Beach Time Fun!

It's beach time again!

Once a year our family packs up and goes to Long Beach Island to relax for a week or two! We are all so busy with sports, school activities and social lives, rarely do we have time to just unwind and enjoy each other's company except for our treasured vacation! We started this family tradition when my son was 4 months old, this year he is 21 and going into his senoir year of college! Where does time go?



We always rent a wonderful house right on the beach so we can enjoy being by the ocean 24/7! I just love waking up to the sound of the waves, and seagulls.

This year we have a little Tree Sparrow that wakes up at the crack of dawn and loves to sit on the telephone pole beside our deck and seranade us as we have our morning coffee! My husband and kids usually walk down to the bakery and bring back fresh hot bagels for breakfast! Most years its cinnamon buns or crumb cake, but we are all trying to be good this year! lol! We'll see how long that lasts!!

This year, our Siberian Husky and two turtles that my son had bought in NYC came along with us!(he thought they could go in our pond at home - wrong type of turtles! So now we have two more pets to add to our menagerie!) A pet sitter is staying at our home watching the rest of our animals! (We seem to always have a house full pets!).

It's been fun to see Kaylee's (our dog) reaction to the sand and the waves! She is beginning to look forward to our long walks on the beach in the evenings and enjoying all the attention she gets from surprised beach goers.

Today we brought her down to the docks to watch the kids go sea fishing! She loved all the great smells! It's been fun!

Our two sons in blue, friend in white & daughter are waiting to leave on their first fishing excursion! I was expecting fish for dinner---but we wound up having pizza instead! Fishermen --they were not! But they had a few nibbles and fun, and thats what counts!

As my children get older, friends are also becoming a part of our vacation. This year my son's girlfriend and best friend came with us for the first week. Here they are taking a surfing lesson! My son is the one in the middle. Our second week has been set aside for our family. It's been fun to have them with us!

My favorite time of day are the evenings, when the beach is empty and the sun

begins to set. This is when I love to take my walks with the kids, my dog and hunt for shells and other ocean treasures that have washed up along the shore.

I have found alot of great items this year, so I am looking forward to creating some new keepsake/Jewelry boxes! The shore is where I get rejuvenated for the year to come and inspired for many of the items I sell! I'm always sorry to see it end but excited to get home again to my beautiful garden, the pets we left behind and of course my own bed!!

Sunday Featured Artist!

My Sunday Featured Artist this week is one of my favorite Jewelry Artists - Ilana Diner. As you can see, her jewelry is simply amazing! I am truly in awe of the beauty and intricacy of her work!

Discover more about this talented artist as she tells us her story. I'm sure you will fall in love with her work and be inspired by her story!

Multicolor Gold Wire Crochet Bracelet

with Gemstones

7ART Jewelry is the brand name of my jewelry design studio. My name is Ilana, I am 40 years old, and I live in Modi'in, Israel. I was born in Riga, Latvia (when it still was a part of the USSR) and came to Israel with my family when I was 11.

Ever since I can remember I was fascinated by jewelry, and especially jewelry design. But, as often happens, life took me to different

directions - Chinese (BA) and business strategy (MBA). But I guess that when you really love something you will finally come back to it.

Silver Wire Crochet Ring with Colorful Crystals

It started several years ago with some classes in Goldsmith...and never stopped ever since...I started experimenting, playing with different materials, shapes and techniques - as a hobby at first - until it slowly filled up my whole time.

As I kept on playing I developed a unique technique, based on simple crochet but with an entirely different outcome. Although, my jewelry are made of metal wire they have a lace-like texture and feel like soft lace. I strongly believe that a piece of jewelry must not only be pretty, it has to be durable and feel comfortable. A person has to wear it without fear or discomfort.

Crochet Gold Wire Wide Bracelet with Citrin

Every item is unique, one of its kind. A lot of time and effort is invested in its design and making. It usually starts with an idea born in my head...Sometimes it is something I see, hear or even smell...sometimes I wake up with a vivid picture of a bracelet, necklace or ring. And then I can not stop until I see it done.

