Caribbean Blue...?

I received a phone call yesterday from my mom, who is out in sunny California visiting my Aunt Karen... HI Mom and Aunt Karen! Well anyways, they asked me for a custom order for a friend who likes long funky earrings, but no brown or tan. ha ha I think these fit the bill, no? We'll see! They consist of fun colors, the glass is an opaque blue, which perfectly matches the Pacific blue opal Swarovski crystals and I added some Peridot crystals to pick up the green. There's hand wrapped coils with two different colors of artistic wire, to follow the pattern on the beads below them and they measure 3 3/4 " below the lever backs. These are long and funky, as requested! I wouldn't wear these with a business suit, but with a pair of jeans or shorts and a t shirt... Fabulous!

Let me know what you think of them!

New Etsy Shop Grand Opening!

Today I took the plunge and decided to open up a second Etsy shop for the sale of some of my digital prints from my other part time business, Kristen Lynn Photography. You can check it out here! It is called klphotography.etsy.com.

Right now I have listed several of my Sanibel Beach pictures, but I'll be digging out some of my disks of my nature pictures as well and adding them as soon as I get them printed and matted. You can see a couple of samples of what I put in the store tonight above! Love the beach pictures, I hope you do too! Enjoy!

We have a winner!

It was a close race, but Carey won the earrings! YAY! ha ha Too funny, considering you were the only one playing my game! ha ha I'll send your earrings out on Monday! Congratulations! Make sure you try them on the man, and send me pictures!

Today's the day to shine!

And who wouldn't shine with all these sparkles! Check out the new pieces I made last night! As I said, I'm holding off on adding to the store - trying to save up for the craft fair, unless you are interested in something. If so, just give me a holler!

A little background... Call of the Wild, is a funky charm bracelet made with all kinds of glass beads with various animal prints in them. (Sorry for the crooked pictures, the sun was overexposing it, so I had to tilt a little). I added Bali Silver and a Silver toggle clasp to make it really shine! I love this bracelet! Love, love, love!

The green earrings are mine, as there are small stress cracks in the glass, but I could not resist making myself a pair of earrings (thank you again, Carey!) with them. I would hate to have them break on anyone else, but Carey has LOTS of pretty beads that I can make this style of earring with so let me know if you would like a pair.

The flower glass focal is one of my favorites, it's SO elegant and has a little Cubic Zirconia chip in the center of the flower. This has all of my favorite colors in it and I added a bunch of charms near the Bali Toggle clasp.

Enjoy your day, I hope the sun us shining where you are!

My Sparkteam!

HI all!
I am not sure how many of you out there are familiar with Spark People, however, it is a great website for support when you are trying to lose weight, live healthier lives, and learn better eating habbits. With the help of teams, you support each other by posting comments, similar to my blog here and you are just there for each other if you need to talk or just to mention that you are having a good/bad day. Well, anyways... my sparkteam is called the Biggest Loser Dropouts, and we consist of a great bunch of ladies who I have offered to make inspirational bracelets for just as a token of my appreciation for always being there for me. My hope is that these bracelets will remind us that we are not alone in our journey and that "we" as a team are always there to support each other. I have written a few words about the charms that I have added to our bracelets:

First, above all, we need to BELIEVE in ourselves! It’s one thing to have our friends and family offer words of encouragement and for them to express their knowledge of the fact that we can succeed. It is completely another for us to know that we can succeed, with a little pep talk everyday and a pat on the back when you follow the rules and a quick pick me up when the rules are broken. Do whatever it takes to get through the day, and push on towards your ultimate goal. Know that when you BELIEVE in yourself you can achieve greatness, and you WILL succeed!

Second, we need to have the COURAGE to face each day with a great attitude and a sense of accomplishment for all that we have achieved thus far. We will all have bad days and setbacks, however, we need to have the COURAGE to face our obstacles and get through them…together! It takes a lot to be able to talk about our lives, especially with strangers but I feel that we have such a close group that we can overcome anything if we can just have the COURAGE to share our thoughts and together we can help each other through it.

