Trinkets and Treasures

What the Floople????

2012-01-20T09:33:00.000-08:00

Floople?
Yup! Floople!

What is a Floople you ask?
Well, this is a Floople!

And I made it!

If you lived in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Area you could make one too!
It was awesome!!

First of all I got to spend the morning with one of my favorite gals, she teaches the class.
A class, you say?!?!?
Yup! A class!

Click on over to The Artful Bead...after you finish reading this post of course!
and check out the class schedule!

I got to use cool tools...

and use FIRE!!

I made metal stick together!!

I had a great time, made a cool ring and learned some great new techniques that I can incorporate into my Blossom Shop designs.
So exciting!

What new things have you learned this year?

xoxo

When you have your birthday right around Christmas....

2012-01-19T15:31:00.000-08:00

It's not a problem I face, my Birthday is in May.
But two of my sweetest girlfriends have their birthdays in December.
One of them is 2 days before Christmas!!!
I hear the same cries for understanding from both of them....People combine their Birthday and Christmas gifts into one.
NO FAIR!!!
I agree wholeheartedly!

Because of craziness in the month of December we patiently (or not so) waited until January for the celebrations.
Which technically were combined because they happened on the same day, but it was a definite separation of Birthday and Christmas!

First of all, grab a drink, you are gonna need it! These girls are a riot!!

And look at this pile, we are gonna be here a while!

We all enjoyed opening our gifts.

The mix of funny and sweet, handmade and store bought...it was all perfect!

Best Christmas fun ever!!

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Whew! that was exhausting!
But now its time to celebrate the Birthdays of two of our sweet friends!

The table was set.

The cake was made.

The presents were wrapped.

Everything was beautiful for the girls!

Can we just talk about that cake for a minute??

oh...emm...gee!!
I am obsessed!
I love love love this cake!

Yes, I made it and I will toot my own horn, it is spectacular!
Not in the Ultimate Cake Wars spectacular kind of way...
not even in the AJ's Moonlight Bakery kind of way (shout out to Jeanne Diaz in San Jose, CA!!check out the cakes people!)
But I am darn proud of the cuteness of this cake!

Ah, Birthdays, I love them.
If its your Birthday, Happy Birthday to ya!

And never, I mean never, combine a Birthday and Christmas gift into one.
Never.

xoxo

Oh Pinterest, how I love thee....

2012-01-06T14:30:00.000-08:00

Brilliant, I mean just really brilliant.
Thank you Mr. Computer Man (Ben, I think his name is) for
inventing a wonderfully fun and addictive yet helpful website!

Have you been on Pinterest?
If not, you MUST check it out, after you finish reading this post of course!
If you have been on it you are probably still there and therefore not reading this post.
You'll have to come up for air at some point, we'll be waiting for you.

I have been finding recipes that look delicious.
Have even cooked some and why yes, they are delicious!

I have found craft ideas.
Have even made some!
Adorable.

I have found home decorating ideas and outfit ideas and pictures that make me laugh and all sorts of wonderful things.
I even have the PIN IT button on my computer tool bar so that I can pin things that I find and want to remember or share.

PINTEREST!!!!

Click it, sign up and prepare to get sucked into an amazing visual world.

Find me!
I am Karin Wiseman.
See if you like my style and then follow me if you'd like.
I love finding new people to follow.
To see what amuses them, inspires them.

Have fun pinning!!!

Gracie May

2012-01-04T12:40:00.000-08:00

I wanted to introduce you all to our new baby....

Gracie May

We adopted her in November from the North Texas Human Society at the Funky Finds: A Holiday Shopping Experience.
Many pets found new homes that weekend! Thank you so much to Funky Finds and the NTHS for putting that all together!

Another big THANK YOU! to Monkey House Photography for providing pet portraits for all the adopted dogs that day!

xoxo

Welcoming in 2012

2012-01-03T13:50:00.000-08:00

The end of 2011 was a challenge for me.
Things seemed to move at the speed of light when all I wanted to do was scream at the time to slow down so I could breathe.
Time does not listen.

But I made it through.
A little battered, a lot tired...but all in one piece and with some new perspective.

I will continue to live each day I am given.
But I will live it with a bit more joy, a bit more enthusiasm, a bit more me.

I will continue to create each day I am given.
But I will continue to create with a bit more abandon, a bit less structure, a bit more me.

I will continue to show love each day I am given.
But I will show that love with a bit more conviction, a bit more truth and a bit more me.

In 2012 I am promising myself to:
blog more,
create more,
cook more,
bake more,
take more pictures,
discover more,
surround myself more with the things I love,
not put off things,
finish things I start,
read more,
LIVE more!!!

What do you say...are you in this with me???

xoxo

Estate Sale and Vintage Treasuring Hunting

2011-07-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

I had a great time with Sweetie this weekend!
He is such a great guy following me around Estate Sales and Antique Malls. Holding things, searching ahead and letting me know the good spots.

We found a few things for our home, a few things for the Blossom Shop booth and some very fun jewelry bits for re-purposing. And yes, I admit, wearing myself!

Here is a sneak peek at some things I bought.

I get the whole day to play in the studio and do household chores so I am off to work and play!

enjoy the photos!

Its time for a drawing and a winner!!!

2011-07-08T12:19:00.000-07:00

What a great time I had at all the Mad Hatter Tea Parties!
A big THANK YOU!! to Vanessa Valencia at
A Fanciful Twist for another fantastic party.
xoxo

Now its time for the winner of our little drawing here at Trinkets and Treasures.
Thank you all for stopping by!

The comments were all put in a hat...

A magic spell was cast on the bag...

And a winner was chosen!

Congratulations to Jorgelina!
I will be contacting you to send you your pretty little tea cup.

Thanks again to everyone!
I look forward to next year!

xoxo

**********Jorgelina!!! Please send me your address, I can not email you through blogger!
karin.jill@gmail.com**********

My Mad Hatter Tea Party

2011-06-25T08:26:00.001-07:00

~Welcome!~
Come on in.
Now that you are here, the party can begin.
I have been planning and prepping all night
to make sure everything is just right.

But before we eat
we need to make sure our look is complete.
Something old, something new?
Something borrowed, something true.
Look inside the drawer to find
the perfect jewel, I don't mind!

Does your finger need a ring?
Something that makes you giggle and sing!

Now that your look is full of sass,
Check yourself out in the looking glass.
(Be sure to fall in!)

Now its time, let's begin!

Something to eat? Something to drink?
It's best to start with tea, I think!

Mmmmm, that's good! So very very good.
Let's follow it up with some tasty food.

Tomatoes on toast?

Fruit so ripe?

Let's start with cake!
It's more my type.

I am so glad that you were here!
You were such a great guest, such a dear!

No need to rush out,
stay as long as you care.
We are here all day with lots of good times to share!

Before you go, leave a note, something sweet for certain.
Then you might be the winner of this little token.

A lovely Circus Wedding

2011-06-18T15:09:00.000-07:00

oh my!
The long awaited wedding has finally come.
My baby brother and his darling bride.

It was nothing short of magical and amazing,
just like the couple.

Much love and happiness to them!
Feast your eyes on this!

What ya been up to?

2011-05-17T08:25:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends!

Its time to catch you up on what's been going on.
Lots of good stuff!

~~~~Craft shows galore!~~~~
After Cowtown Indie in Fort Worth we went to
Indie Genius Bazaar in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas.
It was HOT and windy but we survived and had a fantastic time.
Met some wonderful people as well!
Ky and Pat of Book-Inz, Lindsay of House of Introspection, and Kelly of The O live Stitch.
Please visit their sites!

Then it was down to Austin for Shop Crafty.
Austin is always a good time and it was great to visit with
friends from shows past!
Anne Marie, Lianne from Lizziebeesthings, and Pommes Frites.
Check them out too!

Most recently we were at Lakewoodstock here in Dallas.
What a perfect day to be outside meeting all the Lakewood neighbors!

Skippy loved Lakewoodstock too!

~Coming up we will be in Denton for the Etsy Denton show.~
Click the pic above for more info.
Please come see Blossom Shop!

Sweetie and I have also been up to some fun non-Blossom Shop things!
We went down to Waxahachie (say that 3 times fast!) for the Scarborough Renaissance Festival.
Wow was that fun!

We saw the monster museum.
OgresA live Chess Match
Fight!!
We ate Steak on a Stake.We had a great time!

~~~~~~I also celebrated my 40th birthday!~~~~~~

I got 2 birthday dinners!
The first was on the night of my birthday.
We spent a great evening with Ky and Pat at Babe's Chicken House.

yes, that is Sweetie with a chicken on his head.
I did not want to mess up my tiara.

That weekend we had another fun night out at Tillman's Road House.

I highly recommend the mojito for those readers over 21.
The lovely ladies!
Our gentlemen companions...
What a great birthday!
Thank to all my wonderful friends and my amazing husband.

more to catch you up on later!

xoxo

Cowtown Indie Bazaar

2011-04-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

I love doing craft shows.
Every time I set up my space its different. New jewelry, new display pieces, new vibe.
I love meeting lots of new friends and seeing friends from shows past.

The visitors to the booths are so unique as well.
Some people love to talk to you. They will ooh and aah over every little story you tell them.
They love to hear the history or inspiration behind the jewelry I make.
They really get it.

Others just like to look and be left alone.
It takes all kinds and I love them all!

The days are usually long but they are filled with fun.

The last show I did was in in March in Fort Worth, Texas called Cowtown Indie Bazaar.
It was a perfect day!I love the way the booth looked on this day.
This is also the first time I had a whole 10X10 space to myself!
I usually share with my good friend Jen so is the mastermind behind Starving Artist Bazaar and Sighfoo.
My mom made the banner for me, isn't it great!?!
We added soft sheers and a new white screen.
To me it felt cozy and inviting.
I hope visitors felt the same way.

