New necklace

This was fun to make because the skull charm was made by a fellow Etsian, Julie Rowe.  She does amazing work --- such detail!  Etsy is great that way!  You cannot believe how many wonderful artists I've met through Etsy and Facebook.  Everybody is so supportive, and willing to help with almost anything!  Artists are nice people, but you already knew that, right?  ;) 
You can find this necklace in my shop.
P.S.  It has real rosary beads!

The Shed

One of our favorite things to do on our weekends is to stay in Santa Fe.  The first stop is almost always The Shed.  Delicious mexican food and great atmosphere.  We love to eat outside in the summer.  We've had lots of great times there together, and with family and friends.  If you come to visit, we will take you there, I promise!

WIP

One of my many works in progress.  You should see the rest of my jewelry table!!  I'm sure if someone walked in and saw my 'messes,' they would be appalled.  It's that way on my painting table too!  I used to close the door to my studio when people came over.  Not anymore.  I love that room and all it has to offer me. When I wake up, I get excited just thinking about being in that room.   It didn't used to be that way.  I've grown a lot and come a long way in many ways ( I guess I'm a work in progress too.  Aren't we all?).  I love making art, and it just tickles me to death that other people want to buy it!  I've been making art since I was very young, and I can see myself doing it until I no longer can.  I am art happy, yes I am.

Margarita time!!

Right?  :)

Colorful day

A few days ago, I was wondering what I could do differently with the acrylic flower beads I had, and I was in the mood for a necklace.  So I opened my (many) bead bins and immediately spotted this turquoise skull bead.  Voila!  A Day of the Dead necklace!  And I got to use some of my new hand-dyed silk ribbon too.  This piece is one of my all time faves, for sure :)  And you can find it here.
They would also look great paired with the earrings below.

Hope your day is full of color!  Mine always is :)

My father, my hero

Father's Day.  A very special day to me, because of the man who is my father.  John Andrews is one of those men whom everybody admires and respects.  He is a good and honest man to the core, with the highest of integrity I've ever known.  He is a man of few words, but his words are thought-out, chosen wisely and meaningful.  His love runs very deep for his family (can you see the pride in his face here with me and my twin sister, Julie?).  He is a gentle, yet strong man.  Not many people can pull that off, but my father does it perfectly.  I remember in my earlier days, calling him after I'd been in a minor car accident or something, and his first response was ALWAYS "Are you okay?"  When I would say "yes," he would then deal with the issue in a very calm, clear manner.  Don't get me wrong, I would get in trouble in my younger days, but his discipline was always calm, clear, and never mean.   Anyone who has this man in his life is privileged, so imagine how I must feel to have him as a father.  Thank you, Daddy, thank you.

Georgie

This is Georgie.  We named him before he ever made these amazing pink tissue paper flowers.  Maybe we should have named it Georgia.  Anyway, we've had him for about 5-6 years, and he has not grown one inch.   But it doesn't matter.  Because what he lacks in size, he makes up for with his flowers that he brings us only a few times each summer.  Today's one of those times, and I'm proud of him :)

'Release'

Ok, remember the cute little boxes that I couldn't resist that I wrote about in my very first post?  Well, this is what I've done with the square one.  I love it!!
 It's called 'Release' because it's something I'm having to deal with lately. Sometimes when you are going through a difficult situation, there comes a time when you  must just release it to go on with your beautiful life.  And what a pretty little image to associate it with. 
I do have a beautiful life, and I'm grateful for it everyday.

Box is listed in my Etsy shop.

Christmas in June

I got these beautiful hand-dyed silk ribbons in the mail yesterday, and I'm in love!  Don't know all I'm going to do with them, but I have some ideas.  I love colors like these --- deep rich jewel colors (look at that purple!).  I guess you have probably figured that out if you've been to my shop. I ordered them from this Etsy shop.
I love getting art packages in the mail; just like Christmas...

New earrings, new day

I made these little beauties over the weekend.  They're really wonderful on, the way they move and brush your neck. You can find them here.
 It's really nice to be doing jewelry and art.  When I need a little break from one, I just move to the other.  I've always painted and done art, but jewelry came to me pretty recently.  I always loved going to bead stores, and buying handmade jewelry, but it never even dawned on me to make it myself.  Then one night, in the middle of the night, when a million things were going through my head (you know what I mean!), I had all these visions of jewelry in my mind!  I woke up and started the whole jewelry journey.  I make what I would wear myself, and it seems to work.  Many of my jewelry pieces have sold :) THANK YOU!!
But now, I'm in an art mood, so that's what I'm doing.  Who knows? -- Maybe in an hour or two I'll start a bracelet or something!!

Twin toes

Happiness is having a twin sister to get pedicures with :)

Boxes!

It doesn't take much, I tell ya, to make me happy.  I was at Hobby Lobby today, getting a mat when, lo and behold, I spotted these!!!!  They're little, but they screamed 'Buy me and decorate me!!'  So I did, and that's what I'm doing this afternoon.  Life's little pleasures.....