This week, it's all about ME and YOU!

...Sorry Lula...not just you!

Being an "After Christmas Special", as my dad always called me, I have always loved the week from Christmas through New Years day. It always seemed to be "all about me" and what kid wouldn't love that?

My poor Jeff doesn't get much of a break since we got married on New Years Day either! For me the holidays seem to fly from, my favorite, Thanksgiving to Christmas but it's the week following that I love. As a kid I always felt so special since school was always closed during the week of my Birthday. True, I never had a Birthday party at school nor could I ever have a pool party growing up on Long Island but it has always seemed like a week long celebration. When I was in high school my dad would always take me to Manhattan on the Wednesday of that week to buy a new piece of camera equipment and we always had Carvel ice-cream cake to celebrate too! Now our anniversary gets to end the week of celebration, you can't get any better.

Well, it seems only fitting that as I get older (finally?) I learn to share this week of celebration with all of you!

In the spirit of ALL of this weeks holidays, in both shops; Herding Cats and Silver Lining there will be no charge for shipping.

I have added some newer items to the Silver Lining shop that were completed before the holidays but I was way too crazed to photograph and post:

Golden Plume, Noreea, Willow Creek Hike

I hope each and everyone of you will continue to enjoy your "Holiday Season".

I know I will!

My Thanksgiving!

Okay, I admit it: the holidays have gotten the best of me this year. We finally got around to sending out our Christmas cards and decorating our poor naked tree that has been in the "Gallery" space of our house for 4 days. But folks I am here to announce that:

Today is my Thanksgiving!

(Yes, I realize for all of you it's Christmas eve...)

It's days like today that I am so thankful for. Two days ago my in-laws, Wilf and Marion, came to spend the holidays with us from the cold of Toronto. Welcome to 80 degrees, I am so glad you are here!

I realize that it is because of the increased success of my websites and local sales that I have been a bit crazed this year. It still amazes me that people will go to my Etsy web sites and purchase the items that I make. For this I am VERY THANKFUL! I began this little venture on a whim and as I tell folks, this has turned into my retirement project. I am heading into this with my eyes and heart wide open. I pile all of myself into each and every piece, whether a simple pair of beaded earrings or a carefully selected and set stone. The excitement I see in some peoples eyes when they find the right piece is worth every ounce of me I put into these pieces.

Each day I open my websites and read the "Feedback", each one is a gift given right back to me, to everyone that has left me feedback, I am so thankful!

To my husband who has never pushed back one bit in this adventure. He has gotten up some Sunday mornings with only 3 hours sleep from an overnight job to help me setup at the Farmers Market. He has willingly gone to gem shows with me and watched me spend hundreds of dollars only to hear me say "I need to go to the bead store, I forgot something" the very next day! He initiated getting My Studio started and watches me dart across the front lawn to get more stones out of the mailbox never once complaining. (He does wish I would iron more often though!) For him I am eternally thankful! I love you Jeff.

For my parents in the lower portion of the state who, I think, always look at me in amazement wondering if I'll ever grow up. They have instilled in me the persistence and ethics that I use in all my actions each and every day. Thank you for everything you have done for me, I love you.


To the families in California and Canada that have treated me as one of their own from the first day I was introduced to this large extended family. Being a first generation child I do not have any extended family in this country. The size and amount of love in both the extended Boyce and Uristoe families will never cease to amaze me. To all of you thank you and I love each and everyone of you!
To my friends who seem to have the same question as my parents I say: Since we never had kids we never had to be the grown ups! I have always seemed to move around quite a bit and have scattered friends far and wide but you all know how I feel about you. We can pick up the phone or drop an e-mail anytime, after many months or years, and regroup in just minutes. To all of you I am forever thankful, you have all helped me be who I am, I love you too, really.

I wish you all the best of the holidays; friends, family and loyal patrons. May you all be surrounded by love and warmth and a wish for 2009 to bring us all a touch of prosperity and lots of laughter!

