Halloween Jewelry

I finally added two items to my Etsy shop this afternoon - a charm necklace and a pin. I have more jewelry to take photos of and list in the next day or so. I love making jewelry, but I think if I had to pick a favorite kind, it would be my charm bracelets. They are a lot of work and take the most time, but I think the results are really worth it. They are so much prettier in person (my photography skills, or lack thereof, just don't do them justice).

Fall has officially arrived today - yay!!! This is definitely my favorite time of year. It was such a nice, mild day today but I hear that the Santa Ana Winds are going to pick up at the end of the week and it is supposed to be around 90 degrees. Ugh - I am so over summer weather. I don't mind the wind, in fact, I actually like it, but the threat of fires here in So. Cal. has everyone on edge this time of year. We've had some really horrific fires in the past this time of year. I pray that this year we will get through it without one.

Have a wonderful week and please check out my Etsy store for more additions. I will be blogging about them here also.

My Answers in Pictures

I haven't done much crafting or really felt like it the last week-and-a-half. I have been, however, reading my favorite blogs and searching various crafting sites for inspiration. One of the blogs I read is by Mary-Heather whose blog is rainydaygoods.com. She did a post back in June where she answered questions with pictures. I thought I would give it a try since I don't really have anything to show you right now. This is how it works: (1) Type your answer to each question below into Flicker Search, (2) Using only the first page of results, pick an image, (3) Copy and paste each URL into fd's mosaic maker, and (4) Blog it!

The Questions:

1. What is your first name? Susan

2. What is your favorite food? blackberries

3. What high school did you go to? Crescenta Valley

4. What is your favorite color? turquoise

5. Who is your celebrity crush? Lee Pace

6. What is your favorite drink? coffee

7. Dream vacation? Tuscany

8. Favorite dessert? My mom's apple pie

9. What do you want to be when you grow up? wise

10. What do you love most in life? My Family

11. One word to describe you? dependable

12. Your Flickr name? susanc - this was the closest I could find!

I plan on taking some presentable pictures of my beaded heart charm bracelet this weekend and will post them when I do. Until then, enjoy my answers in pictures!

P.S. I'm not exactly sure how to link each photo to the original so that I can give credit to the photographer who posted the pictures. I will try to get that figured-out soon. This blogging stuff is all rather new to me and I still have loads to learn.

Grief

My family and I just got devastating news that my cousin, who was only 58-years-old, died some time last night or this morning. His son, who was moving back in today, found him. I can't even imagine. I am in a total state of shock right now. I can't imagine life without him being here. My poor aunt and cousins. OMG. Please keep my family in your prayers. I will probably be absent from my blogging for a few weeks. Just make sure that you tell your loved ones how much you love them each and every day. Life is too damn short. We always think we have much more time and put things off, etc. Boy, are we wrong.

Just. A. Visitor.....???

This is the "visitor" I'm referring to. A peach face lovebird. She/He has been "visiting" now since last Sunday. I was out in my backyard doing some yardwork when I heard what I thought was a parrot. We have wild parrots in our area from time-to-time and I thought that's what I heard. Close. I walked over to the big oak tree that overhangs in one corner of our yard, thinking that's where the sound was coming from, but when I stepped up on the planter to get a closer look, up flew a small bird from where the hydrangea is. All I could see at that point was yellow and a beautiful blue color, it all happened so fast! I mimiced it and it flew over onto my neighbor's roof in her backyard and I was able to better see what it was. A little lovebird! I knew it must have gotten out of someone's house or it's cage, so I went next door and tried to coax it onto my finger. Yeah, right! It was not afraid of me, but it just wouldn't walk onto my finger (like I really thought it would - not!). It got close to me but when I put my hand up, it would back-up. I went and got our cat carrier (I was glad I had kept it, as that was the only thing I could think of being able to possibly get the bird to go into) and put some water in a lid and some seed that I have for the birdfeeders in our yard, and set it right inside the door. My neighbor and I watched as the bird cautiously approached the water and food. As soon as it got inside, I closed the door and it was safely inside! I was concerned for its safety, as we have two different hawks that come to the birdbath in our yard and it wouldn't take much for it to become a "snack" for one of them or the other various predators around. Later that afternoon, I was glad the bird was inside, as one of the hawks flew by. Phew!

Since Sunday afternoon, I have been looking for posters or signs, checking Craig's List, The Recycler, and all the local newspapers hoping someone will post a lost bird ad. Nothing so far. I just don't know how long I should keep looking. The bird will need a cage and I will get one if need be, but I just want to make sure someone isn't looking for it. I can't imagine they wouldn't be, but in the meantime, it seems content in it's improvised "home". I'm just glad that it's safe and well-cared for until we know whether it will become a member of the family or not.

