Richard Salley~Art Is You~Petaluma 2012! Woo hoozie!

"Lasting Impressions" Class with the one-and-only Richard Salley!  I signed up in February.  Then, it seemed quite far away.  I was wrong.

There is Richard and the lovely Jessica Papke.  Each step was explained.  There were transferring, etching & torching stations around the room. 

We asked lots of questions.  Richard was quite patient.

Proof that I took the class and met Richard!  He's wearing one of his "Shadow Cowboy" shirts.  

Jessica Papke.  My new heroine.  Patient.  Eased us through the scariness of the little propane and oxygen torch.  I'm so grateful to her, because it was so very daunting to me.   

I stamped this on this backplate the night before the class.  I was so very tired, and  was quite tempted to wuss out and not really try.   With the help of my encouraging teachers, I was brave.  And I had the funnest day.  :-)

Jewelry for Spain~~

The pieces I brought to Spain~~

We'd been planning our Spain Trip for a long time.  Jenn and Paco's wedding celebration was May 26, 2012 at Alcala de Henares, just outside of Madrid.  Family and friends would be gathering to celebrate the happy day. 

Gifts of Jewelry!  Just the ticket to make the visit more fun~  I worked steadily for some months before we left.  Snippets of time, in between the day job and obligations.  And tah dahhhh!here's the collection.  Memories of smiles and thanks~~what an amazing time!  

Good to be back, though.  This life at home is a blessing to me~~I'm a lucky gal.

Baptism Earrings

My friend Candy was baptized today.  A joyful & important event.  I made these earrings for her.  She liked them!  She was happy.  I was happy.  
A beautiful day.
May your week be full of beauty~  Love to you all!

I WON!!! Stacie Florer is way cool~

Stacie Florer , an amazing jewelry artist, generous and encouraging woman and a beloved friend, had a giveaway in March for those who subscribed to her newsletter .   I did and I WON!!  These earrings arrived in the mail a couple of weeks ago.  They are simply funkily wonderful and light and swingy to wear.  LOVE THEM~

See my smile?  BTW, my sweet hubby took at least 15 photos of me to try to get the most flattering...he's soooo sweet!  

Stacie also included these way cool turquoise beads...anyone who knows me knows that I have a serious love affair with turquoise.  Big love for the amazing blue stones~~I've already used the two barrel beads in a couple of pieces I created right after I got them~

It's Saturday mornin' and the sun is so bright.  I love today!  I need to get serious and work on earrings to take to Spain for my beautiful step-daughter's wedding.  It is customary to bring gifts to the family, and some Spanish ladies will have new jewelry, if I have anything to say about it!

Blessings to y'all.  Hope your Saturday is full of fun~

Sereno=Serene

Sereno is "Serene" in Spanish~

May your week be full of serenity my friend!

Sueno~~Dream

What a great afternoon!  My darling DH is at the kiddo's house in Elk Grove helping with a non-fun bathroom wall & window repair.  Poor guy!  After church, he drove the hour and 15 minutes there and I stayed home and puttered.  Then plunked at the bench and finished up this piece that I'd started a couple of weeks ago. 

Ooooooooohhhhhh was it the most fun in the world to be in "the zone".  4 hours. Total bliss. 

Now my neck and back are telling me what a dumbhead I'd been, but my heart is telling me that this was exactly what I needed.  Thank you God!

Wishing you all a good strong great week~~

Stamping Copper & Brass and Spanish on the Brain

Getting ready for my stamping class at Benicia Beads on February 25.  This piece is a bit more complicated than we will attempt in the 3 hour class, but it's a great gift for when we travel to Spain in May.

Today was my day off.  I listened to a Spanish TV channel all day.  While I was stamping, washing laundry and working around the house.  My brain is fried!!!  But I'm determined to feel more comfortable with the language before we head out.  My DH is depending on me~

May you all have a non-brain-fried rest of the week!