Me? Panic? Ha!

...maybe a little.

For the past few weeks I've been loading all the holiday art sales I can into my already jam packed schedule. Lately weekends have begun with a Friday night somewhere (mainly Eustis)...then Saturday somewhere else...then a Farmers Market on Sunday. Last week was a real treat, I got to participate in the Maitland Farmers Market with other artists from the Maitland Art Center, What a great group of people!

Oh, and add a Tuesday night in there too.(Thanks Frankie & Zyll.)

It is now officially 2 weekends from Christmas and we have not done a thing in our own household. Hopefully this will not be the case still by Sunday evening.

The ESTY sales have picked up well and it's not like I didn't see it coming but last night I sold out of my "Hip to be..." earrings! I did not really track how popular these little cuties have become. They have been selling in the Salon and at the shows but low and behold I sold the last pair in das shoppe yesterday!

SO what did I do today?

I raced through work,

left early,

stopped at the post-office

(to ship some tiny little shiny gifts to some of Santa's elves, shhhh!)

...then raced home to get cracking on more "Hip to's..."

This time there are going to be copper AND sterling...

I am very excited to see how these go over. This weekend I have a bakers dozen of these little beauties! They will be traveling with me to the Cottage Industries Handmade for the Holidays event on Saturday and my favorite Farmers Market in Clermont.

I am hoping that I will have some energy left Sunday afternoon to photograph whatever I have left and get them posted for the last shopping week before Christmas.

Me? Panic? Na!

But please, wish me luck!

Thanks Everyone!

To everyone that participated in RED FRIDAY, thanks from the bottom of my heart!

Everyone; sellers and all you happy shoppers alike!

I would also like to take a quick second (although I am at work and probably should not be doing this) to introduce a new friend to all of you. Please take a second or two to visit KaerieFaerie52. I met Kerey and her husband Kerry at the Eustis First Friday back in May.

Kerey is a Fabric Artist currently making Art Dolls, (Faeries to be exact) and creating costumes for the Bay Street Players at the Historic State Theater in Eustis! She has been selling her Faeries in some art shops in Eustis with great success. I turned her on to ETSY a little over a month ago and she now has some wonderful pieces in her shop! Got a special someone who loves to collect or if you are looking for an unusual gift, this is the place to go!

Oh and she has a great new blog that shows her Faeries hanging out in the trees...which is where they are supposed to be since they are Tree Faeries!

Okay...it's time for me to go back to work...then get home and get all those packages sent...Special thanks to the "Dunn Family" up there in Waterloo, you will be getting your package soon!

Now for the details...

RED FRIDAY sale details for both Herding Cats and Silver Lining shops are FREE SHIPPING as well as an ADDITIONAL 5% OFF!

Here's how it works, at exactly 12 midnight, last night, little elves were hard at work in both shops fixing the shipping so today only shipping is free, ANYWHERE! This morning I've added the additional 5% off. Once PayPal has confirmed payment a 5% credit will be sent right back to you! See? Now you can shop more!


Here is a sneak peek at just one of the new items you'll find in the shops shortly...I've got goodies for both today!

My list of things to do today grows longer and I become more frantic...and just to add to the excitement today..I might be breaking up Turf Wars today...Roger has been spotted in Houdini's favorite sleeping place!





Wish me luck with this!

It's all in the numbers!

On Friday, December 5th, I am participating with a group of other artists in what is being billed as RED FRIDAY. Please stop by http://handmadehullabaloo.blogspot.com/ to see all the other ETSY artists and their pre-holiday deals. I have yet to decide what I will be doing for my special deals in both the Silver Lining and Herding Cats shops for this sale but it will be something special...promise!
This is going to be tricky for me because not only did I sell many of my necklaces at this past Friday's Light up Eustis but on the 5th I will also be at First Friday in Eustis again. Wish me luck on this one!