tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88910541446643228172024-03-13T11:02:09.275-05:00AmongTheRuins JewelryAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.comBlogger130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-83321380728877400412012-11-26T18:47:00.000-06:002012-11-26T18:47:59.199-06:00The Joy of Etching from AmongTheRuins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0CNNhAQhD-D0Xk304HsSU1xFAwUujOVc7GS3XcwkDBTNbYp7Zows33-0wnPIYfu01p-SawjPllejC2BUVFlS7rV9pSXGptaX_zfB18Nu_LYjuMIzWRplmQt7dQ3lsIbRiHBT2v-V5Cs/s1600/040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0CNNhAQhD-D0Xk304HsSU1xFAwUujOVc7GS3XcwkDBTNbYp7Zows33-0wnPIYfu01p-SawjPllejC2BUVFlS7rV9pSXGptaX_zfB18Nu_LYjuMIzWRplmQt7dQ3lsIbRiHBT2v-V5Cs/s640/040.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
I have been away from my blog for quite some time. But I have been busy learning new techniques, and making lots and lots of jewelry!<br />
My newest love is etching brass and copper. I started out with a small battery setup and some saltwater. The results were so cool I had to learn more! I have graduated now to a proper power supply, and I am also using the chemical technique using ferric chloride. The bracelets shown <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/AmongTheRuins?section_id=12502277" target="_blank">here </a>were made using the ferric chloride. <br />
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<img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfVmfw6dqTe_MQsMFBUOIwtFtnIjpBM0BJxQ8fty4RwUa_w2oV7FqwZjl7uG8AsqbkERZ-ry4SwaSuz8U4ltajspbA-qatSg4BZtaCHhHmOFJ1wWSYXIZGURXJLa32OiKq106hQAymEA/s640/043.JPG" width="640" /></div>
I start with a design that I print out on my laser printer. Then I transfer the design to the metal using my iron. Then I place it in the etchant, either saltwater hooked up with electricity, or the ferric chloride. I do not use electricity with the ferric chloride. Someday I will write a tutorial! <br />
These delicate little bracelets - which are not really delicate, they just look dainty - are available in my shop for just $18 each. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-39400558317207298842011-09-15T12:51:00.002-05:002011-09-15T12:51:15.948-05:00New Steampunk Necklaces<br />
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I've been busy making some new steampunk jewelry. Here are the latest additions to my shop!</div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/81455180/steampunk-jewelry-watch-movement" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4J0NMP71YaSUDsenLKhtp5yVf8W5jHfXtTaehGLPVN0nnQCOarlFAZxxwKue_y1e_IPih3DfZrYiC5wdN30bqVQ3zHYg5jszkBjXU1N6J4ZczOflWORXL-JDj6GwrJLYRJMFnlTJhNho/s320/DSCN4161.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/81452899/steampunk-jewelry-spider-necklace"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIiuKYIfNfF_zmnW453l3T44MyPsf04uUhQZCK-PFVZoT0YLwuTkXVlo2fU5dlMp3ca5zEColxTkhQVv6Qi8YHq64pZ_E6JPFI9zxWsIvFPrL7KwLCCSoEgGCc7_CRvDFSR8ssrXk-6c/s320/081.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/81458925/steampunk-gothic-necklace?ref=v1_other_1"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyCIT3xEGYQDC1NZ7O2acbAGsHMVxm3iBFCK0Ac7o3oMdzVmgACwo8dxOWbVcUhLbXtVW2kXt2vjeMibTlzMWERvI_wXoT4ZfafsjnlzeE6ZyElde7BhJBCDeg_44aZW1W-DI8mMAvc4I/s320/100.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/81697337/steampunk-necklace-large-clock-key-on"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhespn8yzNnCo1RMXcvu8fxFbXOpbta__UIzu215qCxBjMb7EthqQT61x75AZXRi3_xViQWOWWcI2awGu7up0CXpoEhyphenhyphenjTqAUAkDBxC4Ukcgyue7yGWKhjlaoUTWn7Ho44mMUwnG9dvRgM/s320/DSCN4154.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-76728483030974051752011-09-07T16:40:00.006-05:002011-09-07T16:52:39.548-05:00New Earrings!Here are a few of my new earrings, just listed in my shop. I'm having such fun with my wire and a little hardware!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/81128796/wire-work-earrings-with-black-metal"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsgRN7jR1xQy0TRWd2xyP3LzmW4qO2nTE5hT14kuG_OWOW7jNpCst-MJIW4GBfcrMymlI6rwmpeHGCHMtrDrPza8ClUbL0ZGvnQCPeoO9bCm-KH5qU3VCONGfN6UdyEsbZTFN8rW3VYY/s320/050.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649736296432339010" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/81309177/wire-work-earrings-blue-czech-glass"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 318px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NvHMgyKxNvctyJcA7VCLWBZmDCIMr-0LkGtAGfXnZ4zSYC4gy0cNjK79nW4B2NgIkzaeBXuVHTfzbiFHvbmMushsEtZO30TW0OCgqTRRCch0U5Nxlirt6lBXopS5K4QjQuNVoBLGkf0/s320/038.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649736317678478434" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/81307872/wire-work-earrings-green-leaves-on-brass"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 292px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajA7nysi2hcY1dGwbSFVZD_IGlnSVPhTj0HEGTIxREDnBUO2HA7fEoyfOoNdnRKB-9A_TFaOVuSKRtYoMtQFK34MhjODfm8wL2oL0-Bzp8JhAAilKF8s7vaw0vf65VhyD5YsulHyViGM/s320/037.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649736289313155762" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/81324056/wire-work-earrings-lapis-dangles"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWce7-MdvFyd-Lyinb742Os62bcqq5RB55aTbsQofktWk7r4Kw2vzAnv994bHBoQxjSuxeUXb9AGjajQdzfb4R5-c0_V3JdZZVcj1KAXGOEpLhrdutWqo2sQiwAzycyz9qw8V04mEx_y4/s320/039.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649736284856693298" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/81322819/wire-work-earrings-c-clamp-handcuffs"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bHeCJVE4sOBt8AKbwsGWsHUSkhaHwGOZkdl5EDqis7I48_3x8ADeppoVxyYBC3eRPVTOodWvKGkAiSyeQm8lBnqHIUGikFnbOPJ3ttOrdvqd5dR_ynHRIzqJMTWZdnrFfVl8Q-1lcbI/s320/042.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649736321741755650" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/81129251/wire-work-earrings-lock-washers-c-clamps"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 309px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUIoNNunGqaSEzZyIAxwv6iMKRyiRXCE4vjXoMIsEx7dLAHmJ08K7XNo6yyVNW4lDSSv3oQph_DgexLJ0jNJzxxb4FlnzNKom74J7VLj2KI2i_t803SwxSFKxVLRNq2Shh_Qkv7Xnn7qw/s320/031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649736735512788450" border="0" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-21182983612888062082011-09-06T09:50:00.004-05:002011-09-06T10:34:32.723-05:00Fall Is Coming!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/31574944/wire-work-necklace-vampire-repellent?nc=1"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 385px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkQbx8jID2Fmo_OtjhYrMB0clN7pp8QWykSTC5dFc0E8P4pIUVD5mD1JRDx6DoXeVsuFL1lwJT4Bjld-_i_8ZrW7HU7zTrx622Q7Y-B4FfE0Ytfx68SmajYsA4hGnhgDR04aOgOllwiM/s400/100.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649259514327252898" border="0" /></a><br />It is a beautiful September morning here in the Midwest. The air is fresh and cool, and the sky is that cerulean blue that we get in the fall. It's time to start thinking about the things of Fall, one of my favorite times of the year! School has started and we're slowly changing our wardrobes to the warmer clothes.<br />This <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/31574944/wire-work-necklace-vampire-repellent">necklace </a>is the perfect accessory for all you vampire hunters out there! It<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/31574944/steampunk-necklace-vampire-repellent"> </a>has a vintage Holy Water bottle and silver cross. I put them on one of my handmade steel <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/AmongTheRuins?section_id=10278737">chains </a>and added some blue beads.<br />You'll find many items in my <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/AmongTheRuins">shop </a>to get you in the mood for fall!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-69645057840778889642011-03-18T09:56:00.003-05:002011-03-19T08:57:09.451-05:00The Sound Of Near SilenceWhen I was preparing for my orchestra's concert earlier this month, one of the pieces we played reminded me very much of the music in the movie The Miracle Worker. So I looked up the movie, watched it on YouTube, and ended up reading some things about Helen Keller. I thought I would enjoy reading her autobiography because it would be interesting to see how she experienced life as a deaf/mute/blind person. I wanted to know what was it like from the inside. Two days later I began to get very bad earaches. Two days before my orchestra concert, my ears filled up to the point where I could hardly hear anything at all.<br /><br />I've had a double ear infection for two weeks now. I've had earaches before, usually at the tail end of colds. This came at the tail end of a cold too, but this one really knocked me for a loop. I did alright for the concert. I can hear my violin when I play alone, which is good since I had a couple of solo parts to play! But I can't hear people talking very well and when the whole orchestra was playing, I couldn't hear myself. I went to the doctor and I'm on antibiotics and my hearing is slowly getting better. I can hear my baby birds again, which is really nice.