j.Nic Designs - A girl, a farm and her jewelry

Cyber Monday 3 DAY SALE!

2010-11-29T08:41:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year again! Time for my 3rd annual Cyber Monday 3 day SALE! It started last night in full swing and runs through 11:59pm EST Wednesday night (12/1) so don't miss out!

I have 2 new styles of earrings listed at 50% off for the 3 day event - the Harmony Hoops below are available in multiple combinations of sterling silver, gold, 3 different pearl color choices including soft grey, cranberry and champagne and several different finishes including matte, shiny and heavily oxidized. Shown below are the mixed metal version with 14kt goldfill hoops, sterling silver and soft grey pearls. Prices at 50% off range from $13-$15 depending on the metals.

The Millstone Earrings below are another new style at a 3 day special price of $12.50 and are also available in labradorite.

PLUS if you spend $50 or more you save 10% off your entire purchase!

Happy holidays and happy shopping! =)

Oh the cuteness..

2010-05-22T18:25:00.004-04:00

I've been completely smitten with Weezie since I brought her home as a tiny little chick from a Blue Ridge feed store the Thanksgiving 0f 2008. So when she decided this spring she wanted to be a momma I did my best to help her out. I snuck her little unfertilized eggs out from underneath her and replaced them with fertile eggs from my other hens that happen to reside with Mr. Edgar, one of my roosters. She sat and she sat and she sat. Nothing happened. After 24 days or so I snuck those eggs out and replaced them with new ones (they should've hatched in 21 days). Same process - she sat and sat and sat. Although several times she was sitting beside the eggs instead of on them.. I don't think she quite had the process down but boy was she determined! So when those didn't hatch either I removed them, told Weezie I was sorry and that she was just going to have to try again next spring and all this sitting was bad for her! She needed to get on with her life as a chicken - out scratching for bugs, taking dirt baths and napping in the sun. But she wasn't hearing any of it. She refused to budge. She continued to sit - on nothing! I'd take her out of her little cage, she'd cackle at me, run around for about 2 minutes and then run right back in and sit again. This went on for nearly 2 weeks - I really thought she'd give up after a few days but I was proven wrong.

This may sound a little crazy but I could tell she was sad. She wanted to be a momma so bad. So on a recent trip to the feed store they had just gotten in a shipment of bantam chicks - it was Weezie's lucky day! I picked out this one odd little black and yellow chick that I just knew Weezie would love and boy was I right! I got home with him, put him in with Weezie, they looked at each other, he chirped, Weezie cooed at him a bit and then he nuzzled himself right under her wing and that was it - Weezie was in love! She's as happy as she can be now and she's just the best little momma a chick could ask for - I'm sure of it!

So here's my completely spoiled rotten Weezie and her new adopted "child" Watson after a long day of scratching up bugs and worms under my shrubbery =).
You gotta love happy endings!

New goodies!

2010-05-13T11:05:00.006-04:00

I think I had way too much fun at the gem show last weekend and I've finally listed just about all of my treasures.. all of the ones that I'm willing to share anyway. I have to hoard some for myself you know ;).

Here are a few of my favorites - I absolutely adore these recycled African glass powdered beads! I also have them in Peacock blue and a mossy green shade.. I could stare at them all day!
And who doesn't love Moss Aquamarine w/ it's organic, characteristic inclusions of iron?

These are simply just mesmerizing! Stunning, flashy, rare Spectrolite (blue Labradorite) in a big free form nugget shape. I don't imagine these will last long!

Stop by and take a peek at all my new goodies!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/jNicLoft

And a little happy side note - Cooper, my former foster dog shown in the post below, found his new forever home! Yay! He is now living w/ a family of 5 that consists of 2 little boys and a little girl that just adore him! He couldn't pull himself away from the kids long enough to even tell me bye. I couldn't be happier for him but I do miss his little crooked tooth grin hanging around the 'lil farm!

Cooper Looper

2010-04-14T14:28:00.004-04:00

This is Cooper. My foster "child" whom I've dubbed Cooper Looper. I'm not sure how anyone can resist this crooked tooth Cocker Spaniel grin but they have =(. He was originally rescued from a shelter in Augusta just in the knick of time - he was on his last day - and one of the ladies in the group I volunteer with (Athens Canine Rescue) drove down and got him. He was adopted out and then returned back to ACR because the owner felt bad he was by himself all day while she was at work. And then he found another home but sadly was returned yet again when the husband and wife divorced. So now here he is with me waiting on his finally permanent forever home! If you know anyone that needs a little black, crooked tooth bundle of Cocker Spaniel love send them my way!

FREE Hoops!

2010-03-11T09:47:00.002-05:00

Now thru Sunday receive a FREE pair of Every Day Hoops with any $25 or more purchase (not including shipping). Hop on over to my shop for details!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/jNicDesigns

Weeze has a new 'do

2010-01-21T12:15:00.004-05:00

If you know me or follow me on Twitter you've undoubtedly heard me talk about Weezie - my completely spoiled rotten silkie hen. Normally she's just a big fluff of white feathers but today, thanks to the rain, she's sporting dreadlocks. I can't stop giggling at her new 'do and I think I may be giving her a complex. She's awfully quiet when normally she has a ton to squawk about.. maybe I should dry her off w/ the hair dryer.. nah she's too cute w/ dreads =).

Weekend Special!

2009-12-11T11:22:00.003-05:00

How about $15 hoops? Now through Sunday you can choose from several different styles of my Not So Basic Hoops: http://www.etsy.com/shop/jNicDesigns?section_id=6633021
They make great stocking stuffers, a perfect little token of appreciation for your child's teacher, your hair stylist.. anyone really! Or just keep them for yourself! I'm sure you deserve a little treat right about now! PLUS buy 2 or more items and you get FREE shipping!
Happy Holidays! =)

Tweet Tweet Tweet

2009-12-08T12:16:00.000-05:00

Would love to have you come follow me on twitter now... =)
http://twitter.com/jnicdesigns

December Specials!

2009-12-03T18:26:00.002-05:00

Stay tuned as I will be offering periodic specials throughout the month of December starting tonight at midnight with FREE SHIPPING worldwide in my jewelry shop! Hurry free shipping ends Sunday!

Sneak Peek! Cyber Monday Sale!

2009-11-29T11:59:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year again! Time for my once a year 3 day sale and you get a special sneak peek at what's coming! Sale starts tonight at midnight EST and runs through midnight on Wednesday. Below is my new Kalediscope Necklace ($38) which is available in several different gems and birthstones including Peridot, Citrine, Smoky Quartz, Spectrolite, Crystal Quartz, Sleeping Beauty Turquoise, Moonstone, Aquamarine and Ruby!
And here's the exciting SALE part - My coordinating NEW Kalediscope earrings shown below will be offered at 50% off ($12 - they go back up to $24 Thursday!) PLUS take $10 off any purchase of $50 or more (excluding shipping fees)! You can get both pieces for $40 for 3 days only - a great gift for someone special or give one away and keep one for you! I'm sure you deserve a treat =).

Don't miss out! More specials will be available too... check my shop tonight at midnight to see what pops out!

Happy shopping! =)

Fresh Start

2009-11-01T10:51:00.004-05:00

Blue skies ahead! It has been pretty apparent that I have been on hiatus the past several months but I have found my creative motivation again. And it's all thanks to words of encouragement from someone that recently entered my life. It's just amazing what impact a few choice words can have on your outlook and I am thankful for their inspiration.
As some of you know and many don't, I am in the process of finalizing a divorce. And if you've been through this situation (which honestly I hope you haven't) you know it takes alot out of you physically, mentally and emotionally. It was as if the life were drained right out of me. But as the seasons change and the trees shed their leaves preparing to start fresh again in the spring, I too am shedding the old and looking forward to the fresh start that lies ahead!
And I thank you all very much for your support whether it was a kind word you sent, a thought or maybe a purchase from one of my shops - it was, and is, very much appreciated!

A trip to John C. Campbell Folk School..

2009-05-31T12:34:00.017-04:00

If you've visited either of my shops this past week then you know I was on a little artistic retreat taking a metalsmithing workshop at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. If you ever get the chance to go I highly recommend it! I'm already in the process of planning my next visit =). Now the question is which class to take next?!
This was literally the view from my bedroom on Monday - the first morning I woke up there.. just beautiful!

And this is where we (me and my friend Nicole) stayed for the week. It is appropiately named the "Orchard House" as it has a lovely little orchard with a variety of fruit trees right in the front yard.

And here is a little friend I made along the way. Every morning and evening on my walk to and from the dining hall this little guy would be poking his head out of his little bird house greeting everyone that came by. We had quite a few conversations - mostly consisting of me telling him how darn adorable he is. =)

And here's a few more feathered friends that were staying in a bird hotel in the yard of our Orchard House. Wonder if they were on a retreat too...

And this is me (the one w/ the lobster on her head) and my friend Nicole (whom I haven't seen since college nearly 10 years ago) being silly with a box full of funny hats we found. We had a reunion of sorts as we lost touch years ago and recently found each other via FaceBook. We were roommates and good friends but once we graduated we lost touch as she went into the Peace Corps and eventually ended up right outside of Boulder, Colorado. So we planned this little get together as we discovered we both have a passion for metalsmithing and she even has chickens too! It didn't take us long to fall right back into our friendship (or being silly together)! I have a very similar picture of the two of us back in college studying for a chemisty exam with models of cyclo-hexane on our heads. Yes we're dorks ;).

And this is the Blacksmithing studio. Everyone in that class always showed up to dinner and lunch filthy but they all seemed like they were having one of the best times too. This class is definitely on my list of things I would love to take in the future!