The new screen allowed for the hanging of more necklaces.
Necklaces just look so much more inviting when they are hung.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The table was, as usual, piled with all sorts of pretty things.
Lots of rings and hair clips and bracelets with earrings and necklaces hidden about.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am in LOVE with my new vintage jewelry box displays.
Like you are shopping at someone's accessory table!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

These cuties made their debut at the show. Filigree ring bases and I added astrological sign pieces to them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We also had another little table with us that day.
My mannequin table.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So many pretty hair clips...sparkly and flowery!

aaahh, what a fun day it was.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am looking forward to two more shows in April.
::::::::::
Indie Genius The Bazaar in Dallas, TX on April 9th and 10th.

Saturday 12-8pm Sunday 12-4pm

Free & Family Friendly

Free Parking Lot and Street Parking

1 block outside Bishop Arts - next to Bee Enchiladeria

Intersection of Davis/7th/Zang

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

And then we head down to Austin the following Saturday, April, 16th for:

Saturday, April 16th, 2011, 10am to 5pm
The Marchesa, 6406 N. IH-35, Ste. 3100, Austin, TX 78752

Hope to see some of you there!

xoxo

a quick check in...

2011-03-16T20:49:00.000-07:00

my poor computer is on the fritz...

so I am visiting the blog from my laptop.

So no pictures this time...but hopefully soon.

~~~~~~~

I have been extra busy in the studio getting ready for 3 shows!!!

Cowtown Indie Bazaar - Fort Worth, TX - March 19th.

Indie Genius Bazaar - Dallas, TX - April 9th and 10th.

Shop Crafty - Austin, TX - April 16th.

Very excited!!!

~~~~~~~

Spring is coming to Dallas, TX!

Lots of blooming trees and warmer days.

Its just lovely here.

~~~~~~~~

And I just had a wonderful visit from my sweet Mom.

We had a great time shopping and going to the zoo and just spending quality time together.

She is a great mom!

~~~~~~~~

Hopefully my computer will be up and running again soon.

I will share more when I can!

xoxo

February Already!

2011-02-08T11:41:00.000-08:00

Snow....
sunshine....
rain....
sunshine....
clouds....
sunshine....
ice storm....
sunshine....
and now tomorrow,
more snow!

I am enjoying the crazy mix of weather we are having in Dallas so far this week.
Nothing sticks around long enough, so I can't get bored of it.
And I am prepared too!

~For the rain and snow and ice~
~and yes, I am a little premature with these next ones, but I know the warmer temps are coming!~

They were just too cute to pass up!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Valentine's Day is approaching and I love any excuse to craft and decorate.

Our simple dining table. I just think its sweet.

And what a nice message.
So much love to go around!

I have been busy the last two days making Pom poms...I even had to run out for an emergency tissue paper run!

These will be hung and layered later today...
so there will be pictures later this week!

I also am working of another project...
ok, so I have not actually started it yet, but I did go out and get the supplies for it.
You'll just have to wait for that one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am on a letter writing campaign.
I was cleaning out some boxes and found I had a pretty lavender box filled with all kinds of cute stationary.
So I called out to my Facebook friends, most I only connect with digitally, and asked who wanted a good old fashioned letter.
What a great response I am getting!
I am excited to spend some time this afternoon, pen and tea cup in hand, and write some letters to friends old and new.

Everyone enjoy your day and I will chat with you soon!
xoxo
<3

Welcome 2011!

2011-01-26T11:19:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011 everyone!

I hope your year is treating you well so far.

Things here have been busy but good.

The Dallas area was treated to some snow in January.
Loved it!

Of course Skippy was not so sure...But he did finally decide to do a little walking in it.

Sweetie and I sure loved it though!

And what sport screams winter?
Well hockey of course!
We had a great time watching the Dallas Stars.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have been collecting treasures for Blossom Shop for the last few months and now finally and finding time to make some new lovelies.
I am so excited for the new pieces.
Be sure to check for updates on the Blossom Shop Facebook fan page and in the Etsy and Art Garage Sale shops.

oh, a sneak peek you ask?
Sure!

That is just a small taste, lots of new things coming up!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blossom Shop will also be at the Cowtown Indie Bazaar in Fort Worth, TX on Saturday, March 19th.
More info to come on that as it gets closer!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So far 2011 has been full of fun and surprises.
Here's to looking forward to what the rest of the year has in store!
Cheers!

xoxo

Christmas is coming!

2010-12-10T12:34:00.000-08:00

Are you getting ready?
We sure are over here!

The Christmas Tree is up...

I am working on the front door...yes, there is a contest in our building and I want to win!

Even Skippy is attempting some holiday spirit...
well not so much today, he seems a bit grumpy.
Practicing for his role as Ebenezer Scrooge I guess.

My sister-in-law, Romy, posted on her blog, Pixie Paper Arts, about her favorite ornaments.
So I thought I would share mine over here!

I just love this sparkly mermaid.
Especially her sequin top, how cute is she!!

Other happenings over this way are the amazing vintage treasures me and Sweetie found
while out running errands the other day.
Driving down the road I spied a sign that said VINTAGE JEWELRY.
Well, say no more, I am so there!
And I was not disappointed.

Time to clean them up and get them maid into Blossom Shop goodies!

Have a great weekend!
xoxo

Still here!

2010-11-30T20:33:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends!

After a gentle nudging from my mom I realized just how long it has been since I blogged.
Way too long.

I guess we have been a bit busy around here.
What have we been up to?

We moved...again.
We left our beloved Austin and trekked 4 hours up to Richardson, TX (just north of Dallas).
I don't get my nightly nature walks anymore but I am growing fond of our little bit of urban living we are doing up here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We got married!

It was a wonderful day.
I have never been happier.
<3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We went to Craft Riot in Austin! That was a good time! Lots of great new friends and talented artists.
Hope to be back next year!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We celebrated Thanksgiving here in Texas.
It was a great time, lots to be thankful for this year.

And for now I am looking forward to getting our new place set up and to start crafting again.
I finally have all my crafting supplies at my disposal!
I made some very cute chandelier crystal ornaments and even started painting the canvas bag Sweetie got for me almost 2 years ago now.

I promise more updates and general good fun!
See you soon!

xoxo

Pumpkins!!

2010-10-18T13:36:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween. I do.

But I have not been able to decorate yet this year.
We are moving...again...this weekend, so there so point in getting all
the goodies out.

So Mister took me to my favorite little historic downtown near where we live, Buda.
And we went to a pumpkin patch!
These little funky shaped ones were my favorite!
And I saw a pumpkin man!

And all was right with the world.

xoxo

October - Breast Cancer Awareness

2010-10-14T14:56:00.000-07:00

Hopefully everyone knows that October is
Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

For the rest of the month of October
Blossom Shop on Etsy is offering 25% off
all pink items in the shop.

Show your support by wearing your pink!

xoxo

Treasure Hunting

2010-10-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a little treasure hunting the last 2 weeks or so.

Some things for myself, some things for the wedding and some things for Blossom Shop.

It feels so great to walk into a store for the first time and have no idea what to expect.
Will there be something you just can't live without?
Will there be something there that sparks an old memory and makes you smile from ear to ear?
You just never know.....

Here are a few things I found that I just loved:::::

What a sweet little couple. I don't think this one will be going on the cake but I am pretty sure they will be lurking somewhere on our wedding day!

This one just needs a cleaning and a coat of bright white paint.
Blossom Shop gets this one for the craft table.
Etsy Austin Craft Riot is in November, gotta get the table ready!

These plates and candle holders will be made into display pieces for Blossom Shop too.
I promise pics of the plates and the jewelry box when they are complete!

And now the sparkly treasures...
I guess they are mostly for Blossom Shop but kinda for me too.
I've also found spools of tulle and candles and crystals.

I can't wait for me next adventure...
It might even be tomorrow morning.
Wish me luck!

xoxo

Jewelry Affaire Magazine - Autumn Issue

2010-10-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

its here!
its here!

Once again Blossom Shop has been invited to be in the pages of Jewelry Affaire Magazine.

I am so thrilled!

First of all, wow, that necklace on the cover is amazing. So pretty!
But every page you turn to in the issue is covered in gorgeous jewelry.
This magazine is so great!

I was lucky enough to again have two pieces in this issue.

OrchidThe one on the right.
A vintage orchid pin with a rhinestone and the chain of the necklace made with pink chalcedony, garnets and vintage silver and rhinestone pieces.

Goldilocks#5 above.
Vintage gold and pearl and rhinestones.
<3
Thanks again so much to Beth and Jewelry Affaire Magazine
for including Blossom Shop in your amazing magazine!

xoxo

Random Picture Day

2010-10-06T15:04:00.000-07:00

I am a busy bee today, working on new brass typewriter font jewelry and reworking a few older pieces that were just not quite right.

So today I thought I would just share a few photos I have taken in the past few weeks.
Just a glimpse into what is going on 'round these parts.

Brass Typewriter Jewelry

Receiving Wedding Gifts

Chillin' on the Patio

Watching sunsets

Eating at the Pizza Lounge in Dallas

xoxo

Life is happening!

2010-10-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

hello! long time no see.

Life has been happening at break neck speed around here.

First and foremost we are just about at the one month countdown for
wedded bliss!

We've got the venue~
I have the dress~
sorry, can't see pictures of that yet!

and I've got some shoes~

We are just about ready to go.
So excited to be Mr. & Mrs.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Then life decided to rip me away from my beloved Austin...gasp!
And send me packing to Dallas.
That is where the Mr. is working so that is where I will be too.

So the days were quickly filled with housing searches~
(Trust me, this was the best shot of the whole day...)
But I think we finally found something we are going to be very happy in!

And I even got a little exploring in!
A new antique mall for me to explore and hours and hours.
Is it wrong that I secretly hope to be lost in it??
So many goodies found...

Bird cages!

(have I mentioned I am afraid of birds but love the cages?)

Fancy bottles!

Floral chandeliers!

And fun jewelry too!

So many other things too but I am not sure if I was supposed to be taking pictures....
shhh, don't tell!

Now I will be once again packing, packing, packing...
You'd think I'd be really good at it by now.
Maybe, who knows.

But I am also getting ready for the November Austin Craft Riot!!!
I am very excited to do another show, its been months.
More info on that as it gets closer.
But there are new things a comin'.

