New Autumn Brooch

I know, I know...I can hear you now...it is still only the last week of July! I don't blame you at all for being just a little bit upset with my introduction of this pretty brooch now as opposed to, say, in a month. But, you see, I found these beautiful orange and swirled (red and yellow) glass beads, and the beads led themselves to a fall-inspired brooch. I just had to do it--couldn't wait another month! The colors of rich golds, reds, and oranges are gorgeous especially accented with the brass, don't you agree? It is on sale now at my website (see link at the uppermost right!).

And the Winner Is......

....commenter #12! Who? Well, I was lazy. I just wrote down the number of each commenter in the order that they commented (#1 the first commenter, etc.) and drew the numbers from a metal bowl (how unglamorous!)...and the winner is Jess! Congratulations, Jess. I have sent you an e-mail for your address and will get the brooch off to you soon. Thank you very much again--all of you--for your sweet, kind comments and for voting and for signing up. The votes help me know what to focus on when I create, and each comment and why some of you voted a particular way are valuable to me. And, oh, by the way...check out Jess's blog http://aqtforever.blogspot.com. It is full of fun, creative bits that I'm sure will be enjoyed by all.

Newly Created Banner

Now how do you like this new banner? My budget is small, so I have to really work at finding ways to make things look nice on a shoestring. Sure, I can't put sparkles or glass beads on it somewhere--at least not yet, but I am otherwise quite pleased. This banner was created at www.bannersketch.com. It is a very impressive banner maker site...and best of all...it's free! I would recommend it to anyone who wishes to make a banner (especially one that is a unique size) for free. Kudos to Bannersketch!

The Perfect Day

Days like today are far and few between: the sun kissed our faces with warmth; puffy clouds sailed by on a sea of brilliant blue; the humidity was low; a gentle breeze ruffled our hair; it was around 80 degrees; the birds were singing happily; the flowers bloomed in luscious colors; the pollen count was low; the scent of spicy roses filled the air--Perfect! These days don't happen very often. The laundry dried thoroughly on the clothesline and had a fresh, clean scent at the end of the day. We took a long walk and didn't get sweaty and sticky (and even found part of a robin's egg). I feel greatly blessed to have been able to enjoy this day and praise God for His Creation. Psalm 19:1-3 "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard."

Tea and Crumpets!

You always hear about having "tea and crumpets"....well, what exactly IS a crumpet anyway? I was at our local grocery store and saw a package of crumpets and thought, "Well, why not try some?!" They remind me of across between a pancake and an English muffin with a taste unique and all it's own. I toasted mine and prefer it with butter (Mmmmmm, the butter melts down into the little bubble holes in the crumpet, so you need lots of it!) and actually with strawberry jam all smothered on it. Perhaps I should try to find a recipe for crumpets and make some myself. I'll have to buy another whole package of butter to fill all of those little bubble holes if I do! The yummy treat here is on one of my favorite teacup, saucer, and plate sets--Royal Albert's Old Country Roses. I found this set in an antique shop (lovely shop) in New Zealand. A person had purchased the teapot before I went to the store that day (very sad for me!), but I'm thankful to have been able to get these.

"Red Hat" Brooch

I'll be adding a brooch for the "red hat" lady to my eCrater store (see link to the right) today. Complete with red and plum glass bead flowers and two crystal butterflies (many "red hat" ladies like those sparkles--I'm with them!) in a brass setting, I thought this would be great for the "red hat" lady who prefers elegant jewelry to show off her colors.

Giveaway Comments

Thank you all who have commented so far. I wish you all were the winners! You have been very kind in your comments. The votes are greatly appreciated since the results help me know what people want and what to create more/less off. Please tell those you know about the giveaway so that they may enter as well. As of today, there is still plenty of time to enter.

Summer 2008 Brooch Giveaway!

