Castles of Courage

Many of you know that I, among other great artists, donate beads periodically to a program called Beads of Courage. It is an amazing program and I never tire of reading stories by anyone involved with it. I am always looking for new ways to make beads that I think the kids would like and while shopping the other day I came across some great little punches in designs I had not seen before. Particularly a castle. Immediately I thought of the castle nestled into a pink and purple bead, so here are my first two attempts that will go out in a box next week! :)

PS: You can also find Beads of Courage on Facebook where you will read some wonderful stories!

It's almost here....

The new season of Grey's Anatomy! I have watched this show from the very beginning, I'm addicted. I really don't watch TV much but I make a point to watch Grey's and Private Practice. Not only do I feel the writing and acting is good, the music they use is awesome! Now with my fancy iPhone app, Shazam I can download the music I like right then! I love it!! So on Thursday night at 8pm, I will be sittin on my couch tuned in to ABC with everything else tuned out. :)

Inspiration

As far as glass is concerned, I find inspiration nearly everywhere. Trees, foods, the color of a car that goes by, the outfit someone is wearing, and animals. Having three doggies of my own, they are an endless source of inspiration (and comfort) to me so today I listed my first attempt at a dachshund bead and named it after my own doxie, Mighty. Mighty came to us as a rescue about a year and a half ago and he has been through quite a lot. Just before Thanksgiving last year, his "brother" Chance (also a rescue) blew a disk in his back. We took him to a chiropractor that also works on animals and she said our only option was surgery which may or may not work. Being a holiday weekend, the minimum was going to be $3500 for something that may not work and a 10 year old dog. We were heart broken but just couldn't afford it. Long story short, we lost him. Sometimes in doggies the paralysis will move forward and that is what happened with Chance. I still miss him every day. So what does this have to do with Mighty? Well about a month later, Mighty blew a disk in his back too. We went through the same process, vet, chiropractor etc. This time the outcome was a little brighter in that they told us for him there was hope that he might walk again. We gave him meds and since he was unable to urinate on his own, we would put a catheter in 3-4 times a day for several weeks. We took him outside with the other two with a towel holding up his hind legs so he could keep up the strength in his front and carried him up and down the stairs every day. Finally, after about 3 weeks we decided he probably wasn't going to walk again so we found a pattern on line for a wheelchair for him. He was having NO part of that! He used it for about two days before he started really trying to pull himself around on his own. It took some time but today, you can't tell there was ever anything wrong with his legs. He runs and plays right along with the other two. It's amazing how much inspiration you can find around you if you just keep your eyes open. :)

Ready for Fall

I love this time of year! The air is getting cooler, the days are getting shorter...soon the leaves will begin to change. It's my favorite time of year! I love everything about fall, the crisp air, the warm colors, the appearance of apple cider on the shelves, and pumpkins. I LOVE PUMPKINS! I have been trying to find a way to incorporate them into my home year round, I love them that much. I have some of every shape, size, and color; mostly made of glass. Speaking of ones made of glass, here is my most recent addition to my Etsy shop, you guessed it; a sweet little pumpkin!