many others was glued to the TV. She is brilliant at avoiding answering questions, and obviously did some work on getting to remember some foreign policies and names...but come on....vice president I dont think she is!!!

Going to be a pretty interesting 30 days to see what this all comes down too.

I am in full swing in my etsy store. This is my busiest time of year. Had lots of custom orders to work on...but also managed to keep the store stocked up. Some fun Halloween beads are available, and I should have some more Christmas beads this week.

Have a great day all.

Amanda

Mo (the DOG) and IKE Sept 13, 2008

2008-09-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

Well first off...my thoughts are with all of those people in Texas and Louisiana that got hit with IKE. Wow it sure makes me grateful to be living where we are in the Pacific Northwest.

My sister and her husband are just outside of Houston so we were all pretty concerned about them, my parents heard from them this morning and there are trees down and no power but everyone is okay.

I have been glued to CNN for the past 2 days.....must be a disaster junkie.

As for our new dog..it seems everytime 'MO' goes to bed he wakes up bigger. He is now about 42 LBS and is going not even 6 months yet. It is amazing how many people just love him and he definitely is not going to be much of a guard dog for me unless he licks them to death. He loves to ride in the car, visit everyone who is willing and his favorite stop is the coffee shop where the girls treat him to Whipped Cream.

Anyway enjoy the new pics and good luck to all of those who have suffered massive flooding and damage.

How our LITTLE dog has grown.

2008-08-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

OMG....he is only 19 weeks and he now weighs close to 40 LBS. He is still lots of fun...quite needy..LOL...but that is my fault. I am so happy his ears have dropped. Anyway not too much else going on. Happy Labor Day to all and enjoy because after this weekend all the regular !#%!#%! begins again.

Amanda

Wow how he has grown, August 13th, 2008

2008-08-13T09:54:00.000-07:00

So, our new dog has had all his shots now and on his last visit to the vet he had gained 5 LBS in 1 WEEK!!!! Yikes...so he is not a whopping 25.9 LBS at 17 weeks. He is in doggy daycare for his first 4 hour interview today, gives me and the cats a break and lets him hang with his doggie friends.

Here are a couple of the latest pics.

I have lots of new bead listings up on etsy. Some great deals in my SALE section too. I am accepting custom orders again, so if there is something you want, just let me know.

I can't believe school starts again in about 3 weeks...this summer went SOOO fast.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Amanda and (MO)

New Dog, Vacation Etc....

2008-07-27T12:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, long time since I updated my blog. I guess first big news is about a month ago my daughter and I aquired a puppy...he is a mix of 1/2 german shepard, 1/4 boxer and 1/4 pitt. He has been so much fun but what a handful....24/7 seems to be the name of the game for keeping an eye on him. Here are a couple of pics from 3 weeks ago.

We went on a road trip this past week down the Oregon Coast...me, my daughter, her friend and MO (new puppy), he was incredibly good, loved the car and slept most of the time down on the floor...no problem in any of the pet friendly hotels and so many people stopped to talk to him along with many dogs...we did not have any problems except perhaps his need to chew anything with his very sharp puppy teeth.

He has grown about 10 Lbs in 2 weeks since his first vet appointment...even my hubby when we got home after 6 days could not believe how much he had grown
...

And the other adorable pictures are from a visit we had from a wonderful 2 year old pure bred Great Dane called Maggie....Mo thought she was so much fun to play with until she plopped down those GIANT paws on either side of him. She had these great hanging jowls that Mo was having a ball trying to bite...LOL...pretty cute. Anyway enjoy and I hope to be updating more often with some beads as Mo begins to be able to be watched a little less....heres hoping!!!!

We Have a Winner

2008-05-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to TJMETZ for being the winner of the draw for the 25.00 gift certificate to my store. Thanks to all of you who entered.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend. I had my first out of town student come in for the weekend to learn lampwork bead making. She was a wonderful student and turned out to be a natural...one of her beads looked like something an accomplished bead artist would have made.

Starting the wind down for summer now....still don't have the summer weather, but at least it is not too cold...average seems to be around 68 degrees here.

I am looking forward to the GAS conference coming up in Portland, Oregon in a couple of weeks...get to go and hang with a bunch of glass fanatics for a few days.

Have a great week and I will talk to you soon.

CHANCE TO WIN A 25.00 GIFT CERTIFICATE...JUST READ THE INTERVIEW AND LEAVE A COMMENT!!

2008-04-24T19:35:00.001-07:00

If you have a minute to check out my interview with Donna...add a comment you could win a 25.00 gift certificate to my store at The Craftier Side. GOOD LUCK...Draw will be on May 26th!!! ENJOY.

Donna's Etsy store is located at Mill Creek Designs!!!

I have some of the best customers in the world...but Donna has been buying beads off me for years and I don't know what I would do without her. She is not only an extremely talented jewelry designer but she is a very kind and caring person, who I have been so lucky to get to know. Thanks for all you do Donna and I hope we will be doing business for many years to come.

Q: How would you describe yourself?

A: A little bit crazy, fun-loving, caring person who tries to be happy as much as possible. Life is too short to not be happy.

Q: How did you get involved with making jewelry, are you self taught or have you done classes?

A:It all started when I needed some lanyards. After pricing some online, I decided that I could buy the supplies & make them myself. It was in 2004 & I taught myself. From there I started out making earrings, then started making bracelets. I have looked for classes in my area for jewelry making or learning to make lampwork beads, but there are not any in my area.

Q: How long have you been designing jewelry?

A:Since 2004

Q: Do you have another job outside the home, if so what is it?

