Holiday Ideas

I bought a cute book today, 100 Ways to Spread Joy This Season. I picked my favorite ones besides the obvious getting presents, baking, and doing good deeds.

My favorites are:

• Hand out candy canes on your way to work. (This wouldn't be a great idea due to where I work, but I think it would be fun.)


• Tie a Christmas card to a balloon and let it go. (It is way too cold here to do this but I've always thought it would be awesome to find a card, note, or something that someone attached to a balloon and let go for anyone to find. We actually did this at camp one year. We put our name and adress. No one found mine. Or at least no one responded.)


• Forgive someone, especially if it's hard (This one is important.)


• Watch a favorite holiday movie (We watched National Lampoons Christmas Vacation the other day. It does get you immersed in the season. And it's funny!)


• Buy your pet a holiday sweater or reindeer antlers! (My kids would love to do this. I don't really approve of apparel for our pets. They are all indoor pets with exception of the dog, but I still don't think she needs to wear sweaters. If she were a small dog, I would likely change my mind. The antlers would be cute on her though. Hee, hee.)

She doesn't look too impressed!




• Put fake snow on the windows ( This used to be something we did every year when I was a kid. My brother even made a nativity scene out of fake snow. I will have to see if I can find the picture. We don't need fake snow for our windows now. We have enough leaky windows, they frost up naturally!)


• Smile more often! It will make everyone around you smile in return. (I like this because it really does work. Well not everyone smiles, but what can you do? It is Christmas!)

I hope you all have a great holiday season and you can find even more ways to bring joy to the season and everyone around you.

Caroline

Wow it has sure been a long time since I wrote something! I have been working at my real job and working at craft sales and working at home... I am not sure how some people have time for all this!

I have thought of something that I think may be of interest to others. I am going to make a glossary of terms that I tend to use in my listings on etsy. This may sound boring initially, but I will try to make it interesting with pictures of examples and processes when I can.

That is my problem with blogging though. The pictures. I don't really have much of a problem coming up with something to say, I just don't have visual aids to make it more interesting.

Here is about the only thing I could find in my thousands of pictures that is remotely interesting.

This is me making a bead. I have the mandrel in my left hand and a blue rod of glass in my right hand.

My work area is messy. My husband will tidy it from time to time but the glass shocks so often that there are constantly chunks of glass all over the place (occassionally they are stuck to me).

This is not the torch I use anymore. This one is wrecked. Don't ask.

In my glossary I will explain glass shocking and what is a mandrel. Oh I have a huge list of things to write about already started. I am excited. I just have to wait until sometime after this weekend to get started. I still have to work one more day, then make stuff for a bake sale for my kids, then go to the mall for a craft sale for three days. Oh, yeah, I get to work two or three more days right after that.

Well, when I get a couple extra minutes, I will try to add something.

I have a post all ready for Turtle Tarts though. Yum! You just have to wait for me to make a batch before I can post it. Pictures, pictures, pictures!

Time to Think About Christmas Baking

I don't do a lot of Christmas baking (or any baking for that matter) because I usually am the one that eats it all. One thing that I do make, and quite a few people like, is turtle tarts. And they are quite easy to make.

I have two recipies that I have tweeked together to get this recipe.

Turtle Tarts

36 mini tart shells (I use 24 regular)

pecan pieces

1/3 cup corn syrup

1 can Eagle Brand milk

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

2 squares chocolate (or 1 package chocolate chips)

1 tsp margarine

Poke holes in ready made tart shells. Sprinkle bottoms with pecans. (I like to add some chocolate as well, a drizzle or a couple of chips). Bake tart shells as directed on package. Mix the filling of milk, butter, syrup and brown sugar. Microwave for 3 minutes (filling boils around edges). Stir for 2 minutes. Pour into cool tart shells. Cool. Melt chocolate with margarine. Drizzle over tarts and top with a pecan.

I actually don't like to use the chocolate squares or the chips. I prefer to use dipping waffers because they melt so much easier and they taste so much better. (If you use the waffers, you don't need the margarine.)

I buy pecan halves so I can reserve some whole ones for the tops and then I crush (chunky not pulverize) the others to put in the bottom.

I forgot to add the chocolate to the base of these. Oops! They still tasted good.


When I first went to make these tarts, I was not confident in the microwave step. When it comes out of the microwave it doesn't look good and you may wonder how that is ever going to turn into a filling anyone would want to eat. Stir. And keep stirring for the whole 2 minutes. It changes before your eyes. And ohhhh, they are sooo good!

