SilverRose Designs

Dreaming of...

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:13:00 +0000

...beaches, today.

via Pinterest

And Block Island in particular.

via this site

Because we'll be there for a week this summer!

via Pinterest

And I can't wait.

And neither can this girl ;)

She's a beach babe, there's not a doubt about that!

Just Because

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:28:00 +0000

2Cellos

Smooth Criminal

I Heart Macro

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:36:00 +0000

Joining the awesome Lori over at Waterstone today for some Macro love...

I find that you can tell so much about a person from what's on their bookshelves.

In our case, it's all about the books:

And works in progress:

What are on your bookshelves?

And don't forget to visit with everyone else playing on I Heart Macro!

Just Because

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:35:00 +0000

Have a spectacular Monday everyone!

And because it's fitting....

Almost always, the creative dedicated
minority has made the world better.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

I Heart Macro

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 16:19:00 +0000

So, I'll admit that I've had a hard time getting my blog on lately. Unsure why, but it's just happened. All I know. Excuse me while I try to regroup ;)

Anyway, to try to get back into the swing of things, I'm going to show you a bit of the....debris....that's hanging around my craft room/office lately. Macro-style!

Erin, my six year old, draws all the time.
This is a picture of her daddy with me.

For Christmas, my kids received a box of 120 crayons.
120 crayons. That's a huge amount!
Don't you remember that joy a new box of crayons would bring?

My mascot - a toy plastic lion that was my own toy as a baby.
He sits on my shelves, above my desk.

Erin's new moccasins.
A hand-me down from her cousin, Erin loves these!

A closeup of the bracelet that was in the January issue of Bead Trends.

You can find my bracelet on page 36

And here's the bracelet in it's entirety.
Made from texturized copper rings, sterling silver wire,
sterling silver clasp, sari silk, and copper fire-colored barbells.

So there was your little glimpse of my craft area. Little bits and pieces are all you are going to see right now, though, because it's such a mess!! ;) Please join the rest of the macro-play over at Lori's awesome blog! And I'll leave you with a little bit of something I'm listening to. On repeat. 'Cuz I can't wait for Tuesday!!

(yeah. sorry...wiping drool...something about a man who can dance.
or in this case, six men who can dance...)

I know this vid isn't the best, but I still like it ;)

And have I told you I obsess a bit? Yeah. Uh huh.
And Glee is the latest Big Obsession.
Even my daughter is getting into it. ;)

A Reminder

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:36:00 +0000

Simply because I need one.

via Pinterest

And thank you to those of you who saw my post on the Morgan horse I mentioned earlier. I am happy to let you know that my friend was accepted as his foster home, and he will be journeying to Kelsey very soon! I'm so very happy for Kelsey and Major! :)

I also have to let you know that not only did ForeverMorgans rescue Major this past week, they also rescued two beautiful Morgan mares at the same time! So this past week, three Morgans were rescued from that Final Ride. ForeverMorgans does incredible work, don't they?

Helping out a Friend

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:24:00 +0000

Some of you might know that I have a section of my ETSY shop designated as 100% donation towards the good work done by ForeverMorgans. Well, today I'd like to call on your help for that cause.

See that handsome boy up there?

(I'm talkin' about the horse, people)

Parked out so nicely with a rider on....

...bareback.

And a halter on.

No bridle. No bit.

He needs help.

He needs a home.

Well, actually, he's got a foster home. But he needs a way of getting where he needs to go. And hopefully that foster home will be with a friend of mine.

Isn't he lovely going out so nicely?

He deserves a great place, doesn't he?

(Well, don't they all?)

What I would like to do for this guy is offer not only my pieces already set in my ForeverMorgans section, but also a special. If you are interested in something, anything, in my shop, and would like to help out, purchase the piece and I will send 20% of the purchase price to help this guy get to his Foster Home....and maybe from there, to his Forever Home. Because, isn't that, after all, the goal?

