Katie's doing Avon's Walk for Breast Cancer

My good friend and fellow beader Katie Nelson
has committed herself to do this marathon walk for
breast cancer. She needs to raise a bit of money in
order to participate...$1800.oo to be exact. So she's
reaching out to all her friends and family to help her
come up with the money. I know first hand how hard
it is to raise funds. You have to be bold and go where
sometimes you might not want to. But in the end it is
so worth it and who knows? One day you might be in need
of the research finds to cure you of something.
Anyhow, bless her heart, here is what she has to say:
"This is a 2-day event in which I will have the opportunity
to walk up to 26.2 miles the first day and 13.1 the second.
Personally, I am shooting for the 1/2 marathon length
on both days since the walk is only 2 months away...
I am going to do as much as I can, but I have to be realistic,
too, since there's not a lot of training time..."
So to sweeten the giving she has put her necklace she made
from the Bead Soup Challenge up for auction.


Its a beauty! I've already bid on it, you can too.
Or just go to her blog and you can donate any sum
of money. I know times are tough all over and
money is probably a little funny (hahaha-NOT) at
your casa, but you can give up one little something
for a cause...maybe that $5.00 drink on a night out,
or $10.00 bill at Micky D's for a bad lunch you don't
really enjoy and probably didn't need.
Or, heaven forbid, give up one strand of beads and
put that money to a good cause. Love you guys!
Stop by Katie's and watch for her Walk coming up.

Three Cheers for the Bead Cruise Sponsors!

This post is dedicated to all the sponsors of
Bead Cruise 2010. This year their generosity
was unbelievable. Heather makes up these special
booklets that every person on the cruise gets. Its
packed full of ads, designs and instructions and its
just a treasure all on its own.

The Bead Cruise Book. And this coming soon for
purchase (as a download item). When its available I
would get one...really, its a great "book".

A glimpse of the inside.

You'll find all kinds of information inside too. A trend report.

Its a bead book all on its own. And yes, those earrings are mine.

Heather surprised me with these and I totally love them.

Glass Beads from Sue Beads, little sand dollar charms from

Every Heart Crafts. Design by Heather from Humblebeads.

A cloth gift bag from Ornamentea held a pendant from

Summers Studio Pottery, handmade glass beads made by Sue

and a pendant from Ellen Ray ( you can get them at Ornamentea).

A beautiful pendant from Off Center Productions,

Earthenwood Studios, and one from Marsha Neal Studios.

We have Jangles, Paloma Antiqua and a button from Terri

at Creative Impressions in Clay.

A huge sampling of beads from C Koop Beads. She has a

way with enamels. Lucky for me Bella Modo our on board

bead shop had lots of her items for sale too.

Seed beads from Foxden Designs, and Charlene's Bead shop.

Some crocheted beads and faceted rounds from Halstead Bead.

A beautiful shell pendant from Gaea, sand dollar from

Every Heart Crafts, and a pewter charm from Green Girl Studios.

There was this beautiful bird from Humblebeads.

This was ONE door prize. I also got a book by Kate McKinnon.

There are so many more sponsors to name. Rings and Things,

Soft Flex, Vintaj, Tierra Cast, Hint(Beth Hemmila), Mary Harding,

Sova Enterprises, Bead Trends, No Easy Beads (Beverly Herman),

Margie Deeb, Barb Switzer, Expedition D (Lynn Davis),

Tracy Stanley, International Gem and Jewelry Show,

Artbeads.com and me...2ndhandrose.

My humblest apologies if I forgot anyone. But you guys are

the greatest and I will make sure that I support you in every

way possible. You are so very special. Thanks!

Bead Cruise Part Two

First on shore adventure I went on was shopping in St. Thomas.

We left the boat and were herded like cattle onto these shuttle

bus/taxis. Of course they try to squeeze as many people on as

they can.

Beverly and our new international friend Hennie. She flew all

the way over from the Netherlands. Hennie was an absolute

sweetheart and we all were amazed at her designs. She made

some of the wildest necklaces.

Her fish one was made from fish found at a children's toy

store. Loved it!

So about half way to downtown the drivers pulls over to

the side of the road. I think he was dropping people off to

the beach, but it felt like if you didn't pay you were gonna

be left in the middle of nowhere. Joke on us, people got

out, he took our money and drove us on to town.