And lastly, we need to LIVE our lives! I have had so many things happen to me in my life, and I’m sure that each of us can make a list of things that we have had to overcome. Whether it be our health, our careers, our families, or our weight, we all have endured hardships in our lives. But we must remember that life does go on and the best thing that we can do is LIVE! We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to wake up each morning, kiss our kids, go to work and make money to support our families and spend time with friends all the while trying to make enough time for ourselves. Enjoy each moment that we have on this earth, LIVE your life! Cherish your friends, and always stay positive. After all, there are people in this world who are fighting extreme battles, and digging out from natural disasters. We have been given a wonderful blessing, and that is life… so ladies, please LIVE it well!

I hope you all enjoy them, and thanks again for everything! I'll be getting your bracelets out to you sometime this week so check your mail!

If I have inspired anyone to see exactly what Spark People can do for you, just visit the website at http://www.sparkpeople.com/

Have a great day!

I'm thinking of a number...

So who is in the mood for a contest? I have been visiting Melissa's site on a daily basis since she started it and she had this cool idea and has been holding contests on her blog and I want to try it too! I'm going to start right now!

I'm thinking of a number between 1-20 and it's written on this piece of paper. To place your guess, just leave me a comment on this entry, that way everyone can see what you are guessing and we don't duplicate numbers. Let's see who's out there reading!! You are allowed a maximum of 3 guesses per person/per day and the contest will end when we have a winner!

What's the prize, you ask? The correct guesser will win this really pretty pair of Kazuri/Swarovski Earrings!

Good luck, let the guessing begin!

Future Big Band Musician

I could not resist sharing these pictures of Meghan that I took tonight before she left for her Spring Concert at school. I stayed home with Matthew, partly because I know he would not sit for that long, and partly because I have a killer headache tonight, and the thought of the fourth grade band concert was making it pound even harder! But my mom went and Clay and Jack so she had her support group there! I'm sure she did great!

Crystal Blue Waters

This piece reminds me of the beach with the beautiful crystal blue water (not here in the Northeast!) and the various colors of the sand, just so serene! I put these beads together at the local bead store and I am so pleased with the finished piece. Included are various clay and glass beads in shades of blues and browns plus a beautiful blue Kazuri bead focal, accented by Light Sapphire and Light Colorado Topaz Swarovski Crystals and pewter spacers. It is finished with silver cones and extends up to 18.5 inches. The earrings are made to match and make the set complete! As I said, I am starting to hoard my pieces for the craft fair, but please let me know if this is something that you might be interested in and I can list it for you. I have another piece that I'd like to get made today, but between my daughters gymnastics class and her Spring concert tonight (She plays the trombone!) I don't know how much I'll be able to do. Be sure to check back and enjoy your day!

Utopia!

Here is another piece that I made last night. It features a focal bead called "Utopia" made by Michele, of Moonfairy Glass. I also had some Sassy Stoppers glass disk spacers that matched perfectly (thank you Carey!) and I wrapped them all up into this masterpiece! I hand made the coils with wrapped silver wire and pulled out the most prominent of the colors in the focal bead which are Amethyst and Light Colorado Topaz. I have put in some free floating Bali Rings for movement and a handmade, hammered clasp to pull it all together! I'll be putting this up on Etsy soon. I am in the process of getting ready for a craft fair in early June, so I'm going to start hoarding my finished pieces so I have something to show for all my hard work! I promise what doesnt sell will go up in the store when I return. But I'll keep you all posted here with sneak peeks, so if there is something you want just let me know! Hope you have a great Saturday!

Out on a limb...

Ok, so I'm going out on a limb and taking a chance that my mom is not looking today! She says that she reads my blog, but I know for a fact that she just looks at the pictures! ha ha Anyway, I have been hard at work making my mother's gift from my sis and I and this is what I did... isn't it the best? Oh, she's going to love it! They are clay wafer beads made by Heather Powers of Humble Beads and I accented them with Bronze and Copper Swarovski Pearls and Light Colorado Topaz and Smoked Topaz Swarovski Crystals. I threw in some Bali Silver and a hammered oval link and strung it on cream colored Satin Rattail Cord and bronze leather! So mom, if you are reading today.. NO PEEKING! ha ha Happy Mother's Day!

