Gathering Leaves

Gathering Leaves


Spades take up leaves
No better than spoons,
And bags full of leaves
Are light as balloons.

I make a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.

But the mountains I raise
Elude my embrace,
Flowing over my arms
And into my face.

I may load and unload
Again and again
Till I fill the whole shed,
And what have I then?

Next to nothing for weight,
And since they grew duller
From contact with earth,
Next to nothing for color.

Next to nothing for use.
But a crop is a crop,
And who's to say where
The harvest shall stop?


--Robert Frost


Here are a few new earrings that I made and posted in my shop recently!  I hope you all are enjoying the cooler weather!

Honey Bee Earrings



Happy Hummingbird Earrings





 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sunshine Earrings

The Moon is Made of Cream Cheese

Okay, maybe not.  But really, if it were up to me, the moon would be made of rice crispies and marshmallows.....

Here are a couple pairs of "Moon" earrings that I recently made (in the spirit of Halloween, yah-sure).  These are made using Czech glass beads.  I know that they are very simple, but Czech glass beads are so pretty that they can stand alone! 

Harvest Moon



Witches Moon



Suprise Cupcakes

I made these delicious cupcakes today -- they are tasty and very easy to make!

List of stuff:  German chocolate cake mix, 8oz of softened cream cheese, 1/3 cup of sugar, dash of salt.

Prepare German chocolate cake mix as directed. 

Mix cream cheese, sugar and dash of salt in a separate bowl.

Line cupcake tray with liners and fill cupcake liners 1/2 full with cake batter. 

Drop a teaspoon (a blob the size of a quarter?) of the cream cheese mixture in the center of each 'cupcake'.

Bake cupcakes according to the directions on the box.

Enjoy!

Before I put the cupcakes in the oven, I sprinkled them with Halloween decorations (instead of using frosting).  The cream cheese sinks into the center of the cupcake -- that's your yummy surprise! 

Waiting For Noah....

Supposedly we are going to get tropical downpours tomorrow.  Thoughts of Evan Almighty come to mind....  I'll make sure to batten down the hatches, just in case!

Just a few showcase items today.  I am still in the process of working on another ocean inspired necklace.  Why the ocean when I live in Minnesota, and supposedly have 10,000 lakes to model jewelry after?  Unknown.  But the thought has crossed my mind.

This first shop is worth a look just for a good chuckle!  Obey My Brain's Josh Freeman is so animated in his pictures -- Cute, cute, cute!  (Oh yeah, and the hats aren't bad either)! 

Large Fleece Squid Hat

This next shop has some of the sweetest looking little animals I've ever seen!  TSminibears shop offers PATTERNS (some with materials) for these adorable woodland animals.  This little bear just makes my heart melt....



Miniature bear PATTERN
























If you are looking for some beautiful pictures to hang around the home, Red Leaf Gallery has some splendid nature photos!  With Halloween drawing near -- thoughts of pumpkins come to mind!

Pumpkin

Hope you all have a wonderful afternoon! 

Blogger......Rhymes With Frogger.....

I listed a few new pairs of earrings yesterday!  I figured during this slow time, I would feed my creative need with some simple items like earrings.  They are pretty, and they keep me busy!  I hope you all are enjoying our seasonal transition into fall -- I've put out some of my fall decorations already!  Have a good day!

Blue Grapes



Amethyst Drops






















Moonlit Evening



Dammit Jim...I'm a Crafter, Not an Artisan!

Yes, that would be me.  Somewhere, somebody asked me that question -- I'm a crafter, and proud of it! 

