Happier New Year ... Changes are a comin'!

I haven't been posting much. Been thinking too much and working on new ideas for 2011. I recently took stained glass classes so have a new hobby. Like I needed another one. It is a lot of fun! I still need to finish the project I started in that class. Just needs hooks and patina and then I will post it in all of its beginner glory! :o)

So here is a list for 2011 ...
- Finish my BA. That thing is haunting me. I am so scared of math. I have to do that and finish Spanish. Yep, that is it! I better get on it before they add more classes to my curriculum.

- I am starting my DONA certification for becoming a doula. The workshop is in February. I am really looking forward to it.

- Start a Sunday social community event. We are looking to start up a non-religious, non-political community event that focuses on art, music and bettering our community. More to come on this as it develops.

- Get an EVA booth going at the Phoenix Farmer's market. We just need to figure out a schedule and compensation plan. Then pool our resources to make it happen.

Other personal goals ...
- Start eating more organic and local grown foods

- Doing yoga at least twice a week in prep for 2012 yoga teacher training

- lose 9 more pounds (I have lost 31 now)

- Realign my forces - what does this mean? I am looking forward to creating new relationships with uplifting people.

- Get a pedicure. Haha! I need one and have been putting it off because once the boys in my life are taken care of, there are other things like laundry, sleep, and making things that need my attention.

So what are your goals for the New Year?

Zootique is tomorrow at the Phoenix Zoo

Tomorrow is Zootique! I have been looking forward to this holiday shopping event for a few months now!

Tricky Fox Designs will be there with new dichroic glass soldered pendants, Christmas ornaments, hair accessories and more! If you are in the area, come on out. It is 9am - 4pm! Enjoy the zoo while you shop. Proceeds and silent auction benefit the Phoenix Zoo volunteers who do so much to make our zoo a wonderful experience.

I have been out of the loop

Hello! I have been out of the loop. I haven't posted here or there or anywhere, really. I took a couple weeks to work on my craft fair set up. My son was at his dad's for the week, so I took over his room as a staging area.

Then I did the ArtBridge artwalk in Scottsdale, which I am doing again tomorrow night. It kinda threw me. I was prepared for two 4 foot tables in a row, but they stuck me in an odd spot where I had viability on two sides, so I rearranged things in an L-shape. I didn't like it as much, but made it work.
Then, of course, I have been busy with events for Eldon Fox's first Halloween! It has been a hot October and now into November it is still in the low 90's. My older son, Patrick, carved the cutest pumpkin with a little raccoon on it, but this is what the desert does to pumpkins after two days. My green one's were fine, but his ripe orange pumpkin couldn't hang in the heat.

We had a fun Halloween! We went to my brother's house and went trick-or-treating with his two year olds. Eldon was a monkey, I was a witch and my husband was zombie Jesus. Eldon got his first cold which appeared later than night. It has been a lot of nose blowing around here.

Halloween Party Post + a Mummy giveaway!!!!

Well, it is still too hot in the desert for hot soup during the day, or even long sleeves, closed toed shoes, hot coffee in the afternoon, oatmeal in the morning, and it's not even a good time of year for pie for dessert, wonderful pie ... apple pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, rhubarb pie ... and it's even too hot for daytime craft fairs. However, the nights are cooling off. No need for a sweater, a tank top will still do, but it is a sign that Halloween is on the way. We love our Halloween around here. It is the date that truly signifies that it will surly be under 8o degrees during the day until February, at least. And, oh boy, by October we are ready for a break from the heat. Why do I live here, again? I often ask that question without coming up with a good answer.

To summon Halloween we must prepare ... so Tezcatlipoca Pitt-Jolie is preparing for a good party! Oh, that's right! Vanessa at A Fanciful Twist is having her Halloween party TODAY! Hahaha! Like I could even forget that! ;o) Good thing Tez has on her finest witch hat so she can party with the best witchy ones in Bloglandia.