Sometimes I use simple copper wire first (although it takes twice as long) and only when the outcome is exactly as I want it, I will do it again using Sterling Silver or 14KT Gold. I like to interlace tiny gemstones, pearls or Swarovski crystals into my work. Usually I use 2mm stones, that are very hard to find. There is no demand for such a weird size and apparently they are much more expensive to make, so jewelry supply stores don't carry them.

I had to choose just a few of my "children" to share with you here - and the choice was hard - I love them all :-)

Handmade Silver and Gold Crochet Bracelet with Tourmaline

*You can see all my designs on my website: http://www.7artj.com/

*My Etsy Shop: http://www.7artjewelry.etsy.com/

*If you would be interested in finding out the meaning of the name 7ART you're welcome to visit my new blog http://7artjewelry.blogspot.com/

*Follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/7ArtJ

10 Tips for Managing Twitter from The Blog of Mr. Tweet

I came across this wonderful information from Mr. Tweet's Blog and thought it was worth passing along to those who Twitter or are thinking about joining Twitter! Many of us at Etsy, Artfire, Etsy Secrets and other handmade sites have started using Twitter, visit Mr. Tweet for more great information about Twittering at: http://blog.mrtweet.net

10 Tips For Managing Twitter As Your Usage Increases

This is a guest posting by Jeff Hurt (@JeffHurt), Director of Education & Events for National Association of Dental Plans. He has worked in events/nonprofit arena for more than 20 years. You can find more of his thoughts at Midcourse Corrections: Views From The Trenches.

A recent MarketingProfs poll showed that more than eight in 10 Twitter users, most of whom represent small business, expect their company’s use of Twitter to increase in the next six months.

Obviously, these savvy business and organizational professionals realize that Twitter, when used appropriately, can help them better serve their customers, engage in relationships and even, in some cases, lead to new business. Here are 10 tips from the Twitter Pros Playbook that can help you better serve your customers, 140 characters at a time.

1. Use Your Real Name In The Name Field, Not Your Username
If you put your Twitter username in the “Real Name field,” people will not be able to find you when they use Twitter’s “Find People Link.” Example, my Twitter username is @JeffHurt. When I first started using Twitter, I assumed that people would search Twitter for @JeffHurt, (one word, no space). Friends and colleagues were searching Twitter using my real name. They didn’t know I had removed the space between first and last name.
I later changed my settings and entered my real name so I could be found as Jeff Hurt and @JeffHurt. This made a world of difference and is probably one of the simplest, yet most effective things you can do to help others find you on Twitter. Even if you’re tweeting for an organization, put your real name in the “name field” and the company name in the profile bio and username.

2. Embrace “What Has Your Attention” Not “What Are You Doing” Ignore the heading “What are you doing?” above the update box on Twitter. Consider tweeting about what has your attention. People really don’t want to know about what you had for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It just creates more noise for many of your followers. Make your tweets relevant to what you’re thinking about, what has captured your attention and even what you’re reading.

3. Tweet With Others In Mind First
Take a look at your tweets. What do they say about you? Are the majority of your tweets about your company, products, and services? Are they all “me, me, me” related? Stop that! The blue bird of happiness will not land on your organization because you’re pushing your products and services on Twitter. You’re looking really self-absorbed and egomaniacal.

And by all means, do not just share case studies about your customers with your readers. You’re still pushing me, me, me, my, my, my products. You have to earn your readers’ trust and attention and to do that, you need to give in order to get. See next tip.

4. Use Angela Maiers’ 70-20-10 Twitter Engagement Formula
Be purposeful and intentional as you enter the Twittersphere. As you “Twiv to Twet” (give to get) and move away from self-promotional tweets, consider this tweeting engagement formula.
a. 70% of your tweets should share resources- sharing others’ voices, opinions, quotes, blog posts, articles, content and resources
b. 20% of your tweets should engage in conversations with others, responding, connecting, collaborating and connecting with others.
c. 10% of your tweets can be chirping, chitchat as Angela calls it, on trivial details or self-promotion.

