Lookin' Out My Back Door

Holiday Linens


What's out your back door?

Until next time.....

Where'd She Go?

If you wander into my Etsy shops, you'll find them as empty as those Etsy minis to your right. Here's the notice that you'll find:

*****I'm taking a few days off to enjoy the Season. I will still be checking my shop and answering convos, so if you have a question about a previous order or need to get in touch with me, feel free to drop me a convo. See you in 2009!*****

Until next time.....

Shake it up Baby

I love vintage bar ware and have accumulated a lot of it over the years. I was browsing the vintage category on Etsy this morning and did a search for martini shakers and was so thrilled to see a list of them. I want each and every one of them, but that would sort of be overkill. So, this week in my 'Spreading the Etsy Love' mini (to your right), I'm highlighting cocktail shakers. Pick one up for yourself or someone on your list.

Until next time.....

Just Another Perfect Saturday

Until next time.....

Winter Wonderland

Yesterday, I waited patiently for the snow that was in the forecast. See previous blog post. Well, my patience paid off.

We did get our first snow of the season, and maybe our only snow. So, I was determined to take advantage of it and enjoy every inch of it. Two inches to be exact. I love winter! I love snow! Thank you Mother Nature.

Until next time.....

December's Landscape

It's been raining buckets, here in Tennessee. The last of the leaves have fallen from the trees and the landscape is shaded in hues of brown and grey. My designs seem to mirror the colors that surround me, as you can see by the collage.

I love this time of year. Our weather can change at the drop of a hat. Take today for instance. It's raining. And windy. And the temperature is at 34 degrees. The weather forecast says that the temps will be dropping throughout the day. Insert BIG smile here. We could possibly get snow! And for me, that is a BIG occasion. So, keep your fingers crossed that the temperature starts to drop as the day goes on.

If you haven't already noticed, I started posting a new mini from my Vintage shop; which is not open. With this mini, I'll be Spreading the Etsy Love by posting some of my favorite sellers and things and new discoveries for y'all to see. The first one is up and it's loaded with some of my fav jewelry girls. If you haven't already, check them out.

OK, I best go check the thermometer. My nose is cold. It must be dropping!

Until next time.....

Lookin' Out My Back Door

Rain~What's out your back door?
Until next time.....

Not Your Mama's Pearls

I've always loved working with freshwater pearls. So many colors, shapes and sizes to choose from. And they're so versatile. You can dress them up. Or you can dress them down. They stand on their own and they blend in right beside gemstones or vintage glass.

In my shop you can find them hand knotted, wire worked or simply strung.

But one thing's for certain.....they're not your mama's pearls.

You can see what's in stock right now in my shop by typing 'freshwater pearls' in my search bar. And this weekend, until 12:00 midnight EST, I'm offering free shipping. Hope to see you there.

Until next time.....

Just Another Perfect Saturday

Until next time.....

Picasa 3

It doesn't take much to get me excited. A few weeks ago, I was turned onto Picnik and was thrilled to finally be able to add text to Etsy banners and avatars when I wanted to.
Then yesterday, I was downloading some pictures onto Picasa and got a pop up notifying me that they now had an upgrade. Carp! Just what I don't need right now. I didn't have the time to relearn everything that I already knew by heart.
And today, I'm eating those words because I just realized that the new version of Picasa has the ability to add text to photos! Oh yeah, that's great news for me. Told you that it didn't take much to get me excited!
Until next time.....

Lookin' Out My Back Door

Holly Berries

What's out your back door?
Until next time.....

Cyber Monday Sale

*****SALE*****Cyber Monday*****SALE*****
25% off my entire shop (excluding shipping)December 1~Cyber Monday. Either wait for a revised invoice or pay immediately and I will issue a refund through Paypal. If you're paying with a money order or check, I will send you a revised invoice. Sale ends midnight, EST.
Happy Holidays
Hope to see you there!
Until next time.....

