These are some new fire polish beads, exclusive to us that we just added to the site. Aren't they beautiful!
It is a stunning day here in the Northwest with sun, thick, fluffy clouds and warmish, at least for fall, temperatures. I will be spending most of the day indoors at the shop but I am certain I will find excuses to be outside! Maybe I need to sweep or play in the planter boxes or....

I am energized with the fall weather! I want to leap from project to project! From painting to beading to knitting to silver work to.... Ah, it is great to be alive!
Enjoy today, Lois

My favorite and bestest friend sent this picture to me today and I swear; I can not help but smile and feel happy when I look at it! Hope you do too! xo, Lois

Snow in the mountains! Yesterday the Olympics were bare and today they have a firmly established crown of white snow! So pretty! I also saw a great V wedge of Canadian geese flying across the sky on my way home. Between the geese and the mountain snow; it feels as if all is right with the world tonight.

I am posting a picture of a necklace of new beads strung with one of my toggles cast in white bronze. It looks like sterling and is just a fraction of the cost. I like this direction my metals are taking! I love SNOW! Lois

Fall is definitely in the air around here today. It is in the drenching rain, the occasional mist and the howling 40 mile per hour winds. It is the northwest version of fall. We had a few pretty leaves on some of the maples and alders around here but now in this wind, like Mary Poppins, they are gone. I will miss all the brilliant reds, yellows and oranges; their time here way too brief. The other thing that tells me it is the fall of 2008 are the spiders. Spiders everywhere! On the house, in the house, lurking at the edge of the doorway to the studio and warehouse, everywhere! I can not step into the shower or walk into the garage and not see one of those many legged demons! I realize the universe has a purpose for them but I do not like them! I DO NOT! We can have huge spiders. Some of them are so big they look like moving multi legged toupees! Yick! When winter finally comes in ( yes, with even more rain and wind but colder temperatures ) they will disappear from sight, hidden in their dark underworld to spider their way into the garden in the spring. Good riddance I say!

Now, after all this rambling and ranting; I have finished a new painting, as yet, untitled. It is of trees and rivers at the edge of civilization. I think I like the colors and of course, the spiral flowers in the lower portion of the painting.

Off to dreamland, I think. I really should not eat chocolate so close to bedtime; it keeps me way too perky and chatty! xo, Lois

Just a quick pop into the blog to say hello. It is getting late and although I had a great productive day in the studio; I am feeling a bit moody tonight. Maybe I ate too many potato chips or maybe it was that I sort of but not totally burned my dish of scalloped potatos - all homemade. Phil said even though they were burned they were his favorite ever and Jacob took one look at them and said no way! I will close out this day with a photo of Andrea and me goofing around in a photo booth while stranded on the other side of the Hood Canal bridge. Aren't we lovely?! xo, Lois

Instead ...

I have other things to post but a friend mailed me this email on a big anti Sarah Palin rally in Anchorage and this was one of the protester's signs and today, after the debates it seems appropriate! Sorry for once again bringing in my political views but I just can not help it! Everything seems so grim right now in the US, economically speaking that this election becomes so important and I am absolutely terrified if McCain wins! Never in our history, has a current president so led to the ruin of this country!

Anyhow,everyone knows my love of crows so this sign is up my alley in more ways than one!

Here's the BIG picture! I am a bit disgusted tonight to find out that Mars candies are made in China as are most Nabisco crackers and cookies! Yuck! I try really hard to avoid purchasing items from China and then it is in my kitchen cupboard! Sheesh ...