Fall Festival Schedule

Don't you just love Fall?  I love the colors, the dense and overcast sky, the crunch of leaves, the flavors on our tables.  I love that it's the start of a fresh school year for my children, time to learn new things.  I love that you can wear light layers of clothing that give an ensemble interest without sweltering in the heat and that you don't have to hide your fashion creativity underneath a bulky coat.  Right behind Easter, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  That special time to give thanks to Him who gives us every "good and perfect thing."

I've got more Festivals and Art/Craft Shows coming up before Christmas and I'll let you know as each event becomes more solidified in my schedule (which is at the mercy of Husband and Boys' schedules).  I am a one-woman operation, so I don't have quite the flexibility as most.  As always, I will post directions and a countdown to each event in the sidebar on the right.

A new addition to the Fall Festival Schedule is The City of Wyoming, Ohio's 29th Annual Wyoming Fall Festival on Saturday, October 1, 2011 from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.  The Fesitval takes place on Wyoming Avenue in the Business District and there will be entertainment near the Gazebo at the Village Green Park.  Rain or shine, I"ll be there!

I have loads of new pieces from several price points to chose from, some I haven't even listed in my Etsy Shop.  It's time to start thinking of Christmas gifts for friends, family, co-workers, and those lovely hostesses who prepare their homes for a wonderful holiday party.  I'd love to help you pick out something special for someone important in your life.  Of course, it's always fun to pick out something for yourself to wear to a Christmas party or New Year's Eve.  I've got plenty of sparkle and shine to fill that square!
Sara

Good News

"''Cause I've had enough bad news to last a lifetime." 
~Del Amitri

Good news is always nice, isn't it?  In my many ponderings I have concluded there isn't enough of it in the world anymore.  I think most of our Good News tanks run a little close to empty, so I am happy to help fill yours up a little with a positive update on my technology issues.  This may not be Good News for you, but it is for me so humor me:  Today the man in the big chocolate brown truck delivered my big 'ole laptop back to me cleaned up, fixed, and ready to go. 

We're back in business, baby.

Sara

The Greatest Place on Earth

My family and I are not from the area we currently live in; the closest family is a 7 hour car ride away. Living away from family isn't a new concept to this Navy brat, and my husband's military/education/career has also resulted in his being displaced from kin. So quickly making friends in a new town has always been a top priority for us.

When we moved here 11 years ago and first started attending our current church, I was pregnant with my first child. We didn't know a soul. While other first-time mothers were planning their nurseries with their friends, I made my plans long distance via Sprint with my mom. We didn't even have Skype back then! But then one day the women from our new Sunday School class announced they wanted to throw me a baby shower. I had just assumed I wouldn't have one. I couldn't believe that women I barely knew wanted to do this for me. Christ in action.  I wept.  So we had this wonderful co-ed baby shower at The Bridges Farm complete with a huge cake and magic tricks and received enough baby clothes to last a year and blessings to last a lifetime.

Now I am an indoor girl, but every time I am on this farm what little country I have in me comes out.  It has become one of my favorite places and the family that resides there has treated us as family. We have been included in parties, lovely weddings, and swim play dates on this farm. My kids love to feed the goats, look at the horses and cows, pet the baby chicks in the fall, ride in the hay-filled tractor,  pick out our family's pumpkins every year, and run wild.  Fall wouldn't be complete without a trip to The Pumpkin Patch.

Tomorrow they will be included on a regional Farm Tour of 15 exceptional farms and then their regular Fall Farm Tours begin.  In Small Spectacles will have some pieces in their "Out of Your Gourd" Gift Shop along with handmade candles, crafts, and other fun, but tasteful, gifts.  One of the daughters is a talented artist and photographer and will be on-site to capture your family on film and paint your little ones' faces. 

Y'all stop by if you can;  I guarantee you it's worth the trip!

Sara

Technology Update

*UPDATE TO MY UPDATE*
I am pleased to report Toshiba is going to fix my computer as I still have the original receipt and it's so close to the warranty expiration.  I am pleasantly surprised at such a display of customer service!   But my iPod fritzed out.  Gasket blown.

When last I wrote my camera broke and I had to buy another, which I was not satisfied with;  the pictures just weren't coming out as sharp as I'd like.  I am happy to report a third Nikon has been traded in for ....drum roll please..... another Nikon!  Isn't the definition of insanity "doing the same thing over and over and expecting the same result?"  Fitting as my life motto is "Crazy gets it done."  Actually, Nikon's images and their sharpness really are great if you get the camera that best fits your needs and you are patient. 

I do believe this new camera will work, so now onto other technological issues:  my 1 year old my computer has broken....two days after the warranty expired.  Then my husband's broke....then my printer.  All this in one week and while I was using them.  It's painful, isn't it? 

I got to thinking in my car today that if I was Caroline Ingalls I would probably be happier because I wouldn't be inconvenienced by all the poorly-constructed technology that breaks.  Instead my mind would be focused on washing my family's laundry by hand, living in a house smaller than my garage, suffering Midwest heat without air conditioning, hauling myself to a well for water, using an outhouse, and enduring dental procedures without Novocain and childbirth without epidurals.  And as I turned up my car air conditioning, I determined that for all my complaining I have it pretty darn good and have been blessed immeasurably. 

But if my iPod breaks I swear I'll blow a gasket.