Beads Make Great Stocking Stuffers

I know that I'd love some beads in my stocking on Christmas morning. I always love to get beads. :) Stop by and take a look at what's in my deStash shop this season. Here's a sample:

Hope to see you there. Until next time.....

Just Another Perfect Saturday

Until Next Time.....

Christmas Candy

And it's all 15% off. Sale ends midnight November 30.
Until next time.....

Lookin' Out My Back Door

Laundry Day~
What's out your back door?
Until next time.....

Hanukkah Bead Medley

I just listed my first Hanukkah bead medley in my deStash shop. This is the second year that I'm listing the Holiday bead medleys; the other one being reds, greens and whites. I love putting these together. Oh, the simple things in life.
Until next time.....

Just Another Perfect Saturday

Until Next Time.....

Christmas Trees

Do you put one up? If so, when?
We don't put up a tree at our house, but we do put one up at my in laws. But that doesn't mean that we go tree-less.

We have huge houseplants that get decorated. And we have ornament trees that we put our vintage ornaments on. Those sit atop the mantle; out of reach of the cat (and us). We have many different kinds of evergreens and vines growing on our property and I cut armfuls to fashion into swags, garlands, wreathes, bouquets and 'trees'. Every room has fresh greens in it and the aroma floats throughout the house. I promise to post photos when I begin.

Many folks put their tree up the day after Thanksgiving. If you're one of them, enjoy the day. Because one day, they will be wonderful memories for you and yours.
Until next time.....

Lookin' Out My Back Door

Every Tuesday, as long as I'm home, I'm going to post an image from outside my home.
And I'd like to invite y'all to join in. You can just post a photo on your blog. Or you can post a photo with description. It doesn't have to be out your back door. It could be the front door. Or side window. Or rooftop. You get the idea.

The view out my back door changes daily and I never know what I'm going to see when I open the curtain. One time, I saw two young foxes. Another time, I saw a Great Blue Heron drinking out of my birdbath. Something that you see everyday and take for granted is of interest to someone else. So join me and start posting on Tuesdays. Let's see what's out your back door.
This week: Bradford Pear Tree changing colors, with a topping of the Moon.
Until next time.....

Let it Snow

Well, yesterday I saw snow for the first time this season. I went outside to warm up the truck and saw the flakes. I ran inside screaming "It's SNOWING". The reality was that the flakes were so tiny that you could only see them if you were outside and you looked at the dark brown siding of the house. BUT, it WAS snow. You may not know this, but I was born and raised in NJ and when I was a kid we had real snowstorms. I loved snow then and I love it now. There's just not as much of it to love here in TN.
If I'm lucky, we'll have one good snow here this winter. You can bet that I'll post pictures! Until then, here's some 'snow' from my Etsy jewelry shop.
Until next time.....

Holiday Bead Medleys

I've decided to make this a tradition in my deStash shop. Last year was the first time that I posted a Holiday bead medley on Etsy. Throughout the year, I put aside red, green, gold, silver or white colored vintage glass and plastic beads to add to the mix. You get all the beads in the photos; which is a mix of vintage glass and plastic beads. Each medley is different.
Enjoy~
Until Next Time.....

Just Another Perfect Saturday

Until next time.....

It's In The Stars

I've been working on new banners and avatars for winter. What that really means is that I've pulled out all the holiday decorations in order to find my collection of stars. That project took way longer than it should have, but how can I resist NOT looking at all those decorations!

Eventually, I made it downstairs with every star that I could find. And then, the real fun began. What started out as making a few banners and avatars, turned into a whole day affair of photographing stars. I have a lot to show for all the fun though. I am so ready to change seasons in my shops.

My sale is still going on in my jewelry shop until the end of November. 15% off all earrings and necklaces.
Until next time.....

Earwire DeStash

When I don't make my own ear wires, I buy them in bulk. You can find these for sale in my Etsy bead shop. Stock up now for your holiday designs. Included in the collage are silver plated, oxidized silver plated and gold plated clip-ons; an affordable alternative for people without pierced ears.
Until next time.....