5. Use A 3rd Party Twitter Client On Your Desktop And Mobile Device
If there’s one thing I stress above all others, using a 3rd party Twitter client is it. Tweetdeck, Seesmic, Twhirl for PC and Tweetie for Mac are four clients that many people use on their desktop to manage Twitter more effectively. These Twitter clients make your Twitter experience more robust than the Twitter web interface. One of the biggest pros is that you don’t have to hit the refresh button continually to see new tweets from others and you can see columns for all friends, replies and DMs on one page. For your iPhone, consider Tweetie, Twitterrific or TweetFon. For Blackberry, consider Twitterberry, Blackbird, or SocialScope.

6. Be Authentic, Real And Act Like A Human
Authenticity, sincerity, and humanness is the name of the game. Tweet like a real person, act like a real person, sound like a real person, be genuine and true to yourself. Tweeps in Twittersphere can see through your mockingbird calls and know if you are there to mimic a human, ready at any opportunity to pitch a product instead of engage in dialogue.

7. Identify Tweets With Links To Videos, Podcasts or Slide decks People hate seeing a great tweet headline with a link and clicking it to discover that it’s a video that’s being downloaded or a PowerPoint slide deck. Use abbreviations like vid or PPT in your tweet. Also, if your tweet contains a link to questionable material, use the NSFW (Not Save For Work) abbreviation.

8. Twitter Is Not About Amassing A Large Number Of Followers
Contrary to the Ashton Kucher and CNN competition, it is really about the quality of connections versus quantity. Yes, everyone secretly wants to be voted the most popular Tweep in Twittersville but don’t fall into that bird trap. One of the easiest ways to find quality Tweeps and new people to follow is to participate in a Twitter chat. Twitter chats showcase the best of the best of Twittersville.

9. Stop Your Automated Direct Message Tweets To New Followers
They’re impersonal, pushy and often self-promotional which equates to a Twitter Fail Whale. Yes, it’s nice to send a welcoming tweet to new followers and if you do, keep it personal and human. Don’t send them a link to your latest method of how to gain thousands of new followers! We don’t want to know about that. Nor do we want a direct message with a link to your newest get rich quick scheme.

10. If Your Tweets Are Missing, Don’t Show Up In Twitter Search, Or Are Absent From a 3rd party Twitter Client, Contact Twitter Support I’ve seen this happen many times. People decide to join a Twitter chat, they include a hashtag and when they hit their update button, their tweets never appear using that hashtag. As Twitter grows and evolves, they experience latency issues with Twitter API and Twitter Search used by many of the third party clients. Start with these Twitter resources to help your tweets be identified again.

BONUS Have Fun!

Sunday Featured Artist!

I just love this wonderful whimsical Lady made from glass! She makes me chuckle with her great smile and crazy eyes! The little bee sitting on the end of her hat is really adorable! It has been created by Sonnee McCabe and can be seen in her etsy shop, http://www.eccentricity.etsy.com/ along with other beautifully handmade unique fused glass jewelry, mirrors, masks, tiles & wall decor.

This fantastic one-of-a-kind mask was inspired by her love of gardening and the outdoors. The Queen measures appx. 9.75"x6.5" and has a hanger on the back. It is made entirely from iridescent and opaque glass with some small pieces of glass stringers and millefiori added for detail. The glass pieces have all been fused together in the kiln,properly annealed and cooled slowly. This is a one-of-a-kind fun piece and will surely bring a smile to anyone's face viewing it.

Fused Glass Earrings

I love the variety of items that Sonnee creates, from whimsical masks and mirrors, to beautiful fused glass jewelry!

Visit Sonnee also at:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eccentricity/95273027168?v=wall&viewas=14846018
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Eccentricity1

Artfire Shop: http://www.eccentricity.artfire.com/

She is a member of the Creative Glass Guild of Etsy (CGGE) and SRAJD.

Fused Glass Pendant

Welcome to My Garden

Welcome to My Garden! I thought you might like to see where I spend most of my time during our warmer months! I love the outdoors, and my garden has been a place where I can always find refuge from my hectic life. Over the years I have been transforming our 3/4 acre lot into a small wildlife sanctuary.

