If you stalk me for sparkles.....

There is more on the way. I just got in some specially requested Blue Goldstone (man made glass, but very pretty). There's big ones, little ones, faceted ones, round ones, rondelle ones, yup. Coming soon to LiciaBeads Vault in small affordable quantities.

Also in the stash: smokey quartz rondelles, the gold colored goldstone, black onyx faceted marquise briolettes, some CZ and glass briolettes, and some way cool aqua blue chalcedony faceted rounds. So yeah, thanks for following me. I am thinking about a summertime giveaway too. Whaddaya think? Good idea?

It was so pretty, like summer!

A couple days ago we decided to go down to watch the water at Mukilteo. There were the ferries, the lighthouse, lots of people and happy tail waggin doggies. Even the solar trash cans enjoyed the sun. See, proof of sun below.
Update on the fishie pond planter. They totally ate all the mosquito larvae. We have little pig fish. We put a plant in there for them too and they like to mingle with it.

Clean slate and compost, the blank garden

OOooh, look at the potential! My parents came over and everyone helped to make this dirt. It was a pile of weeds, viney stuff and a big stump, but now it is a bed of sunflowers, sweet peas, zucchini, pumpkins... Wait, you cannot see that? Just wait, I'll get there and Ill get you a photo too.
In the background James was putting things in the bog garden. That planter is filled with rainwater and 20 fishes. We cannot see the fishes anymore, they are good hiders. Sometimes there is a flash of golden fishy though.

In addition to the blank slate of a garden plot, we have a new set of compost bins! The compost was already there, but now we have them a little more contained/disguized. It will be even better when the honeysuckle grows on the little trellis. I also plan on growing some "good bug blend" to encourage... well, good bugs like honeybees and things. We had a low bee year last year so the plants were poorly polinated. I really prefer the insects to do the polinating since they are better at it. Hopefully this year it will be better.

So yeah, that is where we toss our food waste and biodegradeables. We don't toss paperwaste there anymore though because the crows spread it around. Somehow they are impressed with paper towels.

Happy weekend all!

Here fishy fishy

We have pets! Are fish pets? Or maybe in the process of getting fish, we will acquire pet raccoons. Those are always fun to watch amble around the garden. So here they are, our poor unnamed fish. Don't feel bad for them, they have quite the spacious new house with gourmet organic meals served live. Now they just need to learn to hunt, and hide. Not to worry, fish classes are being held for this purpose.
There are currently 20 students and they have a much bigger place to swim and plenty of buggie things to munch on. Although really, I don't see them munch, they just kinda suck things up in their round little mouth holes. Fish eat funny.We put them in their new tank and they swim around being investigatory (see my personal dictionary) and learning about their hiding spots. I don't know if a raccoon, duck or anything else will bother with them, but I hope they know what the hidey holes are about and go there to save themselves if need be.

They seem happy. Yup, they smile. :)

I'm being harassed...

See, now that I have a certain family member addicted to Etsy and trained on my blog, I have to keep this thing up or I get a phone call asking me where all the new stock is, or where all the blog posting has gone to.

So here is what I have been up to:
You will notice, sister.. that there are new gemstone listings up with the blends. See, I did something :) I also put up lots of pressed glass and the little purple flowers that we got at that place with the stuff. Just type in glass in my shop and you will see them.

I know you are waiting for those things that you made me buy and said "If these don't sell, I will buy them from you!" They are coming, don't get your panties in a bunch.

As for the blends, I really like this one called the Rondelle Sonata in A. It sells well to cause see, I listed it because I would buy it from me if I were not selling it. That wouldn't work, cause if I were not selling it I couldn't buy it from me, but you get what I mean. TIP: The things that sell best, are the things that you would buy from yerself... so peeps! sell those things!

Here's a photo of the Rondelle Sonata in A cause Joyce said so. Yup, it's cool, and I need more Topaz rondelles. The strand I had was sooo perdy, I dunno if I can get one that nice. Maybe I will call the place that sold it to me at the gemshow...


Anyway, yesterday I prepped the garden because I bought some seeds. I got some seeds from NotSoShabbyChic cause she sells Portulaca (iceplant) which I love because the flowers open in the sunshine, and you can watch it happen :) Yay for plants that do that! I also got some sunflowers and Marigold cause well, she had them and I like them.

We also have to go get goldfish for the bog pond. We have a planter that is filled with water, rather than soil, so that James can plant bog plants and have a water garden. The catch is that we have to put some kind of fish in it to eat the mosquito larvae. It works too! We have a water basin in the courtyard and the fish just eat from the little biome within the basin. I don't have to do a thing. How is that for a great "pet"! Feeder fish, just regular goldfish that are used as "bait" for other water animals work great AND we are saving lives! Okay, yes, they are just fish.

So that is what I have been up to. I tried to make the text a pretty color so you wouldn't get bored cause I dont' have a pretty picture of anything that applies to the "article". (I added one) Here is a picture of something else for you. :) I'll see how long it takes for me to get a note :) HA!

Why ever leave the house...

We have had the organic delivery and the local CSA (Community supported Agriculture) pick up before. There are plenty of them now in and around most major cities. Well, we signed up again. This time with Spud. I like Spud because they offer a ton more variety, on the fly adjustments (cause I don't want an eggplant) and many other grocery store items like milk and cheese and stuff. Plus, they are totally online! For those who don't know, I am online a lot as well...
So in addition to the fantastic fruit and veggie box, we got some dairy and meats. Well, with the dairy box comes a little dry ice. James likes dry ice cause he can turn his orange juice into a witches brew. It was very exciting at our house when the delivery came. Even the cats enjoyed all the new smells and potential "stuff for us" contained in the bins.
So yeah, here is another way to make eating organic that much easier. Don't worry, I will wash the veggies. Nothing gets past Maggie.

New bead stock soon...

So you may not be into all the fancy rocklike beads. Maybe you like glass beads and other sparkly things. I have some that I will be listing soon.

Cubes in colored crystal and fiber optics, as well as round miracle beads, pressed glass leaves and flowers and an assortment of Chinese cut crystal rondelles. I will still be listing the gemstones too, so don't worry, I am not even close to out of those. Spring is here, and we are going pastel. I hope you approve, cause I am winging it :)