Sunny Wednesday

Once Upon a Dream--artisan lampwork and oxidized sterling linked bracelet with rose quartz, pink amethyst and turquoise briolette charms. $132.00

I know it's sleeting and snowing in some parts of the country today, so I'll count my blessings for another lovely sunny day here in Cali! The winds have calmed down and the weather is just gorgeous. Yesterday I got to play with beads for a little while, so I picked up some new favorites from my stash and I just love the results--how can you go wrong with some of Suzanne Noordewier's beads, right? Her stringer control is a marvel, her color combinations divine and it was such fun to combine her lampwork with some hammered oxidized sterling and wirewrap gemstones to the finished design for that sumptuous finishing touch.

I'm off today to help a friend decorate our church 'cultural hall' for a fun Halloween Trunk or Treat party this evening--a special evening for all the kids in the neighborhood to come have fun and get some treats. This time of year seems to kick into high gear with Halloween and not slow down until mid-January when I finally recover from all the fun!!!

One more thing on my mind, Tuesday is election day and here in California there are also something like 11 propositions on the ballots to vote on. I can't tell you how happy I will be when the campaigning is over--my mail box is crammed full of literature and half my calls are political campaigning--on one level is seems like a nuisance, but in truth I think how blessed we are to have the right to vote on candidates and policies--it will be good to be done, one way or another, but I'm grateful for the opportunity it gives me to study and work for good causes. So if you're a citizen and registered, may I just take a moment to ask you to remember to VOTE...my parents taught me that I can't complain about what's going on if I don't exercise my right to VOTE--it's a privilege with a responsibility--so just DO IT!

Monday, Monday....

Sterling slider bracelet with lampwork by Heidi Brodersen & sterling beads, a pair of clipbead stoppers and clasp. $146 US

Spent some time today editing my old blog, saving and removing photographs of sold designs..it's looking really lonely over there...but I still can't quite eliminate it entirely yet--old habits die hard! I did finish a bracelet I started awhile back when I purchased a biagi bracelet. I wanted to use some large holed beads I had in my stash and some beautiful sterling beads, but then I realized I hadn't purchase any stopper beads to hold things on the bracelet, so everytime I opened it, everthing slide right off. Well, I finally purchase some of the biagi stopper beads and finished this design off--it's for a rather small wrist at 7 1/4 inches --it needs 6 inch wrist or smaller to fit comfortably, but I do love the finished look!

It's Already Wednesday!!!!

Here's a picture of the custom bracelet I made yesterday--I love the colors! Don't you just love Vickie Miller's flip flop with that yummy lavendar seashell by Tiffany McCoy and a sterling palm tree on sterling chain--a simple delight! And it's off to it's new home!

The week is flying by! Yesterday morning I had a lovely trip to the dentist (NOT) and now I have sparkling clean teeth. In the afternoon I got all my orders from the weekend shipped, seven packages worth, with three international shipments! There were a few bracelets to size and I made a quick flipflop charm bracelet by request as well--it feels great to have everything shipped and off my worry list. Surely I'll have time to play now. The Santa Ana winds kicked up again this morning and will be with us until Friday night---keep your fingers crossed that we won't have another outbreak of fires this week--I just got all the ashe cleaned up from the last episode and the worst of it is a family friend's home back in the canyons burned to the ground! A little ashe is nothing when you think of the families who lost so much in the fires--keep them in your thought's and prayers!

Happy Wednesday--hopefully I'll get into the studio this afternoon for some design time!

Moving right along....

Hi! Well, it's moving time...my aol journal that's been home for the past few years is closing down and it's time to find a new home to keep y'all updated on what's up with me. I'll need a little time to figure out how to use this new format and get some eye candy posted for you as soon as possible. In the meantime, thanks for coming stopping by and check back often to see what's new. I've got an etsy store---www.rickitic.etsy.com and galleries at jewelryartists.org as well as beadartists.org, so there's a place to start if this is your first introduction to who I am.

Until October 31, I have a clearance sale over at my old aol journal site--drop by to see what's going, going, gone. http://journals.aol.com/rspv/UptownGirlDesigns/ Here's to my old home and the new