LiciaPots. LiciaBeads. LiciaKnits.

My Favorite Things - Homemade Caramels and Marshmallows

2011-12-06T11:30:00.000-08:00

Extraordinary Vanilla Marshmallows by Have It Sweet

Have you ever had homemade marshmallows? Chances are, you haven't. I hadn't before I purchased some from Have It Sweet on Etsy. Because I love lemon, I purchased the lemon swirl flavor but she has so many others.

In addition to the fluffy sweet goodness of marshmallows, there is also caramel. Oh caramel!
You have not had caramel the same way you have not had marshmallows!

These would make a great gift (for me) and are available shipped monthly to your (or my) door if you choose to participate in an of the month club. These would be great for Valentines day too, be sure to take a peek for some sweets for your sweet ones.

Drunken Salted Pecan Turtle Caramel Bars by Have It Sweet

Everything is handmade to order with exceptional quality ingredients in a licensed commercial kitchen. They came beautifully packaged too, like the lovely gifts that they are.

If there are other people living in your home and you don't plan to share these, do have a good hiding spot. If you don't have a hiding spot, get a few selections.

We chose the Fleur de Sel along with my marshmallows and it was gone much too quickly. Next time I want to get the Drunken Salted Pecan Turtle Caramel Bars and the French Pistachio Nougat.

My Favorite Things - handmade cotton napkins

2011-12-01T15:44:00.001-08:00

Oprah has her favorite things, so why can't I? Granted, you have to purchase these yourself, but the majority of them will be from small business hand makers so you can feel great about where your money is going.

I'll be adding new lovely favorite things as I see fit. These are all things I have personally used, so it's a bit of a product review too.

Unpaper Towels, eco friendly napkins from LoveForEarth

These eco-friendly napkins made of 100% cotton and perfect for everyday use. They are a great replacement of standard throw away napkins and help save space in the cabinets too. Not only are these great for adults but they can teach little ones the value of reusing materials rather than the waste created with a disposable society. Just toss them in the wash (yes you can bleach them if needed) and the kids can help with folding when they are clean.

Get them on Etsy from favorite seller LoveForEarth. While there, take the opportunity to check out the other great handmade and reusable products offered. There are sandwich baggies, produce bags too, which I also have that are great for farmers markets!

LiciaBeads Vault November sale and $50 giveaway!

2011-11-15T20:10:00.001-08:00

Happy Holidays to all my sparkling friends and family!

The Holiday sale is going on now in my Gemstone bead store and plenty of lovely friends have entered to win the giveaway. See, they get the newsletter and it comes with all the bonus features. You should really subscribe for your fair warning and unfair advantages.

Subscribe: http://eepurl.com/b2xL

I send it out about 6 times a year and always when major events happen like giveaways, sales, amazing finds and bargains. If you change your mind at any point, simply unsubscribe.

I'll be continually listing new items throughout the sale so add me to your circle to see the updates!

Now the fun stuff you have been waiting for... FREE BEADS! $50 worth to be exact!

Enter to win a $50 Gift Certificate from LiciaBeads Vault!

Please take care with the details so I can keep track of your entries. And really, if you go for it the number of times you can enter really adds up and gives you a great advantage. After about 10 of these style giveaways, I can tell you, most people don't enter more than a couple times so take advantage! :)

*5 entries per treasury:

Include one item from LiciaBeads Vault in a new treasury with tag LBV (for tracking purposes)

*3 entries per favorite:

Favorite a treasury with a LiciaBeads Vault item and leave a comment (add #LBV to your comment for tracking).

*5 entries:

"Like" LiciaBeads Vault on Facebook and write on my wall, already like me? (*blush, thanks!) just leave a note on my wall and I'll add 5 entries!

*1 entry per day:

promote an item from my shop on Twitter using the hashtag #LBVgemstonesale

*10 entries:

Blog about my store between now and Thanksgiving (Nov 24) and link to my shop (send me a note with your blog article and I'll promote your blog/article here too!)

THE FINE PRINT: Winner will be drawn the first week of December. The winner has the option of using the certificate on a previous purchase if made during the month of November 2011. Certificate must be used via Etsy purchase (you must have an account to purchase, it's easy and free to sign up). Not valid for cash and may not be combined with coupon codes (but is valid for posted sale prices).

___________________________________________________________

Questions, comments, suggestions, one liners, word of the day and hilarious cat photos, etc. can be noted below :)

Shows!

2011-10-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it was like for most people to get started doing craft shows.... but it's exciting and scary all rolled into one for me! I don't typically feel shy (and sometimes I don't shut up, case and point: this blog) around people most of the time and when I know what I am doing, nerves are not an issue either.

However... I'm not sure I know what I am doing. The money part is not an issue, I can count well having been trained as a teller and vault cashier (Is money dirty, heck yeah, and it stinks) and I know how to manage plastic.

Side note: For those who want to take CC's in person, do check out https://squareup.com/ I'm hoping for awesome things and lots of credit card sales!

The hardest part is the transit of the booth setup (er... just tables so far, no tent yet) that allows me to transport everything I need in a single load. It also must fit easily and quickly into a VW New Beetle... So I am crafting a display setup and have decided on a subdued color pallet of creamy white and soft celadon greens (♥ celadon). So far I have compiled an assortment of unique and decorative bordered picture frames, mostly from Value Village because frames are pricey (and I don't want to paint nice ones)! I plan to paint them a soft flat white and center them with batted (that's cushiony underneath) fabric over sturdy cardboard and cork. Then hopefully (if all that works) I can pin up some select pieces of jewelry.

All the frames will be arranged on a vertical base (I'm thinking fireplace screen) so that everything is at about eye level. Having different levels and vertical surfaces allows more display space... although there is such a thing as too much for the eye to handle... I know there is some psychology behind it too.

I've also collected a selection of fabrics (also Value Village) that range from shower curtains to sheets to pillow cases to drape over the table and hide all the unmentionables.

So far, that is where I am. I also need to think about getting a smallish box that is open on the back side so I can stash my latte, calculator and other work necessities. It will be a riser from the front and a useful space from the back.

Time to find some paint!

I know, I know! Long time no free stuff!

2011-10-01T16:03:00.000-07:00

Dearest peeps, it's been a very very long time.

Might I encourage you back for a little with some free beads?
Maybe you prefer free jewelry?
A little of both?

Drop a comment and let me know!

Pantone Spring color trends for 2011

2011-02-23T00:46:00.000-08:00

Each year fashion designers converge in New York City to partake in New York Fashion Week and each year the top colors are forecast for the following season. Following are their chosen colors and just a few selections from the over 400 jewelry options at the LiciaBeads online store.

A tip to fellow sellers, if the color applies to your item, don't miss out on using it in the description or tagging! I've been contacted by a writer from Niche and American Style Magazines to have Honeysuckle included in an article. I'll keep you posted how it turns out!

Visit Pantone here. Visit my Etsy store here.

The Centipede Story - adventures in Maui by James

2011-02-01T11:17:00.000-08:00

The Centipede Story
One of our adventures in Maui was when I almost killed several people I was driving across the barren roads of south Maui.

One of our excursions was our day trip to Hana on the East side of Maui. Hana is completely different from the more touristy sides of the island. It’s lush and green and less populated than the drier sides. It’s a good few hours drive from where we were staying. Licia and I had been there before but this time decided to take the loop road around the south side of the island.

Now the roads on the south side of the island are not recommended. In previous years, the roads have been known to wash out in places after a heavy rain. They have gotten better in recent years, so we decided to see what we missed the first time around.

We spent most of the day driving the switchbacks to Hana. We stopped at many sites along the way including waterfalls, wave crashed lava rock beaches, black sand and pebble beaches, the airport so I could take a powered hang glider flight, and every fruit stand along the way to find the mythical perfect banana bread we remembered from our first trip. This took up most of the day. By the time we officially hit the south side road it was getting dark.

What are the south side roads like? Narrow for one. Unpaved, gravelly, or probably more accurate to say badly paved. There was a section where the road appeared cantilevered over a cliff. There was no allegiance paid to the word “straight” but plenty to the word “narrow”. It was all switchbacks and roller coasters with potholes as large as the bald right front tire our rental van came with; just to remind us this wasn’t an amusement park. When we crested a hill the headlights would shine into the sky illuminating nothing about the road below we were about to plunge into. This did not sway Shelley’s enthusiasm as we would accelerate blindly over a crest into a steep curve she would say “Wheee”!

The outside temperature was just right and we had the windows open until we saw a bat fly around our minivan so close that we closed the windows so it wouldn’t fly in. We had short-range walky-talkies that we could warn the trailing van about obstacles ahead. For instance warnings like “Look out for the rabid bat!” or later “Watch out for the cow in the road!” We brought 2 minivans, the Maui Intruder and the Maui Invader inspired by some of the worst (or best!) RV names we have seen in the past.

Finally, the road started straightening out into what would be considered no longer third world quality. So I rolled down the window and put my arm on the doorframe in a more relaxed posture. Immediately I felt a fluttering sensation on my arm and a biting sting. As I used my other arm to shoo away whatever had sunken its teeth into my arm I was so focused on the biting that I swerved the van to the left toward the edge of the road. Luckily Licia, in the front passenger seat had the presence of mind that I had momentarily lost and grabbed the wheel to straighten out the van before we went crashing off the side of the road. Not one of my prouder moments.

I stopped the van at the “side” of the road and got out to see what had bitten me and if it was under the seat as I felt something flitter across my leg during the whole biting-swerve thing. I looked at my arm and there were two bleeding bite marks, to my mind like the fangs of a bat, on my arm and it stung badly, like a hornet’s sting. This had me worried because we couldn’t locate what bit me. We were thinking it was a bat because of the earlier incident but why did it sting so bad? I started looking through the guidebook to see if there were poisonous snakes on Maui, but luckily not. This was a little comforting but now I thought, “oh great, probably a bat and I’ll have to get rabies shots”. The guide book also said one of the worst creatures on the island was the centipede as the bite was so bad that the only recourse was to “stay drunk for three days” as the locals would have it because there is no antidote, even though it is harmless aside from the intense pain. However, we didn’t think it was a centipede because how could it get in the van and be on the doorframe. It didn’t seem in it’s personality.

Licia took over driving and we headed, in the dark over unfamiliar roads, to the nearest hospital, which was up country several miles. My arm started swelling up a bit prompting Licia to rush a bit, when we came across the part of the road dedicated to the night cattle. Right there on the road were mostly cows and sometimes their calves, apparently foraging for roadside goods, sometimes laying down resting right in the road. We even passed some horses trotting along the road in the pitch black, so close you could reach out the window and pet them. It was a very memorable sight appreciated despite our tense mission.

We reached the hospital and to add to my dread was the thought of how much this would cost to visit the emergency room. I have insurance but it’s a high deductible for my individual ‘catastrophic’ plan. I would probably have to pay every cent for this visit.