All you have to do is visit my ETSY shop, make a purchase, and at check out, put ForeverMorgans in the comments section, and I will make sure that 20% of the sale will go towards getting this guy where he should go.

So, go to my shop.

And go to the FM section.

And don't forget to leave me a note!

Thank you.

(another option, if you'd rather help directly, is to go to this link and donate.)

Why do I do this?

Simple.

Because I can.

And having experienced the joy of the Morgan Horse, I can't not.

(yes, these two pictures are of me, taken years ago. The Morgan is HD St. Regis. Reggie was my project horse on my internship at the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute in Chazy, NY while I was a student at the University of Connecticut.)

Happy New Years! and I Heart Macro

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:36:00 +0000

May you have a happy, healthy and fun New Year!

And Happy Birthday to my little girl who growing up oh, so fast!

I never knew six years could fly by so quickly!

(she's a New Years Eve baby)

(picture taken this past summer in New Hampshire)

And I'll leave you with a few images, macro and otherwise, of my sweet girl Meadow,

who we had to let cross the Rainbow Bridge this past Friday. Suddenly and shockingly.

Puppy girl, your brought so much into our lives.

We will love you forever, and miss you beyond that.

So, yes, you can see that this past week has been

an emotional roller coaster for all of us here.

Joyous celebrations, crushing sadness,

moments of flying high, seconds of doubt and unknowing.

But we know that 2012 will be a better year for us,

and as such look forward to it, embracing all it's potential.

(and please join the awesome crew who participates in I Heart Macro over at Lori Plyler's inspirational blog)

Really, I'm back...

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 16:55:00 +0000

What can I say, this is an extremely busy time of year, isn't it? I didn't really mean to take a bit of a blogging break, but so be it ;) I'm back. And hopefully with more regular posts! I've got a few plans for the rest of the winter, and I'll share them with you when it's a bit more timely. Let's just start it off with playing with new techniques and working through a few books.... ;)

Anyway, I hope that you are having a wonderful Holiday Season. We're still in the midst of ours. Yes, Christmas has come and gone, but for us, New Years is a big holiday too. Well, not so much "holiday" as it is a "celebration". As in Birthday Celebration. Our daughter is a New Years Eve baby, and she's turning six years old! So we're getting ready for that right now. She's just a tad excited. A tad, really, that's all. She's only been asking if her birthday is tomorrow since Christmas night. Ha. I remember my own sixth birthday because I got the best birthday present I could have ever gotten - a Beagle puppy. I hope to make her birthday just as memorable....without the puppy!

via pinterest

Anyway, I guess that's all for now, but do keep checking back for hopefully more timely blogging from me! I'll leave you with a few things...

Here's a cool treasury one of my necklaces was in this past week! Isn't it lovely?? And truly, who doesn't love Czech Glass? ;)

And I'll leave with a question for you. Did you get any cool new toys to play with? Please tell me! My latest greatest toy is an iPad. *LOVE* it! If you have an iPad, I'd love hints on cool apps to use...

Wishing you...

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 23:42:00 +0000

...the best the season has to offer!

May you have a Happy, Safe and Joyous Christmas!

Holiday Ornament Swap Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 13:03:00 +0000

Even though I'm woefully behind with my to do list this Christmas and Holiday Season, this is truly my favorite time of year. I'm a sentimental and rather sappy gal, and this season brings out these traits in spades, sometimes much to my dismay when I end up weeping over a particular Christmas song or twenty! My dear husband just laughs and shakes his head when he sees this.

As a result of this never-ending sappiness, one of my favorite things to do every year is to decorate the Christmas tree, and I'm always on the lookout for that particular ornament. You know the one, right? That perfect combination of beauty, meaning and that specific "feel"...yep, that's the ornament I want on my tree!

So of course, when Sally Russick, of Wireworked, mentioned that she was thinking of having a Holiday Ornament Swap Hop, I jumped right on that with both feet and big ole splash! I was very excited about the whole thing, and couldn't wait to find out who my partner was!