And this is the Woodturning studio that was right across the way from our Jewerly studio...

And these are some lovely flowers in front of the Woodturning studio... after seeing this studio and the beautiful pieces that came out of it I thought that class might interest me too...

Until I saw this! The saw mill out back. I do enough damage to myself with my little jeweler's saw. I can only imagine what I would do to myself with that thing!

And this is just a little random, old building behind our jewelry studio. If you've read my blog before you know I have this thing for old wooden buildings and this campus was full of them! Pure heaven!

This was square dancing/ contra dancing night in the Keith Hall... fun stuff!

Little hemlock cones after a rain shower...

Our finished work on our bench after a week of tolling away ;)

And our class =) Starting on the far left is Lisa, Sandie, Trish, Our instructor Molly, Deb (who also has an Etsy shop http://soulwhispers.etsy.com/ so check it out!), Molly's assitant instructor Kim, me and my friend Nicole =)

And what an appropiate way to end the week - a double rainbow! These two little treasures appeared right after a rain shower on our last day and they ended right in the parking lot because I think the Folk School is the pot of gold at the end of rainbow =).

Hope you had a great week!

Time for Peach Cobbler!

2009-05-22T20:50:00.002-04:00

There are few things that I enjoy more than the smell of fresh peaches and a hot, fresh peach cobbler right out of the oven (although the smell of a fresh cut hay field comes in a close second!)! My little peach tree went into overtime this year making those delicious smelling little fruits... must've been all that sweet talking I did ;). I've been picking peaches, peeling peaches and freezing peaches all week and now it's time to reap the benefits! We're having peach cobbler and peach daiquiris this weekend before I head off to Brasstown, NC Sunday afternoon to start my week long metal smithing workshop at the John C. Campbell School of Folk Art. (Hopefully I'll have lots of pics and stories to share next week =)
Here's the recipe if you get a hold of some fresh Georgia peaches in your market (or I like to use blackberries too when they're in season, apples work well, cherries or even pears) and it's super easy too!

Peach Cobbler

1 stick butter, melted

1 cup plus 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

1 cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 to 4 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat oven to 375

Pour melted butter into a 2 quart baking dish (11 x 7 or 8 inch square). In mixing bowl combine 1 cup of sugar, the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to blend. Stir in milk and vanilla until blended. Pour the batter over the melted butter. Toss peaches with the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Arrange peach slices over the batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. The top will be browned and the edges will begin to pull away from the pan.

Don't forget to top it off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

ENJOY! =)

Free hoops anyone?

2009-04-13T11:26:00.003-04:00

Then hop on over to Stacie Vaughan's blog to read a little interview about me and enter the give away! Good luck! And happy Monday! =)

Random Shrapnel

2009-03-25T10:04:00.004-04:00

Living on a piece of property that was once a cow pasture and the home to an old farm shed I find some pretty interesting things just walking around our yard where the chickens have been scratching.
Like this warped, beat up old spoon - random.
And this very dangerous rusty old saw blade that I found (by almost stepping on it) nearly completely buried except for the still very sharp edges just poking up out of the soil! Thank goodness for Tetanus shots ;)

Last week I found quite the collection of broken bottles and ceramic pieces. Who knows what will turn up this week.

And speaking of random this guy has taken to flying over our house quite low in his little powered parachute thingy about once a month and scaring the bejeezus out of my critters.

I heard this really loud buzzing airplane/go kart noise and looked out to see my horses and goats running for their lives so I threw on my boots ran out the door and caught him buzzing over the pasture next door. I walked around the yard picking up the random shrapnel as I waited to see if he would come back. He didn't return. I'd like to ask him to please not buzz so close over my barn - my horses are old and they don't need that kind of stress ;).

Until next time... =)

Umm... OUCH!

2009-03-19T12:18:00.003-04:00

So apparently I broke my finger last night playing volleyball...ouch! And I'm wearing this nifty little robotic looking splint that Shirley is totally intrigued by so I can keep my poor little aching finger out of more trouble. This is definitely putting a damper on my productivity and my typing abilities =P. We're heading on a little camping trip to Tallulah Gorge in the morning too and I'm almost afraid to leave the house - I seem to be accident prone here lately. Hope your Thursday finds you accident free and healthy! =)

Happy St. Patty's Day Sale!

2009-03-16T19:37:00.003-04:00

Hop on over to my Loft shop tomorrow to receive 15% off your entire order if it contains any green stones! Sale starts at midnight tonight and runs through midnight tomorrow night (March 17).
Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! =)

A week later....

2009-03-09T10:12:00.005-04:00

It's spring! It's hard to believe just a week ago we had nearly 7 inches of snow on the ground and this weekend it was 79 degrees! We spent the entire weekend working out in our yard clearing away all the branches that had fallen, raking all the little prickly balls from our Sweetgum trees and getting the spot for our little vegetable garden ready and I have the calluses to prove it - ouch!
Preparing our garden site was a family event and here some of the ladies are helping us spread our "organic" matter around and adding a bit more of their own ;). They had a regular little chicken buffet going on here with all the worms and larvae they were finding.
Thelma and Louise were supervising the activities and making sure no one went out the gate that wasn't suppose to while we made trips back and forth to the compost pile.

Mandy had to come poke her nose in to see what was going on =).

And this is Golly's big mouth. You can't carry on a conversation anywhere near him otherwise he thinks you're talking to him and he likes to talk back. ALOT. And very loudly too. ;)

And I just had to add this picture of Thelma and Louise because they're so darn cute and they look like little abominable snow chickens.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Still coming in like lion!

2009-03-02T12:04:00.007-05:00

Welcome to March in Georgia! Saturday it was 64 degrees and the weather stations kept hinting at snow coming in on Sunday but they couldn't quite predict where or how much just that we could see a dusting up to 2 inches. I didn't quite believe them. Boy was I proven wrong! It started here about 11:00 as a very cold rain which turned to very large sleet pellets by 12pm and then the snow started and it didn't stop until a little after 11pm last night! We ended up with close to 7 inches of snow here which is really unheard of in one day (or really several for that matter!). And it was around 34 degrees most of the day so if it had been below freezing we probably would have ended up with around 2 feet of snow!

This is my barn at about 3pm yesterday.. it just kept snowing and snowing and snowing!
And here's the poor little blooms on my confused peach tree!

Golly and Madison seemed to have a blast in the snow.. of course they are wearing goose down ;)

And my Crepe Myrtle tree was getting weighed down by the weight of the heavy, wet snow. Luckily no tree casualities here!

And I couldn't resist building a snow chicken! Now tell me that isn't a piece of art?! ;)

Hope you're staying warm and dry! We're forecast to be back up in the 70's by week's end so looks like I'll be going from snow boots to flip flops in a matter of days!

Coming in like a lion..

2009-02-26T09:13:00.004-05:00

And it's not even March yet! These photos are from the tornado that touched down last Wednesday about 9 miles from my house. There were 10 reported tornadoes that touched down in Georgia and one person died. So I don't mess around when they say "Tornado Warning for Oglethorpe County" - this also has to do with the fact that I lived through a tornado in 1994 in Floyd County (where I grew up). Debbie (my pupper) and I were in the hall closet with our bike helmets on and yes we did look ridiculous ;). Dan was at a convention in Columbus, GA which is about 3 hours away so we were on our own.

I remember growing up and my mom pulling us out of bed and making us get in the hall with a mattress over our heads and sitting in the hallway at school with our heads tucked between our legs. Tornado warnings were a regular occurrence every spring and they always terrified me. It's one of the reasons I am now obsessed with the weather.

It really just broke my heart to see these huge, old trees lying on the ground. The house above had a backyard full of downed, large pecan and oak trees. They also had a glass sun porch that was shattered to bits and were missing quite a few shingles from their roof. I'm certain they feel lucky that their house is still standing. There was also some sort of shed in their backyard that didn't fair nearly as well.

This poor tree was HUGE. If I had to guess I would have said it was well over 200 years old and sadly it didn't make it through a direct hit from an F1 twister. There was also an F5 (the strongest recording on the fujita scale with winds up to 318 mph) tornado that briefly touched down in the next county over and completely demolished a home. Luckily they had a storm shelter under ground so the entire family survived. Scary stuff!

Get your bike helmets on folks and hang on - spring is on the way!

Inside Scoop

2009-02-25T13:11:00.003-05:00

I've added a few new yummy stones to the little loft shop today including these absolutely gorgeous Peridot octagons! They are perfectly eye clean and sure to please!
And these smooth, earthy Botswana Agate briolettes! Love these!

I may also add a few other new goodies including some stunning Chrome Diopside briolettes and Tsavorite Garnet smooth briolettes. I also have some rather lovely Peridot marquises too.. I went on a green shopping spree! I haven't quite made up mind though whether I want to share those or just be greedy and keep them all! ;)

You may have also noticed I've been doing a bit of remodeling in my shops. I've been re-working a few photos and cleaning up my shop announcement and sections. Just trying to tidy up a bit for spring!

Hope your Wednesday finds you well! =)

Just because..

2009-02-24T10:25:00.004-05:00

These are the cutest people ever and I could squish them all to bits so I had to share!

This is Dan, Debbie and Squiggs (aka Jackson) basking in the sunlight this past Sunday morning and I caught them in just the right moment when Debbie was laying a big, wet kiss right on Squiggs' face!

Dan is probably going to kill me for posting this on my blog since he has a bit of bed head and is in his snowman jammies but how could I not share this?! They're all so darn cute and I'm a lucky gal to be surrounded by all this adorableness (I think I just made up that word ;)!

Until next time... =)

Edgar says...

