Coopers Sale!!!!

This is Cooper, My dear friend Nikki, of Bastille Bleu's 3 year old Golden retriever who recently came down with a severe case of rocky mountain spotted fever. He has been to the vet after showing signs of not feeling well and test confirmed that he did in fact have the above mentioned illness (too many words!!) They put him on what was the normal course of treatment and sent him home to get better. It seemed like he was doing better for a couple of days and then began to crash!

He was taken to an emergency vet hospital, which can also be called the bottomless pit of spending! It is wonderful that we have these places to take our beloved pets to, but the costs can rack up by the hour! The doctors were stumped as to what was causing Cooper to get worse. He had now started having seizures. As you can imagine, my poor friend was beside herself with worry. After running a myriad of costly tests and getting Cooper re-hydrated, they determined that he had been experiencing what amounted to the worst case scenario for an animal with rocky mountain spotted fever.  Most respond to the standard treatment which he had been given earlier in the week by their regular vet, but poor Cooper had to be special! 

He is finally back home now, having lost over 20lbs and still very weak. He'll be recovering for quite awhile as will his owners who now have an enormous vet bill! Nikki is running a one day sale in both of her shops, Bastille Bleu, for handmade artisan lampwork beads and Bastille Bleu Bijoux for jewelry made with her handmade lampwork beads. Some of the bead sets are up to 50% off, so I wouldn't wait!

Stop by Nikki's shops and take a look around, if you find something that appeals to you, your purchase will be supporting a much loved family member! It's kind of cool, since you'll get something and be giving at the same time! Thanks for your support!

BBRrrrrrrrr!

It is currently 26 degrees outside! Now, if you live somewhere that has a cold winter, this would be expected, but this is south central Texas! They say it will be a record low tonight of around 23 degrees! I couldn't take it anymore and finally turned on the furnace, our house which is uber insulated, was at 68 degrees and I thought I was going to freeze! It was quickly up to 72 degrees and I resisted the urge to raise it all the way up to 78, which is where it is at most days. Yes, this may sound warm, but it's actually not, it's very comfortable in fact. Even my husband who is like a nuclear reactor, heat-wise, all on his own, is very comfortable.

Needless to say, with the problems I have been having with my glass rods cracking while I work out in the garage, I knew that this cold was way beyond what my current set up was capable of handling. I have made some adjustments lately that have improved things significantly, but temps in the 20 and 30's are just too cold for me!

Fear not, the weather should be back up into the mid to upper 60's by Monday! I may not freeze after all!
I put up a few new listings in my Juniper Gems shop, and my good friend Nikki at Bastille Bleu made me super cute holiday banners and avatars for both of my shops. You'll have to go and see them! They turned out so cute! She came to my rescue, since I am severely challenged in this area myself. I tried several different programs and methods for making my own banners and failed miserably. There are some things that it is wise to acknowledge that you CANNOT do yourself and pay someone else to do it for you. I was coming close to wanting to throw my new computer out the window, which in the long run would cost a lot more than paying someone to make a banner for me. I now know without a doubt that I suck at this and should make no further efforts at trying. The world in general will be a happier, safer place if I stick with this plan.

Hopefully I will be back at my torch later this weekend. I can only go so long with out a fix!!! I just got a new shipment of Creation Is Messy glass and am expecting more glass on Monday. It's like boxes of candy arriving! The rods are all so pretty to look at, and you can't wait to go fire up your torch and see what you can do with each one. I'll have plenty to play with this next week! I have a couple projects I am working on for the holidays, hopefully I can make something decent! Stop by my shop Principessa Glass an see my new holiday banner! If you leave me a heart, (aka, save me as a favorite) I will heart you back!