Sara

Rubberband Girl....Not So Much

"See those trees bend in the wind
I feel they've got a lot more sense than me
You see I try to resist
A rubberband bouncing back to life
A rubberband bend the beat
If I could learn to give like a rubberband
I'd be back on my feet"
 ~Kate Bush

Ugh.  My camera broke.  My beloved Nikon Coolpix S550 point-and-shoot that took the best jewelry pictures and captured the important moments in my favorite little people's lives.  I could zoom that thing onto my boys and know I would still get a great picture, even in mid-movement.  I knew exactly what to set the exposure to on sunny days and rainy days and when I took pictures in the back of the house in the morning where the sun doesn't shine or in the front of the house in the morning when the day is overcast.  I knew the colors would be authentic to the original subject.  That baby was predictable.  I loved that camera the way my husband loves his iphone, sleeps with it on his nightstand and secretly spoons it. 

Now it's broken beyond repair, so I had to buy another.  I don't do well with change unless it's initiated by me, so I am always hesitant when I'm forced to go with an unexpected alternative.  I ended up with another Nikon Coolpix, a S3100 this time, and the jury's still out. 

Here's some samples of the pictures from the new camera.  Also note that the bracelets feature vintage metal tassels, metal rhinestones, and solid brass beads.  LOVE THESE.  Tassels are super huge this Fall and they are EVERYWHERE:  purses, shoes, clothes, and now bracelets.  They are so comfortable and the tassels add interesting movement but are small enough (1 1/2") that they don't get in the way.

Deep Honey

Rosé

Hurricane

Warm Milk

The Crystal Spring

And here are a pair of new earrings just listed:



Let me know what you think!

Sara

Ball and Chain

School for my family officially starts tomorrow marking another Summer of fun under our belts. I was still able to make some jewelry in between swim lessons, playdates, family reunions, and slip 'n slide adventures.  Let's see what I was up to:

 Crystal glass with black ribbons and onyx chips

For you chocolate lovers out there:  tigers eye

 Red jade and coral chips

Crystal czech glass

Turquoise-dyed howlite

Have you noticed hematite is everywhere? 

One of my favorites:  labradorite

Carved bone, pyrite, and mother of pearl

Grass green jade

Purple czech glass 

And this is just the bracelets!  Each of the them includes solid brass vintage beads and hand-aged rhinestones. I always sell out of these when I show them.  I love these bracelets because the lockets weigh the bracelets down so that the pretty beading stays on the top of your wrist.  How many times have you worn a beautiful bracelet only to have it twist around so that only the clasp shows?  Problem solved.

They're listed in the Etsy Shop now, so head over and pick up your favorite before they're gone!

Sara

I'm Currently In Love....

....with the new Fossil Fall catalog I just received in the mail.  My word would you look at this beauty.  I love the detailing, the color of the leather, and the hardware, especially the key. 

Who can resist a menswear-inspired shoe?  I've been wearing shoes like this for years, so it's nice to know they are in style.  They give an ensemble a pretty edge and they're easy on your wallet.  Plus they are uber-comfortable to wear.

Ssshhhh....can I tell you a secret?  I saw loads of flat menswear lace up boots in several colors at All Saints a few weeks ago.  Target makes a flat menswear lace up boot that looks exactly like those only way less expensive;  the gray ones looked virtually the same.  I bought them a couple years ago and they still carry them here.  They have them in several colors and I promise that you'd never know they weren't real leather.  I usually buy boots a 1/2 size larger to factor in space for socks in cooler months, but these run large, so stay true to your barefoot size.   

This weekender bag is reason enough to go on a mini trip:

I like a little edge, but I also like a little romance and I can't resist lace or yellow, so this might have to come home with me:

I love the entire look of this:

But you don't care with I  like.  Go over to Fossil's lookbook and pick out your own favorites!

Happy Wishlisting!

Sara

What's In a Name?

I often get asked how I come up with the names for each of my jewelry pieces.  Some of them come from the actual elements in the pieces, e.g. my "Entrance Cuff Bracelet" which is made from a solid brass escutcheon that can be found on doors, hence the word "entrance."  My "Sanctus Josephus" necklace is named after the religious medal of the same name that serves as the focal in this piece. "Phoenix Rising Necklace" is named after the phoenix brass stamping embellishing the carved onyx cross.  The "Wade in the Water" necklace features a swimming medal so it seemed logical to give it that name, which also happens to be a song title. 

Most of my pieces are named after music that I listen to often that evokes feelings or calls to mind special memories.  I listen to a lot of This Mortal Coil, Portishead, and Kate Bush and therefore a lot of the pieces are named from these artists' song titles or portions of their lyrics.  I always think of my twin sister who lives far away when I hear Cocteau Twins, so that's a group that has references in several In Small Spectacles pieces.  I play them at least once a week even though my heart hurts a bit that I don't get to see my sister more than once a year. 

Today I named a necklace after my cousin Abigail, who has always answered to Abby.  She is one of the sweetest people you'll ever come across if you are so lucky.  I don't believe she has a mean bone in her body and she's always very effusive with encouragement and giving of her emotions.  Abby is also a rare "the glass is half full" breed, which is hard to come across these days.  She also lives far away from me, but I'm thankful that technology has allowed us to keep in touch despite the many miles separating us.

The Abby Vintage Locket Necklace is a very sweet and sentimental piece, made from old solid brass beads, hand-aged rhinestones, and a solid brass vintage locket that I embellished with one of my grandmother's montees and hand-aged rhinestone chain.  I think you'll agree this necklace is the perfect embodiment of sweetness and goodness and worthy of carrying it's namesake:

  

Here's to you, Cousin Abby.  I am thankful for your sweetness and gentle spirit and the encouragement you so readily give!  Love you!

Sara