I will try and take more pics in the weeks to come and share a bit more frequently.
I love hearing from those that stop by on this website or on my Facebook page.
Let me know you were here!

xoxo
to you all and I'll be back soon!

Mr. Bunny

2010-08-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

I finished a knitting project!
And its not a scarf!!!

I felt it was time to broaden my horizons in the knitting world and try an actual pattern.
Thank goodness for the free patterns on the internet.

I found something that said beginner and went for it.

One big body, two arms, two legs and 2 ears later...

There are my pieces.

And this is how I pieced him together.

I need supplies!
One yarn needle and a bag of polyfill and I was ready to go.

Sew, Sew and Stuff, Stuff and Sew, sew some more.

I now introduce you to Edmond.

A little ribbon for his eyes and nose and a bow tie.

He is certainly not perfect, but pretty darn good for my first time.

hmmmm, what project will I start next??

xoxo

Knit and Purl

2010-08-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

I have been obsessed with knitting for the past week.

I started learning the basics a few months ago.
I did take a break from it. I just was not getting it.
But now I am back and I get it!
I am loving it!

This is my boring bag of yarn. Yawn.
Don't get me wrong, there are some very cool things in there, they are just not
floating my boat as it were.

So off to Etsy I go.
There are lots of amazing choices being made all over the world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This cantelope handspun goodness from Funky Yarns is on my list of things I am loving.

Silk, angora, mohair from sdspin....yes, thank you.

Mixed grapes and marshmallows from TerraBella Spun??? ok!

I think there is some serious yarn shopping in my future.

Can't wait!

xoxo

A new blog

2010-08-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

Head on over and check out my other blog!
Its all about cool people, places and things I find living in Austin, TX.

All things might not be right here in Austin, you never know where I will end up!

Lookie What I Found!

The latest post is about a very sweet store in Buda, TX (which is just south of Austin on Highway 35).
Its called The Looking Glass.

This store is all about vintage, jewelry and girlie girls in an Alice in Wonderland theme.
Loves it!

AND!!! there are a few pieces of Blossom Shop jewelry in the shop now!

Thanks for checking out the newest blog.
I hope its a success venture.

xoxo

Austin and the City Wide Garage Sale

2010-07-30T09:36:00.001-07:00

I love a good sale, who doesn't?

So Sweetie and I thought we would check out what was happening at this City Wide Garage Sale they do monthly here in Austin.

We got our cash together and our market bag and headed out to the Palmer Event Center.

Oh me, oh my!
Such wonder everywhere.

There was furniture and art and jewelry and junk and treats and clothes and toys and so many other fun things to look at!

The first thing I see that I want so badly I can not stand it is this piece of furniture:

Love love love love.
Unfortunately not in the budget at this time.
I hope its still there next time!

After much walking around and oohing and aahing I found the boots.

Every good Texan girl needs a pair of boots!
And they come in red and blue and green and brown and black and oh my!
(Jessica at Blueberry Deluxe Boutique - I thought of you when I saw all of these!)

I can not wait to go back and spend more time rummaging and looking and dreaming.

On the way back to the car we passed by a florist.
I thought the name was funny and a little unfortunate.The picture is kind of dark so I will read it for you:
McPhail's Florist
(fail)
But its so cute!

A great old greenhouse is attached to the shop.
Love it!

On the way home we drove down South Congress.
A very cool neighborhood with great stores.

Cream
Crofts Original
My favorite restaurant Woodland

Lucy in Disguise

Uncommon Objects

Austin Art Glass
New Bohemia

Big Top Candy
Off The Wall

Many other stores too but the camera is not that fast!
Or maybe Sweetie just drives too fast...not sure.

That was a fun morning out and about.
And I am sure there are many more to come.

Everyone enjoy your weekends!

xoxo

A walk in the park

2010-07-25T10:48:00.000-07:00

Austin is so great, have I said that already?

Yesterday we braved the heat and humidity and took our little boo to the dog park.
He is generally not a fan of other dogs but he was running around the house like a maniac that morning and I figured it was time for some more exercise than just around our apartment complex.

So we packed up the water bottles, put on the bug repellent and headed off for a new adventure.

We set off for Onion Creek Park.
WOW! This place is so beautiful!

Trees everywhere!
Grass everywhere!
Winding trails.

We explored a bit to get an idea of where we were and what there was to see.
And then I saw some sunflowers!
Just some little ones, but lots of them.
And then I realized there was an opening in the fence!
Oh yes, we are so going down that path!

Flowers peeking out of nooks and crannies.

Butterflies fluttering around everywhere!

We were not sure how far this path went...
or where it went, so back we went.

When we got back to the other side of the fence we turned to our right and thought we heard splashing...

oh!!! how fun!
I love watching dogs play in the water.

Apparently Skippy likes to just watch too.

So green and lush by the creek, aaah, this is heaven.

What a fun little adventure.
I am sure we are going to be spending more time here.

Skippy agrees.
Happy and exhausted.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

See you soon!
xoxo

Texas BBQ

2010-07-16T11:35:00.001-07:00

oh my, the BBQ is delicious here.
(So sorry all the vegetarians out there...but I just can't help but share!)

Our Texas family was with us in Austin last weekend and we got together for some good ol' eats.

Mom brought us farm fresh eggs...so good!
And so pretty!

And Bullard corn...

Everything was amazing!

It was great having family time and good eats!

xoxo

Rainy Day Sale on Etsy!!

2010-07-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

I am loving the rain and I love a sale!

So here we go...
I have four Itsy Bitsy necklaces left in the Blossom Shop Etsy store.

Dark Green Tourmaline

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Green Tourmaline

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pink Quartz

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aquamarine

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The prices have been dropped to $15 a necklace...whoa!

The chain is sterling silver too.

Get yours before its gone!

xoxo

UPDATE::::
Green Tourmaline and Pink Quartz are gone.
Only 2 left!

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

AKA Happy FORCE of July :)

We are spending the day enjoying this great country we live in.
And also partaking in some Stars Wars
(thank you Spike tv)

and apartment grilling on the patio.

Fresh corn on the cob too.

I think we had a pretty nice spread!

Skippy thought he would like to have a little something too.
pweeeeeese???
Corn on the cob for everyone!!

Tonight we are hoping for clear skies to enjoy some fireworks.
We'll report back later if that all works out.

Have a great holiday everyone!

xoxo

Here is little video of Skippy enjoying some corn on the cob!

Time to catch up!

2010-06-30T13:33:00.001-07:00

hi Friends!

Its time to catch you up on the last month.
Whew! Its been busy and wonderful and full of adventure.

First of all, bye bye Arizona, Hello! Texas.

Sweetie and I are here in Austin now and loving every minute of it.
Lots and lots of green everywhere you look. Rain! Wonderfully nice people.
Wildlife! So many place to see and explore. BBQ!

Our trip to Austin was pretty smooth.
Drove ALL day through some pretty sights but mostly just dirt.

This sign made us happy, but it was only the half way point on our journey.

We did see a big ol' dust devil thingie.
I don't know what its called but it looked cool.

And then the clouds came in and gave us a nice bath.

And then the sun went down and there went my picture taking...
But this fine sign was a sight for the weary travelers...
We were almost there!!

And as you can see, we took out a few bugs on the way.
Sorry.

Our first meal out as Texas residents was of course BBQ. And we treated ourselves to County Line. Yum Yum!

It was a gorgeous evening for a rest on the patio before dinner.

The view...amazing.

The decor... so fun!

The food was pretty darn good too!
I guess we were so hungry I never got a chance to take a picture of it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We even got a chance to spend some time in Fort Worth since we got to Texas.
What a great downtown area!

Some night time views of downtown Fort Worth from the Penthouse of the Worthington Hotel.

What looks like a giant neon butterfly in the building across from us!

Bass Hall....the trumpets stick out!!

A day time view of the courthouse.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We enjoyed Father's Day lunch at Reata.

Lots of great cowboy memorabilia there.
Chaps and saddles and the like.

A few goodies in the downtown area.

Such cute things to see!

These were some things I found interesting on our drive back to Austin...

eek! what the heck???

Oh! a Haunted House..um, ok, I guess that makes sense then.
This one makes me laugh...I did not think those trucks could go that fast and jump that high.
:)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for checking in on me and seeing what I am up to.
I promise not to be such a stranger!
I already have more post ideas rattling around in my brain.

Lots of new things are on their way to Blossom Shop on Etsy.
I have been working away over here!

Hope you are all well.

Chat with you soon!
xoxo

I'm still here, I promise!!

2010-06-26T21:15:00.000-07:00

Hi friends...

so sorry its been so long.

Sweetie and I are getting settled in our new place in Austin, Texas.

We LOVE it here.

Everything is so green and there are flowers everywhere.

And the people are SO friendly, I just love it!

I have stories to tell and pictures to share so please bear with me and I will be back blogging soon.

How are things with you??

Missing you tons!

xoxo

a surprise package and a trip!

2010-05-14T14:32:00.001-07:00

Hi sweet friends!

happy friday to you all.
xoxo

I had been ignoring the mailbox for the last few days.
Just busy at home I guess.
Well last night I finally stopped to see what was in there.
And to my surprise....
it was the key to the big box!
The key always means good things.
Surprises usually.

I grabbed the key with delight and showed it to sweetie.
he gasped, "What do you think it is???"
I told him I surely had no idea.

I fumbled wildly first putting the key in the wrong slot and then putting it in the right slot but it was upside down.
Finally, success!

I swung the door open and there was a brown paper box...I pulled it out and to my delight was the very familiar handwriting of my sister-in-law, Romy.
She is such a cutie, always with the sweet packages and thoughtful gifts.
I could not wait to get home and tear into the box!

Oh! I knew lovely things were to come!

A belated birthday wish!

and glitter!!!
sparkles...I love them

And then wrapped in dress pattern paper, but it wasn't clothes patterns it was blue prints, super cool, was a book.
And I knew right away it was no ordinary book.
oh no, not this book.
Just look at the apples!
I untied the ribbon and slowly and carefully opened the book.
GASP!
what is all this???

The most beautiful pages, all different colors and sizes and textures and patterns.

They were sewn with red thread and glued and punched.
There were secret envelopes and plastic holders with beautiful flowers in them.

