Boutique and Fundraiser...!!!

I am participating in my very first event this coming weekend. Am I ready?... ha ha ha I'll probably pull an all-nighter Friday night... just kidding ! Ok so just wanted to share. If anyone is in the area please come on by and introduce yourself... This is going to be fun !!!

http://thedesignerscollective.webs.com/apps/calendar/showEvent?calID=3826933&eventID=51433986

Another great celebration... Tocadora Leather Cuff...

Hello again... I am posting about The 100th Etsy Sale for Tocadoro Leather --- YAY Jennifer is having a celebration by giving away this leather cuff !!! See details below... go check out her fab cuffs here....





http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6316984

If you are on facebook add Tocadoro Leather here...

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/TocadoraLeather?v=wall&ref=nf

I'm celebrating my 100th+sale on etsy!!! Not bad for four and a half months of selling!! *throws confetti!!!* SO. Because I'm feeling the love, I'm going to give away THIS cuff. My dear friend Carol Dean Sharpe has the BEST giveaway... method and has graciously allowed me to use it, so:For your chance(s) to win this cuff, you can do one or all of the following:

1. Leave a comment here telling me which of the creations currently listed in any of my shop you would most like to give or get for Christmas and why.

2. Blog about this give away and leave a comment with a link to your blog post.

3. Twitter about this give away and leave a comment letting me know you did. Be sure to reference @Tocadora in your tweet.

4. Share this post on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know you did so.

Please be sure that I have a way to reach you, so leave your email or your etsy store name or something in the comment as well. If you do all four of these things, you will leave four separate comments and have four separate chances to win. You could, of course, choose to just do one of the four, or two, or three...and that's okay as well. Just enter! It could be an early Christmas present for you or a friend, mother, or daughter.Entries are due by 8am Monday morning. I will draw after that and announce the winner here and on Twitter!Read More

Easy Wire 2009 - With a Give Away !!!

Dear Devoted Readers LOL... go check out this great blog that Carol told me about. This is Sweet Bead Studio by Cindy Wimmer. She has some really nice pics on there.... I am going back later to look more.... She is having a contest... She has an Etsy store too... Love the Willy Nilly # 4 bracelet....

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5230698

http://www.sweetbeadstudio.com/?p=1992

What lunch with the girls can lead to…

I have been playing with wire for a few months now… taken some classes at http://www.farrinoconnordesign.com/ , bought a few tools.. bought some more… Anyway I have a friend Marisa that came from out of state, she is the cousin of my best friend Claudia (and we have known each other a million years). So we all got together last Saturday for lunch and to catch up… Also included in this crew is S-I-L of same best friend Vera… Marisa makes jewelry she is mostly a stringer… I did not realize that Vera was into making jewelry… anyway after lunch we all meandered over to Farrin O’Conner Design Studio…(you know the car just drives there, even when its not my car…) Once there we all drooled over the yummy beads and gemstones… and I introduced my friends to the fabulous staff there…. Hi Sue !!! They have displayed throughout the store various pieces from past classes etc… Marisa saw a “scarf pin” made out of copper and said she wants to learn how to make stuff like that…

Marisa and I had planned to get together and play with our toys (beads, wire) anyway… but now it was all of us… so we stopped by my house on the way back to Marisa’s moms and picked up hammers, block and more wire… then we had a hammer-fest !!! Here are the pieces made by the girls on Sat. Marisa had to get to a football game, Claudia had to get home and Vera the same…

I went over to Claudia’s after taking care of Happy and Cabby... We had fun playing and Claudia made this necklace and earrings for an event the next day… Isn’t this great ? It has a native vibe going on with the turquoise and lava beads...

We all got together Sunday night for delicious lasagna that Marisa made and don’t forget the Cosmopolitans to go with… We were joined by Vera’s sister Miriam and it was good to see her and catch up… the girls finished their pieces and made more… I was mostly helping and teaching (what little I know) and didn’t make anything except some funny earrings that look like the wheels of an airplane!! (sorry no pic - embarrased) There was a lot of talk about an upcoming party!!! Happy Birthday Diane!!! and some giggles about some of the shapes the wire was taking on.

