Do I Really Need to Learn a New Craft??

Personally, I don't feel that question needs to be answered.. Some may ask that, but I am just moving on tho the next thing that interests me and I have my reasons... My Grandmother knit beautifully and I promised I would learn to knit..and I will, BUT for now I am going to learn to crochet. I am following a great person on Twitter..Sarah Coffey, and she crochets beautifully, among other things..She is offering free, online, beginning crochet classes from her website, and from looking at the beautiful items she stocks in her Etsy shop.. I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Let me just say that Sarah is one of the most pleasant and enjoyable people to follow on Twitter that I have come across so far. It's no surprise that she has over 3000 followers! She is responsive, friendly and retweets faithfully! Her Etsy shop is filled with gorgeous crocheted wraps, baby items that make me wish I had found such things when my daughter was about 17 years younger and a few fun pairs of hand embroidered "Naughty" panties that are just a riot!

I bought the suggested crochet kit and yarn today from my local Hobby Lobby. I was going to just order them from Amazon.com as she suggested, which is often my go to place, but I thought I would check HL just in case. The crochet kit was only $1.00 more and the yarn was the same price.. Saved me any shipping and NO waiting..

If you've been wanting to learn to crochet..check out Sarah's website for the schedule of dates.. It's basically once a week on Sunday night, starting on June 5th. She even has things set up so you can view missed classes in the event that you do miss one!

I also highly recommend checking out her Etsy shop and if you Twitter... Follow Sarah! 

Snow????

I am only posting this NOT because I have never seen snow before, or lived somewhere where it snowed, but because it is snowing here in South Central Texas! It is a VERY rare occurrence that little white flakes even fall from the sky, but when they actually collect on the ground, even if it's only a half inch, it's still quite a big deal!

My husband who works an hour south of the city in a rural hospital can't even get home tonight. They have closed all the major highways and freeways after the accident toll reached over 500! Yes, I know this is NOT the blizzard they are having up in the north, but to people who have never driven in snow before, (and are really BAD drivers to begin with) it may as well be a blizzard!

It remains to be seen if they will cancel school tomorrow. Apparently they will be posting that info to Facebook and Twitter, as well as the district website.. When I was a kid you had to listen to the radio or watch the morning news.. the school district didn't tweet or have a Facebook that you could "like" them on. I DO get the whole social networking thing.. but I have to admit I am still amazed at who has a "follow me on Twitter" or "find us on Facebook" on their package these days. Thanks for stopping by! Keep warm where ever you are, and if you live in San Antonio and don't know how to drive in the snow... please stay home... Our car insurance went up 50% just moving here if that tells you anything about the average driver here!

Whats New....

Here's a peek at a few new things that are now listed in my Etsy shops. The jewelry pieces are in my shop Juniper Gems and the beads are all listed at Principessa Glass. Some of these items have already sold and some are still available.

I've been making a lot of hearts these days! I found a brass press that makes a truly awesome plump, consistent heart and I just love the results. It still takes a bit of skill to use, its not a simple load and press kind of deal, but it does allow you to make beautiful, nicely sized hearts, that are of a consistent size, with a nice crisp finish to them.

I have also embraced the trend of making beads directly onto vintage/antique skeleton keys. First I do love hunting in antique stores for these little treasures, and then of course, you know I do love making beads, so its fun then to put my own signature of sorts, on this little piece of history. I have been selling some in my bead shop and converting some into necklaces that are sold in my jewelry shop.

I have been gearing up for fall working on more organic looking beads and warm toned color palates, but I am also pleases to see the color forecast for fall has some very nice colors in it this year, not so neutral based. Lots of reds, greens, plums and purples and plenty of blues as well.

I do have an eye towards the winter holidays and have been testing out colors, shapes and designs. I will likely start offering my winter/ holiday beads in early fall. As always, I list all of my bead and jewelry listings on my Facebook within minutes of posting to Etsy. I have also started putting them on my Twitter. Thanks for stopping by!