Thank You for the Birthday Wishes!

Awwww. I am blown away by all the sweet comments I got on the Birthday post my mom put on here! Thank you all so much! It really made my day to read them. I wish I could reply to each one individually but I unfortunately am so short on free time right now that I can't. So I'm issuing a corporate "THANKS!!" to everyone, and it comes from the bottom of my heart! :)

Well, I was hoping to hide for the rest of my days, filled with guilt for not posting since before Thanksgiving... but Mom blew my cover and hijacked my blog, so now I have to say something. (Ha-ha!) :)

Well, next month (The first weekend in May) will find me up in Atlanta at the Georgia Home Educators Association (GHEA) Convention, running a booth selling my handcrafted jewelry. As you may well imagine, I've been as busy as a bee... no, busier than that... :D ... making jewelry for my booth. What came as a surprise to me was the sudden and unforeseen projects that jumped into first place in the middle of my work schedule.
I thought about keeping it a surprise until they were all done... but I just have to tell you! So here goes... I'm writing jewelry instruction e-Books! One on how to create earrings, one for bracelets, and one about necklaces! I'll even give you a sneak peek at the cover for the first one...

What do you think? Isn't it adorable? I took the photo myself and designed the whole thing. (and the inside is even better!!) :)

So that's all for now. I probably will not be able to post again until after the convention, and to let you know when my new website is up and running to sell the e-Books from. Until then, ta-ta-for-now!

It's a Big Day and We Need Your Help!!

This is Julia's mom, Mrs. Gloria, and I need your help!

This Sunday, April 10th is Julia's birthday!!

She is turning 20!

Please leave a comment or email her (if you have her address) and wish her a very happy birthday. 

She is feeling rather down about turning 20 so I need your help to cheer her up.  She said she feels old but she is really just beginning a wonderful life.  Any encouraging, uplifting words would be greatly appreciated. 

We want to make this a special event and hearing from her friends will mean so much to Julia.

You can leave comments or email starting now through Sunday, April 10th.

Yes, I hacked her blog but good parents have the passwords!!  :)

Blessings and thank you!!

Mrs. Gloria for Julia's family

Not from,

:)

Off To The Beach...

Hi blog readers! :)

My family and I are leaving this morning for Florida to spend thanksgiving week with my grandmother. I hope to come back with a tan and a few seashells. :) While I'm gone, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! (Tip: Go light on the mashed potatoes and gravy - fill up on turkey and veg instead!) :D


On our trip, I will be taking my new iPod shuffle. In pink. :D

 The reason I had to get a new one was that my old iPod shuffle tragically got left in the pocket of the hoodie I wore to the gym, and drowned in the washing machine. *sniff!* :( Strangely, the earbuds still worked just fine, it was only the iPod that died. (?) Anyway, I loaded up my NEW iPod with all my favorite music and it's ready for the trip! I even got a little adapter so that you can plug the iPod's usb plug right into an electrical outlet to charge it! No need for a computer! (which is a good thing, because my grandmother does not have one) :D


And, I thought I'd share pictures of a little project I'd done recently...

I found this GORGEOUS old-fashioned frame with a collage mat inside it for 8.00 at Ross. (I love that place, it's like a huge yard-sale) I took it home, and waited for months trying to decide which 'perfect' photographs to print and put inside.

Then I saw a tutorial where a lady had filled a similar collage with neutral backgrounds in each picture hole with a single feather in each square. It looked pretty cool, and inspired me to work with what I had on hand... which was a lot of old greeting cards left over from birthdays and my graduation party in '09.

 I especially like the peach one in this corner - it says "God is crazy about you. He doesn't just like you a little, he doesn't just think you're sort of special - the God of the universe is head-over-heels, deeply, truly, forever-and-ever in love with you."

I even fixed some of them up. The "Love, Hugs, Laughter" card in the corner there used to say "Happy Birthday" across the top, which was nice but I didn't want it in my collage... so I covered the text with two pieces of paper and stuck a flower sticker in the corner for a little extra embellishment. :) Also, the black damask-patterned one in the center used to have a fancy "B" in the middle... but I don't have a B in my name... so I simply stuck a pretty sunflower sticker over it, and Voila! It was perfect collage material. :)

Hoping you have a very happy Thanksgiving,

Crochet Book Giveaway

Calling all Crocheters! I just found out about a cool giveaway at AllFreeCrochet.Com and thought I'd share it with you.