Anyhoo....I said that I would report back on the few purchases that I had made about a week ago.  The tart warmer, pumpkin cheesecake wax tarts and the Harvest Moon perfume.  Everything is wonderful!  The tart warmer that I had purchased from The Hairy Potter Studio has a wood like glaze on it -- so it looks like it was turned from a log.  Cute!  The pumpkin cheesecake tarts from The Tempting Tart smell fabulous!  They last quite a long time too!  I let them melt in the warmer for a couple of hours, then I blow out the candle -- the scent continues to be released from the wax for quite a while even after it hardens again.  It is so nice to come home and have that wonderful 'spicy' scent in the air!  The Harvest Moon perfume from Solstice Scents is warm, cozy and comforting!  I put a little on my wrists, so that every time I swipe the hair from my eyes, I catch a whiff of the warm, spicy scent!  Very fall feeling -- apples, pumpkin and spice.  Not too sweet or over-powering!

Tart Warmer

Pumpkin Cheesecake Wax Tarts

Harvest Moon

Wash With Your Brain!

Well...sort of....  Fun Gooey Brain Cupcake Soap made by Sunbasilgarden Soap!  Devilish little gift to give to all those stinky goblins in your life.  Sunbasilgarden offers a variety of bath items that come in different scents and styles!  Check out Pomegranate Paradise and Mango Tango Bath Bomb!



Gooey Brain Cupcake Soap





















IT..CAME..FROM..SPACE..!!  If you say it like Captain Kirk, it sounds more dramatic.....   So, here is a little pair of funky earrings that I listed this morning -- they do remind me of something from outer space! 

It Came From Space

Autumn Rain and Cozy Quilts

I posted a new set of earrings last night!  I named them "Leaves In a Puddle", because they reminded me of taking a walk after a cool fall rain, and watching the fallen leaves drift across the puddles like tiny ships sailing to distant lands.

Leaves In a Puddle

I found this beautiful Autumn themed quilt on Etsy.  It is a Fall Frolic Scrappy Lap Quilt by Pieces of Pine.  I love to wrap myself up in a cozy quilt on a cold winter's day -- and a handmade quilt makes it even more comforting!  



Fall Frolic Scrappy Lap Quilt

  

Beautiful September Morning!

I listed a couple of new items on Etsy last night!  Here they are -- Enjoy!

Grandma's Dress

Fall Frolic

How about a kick-in-the-pants every morning?  Try Wake the F*ck Up Tiramisu Flavored Coffee!  With a name like that, you know it's gotta be strong!  This product is offered through Flaming Mouth -- Extinguish your mouth's desire for hot and spicy foods!™.  And just so ya'll know, I LOVE tiramisu!  Oh yeah, and pumpkin pie, and cheesecake, and junior mints, and.....     Check it out!

Wake the F Up!

Mmmmm...Junior Mints and Coffee....

So, I finally finished another necklace and a set of earrings!  Things have been so slow around Etsy since I opened shop (just my luck), I have slowed my creativeness WAY down.  It has been difficult -- I really love to create new jewelry!  At least I can be busy with my daughter, and there will be much yard work to do in the next couple of months!

Nocturnal Musings

Bohemian Rhapsody

Color me......Pumpkin!

Or shades there of.....

Here are a few of my picks for the day -- makeup in beautiful shades to pick up your mood!

I have featured Beautiful Twists by Ella Dean before, and I can't say enough about how much I get a kick out of her Smoochalicious lip gloss and their descriptions!  Each one has a unique and cute story to go along with it.  Not only is it worth buying the lip gloss, but reading through the shop descriptions is amusing! 

Autumn Leaves and Candy Corn

Patina Mineral's Shop features 'natural organic mineral makeup'.  Here is a 4 piece eye shadow kit in browns.  A beautiful way to show off your Autumn look!

Patina Mineral  -- Browns

And last, but not least (and most certainly because I LOVE PUMPKIN PIE), Virtue Natural's Pumpkin Pie Body Scrub!  A mix of cane sugar, brown sugar, Shea butter, and pumpkin seed oil.  A wonderful addition to your morning shower!

Pumpkin Pie Body Scrub

Please visit each of these delightful shops to view their ingredients list!

Eh?......Am I drooling?

