Fort Collins Colorado Craft Shows

I will be selling my jewelry at three events in the Fort Collins and Loveland area of Northern Colorado.  If you live in the area please come by and see me.




Poudre Valley Hospital - Holiday Craft Show
Cafe F - Basement near cafeteria
1024 South Lemay
Fort Collins, CO
November 19, 2010
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Holiday Market - Fort Collins Senior Center
1200 Raintree Drive
Fort Collins, CO
November 26 & November 27, 2010
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Medical Center of the Rockies - Holiday Craft Show
Long's Peak Room
2500 Rocky Mountain Ave.
Loveland, CO
December 1, 2010
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Handmade Halloween!

We have beautiful weather here in Northern Colorado today, and I am sure the little trick or treaters will be out in large numbers this evening. Yesterday my husband and I were at a shopping plaza in Loveland, and they were having a special event for the children. The stores were handing out candy, and they had some sort of events for children in one area. We couldn't get close to whatever the event was due to the throngs of children in their halloween costumes.

We had so much fun watching the children. There were so many creative costumes. One little kid was dressed as a pelican. Pelicans are frequently seen at the lakes in this area. There was a tin man, cowardly lion, scarecrow, and Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Lots of princesses, a well muscled police man costume on a tiny boy, and much more. The sun was shining. It was the perfect day to be out and about.

I was impressed with the creativity of parents and children in the costumes. We moved here from St. Louis last winter, so this is my first Halloween in this area. People really get into the spirit of the holiday here. When talking to people at work over the last few weeks, I have heard how moms and grandmothers were sewing and creating costumes. My beautician created flying monkey costumes for her two dogs.

It shows the spirit of HANDMADE is alive and well!

Enjoy all the little people who visit your home tonight, and remember those adults who make it happen for them. Happy Halloween!

ArtFire Collections Featuring My Jewelry

I just opened my ArtFire studio again on October 1, and my work has been featured in two collections by two different artists.  This is quite exciting to me.

AN APPLE A DAY....

  Curated By: VioletRose

ArtFire.com

Unique Gifts

Florals and Flour...

  Curated By: FusedGlassCabs

ArtFire.com

Handmade Gifts

Daily Jewelry - Beaded ID Badge Lanyards

I am focusing much of my beading efforts these days on creating beautiful beaded id badge lanyards.  As a person who works at an organization that requires me to display my id badge at all times above the waist, I find that having an attractive way to do that makes me feel good.  I have created five different ones that are in my own personal collection.  Now I have created many more to sell.

I have come up with several different styles of these.  One style I really like is to use a large lampwork bead as the focal bead, and then use smaller beads on the strand of beads.

Turquoise Shell Beaded ID Badge Lanyard

Some people may not like a large lampwork bead, so I have made some lanyards with smaller beads such as the one below.  Realizing that many people cannot afford or want to spend money on multiple lanyards, I am trying to make some that are fairly neutral that can be worn everyday.

Simple Silver and Crystal Beaded ID Badge Lanyard

For those who love to wear chain necklaces, I created chain lanyards.  

Rainbow Chain Beaded ID Badge Lanyard

And finally, the holidays are just about here.  For those who love to wear holiday apparel, I am beginning to make lanyards for Christmas.  Here is the first of those.

Santa in the Chimney Beaded ID Badge Lanyard

Each of these is carefully handcrafted from strong materials to ensure durability and safety.  

Do you wear an id badge lanyard to work?  What kind do you like to wear?  

Teddy Bear's Picnic

If you have been following this blog, you know that my daughter had her first baby last year.  I was so enamored of the baby who lives here in Colorado, that I packed up all my worldly goods and moved from St. Louis to Colorado to be near her and to watch her grow up.  It's hard to believe, but one year has passed since her birth.  I don't regret a moment of making this move out to Colorado.

My granddaughter's name is Maggie, and we celebrated with her in style last week.  Her mom created a Teddy Bear's Picnic for her and the family.  First Mary, my daughter, created darling invitations that she mailed to us.  They were on pink card stock, with a cute poem inside and the dates of the picnic.  She used Maggie and her bear friends in a picture that she glued to the front of the card.  Don't you wish you could be at their picnic? :-)

The weather cooperated beautifully for the party outdoors in Maggie's back yard.  We had some of a bear's favorite foods, salmon salad, lox, cream cheese and bagels, berry salad, and of course cake.  What bear would ignore a good chocolate cake?

Maggie got all dressed up in a sweet purple and white dress.  For those of you into "all things handmade", this is a handmade dress that Mary bought at a small shop in Salida, a quaint town nestled in the mountains.

Then Maggie enjoyed her first birthday cake, and I mean she REALLY ENJOYED IT! She totally immersed herself in the experience.

What a memorable day!

Apples Hangin' from Your Ears?

Apple Love Earrings

It's apple time!  Pick them, eat them, cook with them, and wear them from your ears or on your wrists.  I found some cute silver apple charms and have combined them with red beads, green leaf beads and silver to make some fun jewelry for this autumn.  Check them out at Plum Beadacious!

Apples for You Earrings

Apples for You Bracelet

Jewel Tone Colors in Hot Air Balloons

Over Labor Day Weekend I had the pleasure of getting up early and heading over to Windsor, Colorado where a hot air balloon event took place as part of their annual Harvest Fest.  There in a small park they had about 10 or so hot air balloons.  When I first arrived they were laying totally deflated flat on the ground.  It was early in the day, about 7:00 on a Saturday, and I had rushed to get there by 7:00 thinking that these grand balloons would all lift off into the sky at that moment.  When I saw that they all needed to be inflated first, I was a bit disappointed thinking I would be standing there all morning, waiting for them to lift off into the sky.

Boy, was I ever wrong!  Shows how much I know about hot air balloons.  Shortly after I got there several of the people began inflating balloons with huge fans and flames.  I wasn't close enough to figure out exactly how this happens.  It was so much fun watching these large balloons lift up onto their sides one by one, stand straight up full and proud, and then quickly rise into the sky with hot flames shooting up inside of the balloons.

Here are some of the balloons I saw.  The colors are fabulous, and one is quite fun.  The balloon represents the moon, and a cow is jumping over it.