Journey & Adventure

The BIG day is nearly upon us. No, not Christmas. That’s BIGGER than BIG, but the BIG day I’m talking about is the BIG craft show that I’ve been preparing for since… ummm, June. It starts tomorrow and I can hardly wait to get that beast behind me. I cannot even begin to explain how much I HATE – yes HATE making earrings… and necklaces… and bracelets. It used to be fun, but it’s turned to misery. I have made no less than 117 pairs of earrings, 120 necklaces and 35 bracelets since June. I HATE it all right now. Seriously. I know HATE is a strong word, but if I see another bead roll across my floor I will lose my mind…again. I think I’m prepared and I hope I have enough inventory; but in all honesty – I don’t care anymore. I just hope to sell it all. Then, all this misery and misspent time will have been well worth it. For four loooong days, I’ll be immersed in the world of crafters and crafty hunters. Wish me luck and say a little prayer that my sanity remains intact.

Nothing new here.  The weekend was uneventful, which is always a nice change. J and I went for another loooong walk on the beach yesterday.  I think with all the fresh air and exercise, we need Sundays to recover. I've been working away on a couple of new jewelry pieces, which I thought I'd share. Sea Glass Treasures This one contains pieces of sea and beach glass from Long Point, Lake Erie; Rincon, Puerto Rico; Negros Islands, Philippines; Oahu, Hawaii.  The large pendant piece is the bottom of an old Coke bottle. Driftwood Dreams The pendant on this piece is a piece of old tree bark I found on the beach in Rincon, Puerto Rico.  I love the way the worm holes make the piece look.

Yesterday was my anniversary (and J’s too of course). We have been married for 23 years or as J clarifies – we are going into our 23rd year of wedded bliss. We have actually been together for over 30 years. A lifetime it seems, but it’s been great and I’m looking forward to many, many more. Once a year, our corporate office hosts a strawberry social for the office and plant personnel. I’ve spent the last 3 hours preparing the strawberries for tomorrow – washing, hulling and cutting. I’ve was appointed “supervisor” thanks to my many years of strawberry processing plant experience which started around the time I turned 15. Thank goodness I opted for an education and didn’t make strawberries my career. I used to LOVE strawberries, but for obvious reasons not so much anymore. The saga of my car continues. After the $700 worth of repairs last week – my car still DID NOT start properly. So, it’s back in the shop today and now I’m being told it needs a new fuel pump – to the tune o...

Well, there's not much going on in life at the moment.  At least there's nothing worth blogging about.  Okay, well maybe is worth blogging about, but I've done enough complaning of late....so, I bring you some more of my Flamingo Tongue Design creations. Today, it's all about sea glass.  I think if I could make a living from beachcombing, I'd be all over it in a heart beat.  I love finding this stuff... These pieces were all found in the Philippines.  I simply added the pewter bail and chains.

Sorry, but things have been too busy with my "back-up" plan to write about anything else, so I'm going to bore you with some of my latest Flamingo Tongue Design creations. Ripples - Agate Necklace Sunrise Surprise - Sediment Sea Jasper  Rebecca (this one was made for my niece - to wear with her wedding gown) And a couple of purchases from the Philippines, which I plan on reselling on my website.  Don't worry, I will disclose that they aren't my creations. Primary Colors - Bracelet Ahh, Nuts - Bracelet (natural color of the nuts) Spiral Shell Bracelet

Life is slowly getting back to normal and my regular sleep habits are returning after this latest adventure. I’m also less grumpy, although my family would likely dispute that statement. J has started to weed through some of his hundreds of photos – both above and below the water’s surface, so hopefully he’ll have something to share with you in the next week or so. I also hope to share some more of my photos with you. The difference between J’s photos and mine? J’s photos are good, artistic and well-thought out, whereas mine reflect mindless, juvenile enjoyment of the moment at hand. I take photos for the sake of taking photos…no thought, no process and looking back, most of the time I couldn’t tell you what I was trying to capture. My photos are like my life…random. I do have some news about Flamingo Tongue Designs (aka the backup plan). My sales last week where phenomenal and I received my first wholesale order from a Canadian artist for her gallery/shop. Let’s hope the f...

Turns out the pain I’ve been experiencing is actually a tooth infection, which when cleared up will lead to either a root canal or extraction. Extraction would be the cheaper route, but not likely the one I will choose, as it’s the very back molar on my lower right side. Without that tooth, I seriously doubt my ability to chew anything other than pudding. Regardless of the route I choose, it can’t be done before I go away, so I’m on some antibiotics and some regular pain meds. The dentist won’t guarantee that nothing will go wrong given my insistence on scuba diving, but he is hopeful that my “tooth won’t explode while on holidays”. He’s a glass half empty sort of guy…. I’ve been continuing to research the move to Ecuador and want to go now. I don’t want to wait 5 years, but moving sooner isn’t feasible since there is too much work to be done on our house in order to maximize our return on investment. I know patience is a virtue, but honestly, I don’t even know what that means… ...