When we first bought this house we decided to separate the entrance to our garden from the driveway with a wood gate and arbor. My husband and I built this together, I designed it, he built it!! He was a good sport! Little did he know it was only the beginning of his many projects! I planted several concord grape vines to provide shade and grapes! In the fall I like to make grapevine wreaths like the one hanging on the gate in the picture. If you read my bear story earlier in the month this is the gate he didn't destroy!

Our bluestone patio off the back of our home connects to the entrance gate on one side and a hot tub on the other. A wrought iron table and chairs is one of my favorite spots to drink my morning coffee, bird watch and congregate for family dinners! Unfortunately, this spring has been cool and rainy, so I haven't been able to enjoy doing that much.

It's also a wonderful spot to work on my crafts when it's warm and sunny. Our Siberian Husky loves to hang out with me, staying cool under the table and patiently hoping to catch any crumbs I might drop from a snack break!

My pink Rosebud Azaleas are in full bloom! They are amazing with their soft pink, double flower blossoms. They look like little roses!

This is our cat enjoying the garden too! Her favorite past time is chipmunk and bird watching! She is a brown patch tabby cat born to a feral mother. Seven years ago, our neighbors came home from vacation and found the mother cat and six kittens under their car! My daughter chose this kitten to adopt! We absolutely love her!

Each week I look forward to revealing another part of my garden!

I Won! I Won!

On this gloomy Monday morning I was so excited to find out that I won the drawing from 'Tree of Life Designs'. http://FuzzB.com/profile.php?profile=101371 This busy artist Kerri Testa creates wonderful floor cloths and gave me the opportunity to choose the one I wanted!

It was an agonizing decision since I love all of them and could easily find a place for each one!! However, I decided on the Garrison House/Edward Durant Floor cloth (not shown in picture). Going into the summer, it seemed like a lighter, brighter choice. Honestly, I don't think I could go wrong with any of them!

Kerri Testa is also the owner/operator of Cafe Handmade, a clever site for artists to meet and sell their work in a Virtual Craft Show atmosphere. The Virtual Craft Show is a lot of fun! This is where buyers can browse through the aisles of a virtual craft show, and sellers can showcase their handcrafted items.

The Cafe Handmade Lounge is a great place to join groups, blog, and socialize, creating a network to connect those who love to buy handmade with those that love to create handmade!

The Cafe Handmade Market Place is a custom market place on FuzzB (like Etsy) offering an additional selling venue under the Cafe Handmade name.

I'm currently a member and have a virtual booth. Check it out! http://cafehandmade.blogspot.com/ I'm in asile 3 this week!

Also, take a minute to vote for your favorite booth!

If you would like to learn more about Kerri visit: http://cafehandmade.blogspot.com/2009/05/in-studio-with-Kerri-testa-tree-of-life.html

Thanks Kerri! I can't wait for my floor cloth to arrive!

~ Sunday Featured Artist ~

I'm so pleased to introduce you to Andrea Knott Brewer. She is an amazing Fiber Artist I so happily stumbled upon during my quest to find bear items to feature in my blog!

I fell in love with her incredible fiber art and thought it would be fun to find out more about her and what inspired her to create these wonderful pieces.

Here is her Artist Statement in her own words, and some beautiful examples of her work. I hope you enjoy!

"Mermaid Meditation"
Needlefelted Panel - 12" x 16" Image

"I make needle felted naturescapes. I use a small, barbed needle and a felt canvas to “paint” scenes with wool fiber. "

"My journey into fiber began with watercolor painting. From junior high through my years of graduate study, I was a student in the visual arts, benefiting from formal instruction in color, technique and form. In my thirties, my paints gave way to exploration in three dimensional soft sculpture. I soon learned the felting needle allowed for greater artistic freedom than my sewing needle. The felted fibers became my clay, and as such, a very amenable vehicle for transIating my inner vision to the tangible."

