All Christmas Joys Be Thine

Some of you may remember that for many years I worked with a shop owner in South Lake Tahoe – Lake Tahoe Holidays. She has recently sold her business and is in the process of moving and I also have moved so we don’t see one another often. My point is she used to make (and maybe still does) the most beautiful and grand mirrors surrounded by a LOT of ornaments and other Christmas items. I have always wanted to try my hand and although this is my first one adding more than one ornament – I hope I will get better. I do like the way it turned out though – I applied the technique to a plaque for my Etsy shop rather than a mirror

A couple of more items new to my shop

Have a wonderful week. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to you, Dru

Happy Pink Saturday Nov. 2015

It’s been such a long time since I have joined in with Pink Saturday and it is a true favorite. If you are not acquainted with this wonderful venue, please go here at How Sweet the Sound and take a moment to view all the wonderful creativity and a really nice gathering of people.

And for some Pink

Thank you for visiting ~ Have a wonderful Holiday Season and a Merry Merry Christmas!

Dru

O.K. So We’re Here Now

Finally, I made it down here. I’ve been here going on now the 2nd week. Interestingly enough only the stuff I need to put away got here – but none of the stuff to put it in – how does that even happen??? I just got my vacuum cleaner this past Sunday (day before yesterday) boy has it got a work out. My tables for my studio space will not fit through the doors to the studio as they were built for the other house – so all my stuff is all over. And of course this room is configured totally different than my other room – but even though it may be a bit smaller – there seems to be more useable space. My horizontal filing cabinet and rolling paper cart apparently were annihilated somehow??? And keep in mind we moved from a 1915 sq. foot house with a unfinished above ground basement underneath the entire house for storage, a good size potting shed on a good size deck and a huge yard to something way smaller. And, my house is pink – of all colors. I am definitely not a pink person when it comes to housing. Can you tell I’m a bit overwhelmed?

I know it will be o.k. – I actually love our new to us little manufactured home. Beautiful laminate floors in a light whitewashed ash and newly painted white walls. And I am getting rid of so much junk – it seems to multiply though – the more I get rid of the more appears I don’t even know where my camera is right now so I can’t take any photos to show you. Take my word for it – it’s very much in disarray right now! My studio is especially like a big puzzle that I don’t seem to be very good at. Anyway, enough griping – as I said I do love it – there’s so much light, and EVERYTHING grows here (well almost), and I don’t have to make an all day trip of it to go to Michael’s or JoAnns – both are right down the street, and I don’t have approximately 9 – 10 months of cold winter!! We are just now getting the stirrings of the beginning of Autumn.

Here’s a couple of items for Autumn and Thanksgiving and Christmas that I haven’t posted yet – and I really hope I get this room together soon so I can make more – do your fingers just itch sometimes to get your hand on all the goodies you bought and set aside in anticipation of creating? That’s where I’m at right now. Take care friends

I hope you enjoy!

Happy Haunting!!!

One of my wonderful customers on Etsy had purchased some items from me for Halloween and has used them in honestly a way I would never have thought of and I just had to share her creativity with you. I know more people are visiting me than are letting me know (due to the visit counter) and so I hope any of you that pass this way will enjoy these photos. I love them…

Just look at this beautiful table setting – she has different items on each plate – that’s one of my little wall plaques on the plate in front

And a closer look…

Here’s the other one

Doesn’t that look like a fun dinner party? Thank you Sally for letting me use these lovely photos.

A couple of more items from my shop

Have a wonderfully fun and safe Halloween. Hope to be back in my shop soon. Dru

It’s a Go!

Yep, the papers are signed and we’ll hopefully be making the last run to Long Beach this next weekend. Now mind you, I haven’t even seen this home – only a few photos – but I trust my husband. We had to buy a new stove, microwave, kitchen sink/garbage disposal, toilets and vanities and my husband is busily installing them as we speak. He’s taking photos of all the before and once I’m down there, I’ll start posting the renovations. It’s been a long road – 7 months of him living there running our business and me here trying to sell the house. It has not sold and so will be going up for rent in the next couple of weeks – but I will be at the beach with Cuj – he loves the kelp!!