2009-02-14T12:40:00.003-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Hope everyone has a weekend filled with love with those you care about! =)

My Neck of the Woods - Strolling around the Lake

2009-01-25T10:13:00.006-05:00

There aren't too many days that go by that I don't just sit and admire how beautiful the surroundings are out here in Oglethorpe County. If I could get a decent photo of the night time sky with all it's millions of stars I'd love to be able to share it with you but since I haven't had much luck with those pictures I thought I'd share some of the scenery along the way of the 3 mile loop we do around Lake Oglethorpe. Dan, Debbie and I try to get out and take our walks at least a couple of times a week - weather permitting of course - but I have to admit Dan and Debbie have been more consistent than me here the last couple of months. I'm so cold natured that even though I'm moving I'm still freezing! Now during the spring and summer months we were going nearly every day. And I need to get back at it - all that holiday chocolate is starting to catch up with me! ;)

But here was our first stop on our walk yesterday. This is our neighbor's horse, Doc. At least that's what I think his name is. Although I've been introduced to him before they have several horses and I am TERRIBLE at remembering names and feel bad about asking "Now tell me his name again for the 5th time". So I'm going out on a limb here and saying this is Doc. If it isn't then the tiny little red horse in the background is. ;)
This is Lake Oglethorpe. It's a beautiful 80 acre lake that doesn't allow any boats with motors bigger than 4 horse power so it's always nice and quiet. And it's also where we stop to take a swim during the summer months when we're all equally sweating profusely from the 90 degree plus heat! Even though it was only 60 degrees yesterday Debbie was hot enough that she jumped right in and then got out right in the mud... I think she may be part pig.

You never know what you're going to see but today we ran into a flock of someone's Guineas that were running loose. On almost every trip we run into deer, bunnies and squirrels but we've also encountered beavers, a couple of otters, many turtles including an Alligator snapping turtle, foxes, coyotes, mallard ducks, Canadian geese, turkeys and the occasional groundhog.

And this is just an old abandoned shed on Mr. JB's farm that's at the end of our walk. I don't know what it is but I absolutely love old barns, sheds and houses. I always concoct these stories in my head about who lived there, what they used it for and what kind of animals they had. The older and more run down they are the more I like them. It also warms my heart to see someone restore these old buildings and bring life to them once again. I would love to own a piece of property with a big, old run down barn on it. Maybe one day. I'm pretty fond of my 6 year old barn too =).

Hope you're having a fabulous weekend!

Inside Scoop

2009-01-24T10:19:00.002-05:00

New goodies coming to the Loft early next week!

I'll be listing some new Amethyst for all those February babies, Garnet, Prehnite, Scapolite and Smoky Quartz. And possibly some Iolite and Peridot if I don't decide to keep them all to myself ;).

Hope everyone has a great weekend! For us it's all about repairing our smaller chicken coop that was damaged in the wind storm a couple of weeks ago. Even though it's raining today - kind of a light drizzle - that's much easier to work out in than 20 degree weather! It should be nearing 60 degrees here today... guess old man winter is taking a vacation after a hard couple of weeks of work ;).

The Chick Inn has Arrived!

2009-01-18T11:15:00.008-05:00

Even though it's cold and rainy I am a happy girl today and so are my little chick a loos - Their chicken condo (aka a coop but it's just too cute to be called a coop) has arrived! So cute that I see 3 other folks decided they needed one too! I asked where the other 3 were going and 1 is going to Dublin, GA, one somewhere near Savannah and the other is going to Lakeland, FL. I ordered it from a company in Pennsylvania (it's built by the Amish which I think is pretty neat in itself) last Thursday and I wasn't expecting it for another 2-3 weeks but they called yesterday and said they were in South Carolina with it and they would have it here by 10am today. Talk about a fast turn-around time! And it matches our horse barn perfectly down to the green tin roof! Some of my neighbors drove by as they were unloading it and I think one nearly broke his neck trying to turn around to see what in the world we were doing ;). They had this neat little pulley system that just rolled it to the end onto a hydraulic lift and then to the ground. They put little rubber wheels on it and the driver and Dan just pushed it where it needed to go! Pretty nifty!

After we got it situated I had to go get the ladies and introduce them to their new home. They've been tucked away in the barn for the last few days because it was just so bitter cold but now they have their own little warm home to come and go as they please. Laverne is checking out all the new "bedrooms" ;).

And here comes Mona to see what's going on. Nothing entices Laverne quite like food - the others came and went but not her! If there's food involved she's staying put! In fact I'm looking out the window now and I think she's still in there!

Now I've decided the chicken condo needs a name and I've about settled on "The Chick Inn" (a play on check in -I know I'm dorky ;) unless someone else has an idea I like better. And then I'll have someone on Etsy make me a little wooden sign to hang out front. =)

If you ever need a chicken coop or a barn - they deliver full size horse barns too! - I highly recommend Horizon Structures! We found them at the Georgia National Fair in Perry this past fall and I have been dreaming about this cute little coop since I laid eyes on it in October. So Merry late Christmas to me and the chick a loos!

Hope your Sunday is filled with pleasant little surprises! =)

Cold Sunrise!

2009-01-16T09:58:00.005-05:00

Even though the sun looks warm and toasty coming up over the hill off my front porch this morning it's definitely deceptive! It was 14 degrees when I woke up! Now I know that some of you northern folks are thinking "That's nothing - that'd be a heat wave here!" but you have to remember that's the coldest temperature we've seen around here in 6 years! So I had to bundle myself up to go feed all the "kiddos" this morning and I'm about to have my 3rd cup of coffee to thaw out!

Thelma and Louise have become my "house chickens" because it's just too cold outside for them and they're still not quite 8 weeks old yet. And honestly I enjoy their company and their little chatter during the day ;). There are several people who think I'm just a little looney for keeping chickens inside (I won't name any names but "hi" mom) and maybe I am ;). Maybe I'll just tell everyone they're a new breed of parrot and no one would think twice about them being indoors ;).

Hope you're staying warm!

Working Away..

2009-01-12T17:09:00.004-05:00

I've been a bit lax in my blog postings since Christmas so I'm going to get back at it! But it's not from being lazy I can assure you ;).

If you've visited my jewelry shop lately you'll have noticed that I have been busy listing some new work including these little sparklies - my "Potion" earrings. I plan on offering them in Amethyst too for all those February babies! Obviously I've been inspired by the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday as most of my new work is centered around reds and pinks. If pink and red isn't your thing not to worry I have some Moonstone and Labradorite danglies coming this week as well!

It's been pretty calm around here on the little farm the last few days, which is how I like it, and which is quite the opposite of how the new year started out. First Buster, the rescued pony across the street, busted out and wrecked havoc around here. Every horse in the neighborhood (and there are quite a few) including mine were all bent out of shape at the site of him running up and down their fence line. So I spent an entire Sunday afternoon in the rain trying to chase him down and he wasn't having any part of it. Finally Mr. Norman and his son were able to corral him at 10 o'clock at night using their truck. I think this episode of spending the day out in the cold rain led up to me catching the flu for several days and causing me to miss my gem show =(. And finally this past week we had some major winds from a cold front that came through and completely destroyed my chicken coops and took the top out of one of our trees. Dan and I spent the entire day this past Friday re-building the coops. Luckily none of my little chick-a-loos were hurt but I'm sure it gave them a good scare!

Now maybe, just maybe, things have calmed down for good! Hope your new year is less "interesting" than mine! =)

Calling in sick to the Gem Show

2009-01-07T09:48:00.005-05:00

Sadly I had to miss the gem show this time =(. I've been battling with a cold/flu bug since Sunday that Dan was nice enough to give to me (poor guy he's been battling it for about 10 days now) and I was trying my best to get well but it just didn't work. I thought that if I got plenty of rest and loaded up on Nyquil earlier in the week that I might be up to the trip today. Even though the show today is 3 hours shorter than yesterday's you can usually find pretty good deals on the last day if everything hasn't already been picked over. But as my alarm went off at 6am I realized that I'd probably need someone to drive me home (and carry me to the car) if I actually was able to stand up and walk around for 5 hours straight. So I'm pretty disappointed I didn't make it but there's always next time I suppose! And I still have everyone's requests in my little shopping log so I'll be sure to take them with me on my next trip.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T09:05:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone's 2009 is starting out wonderfully! Me? I've been super duper lazy the past couple of days and it felt really good after all the hustle and bustle of the holidays. I spent the day on the sofa with Dan (who has been sick with that nasty cold bug that seems to be getting everyone around) watching TV. Something I never, ever do. I have the hardest time just sitting still for any length of time. So to keep my hands a bit busy I finished approximately 10 crossword puzzles out of probably 200 in this huge book my mom gave for me Christmas. I did get up to fix us some lunch which was not collard greens and black-eyed peas, both of which I can not force myself to put in my mouth. I'll take my chances with the boiled shrimp and artichoke dip we had instead ;). If you're not familiar with the practice of eating black-eyed peas and collard greens on New Year's day it's probably because it was a tradition that was started in the south. From what I was told you eat it in rememberance of tough times and it is suppose to bring wealth and good luck the coming year. The peas represent coins and the collards paper money and although I'd love to have more of each I just can't bring myself to stomach peas and collards - yuck! My grandmother has jokingly said that I must not be a true southern girl since I don't eat collards or really like grits ;).

Today I plan on getting off the sofa and working on some new ideas I have for a few pieces that hopefully I can have listed by the end of next week. Tuesday I'll be in North Carolina for the gem show and then Wednesday and Thursday I'll be organizing, photographing and listing all my new goodies. And if you've left me requests for the gem show be sure to check back Tuesday night or Wednesday morning for a list of all the goodies I found and will be listing!