Turns out, my partner was the wildly talented Mallory Hoffman, who's an awesome lampworker. I was so excited when I realized this - I love lampwork. But then again, who doesn't? Right? Right. ;)

Eagerly, I awaited my package. And when it arrived, the kids and I hurried into the office to open it up and ohh and ahh. And boy, did we all ohh and ahh! Who wouldn't, when this is what they find?

Isn't it just lovely??

The details, and the colors are just so yum!

That hat, with the incredible swirls, and the scarf? Oh wow, I'm just in total awe of what those who play with fire and glass can do!

And of course, I have to show you the ornie on my tree....I do, however, with that my camera liked taking tree pictures better. ::sigh:: Ah well ;) (I should say it's probably me, and not the camera! LOL)

Anyway, thanks so much, Mallory, we all love your sweet little Santa!

And what did I send Mallory, you ask? Here's the ornament I sent to her, which you can also see on her blog:

It's a polymer clay bird that I made, with some lovely SueBeads lampwork, and a Swarovski briolette. Simple. And I hope Mallory liked it!

Would you like to see who else is playing along? Well, here's the Holiday Ornament Swap Hop Partner List!

Erin Prais-Hintz and Alice Peterson

Sally Russick and Kim Hora

Susan Kennedy and Kathleen Lange Klik

Patty Gasparino and Cindy Wimmer

Hope Smitherman and Melissa Meman

Jennifer L. Justman and Sandi Volpe

Jenny Davies-Reazor and Christine Altimiller

*Rebecca Anderson and Jen Velasquez

Jeanette Blix Ryan and Tamara Soper

Holly Westfall and Mallory Hoffman

And to keep you feeling the magic of the season, I'll leave you with a song from Christmas playlist that gets put on repeat. And causes laughter ;)

Just a quick (or not so quick!) "HELLO!"

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:27:00 +0000

So, yeah, I disappeared from bloglandia for a little while...

no reason, just kinda happened. You know, real life and all!

Real life.
With two little kids during the holiday season.
Fun, right?

Of course :)

But I'm also missing everyone who visits, and just want to say "Hi!" to everyone.
So here's you go!

"HI! What are you up to? Anything good?"

Well, for us, other than the usual, my daughter has officially had her first horseback riding lesson. Yes, this is a Big Thing. I started riding when I was six years old, thanks to a wonderful family friend. Since then, I've had a slight obsession with anything equine (emphasis on slight, tone set to exagerate), so to see my daughter enamoured with riding, just like me, is a precious and wonderful thing. I have just recently learned of a wonderful lesson barn about a half hour away, and will be signing her up for official lessons in the spring, when she's actually six.

And my boy? Well, he's a boy. What else can I say? He'll be hopefully doing T-ball or soccer come the spring because he needs something to help him expend his energy! 'Cuz I certainly can't keep up ;)

Of course, we have to get through the holidays first, and then the winter, before we get to spring. But it's all good. But I suppose I should start shopping. Because we only have, what, 10 days, right?

Gah, excuse me while I go hyperventilate!!

Phew. Okay, s'all good.

But does anyone have any pie?

And maybe some wine?

Ha. While I go back to hyperventilating, I'm going to leave you with a few things.

I've just listed my earrings and bracelet from the Second Annual Challenge of Color Blog hop to my etsy shop. Please check them out!

Sprinkles earrings

Sprinkles bracelet

I've also been featured in three treasuries recently too :)
So please do check the treasuries out, they're gorgeous!

Holiday Shop Hop 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 14:54:00 +0000

Welcome, everyone, to the Holiday Shop Hop!

December 3rd & 4th, 2011

Organized by the awesome Michele of MiShelDesigns, check out what everyone is offering on this lovely shop hop! You'll find many different people and shops offering many different things for your holiday shopping pleasure! It's sure to be fun, and easy on your wallets (ha!), so please check out what everyone has to offer :)

Autumn
found in my Etsy shop

As to my part, I'll be offering free shipping with

the coupon code "SHOPHOP" at check out!