I walked in to the quiet hospitable, the guard directed me to the e-room where a nurse and a doctor were sitting by their computers chatting. I showed the nurse my bite marks and without missing a beat she said “Oh that’s a centipede bite… and it looks like a big one too!” I asked if she was sure and related the bat story and she took a closer look and said nope it was a “classic” centipede bite, I could ice it and take ibuprofen for the pain and the itching that would happen in a few days but there wasn’t much else to be done. I was relieved because I was more worried about rabies, or it being a poison snake someone imported and got loose or something, plus they didn’t want to charge me anything for their diagnosis. Did I mention I love the island attitude?

We still had to drive the van back home to the other side of the island and since we narrowed down the culprit to a centipede, we knew it was likely still inside the van, hiding in some dark corner. So, under the headlights of the other van we completely unloaded the Centipede van and its contents. Licia’s parents, John and Marie, and for some reason my brother John decided they wanted to ride in the bad van back to the condos. Needless to say I had enough centipede bites for the evening and didn’t want any part of that van.

On the way back, I kept an eye on the centipede van in the rearview mirror. About 10 miles from home, I see the van suddenly swerve onto the shoulder of the Piilani highway! We tried to contact them from the walkie-talkies but they had gone dead. There was no cell phone reception. Technology failed us. We pulled over to the shoulder too, but by that time were about a quarter mile down the road. We could see the interior lights were on and some movement in the van but were left to wait and wonder what happened. Surely it was that dratted centipede causing havoc once again!

It turns out this is what happened in the other van. Johnny was driving and Marie looked over and saw numbers on the dash disappearing. She realized that it was the centipede walking across the dashboard. She told Johnny to pull over but he insisted on continuing to drive. Then she saw it walk across the top of the dash, and said ‘Johnny it’s walking across the top of the dash’, but he insisted on continuing to drive. This was a very persistent centipede because next Marie said “Johnny it’s walking across the steering wheel!” This time he switched driving to one hand the other side of the steering wheel while leaning over to Marie side of the van. This time he pulled over.

The centipede is apparently a night dweller and goes into hiding when the lights come on but my brother John saw it skittering across the driver’s seat whereupon he took off his shoe and attempted several smacks to kill it dead as it zipped around the van. We later found no evidence of a dead body but John did get a look at a 6-inch long, ½ inch diameter mischief making insect zipping around the van before disappearing once again. They decided to leave the interior lights on and continue driving back the final stretch home.

The next day, I called the rental company and demanded a new centipede-free van. The guy at the office was very understanding and he related a story about when he moved into a ground floor apartment and was woken up three times during his first night there by a centipede walking across him in the night. We got a new van, delivered free of charge.

We had other fun adventures during our stay in Maui and over the year but they would probably be anti-climatic. And take up more pages.

Or, you could use morse code...

2011-02-01T10:59:00.000-08:00

Since the other bazillion modes of communication are much too easy and fast.

I'm just messing with ya!

The Vault Sale and $50 Giveaway

2010-11-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

The giveaway has ended and winner will be announced shortly! Thanks to everyone for your participation!

Enter to win some beads! During the giveaway I am also having a 20% off storewide sale, so that $50 is worth so much more. The winner will be able to use their credit toward a purchase made during the contest. If you found this drawing thru my newsletter, great!

This sale and giveaway helps me clear out space for the new gemshow beads that will show up near the end of the month. Let me know if you have any special requests!

Subscribe to the newsletter and click the giveaway button therein, subscribe>(one entry)

Comment below WITH a link to one of your favorite listings (one entry, make sure I can contact you, don't leave an anonymous comment)

Tweet about the giveaway use #LBVaultGiveaway and link to my blog> http://liciapots.blogspot.com/ (up to one entry daily)

Tweet about the sale use #LBVGem Sale and a link to (or within) my store> http://www.etsy.com/shop/LiciaBeadsVault (up to one entry daily)

Follow me on Facebook AND click the share button on a status update (one entry)

Write about/link the contest in your blog leave the link in a comment below (one entry)

Write about/link the sale in your blog leave the link in a comment below (one entry)

Follow the entry rules closely, they allow me to track your entries. Each entry will be assigned a number which will be chosen using random.org to determine the winner. Contest runs from now to December 3rd. The winner will be notified using one of their entry methods and receive a $50 credit to LiciaBeads Vault which can be used for purchases from Nov 2nd 2010 onward.
_________________________________________________
Employees and direct relatives of LiciaBeads are not eligible to enter. Entries are for LiciaBeads Vault only and do not apply to jewelry. Winner must (have) select(ed) their items from those in stock and "checkout" using an Etsy account. Invalid entries, anonymous or untraceable comments, or obvious spam will be deleted from the comments.

Wedding necklace in progress

2010-09-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

It's not easy to do the crazy wire wrapping and avoid destroying my nails in the process. Here is what I have so far. Each piece is formed using a jig and then finish formed by hand, then hammered and wrapped onto it's section of leaves. Then they area all linked together (so hard to get everyone to hang just so!)

After they are linked I am adding itty bitty off white freshwater pearls between the sections. It hangs about halfway down the back.

I still am not sure if I want the long back to have a gemstone dangle at the end... opinions? Maybe the pearls should "fizzle out" in a chain... maybe both pearls and a gemstone. In any case, I feel like it needs to come more to a point at the back.

Here is the front, still needs the pearls though. I'm wrapping throughout the day.

And I still need to decide a design for earrings and a bracelet! Oooh, should I do an anklet? I could do a simple one for everyday too since noone will see it at the wedding...

Comments, suggestions, opinions!! :)

Concrete counterops and bead gutters

2010-08-01T13:45:00.000-07:00

It's in progress! So we took the forms off the left counter top and have plenty of finish work to do (because I know there is someone going "eew, is that done?) since it's not done yet. The forms are still on the right hand one while it continues to set. We did things a little differently with the second one and will see how that worked out.

And because my little round beads like to roll all over the place, I incorporated a bead gutter into the sides of my counter. Everything needs to still be sanded smooth, so all the rough edges and ridges and such will be much more finished looking. No worries!

Another shot of my little gutter :)

Messy mud pie in my table

2010-07-29T18:09:00.000-07:00

So, this was fun and exciting :) We just did this a little while ago and are waiting for the concrete to cure a little bit and the water to evaporate. Then we are going to smooth it out and stick stuff in it that we got in downtown Edmonds at a place that sells rocks and other cool earthy things.
(See the whole thing from current to beginning, click here.)

Pool table

2010-07-28T18:45:00.000-07:00

(See the whole thing from current to beginning, click here.)

More progress in the ongoing office renovation. Forms have been built around the base tables to be filled with a cement sand mix. They are even textured so that the final product will have a nice pattern on the side of the countertops. The counter top as you see it below has also been covered in a foam material to keep them from being too heavy.

So the top level counters are just about ready to accept concrete (tinted dark). The mesh form below will be set into the table above as it is filled with the cement mix. It will be filled in a bit at a time and the top will be smooth finished. After they are completed, we will do the desk height counters.

Cool huh? It's like we know what we are doing... okay, so this is the first time we have done such a thing on the interior. It's exciting anyway!

Creating my own wedding jewelry

2010-07-20T15:41:00.001-07:00

Sneak peak peeps!

So now that I know what the dress is going to look like I can finally start working on my necklace. My favorite part is that it has a low back, so I am going to take advantage of that part. I always feel like the back of a necklace should be just as fantastic as the front.
Here are my preliminary drawings that I started with. I'm working on bending wire and will get some photos of that part soon too. I have to decide on what stones I will use as well... I'm not sure yet but I may just use little tiny cream pearls.

Open to ideas too, leave them in a comment ;)

Preliminary built ins

2010-07-20T15:19:00.000-07:00

My new side of the room! Well, it doesn't look like much now, but you have to be patient. Each side of the room has a standing height counter top and a desk height counter top. The forms you see here will be topped with a concrete surface. I have to decide if I want to embed anything into them.

The big table will be a creative surface for other projects (likely card making and things of that sort) and the giant crazy heavy drafting table will be on the "man side" of the room. The secret of this room is that the counter with the yellow level will hold the kitty potty room, enclosed (except for a little kitty door) around the exhaust fan for when Rockaboy drops bombs. Didn't want to know that part? Oops!

It's coming along :)

What the office is, and what it will become

2010-07-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

So for the last 4 years I have been working from this desk. It's a nice desk, certainly nothing to be upset about, but it just isn't cutting the mustard anymore. I've grown out of it. It would be a great desk for doing general writing but isn't suitable for computers and such.

I didn't clean up first... cause lets be honest, this is how it usually looks. Little pieces of furniture and bins have been added as I "grew" but I don't know that I can add any more.

Behind me is the Shipping Office. This is where I play with the bubble wrap and paper cutter and all the little envelopes and ribbon. See the little wooden table (which is actually a stool on top of a tall plastic storage bin), that's my work surface. It's for one thing at a time only, which is okay since that is how I do things... but it's a little lacking.

So that is my current little space... and following is the new office in construction. We combined two bedrooms to make what will be the new office. Doing this makes it nice and light too, which really helps!

The side below will be my side (I get a whole side peeps!). The plan is to make a big counter top, suited at varying heights for specific work spaces. There will also be a big table in there as a center "island" for teaching, classes and crafty parties. (Crafty parties peeps!!!)

This will be the "boy" side of the room below. Eventually there will be outside access to the covered patio (see the construction of the pergola patio we built) . It's gonna be so much nicer!
This is the far side of the room. Nothing special.. yet.
So that's where we are so far. We are thinking about flooring options too. I am thinking large 4' square A side of ACX plywood as the floor surface with countersunk bolts in the corners, epoxy covered. Medium honey stained and sealed. James want's to do dark gray concrete countertops, which I think would look great with the floors for a cool industrial feel. I have requested a little bead gutter set into the countertops so they don't roll off the counter.

He textured the walls to match the two rooms with the rest of the house where they didn't already. I'm thinking about colors... soft sage green (Prasiolite :), or maybe a dusky gray blue, but I am leaning toward a soft yellow/orange clay color. I'll have to think about it and consult with the other parties.

Stash up shots

2010-06-25T23:24:00.000-07:00

I got some beads. The following are among the loverlies that I brought home to sort, and pair and take pretty pictures of for your purchasing and creating pleasure. The stash doesn't fit in the lightbox very well so these are not the best photos, but trust me, they sparkle!
Lots of requests for mystic quartz in all shapes and sizes, bring just that. Cubes, onions, hearts, pears, coins, cushions, and squares (and barrels and step faceted twists and rondelles).

Chalcedony, a favorite among many for their colors. I try and try to find the deep saturated ones but it's not easy. I got some hot pinks though!
Rutilated quartz, Tourmalinated quartz, peridot (in small and itty bitty), garnets, labradorite and topaz.

That's just a taste. I have lots of work ahead of me to sort the stash and get organized enough to sell. If you see something you "must have now", let me know and I will start the strand. I'll be doing more full strands for sale as well if you see something you need/want.

A loverly weekend to you all!

