deedledumpling

Gearing up for Valentines

Well,  here I am,  having been missing in action for oh so long.    Excuses???   Well,  there are many,  but the biggest I think was wondering if there really was "anyone out there??"   I have finally come to decide that the only person this blog needs to be for is me.    Also,  I have this fantasy that I will use one of those services and have my entire blog life made into a book for our daughter.   She will sit and read it over and over again and marvel what a wonderful Mother and life she has had.  Well I can dream,  can't I?
Here you will see a sweet little Heart Pendant I have made for the upcoming Valentine's Showcase on Etsy.  It is hollow constructed with a window in the front showing a bit of darkness.  Don't we all have a bit of shadow to hide within our hearts.
The beads are vintage lead crystal, ruby and garnet.  All the pretty pink and red beads to go with the Holiday.   They started out as earrings, but I decided they worked better as individual pendants.   I have two,  slightly different and will show the other in the next few days when I have finished it.
These next few photos are of Atlanta's big Snow 2008!   We don't get much here,  maybe once a year, so it is very exciting.  There were many snowball fights and fun in the snow this morning.  We have settled in to dry off and have some chow.  This may be our only snow of the year so we will relish this the rest of the day.

So look for me again in a day or so.   I will be using this blog for new jewelry projects, further times of our lives and general things on my mind.  Please come again.

Back Again

SEAGROVE BEACH as captured by Soccer Queen.

Well,   here I am,  back again.    Sorry for all of these many days with no post.   I apologize to my throngs of fans out there who have daily wiped tears of sadness from their eyes,  desparately searching for a new entry.    I truly have just been out of town,  or getting ready to be out of town,  or just exhausted in between trips out of town.   No excuse,  je sais,  but I am back ever so briefly to update you all a bit on the exciting life we lead here in the South.

For one thing,  my camera fell onto the tile floor at the beach,  and is currently being repaired.  Not only does this seriously mess with my posting abilities and visually hamper the engaging content of this blog,  but it puts a serious crimp in my ability to post new items to my Etsy shop.   That in and of itself would also be made better by the fact that I actually had some new work to post (which I do not!!!!).   Very sad!!   However,  today is the day!!! I plan to spend some much coveted time in my studio today knocking out a few things I have had floating in my head,  like the seaweed around my ankles, in various beaches along the eastern seaboard of this good old US of A.

BLUE BUTTON JELLYFISH-non-poisonous

We have been to the Gulf of Mexico beaches,  and the New York Atlantic beaches,  Fire Island to be exact,  and are about to descend upon the Low Country as we call it down here.   These would be the South Carolina Atlantic beaches.    So as you can see,  my life is far from sad, albiet a bit busy for the summer.   Honestly,  this was a very unusual year,  with friends begging us onto trips to all of these  places.  What can you do??? So I have included here my two new "Beach Books"  which will accompany me to this last beach party of the summer.

  When we return, Soccer Queen begins Middle school in a new school.   She is decked out with new jeans, hair ties, shoes, and backpack.   She is very excited about this change,  and I think it will be a huge growth experience for her.   Also I will be back to my routine of chatelaine, jewelry creator, and laundress,  so stay posted for alot of new Fall stories. Check these new books I have listed on my "books list",  and try to hang on until I can update you on any further adventures. Adieu.

Off To The Beach

Well,  here we go again.   We leave for 2 weeks at the beach this weekend.   So looking forward to this. 

Even have my fabulous new beach bag packed  with a shawl I have been trying to finish for too long.   

We have been having alot of fun here this summer.   My sister and niece were down here, coming back with Soccer Queen and I from St. Louis.   A few pictures of Soccer Queen's Birthday celebration up on Lake Burton.   Getting so big,  and more beautiful each day, she is!!

And lastly,  a little rough diamond and polished diamond pendant I made today to wear with some wonderful earrings Computer Guy gave me year before last for our 10th Anniversary.   They go quite well together and I shall wear them at the beach.

