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Go HERE to vote for your favorite. But first please read about my design and journey.
Yipee, I got to play again with one of Moriah Betterly's Ceramic Bracelet Bars in her current Design Challenge for Blu Mudd Design Group on Facebook. This one was a butterfly and is so cool. Here is the bracelet bar I received.
I decided I wanted to do a stretchy bracelet with it and just needed to figure out what beads to use. I love Carnelian and decided it would go great with this. So I picked out some Carnelian chips, some Hematite ovals and some Heishi White Shell discs to finish it out. The Heishi is a little whiter than I would have liked, but I couldn't find anything with that off-white look. I think with the other colors around them, they work. Then I went in to another bead shop closer to where I live and found these great orange-brown glass faceted squares that went great with the rest of the beads. I also wanted more than one strand so finally settled on a 5 strand stretch bracelet. I had some Dark annealed Steel wire that was great to make my own jump rings to attach the strands and decided that I wanted the 2nd jump ring to be something other than round, so used my new Triangle Wubber pliers to make the 2nd jump ring on each side. I love the look, although this is only the 2nd time I've ever worked with the stretch cord, but I don't think it turned out too bad. What do you think? I love comments and suggestions so be sure to tell me what you think.
My friend, Karla of Texas Pepper Jams (they make the best pepper jams and fudge on Etsy) had come up for a couple of days to play so we used each other as sounding boards for our designs. And then of course decided that I needed earrings and a simple necklace to match. So out came the toggle bar clasps and chain for the earrings. My Daughter in Law showed me how to make these a couple of years ago and I love the look. (By the way, Karla is her mother. LOL) So I made some dangles out of the beads for the bracelet, attached them to 3 pieces of chain and hung them from the toggle bar which was attached to black earwires. I love them. Then I wanted just a simple necklace to go with the set, so strung the Carnelian, Black Hematite, White Heishi shell discs and the Glass beads on some beading wire, making it long enough to just slip over my head. I also added 3 more dangles just like the earrings for a focal for the necklace. I love the way the set turned out. I'm still trying to decide whether to keep it for myself or put it up for sale. How do you like my Blu Mudd Bracelet Bar Design set? There is a contest on the Facebook group for the best design, so be sure to go there and vote for your favorite Bracelet design. Plus let each of us know what you think of our designs.
And if you're looking for some Stained Glass, Mosaics or Fused Glass Kreationz for your home or garden or more of my Jewelry check out my shop, KayzKreationz. Thanks for looking.
I love this little table. It's called "Texas Wildflower Mosaic Table". It can also be used as a plantstand, candle holder, whatever you like. It has different Texas wildflowers on it. It's got Bluebonnet's, Paintbrush, Mexican Hat, and little Yellow Daisies. Plus a little butterfly to go with them. My problem is, for the life of me I can't figure out how to package this thing for shipping so I can list it in my Etsy shop. So far, none of the boxes I've tried are big enough to allow extra room for all the extra wrapping and bubble wrap it would need to not only protect the table part, but also the Mosaic top and the grout. I'm afraid if it's not done really well, the grout would get chipped on the edges. And of course, then there would be the issue of weight to ship it also. So for now, it sits in my studio looking at me, begging me to be sent to a new home. And I have to keep disappointing it. :( So if anyone has any good ideas about how to package and ship this thing, please feel free to leave a comment and let me know. I'd love to send it to your new loving home. :) Meanwhile for anything else Glass to decorate your home, yard or garden feel free to check out KayzKreationz.
Today is EARTH day. What is everyone doing to help the earth? I always try to plant something. And I don't use chemicals in my yard or garden at any time. I recycle most of the year too. And with my glass I try to recycle bottles, shells, etc. for some of my art. Then I also create things to help the wildlife, like my birdbaths, birdfeeders, butterfly baths, etc. We need all those critters to keep our gardens/yards growing. You can check out some of my glass items at KayzKreationz. Will be a new birdfeeder/birdbath/butterfly bath listed tonight.What do you do to help the earth & environment?