And, of course, I have my witch hat on too ... I am pretty much always prepared for a party where cauldrons boil and bubble and a good cackle or two can be heard.
So, I think we will get out a good spell book, like this one that can be found on Etsy at beyondthepoisonapple's shop.
And turn a few unlikable people we might know into frogs and other unpleasant creatures. I can think of a certain someone who I'd like to turn into a snake, but they are doing a good job of that on their own without my help ... so we will move on ... and perhaps carve some owl-like pumpkins to hang out and party with us ...

Or best yet! We will work on Halloween crafty projects! I like making a bunch of earrings out of shrink plastic. Fun! Fun!
Of course all parties have to have a giveaway item. And this one does! I have had this cute little mummy lampwork pendant hanging around for a bit. He is very loved, but now needs a home to call his own. I will decide who Mummy gets to live with by drawing a name. If you would like to be entered into the drawing, please comment on this post. For an additional entry become a follower of this blog.

And don't forget to visit The Tricky Fox Shop on Etsy! :o) Thanks for joining in on some good Halloween party fun ... And thank you, Vanessa, for putting on yet another amazing party here in the blog world!

My very Etsy birthday

Even though my birthday was over a week and a half ago my mom came over and surprised me. She handed me a little blue bag and said, "Here is the rest of your birthday present." I was delighted to see that she had purchased these little earrings from OneGarnetGirl on Etsy to give to me as a birthday present. She just hadn't completed the order on time for them on time to get them to me by my birthday. I haven't been wearing earrings because the baby likes to grab anything that dangles and my small diamonds kept ending up in his crib. The back kept slipping off and that is scary! I don't think an earring post would feel very good at the other end and who know what damage would happen on the way down. But these earrings are perfect and feel very secure. What is most awesome about these earrings is that they match my wedding ring which I had custom made by OneGarnetGirl. All I need now is a matching necklace. :o)


On my birthday, I thought my mother had already spoiled me! She bought me three Frida prints from MyPinkTurtleStudios for my bedroom wall. < (that is a link to her fun blog, click on the picture for her Etsy shop).
And this incredible beehive hat from PixieBell! I have no idea when or where I am going to wear this, but it is very, very cute. I will have to make a couple trips to Flagstaff or maybe our crazy Phoenix weather will give us some chilly surprises this winter.


She asked me what I wanted for my birthday at the beginning of September and I emailed her links to my favorite Etsy items. I expected one of them, not all of them! But I am very grateful.

Time for pumpkin pie

I am in the mood for pumpkin pie even though it is still in the upper 80s and lower 90s here in the desert. Sadly, I didn't plant any pumpkins this year. I had a tiny infant during planting season and was thinking about all things "mommy." I am still thinking mommy, of course, but also about the short fall season that is coming upon us in the desert. It will be a few week still before I start to wear long sleeves, eat hot soup for lunch and make pumpkin pies, but I can still be in the mood, right? Fortunately, Sandy, an Etsy Project Embrace member included my lampwork bead pumpkin necklace in her Pumpkin Glam treasury. I agree, even pumpkins can be glamorous, especially this time of year.

Sandy is the creator behind Etsy shop, Aisha123. She has some fun and fancy jewels that you should take a look at. I am eyeballing a pair of earring that I will keep a secret so nobody else buys them, however since we are on the fall/pumpkin topic, I will share another one of her shop's delights with you. It is her Boo-tastic necklace ... and it really is Boo-tastic!

And the winner is ...

Well, I do things the old fashioned way. No fancy random number generator or anything like that. I copy and paste each name from my contests into a document. Then I cut up little strips of paper with the names on them. I put them in a not-so-fancy red plastic cup, shake it up and pull one out.
The name selected for the Practical Magic giveaway is ...

She has won a soldered pendant with my original artwork, the owl witch! I will get to making it pronto! Congratulations Magaly! It was unintentionally fitting the a real witch won this contest. And it wasn't fixed at all ... I pinkie swear.


Today I mailed out my Day of the Dead ATCs for a swap. I will be making some pendants with the Frida picture that will be available in my shop soon. If you ever see my original artwork that you would like to have as a pendant, it can always be made! It take custom orders at The Tricky Fox Shop.