Ok, so this last treasury that I assembled on Etsy just about did me in.  I never realized how many people sell tasty eats on Etsy!  So many tasty, tempting, treats to look through!  With that said, I have to gripe for a minute......  Etsty-ers were complaining the other day about how hard it was to make the front page.  I don't blame them!  When I think of what 'handmade' means to me, I think of the craft shows I have been to.  Quilts, food, painted wood items, crafted dolls, etc.  Etsy has a bad habit of posting too many 'luxe' items on the front page.  IT IS NOT A GOOD REPRESENTATION OF WHAT ETSY IS ABOUT!  Not that the items on the front page aren't beautiful, (perhaps not MY taste), but where is the representation for the rest of the Etsy shops?  Anyhoo....here are a couple of my treasury inspired postings for today!

Halloween Marshmallows

Chocolate Espresso Cake Truffles

White Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake

The End of Summer

Today was a beautiful day!  I know, it was cloudy, windy and a little rainy, but after such a LONG stretch of hot (as in magma hot) days, it was a welcome change! 

Thinking of fall..... I will entice you with thoughts of autumn by showing one of my personal favorite necklaces: Autumn Reverie! Beautiful arrangement of cascading colors - seed beads changing from violet, to copper and to moss. An actual epoxied maple leaf sits as the focal to this necklace. Enjoy!

Etsy mention for today is a beautiful ethereal style necklace called Blue Moon Goddess! I found this little gem as I was looking for 'fairy themed' items for a treasury. Vintage Filigree's shop is absolutely enchanting for those who love vintage style!

Blue Moon Goddess

For those who appreciate and/ or worship all that nature has to offer - White Magick Alchemy offers supplies for divination, rituals, alchemy and more!  Here's my favorite pick!  Use it wisely!

Love Drops

Goodies!

Today I purchased a few things from a couple of fellow Etsy-ers: Pumpkin Cheesecake Tart Wax Melts from the Tempting Tart, a tart warmer from The Hairy Potter Studio, and some Harvest Moon perfume from Solstice Scents!  I enjoy the smell of fresh sweets from the oven on those cold days -- it warms the soul!  So why bake when you can melt some tasty wax tarts?  And Solstice Scents has captured the essence of autumn by concocting a perfume scented with apples, spices, pumpkin, and roasted chestnuts!  I will have to report back once I have the goodies in my possession!  Until then, please take a peek into their shops -- perhaps you will find your own goodies!

Solstice Scents
ENCHANTED FOREST PERFUME

The Hairy Potter Studio
Tart Warmer

The Tempting Tart Pumpkin Cheesecake Grubby Soy Wax Tart Melts

                               

Create and Imagine.....

The last of the message charm necklaces that I have made -- 'Create' and 'Inspire'!  The Swarovski crystals are so pretty!  'Create' has a peridot crystal leaf and two deep brown pearls, and 'Inspire' has a starfish pendant in crystal golden sand with two bright gold pearls.  Say it sweetly, say it simple....say it with a message charm necklace!

Create

Imagine

Dollhouse Pumpkin Pie

Doesn't this look absolutely tasty? Ok.....but unfortunately it is only for your dolls! Betsy Niederer Miniatures -- Goddess of Chocolate on Etsy, will provide you with detailed instructions on how to make this and other cute confections for your miniature collection! Oh if I could only bake like this in real life!

And for those of you who could never make something so small by yourself (because it would just end up looking something like a mouse poop), here is Allie's Minis....maker of Dollhouse Food and Food Jewelry!  Now I have to go make something to eat......

Miniature Pizza

Oye!

I was so busy yesterday and today -- I need to get-a-posting!  Love II is another one of my newest message charms!  A bright fuchsia Swarovski crystal flower, a message charm with 'Love' imprinted on it, and two tiny cream rose pearls!  I really enjoyed making these delicate, sweet and simple charm necklaces!

Love II

 Have a great evening everyone - Happy September 1st!