Happy 2009 everyone and thank you all for a wonderful 2008! =)

The Request Line is Open! Gem Show Time Again!

2008-12-19T11:50:00.005-05:00

I will be heading to a gem show on Jan. 6 - yippee! - and I'll be happy to take your requests with me! If you will kindly leave your requests below in the comment section that will help me keep everything together in one location and I will add them to my shopping list.

On the list so far I have Sunstone briolettes, Peruvian Opal rondelles and Kyanite ovals. Anything else you want or need just let me know!

Thanks so much! =)

UPDATE - I'll post Tuesday night/Wednesday morning with a list of all the goodies I uncovered. So please check back here to see if we had any luck with your requests =)

Weekly Scoop

2008-12-18T09:30:00.003-05:00

I've been a bit lax in my posting the last couple days but I assure you it's not because I'm lounging around sipping away on my hot cocoa ;). And it's been 70 degrees the last 2 days and again today so not exactly hot cocoa weather - at this rate I'm going to have to will that big o' tub of hot cocoa to someone.

I've been busy retrieving cat toys ;), making and packing several last minute orders I've received, making trips to the PO, taking care of all the "kids", cleaning this house from top to bottom because I can't function properly if things aren't clean and trying to wrap up some last minute prepartions for Christmas next week. I can't believe it's almost here! "Slow as Christmas" is absolutely inapplicable these days - I swear it gets here faster and faster every year! Aside from that I have Dan's school's graduation tonight and the staff Christmas party get together afterwards at Depalma's - yummy Italian food! That always makes for a good time because we do the White Elephant gift exchange where everyone brings a gift valued around $10 and you draw numbers, choose a gift or steal a gift from someone else based on your draw. We ended up with a bird feeder last year - which I loved - but someone else ended up with a used candle. The year before we had some sort of musical snowman that played the piano... shhh! Don't tell anyone but I have no idea where that thing is now. Hopefully I'll have good news on gift front to share tomorrow. And now that I've reminded myself I need to get in there and wrap our gift for the party... I can't tell you what it is because someone might read this that will be there tonight and ruin the surprise! ;) And I need to go get cracking on two more orders that have to go out first thing in the morning too!

Hope you're about ready for the big day next week! Happy Thursday! =)

Hmmmm..

2008-12-15T10:50:00.004-05:00

Someone's kitty toy is stuck under the stove AGAIN. And someone is giving me the "aren't I adorable and you know you want to help me face" AGAIN. This scenario plays out at least a half dozen times every day. But who can resist THAT face? I think he does it on purpose now.

And sadly I couldn't get any decent photos of the full moon Friday night to share. Hopefully you had a chance to enjoy it because it was absolutely beautiful! A bit chilly here but that just adds to it!

Saturday we spent the day in Atlanta finishing up our Christmas shopping and I'm happy to say that I am done! Now to get everything wrapped up which may be tonight's task! Hope your weekend went well!
Now off to retrieve kitty toys... AGAIN! ;)

Moon Shine!

2008-12-12T11:24:00.004-05:00

Tonight is the biggest and brightest full moon to be seen in 15 years so be sure to get out and take a peek at it! The next time the moon will be this close won't be until 2016!

It was positively lighting up my house this morning when I awoke to let Debbie out. I thought someone had left a light on! And it should be clear as a bell tonight so hopefully I can get some great photos and share them tomorrow =).

Have a great weekend!

Blue skies again!

2008-12-11T15:21:00.005-05:00

The rain has finally stopped! And as I was walking to the mailbox I couldn't help but notice how beautiful it was to see the little blue sky peeking out from behind the clouds. So I thought I'd share it =)... Is it just me or does that field not make you want to take off skipping through it? I guess the party's over because the cows are home. I haven't seen them for a couple of days or Buster either. Hope he's ok and his little self didn't get washed away.

And I stopped working to get up and see what all the loud chirping outside was about. I look out the window and our entire field and the neighbor's too had been taken over by thousands of black birds. I guess they were making a pit stop on their flight further south. But they're the reason I ended up taking a little break to get the mail and share these photos with you =).

Rain, rain

2008-12-11T10:10:00.005-05:00

I would say go away but the lakes around here need it! I love the rain but this is a little excessive. We've had nearly 5 inches of rain in less than 24 hours and we're forecast to get another 1 to 2 inches today. So it's no wonder Oglethorpe county is in a flood watch.

Thank goodness my rain boots come almost up to my knees because I've needed it on my daily treks to the barn. At least the geese are having a blast!

Hope you're enjoying decent weather and if not be careful out there!

Ummm...

2008-12-10T11:24:00.003-05:00

Who is this and why is he wearing my crown AND giving me a dirty look?!

It is cloudy, rainy and we're under a tornado watch until 3pm today so I let the little chick-a-loos out for a bit before the really nasty stuff gets here. Chick Pea, who you might recognize from my custom item listings in my little shop, doesn't seem to remember Mr. Toad who she has "met" several times before. I think it's the dirty look that's throwing her off ;).

Hopefully none of us will have to duck in the closet today but we could very well get washed away! It's pouring!

Hope you're staying dry and cozy! =)

The Best Dog Ever

2008-12-09T09:37:00.005-05:00

Debbie (the snoring dog in my studio). And her favorite octopus toy. Who can resist the octopus face? Not me! Dan teasingly calls her "Road Kill" because I literally scooped her up out of the middle of a rural highway on my way to work one morning in November seven years ago. It's one of those things that I just think was meant to be. I barely noticed her as I was driving closer because I just saw this little pile of red fur in the middle of the opposite lane and assumed it was some poor creature that didn't quite make it across and didn't want to see much more of it. But as I got closer a truck in that lane straddled her and I saw this little head pop up. I immediately slammed on the brakes, pulled off to the side, jumped out and scooped her up. I had never smelled anything that smelled quite as bad as this tiny little thing and I could see she was missing most of her hair from mange. Which I'm guessing is why she was laying in the middle of the road - trying to soak up some heat from the pavement... either that or trying to put herself out of her misery. She was pitiful!

As I sat her on the floor of my truck and she looked at me with those tiny little pitiful puppy eyes I started formulating a plan of what to do next. I would stop by the local vet's office and ask where the nearest animal shelter was. I worked in Jackson county which is 2 counties over and 45 minutes away so I wasn't very familiar with where anything was other than where I worked. The vet informed me that there wasn't an animal shelter in that county and even if there was they wouldn't adopt out a puppy in her condition. They said I could leave her with them and they would euthanize her. Well that just wasn't option. Especially after I saw the desperation in those tiny little eyes. So I adopted that tiny, smelly, mangy puppy that cold day in November. I left her at the vet's office, told them to go ahead and treat her and I would be back to pick her up at 5:30 (which I'm sure they were all thinking "Yeah. Right"). Well that treatment turned into months of weekly trips to the vet for dips and daily oatmeal baths to cure one type of mange and keep the other genetic type she had under control. I remember calling Dan on my way home that day and telling him "It looks like we have another pet". And he said "Oh lord. What is it?" Because I'm known to bring home all sorts of critters. I told him it was a puppy and she had some "issues" but it wasn't anything that we couldn't fix right up ;). He wasn't exactly thrilled when he saw her "issues" and he honestly didn't think she would make it but obviously she did and now he is absolutely in love with her. I don't think a day goes by that I don't hear him saying "I love this dog! She's the best dog ever!" =)

Mandy says...

2008-12-08T11:05:00.005-05:00

"Thank you" for her hay! And this is why I do what I do - well besides the fact that I love it but if it weren't for them I probably wouldn't do this on the scale that I do now. My work supports all the critters here on our little farm including vet bills, feed and the occassional treat which can add up to quite a bit this time of year. Hay has been steadily increasing in price due to the drought we've been having here in the south and the rising fuel costs we experienced this summer. I bought hay this past fall at $6.25 a bale and when you need 100 bales to get through the winter well that's quite a bit of green they're chewing up out there! But I wouldn't trade them for anything. I love Mandy (aka My Woman) and all my "kids" more than I can express but she and I have a special bond. I bought her when she was 6 and I was 19 and that was nearly 18 years ago. I had wanted a horse since I could actually speak the word horse - which my mom claims was my first word ;). I asked for a horse for every occassion I could possibly imagine getting a gift - I even asked the Easter Bunny to bring me a horse instead of an Easter basket. And when I was in elementary school I wouldn't wear any clothing (including socks, undies and pjs) unless it had horses on it. Drove my poor mom batty! Luckily Jordache was all the rage then and I think I wore the same 2 pairs of jeans with horses running across the pockets every single day. To be at least a tiny bit cooperative I would settle for unicorns too. I had the most extensive My Little Pony collection and I still have my Breyer horse collection. I would get extra credit from my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Nash, because I used the word pony or horse in every single sentence that we had to construct with our daily vocabulary list. It didn't matter what the word was I always found a way to incorporate horses into it. For some reason I still remember the sentence I used for the word "quality". I wrote "If you own a horse and ride alot you will need a quality saddle." To say I was obsessed would have been an understatement.

