Why I love Summer

This is why I Love summer, the Farmer's Markets. You can purchase the freshest fruits and vegetables there. Also the farmers are local so less gas and better for the enviornment.

Our local market also has music every week and we have heard some amazing musicians this summmer.

There are also local artisans with handmade soap, jewelry and clothing.

So please shop your local farmer's market and support local farmers.

Peace

Look What We Made!

Our garden was overflowing with cucumbers so we decided it was time to make some dill pickles. We picked them fresh yesterday sliced some and made some dill pickle spears. We put dried red peppers and a clove of garlic in the jar to make them nice and spicy.

We also made blackberry and strawberry jam from berries from a local farmer here.

We will keep some for ourselves and sell some at the local Farmer's Market.

I had some of the blackberry jam this morning and it was wonderful.

Here are some pictures of us canning the pickles and making the jam.

Enjoy.
..~~~Peace and Bead Creative~~~..

Top 10 Reasons to Shop at your Local Farmer's Market

10 reasons
to shop at the
Farmers Market
•Fresh•
•Mouthwatering taste & flavor•
•Seasonal•
•Support small family farms•
•Protect the environment•
•Highest nutrient content produce•
•Variety•
•Locally grown•
•Confidence in knowing well your food in farm•
•Really amazing local Artisans •
•Community•

So go shop your local farmer's market, just do a google search and you will find a market near you.

...~~~Peace and Bead Creative~~~...

Pictures from the Ladies Fair

Yesterday July 11, 2009 we vended at the Ladies Fair at the Crossroads Church in Oakley or Cincinnati, Ohio. We had a good time and met some amazing artists, I will blog later on a fiber artist I met there.
Here are some pics of our table with our jewelry and beads. Enjoy.

..~~~Peace and Have a Great day~~~..

saturday is womans day

Hi from Cincinnati we are here to attend an all woman's entrepreneur show, celebrating women who are self employed, handcraft, variations of almost anything you could imagine. It has just started so we will update later as to the success. Have a great day.
..~~~ Peace~~~..

Green is good

Well hello, exciting day here. Garden is doing really fantastic, picked our first pepper today. More on their way, but the first is the best. The tomatoes are also coming along well, alot of small ones. Cucumbers are ready to take over the whole area, so we are going to build a trellis to let them grow up also. We intend to put up some pickles this summer, and also can tomatoes if there are any left that I don't eat!

Peace

I Love My Customers

I love making beads and I'm so happy when a customer is pleased with their beads. As was the case with rainbowgems from Etsy.
She is an artist from Australia and creates one of a kind designs using lampwork beads,swarovski crystal,stone, and silver. Her creations are beautiful.
Here is a bracelet she calls Spring Fling.
http://www.etsy.com
/view_listing.php?listing_id=25799404

Here is another called Summer Dayz
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25798760

Go look at her shop and her amazing jewelry creations.

..~~~Peace~~~..

Mushrooms

Well the rain and dog poo brought mushrooms to the yard. They are a beautiful fungus that comes from nature.


My seeds haven't sprouted yet in my garden. I anticipate every waking moment to see new life emerge from the ground. If only I could keep the paw prints from my puppies from pushing those seeds further down, lol.

Enjoy and have a beautiful day

..~~~Peace~~~..

How Does My Garden Grow

We finally planted our garden yesterday! First we had to clean out an area that had a lot of weeds so that was hard. We then planted tomatoes,cucumbers, peppers,radishes and cilantro. I'm so excited I cant wait for the first tomatoes. I didn't have a watering can so we recycled a kitty liter container. My husband drilled holes in the lid and it works perfect for watering the plants.
Happy gardening.
Enjoy

Poor Bjorn

Yesterday my dog Bjorn caught his nail on something outside and ripped it off. It was bleeding and it looked like it hurt. I cleaned it with salt water for him and put a sock on it. Well he didn't leave the sock on very long. Then a little while later I put another sock on his paw and taped it with duct tape. He had that sock off in no time. So I gave up and he cleaned and cleaned it. This morning he got up limping a little bit but it looks ok. I'm sure he will be sore for awhile. This is Bjorn, he is a Husky Lab mix and is 3 years old.
...~~~Peace~~~...

Making Homemade Laundry Detergent

Im almost out of my homemade laundry detergent so today I decided to make a new batch. If you haven't tried this you should. It is good for the environment and also your pocketbook. I make a batch for about .80 cents and that lasts me about 2 months. It is just my husband and I but I was going through a bottle every 2 weeks.