I'll also be throwing in a free pair of earrings

with every bracelet and/or necklace purchased.

Blue Bee
also in my Etsy shop

So please do check out my Etsy shop!! I think you'll like what you see :) And have a wonderful Saturday, and don't forget to check out all of the awesome shops participating in this lovely Holiday Shop Hop!

Blackbeary Mountain

Blue Pearls Handcrafted Goods

Chic and Frog

Crafty Hope

Dragonfly Dreamers

Etania Gems

ExPostFacto Jewelry

Fangdangles

GreenBead Designs

Handcrafted Serenity Jewelry Designs

Happy and Healthy Magnetic Jewelry

Holly Westfall / Silver Rose Designs - you are here!!

Just A Tish

Just Mare Pottery

Keefer Style Creations

Kabs Creative Concepts

Klassy Joolz

Kristi Bowman Design

Lilly Rose Jewelry Designs

Little Rocks

MiShel Designs

Melinda Orr Designs

My Life Under the Bus

Olive Branch Organics

Pine Ridge Treasures

Pink Poppy Studio

Rosebud’s Lampwork Beads

Sand & Sea Designs

SCJ Jewelry Design

Sew Stacy

SongBeads

Studio Waterstone

Sundancegems

Suzanne Stevens

Sweet Creek Herbs

Sweet Water Designs

And for those who've made it this far, I've decided to add on a giveaway! Leave a comment, follow my blog and FB/Twitter for entries (leave a separate comment below for each of those you do), and next Saturday I'll have a drawing for these earrings!

Featuring Czech glass, Vintaj charms & bead caps,
brass chain, Swarovski crystals and brass earwires.
yeah, this is not the best pic, I agree...

Paint the World with Your Palette: 2nd Annual Challenge of Color Blog Hop!

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:03:00 +0000

The brain-child of the incredible Erin Prais-Hintz, today is the day of the blog hop for the 2nd Annual Challenge of Color. This time around, we chose a color family we wanted to work with, and Erin sent us a link to a specific Design Seeds palette to base our designs on. Design Seeds is the wonderful creation of Jessica Colaluca, and her palettes are such an inspiration to those who enjoy working with color. I chose the color yellow.

Why yellow? Simply because I don't work with it enough. Or rather, at all. I'm more of an earthy and watery person, and don't feel comfortable working with the bright, hot colors like yellows, oranges and reds. And so I anxiously awaited my inspirational palette....and finally received this:

Sprinkled Tones
from Design Seeds

Oh goodness. Isn't it lovely? And oh so edible? And so totally unlike what I usually work with! LOL But it's all good. I promptly put the palette away to mull on it a while. When I pulled everything back out, I realized I really didn't have anything in that lovely yellow. So off to the bead store I went, dragging two children with me. I came back home, and that's when everything gets complicated....

And so, here we are, 9:30 am EST, on the day of the blog hop and I'm still editing my photos for this challenge. Granted, I'm a bit of a procrastinator, but this last minute deal goes beyond that ;) We're talking about both kids with strep throat, and theBoy also has an ear infection and impetigo. So I've been a bit busy, but it's all good! They are now medicated appropriately, and we're hoping that Daddy and Mommy don't get sick too! ;)

I was able to create a pair of earrings and a bracelet for this challenge. I'd wanted to work on a necklace too, but didn't get around to it. If I end up putting a necklace together, I will, of course, post it! But anyway, onto the eye candy, because I know that's what you are really here for!

The bracelet is a simple triple strand, featuring yummy yellow seed beads, Czech glass and bronze wire and daisy spacers. I tried to pull in the yellow into both of the wire-wrapped strands for a bit of uniformity.

I particularly like the contrast of the blue/green ovals with the yellow. What's interesting though, is that the blue/green ovals match the green color of the palette perfectly in person, but not so much on my computer screen! Ah well ;)

The earrings, well, they were an interesting creation. They evolved through three or four manifestations before I came upon this design, which I quite liked!

