My First Artistamp!

I have a long secret addiction that has resurfaced. Well, um…..I have jars of stamps all over my house. There! I said it! Nothing fancy, no big first issues, just fun little jars of stamps I’ve had for I can’t remember how long. Well, now I’ve discovered something new for me. Artistamps! These are also known as faux postage, or in the true collector’s world, Cinderella stamps. I started reading about artistamps and from what I’ve found, they are an underground movement that started in the ‘70s. Still not a whole lot of them out there. So I’ve created my own first stamp. Still trying to figure out how to get that whole “perforated edge” look to the border. The photo is of a very patient butterfly the girls and I found fluttering around our ligustrum hedges in the front yard. I thought he’d take off the moment he heard the first “click” of the camera, but apparently he was quite the ham. He proceeded to slowly open and close his wings, not minding a bit that I was getting closer and closer. My camera was only about eight inches from him when I snapped this shot. I need to practice more at these and start taking more pictures to use on them, but I’m working on a new jewelry line in which I hope to incorporate these and some really pretty “real” stamps. That’s all I’ll tell you for now. Stay tuned and tell me what you think of my first attempt. I’m open to constructive criticism so click on the comments link below and let 'em rip! If you have any other ideas for the “country”, let me know that, too. HappyVille was just the first thing that came to mind.

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Free Bling Friday Number 42!

It's time for Free Bling Friday! Congratulations to Free Bling Friday Number 41 winner, Beth G. from Michigan. Here's another sample of my new spring ears. These are fun little lampwork beads blended with purples, blues, grays and white, livened up with some sterling silver wire swirls. They hang approximately 1 1/2" on sterling silver French wires. To be eligible to win this pair, simply email me by midnight Thursday, May 8, with the subject line FREE BLING and include where you're from. The next winner will be drawn Friday, May 2. Don't want to miss a single Free Bling Friday? Click here to sign up for free weekly email reminders. Click here for the Happy Shack Designs website!

Two Little Mermaids at it Again

Spring has definitely sprung here in Florida, which means Summer is just a couple weeks away. I really tend to break out the camera this time of year. My DH is one of those who will take just about anything free, thus the blue alien shaped above ground pool you see a piece of in this picture. A most interesting pool, it is. It’s inflatable! You inflate the ring on top and then start filling it with water. As you fill it, the ring rises and brings up the sides. Pretty ingenious actually. Full size it’s 18’ in diameter, yet it folds down to fit in a box the size of your stove. Anywho, it’s proving to be a lifesaver for two little redheads who get a little cranky when they get home from school in the afternoons. Still a little chilly for my taste, and give the girls no more than 30 minutes and their teeth are chattering, lips turning blue. “Aren’t you cold, girlies?” “No, Mom!” Chatter, chatter, shiver, shiver, as they climb up the ladder and jump in again. Give it another month and I’m sure I’ll be in there with them.

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When You Can't Paint, Shoot!

I'll readily admit to never being very talented with a paintbrush (though, of course, that won't stop me from trying as evidenced by the collection of painted birdhouses that peek out from the greenery on top of my kitchen cabinets...yep, painted every one of them), but I've always been pretty good with a camera. So if you take a nice picture and then play around with it in Adobe Photoshop, you can get some pretty fun results. I took this photo of some wild azaleas while I was on my little excusion in Havana a few weeks back and turned it into a "painting" using Photoshop. This could be addicting. Click on the picture to enlarge for the full effect.

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Sometimes When You're Feeling Puny...

...is that really a word? puny? I put on my big girl shoes Friday while posting Free Bling, but the touch of flu I mentioned Wednesday turned out to be walking pneumonia by the time I broke down and went to the doctor Thursday. And I still had to take my students to a leadership awards banquet Friday and Saturday in Wakulla Springs. That required I put on my SUPER big girl shoes. More on that later. So when I got home today, I decided to just kick back on the couch and let the girls do my hair for me. They did such a fabulous job, I thought I'd share with it you.

Nothing like your daughters doing your hair, followed by some funny faces trying to entertain them with the camera (if you want the full effect, feel free to click on the photos to enlarge)...

...to bring out a happy face and try to forget you feel like something the dog left in the backyard in that special place by the back fence. If you can't laugh at yourself, you aren't allowed to laugh at anyone else.

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Free Bling Friday Number 41!

It's time for Free Bling Friday!Congratulations to Free Bling Friday Number 4o winner, Deborah M. from Jacksonville, FL. This week, I have one of my brand new pairs. These lampwork beads remind me of a Dreamsicle popsicle. You know the ones I'm talking about? Vanilla ice cream in the middle with a orange candy coating? I can never find them anymore. Anywho, these are petite little gems, accented with Swarovski crystals and hanging just an inch or so on sterling silver posts. To be eligible to win this pair, simply email me by midnight Thursday, April 24, with the subject line FREE BLING and include where you're from. The next winner will be drawn Friday, April 25. Don't want to miss a single Free Bling Friday? Click here to sign up for free weekly email reminders. Click here for the Happy Shack Designs website!

New Pieces Coming Soon!

I’m on Spring Break this week, so I’ve been enjoying my week off. Today I’ve been playing with my jewelry photography…which I admit, of all the aspects of designing jewelry, the one thing I hate the most is photographing it. I’ve been trying to find that magic combination that gives just the right amount of sparkle and pop…it’s very elusive! Today I took my pictures outside on my side porch. It’s in the shade so I got indirect natural sunlight. It was a little cloudy, so I might do better on a bright sunny day, but I do think I like these better than taking the photos in my little table top light studio. Nice breeze, birds chirping, and Isabelle certainly enjoys me being outside with her. I call this piece Atlantis. It’ll be on the website in the next day or two! Click here to sign up for free weekly email reminders. Click here for the Happy Shack Designs website.

Springtime Morning’s Blossoms

I always enjoy participating in Springtime Tallahassee, and this year, the 40th annual, was no exception. My friend Patty went with me and did very well! It was her first Springtime, so I was really excited for her. This trip was made all the more enjoyable due to some added play time around the show. I was there Wednesday and Thursday for legislative meetings and after my Thursday afternoon meetings finished up, I met a friend for my favorite Barnaby’s pizza and beer, and then met up with another group of friends a little later. With twin 4 ½ year olds, it’s very rare Mama gets a night out with friends! I still made it back to the hotel before my coach turned into a pumpkin though!

On Friday, I had an early lunch with another friend (yes, I have a lot of friends in Tallahassee!) and then spent the afternoon poking around Havana, which is a cute little town just north of Tallahassee with great little antique shops and a couple nice art and fine craft galleries. I took my camera with me and played around with a few shots. Starting to get back into photography a little more. I was really happy with these two. I may even list them in my Etsy store! Let me know what you think. Morning glories, I believe? Click here to sign up for free weekly email reminders. Click here for the Happy Shack Designs website.