Shaw's Garden

A  lovely visit by myself today to one of my most favorite places.   "Shaw's Garden",  otherwise  known
known as the Missouri Botanial Gardens, is a magial place.   It was originally the home of George M. Shaw,  a prominent St. Louisan who imigrated from the UK to the US in the early 1800's.   He became wealthy importing and selling steel and related hardware items from Sheffield, England where his family had a steel business.  Even many settlers heading out West bought tools and cuttlery from Mr. Shaw's Hardware company before their travels.   He retired early at 40,  and engaged in his only true love,  Botany.  He amassed a large property which surrounded his home and later became known to us as "Shaw's Gardens".   I leave you below with some wonderful pictures from my time there today.   Truly a magical place.
In 1897, the gardens were revamped according to the plans of the famous landscape architect,  Frederick Law Olmstead.

The Best Zoo in the World!!

My family and I went to visit the St. Louis Zoo today.   Well, I may be prejudiced, as I grew up with this Zoo,  but in my opinion it is the best in the world.   The original framework was part of the 1904 World's Fair,  with it's wonderful Victorian stone structures and big "red rocks".  This is a new metal sculpture that has been put at the corner entrance.   Being a "metal freak",  I just love it!
Then we have the Baby Elephants.   So cute,  this one's name is Maliya.  She is so sweet.  Then we have this next picturem, a symbiotic relationship between the fish cleaning the hippo,  and the hippo providing food for the fish.                                                                                                                                                  

And this is not a scene from "Happy Feet",  but the new Penguin Exhibit at the Zoo.
And finally this, the gorgeous Tiger, King of the Asian jungle.
Tomorrow,  The Missouri Botanical Gardens.   Can't wait!!

   

And Off We Go!!

Well,  tomorrow Soccer Queen and I are flying up to St. Louis,  to visit my family.  Yes I am the quintessential transplanted Midwesterner!!   But you know what???  I do so love the South.  I have been very busy of late, finding a new school for Soccer Queen (what a headache!), fixing up the house in preparation for my family to accompany us back down here,  and making the few new things you see here.

 

I also wanted to show you the darling little dog I traded for with one of my new Etsy friends, Kristina. You can check her Etsy shop out  here.
She is a lovely new friend from one of my favorite countries,  Denmark. We traveled there about 6 years ago visiting work associates for Computer Guy,  and just loved.  Such lovely people,  and a really beautiful place.   I hope to visit again some day.  So I will close with this little lovely.  You should all go visit her shop and get one for yourselves.  

We Appreciate All You Do!

And so on this Memorial Day,  we are here enjoying the freedoms afforded us by those who not only have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation,  but also for those who currently work to keep us safe.   

This weekend my nephew who is in the National Guard,  and his lovely girlfriend have been visiting with us.  They made the long trek down from the Midwest,  and leave again tomorrow.   He is a videographer for the Army National Guard,  and travels for them documenting and recording various things. 

Of course, being his adoring aunt,  I  hog-tied him (that's Midwestern for bossed him around), into using his considerable skills to reshoot this bracelet for me.   We changed the pictures on Etsy just last evening since I had a showcase today,  and this morning it sold!!    So a very happy aunt I am.   "Lighting is everything" he says,  so I learned a few little tips and will try to replicate his results.

So I will make some other little beauties with more rough diamonds this week,  I really love them. 

I have not been blogging much lately,  but been very busy with house, garden and deck.   Summer is upon us and thoughts of the upcoming beach trips run like Gingerbread men thru my mind.

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I find myself thinking of beach reading and realized I needed to tell the world about this fabulous book.    Without a doubt the best thing I have read in quite a while!!!   So go to the nearest bookstore and purchase this jewel and begin your summer!