Anyway, that's it for me! Please don't forget to visit the other participants! It's sure to be eye candy central! :) And thank you Erin, for organizing all of this!

1 Norma Turvey ~ Teal ~ Color Crave

2 Jeannie Dukic ~ Green ~ Mineral Tones

3 Mary McGraw ~ Teal ~ Embellished Hues

4 Jo Tinley ~ Red ~ Decadent Tones

5 Rebecca Anderson ~ Pink ~ Tulip Tones

6 Kristi Jaro ~ Red ~ Temple Entrance

7 Stephani Gorman ~ Green ~ Dew Tones

8 Melissa Meman ~ Green ~ Fruit Star

9 Kathleen Lange Klik ~ Teal ~ Silk Hues

10 Cynthia Riggs ~ Red ~ Autumn Comfort

11 Heidi Post ~ Teal ~ Flora Bright

12 Cece Cormier ~ Teal ~ Merino Teal

13 Amy Freeland ~ Gray ~ Cultured Tones

14 Alice Peterson ~ Blue ~ Island Play

15 Rose Noble ~ Gray ~ Autumn Stacked

16 Kristina Johansson ~ Yellow ~ Sunny Flower

17 Kirsi Luostarinen ~ Teal ~ Dragon Hues

18 Tari Kahrs ~ Orange ~ Citrus Tones

19 Mallory Hoffman ~ Purple ~ Petaled Dark

20 Molly Alexander ~ Brown ~ Peppered Tones

21 Regina Santerre ~ Red ~ Frosted Berry

22 Emanda Johnson ~ Teal ~ Color Purl

23 Amy Severino ~ Orange ~ Winged Tones

24 Bobbie Rafferty ~ Teal ~ Lime Hues

25 Tanya Goodwin ~ Gray ~ Pecked Tones

26 Lisa Lodge ~ Blue ~ Nocturnal Tones

27 Hope Smitherman ~ Blue ~ Bloom Tones

28 Linda Landig ~ Green ~ Cacti Dark

29 Ambra Gostoli ~ Teal ~ Perched Autumn

30 Lori Bowring-Michaud ~ Blue ~ Sharpened Blue

31 Pippa Chandler ~ Teal ~ Hungarian Hues

32 Keirsten Giles ~ Purple ~ Mineral Brights

33 Jennifer Justman ~ Blue ~ Autumn Rays

34 Sandy Richardson ~ Purple ~ Moroccan Brights

35 CJ Bauschka ~ Teal ~ Teal Air

36 Shaiha Williams ~ Teal ~ Sushi Hues

37 Kay Thomerson ~ Purple ~ Autumn Spectrum

38 Sally Russick ~ Purple ~ Golden Gate Tones

39 Cilla Watkins ~ Purple ~ Autumn Infused

40 Shirley Moore ~ Purple ~ Frozen Heather

41 Jenni Connolly ~ Gray ~ Paw Tones

42 Tamara Soper ~ Green ~ Field Tones

43 Sharyl McMillian-Nelson ~ Blue ~ Nested Blues

44 Jen Velasquez ~ Pink ~ Sweetened Tints

45 Maria Grimes ~ Red ~ Bright Bloom

46 Elisabeth Auld ~ Gray ~ Petaled Tints

47 Susan Kennedy ~ Pink ~ Zinnia Tones

48 Shannon Chomanczuk ~ Gray ~ Autumn Leaf

49 Holly Westfall ~ Yellow ~ Sprinkled Tones

50 Patty Gasparino ~ Red ~ Color Carton

51 Angela Little ~ Pink ~ Singapore Brights

52 Lizzie Zawinski ~ Green ~ Budding Hues

53 Kristen Stevens ~ Pink ~ Scooped Tones

54 Dawn Doucette ~ Brown ~ Jarred Tones

Cyber Monday Sale!

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:24:00 +0000

Want something in my Etsy shop for yourself or that special someone?

Use coupon code CyberMonday15 today only for an extra 15% off!