This is the filling ingredients before microwaving.

This is the filling after microwaving. I probably should have broke up the butter and sugar a bit. It did turn out in the end though.

Here is one minute after stirring. Keep stirring and you will get...

Yummy carmel-type sauce!

Here is a picture of the final product. These are so good on the second day as they have set up quite nicely.

These are so simple and so delicious. This recipe is definately a keeper.

Problems with PrintScreen

I have tried to get a screen shot of my treasury and cannot for the life of me get it to work. I even found a tutorial on how it is done but my "PrtScn" button would not do anything no matter what I did. So if anyone happens to know what I may be doing wrong, please let me know for another time. I have to go to work in an hour and it will expire while I am there otherwise I would try it as soon as I could.

I will still keep on trying.

Take care and have a great day!

Music to My Ears - A Treasury

I just made a new treasury! It took me all evening to do it. All I wanted was things with music but it was difficult at times deciding which few things to pick.

Check it out:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=92866

I will try to get a screen shot of it for after it expires.

Waiting for Watches

I ordered some watch faces from overseas at the beginning of October and I nearly gave up on getting them. But today they finally arrived! I am soooo excited. Now I can start making watches too. I recently made two watches and they were sold the first sale I put them out at. I hope people will continue to want them.

The faces I bought are so nice. Some of them are like no others I have seen before.

I bought apple ones to use as teacher gifts and now I wish I would have bought more. They are more of a pendant because they only have the one hole but they would look good on a necklace, a pin, a lanyard, or maybe even a bookmark!




Oh, the possibilities! I am so excited, can you tell?


Here are a few other pictures:




I love this one with the moon. I guess I didn't realize before that it was a pendant-type watch like the apple one is.

Now that I was playing with them (to take the pictures - this is a few days after I originally posted this) I am excited all over again!

Have a great day!

Happy Halloween!

Last night we carved pumpkins with the kids. The girls each got their own pumpkin but even the oldest needed a little help. I drew the Scooby Doo face (freehand from a stencil as a visual guide) and the supposedly "scary" face. I helped cut out part of the owl which was done by a stencil. My husband helped by cutting the top off of our youngest's pumpkin and helping all of the girls with "tight spots" in the carving. The girls were the ones who had to de-gut the pumpkins.

We also roasted our pumpkin seeds. Usually we just throw them in the oven with salt. They have never really turned out great. But this year we boiled them before baking and they turned out quite yummy! One bowl is salted and the other is seasoning salt. We will have to try to keep a few for the bunny and the hamster.

Tonight the girls are all dressing up and the older two are going with friends. My youngest has gone through many ideas for costumes (including a cereal killer (not a misprint)) but has decided on being the Crypt Keeper. My middle one is a cowboy and my oldest is a tourist. They both made up their own costumes and didn't do too bad of a job.

I better go. We are off to go trick or treating at the mall. Later we will go around our neighbourhood.

Have a Happy Halloween!

I'm on Twitter!

Actually I am not terribly excited about being on Twitter, yet. However, it may turn out to be a good thing.

What I found not to be a good thing was right after setting up my Twitter account, I set up one for my daughter. I left the room for less than 5 minutes and when I came back she already had a follower. I thought it was one of her friends so I clicked on the followers button. Good thing my hands are quick. I covered my two kids' eyes and told them to leave until I figured out how to delete or block this follower. Not only was the avatar blatant porn but the words that were typed were ones most adults shouldn't even read.

Now I am not sure if I should leave her with this account or not. I will monitor it fairly closely for now.

If you are on Twitter feel free to follow me there too!

http://www.twitter.com/carelebeads

My Little Paintings

My sister amazes me. Her name is Cathy Lendvoy and she is a very talented painter. She has painted since we were little and I still have one of her "early works". I unfortunately misplaced it as I was wanting to show it here. (I had it last week and showed one member of my family, but not one of them remembers seeing it. This is happening a lot in my house. Maybe our ghost is back!)

She has grown in her work (as you would have seen if I had the other picture. I will post it if I find it.) She paints many different things but my favorite are the scenery. The ones that are most amazing to me are the tiny scrabble tiles she paints on. The tiny details she puts into every one are astounding. Photos do not do these pendants (or her other paintings) justice. You really need to see them in person to appreciate them fully.

Here are a few of my favorite ones.

This one is a painted scrabble tile. I love how beautiful this looks. Dandylion seed never looked so good!