<br /><br />I stopped reading Helen Keller's autobiography when I first got sick. To tell the truth, it scared me! But my doctor assured me there will be no permanent hearing loss from this, so I am not scared anymore.<br /><br />It certainly has been an interesting experience, being nearly deaf. Last weekend my sister and her family were visiting. We had a wonderful time, but I had a very hard time conversing. I found myself feeling a little embarrassed at how many times I had to say, "Sorry, I can't hear you. What did you say?". I could only hear if they got right up close and spoke quite loudly. When we watched a movie together, I had to have the closed captioning on. That was a real nice option, because I couldn't hear the dialog at all. At the worst point, I had to have the volume turned all the way up on the stereo just to hear the words of a TV show. My poor family couldn't tolerate that so I've only watched/listened to things with the headphones. Now it is much better. We watched American Idol last night with the volume at just a little louder than normal and with the headphones I could hear it pretty well.<br /><br />It has not been an all negative experience, being nearly deaf. I find myself slowed down a bit inside my head. I am a super-sensitive type and normally every little sound is ultra clear and at times it can be quite distracting. I have been feeling much calmer in the quietude. I hear my heart beat and the hiss in my ears, and the sound of the air going into my lungs and out again. In the summer when I swim, I like to float around the pool on my back, with my ears just under the water. I can hear the sound of my breathing and all the outside sounds are very muted. I find it very relaxing. Well, this ear infection has had the same effect. I hear my breathing and my heartbeat, and all the outside noise is either muted or inaudible.<br /><br />I am very glad to be hearing more again. It was an interesting experience, but I much prefer being able to hear. I do have a much greater appreciation for those who are permanently hard of hearing. It can be a very lonely place not being able to hear. I very much appreciated the people who made the extra effort to speak loudly enough for me to hear them. Maybe I'll read that autobiography now. I wonder if there is an audio version. :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-61766321613971040622011-02-03T07:03:00.011-06:002011-02-03T09:56:59.396-06:00A Little Snow Anyone?I love cold weather. I love snow. I love wind. It's a good thing because we just got a good hit of all three!<br />You know how when the weather people predict "huge winter storm coming" and most people hope they are exaggerating? Well, I'm one of those people that hope they aren't exaggerating! I wasn't disappointed this time!<br />Here's my yardstick in the snow. There are drifts that are much deeper, but this is the general depth of 2 feet of snow that we got!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxcPJGLywXxiQdyxDLDKw0ka1ACxTeagptnUbn9RoMV_T5Ze641nK36Q1vjRzc7uQwrRJ0FQhWj-u2WWRRRbESaBUcKmYuqBi7PJAKHFfercPyKYlTU3mr73VqC6lJz55Tfui23KfA-GU/s1600/046.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 332px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxcPJGLywXxiQdyxDLDKw0ka1ACxTeagptnUbn9RoMV_T5Ze641nK36Q1vjRzc7uQwrRJ0FQhWj-u2WWRRRbESaBUcKmYuqBi7PJAKHFfercPyKYlTU3mr73VqC6lJz55Tfui23KfA-GU/s400/046.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569463587019002978" border="0" /></a><br />This is the view out one of my windows during the blizzard. There is a piece of siding that blew off the upstairs, laying to the right side there. The winds were gusting over 50 mph.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25HKwyHUORfHh5Dx_v-ihAtLJyqkEUQUIVQtvYwzRyr3P_KElMUH4WHrQxzojJ3YN9rsxKx_WsdwnxW5bV1cpPQujVzX4DRR9pgtmdjr913RJxqUXzmn1DtjhMgfs0u4qnJQJY2gbLso/s1600/016.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25HKwyHUORfHh5Dx_v-ihAtLJyqkEUQUIVQtvYwzRyr3P_KElMUH4WHrQxzojJ3YN9rsxKx_WsdwnxW5bV1cpPQujVzX4DRR9pgtmdjr913RJxqUXzmn1DtjhMgfs0u4qnJQJY2gbLso/s400/016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569455623982277682" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Here you can still see traces of the lounge chair on the deck.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmlRF5z08mSyj702qsXXSmtdgE41r24VuQr6zd4pBx3J-B9AbMSNgiCnQPzIOal_Mw3HfZEL2s73bACXgmyTcL23ITp5JWZzrAv7v-jZF-kiSTDSOd2rZHDM_BI-dlZNCmHODG4A9QtSk/s1600/014.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmlRF5z08mSyj702qsXXSmtdgE41r24VuQr6zd4pBx3J-B9AbMSNgiCnQPzIOal_Mw3HfZEL2s73bACXgmyTcL23ITp5JWZzrAv7v-jZF-kiSTDSOd2rZHDM_BI-dlZNCmHODG4A9QtSk/s400/014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569455379120409634" border="0" /></a><br /><br />No more lounge chair!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0juItShQ7dor6N1Ok4dVc_019Y7Jrf18f1XyCmrwGF36T05B7TY2_PoEk8Sufh_DFYaZTq8pgVcDPNiURqOzkJjjbZurdIPsBoCMeUpyRWLr5W_hAnOD3CxneoPugHkgziKqEJayi4I/s1600/022.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0juItShQ7dor6N1Ok4dVc_019Y7Jrf18f1XyCmrwGF36T05B7TY2_PoEk8Sufh_DFYaZTq8pgVcDPNiURqOzkJjjbZurdIPsBoCMeUpyRWLr5W_hAnOD3CxneoPugHkgziKqEJayi4I/s400/022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569455382215438034" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This was taken on Wednesday morning, while the snow was still coming down at a rate of 2 inches per hour. We live near enough to Lake Michigan to get the 'lake effect' snow.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFM_AcfnKWVuLa6XgRf0393gtkrQuY0jRpHmYC_OHN-U_wS1Ht1d0qpjuWj01Cncsyh-tZX9JBpnCmz6QHhlmWXTI44giFfRS8qpMhV1smhAC9LHFumFDwos42BFuDKlrGLHgyqHgW40/s1600/021.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFM_AcfnKWVuLa6XgRf0393gtkrQuY0jRpHmYC_OHN-U_wS1Ht1d0qpjuWj01Cncsyh-tZX9JBpnCmz6QHhlmWXTI44giFfRS8qpMhV1smhAC9LHFumFDwos42BFuDKlrGLHgyqHgW40/s400/021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569456113905657058" border="0" /></a><br /><br />That poor old rocker is all filled up now. In fact, it's buried!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kvENljXsSRP8pLed3mwdW0Xl4xMzNhHfOF1dZqScK27Fr6sSjLDsDieNtShKe5RIx5tDAI51ARQxZGYA7pmRGjn0wpyJerTIKAv9_zq1gGQvhHW-Brm0jo-wfCpQ7noTFxSd6z9e0ug/s1600/034.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kvENljXsSRP8pLed3mwdW0Xl4xMzNhHfOF1dZqScK27Fr6sSjLDsDieNtShKe5RIx5tDAI51ARQxZGYA7pmRGjn0wpyJerTIKAv9_zq1gGQvhHW-Brm0jo-wfCpQ7noTFxSd6z9e0ug/s400/034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569455125997259586" border="0" /></a><br /><br />There's Alfie, stuck on the deck, with nowhere to run.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0yYhymXnwbIiKRvY86HAq7NnUSh-BLhlH-py2fmyRZa2NtGW9boeLFbOO0IupIdGXKcpYRm4we_qCpt2S6EBIY4hKFZDjOv7BSiGtJyUD_YwfTOPcgbRVIiOL0aIGuNLhyphenhyphenu6GpuO3zZc/s1600/028.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0yYhymXnwbIiKRvY86HAq7NnUSh-BLhlH-py2fmyRZa2NtGW9boeLFbOO0IupIdGXKcpYRm4we_qCpt2S6EBIY4hKFZDjOv7BSiGtJyUD_YwfTOPcgbRVIiOL0aIGuNLhyphenhyphenu6GpuO3zZc/s400/028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569455367898892946" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The cars getting buried.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6bTarBxTRGRbcKmaNB9IPxizMst-jyF-lY0ke5xsLnuNCnLpMvqIQHBkFXw09ndoJU-qaqrz8B4Rj4y3yEinWjRZQ7EO3rBPTN57HJn_T-sKAyzsuV8MqlsrK7OmWwdtnjY1TKsZUR4/s1600/023.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6bTarBxTRGRbcKmaNB9IPxizMst-jyF-lY0ke5xsLnuNCnLpMvqIQHBkFXw09ndoJU-qaqrz8B4Rj4y3yEinWjRZQ7EO3rBPTN57HJn_T-sKAyzsuV8MqlsrK7OmWwdtnjY1TKsZUR4/s400/023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569467964158130210" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81qfE5K3ukOhfVMgm4FrY0VTKqQSN3E11RPZcI5Z0pNDPWWTttSU5MXxFWxOTtRM65H_DgQgHYIybnIZrwxxkmf3Ao7EoDal9lAehqrCFUc25_Y9YY52ZJD6ADDAwfWKSaUajhW2xq7E/s1600/blizzard+2011+005.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81qfE5K3ukOhfVMgm4FrY0VTKqQSN3E11RPZcI5Z0pNDPWWTttSU5MXxFWxOTtRM65H_DgQgHYIybnIZrwxxkmf3Ao7EoDal9lAehqrCFUc25_Y9YY52ZJD6ADDAwfWKSaUajhW2xq7E/s400/blizzard+2011+005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569468748548458290" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The cars getting unburied.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LmOLoQjePJorcg2ELLISMUH8VWz_4kNvzn1_pZ0J_vDldj1-_meNs7KRzYKfAjo3bLKURKartSF-Sdqw51umY6owmKG17SLbDw6DTl0T2I8d806vw3kEY0_CKjMrEiaVhJnsvBKoEHU/s1600/blizzard+2011+012.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LmOLoQjePJorcg2ELLISMUH8VWz_4kNvzn1_pZ0J_vDldj1-_meNs7KRzYKfAjo3bLKURKartSF-Sdqw51umY6owmKG17SLbDw6DTl0T2I8d806vw3kEY0_CKjMrEiaVhJnsvBKoEHU/s400/blizzard+2011+012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569485903951609106" border="0" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-2759394638134772102011-01-20T09:09:00.010-06:002011-01-20T09:49:16.435-06:00Thinking Outside The Box<span style="font-size:130%;">Good morning!! We are heading into one of the coldest days of the year so far, with predicted wind chills of 20° to 25° below zero!! That's mighty cold, so what better time to spend on rearranging the house a bit!