A Good Thing--Journaling

For the past couple of years I have been fascinated with the aspect of journaling....I'm not sure why as I'm not a great writer or communicator for that matter. 

I've read several excerpts of journals that people have shared in magazines and on-line articles....some very visual using paper, paint, and images.  I like to write but I'm not a writer.  I'm not artistic in the sense of drawing or painting. 

My contemplating over starting a journal came to an end when a friend of mine was featured in a local paper about her travel journal.  Her journal was descriptive in two ways....through her writing and through her drawings.  We talked about journaling and she wanted to start another journal on a specific topic.  I expressed my desire to start but how I'd never done anything about that desire.  It didn't take her long to present me with a beautiful book for me to use to start my journaling. 

This journal has Kitty written all over it.....

.....Very French! 

I've started my journaling....given it a name, a purpose, and decided that pictures, paper, stickers and glue will give me the visual interest I'd like to add!! 

But most importantly, it will offer me an outlet to express myself and give that feel-good emotion inside and out!

Until then......Happy Beading, Journaling, and whatever makes you smile!

Kitty

Man-Bracelet

I wanted to make a piece of jewelry for my husband (ya know....something that he might actually wear!). He's not one to wear jewelry but he liked the ID-type of bracelet.

I cut a piece of sterling silver sheet into a rectangle, filed the edges, texturized and then let him pick whatever he wanted stamped on the rectangle. He chose the word tonnerre which is French for thunder. Why? I haven't a clue! I was struggling with what kind of links or chain I should make or use. Then it came to me.....from Stephanie Lee's book Semi-Precious Salvage "Lives-Entwined Bracelet". Stephanie used flattened shell casings as a charm. I just took it in a different direction and made links from the casings. I attached each casing with jump rings and used a magnet clasp.

He's actually wearing it and I've been encouraged to start making more jewelry with men-in-mind.

Until then.........HAPPY BEADING!

Kitty

Thrilled and Disappointed

I would like to thank all of you that voted for my necklace in the Hearts category of the 2010 Bead Star contest.

Although I did not make the top three in that category, I am so thrilled to have been one of the 20 finalists chosen by the judges involved with the Bead Star contest.

I wish all those chosen in the 2010 Bead Star contest good wishes and continued success with all of their future endeavors in the world of creative jewelry making.

UNTIL THEN......Happy Beading!

Kitty

2010 Bead Star Contest Finalist

I am thrilled and honored to be a finalist in the Hearts category for the 2010 Bead Star contest. Although my creations or my name are not well-known in the beading world, I think it speaks volumes to the judges selection process.....that everyone truly has a chance to be selected.

Although the voting is coming to a close, I hope you will take the time to look through all the categories at some of the beautiful creations. I would deeply appreciate your support in this endeavor in the Hearts Category, No. 6.

Until then.....HAPPY BEADING!

Some Favorite Etsy Shops

I thought I would like to share with you some of my favorite Etsy shops. If you haven't heard of Etsy.com before, this will be a good introduction for you. If you are familiar and shop on Etsy, maybe these are some shops you haven't visited yet.....

Etsy is a wonderful outlet for those who love to create and for those who love to shop for things handmade and not mass produced.

Please take a few minutes to check out the following shops.....also, please share some of your favorite shops on Etsy.

Emerald Window
Peppermint Charms
The Ugly Dog Ranch
Rock On Jewelry
Beady Monkey
Just Wire

My next post will be about a collaborative effort that I would like to propose. In the meantime you may like to take a look at A Charming Exchange by Ruth Rae and Kelly Snelling. Their book details how several creative women met through forums and eventually collaborated on projects. The reason for their success was due to their dedication to a project and the bonds that grew between them because of it.

Until then......HAPPY BEADING!

KittyD

It Really Came True.....Paris!!!!

A trip of a lifetime....Two Weeks In Paris!

My husband and I decided in August 2009 to take a long-dreamed about trip to Paris in October 2009. Planning and preparing for the trip was fun and exciting....where to stay, what to wear (I was more into that than my husband), tours to go on, what sights did we want to see.

We chose a small hotel in the 7th Arrondissement at Hotel Duquesne near the Ecole Militaire and the Eiffel Tower. Through Google Earth we could actually see what our hotel looked like from the street. Our view from our 2nd floor room through the French windows was of the top third of the Eiffel Tower. I was thrilled.

We took the Metropolitan (subway) almost everywhere we went in Paris and got quite good at finding which routes we needed to take. We would end each evening at the Cafe Bar Le Tourville with a glass of wine. We knew the staff quite well by the end of our trip and enjoyed talking with them.

We spent three days in Avignon and loved strolling through all the narrow streets. We stayed at the Hotel D'Europe which was very old but had been updated and was beautiful. We took a private day tour with a wonderful guide and saw the ancient Roman Aqueduct, walked through Arles and saw the collesium that is still be used today for bullfights and sipped coffee at the Van Gogh Cafe that is depicted in his painting, Cafe Terrace. Lastly we went to winery located in a cave called Sancerre.

A day trip to Normandy was one day I will not forget. Seeing Gold Beach, Omaha Beach and the American Cemetary with rows upon rows of crosses representing those that fought and died during WWII, was a day of reflection.

I think the beliefe that the French are not friendly is false...we found people to be friendly and always helpful. I could go on and on about our trip but these were some of the highlights.

We're already thinking of returning in 2010 and hopefully it will be another dream come true for us.

Until then......enjoy life!!!