My Pink Turtleheads Are in Bloom!!

These late summer bloomers are one of my favorite wildflowers during this time of year!

They are called Turtleheads because their flower resembles a turtle's head!
They are shade loving plants that are very at home along my woodland path. I have them in this lovely pink, and also in white. (my white ones don't seem to want to bloom this year!)

Nothing was going to stop this little bumble bee from having lunch! It's interesting how he fits so perfectly into the flower!

Soon my path will be filled with white and lavender Asters, and a variety of yellow goldenrods! Each season is so wonderful!

Follow the Construction Of My Pond! Part Two

For the past few days the boys have been working hard through the heat digging the pond and waterfall. We decided to make the deep end of the pond 3' deep, giving the fish a place to winter and a place to escape from raccoons looking for a midnight snack!

The rest of the pond has different levels for water plants and hopefully other creatures such as frogs and turtles!

Once the boys finished digging, it was important to recheck the sides to make sure the pond was still level. Since water seeks its own level, the pond will only be as high as its lowest point.

The next step was to carefully remove all the little stones and roots from the inside of the pond to prevent any punctures to the liner.

Of course it happened to be recycling week and my conscientious husband recycled our two weeks of newspapers just when we needed them to line the pond! Luckily, my son's friend had plenty to donate to the cause!

A variety of materials can be used to line the pond before the rubber pond liner is put down. Old blankets seem to be popular, old synthetic carpet with pins and tacks removed, and old pool liners, are a just a few ideas people have suggested using. However, the best material to use is a commercial material called pond liner underlayment which looks like a thick felt and won't decompose in the ground.

We used newspapers in the front yard pond, and have had no problems in 9 years, so we decided to use it again along with heavy duty plastic from last years ice skating rink!

For the pond liner we purchased a good quality rubber pond liner that is flexible, quite puncture resistant, UV resistant, and easy to install.

There are kits available from large home improvement stores that have everything included, the pump/filter, liner, tubing and fountain. That's what we used while creating our first pond in the front yard.

However, its the end of the season and shelves are bare, not to be restocked until next spring. This left us with buying everything separately unless we wanted to buy it online. Since the boys were anxious to get started, we opted to go to our local pet store where we buy our pet supplies. They were extremely knowledgeable and had several ponds and waterfalls we could look at for ideas.

When purchasing the liner its important to measure accurately. If the pond is a free form shape measure the maximum width and length. Also measure the depth at the deepest part. When calculating the size of the rubber pond liner add the maximum width & maximum length & the maximum depth TWICE (remember the liner has to go down both sides of the pond) & a foot or two for overlap on the sides.

For example:

Add maximum Width & maximum depth & maximum depth & 4' overlap (2' on each side) = the Width of the liner needed.

Do the same for the length. Maximum Length & max. depth & max. depth & 4' overlap (2' on each side)= the Length of the liner needed.

Once the pond liner is carefully placed in the hole start folding it nicely so it fits along the curves. As you begin filling the pond with water keep pulling up the liner to keep it lying as smoothly as you can.

We are now all set to start filling the pond! After that we will need to go rock hunting for stones to lay around the ponds' edge and create the waterfalls!

See you in a few days!

Follow the Construction of My Pond! Part One

Ok, there could be more interesting things to follow, but, this is what I happen to be doing at this very untimely moment when I'm supposed to be resting! Sometimes when opportunity knocks you just have to grab it, even if it may seem like a bad time!

After building a small pond in our front yard 9 years ago, we have always wanted to build another one in the backyard. Between sports and other activities, we just could never find the time to ever make it become a reality. So, when my son came to me and said he and his good friend would build it, I jumped at the chance!..... All I had to do was guide them through the process!

Since we had talked about this for years, I already knew approximately where I wanted to build it. When planning a pond, the site is one of the most important things to decide on.

Here's a few things to consider:

1. Its best to locate a pond away from trees since they can cause alot of extra maintenance with falling leaves and other debris into the pond, and their roots can be a challenge to dig around.

2. Locate it away from areas that you spray pesticides or fertilize. Runoff can cause major problems for your fish and water quality.

3. Proximity to a power source. If you want to incorporate a waterfall, fountain or lighting, its important to think of where your power will be coming from and locate it accordingly.

4. Location to the house is important, it's easier to maintain and feed the fish when it's closer to the house! Remember, the fish like to eat even if its raining! My front yard pond is located just outside our front door - I can feed my fish while its raining without getting wet!

5. You may also want to enjoy it from inside your house too! A pond attracts lots of wildlife that you won't want to miss! This pond will be seen from my kitchen window and most of the rooms facing our backyard.

So, with all this in mind, I located our pond under a giant Tulip Tree that is constantly dropping sap, flowers, seeds and leaves! And it's downhill from our upper lawn area! Yeah, I'm crazy and didn't follow my own advice, but we have a very shady yard with lots of trees. There's just no other place to put it. The pond in our front yard is under a Downy Shadblow which drops leaves, flowers and berries, so I'm resigned to the fact that if I want a pond, I will have lots of maintenance! We also don't use pesticides as a general rule, and will grade the soil around the pond in a way that will divert runoff from the upper lawn away from the pond.

After the area was cleared of plants, I sprayed a line with orange paint to outline the pond and stream/waterfall location. A wheel barrel is helpful to haul away the soil from the pond. We will be relocating this extra soil to several low spots in other flower beds in the yard. If building a pond and waterfall on flat ground, you will need this soil to buildup the area of the waterfall, so its best to place this soil close to the area you want to buildup.

I've got to run, they're ready to start digging!

Look for more updates & tips until our pond is complete!

Doctor's Orders - Stay Off Your Feet!

When I got home from our vacation, I went to the doctor and found out that my blood pressure was through the roof! Doctor's orders were to get off my feet immediately and go on a low salt diet. So here I am, lying here on the couch with my feet looking like two swollen balloons, up on a pile of pillows! My dog is sleeping peacefully by my side, our cat is comfortably perched on top of the couch all snuggly, and I am trying to follow orders and relax!! But as I lay here thinking about all the things I need to do now that I'm back from vacation, I'm finding this Impossible! So here I am on my laptop!

Beaded Shoe Sculpture

http://www.heatherboyd.etsy.com

http://www.lorisplace.etsy.com

Hmm, my feet seem to be my focus right now so I thought I'd look to see what creative things etsy artists have done with feet! I found some great things on my quest! My favorite being the cookies created by Lori's Place, these adorable pink feet are for birth announcements but I'm dreaming my feet looked that good!!LOL! I quickly fell in love with her amazing cookies. Just getting back from the Jersey Shore, I had to include her gorgeous fish cookies too!

I'm so glad I found her shop full of goodies! http://www.lorisplace.etsy.com/

Here are a few other creative items I found!

Balloon Flip Flops

These would be perfect for my balloon feet! http://www.CurlyGirlBowtique.etsy.com

Designer feet bases for your rubber stamps--- Very cool! Check them out at http://www.silverymoonbeams.etsy.com/

Planter Feet

http://www.mygardengoddess.etsy.com

Vintage Feet Salt & Pepper Shakers
http://www.milliesattic.etsy.com/

There's always a silver lining to every situation. My kids vaccumed, did the dishes and cooked dinner for me! Wow!

Wish I could do the happy dance!!:-)

So Adorable!

ACEO Brown Bunny Print by Savage Artworks on Etsy

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!