Finally, with the holiday season well behind me, I’ve finally been able to start catching up on my jewelry stuff. This past weekend was spent photographing, writing descriptions for and posting the finished pieces to both my website and Etsy. I swear the maintenance side of this jewelry business could be a full-time job (if I had the time to do it properly). I don’t understand how I let myself fall so far behind over the holiday season, but sadly…it happened. Actually, it happens every year… The worst part about it…I haven’t updated my business accounting program since tax season last year and guess what’s just around the corner? Ummm….tax season! How the hell, does this keep happening to me and why do it let it? Meh. (insert shoulder shrug here). Anyhow, whining about it isn’t making it go away, so off I go to toil my misery away. I leave you with a few photos of some recent pieces.

I don't normally like to bore you with my jewelry related stuff - that's what my other blog is for, but I just had to share my newest experiment.  I've been attempting to create chainmaille pieces.  Here is my first set of earrings.   I'm pretty happy with how they turned out and I absolutely love the skull beads.  I mean, I LOVE them...

Here is a couple of photos of a jewelry piece I recently finished.  I'm so happy with how it turned out that I had to share.  I purchased the beads when I was in Sedona this summer.  It's called "Sedona Summer" - creative I know...what can I say?  

Here are some photos from my first craft show.  I re-purposed the doors, which I found at a yard sale for $5 by cutting them in half and painting them.  I made the table clothes myself and those of you that have been around for a while know how much of a challenge that would have been for me.  To sum it up, sewing sucks. Over all I was happy with the booth turnout.  I received some comments on how good it looked from other vendors and even a few from other jewelry makers.  

Hi Folks, J and I have returned from the Dominican Republic and once again, had a fantastic time.  Pictures will come soon... I'm off for another week before the new job begins, but life is really hectic at the moment, as I have just one week left to prepare for my first jewelry/craft show.  I thought I was in pretty good shape before we went on holidays, but it appears that my judgment was clouded - that and I sold six pieces yesterday. So, without further adieu, I must get back to my sweat shop.  My fingers are starting to cramp...

I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that one of my new necklaces had been selected as a "feature photo" by Sea Glass Artists & Sea Glass Collectors website.  Around The World This necklace is approximately 18 inches in length and has been created using various pieces of genuine sea-glass, which have been handpicked directly from the sandy, sunny beaches of Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Bonaire and El Salvador.

Just like Nancy's post earlier this week, I too have always been inspired by water - oceans, lakes, rivers or streams.  It doesn't really matter.  Just being near water provides me clarity and brings me serenity.  Here is one of my ocean inspired pieces - made from genuine sea glass handpicked by yours truly from the sunny, sandy beaches of Puerto Rico.  Ocean Whitecaps

I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that one of my pendants had been selected as a "feature photo" by Sea Glass Artists & Sea Glass Collectors website.  "He Loves Me Not"... Flamingo Tongue Designs

Okay folks – today is the big day!  I’m pleased to announce the winner of my first giveaway, which has been brought to you by Flamingo Tongue Designs . The winner gets to choose from one of the following items:   Blueberry Hill Necklace Genuine Sea Glass Earrings Figure 8 Necklace Cook Book - "Food to Dive For" So without further adieu, the winner is…. VandyJ @ The Testosterone Three and Me Congratulations!!! By the way, there's still time left if anyone is interested in purchasing an item from Flamingo Tongue Designs , valued at $25.00 or more, you can use the following promo code at checkout and you will receive an extra 25% off your purchase: Promo Code:     LCQ76B7L8F7

As mentioned a few weeks ago, I’ve launched my own line of handmade jewelry – Flamingo Tongue Designs .  In order to get the word out about my new creative venture, I’m hosting my very first giveaway.   The winner will receive their choice of one of the following items (for details of each item, visit the website): Blueberry Hill Necklace Genuine Sea Glass Earrings - Amber and White  New Jade and Tourmaline "Figure 8" Necklace Cook Book - "Food to Dive For" (compiled by yours truly and friends) Here are the rules: You need to be a follower; You need to visit Flamingo Tongue Designs ; Take a look around; Leave me a comment on this post as to which item is your favorite. A winner will randomly be selected on Wednesday, June 2 nd .    As an added bonus, if anyone is interested in purchasing an item fr...

I promised details of my Flamingo Tongue Designs giveaway today.  Sorry, there's been a delay... Unfortunately, I totally slacked on the weekend and didn't get it ready and because now I'm at work and can't spend a sufficient amount of time on the Internet because of the Internet Nazis .  I need to postpone it until next week.  I PROMISE - next Monday...for sure... This lack of internet is going to be the end of me...

For the past few months, I've been working on a little project - call it a retirement back-up plan of sorts.   While it's not 100% complete and will never be finalized because of its nature, the time has finally arrived to share it with you.  So without further adieu... I introduce you to Flamingo Tongue Designs -  my very own line of handmade jewelry. www.flamingotongue.com I can also be found on Esty: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Flamingotongue In celebration of my newest venture, I will be holding a giveaway.  Please check back next Monday for complete details.