Smile :)

I promise to post some new things soon!
It's been a busy month ... anniversary, birthday, fun guest instructor at The Bead Gallery.

Then the not-so-fun busy stuff ... homework, papers, exams!
Just let me survive my Tax exam tomorrow and it will be smooth sailing for at least a week (maybe).

In the mean time, here's a video that makes me smile :)
I had no clue Rayli loved Angelina Ballerina (www.pbskids.org) this much!

Rayli's Jewels

So even though I should have been studying or cleaning house ...

Rayli convinced me it was time to make some jewelry!

[YAY says Rayli!]

So she designed three bracelets that I whipped out for her.

I must say, she likes her jewelry big & chunky (well, for a petite 4-yo) and she insisted on wearing all three bracelets on one arm.

[she must get it from her mama ha!]

Rayli's Charm Bracelet

I chose the chain but she cherry picked all her charms from my stash.

Did I tell you I had a bead/charm/shopping habit?

The fun part was making sure I jump-ringed all the charms onto the chain so they would sit facing the same direction :/

Next were two bracelets made with Swarovski crystals.

Light Rose 6mm cubes (which I was happy to give up since they are my least favorite shape) and my new favorite, the 8mm-ish Graphic Cube. They look like chunks of ice.

Some basic wire wrap, charms and chain ...

I wonder if her older sisters will be interested when they get home.

I must say it was nice making something easy. A majority of my time is spent attempting to work on intricate projects that tend to involve 8,000 feet of wire and a ton of patience. This can explain why I have a drawer full of unfinished pieces. But guess what? I still felt a sense of accomplishment (that "Yay Me!" feeling) finishing these three bracelets. Rayli loved them and that's all that really mattered. So it doesn't always have to be about the level of difficulty ... as long as love and heart are there to back it up - it will always be fabulous :)

Sadly, it's time to head to class and work but I will get those pliers out again soon!

Want to look younger?

Buy a backpack :) Yes, I swear it makes me look 20 years younger ha!

I finally caved in and bought myself a backpack for my school books. The kids got tired of sharing their bags with me and my purse is on the verge of exploding. Eek!

So although we walked into Border's for some Pokemon books for Jazzy, I walked out with this cutesy backpack (and a matching pencil case, big & small notebook and folder). Anyone that knows me can guess why I chose it ...


I am obsessed with skulls!!!
Doesn't it make my school books look fun? NOT! Hey, it's cute but it's no miracle worker.

(and BTW, I now want my kids to become text book distributors when they grow up. Can you believe that's $700 worth of books pictured above?)


So now for my Labor Day AIO wrap-up ...

Bellows Beach was cold and rainy! Here's proof that it's not always warm & sunny here.

Fun but not so much.


So we made up by going to the Mall for some retail therapy and dinner at Sizzlers :)
Steak & Scampi ... sorry, photos of my hives not included.
The things I go through to eat seafood. It could be worse, I could be allergic to coffee.


I promise to post jewelry/crafty pics soon!

Hope everyone had a fabulous 09/09/09.
What a special day especially because Jamie & Jason celebrated their 10th Wedding Anniversary today! A very special occasion for two extra-wonderful people ♥

Through the eyes of a child ...

So I am finally getting around to uploading the pictures Aiyanna took during her Big Island field trip (last school year). It's funny to see life through the eyes of a 5th grader!

Wooden statue butts were a must-see when I was that age too ;)

But she did take some nice shots and it almost makes me wish I had let her borrow the "good" camera. I think photography is such an awesome way for kids (and adults) to express themselves. There's no better way to capture a memory or feeling forever.

The coolest thing about putting a kiddo behind the lens is ... an untainted point-of-view. It's so refreshing to see things with the sense of awe, wonderment, and admiration of a child. If we really took the time to step back, we would also see how amazing & photography-worthy every little piece of this world is :) That makes me want to get my "good" camera fixed right now or at least charge the battery for my not-so-good camera.

So that's my little blurb for today ~ off to school now! Maybe my next picture will be of my textbooks ergh!

Here are a few more of Aiyanna's pictures of the Big Island ...

Have a Beautiful Day ♥