Congratulations to the winner!

2010-06-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

The winner of the $50 credit to my gemstone and jewelry supply store is Kathy with the Etsy store KatDesignsNYC and Moonstruckmagic Bath & Body

CONGRATULATIONS KATHY!

Thanks to everyone for participating and guiding me toward a more sparkling shop. Welcome to all the new followers on Facebook, Twitter and the Newsletter! This was fun, keep your ears on for the next event (November).

Did you miss the fun? Don't miss the fun!
SUBSCRIBE to the Vault Newsletter
FOLLOW the tweets
FACEBOOK for even more exciting news

Enter to win a $50 gift certificate to my jewelry supply store!

2010-06-15T19:20:00.000-07:00

This Drawing has ended, thanks to all the participants! Stay tuned!

This giveaway is going on at the same time
as my 20% off sale at LiciaBeads Vault on E tsy.

The winner will receive a $50 credit to my Gemstone and Jewelry supply shop. Each entry will correspond to a number and the number will be selected using Random.org

The drawing ends on June 24th (midnight Eastern), just before the gem show so the winner can also take advantage of the new stock and sale.

There are many ways to put your hat in the ring and get an entry!

Leave a comment below with a link to your favorite listing from my Vault shop
Subscribe to the Vault Newsletter which will give you an entry link (and a little something else ;)
Twitter - follow me on twitter and tell me you want to enter using @liciabeads #enterme for the $50 gem and jewelry supply giveaway
Twitter - (up to one entry per day) tweet about the sale using @liciabeads #GemVault20% http://www.etsy.com/shop/liciabeadsvault
Twitter - (up to one entry per day) tweet about the giveaway using @liciabeads #GemGiveaway$50 http://tinyurl.com/25e4wyq
Facebook - "Like" me on Facebook and leave me a note on my wall that you want to enter
Blog - Blog about the sale or giveaway and leave your blog link in a comment below
Refer a friend for two entries! Have your friend/s post a comment below with your name and you get 2 entries! They get an entry for their comment as well.

So there are lots of ways to enter and lots of ways to keep entering (up to two times daily using the twitter methods). BE SURE that there is a way for me to contact you if you leave your comment to this blog posting. Facebook, Twitter and newsletter subscriptions all allow contact links of some sort but anonymous comments will not work for obvious reasons, so be sure there is a way to contact you (leave your Etsy shop name, or twitter address if you don't want to expose an e-mail).

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Feel free to let me know if you have any questions or special requests at Vault (at) LiciaBeads (dot) com

Have a delightful Summer!

$50 Giveaway, Summer Sale, and gem show restock!

2010-06-14T21:47:00.000-07:00

For those who are interested in all things beady, there are some wonderful things about to happen in my Jewelry and Gemstone Supply shop on Etsy. All the great details will be available in my Vault Newsletter!

I encourage you to subscribe for the best benefits, and you could win $50 worth of free beads!

Click here to subscribe!

Thanks!

Sterling Wire wrapping project (#3)

2010-06-12T19:15:00.001-07:00

The main portion of the necklace is coming along. I have decided to include some Spessartite Garnets that I have been hoarding. They are a delicious sparkling bright orange. I'm still not quite sure what to put with them...

I put the beads on a separate wire than the wrapping one because I want them all to face with the faceting forward rather than wrap them directly in with the work. If you have wrapped before, or looked around at work, this will probably make more sense to you. There are so many ways to do things that sometimes it gets complicated. :)

This is where I am so far... and I can feel myself getting stuck. It's natural that along the way the inspiration slows because I don't want to "try something" and mess it up. There is a little more wrapping to be done to get it stable to the point that it can handle being worn and the additional stones that will go onto it. I have to figure out what kind of chain to make too. I want it to look rather substantial and have enough visual weight to balance out the central pendant.

Have a lovey weekend all, I'll get back to it!

Breaking down walls - office construction

2010-06-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

This is the big hole in the ceiling (one of them) that a smart kitty could get into if she tried. So, the door is to remain closed while the non kitty portions of the house are accessible.

There he is with the saw that makes lots of noise. Our wall is almost gone! Yay! It's much brighter in there too, which should be great for photos :)

Sterling Wire wrapping project (#2)

2010-06-11T15:08:00.000-07:00

The progress is coming along with the wire wrapping. One of the things I notice with my work is that the wire wrapped portion tends to look more like a pendant. I'm working on trying to incorporate it into the necklace so that everything fits together onto the necklace itself.

I've done some additional sketches that include a full scale "traced" original. You can see my progress on the actual work in the photo also. I tend to change things and work it out as I go along, for me it's a fluid process.

I've chosen a preliminary selection of Peridot, Phrenite, and Spessartite Garnet for the gemstones, but might change that up too. :)

Sterling Wire wrapping project

2010-06-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

My favorite pieces of jewelry always tend to be the wire wrapped bits. I like the intricate details that can be created with very fine wire. I recently did a few little spirals for earrings but the ones that draw the most attention tend to be the unique shapes and intricate weaves with gemstones.

This one to the right is among my most viewed. It sports :) a collection of colorful faceted gemstones and is hand wrapped in sterling silver wire on a sterling base.

I wanted to do another free form shape so the first step is getting out the sketch pad (handmade by nightowlcraftworks) and drawing some shapes. I'm a fan of filigree and wrought iron and like to get some intricate patterning involved in the wrapping so I basically have to draw it out first. Sterling is expensive, and I attempt not to waste it on mistakes.

The initial drawing looks like this. With some modifications, I decided to go with the one on the left. I sometimes make changes while I am in progress depending on fluidity of shapes, how the wire fits together, and inspiration.

After some forming, and hammering for structure, I put the pieces side by side to make sure they will fit the way I want.

Then I think about adding components like chain and gemstones. It all comes together slowly as each component is added. I find it important to make sure things fit the way I want. Sometimes that means testing it out with copper wire too since I may not want to mess with the actual piece or potentially waste precious wire.

So this is where I am. Stay tuned for the choosing of gemstones, and components.

Take a look at these studs

2010-05-28T19:04:00.001-07:00

Awesome! It's clean and ready for more destruction. The kitties have their little spot back... with some small differences. I'm sure they are confused and delighted now that they can walk thru walls.

Wheres the mess? Out the window, that was easy!

Caught with your walls down

2010-05-28T15:51:00.000-07:00

Of course it's a mess! I cannot wait till it is finished :)

Sometimes fake wood paneling is the better option...

2010-05-28T15:27:00.000-07:00

It depends on the circumstances which is best. In this case, the paneling is better.

Thankfully, it doesn't matter either way, because the entire wall is coming down.

Soon two rooms will be one and there will be an actual space for both of us to work in relative "clarity" :)

Elevator!

2010-05-27T17:27:00.000-07:00

Maybe this is my own personal story, maybe not. Did you ever play elevator as kids? This usually happens in a hallway with several closely spaced doors.

What happens is, everyone gets into the "elevator" and closes all the doors. Then when the elevator gets to the right stop, someone gets out on one of the floors (out one of the doors). Anyway, it was quite a bit of fun when we were kids. Expecially since the old fashioned hanging chime doorbells were in the elevator and we liked to make noise with them as we reached each floor.

So now we almost have an elevator with three closely spaced doors. Okay, not really since the other two doors have been removed, but you know what I mean.

Oh, by the way, the new door is in :)

Who needs privacy

2010-05-26T18:22:00.001-07:00

Later that same day:
Two doors are removed, one is being prepped for installation. The cats gave up interest as it started getting a tad loud.

If they want to get to their potty shack they will have to pass the land of demolition.

Initially we were hoping for lots of secret cash compartments behind the door frames..... but there were none.

Destruction of a hallway

2010-05-26T14:58:00.000-07:00

We are not scared of taking things apart for the greater good. That greater good is a real office rather than our two businesses crammed into a little bedroom.

In order to operate to my full potential, I need lots of space designated for the various daily steps that my work requires. It would be great to have a spot for : photography, packing and shipping, internet, design and "construction" of work and not have to clean up each thing as I need to start the next.

And his business requires this HUGE fancy drawing table that fills up most of our little bedroom office. The cats cannot even enjoy the desk as it is off limits to those with fur.

Meanwhile, I hear the preliminary small destruction sounds like tapping for studs (awesome gay band name), and pencils on the wall and tape measures.. I'm sure they will soon become the bigger sounds that I am used to, things that require electricity.

Rocky (our silly cat, aka. dumb boy ) is staying out of the way but keeping an eye on things. Maggie is on the bed happy to be rid of Rocky to enjoy her beauty sleep.

A real office! I'm so excited :)

Landscape before and afters, client installation update

2010-03-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

We build gardens. Call us and get your dream garden to stay outside in.

Garden installation by Ginkgo Landscape Design, serving Seattle northward to Edmonds and select Eastside locations.

As we go along in a landscape it comes along slowly but eventually prompts a lot of reaction from the homeowners as well as neighbors who are familiar with the before and after as they pass it regularly. I always like to make a comment regarding the progress... today's was: "Remember when this was a driveway?" Cause... before we got our hands on it, it was. See what we did to the driveway here.

We do all this the hard way, by hand with shovels, wheelbarrows and a little muscle and lots of construction and overall garden knowledge. It takes a while from start to finish (and there is more to come on the front yard) because it's just the two of us from initial design consultation all the way thru ongoing care and maintenance of a completed design.

Following are a few before and afters. (Befores were taken in Summer, afters in early Spring, leaves soon.)
______________________________________________________
^Before: The clients had that typical crammed in feeling at the back door and no place to set groceries, store trash cans or just enjoy their welcome home...

After: The new deck gives them a large landing to the back door and creates a huge back living space. It's placed to get morning sun, and have portions of sun and shade throughout the rest of the day. Added bonuses include the seat height railings and trellis above wired for pendant lighting. There is also deck lighting at shin height that comes on at dusk, off at dawn or adjustable to the clients wishes.
______________________________________________________
^Before: That bushy looking thing obscuring the garage is a very old pear tree. It takes a while to get a fruit tree back to the point where it produces well, but this one well on it's way and even produced quite a few pears last season.

After: It's such a bonus to be able to get around from garage to house to garden barefoot if you want to. The new paver hardscape in this garden offers exactly that as well as a great entertaining space or just lounging in your outside.

______________________________________________________
^Before: It's a little hard to see, but the fence that is crowding the house in the above photo was entirely removed and pushed back about 15 feet to reclaim the useable space from an unused circular asphault driveway. I'm all for reclaiming space for plants.

After: The new fence incorporates a trellis for the homeowners climbers as well as a defined entry, and a space for the recycle and trash cans to hide them from view. They are on the far left in their own little cubby next to the garage, invisible from all sides but overhead. Having easily accessible yet hidden space for the trashcans is often overlooked, it shouldn't be.
______________________________________________________
^Before: Grass... mow weekly, accept weeds or spend your precious time weeding.