<br /><br />I am still on my neverending journey to the decluttered life. Sometimes I get a little distracted along the way. That's not always a bad thing. Sometimes great ideas come out of those distractions!<br /><br />I have a smallish house. The kitchen is only 9x10 and when you add cabinets and appliances, that only leaves about 5x5 of actual floor space. But that's ok since we are only three and I'm the one who does 99% of the cooking. A one woman kitchen it is. The dining room is also only 9x10. When you put a dining table in that room it's downright cramped. But it is a dining room. You </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >have to</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> have the dining table in there, right? Right. Well I've believed that for as long as I have lived in this house, about 34 years.<br /><br />The table I've had in there recently is slightly wobbly and it's been driving us all a little nuts. I have another table in the family room for my 'crafts'. That table is very solid and has no wobble. I have my sewing machine on it, which I use about twice a year, and many other things, mostly clutter. So ding ding ding the bells went off and I decided to take the solid table for the dining table. So we removed the wobbly table to the garage and left the dining room empty until we have a chance to move the other table. I have to clear it off and clean the room first, so the dining has been empty for two days.<br /><br />The funny thing is, we have never liked eating in the dining room. It's just an uncomfortable place to be. I don't know if it's because it's cramped, or because the layout is all wrong, or both. Three sides are open to other rooms, and the fourth is large windows with a window seat. The seat is too high to use as seating for dining, and the room is too small anyway.<br /><br />We all liked being able to walk straight through the room so much that I started to toy with the idea of not putting the table in the dining room at all! I mean, I can break a rule can't I? I've always loved having a table in the family room. It's all windows in the back, overlooking the big wild yard. So at last I am going to do what I want instead of following the 'rules'!!!<br /><br />Here's our cozy new dining spot. Wolfie likes it!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMsUelKw7uvVFBA2g9kHlW00GMgZN7ilCWk1ULDMV52cx0oIky4FFf6qdRhnGvWKvq0urTM9X4K6pBXST4nbcMCfeZAR3C3q31unkat9i3b1__-bwynn1EQUOK9vNlG9lN7s7W76X6zk/s1600/051.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 338px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMsUelKw7uvVFBA2g9kHlW00GMgZN7ilCWk1ULDMV52cx0oIky4FFf6qdRhnGvWKvq0urTM9X4K6pBXST4nbcMCfeZAR3C3q31unkat9i3b1__-bwynn1EQUOK9vNlG9lN7s7W76X6zk/s400/051.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564293702184806594" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRDn7viEUmmRURx8ncVLTIKXHI2THPdftteZe8vvkWXRa7VDD5ZhreI5AKwcu5AmtGHRw7OVJbUIBC-NCJYQbe37UAUEuFxpG9YzZpVUdbUO1hU5S-LkvQ_LJ2kAPGMdCo5DrIdKU1Yc/s1600/052.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRDn7viEUmmRURx8ncVLTIKXHI2THPdftteZe8vvkWXRa7VDD5ZhreI5AKwcu5AmtGHRw7OVJbUIBC-NCJYQbe37UAUEuFxpG9YzZpVUdbUO1hU5S-LkvQ_LJ2kAPGMdCo5DrIdKU1Yc/s400/052.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564293757217596770" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I plan to make use of the dining room by putting a couple of free-standing cabinets in there to hold extra dishes and equipment that I have no room for in the kitchen.<br /><br />So look for ways to think outside the box and break some rules this week. You never know what you'll come up with!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-18561028039940548932011-01-12T15:53:00.001-06:002011-01-13T13:02:41.958-06:00Wow, it's been ages since I've updated the ol' blog! I got a nice comment from a friend of mine today and I decided it's high time I got back to it here! So now I can say, "it's January 2011 already????" LOL<br /><br />I'm having a big 25% off <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/AmongTheRuins?section_id=7712869">sale </a>in my shop. I would love to clear out some of the items that have been there the longest, make room for some new style!! Here are a few of the items that are now on sale:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/57085517/sale-25-percent-offopalite-drops-with"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 135px;" src="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_170x135.177017621.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/58675905/sale-25-percent-offmulti-colored-beaded"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 135px;" src="http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_170x135.182336296.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/48142194/sale-25-percent-offsteampunk-necklace"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 135px;" src="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_170x135.148237673.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/34861391/sale-25-percent-offwire-necklace"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 135px;" src="http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_170x135.152667788.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/35482869/sale-25-percent-offblue-crystal-earrings"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 135px;" src="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_170x135.152847729.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/41633504/sale-25-percent-offpearls-and-peach"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 135px;" src="http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_170x135.204166728.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-7298276014940707502010-10-11T11:52:00.003-05:002010-10-11T12:17:40.175-05:00It's October Already??!!??Happy October to everyone!! I've been very very bad about my blog and I miss it!! So I'm here today, to share a little bit of this and that with you all.<br />I'm a bit slow to get my Halloween pictures up. I got this awesome mummy hand at the craft store. I'll be taking many more pictures of my more haunted pieces of jewelry this afternoon. Doesn't it look creepy? <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNzQYxnues08LXYqZj176ukylmau1V3oN58DInSW1P_soJNbxkmIKxWkoVt1t2a6jJc0HEK8CMTxD04sW63vRERNzmC4M0bfrTefIcscbLLR5YxWbZBochGUcC3kI29hcWykh63x6H8I/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNzQYxnues08LXYqZj176ukylmau1V3oN58DInSW1P_soJNbxkmIKxWkoVt1t2a6jJc0HEK8CMTxD04sW63vRERNzmC4M0bfrTefIcscbLLR5YxWbZBochGUcC3kI29hcWykh63x6H8I/s400/001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526835057053890322" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I've been making these little bracelets. They are so fun!! I have so many seed beads and I haven't used them very much for a very long time. So I decided to have some fun and make up a bunch of these bracelets. They are super fun to wear by the dozen!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNcfMyzPw2F61l08fUeeH2BExd54wdw2k6KMHMWmjXXXRNA_Lgarf5-u2G7IzOv_lD2PNrDfd3zws5qdI93Bx3N2gQiwNCVgSOlnoN53CkTjypbJ7_K9SOiX3wdJkRP6pgmw6L3U790E/s1600/047.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 246px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNcfMyzPw2F61l08fUeeH2BExd54wdw2k6KMHMWmjXXXRNA_Lgarf5-u2G7IzOv_lD2PNrDfd3zws5qdI93Bx3N2gQiwNCVgSOlnoN53CkTjypbJ7_K9SOiX3wdJkRP6pgmw6L3U790E/s400/047.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526835059112040162" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I made this little necklace with an adorable coin purse I've had to ages. I always knew it would be on a necklace and this week it finally happened! The key is a super cool Master key with the lion. The bead is from a vintage rosary. I have not listed this necklace for sale yet because I'm not sure I'm ready to part with it! I have my quarter in it, for the grocery stores that take a quarter for a cart. When you return the cart you get your quarter back. This is a handy and cute way to keep it within reach!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsbpDOFRbGJe39ms6UyJ8dS7xEkK0hyphenhyphenzI8caFpz-xNOiSESLmZgea91uER9EToxH2ml3kp6onexioEPFUavLQ_lpRBe0h6yichKT4DhpZ90zqkIcUHFjS9hRPM7L6gk2-4dFQ1_P1bk8/s1600/050.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 367px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsbpDOFRbGJe39ms6UyJ8dS7xEkK0hyphenhyphenzI8caFpz-xNOiSESLmZgea91uER9EToxH2ml3kp6onexioEPFUavLQ_lpRBe0h6yichKT4DhpZ90zqkIcUHFjS9hRPM7L6gk2-4dFQ1_P1bk8/s400/050.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526835053020506322" border="0" /></a><br /><br />My husband and daughter took this last week off for some vacation time at home. It was a beautiful week and we are enjoying a bit of Indian Summer the last few days. Yesterday we went for a drive in the country and to one of our favorite antique stores. I found these three globes for only $5! They are the size of softballs. So cute!! I don't know what I'll be doing with them, but I just had to have them!