I'm Totally Dying to Buy This Bag!!

It's called "The Dutchess" from Fergie's new line of handbags. I also write a Fergie Fan blog for b5media and recently wrote about her new line of handbags. There's this one in particular that she carries herself and I want one too!

*sigh!*

_{Fergie, Fergie Ferg, Stacy Ferguson, black-eyed peas, black eyed peas, black-eyed-peas, hip hop, fergalicious, the duchess, glamorous, the dutchess, Fergie Kipling Handbag, Kipling Handbag, Kipling, Handbag, Fergie for Kipling}

PayPerPost Takes the Guilt Out of Guilty Pleasures

Well, I just did it. I signed up to get paid for posts I make to my blog. After all, why not get paid for doing what I enjoy doing in the first place? Right?

I joined PayPerPost.com. Their program offers bloggers the chance to write for various companies and get paid for the exposure their clients companies receive from your post. Some of the topics are very impressive and some pay extremely well. It definitely sounds like a win-win situation to me.

They also offer a program where people can review my posts and they get paid for their input. So please review this post! It can earn you a few bucks and believe it or not, the link to this post will help increase my blog's ranking in Google. Sounds like the second win-win possibility, doesn't it?

In fact, if you have a blog, why don't you consider joining PayPerPost too? You must like to write, or you wouldn't have a blog, so why not get paid to do it?

Just think, with the money made on PayPerPost, I can enjoy a "venti mocha latte" any time I want, with no guilt. Otherwise, I'd probably skip it most days because it costs nearly $5. So with this plan, I get to indulge two of my guilty pleasures…and don't even have to feel guilty about them any more. *grin*

I Have Another Blog!!!

Last night I set up a new blog. I'll be posting about my family and hobbies more there.

Please check out the new site location and be sure to bookmark it!

Thanks!!

The Secret

Last week, I was fortunate enough to finally get to see the movie The Secret with my friend, David. It was highly hyped online long before it was released to the public, but having studied metaphysics for over 20 years, it didn't look to me like it was anything all that new. But don't let that stop you from watching it anyway. It's fast-paced, down-to-earth and practical while imparting what most would consider to be esoteric truths about the Law of Attraction. No one ever is so familiar with this topic to be beyond the benefit of a refresher.

Now, if you don't know what the Law of Attraction is, you should check out the movie. (Hint: it has nothing to do with joining an online dating service!)

I decided to post about this movie because I ran across this post on the blog, Passion Meets Purpose. Yes, folks, I have now found a blog I intend to read regularly. Kammie, a personal coach, presents many topics that give food for thought and that can pick us up when we need a lift. Take a look at her blog and you'll see what I mean. Way to go, Kammie!

I'm so glad...

...that none of my three cats has learned to do this!!

A friend's web site

My friend, Jonathan, has a fun web site. He writes, plays and sings Irish music in Irish bars and pubs all over the place. Check it out!

My best customers are at work!

I really love the fact that I can wear a new piece of jewelry that I've created to work and before the end of the day, someone wants to buy it! Today, my woven earrings from the PMC Certification class were the ones I sold. Actually, I made two pairs in the class and since I'm wearing one pair, my wonderful friend and co-worker, Philissa, asked to buy the other pair. (Thanks so much!!)

Yes, today is off to a great start!

Thought of the Day

Happiness is a Choice - Choose wisely!

A Couple of Thoughts About Politics

"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy." ~~ Ernest Benn

"We need anything politically important rationed out like Pez: small, sweet, and coming out of a funny, plastic head." ~~ Dennis Miller

I'm so not from L.A.

Back when David Letterman's show was on NBC following the Tonight Show, (yes I know I'm dating myself...) he had a regular audience participation segment called "Brush with Greatness." During these segments, he would go into the audience where several would stand and tell their stories of celebrity sightings. Most were hysterically funny because they were so completely ridiculous. Things like, walking into the Albertson's store and Dolly Parton's bodyguard bumped into them, or something equally silly. I used to laugh my head off over the mere remoteness of the of the so-called "Brushes."

Here in the Midwest, we almost never have to deal with celebrity sightings. We are so completely isolated from the celebrity world that it's a hoot to hear the "Brush with Greatness" stories from those in L.A. This blog's post (Of Fish and Family) is the perfect example of what I'm talking about. I chuckled my way through parts of it and remembered the fun of the old Letterman bit. Take a moment to enjoy.

handmade design: My Color Schemes

Check out this blog post on the upcoming fashion color trends. It should give us some insight into what colors and styles of jewelry we can be making to go with these trends. Very useful! handmade design: My Color Schemes

Spoon!: The Exalted Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

Someone just sent me a link to this fabulous sounding cookie recipe. I'm going to take this one with me the next time I visit my granddaughters. Gracie will love helping make these!! Spoon!: The Exalted Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

Woven Earrings, ready to fire

Woven Earrings, ready to fire
Originally uploaded by cree8iv_1.

