Monday Mood Board

Orange is the color of the day! It's warm and comforting like a cup of pumpkin spice latte and it's bright and cheerful like the tangerines that are ripening at this time of year.

Happy Monday!

1.https://squareup.com/store/beadcharmerdesigns/item/faceted-orange-chalcedony-and-crystal-earrings
2. https://squareup.com/store/beadcharmerdesigns/item/autumn-topaz-crystal-necklace-1
3. Orange chandelier seen in a restaurant window.
4. https://squareup.com/store/beadcharmerdesigns/item/orange-iridescent-crystal-drop-earrings

Break Over!!

Yes, our show break is over! It's that time again. It's time to start doing shows again! Our first one is booked and we are dusting off the displays, washing the table covers and I'm making some new pieces. We've got the gun show bug again and our first one is here in San Antonio, October 15th and 16th. 

We'll have some new designs and some customer favorites too. So y'all make plans with your shopping buddies to come on down to the Freeman Expo Hall and make a dent in the holiday gift list.

Admission to the show is $5 and the Bexar county collects $7 for parking. We hope to see you all there!

It's a sickness!!!

Yes, it's true. I have it and it's a HUGE problem. I can't help it. My problem is a big ol' stash of JUNK!! It's dusty, chippy, rusty, and always ends up going home with me. My dad would say... "It's a sickness".. and he would be right. My husband, thankfully, shares my affinity for the cast offs that sit sadly on the sidewalk during bulk pick up season, or on a shelf at a thrift store or in a junk shop. He loves going junkin', but he can walk away from it much more easily than I will. My weakness is not furniture, thank goodness. It's small stuff, like beaded clutches, china bowls and cups, vintage jewelry.. and not so small things, like depression glass and lamps. The larger pieces of my glass collection was sold a few years ago, so no, you will not see me on an episode of Hoarders, at least not anytime soon.

Those of you that have seen my jewelry booth at shows around the Great State of Texas (yes that is our state's official name) have probably noticed the lack of commercially produced jewelry displays. Yes, I have the trays and a handful of neck-forms. I also have an "eclectic mix" (that is code for random goodness) of display items, ranging from coffee cup trees turned t-stands for bracelets, a room divider turned necklace display, cigar box risers, and even a re-purposed $2 table lamp.

Yes. That my friends, was a white $2 table lamp from a thrift store, once upon a time. It actually looked like this... (the white one in the background) when I found it.

The coffee cup tree is being used for bracelets, the frame will be a sign holder. The other lamps will get stripped, hand painted, and rewired for home use. Not to worry, though. It won't be the only lamp turned jewelry stand. I've got more lamp bases and a couple more lamps that I plan on re-purposing. It really is a sickness and I hope there is no cure. 

Brunswick Bride

Having gotten the reputation of being the "gun show girl", I don't get requests to make wedding jewelry as often as I used to. Unless those request come from Ohio, which is where they have been coming from. Brides are some of my favorite people to work with. I've only had one bridezilla, and even that worked out well. This bride, like most of the others, is someone I have known for a while. She has the sweetest disposition, and I couldn't be happier for her. I love that she asked me to create her bridesmaid's jewelry. I really hope they love the jewelry they receive, as much as I loved making it.

The bridesmaids will be wearing this design.

Her maid of honor will wear this one.

Congratulations Sheila and Rob. May your marriage be filled with much love, laughter, and happiness. 

Monkey Business

Slowly but surely, I'm getting back to being more creative. We took a hiatus while we cared for a senior relative and her husband, and it's nice to get back to artsy stuff. I haven't done any shows or made more than a piece of jewelry here and there. I had forgotten how good it feels to create. All because my younger sister, a high school Spanish teacher, asked if my husband could help her out by modifying a book case before school started. Easy enough for me. All I would have to do is hold boards and harass him while he works. That was my plan until she mentioned she had one bulletin board left to finish decorating. How could I stay away from THAT project??

These are the supplies you will need.

craft paper
assorted green scrap booking paper
scissors
clean plastic bags
staples and a stapler

She already had the background and border up, and the monkeys were previously laminated for a board she decorated last year.

Here's the step by step.

We started by cutting a 5ft length of paper off the roll and crinkling it, first lengthwise then down the length of the paper.

Once the paper is completely textured, it should look like this.

