Music Monday

One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands...SPILL CANVAS! So fitting after visiting the ocean. Don't be worried about the style of music, it is acoustic with a little symphony. Be sure to have some tissue ready...you will need it for the end of the video...it is sooo sad! But it is the true essence of real life - not that fake Hollywood "life is so perfect" crap!

Miss All You Bloggin' Buddies...But it's the Ocean!

Miss all of you so much and I don't get enough time online to be able to visit all your blogs, but I will be back in full swing next week.  In the mean time, here is some pics I have taken so far....

At The Beach....

We are finally at the beach after a five hour drive.  Whew...I am so sick of driving!

We didn't really get much time to enjoy the sea today as we checked in at 4pm, spent an hour unpacking, had to run to the supermarket to get our food for the week, bring it home to unpack it and finished it off with a light dinner.

The house we rented has no WiFi, so my internet usage will be intermittent.  I will try to catch up with all of you as the opportunity presents itself.  I miss visiting all your blogs so much...I will try to get some time in :)

5 Days and Counting....

(photo credit)

5 more days till we leave for North Carolina!  Spend a week with Mom and Dad, then it's off to the ocean for another week!  Can't wait!  Hubby is not going, and he is not too thrilled with the ocean part.  He is insisting that me and the kids are going to get eaten by sharks!  Really?  REALLY?  I have told him to keep his mouth shut to the kids about it.  If we get to the ocean and the kids don't want to go in (because of sharks) I am going to kill him!  Thousands of people swim the waters off Oak Island and only a handful get bit.  A handful.  Not only that, but they get bit by baby tiger sharks.

(photo credit)

Now, I'm sure a baby tiger shark bite is pretty nasty, but it's not like the darn thing is going to swallow you whole!  Mom said you can't even get out far enough for the sharks....the sand bar is super long and when you do get up to your waist, the waves are so strong they prevent you from going much farther.

Of course there is going to be sharks.  It's the ocean!  I'm not worried about a couple little tiger sharks.  But you know what would make me crap my pants if I saw in the ocean?

(photo credit)

Now, that tiger shark would definitely keep me out of the water!

Other than obsessing over sharks (well, hubby is...) I have been so busy sewing dresses for the trip.  I hope to post a few pics before I leave for you to drool over.  You should see my studio....MESSY!  In addition, I finished up some custom orders and have doubled my production.  I figured since I won't be making things while I'm away, I can at least have things already made to keep listing.  No need to close the shop...it's all coming with me!  All the finished product, anyway.  That way, if orders come in, I can keep the momentum!

I need this trip so bad :)

We Have A Winner

Well, majority rules!  I have chosen from the last giveaway post who the winner will be.  I transferred every entry onto a piece of paper and drew the name.  I apologize to those who voted to draw from the original post, I don't mean to offend.  Had I drawn from the original post, the original posters may not have seen that I was resetting the giveaway and quite frankly, I do not have time to chase the winner down...especially since they didn't even know there was a reset on the giveaway!

So....here's the winner:

Jane Campbell!!!

Okay...here's the deal - Jane, contact me with your email address by Sunday morning.  If I do not hear from the winner by Sunday 31 July, I will draw another name, so keep checking back until I confirm the winner has contacted me.

The contacts and prize must be sent by Saturday of next week because I am leaving for a 2 WEEK VACATION on Monday morning, 9 August!  Yup...I'm going to see my mom in North Carolina!!  It will take me two days to drive there, I will be spending a week with mom and dad at their house.....and for the best part:  Dad has rented a house on the ocean shores of Oak Island for a WEEK...we are talking the beach front here, folks!!!!  

I can't wait - I love the ocean so much, I have a mini-ocean in my family room!  My coral reef tank I have posted about in the past.  I have never had the opportunity to spend so long at the ocean, I am not passing this up!  Therefore, the prize has to get mailed before I leave.  In addition, I am doing custom jewelry sets for a wedding party of 5, a custom order of 9 pieces of button jewelry for the editor of a popular garden journal in my area and finishing a 60" x 60" quilt for a woman to give to her daughter that just got back from Afghanistan (she's a medic in the Air Force).  Plus working the evening away making 1940's dresses to wear during the vacation.  Whew - it sure is busy here.  Hubby is getting lonely with the hours I have been in my studio this past week!

So the race is on!  Thank you to everyone who commented :)

BESTeam weekly feature - Waterwaif

What a fabulous shop - this is a dream assignment for me.  Waterwaif on Etsy is a store full of delicate jewellery made from semi precious stones and crystals inspired by the ocean - I guess the ocean around Florida where Waterwaif makes these lovely things.

You can see this inspiration in the dreamy colour palette, the use of translucent materials which reflect back a watery glow, and the light and airy feel of these pieces.  Truly Boho-beach-chic!

There are lots of items to choose from in this well-established and popular shop and I could have picked all of them to feature!  But I'm going to indulge myself a little and concentrate on the blue items (I wonder why!:-))

First up is this teal crystal starfish pendant.  So light and airy and beautifully wrapped with sterling silver wire.  What a great item to wear on holiday - the teal blue green would look stunning with a tan.

Have you ever seen red turquoise before?  I hadn't, but I've got to say it looks stunning in combination with the sky blue turquoise in these lovely earrings.  Turquoise is the stone of the season according to Pantone, so these are the ones to get now. 





Really couldn't resist adding this beautiful matching set of aqua blue crystals and creamy freshwater pearls. So light and airy and such a great colour combination!

There are still more shades of blue in this vibrant blue opal bracelet. The silver songbird here and the clear crystals are such a winning combination.

Not just jewellery!  Here's that lovely red and teal blue again

in an original painting. Wouldn't that look great in a modern neutral decor?


I hope I've whetted your appetite for more.  You can follow Waterwaif on her lovely sea-themed blog, on Facebook where there's a new store and exclusive discounts for fans, and on Twitter.

BESTeam weekly feature - Waterwaif

What a fabulous shop - this is a dream assignment for me.  Waterwaif on Etsy is a store full of delicate jewellery made from semi precious stones and crystals inspired by the ocean - I guess the ocean around Florida where Waterwaif makes these lovely things.

You can see this inspiration in the dreamy colour palette, the use of translucent materials which reflect back a watery glow, and the light and airy feel of these pieces.  Truly Boho-beach-chic!

There are lots of items to choose from in this well-established and popular shop and I could have picked all of them to feature!  But I'm going to indulge myself a little and concentrate on the blue items (I wonder why!:-))

First up is this teal crystal starfish pendant.  So light and airy and beautifully wrapped with sterling silver wire.  What a great item to wear on holiday - the teal blue green would look stunning with a tan.

Have you ever seen red turquoise before?  I hadn't, but I've got to say it looks stunning in combination with the sky blue turquoise in these lovely earrings.  Turquoise is the stone of the season according to Pantone, so these are the ones to get now. 





Really couldn't resist adding this beautiful matching set of aqua blue crystals and creamy freshwater pearls. So light and airy and such a great colour combination!

There are still more shades of blue in this vibrant blue opal bracelet. The silver songbird here and the clear crystals are such a winning combination.

Not just jewellery!  Here's that lovely red and teal blue again

in an original painting. Wouldn't that look great in a modern neutral decor?


I hope I've whetted your appetite for more.  You can follow Waterwaif on her lovely sea-themed blog, on Facebook where there's a new store and exclusive discounts for fans, and on Twitter.