They're giving away this book ^ on crocheting, and it looks really cute! The giveaway ends on November 17, 2010.

So....

Go HERE to enter. :)

Happy Crocheting!

Indian Summer

I don't know about you, but where I live we've been enjoying an Indian summer! The summer has continued on, and on... and on.... sigh. :D It is supposed to get colder shortly, so I'm soaking up every bit of warm sunshine that I can before winter arrives.

Also, we'll be visiting my grandma in south Florida this Thanksgiving, so the computer desktop I designed for myself this month looks like this...

I like it. The cool tones remind me of autumn, and the tropical picture reminds me of our upcoming trip. :)

Newest Family Photo

Hey Friends!
Life has been full and rich for me the past few months. It's been wonderful! Unfortunately, I haven't been blogging very often. :( I've been doing more real-life activities instead of being at the computer. Which is good in some ways but not so great in others. So, a few news snippets before I share the newest family picture (The impatient reader will have already scrolled down to see it by now...) Yes, I've got you pegged. :D

News Snippet 01:
I'm writing a book. Not like I haven't always written little stories here and there, kept a journal since I was 11, and blogged for 2+ years, but this time it's.... different. I have the whole framework already written out in notes, and all that remains is to fill in the nooks and crannies and flesh out my creation.

The book is about a young woman named Felicity living in the 1800's in Derbyshire, England. My story was hugely inspired by none other than Jane Austen. I've loved her work for a long time, and then one day I thought, "Hey, what if I tried writing my own Jane Austen story?" and... Lissie was born.

I wrote one third of the book just thinking I was doing it for my own pleasure and would never actually share it with the outside world. But then I mentioned it to a few friends, and the response was so enthusiastic that I decided that I just 'might' publish it in e-book format once the whole thing is complete.

So that's where that news snippet ends. I'll let you know when I'm done with the book. (I currently have about a hundred pages written and it's going to be a full 350+ page novel, so I'm about one-third of the way there). :)

News Snippet 02:
We have baby chicks! Well... actually, they'll be a month old this saturday, but they're still small and adorable compared to our huge adult hens. We ordered a whole batch of Buff Orphingtons after getting one in a mix of chickens and loving it the best. They have a sweet disposition and are excellent for either meat or egg chickens. (Ours will be kept for the eggs!!) :D And, they should be laying by this spring.

News Snippet 03:
My mom and I have joined the local Fitness Center (our ladies' gym closed about a year and a half ago... sniff!) and we are both getting back into a regular workout routine. I am already seeing a big difference in muscle strength, and mama has been more flexible recently after swimming in the pool. Yaaaay! :)

News Snippet 04 - The Picture!
I took this family picture yesterday with the timer on my new camera on Sunday afternoon (Before we'd changed out of our church clothes) and we are going to send it along with a letter to our little orphan boy in Thailand that we've supported for ten years. It's a pretty great picture, so I thought I'd share it with you! :)

Awww... I love my family. :)

DISCLAIMER: The height is actually not accurate in this picture, because the kids are standing downhill. I am taller than Mom, and the boys are a couple inches taller than Daddy. :D

I wuv it, regardless! :)

10:10,10/10/10

Happy 10:10 PM, 10/10/10, everybody!

And Happy Birthday to my younger brother Steven, who today turns 15 years old! :D

Craft Show Tomorrow!

I know! I've been so bad with posting. I hope to improve drastically as soon as tomorrow (and the next day) pass on by. What's happening tomorrow, you say?

Tomorrow my mom and I will be running a booth at the Shakerag Festival in Peachtree City, Georgia, selling my handcrafted jewelry and my mom's vintage-style aprons. We have a lot of other items as well, including 2 afghans I crocheted, comfy cuddles, (which are heating packs, great for aches and pains) crocheted slippers, and crocheted pincushions. :D It's a fun booth! We did a mock set-up today in our carport and it looked great. I can't wait for tomorrow! (even though I will be getting up at 5:45 AM, as we have an hour's drive there...) :P



Please be praying that our merchandise sells well. It would be a huge blessing for our family. :) And if you're in the area, I'd love to see you! Feel free to stop on by! :D


Hugs,

Oh Sew Stylish giveaway!

