I almost made it...

Well, I didn't exactly post when I said, but it's only been a few days.  I have been busy coming

up with some designs for new beading classes I would like to teach at a local bead shop.  It's also time

to start working on my 'Bead Soup'.  It's been simmering for a few weeks and as the party date is Saturday, February 26th, it is time to get cookin.

Click here to see all of the Bead Soup Blog Party Participants.

Again, a big thanks to Lori Anderson for hosting this party.

Participating in this Blog Party has helped me discover so many others who

love to bead, create, and craft,

I have mentioned before that I have many creative interests.  I do like to knit and crochet also.  I think I mentioned that in a previous blog.  Last week while on a little getaway, I was able to visit a wonderful yarn shop in Port Orchard, Washington. 

I don't know if many of you have read Debbie Macomber's books, but she has written many enjoyable books.  Many of which have taken place in the Seattle area (as she lives in Port Orchard).  She has a Blossom Street series that uses a yarn shop as the center of the lives of the characters of this series of books.

A Good Yarn Shop is a wonderful place to visit if you have a little time while in
Port Orchard.  And right across the way is the Victorian Rose Tea Room where my husband and I enjoyed a very nice lunch.  (I should let you know that he is the one that discovered this was nearby and suggested we go visit.  He must know I like these kinds of places. He's a very, sweet guy.)

Well, I'm off to get my 'Bead Soup' cookin....

Poor excuse for a blogger...

Well its been awhile since I posted on my blog.  No excuses.  I just didn't.  I really need to make

this part of my routine so that it becomes habit.  With that said, I think I'll just talk about

what I did do. 

Martha's influence visited my kitchen in the form of organizing my cooking utensils in a few

different pitchers.  I think it looks pretty cute.  It took my husband well over a week to

realize that I had make that little change.  I guess it felt huge to me.

Since I last blogged, I also finished crocheting an afghan and actually sewed together an

afghan that I knitted over a year ago.  It felt great to get that bag of yarn out of our office

and out into the family room to actually be used.  I have such a huge stash of yarn that I

hope to make afghans out of all of it until its gone.  You know its bad when you have

to keep your yarn in the attic because you have no other space because of all of your

other crafting supplies all over the house.

My husband and I have the most unique anniversary, Valentine's Day.  This year

we decided to go away to a very nice resort, The Alderbrook Resort in Union, Wa.

We had a very nice time.  It was very relaxing and peaceful.  The food was wonderful and so was

the service.  I highly recommend it if you are need of a night or two away.  We even woke up to a beautiful rainbow, which was very nice considering all the rain we have been having (of course we do live in the Pacific Northwest and that's kind of par for the course here).

That was enough to put a smile on my husband's face and mine too.

But as with all things, our little escape came to an end and it was back to reality.  My next focus is to

work on cleaning up my beading table/room.  I have a Bead Soup that needs to get cooking and I don't think I have any space to do any work.  Although I will say that I find it equally challenging to create in a neat area.  I need to create an organized, clutter that feeds my creativity and lets me walk around my bead room without tripping over things.

I am vowing to write again. tomorrow.  Til then......

I wish Martha lived here......

Well, I had great hopes at the end of my last post.  I've managed to continue my dejunking of our home.

I tell you, clutter breeds.  But I'm staying one step ahead of it.  Now I have got to get my husband on

board.  He is definately a keeper and I'm not.  I think he feels that if you buy it once, you should keep

it til you die so that you don't have to buy it again.  Or somebody might need it someday.   I've got to

work on changing that mentality, because our garage has become a staging area for Goodwill or a

storage unit for our posterity.  I am convinced clutter causes stress.  I know I get stressed everytime I

go into our garage.

Bead Soup Blog Party

 On the brighter side, I've exchanged a few e-mails with my Bead Soup Blog Party partner

Valerie Norton of  Hot Fused Glass.  Check out her blog and her

Etsy Shop Artfull Adornments by Valerie.  I had quite a bit of fun putting

together her "Bead Soup" and hope she likes it.  A big thank you to Lori Anderson of

Pretty Things for hosting this wonderful blog party.  I can't wait to see what

everyone else creates with their 'Soup.'

I've been busy doing some crafting that is totally unnecessary, but totally fun. 

The next holiday is Valentine's Day and while I was out at Michaels Craft

Store, I found these really cute scrapbook embellishments that I just had to have.

So I thought I would decoupage these cute little cutouts onto small pieces of painted wood.  Sprinkle

a little of Martha Stewart's Glitter over them while the decoupage is still wet. (I have never used this product before, but it is absolutely the best.  It is so fine and powdery.  It adds the perfect glisten without being obvious like coarser glitters.)

After the decoupage has dried, I used a tacky glue around the edges to attach pieces of ribbon to

frame the little Valentine's.  I used pieces of ribbon I had to create a loop and bow to hang these

adorable little Valentine ornaments.  I just love making things that give me instant gratification.

Hope everyone has a good weekend.  Hopefully, I'll have my Etsy Shop Everyday Gypsy Designs filled this weekend.