Main street was full of all kinds of jewelry stores. If you

wanted diamonds you were at the right island. There were

camera stores, ( I got a nice new one at a good price), and

lots of liquor stores. But we got directions to the island's

only bead store. You just turned down an alley (that in any

big city in the state I would avoid) and you found all these

little shops.

And yes we found the bead store. We Americans are so

spoiled. There was mostly Venetian glass and few odd beads.

We have so much more variety to choose from, so lucky!

Tomorrow a tribute to the sponsors of the 2010 cruise. They

really rock!

Bead Cruise 2010

On my list of Bead Cruises, BC 2010 has to be the number
one best cruise ever. Heather has totally got the planning
part down. This years group might have been just a bit
smaller than previous years, but it didn't lack in anything.
The ladies were absolutely the funniest and sweetest yet.
Our teachers were very talented, and just as much fun to
be around outside of the classrooms. Our days were filled
with beading, hanging out with the other cruisers and in the
evening we were shopping with Bella Modo...who I must say
has the biggest line of Swarvoski crystals, Vintaj brass and
anything else you could have wanted. Pam and Belinda were
so very sweet, and Belinda was the most knowledgeable
person I've ever seen when it comes to Swarvoski.
Unbelievable!

Our second stop on the cruise. St. Thomas Island.

A view of our ship from across the bay.

Next stop was St. Maarten. There's a French side and a

Dutch side of the island. Anywhere you wanted to be still

had beautiful beaches and clear blue water. Warm sunny

days and gentle breezes. There is nothing wrong with

wanting to live on an island.

Tomorrow I will post some more about the Cruise.

I have lots of pictures and things to talk about.

New Addiction?

Okay, I don't think that's gonna happen, I am more
addicted to buying beads than getting tats. But today I
went and got my second tattoo in 35 years. The name
of the shop is called New Addiction, its by the college
in Kalamazoo. Nice place, good people and Jeret did a
fine job. Good thing I didn't find something bigger to
get done. About half way through I was asking myself
what was I thinking...Geary had warned me that it was
gonna hurt. But only once did I say out loud "ouch!" So
there it is, in all its red and angry glory. Pink dogwood
flowers, they look kind of bright and red, but there is
more white that will come out later. Its climbing up the
right side of my calf. And I do have an idea for another one,
but I think its gonna be a bit smaller...ouch!

Begin the Beguine...or Starting Again

Begin the Beguine is a 1982 Spanish film about a man who
returns to his homeland after many years. Its original Spanish
title is Volver a empezar, which means Starting Again;
the English language title refers to the song "Begin the Beguine"
by Cole Porter.

Starting again....
Well that's me in a nutshell. Where did this last month go?
I feel like such a slacker, but I know I've been busy doing
things, they just didn't include blogging. I really blame it on
FaceBook. It seems I do spend way to much time hanging out
there. Shame on me...

So I'm just gonna pick up and carry on like today is the first day.
Last month one of my favorite bead artists, Kristie Roeder of
Artisan Clay was having a contest/sale anticipating her 300th
sale on Etsy. Kristie was giving away all kinds of neat things...
for every piece you bought you got a copper raku piece for free.
For the 300th sale (that was me)there was a surprise and
for the one who spent the most money (me..lol. But I didn't
spend that much) there was another.
And then she packaged everything up and stuck a beautiful
button on top. Well, I made out like a bandit and it felt like
Christmas at my house when I was opening everything up.
Thanks Kristie! I love it all!

My purchases above. See the beautiful button in the center?
I got one of her grab bags with tons of beads in it.

Kristie's beautiful copper beads. There were two donuts, but
one went home to New Orleans with Beverly. I'm sure she'll
do something fantastic with it. She said she'd whip me up
something using the heart...I better get the beads together
soon, maybe I can wear it on the Bead Cruise? Huh? Bev?


This was part of the give away. A surprise for me, and this
is a beautiful necklace. I love wearing it!

Another great part of the give away for being the 300th
customer. This is HUGE...when Krisitie said she was giving
a box away, I thought "ok, what a cute little trinket box this
will be". It is so kewl! 6 x 6 inches and I love it!
So Kristie, my apologies for taking so long. And a great big
THANKS for all the great gifts. I love the copper beads so
much I think I am gonna horde them for a while.

I'm having a sale!