I want paintings similar to this pendant in a much larger size for my living room walls. I love the colors she used.

Look at the tiny detail on this one. This is a bit larger than a scrabble tile but it is still only 1x1 1/4". Wow!

She even has painted bookmarks. This one is 7x2 1/2". Look at all the detail! (I think only half of the picture came here with me. Check her site for the whole thing!)

Every painting is signed and dated. She puts so much work into everything she does.

Go to her etsy shop to see more of her work.

http://www.mylittlepaintings.etsy.com/

If you live near Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan I will hopefully be bringing her pendants with me next time I set up at the Town and Country Mall on November 12 - 14, 2009. Come and see them there.

My Favorite Things

Browsing through etsy I usually stumble upon several items that I really like. Sometimes I find some very unusual things too. I would like to start sharing some of the things I find from the outstanding to the bizzare and so many things inbetween.


Today I would like to share two shops. Fleece Traveler and Grow Smart Games have great ideas kids would love. I know mine would. My Pocket Games would be awesome to take on trips or anywhere that kids get bored easily. It has five reusable game boards of common games like hangman and dots and boxes. It includes a dry erase marker for easy use.

Check out the shop for more info and many more games including Puzzle Pairs and I Spy Sticks.
Everything seems so simple yet so enjoyable.


http://www.fleecetraveler.etsy.com/

http://www.growsmartgames.etsy.com/

A Beautiful Wedding

Recently I attended my nephew's wedding. It was beautiful - everything from the couple right down to the decorations. Sunflowers, tulle, and raffia were everywhere. The wedding had a very earthy feel to it but was still very elegant.

At the wedding the couple each had a "jar" of grains (I can't remember exactly which ones they had). To symbolize their new life together they each poured their jar of grain into a larger one where they mixed. At the reception, the centerpieces for all the tables were large jars of these same grains. It was very nice and symbolic.

The cake was beautiful - three tier ivory with a purple fondant ribbon wrapped around gently from top to bottom. Real sunflowers were strategically placed around the cake to finish it off. My niece (sister to the groom) made it.

They had such wonderful memory keepsake ideas. Instead of a guestbook, they had 12x12 scrapbook pages with pictures of them on them. Guests would then sign these pages which will later be compiled into a book. But my favorite idea was the scrapbook pages they left on the tables. Everyone at the table was to leave the couple a message or some words of wisdom. Then before getting your food, everyone at the table had to get their picture taken on a large wooden swing which they had decorated to match the hall. The couple will later replace their picture on the page with the one the photographer took. What a great way to remember exactly who came to your wedding and reception.

We have had such bad weather lately, it was a miracle that the one beautiful day we did have was on their wedding day.

Best wishes to you both. We love you!

The Weather and Stuff

They have been talking about snow for about a week now and today it happened. After supper a blanket of snow fell over town. It came down in large fluffy flakes. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't actually want snow this early in the year, but it was beautiful. I love to watch snow. I love to play in snow. I just don't like the other things that go along with the snow - like the cold! (Wow, it has been cold lately too. We actually had to turn on the furnace the other day.) I also don't like the shoveling, ice, crapy driving conditions and drivers due to slush, ice, and snow. Thankfully we likely won't have to put up with those things for a while. The snow is supposed to melt. I am actually surprised it didn't yet. (update: after I wrote this I went to pick up my husband from work and I just about spun in circles on the bridge it was soooo icy!)

We had to bring our bunny inside. I don't have the heart to leave him outside when it is this cold. We were told he could stay outside all winter by people who have a bunny that they keep outside all winter. I couldn't do it. We brought our old dog kennel in and set it up downstairs. So far Fluffy is quite happy and so am I.

I am working on getting as many large hole beads made as I can before my next sale. I couldn't believe how many people were interested in them at my last sale (not to mention how many I actually sold). Now that I am making them, people probably won't want them any more. I swear that is how things happen. People used to go crazy for my bookmarks. So I made a ton and now they aren't selling as much. Actually a lot of my stuff isn't selling as well as it used to and I am not quite sure why. I am guessing I just don't make the right "style" of the day. Oh, well.

I did make myself a bracelet recently that I really like. I am going to make a few more for this next sale. It is so simple but there is something about it that I love. Hopefully someone else will agree with me.

This is my bracelet. It is dark transparent grey and every other bead has pink dicro in it. It isn't as easy to see it here but it does sparkle. The one thing I like about the bracelet besides how comfy it is and how awesome the beads feel, is the way I ended it with the rings and the lobster clasp. I really like the look and the feel of this bracelet. (I don't usually brag about something I made unless I truly mean it). I am planning on making similar ones in purple and etched clear, a celtic green one, and a red and black one so far. I hope they turn out as good as I think they will and I hope even more that people will like them.