Once the paper is suitably textured, it's time to move over to the bulletin board. Start by stapling the paper on the interior part of the tree to hide the staples. We chose to start the tree on the edge of the bulletin board to maximize the space needed for the information she'd be posting on this board.

Once you have that side secured, it's time to begin building the tree structure by tearing branches into the excess paper that is at the top of the tree. The branch size and numbers is up to you. If you need more branches, cut and crinkle more paper and insert it into the tree structure as needed.

At this point the branches and only one side of the tree should be stapled to the board. Now is when you will begin stuffing the tree. We used the plastic packing material from her mini fridge. Tuck and staple as you go along. The excess plastic we trimmed off went into the recycle bin.

The bottom of the tree got flared and stapled and we added a few more branches. And, since the theme of the board is "Welcome to the Jungle", the tree needed leaves. 

So far, so good. Right? But then, I noticed she had all of these extra monkeys left over. 

The nice thing about this tree is, she can swap out the leaves for dried oak leaves as fall kicks in, and remove the leaves for Halloween. 

It took us a couple of hours longer than it should have.. probably because we spent some time harassing my husband and watching silly videos on Youtube too. Oh yeah! About that bookcase.... I think he did a nice job on it! 

Cents and Sensible Eats

Eating sensibly while travelling and doing so on a tight budget isn't always easy... but it can be quite delicious. Every road trip we take I really try to plan what we are going to eat for the 3 to 5 days that we are travelling well in advance. Travel days are the worst when it comes to meals, mostly because I always seem to make us late for our departure time. So breakfast tacos and salty snacks and fruit seem to be our meal plan during the actual drive.

By the time we get to the hotel, it's usually dinner time. Rather than take the easy way out and pick up a greasy bag of fast food, I prefer to cook if I have any strength left in me. This is why I LOVE my
rice cooker. In all honesty, I wasn't crazy about it when my husband got it. I thought to my self, "great, an appliance that makes one thing and one thing only." But, the more we travel the more things we learn to cook in it.

This trip's recipe is one pot pasta dinner that can be enjoyed cold with a fresh salad the next day. The ingredients can be purchased at most grocery stores pretty readily. Since we were headed to Sulphur Springs this trip and I wanted to make sure I had the supplies I needed as soon as we got to the hotel, I packed the dry ingredients I'd be needing in the "kitchen box". The kitchen box is a Rubbermaid tote that is filled with the basics for cooking on the road. The veggies and the proteins traveled frozen, in a small cooler. We packed the bag of organic greens on top so it stayed cool enough to keep them from wilting.

For this dish you will need the following...

1cup  whole wheat rotini pasta (gf or regular is fine too)
1 9oz container of crushed tomatoes (don't forget a can opener if you buy canned)
8oz water
1/2 tsp dehydrated/freeze dried minced onions
1tsp paprika
1/2tsp Kosher salt
1/8tsp garlic powder  
1tsp olive oil
3/4 c vegetarian chick'n (Quorn is my protein of choice) or diced cooked chicken
8 oz of frozen vegetables Mediterranean Blend

Garnish
10 Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1Tbsp Parmesan Italian spice blend

Into the rice cooker pot, add the pasta, crushed tomatoes, olive oil, water, freeze dried onions and spices. Flip the switch to "Cook" and stir the ingredients before covering. About 10minutes into your cooking time, check the pasta and stir in the frozen precooked protein of your choice and the frozen vegetables. Cover the pot and let it cook until the switch flips back to "Warm". Let it sit for another 5min in the cooker on "Warm". Any residual moisture should be absorbed into the pasta without it overcooking.

We got 2 servings from this as our hot meal on Thursday. I really wish we hadn't been so hungry after that 7hr drive... 'cause I forgot to take a picture for you. We did get two additional servings with a salad and fresh made pita chips the next day.. which are the pictures you see in this post. The crushed tomato will make for a lighter sauce, which means it's perfect as a cold pasta salad too. The cost of 4 servings came to under $12 total. Not too bad, considering that we would have spent at least $7 each for fast food meals. We also had enough frozen veggies, Quorn, pitas, tomatoes and fresh veggies for the next day's dinner.

When you try this, don't forget to share your spin on this recipe. We'd all like to know how it turns out for you.

 I'll post the "home made pita chips" in a few days.

Tickets to the Gun Show!