With every page I turned there were more and more wonderful things to see!

Thank you so much Romy! I see all the hard work you put into this and I love it so very much!
I can't wait to start filling it up with beautiful treasures of my own.
xoxo

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This evening I am headed off to Renegade Craft Fair in Austin.

I am so excited!
I have done a few Renegade Fairs in the past (San Francisco and Chicago) and I always have such a wonderful time.
The people who run the show are great, the vendors are so talented (I spend WAY too much money!) and its so great connecting with people who understand and respect what we do.

If you are in the area come on by Saturday and Sunday, the 15th and 16th at the Palmer Events Center off Barton Springs Road.
We will be there 11am - 7pm both days!

I will be posting to Facebook during the weekend so be sure to check out the Blossom Shop fan page this weekend!

Have a great weekend everyone!
I will be back soon!

xoxo

changes...

2010-05-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

wow, so much new stuff coming up in my life and I am feeling very overwhelmed.
All good things...but big things.

Moving...
Sweetie and I are moving at the end of the month.
To a different state.
We are finally leaving the desert (buh-bye Phoenix) and heading to Austin, TX.
I am really excited to be in a new place but I will sure miss my Phoenix friends.

House-hunting...
We are still looking for somewhere to call our own. Or at least borrow for a little bit.
Its an interesting process when you are a few states away from where you are currently living.

Jobs....
Sweetie and I are both looking for jobs.
He is computers and techie stuff and I am pharmaceutical and biotech stuff.
Let us know if you know of anything!

Marriage...
We are taking the plunge in less than 6 months!
I can not wait to be Mrs. Sweetie!
The wedding planning is coming along nicely (I think).

So much to think about, so much to plan, so much to do!
I keep reminding myself to breathe.

Wish us luck!

xoxo

Happy Birthday to me!!!

2010-05-04T09:06:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

Its my birthday!
I love my birthday.

I am having a 20% sale on my Etsy shop.
Put in your order, I take 20% off and then refund your money through PayPal.
Today, May 4th, only!

Blossom Shop!

Happy Shopping!

I am going to get dolled up now for a lunch with a friend.
And then who knows what the day has in store for me!

xoxo

Last Chance Sale at Blossom Shop

2010-04-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

Its Spring Cleaning time!

Select earrings for $10???

Select necklaces for $15????

Its true!!

Head on over to Blossom Shop on Etsy and go to the LAST CHANCE section and enjoy!

Also, lots of other pieces have had their prices lowered. Not for a special sale, but forever!
Be sure and find your favorite pieces and check the price.

Enjoy!

xoxo

Geekin' Out on Coins

2010-04-20T11:41:00.000-07:00

I love to collect things.
I try to collect small things so they are easier to move around.
Once I get settled somewhere, look out! Big collections here I come.

I just wanted to share that I FINALLY finished my States Coin Map with the help of my mom.
She let me poke through her quarters and take the ones I thought I needed.

Voila!

Complete!

Now its time to get a US Territories Map and get my geek on with that one.

Happy collecting everyone!
and thanks Mom!
xoxo

Great American Flea Market...

2010-04-19T23:21:00.000-07:00

I wish it was as cool and fun as it sounded.
But its over and done with now and time to move on.

But every cloud has a silver lining and the lining of this cloud was the amazing people I got to meet.
You know who you are (Jamie, Amanda, Amanda, Tosha, Hilary)!

My booth mate was my new friend Jamie, her shop is Kenzie Noelle Designs and she makes the cutest baby onesies, bibs, tutus, headbands and dresses.

You must check out her shop when you are in need of baby gifts.
AND!!! 20% of every Sale will go towards raising money for the Make A Wish Foundation of Arizona.
You are awesome Jamie!
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Another very talented artist I met is Tosha Fischbach.
She does lots of glass work...

but I am hoping to see more glass cuff bracelets from her in the future!

So pretty, this picture does not do it justice.
How are those bracelets coming along Tosha??

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
The other silver lining to the day...

Cupcakes.
(Thank you Cupcake Lady)

xoxo

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T11:51:00.000-07:00

Hi friends!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and had a little Easter fun.

This year I took some time to paint some eggs with a very good friend of mine.

Some the eggs were hardboiled and some we took the yolk out of.
That was an interesting process!

But we had a great time with paints and glitter.And little fuzzy chickies!Once they were dry the eggs we nestled them in a basket with the chickies and a bunny.
Cozy!

The empty eggs hid a sweet little surprise....

Sweetie gave it a SMASH!

And found himself a little treat...

A love note <3

Hope you had a fun day too!

xoxo

Simply Hue

2010-04-01T13:37:00.000-07:00

If you love to read blogs, pretty pretty lovely blogs...
then you need to head over to Vicki's blog called Simply Hue.

It is so lovely and sweet and gorgeous.

She does Artist Spotlights, Artist Interviews, Giveaways!, and blogs about all things lovely.

I love it, and I hope you do too!

xoxo

Jewelry Affaire Magazine

2010-03-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

so thrilled!!!

I am obviously in love with jewelry.
I love the jewelry I make and I love the jewelry made by others.
It is to be celebrated!

The premier issue of Jewelry Affaire Magazine is out and boy oh boy is it a celebration of some really beautiful jewelry.

And the best part (for me anyway) is that Blossom Shop is in the magazine!!

Thank you so much to the editors for choosing the Blossom Shop pieces I submitted and for photographing them so beautifully.

I look forward to creating and submitting more jewelry in the future.

xoxo

I forgot something important!!!

2010-03-17T15:30:00.001-07:00

ack! I can not believe I forgot to mention this one last thing!

There is going on at Blossom Shop on Etsy today.

20% off
on anything that is GREEN!!

Make your purchase on Etsy as normal and I will send you back 20% of the cost of the merchandise...easy as pie.
Just make sure it has a touch of green in it!

The sale goes until Midnight tonight.

Happy Shopping!!!

xoxo

What made you happy today?

2010-03-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

Hi friends!

What a fantastic day! I mean it too.
The weather in the desert is just perfect, my mood is elevated and good things are happening.

I just wanted to share a few things today.
Nothing special or out of the ordinary, just me, being happy.
Hopefully it is contagious and you are having a great day too.

I bought some shoes.
Shoes are so magical.
You don't have to spend a lot of money on them (well I don't anyway, I can not speak for everyone!) to make you feel good.

here are my new shoes...

Other things that are making me happy today are
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

open windows and my dots flying in from the breeze...

ceiling fans on...my dog, Skippy, napping on the pillows...

and cute Blossom Shop hair clips all over the desk...

What made you happy today?

xoxo

Art and Soul Radio on Blog Talk Radio

2010-03-08T09:29:00.000-08:00

What a fun day this is going to be~

Blossom Shop is going to be interviewed by Catherine and Sheryl on their Art and Soul radio show on Blog Talk radio today!

Follow the link here at 4pm Pacific time to listen to me and 2 other very talented artists talk about using recycled and natural materials in our art.

I am so looking forward to talking with Catherine and Sheryl. They have so much fun on their show every Monday afternoon at 4pm Pacific time.
Lots of laughing and fun stories and good information.
And how easy! Just click the link and sit back and relax!

thanks so much!
xoxo

A lovely Tea Party

2010-03-08T08:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday Friends!

Last week I had a little impromptu tea party with a friend.

Its just such fun to set a pretty table....

brew a little tea....

make some pretty food...

and have a nice little chat.

I love being a girl!

xoxo

Sick computer....

2010-03-01T13:20:00.000-08:00

hi friends~

My main computer is sick today...an ugly virus that is playing havoc with things.

I wanted to blog about the sweet little teaparty I had on Saturday but its not going to happen today.

Hopefully Sweetie can fix it all up when he gets home from work.

I guess I better make him a nice dinner.

I am spending my day organizing all of the wonderful vintage bits I have collected over the last few weeks and cleaning up the Blossom Shop work area.

I have two shows with Jen from Starving Artist Bazaar this coming weekend.

Friday night we will be at Phoestival (formerly known as First Friday) in downtown Phoenix on Friday night.

Saturday morning we will be at the 7th Avenue Street Fair.

If you are in the Phoenix area we would love to see you!

Hopefully I will be up and running on the main computer soon!

Have a great day!

xoxo

Estate Sales and Dance Lessons

2010-02-25T13:57:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful Thursday it has turned out to be.
I was not feeling so great the beginning of the week but today really turned things around for me.
I woke up and just KNEW I had to get out of the house.
So me and Skippy hopped in the car with the maps to the Scottsdale Estate Sales already loaded up and ready to go...
Off we went.

The first stop was in Paradise Valley. A very nice little section of town. Amazing houses and great pickings for Estate Sales.
This one was all about antiques...so of course I wanted lots and lots of things in that house, but I was well behaved.
I came out of there with a vintage sparkly brooch

and an adorable mini metal hanger set.

This will be part of the Blossom Shop table display. I can just imagine pairs of earrings hanging from the hangers...too cute!

After the first successful stop we were off to the next. A much more modest neighborhood this time.
But the goodies found were just as lovely!
I left there with a few nice pieces and a display bowl for the Blossom Shop table.

But my biggest surprise was not yet discovered.

On my way out the door I was met by a lovely man who asked if I left him any bargains in the house. I told him I left a few so he better get in there in a hurry.
Much to my surprise this started a sweet conversation on the sidewalk.

My very sweet new friend's name was Ed. And Ed had just started sketching at the age of 74. I can not tell you how long ago that was though.
But before that he was a dancer for 43 years!
A dancer!
Well wouldn't you know it...I was treated to an impromptu dance lesson, right there on the sidewalk!
Ladies and gentlemen, I have been taught the Cha Cha.
Thank you Ed, what a lovely surprise you were on my Thursday.

You never know what surprises an ordinary looking day can bring.

xoxo

Valentine's Day

2010-02-15T11:32:00.000-08:00

Hello my sweets!

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day.
Mine was, thank you so much for asking!

Sweetie and I ran some errands, had a nice lunch and then later on had steak fondue for dinner.