A: Well, my job is being a wife & mom to 3 boys. Before I had my kids, I was an accountant at a CPA firm & before that I ran the office of a local jewelry store. I have to say though that my current job is the best & toughest job I ever had!

Q:What other hobbies do you have?

A: LOL!!! This may surprise you, but I enjoy hunting. I just love to get out in the fresh air & enjoy nature. I also like NASCAR racing & since 2 of my sons play baseball, I like to watch them play.

Q: What are your favorite materials to work with?

A: I don't really have favorites, but I do like the nicer things...lol!

Q: What is your favorite thing about etsy?

A: I like the fact that you can just buy something you want instead of having to bid on it & all of the people are really nice. It is also great that everyone on etsy is into art/crafts.

Q: If you could change something about etsy, what would it be?

A:I wish you didn't have to sign in every time you pull up the site. Other than that it is great!

Q: Do you take custom orders?

A: I do take custom orders, but I have never advertised it. I guess I really ought to put that in my listings.

Q: If someone is interested in purchasing your bracelets, where can they buy them currently.

A: Right now I have bracelets listed on etsy & ebay. I have thought of doing a web site, but just haven't been brave enough yet!

Thanks!!!!

Thanks to you too Donna...it was fun to learn some new things about you. Good Luck with your etsy store and you know I will be back to buy some more of your gorgeous bracelets to add to my collection.

Congratulations to AIMEE for winning the contest

2008-04-20T18:28:00.000-07:00

WE HAVE A WINNER.... :)

AIMEE DARS was the entry that my daughter picked out of a hat...thanks to all who entered.

She is the winner of a 25.00 gift certificate to my etsy store.

Have a great day....off to contact AIMEE. Here is a link to her blog and to her wonderful etsy store.

Amanda

INTERVIEW WITH ETSY SELLER FLASHWITHCLASS

2008-04-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

When I first started on etsy I needed a banner and an avatar...I happened upon this store with really great ones. This store was FLASHWITHCLASS...Not only is Erzsebet an extremely talented graphic designer and jewelry designer, she is also a very kind and generous person. She has done ads for me, many extra avatars, and she and her husband were the people I hired to design and host my website and I could not be happier...so thanks Erzsebet for being such a lovely person to work with.

These are a few of the designs she has made for me!!!

So lets get started shall we.

Q: How would you describe yourself?

A: I am very visual, and study deeply whatever interests me. At high school I had A+ grade from History, Literature and Art. I won several awards in the field of ethnography. However, I hardly could pass my final math exam. That’s me!

Q: How long have you been selling on Etsy...do you have more than one store?

A: Since January of 2007, and I have one shop.

Q: Are you a fulltime crafter or do you have another job that pays the bills?

A: Yes, I have another job; I am in the web business: designing, developing etc.

Q: What other hobbies do you enjoy?

A: Apart from having a five-year old??? Jazz, going to bead shows, walking with my daughter and listening to her, having friends around, taking the newest Adobe classes –they always have something new!-, and traveling.

Q: What are your favorite types of jewelry/crafts to make?

A:Necklaces and I always check out your shop to buy those wonderful focal beads that you make to jazz up my creations.

Q: How much time do you spend making your crafts/jewelry a week/day/month (whatever applies)?.

A: Not as much as I would like: hard to say, because my “real life job” is very unpredictable.

Q: Do you remember the first thing you made?
A:I made a LONG necklace from apple seeds, and I eat apples days & nights to collect the seeds. No wonder that my family was relieved when I switched to melon seeds!

Q: Do you take custom orders and how would someone go about making a request?
A: I do take custom orders, they can reach me through the etsy conversation system store

Q: If you could improve or change anything about Etsy what would it be?

A: I would hire an outstanding company to run usability testing before any kind of major new features went live on their web site. This way many problems would be eliminated before the users run into the issues.

Q: How do you promote your Etsy store?

A: I haven’t done much promotion apart from the Forums, but I have excellent loyal customers, and they promote my shop.

Thanks so much Erzsbet for taking the time to talk to me today...you do wonderful work and I could not be happier with everything you have done for me in the past year!!!

Thank you,
Amanda!

San Fransisco Trip with Breezy

2008-04-04T09:11:00.000-07:00

I am home and busy back at work catching up on custom orders and getting new listings up on etsy.

We had an awesome time in SF....I so wish I could afford to live there. Haight Ashbury is definitely right up my alley.

We shopped till we dropped...literally...both Breezy and I would get back to the hotel after walking miles and miles and miles and flop down on the bed with sore feet and sore backs :).

The rental car was a convertible and the weather cooperated so we were able to put down the top a few times...after much trial and error to figure it out mind you.

Fishermans wharf was lots of fun too...she enjoyed the street dancers, the sea lions and the STORES...surprise, surprise.

We ate at some super cool restaraunts including one called the DAILY GRILL which is actually featured in the SF ads...it was a wonderful 1920's style eatery with a bartender/waitress who fitted the 20'x look to a T!!!

During one evening we were able to go for a drive down the coast and admire Californias wonderful beaches...sunsets and ecletic mix of people!!

Anyway hope you enjoy the pictures....

Have a great weekend.
Amanda

Featured Etsy Seller Laura Linkmeyer of LJ JEWELRY DESIGNS.

2008-03-27T16:55:00.000-07:00

Well I thought I would give this a shot...I am always finding such awesome etsy stores, and I have such wonderful customers, I thought this would be a great way to give back!!

My very first feature is an interview with a super talented designer... Laura Linkmeyer. I happen to own many of her earrings and she also happens to be a wonderful customer.

Hope you enjoy and I hope to make this a bi-monthly project!!!

Q: How would you describe yourself?

