Enflamed

No, not me, but my new silk crepe de chine scarf. I got some sunshine today and was able to get a few silks photographed.

One of the ones photographed is Enflamed. She is a coppery coral, and I think she's "flaming fantastic"! Of course, I'm biased because I painted her and I love copper colors. You can see more pictures of her in my Etsy shop.

This is silk crepe de chine, a very popular silk for scarves. Crepe de chine has a luxurious texture and a very soft and graceful drape. It doesn't have a super smooth texture like charmeuse or habotai, but a slightly "sanded" or "sandwashed" texture. If you've never tried a crepe de chine scarf (or crepe de chine anything), you don't know what you're missing!

What's a girl to do . . .

. . . until the weather clears up? With all the rain, I've not been able to get my new silks photographed. I just want to SCREAM!!! Tomorrow, I guess I'll just have to figure out an alternative way to get them photographed. Oh well, it's not something I can control.

And that's probably what frustrates me the most. Not being in control.

This turtle's face says it all . . .

FREE Shipping!

Happy Memorial Day weekend everybody! I hope everyone gets a chance to kick up their heels and relax this weekend. Me, I'm going to be working on some custom orders (I gotta get caught up!). However, I do plan to have some down time . . . hopefully :)

In my Etsy shop (and my sister's Etsy shop) we are having a FREE shipping weekend. It started today and will end on Monday at midnight. Plus, each shop has a special item that has an extra special deal attached to it. What's the deal? If you purchase the item, you'll receive a $10 gift certificate to the shop. This gift certificate can be used on anything listed in the store. You can use it yourself, or you can gift it to a friend. Or, you can use it right away! It's your call!

Now, I will not make you go and search for these items (since nobody seems to like a scavenger hunt). The items are:

Red and Blue silk charmeuse scarf - http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25370463

Red, white and blue flat spiral bracelet - http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13510801

Enjoy your weekend!

Out With The Old, In With The New

Memorial Day is just around the corner. Even though summer is officially still a month away (approximately), I view the Memorial Day weekend as a kick-off for summer. And it got me to thinking - "I need to get more sarongs painted!" - and my next thought was - "I need to move out some of my cold/cool weather items!" So, if you check out my Etsy shop, you'll see a sale section that has two of my silk/wool blend scarves. They are deeply discounted for quick sale. Mention this blog and get free shipping too!

Also, I'm painting more silk sarongs (two just came off the steamer) that should be listed by this weekend. Sarongs are most than just a beach cover up. They are a multi-purpose silk item. Yes, they are great as a swimsuit cover up either at the beach or around the pool. But, they are great tied and wrapped as a skirt, a dress or a top. Silk sarongs make a very elegant wall hanging/wall art or window covering. When I worked at Club Med (back in the day), I basically lived in my sarongs. When I was not wearing them, I used them to cover the window in our tiny, tiny room (at least it was by the beach!). I used them for wall art (because our walls were so bare) and I even used them at the beach as a beach towel (although this is not recommended for the silk ones). So, see . . . multi-purpose!

When I find some free time (big laugh), I'll try to put together a post on the many ways to tie/wrap a sarong. Of course, there are a plethora of internet sites with this information, so maybe that would be a wasted effort on my part :)

Growing Up Fast

This post was supposed to happen yesterday, but you know how life intervenes sometimes. This post was also going to be by my sister, Denise. After all, it is about her baby being all grown up and the lovely necklace she made for her. But, again life intervened.

Denise, being a beadweaving whiz, created a simple chain and crystal necklace for Hannah (for her prom). She wanted the necklace to complement Hannah and the dress, not compete with it. Starting with a twisted link chain, she incorporated Swarovski bicone crystals in Montana and Silver Shade to create a graceful drop of crystals loosely mirroring the neckline of the dress. I've included several pictures of the necklace and Hannah.

Now, an ode to Hannah. She is, and always will be, the baby of the family. But at 17, she is definitely growing up fast. Hannah is a lively, happy, outgoing, loyal and caring young woman. She is a competitive cheerleader (obviously, the best on the team). She is an outstanding actress (Oscar worthy), although she has no interest in acting. She will tell you what's on her mind. She is a natural blonde bundle of joy that will soon take on the world. She's come a long way from that mischievous little tyke with an aversion to clothes and a hard head. Yes, she does have her faults (don't we all), but I prefer to concentrate on the positive. :)

FindIt Friday!

My sister and I put our brains together and decided to hosting a 'scavenger' hunt in our shops as a way of promotion. We decided to call it "FindIt Friday" because we think it's a catchy phrase, plus who doesn't love a little alliteration. Both of us have selected 5 items in our shop - that's 5 in her shop and 5 in my shop - that have a hidden phrase within the item's description. That hidden phrase is -- drum roll please -- "ʎɐpıɹɟ ʇıpuıɟ".

If you find the phrase AND you love the item AND you purchase the item, you'll get that item for 50% off! This scavenger hunt (promotion) starts today at 7 am (about 30 minutes ago) and ends at 7 pm tonight (that's Eastern Time).

So, how do you get you item for half off? Just add the item to your shopping cart and check out. Then, select 'other' for payment and place the phrase "FindIt Friday" in the note to seller (see no extra emails or convos to send). We'll then send you a PayPal invoice that reflects your 50% discount.

So, what are you waiting for . . . start hunting!

http://www.expressionsinsilk.etsy.com http://www.TheBeadedEdge.etsy.com

Strawberries, Muscadine & Bluebirds

I'm noshing on some strawberries as I write today. Chocolate was my first choice, but I decided on the healthier snack - fresh strawberries. I like my strawberries one way - straight from the field. Not smothered in sugar, or baked in pies, or in dumplings, or snuggled up to pound cake. Just plain strawberries with their natural sweetness. But this little batch (from the local fruit market) is extremely tart. I may have to search some chocolate out, after all.

Today I listed Muscadine. She's . . . unique. Her colors are a deep magenta and deep sapphire that appears almost purplish in some areas. I had a bit of an adventure while photographing her (and some others) this morning.

As I've mentioned before, I photograph my silks outside. I set up Daisy (she's my "model") in a prime location to take advantage of the extremely overcast morning sky. It just happened to be right by a bluebird house. (We have three bluebird houses around throughout the yard, and each have about 2 or 3 families raised each spring and early summer.)

I enjoy having them around. They're fun to watch and they eat bugs. I think they just tolerate us because the houses are such prime real estate :D They don't appreciate anyone hanging out around their homes, but sometimes it's necessary. They always show their displeasure by dive bombing me. I snapped a couple of shots as they went in and out of their home. They are so darn cute!

Well, it's back to Etsy. I need to list one more scarf. It's actually a relist. She is a silk and wool blend scarf that is a great mix of blues. Plus, she's on sale!