There's a sale going on in my Etsy shop. 20% off on

everything. I think its time to put in something a little

more seasonal, don't you? Summer's gone and Christmas

is right around the corner. For goodness sake! Where does

the time go?

Autumn surprises and The Bead Shop

Wednesday I took the morning and drove to have my yearly
mammogram. It was a very cool and rainy day, but just enough
sun to brighten the colors a little. So I took some autumn shots
to share.

The beautiful red oak tree in front of our house. The maples
are holding on as long as they can, already in three days they
are turning yellow and falling off. I remember one fall sitting
in my living room looking at a tree in our front y ard
and the very last leaf that was on it let go and fluttered softly
to the ground. I could almost hear its sad sigh....
ok, that's a little deep even for me...lol.

Our country roads.

My neighbors beautiful burning bush. It has to be as big

as a mini van. And even more red when the sun shines on

it. Ours are being ravaged by the deer who love the tender

little nubs at the end.

Dried soy bean fields ready to be harvested and colored woods.

So while I was in Kazoo, I thought I would look around at

a couple of shops (Michael's, Barnes and Nobles).

I drove past this bead store that I have been to a couple of

times, but I must say that it just wasn't stocked with much

that I was interested in, everything was crowded, and it was

way too dark inside. So in passing by I noticed that there

was more light and it looked different. So I went around the

block and stopped. Imagine my surprise when I walked in.

Someone had been cleaning the place up. There was a wall

of chains! Great displays of glass beads! Strands of stones.

Lots of metal charms, wood and bone. If you have a tax

I.D. you can get a discount of 10% off.

ANTIQUE COPPER! And at a reasonable price too. Look

at those little leaves.

Brass and bright copper chain, Czech glass.

More glass that was just beautiful. Little glass lentils, and

wooden beads. There was bone, ceramic and I could just

go on and on.

Up close of my favorite glass beads. I was like a kid in a

candy store. So if you get to Kalamazoo and need to buy

beads, stop by Cindy's shop, The Bead Store on Westnedge.

You won't be disappointed that's for sure. Her daughter

is there to help and she's a sweetie!

Dreaming of Bead Cruise 2010

Well the weather has definitely taken a turn to the cooler side.
The leaves are turning, mums are everywhere, and I have my
load of pumpkins bought for decorating outside. I noticed the
days are getting shorter. So with all that happening, I've been
daydreaming about Bead Cruise 2010. This will be my fourth
one and all I can say is they have gotten better every time.
Heather puts in a lot of time and effort to make this an experience
to be remembered. I'm sharing some more of my pictures from
2009.

Blue skies and sunny days in Belize.




Warm sands and turquoise waters in Costa Maya. Oh yes,
and Mojitos too!



Chance to make lots of new friends and meet great teachers.



Great food. I love sushi and this was the best I've ever had.

AbFab (Absolutely Fabulous) bead finds

Absolutely Fabulous....that's one of my favorite shows on
BBC, actually they have quite a few good ones that I like to
watch. But what does that have to do with bead finds you say?
Absolutely nothing...lol! I'm just wandering around in my
mind on a cloudy Saturday morning.
Last weekend was a fun day all by myself, doing a little
shopping, running to Grand Rapids to a Rings and Things show.
My favorite thing to do in the Spring and Fall. Lucky us we
get to see them twice a year around here. So I made a list and
off I went. But before R & T I stopped at Hobby Lobby, just
to look around, and guess what I found while I was there?
Vintaj! They are carrying Vintaj now. How lucky for the people
who see it being used in everything, now they can go and buy
a piece or two for themselves and not have to break the bank.
I was excited...there is enough selection that if I need something
in a hurry I can get it there. Thanks Vintaj, its good to see
something made in the States hanging on the wall.

I didn't buy a lot of beads at Rings and Things, I made a
vow to use up most of what I have and that could run into
years...but there were a few items I couldn't live without and
one or two I should have gotten more of.

Kyanite, peridot, garnet, carnelian, onyx, petrified wood
and a yummy strand of faceted mixed rutilated quartz.

I got strands of copper, silver and these cute owl heads of
sterling too.