On the crafting front, I finished my beaded hearts charm bracelet. I tried taking some pictures of it, but I didn't like the way they turned out. I have to get some good pictures of it, and as soon as I do and I'm happy with them, I'll share them with you. I'm trying to become a better photographer with each picture I take, but I have LOTS to learn! But then, everything in life is a learning process. Isn't it? That's what keeps things interesting, I think.

Fun at the Aquarium

Yesterday I went to the Long Beach Aquarium with my SIL and my two nephews, as this is the last week of summer vacation before school starts. We had a fun time and both of my nephews enjoyed getting to see and touch the sting rays and sharks at the "Shark Lagoon". It was interesting to feel the difference between the rays (very slick and smooth) and the small hammerhead shark (almost like human skin). A lot of the pictures that I tried taking inside the exhibits didn't come out, as you were not allowed to use the flash when taking pictures (very unstandably so), but these are some of the better ones I was able to get. I especially was intrigued by the seahorses and seadragons. There was one called a "leafy sea dragon" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leafy_sea_dragon) and is the one in the photos - it was just fascinating! We also saw sea lions, otters, various fish, big clams (I had never seen one opened before today - it was amazing to see their "mouth"), and small jelly fish that were incredible - they looked like little neon signs with different colors - they were really something to see. They had tube-like structures that looked like those lights in tubes that change colors and flash. Really wild! I wish I could have gotten a picture of them.

I hope everyone had a great summer. It sure did go by fast. We've been very lucky here in So. Cal. not to have had a real hot summer, but I'm sure that will change - it always does when the kids go back to school. It always seems to heat-up and stay hot until October, when the Santa Ana Winds kick-in. I just pray that we don't have any wildfires this year.

On the crafting front, I have completed my heart charms, added them to the bracelet, and am now in the process of making charms with crystals and then it will be finished! I will share pictures of it in the next day or so. I think it turned out really cute and I know I will be wearing it a lot.

Slowly But Surely

I have made some progress on the beaded heart charms for my bracelet. I haven't been able to work on it as much as I have wanted to, but I pick it up and so some beading whenever I have a few spare minutes.

The weather here has been beautiful lately (knock on wood). Today it has been extremely mild - I love it! As I type this, it is only 81 degrees at 1:15 in the afternoon. I know that when school starts after Labor Day it will be HOT - it always is.

Saturday was my birthday and my family & I enjoyed a wonderful dinner at my favorite local Japanese restaurant. It was so amazing to see my 3-year-old nephew gobble up the miso soup and the rest of his dinner! I don't know many kids who would actually care for the taste, but he loves it. After each spoonful he would say "ahhhh". He especially likes the pieces of tofu. It was so cute. He is such a little foodie! My 9-year-old nephew would have none of the miso soup but absolutely loves the teriyaki sauce, especially on his rice! We had a nice dinner and then went back to my brother and SIL's house for rum cake from my favorite Italian bakery (which is right in their neighborhood) and coffee. It was a quiet day, but the evening was fun and I always look forward to the times we get to spend together.

I hope everyone is enjoying the last few weeks of their summer. It's hard to believe that it's almost over, although I know of at least one mom who will be so glad when school starts again! I always laugh when they show the commercial where families are shopping for back-to-school supplies and the song playing in the background is "...the most wonderful time of the year!" whose title escapes me but I know it's actually a Christmas song. Very funny.

Cancer Sucks

I wasn't sure if I should post about something so personal, but I got some pretty devastating news last Sunday and it's constantly been on my mind this whole week. My cousin "R" was just diagnosed with colon cancer. Even though we haven't seen each other very much in the last few years, we have always been close. We are the same age and I have great memories of times we spent together when we were growing up. We see each other at important family functions, birthdays, and funerals (unfortunately). He is going to see a specialist at Cedars-Sinai on the 19th of this month. He was telling me that Sharon Osbourne made a huge donation to the hospital, as that's where she was treated for her colon cancer. I know that he's got some hard times ahead of him, but I pray that he can beat this and be around for a long time to come. I've lost too many people I love and care about to this damn disease. I just ask that anyone reading this will keep good thoughts for him.

On a happier note, I finished painting the back room today. It was quite an overwhelming task, but I'm so glad that it's done and it looks so nice! I feel quite good about being able to accomplish all that I have these last few months. I've painted almost every room in the house by myself and now I can concentrate on more crafty pursuits! I started on my beaded heart bracelet charms with the Delica beads and it is so much easier and faster with them than having to sort through the irregularly-shaped seed beads, although as I had blogged before, I still do like how they look.

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying watching the Olympics. I'm going to go sit down and do some beading now while watching them.