Of course no one ever bought me a horse because we really didn't have anywhere to keep one. I begged my parents to let me have one and keep it at my grandparents (which my grandparents agreed to) but mom said it wouldn't be fair to ask them to take care of a horse. There was no way we could get over there every day during the week and deep down I knew she was right. So as a teenager instead of saving up for clothes or a car I saved up my money to buy a horse and pay for her board. Shortly after I bought her my parents closed on a house that had 8 acres and a barn and I was ecstatic! After months of trekking back and forth between my house and her boarding facility Mandy could finally come home and live with me! My boyfriend at the time was getting increasingly jealous that I was spending more time in the barn and riding than I was with him. So he bought his own horse, King (pictured above with Louis in the barn), so he could join us I suppose. Mandy doesn't much like human men and she never approved of him. If he even attempted to ride her she would immediately try to buck him off. I learned to trust her judgement in men and always introduced her to my dates - call me crazy but she was and still is an excellent judge of human character. And when she said Dan was a keeper well he's a keeper ;). Anyway the ex-boyfriend and I obviously parted ways but I couldn't bear to part with King and neither could Mandy so I acquired him on a trade out deal of sorts. We had bought a horse trailer together so the deal I proposed was that he keep the trailer and sell it and I'd keep King. So 18 years later and a move to the other side of the state here we are. We don't do much riding any longer because King is nearing 30 and has arthritis (he did alot of barrel racing in his younger days) and I don't think his sight is anywhere near what it used to be because he gets startled quite easily now. These days our riding is pretty much limited to a leisurely stroll around the lake here and that's perfectly ok with me because I enjoy their company more than anything else. So again all of us here at the little farm say "Thank you" to those who help support us and those wishing us well too! =)

This is why...

2008-12-07T11:47:00.004-05:00

I should never be allowed to go to Sam's Club at certain times of the month.

I think I have enough hot cocoa and Tootsie Rolls now to last me into the next century. So if you don't hear from me tomorrow it would be safe to assume that I'm in a sugar induced chocolate coma ;).

And on a happy (not sugar induced note) my desktop computer is finally well again! Yea! After many, many hours on the phone with Microsoft and McAfee, some new anti-virus software and a little chunk of change it's back to normal! Thank goodness! Now I should be able to list some new work this week =).

Hope you're having a good weekend! And if you ever need to borrow any cocoa mix you know who to call.

My Neck of the Woods - The Neighbors- Part 3

2008-12-04T11:39:00.004-05:00

This little (well it's not exactly little) piece of history belongs to Mr. Norman and Mrs. Linda our next door neighbors. And when I say next door neighbors what I really mean is the property that directly adjoins our property. They have 75 acres so I don’t really have a view of their house from where we are. I can see their horse pasture, complete with the white wooden fences, 2 of their barns and in the winter if I squint just right I can see the back of the house and their patio from my back yard.
The house itself was built prior to the civil war sometime in the 1820’s or 30’s and it has survived 2 fires and obviously the wrath of time. It’s also on the national registry of historic homes. Some of the original outbuildings are still standing too including the carriage house and the slave quarters. Mr. Norman and Mrs. Linda have been working hard to restore it for the last 8 years and they’ve said they plan to retire there.

They don’t actually live there now- it’s their “weekend home”- so we don’t really see them on a regular basis. They live and work right outside of Atlanta and come visit on a semi-regular monthly basis. They have a small crew of people who work there daily feeding and caring for the horses and keeping the property up (must be nice right?;). They’ve also hosted several weddings and most recently a memorial service for one of our neighbors that passed away. The last wedding was a couple of months back – I think September – and Dan and I laid in our upstairs bed making wagers about what typical wedding song the DJ was going to play next. We sleep with our windows open in the summer and into late fall so it was almost like we were at the wedding ourselves. We both started laughing when we heard “Brown Eyed Girl” because we kept saying that it had to be next. But mostly it’s pretty quiet around here and that’s how we like it =).

See you next time!

Irony

2008-12-03T10:54:00.005-05:00

Apparently whatever I had last week was contagious to computers. It decided to get sick Sunday night right before Cyber Monday. I just had to laugh because honestly what are the odds of that happening on the busiest online shopping day of the year and in conjunction with my first ever sale? In the 15 or so years I've owned a computer I've never had one contract a virus before. I guess you could have called me lucky up until Sunday night. So after multiple phone calls with lengthy conversations with folks at AOL, Dell and Microsoft and multiple several hour computer scans it's still sick. I guess we'll be taking it into the computer hospital this weekend. Thankfully I have a laptop otherwise I'd be up the creek without a paddle as they say!

I almost felt like I was back at my days as a head of store working retail on Black Friday. It seemed like whatever could go wrong on that day usually did. I always tried to have back up plans but when the computers and registers crash on that day and you have to write every receipt up by hand and key everything in later... well there's just no plan in the world good enough to keep things running smoothly then! Oh I could tell some tales about managing a high volume/high traffic store on the day after Thanksgiving... like the time someone decided to use the floor as a restroom (and I'm not talking about a little tinkle either - and I cleaned it up because I just couldn't bring myself to ask someone else to) or the customer throwing a shoe and hitting one of our sales clerks in the head or the old man walking down the side of the road dressed only in ladies underwear that I passed at 4am on my way into work the last Black Friday I worked ;)... yes I'll take computers with viruses on Cyber Monday any time!

Me, some wire, a hammer, pretty gemstones...

2008-12-01T21:57:00.003-05:00

Several pairs of pliers, 3 cats, a snoring dog and 2 chirping chicks. That pretty much sums up my day in the studio today=). The "sale" continues to keep us busy (and by us I mean me, the cats, the dog and the chicks) although they aren't really much help but they sure are cute to look at and I guess they did keep my lap warm ;).

Hope your "Cyber" Monday went well whether that means lots of sales for your online business or finding that perfect gift for someone special! =)

Busy Bee

2008-11-30T18:54:00.003-05:00

I've been a busy little bee today - or more like a little elf up in my studio working away! The first day of my first official sale was pretty successful and I've still got a few pending orders to take care of before I can call it night. But it seems as though all my planning is paying off! And it was a cold, rainy day so it was the perfect setting to work away in my warm little upstairs studio. Glad I had some work to keep me busy! Here's to hoping tomorrow brings more of the same!

Hope you had a wonderful Sunday! =)

Sneak Peek!

2008-11-29T15:25:00.006-05:00

Here's a little preview of some of the goodies I'll be offering at 50% off to celebrate my first official "SALE" which starts tomorrow! These won't be listed until then but you're getting the first peek! These little pearl danglies are entitled "Mellow" and will be just $9.50! These are the perfect danglies for that hard to buy for younger girl on your list or anyone who prefers petite earrings! They are the "Solitude" earrings and I'll be listing them in Garnet shown below with the polished/oxidized finish, Smoky Quartz and Citrine and Labradorite with a heavily oxidized finish. They will be $8.50 for 3 days only!

In addition to the deals listed above I'll also be offering this special:

Spend $30 – 49.99 take $5 off*
Spend $50 – 99.99 take $10 off*
Spend $100 + take $15 off *

* Does not include shipping fees

Hope to see you soon! And happy shopping! =)

My kind of Black Friday Shopping

2008-11-28T22:05:00.008-05:00

This was definitely my kind of Black Friday shopping today =). After we spent the first half of Thanksgiving day with Dan's family in Sandy Cross we hopped in the car and drove 2 hours to the north Georgia mountains to my Aunt and Uncle's log cabin in Blue Ridge to spend the second half of the day and the night with my family. We got up this morning had some pancakes, blueberry muffins, coffee, fed the fish in my uncle's pond and then took a stroll around downtown to do a little shopping. My uncle knows me all too well because he couldn't wait to take me to the local feed and seed store and now I hate to say it but I think I have a new favorite feed store! It's too bad it's a 2 hour drive away! But this little lady, Baby, was their "desk clerk" and yes that is a blue bow in her "hair". How stinking cute is she?

And this little man was their "security guard". He sat perched up high watching everyone come and go. He would occasionally hop down to take a little stroll to make sure everything was in place but every now and then I'd catch him slacking and dozing off. Kinda reminded me of the little old security guard that we had at the local mall back home ;).

But finally some more folks who get my obsession with chickens!

And of course I couldn't leave empty handed and who could resist these little cuties?! So please meet Thelma and Louise (which also happens to be my mom's name - although she wasn't quite as amused as I was that I honored her by naming one of my "kids" after her ;) . These little sweeties rode all the way back home with me in my lap and they'll be my new studio helpers for the next several weeks cause it's just too darn cold outside for little babies right now!

Hope you had a happy Thanksgiving!

Inside Scoop

2008-11-26T13:06:00.005-05:00

Today is all about finishing up some new pieces I'm working on and making pecan pies for tomorrow's Thanksgiving dinner! Yummy!

I'll be listing a couple of new pieces at special prices ($8-$10) valid for 3 days only starting this Sunday - then the prices go back up on Wednesday! In conjuction I'll be having my first official "Sale" in my jewelry shop. Stop by Sunday to see what the sale is!

In the meantime here's my recipe for Pecan Pies if you'd like to try it!http://jnicdesigns.blogspot.com/2008/11/almost-time.html

Happy Turkey Day everyone since I won't see you tomorrow! I'll be traveling to the Blue Ridge Mountains w/ my pecan pies to visit the family =).

It's a Beautiful Day

2008-11-25T11:58:00.003-05:00

Bright, clear blue skies - the perfect back drop to the plump little yellow berries on my China Berry tree. It's too bad I don't feel up to enjoying it. I think I'm trying to come down with the flu or a cold =(. So instead of enjoying the beautiful weather outside I think I'm going to curl up in my big chair next to the window and enjoy it inside with a couple of books, a big glass of orange juice and a bottle of Nyquil. And hopefully nip this thing in the bud - I've got pecan pies to make tomorrow gosh darn it! And I'm trying to get several new pieces listed in my jewelry shop before this weekend. I refuse to be sick!
Hope you're enjoying lovely weather!

The City of New Orleans

2008-11-24T10:05:00.004-05:00

Dan and I get wild hairs sometimes and just decide to hop in the car and go places (depending on if we can get a sitter for the furry "kids" too of course ;) . We have a few favorites and New Orleans is one of them. I LOVE that city! It's just full of history, entertainment, great food, interesting people, beautiful art.. I could go on and on. So we hopped in the car, drove 7 hours and spent this past weekend there.