Morning Dew Drops

Ok, here they are! The sun is not out but it is not raining so I snuck out and took a picture of my earrings! I am SO happy with how they came out and I'll be going over in a few minutes to put them up on Etsy! They are made with beautiful cone shaped glass beads which I have nestled into what I think are the prettiest Hill Tribe Silver cones. I have accented the glass with genuine Tourmaline briolettes, Hill Tribe Silver leaf beads, and Swarovski Crystals in Erinite and Indian Sapphire which picks up some of the dichronic blues within the glass cones. From the bottom I have dangled a couple more accenting crystals and a Tourmaline donut shaped bead in addition to another Tourmaline Briolette. They hang approximately 2 1/2" from the bottom of the Silver ear wires. Man, I have outdone myself this time! These are definitely a limited edition, as I only have the one pair of Hill Tribe Silver and Glass cones, so if you like them, grab them quick! Stay tuned for more updates later on today!

Feeling inspired!

I made an AWESOME pair of earrings with the cone beads that Carey of Sassy Stoppers liked so much from my stash. Even my hubby said I outdid myself! Unfortunately, it's raining right now and I'm not able to get outside to take a photo. I would take a crappy one inside, but that would spoil all the fun of you seeing them for the first time in all their glory! So, stay tuned later this afternoon and I'll hopefully see a break in the clouds to I can take a good pic. I'm working on a few other things as well so please be sure to check back!

Oh, and Carey liked these cones so much she made some of her own, which of course I purchased! You can check them out here. Great job my friend, your Sassy versions are so pretty and will make some awesome pieces!

Lookie, Lookie what I got!!

There is something to be said for instant gratification! Can you already see the swirling idea cloud above my head? Ann and I truly enjoyed the bead fiesta, and we met some really talented and very friendly glass artists. I was so excited to be able to look at, touch and take home the glass and silver goodies that I wanted. I did not have to wait for them to arrive in the mail, which is always a nail biter for me. The USPS has lost several packages on me and considering that I am purchasing one of a kind glass beads that cannot be replaced, you can surely understand my frustration. But not yesterday, I got to put the beads in my purse and take them with me, safe and sound! I'm looking forward to the next Bead Fiesta in August in Danbury!

In the meantime, keep your eyes open for pieces using these beautiful glass beads (made by MacArts, Torchsongs Glassworks, PJ's Beads, and Blue Santa Beads) and Bali and Hill Tribe Silver pieces. I PROMISE, I will share (I am limiting myself to 1 item for my secret stash, and everything else will be made for the rest of the world!). :)

I'm back!

Well, the rain did NOT hold off and needless to say we all got a bit wet (yes, the vendors were outside under tents which don't really help when the misty rain is in the air.) I did not even put out my display's as some of them are velvet and I did not want them to get wrecked. I even have to change all my earring cards now because they are a little soggy! However, a special thank you to my dad for inviting and helping me today, Ann Marie - my loyal and faithful best friend and assistant, well really my left arm, whom I could not function without; and to everyone who braved the horrible weather and came out to the event, made the best of it and enjoyed themselves, and especially those who bought jewelry! I was pleased with the turnout and have made some new friends and customers. I don't usually post pictures of myself, however, Ann took this nice photo of me at my table with my cell phone, so I thought I would share.

I'm off to the Bead Fiesta in North Haven tomorrow so I hope to come back with some new goodies! Stay tuned!

Hope you are all staying dry, I'm going to thaw out now!

Brass City Harvest

If you are wondering where I'll be tomorrow, you can come visit me at the Brass City Harvest at the House on the Hill - 92 Woodlawn Terrace in Waterbury. This is an informational day of seminars on various topics, and I believe that you have to have pre-registered to attend the classes. However, all of the vendors will be on the sidewalk so feel free to come on down and say hi! There will be lots of things available from flowers to bread, wine tasting and of course...ME!

Keep your fingers crossed that the rain holds off until Sunday!

Hope you are having a great Friday!