After: No grass, no need to mow. How about planting veggies and herbs in the raised hand stucco'd planters instead. Ultimately there will be a door into the garage to contain an indoor potting area. Since this is a large garden with lots of deciduous trees we built several compost bins. You can see one at the back fence-line with a red wheelbarrow leaning on it.
______________________________________________________
Following are some more afters:
A view of the raised planters, elegantly curved to reflect both circular patios. Note: this is not easy, but very worth it! Everything is prepped with irrigation because it's just not possible to water this entire garden daily by hand. It's electronic and takes care of everything for you, it has a rain sensor and will not waste your water if it has rained recently. This garden has several zones since the veggie planters need different care than the landscape plants.

This is the new view that never existed before. From the back window of the house one can overlook the entire back garden. Look closely and you can see the little deck lights on either side of the entrance.

That's it for a little while in this garden, but it finally looks like the drawings. Stay tuned for the following phases though because it's not over yet!

20% off and free shipping for gemstone supplies!

2010-03-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

The Spring Sale has also sprung at LiciaBeads Vault.

It's a good one too:
Get 20% off when you purchase 3 or more listings and shipping is free no matter how much you buy!

Go shopping for beads !

I am on my way to a gem show tomorrow and the sale will include the new finds as well so get in on those sparkly beads while they are fresh! I also just restocked on a bunch of pearls, perfect for those June bridal designs and brightly dyed for those offbeat brides who like things a little less traditional.

Don't tell me you didn't already know the Spring Sale was happening! If you want the best deals and advanced notice of the sales, you really should subscribe to my newsletter!

Spring has sprung!

2010-03-26T10:03:00.000-07:00

We are back at it, purchasing the plants for clients as required by the design drawings. This inevitably means we end up coming home with extra for ourselves. We have been doing better about that though.
It's still a little early to get that colorful nursery photo, but a few of the plants are getting ready to burst forth with their spring color.

We are actually very close to done with the next phase of the garden we are installing so photos will be forthcoming.

I've been featured!

2010-02-03T17:20:00.000-08:00

I'm the unofficial Etsy featured Seller :)

Special thanks to alliteration on Etsy!
She's an awesomely supportive Etsy seller with 5 (5!) shops linked in the profile.

Check out the feature on her blog!

Also... It's almost spring!

We're engaged :)

2010-01-17T16:10:00.000-08:00

And he had the ring custom handmade too.

Winter coloring

2010-01-13T16:09:00.001-08:00

Part of my blog focuses on including readers as we install gardens for our clients. We are Ginkgo Landscape Design, a Pacific Northwest based landscape design and installation company that strives to create more natural, manageable, and sustainable spaces. The designer himself installs the gardens to meet high standards of quality, see more about us at our website.

It's wintertime at our house and while the cold and very wet weather surrounds us, the task of garden design continues. What starts as a blank sheet of paper evolves into a well thought out plan to enhance outdoor spaces and the lives that they touch. Who doesn't love being surrounded by natures beauty?

The current design drawings are complete and will soon be ready to present. It's a big garden, and I will be there to follow along with the progress of this next installation and give you a glimpse into the details and extreme planning, skills and knowledge involved in crafting a garden from start to finish. Feel free to just follow along for the pretty pictures :)

Other landscape design blog posts with pictures:
2008 Wallingford Garden Tour entry

Same Wallingford Garden years later with mature plants during fall color

Redmond Garden design installation
Completion and final photos of Redmond Garden

2009 Broadview Garden demolition of a driveway
Raised garden planter prep
Raised garden planter structure
Raised garden planter completion and stucco coating
Exterior garden entry trellis and privacy fence with storage prelim construction
Garden fence and trellis completion and demo of old fence
Start of deck construction
Construction of brick garden path to connect spaces
How far have we come, a collection of before and construction shots
Irrigation testing
Completion of Broadview Garden installation

Natural Diversity, very cool.

2010-01-11T11:44:00.000-08:00

We recently had a period of cold weather, the kind that freezes things. As part of this years freezing process we transferred the goldfish from the little water basin in the courtyard into the large water pond (where their long lost family had been residing) behind the house.

When things were frozen over we found that the pond in the back had one of the few sources of fresh running water. The pump is always on to keep the natural processes going in the pond as it supports itself with little to no help from us. The fish sustain themselves with the plants and insects that end up in the pond.

We usually get visitors such as raccoons, cats, crows, and a bunch of other birds including woodpeckers. When the ice formed this year and only a few places for fresh water were left to choose from there were a bunch of more rare birds that came to enjoy a sip.

The diversity here is so much more impressive than when we lived in the city.

This year a Red Tailed hawk visited us, and it was awesome. I got a quick photo thru our dirty windows.

I decorated :)

2009-12-11T20:14:00.000-08:00

Now send presents!
Strategically cropped to hide the rest of the room for ... no reason at all, it's pristine ;)

Baby it's cold outside...

2009-12-09T13:39:00.000-08:00

We are not doing much, so more chilly photos for you. The pond is bringing all kinds of birds since there are not many fresh water sources around in these constant freezing temps. We keep the pump running and a heater coil just warm enough to keep the pond from icing over completely.

Snappin n' Chillin

2009-12-04T23:57:00.001-08:00

Frosty is on the way and he's nippy, but leaves a nice sparkle.

Pearl Sale on now!

2009-12-01T18:19:00.000-08:00

Click on the pretty pearls to shop!

I finally have them all listed for your perusal, all at 20% off. I concentrated on getting a few of some favorite colors in nice grades rather than many in few colors, because I love the colors! This year I should be able to acquire a more regular stock of freshwater pearls assuming they sell as well as I hope they should. Thanks to all for your patience and support!

Found, coin pearls in a nice grade, larger bright color freshwater.... sadly, there were no druzy pearls as requested. I go back in March for more!

Pearl sale!

2009-11-15T10:51:00.000-08:00

Next weekend I plan to purchase a boatload of pearls for your beading pleasure. Big ones, little ones, bright ones, classic ones..... If you want something specific, now is the time to let me know!

I have several requests already in, feel free to let me know what you want me to hunt out. My hunt is by no means limited to pearls.

The PEARL SALE will start as soon as I can get things listed. For those of you who are already subscribed to the Vault newsletter, thanks!

If you are not subscribed to the newsletter and ever buy beads, it's a great idea that is totally worth your while to $ubscribe! So subscribe already : http://eepurl.com/b2xL

Okay Houdini, get outta this!

2009-10-23T22:56:00.000-07:00

So the fence part is done, next up is the gate. This is not your average fence.
There is no under.

LiciaBeads Vault pre holiday sale starts this weekend

2009-10-22T11:33:00.000-07:00

Stay tuned to the shop for the announcement! LiciaBeads V ault : hand selected gem show semi-precious beads and sterling silver Want something? Send me a note to reserve it!

OMG, Dont' Move!

2009-10-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

There is a giant frog above you!
This little guy (and many of his friends) like to frequent our courtyard. They have never attached themselves to our screen to watch So You Think You Can Dance before though.

Fall color in a maturing garden install.

2009-10-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

More in the life of a landscaper. It's been very wet these days as fall is coming on strong in the Northwest.

We are back at a clients garden we installed a few years ago to add a short doggie/baby fence. All of the gardens are carefully thought out to give great color year round and plenty of interest. This garden is one of my favorites. Someday hopefully, I want as much color in my own as yet unfinished garden.

Red door, yes please!

Another great thing about this one is the sweet smell it has. There are some great Daphne bushes in full blossom that smell wonderfully sweet, as well as a Katsura tree that smells like carmelizing sugar as the leaves turn and drop for the season. This garden has year round color that just brightens up the whole area!

I would sit out on the porch with the morning paper (laptop version) and a latte. As a bonus, they have a great local coffee shop just a few blocks away. What a lovely view to enjoy.
And for the full effect, above shows the after, and below is where we started...

Completion of a Landscape Design Installation by Ginkgo Landscape Design

2009-10-08T18:06:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all who have been following the landscape design installation. I'll update the photos of the growth progress next year when we do our spring maintenance. For the time being, here are photos of where we started, and where we ended up.

Above: This photo shows the before of the garden when it was an unused circular driveway (the following photo reveals the after shot from the same location). The garage door was on the outside of the fence line. What could be much more usable space has been reclaimed for the homeowners as a deck, pathway, several trellises and irrigated garden space. In addition they have a circular patio and raised planter and a vegetable trellis behind the garage.

A little perspective before completion:

Afters: below

for more progress photos and other landscape installation photos click here
For the time being, this garden is to be continued as this was the first stage (25% completed) in a full garden renovation. More next year ;)

Irrigation testing

2009-10-07T00:44:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is likely the last day for the landscape we have been installing. (We are landscape designers and installers for a living.) Today was the irrigation test. It works. We flushed out the system which results in several "fountains" about the garden before the hoses are plugged and the water is routed to the drippers (or sprayers in the veg/herb planters).It's fun to watch the water after sooo much dusty dry dirt. Of course tomorrow there will be another pile for us in the staging area. This time the final mulch application and then it's all for the clients to enjoy. And, we get a rest.

The Etsy Jewelry Sampler Team Giveaway!

2009-10-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

I'm here to bring good news and shiny thing links. The Etsy Jewelry Sampler Team has been having monthly giveaways and you should go enter their newest one.

Happy Cloud Moments (my Etsy pal Joyce) is offering a $45 gift certificate to her store to the winner. So, you like Swarovski Crystals, sterling silver, cute little stars and beachy fresh themes and sparkling bridal jewelry right? I love the stars!!!

Here is here shop, I know I could spend $45 dollars there.... for free.

And if you are impatient like me, just buy something cause soon the holidays will be here. I have one of those star necklaces and they are adorable for a great price too!

Grading, and a before and after shot

2009-09-25T20:32:00.000-07:00

It's coming on the fun part. The part when all the structures come together and start looking like a well thought out plan. The ginormous (not really as big as we can get) dirt pile is slowly being placed in specific locations to get the grade just right for plants. Ultimately, the semicircle that you see in the far left center of the following photo will be a large circular patio for entertaining with a pathway up to the herb planters.
Another view with the pear tree on the left. Facing the new entertaining deck from the raised garden planters and circular patio.

This is where we began....

This is where we are as of today. Way better than the asphalt that it was not too long ago. The birds and squirrels adore the chestnut tree, and the pear tree.

Another before....
After below : We didn't remove the tree, no worries. That is an ancient stump that will remain in the garden, surrounded by awesome plants :)

There is still more dirt to move and grading to be done, but next week should become quite colorful. Keep watching!

Welcome home clients...

2009-09-24T19:52:00.000-07:00

As the landscape installs go along plenty of things get unloaded into the "staging area". The most impressive of them is always the soil pile. If only I had RC toy trucks!

Garden walk by Ginkgo

2009-09-24T09:45:00.000-07:00

(We have a landscape design/build, the following are photos from the current client design in progress. It's not at our house... yet :)

And there you have it! Actually, the real garden walk will be a planned serpentine path on the west side of the house that meanders thru the plantings. Consider this a preview. The grade was set and edged and thick paver bricks were placed on top. (Not as easy as it sounds).

