We have been working on a few more pieces of jewelry for our Arita collection :-)

Making jewelry can be so much fun ... especially after you have enough made up to show/sell at  craft shows, and if you have made something the public likes ... then you can sell that, and make some more items! ... I can't say we will get rich at this ... because we usually use our earnings to purchase still more beads and glitzy stuff ... and we are always on the look out for classes on how

to make different types of jewelry! Still it is fun, we are retired and it gives us something to do!

Hopefully it will help keep our minds, and hands  working longer; activity such as this is supposed to be good for us Right???? :-D  (and its a perfect excuse to keep making more jewelry ... thus came the

Birth of the Arita collection! :-)

All of the following pieces were made with wire wrapping to connect the beads and chains ... we learned how to do this last semester at our Jr. College in a class that was especially for seniors, our teacher was wonderful, and taught us several new techniques ...  (new to us ... we had fun!)

This is a bracelet, a pendant, earrings, and even a toe ring ! :-)

  This is an anklet and a bracelet made by my Hubby ... he has gotten absolutely perfect at the wire wrapping ... it's hard to believe that this was once a spool of wire, and a little bag of loose beads!

I am including this one because it was created with wire and beads too, this one was crocheted ... just learned how to do this too, in our last jewelry class ...  :-) Arita

Good Morning ...bonjour :-)

what a pretty day ... I hope it will be a good one, cause I am feeling really well today!

Mr. Blackbird is singing and flying about, and seems quite happy too this morning, but then he always is ... I'm convinced he is the same one that hangs around our yard daily. Several big black birds come and go, but one particular one is always close by; of course they all look alike so who knows, could be different birds ... but I like to think it is one and the same bird ... :-)

There are two doves that come around too, those I am sure are the same ones because they have built a nest in one of our trees, and I see a dove sitting in the nest daily, so they must be expecting little Doves! Will try to get photos of them later!

Our roses are not as abundant as earlier,  but there are lots of other flowers beginning to make their appearance ...

A flowering shrub's first flower, it

will soon be filled with many gorgeous

white flowers; a very showy shrub! It

blooms all summer, at night almost has

a ghost like appearance...really interesting

looking!

An exotic looking Lily ... I love these ... we have several varieties getting ready to bloom... :-)

These are interesting little flowers, the pink one has a painterly look ...

and the orange one looks like it has little quilting stitches along with its painterly look ... nature sure does have fun!

I just had to get into the act and have some fun too, :-) I manipulated the floral image above with a paint program via my computer ... :-) I thought it looked neat, and just had to share this image too!

Have a Blessed Day!!!!! :-)

BIG BLACK BIRD! Yesterday I went out into my garden with camera in hand  ... I have been doing this for quite a few months, first while my husband was recuperating from a heart attack, and now I have continued on after my almost heart attack...or what ever it was that took me to the hospital a couple of weeks ago...

Its been a lovely break for me ... I enjoy all the sights and sounds within my yard and garden,  the fragrances of my flowers ... my eyes become filled with the beauty of nature while I am encased within the privacy of my wooden fences, I am there, in a world of my own for a little while...so nice, my husband seems to enjoy sitting quietly along side of me during some of those times.

Soon I will return to my doctors, and perhaps be allowed to drive again, and do a bit more than what I have been able to do lately ... thank goodness my HoneyBear has been feeling somewhat better these days, although at times it has definitely been the blind leading the blind ... or should I say the grey leading the grey? A blond friend of mine who found herself in a similar predicament and lives in a household of blonds called it the blond leading the blond ...  anyway you sort of get the idea, :-D

Returning to yesterday, there I was, and nothing ...  no rabbits, no butterflies, no exceptional flowers, no pretty sounds of birds singing, no refreshing breezes ... a rather glum, hot, and icky feeling day.

I sat there waiting ... convinced that the loveliness would occur at any moment ... all there was to see and hear was a big noisy black bird. I have seen him there before as I was busily , photographing what I considered to be amazing sights, he usually is fluttering about making a racket, not bad racket but well sort of breaking the silence and beauty I so have been enjoying.

Having nothing better to look at I focused on the big black bird, and he proceeded to preen, and do his birdy thing...after awhile I realized he is quite regal, really sort of pretty! I'm convinced he was trying to get my attention and has been doing so all along; I just never really paid that much attention to him, but he is always there in our yard, sometimes clumsily trying to bathe in our small birdbath
 :-D

So here he is... :-) my gorgeous, big black feathered, garden guest!