Woodland Bracelet

normally $40
created for Lorelei Eurto's Fusion Beads Challenge

Mingle earrings
normally $20.
featuring MissFickleMedia patina'ed copper beads

I Heart Macro Thanksgiving in New Jersey

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:58:00 +0000

Of course, since today is Sunday, I'm playing along with I Heart Macro over on Lori Plyler's awesome blog...please join us!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We sure did, and in fact, that's where my I Heart Macro shots come from. We spent the holiday down in New Jersey, visiting my lovely sister Sarah and her family. Here are some of my favorite macros...and let me tell you, did I get some funny looks while I was taking them! But who cares, they were worth it! ;)

Boy toys abound
My boy and my nephew are six weeks apart and get along wonderfully.
It's not unusual to see them hugging each other!

Pretty miniature glass salt and pepper shakers

Hydrangeas are my sister's favorite flower.

Billiards, anyone?
This is the side of the pool table - it's covered in metal.
and is gorgeous.

Super-cool chandelier

Sterling Silver Flatware

The table settings

The turkey was so very good! Nice and moist.

Yeah, not a macro
My husband, who helped with the turkey, stuffing and gravy.
He's a chef - I married him for his mad skills in the kitchen ;)
'Cuz I'm pretty useless there...seriously.

So, then, how was your Thanksgiving? Did you go anywhere? Or stay home? And, did you cook? Was there anything in particular you were thankful for? Me, I was just thankful to be with my family!!

Click on the link below, and check out what everyone else did for I Heart Macro Sunday!!

It's always good :)

Phew

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 21:04:00 +0000

I'm exhausted.

And done.

Can we break out some of this now, please?

via Pinterest

Oh, thank you, that's much better.

Yep, as of last night, I am officially done with my shows for the year. It feels good. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy doing the shows, typically I do pretty good, and I get so much positive feedback. So it's definitely worth it. But man, are they draining! It could, though, just be my introvert showing through ;)

My first show I talked about earlier. Patty and I did The Ridgefield Cultural Festival as a tag-team event. What did I like best about this show? Well, come on, of course it was hanging on...errr....out with Patty!

Patty's stuff is on the blue and brown, mine is on the brown and sage.

I then had a little bit of a break. Like two weeks. During which my husband brought my stuff to work. And outsold me. Big time. I also ended up bringing my stuff in to work too. Two weeks after Ridgefield, I started up again, with three shows in two weeks. Yeah, it was a bit chaotic. In between the last two shows I didn't even unpack my car. It was all good though, and now I'm done.

My table at The Holiday Extravaganza
At later shows I added a level and brought the earring frame up higher.
Much better

But I'm sure you want to know what I've learned and experienced with doing shows.

A six foot table isn't nearly long enough.

Layers, height and variety is good. But stay unified.

People are attracted to unique and original displays.

Chocolate is a wonderful way to draw people in.

You can't have enough business cards. (I've got four left. no fooling.)

Repeat customers rock.

Patty had awesome cases like this on her table at Ridgefield.
I immediately went out and found some.
Surprisingly, they were a perfect fit for my tables!

What you expect to sell, invariably doesn't.

What you don't expect to sell well, will.

Don't get discouraged - that big sale could be after a lull that lasts an hour!
(and often is)

Show organizers who have free food for vendors rock. Big time.

Show organizers who don't have food at all don't rock. Big time.

Well, I think that's about it. I will also say that with practice, setting up and breaking down goes much easier! But my husband doesn't understand why it still took me an hour to set up. He did it in ten minutes. Yeah, ten minutes. Granted, he didn't bring the table clothes and I simplified things for him. But still.

I guess that's my inner perfectionist showing through. If I could have, I'd have brought a steam iron to make sure the table clothes were good and wrinkle-free.

Wanna hear something funny? I don't iron my own clothes. Ah well ;)

If you do shows, what are some tips and advice you can you pass on?