Okay... maybe we don't really need tickets. But since we were already near Dallas for my husband's final exam at "fire school", we decided to take full advantage of the opportunity.  It's not like it isn't one of our favorite things to do on a weekend. If you didn't already know, I sell stuff at gun shows every now and then. No, not guns.... "bullets" and other shiny objects.

There are a couple of things that I love about gun show weekends. One is the morning drive. While y'all are still snuggling or waiting for that pot of coffee to be ready, we're on the road, enjoying the sunrise and the scent of the morning dew on the blades of grass and the dawning of a new day as we drive down the highway. Those moments feel like G-d is letting us know that He's got our back, and it's all gonna be alright.

The other two are music blasting on the stereo (with the obligatory loud off key singing)... and of course spending time with my husband. 

... yeah, I know... our "selfie game" needs work. 

If you happen to see us at a gun show, don't be shy, stop by the booth and say hello. We'd love to meet you.

Trippin’ on the Road Less Traveled

Living in The Great State of Texas, you grow up being accustomed to going on long drives (we’re talking 3hrs or more each way) just to go have lunch or spend a few hours with friends or family. It’s a big state with lots to see and do. When my husband and I were newlyweds, and broker than broke, we would gas up the car (something we could afford easily at $.99 a gallon), pack a lunch, and pick a highway. Our favorites were always the back roads. The little CRs (country roads) and FMs (farm to markets) that work their way across the state like gossamer cobwebs that are found only when you stumble upon them.

One of our first drives was from IH10, up to Hwy16 in search of the perfect field of Bluebonnets. That trip ended up going full circle. We took the curves and hills on HWY29 across to Georgetown and back down IH35 to San Antonio. I never did take any pictures on that trip and I really wish I had. We did find something far more precious, an entire day with zero distractions, and lots of laughter and the simple pleasure of being in the moment. As you can probably guess... that was before cell phones and Facebook.

Taking these roads less traveled is our favorite way to see this wonderful state. On these roads you find things you didn’t know your heart needed to experience, like the lady that lives just north of IH10 on our way to Spring, Texas. We’ve seen on several trips. Her home is a grey wood frame house surrounded by green pastures. We typically make this drive in early spring or mid autumn. The mornings are cool enough to still be covered in dew at 10am. We’ve seen her feeding a flock of what, from a distance,  looks like a big flock of chickens. That is, until you get close enough to see that it is a flock of Snowy Egrets in the dew covered field just past her garden gate.

Earlier this year, we made this drive it was smack in the middle of rodeo season. If you are not from Texas you are probably thinking that every day is rodeo season, and that is mostly true. We refer to February and March as rodeo season because the biggest rodeos in the state take place during those two months. If you are on the road at the right time you’ll catch up with one of the Trail Rides that cuts across Texas for the Houston Rodeo. On our February trip this year we were lucky enough to give the “Saltgrass Trail Riders” from Brenham, Texas the right of way. 

Our most recent trip could have been about an hour and a half shorter. But, that would mean staying on a big highway with everyone else. Where is the fun in that?? The purpose of this trip was for my husband to take a final exam at school in Sulphur Springs, TX. It was just before getting to Waco when we started to get antsy. That’s when I told my husband that I wanted to go to Gun Barrel City. Heck, why not? We’d already been to Ding Dong, Tx. It was a road we’d never taken and we’re spontaneous like that (or at least we try to be). So off the Interstate we went... but not before seeing proof that the grass is greener on the other side. 

                            

The detour took us from Waco, across to Corsicana. Along that road, we took in the quaintness of Hubbard Texas. In case you didn’t know it, Hubbard is the “Victorian Crossroads of Texas”. We didn’t stop to see the old Victorian homes, but we did enjoy the tree lined drive through town. 

Our drive through Silver City was brief. So quick that I missed the city limits sign that I wanted to take a selfie with. Then… on to Corsicana, home of the Collins Street Bakery. For those of you who may have never heard of it, they are known for… fruitcake. I am a bit of a fruitcake freak so I have to make sure we come back this way when the store is open.

Next, the winding Farm to Market Roads, 1603 and 1129. That stretch of road was so peaceful. There weren’t many cars on the road and it was basically hay fields, and these frilly white wildflowers on bright green leafy stems that dotted the landscape at first, then became rolling hills of sea foam green. I really wish I hadn’t forgotten my camera. The one on my cell phone wasn’t very good for stopping motion or distances. As would be my luck, the best fields were either behind a stand of trees, and vanished as soon as we were driving past open pastures. Or, they were on the opposite side of the road... with a double yellow line so… making a u-turn for a photo was not an option.