We strolled around town, did a bit of shopping in the French Quarter and stopped off at Cafe Du Monde for beignets and coffee. I highly recommend not wearing black there! Lesson learned.

Stayed out a bit too late on Bourbon Street and now I'm downing my 3rd cup of coffee this morning trying to make up for it ;).

Hope you had a great weekend!

Thursday Morning Meeting

2008-11-20T10:22:00.002-05:00

Apparently we're having a meeting this morning. Not sure what's being discussed between my horses, Mr. Norman's horses and Buster but Buster has alot to say as usual. You can't really see his little self in this photo but trust me he's there. Right behind that big cedar tree on the other side of the road. I'll let you know if I hear anything good though ;).

Daily Scoop - Wednesday

2008-11-19T09:33:00.007-05:00

It is down right cold here today! In the 20's which is unheard of this time of year so I had to dig out my big wooly socks and flannel pj's last night and I've already had 2 huge cups of hot coffee this morning. But I have to admit I love it! I'll take the cold over the sweltering heat of the summer any day. You can always put more clothes on but there's only so many you can take off without having someone call the police on you ;).

Today is errand day for me. I've got to head into town to the feed store to pick up horse feed, chicken feed and a salt block. Stop by our little post office, say hi to Andrea and get some packages on their way (thank you!=) and pick up some packaging to wrap my mom's birthday gift which is Monday (happy early birthday mom!). Oh and go trade my cell phone in which I think may be older than me ;). I'm crossing my fingers my old truck will crank in this cold! It's been awhile since either one of us has had to deal with temperatures this cold!

Another little tid bit you might be interested in - because what could be more interesting than our weather and my errands ;) - is that I am contemplating running after Thanksgiving sales in my little shops. I very very rarely run sales so this may be my first "official" sale ever. I'll have another posting here early next week with the details.. until then I hope you're staying warm!

My Neck of the Woods - Part 2 - The (Neigh)bors

2008-11-18T08:15:00.007-05:00

I'd like to introduce you to Buster (at least that's what I've nicknamed him) and his exercise partners (but not by their choice). They live directly across the road from me on Mr. JB's (I'll refer to all my neighbors by their first names only - you know, for privacy's sake;) farm which consists of about 500 acres, a couple of barns, a pond or two, a few broken down tractors, a few working tractors and a truckload of firewood that is always for sale at the entrance road.

Buster just sort of appeared here one day running down the side of the road so Mr. JB corraled him into his pasture and posted "Found Pony" signs up and down the road and in alot of the local businesses around town. No one ever responded. So we speculated that either Buster's owners couldn't care for him any longer and just turned him out or he was so darn mean and onery they ran him off and didn't want him back. Now Buster spends his days chasing the poor cows (who seem to be in much better shape) up and down the hills and speaking incessantly to my horses who don't seem to have much to say in return. My horses are like an old retired couple and I don't think they have much use for his nonsense.

Next week I'll see if I can introduce you to my next door neighbors - Mr. Norman (not to be confused with the previously mentioned Mr. Norman who is the county extension agent - funny how both my neighbors on each side are named Norman) and Mrs. Linda. They own the old southern plantation home that they've been working on restoring for the last 8 years.

Until then happy trails!

Pieces of me

2008-11-17T09:02:00.004-05:00

It’s often assumed that I grew up on a farm but actually I grew up in a subdivision surrounded by houses on every side. I think I was born with an affinity for living on a farm though and I probably inherited that from my mom’s parents. They had a little 5 acre farm where my grandfather raised goats, a garden where they grew most of their produce for the year, pear and apple trees, a little creek that ran through their property where I’d collect crawdaddies (crawfish as most people know them), seemed they always had at least one cow and he always had 5 or 6 Beagles. Running rabbits, as he called it, was a favorite past time even though it did not meet my approval. I remember having "talks", or more like lectures, with his dogs and telling them they absolutely could not/should not harm any bunnies. There were times when they had chickens and the occasional pig but my grandfather had a fondness in particular to goats. I spent nearly every weekend there and most days during summer vacation preferring that to staying home and playing with all the kids in the neighborhood. I’d call my granddaddy and ask if I could come over and even though my mom would say “They may have other things to do today” his answer was always the same – “Sure little buddy!” I was his corn shucking, bean shelling, tomato picking, dog feeding, goat herding buddy and I loved every minute of it. My grandfather passed away in 1997 but I know he’d be right at home here (and sometimes I think he is) on Wolf Skin Road helping me collect all the pecans that have made their way to the ground.

Cluck Cluck

2008-11-16T13:48:00.003-05:00

I've had a couple of requests to share more chicken mugshots so here you go! Say "hi" to Mona =)

A (breakfast) Room with a View

2008-11-16T10:10:00.003-05:00

It has finally stopped raining here after 3 days. Although I quite enjoy the rain it puts a bit of a damper (pun intended ;) on my schedule of photographing some of my new work. So I should finally be able to get my Silent Night earrings listed on Monday barring any other unforecasted surprises from Mother Nature.
But today the sky is blue and the sun is peaking through white fluffy clouds and I think it's a great day for some pancakes, eggs and coffee. So come join us. I've saved you a seat right across from the window =).

My Neck of the Woods - Part 1 - The big city of Arnoldsville

2008-11-15T09:43:00.007-05:00

I thought I might share with you each week little nuggets about where I live, my neighbors and any other little interesting tid bits that happen, have happened or will happen in "my neck of the woods". But before I introduce you to the neighbors I'll give you a little bit of insight about where we call home. I'm in one of the more rural (and older) counties, Oglethorpe, in the state of Georgia in a tiny little town called Arnoldsville. Population 336. I know our post master by name - Andrea, our mail carrier, Peggy, who has an affinity for my fresh eggs and takes extra special care to be sure my packages get to where they're going =), the county extension agent, Mr. Norman, is one of our neighbors and I think you get the idea.

The county itself was founded in 1793 and named after James Edward Oglethorpe, who as you may know was the founder of the colony of Georgia back in 1733. There are 5 little towns in Oglethorpe county - Arnoldsville, Crawford (our neighboring town which actually has a bank, gas stations, a Chicken Express and my favorite feed store ;), Lexington (the county seat), Maxeys and Stephens. We're about 75 miles east of Atlanta and about 15 miles east of Athens, where Dan commutes to work each day and home of the University of Georgia, where we both graduated college. We have no red lights, no gas stations, no banks. The one little restaurant we did have, Momma's Place, closed down about 8 months ago. We do have a little post office, a volunteer fire department, a few very lovely pre-civil war historic homes (one which happens to be our next door neighbor), lots of lovely scenery and that brand new water tower you see above. If I remember correctly the water tower was erected about a year and a half ago but the pipelines haven't quite made it out to where we are yet. We still use a well for our water. But don't worry - it's electric ;).

Now that you have a bit of background on my neck of the woods I look forward to introducing you to some of the goings on around here in the next few weeks ;).

Daily Scoop - Friday

2008-11-14T08:00:00.005-05:00

After quite a few loud Journey and REM songs, two huge glasses of iced tea, a basket of fried pickles and some chips and queso you are looking at the Thursday night World of Wings Trivia champions! So my wealth of useless knowledge helped to pay off in the form of a $50 gift certificate... looks like more fried pickles and iced tea coming soon. We had to battle it out against "Your Momma" and "The Buttery Elvis's" or should that be Elvi? ;) but we ended up pulling out the win by 24 points. The other 6 teams didn't pose much of a threat... those college kids are gonna have to study up on their useless facts before next time ;).

Oddly enough one of the questions was "what is the Moh's scale used to measure?". I wouldn't really classify that as useless knowledge since it measures the hardness of minerals and that little tid bit of information comes in quite handy to me almost on a daily basis!

Another random question was "if bovine refers to cattle what does ovine refer to?"... of course everyone at the table turns to me for the answer (they're all city folk ;)... if you don't know it I'll let you guess or you can cheat and see the answer in the comment section below =).

It's another cold, rainy day here - perfect for staying indoors and getting the creative juices flowing, my coffee is gone and the "kids" are waiting on their breakfast so until next time...
Happy Friday everyone!

Daily Scoop - Thursday

2008-11-13T10:17:00.004-05:00

Today is one of those rainy, cloudy, lazy days that I really enjoy. Except I can't be lazy. But that's ok because these are the perfect days to sit up in my studio and create and not feel guilty for not being outdoors. But before I can do that I've got to make a run to our little post office, order some packaging supplies, finish up the earrings for the Silent Night Collection I'm debuting this week, polish up the bracelet and necklace in the same collection and hopefully get them photographed and listed this afternoon. I'm going to need the cooperation of the weather though to get my photos done - I'll have to see what Mother Nature says about my request ;). And then later this evening it's out to meet Dan and some of his co-workers for a birthday dinner and trivia. I usually do pretty well at trivia because apparently I'm full of useless information - did you know that a group of geese on the ground is a gaggle and a group of geese in the air is a skein? See. I have no idea how or why I know that.

Enjoy your day!

Fall, falling, fell..

2008-11-12T13:32:00.004-05:00

Even though it's cloudy, cold and a bit windy here today I just couldn't help but notice how beautiful the leaves looked against the grey skies. So I grabbed my little camera and took a few photos... here's one of my favorite places and where you'll find me every morning - my barn =).

It seems like a great day to wander off and munch on a grill cheese and sip a bowl of soup...

see you next time!