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtPT7sLKhWeBZIpZrRIfLwT58nPxOk3NxNTfr-NyHidfrLReKctukLir17bCjsHQYnM3qJcXebk5SisYF3fdQ9tlGMfz56zqREs_T5TmIR2DDi1nolPX5PDmiMSF_VPY2eeyvtP5UySsA/s1600/052.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtPT7sLKhWeBZIpZrRIfLwT58nPxOk3NxNTfr-NyHidfrLReKctukLir17bCjsHQYnM3qJcXebk5SisYF3fdQ9tlGMfz56zqREs_T5TmIR2DDi1nolPX5PDmiMSF_VPY2eeyvtP5UySsA/s400/052.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526837511137401634" border="0" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-81335093015998955772010-09-08T16:30:00.003-05:002010-09-08T16:51:06.183-05:00Some New Pieces!Wow, it's been a full month since I last made an entry here! I've just been busy and quite honestly, having a little trouble getting my head in gear. With the Fall weather making it's first appearance, I'm feeling a bit more energized. So here are my newest creations, fresh out of the studio! <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjq058NE4IIrhyphenhyphenHCNf6ybGEzMoESOJDoEEKCg0GQqZJTIJxu1UDqAXQJp-iGlMfuh_ZNo6pz0XhPr-IQqq11StZoeMYCW4_csyFUS8YE9Hyq8AgXFxdwHfxnIcOISTpBnkFnAHm7i73X8/s1600/031.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 370px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjq058NE4IIrhyphenhyphenHCNf6ybGEzMoESOJDoEEKCg0GQqZJTIJxu1UDqAXQJp-iGlMfuh_ZNo6pz0XhPr-IQqq11StZoeMYCW4_csyFUS8YE9Hyq8AgXFxdwHfxnIcOISTpBnkFnAHm7i73X8/s400/031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514659074919492530" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFY7JGR35mNsgCWe14Sx7K_sXwBL8bK1AVKp8LR_YjUa7nMcxjIfBsF2qAf9B8FtiWEAFCcTU4G_T-M6Gnu16SV3A_9o9WfWjgkF6tXJC9FGHy553WxsD5bhinMyarMrC0OFL3NkIiAGc/s1600/021.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 360px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFY7JGR35mNsgCWe14Sx7K_sXwBL8bK1AVKp8LR_YjUa7nMcxjIfBsF2qAf9B8FtiWEAFCcTU4G_T-M6Gnu16SV3A_9o9WfWjgkF6tXJC9FGHy553WxsD5bhinMyarMrC0OFL3NkIiAGc/s400/021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514659065959029714" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfMAmf4bXX3Rf6q8a4iWtsWbtPXJkqU2pooDKcahOpJMvkpLCI_vsyesd_freQPPl9QOfjv0p0H1DmkFi4kt6_atLGvJmqrnl6M7vKYNkeqsy_SyosFywtnsLR5xSMgSpxIxdASsuzvE/s1600/002+%282%29.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 393px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfMAmf4bXX3Rf6q8a4iWtsWbtPXJkqU2pooDKcahOpJMvkpLCI_vsyesd_freQPPl9QOfjv0p0H1DmkFi4kt6_atLGvJmqrnl6M7vKYNkeqsy_SyosFywtnsLR5xSMgSpxIxdASsuzvE/s400/002+%282%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514659059372307266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxQx_qem2jl7dIfiZmZPC5QzGxxVsjnNdMNwu1GzGQOjpRHiaLvxsEaqI6BoFexMXit1qqd6UutfweR3UreJpTy0CjI8_HKK5FZqmiWZtuzbvHecagAUl1n4YCAaQ2_mR3CDstP34YWg/s1600/002.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 357px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxQx_qem2jl7dIfiZmZPC5QzGxxVsjnNdMNwu1GzGQOjpRHiaLvxsEaqI6BoFexMXit1qqd6UutfweR3UreJpTy0CjI8_HKK5FZqmiWZtuzbvHecagAUl1n4YCAaQ2_mR3CDstP34YWg/s400/002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514659050750143266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucFZmP2xAJYiZr9PK5iwAwtCzvTbPOG2uxPirmsvL5DSf14fkR-0Sh89dTulLVUVTPk-fTFfMt7EN5FzxbcZ-OuS4SrZdyRyas0yLoozqYjyIehHvXeYgrpV65m2Zp_uGfeNRtiZWkJY/s1600/033.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 395px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucFZmP2xAJYiZr9PK5iwAwtCzvTbPOG2uxPirmsvL5DSf14fkR-0Sh89dTulLVUVTPk-fTFfMt7EN5FzxbcZ-OuS4SrZdyRyas0yLoozqYjyIehHvXeYgrpV65m2Zp_uGfeNRtiZWkJY/s400/033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514659048926897074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibEm8ORLrXD_h_FpyAgpPvhsx-v1ZAfE8UNs26_ojTwmsy0Sl89g65YjMjCYthq2pGLBTdlrcCyHP1pu44N-rvBwVnoiu_XRM6YJ8ZAlmeQbv0wljKJExVgzhT70H2Gg3FoalwgXjEyLA/s1600/038.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 353px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibEm8ORLrXD_h_FpyAgpPvhsx-v1ZAfE8UNs26_ojTwmsy0Sl89g65YjMjCYthq2pGLBTdlrcCyHP1pu44N-rvBwVnoiu_XRM6YJ8ZAlmeQbv0wljKJExVgzhT70H2Gg3FoalwgXjEyLA/s400/038.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514658626641184434" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAj_djqTlIwmouQfXOztIogzkRwtc7EnvkPT2Sr0gr_U9BaCEHSYQc8nX6uoMX0nJMIjadvu3U20sYWqThVjEzXkE2aN1GVqLBhXiJ1ITKvIOwlIYJ7spzv1H-P5agPo0S_8RKWwIctT4/s1600/002.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 397px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAj_djqTlIwmouQfXOztIogzkRwtc7EnvkPT2Sr0gr_U9BaCEHSYQc8nX6uoMX0nJMIjadvu3U20sYWqThVjEzXkE2aN1GVqLBhXiJ1ITKvIOwlIYJ7spzv1H-P5agPo0S_8RKWwIctT4/s400/002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514658622570965810" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNl6b3Y3bbdYdOLwSQbnfGC3wzHtrhPamvQM7pscSpM7Oh8ZosmmMN_8KiFI_z-ZjPuhAEkYrxkwhOs43Fd_pCCrP3mR4Znhmj2b-ksfXAEus0ei1D3RyzQU71d9S67W93Dcvq4BFul_c/s1600/028.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 382px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNl6b3Y3bbdYdOLwSQbnfGC3wzHtrhPamvQM7pscSpM7Oh8ZosmmMN_8KiFI_z-ZjPuhAEkYrxkwhOs43Fd_pCCrP3mR4Znhmj2b-ksfXAEus0ei1D3RyzQU71d9S67W93Dcvq4BFul_c/s400/028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514658615857108194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7Q1hFffQkCe63bGJ-9PI-LpXaDj5qSgJUUbvTXEe0YlzFM13luH-aeuW-Y7JtgnoZT4-GZa4MthG54zpujOv396R67w2-Lif3J1Vzrx8PkYtsW1rEdcGZQe7Eruu1NAhOnBDA5dYPzc/s1600/015.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 354px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7Q1hFffQkCe63bGJ-9PI-LpXaDj5qSgJUUbvTXEe0YlzFM13luH-aeuW-Y7JtgnoZT4-GZa4MthG54zpujOv396R67w2-Lif3J1Vzrx8PkYtsW1rEdcGZQe7Eruu1NAhOnBDA5dYPzc/s400/015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514658608316942866" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyWmPSzy4XNcbVmo09eFk5iA-8_wnI9xW39Nb80oNJDmehyphenhyphenmfAkJiCeXZ8aIZ4dDBG31PjmhhqaStO3IPEagE1CFeEWZ44Q2Di8mLjeH5kEaxWKtaW13T_CgRb4vy9sgqAeCrrrP7-Ps/s1600/024.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 344px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyWmPSzy4XNcbVmo09eFk5iA-8_wnI9xW39Nb80oNJDmehyphenhyphenmfAkJiCeXZ8aIZ4dDBG31PjmhhqaStO3IPEagE1CFeEWZ44Q2Di8mLjeH5kEaxWKtaW13T_CgRb4vy9sgqAeCrrrP7-Ps/s400/024.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514658598702624866" border="0" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-12347323704050176702010-08-06T11:46:00.002-05:002010-08-06T11:48:45.230-05:00IT'S ALIIIIIIIIIIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!So I was going to throw out the failed sourdough that I still had in the fridge, right? I took it out and opened the lid and what do you know - it was GROWING!!!!!! And it smelled like YEAST!!! EUREKA! So I mixed up my bread dough with it and it rose!!!! I have it in the bread pan rising now and I am keeping my fingers crossed until it rises for baking....wish me luck!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-3334830081748986992010-08-05T09:23:00.005-05:002010-08-05T10:21:06.581-05:00OnwardI did not have success with my sourdough attempts. I will come back to that another time, maybe next week. I think I was not feeding it frequently enough and it was consuming itself and dying in its own alcohol. What a way to go huh?<br /><br />I made some chili yesterday and had two 15 oz. cans from the tomatoes and beans that I thought would be useful to hold my tools and pencils and what-nots on my desk. So I washed them and decided to decorate them. I have tons of printed pictures and designs from my altered books and bottles so I got out those file folders and found some things to use.<br /><br />It's very simple to do this and so fun. I first painted a layer of Gesso onto the cans as a primer to help the paint and glue adhere to the shiny surface. Then I painted my color all over. Then I glued on my pictures using Mod Podge. I finished them off with a final coat of Mod Podge and voila!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6R1LBNFiCzLU24AMuLjHt1JsSWHHaRqDPAw5Gsep3N0wwCkWUhRBwnw-F9ypL3qIIw3W5O7AGu7E5LzFJaAY9OqF-eaI85w191fEb2RS1E1mkuaC2F6tyfXaXao0IciFLmODDuePKz8/s1600/056.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 306px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6R1LBNFiCzLU24AMuLjHt1JsSWHHaRqDPAw5Gsep3N0wwCkWUhRBwnw-F9ypL3qIIw3W5O7AGu7E5LzFJaAY9OqF-eaI85w191fEb2RS1E1mkuaC2F6tyfXaXao0IciFLmODDuePKz8/s400/056.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501931663717831298" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1bbDny5cvXuHB0HWQKXmy_B8ECUEnFKkAjT3or_Lm9_rb1JAsHeVwjZevNmkVSPUDGkQjrJ-8KiJBCnSZImRE9A5mBUzDu3KTHWCTv-XHERmuN_G8sn6VP0Z1i4X-9jN2FEpmLipkiyU/s1600/062.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1bbDny5cvXuHB0HWQKXmy_B8ECUEnFKkAjT3or_Lm9_rb1JAsHeVwjZevNmkVSPUDGkQjrJ-8KiJBCnSZImRE9A5mBUzDu3KTHWCTv-XHERmuN_G8sn6VP0Z1i4X-9jN2FEpmLipkiyU/s400/062.