Welcome To My World

Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower. ~Hans Christian Anderson

Life's Best Recipe for Success

LIVE, LAUGH AND LOVE - IT'S THE BEST WAY TO ENJOY THE RIDE

Saturday, January 31, 2009

HELLO OUT THERE WORLD - IF YOU ARE READING THIS BLOG WOULD YOU PLEASE LEAVE ME A COMMENT SO I CAN APPRECIATE ALL OF MY MUSINGS TO THE WORLD OUTSIDE OF MYSELF........ AT THE BOTTOM OF EACH POST THERE IS A SECTION THAT SAYS - COMMENTS - JUST CLICK THERE AND LEAVE YOUR MESSAGE.....

"quote"
"You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, 'My God, you're right! I never would've thought of that!'"~ Dave Barry

Well, I blew off today as a house cleaning day and went to town to take care of business. I visited a stained glass shop and purchased some Dicro glass to make pendants out of. Can't wait to order my kiln so I can play with it. Came home and struggled some more with the camera and I think I finally have solved some of the problems with photographing jewelry. I changed some settings and the pictures look much better. Will play with it some more tomorrow.

DH won 3rd place in the Rifle Shooting Competition today at the Senior Olympics - pretty good for a 1st timer.

Friday, January 30, 2009

TGIF

Today was rather uneventful...clean studio so I could make room for more clutter or creativity as it is called. Washed christmas sweaters and put up in the closet to age for another year, practiced picture taking again to no avail. I even checked out several websites for information to help me perfect my skills - guess I will just need to practice more. I'm on my way to bed now so I can continue my housekeeping chores tomorrow for next week I plan to play a lot. The Tucson Gem and Mineral show is in town for 2 weeks so I know I will be making a few trips in to town to check it out. I have several friends who want to go so we will make it an adventure. I think I will check out different vendors and areas of interest this year as I find I keep going back to the same places each year. John will be shooting rifle in the Senior Olympics Competition this weekend so I can just play, play, play. Also, the Tubac Art Festival is going to be gearing up here soon so will need to make a trip to Tubac - oh dear, so many things happening I don't know where to start. Adios and good night

Thursday, January 29, 2009

An "oopsie" kind of day






Here's the result of my afternoons work....

I went to the lapidary shop to finish my ring and got right up to the point of setting the stone in when "CRASH" on the floor it went:>} So the good news is that I now have a black stone in my ring to match the black pendant I made last week so all was not lost. Good lesson learned - don't get distracted when working on a project....





Quite Exciting For Sure

I am so thrilled - I had my first sale yesterday, thank you so much Jill. I came home from my silversmithing class, which is quite exhausting even if it is only 2 hours long, and checked my site and there was a sale. BIG QUESTION WAS......now what do I do? I laughed and called my DH in to enjoy the moment with me. Next, I checked the Etsy website for FAQ and figured my next step was to check the Paypal site. I did that and figured out how to issue an invoice - WOW. What a learning experience that all was. I'm hoping for more sales since I am able to muddle through the entire process from start to finish now. It really is quite exciting for sure!!! I'm going over the the lapidary shop this afternoon to seek out some more expert help on finishing my ring. It is going to be beautiful and I am very pleased that I am enjoying this class so much.......sooooooo, ever onward as they say......the house needs some attention and the laundry is piling up so better take care of these details then on to the playground. Cheers and I hope at some time people will start reading my blog. I must figure out how to get out there to the reader world soon. If anyone has any advise I am completely open to your wise words. Sally


My finished pendant and my ring in progress

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

A Senior Moment

It has been a great day. I took my silversmithing lesson and finished another pendant. Will be creating a ring tomorrow and I am really excited about that. DH competed in the Senior Olympics in Tucson today and came in 3rd in pistol shooting in his age group - over 60:>} Not too bad I'd say. He competes in three more events this week so I will keep you posted. I am getting ready to play with some beads and try to use up some of my current inventory - after all the big Gem and Mineral show is in town next week and I need to stimulate the economy don't I?? Well, don't I????? That's what I thought:>} Cheers and sweet dreams to all.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Life is good

I took another silversmithing class today and am working on a ring. I took another class two weeks ago, three sessions, and made a pendant. It turned out beautiful and I was really pleased with my endeavor. I've dabbled in metal stamping and silver work for awhile but never worked with the bezel settings or ring making details. It is really fun and I can't wait to show off my new creations. I've done beading and quilting for years but am ready for something new and different. I love this silversmithing and have already place an order for wire etc. The huge gem show comes to Tucson next week and I plan to pick up some stones at that time and get busy creating. I usually spend a fortune on beads at this show so this will be something different. I am also attending a bead show in Santa Fe, NM in March and taking a class in cold connections - very excited.....Good night all and I hope to find out how to get people to read this blog soon. I finally figured out how to install the Live feed widget. Sweet dreams.....

It's a new week -


Hello everyone. I had a great visit with my niece in Phoenix over the weekend and we spent hours laboring over photographing jewelry and trying to eliminate reflections from the metal pieces. I am posting one of my pieces to see what it looks like online so here it goes.........Photography by Suzanne

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

photog frustrations continue.....

I have spent all day trying to get some good photos of my jewelry. I have tried every setting on my camera. I am going to Phoenix tomorrow and visit my niece for a few days, she has a wonderful new camera and between the two of us I hope I can learn something and get some pics posted.....can't sell without good pictures so here I go.....Wish me luck. Thanks and have a great weekend.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Bella-Bijou Jewellery: 10 Random Facts About Me#links

Bella-Bijou Jewellery: 10 Random Facts About Me#links
Well, not sure I'm doing this correctly but here I go:

Here are my 10 random facts......
1. I hate mushrooms - no particular reason just don't like the consistency:>}
2. My favorite color is blue
3. I cut my brothers hair when I was 5 years old and my mother did not approve!
4. I sometimes think I have adult ADD as I am trying to do a million things at once -
5. I've never learned to relax and do nothing
6. I love hot fudge sundaes
7. My mom would make me "milk toast" when I was little and I loved it.
8. I can't take a decent picture of my jewelry and I'm getting very frustrated.
9. My husband was an Air Force Test Pilot
10. I love Etsy and all of the people I've met so far

The Bear Affair

Wow - This is my very first blog and I am excited....so much going on today and we are witnessing a great day in history - the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. Martin Luther King must be smiling down on him right this moment. I have been putting my Etsy site together now for over a year. Don't know why it is taking me so long except that I guess I'm scared of the new adventure in my life. I have been creating jewelry, quilts, clay and everything else I could get my hands on for most of my life but just haven't gone "public" with it to such an extent. I've spend hours reading information and taking pictures. Actually, the pictures are what is holding up progress because I haven't seemed to perfect that part of the process yet. I have my little tent and lites and will spend today on that order of business. Wish me luck.. Meanwhile - I'm going back to the television to watch history taking place. ONLY IN AMERICA..