ahh, a new year.  i always leave behind a year with mixed feelings of excitement for the year ahead and sadness that a year has passed.  i enjoy my life very much and don't like how fast it is flying by!  i never set serious new year's resolutions, because i am a realist about how quickly i will break them.  however, i do like to think of what i want to accomplish by the end of the next year. the year is mine to create and i don't want to just hope for a new year but to plan for it.

what do you have planned for 2010?

i was at my friend kate's this weekend and saw her awesome rectangle wreath she made last christmas and decided i wanted one of my own.  of course, making a wreath is not anything i've ever tried and i had no idea where to start, so kate kindly rescued me at michael's and told me what i needed.  this morning, after bending hangers and springing glitter everywhere (including my poor husband's face as he got ready for work...), i completed my silver and berry wreath and i love it!  thanks, kate!  i decided to keep it indoors so i could see it more often...

i have not been this productive in a very long time!  i've been cleaning like crazy so my house will be a nice place to be when i get back from visiting my parents in missouri for christmas.  i finally got my studio set up in an organized way.... at least organized for me... and now i actually want to get to work in there!  next place on my list to organize:  my closet... just the thought sends chills down my spine.  i'll post some before and after pics...  but for now i think i'm going to go watch a movie and crochet some more granny squares- my pile of finished ones is growing!

i just cannot stop adoring this beautiful little shop on etsy called all the numbers.  the quilts and little dresses are absolutely out of this world sweet.  don't you think?

this week was for the birds....
tuesday, as i was trying to give my 1st graders a silent standardized test, a flock of birds flew into our windows and one of them crashed to the ground with a broken little neck.  most of my students were extremely disturbed, except for the one boy who could not stop laughing.  as for me, my day was totally ruined as i thought about that poor little dove.
the next day, i'm working in my garden and my precious dog turned into a viscious killer and showed up with a dove hanging out of her mouth.  what?!  so i can't get her to drop it and i was screaming at her because there is no way i was touching it.  i finally just went inside to scream and left her outside and she just stared at me through the door...with a bird in her mouth... wagging her tail.  holy dog.  my dog is a freaking animal.  a flesh eater. 

above:  the mark the bird left on the window...
below: the vicious killing animal

it has been such a busy week!  but now i'm finished with my master's classes for the semester and i hope to have a little more time.  it's so cold here this week that all i've been wanting to do is hide under a blanket, read my book, and drink tea!  but i haven't really done any of those things yet.... tomorrow night is my first show for my little jewelry business- i'm a vendor at a friend's holiday shopping party and i'm crossing my fingers that it goes well.  here's some of the stuff i've been working on in my spare moments this week:

tutorial: how to make wine markers

okay, so to be honest i always thought people were just trying to decorate their glasses with these things until someone filled me in that wine markers are so people don't mix up their glasses. ah, so clever! so i decided to make some cute and simple ones for my own glasses. 

if you don't feel like making your own, i'm also selling them at my shop and will give you a 20% discount if you let me know that you saw them here at my blog.  i also made some beaded ones like these, and can do them in any color.

here's what you need to make your own:

wine marker materials:

4 different colors of embroidery floss (24 inches of each)
crimp beads (i used the folding kind)
4 beads or charms
20 gauge wire or jump rings
jump rings
4 magnetic closures
krazy glue
pliers

1. fold your string up to make four strands.  use the folding crimper beads to bind off two spots on the string, 3 inches apart.

2.  put a drop of super glue past the crimp beads and let it dry.

3.  while you're waiting, you can start getting your charms ready to string.  this is where you'll need the wire or jump rings.  here's mine:

4.  once the glue has dried, you can snip off the excess string after the crimpers and the glue keeps it from fraying.  string on your charms.

5.  now you just need to use the jump rings to put on your magnetic closures to finish up.

more stuff i wish i'd made

i cannot even believe that this stuff is handmade at life is only illusion on etsy.  beautiful! i can't believe the attention to detail...

a couple of my brave friends from work modeled my earrings so i could get some better pictures up in my etsy store.  thank you, johanna and ashley!  also, i have added all my new,  weekend creations to the store now if you're interested.
gotta drink some peppermint mocha coffee before i had off to work!  pure, holiday bliss.... mmmm...

my extremely talented, sign making, crafty friend, sarah, who helped me make the banner this week, just opened up an etsy store for her signs!  i also bought one from her today and i love it!   she has a few up on her shop and will be adding more all week, and can make custom ones as well!
here's the one i snagged:

i've been busy on this long weekend and i'm trying to get ready for two upcoming displays i'm doing.  i think i'm going to need to take a little break from jewelry making for the rest of the week.  i'm exhausted!
here are some of my new goodies that are going up for sale in etsy.