But went home and on Monday, made this bracelet, showed it to someone, who bought it and got an order for another while I was wearing it… Meanwhile back at the bench… playing with wire I came up with this heart… at first I was mad because I didn’t get the two sides even (ya think?) but decided it looks good crooked… still trying to figure the necklace part… Wow I am finding that I really love working with the copper wire and now want to get yet some more tools…

I want to thank Marisa for coming to town so we could all hang out… Vera for bringing copper wire… Vera is so creative let me tell you… We did agree that we should do this once a month and I think that is a great idea! Don’t you…

Back to School !!!

Well, its been a long summer for us. Missy went back to school today and she is now in 9th grade... wow where did the time go?? she was just 8 yesterday... On about 4 hours of sleep for me, I got up and she actually got up on her own!! and ready for school. She laid out her outfit last night, showered, straightened her hair after waiting for it to dry naturally. Becuase we don't want to fry anymore of the "skunk tail" than is already done...



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Happy is not too happy today, she watched all of us getting ready to leave this morning and was very mischevious too. Michael had a meeting at his school but starts on Thursday. Poor puppy... I'm sure she will find something to chew up to get back at us... but the bedroom and bathroom doors are all closed and garage door too... hopefully she doesn't eat the couch... My beads are tucked away or out of reach on the table... so the bead stealing dog can't get to them...
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Labor Day weekend was nice. I took last Thursday and Friday off to add to yesterday... but didn't plan ahead to go somewhere so was just at home... Although Missy and I did drive down to Laguna Beach about 3pm on Saturday... We really like Laguna.... we got there at 5pm... it is a long way down the coast... we did not swim, we walked the beach,walked through the Wyland Gallery, (which I never tire of...) then poked around the shops. We had dinner at a mexican restraunt that we like and were serenaded by a mariachi band... Missy was surprised at my knowledge of the songs being sung... Walked the sand one last time and watched the sun go down... drove home along Pacific Coast Hwy... I told her we could take PCH all the way to grandmas in Alameda... if we wanted to...

Sunday was a lazy day and yesterday too for that matter. I spent some time working on the cuff. And am really liking how it is coming along... Also Missy and I watched a movie Bring it On... which is always best seen while eating Dark Chocolate Raisinets... you get more out of the movie that way... ha ha ha

So today was back to work and start of school... Hope you all had a good weekend and holiday.

Can you spare a quarter???

One of the blogs that I follow is by Gary Craig... this post that he did is both humbling and thought provoking. In this time right now when so many are in need... this is a much needed good thing to read... Have a great weekend... Deb


http://eftcommunity.emofree.com/blogs/eft_blog/archive/2009/07/26/could-you-spare-a-quarter-so-i-can-get-something-to-eat.aspx?CommentPosted=true#commentmessage

Just checkin in...

Sorry it has been soooo long... been working on a few things and busy with summer, kids, new doggie, etc...

This is Happy... we adopted her from the Pasadena Humane Society end of June. She is lying outside Michael's door waiting for him to get up... that pink thing was a bear, but is now a poor chewed up piece of pink... Happy likes to get all the stuffing out... she doesn't eat it just likes to de-stuff... We had to have some rules regarding the couch pillows. Happy is a Weiner-Beagle we are pretty sure. She loves to go to the dog park but gets nervous if too many dogs are saying hello at the same time.

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Went to a few bead shows....

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Took some classes at Farrin O'Connor Design Studio in Pasadena... http://www.farrinoconnordesign.com/

Signed up for some more....

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Bought some wireworking books... Bead on a Wire by Sharilynn Miller and pre-ordered her book Contemporary Copper Jewelry...

This book is fabulous... order it here...

http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Copper-Jewelry-Step-Step/dp/1596681438/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251157199&sr=1-1

read her blog here...

http://wirejewelrylessons.blogspot.com/

Learned some new techniques from Bead on a Wire...

How to wire wrap wire

How to make my own links....

like these heart links...

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Been working on a new special ordered cuff...

Bought these Lasso Hoop Earwires from my friend Rocki at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6033823 and made these fun earrings... those are also her Swirl Headpins...
Made these fun earrings with Lava Beads and... Rocki's Interchangeable Copper Spiral Hoops then made a necklace to go with...