Ok, I am done.
Good night.

Back to Work

I am back from the sale this weekend. It went pretty good for my first year there. I now know what to expect if I go back next year.

I just thought of how nice it would have been if I would have taken pictures of some of the booths and/or products that I liked. I guess that is an idea for the next show.

I am exhausted and I have to work at 7am so I am off to relax for a minute or two before I go to bed. (That sounds sort of redundant. Oh,well!)

Good night :)

Chaos

Sorry about not posting anything lately. I have been so busy with work and with getting ready for the craft sale this Friday that I scarcely have time for anything else.

I am waiting for my brochures to print as I am writing this. I have been having such a hard time with my program. I can't seem to get it to switch over to my new printer (it isn't new, it just never stuck with it). And the weird thing is on my husband's account (which I use) it works fine, but on my account it switches back everytime I close the program. The worst part is that I spent hours making this brochure and now when I went back to reprint it, I had to redo a bunch of stuff that had been changed (it changes the size of the document too). This is the only program I have problems with and I have had it for years, it just seems to be getting worse.

Well it is working right now so I shouldn't complain I guess. I tried to photocopy the brochure on my printer but it cut off the line on the one side - of 10 copies - an ink isn't cheap. That is when I decided to buck up and try to tinker with the program version again.

I have over 10 pair of earrings, a watch, three bracelets, and numerous other things to make, not to mention I have to repack all of my boxes as this sale is completely different than the last. Oh my goodness! I have a lot to do. I better go. Sorry for rambling on .

I promise to write something worth reading next time.
Take care.

Newly Made Products

I just wanted to show some of the things I made this week. I am quite proud of a few and I just wanted to show them off a bit. I must appologize for the photos as there are quite a few shadows. I wasn't taking them to post here but I thought since I had them, why not.

First is my appetizer set in orange and green. I was trying to make a Christmas set in red and green but that is the fun and frustration of using certain glass. Transparent orange and red are both what are called "striking" colors which simply put means you have to bring out the colors in the flame. They both look like pale amber rods when you start so it is easy to mix them up. Right now I am glad I did mix them up because these beads turned out beautiful. The colors are so bold and vibrant. I am very proud of this set.

Second is something I think is such a cool idea. It is a purse key finder. You put your keys on the clip end then hang the hook on the corner of your purse with the beads on the outside. You won't have to fumble in the bottom of your purse again searching for your keys, and the beads add a bit of glam to your purse. All I know is that I need one of these really bad. I may actually keep this one for myself since my favorite color is blue and I do like this one. Then again, I can make another one that is similar if I have to.

And last is the magnifying glasses. These would make wonderful gifts for so many reasons, but the one thing that stands out to me is the thought of my grandmother. She has passed on now, but I know she would have loved one of these and would have used it for sure. She always had her crosswords or the newspaper to look at. Even the phone book could be a challenge to read. A magnifying glass this size would have been easy for her to hold on to and add that extra help she needed to read that fine print, or even the not so fine print. They come in a velvet pouch which makes it nice to be able to take it with you.

Bookmark Blahs

Well my bookmark idea didn't quite pan out. I don't mind the bookmark itself. It looks like a big business card. And the beads are fine. My problem was what I used to attach the two. I originally thought of raffia which I am sure would have looked nice, but the holes in the beads were too small. So I used some blue and white "tie dye" yarn. Yarn of all things! I love yarn in hats, scarves, mitts, sweaters... it looks great. But I find yarn to look cheap and tacky when used the way I used it.

One by itself looked ok but a bunch together looked like a mess.

So I didn't use them. If I add all the time I put in making and cleaning the beads, printing and cutting the paper, and tying it all together, it would be well over 3 hours. For nothing!! Ugh!!!

I tied a few with blue hemp. They didn't look too bad. If I decide to redo them and use them somewhere else, I will likely use the hemp doubled with a lark's knot and double strand knots.

The other problem I had was the yarn was almost too thick to go through the bead, but once I had it tied in a knot, the bead would slip over it. I didn't notice this until I was trimming the ends of the yarn and the beads started sliding off.

Oh, well. Live and learn. At least the comedy at the show was good.

Treasury List

My treasury list has expired. I guess I should have got a screen shot of it. Oh, well.