" Wandering"
Needlefelted Panel 10"x 23" Image

"Recently, my work evolved from two dimensions to three, as my love of watercolor painting found new expression through needle felting. Using the felting needle as my “brush” and felted wool as my “canvas,” again I paint, only this time with fiber.""Sunset at the Shore"
Needlefelted Panel 8" x 10" Image

"Currently, I seek to translate some of my past watercolor work into scenes of fiber. I am now felting with a variety of fibers in addition to wool as a means of exploring new colors and textures. The repetitive nature of needle felting frees my imagination and allows for many fortunate accidents that serve to make painting with fiber a deeply rewarding experience. "

"Purple Mountain Bear"
Needlefelted Purse 4" x 5"

"Additionally, my interest in black bears comes from my home in the beautiful Smoky Mountains of North Carolina---black bears are some of our most treasured forest friends."

Thank you Andrea for taking the time to tell us a little more about you!

*You can find more of Andrea's work at her Etsy Shop, Andrea's Fibers http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5941297

*Her website http://www.HazelTreeFibers.com/

Andrea's work has appeared in numerous publications and is held in private collections around the world. Most of her naturescapes are created in beautiful panels or purses! I share her love of bears, so my favorite piece is the Purple Mountain Bear Purse! Do you have a favorite?

Rain, Rain Go Away! Clever Ideas For Today!

PartyBluPrints Blog * Nothing Bundt Cakes - Too Cute for words!

On this rainy day I have lots to do! But I'm so comfy sitting here with my coffee and laptop, I don't want to move!! So, I thought I would make good use of my time and pass along a wonderfully creative blog that I found through twitter!

This blog has lots of great ideas for entertaining. With summer BQ's & July 4th coming up, today, is a great time to take a peek and dream of throwing that perfect party on a warm SUNNY day! Something, we New Jersians have not seen in weeks!

So take a minute and get inspired with wonderful recipes, and ideas! http://www.partybluprints.blog.com/

Do you have a favorite blog that cheers you up on a rainy day? Please share it with us!

One Lovely Blog Award

I just received the One Lovely Blog Award from Julie of Julie Magers Soulen Photograghy. I had just recently discovered her wonderful photos and just love the way she captures the nature that surrounds her.

Please take a moment to visit her blog: http://JulieMagersSoulen.blogspot.com/ and see some amazing pictures from her trips! Also, take a peek at her etsy shop: http://juliemagerssoulen.etsy.com/.

Thanks so much, Julie!

Now it's my turn to pass it on...Here are the rules:
*Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.

*Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.

*Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Here are my Awardees!

1. Bijouxboutique

2. MadebySwirlyGirl

3. WillOaksStudio

4. Tapestry316

5. Avlorsimprints

6. ArtSnark's Artifacts

7. fabricsnquilts

8. Prettywhimsical

9. Be-a-glitzer

10. Elsita Mora

11. HiddenEloise

12. Madmaggiedesigns

13. DeanDynmentStudios

14. BumbleBird

15. Eugena's Creations

*Please take a minute and visit all these wonderful blogs.You may discover a great new blog to follow! (They are in no particular order)

How Did I Think of That?

Most of my creations have started with a goal for solving a problem. My mosaic boxes began with a quest for some way to display the sea shells that our family would collect on vacation each year from Long Beach Island, NJ! Every year we would come home with pails filled with ocean treasures! After sitting around for a while I would wash and stack them neatly in bags on a garage shelf. Each years beach finds were stored and forgotten!

One year, I decided I wanted to capture our vacation in a special way, not just in a scrap book or cluttering up my house with loose shells everywhere! That's when my 'Shore to Please' Mosaic Jewelry/Keepsake Boxes were born!

Using the shells and pebbles collected that year from the beach, I created a mosaic on top of a box I had. I wanted to capture the feeling of the beach, so I created it to have a lot of texture and a certain roughness like the beach, not a perfect mosaic that was smooth and flawless! Some shells were poking out of the grout and others were seen in their entirety, similar to what you would find walking along the shore. I enjoy walking along the beach looking for all types of treasures, and that is how I wanted to design these boxes. I delight in finding those little surprises and I tried to include that in my boxes. Even if the background may look very white, if you look closely, you may also find a piece of coral or a special shell or rock mixed in. It came out beautiful!

