Welcome October! Our weather has suddenly become autumnal--the symbols of which here in Wisconsin are changing leaves, pumpkin farms, and all the rest. I've gone from open-toed shoes to boots, and the containers of warmer clothes have emerged from the basement. Fall also means a trip home to celebrate...

Melissa from Strands of Beads wins my inspiration award this week (not that I don't love everyone's posts this week--they are all gems after all). First, her clever headline made me smile. Second, her story got me thinking and it suddenly occurred to me that it's been a decade (can it be...

So it's Ornament Thursday once again. We're getting close to the holiday season, but since we aren't there yet, my Ornament Thursday post is jewelry-based. Since the theme is brew, and I reside in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, I took the obvious path and created a brew-inspired bracelet. The...

First, let me send out some birthday greetings. Cathy , editor of BeadStyle magazine, and my sister Alice shared a birthday this week, so I want to say happy birthday to both of them. And speaking of celebrations, I'm in a bit of a celebratory mood. We're less than a week from Ornament Thursday...

I spent yesterday exploring another side of my creativity—I attended the Wisconsin Quilt Expo. In addition to all the great fabric, I saw beads, felting, and heat-set crystals, all to be incorporated into fabric projects. My creative brain is in high gear after that and I'm looking forward to a little...

I'm trying to spread the word about my jewelry gems of the web, so I'm including them on BeadStyleMag.com , BeadAndButton.com , and ArtJewelryMag.com this week. Check out what my jewelry-making friends are up to. About.com Jewelry Making Have you been to the Jewelry Making Forum lately? If not...

Labor Day weekend is upon us, and I think we all need a few days to relax. So here are just a few links from my friends for you to peruse on this lazy end-of-summer weekend. Art Bead Scene Thinking about selling your jewelry and craft items? Get the scoop on opening an Etsy Shop. Carmi's Art/Life...

Welcome to the August installment of Ornament Thursday. This month's theme is Academia, and I was stumped at first, but then inspiration hit in the most unexpected way. Beading Parties , the latest special issue from BeadStyle magazine , arrived on my desk features several projects by Lindsay Haedt...

I switched it up this week and included Art Jewelry magazine's recent interview with Robert Dancik in the jewelry gems of the web. I had the chance to interview a bunch of great artists at the Bead&Button Show in June 2008, so this interview with Robert is just one of the videos you'll see...

Another lovely week here in southeastern Wisconsin. My laundry is all caught up, thanks to the DIY dryer repair I blogged about last week . My car, however, is still being parked in the driveway--who knew that a 1920s house would also have an old garage that requires a special-order garage door!? Perhaps...