Protect the Girls

I never set an end date to my Practical Magic giveaway. Duh. So it will be today! I will pick the winner of the custom pendant tomorrow!

Perhaps toolisjewelry put a spark in the universe by adding my butterfly pendant on red to her treasury. We will see if my mojo is back. But at least I know it's on track to be back ...

Fellow Etsy Project Embrace member JanMarieArts included my Rainbow and Pink on Black pendant to her recent treasury. Yay! Her treasury is very meaningful and I am honored to be part it. It is titled Protect the Girls and is in honor of October being breast cancer awareness month.

JanMarieArts makes some really great beaded jewelry. Her Swarovski Crystal and Antique Copper earrings are really gorgeous! They look like pretty little Eiffel Towers. See her shop for more wonderful earrings and other beaded treasures.


Thank you JanMarieArts for adding me to your lovely treasury!

Treasury on Etsy

It has been a while since I have been featured in a treasury. Am I losing my mojo? haha! Well, Toolisjewlery added my butterfly pendant on red to this warm and wonderful treasury. I am really loving this color scheme.

I have to admit that butterfly pendant on red haunts me. It was a custom order I did for an old co-worker who never paid for it or picked it up. But, being in this treasury with such other wonderful items gives it new energy. One day, I just know it will belong to someone who will love it!

toolisjewelry is located in Israel and makes some really amazing jewelry. I aspire to make such wonderful things one day. Check out this gorgeous ring! It it pretty amazing. The pictures in the shop are really clean and gorgeous, as well. I've found a new favorite.

Practical Magic Post and Drawing

Cackle, cackle, cackle, hoo, hoo, hahahahahah ...

Sometimes, I like to dress up like a witch. Not a real witch. A fake witch. You see, dressing up like Elphaba is the best way we REAL witches know to throw off any suspicions of our craftiness.


Unfortunately, it is not like the ending of the movie Practical Magic where you can come out and everyone supports you. There are truly vicious, mean, evil witch hunters out there and we ALL know what witch hunters do to witches. The most disappointing, but eye opening, vacation memory for me was visiting Salem and The Salem Witch Museum. Salem is like witch Disneyland. Everything is for show and there are an awful lot of fake witches there. And The Salem Witch Museum reminds us, in a very cheesy way, why we witches must pretend it is all pretend and cheese it up. Nobody wants to to end up like Joan of Arc.

So here is my favorite fake "witch" memory. Me and my sister-in-law wearing our disguises for Halloween at our first annual Halloween Hullabaloo, which ended up being the only Halloween Hullabaloo.


And last night I finished a series of witch in disguise ATC cards. These will be incorporated into soldered pendants and sold in my Etsy shop.


Before I forget, follow my blog and comment that you are so I can enter you in a Practical Magic drawing. The winner will receive one of my soldered pendants with their choice of my ATC witches! Tell me in your post which witch is your favorite - the witch at the cauldron, the owl, or the Jack-o-Lantern witch.

Have fun visiting other parties and thanks for stopping by!

I love this treasury!

Diana with Crop Circle Clay has curated a beautiful treasury. When I saw it and read her words, I was deeply moved. A lot of times I feel I need to be more mindful of certain feelings and thoughts that I allow to occupy my mind for longer than they should. When a situation concerns me or a person upsets me, I think about it A LOT. I analyze it and waste way too much time on it. What I need to do is spend more time releasing those thoughts and feelings from my mind. My life is full of love and beauty. Static caused by insignificant others can float on.
Thank you, Diana for including me in this warm and mindful treasury!


Diana makes gorgeous pottery. A current favorite of mine is this mug! I put one of Diana's mugs on my birthday list. :o) Visit her shop to see more of her wonderful work.

Studio Jill Recycled Snippets of Wearable Art

East Valley Artisans member, Jill Helms, created this delightfully cute treasury she calls "Lots-O-Dots." Jill is a very talented artisan and featured my polka-dot pendant in her lovely curation. She also featured several other EVA members, including:
Cocomi
JeansBeads
MudHandChan
Thanks, Jill for making an awesome EVA filled treasury!