Inside Scoop

2008-11-12T08:33:00.003-05:00

More sterling silver coming to the little Loft shop next week! Including square lobster clasps, satellite chain, larger size spring rings (which are hard to come by), rubber earring back clutches and the ever elusive disc chain. I had the toughest time finding a supplier that kept the sterling disc chain in stock on a regular basis but I found one at my last wholesale show so I just ordered a ton - and at a really good price too!

If anyone ever has any requests for gems or sterling supplies I always welcome them!

Have a happy Wednesday! =)

Naked Chicks

2008-11-11T09:47:00.004-05:00

Well not entirely! My little ladies are molting so they look like vagabond chickens at the moment. I think they get a complex about it too because they stop laying during this process and me telling them they look like little hobos probably doesn't help either ;).

But I have quite the collection of feathers now... I've been thinking about listing them but I have no idea what the going rate on vagabond chicken feathers is these days.

Happy Veteran's Day!

Stuff your Stocking!

2008-11-10T10:46:00.006-05:00

I've been working like a little elf all weekend (well Saturday anyway;) at my bench on some new pieces that would make great little stocking stuffers with prices coming in under $23. I'll be listing a few of these today with more to come this week!

I'm also working on a new little collection I've entitled "Silent Night" which features a soothing, softly romantic combination of silvery white keishi pearls, seed pearls, Moonstone and oxidized sterling silver. The photo above is the bracelet in the collection which is still a work in progress... he still needs oxidizing, polishing and a few other finishing touches but look for this collection to debut this week!

Newest new member..

2008-11-08T12:01:00.002-05:00

Hanna. This little wild ball of grey was found meowing like there was no tomorrow under my deck one stormy Saturday afternoon in late August. We decided to name her after one of the two tropical storms/hurricanes that had been brewing in the Gulf of Mexico that weekend. If she was a girl obviously she would be Hanna and if a boy we were going to name him Gus after Hurricane Gustav. A trip to the vet that Monday confirmed my suspicions that we had a little girl on our hands - I don't try to guess any more because the last few times I did that I ended up with a girl kitty named Howard, a male duck named Lilly and a female goat named Norman ;).

But I'm guessing someone decided I needed another kitty (I already had 2 - Jackson and Alley) and dumped her out here. I haven't seen an adult cat outside around here in months - probably a year - because they seem to be a favorite meal of the coyotes that live on the 500 acres across the road. Needless to say my kitties spend all their time indoors although I could desperately employ a barn cat!

Almost time..

2008-11-08T08:46:00.004-05:00

For PECAN PIE! Yum! Yum! Yum! We have 10 pecan trees here on the little farm with 8 of them producing nuts this year (sometimes they decide to take a year off for vacation I think ;). So plenty to share!

It has become a tradition that I bring pecan pies made with our home grown pecans and fresh eggs from my little chickies to Thanksgiving dinner.. my whole family looks forward to them!
Here's the recipe if you'd like it try it - I typically double it for 2 pies:
PECAN PIE
3 eggs
1 cup corn syrup
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup of butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups of pecan halves
Beat eggs lightly w/ a fork. Stir in corn syrup, sugar, butter and vanilla. Stir well. Stir in pecan halves.
Place a pastry lined 9 inch pie plate on the oven rack (you can make your own pie crust which I do sometimes or if I'm feeling lazy the frozen ones at your local grocery work well too - just be sure to get the deep dish variety!). Pour filling into pie plate. Cover edges of the pie crust with foil and bake in oven at 350 for 25 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for another 25 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool and then enjoy!

* As a little side note if you mention "pecan" in the notes to seller in either of my shops I'll refund the shipping to you now through Thanksgiving (Nov. 27)! =)

Back in the Saddle

2008-11-07T09:16:00.000-05:00

Or so they say ;) ... Stay tuned for updates about both my Etsy shops and a little bit about me thrown in here and there =).
The first little piece 'o news is I will start offering commercial sterling silver findings and chains in my little Loft. I have got a couple of pieces listed already with more to come in the upcoming weeks. I'm also thinking of adding a small collection of some of my hand crafted findings starting with the earwires you see in the pair above. So stay tuned!

Hooky!

2008-03-14T10:54:00.000-04:00

So this is where I spent the day yesterday - on top of Blood Mountain in the North East Georgia mountains =). The weather here has been so nice and spring like the last few days that I just had a mad case of spring fever and couldn't take it anymore! Especially since the forecast is for rain this weekend. So me, Dan and Debbie (our pooch) loaded up in the truck and headed for the hills for a little day hike and now I'm paying it for this morning! But it's back to "work" for me today! Hope spring time finds you soon if it hasn't already! =)

Newest Addition

2008-03-06T11:34:00.001-05:00

So this is Jackson the newest member of our little homestead =). He just appeared one day on the carport of my friend Michelle's house. Apparently word must have gotten out that she's good at finding kitties new homes because they keep finding their way to her doorstep!
He's made himself right at home here the last two weeks and his favorite past time is trying to catch my fish through the glass. The fish have figured out he can't get to them so now they swim by and taunt him - it's too bad I don't have a video camera because it's quite funny!

And obviously I have been slacking on updating my blog so I'm trying to get back at it! I've had quite a bit going on over the last few months!
My parents moved over the holidays. They finally sold their old home to the GA DOT =( - see my previous post about eminent domain, found a new home and moved in over Thanksgiving weekend. So we were back and forth between here and Rome (a 2 hour drive) ALOT over the holidays! Dan had a bout with the flu followed by Bronchitis so I had to baby him for a bit ;), we took a little weekend get-away trip to the Smoky Mountains in Jan and we've been actively searching for a bigger piece of land to possibly build a new home on one day. Add all that to the normal routine of taking care of our little farm and all the critters and it turns into quite a busy few months! And now I'm excited to announce I will be opening a second shop on Etsy in the next couple of weeks to share some of my gemstone goodies with everyone! So be on the lookout for updates and when to come visit me at jNicLoft to take a peek at some of the goodies I've been stashing away!

Thanks!

2007-11-09T10:00:00.000-05:00

To Cuteable for featuring me on their Myspace Blog page!
myspace.com
And to wickedlychic.com for featuring my Blip earrings shown above in their daily ditties section!
I'm completely humbled and I thank you much! =)

Sneak Peek!

2007-10-29T16:22:00.000-04:00

I can't believe Halloween is in 2 days which means Christmas is coming in less than 2 months! Wow! These little sparklers are part of my new holiday collection I'll be debuting hopefully by the end of this week in my Etsy shop. I've also re-opened my Ebay shop and will be adding lots more pieces for the holidays with some of my best sellers, new color schemes in a few of my standard designs and of course the always fun way to get a great deal auctions! So stop by and say "Hi" to me on Ebay at www.stores.ebay.com/jnicdesigns now through December!

We're corny and we know it!

2007-10-21T20:13:00.000-04:00

It just wouldn't be October without pumpkins and corn mazes so we hopped in the truck today and headed to Dawsonville to Buck's Corn Maze and Burt's Pumpkin Patch!
Here I am being corny =)

And here's corny Dan =)

So we're off to a good start in the corn maze with only one wrong turn so far... I have the worst sense of direction in the universe so this would probably be the worst idea ever if Dan wasn't with me!

As we're wandering through the corn maze I spot some shucked corn on the ground and I tell Dan "Look! There's an ear of corn!" and his response was "Oh wow! Imagine that! Corn in a corn field!" Ok Mr. Smarty Pants! I was trying to point it out so that if we get lost and pass by that spot again we have a point of reference =P

So yea the buzzards were circling just waiting for us to get lost but they were out of luck today because I had Dan and a map! We made it out in only an hour and a half! And if I ever mysteriously vanish in October please tell the search parties to check the corn fields in North GA first!

I love me some big 'ole pumpkins so we had to stop by Burt's so I could oh and ah over all the monstrous pumpkins lying around and give a couple of them a hug ;). I didn't bring this guy home with me but I opted instead for some of his smaller relatives and some pumpkin bread of course. All in all it was a wonderful October day and I hope you had a good one too!

Getting ready for winter!

2007-10-20T20:15:00.000-04:00

We spent all of this morning finally getting all of our hay put away for the winter. So after 4 trips (boy I wish our neighbor with the flat bed trailer hadn't moved!) and stacking and throwing 100 bales we're all set! Bring on Jack Frost! =)

I did the stacking up in the loft.. after 16 years of this you'd think I could make neater stacks but even though they look like they may fall over they aren't going anywhere!

And Dan got to be the "thrower" =)

The epitome of laziness!

2007-10-18T10:41:00.000-04:00

So this is Louis one of my three goats and this is how they eat their breakfast every morning. Laziness I tell ya! Must be nice to lay around in your food while eating and not worrying about your weight at all. If I could do that I'd love to lay around in a pile of Krispy Kreme donuts every morning ;).

Happy Early Birthday Mom!

2007-10-12T16:26:00.000-04:00

I've been a busy little beaver since I got back from our camping trip on Sunday! I've been working on finishing up this Sleeping Beauty Turquoise ring for my mom for her birthday and I work as slow as molasses when it comes to metalwork but it's finally done!

And I've been finishing up my first cohesive collection - the Winterberry collection. My goal is to have several more collections with different stones completed before the holidays and I have several ideas floating around in my head so stay tuned! =)

Well Poo!

2007-10-12T16:23:00.001-04:00

Our camping trip last weekend was wonderful but I realized I forgot one very important thing. As soon as we finished putting up our tent a black bear wandered into our campsite so I run in the tent to grab my camera, turn it on and nothing! I left the battery at home on the charger! I could have kicked myself! One of the most scenic places on earth and I forget my camera battery! I guess there's always next time =/.

It's Fair Time!!!