He has highlights of dark blue, and violet in his coal black glossy feathers when the Sun is shining on him just so.

In this photo he looks like the cover of a book or story ... once upon a time on a wooden fence there sat a big black bird and....

Shake a tail feather???? By the way he sings quiet prettily, I think the squawking sounds must have been something like hey look at me???... :-D

He finally got tired of all the posing and singing and flew off to sit on top of our shed roof, He sat there preening and doing his feathers as I started into the house....

As I walked in the direction of our door there on the fence was a gorgeous butterfly....

 The prettiest I have been able to photograph so far....

and it was doing little antics too, and I was able to get some great PICS of it! :-)

I happily went in the house... thinking, beauty is all around...we just have to stop and look...like the saying about taking time to smell the roses ... :-) Blessings, Arita

While recuperating from my recent health scare; I have been working at home on some of the jewelry that we learned to make at our Jr. College. The college has some wonderful classes, and many are  for especially for  Senior Citizens! I never thought I would enjoy referring to myself as a Sr. Citizen :-) The Golden years can be lots of fun!

My husband who has had some health problems of his own, has enjoyed taking the classes with me, and has made some gorgeous pieces of jewelry for our Arita collection! We have met some wonderful people in our jewelry classes, and in other classes that we have taken at the College ... now we just have to stay/get well enough to go back to taking our classes :-)

       

 

Some of our beaded earrings...

 

These are beaded wire rings, each one always turns out slightly different, according to how the wire wants to go ... I think the wire more or  less takes the lead on how it wants to bend and curve ...

These are easy and fun to make ... little whimsical pins that look great on a scarf or on the collar of a blue jean jacket...

We have been working on wooden bead necklaces on suede and leather cords; I will post those as soon as get a few more completed... have to have something for the guys too :-)

More .... to enjoy is,  that we always have something on hand for giving as gifts, and that we have sold quite a few of our handmade items at various craft shows! A little extra cash is always nice!

My husband enjoys making things by hand, and has made the nicest model ships and planes, full of detail...I love it when he wants to join in and make jewelry! He has great patience, and his jewelry pieces show it ... I love to add those to our Arita collection! :-)

He made little ships for our little Grans, and he entered one ship into the State Fair and won a "Blue Ribbon"!!! Yep, I love it when he helps me make jewelry! ... Our daughter joined in, and she made the prettiest little wire bracelets that are also part of our Arita collection ...

 Am I making you want to make some jewelry????  Try it! It' s lots of fun, and there are numerous books, and movies available at the library on how to do it ... one problem though, ... once you get started,  you just have to have more, and more beads, and more goodies ... to make "Glitzy stuff" with...

:-D Arita

Today I went out into my garden to sit awhile by myself and enjoy the morning sunshine; of course I had my camera with me, I always take it with me so I can photograph a new flower that may be making its debut, or anything else that catches my eye... I was not disappointed  :-)

 The most precious looking baby wild cotton-tail rabbit was scampering about in our backyard, having the best time sunning him/herself and eating tender shoots of grass/weeds or whatever it is that rabbits like to munch on...he was so adorable...and not shy at all :-)

I think he was enjoying his/her photo shoot, and kept doing cute stuff for me to record...I took lots of photos and am posting a couple of my favorites!

We had a family of four baby wild rabbits join us a few years ago, they would come around year round...they never destroyed my plants, and were content to eat, carrots and vegetables that we left out especially for them...they grew into adults and finally stopped coming to our yard as much as they once did...but we never have forgotten some of their antics, they were so amusing!

 I was afraid that  they might have gotten hurt, and were in rabbit heaven because they suddenly disappeared, but just last week we saw one of them in the front yard, and today the little baby...must belong to the same rabbit family...I hope he/her they keep coming around!

Then ... still more fun for moi this morning! ...We have had a slew of butterflies in our yard, usually I can't get in close enough for PICS because they fly away so fast ...or perhaps its been me moving too slow...but today I got Butterfly pictures! I think they were posing too! ;-D

The early morning sun felt so good, and the angles were just right for picture taking...I think !

 This butterfly is casting its shadow on the warm edging of my garden ... it adds extra dimension!

