Bead Soup Blog Party - What I Received

It is time for me to share the bead goodies I received from my bead soup partner, Elizabeth Freeman.

First of all, take a look at the way my beads arrived. What a fantastic surprise. It was so much fun to open my package and find this.

Now on to the beads. A crafted polymer focal bead for starters. I see a beautiful landscape within this focal bead. I just love it. A few handmade polymer spacer beads along with some beautiful wooden beads.......

Desert Whimsies by Elizabeth

Elizabeth's blog, Turquoise Sky

Lori Anderson is the gracious host of this event. You can check out Lori's Blog and find out more about the Bead Soup Blog Party here.
The reveal day for all the Bead Soup participants is Saturday, February 26th. Stay tuned to see what fantastic creations everyone has designed.

Updated to include 2011 Bead Soup links:
Sneak Peak
What I Rec'd
The Big Reveal 
What I Sent

Bead Soup Blog Party - What I Sent

Here is a shot of the goodies I sent to my Bead Soup partner, Elizabeth Freeman of Desert Whimsies. I packaged and mailed my beads to Elizabeth a couple of weeks ago. She has had some time to consider what she wants to create.
There are only two rules:
Elizabeth must use the focal and she must use the clasp. The big reveal will take place on Saturday, February 26th. I will keep you updated as we go along. You can learn more about Bead Soup, hosted by Lori Anderson here.

My next blog post will be showing off the bead goodies I received from Elizabeth.
You can find Elizabeth and her polymer clay creations on Etsy and follow along on her blog, Turquoise Sky.

Thanks for visiting with me.

Updated to include 2011 Bead Soup links:
Sneak Peak
What I Rec'd
The Big Reveal 
What I Sent

Oatmeal Bread Pudding

This is such a delicious dish and makes a nutritious breakfast too. I have been making this dish for years but I haven't had it in a while. Sunday morning I woke up with a hankering for it. I made it for breakfast and it was gone by Sunday night. My teenage son asked me to make it again so he could have some for breakfast in the mornings before school. It is so easy for the kids to grab a piece on their way out the door if they have to.

2 3/4 cups old fashioned oats OR 2 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar

3/4 cups raisins or craisins

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt (optional) I use a dash of salt

3 1/3 cups milk

4 egg whites, slightly beaten

1 tbsp. oil

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, mix wet ingredients in separate bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix it up.

Pour into 8" square glass baking dish, sprayed with non stick spray.

Bake in a 350 oven for 55-60 minutes or until center is firm to touch.

Hide it if you intend to save it for breakfast. :D

Ema

One World One Heart 2011

One World One Heart 2011 is here...
Let me thank Lisa at the Whimsical Bohemian for organizing this event. It is no small task she has taken on for the past five years. Lisa sums up this event quite nicely:

"One World One Heart is a worldwide event for bloggers only. It gives all those who blog a chance to meet and mingle and form connections with those they may not have otherwise met from all over the world. In the past 4 years this event has grown to over 1,000 participants with lasting friendships (and even one love connection) formed along the way.  Think of it as a GIGANTIC open house allowing you to travel without ever leaving your home........going from blog to blog(in various countries) seeing the wonder each one has created and meeting all the fabulous people behind those blogs. As a bonus each blogger participant will offer up a "door prize or prizes"....just for dropping by, saying hello and seeing their world.  It's really that easy."

The event begins on January 30th. You can find all the blog links HERE. 

How You can Join in on the fun...

1. You must have an active blog to participate. 

 2. You must be 18 years of age or older.

 3.  Leave a comment on my OWOH blog, that is this blog posting. Be sure to leave your blog and/or email address so I can contact you on Feb. 17th if you are the winner of my giveaways. I will number all the entries and use a random number generator to choose a winner. That random number generator could be one of my kids picking a number from a hat. I will notify you and you must respond back with your snail mail address.

4. I will mail your prizes out within 3 days of the event end. 

It is that simple and that fun. 

Now for my giveaways.....