One of the few things I will miss about living in Tahoe – Mama Bear and her 2 cubs playing and sleeping – they are so sweet…

A few new cards for my Etsy shop

Just a quick note to Jennifer S – thank you so much for visiting. I have tried to get on your blog to say hello – but for some reason cannot – I’ll keep trying, but just so you know I have tried.

Take care, Dru

Be Grateful

It’s  hard to be grateful sometimes – isn’t it? So many heartaches and stresses, so many losses to contend with. I truly believe though, that without the difficult things in life to deal with, we cannot truly appreciate how very fortunate we are ~ there is always someone in less fortunate circumstances. We can choose to be grateful ~ no matter what. Gratitude turns what we have into enough.  Let go of what is gone, be grateful for what remains, and look forward to what is coming.  Forgive yourself for not knowing what you didn’t know before you learned it.  Gratefulness is a gift we give to ourselves.

In the end only three things matter: How much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you. –Buddha    

Some of these thoughts and words are my own, some are not. So, if you know the originators please let me know so I can give them credit.

Start each day with a grateful heart.

Never Forget–A Moment of Silence

14 years later we are remembering again that terrible moment in history that changed our way of life forever. Never forget all the fallen heroes and the ones they left behind.

Never Forget……..

All Hallows Eve

Just had to make a banner with the sentiment “All Hallows Eve” this year. Love the look of this – very simple look to it. This one is in sepia tones and black with silver glitter.

Before I go on, I want to send a message to Nancy because I’m not sure she will see it in her blog comments on her last entry – but she usually does stop by here to hi.  This is the link to the image you like:    https://www.etsy.com/listing/97240988/halloween-post-card-digital-collage?ref=shop_home_active_2&ga_search_query=halloween   Another great site for this type image is Iralamijashop on Etsy. Thank you so much for the kind and encouraging words.

I’ve only made one set of ornaments so far this year, and do not know if I’ll be able to make more as I hope to start packing up my studio in about 3 weeks.

And a Plaque

I have about 5 more in various stages of  completion I hope to putting into my Etsy shop by this evening. This one has a great poem on it and you can see it better here https://www.etsy.com/listing/247460880/halloween-decoration-hanging-wall-plaque?ref=shop_home_active_5 in the alternate photo.

No news, we’re waiting to hear if we can get financing on the one home as we are self-employed and may not be selling our house as quickly as needed – still no bites.

Take Care and try to fit in some time for creating – it soothes the soul.

Dru

Hello Again

Yes, I’m one of the worse bloggers ever – but it doesn’t really seem to matter as if anyone does stop by - for the most part they do not tell me.

If any of you visit my Etsy shop you are probably aware that after 16 years of living in South Lake Tahoe, CA and 10 years in our current home ~ we have sold our business and opened another one in Long Beach, CA. I’m here in South Lake trying to sell our home. If you know anything about resort areas then you have an idea of what I’m dealing with. Seems a lot of other people are wanting to get out of here also. The market is saturated with homes for sale, our market is not improving as quickly as some areas so our home values are not all that great – nothing like when we bought!

So, after 4 months on the market – nothing! What does that mean? We do not have enough money for a down payment on another house. We don’t want or dare to live in an apartment (even studios go for around $1500. per month – homes to rent start around $2500. (that’s a house payment) and of course you’re basically just throwing money away! So, the solution?

We decided just to get our foot in the door – we would go with a manufactured home in a gated Senior Community – turns out all the homes listed had been sold for about 3 weeks before we even started looking, and they are all STILL listed as for sale even though they are not! So, start looking a little more inland – found a great family park – but nice and quiet. Several homes for sale – many we can just pay cash for, finally downsize – which is always a good thing to get rid of a lot accumulation that we don’t need, have some money left over to begin remodeling and updating with a clean slate. Now some of you may think we’re going a step or 2 or 3 down (Our home in South Lake Tahoe is very nice) but we disagree. We’re looking at all the positives with this move and are very excited.

That being said – I will be sharing here before and after photos of all the updating, etc. that we will be doing in our new adventure. I love new beginnings and adventures – don’t you?

Happy Fall to you

Dru

Never Forget

Happy Memorial Day to all our fallen heroes, those yet standing, and the families of all those caring and waiting for their loved ones that have given so much to insure the freedoms we have here.

Remember that Freedom is never free