This butterfly found one of my waning white roses delicious....

Like I said earlier ... I had a nice time, taking photos this morning :-) Laters...Arita

I keep trying to pack my variety of  small Teddy Bears into their boxes, and they keep multiplying,      

 :-) its really OK ... because I really enjoy my growing collection!

Earlier this month I had quite a scare ... I went to my doctor ... feeling very under the weather ... and tests there showed I was having, or about to have a heart-attack ... an ambulance was called and off to the hospital we flew ... my poor HoneyBear, what a scare for him too ... right away let me say I did not have a heart attack!  Praise the LORD :-)

My daughter took this photo where I am proudly showing a Yeaaaaa my heart is OK test image!!! 

after a slew of tests, some really great doctors, nurses, hospital staff and medicines  and TLC ; I am back at home and feeling so much better! ... tests showed a few things that need attention but YEAAA no heart attack and no damages that would have resulted had I had one ... thank goodness I got help in time! My HoneyBear and my Children and Grans were so amazing, so encouraging ...

But back to the bears...My HoneyBear surprised me with this little Navy Bear lovie while I was in the hospital...2012

a real CutieBear which took me back down memory lane a spell ....

MY REAL LIFE HONEY BEAR

(who has been my do everything with partner for almost 50 years,  even a few wild ambulance rides)

:-/

Here is a Photo (to the left) of my HoneyBear taken in late 50's, and of my new get well soon Navy TBear!!!!!

Also to the right is a photo of our wheels back then, cool car, and lots of stories, but that's another blog entry waiting in the wings :-D 

Yeaaaa I feel so much better ... look at me;  I am out in my garden once more...

till next time ... Arita

Recipe for "Conchitas" Aka Macaroni Shells....A favorite Honey Bear dish.... :-)

In a Skillet the macaroni shells are first braised until golden brown in a small amount of cooking oil,

over medium heat....

Macaroni shells should be golden in color like above photo...

Turn off heat and slowly add one can of stewed chopped tomatoes, will make a sizzling sound, and be steaming, slowly add water (or chicken broth) to shells in skillet to about a few inches from the top edge, add some garlic, cumin, and onion to taste....turn heat back on and bring to a rolling boil....

Be careful that all liquid does not completely boil down...want to leave a little liquid so will be juicy...

Put the cooked macaroni shells on plate; add some grated cheddar cheese if like...I love them with cheese...or just enjoy the "Conchitas" without the cheese...that's the way my Honey Bear likes them!

The "Conchitas" go well with a side of baked chicken, and a green salad!

Enjoy!!!  Arita :-)

Note: Conchitas means  little shells is in spanish....

Bears and all that...
 I was putting away my Easter goodies and my TeddyRabbit PICs; I came across my Christmas Bears Pics and thought,  "I must include those so they can keep my TeddyRabbit company on my pages!"
Yes, I know summer is just around the corner but I LOVE Christmas !!!!!and I love my  Teddy Bear
collection.. here are a few photos of our Teddy Bear Christmas Tree!

A TeddyBear Christmas!

2011

Bears

Bears

and more bears

And A Happy Birthday bear...Happy Birthday Jesus....

My flowers got into the I love Christmas act too, this  is some sort of weed presently growing in my garden; I think it looks like snowflakes what a cool looking weed! I hope it keeps coming up, its so pretty!

 I LOVE

 SNOWFLAKES

so pretty...

I love so many different things...life is grand, and has so much to offer,we just have to stop and enjoy the moments ... now who would have thought a mere weed could be as gorgeous as the Christmas flakes in this photo...and that it would be blooming on its own along with all the other spring flowers! TeddyBears, Christmas, and Snowflakes just seem to go together so I'm closing this page with the pretty weed photo and the photo of the Christmas decorations!

See you next time ...  Arita.... :-)

Before storing my Easter goodies till next year...I want to share a few Easter images... :-)
(it rained, so we did not get to do all that we had planned, but it still turned out to be a nice time)
and I got to spend time with my Grans and my Lovies on Saturday, so all went good!

Pictures of Shay Bluehat ..... our new Garden Gnomie!



Peek a boo ...

                 and of  Teddy Rabbit

                   Teddy Rabbit sporting

                        Bunny Ears and a Bunny Tail ....