You ask how do I make it.

1/3 bar of Fels Naptha or other type of soap I use a full bar of Ivory
1/2 cup of washing soda
1/2 cup of Borax

I use a plastic container with a lid so I can store it and I saved an old empty bottle to pour it in

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups of water and heat until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from the heat. Pour 4 cups of hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for 24 hours and it will jell.
You use 1/2 cup per load.

I add lavender essential oil to mine. You can add any scent you like.
Once you use this you will never go back to store bought.

..~~~Peace~~~..

Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mothers day to all you mothers out there. Im a mother of 2 dogs and 4 cats and one stepson.
Here are some new beads from me.

Enjoy.

~~~Peace~~~

Life is Good

Well I'm so excited my online business is picking up. I think more people are buying handmade and I'm so happy. I love handmade and have always made stuff since I was a little girl. Here is a new set of beads from me. This was a custom order for a customer and they were fun to make. My customer makes beautiful jewelry that she sells on Artfire and Etsy.

I Love Artfire

Well I really like this site www.artfire.com, it has the nicest people and the coolest items for sale.

There are some really creative people there.
Here is something new I made and listed on Artfire fun cupcake beads. I think these would make a really cute bracelet and earrings.

Also www.djstore.artfire.com is the Crazy Train today so go check out her stuff.

~~~Peace and Bead Creative~~~

At The Torch

Here I am hard at work at my torch.

Yes I really do make those beads.

How you say!

Well I have an oxygen propane torch and kiln and some glass.

The glass comes in rods already the color you need, you can mix your own colors but I never seem to get the same color each time.

The beads are shaped by gravity or beads presses whatever you like. Sometimes a shape you didnt try to make.

After your bead is how you like it you put it into a hot kiln temperature depends on the glass you are using. The beads anneal or slowly cool in the kiln for quite a few hours.

Then after the kiln is cooled down you take the beads out and soak them in water to loosen the bead release. Then you take them off the mandrel and clean with an electric dremel .

Then you admire your beads and hope the kiln gods were good to you.

Oh and also you hope they sell.

..~~~Peace and Have a Great Day~~~..

Spotlight Pirate Pixie

So today I introduce you to another artist from artfire. Her name is pirate pixie and she makes beautiful crocheted hats and hand warmers among many things.
Here is one of my favorites
http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=ViewListing&product_id=16589o
Please take some time today and look at her beautiful work and mine too while you are at it.
Have a great day
..~~Peace~~..

New Rapid Cart

I added the feature of Rapid Cart to my blog today. Now you can purchase right from here without signing up on any site but I do recommend Artfire. I love that site for really amazing handmade artwork. There are some really nice people there with lots of good info.

Now off to create today.
..~~~Peace~~~..

Do you Know What I love?

I love an all chocolate ice cream banana split with french fries and lots of ketchup.
I love buttery popcorn with cherry cordial hershey kisses
And I love that
SPRING IS ON ITS WAY.

Still trying to get Motivated

Wow this is really hard trying to get motivated. I know its the economy that has me down and alot of other people also. I know my life could be worse but this is pretty bad. I never thought I would worry everyday about my husband's job and if he will still have it by the end of the week. We are a one income family right now due to this economy.

We are very thrifty I even make my own laundry detergent. We never go out to eat or do anything fun.My fun is going to the library and grocery store. Its not fun when you see something you would like to buy but cant afford, never thought I would be this way.

I do love my public library but they are also hurting due to lack of government funding.

Life sure went down hill in a year and I now see how easy it could be to end up in a tent city. I feel those families that are living in them.

I never go shopping couldnt tell you the last time I bought a new piece of clothing. I dont get my hair done at a salon my husband colors it with what hair color I find on sale.

Well enough doom and gloom

Here are a few new items listed today on

http://www.janelsonarts.artfire.com/

Ok Im going to Get Serious about this Blogging!

I know I have been lax about this blogging along with everything else in my life.

I did join artfire http://www.janelsonarts.artfire.com/ I have some things listed including the bracelet in the picture above and here is the link to it.

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=ViewListing&product_id=149211

Its really hard to get motivated in this economy, especially when you an artist and are not selling anything. Starving artist is the truth.

So Im really trying to post regularly and get in the studio more than once a month.

So enjoy your day and please take a look at my items I have listed.

...~~~Peace~~~...