There is a graceful curve in the slope that leads the eye, and feet from the garage, to the entry arbor along the fence and down to the deck. Just to the right of the garage door is the can storage for recycle and trash. All designed in with the plan because no one really want's to see those pretty cans. They are accessible from the driveway side, but the "screening" is low enough that the clients can toss things in the bins from the inside of the fence. The edge of the walkway is defined with a paver border and several bricks were painstakingly (it's loud too) cut to fit the pathway. Then we smashed them down (compacted, again with the loud) filled in all the gaps with a special bonding sand, compacted again, filled again, compacted again and filled for a final time. Then we got everything cleaned up before setting the sand with water and proceded to jump over the path to let the glues set.I have one of these paths on order for my house. :)
Next up are prep for irrigation, and a whole lotta dirt... soil, we say. Then PLANTS, the real stars of the show.

And the Winner is:

2009-09-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

Congratulations! She sells jewelry on Etsy (as I suspect many of the entrants do, just a hunch) and has included "a big note of THANK YOU to LiciaBeads Vault! I can't wait to create jewelry with your wonderful beads!"

Thanks to everyone who entered! There are a lot of new newsletter subscribers and that makes me very happy and I will make it worth your while with great things to come! I'm working on thinking up a special event for my subscribers before the holiday season gets into full swing.

Expect more giveaways too!

In the meantime, feel free to continue to let me know what you would like to see and what kind of "events" you would like as gemstone supply buyers. I am working on selling enough to enable me to get plenty of great things at the November show. I will be needing more Pearls, they are at the top of my list. Feel free to let me know what colors you want! We can go mad with pearls :)

Many thanks to everyone for their interest and support! Without it...much less sparkle.
Keep sparkling!

-Licia

292 entries!

2009-09-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

There were 292 entries in the $50 gift certificate drawing. The entries with their time stamps were placed in a basked and I had a family member draw the winner.

The winner is being notified.

Thank you to everyone who participated! I appreciate your input and information and we will do this again! In the mean time, feel free to follow, subscribe (linked at right), or buy stuff.

The entries for the LiciaBeads drawing on the Jewelry Sampler team blog is still going on.

Do not step, walkway in progress

2009-09-19T14:26:00.000-07:00

More progress photos from the current installation for our clients. Even more photos and info at the Ginkgo Landscape Design website here.

Someone has been walking on my sand! It's okay, friends come along as they are interested as well. In fact, it's kind of fun to check out who it may have been. We know there is a local black kitty who likes to check in from time to time. I appreciate the kitty breaks too.

This evidence was left by raccoons. They stepped in several of our other sand piles too. I think it's cute.

So we have gotten the actual path done, but are working on the landing and small area that steps down to the basement. Now, this is unfinished, so keep that in mind. It still needs a final machine compaction and some polymer sand to fill the gaps and set everything in place. In the mean time no one is allowed to walk on it. Okay, we walk on it with flat feet a special way (which kinda looks odd). High heels would make a mess of it though, tapdancing would not be good.In the mean time, here is another bit of the puzzle that has been completed. It's a little vine arbor for the veggie garden. Again, post on pipe set with a notched trellis that matches the rest of the garden. This one has stainless tension wires running thru the posts for whatever climbing goodies want to ramble up. We expect to complete the pathway on Monday (weather permitting). Then it's on to more dirt! Then plants, irrigation and top dressing... :)

A stroll along the garden path

2009-09-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

It's important when building a garden path that it is done well, and built to last. Monday was spent digging (again) and getting the grade and slope of the land just right to apply lotsarock. Layers of rock were compacted over several hours with a machine compacter while adding a little here, taking away a little there, till it was just right.

Just right is not something that is easily acquired with just the rock alone. It basically takes all day to get the levels just right so that when you step onto the path from any transition surface, it is the right height, level, slope etc. Doing this under the worlds messiest tree is not recommended. The grand Chestnut tree is beginning to feel the effects of Autumn. I feel the effects of the tree in the form of large prickly balls of nuts (nutsacks?) occasionally hurtled toward my back at high rates of speed while hunched over the pathway perfecting the details. So once everything is in the proper location according to the plan we lay in the manufacturer recommended edging and got a load of sand. That is what we will be doing today. We are laying thick patio paver bricks over precicely placed and leveled sand (using our secret method).

Anyway, thanks for following along, it's looking great! There will be more photos later :)

WE ARE ALMOST DONE! YAY!

LiciaBeads Vault $50 gemstone and sterling giveaway!

2009-09-03T09:30:00.001-07:00

Drawing is closed.

I will contact the winner and announce them shortly. Best of luck to everyone! Thanks so much for the great feedback!

The How do you enter? Easy peasy, just leave a comment! Aw, but you want more than one entry?
Each of the following gets you an entry:

1 - Leave a comment with your "official entry name" that links to somewhere that I can contact you (*required so I know who you are)

2 - Enter this other giveaway for the Etsy Jewelry Sampler Team for $30 from my LiciaBeads shop

3 - Let me know what you love from my Vault shop by linking it here or hearting it. (It's how I know what to stock for you!)

4 - Get the newsletter (which will become really handy in upcoming months, hint hint, wink, wink) Already get the newsletter, you are entered automatically :)

5 - Tell a friend or two (or more)! Have your friend link you in their entry comment.

____________________________________________

So there you have it. Go enter, tell friends! Follow me! Thank you :)

I'll be over here keeping track of the entries and listing more things in my shop. Let me know if you have questions!

Winner will be notified by e-mail and announced on the blog. The drawing ends Sept 19 at midnight Etsy time (NY, USA). Items will ship USPS first class free of charge to the winner.

Making a space useful

2009-08-29T23:25:00.000-07:00

Photos brought to you by Ginkgo Landscape Design (it's what we do for a living).
Sometimes things are done wrong. Face it, there is a good way to use space, and there are lots of bad ones. Planning and forethought are very important.

Here is the before photo:

and the after (it's not done yet though) from about the same location. Now that's a space you can use!Stay tuned, there is a whole bunch more in the works.

You asked for it!

2009-08-21T20:54:00.000-07:00

Of course, I got more than you asked for just in case.

Big pristine lemon quartz perfectly faceted drops. Totally keeping one for myself.
More Rondelle Sonata in A stones for my most popular 20 of each in a rainbow of flavors.
Special requests for great rutilated quartz and large flasytastic labradorite. Onion shapes too!Wonderful smooth Prasiolite and garnet, micro faceted amethyst onions, and ah, my first London Blue Topaz.
Some larger rondelles and faceted shapes, yum!
AND! That's not even close to being all! Want something you see? Let me know and I get get to it faster for you... cvause you may just want to purchase it while I am having the August Sale!

Do you wear your own jewelry? Yup, here they are...

2009-08-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

I have always asked and been asked in the "people who make stuff for others" world, "Do you wear your own work?" While plenty of people create for others, and tend to respond to their market or don't wear certain styles they create for that market, I do find that most have something that they use themselves.

I create jewelry, from beads, paper, wood, glass, gemstones, fiber, pearls, etc. If it has a hole in it, the likelihood that I am going to string it is 100%. If it doesn't, I can still get it on a string it's just more of a challenge. If it's a little odd, I like it. If it is very expensive and cost restrictive, I need to have it. If I am sure it will take forever to make, I have to try.

Here are my most common items that I made and wear.

Simple largish Lemon Quartz faceted briolettes on sterling silver.

Grossular Garnet (that's the green kind) ovals simply wired into a sterling chain.I had to have this bead in the center.... It's glass made by ScottyBeads who lives about an hour from me. I would totally knock on his door someday for a bead handout :)

Doesn't it look like Jupiter? Anyway, I like it and I actually have another version of the pendant for sale in my shop. It's called 42 moons. The silver looking stuff is all sterling cause that's how I roll. I started weaving about 18 years ago and I really like to do it but it takes a long time which makes it somewhat cost restrictive for buyers. This one is a simple diamond weave pattern in turquoise (glass beads) and soft blue. The weaving has since developed into all manner of silliness if you have seen my shop...I was looking thru my beads one day as I sorted my purchases and came across this aweful bead! It had all kinds of extra holes and I loved it! I know some someone elses who would have been like, hey, I'll take that off your hands. Beads with extra holes - cool.

These are just some sweet little yellow dangley things that I made one day. The chain that I got from a big retailer had been messed up and I had like 2 inches of good chain, then 10 inches of smashed chain before it got nice again. So I made these with some more great glass beads from LindenAvenueDesignsThis one I had been working on and when I got done with the wirework I had originally intended on adding gemstones to it. Well... I had an event to go to so I put it on a quick string of freshwater pearls and that is how it has remained. I like it... and it took a while to get together with all it's seperate pieces so I kinda figured I would not easily sell it for the price I would put it at. So.... I kept it.Hey! If you must have something that you see above, it's totally possible, just ask me!

Entertaining deck gets it's structure

2009-08-15T12:10:00.000-07:00

More progress photos from our landscape design installation. It's what we do, see more at the Ginkgo Landscape Design website!

One of the major elements missing in many gardens is the same that makes it appealing. I don't know about you but when I enter a garden space, I want to feel surrounded by it. Having tall structures (be it plants or built elements) really helps create this effect. Soon it will be wired for lighting to enable the clients to entertain easily in the evenings and get around safely after the sun has gone down.

For the time being the deck platform is being left open to allow for the electricity to be wired easily. Ultimately it will be topped off with Trex, a composite material created from wood and plastic fibers. I actually quite like it since it lasts longer than any wood surface ever could, doesn't splinter, has a nice feel on the feet (I love barefoot gardens!) and is easy to work with. As a bonus it is made with recovered material that used to be tossed into landfills. It's a little heavy and bendy (think 20 foot long 50 lb wet noodle) before it's set where it needs to be, but that helps in the long run anyway. Plus, it saves us from using long lengths of trees when we can.

I cannot wait to get the decking down and see the pool of light created from the deck lights and the pendant lights hanging from the arbor!

We have yet to add the seating surround beneath the arbor as well. It's in the works!

Any special requests from the Gem Show?

2009-08-12T09:49:00.001-07:00

I'm taking special requests for beads, pearls and gemstones. You have 9 days to make your needs/wants known. Feel free to contact me personally, or leave a comment below.

Personal shopper here, want anything? I'm makin a list.

I've been taking forever to complete this.... I am stuck on the chain. I don't want to just stick any ol chain on so I guess I will have to wrap one special to suit it. But it's in the works.

Playing in the wire again, thinking about handing out beads

2009-08-08T10:57:00.001-07:00

Gotta love filigree! It takes a while to actually make it from wire but man is it ever cool! I get a little excited over the beads and wire... So anyway, I always liked the look of that old fashioned lacy filigree that is meant to embellish a central focus. And we know (we do at my house) that is a good element in design to have "strong centers". I'll do a blog post about the elements of design later on. For now I am too overly excited and beady eyed.