Thank you so much to our dear friend Pia for introducing us to this wonderfully fun way to share a meal together. I made some lovely dipping sauces for the meat and french fries and we had a mozzarella, tomato and basil salad.

Delicious!!

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

I made up a few Valentines cards and thought I would share my silly ideas.

Glitter, paper, ribbon and glue...a few of my favorite things.
Oh! The images are from ArtChix Studio. Wonderful images and other goodies to be found there!

I also used some of Vanessa Valencia's cards.
You can find cute cards for lots of occasions on her website under FREE TREATS.
Here is link to get you there!

Have a wonderful Monday everyone!
I am gonna get back to my next new idea...I always seem to have something in the works!

xoxo

Tiny House Update

2010-02-11T13:43:00.000-08:00

Hi all!

No, I have not totally forgotten about the tiny house.
I was...taking a break, yah, that's it.

I finished all the surfaces with pretty pretty paper.

I accented the fence and the roof line with black ribbon.

I think its a good overall base.

Now comes the detail decorations!

I think I will work on it over the weekend.
More to come soon!

xoxo

Blueberry Deluxe in Phoenix

2010-02-09T13:46:00.000-08:00

I have the pleasure of being included in the sweetest new boutique in Phoenix.

Blueberry Deluxe!

The owner, Jessica, is simply as sweet as her shop is.
And the shop is named for her Pug, Blueberry.
Don't ya just love it???

There are many, many Blossom Shop goodies in her shop. Some you have never seen on Etsy!

She also has vintage clothes, shoes, and jewelry.
Handmade bags, hair accessories and jewelry.
Art, mobiles, and even pasties and fire dancing equipment!

Please check out the Blueberry Deluxe Facebook page for hours and details!
She even has a blog if you would like to know more about her!

hope to see you there!

xoxo

Huzzah!

2010-02-08T12:03:00.000-08:00

Hi friends!

I hope everyone had a great weekend.
I did!

A tent?
Did I go to the circus?
Nope!
Sweetie and I spent Saturday at the Renaissance Festival in Apache Junction, Arizona.
What a wonderful day to spend outside.

We did lots of walking and eating and watching.

What did we see? you ask.
Well here you go!~

We watched a Blacksmith tend his fire...

and pound, sculpt and make holes in the metal on the anvil.

We met Mother Goose and her Geese.

Love the hairdo!

We saw hippos in a carriage being accompanied by what I can only guess is a frog...

And some musicians!

We watched beautiful butterflies take children for a spinning ride.

We sat and ate some lunch and listened to a woman play the harpsichord.

I also love the buildings at the Ren Faire.
They are just so "out of a fairy tale" for me.

There are even wonderful little hidden spots that are so magical.

Its was a wonderful day.

xoxo

Another Trip to Melrose Vintage

2010-02-05T10:40:00.001-08:00

yes, I love that shop.

I met up for lunch with Jen from Starving Artist Bazaar at Fez in downtown Phoenix.
I had the Lamb Kirsa....lettuce, tomato, feta and lamb over some flatbread, deee-lish!
And the sweet potato fries are a must.

Then after lunch we went out for some much needed retail therapy and a good chat.

I quickly suggested Melrose Vintage.
Once we got there Jen quickly agreed that the shop had me written all over it!

We had the most fun in the scrapbook section.
It is amazing how much stuff there is out there.
And of course I managed to find myself a few things to pick up!

Most (but not all of) of it is for a project involving a chip board house.

I don't think I have talked about my growing obsession with tiny houses yet....but trust me, I have one.

I think is project is so cute!
I picked out some papers to cover it with.
So I did some tracing and cutting and gluing...

And the structure is taking on some personality!

I am still gluing the base (the cream and blue flowery patterned one) so that it stands up.
But the house should be ready for decoration later today!

lovin' this project!
I will update as I get more done.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And thanks a ton for all the votes at Cafe Handmade for Blossom Shop.
Lovin' the love!

xoxo

Cafe Handmade

2010-02-04T15:32:00.000-08:00

Hi there friends!

Blossom Shop is currently on the Cafe Handmade Virtual Craft Show.

I am asking for votes for Blossom Shop.
Its super easy to do!

Click this LINK.
Scroll down the page until you see Blossom Shop.
Click on the heart!

You can even leave a comment if you like.

thank you so much for your support!
It means the world to me.

xoxo

Knitting Update!

2010-02-02T13:57:00.001-08:00

I am loving this knitting thing.
Obsessed almost.
I am certainly not perfect...I am not even good yet.
But I can do it!

I tried to learn about a year ago, got so frustrated I threw the needles and yarn down and did not even think about picking them up again.

But thanks to Twitter and the lovely Holly at Silly Little Lady's Spot on the Web, I am back in the game!
Holly has a great Learning to Knit section on her blog.
If you have ever been interested in learning how to knit I highly recommend her blog.

So my first little project is as finished as its going to get.
Wanna see it?
Of course you do!

This is my baby, Skippy.
Even though we live in Scottsdale, AZ he still gets a little cold sometimes.

So being a good doggy mommy I thought he should have my first project.
A little scarf to keep his neck warm and toasty.

Its nothing fancy, just a regular knitting stitch.
But his favorite part about it is that I made it for him.
Not too shabby for my first try!

thanks Holly!

xoxo

was clean for 5 minutes...

2010-02-01T19:49:00.000-08:00

Well I cleaned up the first mess and started another.
Such is life I guess.

I did my dremeling for Blossom Shop hairclips.
But now the epoxy won't dry.
Hmmpfh.
Hopefully in a few more days they will be ready for pictures and listing.
They are super super cute.
Lots of flowers this time.

With the clips drying off to the side I made room for some serious jewelry making.
Lots of new necklaces.
All silvery and vintage-like.
They are gorgeous!
Pictures of those coming soon.

Now tonight is Valentine Card making.
I've got out sparkly Luminarte pigments and glue and glitter and put-a-smile-on-your-face pictures.
All sorts of wonderful things.

I hope you are all having a fantastic week so far.
(yes, its only Monday but I can hope!)

Glitter is dry! Time for the next layer!

xoxo

Shaming myself into action

2010-01-30T11:40:00.000-08:00

ok, I am about to embarrass myself to spur me into action.

My work space is a MESS!
More than a mess its a sty, a disaster, a wreck!

I start too many projects at one time.

I am making my paper banners (no, I have not finished them yet...), making jewelry and knitting.
All in one space! And I don't clean up after myself.

The mess has even spilled down onto the floor.
The dog is sleeping surrounded in my mess.

Two weeks ago I cleaned out the bottom drawer of my cabinet to make room for some Blossom Shop displays which displaced some craft things.
That mess is still in boxes in front of the cabinet I removed it from...

Today the madness stops.
Today is the day I finish that banner project and put away the supplies!

I will vacuum the floor and remove the debris!

I will remove the clutter from the floor and put it where it belongs!

For today I am crazy cleaning woman!

Wish me luck!
xoxo

Shop Update and more banner making

2010-01-26T14:21:00.000-08:00

Hi friends!

I just finished another Blossom Shop update.
New bangles and necklaces this time around.

Lots of great Valentine's Day gifts for yourself and the dear ones in your life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am also working on the bunting banner project.
I did one more triangle and its just too cute!
Its me and Sweetie as munchkins!
Buttons and babies :)

It still needs some more work, but how cute are we????

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am also very excited to be taking up knitting again.
My new friend, Holly, over at Silly Little Lady's Spot blog is doing a knitting tutorial on her blog.
With pictures and everything!!!

So as soon as I can I will be digging out those knitting needles I threw in the craft closet about a year ago and I am gonna give this another try!

Wish me luck!

xoxo

Rainy Day Project Update

2010-01-25T12:24:00.001-08:00

Well my little project for that rainy day last week sure is taking longer than one day!

I was working on it Friday when BAM!! hit with a 102 degree fever.
Out of the blue...
Took me out of the craft game all weekend.
Feeling better now though.

So today I am catching up on a few Blossom Shop work things and getting ready to finish up my little project.
Can't really call it a rainy day project anymore. It took longer than a day and its not raining anymore.
:)

I thought I would share what I have done so far and then get my creative juices flowing to finish the last few parts!

Paper bunting of the love birds!

The last two flags are going to be of me and Sweetie as kids.
Boy were we adorable!
I mean we still are (of course) but we were really cute kids!

I still want to add more "stuff" to the flags. But they are coming along nicely (i think).

Thanks again to Melrose Vintage in Phoenix for allowing me to take pics in their store and giving me the great idea of doing this little project.
I heart them!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
and speaking of hearting things....

During the glue drying breaks I enjoyed a few delicious Fruit Salad candies from Smeeks in Phoenix.
(thanks Mom!)

ok, time to get back to it!

Hopefully I can finish these flags up today or tomorrow and get the finished project posted.

Have a great day all!

xoxo

A rainy day project

2010-01-21T10:45:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the sky was a lovely blue with a promise of things to come.

This morning when I awoke I saw that the sky had kept its promise.

The wet weather and the dripping leaves called out to me....

Craft Project!

How can I resist that call?

I quickly ran to the craft closet and pulled out a basket full of supplies.

I also remembered the lovely garland I bought at Melrose Vintage here in Phoenix while mom was visiting.

Wonderfully sparkly Tinsel Garland!

And poofy Festooning!

Now its time to dive in.
I'll be up for air later with some pictures of my progress.

Stay warm, stay dry!

xoxo

Another Blossom Shop Update - Mums!

2010-01-20T09:45:00.001-08:00

Hi all!

I have been a busy bee over at Blossom Shop the last couple of days.
Today there was another shop update.
This time it's all Mums!

Here is a quick peek....

but head on over to Blossom Shop on Etsy and
see all of the available colors and styles!

thanks so much!

xoxo

A Blossom Shop update for Valentine's Day

2010-01-19T10:42:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is just a few weeks away.

Who do you love?

I hope you love yourself!!!

I think now is a great time to treat yourself (and others you love) with a little Blossom Shop trinket.

There are new rings~

And new earrings~

And new necklaces~

Come on by Blossom Shop and see what other new goodies are available.

Happy Shopping!

xoxo

Welcome 2010

2010-01-18T13:07:00.000-08:00

I know we are well into the first month of 2010 but here is my welcome to the new year post.