A: Caring, Funny, Creative and according to my kids “OCD” on how clean the house is!!

Q: How long have you been selling on etsy...do you have more than one store?

A: About 9 fun months, I have another shop for de-stashing my obsession.

Q: Are you a fulltime crafter or do you have another job that pays the bills?

A: I am a full time now and I pay ‘selected bills’ (thank goodness), and a full time working hubby who pays the remainder.

Q: What other hobbies do you enjoy?

A: Sewing, Painting and small wood work.

Q: What are your favorite types of jewelry/crafts to make?

A: Earrings, Beaded Earrings and Earrings using elements that look and feel organic or grown.

Q: How much time to you spend making your crafts/jewelry a week/day/month (whatever applies)?.

A: I try to work everyday for at least a couple of hours, I probably have 100 pairs of completed earrings that need to have photos taken and listed!

Q: Do you remember the first thing you made.....or can you tell us what inspired you to be the crafter you are today?

A: The first jewelry item I made was a pair of earrings for my daughter, then her friends wanted some and it went from there. That was about 9 years ago.

Q: Do you take custom orders and how would someone go about making a request?

A: Yes I do, people can reach me at my etsy shop LJJEWELRY DESIGNS or my eBay store.

Q: If you could improve or change anything about etsy what would it be?

A: I really like etsy’s feel, but I would probably make the ‘search’ features easier to use.

Q: How do you promote your etsy store?

A: That is a constant challenge, to know how to promote the store. I have mention on my eBay page, handout and send out business cards, but I am always looking for advice on other ways to go about this.

Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to me Laura, and you have a gorgeous store...you know how much I LOVE your work and thank for all you do.

Take a minute to check out Laura's beautiful work here.

Well we Have a Winner...now what

2008-03-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

WooHoo...my first contest is finished...I placed all the names in a hat today, and my husband drew out a name....SANDRINE.....so congratulations. But now my dilemna is...she/he has her BLOG profile set to not allow public access...so I have no website, no access to her/him at all....:)

So I will give it a couple of days and SANDRINE...if you are out there or reading this...leave me a comment....you are the winner of the 15.00 GIFT CERTIFICATE to my etsy store.

The sun is shining and you can see Spring is in the air...perhaps I will go and buy some plants today and try and dress up my garden.

Hope you all have a wonderful day and SANDRINE...get a hold of me!!!!!!!!!!!

Win a 15.00 Gift Certificate to my etsy store

2008-03-14T22:12:00.000-07:00

So if you take a minute to fill out my survey (above) and leave me a comment here that you did...I will put your name in a draw for a 15.00 gift certificate to my store. All entries must be in by March 22nd. Thanks and Good Luck.

Amanda

My dream vacation...March 14th

2008-03-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

So I had one of those 'off' days today. It has been about 5 weeks since I quit smoking and today I wanted one SOOOOOOOO badly...I have been fidgety and grumpy all day. But it is almost over and I can crawl into bed and make it through another day as a non-smoker.

But with that having been said...I did not feel like making beads today or anything that would be considered productive...so I started searching Flickr pictures and websites for the BEST vacation spots. I have decided when and if I ever have enough money to go somewhere hot (before I am in a wheelchair with an oxygen tank, no offence intended) that I want to go to BORA BORA...OMG....it is gorgeous. I have never seen water like that and how cool to stay in a raised thatched hut on the oceans edge. Is that gorgeous or what. So I have decided to start a fund..forget the credit card debts, forget the extra spending money...I am going to attempt to put a good amount of money away each week so that in 39 weeks (mid december) I can go there.....well I can dream can't I!!! :)

anyway back to my last post...I said I was making licorice allsort beads for a lovely lady in Australia...well they did not turn out the way I wanted...but she was very kind and bought them anyway. Well she turned them into the most lovely jewelry pieces...she is a really talented designer and you can see her etsy shop here and this is a picture of the set she made. Thanks so much Leanne for making my beads look good....so glad your mum was pleased!!!

Anyway 'nuff said...I am off to dream my dreams of Bora Bora and maybe one day I will be posting the pictures here of my holiday!!!

'nite all.

Interviewed for radio blogspot yesterday....

2008-02-15T17:01:00.001-08:00

Well I had so much yesterday morning doing a blog spot interview with a wonderful lady who has a great website called beloved-creations, she is a talented embroiderer and jewelry designer. We met because she entered a draw on Wickedly Chic, another one of my favorite Indie sites and Janet won a 30.00 gift certificate to my store. Well she really liked my beads and asked if I would like to be on her Wednesday lunch brunch radio blogspot. I am not one for interviews, but she was so relaxed I felt like I was talking to my best friend. Anyway thanks Janet...it was fun.

Well things are picking up in the store...lots of custom orders of handmade lampwork glass beads. A lady in Australia has asked if I can make some licorice allsort beads for a gift for her mom for Mothers Day. That should be fun. I will post some pics if and when I actually manage to make them.

I have a very cool new set of lampwork glass beads in my etsy store. They were made as an example for a custom order but these were not what she was looking for, so I have some more for her in my kiln and these ones are now up for grabs.

Anyway have a great long weekend, and enjoy the radio spot if you happen to hear it. Also take a minute to check out Janets' site...it is lovely.

All for now.
Amanda

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY....SOON

2008-02-11T08:18:00.000-08:00

Well my friend sent me this hilarious JIB JAB valentines day card so I had to sign up with the site. This is the card I have sent to family and friends...pretty morbid but V-Day is not one of my favorite holidays...never has been.

Don't send a lame Valentine's Day eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Hope you all had a great weekend and I will have some new sets up on etsy soon.