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501937891464595058" border="0" /></a><br />I was so happy with my first two cans and I wanted to do more. We don't eat a lot of canned foods so I had nothing in the recycle bin, so I had to open a can of peas to get one more can.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEUWXi_7nDo5q8ddEOFIk7o7WCqEJWCKmdqVyA0y1qKbYwveMr03xLJRInE4_-VOxaefiBaEOuRTaIsx05MhFur-I424LgCXl92a0oW50h8dZdQkEAQk23wr3uL3rygMdQ90UFQWmkT8/s1600/067.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEUWXi_7nDo5q8ddEOFIk7o7WCqEJWCKmdqVyA0y1qKbYwveMr03xLJRInE4_-VOxaefiBaEOuRTaIsx05MhFur-I424LgCXl92a0oW50h8dZdQkEAQk23wr3uL3rygMdQ90UFQWmkT8/s400/067.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501938990584330370" border="0" /></a><br />My continuing theme - freedom!<br /><br />And here's a little necklace I made last week. Took me forever to figure this one out. I had a picture in my head of criss-crossed wire sticks. Seemed simple enough. Turned out to be quite complicated and I used up a lot of wire getting this right!! I think it was worth the effort. I'll be listing this in the shop.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBku_nA6jZ6CwcR5lhJ5Vo__MnpbIvjTTa9iB22gxLP2gKQxvgBZ7qDzNIBw6mGMyKbrLadyvVQF-STuuPsCTiIcx0QKouNdZlsncGMPdakAZcnBhEzcD8A5raxlzjl2zytcqbShatwpQ/s1600/055.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBku_nA6jZ6CwcR5lhJ5Vo__MnpbIvjTTa9iB22gxLP2gKQxvgBZ7qDzNIBw6mGMyKbrLadyvVQF-STuuPsCTiIcx0QKouNdZlsncGMPdakAZcnBhEzcD8A5raxlzjl2zytcqbShatwpQ/s400/055.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501931658329671106" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Well I guess that's about it for my daily rambling - as if I blogged daily! I am always amazed by all you bloggers out there who do blog daily. I just don't have the mental fortitude to keep up with it like you all do. I'm far too scattered!<br /><br />I wish you all a terrific day!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-68842248289738970452010-07-30T07:59:00.002-05:002010-07-30T08:53:29.030-05:00Good Bread<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3T2rk6jGQdt2dEezLwih10fcckkqZHzalPaRuaqTkp2RR5fL0sZv6epjsEsRYX2yXncgxJurEH_2fPSJEo1EqmmhRhPCSIEtfjV-cFjOQrX-lrIv321-cpj1qiab1n7iowyxjudqywE/s1600/013.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3T2rk6jGQdt2dEezLwih10fcckkqZHzalPaRuaqTkp2RR5fL0sZv6epjsEsRYX2yXncgxJurEH_2fPSJEo1EqmmhRhPCSIEtfjV-cFjOQrX-lrIv321-cpj1qiab1n7iowyxjudqywE/s400/013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499683642984736354" border="0" /></a><br />After all the failure this week in the sourdough department, I felt I needed to just make a good loaf, the way I know how - with store-bought yeast. This loaf is the best I have ever made. It's a cranberry walnut whole wheat bread. We have had cranberry walnut bread from the Whole Foods bakery several times. I decided to make it myself instead of paying the $6 for theirs. It came out so good! It's just a simple wheat bread to which I added 1/2 cup of honey, and dried cranberries and walnuts.<br /><br />I have my sourdough starter in a plastic bowl this time. I am waiting to see it grow. Then I will try again for my first sourdough loaf!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-19777701425661034822010-07-29T10:47:00.009-05:002010-07-29T11:26:33.616-05:00Sourdough: Stage Three - Epic FailWell, here are the results of the first sourdough experiment. I just couldn't throw it away without giving it one last chance to rise in the oven. So here it is in all its, um, glory?<div><br /><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj924lgSu0OP3D3gIRDpmIYE9KOseDd9Dp8NLobu3phrFTFNPMUIdZ0HmO3jSqYFCFL-nfB8WOjQlu6Pit9AshCQj9Wihm5GNtM227n2bARPkB6IkNcEj-q_XOY_RQqaLH_TPQUTs1x7mc/s400/026.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 271px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499355923053691906" /></div><div>Gee, it almost looks like bread in this shot!</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8FyLQLhzgs2lGhjniTPdMplYhCOXQGMCApLMpZWf4XuIxrfWczhimYW-HltYyOS9vNK7DuxQMCTqkoHgt1TVbCZTZ_AoQycrcUEB00cClAx97r-x_KmuhD2n1WdRjPIgzIHcVjWrK_Y/s400/031.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 316px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499355930853074818" /></div><div>You can see there are no air holes. That's because there was no living yeast left by the time I got through with it. I <i>am </i>sorry.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5s4jfZ7fGLnk_fm9zY7Y5glsXT5SgDVNKq_H5efhQ_W5O6j9JipYAUMLYPn9CqaWDPp1MfYiVEgv_Vh9_8YOf6yQ73Wq4Lj-hl34n5SEvIvs4y9T5CEjRQiu9sUQ-g89OINxUNBpWAY/s400/027.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 350px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499355939046725170" /></div><div>You could leave it whole and use it as a discus. It is quite heavy.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZkmlHDu58GTYUQ8sfnDtKjp9MaE2zlceydR-VI67cL7CtEwo8JkKsppVVK5DFzjx6oxv8ANC2PMQzzpnop1bGFxv_HuDEriKAEZRWWlet0Y-gjDXvj10TcI8OIZDAYqGd3T_fpuqhm_Y/s400/034.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499355945967857538" /></div><div>Of course it would make the perfect classic bookend. I think these babies could hold up Webster's <i>and </i>Roget's.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5xhkrqP0P67gFUzem8e3kWXyqYJqeErVwSFIGwfUONTFxW_QduWyeD4Pioagw9sJasIUFeG4lEOby51Ki0y_qnNLaoncfqfNC9wtSiiY_WCnPictYHoRGyGYTe4RmK8t7RFmrYdG018/s400/035.JPG" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 341px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499355953093234306" /></div><div>Or make it a pair of bookends. It looks kind of "kool kitsch", don't you think?</div><div>I could throw them in the pool to use for diving toys. </div><div>I could put them in the suet feeder and watch it drive the squirrels mad.</div><div>They would make good chocks for a trailer or an old car you have sitting around.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are SO many things you can do with these, so you see it wasn't a complete waste of time and flour. The only thing you <i>can't do</i> is eat it. And I have learned something...how to kill yeast. I put the starter in a metal bowl - a big NO-NO! The only other way I know to kill yeast is to heat it over 100°. I've started my next starter in a plastic bowl. Hopefully the next pictures I have will be of edible bread. </div><div><br /></div><div>The very first "starter" I experienced was back when I made a bust out of papier mache last winter. I put the flour and water solution that was leftover in a container on the counter and forgot about it. I was saving it in case I would need to touch up my project. Within a couple days it was bursting out of the container. It was not usable of course since it had newsprint and all kinds of other 'ickies' in it. But I didn't even know that was sourdough!</div><div><br /></div><div>For those of you who are feeling adventurous and want to try making sourdough, it's really very simple. Just mix up 1-1/2 cups of warm water with 1-1/2 cups of flour. You don't even have to measure it exactly. Put a piece of cheesecloth over the top so that it can breath. Set it someplace warm for it to grow. Yeast is everywhere. It will take a couple of days before you start to see it foaming and the bubbles forming. If you've ever proofed yeast, you'll know it's growing both by the look and the aroma. Once it's ready, you make your bread using the sponge method. If you don't know how, just 'google' it. Be sure to save some starter for the next round. Sourdough starter can last for centuries. Maybe I can get one to last long enough to get a loaf of bread out of it!</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-7880537719070296342010-07-28T10:59:00.007-05:002010-07-28T12:07:34.621-05:00Sourdough: The Continuing Saga<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHdalylpUYAUICeN9BHKPsmpXr1S7GeiWOFKYqDjkQS4cV9h1tGs2nutovdFvNGS-5WHgpEpxPM45ZDmmLq7na_vZe1VcN3CgEPPKFpCRc4HsG9fLF2faGiGSD7YrS9nHMujKiqP8QEYc/s1600/alien+planet.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHdalylpUYAUICeN9BHKPsmpXr1S7GeiWOFKYqDjkQS4cV9h1tGs2nutovdFvNGS-5WHgpEpxPM45ZDmmLq7na_vZe1VcN3CgEPPKFpCRc4HsG9fLF2faGiGSD7YrS9nHMujKiqP8QEYc/s400/alien+planet.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498988405907043778" /></a><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHdalylpUYAUICeN9BHKPsmpXr1S7GeiWOFKYqDjkQS4cV9h1tGs2nutovdFvNGS-5WHgpEpxPM45ZDmmLq7na_vZe1VcN3CgEPPKFpCRc4HsG9fLF2faGiGSD7YrS9nHMujKiqP8QEYc/s1600/alien+planet.jpg"></a>It's the sun! It's an alien moon! No wait - it's my failed sourdough! Heehee - just had to have a little fun with some photo editing on this one!</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenIZBPwOqHJQos61QPRZqn7i31UYk69S3n6CaJ2fl5fPQhXUpBjW8ic7fkpqzyAcnRQbb3GoFodYdJ6qgGahn-VuiuQ4UHivvXYIzXIkrC22h6L_vLkWAr_kAwpYlZ6u-8fQ7G6wnd-I/s1600/003.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenIZBPwOqHJQos61QPRZqn7i31UYk69S3n6CaJ2fl5fPQhXUpBjW8ic7fkpqzyAcnRQbb3GoFodYdJ6qgGahn-VuiuQ4UHivvXYIzXIkrC22h6L_vLkWAr_kAwpYlZ6u-8fQ7G6wnd-I/s400/003.