I was thinking about new years and what they mean.
Some people make resolutions...we never keep them.
Some people just see it as having to remember to use the new year number on a check.
If you even still write checks these days!

I like to think of it as a new start, a fresh beginning.
What will this new year bring?
Will I be different this year?

Personally I have a lot of things going to happen this year.
Moving, getting married, perhaps buying a house.
So I already expect this year to be different in those ways.

But what about the inside me.
Will I still be too sensitive?
Will I continue to reconnect with old friends?
Will I be more forgiving?
Will I be open to new creative processes?

I am starting out the new year as I am...
but what will I be at the end of this year?

How very exciting!

I was thinking about this as I was making jewelry the other day.
I started with this piece:

As it is, it is fine. It has all the parts to be a perfectly nice piece of jewelry.
But maybe it is just not right for 2010.

And I took it apart and examined the pieces individually.
I moved things here and there until I came up with sections that were more pleasing to the eye.

What were once bunched and dangling are now strung out proudly on gold chain.

What once carried the full burden is now being carried and is only responsible for a small group.

It's still all of the same pieces, they are just reworked, readjusted.

Is it better?
Some may say yes, some may say no.

But it is fresh and new with a whole new outlook.
A whole new purpose.

Welcome 2010.
So excited to see what you have in store for us!

xoxo

A visit from Mom

2010-01-14T09:30:00.000-08:00

Mom is here this week, hurray!

we are lunching and shopping and talking and laughing.

What a wonderful visit it is!

xoxo

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-30T20:01:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and will be enjoying the New Year very shortly!

My little family just got home from visiting family in Texas.
More to come about that in posts to come.

Happy New Year!!!!

xoxo

and we're back!

2009-12-14T23:55:00.001-08:00

just flew in from a great three-day weekend in California....
and boy are my arms tired.

Bazaar Bizarre SF was FANTASTIC this year.
Sweetie and I had a great time meeting new friends, seeing old friends and enjoying the show.
Can't wait until next year.

Now its time to get some sleep.

A real update tomorrow.

Night night friends!
xoxo

Cyber Monday is over...now what?

2009-12-01T20:17:00.000-08:00

Have no fear!!! Blossom Shop is here!

Blossom Shop has great prices, super deals and the cutest jewelry around!
And hey! Shipping is only $3 for your entire order.

I are working every day, like one of Santa's elves, to continue to bring you
unique and beautiful pieces.

Here's a sample of some of the new pieces on Etsy and Art Garage Sale:

And the good news is...there are even more pieces ready to be photographed and listed!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blossom Shop will be out at First Friday Phoenix this week (December 4th)
on Roosevelt Street.
If you are in the area please come on by!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blossom Shop will also be in San Francisco at Bazaar Bizarre at the SF County Fair Building on Saturday and Sunday, December 12th and 13th, 12pm - 6pm.

This is a fabulous show and encourage everyone in the SF area to come and be apart of the fun.

Will there be a little Blossom in your stocking this year?

xoxo

So much to be thankful for...

2009-11-30T14:08:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving.

I sure did.
It was quiet, just the way we wanted it.

A beautiful table set for two with all the Thanksgiving
goodies to enjoy and share and be so grateful for.

The poor bird did not make this shot...he needed a bit more time in the oven.

After our amazing meal we had time to reflect upon the year we shared and the years we have ahead.
(AKA, nap time)

Its so hard to believe that December starts tomorrow!
I ask myself, "Where did the year go??"
But when I really think about it, so much has happened.
With all the ups and downs, it really has been a year to celebrate.

But the year is not over yet!
Oh no my friends, not nearly over.

This Friday (December 4th) is the last First Friday Phoenix of 2009.
Jennifer (Starving Artist Bazaar) and I (Blossom Shop) will be there with all of our wonderful goodies for your holiday shopping needs!

If you are in the Phoenix area I sure hope you come see us!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Then its off to San Francisco for Bazaar Bizarre.
Blossom Shop was there last holiday season and was THRILLED to be invited back for this year.
Last year we had a great time at the one day show...this time its 2 days!!!
Easy to find in Golden Gate Park.Here we are last year...We will be bigger and better this year.
I sure hope all my SF Bay Area friends can make it out to say hi!

Saturday and Sunday, December 12th and 13th
from 12pm to 6pm
San Francisco County Fair Building

Looking forward to an amazing end to an amazing year!

Art in the Woods..Poulsbo, WA

2009-11-11T20:03:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends!

Tomorrow morning I am hitting the road (well...the airport) and heading up to the Seattle, WA area.
I will be participating in a 3-day self guided art tour in Poulsbo, WA called Art in the Woods.

INFO!

If you are in the area please come on by!
Lots of great artists to visit.

Click the INFO! link above to get directions and to find out who else in participating.

Hope to see you there.

xoxo

Our Big News - November 7, 2009

2009-11-09T21:52:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time....

A boy met a girl.

They met, they talked, they got to know eachother.

A courtship began....and it was beautiful.

As time went on that courtship grew to love.
They laughed and shared and loved and learned.
A love affair began...and it was beautiful.

As time went on that love affair continued to grow.
They learned respect and compromise, trust and truth.

He proposed....and it was beautiful.

boo!!!

2009-10-17T16:22:00.000-07:00

you came for a treat but unfortunately all you get today is a trick...
the party had to be postponed on this end.
I hope you enjoy all the other parties today.

Come back tomorrow for some treats and a give away!

happy halloween!

wink

2009-10-14T13:22:00.001-07:00

how you doin'?

Getting Ready for Halloween!

2009-10-08T09:32:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year again...

the air is getting cooler, the sun is setting earlier, and the ghosts and goblins are coming out to play!
The house is starting its transformation.

I thought I would share a few pictures to get you in the mood!

The Graveyard.....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mantle...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reflections...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Skulls...

ooooh!
I am feeling spookier by the minute!

enjoy your decorating.
More to come from me later!

xoxo

A fun weekend in September

2009-09-29T10:03:00.001-07:00

wow! what a great weekend I just had.

The only problem with jam-packed fun weekends is that they pass too quickly.

Friday night Sweetie and I met up with Jen of Starving Artist Bazaar and her friend for a night out in the Botanical Garden here in Phoenix.

The night was just beautiful!

This plant is made of glass tubes and lit from inside.
Amazing!

The reason for the evening in the Botanical Garden?
BIERGARTEN!!

Polka Bands....

German Food and Beer...

and Lederhosen!

Prost!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday we spent the afternoon celebrating the 10th birthday of a very special girl!

Everybody was hanging out in the pool..
There were presents and pinata...and Birthday cake!
Happy Birthday Renee!
We love you girlie!

xoxo

Autumn is here!!

2009-09-24T12:24:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

September has been a blur.

I spent 4 amazing days in Chicago and its kept me busy all month!
First on the agenda was the Renegade Craft Show.
how much fun was that???
were you there?
Tell me what who you saw and what you got!
Was so great to be in Wicker Park during a beautiful weekend.
So many people out and about shopping and enjoying the weather.
Even the dogs were out in force.
This lady was the belle of the ball in her lovely grey and pink smock.

I did not get a chance to take a pic but I got to catch up with my craft show buddies Casey and Kelly of Biggs and Featherbelle.So amazing to get to catch up with them.
Check them out for all your soap and bath needs.
Their lipbalm is da balm!
lol see what I did there?
I crack myself up!

The second two days was spent with my good buddy Jen of Starving Artist Bazaar hanging out in the Chicago Area.

We hit many thrift and antique shops where I scored many many cool pieces that will be used in new Blossom Shop creations.

The first of which are the new Hairclips!
They are fun and unique and totally vintage and totally Blossom Shop.
They are currently listed on Etsy, Art Garage Sale, PaperNStitch, and Art Fire.
Pick your favorite shopping venue and go check them out!

Good food was in abundance as well.
Chicago deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati's, asian at Joy Yee, bakery goodies at Rolf's and so many other yummy places.

Big thanks to the Syfu's in Skokie for their hospitality!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Many more new pieces to make for Blossom Shop.
Gotta get ready for the holidays!

So many new ideas in my brain and in my sketch pad.
Yes, I have started to sketch my designs.
I find I dream about jewelry and think of new designs in the shower, doing laundry, vegging out in front of the tv.
The brain is getting older so I have to draw them out now.
I laugh at my drawings but the finished products are looking amazing!

Have a great day everybody!

xoxo

Here Comes Renegade Chicago!

2009-08-31T09:06:00.000-07:00

Its show time again!

This time I am gearing up to hit the windy city.

(My original hometown!)

Renegade Chicago will be September 12 + 13 from 11am – 7pm on Division St.

between Damen Ave. and Paulina St. in Wicker Park!

Click the link HERE for additional information!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blossom Shop, ME!

and my dear friend Jen at Starving Artist Bazaar

will be sharing a booth again.

We are also bringing along our collaboration YooFoo Shop

for your shopping pleasure!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So mark your calenders and make your plans!

We want to see YOU at Renegade!

xoxo

Austin, Austin...how I love thee!

2009-08-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

What an amazing vacation for me and Sweetie!

Spending time with family and friends, eating amazing food, lots of shopping and seeing wonderful sites.

Here's a little taste of our trip to Austin, Enjoy!

Oak trees everywhere...so lovely and so much personality.

Sweetie enjoying a cigar on the porch at sunset.

We took a one day family trip to Rockport, Texas on the Gulf Coast.

We played in the sand and the surf.

We fished off a long pier.

We saw some amazing homes.

The sky was amazing as the clouds rolled in.

What a relaxing way to spend a Sunday and Monday. I miss it already!

Back in Austin there were sites to see and shopping to do!

The first stop, Bead It! of course.

(thank you Tiffany!)

I was in heaven...pure heaven.

There were rows and rows of buttons..

Tables full of vintage lucite and plastic goodies!

Shelves full of charms...

Walls covered in stones.

I came home with lots but left some for others!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Then if was off to the South Congress area of town.

Very fun shops and restaurants in this area.

One of my favorites was Big Top Candy Shop at 1706 S. Congress Avenue.

