April is always a very busy month with the hope of winter ending and Spring arriving, lots of family and friends birthdays and this year the Letter Writing Month challenge I joined.
The photo above shows the wonderful amount of snail mail I have received this month. We each were paired with a "blog pal" and the criteria of sending at least one snail mail item to that person. Well, the list included 32 participants and we could also send to any one or all of the list. You know me...I sent to every person on the list at least once. Some of them more than once. And my blog pal several times. I was so lucky as my blog pal sent me lots of wonderful mail. Each so very clever and handmade which is just what I love.
Thank you each and every one for such a fun month of snail mail.
I also took this month and sent mail to some of my friends and blogland friends. I thought it would be the right time to remember so many people who mean so much to my daily living.
I am awaiting one more piece of mail from my blog pal because she gave me a hint that she made me something and I am so excited to see what it is.
So as this is the last day of April we say goodbye and put this very busy month to rest for another year.
When was the last time you handwrote a letter or handmade a card and mailed it to someone?

The rain is so refreshing and clean and clear. I really do like it. However, Winter has hijacked our Spring again. Here it is April 28th and no sunshine again. When I took this picture it was just between hail and snow and a white layer on the ground. Snow level is 4000 feet today and we are 3400 foot elevation. The Sierra's are definitely getting another batch of snow. This rain is so good for our water table. We are on our own well so we are thankful for the rain. It also means we don't have to turn on our drip irrigation system yet.
Welcome refreshing rain.

This feels so good to have it finished and ready for an event quickly coming up.
I handstitched this choker out of black lace and black grosgrain ribbon. The red rose braid is also handstitched on the black grosgrain. This choker ties with black velvet ribbons. I love how this lace really spreads out around the neck.

So I do not "scrapbook" as in the current terms however I certainly do my version of scrapbooking and always have. From the days of putting photos in an album and then having no text as to who or what is happening in the photos, to the horrible days of putting photos in those icky sticky photo albums which have long since ruined and eaten the photos, to the more current trend of designing and decorating the pages...oh and then maybe put a tiny photo on said page.

In keeping with Colette and wishing her pink and recovery from cancer I made and sent this small charm that can be attached to anything. I like to put one on my scissors just for fun. Some use them on cell phones. Others attach them to their keys. You can imagine the many ways in which you can enjoy one of these.
The pink owl bead is for wisdom.
A pink heart bead for caring.
The butterfly for 10,000 happinesses and new beginnings.
And of course the heart charm that says it all...Made with Love.
Colette please know I am thinking of you and wishing you pink.
Smiles,

I couldn't help myself!
This is the rust motherload!
I was at a rental yard for about an hour and I finally couldn't contain myself any longer.
I had to pick up these pieces of rusty metal.
Nuts, bolts, washers, nails, screws, wire, plates and a huge hinge. All completely covered in rust. Very disgusting and dirty...unless...
You fancy yourself to be a mixed media artist.
You just know you can use these pieces in your artwork some day. :o)
I love ephemera.
Honey may I have the key to the car? Oops...now I must justify to Mr. Createology why I absolutely have to have this wonderful handful of junk. Not an easy task to say the least!
So I merely put them in the trunk carefully inside a box so as not to mess up anything.
Luckily I had a moist clean wipe for my incredibly rusty hands.
With a smile on my face I put on my blinders and did not look at the ground or pick up another piece of anything.
Now I await inspiration to strike.
Wait, I know where you are going right now...
P.S. Park outside as you don't want to get these in your tires.

I have discovered a new color in Swarovski crystals. Olivine. In gem quality olivine is known as peridot. The birthstone of August. I stitched this tennis bracelet with olivine Swarovski bicone crystals and I think it is stunning. Pictures do not do justice to this beautiful bracelet.

Thank you to each of you who took the time to make such wonderful and comforting comments on my post of yesterday. This is what I know about blogland...there are not only extremely creative souls...there are extremely caring souls and I feel so fortunate to be able to be part of such a warm community.