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498988400076382290" /></a></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenIZBPwOqHJQos61QPRZqn7i31UYk69S3n6CaJ2fl5fPQhXUpBjW8ic7fkpqzyAcnRQbb3GoFodYdJ6qgGahn-VuiuQ4UHivvXYIzXIkrC22h6L_vLkWAr_kAwpYlZ6u-8fQ7G6wnd-I/s1600/003.JPG"></a>Here it is, after the entire night. It is a teeny bit bigger than it was last night. But you can see my fingerprints there. It didn't spring back.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxruOKIZeFoEgUezrdnYy2asp5uejcoHpGTsCYRptwZhMkT6K8zv1-_31qNQ4w2Tg3Lg1-L0HXnBk0D7eRkV_xjrYbtsaPIdYrdbgBo1UmdN0gI2xzh2e2GBAOFmM0MmFBty88mfO-3VY/s1600/004.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxruOKIZeFoEgUezrdnYy2asp5uejcoHpGTsCYRptwZhMkT6K8zv1-_31qNQ4w2Tg3Lg1-L0HXnBk0D7eRkV_xjrYbtsaPIdYrdbgBo1UmdN0gI2xzh2e2GBAOFmM0MmFBty88mfO-3VY/s400/004.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498988387481145874" /></a></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxruOKIZeFoEgUezrdnYy2asp5uejcoHpGTsCYRptwZhMkT6K8zv1-_31qNQ4w2Tg3Lg1-L0HXnBk0D7eRkV_xjrYbtsaPIdYrdbgBo1UmdN0gI2xzh2e2GBAOFmM0MmFBty88mfO-3VY/s1600/004.JPG"></a>I poked it again, just to be sure. I'm sure. I think what happened is when my starter outgrew it's container, and crawled out of the cabinet, I lost a good portion of it so it's just not strong enough, or numerous enough with the little critters. </div><div>I hate to waste. So I'm cheating. I am proofing some store-bought yeast and will mix up a dough, and then incorporate this dough with it. That's several cups of flour in there! And it does have a very lovely scent. Could turn out to be a great loaf of bread! Or several loaves!</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzl0kiQmQjM8XKMJpG4m0agZp5fMTdgKRsKMnLGJEAKgrkq0SykYeKMlQsdkdGRn23FdxbxxYW2DU-TIQ-28_iAlyDDa16P3K3eOAFmicdHFJaIhLAG8DBvOY5APfQRZFmtM2cnmhTryY/s1600/006.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzl0kiQmQjM8XKMJpG4m0agZp5fMTdgKRsKMnLGJEAKgrkq0SykYeKMlQsdkdGRn23FdxbxxYW2DU-TIQ-28_iAlyDDa16P3K3eOAFmicdHFJaIhLAG8DBvOY5APfQRZFmtM2cnmhTryY/s400/006.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498988382464307266" /></a></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzl0kiQmQjM8XKMJpG4m0agZp5fMTdgKRsKMnLGJEAKgrkq0SykYeKMlQsdkdGRn23FdxbxxYW2DU-TIQ-28_iAlyDDa16P3K3eOAFmicdHFJaIhLAG8DBvOY5APfQRZFmtM2cnmhTryY/s1600/006.JPG"></a>I've already started the starter again. This time I put it in a larger container. And I placed the container inside a large bowl so if it does go wild, at least I can save it!!</div><div><br /></div><div>It's SO simple - and if it works this will be great! It's just one cup of flour and one cup of warm water. Put it in a warm spot and wait - but watch!!! Haha!</div><div><br /></div><div>Wish me luck today!! I'll be back with more results later!<br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Addendum: I was just reminded by a friend NOT to use a metal bowl for sourdough!! This could be my problem in it's not rising! I knew not to use metal, but then when it came time to do the next rising, the china bowl was dirty, and it was so late, and I was so tired, and I got lazy and just grabbed the clean metal bowl!!!!</div><div>Now it's in china again. We shall see!!!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-24638310739090584822010-07-27T14:29:00.002-05:002010-07-27T14:37:11.489-05:00Adventures in the KitchenToday I am making sourdough bread. I made my starter and it's ready!! I've been wanting to do this for many years and it's just been one of those things that I hadn't gotten to yet. I will let you know how it comes out!<div><br /></div><div>I was making dinner a couple days ago and I noticed something had spilled on the dish drainer in one sink. So I rinsed it off. I continued about my work and then I noticed the spill again, this time it even looked bigger. I wondered how I missed it, and rinsed it off again. I went back to my dinner preparations once more. Then I saw the same piece of globby stuff on the drainer again! I thought now what the heck IS this??? I looked up, wondering if something horrible was seeping through the ceiling and as my eye passed the cabinet door on the way to looking at the ceiling I remembered that I had put my sourdough starter to ferment in the cabinet above the sink! It had overgrown its jar and was filling the cabinet and dripping down into the sink!!! At least I knew it was alive and ready!!</div><div><br /></div><div>I think it's amazing that there is yeast already in the flour, and in the air, and in the right conditions you can grow it to make bread with it! This is the way it's been done for thousands of years. Talk about retro! I love every opportunity I can find to make it myself instead of buying it off the shelf at the grocery store. Don't get me wrong - I do appreciate the grocery store! But there is something in doing it yourself that is so satisfying. Usually it's better quality than the grocery store version too!</div><div><br /></div><div>More later when my bread is bread!! </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-32390671682965881352010-07-08T15:39:00.004-05:002010-07-08T16:04:06.999-05:00Taking Back My Kitchen!I have a wonderful book called The Improvisational Cook by Sally Schneider. It teaches you all you need to know to be able to cook meals of your own making, without recipes ultimately. It has been on my bookshelf for over a year. I have read many chapters but I had forgotten about it, being that I live a swiss-cheese life style - with holes in everything and incontinuity reigns. Now I have it out again and I am going to take another crack at it. <div><br /></div><div>I'm taking back my kitchen and my cooking. I had given it away for a low carbohydrate diet that I heard about 8 years ago. I tried it and felt so good on it, I've been trying to do it ever since. I can't do it for more than a few days at a stretch because quite honestly I don't like meat and cheese that much. So I never had the success it was supposed to bring. When I realized that all these years of trying have gained me nothing but an <i>extra 60 pounds</i>, I knew I had to dump this idea, once and for all.</div><div><br /><div>I know, you're thinking good grief, why did it take me so long to realize? I don't know. I do have a serious problem with continuity in my life and this has been one of the many casualties. What's done is done and now it's time to move OUT of this phase and onto something more productive!!</div><div><br /></div><div>That means I get to do what I know how to do, which is cook. I love to cook. I am a good cook when I allow myself to use the ingredients I know so well, which is absolutely going to include carbohydrates. Good healthy energy-giving carbohydrates in the form of fruits and grains and seed and nuts and great homemade breads. </div><div><br /></div><div>Today I've been reclaiming my kitchen. I retrieved my favorite vintage canisters from storage and put them out again. There's a whole world of cooking that goes bye-bye if you eliminate all carbohydrates. There's all my bread baking equipment and tools. I don't use a machine. I make it the old fashioned way. So I have a huge rolling pin and special board only for bread dough, things like that. I'm putting it all back into service. At last I will recognize my kitchen again and I will know what to do to make a meal. I've been so lost for so long. Sheesh. What else can I say but sheesh!? </div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-68803192603456417792010-07-02T10:04:00.005-05:002010-07-02T11:30:34.189-05:00Still In Pursuit Of Inner FreedomGood morning dear readers. I have not written on my blog here in way too long. It's not that I haven't wanted to. I come here everyday wanting to write something wonderful and interesting, but for many weeks I have had nothing wonderful or interesting to share with you all. I do tend to do things in spurts. That is a fact of my life. But I miss writing to you all!<div><br /></div><div>I started this blog because everything I read said that this is the thing you do when you have an Etsy shop and it will help increase your exposure and your sales. I don't know if it has helped my sales. The true is, I don't really care if my blog has affected my sales. This is just a wonderful place to connect with fellow artists and I love that connection! What started out as a part of my business has become a part of my life, and a part that I don't want to let go for anything!</div><div><br /></div><div>I guess I am breaking a lot of old "rules" these days. It is sometimes very difficult to do but in the end, always freeing. It frees up things you may not expect, like your creativity. I'm in my fifties so a lot of the ideas in my head are very well set and hardened. That's one reason it's so hard to break them. Another is that they are very well hidden and disguised as "the right thing to do". They are not all worth breaking of course. But the ones that bind and blind you, those are worth the effort. </div><div><br /></div><div>How do you know where these rules are hiding? It's a matter of listening. Just get by yourself and get quiet. They will come to you. They always do. It takes time. You can't rush it. You have to be polite enough to let them speak. Do you have a place in your life that is constantly frustrated? That's a good place to go listen. Remember, these hard and fast rules are just doing what they have been taught to do. They don't live in the present. They don't know that you are all grownup now and that you get to decide for yourself what is best. Treat them gently. Let them tell you their story. Try not to judge them harshly. Let them become your friend. Then you can start teaching them about freedom. Then you can set each other free. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-71983465917759748162010-06-07T14:27:00.003-05:002010-06-14T11:52:04.212-05:00Wild Creature In The Willow Tree!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_jiAHURS1G4mVmU8xDLOksuCX2cF8ZS4kRYwqaN0ARi3-kpeUjTLT244sKSNAu3sU6CfpTdqzWjMh-4JPkK2i3taprfL_7O8qf5ziWDXo4Ikw45Oj9mcxao62RS3PFehV_sS7qRwTNfk/s1600/022.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 359px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_jiAHURS1G4mVmU8xDLOksuCX2cF8ZS4kRYwqaN0ARi3-kpeUjTLT244sKSNAu3sU6CfpTdqzWjMh-4JPkK2i3taprfL_7O8qf5ziWDXo4Ikw45Oj9mcxao62RS3PFehV_sS7qRwTNfk/s400/022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480115653679809090" border="0" /></a><br />If you look at the crotch of the tree you will see my dog Alfie! He climbed up there to get closer to the birdies!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDAnbXLpDAF1vQ_KK87XMPHOpRI04UTLYR5Wm78kY5qM0KqFc7Jjq6CrK2XgYjQuiy1myNi4ix0aD9Po_NSS64EiA9gv0yNMvLUoSVRNEf84vE57BsTbcyFryEWL9AIRGmd1kTcrO2ow8/s1600/alfie+in+tree.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 359px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDAnbXLpDAF1vQ_KK87XMPHOpRI04UTLYR5Wm78kY5qM0KqFc7Jjq6CrK2XgYjQuiy1myNi4ix0aD9Po_NSS64EiA9gv0yNMvLUoSVRNEf84vE57BsTbcyFryEWL9AIRGmd1kTcrO2ow8/s400/alfie+in+tree.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482672915393588834" border="0" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-53587383574170375542010-06-06T16:42:00.002-05:002010-06-06T16:43:08.465-05:00Porcu-Cat?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGu2HCHb8-et7CGHczlG6iQc7QajQktbZ14fFSoiTrU85r0xAUHwhWmecrMxZqBuRVCdJmtPb-vzAQ5wTBLuU4ip8Jw8aqyqXmPEQ0Sykp7YzPOUWggRFlgqx-aM0i-iK3j6uUqUL3CLY/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGu2HCHb8-et7CGHczlG6iQc7QajQktbZ14fFSoiTrU85r0xAUHwhWmecrMxZqBuRVCdJmtPb-vzAQ5wTBLuU4ip8Jw8aqyqXmPEQ0Sykp7YzPOUWggRFlgqx-aM0i-iK3j6uUqUL3CLY/s400/001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479779371195640226" border="0" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-7333380694238976952010-06-04T14:47:00.005-05:002010-06-04T14:52:49.352-05:00Late For Lunch<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fB3-Ds4HhYVCnAS-esvpJvJov9XLVYA-j4aS4icj1zaaabafIwobZVDHtcwL9yNdH2cU3O8i5h8EQo_u1btYjOyq0S-67bBgJQtGIjYgDrhXLfQ8G5jDGfJxn0JBPowhHi0ejWwA11w/s1600/212.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fB3-Ds4HhYVCnAS-esvpJvJov9XLVYA-j4aS4icj1zaaabafIwobZVDHtcwL9yNdH2cU3O8i5h8EQo_u1btYjOyq0S-67bBgJQtGIjYgDrhXLfQ8G5jDGfJxn0JBPowhHi0ejWwA11w/s400/212.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479007674621704738" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I was mowing today and discovered a brand new flower blooming at the old picnic table.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlvk4sDLfZ-09UZlMji0_bAgsdr6Pwy0Hp8uA0jKU9CqLAt8N3ipj8rDjqlOSUmKheIDgNp0L08rQ3-pSGBqc7l7a_WJ5q64f_jGfZ8kaJDS3rPDdy5CMiQqFFhwUmY27loz8Iaon_68U/s1600/216.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 342px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlvk4sDLfZ-09UZlMji0_bAgsdr6Pwy0Hp8uA0jKU9CqLAt8N3ipj8rDjqlOSUmKheIDgNp0L08rQ3-pSGBqc7l7a_WJ5q64f_jGfZ8kaJDS3rPDdy5CMiQqFFhwUmY27loz8Iaon_68U/s400/216.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479008759307354002" border="0" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-59420902570357894152010-06-03T13:07:00.003-05:002010-06-03T13:11:09.428-05:00Bath Time For Birdy!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pPOVGAKeu7U_j7Yx4-z213o4dR8bjPbafmwDsND8DhaN1VNrWObb-Myc0WoVMKT3K0B-Otab9UIuJ6KM7nWc7gp2N7DorGjpg6VQD0O5ii9QwlIqbVtydjidDmVMVL-v9AEhETVNMKI/s1600/148.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pPOVGAKeu7U_j7Yx4-z213o4dR8bjPbafmwDsND8DhaN1VNrWObb-Myc0WoVMKT3K0B-Otab9UIuJ6KM7nWc7gp2N7DorGjpg6VQD0O5ii9QwlIqbVtydjidDmVMVL-v9AEhETVNMKI/s400/148.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478610722320444082" border="0" /></a><br />I just missed getting a shot of this Robin taking a bath in the rain water from last night. I took this picture through the screen so it's not so sharp. At least I caught him on the wheelbarrow! He looked to cute taking his bath! He looks cute anyway.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-42111793353711437842010-05-31T13:36:00.004-05:002010-05-31T16:09:04.610-05:00In Search Of Inner Freedom And PeaceFirst I want to say a huge heartfelt THANK YOU to all of our incredible service men and women who defend this great country of ours and who willingly put their lives on the line for us to live in freedom. God bless you and your families!!<br /><br />Here is a shot of the lovely <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammatus_cloud">mammatus </a>clouds that passed over us earlier today, at the tail end of the thunder and rain. Aren't they cool looking?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinxx-BLEzPboQ9dqgwQzFHDvRPVxdCTTvKS7-129wY9hSL7aztt0ITfbc-zd0d8qCQojp9vv7l-hd_lp2S2_-9BXsdsp5p0-lvy1i6s6z7f7BBKT_dkcsSEtYNxY862ALfIVyTm1W0dYA/s1600/mammatus+clouds+003.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinxx-BLEzPboQ9dqgwQzFHDvRPVxdCTTvKS7-129wY9hSL7aztt0ITfbc-zd0d8qCQojp9vv7l-hd_lp2S2_-9BXsdsp5p0-lvy1i6s6z7f7BBKT_dkcsSEtYNxY862ALfIVyTm1W0dYA/s400/mammatus+clouds+003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477505134281856898" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I haven't been blogging as much as I'd like to lately. I've been studying SEO and making changes to my shop. With over 200 items it is quite time-consuming and I am really hoping that these changes will help my sales start to climb. I feel like I've done as much as I can handle for awhile, having spent the past month on this, almost exclusively.<br /><br />For a little change of pace I am looking at re-organizing my work area. For those of you who read my blog, you know this is an ongoing project for me. I am still in search of that ever-elusive <span style="font-style: italic;">perfect </span>arrangement! This time I'm trying to apply some of the techniques I have learned for other areas of the house, like putting items nearest to their 'point of use'. I have certain drawers and places that are easier access than others. For those places that are prime real estate, I want to only keep things that I use most frequently. Things I use less frequently will go in the harder to reach and farther away spots. That seems simple enough until you start to apply it and there is limited space and it can get rather complicated.<br /><br />Being a person who recycles old jewelry and bits and pieces of almost anything, makes it even more of a challenge to maintain order. I keep things that many people would deem "trash". Of course it also makes it hard to ever get rid of anything! I do have to be a bit brutal here and let go of some of these things. I just dread the thought that I will finally get rid of a piece and the next day the inspiration for that piece will hit me, and I just threw it out! It almost seems inevitable. But I have to thin things out a bit so I will have to bite the bullet! I can at least place those questionable items in a farther away place from the work area.<br /><br />One thing I find most challenging is how to store my tools. I use them constantly, so I don't want them in a drawer. But I don't like them strewn about either. For now I have them in a re-purposed oatmeal box. I cut the box to the right height, then removed the inner cardboard circle from the lid and replaced that plastic rim onto my cut down box for added strength. I keep all my tools in there and it's worked very nicely. It's not the most attractive piece. I could finish it with duct tape, which would make it even stronger, or I could paper over it. I don't mine the Oats label enough to bother.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ1GnfXMWSldoiy8nR6ZHGCph6cdHKW5vjd6B0QNUBgsN_9szdXIIjQ-6G-yD1wp4tgPDac53QQ2lWgAOVYDGjPPFXY0kZhyphenhyphenpjiUbSrP0KaDc4bqu5cEQr5-ytpWaec9qD34fT4vC40aM/s1600/028.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ1GnfXMWSldoiy8nR6ZHGCph6cdHKW5vjd6B0QNUBgsN_9szdXIIjQ-6G-yD1wp4tgPDac53QQ2lWgAOVYDGjPPFXY0kZhyphenhyphenpjiUbSrP0KaDc4bqu5cEQr5-ytpWaec9qD34fT4vC40aM/s320/028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477513259714480978" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I'm a huge fan of "bouquets" - those open round containers like this one, for keeping tools, or kitchen utensils or pencils in one easy to reach spot. It's so much easier to grab something out of a bouquet than to open a drawer and go fishing around. I have a stainless steel one in the kitchen for all my wooden spoons and cooking utensils. I found it at the thrift store of course. That's where about 75% of my belongings come from. I especially love finding the kitchen throw-aways from restaurants, which are very high quality stainless steel pans and utensils. Maybe they have a dent or ding but they are perfectly usable for me and I could never afford this stuff new!