My love for weathered beach items, inspired me to paint the box to reflect the color of the fences that dotted the sand dunes along the shore. The inside was painted to complement the outside and then I covered the bottom with a piece of felt to provide a soft place to put my jewelry or mementos! It was almost perfect! But it was still missing that link to my family and that year I was trying to capture.

I started experimenting with a favorite picture of the kids on the beach that year, and was very pleased with the end result. I carefully enlarged the picture and attached it to the top inside of the box!

I fell in love with this box, and after 12 years it's still one of my favorite items I own! Each day I just love seeing all the different shells and when I open it up to get my jewelry, I smile, because there are my beautiful children, with their young faces smiling back at me! (Now that they are teens, its even more special!lol!) How time flies! Sure, I have lots of scrapbooks that I drag out and look at occassionally. But I see this picture everyday, reminding me of the wonderful memories we shared at the beach every time I open it up to take out my jewelry!

Through the years friends and relatives expressed how they loved my box, so when I began my Etsy Shop, I decided to create them for others. Now, they are my top selling items and I have even personalized them for beach side or beach themed weddings as Bride gifts or bridesmaid gifts! It's been fun to share what has meant so much to me and be able to offer it to others!

Summer is now approaching quickly, and the kids will be out of school soon. We are all anxiously awaiting our family vacation and making new memories!
After 22 years, we still enjoy that wonderful week or two that we leave behind the soccer fields, ice rinks, and all the other sports that fill our lives, replacing them with swimming, relaxing, baseball, kite flying, and long walks on the beach. Ahhh, I can't wait for this years vacation!

Wednesday Garden

I just love the creativity of this indigo butterfly necklace! It is called 'Dwellers of the Mechanical Garden!' created by Eugena777.

Each of her necklaces is one-of-a-kind, with its own color scheme and watch parts design. The pendant is covered with multiple layers of translucent resin to give it a smooth, glass-like surface.

If you would like more information about this item and clever artist, just click on the title Wednesday Garden!

Also take a peek at Eugena's comment to hear what sparked the creation of this clever piece! Thanks Eugena!

Do I See A Bear In My Yard?

This morning I woke up to a phone call from my neighbor, alerting me that our black bear was back again this year! Before she could say much more, I was out the back door, hurrying to get a glimpse of one of my favorite animals. Sure enough, there he was, moving along the fence that separates our yards! Standing up at the gate located in the back of my woodland path, he took one little push and it was down. It looked like it was paper! As he sauntered down my woodland path (very well mannered, he stayed on my path!) towards our house, he saw my daughter and I standing there. Unfazed, he turned around and continued to walk along our path, down our stone steps, into our lawn, and then down the path to my garden garden gate that leads out to the driveway!

I'm so happy he decided not to go through our wood gate, but turned around and went back up into our woodland path. He had a tag on his ear, so he must have gotten into trouble somewhere, but he was very well mannered today except for the gate, and where he squashed down a section of the fence to peacefully lumber off into the next neighbors yard!

Last year he came during the night and had quite a party for himself! He knocked down our bird feeders and suet cakes then left a trail of broken pieces to another bird feeder along our woodland path! We were all sleeping when this happened and we awoke to our siberian husky huddled underneath our kitchen table! It took her more than a week to go outside by herself! Huskies are not known to be good guard dogs - and that's very true!

Its amazing what goes on in our yards that we don't even see! I'm so glad after 24 years of the black bears coming through our yard or by our yard I finally got a picture! I guess some people would not be happy about it, but I think its a wonderful treat!

Fun Bracelets for The Summer!

I love Bracelets, especially in the summer!
Using natural elements, such as shell, wood, and Cinnabar is perfect for the warm months when we are all enjoying the outdoors!

Simply Silver & Shell Bracelet

Created with ivory shell circles and sterling silver-plated beads,

& clear glass seed beads!

Sweet Elyssa Bracelet

Beautiful carved Cinnabar beads, painted wood beads & brass washers

combine to make this fabulous bracelet.