Jill creates earrings and artwork out of recycled aluminum can snippets. She currently has several pairs of earrings available in her Etsy shop. I have a fondness for blue, so I am really liking her Blue Energy Recycled Can Earrings. Visit her shop to see more!

Home from Telluride

We're back! We got home from Telluride on Sunday night. No matter how amazing the place is, it is always so nice to get home and sleep in your own bed.

The Sugar Thieves played two hours Friday night at The Llama in Telluride. It was a night time event on a side stage at The 16th Annual Telluride Blues and Brews Festival. The baby was tired from the car ride and needed to get back to the hotel, so my teenager and I only got to stick around for three songs. The band sounded and looked phenomenal for at least those three songs. Ha ha! The Sugar Thieves are a really amazing band. I am not just saying that because I am the bass players wife. He has been in bands I don't like and I if I don't like it I don't say anything at all. But, they are so much fun to listen to. Meridith has an amazing, amazing voice! Mikel writes some really wonderful tunes, plays some funky guitar and has Tom Waits style vocals that compliment Meridith's sultry sound perfectly. Then there is the band to top it off. They are all extraordinary musicians! I love how Jeff looks like he is always having so much fun while playing with this band. Next year, we are looking forward to being on the main stage at Telluride Blues and Brews.
On Saturday, we were in and out of the festival. They were serving lunch and dinner backstage so we made sure we were there for feeding time and caught some of the other bands playing. Of course I was checking out all of the vendors to see what crafty things were selling. Perhaps I will put in an application for next year since we will be there anyway. As usual, they were selling festive tie-dye and Eldon got a blue tie-dye hat to protect his bald little head from the sun. Perhaps he will get more use out of it than his festival Onsie we bought him earlier this year that is already a wee bit snug. Even though we were enjoying the festival, it is just too hard not to do some exploring in a place that beautiful so we left the fest and took a ride on the gondola and walked around town checking out the cute little houses. Good times with the family!

The Sugar Thieves take on Telluride

We are getting ready to head out for Telluride Blues and Brews Festival. My husband is the bass player for the Sugar Thieves and they are part of the amazing lineup at the festival. I am so ready to take in some great music and the gorgeous scenery of Telluride, CO! Oh, and 65 degrees sounds like a wonderful retreat from our 100 degree September days here in the desert.

The the last weekend in September we are off to Lake Powell to listen to some great music in a natural amphitheater! I think my son's (and me, too) are so lucky to experience some of the best music there is in some of nature's most beautiful places. What a way to develop an appreciation for music.

Here is a snippet of the Sugar Thieves playing at the Riverside Blues Festival in St. Mary's, Ohio last weekend. Enjoy!

Weekend Treasuries

YAY!! A few of my items have landed in Etsy treasuries this weekend.

Mollie of RoughMagicCreations included my resistor necklace in her "Unplug your duck ..." treasury. It is a wonderful collection of upcycled, recycled, altered and repurposed items.
And Rose, Waterrose on Etsy, included on of my butterfly soldered shadowbox pendants in this treasury full of delightful items.

Then tailorbee on Etsy included my red and polka dot on black soldered pendant in an lovely "Autumnal Display" of items.

All three curators are members of the Etsy Project Embrace team. A giant THANK YOU to my teamies for including me in their terrific treasuries!

Here is a glimpse of what can be found in their shops. Just a few of my favorites. :o)

Embrace a gorgeous wedding dress. Vintage glamour. Size S.
by tailorbee


Handmade Gemstone Pearl Shell Bracelet Entre les Etoilles
by RoughMagicCreations

Necklace Hand Embroidered Queen Annes Lace Textile
by Waterrose

A Slice of Black

Rose, Waterrose on etsy, who is also an Etsy Project Embrace member created a wonderful treasury which includes my Red Dichroic Fused Glass Soldered Pendant.  I really get a thrill out of being included in treasuries. :o) I love the name and theme of this one. Thank you, Rose, for including my pendant!

Rose has many delightful embroidered items in her etsy shop. Today I will have to say that this embroidered cuff with vintage buttons is my favorite.  But honestly, it is really hard to decide since there are a lot of lovely things to look at!