2007-09-29T11:04:00.000-04:00

Oh how I love a good fair! There's just something about all the lights, the people, the smells, the food - I look forward to it each fall (which just happens to be my favorite season)!
Dan and I spent last night at the North Georgia State Fair eating cotton candy, elephant ears, hand cut french fries, watching people, visiting the animal exhibits where I fell in love with a big Tom turkey named Humphrey (and now have decided I am definitely getting another turkey this spring) and playing this silly ping pong game where Dan won me a goldfish who we named Pong to go with Ping that he won me at the same game last year =). Sadly I can't ride any of the rides because I get a mad case of motion sickness but I enjoyed watching everyone else get flung around and scream their heads off ;).
Now I think I'll have cotton candy and a candy apple for lunch.. I'm kidding mom! ;)

Full Moon

2007-09-27T12:49:00.000-04:00

I love the moon but who doesn't? This was him last night at my house - what a lovely visit =). I wish the picture did him justice but it doesn't.. he was actually a bright glowing orange color and looked so close that I thought I could touch it!

Ahhh Fall

2007-09-23T16:40:00.001-04:00

Or so I thought! We got a little tease of fall earlier in the week and it even got down to 59 degrees one evening but alas the first day of fall is today and it's 92 degrees! A beautiful day nonetheless with bright blue skies and puffy white clouds but I'm looking forward to days where it doesn't get out of the 60's and I can enjoy my morning coffee without having to turn down the A/C and put the ceiling fans on high. And pull out my favorite sweaters and wear my boots without my feet sweating... please hurry fall I miss you!

Chickens with shoes

2007-09-12T12:03:00.000-04:00

Some of our friends dropped by this past weekend with their 2 little girls to visit the rooster ,Gerry, they donated to our little farm a couple of weeks ago (I can't believe some folks don't like to be woke up at 5:30am by roosters crowing;)! )
So anyway their oldest daughter, Lola who is 5, is bending over and inspecting all the chicken's feet when she finally pops up and says "Miss jenn why do your chickens have shoes on?". I couldn't stop giggling to answer her and as she was giggling too she said "You think it's funny too that your chickens wear shoes?" and I said "Yes I do. They must have went to the store when I wasn't looking and bought shoes!" At which point she informed me I was silly ;)

Eminent Domain Stinks!

2007-09-04T15:40:00.000-04:00

So I'll probably be taking a week off here pretty soon to help my parents move. It seems they may have finally come to an agreement with the GA DOT in regards to buying their house so they can build a highway. Their home was built in 1927, sits on 8 acres on the top of a mountain, is surrounded by huge old maple and magnolia trees and is really a lovely setting. And this road is scheduled to go right through the middle of it =(. They've had this hanging over their heads now for nearly 15 years and honestly I'm glad it's about to finally be over. Ironically they bought another piece of property about 10 years ago to build on when they had to move and the DOT changed it's plans about 5 years ago and now the road is scheduled to go through the middle of that piece of property too! What are the odds? But on a brighter note they said they have found the house of their dreams and they put in a contract on it last week. Now let's just hope the DOT keeps up their end of the deal. We'll see.
To be continued...

And the madness begins...

2007-09-02T22:06:00.000-04:00

So my normally calm, collected husband turns into a raging maniac for several months of the year with the start of football season. Specifically University of Georgia football. Using the term "obsessed" is an understatement. He can't sleep, he's worse than a child at Christmas and he keeps threatening to tackle something, i.e. me! We both graduated from UGA but I had never even attended a football game my entire college career - I was too busy studying (otherwise being nerdy ;). And he hasn't missed a game since something like 1982. I came out to find my truck decorated with various magnets, flags and other random UGA items yesterday morning and did I mention he left yesterday morning at 7am for a game that didn't start until 6:45pm? (We only live 20 minutes away from the stadium in case you were wondering). Yes he's nuts but I still love him ;)

Happy Anniversary!

2007-08-27T11:50:00.000-04:00

To me! It's my one year Etsy anniversary today so to celebrate I'm giving away a $5 gift certificate with every purchase now through 11:59pm EST August 28th! Thank you all for a wonderful first year! And here's to many more to come! =)

It's like Easter every day...

2007-08-16T13:29:00.001-04:00

Since my chickens now roam freely around my house and the nest boxes are out in the barn I have to scour the yard each morning looking for eggs. And since alot of the eggs are blue, green, browns and shades of terracotta it's exactly like an Easter egg hunt every day except instead of getting a prize for finding the most eggs you get a nice surprise of stenchy rotten egg smell when you don't =P!

I'm Published.. well sort of!

2007-08-09T11:02:00.001-04:00

Finally got my hands on a copy of that elusive issue 4 of Craft Magazine... hmmm I think I may need to build a "bitchin' birdhouse" as mentioned on pg. 72..

And here it is finally! My little piece of ad heaven - thank you Etsy!

Walking (and boating and riding) in Memphis

2007-07-29T16:22:00.000-04:00

So last weekend we spent the weekend in Memphis, TN and Tunica, MS celebrating Dan's birthday (my hubby). We had some world famous BBQ at Rendezvous (yummy!), listened to some jazz musicians on the streets in Memphis and took a tour on this amphibious vehicle that was a restored relic from World War II. It's a weird boat looking vehicle with wheels that started out on dry land with a tour of the city and then we literally drove into the Mississippi river for a stroll along the river where a fish decided he wanted to hop on board! This rather large silver fish jumps straight out of the water onto the boat and into the lap of a passenger! I have never seen anyone move as fast as this woman did! It was too bad I didn't have my camera ready to snap a photo of that but by the time I got it out and turned it on a very nice gentleman picked the fish up and returned him to the Mississippi river =)
It was a great time and I have few more photos posted on my flickr page of our little weekend getaway... always good to be back home though!

My first ring!

2007-07-27T11:03:00.000-04:00

Here is the very first completed ring that is the product of my metalsmithing course I've been taking for the last several weeks at the University of Georgia! I was pretty excited about it considering it was my first attempt at a ring and soldering sterling silver. I had been practicing on copper and brass for a couple of weeks now so I finally got up the nerve to try my hand at silver so here it is my cute little, lightly hammered, matte finish sterling silver ring!

My first Inspiration

2007-07-13T16:14:00.001-04:00

I'm often asked how and when I got started making jewelry so I thought I'd share my very first inspiration. It was these little flowers that you'll find growing in almost every little patch of clovers. I was in 4th grade and I started out playing in the clover patches during recess looking for 4 leaf clovers but my attention was quickly caught by the cute little flowers that the honeybees seemed to love so much. I started tying the end of the stems from one flower up under the flower portion of the next...I made short necklaces, really long necklaces, bracelets.. a piece for every girl in my class including my teacher, Mrs. Nash, who more than once had to come and get me and drag me inside because I wasn't finished with my "projects" just yet. I had to repeat the process nearly daily because by the next day my previous day's projects would be brown and wilted so it was on going battle I was determined to fight!
So here I am nearly 25 years later doing what I love! I'll have to see if I can find some of my "vintage" pieces from the 80's that I made during high school to share on my next post if you promise not to laugh... they're HUGE and it was the 80's ;)

My celebrity look alikes

2007-07-10T14:19:00.000-04:00

Apparently I look like an older man w/ bushy eyebrows! Ha!

I'm a bum

2007-07-05T10:09:00.000-04:00

So I've spent the last few days lounging at the beach on Florida's gulf coast.. I didn't want to leave but I am glad to be back home! My parents own a time share there and we couldn't really pass up a free vacation and did I also mention it's the beach?!!
Since I'm all rested up now from being a beach bum for the past several days look for some new pieces coming early next week!

Don't put all your eggs in one nest

2007-06-26T11:41:00.000-04:00

Looks like I'll have more birds to feed pretty soon! The little bluebirds seem to love their new houses I put up last year =)

Craft Magazine

2007-06-19T20:32:00.000-04:00

How exciting! I was just notified today that one of my items will be featured as part of an ad run by Etsy in the upcoming issue of Craft Magazine! So look for it in your favorite craft store in July!

Metalsmithing 101

2007-06-17T00:56:00.000-04:00

I started my first official metalsmithing course through the University of Georgia's continuing education center last week and I have to say it's pretty exciting! Of course I am somewhat of a nerd so it may not be as exciting to some of you ;)... my heart still belongs to wire wrapping but you can never expand your horizons too much! I'm hoping to add rings to my collection some day soon... so stay tuned =)

My Treasures

2007-05-13T11:44:00.000-04:00

So I just can't resist gorgeous, sparkling (opaque too) stones! And since this is the largest wholesale show in the area I went a little nuts on Friday! But look at those gorgeous strands - that Labradorite is absolutely stunning and I think I may have a hard time parting with some of those!

Hot Hot Hot

2007-05-03T17:52:00.000-04:00

The weather has been scorching here the last couple of days so I've spent alot of time watering my little flowers and making sure the "kids" have plenty of water... Where did spring go?

Hi Ho Hi Ho It's off to work I go

2007-04-22T13:10:00.000-04:00

So this is my recently re-organized work area and I've done more work to get it just the way I need it including selling my husband's pool table that was taking up the entire middle of the floor. Don't feel too bad for him he hasn't played pool on that table in nearly 2 years! ;)

I could seriously hang out up there all day and I find myself daydreaming out the window watching the cows, deer and turkeys across the road more than I find myself working!

New Additions

2007-04-22T12:34:00.000-04:00

So this is what I've been busy doing the last 3 weeks - raising my new chick-a-loos! Aren't they just the sweetest? Now to come up with 18 more names! We have Edgar (in the middle with the Eddie Munster hair do), Marla, Edward and Sadie so far.. I'm open for suggestions!