I tried to post some pictures last night but they didn't load. I will try again soon.

Tonight

I have been working quite a bit lately so I decided to take tonight off in regards to pretty much everything. We decided to go for a walk at the park with the dog. I took my camera with me but didn't realize my card was almost full. It didn't help that the setting I had it on took two pictures every time I pressed the button.

The setting was color accent which took a black and white picture except for a splash of color that you set the camera to. The last picture I was able to take before my card was full were these ones. I was only going to post one but I couldn't decide which one to pick. Saskatchewan has some very pretty sunsets.

The first picture is the original one even though it almost looks like it only has a splash of color.
The color in the black and white one is quite subtle here.

I really like my new camera more and more everyday. There are so many features. I am glad I read up on this one. Now I just need to figure out the white balance for my jewelry pictures.

Treasury West on Etsy

I just made a treasury page on Treasury West on Esty. It looks really good if you ask me. Check it out and see what you think. I called it "The leaves are changing".

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=66591

It has a few of my favorite sellers on there as well as a few other "interesting" finds I saw while lurking in the etsy hallways. I really like 12step, if1hadwords, mylittlepaintings and thedreamygiraffe. Check out their shops if you like photos or painings.


Oh, look what I bought off of etsy today. They are the cutest little mushrooms. All my kids wanted one. So did I. I can't wait to get them. They are from LittleSqueed.

I actually saw the mushroom while I was going to the treasury page. It was just sitting on the side of the page saying "Look at Me!". So I had to click on it. And I was hooked. I ended up getting four mushrooms. She also has a few other really cute things. Check out her spools. They are awesome. http://www.LittleSqueed.etsy.com/

Hopefully you are having a great day. Can't wait to show you what else I find.

Caroline

Nothing New, So Why Am I Here?

I haven't been getting too far with my bookmarks. Infact I have used some of the beads I made for other projects (pins, earrings, etc). Oh, well. I guess I will just have to make some more. Twist that rubber arm!

School is back in and this is the first year all of my girls go for the full day. Today was a little sad at first (for me, not her) but I think I will get by. People ask what will I do with all of my free time but I still don't see myself having any, which kinda sucks. With working full time, doing household things (cook, clean, bills, shop, etc, etc...), making beads, making jewelry, doing bookwork... hmmm...I must have forgot at least one thing...I am not sure how I fit it all in before. I am sure I will still struggle with some of it. Oh, the joys.

I am working on getting a treasury together on etsy. Hopefully I can get a spot soon. I did a trial run of it and it looks really good (or at least I think it does). If I do get a spot I will take a screen shot and post it here.

I would also like to start featuring some etsy sellers on here. From things that I absolutely love to some of the most bizzare things I have seen on etsy. I just have to figure out a few things first.

Oh I best go, I have all of my jewelry stuff out and I best put it away before I go to bed. Hopefully I can get more things made tomorrow than I did today. I worked for 2 1/2 hours and only got a magnifying glass, a pen, two pins, and a bracelet made. I also made 1/2 a necklace and one earring to match. I guess I should have finished that. Oh, if only there were more hours in a day.

Have a good night!
Caroline

My New Project

I am very excited. I am going to set up my jewelry at a comedy show this September. At first I wasn't sure if my products would fit in with the event. I had never been there so I wasn't sure about it. However, my sister went last year and said that it would probably be worthwhile.


I have been to several larger craft sales but this is different. I feel that it is more of a promotional event than a selling event. With this in mind, I have decided to make promotional bookmarks (partly an idea I got from the forums on etsy. I will have to check if I can find the thread and thank them). I already have pamphlets and business cards, but I thought this might be a special idea. My twist on the bookmarks will be to add a small bead to the raffia tassel that I plan to attach to each bookmark. Yesterday I made about half of the beads I am planning to make for the project. Here is a picture.






The beads are mostly just plain. I already sell bookmarks, so I don't want these to be too fancy. I just want people to get an idea of what I do. I will post a finished bookmark when I have them all done.

In case you are wondering, the metal rods in the picture are what I make the beads on. They are dipped in "bead release" so the bead can come off in the end. The grey crummy stuff on the paper towel is some dried bead release that has fallen off of the metal rods. This is very toxic. You don't want to inhale it as it seriously affects your lungs. I try to be very careful with it. That is why I keep the mandrels (the rods) on the paper towel before putting them in water to soak. The towel helps to contain any broken bead release pieces. Soaking the rods helps to soften the bead release and let the beads come off the mandrels. The bead release is then cleaned from each of the beads while holding the bead under water. The process of making a bead is much more complicated than some people know. Maybe I should write a bit more about all of the things that go in to making a bead. Just not right now.