No website but you should visit if you are in the area and you have a sweet tooth!

Much fun was had by all here!

Other stores that I love in this area are:

Parts and Labour

Uncommon Objects

Amy's Icecream

Feather's Boutique

Home Slice Pizza

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Woodland

And I am sure I have not even see all great things to see in this area.

Can't wait to go back for more!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No retelling of a trip to Austin would be complete without a picture of the Capital Building!

Tada!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We took a ghost tour of the Capital District as well.

spooooooooky!

This is the Driscoll Hotel, the last stop on the tour.

We did not see anything of note on the tour but at one point the batteries in my camera drained and then came back...hmmmm.

Our tour guide Maverick was a great story teller and we all had a wonderful time seeing the haunted spots in Austin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But alas it was time to hit the road again and head back to Phoenix.

(we took a plane but I did not have any pictures of that)

A quick hello from Austin, Texas

2009-08-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

hi ya'll! (when in Texas, do as the Texans do)

Sweetie and I are having a great time in Austin this week.

We are spending time with family, took a trip to Rockport to enjoy the warm Gulf waters, shopping, eating, exploring and relaxing.

We even went on a ghost tour!

But there will more about all this in other post when we get home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wanted you all to check out Craftgawker.com when you get a chance.

It's a great website featuring photos and links to some really great handmade things.

Blossom Shop even had a photo accepted!

As of today (August 20th) you can find the necklace "A Rose By Any Other Name" on page 8!

Its # 3299.

I hope everyone is having a great week and we'll be back on Saturday!

xoxo

Quick post...

2009-08-14T13:09:00.000-07:00

to let you know we are headed out to Austin, TX today.

Hoping to post from the road!

Please friend me and become a fan of Blossom Shop on

Facebook for mobile uploads of our adventures.

I am also on Twitter! Follow me!

Also a reminder that the 30% off sale continues at Blossom Shop.

Come visit the Etsy Shop

the Art Garage Sale Shop

to find your bargains!

All items will ship after Aug 24th.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy Birthday shout outs to...

Romy!

Gram!

and

Danny!!

love you all

xoxo

Desert trekking

2009-08-12T16:10:00.000-07:00

Our trip to the Pasadena Bead and Design Show started with a little adventure through the desert.

Here's how it went!

We hit the road not too early in the morning for our trek through the desert to Pasadena.

(the photos were polaroid-ized using the very cool program Poladroid! Just seemed appropriate for the desert photos.)

oooh! a cool dirt devil spout thingie! like a dirty tornado...

well that was exciting...are we there yet?

nope

Oh! but look! the windmills... I know we are getting closer.

whoa! a dinosaur?? how long have we been driving???

and then we were there!

that did not take so long.

More to come about Pasadena soon!

xoxo

Catching up

2009-08-10T22:38:00.001-07:00

hey! remember me????

wow! things have been crazy around here.

I have been wanting to share pictures from the last 2 shows for so long.

Now is my chance!

Step into the Way Back Machine with me and let's go to the weekend of July 17th, 2009.

Renegade SF 2009......(crazy machine noises)

What a great time!

Sweetie and I stayed the weekend at the Argonaunt Hotel right across the street from the wharf area.

We got in late so it was off down the street to see what we could find...mmmmm, In 'n Out Burgers!

Thank goodness they seem to be open forever.

In the morning we gathered up the Blossom Shop goods and headed over to Fort Funston right on the water...

Blossom Shop got all set up....

and everyone was ready to sell!

Selling is hard work and we needed a treat...Yes, that is Michael Jackson's shoe, sock and pant leg there...it was a chocolate/vanilla cupcake.And the one next to it....let's just say they called it the Crap Cake. But it was tasty!

Those tasty treats were curtesy of Cynically Delicious out of San Francisco...tasty cupcakes for sure!

The days do get long and sometimes you need a little distraction to put some life into the day...

I don't know who he is or what he is doing...but he certainly got our attention!

It was a great two days!

Looking forward to being in Renegade Chicago in September this year too!

More info to come on this later.

ok, more to blog tomorrow! night-night for now!

xoxo

Blossom Shop Summer Sale!!!

2009-08-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! A sale!

who does not love a sale?

Come by Blossom Shop on Etsy and click

the SALE category on the right hand side of the page.

That will take you right to all the goodies that are now

30% off!

These and many more like them are waiting for you to bring them home at

a fabulous summer time price!

Happy shopping!

xoxo

Masala, Wine and Goldbug

2009-07-30T21:31:00.000-07:00

Day one of the Pasadena Bead and Design show is coming to an end.

I met some wonderful people at the show today and look forward to meeting more over the next 3 days.

After we closed the booth down for the day Sweetie and I headed out for some dinner.

I had a craving for Indian food....and Sweetie obliged.

We ended up in Old Town Pasadena at Akbar's.

So yummy!

We enjoyed a potato chat and some mango lassi before our meal of

chicken tikka masala and spinach paneer and garlic naan came to the table.

This was Sweetie's first time for Indian food and he promises he enjoyed it.

The photos are being held captive on the cameras at the moment but I promise to share them next week when we get home.

On our way back to the car we passed the most unusual shop.

Unfortunately the shop was closed but we did some hardcore window shopping.

I will let the website speak for itself!

Goldbug...

tell me what you think!

Before we retire for the evening (which will hopefully be soon, I am getting sleepy!) we are enjoying a glass of pinot noir, a little cheesecake and the free wi-fi in the bar.

more to report later!

xoxo

Going back to Cali, Cali, Cali....

2009-07-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

It's show time again!

Renegade SF was a blast, but that's in the past.

Now its time for Pasadena!

Blossom Shop will be at the

Pasadena Hilton Hotel

Thursday, July 30th - Sunday, August 2nd

10am - 6pm

Some on Southern Californians!

Hope to see you there!

xoxo

There's no place like home. There's no place like home....

2009-07-24T13:51:00.001-07:00

I have been clicking my heels all week.

Unfortunately I did not bring my ruby slippers.....

As much as I cry about how hot it is living in the desert in the summer time I am anxious to get back there.

Not for weather though..

I miss my 8lb furry baby Skippy.

Even though I know he has been having a FANTASTIC time with his Uncle Rich and is probably in no hurry to get home.

I miss my bedroom.

I love my bedroom.

The bed is comfy, it smells good, all my stuff is there.

I miss my work space.

Its hard to blog on the road...

I can't make jewelry on the road....

I can't craft on the road.

I miss my 90210 reruns in the middle of the day.

I guess I miss it even more now because I know I am only home for 4 days before Blossom Shop

hits the road again and heads to Pasadena for the Bead and Design show.

I am SUPER excited to do the show, don't get me wrong!

Its just another trip away from home.

But absense makes the heart grow fonder.

I'll be home in a few hours.

xoxo

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

2009-07-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

Renegade SF was a great time!

A more detailed post to come but for now I will leave you with this.....

xoxo

And we're off!!!!

2009-07-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

I am going back to where I left my heart...San Francisco.

I grew up in the SF Bay Area and graduated from college in San Francisco, so it really is going home again for me.

I just love the city and the area. I am so excited to get to spend some time out there.

I am going to do my best to update from Renegade this weekend.

It might just be on Facebook...so you better get on there and become a fan of

Blossom Shop! :)
If you are coming to Renegade this Saturday and Sunday look for Blossom Shop and Starving Artist Bazaar (along with our collaboration project YooFoo) in booth #126.

Hope to see you there!
xoxo

Treasures abound, Treasures found

2009-07-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

Arizona in the summer time can be summed up in one word..HOT.

And HOT it was this past weekend.

Sweetie and I wanted to beat the heat so we got up early Saturday morning and headed out.

Our first 2 stops were Estate Sales. There are wonderful old homes and ranches in the area, always a treat when the sale is in a particularly lovely or interesting home.

Both of our stops did not disappoint.

The first was a big Ranch house, big wood beams on the ceiling and rustic touches everywhere.
The second home was not as grand but the sale pickens were excellent!

Sweetie and I left the second sale with our arms loaded and spirits lifted.

Here are some of our goodies!

A CDV (carte de visite) album from about the 1870s.

CDVs originated in France in 1854 and came to the US in 1860.

According to Wikipedia, A CDV was usually made of an albumen print, which was a thin paper photograph mounted on a thicker paper card. The size of a carte de visite is 2⅛ × 3½ inches mounted on a card sized 2½ × 4 inches.

And I have a whole album full!

They are all pictures of men too..I always seem to have plenty of old photos of women, so now the men can be represented as well!

I am also loving my sword pin!
I think its a scimitar.

Whatever it is I love it!

I got lots of jewelry pieces for new Blossom Shop work too!

woohooo! new stuff on the horizon.

I really love the charms I found.

The heart on the right says "Bert", I just love that...not sure why.

Sweetie got himself a Civil War calvary sword too, he has been wanting new sword for this collection for so long. Nice to see him treat himself to something like that.

After the sales it was time to bug out of town!

North!, we cried, North!

Off we headed to Prescott.

Its a great little town about an hour and half north of Phoenix...and about 20 degrees cooler.

And we got a few rain drops :)

Ahhhh, much better!

We had lunch at The Palace...we love it there.

You really get the Old West feeling there, its cool.

Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday used to hang out there...how cool is that?

After many hours of popping in and out of the many antique shops we were exhausted!

We stopped into a another very cool restaurant for a little pick me up, The Raven Cafe.

A great beer list, lots of wine, and food too.

But they also have art and music there too!

I can't wait to hang out there again, great place.

What a fabulous day with my Sweetie!

how was your weekend?

xoxo

Paper N Stitch

2009-07-13T11:46:00.000-07:00

I made a new friend!

I found a new blog that I am really enjoying.

papernstitchblog.com

But its not only a blog..its an exhibition space for independent boutiques and others who make handmade things!

papernstitch.com

Starting July 13th (today!) until August 15th Blossom Shop is thrilled to be a part of the papernstitch.com exhibition!

Please click the link to the Blossom Shop exhibition page and give a little click on the heart by my picture.

Blossom Shop Exhibition!