Jet Shell and Silver Bracelet

This pretty bracelet is created with pearly gray shell lentils, jet gray

freshwater pearls, & beautiful detailed

silver metal beads!

Take a moment and RELAX!

After a very hectic weekend, I found this wonderful picture by

Julie Magers Soulen.

It just makes me want to forget the world, drink a cup of coffee and relax!

It's nice to dream!!

Enjoy the rest of her work at

http://www.juliemagerssoulen.etsy.com/

Dragonflies & Butterflies!

I just love this time of year! I'm beginning to see more & more butterflies visiting my garden! The first one I saw was a black swallowtail. I haven't spotted a dragonfly yet, but I love them too! Many of the plants in my yard specifically attract different types of butterflies, so by mid summer, my garden has a wonderful variety of butterflies fluttering about!

'Flight of the Dragonfly Necklace' -
Gorgeous brass Dragonfly has a
sky blue/lt.turquoise patina, giving it that
beautiful shabby chic look! Amazonite
semiprecious chips beautifully complement
the dragonfly. Antiqued brass chain.
Tkdesigns.etsy.com

The Monarch Butterfly is one of my favorites, mainly because they are becoming a rare site. Their host plant is milkweed, which is the only plant that they lay their eggs on! Once the larvae (caterpillars) hatch, this plant also becomes their only food source! With the dwindling fields of milkweed, caused from development, it is becoming harder for them to survive. There is a great site that I reccomend visiting http://monarchwatch.com/ if you want more info. on monarchs and interesting activities to do with your family.

I have introduced more and more milkweed into my garden because one little catapiller can eat several large plants! The 'Hungry Caterpillar' by Eric Carle, was always one of children's favorite books!

So, now that you know how much I love these amazing insects, you can see why
I have introduced them into my work! Here are some examples!


'Butterfly Dreams' is a mosaic jewelry box created with sea shells,tumbled stained glass, freshwater pearls,and glass nuggets http://www.TKDesigns.etsy.com

'Sea Glass & Butterflies' Antiqued Brass Necklace A beautiful little filigree butterfly has a sky blue patina, and is complemented with a piece of genuine sea glass from Hawaii! An antiqued brass filigree leaf and turquoise glass flower bead completes this wonderful necklace!

Heart With A Connection!

My 'Heart With a Connection Collection' began when I started collecting sea glass and seashells from several different countries around the world. I especially loved the stones and seaglass I received from Israel. The thought that these treasures had actually been sitting on the beaches of a country that is so rich in history, was amazing to me!

I paired them up with my wood heart boxes, and fell in love with the idea of having something that I could use as a little jewelry or keepsake box with a sea treasure from a place that my ancestors were from or I had vacationed at. This collection, and my 'Shore to Please Collection' of mosaic boxes, offers people a meaningful link to a country or place through the sea treasures found on their shores!


East Coast Shores USA!

'Heart with a Connection Collection'

Hand collected seashells from the New Jersey Shore are combined with a metal star to create a beautiful heart shaped box ---perfect to store a vacation memory, jewelry or give as a gift!

Israel Dot. Dot. Glass-

'Heart with a Connection Collection '

This rare textured piece of amber sea glass, was hand collected and sent to me from the shores of Israel! This wonderful sea treasure is combined with a pretty white sand dollar and a heart shaped metal tag that has the word love on it.

Irish Sundrops & Pink Polka Dots!
'Heart with a Connection Collection'

This beautiful wood box has a heart connection to Ireland. Hand collected and shipped to me from Kerry, these yellow Irish seashells have a bit of Irish folklore to them! The three Irish sundrops, white starfish and pink shell all come together as a beautiful reminder of those Irish sunsets!

Israel Rocks

'Heart with a Connection Collection'

This beautiful wood box has a heart connection to Israel. An interesting rock and two beautiful pieces of sea glass (one white and one amber honey colored) are wonderful sea treasures that were hand collected from the shores of Israel and sent to me to create this one of a kind box! A little starfish and two blue mussel shells (not from Israel) also add a bit of magic to this lovely box!

For more information on these boxes, visit my shop at TKDesigns.etsy.com

If I can customize a box for you with your sea treasures or mine, contact me and I would be happy to work with you to create something special just for you!