Amanda

Giants Won!!

2008-02-06T18:47:00.000-08:00

Not that I am a huge giants fan...but since the 'hawks were done for I decided to cheer for Eli. We had our annual superbowl party at my house...lots of good food and drink was had by all including a great finish to the game.

We are having a contest called HAVE A HEART ON FOR HANDMADE..you can see the details on etsy glass artists blog here....basically you vote for your favorite hearts and get a chance to have your name drawn to choose one of them.

I sponsored a contest on WickedlyChic last week and Janet was the winner of a 30.00 gift certificate to my store. You should check out her website here...she is a very talented jewelry designer. Now the cool news is she has offered to interview me for her blog radio cast on the 13th of this month...how fun is that.

Anyway hope you are all well...and those that have had to deal with those horrific tornadoes, we are thinking of you and your families and hoping you are well.

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE...

2007-12-31T09:03:00.000-08:00

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. Ours was relatively quiet. Got some cool presents and spoiled my husband rotten to congratulate him on 5 months NO SMOKING. We bought him a new HDTV so yesterday the whole day was spent in his new room watching the games. Unfortunately I started smoking again, but will give another attempt soon. Here are a couple of new pics. This is my daughter and her friend going to their tolo dance. My daughter and her friend up 4 x 4'ing in the mountains and a picture of Rufus with a hat I tried to crochet that probably would not even fit a dolls head.. :) Oh well, still learning.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2007-11-18T23:00:00.000-08:00

Only a few more days to go...I have convinced my 16 year old to help me make dinner for the first time ever..she gets so $#!%#$ in the kitchen...LOL..should be interesting. Just the 3 of us for Thanksgiving this year...but we will still enjoy our turkey dinner.

It has now been about 6 weeks of no smoking (well a couple of cheats now and then) but I wonder if and when the craving ever goes away. I so admire those people who can be social smokers..you know the ones..they only have one once in a while, like at the bar when they have a drink...I know I can't do that though as I just want one more, and one more etc. My hubby will be 4 months of no smoking Nov 25th. I still can't believe it.

I have some really cool new beads up on etsy...I am having so much fun playing with my double helix glass and silver foil. My customers seem to like them too as I have sold quite a few sets and also have lots of custom orders still to do.

Not much else fit to print...so have a great week and enjoy your THANKSGIVING DAY...have fun and eat lots!!!

Only 3 weeks to Thanksgiving YIKES

2007-11-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

.......I am so behind this year...I have to have my international Christmas parcels sent out by Nov 4th to get there on time...I have not even shopped yet...my beads are coming out in spurts, but at least Halloween is over...here is a picture of me and my butler getting ready to give out the Candy. We had 184 kids this year so that is down about 60 from when we moved into this neighborhood in 2002. But of course a lot of the kids are now big teens who go to parties instead of trick or treating now...but it was fun...had to meet a few of them at the end of the walk as they were a bit too scared to come up to the door...but they were always happy to see me as long as I had their goodie bags and their glo-sticks....

Also I finally got the updated BLOG link to my Wonderful Bead Club called the BEAD HIVE...there is such a great amount of talent here....check out all the stores where you will find beautiful artisan jewelery and beads.

Hope you all have a great day...I am out at the torch trying to get caught up, so hopefully I will have a bunch of listings for the rest of the week. Don't forget to check out my etsy stores for lots of great gift ideas. There is rufusandroxy and rufusandroxy2.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN.........

2007-10-30T12:49:00.000-07:00

Well each year my display seems to grow...yesterday in the mail I got my CAST bones from human bones...how morbid is that..I bought them from eBay from a university medical student who uses the casts they make to study... So now my graveyards have some pretend rib bones and some jaw bones and even a pelvic bone...LOL...I know gross. Anyway here are some of the pictures of my yard and tomorrow I will post some of the motion activated ones in video format.

Hope you all have a great day and I have to go and carve pumpkins now, even though my hands are sore from yesterday stuffing 200 goodie bags for the kids that do dare to come up my drive...last year a few times I had to walk down to the sidewalk because the little ones were too freaked out.

Enjoy.
Amanda

2 Weeks today

2007-10-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

wow this chantix really does help a lot...but some days are definitely worse than others, today would be an 'others' day...no motivation, just want to sit on my hands and do nothing except concentrate on not going outside for a smoke. Today would be the kind of day where I say..oh well I did it for 2 weeks I can have just one...SIGH...if only it worked like that.

Anyway finally got my etsy mini added back on my blog and a new Pledge to buy handmade this year. Also my ETSY GLASS ARTIST street team has a great new page for Christmas Gift Giving....you can just click on the link.

I bought some advertising on a great site called WICKEDLYCHIC...how cool a name is that...great articles and items from artists around the world...check out my ad...I am so proud.. :)

So have a great day and a fun weekend....thanks again to my mom for listening to me bitch about my life for 2 hours again on the phone...what would we do without our moms...:) HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM...have a good time at the KEG tonight.

Thats all for now,
Amanda

Yahhhhh Day 3 of No smoking has passed!!

2007-10-14T20:05:00.000-07:00

So the EGA sale was a success...thanks to all of you who stopped by...but my big news is I am heading into day 4 of NO SMOKING...figured since my hubby did so well and is now going on 3 months I should give it a try.

I am using CHANTIX...it helps stop the part of your brain that craves the nicotine, it definitely takes the edge off big time but I still find myself REALLY wanting one...my friend Laura told me to start pigging out on microwave popcorn.

Anyway wish me luck

And here is a super cute pic of the 'roxy' cat...you can do just about anything to this cat and she just lays there...since I am not smoking I am pretty ansy so am back to making scarves...this is some leftover wool my hubby put all over her...LOL...too cute.