AND!!! if you purchase something listed on the Paper N Stitch exhibition (the purchase will be through Etsy and Paypal) and mention Paper N Stitch in the buyer comments I will refund you 20% of the cost of the piece!

A heart for me and 20% off for you!

xoxo

I (heart) berries

2009-07-10T14:26:00.001-07:00

Don't you just love sweet summer fruit?

Especially berries...yum yum!

Blossom Shop now has berries for your ears!

Lovely gem stone chips are wire wrapped in sterling silver or gold fill wire and dangle in clusters from gold fill or antiqued silver hoops.

More colors available on Blossom Shop!

If you don't find the color combination you want, just send me a note and I can special order anything you need.

xoxo

hey! what's with all the ribbon?

2009-07-06T19:58:00.001-07:00

The what, you say?

Oh! the ribbon you say!

well I am so glad you asked!

Blossom Shop is um, blossoming and adding something new to the fair table.

(not in the shop just yet!)

~Bookmarks!~

They will be making their debut at the Renegade Fair on July 18th and 19th in San Francisco.

Different colors and patterns of ribbon and different charms.

I think you should come by the booth and have a look!

A week and a half and counting!

xoxo

Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny

2009-07-04T19:25:00.000-07:00

wow! Blossom Shop is in another Etsy Treasury!

Very exciting indeed :)

I am sending out a big thank you to NSSeaglass (Nova Scotia Seaglass) for including my Itsy Bitsy necklace in her Itsy Bitsy Treasury .

You can click on the link above to get a larger view of her treasury!

Here is the Itsy Bitsy Necklace that is available in the Blossom Shop right now!

thanks again!

xoxo

Cherries Cherries Cherries!

2009-07-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

A great big thank you to catherinereece of Village Clayworks for including my Cherry Tree Necklace in her very cute cherry inspired Treasury on Etsy!

Click HERE to see the actual treasury!

And here is a close up of the necklace.

It is available at Blossom Shop on Etsy right now!

thanks!!

xoxo

My Altered Animal Friends

2009-07-01T20:22:00.000-07:00

Whew! the excitement of the Mad Tea Party is subsiding and we are all basking in the afterglow of too much tea, too many goodies and lots of wonderful giveaways.

I got lots of nice comments about my party guests (Miss Ellie, Miss Geri and the twin ponies).

I wanted to share where that inspiration came from.

Lisa Kettell and her Altered Art Circus book!

This book is so wonderfully fun and creative and inspirational.

The circus animals are only the first of the projects I will be doing out of this book.

Books like this are so wonderful because there are no rules....you can read the words and look at the pictures and if you desire you can embark on your own journey.

Your imagination takes over and the words and pictures that were in the book are transformed into your own special project.

There is no wrong.

Here is my journey...

I found my friends at dollar stores, toy stores, thrift shops.

Mine came in the form of more circus type animals but I saw bugs and marine life...the possibilities were endless!

They needed a base of paint...I went with whatever felt right at the time.

And from there it was all about fancy.

I went through my jars of paints and glitter and trim and tissue paper and beads and

Miss Geri got a lovely beaded necklace...with that neck how could you not adorn it??

Lipstick, blush and eyeshadow complimented her bone structure.

She is after all a proper lady.

Miss Ellie called for a striking headpiece and a light shawl.

Isn't her pedicure lovely?

It matches her eyeshadow.

This twin went bold with red and gold.

German glitter on the legs and the mane and tail highlighted.

This twin went more subtle with silver, purple and white.

I had a wonderful time decorating these lovelies and am looking forward to my next project from the Lisa Kettell book!

xoxo

and the winner is......

2009-06-29T12:39:00.001-07:00

Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by the Mad Tea Party here this weekend.

A fabulous event indeed!

But now without further delay we need to announce the big winner of the Teapot Necklace Giveaway!

The gang has all gathered in anticipation...

The entries have been folded and put in the fancy winner picking bag...

Miss Ellie will do us the honors....

Here is the pick....
And the winner is.....

Michelle at Mosaicqueen!!!!!

Congratulations Michelle!

Please send me an email with your address so I can send off the Teapot necklace to you.

Thanks again to everyone!

It was a great weekend!

thanks to Vanessa for hosting such a wonderful event!

Looking forward to next year!

xoxo

And we shall have tea and cake!

2009-06-27T09:39:00.000-07:00

It's time! It's time!

The Mad Tea Party has begun!

A HUGE thank you to Miss Vanessa at A Fanciful Twist for hosting such a lovely party!

Please visit her blog and say hello!

You can also find a list of all the other participating blogs on the right side of her page.

Please visit everyone and say hello!

Enjoy your day!

The guests are ready the tea is brewed and the cake is iced.

The first to arrive is Miss Ellie, always leading the pack.

Dressed in her finest from head to neck to toe is Miss Geri, the next to arrive.

Welcome! Welcome! Enjoy some tea as we wait for the lasts of the guests to arrive.

The twins have arrived! And now all is complete...

Pour some tea....

Cut some cake....

sit back and relax and enjoy the conversation and all the Mad Tea Party visitors!

Oh! one last thing before you hurry along to your next party!

Please leave me a note and let me know you were here...

I made a special teapot necklace that I would love to give away!

The drawing will be Monday at noon...so please leave me a note!

xoxo

Another Blossom Shop Update!

2009-06-25T10:56:00.001-07:00

Hi all!

I finished another big Blossom Shop update yesterday.

Lots of lovelies in the shop!

Here are a few to get you started...

Charming Earrings for sure!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This necklace is Light As A Feather.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This necklace will Eclipse all others!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

These and all the others are available on Etsy now...even a few on ArtGarageSale for those of you who perfer that site!

Blossom Shop will be in San Francisco at Renegade on July 18 and 19th and then in Pasadena for the Bead and Design Show July 30th through August 2nd.

Come see us in person if you get the chance, we'd love to meet you!

xoxo

Traveling through the desert

2009-06-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

I have lived in the desert for about a year and a half now...and if you read my blog I think you know its not my favorite place.

The above picture pretty much described what I thought the desert had to offer.

But Sweetie and I drove about 5 hours from our spot in the desert to my mom's spot in the desert for a quick weekend visit.

We have made this trip before but the desert wanted to show me something different this time.

And I was paying attention.

Driving west out of town with the clouds rolling in, cactus on the hills and the most beautiful shades of blue.

ok, i am listening...

Rocks stacked on rocks...how did they get there?

2 days later on the way home, they are still there...will they be there forever?

The world awash in gold, it really could not be lovelier.

I heard you, you are beautiful.

xoxo

Mad Tea Party

2009-06-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

Its that time of year again!

Vanessa Valencia is hosting the 2nd annual Mad Tea Party on her blog

A Fanciful Twist this coming Saturday (June 27th).

Trinkets and Treasures had a great time last year!

check out this link to go back in time and see what fun we had!

The preparations here have started and the guests are getting the finishing touches put on their outfits.

This year Blossom Shop will be having a give-away as well!

You'll have to come back on Saturday and join in the fun!

Be sure to stop by A Fanciful Twist and visit all the other blogs on the invitee list as well.

It promises to be a great time!

see you soon!

xoxo

blossom shop loves Modish

2009-06-17T15:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday!

Be sure to check out Modish.com for the coolest Indie products!

Blossom Shop is thrilled to be in the Sponsor Spotlight today.

Visit Modish.com and find the special code to use with your Blossom Shop purchase!

Happy shopping!

xoxo

Can't get enough....

2009-06-15T13:23:00.001-07:00

Sweetie and I started watching the Showtime series The Tudors....omg!

(yes, I said "omg")

It is sooooo good!
It's sexy and dark and suspenseful and exciting...and we are only on Season 1!

King Henry is a big ol' baby and a jerk and I love him.

Poor Catherine, she never stood a chance.

Anne B. is beautiful and I almost feel sorry for her.

My other favorite thing about this show...the jewelry!

I do feel some inspiration coming on from it...we'll see what happens.

But in the meantime if you have not seen this show I highly recommend it.

enjoy!

xoxo

Trinkets and Treasures

What the Floople????

When you have your birthday right around Christmas....

Oh Pinterest, how I love thee....

Gracie May

Welcoming in 2012

Estate Sale and Vintage Treasuring Hunting

Its time for a drawing and a winner!!!

My Mad Hatter Tea Party

A lovely Circus Wedding

What ya been up to?

Cowtown Indie Bazaar

a quick check in...

February Already!

Welcome 2011!

Christmas is coming!

Still here!

Pumpkins!!

October - Breast Cancer Awareness

Treasure Hunting

Jewelry Affaire Magazine - Autumn Issue

Random Picture Day

Life is happening!

Mr. Bunny

Knit and Purl

A new blog

Austin and the City Wide Garage Sale

A walk in the park

Texas BBQ

Rainy Day Sale on Etsy!!

Happy 4th of July!

Time to catch up!

I'm still here, I promise!!

a surprise package and a trip!

changes...

Happy Birthday to me!!!

Last Chance Sale at Blossom Shop

Geekin' Out on Coins

Great American Flea Market...

Happy Easter!

Simply Hue

Jewelry Affaire Magazine

I forgot something important!!!

What made you happy today?

Art and Soul Radio on Blog Talk Radio

A lovely Tea Party

Sick computer....

Estate Sales and Dance Lessons

Valentine's Day

Tiny House Update

Blueberry Deluxe in Phoenix

Huzzah!

Another Trip to Melrose Vintage

Cafe Handmade

Knitting Update!

was clean for 5 minutes...

Shaming myself into action

Shop Update and more banner making

Rainy Day Project Update

A rainy day project

Another Blossom Shop Update - Mums!

A Blossom Shop update for Valentine's Day

Welcome 2010

A visit from Mom

Happy Holidays!

and we're back!

Cyber Monday is over...now what?

So much to be thankful for...

Art in the Woods..Poulsbo, WA

Our Big News - November 7, 2009

boo!!!

*wink*

Getting Ready for Halloween!

A fun weekend in September

Autumn is here!!

Here Comes Renegade Chicago!

Austin, Austin...how I love thee!

A quick hello from Austin, Texas

Quick post...

Desert trekking

wink