It doesn't help that I am going to a gem show in a couple of weeks. Which is why I am having the BIG SALE in my Vault shop to make way for the new things. But my followers already know that and subscribe to the newsletter for the even better deals... right followers?

I was thinking about having another $50 gemstone bead giveaway too... good idea? Are you watching?

I'm also gardening. Well, when I have the time to actually garden at my house I am anyway. I was inspired by the peas. Neither of these projects are complete ( you know you have 10 started too!) but one of these days as the inspiration flows I am sure they will develop.

Have a great weekend!

Beams and Joists, the making of a deck

2009-08-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

Continuing on with the tour of a landscape design installation by Ginkgo Landscape Design (that's us). The first photo shows a midway view. The driveway has been partially removed as well as the existing deck and patio space that was so small having a trash can was crowding the space. (We built in a hidden place for those too). So this is the "before the deck" photo.

It's a nice big deck with plenty of space for a dance party. And it's plenty strong for that too.
A ton of details go into building a deck properly. This deck sets entirely on concreted piers and metal brackets. It is independent from the house. Also requested was a large landing to the back door.I am delighted as well that this deck is going to have fancy lighting! We are installing a seat rail along the outer perimiter and pergolas (similar to the fence) above. There will be downlights for the landing and stairs as well as pendants in each "window" framed by the pergola.

It's gonna be great! Keep watching and I will keep you posted!
Wanna know more about this thing we do? www.GinkgoLandscapeDesign.com

Are you subscribed? You might wanna do that soon.

2009-07-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

Get the LiciaBeads Vault newsletter!

I have a newsletter that I use to send out special notifications and details that those of you who are interested in my gemstone supply shop should totally subscribe to. I will not spam you (I don't care to and who has that kinda time?).

Just sign up and you will be notified of all the details and special events ahead of time, so you can prepare yourself.

I'm currently working out a way to do a referral program to make it worth your while to tell a friend too. Subscribe and I'll keep ya posted!

Thanks to everyone for their support in all things sparkly!

All wrapped up

2009-07-21T00:12:00.000-07:00

As an intermission from the landscape design that we are installing (because the electrical and plumbing parts are not pretty and you don't want to see photos of holes in the dirt) here is what I have been doing.

I really like that I can wire wrap in the truck on the way to work. Everything is connected so there are not loose beads to get lost, which is a major bonus. Plus, I have about an hour a day that I can use that way.

So this is one finished project. It takes a while to get everything in just the right spot and know that it is actually going to work. I have a few that are unfinished because I got stuck somewhere.

The center of the heart pendant has a perfect little Peridot gemstone. It's not easy to find fantastic Peridot but I got lucky at a gemshow and found a few in a strand that I bought. I also decided that if someone is going to purchase a more expensive item from me, they will be wanting a nice jewelry box, so I got a few of those too.

This heart is one of the ones that I am stuck on. I want to add gemstones but have yet to know exactly what I want to do. It will come to me.

In the meantime, I am making gemstones on a chain. They are really classic looking and easy to wear. I made myself a shaded grossular (green) garnet necklace that I have been wearing almost every day.

Following are some that are still available for sale :) I have also been working on some bolder pieces as I have heard people wanting to see more bold necklaces in my shop... To me "bold" means both larger beads, more contrast, and more drama. So I came up with these:

Heck, most of these are still available so if you see something you want, don't hesitate to get it :)

A proper entry

2009-07-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

A proper entry for a beautiful private garden. Constructed post on pipe so that over time if the posts need to be replaced, they can be easily. The full 3/4 inch cedar boards were sustainably caught... quite literally. They were washed up from storm felled trees along the Stillaguamish River and naturally wind felled. It's a very limited supply for such special materials, but makes a great quality fence.

A large main gate provides entry from the drive, and two adjacent gates hide the trash and recycle from view on both sides. A must to keep a garden looking tidy is keeping unsightly cans hidden.

Wanna see a before and after? There will be more of these at the end, but this one is pretty fun to see. After we constructed the new fence, we were able to tear down the old one which added a ton of new space to the garden.

Here is the before, with the old fence surrounding what used to be a gigantic unused circular driveway. It also has a precious Clematis Montana that is being saved for relocation, so that is still visible in the after photos...

Tada! Now that is a good sized garden. We will build a large entertaining deck next, so stay tuned for more fun photos :)

Connecting the ... posts.

2009-06-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

Making sense of the "mess of posts". It takes a while to get all the custom pieces in place. My primary job was to finish notches with a chisel so that the rails set just right on the cross braces.

It's still got some more smaller cross pieces for the tops and the actual "fence" part, but you get the idea now.

Fresh herbs for the garden and post alley

2009-06-22T23:29:00.000-07:00

It's so cute with plants in it! The client wasted no time planting her herbs and flowers and had them planted on the first day after it was ready. There is still plenty of work to do as the entire area is set for a design, but this one bit is complete.

The next step is building the new fence that will incorporate more of the garden. Previously the focus was a large circular drive that was not even used. If you ask me, a garden is much better than a driveway could ever be. The photo may not make any sense at all but trust me, we have a grand plan. Where all the dirt is that you see used to be asphalt. It was removed with a pry bar and a sledgehammer (the old fashioned way) and is actually beneath the area where you saw the planter reused to get the proper grade level for the planter area and the circular patio.

So here is the next step... post alley. The garden will have a "proper entrance" as all spaces should. What looks like a mess of posts (post on pipe construction) will make perfect sense when the fence is up and has its hand made pergolas and trellises.

The fence boards are special because they are milled from fallen cedar trees from a family farmland rather than clearcut wood. I like to call it free range organic sustainably harvested just to be a show off. (I am. :)

Thanks for your interest, I will have more for you soon!

I saw you at the Edmonds Art Festival!

2009-06-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, so here I am browsing around the Edmonds (near Seattle) Art Festival and I swear I have seen these things before! It's like Etsy live and it was fantastic to see things up close and in person. I bought some things too, and it was fun. For the longest time I have been looking for a wall pocket for flowers. As a cat mama I have to keep exciting looking things off the tables, so table vases don't really get used anymore, but I have plenty of flowers to cut and bring inside.

I was browsing and found some that I swear I had seen before. When I got home, I checked the website printed on the "brand new from the box" business cards and he totally has an Etsy shop. One I had already hearted :) (And he's really nice too!)

I got myself a wall vase and James went back for something I had been eying since I turn 33 soon.

Among the other artists that were there, some of whom sell on Etsy:
Convergence Design (Etsy Shop)Abraxus Crow Company

Great dimensional metal sculpture featuring crows, but they have lots more too!

Marcio Diaz
Phenomenal Nicaraguan artist. His abstract paintings are really unique and striking. You just have to see them in person, they really are great!

Stubborn Design Works by Melissa Stiles
Bold nature inspired colors and patterns set into silver, and wonderful felt bags

Deborah Bridges of Sacred Stone
Stay tuned, this WILL be in our garden one of these days. James was thinking submerged into the pond. Oooh, spooky :)

William Vanscoy
I would love to stare at one of his works some day. Each year we look at his booth and hope that at one point we will get to bring one home.

It was fun, there was lots to see, and many calories to consume. I wore my TP necklace and passed out some cards to those who commented. I bought a few things too, it's only right to support fellow artists. So next time you are at a fair, buy a little something :)

OMG I won something!

2009-06-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

Way back in third grade I had a teacher named Mrs. Brown (maybe it was fourth grade...) and she told me I was a Riot. Now, she had a positive look on her face when she said it but I had no idea what it meant. They had these big books called dictionaries back then and I had to look it up.

So basically, she was using some strange word to say I was funny. Maybe she was trying to get me to use the class dictionary, I dunno.

Anyway, so I enter the Etsy Beadweavers challenge (that posts on the Beadweavers Blog) somewhat regularly just to be present and I enjoy how supportive the group is even though I don't spend much time chatting it up. Life is busy these days. The competition is really high and everyone does some fantastically intricate work that is just astounding! This month the theme was "humor". Well, I am a riot so I had better get my weaving in gear and make a little funny.

Well, it worked, it is funny by popular vote :) Yay! Beadweavers June Challenge post link

Leafing an impression :)

2009-06-11T20:54:00.000-07:00

Continuation of a landscape design installation in sunny (?) Seattle Washington.
Its done! Okay, a small portion is done, but that counts. (And the flower doesn't stink anymore.)

Another great thing about stucco is it has a life of it's own. It draws on the light around it and really reflects depending on the texture and stroke that it was applied with. It even ages, like a fine wine. As it wears, it develops a efflorescence as the minerals come to the surface. It's complicated but basically, it doesn't stay the same, and most people are used to things staying somewhat constant. We have to let people know ahead of time when they choose stucco as a material that it is not anything like paint, and it will change as it ages depending on the environment that it is in.

Oh, what are the holes in the wall? This planter is table height to make gardening easy for the client. As an added feature the walls have spots for removable kneeling boards (made with clear cedar) that can be placed into the holes.

The curve of the planter nestles into the curve of the patio. They like each other :) Irrigation has been prepped as well (that's the tubes that you see) and will be set on timers to make the garden as worry free as we can.Prepare for a personal rant: Timed irrigation is a must in the gardens we plant because really, do you want to go out at 10 and 3 every day to water each plant? No, you don't. You may say you do, but I am telling you... it's just a chore after a while. Plus, it's really fun to hear the irrigation do it's first little spurts of water when it goes on. AND! the landscape designer has each plant set to a certain watering so nothing is over or under watered. That is why you hire a professional. Bonus feature, we take out lawns. Because again, do you really want to spend your Saturdays mowing the lawn? (not to mention aerating, weeding, trimming, watering, and on and on when the lawn looks like....the way it does anyway, waste of time if you ask me. Yeah, I have an opinion :) Now if everyone would take out their lawns, we wouldn't have to listen to the mowers all day Saturday either. Okay, I'll quit and look back at the planter photos now :)

Yup. I want one.

Saturate me!

2009-06-11T09:43:00.001-07:00

The world is just better in color. Technicolor understood this, and you should too. :) Of course at this point you are way past Technicolor and may have a TV bigger than most large dogs. So yes, you understand.

And because color alone is not enough, I always like to add texture and pattern. Eventually in this garden 2 large maple trees will need to be removed. It's okay because they are in really sad shape and have been hacked to bits by the electrical company. Why we plant trees under wires is beyond me. Why the wires are not underground to eliminate the need to alter our tree planting is even further beyond me. I mean save the trouble (trees falling, constant limb trimming, wind, downed lines) and just find a reasonable way to put them underground. Plus they are darn ugly and I could go on but I will step down because this post is about stucco :) So these trees will still be used in the garden, and as acknowledgment of their service to the world their leaves are being memorialized into the stucco texture. They will either be used as woodchips in the raised planter area, or the clients may have them made into furniture if they are able. There is a company called Urban Hardwoods that makes some great items out of "discarded" trees.