Thats all for now.

Amanda

EGA birthday sale!

2007-10-10T17:34:00.001-07:00

Don't forget to check out EGA's first birthday sale for 20% off from the following stores at Etsy Glass

So is everybody ready for Halloween! I can't wait to decorate! It's my favorite part of the holiday!

Check out the halloween cell phone charms

Have an awesome day!!

Pumpkin Earrings on ABS blog page...YAHHH

2007-10-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

How cool is this...a picture of mine on the ABS website/blog. You should check them out...great articles and of course wonderful jewelry designers and bead-makers.

Thanks ART SCENE BEADS.

(PS mine are the pumpkin earrings).

I have been busy stocking up on some new Halloween decorations..I just love Halloween...I go nuts with my decorations and costume...it is just too fun to watch the kids creeping up to the house, not knowing what is going to jump out at them next.

So I bought this crawling ZOMBIE this year from ebay...you can see the YOUTUBE vid of it.

Too cool...also got a severed head, cast skeleton bones and a new skeleton in a coffin...I will post pics when it is all finished.

Almost hit 2000 sales on MY ETSY....3 more to go...I am so excited..I had hoped to get there by Sept end...but thats okay...now would still be good.

Have a great day all.
Amanda

The New Website

2007-09-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

Well the website is working great, I have made a few sales from there. Only from my already customers though...I forget that once you get on the web you are now among millions of other websites also hoping for sales. I joined google adwords with a monthly budget...my ad has fun about 3000 times, but I only pay for clicks on my website and I have had about 15. For the money I think it is a great idea to get some exposure.

My daughters little etsy store is back up and slowly but surely running again. She is called BREEZYSSCRAPNSTUFF. She makes paper cards, tags etc and I have a few of my photo cards and my hand doodled cards and posters in the store. If you have a chance check it out!!

The VW from hell is still running..we just have to get the window fixed so it actually rolls up. We got a really cute bag from a wonderful person who recently just opened an etsy store. She is AMY from ZOOZIIS glass tools, but she also does a lot of sewing and you can get these wonderful catchall bags from her store. They will be awesome for stocking stuffers. She made Breezy one in hot pink and fur!!!

Lots of fun, I can't believe how fast etsy is growing. When I joined in Jan of this year there were approx 21000 registered sellers. Now there are over 78000..YIKES...major competetion..but I love it. They have done some wonderful work on the search categories, they are finally really fast...perfect timing.

Anyway, have a great day all...enjoy checking out the links.

Amanda

I have my very own website

2007-09-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

Its done...Design By George did a fabulous job of my website it I do say so myself. I had my first sale from it today and it was so exciting, it is The Craftier Side, check it out!!.

So if you need a website..give George and his wife (Erzsébet) a chance...they do wonderful work, are so easy to work with and reasonably priced. You can also check out Erzsébet at her etsy store

Anyway not much else to talk about today, we are expecting record temps for September throughout the week so I am getting my torch time in really early, and really late in the day.

Now I am just hiding in my Air Conditioned house.

Amanda

Another Gorgeous Day in Puyallup

2007-09-09T12:34:00.000-07:00

Hi there, hope everyone is well.

Update: The dealer for my daughters VW cut us a check for most of the repairs we had to pay for, I am very grateful to him even though this has been 3 months coming. At this point the car is running well....but yesterday she got a flat...LOL...seems as my dad says this car is bewitched.

My husband is now coming up on 2 months of non-smoking...I am starting to feel so guilty that I still do, I guess it is my turn next.

I actually joined a social network the other day...it is called facebook, anyway you should check it out, too fun. I found some people I went to school with 27 years ago that I have not talked to or heard from since middle school...also found some of my daughters friends we used to know in Kamloops..anyway I thought I would be too old to join this, but it really is a blast. You should check it out.

I also have an auction ending on eBay tonight and a couple in the next 2 days. My website is almost ready to go live, as soon as it is I will post a link.

So far this September we are having the most glorious INDIAN SUMMER..warm, sunny and so pleasant...I love this time of year...the leaves are changing the air is crisp...LOVE IT.

Anyway have a great day. and happy blogging.

2 MORE DAYS

2007-09-02T21:36:00.000-07:00

Wow...summer is almost over...it went by so fast. With my daughter being 16 and driving this summer it was the first time we did not go away.

2 more days and she is back at school...hoping this year will go much better than last year...she tells me she was just testing the new found freedom of high school.

Update...my husband is going into his 6th week of being a non-smoker..how cool is that.

DO THE PUYALLUP...ever heard that on your television commercials..well..it starts here this week...we get over 1,000,000 visitors to our little city over the period of 2 weeks. My daughter is performing there this year...and if you are around the Washington State area you should check it out...lots of fun. Great entertainment, great food, rides etc....

That is all for now.

HAPPY LABOR DAY
Amanda

OMG She is driving the VW from Hell

2007-08-29T10:34:00.000-07:00

Well....the VW from hell is finally home again, my daughter has driven it for 2 days and the most amazing thing has happened....NO WARNING LIGHTS have come on yet....maybe, just maybe it is finally fixed. We are now fighting with the dealership to try and get some of the 4000.00 back we have had to spend on repairs..above and beyond the initial cost. Also originally the dealer did 3800.00 in repairs and it still would not run.

So right now she is thrilled.

Another update is that it is now 5 weeks today since my husband quit smoking. I am still amazed and so proud of him. I did not think he could do it, and there have been days when I just wanted to stick one in his face because of his attitude..but overall he has been amazing...so CONGRATS to Dave!!!!