One last thing to tell you, I found that Jade Scott, an
artist and designer was having a three day sale in her Etsy
shop, everything is 50% off and boy howdy after I got this
piece for myself I had to go and get another one. She makes
the coolest pendants, but her jewelry is wonderful too.
Better hurry if you want something sales ends tomorrow and
things are going fast.
Ok, the very last thing...here's Rubee begging...
"Come ON Mom, you said we would go for a walk!" My little
girl is so sweet.

Happy Birthday to Me

Oh lucky me, I have made it through another year!

Not that I thought for one minute that I wouldn't,

but sometimes you never know. Anyway, on Wednesday

I will be the great age of 55. Who would of thunk?

I remember (yes, my memory is still partially there) back

in elementary school thinking about the year 2000 and

what age I would be then. I couldn't comprehend being

that "old"...yet here I am. For turning 55 I can get a

tall cup of coffee at the Coffee Beanery for only $1.00.

Woohoo! So in celebration of my birthday I bought

myself a piece of jewelry from Ingrid Dijkers.

Ingrid is a multi-talented artist, not only in her

jewelry making skills, but she is a journalist and a

doll artist too.

She also has been doing the Michigan Ren Fest for a few years.

I was hoping to get there this year and visit her in her shop.

But it's looking like it won't be happening, time is running out

and there is so much to do around here. Next year for sure.

Ingrid has a nice blog, and a beautiful website.

I have so much more to write about, this week

was busy and I did so much. I'm going to get

back on the blogging, I've been missing that.

And here is Rubee Dew looking bashful. It's been one

week since we brought her home and we just adore her.

She is so different from Bailey, but that's what we love

about her. She is such a smart girl. God sent me another

Angel that's for sure.

And we shall call you Rubee...

because you are a bright little jewel in our life.
This is our newest addition to the Garvison family.
Her "real" name is Briar Hills Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
But that was a bit too much and we shortened it down
to something a little easier. Rubee Dew....

9 months old today. A little girl in a big dog's body. We have
lots of fun together. We're working on our housebreaking
skills. She's used to running in and out, playing in a fenced in
area. But she is a smart girl and she's learning fast.

She's just the sweetest thing. Gives lots of kisses and isn't
afraid of anything. Rubee didn't have a clue how to climb
stairs, but after one day she's up and down them like a champ.

An absolutely gorgeous color. Black and Silver. Never seen
one that color before. This is her show coat. Sheri had to
choose between Rubee and her brother to keep and show, the
handler like Coop better and we got Rubee.

She has toys, lots of them and getting more all the time.

Can't help it I like squeaky things...lol!

She's used to sleeping in her crate at night. I'm trying to

keep it that way. Beverly and I have a bet on how long it

will be before she's sleeping in bed with me.

I'm winning so far, but it's only been 3 days. We'll just have

to see how it ends up.

Trinkets and Treasures

My treasures I found last weekend at the Arts and Crafts
Fair. I think I got some pretty good ones this time around.
My garden statuary....

I'm thinking I'll just store it in the barn till next spring, its
too late to do much of anything and I am not feeling the pull
of nature like I do in the spring. And if you look, you can see
that the leaves are slowly falling from the trees. Not the full
beauty of fall, but hey, autumn officially begins on the 22nd of
September.

While we wondered around the park last weekend I found
these cool wooden objects. I really liked the little bird house.
I know the man, Don Olson, and over the last couple of years
I've watched his work get better and better.

I also picked up this wine stop for Geary for Christmas.

In the park are these huge oak trees. Scattered all over
were acorns. Now I love gathering acorns as much as a
squirrel. I use the tops for caps on woolen acorns that I
make. So the day after the show I went back to the park
to get some the acorns before the hordes of squirrels who
live there could get them. I swear as I was standing under
a tree, I heard this squirrel doing his little bitchy squawking
above me and darn if an acorn didn't fall out of the tree just
missing my head! Do I think he had sense enough to drop it
on me? You betcha, little tree rats that they are!

Anyway these are some of the perfect acorns I brought home
with me. There was this different tree that had these sweet nuts.
Look at those caps! Are they not the cutest? I'm not
sure if its an acorn tree , so I brought a leaf home with me to look
it up. Alas, I haven't done it yet, but I will.

Next week is the Allegan County Fair. My favorite thing to
do in September. And only two more days before we travel
to Ohio to see about that sweet little girl, and hopefully we
bring her home with us. I'm sure we'll fall in love with her.
I saw a pamphlet from the Humane Society, their logo was
this: Come and Get Your Love