<br /><br />Another project on my mind is to set my house to "cottage mode" for the summer. I like to lighten the load in whatever areas I can so that I have to spend less time washing dishes and doing laundry, and can spend more time doing fun things like yard work and swimming, and making jewelry.<br /><br />One way to lighten the load in the kitchen is by reducing the number of dishes we use. There are only three people in my little family, so why do we need 8 dinner plates? Whatever number of dishes I have, that is how many will be used. It's a law of housewifery. It doesn't matter how many people there are, or even how often I wash the dishes. At some point, every plate in the house will be dirty, and this will happen often. I don't own a dishwasher so even with only three people, dish washing is a constant chore. I will give each person one plate, cup, bowl, and silverware set. Then the most I will ever have to wash is 3 of each item! Sounds good to me. I'll keep the rest in an upper cabinet for when we have company.<br /><br />I have done the same with bed linens and towels. Cut down the number of items available and it automatically cuts down laundry time. We've actually managed to cut our laundry time to half of what it used to be. We have one set of sheets that are washed, dried, and replaced on the bed in one session. No more washing several sets of sheets and pillow cases. We used to use, wash and dry a dozen towels every week. That's two loads even in the big front loader. We cut that in half by simply putting half the towels into storage, along with the extra bedding. When the ones we're using wear out, we'll pull out the next set.<br /><br />If you are feeling really brave, you can cut down laundry time even further by taking an honest look at your wardrobe. Here's where the old 80/20 rule comes into play. It says that we typically use only 20% of the clothes we own. The other 80% sits there either waiting for "when I lose this weight" or "that special occasion", or whatever the case is that you have made for keeping it. The advantage to <span style="font-style: italic;">never </span>culling your wardrobe of course, is that someday you will have a closet full of awesome vintage items! You can amaze your grandchildren. If you have plenty of space and that's your thing, go for it! If you want to live a little lighter, definitely give this a go. You will be amazed at how freeing it is to get rid of those pieces that you only hold onto because you spent "good money" on it - even though it's ugly or doesn't fit you anymore. It's a purifying and exhilarating experience to unload those pieces and in the process, unhooking yourself from all the bad feelings associated with them! Just imagine opening your closet in the morning and seeing<span style="font-style: italic;"> only</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>clothes that fit you today, <span style="font-style: italic;">only </span>clothes that are flattering and pretty, and <span style="font-style: italic;">only </span>pieces that you really like to wear! Talk about lifting your spirits!!<br /><br />I take this philosophy to every room in the house. You can apply it to the bathroom shelves, the kitchen drawers, those storage units in the garage, everywhere you keep things that you own.<br />It is an ongoing process for me. I have purged the entire house a few times, and the result was a profound experience of new inner freedom and peace. Our material possessions do cost us beyond their purchase price. We need to periodically weigh those costs and benefits to be sure our possessions aren't possessing us and squelching us. <br /><br />Here's to finding more freedom in our lives!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-8205594875960445372010-05-21T09:32:00.005-05:002010-05-21T13:54:26.949-05:00I Think I'm In Love!Good morning folks!! Happy Friday to all!<br /><br />Ok, I admit it...I had never heard of "rhodochrosite" before this week. I obtained some in my 'grab bag' of goodies from the antique store. Well I think I'm in love!! I do love pink - very very much. Copper is so beautiful with pinks and purples so I did a wire wrap of this little beauty. I'm very please with how it turned out. I will definitely be using this rock again! Plus I have several more pieces in my stash!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/47743387/rhodochrosite-necklace-wire-wrap-copper"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIinviNVRCuBeKGpDvr2ggpk8C0QWUzKhr0fNswo3f-SyUcRMISmqjh4sIHzis4eyhElXTGQ7MtMUBqRTq0KgNjRh7f9vNQH9ho5qg7yfYJEV4gUBcVdGEK-iNvbwJZUIBsor7jjd95co/s400/rhodochrosite+008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473732173417920434" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/47743387/rhodochrosite-necklace-wire-wrap-copper"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ELr8i745NeN8Jn25IJZkSrBwiP-hP0Kuj1XjencLuvpCIVgYMAb_9ju3mb2JxvM-zjO9DB5Dsh3M-Hvzr50iG_dokp_utJUXmDH6WFzloG3wgzbU0Eg4tgZKrkkriEWt_vQbQC-KCZU/s400/rhodochrosite+012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473732168353531010" border="0" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8891054144664322817.post-12021481726978593112010-05-20T08:18:00.005-05:002010-05-20T08:55:42.510-05:00Ooh Pretty!I went to my favorite antique shop last weekend. They have had a bowl of $1 items for many months sitting on the counter. I have found some interesting pieces in there from time to time. This time they consolidated all the items in the bowl into one bag for $6. I went for it! Here are some of the treasures I got.<br />There were several bags of semiprecious stones, most of them in a rough state. A few are polished. Not sure what I'll do with them, but they are beautiful!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3zTllE1_ZkvLYcJ_Zb9vXBuH9PzP4AP-tIzYbNVvZBXLhyphenhyphen2EuL9YXG7SfwATV29P8NjSBhlz7xLHDUVwSWAjeOk08Oj1cNA_rV1VjMHCabVDIhCjPV0_3s6b8vX52vEqj5zCrQtYUBc/s1600/167.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 326px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3zTllE1_ZkvLYcJ_Zb9vXBuH9PzP4AP-tIzYbNVvZBXLhyphenhyphen2EuL9YXG7SfwATV29P8NjSBhlz7xLHDUVwSWAjeOk08Oj1cNA_rV1VjMHCabVDIhCjPV0_3s6b8vX52vEqj5zCrQtYUBc/s400/167.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473344505725565762" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0VYD-paKvq-m3O20lp9QVnLRS4Fqy6HM1Y02Y3xx3r4fOAtkQ5x9Izl1OzG7zuTNEeE4CpSz8iOQVnblDmjwhggP9hUzJbwL0bxYqMLf25KiaDO5oGCV2Ql7bLCh2ib5e3Qu2Gme7VqE/s1600/169.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 374px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0VYD-paKvq-m3O20lp9QVnLRS4Fqy6HM1Y02Y3xx3r4fOAtkQ5x9Izl1OzG7zuTNEeE4CpSz8iOQVnblDmjwhggP9hUzJbwL0bxYqMLf25KiaDO5oGCV2Ql7bLCh2ib5e3Qu2Gme7VqE/s400/169.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473344510613730002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKS-W8cATZSx_RjCTWolmleTSp5GWVW-Tmx-ESCqzSxaoH9VBH1ioWp9LKrSaOj1ZlB3kHNcxlea02Nfj3LIIboAR6OaPyyyJGuuz0BQE9_IY3I27JWAe_1kzXfu8BykPAT28-kkOqyA/s1600/170.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 376px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKS-W8cATZSx_RjCTWolmleTSp5GWVW-Tmx-ESCqzSxaoH9VBH1ioWp9LKrSaOj1ZlB3kHNcxlea02Nfj3LIIboAR6OaPyyyJGuuz0BQE9_IY3I27JWAe_1kzXfu8BykPAT28-kkOqyA/s400/170.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473344515736616690" border="0" /></a><br /><br />There were also many chandelier crystals. I love these gorgeous pieces for jewelry. They're big beautiful chunks of shine!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXhh3Wm0r1eLZlmrD51NL41xR9AOYTdWZshjFraz5pJswAsZFr-M7ojCa_iuscrEQDMO6hmKAXCY0I9wvz5bTtixLuVIARtSInPXH2DwwfnGfqNrMUSAlpRoPdu-O-iPFphTfrf_kGQk/s1600/171.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXhh3Wm0r1eLZlmrD51NL41xR9AOYTdWZshjFraz5pJswAsZFr-M7ojCa_iuscrEQDMO6hmKAXCY0I9wvz5bTtixLuVIARtSInPXH2DwwfnGfqNrMUSAlpRoPdu-O-iPFphTfrf_kGQk/s400/171.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473345447971734994" border="0" /></a><br />I wire wrapped one of the rhodochrosite pieces, and made a pendant from one of the extra large crystals. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39ThPceXAV7L6naDV96LrxrbKMScoE6Thx_vDo6CPY3v0zhPbzQvGeJxN7m0cG1WN1SOw7JAzWiEHVzoQMhnOJ7-se3RJLuYKvF3VTz8aDA7jjvCC6gBL_1RD-8lByn8CIzhsO2Jk8zs/s1600/172.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39ThPceXAV7L6naDV96LrxrbKMScoE6Thx_vDo6CPY3v0zhPbzQvGeJxN7m0cG1WN1SOw7JAzWiEHVzoQMhnOJ7-se3RJLuYKvF3VTz8aDA7jjvCC6gBL_1RD-8lByn8CIzhsO2Jk8zs/s400/172.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473349909671115570" border="0" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13535665806287488717noreply@blogger.com4