Fabulous sunny day here...I have been off the torch for a few days. Kind of overdid it after my surgery so I am trying to behave but I am sooooooooo bored. Pretty sad when your whole life revolves around your job..but I love to melt glass and don't know what to do with myself when I am not.

I have reduced a number of items in my etsy store for summer clearance..so if you have a chance you can check them out here.

Have a great day.
Amanda

Long Time No See

2007-08-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

Wow there are so many things now to update and try and keep up with I tend to forget about my blog, I joined another wonderful street team on etsy called BEAD UNIQUE..you can search for members items by using BEADU...I have also joined a couple of social networks...WE Love Etsy and Indiepublic, along with my EGA forums and my new etsy store it is getting really tought to remember to update everything.

My parents stopped by to say hi a couple of weeks ago, they were here to send the dogs back to my sisters in Texas on the "RED EYE"...my mom and dad had been looking after them while my sister was working overseas, but the time came to send them home...here they are visiting with me before they headed for the airport...cute or what....and yes I mean the dogs!!!

Their names are Barkley and Dougal and during their visit my cats cowered under a bed...after having been chased out from under the couches by the dogs...too funny!!!

Grey grizzly day here today, spent about 5 hours at the torch this morning and then spent my afternoon making cell phone charms....check it out.

Now Lets see...ummmmmmmmmm update on my daughters VW bug...it is still at the repair shop..we are now up to about 7000.00 in repairs on top of the initial cost and we are in talks with the dealership to try and get that money back...my preference would be to never see that piece of !#@#%@ again...but that probably is not going to happen...so we have owned it since July 8th and it has been driven by my daughter one day...and had about 10 trips to the repair shop and been towed twice...can you say LEMON!!!

And that is all that is fit to print..I will try really hard to get back here a little more often.

Have a wonderful week.
amanda

EGA NEWS LETTER, SIGN UP FOR GREAT PRIZES

2007-08-02T08:44:00.000-07:00

THE VW BUG FROM HELL

2007-08-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

Well the good news is it is DAY 8 for my husband in the NO smoking department..we are so proud of him.

The BAD news is the update on the bug....this is definitely a lesson in buying a USED VEHICLE...just because it looks and sounds good does not mean it is.

So here is what has been done to it in the 3 1/2 weeks since we bought it (my daughter has had it 1 night).
New electronic thingy for opening gas tank,
New electronic thingy for opening trunk
New ABS MODULE
New CATALYTIC CONVERTER
Bolts on Tranny were falling off...they had to take the engine apart to fix this
New Compressor for Air Conditioner

So then we get it back...on the way home my husband notices the AIRBAG light is on....we discuss it..don't have the heart to tell Breezy she can't drive it so let her take it for 1 night...my hubby takes the day off...and rather than take it back to the dealer AGAIN...we decide to take it directly toe the VW place, knowing full well this will be our dime.

They say..

The Harness for the driver side AIR BAG is broken...needs replacing 95.00 to tell us this and another 350.00 to fix it...then they say the soundpin or something under the car is also broken and hanging down...another 234.50 to fix this.....CRAP!!!!!!

So today at 5:30 she should get the BUG FROM HELL....back and it is almost going to be brand new..

SO WORD OF WARNING....when buying a used car (even for 8000.00) take it to your favorite mechanic and pay him to tell you EVERYTHING that is wrong with it before you sign the papers.

Have a good day.
Amanda

Big News for my Hubby

2007-07-26T22:46:00.000-07:00

Well this is day 2 for my husband who is quitting smoking...he has been a smoker for 40 yeqrs...so 2 days without any is a BIG deal...my daughter and I are so proud of him. So fingers crossed.

My daughters car is still not back yet..they have replaced the ABS MODULE, THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, THE AIR CONDITIONER COMPRESSOR, THE BOLTS THAT HOLD THE TRANSMISSION DOWN...THE GAS TANK NOW OPENS, THE TRUNK NOW OPENS....WOW we took it out for a test drive and it ran wonderfully, there was a couple of little things we wanted fixed but these have all happened while it has been at the dealers service department...the most amazing part if the dealership has paid for everything. I am thrilled, pissed off and amazed all at the same time. I mean it was a used car and besides the little things we wanted fixed they certainly did not have to honor these services.

Hopefully she will get it back this weekend...meanwhile she got her license on Monday, has had my car everyday and already cost me a tank and a half of gas...hopefully the novelty will wear off before I am too broke. I normally might fill up my car once a month.

Anyway enough ramblin'. Car show and ARTs and Craft fair this weekend...so I will definitely take my camera and get some pics to make this blog a little more interesting...okay a LOT more interesting.

Good Night
Amanda

The New Addition

2007-07-17T14:28:00.001-07:00

Well we did it...we got my daughter her first car...unfortunately she only had it for a day before we had to take it to the service department to fix some agreed upon issues. We told the salesman the gas tank needed to open..LOL..the trunk needed to open and we wanted to know why the ABS light was on....well good thing, because after they checked they realized the ABS module needed replacing..now this is an 1100.00 part....but because we said the sale was incumbent upon this being fixed we don't have to pay a dime. So the SLUG BUG should be back at the end of the week and she does her drive test on Monday...scary for me, exciting for her!!!

This is her new baby.

nt

The weather here is finally being reasonable...I can get back in the studio and WORK..yah...I had a 3 day garage sale on the weekend and on Saturday I stood out there all day in 98 degree heat...not fun...but that is over with and I can concentrate on my beads. I will have some new listings up on eBay tonight and will post the link later.

Have a great week and talk to you soon
Amanda

Another Weekend.