This is the stucco coat in progress. James goes along and presses it onto the wall, and I get to smooth it out to get the texture we are going for. I also press in leaves that were chosen from the maple trees. (There are 3 Ginkgo leaves in it as well because, it's what we do.) The leaves are carefully smoothed over and when the stucco has set just right, I pull them out and with some luck (technique) they come out perfect. I love how they make a matte texture in the wall.

But there you have the color, with the stone caps in place and all that fun stuff.

A fun find in the garden. In the process of working in a persons garden, we tend to watch plants. At a certain point we have to decide what stays, and what goes. In most gardens, things are at such a sad state that it all goes. This one is a little different. Clearly a plant lover has lived here in the past and has planted some really unusual species. Not necessarily rare, but different than the typical Northwest Rhododendron and Juniper combination.

Here is a plant we had been watching to see what the heck it was. The flower finally came out today and it is just so cool! I know you want one! Okay, so this plant has a secret. Well, it's a secret to those of you who don't already know what it is, or cannot smell it over the computer.

Look closely...

See the flies? Yeah, so it smells like doodie. Here we are trying to stucco and wondering how a dog got into the fenced garden...

However, despite that, I still want it! It's cool looking! I have enough space in our garden to plant it somewhere away from paths and things. And it will certainly stand out from there. Definetly not a courtyard plant though. It only stinks for a day, like a yearly event to mark on the calender. Like waiting for the first crocus of spring, right?

Dracunculus vulgaris, a phallic gothic stinking plant that I think is too cool! (Yeah, they call those kinda looking plants amorphophallus. Wanna see more?)

Weaving up a little Funny

2009-06-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

Among the wonderful things about Etsy (that place where I sell my stuff, pay attention people) are that there are teams. As part of the addiction I have join several. They are all great teams, and my local Seattle Etsy Rain team, while I have not been as involved as I would like to, is really active and has regular meetup events around the Puget Sound. Hi EtsyRain! :)

Another team I am in is the Etsy Beadweavers. It's not easy to sell beadweaving because it tends to be expensive considering the many hours, weeks, months, or even years that it takes to complete a fine work. The beadweavers blog and team are a great way to share the love of itty bitty beads with the world. There are some fantastic artists out there and I admire all the great work that people create. (Wanna see the Etsy Beadweavers work on Etsy? Search EBW)
Each month the Beadweavers have a challenge based on a theme. While I love to create complex weaves (while my wrist will allow it) with intricate patterns and classy, elaborate designs... the theme this month was "humor". Now I'm a silly person, my people know that about me. And humor is something I maintain as part of my own self preservation among the busy insanity of things. So this month, my weave was not so classy or intricate or elaborate, cause I was going for funny.

And hey, you can vote for your favorite! Voting is from the 9th (for you who are prompt readers, that's today) thru the 15th.

Go here: The Etsy Beadweavers Blog June Challenge
To vote for your favorite:

Big bold changes, coming soon!

2009-06-03T22:50:00.000-07:00

It's almost time and I cannot wait! Okay, I can wait. I can wait because tomorrow is supposed to be ninety degrees out. That's 32.2 degrees for those of you who do things the easier way. We have been working in the heat and I have been feeling rather unladylike, but then again this is construction in hot temps. Maybe we should plant cacti.

So here is the completed patio, isn't she pretty!? I want one for my own garden and so far all we do is install them for other people. At least we have plenty of practice. With luck we will get to it this year, probably while it is snowing as it is when we don't have many "build me a garden" requests.

The circular paver patio was sealed with a semi porous material that sets the stones in place but can also be easily removed if necessary. The nest right into the raised garden planter. In time, as budget allows, there will be another planter set off the patio at which time some stones will be pulled to install that next planter. I don't want to think about it. :)

By the end of the day today the wall capstones were set on the wall, but It was 500 degrees out and I was a mess so I decided not to fuss with the camera. You will get your photo, don't worry. The process for making the capstones involves cutting a paver on each side so that they lay right next to each other just so. It takes all day, but it looks fantastic when they are so nice and tidy. We have them all layed where they are going, and tomorrow will be mortaring them in place so they become one with the wall. See a capped wall here. See lots of capped walls here.

(Wanna see the whole darn landscape website? We have one, with before and after shots, click the portfolio section)

Then.... comes the pretty part. We are experamenting with stucco colors and mediums to make samples. Another fun and exciting thing about the heat is certain stucco mediums don't do all that great when they are drying so darn fast. Lower temps and heavy overcast is my favorite for stucco. Strangely enough, that is the norm for Seattle. I don't know why it is 20 -30 degrees hotter than usual (or at least I am not going to go on about it here).

Here is one of the samples we were working with. I always like the more saturated colors best. The stand out and offer great contrast to the greenery.

Stay tuned :)

How to make a driveway dissapear:

2009-05-29T23:24:00.000-07:00

Rarely do we get to unpave something and bring it back to life. Luckily our current client is doing just that! We spent considerable time busting up their circular drive that they were not using anyway so that it could be reclaimed as a garden space that they can enjoy every day.

We removed the asphalt with a pry bar and our gloved hands and removed the rock base below and are using it as a base for the raised planter and circular patio. Yup, it's reclaimed and recycled and all that jazz.

Step one was to move the driveway to the patio area (there are like 2 - 3 layers beneath that one, we've been busy). This raises the level so that the final stepping level will make for a reasonable step down from the garage door that will be installed at a later date.

One of the next steps, hide the driveway. All the rocks that were below the asphalt are now on top. Take that asphalt! A final base of 5/8 minus gravel was used to fine tune. We carefully leveled it so that it drains properly, final result will be porous but proper drainage is always important. Then we smash it all till it's perfect.

Then comes the sand. This part is always so pretty to me, which is good because it was too darn hot to work today and I was glad that there were some visible finished results. The sand is meticulously placed and leveled. Then the pavers are set on top according to the plan. I love the circular ones. I have ordered a circular patio for my house, and it's on the plans :)

So the pavers will nest perfectly into the curve of the wall, see what planning can do?!

So that is what we did these last few days, it's coming along. The pretty stucco part is next week, so if you are watching me (stalker!) then get ready for that. It takes a lot of effort to get these designs planned, started and scheduled just right, but here is the sneak peak of one in process. Hope you like it!

I cannot wait for mine!!

Flowers we wait for...

2009-05-27T09:12:00.000-07:00

This sweet little wonder is Himalayan Blue Poppy. Last year she produced a single flower for us. This year she has 3 buds :) They bloom one at a time.

There are very few places that they grow well so I suppose we are lucky. I don't know if they self pollinate but I plan on collecting seeds to see if I can propagate it. We may get another plant so they can be pollinated. I just wanted to share.

Look! Progress!

2009-05-21T09:27:00.000-07:00

I told you we would make it look like something! This is the point where we have to say, "It's not done yet". It's like at the point when the drywall is put up in your house and has all these seams and tape all over it... ya gotta wait, cause it's not done yet. It's gonna look cool.... patience!

So the very first step after "laying the courses" is already done is patching the seams and filling gaps where they are significant. Because we are making a curved structure out of squareish blocks there are a few places that will overlap and you can see the faceting of the blocks (see, just like gemstones with the faceting!) . Yesterday we did the outside coat of quickwall which adds a very strong "skin" to the blocks and eliminates the faceting. Today we do the inside and get started on filling certain areas to prep for seat boards. There will be boards with posts that fit into the side of the wall for seating and helping work in the planter. These planters are taller than our own since table height (that is what these are built too) is a better height all around for working. That's why tables are that high. It's best. 9/10 table makers agree :)

So then we get to put on the caps and do the finish stucco in the clients chosen favorite colors. Then we get to do the circular patio that nests right into the facing curve on the photo. It's gonna be great!

The pavers and caps get in on Tuesday! I cannot wait!

It's like a baby prediction in my coffee!

2009-05-17T10:32:00.000-07:00

Peeps: What Licia? Yer crazy.

Licia: Yes, I know but it keeps me entertained. I find my fun where I can peeps.

So, see that? Totally a bird in my coffee right?

Well just a few days ago a new event happened! Okay it may not look like much, just a bunch of sticks that got into our concrete tools bin over the winter, but just a few days ago it started peeping! James found it when he went to get his bin for that job we are doing and a bird flew out at him and there were 4 tiny little white eggs in it.

The cutest little highly suspicious spastic flitting little tiny wrens go into that box with all manner of yummie bugs. And the tiniest sounds come from that box, very cute. We leave the box where it is and let them go about their rearing :)

To keep the memory of the cute little birdies in the bin, I bought this from the front page on Etsy. I like to have little handmade reminders. (It's by SpoolDesign.)

That is a cup of coffee in a cup of coffee, is it not? Totally is!
The coffee cup is great, and you can get them from Willow Tree Designs if you want one. Keeps my coffee warmer longer and I like how it feels.

Happy weekend all :)

First course: concrete blocks.

2009-05-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

This may make things easier to visualize. Now we can see the form that the raised planter is going to take. See? It curves! Curves and stucco are fantastic (I said this before and no I will not be getting over it anytime soon). Think about those houses in Santa Fae that have the adobe style and all the interior features are curved. It's great I tell you! In a garden they catch the light and show off the texture of the materials as the sun passes during the day.
So you have to visualize this at seat height with stone caps and rich saturated stucco walls. There will be plants too. It's gonna be great, and I will keep y'all posted on the progress.

Thanks for your comments everyone :)

I'm moving things.... dirt and rocks mainly.

2009-05-13T23:36:00.000-07:00

We have been moving things. Dirt and rocks mostly as that is how things begin. This is our current project for a client. I am just so delighted that we are removing a driveway to install a garden. How cool is that? Removing what most people mow over their garden for, I feel so happy to be able to reclaim some earth and bring it back to a garden...

On that note, it's a helluva lot of work! The asphalt was removed by hand with a pry bar and sledgehammer. I pried, James smashed. Finer bits were done with a jackhammer and saw. The chunks were moved to be reused as a base for the area that is going to become the raised planter garden (next photo). Then the rocks (and dirt blend) below the asphalt were moved to top off the raised planter area. So yeah, we reduce and reuse :)

See all that sod... we made a mountain. See all that rocky soil? That's from the driveway area, and the crushed asphalt is below it.

The form is the base for a curved masonry raised planter that will be stucco'd (color choice to be determined) and capped. I just love the curved stucco bits! Here is a previous installation that includes some great curves: http://liciapots.blogspot.com/2008/07/installation-of-landscape-design.html see the completed before and after photos here

We poured the concrete today and will build the wall next. Then we have to have a couple days of perfect weather to apply the stucco as it is touchy stuff that responds to weather conditions and all kinds of things. Another thing that is cool about stucco is that it takes impressions :) I love sticking things into it.So, that is what I have been up to... in the rain. It's hard work but gotta love it. Great inspiration for jewelry design too :)

Bat house in the garden

2009-05-07T10:04:00.000-07:00

Yay, a mini project done! For the longest time (three years about) we have wanted a bat house. Bats are really great for the garden and surrounding areas, plus they eat bugs that I am not fond of. So there we have it!