How exciting to be offering my first giveaway! I so enjoy creating beaded jewelry and lamp- shades and wish to express this "bliss" by offering a give- away--the brooch pictured in this post. The light green leaf beads, rich pink flower beads, and golden colored seed beads are all glass and are stitched onto a light tan background. The gold tone setting is glued together with a simple clasp closure. The brooch measures approximately 1-3/8" tall by 1" wide and will be gift boxed.
Here are the rules:
1. The closure date for the giveaway is July 24, 2008 at midnight CST. Sorry, no other entries will be accepted after this time.
2. You must first please vote in the poll along the right side bar.
3. Then, leave me a comment only under this post saying that you have indeed voted AND your e-mail address. If you do not wish to leave your e-mail address under the comment section, please make sure I know who you are (like, which Karen you happen to be) and e-mail me at treasuresandtea@gmail.com. The only purpose, of course, for the e-mail addresses is to notify the winner. Rest assured, I will not use, sell, or give away your e-mail address for any other reason.

Lampshade Redone for the Better!

You know, if I'm not really happy with something, I tend to work and rework it until I'm happy. This was the case with one of my lampshades. I stitched the leaves and pink milk glass flowers on it...and concluded it was just missing something. So, after a chat with a dear friend and a visit to one of the best bead shops in the US (The Beadin' Path in Freeport, Maine) I found what would do the trick---shimmery beads stitched into "vines"! So here is the end result, and I'm much happier! I wish I could capture how nice it really looks, but, of course, pictures don't to products justice sometimes. Hope you like how it looks. I'm finally pleased!

Try a Compliment Instead of a Complaint!

We have all been there. We try to get some decent customer service somewhere and someone does a terrible job--they are rude and inconsiderate, don't fulfill our order right, ignore us, treat us like an idiot....the list goes on and on. Many times we just fume and put up with it, and other times a complaint is definitely necessary. "That rude person deserved a complaint!", we say, and feel totally justified once it's done.
What about those times when someone goes a little bit of the extra mile for us in a positive way? Do we compliment them? "Well, that's their job," is how we justify not putting ourselves out to offer a "thank you for the job well done." For anyone who has ever received a compliment about them to a supervisor or someone over them, it is the best feeling ever. But how often does that happen? We are so quick to dish out a complaint because someone did us wrong, and shame on us for not being equally as quick to write a little note or e-mail to the owner, say something to the manager, or call the corporate office about someone who was kind, efficient, and helpful. Proverbs 3:27 says, "Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it." This is a command!
Oh, and when you make the effort to encourage a worker that he or she has done an excellent job...it makes us feel great too! Let's take make an effort and look for opportunities to compliment people and make our difficult world just a little bit nicer to live in!

Great Sea Glass Blog and Site

Check out Mary Beth's blog with beautiful pictures and great information on sea glass and other glass beach finds at http://seaglassblog.blogspot.com and her website at www.WestCoastSeaGlass.net. Her pictures are exquisite. Talk about gorgeous stuff! Enjoy!

Nanalulu's Linens and Handkerchiefs

I've met a new friend who has a website featuring beautiful linens, handkerchiefs, and many other lovely, feminine gifts. Check out her website at www.nanaluluslinensandhandkerchiefs.com. You won't be disappointed!

Independence Day Thankfulness

Psalm 33:12 says, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD..." The United States as a whole doesn't exactly regard God as it's Lord--at least not like it used to--but there are many individuals in this nation who DO. We are blessed by the Lord more than we realize. How easy it is to take our blessings and freedoms for granted! Pause amidst all the festivities to give thanks to God for the freedoms we enjoy, for those in the past who fought for our liberties, and for all God has done for us...including His most precious blessing--His gift of salvation.
As we celebrate Independence Day, I offer special thanks to those who are in the military, fighting and serving, and to their families who have to sacrifice greatly while their loved ones are away. You have my sincerest gratitude and respect. Regardless of who in our government is right and against whom and where we should fight, reality is that there are people who willingly DO go with the possibility of giving their lives and there are those who stay home and hope and pray for their safe return. These soldiers and their families are true heroes! I cannot thank you enough, and Independence Day seemed like an appropriate time to express these heartfelt sentiments.