2007-06-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

Well I will be in "WORRY" mode all weekend. My daughter is going on her first road trip with friends to Spokane...there are a whole bunch of them...she is really excited, I am really panicked...so hard to let go.

I have been busy trying to build up some new inventory for my website which should be up and running in the next month or so. I am also going to start selling on eBay again this September so I am making big sets for there.

My moms pond in her ruins is pretty much done...so enjoy the updated pictures.

EGA SUMMER SOLSTICE SALE...BOGO 1/2 OFF

2007-06-15T15:54:00.000-07:00

Phew...almost missed this one...starting JUNE 16th until JUNE 23rd EGA ( Etsy Glass Artists) is having a SUMMER SOLSTICE sale...please see the participating stores here...and don't miss it...you will get some fabulous glass work for GREAT prices.

Summer Solstice EGA sale

Thanks to Sandra for the feature

2007-06-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

Well I was thrilled to be featured by a wonderfully talented jewelry designer who I have enjoyed getting to know over the past couple of months...she is a true pleasure to chat to. So thanks so much Sandra for the work you put into the feature and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.MY FIRST FEATURE

Spent a couple of hours at MEEKER DAYS yesterday...gave out some business cards for my EGA street team and my etsy and told everyone how great etsy is...still amazes me when you go out in public how few people know of it...since it is my life and I feel like I have been there forever...LOL

My moms pond is coming along with the help of a local called Kevin...it is going to looks so great.

Have a great day.
Amanda

My moms obsession

2007-06-07T15:26:00.000-07:00

I am from Kamloops, B.C, Canada and my mom and dad had a fabulous house on the river with a pool etc...my mom is one of the most amazing gardeners I have ever seen and had a yard there that people would ask if they could come and look around..so they sold that house a year or so ago and moved to "THE ROCK"...not that one...but GABRIOLA ISLAND...now I still have not seen the house or yard...but 7 months ago all there was, was lot of rock, weeds etc and a small patch of garden around the house...THIS IS WHAT MY MOM has made, with the help of the "ROCK GUY" to move and assemble all these monster rocks in her chosen design, it is not finished but it is so gorgeous...I can't wait to get up there and check it out for real!!! Anyway hope you are all having a great day and drop me a comment if you have time

Inspirations from San Francisco

2007-06-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

Hi there, yesterday I really was not into making beads so I thought I would have a PLAY day at the torch which I do so rarely, I was trying to create some sealife type beads. I had lots of fun with them and have listed them on etsy today, one I was especially pleased with has nothing to do with sealife but it turned out to be a Native American inspired bear claw bead. Dance recital weekend for my daughter..rehearsal today, and show tomorrow night and then twice more next weekend and we are done dance for the year. Another glorious day in Puyallup with the highs expected around the high 80's again...glad we put the air conditioning in a couple of years ago. Thats all for now and have a great day.

HOME FROM SAN FRANCISCO

2007-05-31T17:45:00.001-07:00

So my first visit to SF was fairly successful, but cold...even when the sun was shining that wind is wicked. We got to tour wine country (on our own in a really sporty mitsubishi eclipse) and did the cable cars, fishermans wharf, haight ashbury and stopped in at Golden Gate park. I loved HAIGHT ASHBURY...what a cool place that was...I always knew I should have been an adult during the hippy revolution. Such wonderful colors...we did have a bit of a problem with my teenage daughter while we were away but that story is for another day.

Here are a few pics of my trip and I am hoping the weather in Seattle will cool down a bit soon so I can get back into the studio in comfort.

Amy Keith Collage

2007-05-22T10:12:00.001-07:00

So I am having a NON-CREATIVE couple of days....it drives me nuts when I go into these funks...but I am hoping the weekend in San Francisco will get my creative juices flowing again. In the meantime, check out this fabulous collage that AMY KEITH made with a piece from each of the ETSY GLASS ARTISTS members...I want this big enough for my wall..how cool would that be. You can check out her blog by using my ETSY GLASS ARTISTS ring surf or clicking on it in my FAVORITE BLOGS section.

So have a great day, I am listing again on etsy tomorrow and then off for 5 days YAHHHH.

1st and 3rd place

2007-05-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

Well the last competition of the year is over...they placed 3rd in one category and 1st in the other one...now just 5 recitals and dance is over until August yah.

How sad that we have had another shooting in the US..I just don't know what the answer is but it really seems to be at epidemic levels. It makes me so sad to think that there is no-where we can really feel safe...after all the school shootings, whenever I see police near my daughters high school it always makes my heart beat a little bit faster and that glimpse of fear is not far behind.

So my thoughts go out to those in Moscow, Idaho today and one day maybe guns will just be unavailable anywhere, we can only dream.

Have a good one and be grateful for today.

Breezy getting ready for competition

2007-05-20T13:06:00.000-07:00

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Here is a couple of pics of the process that we go through every month or so for competition. Breezy and her girlfriend Brit take about an hour each to do the required make-up for shows...June 2- 9th the girls have to do this 5 times for 5 different year end shows..though that is not competition so it does not have to be quite so exact. Enjoy.

Good Luck Breezy

2007-05-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

I was just playing around in photo-bucket and found my daughters video of her competitive G-Force Dance routine...now this is back in January when they just completed it...and since then they have performed it another 30 or 40 times in class and competitions (4) so they are much better...they have won numerous awards and after this weekend may get to go to Nationals...anyway I hope this will work.

Amanda

May 19th

2007-05-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

Hope you are all having a great start to your weekend. I posted some new beads on etsy this morning..I was especially pleased with these, they are sold now but I think I will definitely make this design again. So I went bathing suit shopping yesterday for my trip to San Francisco...is there anything quite so depressing...sigh...so I bought a granny suit to cover anything and then a tiny bikini for when no one is looking...LOL...and a really BIG cover up...anyway have a great day.

