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.