I am giving away this gorgeous handmade lampwork (glass) tree pendant. I created this focal bead using a torch, glass rods, enamels and sterling silver. The pendant will arrive at your door ready to wear, strung on this 18" leather look (rubber) cording.


I would like to give away another item too. I will be adding that a bit later.


My name is Ema. I live with my husband, three sons and my sidekick dog in the North Eastern part of the US. For the past 20 years (geesh) I have been a stay at home Mom, supporting my husband as a bookkeeper for his business and managing the household. To stay sane in the rural country I would often have craft projects going.  As my children have grown older the artist within  is finding its way out into the world and I am having so much fun. My business focus is on lampwork beads and jewelry but I do love to create and I am willing to try almost anything; polymer clay, wool felting, quilting, knitting, painting...there is too much fun to be had, the possibilities are endless. 


Thanks for visiting with me.

Enjoying the Moment

I recently realized that I have been barreling through my life the past year. I all too often feel that I am rushing to get to the next thing on my list...get the kid to school, get the groceries done, get home to start making products to sell, get the kid home from school, get home to figure out what dinner will be. I am tired of living this way. I feel like I am rushing, rushing rushing through everything. Today I set the intention to slow it down. Not just today but from now on, everyday.

Today I took my time at the grocery store, actually looking at and considering new foods. I brought in wood for the fire and took the time to "clean" up the wood pile and clean up all the little wood droppings I left on the family room floor while I placed the wood in the wood box.These are just little things but it felt really good to just slow my mind down.

I take the dog for a walk everyday. I don't always take the time to look around, today I looked. Here is a small sampling of what caught my eye.

Look at the fun and beauty that can found if we stop for a moment to appreciate what is right in front us. The most amazing part of this was that I got more done today than I thought I would fit into one day.  Today was a gift and I plan to carry this intention with me everyday.

Be My Valentine

'I love HMET! Will you be my Valentine? ' by JennasRedRhino

The Handmadeology Team (HMET) is a great group! They are working hard to create successful Etsy sellers, and also publish a very useful blog. All items listed here were made by HMET participants.

Customer Appreciation Primit... Rabbithollowpr... $19.76	plum heart ... 4 inches JDWolfePottery $10.00
Hand Embroidered Linen Heart... juneatnoon $18.00	Kissing in a Tree Valentines... thunderpeep $4.00
Valentine Heart Pendant Neck... Jewelrybynala $19.00	Tropical Rapids - Dichroic G... mysassyglass $30.00
Heart Design lampwork focal ... emakaye $20.00	Heart Wine Cork Wall Decor a... LizzieJoeDesig... $24.99
Fine Art Print: Candy Love ... TatterBeans $7.50	Extra 25% off 15 Colorful fu... JustJaynes $22.50
With Love - Dichroic Glass P... mysassyglass $17.00	Lampwork Glass Heart Hair St... ZaftigDelights $29.00
Collage Mixed Media West Mem... RetroChalet $18.00	Original Art Card 'A Lo... oddballartco $25.00
Love Birds in Nest w Eggs Li... almostmonday $25.00	Little White Rabbit Valentin... VerukaDollsLan... $10.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com.http://www.etsy.com/shop/JennasRedRhino

Some of the Events I am Planning for 2011

Last year I participated in my first ever art charm exchange. It was so much fun. You can view my last post in this series showcasing all the gorgeous creations I received.

I decided to sign up for another art charm exchange with some of my lampworking friends. I will be blogging about this as we go along.

I am also participating in the Bead Soup Blog Party hosted by Lori Anderson.

I am really looking forward to a push into a new, untapped direction for myself. This bead soup party is all about designing a piece of jewelry with what your assigned partner sends you. So you just never know what you will receive. My partner is Elizabeth Freeman. You can meet Elizabeth and find here beautiful polymer beads on her blog, Turquoise Sky.

I am also participating in the One World One Heart world wide blogging event. You can stop by and check out my giveaways, but not until January 30th. I am also participating on behalf of the Fire Divas so you will have two chances to win something from me. I will post more info about this event after January 30th.

Have some fun surfing the web and finding out about all the wonderful people that participate.

Thanks for visiting.

Ema