Next to my glass, gardening is probably my biggest passion. I love to plant things and watch them grow. I even enjoy just going out and standing there with the water hose and watering them. However, my biggest battle with my garden is "GRASSHOPPERS". I'm still trying to find something that will help me win that battle. As I find things, I'll post more about them.But this post if mainly about the plants I just got. I've been wanting to try some heirloom tomatoes for a while. And since we're in San Antonio for a few day, I just went to Antique Rose Emporium and found a couple to try. I got "Cherokee Purple", "Brandywine" and a "Black Cherry" cherry tomato to try. One of the other buyers there assured me if I can win the battle of the grasshoppers, my Cherokee Purple tomato will offer up a huge plant that may cause me problems keeping staked and large, tasty tomatoes.I also got some more Mexican Marigold Mint which can be substituted for Tarragon and has the prettiest little yellow flowers and a great licorice smell, plus some yarrow, poppies, Evergreen Wisteria, Coral Bean Vine, and a Vichenbleu antique Rose. Although I prefer roses that bloom repeatedly or at least a couple of times, this one is gorgeous purple and I just couldn't resist. So I have my work cut out for me when I get home, getting the garden ready to plant and then watching for the last frost to put everything out. Will have to baby them until then.Plus get my birdfeeders recleaned, my hummingbird feeders out, my birdbath cleaned out again, and the birdhouses checked and recleaned if nothing has moved in yet. And I got a butterfly house from Andrews Reclaimed to put up for the "TONS" of butterflies I'm hoping to attract this year. See you soon.
If you love gardening, the outdoors and wildlife, this giveaway will interest you. About the Mason Bee Box:This garden accessory, once populated with bees, is sure to bring more fruit and vegetables to your garden, and do so in an eco-friendly way. All Bee Boxes are constructed from reclaimed cedar or fir.With these handsome Blue Orchard Bee Boxes, you can bring greater yields from your garden, and they make a great gift for anyone who enjoys gardening. Simply hang it near your garden, preferably facing East or South, in a shady spot where the box will be dampened from time to time. The stainless steel hanger hoop driven into the back at an angle in the back allows the hole entrances to face slightly downward, to prevent rainwater from entering the holes. So check out the giveaway here for you chance to win. I've got one of his butterfly houses and they're great.And if you're looking for something else unique for your garden, check out my mosaic birdfeeder/bath which can also be used as a butterfly bath at KayzKreationz.
I love birds. All kinds of birds (except maybe buzzards). We do wildlife managment on our small Texas property and part of our work is to put out birdhouses, birdfeeders, butterfly houses, Birdbaths, Butterfly baths, take pictures of the wildlife, etc. The other day I was able to capture these pictures of a couple of cardinals in my yard and on one of my mosaic birdfeeders getting their breakfast. I hope you enjoy 
them. If you're interested in my mosaic birdfeeders check out KayzKreationz. This one has birdhouses on it. They'll dress up any yard and make your feeder different than any in your neighborhood.And if you want to dress yourself up in the glorious red color of the cardinal, check out this great Coral Necklace from STRINGandSTONES. It was on the front page this a.m. and is in a Treasury West. Isn't it gorgeous?
I'm so excited. There was a promotion thread on etsy about treasuries and treasury lists. If you posted your list you would get it on the front page. I posted mine last night and it was on the FRONT page tonight. It was so great. And then, about 1:00 a.m. I got my FIRST TREASURY WEST with that list. It's called "Raindrops on Roses... These are a few of my favorite things". It features things I really like. Here's the picture. So check it out and leave a comment or make someone on the treasury happy and buy something. :) Oh and another great thing, I made my 2nd sale on Etsy! This was a good night for me. Hope you all enjoy my Treasury West (and maybe even my shop) Thanks.
I was out checking all my plants after watering them after our light freeze night before last. Got them all uncovered. And as I watered my Rosemary and Salvia I noticed the rosemary was covered with blooms, bees and butterflies! Ran and got my camera and was finally able to get a couple of shots of the butterflies.
I do organic gardening and don't use chemicals, plus we do wildlife management here on our property. So I'm always looking 
for Texas native/adaptable plants that will draw in the birds, bees, butterflies, and other wildlife into our pastures and our yard. So I was happy to see some of the butterflies still here even after our cold front the last few days. Hope you enjoy the pictures.
And if you're interested in something for your garden for next spring, check out my bird feeder and plant stakes at my etsy shop: http://kayzkreationz.etsy.com/
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