This blue fabric sewn envelope is one of the items I made and gave to my Sister (Marie) yesterday. Notice how the button reflects the pattern in the fabric. It is the little details that I so enjoy about creating something. Blue is not only my favorite color but also Marie's favorite. I had included a pair of artisan made wire wrapped dragonfly earrings. I missed keeping a photo of them but they looked perfect on Marie.

May you rest in heaven and never feel pain again. I love you Uncle Bud. I have just lost my only uncle and it is the end of the line. My grandmother, my grandpa, my mother and now my uncle who was my mothers only brother are all passed on. I feel a great sadness.
I know that memories will stay with me and I will have lots of pleasant remembrances and smiles. However for now time shall have to help me process my sadness.

Nothing creative right now. Today I shall spend a wonderful day with my sister and my girlfriends celebrating my sister's birthday. We shall talk, laugh, and eat way too much. We will share our day together making more memories to enjoy over and over.

April is National Letter and Card writing month and I am part of a great group of people who are swapping snail mail . I did seven of these cards and envelopes last evening. I have been at the local post office every day to confirm my mailings. My envelopes have been too small by as little as 1/8" and too bumpy which I admit the buttons were but flat ribbon? So some serious excess postage fees for me and my mailings but hey...I am committed and must send what I made for my swaps.
This photo also shows a page of postage stamps I purchased that are very artistic and oversized. They are the standard 44 cent and titled Abstract Expressionists. I think they are perfect for creative handmade and fun snail mail.
Now for the fun of what I have received...

In my quest to honor April and Letter Writing Month I am mailing a lot of cards to a lot of people. So to keep the post office and my wallet a little happy I am trying to make my cards flatter and lighter yet still have interest and dimension. This batch of four should qualify. I have used vintage french floral wrapping paper. The feel of this paper is exquisite. To give dimension I am using some of my packing tape transfers as accents on the cards. I hope the recipients enjoy receiving these.

In my 2010 desire to stay focused on my goals I am spending time in the studio creating some new fun pieces of jewelry. I have just listed these two sets on my etsy site.
I call the top photo set "Fishing for Compliments". Actually Mr. Createology came up with this name and I love it. I merely had a vision for combining some fun elements with some very traditional elements and seeing how it would come out. I really like the fun and funky look of this colorful set which I see someone wearing with anything from jeans to shorts to a cute summer sundress. The assortment of colors is what makes it so summer fun. I really like the ease of the magnetic clasp on the bracelet as it allows the user to fasten it easily on her own wrist without help from others.

A very Happy Birthday to my Wonderful husband. Today is his birthday.
We are do-overs and since we have only been together since our forties we got a rather late start. We couldn't be more opposite - in everything and everyway. Somehow it not only works it actually enhances the togetherness of us. We seem to balance one another.

So today is all about food which he loves dearly. Yesterday in the cold rainy weather it was so nice to turn on the oven and bake this chocolate cake from scratch. Thank you to Ina Garten for her fabulous recipe. This cake is so moist and delicious. But wait...

It is all about the chocolate butter cream frosting from scratch that makes this cake To-Die-For! It is also Ina's recipe. When it came time to turn on the Kitchen Aid mixer and make this DH just had to help. He cut up and melted the chocolate which I was certain we wouldn't have enough because of his sampling so much. He mixed all the ingredients and did some more sampling. Butter is definitely his favorite yellow food. He has been known to put a dollop of butter right on top of his Oreo's that he is eating. Yes he has! I, of course, am a neat freak and about fainted to see the mess he was making but had to remind myself this is his birthday and this is his cake and let him have fun and that I, the maid, could actually clean up this mess and all would be fine. DH thinks you aren't a good cook unless you make a huge mess all over the entire kitchen. LOL He then spread the frosting on his cake and TA DA!
Happy Birthday Honey. Job well done.
P.S. We did eat a piece each after dinner last evening while it was snowing and OMG this cake is the best I/we have ever made.
Birthdays should be a joyous occasion so in the spirit we will be eating our way through the day as food is what makes him happiest.

Yes it is April and this is how lovely it looks while it is snowing. Winter is definitely here. Oh we did have Spring a couple of weeks back but it didn't last. This is how every year fools us.