There was also this odd looking structure that I'm pretty sure is a grain silo. It loomed ominously in the middle of a field and those windows at the very top reminded me of watch towers. It was kind of creepy. What do you think?

Driving down Hwy 85 was more of the same. More hay, pastures, and those sneaky flowers!! When we continued onto Hwy 334 we crossed what I called “The Lake with No Name”. It’s actually Cedar Creek Reservoir, but I’m a dork and “The Lake with No Name” sounds more intriguing to me. This brings us to my personal goal for this trip, Gun Barrel City. Let me tell you about this drive!!  The causeway is about 2miles long and there is WATER EVERYWHERE!!.. and just a tiny strip of road that you are travelling. I just love drives like that... but then again... that might be because I love being around water. In fact, I was soooo excited, that I completely missed the Gun Barrel City sign!! I thought to myself... “NOT AGAIN!! This is Ding Dong all over again!” (I missed the marker there too.)

But… my husband… my wonderful husband… light of my life... my reason for living… he wasn’t about to let me accept defeat. No siree Bob! Not him. He was determined to help me get my photo. Did I mention that we have traveled over 268 miles at this point? Not to mention that we still had another 70 miles to go. THIS is why I married him! He understands my “crazy”. All for this photo.

After that... the trip just zipped by. The next town on the road... Mabank. Yes, we shot from Gun Barrel over to Mabank. *pun intended* From there it was on to Canton. Yep the home of First Monday Trade Days. Those markets are MAHOOSIVE!! Junkin’, yet another reason to come this way. Just be warned, if you venture past Canton, there is a place just outside of Eaton that really stinks. The Emory Compression Station. Peeeeyew! It's a natural gas relay station along a natural gas pipeline. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Do you know what didn’t stink on this stretch of road? This guy!! We drove behind him for about 5miles. Watching him cruise down the road in this great state made me smile. I love that he put the biggest American flag that he could get on his motorcycle and went for a ride. Sharing the road with him was a privilege. He loves this great country… and so do we. 

After all that, we finally made it to the hotel. Friday is his final and then Saturday we head home… with another little detour. And if you happen to be feeling adventurous, pack a lunch, make sure your camera is charged up, gas up the tank and take the scenic route every once in a while. I promise, you won’t be disappointed. 

Shopping for Fabric

As you can see... I went shopping for fabric. I wish I could say that I'm going to make something, but that is not the case. I just don't have the patience for it. Lucky for me, my Tia Gloria looooves to sew. What am I gonna ask her to make? An apron for an Art Jewelry Retreat next month (more on that later). I like the "idea" of an apron, but I don't really like wearing them. But, since I'm probably going to get dirty, I suppose that I am going to need one.

I found the first five at Wally's. It's not my favorite place to shop, but I found a location that doesn't leave me feeling like I hate the world and wanting a spiritual cleansing.

So, after a few stops, here is my "short list" of options.

I'm kind of keen on this shade of pink.

The pale chartreuse damask is nice too.

I was drawn to nice mix of colors and prints first.

Our next stop was Hobby-Freaking-Lobby! That place is like CRACK!! You go in for one thing and leave wanting to buy everything.. or at least I do.

I love me some Toile, but I'm not sure that I'm "that girl". It might be a little too fru-fru for me.

Okay, I'm realizing that I might have a think for damask prints.

I saw this one and immediately thought of my friend Katie. She loves orange so much.. that she got married in a drop-dead-gorgeous coppery orange ball gown. (trust me, Autumn in Ohio and that dress!!.. amaze-balls)

This was nice too. It reminded me of my grandma Tita. I'm not sure why, but it just does.

After a headache (the entire store wreaked of epoxy/paint/solvent fumes) and a "contact high" at HfL,  it was time to head to Hancock Fabrics. I can't say I found anything I couldn't live without... until I saw this burlap print in the upholstery section. It isn't cheap ($24.99/yd )and will probably need a muslin liner, so it's not exactly practical for an apron. I might have to get it for another project later.

I did narrow it down to a style of apron that I can work with. I like the one the model is wearing.. with a small side pocket for my phone and a modification in the neck strap. I'll be adding a D-ring closure to make it easier to adjust without untying the whole thing. 

The color and print choices are insane! So I need your help, please.