October Opal

Having an October birthday, I've always loved opals.

This year I was given one and made it into this necklace

which I wear almost everyday!

Peace Doves......

getting ready for holiday sales!

Wickedly Chic

This week I have been lucky enough to be featured on the Wickedly Chic shopping site. This is a really cool "independent shopping site for the wickedly fashionable". Check them out and see the amazing support that they give to us indie artists. They also have a weekly Sunday night give-away & if you get on their email list, you can have a chance to win some awesome cool swag!

And click here to see me in the Fresh and Chic section.

Thanks, Liz!

New Work

Breathe & Push

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I got this job through Alchemy on Etsy for someone who

was looking for something to give to the labor nurse who had

recently helped her to give birth.

I came up with this idea and they loved it!

CMP Back to School!

http://

Time for a Graduation

I made this clock for my high school graduate. All the parts were from my various collections of junk including the square computer piece in the middle. The main piece is a rectangle of aluminum from a hardware store.

Time for a Birthday

I made this clock for a boy turning 21. All of the parts I had in my house in my many collections of junk.

B A R A K

Etsy Page One!

Ya-a-a-y-y-y! I made it to the home page on Etsy!

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I was selected to be here by Tracy

from Stepping Stones in Rhode Island.

Check out their cool shop here.....

& mine here.

Thanks, Tracy!

Mom's Day

This is what I requested and got for Mother's Day from my sweeties!

In my house, this is considered wrapped.

coolmompicks

Today I was lucky enough to have this bracelet featured on coolmompicks.com. It is such a fun website with all sorts of products for babies, moms and really anyone. Check it out! Even if you don't have little ones anymore - it's still fun to ogle at all the cool products they find and write about.

Jak & Amy's Excellent Light Show

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Jak attached a bunch of LED lights onto a strip of wood. He turned on the lights, set my camera to the fireworks setting and we ran across the yard as it took the exposure.

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Jak's curlicue

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my wave

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E A R T H D A Y 2 0 0 8

SJTS

About a week ago I was lucky enough to be interviewed and written up by my blogger friend somethingjusttostart. Read it here and then read the rest of her blog.

Thanks sjts!

Wedding Season

This is a bracelet that I made a few weeks ago.

I hope everything worked out just fine for this couple!

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The photos below are from my niece's wedding which technically wasn't in the spring, but the fall. I made the bracelet/gifts the she gave to all her attendants.

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Two Tintins

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Two Tintins, Captain Haddock, Snowy & Professor Calculus were left out from a playdate yesterday. I caught this shot early today as they were posing for me in the morning sunlight.

Read about Tintin here.

Tie Dyes

did a few of these recently. . . . .

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Smile Moon

Grin through the trees, a beautiful night tonight!

Lucky Me

My fortune this weekend!

I Might Need This. . . . .

I've had my eye on this Little Leaf Ring by bijougirldesigns for awhile. Hmm-m-m......wonder if she'd like to swap something or would need my services for anything??? http://amandaconley.blogspot.com/

Bracelet/Fabric Swap

I don't often meet someone with the same name as me, but recently through Flickr I met Amy Schimler who not only has my name, but is an amazing artist as well! I asked her if she'd like to do a swap with me? - one of my bracelets for a few yards of the fabric that she designed.

Read the story and her blog & find out why I made her a bracelet that says "Kerflendable" on it here. And see more of Amy's wonderful work here.

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These are the fabrics that I chose. Are they too cute, or what?

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I made these aprons in anticipation of a visit from my niece, Elena. We always bake when she comes & I thought we needed some spiffy new aprons for our adventure into making something from Elena's new Honest Pretzels cookbook by Mollie Katzen of Moosewood fame.

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We made the Giant Baked Pancake Puff (due to hunger, no photos exist) which was quickly renamed Puff the Magic Pancake!

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Eggshell Candles

Seven years ago I found and printed out the instructions for these candles from marthastewart.com. I finally got around to making them for the first time last year.

Get the instructions here.

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Start saving eggs in January. Crack the tops carefully and save the rest of the shell. Make and eat lots of quiche.

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Stash the dyed eggs upside down until they dry.

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Of course it's always more fun to do these sorts of things with youngsters, so I imported a couple along with some friends.

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Jak provided his brand of, well......Jak.

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The girls had a sleepover the night before! The white ceramic egg cups are from orientaltrading.com.

Get them here. .

. The wicks go in last.

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. P.S. ~ Happy Birthday, JOOLS!!

Lemon Squares

Lemon Squares

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preheat oven to 350 degrees

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2 c flour

1/2 c confectioner's sugar

1 c butter

pinch of salt

Mix together until it becomes a ball and pat evently into a 10 x 13 inch lightly greased pan. Bake for about 20 mins until it is just hard on top.

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As the bottom is baking mix together, but do not overbeat:

4 eggs

6 tbsp flour

1 1/4 c sugar

5 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (1-2 lemons)

grated zest of 1 lemon, if desired

Pour over partially baked crust. Bake 15 minutes more, or until the top is set but not brown. Cool completely, sprinkle with powdered sugar (if you'd like) and cut into squares.

These freeze beautifully between layers of waxed paper.

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I heard this recipe on an NPR holiday cookie program. The original called for about double the sugar that I use here and I thought they were WAY too sweet.

But these ARE awfully yummy!!

Two Portraits

Late one Saturday night when I was a youngster, I went out my front door to take a walk and as I did, I glanced back at the house. What I saw were 2 framed photos waiting for me to snap them. My mother and father were having a dinner party that night, she sitting at one end of the table and he at the other. There is a whole table and a few people between them, between the 2 windows.

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I went back in to get my camera and snapped a bunch of photos on b & w 35mm film that I later developed and printed. The painting on the wall is one that my dad painted and the cabinet at the left is one that he designed & had built and I now have it in my house.

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. This was one of those ah ha moments, unexplained, unpredicted, wonderful!

Five Triangles Necklace

This is a necklace that I made to wear to a wedding a couple years ago. But mostly I wanted to post this photo which I just took.

Quilts

I also like to make quilts.

These are some that I've done over the past few years.

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Nine Patch

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Log Cabin .

Bear Claw?

My Portrait

This week my 4 1/2 year old friend, Tommy came to spend an afternoon with me. I was lucky enough to be asked to sit for a portrait, which I happily consented to do. Take special note of the bracelets on my left arm!! .

Tommy, keeping me company from an earlier visit.

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Once Again......Falling Slowly

Ya-y-yyyyyyy!

Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova won an

Academy Award for Best Original Song for

Falling Slowly from the movie "Once".

And Mar's encore acceptance speech and poise were brilliant!!

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See earlier post with video of the song.