Men's Jewelry

I have been trying to make masculine jewelry for a while. I get asked for it at least once per sale I attend, yet everytime I point out what I have made they either laugh or turn up their noses. But not once have "these men" told me what they would like or give me ideas. I even directly ask them and I still get no response.



Thankfully my nephew has been making leather cuffs. He lets me take them to some of my shows and this adds to my table. Men and women look at them. Check out his etsy shop at http://www.johntheleatherman.etsy.com/



I would like to be able to make some things myself though. I have made a custom bracelet once and the guy loved it. So I thought if I duplicated the colors and style (just not exactly) someone else would like it also. Not the case. This is one bracelet they turn their noses up at. Actually I have a picture of it on my website. If you know what is wrong with it let me know.



I also made hemp necklaces for one guy. I have sold a couple of those at a street fair but that is about it.

So.... I have been trying but I've been getting nowhere. If anyone has any ideas of what I can make or what style men like, I would greatly appreciate the input. Otherwise I will keep on trying the best I can.

My New Deck

We recently had a new deck built onto our house. It is wonderful! Our old deck was rotted through so we had to do something. When we ripped it down we found it had been built on cinder blocks that were crudely stacked on top of each other. We are lucky it never collapsed on us.

Our new deck is nothing like that though. It has a very sturdy foundation and it is huge compared to the old one. We spend most of our spare time back there now.

If you look at this picture, our old deck was the same size as the length of these boards that go to the edge of the house. That was it.

It is absolutely huge now. We have so much extra room.

To people with huge, expensive houses, it may not look as great as I think it does, but I am very happy with it as is the rest of my family. It also makes for a great place to take pictures of my jewelry. I absolutely love it!

Thank you

Thank you to everyone who went on to agiveawayeveryday to enter for a chance to win a gift certificate from me. I hope you liked my jewelry and other pieces. And thank you to everyone who joined as followers. I appreciate it.

What colors do you like?

I always seem to be stuck on the same color patterns or combinations. Some combinations I absolutely love while others are just easy when I don't have a lot of time but I need to make a lot of things.

I don't think I have mentioned it here yet, but I am a lampworker. I have been making glass beads since 2004. I unfortunately don't have a tremendous amount of extra time to make the beads, after working full time, raising 3 children, helping my husband with his business, and trying to promote my own work at craft sales and online. I do love to sit down and create, create, create. It is just hard to find that time to sit. So when I do actually have that time, I am usually rushed to cram out as much as possible in the short period I have. Hence the many, many dot patterns I have.

I tend to use white, black,or ivory with most of my beads - usually as the dots. They do look classically nice, however, they don't look as unique as I would like them to be. I do venture off the beaten path once in a while but those times are few and far between.

What I would like to know (to have your help with) is to hear what color combinations you think are nice. What ones you think really are not good together.

I have a tremendous amount of green bracelets, which I noticed at my last craft sale. My favorite color is blue. You would think I would have a lot of blue, but I don't. I have since made different colored bracelets so this isn't as much an issue. However, I would be interested to hear what your favorite color is. I always wonder what color most people like. May be you could help me figure this one out.

Thanks
Caroline

Just so everyone doesn't think I totally suck at taking pictures, here is one of my dog sleeping.

She is quite cute. At least when she is sleeping.

I think I figured it out!



Here are a couple of pictures I took with my new camera. The first one was taken inside. The second was taken outside. I still need to fine tune things but this is where my problem was. Wrong lighting! I just don't know how I will get things done in the winter.



Hmmm.....snowman jewelry?

I have been wanting to start a blog for a while now, but I had no idea what to write. But as luck would have it, I actually do have something to write about. I have been trying to take pictures of my glass jewelry for a while and have not been having very good luck (as you can see by my Etsy pictures). One of my problems was that any digital camera I have has rechargable batteries and they are always dead when I have time to take pictures. So I went out and bought a new camera today. I had intended to spend less than $200 on it because I wanted it just for my jewelry. While looking at the camera section in WalMart, I saw someone I knew who suggested I get the same camera she had just purchased from a camera store downtown. So I did just that. It is awsome! It is a Canon Power Shot SX10IS. The pictures are so nice and it seems quite dummy proof. The only downside is I still can't quite get good pictures of my jewelry. But I got some great ones of my dog!