Birds in My Garden, Birds in My Art! (Part Two)

One of my next endeavors was to design a Courtyard Habitat for my children's elementary school. Several Moms got together one afternoon with a shared idea. That idea was to turn the unused school courtyard into an outdoor classroom, where children could interact with nature. As a landscape designer, I was able to volunteer my design skills and knowledge of nature to help develop a beautiful place for the children and teachers. After creating a master plan, we developed a 5 year plan to convert this unused space into wildlife habitat. Through donations and lots of hard labor our Courtyard Habitat became a reality and has won several awards and grants. It is now a registered Schoolyard Habitat with the National Wildlife Federation http://www.nwf.org/ and a certified Monarch Butterfly WayStation. http://www.monarchwatch.org/

This charming bird house was inspired by a recycling project we did with the children for our Outdoor Art Gallery (part of our habitat). We asked the children to create birdhouses out of recycled materials. It was our first project to utilize the Art Gallery that we created by using log pedestals made from the trees that had been taken down on the school property that spring.

My children decided to use recycled aluminum cans along with other collected items on their bird houses. We had such a good time that I became hooked, and began making them! After their debut at the school's Art Gallery, we brought them home and immediately a Carolina Wren moved in and had a family! I hope to track down some of the pictures I have, and add them to this post!

Has anyone else been involved in creating a habitat at their
school? I'd love to hear from you!

Birds in My Garden, Birds in My Art! (Part One)

Birds have influenced my life and my art since I can remember! As a child I remember setting up a laundry basket with a string tied to a stick and carefully putting a few pieces of bread out in a neat trail leading under the basket! I would quietly sit there for what seemed like hours to capture some poor unsuspecting bird. They almost always got away and if not, I would happily let them go, it was just very cool to get so close them!

Red Bellied Woodpecker 'Winter Birds' o8 Collection
Hand painted glass ornaments.



Years later, my sister brought home a pigeon for me to raise. She found him on the ground at her elementary school and knew exactly who would love to take care of him! I could write a book on my life with 'Babes'! I was inspired to draw and paint him, I created a beautiful lithograph in my high school art class, and photographed him! He was amazing and challenged my art skills as I tried to capture his wonderful personality! He followed me to college and actually introduced me to my husband! He was my companion for years!

Winter Birds '08' Collection:

Male Cardinal,Rose Breasted

Grosbeak, White Throated Sparrow

This love for Babes gave me a love for birds in general. I began learning to identify the birds around our yard and quickly realized how unique each one was. It gave me a whole new appreciation for birds.

When my husband and I moved into our home I found an injured Catbird that had flown into a window. He lived in one of our empty bedrooms until he could fly again. I set him free, but he stayed around my garden! Perched in a branch, he would call out to me to let me know he was nearby watching me work outside! He came back year after year! Eventually, people would bring me their injured birds to rehabilitate.

After having my first child I could no longer take on the responsibility of taking care of a bird 24/7. Investigating my options, I later found a wonderful place that would take in these birds called the Raptor Trust. This is an incredible place that I was so lucky to have found. I try to donate to them when I can, it's an incredible facility and provides a wonderful service! You must check them out! www.theraptortrust.org/

With three children, I began to see that many children had little knowledge of the the plants and wildlife in their own backyards. I decided to fill that gap and became a 4H Leader. With a group of my children's friends, we began our two year journey and called ourselves the Backyard Nature Explorers !(this would make another book!) Here I introduced them to anything that one would find in their backyard. I taught them how to identify birds, make bird feeders, bird houses, dissect owl pellets and mount our finds. We learned the different owl calls and visited the Raptor Trust. The money we raised at the 4H Fair was also donated to the Raptor Trust.

Now you can start to see how my love for birds has intertwined through my life in many ways. Forgetting that I only started photographing with a digital camera several years ago I will have to scan pictures before I include them. So here are a few of my very recent items.

Sorry I can't seem to get any of my other pictures up! I'll try later. See my shop on Etsy. tkdesigns.etsy.com