Bead Table Wednesday Interruptions

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 03:32:00 +0000

It's Bead Table Wednesday, still, right?

Ah, yes, good, but only just ;)

In between my day job, being a mom to two sprites, a wife, and trying to prep for the last two shows I've got (one more - tomorrow - phew!) I've been running my wheels into the ground. (you'll notice there's no mention of cleaning or cooking in there...bless my husband...the chef! Now you know who's been feeding everyone!)

But it's all good, and I've even managed to eke out a little time for myself. You know, 1/2 hour here, 40 minutes there. And in those minute snatches of time, I've been able to play a little bit. (who needs sleep anyway?) I've been experimenting with new-to-me techniques, and pulling out supplies that have sat in the craft closet a bit too long. But I've also been enduring a few interruptions too, during those stolen minutes.

Yep, one of the sources of my interruptions...

What am I working on when I can manage it?

Well, I've played a bit with riveting.

Here's an example.

This will be a bracelet focal, eventually....once I have more time. I fold-formed some copper sheet, and then oxidized it, and tried my hand at tube riveting. This was my first time working with tube rivets. It was quite interesting, to say the least! In this case, I used sterling silver 2 mm crimp beads.

Only problem I had, other than the riveting itself, is that my crimps kept getting stolen. That's right, I have a thief on my hands.

But she's not saying nothin'. (luckily I managed to grab all the crimps she stole...can you imagine that explanation to the vet? "Yes, sir, she stole my sterling silver and then ate it." No thanks. 'Specially since I used to work for my vet.)

After playing with that copper focal, and fold-forming a second piece that I haven't yet photographed, I pulled out some supplies I haven't touched in about 5 months. And boy, did it feel good to sit down with a pencil in hand! Here's how she progressed...

This is a pencil sketch that I then colored using Prismacolor colored pencils. Have I mentioned lately that I love Prismacolors? They are waxy and lush and so fun to play with.

Well, when I wasn't trying to keep the kitten off of the desk, that is. I think I got up for a soda at this point, and came back to this. Thanks, Cat.

Here's how she ended up. I do need to figure out a background for her, and do all of the accompanying work, but it was just fun to play and sketch and build up color without having a plan. When I've finished with her, I'll show her to you.

So, yeah,def not your typical Bead Table Wednesday, but honestly, this is what I had on here this morning! ;) Please check out all of the other awesome Bead Tables that are out there! Here's the Flickr link, too.

And now we'll both say goodnight! :)

I Heart Macro Nostalgia

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:37:00 +0000

Doing the Sunday usual today, and joining Lori's I Heart Macro...please join everyone!

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic today.

My grandmother passed at the end of the summer, and after some issues, my father and his sisters are going through the house. Things are being divided, picked through and remembered upon. When asked if there was anything I wanted from my grandmother, I couldn't think. Had no clue if there was anything I wanted. Luckily, my mother stepped in on my behalf.

My grandmother's collection of decorative spoons now graces my office.
It's a perfect fit.
And I couldn't be happier with this constant reminder of this strong woman.

Please join everyone else...

Busy as a bee!

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:50:00 +0000

I've been busy lately, and haven't been blogging or

on FB as much as usual lately...

...sometimes life gets busy, ya know?

Here's some of what I've been doing!

Making bracelets:

Staring at the fire:

Playing with two hooligans:

What have you been doing lately?

I Heart Macro Breakfast

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 17:30:00 +0000

Joining Lori today, for the I Heart Macro Madness! Please join us...

Now that we have power, again, finally,

I can make my usual Sunday breakfast of pancakes and bacon!

Would you like some?

And of course, what would breakfast be without coffee?

Unthinkable, that's what it would be!

(yes, I like mine light & sweet)

Oh, yeah, the bacon....

...Didn't make it to the photography stage.

It got eaten as soon as I pulled it out.

By this guy.

What is your usual Sunday breakfast?

And what do you do when your usual is interrupted?

Don't forget to check out the others who Macro!