It stands about ten feet tall, and if the Giant Sunflowers reach their maximum height, it will not be the tallest thing in the garden. I enjoy giant 12 foot tall sunflowers.

This is the link to the pdf of the plans . Or, if you are less inclined to actually build one yourself, they sell them too.

I will keep you updated on any bat activity. I know that sometimes it takes a year or two to entice new residents. There are bats in the area already though.

I also plan on doing a little more decoration of the box, cause it's just so plain. I'll be checking around Etsy for some fun outdoor things that I can add to the box.

Learn more about bats at the Bats Northwest website.

If you stalk me for sparkles.....

2009-04-22T14:44:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-04-22T12:08:00.001-07:00

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

2009-04-17T01:24:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-16T18:37:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-04-16T11:21:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-04-08T13:48:00.001-07:00

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...

2009-04-06T18:52:00.001-07:00

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 :)

And that's where the fence is sposedtabe.

2009-03-31T17:18:00.000-07:00

It was a little funny when we looked down the property line... er at least the fence line at the time and saw an obvious curve toward our side. The plan is to install an elaborate landscape in time, so a survey was in order anyway. Next step, put the fence where it goes and remove the old one.
And there you have it. With free range organic blown down, or flood transported lumber sawn by my Uncle, yup, that makes it special. (If you don't know about my "oddity" already, you need to read back.)

A temporary bonus feature of taking down the old fence was the grass dock to play on. No, not for the kids, for me. Again, "oddity". You gotta have fun peeps :)

On with the garden! The greenhouse update: James has added an irrigation system to the greenhouse that we will have on timer to make happy seeds. Soon there will be several misters hanging from the walls and roof.
That's what we are up to. Hey, you need a greenhouse? We got ours from Charlie.

I must show you this!

2009-03-22T11:27:00.000-07:00

You gotta see it! Okay, so I was browsing the treasury pages (the particular treasury was made by ClinkscalesArts on Etsy, she has quite the eye for great things!) and came across a phenomenal work. Then I clicked on it and there were like several other phenomenal works. I really love pottery and the detail that can be captured by the clay, right down to the artists fingerprint. That really is a great part about it, it's got the capacity to capture the artists hand. Mine will be like that when I start making it, you will get the fingerprints and imperfections, rough textures and artists marks.

The detail and artistry that can be permanently married into the fine particles are unmatched with any other material I know of. I also like that clay has been used since the very beginning of civilization for many, many uses from tools to intricate artwork and display. I appreciate being part of Etsy and the mutual contribution and support that can be found there.

I like all kinds of pottery, and I buy it and am happy to own the work of other artists. Everything from fiber to jewelry to pottery, cards and art. And beads, of course.

This is some pottery I hope to have one day, displayed in a lighted stucco wall niche (or sooner than that a beautiful Yunomi for tea). You should totally check out her shop and the details behind her work.

Pottery by Grace Sheese

And the winner is.....

2009-03-17T15:05:00.000-07:00

Here it is, this is the entry timestamp that was chosen from the pile of timestamps. I'munna have to get some more silver stuff listed!

Congratulations ! Happy shopping!

WE HAVE A WINNER!

2009-03-15T19:39:00.000-07:00

The winning entry was chosen from paper slips with the entry timestamps on them. There were no two timestamps the same, I checked.

The winner is being contacted with details and will be announced when I receive confirmation.

Thanks to everyone for participating, and the great comments and info!

Diving in head first...

2009-03-15T15:12:00.000-07:00

It's not something I have done before and it is my most "reckless" business risk. I feel fortunate and I am somewhat comfortable making it. So here goes, I got some (a lot of) gemstones and some pearls, the huge kind. Following is a sneak peak of part of the stock.

ENTER the giveaway! It ends soon, like tonight! The winner will get first pick of the new choices and will have plenty of time to use their $50 since there is a lot to list. Entries are closed.I did find some beautiful Peridot (a personal goal also), and it was not easy to find such clear stones. My plan before listing is to standardize the photography so that it all has the same lighting. I am still sorting and organizing things but do stay tuned. I will list the specially requested things first. If you want something, let me know, I may have it. It will take a lot of time to get everything up and if you are in need of something, please don't feel like you have to wait for me to list it. If you want it, ask, and I will get to it much faster.

I tried to get everything on the list, but alas I could not. Many stones have such a range of size and colors and variations I was not sure what people would be most interested in. This applies to agates, opals, tiger eyes, Malachites, etc. I did get some turquoise, but the beads themselves are rather basic cuts, although I did get some flower carved turquoise rounds. Jaspers, sadly were not as plentiful as I would have liked to see.

Anyway, I have things to do...
Thank you to everyone for the great comments and following my work.

We work with all kinds of rocks....

2009-03-13T11:20:00.000-07:00

So, one may think by reading the most recent entries that all I do is play with gemstones. While I do enjoy that part, I also play with "regular" rocks (or maybe it's mostly soil). The garden is coming along, and once it stops snowing (Hello, it's totally almost Spring!) I am planning on planting some things.

We bought plenty of seeds that are just waiting patiently in their little packs...They are just waiting, to become a mass of high maintenance goodness. I will absolutely let you know the progress on the veggie/flower garden. If you cannot wait to see great planties, I am using the photos of them in my feedback for the Vault store here.

And of course, I am going to a gem show today...

Consider yourself warned.

2009-03-05T19:35:00.000-08:00

This is your official notification of new stuff. I will be listing things soon and throughout the weekend. Click here to go to The Vault.

If you have not entered the drawing for $50 worth of your selection of gemstones, do it! Click for info, it's really easy to enter. Entries are closed.

I am reading and taking note of all the comments on what people would like to see. I am also looking forward to getting some more unusual items in the store. I am attending a show soon, and the income from this first batch of listings will be used to buy great new things there. My sister is great at digging up unique and unusual beads, so I am going to bribe her to come with me. (Not hard to do when I hand her cash and tell her to go hunt down great things.)

Quality control-
I photograph each item you will receive, which is a little different than many bead sellers. I do this because it is something I expect to be done for me. I also will let you know the gauge of wire that fits in the holes. There is no real standard for gemstone grading, but I will do my best to provide an accurate "grade" for the individual listings.

As I go along, I do end up with lower quality stones and stones with blemishes that I have set aside. If anyone is interested in them I would be willing to photo them and list them at a discount.

Comments, questions, things you would like to see in the future... Please let me know, this kind of info is greatly appreciated!

Thank you everyone for your support!

Want free gemstones?

2009-03-02T21:46:00.000-08:00

To celebrate the Grand Opening of my brand new Vault, I am drawing a name for a $50 custom selection in the new store.

See the store here : www.LiciaBeadsVault.etsy.com

What do you have to do to enter? Just leave a comment following this post (make sure I can contact you from your comment), and let me know what you would like to see in the shop if you are so inclined.

Entries are closed (but follow this blog for more great stuff, and yeah, I like to have drawings. )

I will be attending local gem shows and arranging vacations around certain other gemshows when the time comes. If you have a favorite gemstone, are looking for handmade earwires or special wire wrapped clasps, let me know. While you are here, I can tell you it may be beneficial to follow/bookmark this blog for special notices.

The store will be stocking soon, so keep an eye out! Get an idea of what I will be stocking by checking my other store (check the sold section too).

__________________________________________
Entries are limited to one per person and the drawing ends on Sunday, March 15 at 9:00PM EST (That's Etsy time).
__________________________________________

Get the good stuff, it lists first!

2009-02-26T12:57:00.000-08:00

This is your official advanced warning of new items that will be listing in my shop soon. They will be patiently waiting to be adopted in the Vault section of my LiciaBeads store.

Next month I hope to attend a local gemshow. I will consider your gemmy wishes while I am there if you let me know what you are interested in. I don't have a huge budget for it, but I would love to know what you are looking for and will try to accommodate.

In the meantime, gemstone purchases will mostly be going toward adding more gemstones for purchase. It seems to be working well, and I really do appreciate everyones support in my endeavors to bring you these little treasures.

I must say I am loving the creations that are being made from them! If you just want to hoard them, that is okay too. I understand completely!

Listing soon:

*Cape Amethyst micro faceted roundels, 7mm gems with great lilac color and just beautiful stones, very uniform too. These are the nicest, and biggest I have ever had.

*Smokey Quartz faceted roundels, 8mm very uniform in color, if chocolate were a gemstone... these are them.
*Rainbow Fluorite faceted roundels, 8mm with some great dark purples and wonderful aqua. I am considering selling them by matched color, let me know what you think.
*Rock Crystal faceted rounds, 10mm gemstones with out of this world faceting! 128 facets in these crisp clean white stones with great clarity.
*Amazonite faceted roundels, 6mm A grade stones. My first Amazonite. There are some minor irregularities just due to the character of the stone itself. I will be sorting out the best first. They have a great opaque aqua color.
*Cubic Zirconia Briolettes because they are just so perdy. I only bought a few of these. I have 6 pear faceted briolettes (6X9mm) in a sparkly peridot green color (cause it's my favorite). I also have 4 faceted long drops in crystal clear 7x18mm.

If you already know you want something, let me know so that I can reserve it for you! Sometimes these things go fast!

Beads with worlds inside...

2009-02-24T15:47:00.000-08:00

Gotta love the ones that seem to give you a peek into a whole other world... These are Oregon Opal (Opal Butte Opals) from West Coast Mining. They are rare, and I am keeping that bead, so don't ask for it kay ;) I do sell a faceted strand in my shop and look forward to finding more great beads at the local gem shows starting up soon.

Recent goings on...

2009-02-20T09:41:00.001-08:00

Just letting you all rest from all the reading. Yeah, that's it.

So, on the Licia front (that is why you read this, isn't it?) I have been selling a few things here and there, which is nice. I must say it was nothing like December, but sales still come along. I have been advertising using Project Wonderful. (You already know what it is, and how to use it since you follow this blog.) I have an ad up at the Handmade Movement site (which you know about cause it is all over this blog today). I have also been selling some of my personal stash... cause it's pretty and I cannot use it all fast enough, and I want more :)

On the non Etsy front, I am just doing a short blog because today is garden tending day. My parents are bored and want their haircuts (yeah, I am multi talented) so they are coming up and aparently want to play in the garden. I'm cool with that. So that is where I will be much of the day, cutting hair and digging in the dirt.

I kinda cleaned the house yesterday, but really it was a sad job and I need to get to it and only have an hour. So yeah, while I am gone, you can go buy my beads. Let me know if you want a custom assortment. I will give ya 10% off in my Vault today leave a note to seller referencing this blog post so I know it's you. I will either refund the difference, or adjust if you convo me first. Shh, we are putting this at the bottom. :) (Offer ends 02/20/2009 at midnight PST, aka Etsy time). Offer applies to custom assortments that are convo'd to me before the deadline (limited to stock on hand).