Least expect....

What happens when your all ready and excited to do a show you enjoy and look forward to doing....well, a sudden illness!! so I will not be at the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival this year! Very sorry!! and will miss getting my fill of fresh grown garlic ...seeing old & new friends, customers and their families and many shared hugs!!! So, I do apologize again, and will up and at it soon! The weather couldn't be better...sunny! Great festival with many wonderful artisans & music along with all the garlic!! It's a wonderful time if you get a chance to go! http://www.hvgf.org/

Meantime..busy making beads & pendants...and working on new designs of jewelry! Sign up on my website http://www.ladybrookdesigns.com/ and register ...it's free!! I will be offering some great deals and cool stuff soon but you must be registered at my website! The season is now turning to warm colors....thoughts of pumpkins, colored leaves, warm sweaters....hmmm sounds like fall to me!! I hope your summer brought you wonderful happy times! It was great being the featured artist on http://www.firedclayartists.com/ this month of September... and every month you'll meet a member of our group and get to know who we are as we share our love and passion for clay with you with our beads, pendants and clay products!

Fairy dust, blessings, happiness, good health & BEADS,

Christine

September Artist on FCA!!

How exciting!!! I was chosen for Artist of the month for September on Fired Clay Artists!! You can check out my interview at www.firedclayartists.com click on September Featured Artist .....and because of this I am celebrating with a $5.00 off coupon with purchase over $50.00 at my store www.ladybrookdesigns.com for the month of September! Well, where did the summer go?? Always too fast for me!! Enjoyed and still enjoying the many birds and flowers in my gardens, the bears that treated themselves now and then to my feeders, I am sure the 4 cubs we had here earlier are getting big! Had another bear visit while we were having dinner outside....just 20 feet from us!! and he sauntered off to the woods....the deer are still feeding along the yard and the young ones are getting big also! You can tell summer is winding down, the ripening of the golden rod, flowers on last blooms...and the air! Ok, I do get lost in all the lovely nature around me...
Getting ready for the famous Hudson Valley Garlic Festival!! I have been hand creating ceramic garlic earrings for this show along with my other jewelry & whimsy! This is a fun show where garlic lovers come from all over! I'll be there the 29th & 30th of September www.hvgf.org
So many exciting things are going on in the world of clay beads!! Bead & Button had left fired clay beads and many other media out of their "Bead Dreams 2008" contest.... so our community of fired clay beaders came out in force to the B&B forum to question why we were left out....and BRAVO to all who wrote.....they have redone their rules for entering and now we can participate but must send in 4 samples of our work! Being that last year our own Joan Miller of Joan Miller Porcelain won!! with Lisa Peters raku in the finals too!!! So we are all excited about this turn of events for us!!
Busy glazing and making new pieces!! Love having my hands in the clay!! Added some new work on my website and Etsy....http://www.ladybrook.etsy.com
Hope everyone is well and back in the swing of school, winding down from the heat of summer and looking forward to the vibrant colors of fall....I am still looking forward to having a studio built....but I am married to the carpenter and he is very busy!! Does the shoemaker's wife have shoes? But I know it's going to happen soon!! Well, back to my below ground studio for now...I send you sparkly fairy dust, hugs, and may you be healthy and follow your dreams!!
Warmly,
Christine

Family ways...

Hi everyone!!
Lately, much of my energy has been shifted to family...my wonderful mother has just closed on a house that has the panoramic sky of sunrise & sunset that she has been looking for quite some time...and is needing much help with the move! Anyone who has moved a loved one with many possessions, keepsakes and garden lover ( of course her special plants!) takes time.....so, I have been going back and forth when I can (4 1/2 hr. round trip), and having had a medical issue that I am also getting through ( thank heavens for CLAY!!! I do believe it is my sanity!! LOL) I am busy glazing porcelain beads at present....need to get some finished work on my website!! Apologies for delayed presentation of new beads, pendants and jewelry!! I promise I will get them up!!!
Also, living in the country with nature we were visited by a mother black bear and we couldn't believe it....and 4 small cubs!!!!! Wow! we were amazed and she wouldn't leave! (focused on our bird feeders)...well after a time..she and her 4 cubs romped up the bank and were gone ( so we thought...and this is in early afternoon on a hot summer day!) well, I returned back down to my work painting my beads, hubby left for errend....and about 45min. later I came up and the bird feeders were down!! The Finch feeder busted in many pieces and the metal bird feeder yanked from the tree and wires bent (has happened before...so we take them in at night). ..so that mamma was determined to get those feeders!!! It has now been almost a week and no sign or sight of her and her babes...but, as nature goes....she'll sure check back sometime!! It was truly an awsome sight to watch..especially the cubs!! Anyone have Woodpeckers drinking from your Humming bird feeders?? Well, we have a few that must think they are Hummingbirds!!
Just sharing a bit of nature around here...I know the fairies are busy playing around the flowers!

Fired Clay Artists..FCA...is growing leaps & bounds!!! Jessica Sharrah & Marla of Marlas Mud have taken it and it is blossoming with many of the groups input!! I am proud of all the members work and sharing as on BoC! I have much to catch up on and need to plow more focus on the clay and my site....I feel as if I haven't been giving it my all in recent months...with much going on personally! But fear not as they say!!! The artist shall prevail!!! I bloom at a slower rate so I can absorb what is happening!! I love what I do, the groups of clay I am with and sharing this passion!! I recently got a few special orders I am also working on...
OK, I shall stop now and get to work!! The internet is a great tool for getting out there...and marketing with it has endless possibilities!! I am learning!!! So, thanks for stopping by! My roundtuit is big....so I best get going on ....
See you on FCA & BoC!!!
Wishing you blissings, laughter & of course beads & fairy dust!

Christine