I would like to acknowledge Fiskars and thank them for great customer service. I began to make some cards and discovered my Seagull corner punch was broken. Somehow the metal parts had broken and fell out in pieces which meant I could not use the corner punch for making my cards. Before I threw it in the trash I took a couple of pictures and thought I would email Fiskars to let them know. I got an email response right away and they said they would send me a new one in a few days. Well today I did get my new punch and it works and I am very happy. Just when I was thinking customer service is a lost art Fiskars comes through with excellent customer service. Thank you very much Fiskars.

A few more cards to send out for April Letter Writing month. I didn't realize just how much time it takes to address and write in each card. Making each card is fun and time just gets by while being creative. However when it comes to writing the notes inside each card it takes a lot more time and thought than I realized. For the past several days I have been doing not much else as I get these ready for sending.

April is Letter Writing month. For those of us who still get excited over snail mail this is a perfect opportunity to send and get mail. I know how frustrating and expensive mailing something can be at the post office. I have been constantly disappointed by postage rules I have never heard of. However, none of this will stop me from sending mail. So in the handmade theme of my life I have made some cards to send.
Very simply I took 3 pages of coordinating 12" x 12" scrapbook papers, 9 pre-folded cards with envelopes, glue stick, pencil, ruler, tape and my favorite heart punches. I lined the envelope flaps with printed paper, punched hearts to embellish the front of the envelopes and kept them very flat and smooth so the postal company "machines" can do their jobs without my having to pay the additional 20 cents for "handling". I am being optimistic on this as I have not mailed these yet. I may still get stung.

A brand new week and another opportunity for me to use my FOCUS to accomplish my goals.



This sweet little purple yo-yo fabric heart with the beautiful pink butterfly is a pin I made and sent to Colette in efforts to cheer her as she battles breast and bone cancer. Previous posts have the link if you would like to send cards or hope to Colette.

P.S. How do you devour your chocolate bunny? Ears first?

As we close another week and the year moves on we are surprised by how quickly dates are happening. Good Friday and Easter are here this weekend. If you celebrate these I do hope you enjoy and spend time with family and friends. Do you color eggs and have the traditional egg hunt? I remember our family always did these things when I was growing up. My mother would boil and prepare one dozen eggs for each of us girls and an extra dozen just for breakfast. We would all gather around the huge dining room table and be extremely creative with coloring and decorating our eggs. As I remember back I can see a huge mess everywhere but we had so much fun. We used Crayons for resist on the egg shells before we "splashed" them into the dye. We each had our own styles and of course Mom's were always the prettiest. Our traditional egg hunts were always outside in the yard and we found all of them, including our baskets the Easter Bunny had left for us. It was a magical time and I still believe in these traditions. Clever Mom replaced the cheesy basket when I became a young teenager with the most beautiful green hatbox purse that the Easter Bunny filled to overflowing with grass and chocolates and goodies. I do not have that purse but I shall forever be so happy that I got it instead of the baskets like my younger sisters got.
I did carry on the traditions while my daughter and then my granddaughters were young. Then my daughter picked up the traditions and still to this day fixes our traditional breakfast for the whole family that lives close enough to get together. Have you ever had "Eggs-a-la-Goldenrod"? Yummy and I miss them. My DH does not like them and won't eat any hard boiled or deviled eggs so I never fix them after the one time and he wouldn't eat.
We have no little ones around us and we no longer color eggs or prepare a big yummy Easter breakfast but I still love it when the Easter Bunny leaves a big beautiful basket for DH. Somehow I do not get one any longer.

As for being creative, this photo of my newest necklace is Hearts a Fire. I wanted to combine beautiful lace with gemstone beads, mother of pearl beads and Swarovski Crystals. I am pleased with the way it turned out. I have some other pieces I am designing for Adorn Me! and they will be debuting in the near future.
I do need to FOCUS as I am getting into a lot of other creative venues that I love too. However all of them are for fun and to give to others. I must remember my goal this year of building my jewelry business and my etsy shop and actually make some sales. FOCUS Saucy Chick Sherry.

May you each have a peaceful and relaxing weekend no matter what you are doing.