Look Ma! No Hands!

And that's exactly how I felt when I was able to add text to my avatars, banners and ads by myself.
It's a well known fact, among the folks that know me, that I'm not very fond of sitting in front of the computer. And because of that, I'm very limited with what I can do on one, but I was determined to learn. That was the main reason for opening a shop on Etsy a few years ago. Well, I've come a long way in that time, but there are still many things that I can not do. I've paid to have the work done and I've also had some very nice Etsy friends add text to avs and banners for me, but I'm a DIY kind of girl and I wanted to do it myself.

After reading threads on the Etsy forums about PhotoShop, I purchased a copy. Little did I know that I'd have to take a class or read a book just so I could figure it out. There are not enough hours in my day to do that right now, but it's on my list of 'things to do' this winter.

And then a few days ago, I was on the Lollishops Guild board and Sadie Lou posted a link for a site named Picnik. I was hesitant to look at it, but clicked and was pleasantly surprised that it was an EASY site to follow and in less than an hour, I was cranking out avs and banners and ads. Oh my! I may have gone a little overboard. Hey, I was actually having fun!
Check it out:
http://www.picnik.com/
And look for more info in the coming days about Lollishops.com. I'll be there, with text on. :)
Until next time.....

Just Another Perfect Saturday

Until next time.....

Vintage-Laced Jewelry *Countdown to the Holidays* SALE

I can not believe that it's November already! Time to pack the last remnants of summer away and get into holiday mode. To celebrate the beginning of the season (besides eating too much Halloween candy), I've decided to put my jewelry shop on sale for the month of November. You can find this sale on Etsy:
http://BlackStar.etsy.com

*****SALE*****Countdown to the Holidays*****SALE*****
15% off my entire shop (excluding shipping) from November 1-30. Either wait for a revised invoice or pay immediately and I will issue a refund through Paypal. If you're paying with a money order or check, just wait for a revised invoice.

Hope to see you there!
Until next time.....

Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween!


Until next time.....

VOTE

Until next time.....

Just Another Perfect Saturday

Until next time.....

Team EcoEtsy's Auction for a Cause

The holidays are quickly creeping up on us. Here's a great way to start or finish your holiday shopping. Brought to you by the members of the Eco Etsy Street Team.
Click on the link for all the details~

http://ecoetsy.com/auction-oct2008.html
Until next time.....

My Other True Love

~~~~~the sea~~~~~

Until next time.....

The Colors of Autumn

These are the colors of Autumn. My bead shop and handmade jewelry are infused with blues, browns, yellows, oranges, reds and purples during this season. It's early in the season. Soon the landscape will be alive with the colors that are shown here. I can't wait!
Until next time.....

Happy Autumn!

Although it doesn't quite look like Fall around here yet (these pictures are from a previous Autumn), it's definitely not summer anymore. It seems like everyone I speak to is ready for Autumn. Well, it's finally here. Today.

Happy Autumn!

Until next time.....

Under the Chestnut Oaks

What better way to spend a cool Autumn night, than under the Chestnut Oaks? Our property is riddled with them. They are huge oaks with even bigger acorns. And when those acorns fall from the trees and bounce off the top of the tent, you know it!

Pretty soon the leaves will be golden and we'll be sleeping under the stars and oaks. Enjoy the cool weather~

Until next time.....

Autumn's Calling

The mornings are a bit cooler here in middle Tennessee. The Black Walnut leaves are starting to drop from the trees. The turkeys are coming out of the woods. It's foggy in the morning. I can smell Autumn. It's just a matter of time until the Equinox is here. Can you hear it? Autumn's calling.

Until next time.....

Don't Play With Your Food

One of the good things about being a 'grown up' is that no one can tell you not to play with your food.

We're knee deep in tomatoes, beans, okra and tomatillos right now. Might as well play with some of it.

Until next time.....