Now Featured Gem Trees

These for sale in my Etsy Shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Madebymom22

Just made in time for Christmas. Green Adventurine Colored nuggets wrapped with Red Wire in square glass vase with grey and white layered stones.


Amethyst Mini Tree with Amethyst Gem Chips wrapped in copper wire in small round vase with river rock.

My Etsy Shop Opened

I just opened my shop a couple of days ago.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Madebymom22

I only have 2 things listed so far but will be adding shortly.

Christmas is Coming.....

....Time to get busy. I have been actually. I made some earrings for a friend and myself and now my girls want some of the same. See this post
My youngest also wanted something for her earrings. We seen a lucite earring holder for 10.00 in a magazine, add shipping and it will mostly likely run me 15.00 - 20.00 dollars.

Well frugal is my middle name lately, so I made my own. I have seen these sold online for big bucks, and thought I could make one so I did. I had some 16 gauge copper electrical wire I bought a while ago. I stripped the plastic overcoat off and was left with the copper wire. 5 strands twisted and curled and...... VIOLA!


Mind you it may NOT be the prettiest of things but it is functional. I looped the "branches" so she can hang her earring and they won't slip off.

Not bad for 30 minutes of work, start to finish! And the copper wire? Pennies. I believe it was less the 50 cents a yard ( I could be wrong) I know a whole role is about 30.00 and that would last me forever.

CHECK THIS OUT!

I am going to make me one of these with all these mags we got coming in now for Christmas....OY! Paper Overload

Living with lindasy has an EXCELLENT Tut for this.

Book Page Wreath!

Notice of NON-Guilt!

I refuse. As of this day I refuse to feel guilty if I cannot recycle or re-use plastic! I got around my guilt of throwing out boxes,papers,magazines because they bio-degrade.

Did you know that my trash company in my county will NOT recycle newspapers or paper products? Only bottles,cans, and plastic and last night I saw a notice in my market that the state? county? is now placing a 5 cent deposit on water bottles! Oh I wanna see how many ppl actually bring water gallons and bottles back to the store!

Anyway, I digress.

I refuse to feel guilt over the fact that I cannot recycle this crap. I am being overrun and I cannot function to work with the crap I already have piling up around me!!!!!!

It is blocking my Chi!

My creative flow is stagnating and I can't function, I can't create!

Why don't we punish the manufactures who have taken our choices? Coffee don't come in glass or even cans anymore it's all plastic! ( if they have cans I don't drink that brand, I am a folgers girl!)

When I was a kid I used to think about what would happen when the dump was full, where would they go next? As an adult I see and smell them in neighborhoods, and pray they don't put one in mine. ( Who the hell wants to smell that????!)

It was a problem that seemed bigger then me and so i didn't think about it. Today with the green movement it has become everyones problem, at least those who choose to do something.
I like to look at this as raw material to work with, one less thing I need to buy to be creative.
Aluminum cans are like blank canvases.
Plastic bags and video tapes are yarn.
etc etc

BUT

NOW

I

HAVE

TOO

DAMN

MUCH

STUFF!

I saved empty coffee containers as storage for my beads and stuff, but now I have too many!!!

Piles of magazines, bags or Plarn, containers and bags of fabric, shelves of crafting supplies, containers of tiles ( they re-did the bathroom upstairs over the summer...A dumpster divers dream!) etc etc....It never ends. Oh and the Aluminum cans and plastic bottles...OY!

I am at the point of whats really important....I am on a soul Journey and quite frankly the condition of my soul is more contingent on how I treat ppl and not whether or not i recycled this weeks coffee can, Ya think?

So If I let one go to the garbage man dont get mad at me!

It's That Time of Year Again

My girlz can count on me to make jewelry and HBA boxes for Christmas, If nothing else.
I started the HBA boxes when my oldest was a teen and taking ALL my hair products for herself. One year i decided to make a big box with nothing but scrunchies, hair ties, clips, hair mousse, styling gel, deodorant, perfume, etc.....She grew to appreciate that box as she got older....Like a mystery goodie box. As she became an adult and was supporting herself these boxes were a Godsend. Then they stopped. She was married with kids and I figured she didnt need them anymore. A few yrs without them and she begged me to make them for her again. Well her taste in hair products have changed with DEFINITE preferences which means not so many dollar store things.
And now her sister is nearly 15 and at the age of her own boxes....woowoo. Did I mention these boxes have gotten awfully expensive to make? Well between them and the jewelry orders it will be all they get, well maybe a cell phone for the young'un who does NOT have one yet. I absolutely refused. Now I relent!

I spent a small fortune yesterday at Michaels getting swarovski crystals for earrings and a bracelet they want. However when I think about how much it would have cost me to buy them already made I think I saved myself a bundle.

Anyway here is what I have been doing as of late.

First I made a magazine tree with some of them holiday mags we are now being flooded with!

These are called Sweetheart Citrines, and i made them for my young'uns friend who turns 13 today.



I also made her these, which I call Sarah's Crystal Drop Earrings.


Then I made these for MOI! I have been wanting a nice long pair of dangles in my b'stone and I finally got around to making them. ( OK so it is not my exact b'stone but I lurvez these blues :-) ) It is this pair that my daughters want, although my oldest likes the crystal drops too in different colors tho. So I am making them a similar design for Christmas, ( I will Never make an EXACT duplicate, I like my work to be OOAK)

Who's Better then Me?

I wanted one of these CROPADILES for a while.....Finally I got a 50% off coupon at A.C. Moores. I went in and noticed the price was up to 50.00$ Bucks ....YIKES!

I knew Michaels had it at 40.00$ a couple of weeks back, but would they honor a coupon from AC Moore? YES THEY DID!

I got a 50.00$ item for 20.00$ Bucks.....Who's Better then Me?