MAY 18th

2007-05-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo....I am so excited...I booked a last minute weekend getaway for me and my husband next weekend. We don't even usually get to go out for dinner...so my 16 year old is going to stay with friends. We have someone looking after the house and we are off to a 4 star hotel for 3 days!!!

How cool is that....I have never been there, so I am going to try and pack in Fishermans Wharf, alcatraz, pensicola beaches...and just RELAX...I have told hubby he can't bring the laptop either so we are just going to chill...I am going to hit the tanning beds this week and I can't wait.

So have a great day, I will be listing again on etsy tomorrow...todays listings all sold...sorry about that...

Amanda

PS everyone always asks what my rufusandroxy user name is so here they are...the 2 cats

May 15th

2007-05-15T06:52:00.000-07:00

Well Breezy survived her Birthday celebrations and returned in one piece....thank goodness. She cooked me breakfast for Mothers Day and gave me a box of SEE'S chocolates...mmmmmmm.

It is supposed to be 80 degrees today, so I am going to head out to the torch early...get my work done and go and lay in the sun....I love lazy days sometimes, they happen so rarely I really look forward to them.

So have a wonderful day and enjoy whatever you do.

Here is a great picture of Breezy (far right) and her friends...enjoy!!

MAY 13th

2007-05-13T08:49:00.000-07:00

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY...I am going to be busy out at the torch today, I have some custom orders to do but this is where I am happiest so that is a great way to spend Mothers Day. When Breezy gets home from her sleepover she is supposed to make me breakfast...mmmm...we will see how she is feeling after her 16th birthday celebrations...I can only hope she behaved. Dave got me some gift certificates for my morning mochas and a couple of pedicures...he also had my engagement ring re-set with a saphire because my diamond fell out a year or so ago...so all around GREAT DAY.

Hope you all enjoy it too.

May 12th...update

2007-05-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

LOL...okay just so you don't think one of these is me...the picture below is Breezy and one of her good friends....I wish one of them was me....:)....but you won't see a pic of me on this blog...have a great day...just took Breezy for a birthday lunch...can you guess where.....MCDONALDS....would not have been my first choice but I guess I am not 16!!

MAY 12TH BREEZYS SWEET SIXTEEN

2007-05-12T08:49:00.000-07:00

OMG where does the time go...it is my daughters 16th birthday today. She was actually born on MOTHERS DAY...so I have shared that day with many birthdays...today though she will be off with friends....so HAPPY BIRTHDAY BREEZY...we love you!!!

MOM
PS Breezy is the darkhaired one!!! and the other is her friend Britany

MAY 10th

2007-05-10T07:47:00.000-07:00

Well it is another GORGEOUS day in Puyallup, the sun is shining and we should be around 70 today...yikes only 3 more days and my daughter is going to be 16. Then comes the license and the total lack of control for the parents. :)

I hurt my shoulder a couple of days ago, but am going to try and get back out to the torch today, so hopefully my etsy site will grow a bit more.

Enjoy your day and drop me a comment if you have time

Here is a picture of my studio..thought you might like to see my little piece of heaven.

May 8th

2007-05-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

So this is when it starts getting tough to go and work in a closed studio...the sun is shining, the birds are chirping and we are going to be in the low 70's again today....I just want to drag out the lawn chair, sip on a drink and relax....but the torch beckons...so off I go...should have lots of new listings on etsy by Friday...also check out the FLICKR links...you can see all the public photos from my Flickr and the ETSY GLASS ARTISTS group Flickr page.

Enjoy your day

May 7th

2007-05-07T15:08:00.000-07:00

Wow it is seriously a gorgeous day today, I made a few beads this morning..and just finished packing up the weekends sales to get shipped off...but the best part of my day was buying this incredible creation on etsy...wow...I am so excited. Here is the pic. Her store name is
EarthElements.etsy.com you have to check it out!!!

Have a great day.

May 6th

2007-05-06T15:39:00.000-07:00

well it was supposed to be warm and sunny here today, but it turned out to be a grey and dreary day...kind of like my creativity level today. So I am being really lazy, still in my PJ's at 3:42 PM and just hanging around the computer. Had fun at the party last night...but behaved myself so I am feeling no ill effects today. Those hangovers started to get pretty brutal at 40!! No new listings until this evening on etsy and hopefully tomorrow my creative juices will start flowing again. Also a shout out to my friend Donna ..wishing you a speedy recovery...need you back to buying beads ...LOL!!!

Have a good day all.

May 5th Happy Cinco de Mayo

2007-05-05T07:13:00.001-07:00

Well for a change it is actually a gorgeous day in Puyallup, I am going to take the day off from bead making and plant some flowers. Then off to a Cinqo de Mayo party at my friends...with Mexican potluck. Enjoy your day.

FYI

"It's commonly thought that Cinco de Mayo ("The fifth of May" in Spanish) is Mexico's Independence Day, but the day actually commemorates the Battle of Puebla. On May 5, 1861, Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza conquered the French occupation forces near the city of Puebla. It's this victory that's celebrated every May 5 throughout Mexico and the U.S, while Mexico's Independence Day is celebrated September 16."

Welcome to my new blog page. May 4, 2007

2007-05-04T16:40:00.000-07:00

So I am braving trying to creat my first blogspot..not so bad so far. The links to my favorite blogs is a great place to find all the talented artists in the ETSY GLASS STREET TEAM. This will be a learning process for me...so bare with me....