My sweet friend Lindsay is giving away a bag of your choice from her etsy shop!

Lindsay is a very talented seamstress and her purses and bags are simply *Adorable*!! I'd love to have one of these! The winner will be drawn at random on August 20th, (2010) so hurry on over to enter! :D


There, now that I've shared that wonderful event with you, I thought you might like to see some of the pictures I've been taking with my new camera, which is an Olympus PEN E-PL1.


I've really been enjoying the "Art Modes", especially:

Grainy Black-&-White

 Me... a self portrait. (That is my bookcase behind me and you can just see the corner of my jewelry worktable on the left.)

Pop Art:

Wild blueberries. (one of my earliest shots... the focus here is not perfect)

And...

Soft Focus:

Look at the background... see how soft and dreamy it looks?

I also liked...

Gentle Sepia:

Daddy on the porch.

Pinhole: (darkened edges)

And the Macro is impressive! Look at this picture:

I call it "The Unfortunate Tomato". Lol!

More next time!

~Julia~

Warfare By Duct Tape FREEBIE!

Hi Blog Readers!

I have some REALLY exciting news. My two younger brothers Mark and Steven have launched their own business with a brand new website! Warfare by Duct Tape now has an online home at WWW.WARFAREBYDUCTTAPE.COM!

Now, I know most of my blog readers are girls like myself, but how many of you have brothers? They would LOVE this, I promise! My brothers make their own medieval-style weapons (including swords, spears, battle-axes, and throwing axes) from simple materials easily found at your local hardware store like PVC pipe, foam padding, and of course - Duct Tape! :D

I designed and built the website *modest little cough* ;) and my mom and I worked really hard on getting all the files for the e-books uploaded.

Oh yes, the exciting part...

For one week, August 9-14 2010, We are giving away A FREEBIE! It's an excerpt from THE BATTLE BOOK, a tutorial booklet on how to make Shields and Bucklers! You can find this awesome freebie at: http://warfarebyducttape.com/freebiepage.html

And for a limited time, our BATTLE BOOK and ARMORED GLOVE BOOK are both on sale at a big discount! So if I were you I'd head on over there and take a look.

Do tell me what you all think of the website too... I put a lot of work into that thing and would love to hear your comments & suggestions.

*Oh, and I know I haven't posted anything in forever, I am so sorry. I miss you all! And yes, I am OK. Just extremely busy. I do plan on posting sometime soon about everything I've been working on. (hint: Jewelry, Crochet, New Camera, Upcoming Craft Show, The roller-coaster emotions involved in Building Websites... etc.)

*Also, what do you think of the new blog look? :D

Exquisite Bracelets

Today I was playing with the new things I received in my jewelry order, which came the other day. I'd happened to order some stunning spacer bars that evoked a victorian feel with antiqued silver and swarovski crystals adding a little sparkle. I had an inspiration, dived right in, and ended up designing 8 bracelets! I've never made so many 2-strand bracelets before in one day, so it was a new record for me... and I decided it was blog-worthy! :D So, whipping out my little camera, I snapped a few pictures for you.

Aren't they beautiful?

The bracelets are not complete yet, just strung on the Accu-Flex wire, but you get the idea. :)

Looking at these just makes me all happy inside! :) I was also quite pleased to get so much done today. Creativity comes in wild bursts for me... so I've learned to go with the flow and 'make hay while the sun shines'! :D

I actually do this pretty often. Snap a random self-portrait, that is. I rarely share them in blog-world, however. :D Here I am thinking, "hmm, will this angle work, or cut off half my face?"

And here I was thinking "Oh wow, it works!" :) I also love the close-up of the beads... all that shimmer and glitter is nearly overpowering my "sparkle radar". Oooh! SO gorgeous! :D

So what do you think? Did you spy a favorite color amongst my jewelry pieces? (hopefully! I usually just have to guess what people like when I'm ordering beads... sometimes my instincts flop, but most of the time they're pretty accurate) Let me know if you're interested in purchasing one of the completed pieces. These will all eventually be for sale. ;)

Love & Hugs,