The show was a sccess!

Boot Scoot'n boogie was great! The weather was beautiful and the night went off without a hitch. The tablecloths looked smashing and lots of people stopped by to see what I was making. It was a lot of fun.
There were some things in the fashion show that were the total BOMB! Some of the dresses were absolutely AMAZING and the jewelry was wonderful!
I have decided that I really need to come up with my own designs more. I really want my jewelry to stand out in a crowd and I know what I have to do to get there. I have some ideas and I worked on a couple of pieces this weekend that I am pretty pleased with, but I still need to capture what my mind sees. I will get it right, one of these days. I made a pretty cool pendant yesterday though, I will post pictures soon. It still needs some finishing touches.
I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend and you got to do something fun! I got to hang out with my sister on Saturday and that is always fun for me. We went to breakfast and sat and drank coffee and talked for a couple of hours. The boys were totally ready to go, but that is the way it always is when we go to eat with Aunt Sheila. They are pretty used to it by now.
I will be posting some pictures soon!
Have a nice day,
Janet

Ready or Not..

Boot Scoot'n Boogie is right around the corner. I have been very busy creating more wire stuff, but my big project for yesterday was tablecloths. I have picked out three fabrics that I thought would be very accommodating for the theme. I chose a tan for the very first layer. It will drop to floor length and I will wrap the ends around the front of the table and secure them at the sides. The next layer will be a cowboy boot print. It is a black base with all kinds of cowboy boots printed on the black. It is a very random pattern with lots of browns and golds intermingled with coral colors and tans. This layer will be draped over the tan and reach half way down to the floor. I will secure the sides of this particular design at the sides as well, creating a "box" around the base of the table. The third layer will be a golden color fabric. This piece will be the size of the top of the table and it will cover the cowboy boot print. I may make some tablecloth weights with cowboy boot charms...if I have time. The wind is always a pertinent possibility in Cody. The locals dub it "Little Chicago"!
I really felt that I needed to have something that followed the theme of Boot Scoot'n Boogie in Cody, Wyoming. It is a western town with a lot of western flair. I think things are shaping up nicely for the show.
Here are pictures of my fabric choices...

These are the three fabrics. Don't they compliment each other nicely? I believe that they will look grand together atop the tables to display my work.
Here is the tan fabric...

Here is the cowboy boot fabric...

And this is the gold fabric...

I have picked new fabric for my tables at other shows as well. Since I am trying to "brand" my Etsy store and all of my marketing tools, I thought that it was time for a facelift for my table coverings too. I went with a maroon, a flower pattern, and a green for the top. I think that they will look lovely! I will show you these table coverings when I get them finished. For now, I am trying hard to concentrate on the Boot Scoot'n Boogie. I wish I could do way more than one thing at a time. I guess that I am not the only one that wishes for this though.
I hope that you can join me here...
https://rendezvousroyale.org/boot_scootin.htm
It should be a really good time! I am anxious to show off some of my new things and hopefully garner a few more customers. Rendezvous Royale has always proven a time for much activity and excitement in Cody. I can't wait to be a part of it and I hope you can join me!

Time Will Tell

As I sit and ponder what life means to me, I can't help but wonder where I will be in five years from now. Will I be working full time at a job that really brings me no satisfaction? Working for someone else and letting my life lead me instead of the other way around? Will I be able to accomplish goals that I have set for myself that seem realistic, but somehow still loom as unattainable? Will I be happy~I mean REALLY happy in the life that I am living and creating for myself? Oh, how I hope that I can say "no" to the first two nagging questions, and "yes" to the last two pulse pounding, gut wrenching, burning questions.
I know what I want for myself. I know that I want to be creating fine jewelry and selling it and making a living at just that. I want to be able to be there for my boys when they need me. I want to be able to have time in my life to do the fun things that are so important to me and my family. I want to take hold of my life and change it. I want to have peace and tranquility in the work that I do and the life that I live. I want to do this...

and be able to make a living at it.
Am I the only person in the world who feels unsettled? Am I the only person in the world that yearns for something else? I am the only person in the world that feels that there is more for me~I just have to reach out and grasp it and not let fear get in my way?
FEAR~now there is a big word! it consumes me at times. Every time I think about taking hold of my life and changing it. Every time I think about making jewelry and having that be my only job. Every time I think about making big changes in my life. There is one thing about me though...Fear has never stood in my way when I really wanted something bad enough that I would do anything for it.
I guess I am also afraid of failing. Failing as a self-employed, work at home, jewelry artist with kids to take care of. FEAR OF FAILING!!! That is my biggest fear! It grabs a hold of my throat and holds me down until I can't breathe. It chokes the life out of me and makes me re-evaluate every decision I have ever made...every decision that I want to make for my future. And then I rise up and my mind starts to clear and I am right back at it again~wanting more...dreaming about more...wishing for more...and determined to not let FEAR stand in my way. I think I must push forward because that is what every ounce of my being is telling me to do! Fear has taken a back seat once again...but I am not sure how long it will last this time. I guess time will tell.

New Ring Pictures...

I have been very busy today taking new pictures of my rings. I had finished taking pictures of all of my rings in the last couple of weeks only to find that over half of the pictures were blurry. It was a HUGE disappointment because I have a lot of rings! I am getting a new banner and avatar for my Etsy store, so as I am preparing for that, I have decided to add some Victorian look to my pictures. Here is what I have come up with...

What do you think? I love the flowers in the background. I think that a backdrop gives the pictures life, And I love the Victorian look. I can't wait to get started on drafting up my listings for Etsy. I hope that you all check out my shop. It is going to be nice! Rings are done, now for the rest of the pictures. I am going to be very busy trying to get things done. I have decided to get all of the pictures done and do all of my draft listings and then post all of my stuff at once. I want my Etsy store to be amazing, so I don't want to piece it together. I want it to be fabulous from day one.
Thank you Graphic Confections for the amazing work you are doing for me. I can't wait to see the rest!!
Would you like to see what this amazing woman does? Check it out here:
http://www.etsy.com/people/graphicconfections
Now, I need to get busy drafting for Etsy. Talk to you all again soon!!