The Holiday Extravaganza Griswold School, Berlin, CT

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 19:42:00 +0000

If you'd like to see this

Or this

Wait, not that.

But this, yes, this

or this

or perhaps this

or even this

Come visit me at the

Holiday Extravaganza!

Griswold School

133 Heather Ln

Kensington, CT

Saturday

November 5, 2011

10:00 to 4:00

I'd love to see you!

Happy Dance!

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:04:00 +0000

Power!

We have Power!

And Heat!

And Hot Water!

Yayyy!!

Do the Happy Dance with me :)

via pinterest

Bead Table Wednesday I'd like some heat, please!

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:08:00 +0000

So, then, as you may or may not know, we here in Connecticut have just experienced our first winter storm of the season this past Saturday. Before Halloween. Snow in October is not a common occurrence in Connecticut. And it wasn't fun. At all. Usually the first snow is greeted (atleast by me) with a decent amount of enthusiasm. It's usually light, and fluffy, and pretty, and there's nothing like walking in the snow as it falls down for the first time or three! However, this was different. And, as I said, not fun. At all.

It's time to find a run-in for ole Rainbow!
She currently lives on our front porch.

Following a bit of rain, the snow started. As I watched it accumulate through my window, I started thinking that it was accumulating at an alarming rate. We were supposed to go to a Halloween party that afternoon. An hour after the snow started, I decided we weren't going anywhere. My kids were devastated. And then we started hearing crack, crack, pop. Branches and trees splintering and breaking from the weight of the snow. Suddenly as my 3 year old says, “Power went BANG and FLASH and then was gone." And we've been living in the dark. and cold. without hot water. ever since. They're now saying that the power will be restored to our area by 12:00 a.m. Monday morning. Leaving us in the cold. dark. for about 8 days. Yeah, I know it could be worse. Much worse. But I still want my power back! And for the kids to go to school! Ah well ;)

Anyway, the other part of this post is the usual Bead Table Wednesday post...only problem is that I can't show you my actual bead table! Which is in my cold office. That I'm not going into right now because it's too forgheen cold. But I can show you what is sitting there, because while I'm not working on anything right now (cold. dark. can't see at night. won't play with beads with kids around b/c something will get broken), I have received a few packages. That I managed to open for the obligatory ohhhing and ahhhhing before rushing out to stand before the fireplace ohhhing and ahhhing for a different reason.

So, then, you ask, what were in those lovely packages? Some goodies from Kristi. And others from Sue.

I *love* Kristi's pieces. And took advantage of the lovely sale she was participating in with Melinda Orr. Those lovelies above? MINE! And these below?

Yep, mine! And so are these!

And I have to tell you, I've admired Kristi's pieces sososo verymuch, but because I can't purchase unless I sell, I've had to hold off on purchasing. Finally sold a bunch of stuff, and immediately placed an order. And boy, these pieces just totally knocked my socks off! They're even more lovely than these beautiful pictures show...amazing, totally amazing. Phew.

And then during the same sale, I also snagged some of Sue's lovely glassyness! Sue's work is just incredible, and I was so happy to fondle these beauties in my hands :)

All three pairs above? Yep, mine! Can you hear the happy laughter?

Now, then, just to wait until we get power back. So that I can play. Oh, boy, I can't wait to play!

So I leave you with one question. When faced with no power, no heat and no hot water, what is your favorite distraction?

Mine is definitely a good book.

Erin (the 5 1/2 year old) has become a fan of puzzles.

Nate, who's three, has developed incredible skills at jumping from the couch to the mattress on the floor.

Oh, and I've also become distracted by yelling at the same three year old jumping from couch to mattress. Because, being the fireman's daughter that I am, I can only imagine said mattress fllyyyyying into the fireplace screen....

Thursday Top Fives Black and Tan

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:29:00 +0000

RuthBailey.etsy.com

WaterstoneJewelry.etsy.com

TheDogLover.etsy.com

SpawnofFlame.etsy.com

ToddYoungArt.etsy.com