A BIG announcement!

Trej ♡
Before I get to my big news, I would like to thank AdroitJewelers on etsy for making my leaf pendant part of this wonderful treasury. She picked some very stunning leaf designs and added me to the collection! I am honored to be part of her picks. She has some very pretty items in her shop, including a leaf listing of her own.

Simple Silver Leaf Earrings by AdroitJewelers

Now on to my big news ....

When I was younger, I used to write poetry. Prior to putting my pen to paper or fingers to a keyboard, I always felt like there were tiny bubbles inside of me that were waiting to be released. I stopped writing poems, and for the past eight years I have been accumulating more and more bubbles. They just keep multiplying, yet I haven't felt like writing a poem and giving myself a much needed release. But lately, my fingers have been tingling and my head swimming in an overwhelming fog of bubbles.

I was feeling especially anxious this morning and a touch on the angry side. I am certainly no bear, so I was not sure what was happening. I couldn't find my pocketbook as I was trying to get out the door and my anger began to escalate. My heart was racing, my vision began to blur and my head felt like it was being squeezed in a vice. I quickly recognized that this is not like me. What was happening to me? I sat on the edge of my bed for a minute and started asking myself why I was feeling like this. (Sigh) I know what is going on in my life and what has been going on. Unfortunately, I have been trapped in a situation I have no control over. I often feel like windshield wipers in a blizzard, constantly trying to keep my mind pure and happy when there is nothing I can do to completely eliminate the issue that has been one huge ongoing obstacle to my happiness. The feeling of being powerless is continuous. While sitting on the side of my bed, I recalled the location of my pocketbook. When I stood up to get it, a notion quickly entered my mind and I knew what it is that I am to do. I believe the reason for that I haven't written poetry in years, is because what I have growing inside is me greater than poetry. My first novel is about to flow from my fingertips and release me from my emotional prison. When it is done, I will be wearing a sly grin and finally feel like I have my power back.

Trej ♡

I have been featured in two recent treasuries made by Etsy Project Embrace members. Kristin, of loveartworks on etsy (and also the leader of Etsy Project Embrace), created a treasury of "strangers." Strangers, just meaning people she hadn't included in a treasury before. She included my Cat Eye Pendant. Thank you for including me in this beautiful collection!

And tailorbee on etsy, also an Etsy Project Embrace member, created an interesting treasury of pale backgrounds that are splashed with color. She included my Polka Dot Soldered Fused Glass Pendant! Thank you to you also, tailorbee.

Kristin, loveartworks, creates some wonderful clay pieces! It is hard to pick a favorite, but I think this is ONE of the ones I like the best!

HAPPY TRAILS - Dr. Seuss Funky Flower Quote Cup

And tailorbee's shop has some really fun upcycled and vintage clothing! I am really in love with this dress. Too bad it is not in my size, YET!

Upcycled clothing. Blue cotton dress with hand embroidery and eyelet lace. Size 8

I dream of Blue even when it is not September

I had no idea today was September 1st and the day is almost over! Well, it is my birth-month, but my birthday isn't until the last day of the month. But it is the month of gorgeous blue sapphires. Blue is my absolute favorite color. My husband would always ask me if he could buy something and tease that he would "get it in blue." Once, he bought a dumpy old diesel truck and promised to paint it blue so I would like it. Then one year, he bought me a set of fancy Maglite flashlights for my birthday. What woman wants flashlights for her birthday? I dunno, but he was certainly thinking of me because they were, indeed, blue.

I posted a couple new items in my etsy shop today. All of them in blue. :o)

Hollow Lampwork Bead Pendant

Cosmos Lampwork Bead Pendant

Atmosphere Lampwork Bead Pendant

Resistor and Capacitor Necklace #2

Lastly, I thought I would post the keychain I made for my father's 60th birthday. I gave it to him along with a wooden box my father-in-law made. He makes some wonderful items. We have shelves, a dresser, and a toy box that he has made. Well, here is the soldered keychain with a picture of my sons. The other side has a photo of my twin nieces. He loves that it has all of his grandkids on it.