Relatives Behaving Badly

Why is it that a death in the family brings out the worst in people?  All the pent up hate sure seems to come out in people during the worst of times.  Death is a time that should bring families closer together, to remember some of the good times that were shared.  The last thing that should happen is the ugliness that many have experienced after the death of a loved one.  The back biting, the accusations, the grabbing of material things, and the arguing over money or possessions.  I'm sure that the person that passed away is looking at these situations with such pride.  NOT!  Normal, rational human beings turn into 3 year old children yelling, "That's mine!  I was playing with that first!" and then snatching and grabbing anything and everything so the other siblings can't have it.  Even breaking things so that no one can have it if they can't.  Why do we resort to such crazy people when someone dies?  I guess the lesson learned is make sure every little thing is written down and signed BEFORE you pass away and grow up and act like an adult if you are in the position of dealing with things left after a death.  After all, it's just stuff.  Most of it no one would want anyway.  Destroying it or making it so that no one can use it or donate is is just stupid. 

New jewelry!  I finally got some more jewelry done.  I have been having fun with some tissue paper and good old decoupage Modpodge.   I took some heart shaped pieces from B'sue Boutiques and inspiration from one of her videos.  I put tissue paper over the hearts and then added bits and pieces on the top.  Resin coats the top of the hearts.  It was a lot of fun trying this new technique.  I also found some Washi paper and added that to the top of glass tiles and then resin over the top of it.  Those made some really pretty pendants.

It has been quite a while since my last blog.  We have been busy here.  Cliff's step-mother was diagnosed with liver cancer and in about a week she was gone.  It moved incredibly fast or she just didn't want to fight it.  My mother took about 7-8 months to pass away from the same thing.  I am so glad that his step-mom didn't linger, it is just hard on everyone in the family.  It is so sad to watch someone slip away month after month.  

Some new pieces to post and a contest that I have entered.  B'sue Boutiques is where I buy many of my pieces/parts.  She would like us to talk about some of our favorite pieces tha t we have purchased and used from her.  Here is the url for one of my favorite pieces: http://www.bsueboutiques.com/item/Raw-Brass--Extra-Large-Square-Lacy-Filigree-62mm-9082.  I have used this piece lots of times.  It is fun to add a larger piece to the center of and I have also done some wire beading around the edges of it.  It can be colorized, painted, stained and used so many ways.  I have a few new pieces on my Etsy site and here are a couple of them.  I am trying my hand at tie tacks/lapel pins made from bottle caps and using a clutch pin on the back.  I have several styles at the Etsy site and plan to see if they sell at all.  Trying to manufacture another type of tie tack and if it works I'll post them later.  I also made a couple of brooches and listed them on the web site as well.  They are pictured here.  They are frames that I've added either a necklace piece to or some scrapbook paper.  They both have a pin back on them and really look nice.  We'll see how they go as well. 

 

 Christmas has crept up on us and suddenly it is here.  My jewelry sales have picked up some so I've been busier this year selling and shipping jewelry.  This last year has been a real experience for me.  Selling to the public on an Etsy site, having jewelry in a shop in town, and selling it at the high school is a totally new experience for me.  I have enjoyed every minute of it.  There is such a feeling of satisfaction that comes from selling something that one has made themselves.  It is an affirmation and boost to the ego when someone chooses to purchase something and give it as a gift or keep it for themselves.  It is a really good feeling.  Makes those slow times less upsetting for me.  I love making jewelry and hope that my success continues to grow.  I'd love to complain next year how it is so hard to keep up with the sales and how I've been so busy shipping and making jewelry that it is hard to do much of anything else.

 I also took up knitting recently and have had a great time learning all the stitches and knitting different things.  I started with fingerless mittens and dishcloths that I have given as Christmas gifts.  I'm going to keep practicing and see what else I can knit.  I never thought that I would enjoy knitting.  Jeremy said that I've finally really gotten into grandmother mode.  He can just see me sitting in a rocking chair, knitting, and listening to Ozzy Osbourne while I knit.  Funny kid.  But he is correct.  Just not about the rocking chair....

 I have included photos of my latest pieces that I listed on my Etsy site.  Go there for the descriptions of the pieces and prices.  I hate trying to write descriptions and don't do a very good job of it.  If I could just make the jewelry and have them magically appear on my Etsy site with all the "paper work" done for me that would be great.  It seems like it just takes forever to list things.



I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year.  I sure wish we had a longer break so that I could get more stuff done, but at least we aren't under 12 feet of snow.  Just hope we get the snow later.

We had a really good time on Thanksgiving Day.  We drove to Boise and had dinner at a restaurant so NO COOKING!!  We got to visit with my dad, my sister and my nephew.  We also got to visit with Cliff's sister, her husband and his nephew.  It was so nice to reconnect with everyone.  I'm so thankful that our respective families are so much fun to be with and we love them all.  Afterwards some of us went to see "Hugo Cabret" at the 3-D movie theatre.  It was visually stunning!  What a fantastic movie.  This is one movie that was meant for 3-D.  We stayed the nite with Cliff's family and then shopped all day on Black Friday.  We weren't crazy enough to get up at the butt crack of dawn though.  Hope everyone had a fantastic Turkey day and hope your holidays are everything you wish for.

                                                                                                                                                    
                                                        Mr. Canyon Ridge 
 





For the last couple of years Cliff and I have been involved in the fundraiser for the DECA Club.  They have a Mr. Canyon Ridge "Beauty, Brains, and Brawn" contest.  It involves about 5-7 of the senior boys that have been selected to compete.  Cliff has been asked to be the Master of Ceremonies for the last two years and I have been asked to judge the competition.  Cliff gets to wear a tux for his part and he looks great in a tux.  I think that this year he looks even better than last year. 
We always enjoy watching the boys strut their stuff and show their talents (I use that term loosely with some of the boys)  but it is always enjoyable.  One of Cliff's debaters won again this year so he was really pleased with that. I just love seeing Cliff in a tux, he looks so very handsome!