We used PMC paper to weave material to make earrings. When put on a very thin backing of PMC Standard clay, they dome up when they are fired to make a really unique look. Here are some of the earrings the class made, ready to be fired.

Some of our Organic carved pendants and some of our Woven Earrings

Some of our Organic carved pendants and some of our Woven Earrings
Originally uploaded by cree8iv_1.

We carved a mold out of a rubber eraser, then used it to create a pendant shape. Then, once it was dry, we used tools to carve the dry PMC even further to make these organic pendants. There are also a couple of pairs of the woven earrings on the kiln shelf for firing.

Tetrahedrons & tool parts, ready to fire

Tetrahedrons & toolparts, ready to fire
Originally uploaded by cree8iv_1.

Here you can see several tetrahedrons on the kiln shelf, ready to be fired. There are also a number of the wheels for the texture tools and the wickets for the texture tools that were to be fired at the same time.

The pieces for my tetrahedron - still drying

The pieces for my tetrahedron - still drying
Originally uploaded by cree8iv_1.

In the PMC Certification class, we learned to make complex structures, one of which was a tetrahedron. Here you see the three triangles I used to make mine. This is how they looked when they were still drying and before we got them ready to put together. Once the tetrahedron was fired, we learned a new type of solder to attach a tie tack back to it.

An example of the texture tool project

An example of the texture tool project
Originally uploaded by cree8iv_1.

During our certification class, another of our complex projects was to create the componenets for this texture tool, then using "cool connection" techniques, put them together. This taught us several new skills, including how to make things that have movable parts.

Double Fire Rings

Another shot of our Double Fire Rings
Originally uploaded by cree8iv_1.

During the three day Rio Certification class, we completed 7 projects. One of them was a double fire ring. That means that we first made the ring band and cabochon and fired them flat. Then we bent the band to fit and attached it to the cabochon and re-fired the ring. We also learned to set a stone in a new way during this project. Here are some of the rings the class created, ready to be fired.

Merlene's birds'-eye view of the class & Cece Wire, our instructor

Merlene's birds'-eye view of the class & Cece Wire, our instructor
Originally uploaded by cree8iv_1.

Cece is working at her table while Merlene sits on a ladder to get a good view of the class.

Our class, hard at work

Our class, hard at work
Originally uploaded by cree8iv_1.

Here's the other shot of the class. The people at the other table are Ann, Liz, Jana, Jean, Patti and Gail. You can't hear it in these photos, but there was a lot of giggling and joking going on while we worked.

Another shot of our busy class

Another shot of our busy class
Originally uploaded by cree8iv_1.

During our Rio Certification class, we had twelve eager students and Cece Wire (at the front of the room, standing). This is a shot of the table I was using. Here, Connie, Carolyn and Susan are hard at work.

Gracie (two years old)

My oldest granddaughter, Gracie.

Gracie (two years old)
Originally uploaded by cree8iv_1.

She's getting so big too! I'm so proud of her!

Lily (three months old)

Lily (three months old)
Originally uploaded by cree8iv_1.

My youngest granddaughter, Lily. She's grown so much since I saw her last May.

Free Soft Flex Samples

If you go to the Soft Flex site and click on the free samples box, it will take you to a page where you can sign up for some free Soft Flex samples.

I get asked about what beading wire is best, and honestly, I think it is up to personal preference to some extent. So my advice is to try them all, then decided for yourself which type, brand, size, color, etc. works best for your own needs.

Cece's book

Just in case you missed my earlier post, here's the book Cece Wire has written about PMC techniques:
Creative Metal Clay Jewelry: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration

She has another book due to be released in December that contains a lot more advanced projects and techniques. If it's half a good as this one, or her class, it will be worth getting, for sure!

Rio PMC Certification class - Cece Wire, Instructor

Rio PMC Certification class - Cece Wire, Instructor
Originally uploaded by cree8iv_1.

Here's our lovely gang of gals (and one guy!) We spent three fantastic days learning the finer points of PMC jewelry creation from Cece Wire and received our Rio Certification. Shown are (left to right) front row: Susan Mollet, Joyce Laverty, Gail Cox, Merlene Walker (our fabulous hostess) and Carolyn Adkisson. Back row (left to right) are: Cece Wire (our fantastic instructor), Patti Ballard, Ann Rush, Lynn DeVries, Liz Hargrove, Jana Crank, Lorraine Allen, Connie McGuire and Jean Stuart.