A Great Day

This is the big flag hanging above our back yard. New and crisp, just in time for the Fourth of July.

Our wedding anniversary was on Friday, but we saved celebrating until Saturday since we could be together all day. We needed to make a morning run to our favorite old fashioned neighborhood hardware store and since it's right around the corner from our favorite breakfast diner, we stopped first for a meal...y-u-u-m!

Then we were off to the first showing of the morning for "Star Trek" and discovered that the movie theater shaves $4.50 off full price tickets if you attend that early bird showing...yahoo, $9 saved! That covered one of the breakfasts...right ON.

The movie was good, but I still prefer "X-men origins: Wolverine". Star Trek was on a big scale and sci-fi, no matter how good, always loses a little in the translation for me. Wolverine was smaller, more intimate and much more focused on one character than a large cast. And Hugh Jackman looked incredible and moved beautifully so that wins out for me!.

We got home at 1 pm and put a 2nd umbrella up to cool our very hot brick patio and were just about to decide what to do for the rest of the day...when my sis called (mom to our sweet 3 1/2 year old nephew/godson) to say that one of our brothers was near her house for a visit and could we come up for an impromptu barbecue.

Yahoo, you bet! She's only a little over an hour away, so we were off to Napa. These vineyards are visible from her kitchen deck. They surround her on 2 sides but belong to a neighbor, so it's like she has vineyards but doesn't have to tend them...very cool.

I played and played with my nephew for hours, had dinner, yacked for about an hour and then said goodbye before his bedtime. He came running to me with arms out, calling my name and gave me a rare squeezy hug...he usually puts his arms around me but doesn't squeeze. Well this time he did and after I said "I love you" he said "I love you TOO". That "too" was a new concept he's recently begun to understood....and all the other adults said "ooohhhh" in unexpected unison...how sweet that was.

As we drove home on the freeway, we got to see a surprise mini, illegal firework display as the night sky was darkening. That was fabulous! What a great end to a great day. So, 26 years married and 32 years together, here is what we looked like a few months after we met. Hubby was taking a photography class so he took my photo and I took his...they both turned out pretty darned great!

My next entry will be photos of my next Summer Special beach themed bracelet so don't stay away long!

Happy 26th Anniversary to Me!

Yep, I was married 26 years ago today...our 26th is on the 26th...kinda cool

And NO we will NOT be dancing like the lovebirds above! Hahaha.

Tonight we will enjoy beer & cigars in the summer weather,

and tomorrow we will go to the movies.

I know, not too thrilling for some of you, but we've been

together for 32 years now!

So, the special dinner type anniversary is long past and

we can't afford a cruise...hahaha....

So this is what we will do that will make us happy.

Ahhhh, oh yeah, and we still like each other!!!

I Heart Minnie Pastels

Just a "drive-by" to show you some pastel Minnie earrings I just listed.
You can find them HERE.

Eye Candy

Today is eye candy day....just some pictures of cupcake stuff I've saved up to share with you.

First is the sweetest gift card Target has in stock. And how about these amazing cupcake purse cupcakes by Studio Cake?

Incredible red ganache cupcakes!

Cupcake magnets from Current are on my fridge. They are nice, big fat cupcakes. Yum.

And holy moly, fabric cupcakes by Tracey Taylor on eBay...wow!

I found this "cupcake girl" note card set at Big Lots last year.

And here is my first foray into drawing cupcakes on bookmarks...pink of course!

Hope you had fun!

Spring Special: Under Protection of the Butterfly

2 items today: The Spring Special is the pendant you see below, and I also just released this one of a kind polymer clay bead bracelet named the Stardust Hummingbird which you'll see by visiting me HERE.

Yay, my next Spring Special is finally here...ya know, beFORE spring is over! Interesting experience with this pendant. I was attempting a necklace with some clay hummingbird beads over several days. The colors worked beautifully but I absolutely could NOT get the layout correct. Finally I just started playing with these charms and I love how they worked together, so it's the "Under protection of the Butterfly" pendant that is now available.

When hanging, the 3 featured charms hang straight with the center enameled butterfly just slightly off center to give it character (see below). I love it's gently puffed baby blue & sea foam green sections. Note the crystal at its center. The enameled bird house is fabulously detailed and although there is no bird here, I feel like the 2 butterflies are protecting the house so the birds that inhabit it will feel safe. And yes, there are 3 tiny red hearts there.

Believe it or not the top butterfly is a plastic button. I love the detail grooved into it. The actual size of this button is one inch high, so the actual size of this pendant is only about 1/3 smaller than the photo below. You can slide it onto just about any cord, chain or ribbon you have and it's specially priced at only $15 plus $2 shipping....first serious buyer to email me HERE gets it! UPDATE: pendant is now available in my SHOP.

I'm working on a summer special now so be thinking "sand & buckets" when you come back!

Decorating Delay

Hi Everyone. Sorry about the delay of the next Spring Special, but I have a good reason: redecorating for summer! I had sprayed weed killer on weeds that creeped up between our loose bricks like never before...they were EVERYwhere!

The killer worked but the weeds didn't fully disintegrate as I'd hoped. So my husband removed loose bricks by the dozens and pulled out every root...something I never would have bothered with! And now the yard looks huge because the "floor" space is clear. We also tossed alot of old items: lengths of wood, plastic planter pots, toys from when my 21 year old son was 3!!! Sheesh! I wanted to let go of those Tonka trucks years ago but he wasn't ready to part with them and now, gee, he's all grown up and let us toss those rusty things!

When we were all finished with rear and front yards, I pulled out my new chair pads I got on sale at Target. The chair seats are flexible and comfy but the back has a funny strip across the back that is NOT comfy but is now with these cushions. And we have a fresh, green canvas market umbrella to shade us from the sun.

Next is inviting our buddies over for cold beers....ahhhhh, refreshing.

I glimpsed my first grasshopper this season....seemed so cute from afar but now that I see the photo he looks like a creepy fish out of water or maybe a dinosaur!

I'll be back soon with a sweet jewelry piece for you...hang in there with me and I'd love to hear and see YOUR latest cleanup projects. I love to re-organize and get tips on it from you all.