Multi-Tasking

Well,  as you can probably tell from "My Absence",  I have been a very busy girl of late.  With big-time soccer tournaments last weekend, most of the weekend was pretty much a bust.   I am tho very excited and look forward to receiving my very own little stuffed dog from here,  a new Etsy friend. What a lovely person as well,  just can't wait.
Also,  another new Etsy friend here,
with the most wonderful stuff.  VT,  these pictures of my studio are for you. She has the most wonderful metalwork on her site.

  I have been spending alot of time down here these last 2 weeks, working on some new things,  whipping up something for my sister's graduation with her Masters in Education (Yeh,  what an accomplishment for a full-time Kindergarden teacher, mother and wife). I am very proud of her.

Alot of this week have been working on getting our deck set up for the summer.  Lots of potted planters to do,  fish ponds to clean up and fix up, and then sitting out there just enjoying it all.

And finally some yummy cupcakes I made for a family who have moved back into the neighborhood.   We have missed them.   Unfortunately there are about a dozen left over.  Ahh,  I need to get rid of them.  Maybe I will take them around to other neighbors so I don't wear them on my hips.   Have a wonderful Mother's Day  weekend all of you Wonderful Mother's!!!


   

Can You Say Bed & BonBons

Well,  Soccer Queen is off on a whole week camping trip with her class this week.   As busy as I am,  she often accuses me of lying in bed and eating Bonbons and watching TV (I never watch TV BTW).

Today,  however,  I purchased a great little photography studio thingy to take better pictures for my shop.  This little set-up makes a world of difference in my pictures.  Still playing with it,  but I can already tell a huge difference.

I love these religious icon pendants!  I have some old masters paintings I am working with currently.  This is the second one I finished yesterday. 

And best of all,  today is MAYDAY!!! I walked out into the garden very early this morning and everything is so happy and ready for summer.  The weather here today is very warm.  And so I puttered a bit today in the garden, on the deck, and went shopping for a wonderful little picture I bought here on Etsy.
Don't you just love this sketch!  I bought a very Baroque  little frame for it.

And so right now here I sit,  GUILTY YOUR HONOR!!!   I am indeed, today, in the abscense of my little one,  sitting in bed, getting ready to read a book,  and eating a BonBon!!
Who knew??  Soccer Queen did all along j'suppose!!!

Please Mock Me!

Well, it is raining here today,  but a much needed rain it is indeed.   We are in a drought already this year,  so bring it on!   These were taken yesterday of a Mock Orange bush that was dug up several years ago from the elderly lady who lived behind us.   Our neighborhood, like many in this city,  is growing by leaps and bounds.  When we first moved in,  behind us lived "Peetie",  the elderly woman with about 30 indoor and outdoor cats.   In fact she has been gone now for about 4 years,  and we still have wild cats around from her crew.  Peetie used to live on the property that is now all of ours.  She would, for years, be seen coming over to our property and digging for strange things in the ground.  She had been on these properties for many years.
So within her property were 40 years worth of old time shrubs, ferns and flowers.  I made friends with Peetie, and she would take me around her vast back yard, behind her nearly falling down little house,  and educate me on her collection of varied plants from many years of tending her garden.
When Peetie was too old to care for herself any longer, she moved, and her delapitated house was torn down,  Then the bulldozers came.  Before they came, however, my friend Nance and I went and rescued some of Peeties old plants and bushes, (with her permission of course), and they live on today in my backyard.  The bulldozers, and the three monster houses they built on Peeties property completely wiped out about half of Peeties property.   But we were able to buy the other half that adjoined our property.   So today we still have Peeties old apple tree, the tiny meandering stream with the little bridge that crosses it, many wonderful ferns which you have seen in previous posts, and this wonderful Mock Orange bush I feature today.                                                 
I feel so happy and content to think that we have managed to preserve many years of history within our burgeoning neighborhood, and will always have these woods,and Peeties plants and shrubs to maintain what she cherished for so many years of her life here.  It has become a magical part of our world and life here, and we will cherish it as much as Peetie did for many years to come.   Remember,  always perserve the Magic!!!