She Makes Me Smile :-)

I have to share this picture. Isnt she just darn adorable? This is my newest addition. She will be joining the household in September. I dont have a name picked out yet.. so Id love to get some feedback for a name. If you'd like, drop me a comment and help me name her. She was born two weeks ago and her mom's name is Treasure. I still miss Bailey so much. Its hard not having her by my feet. I think she would give that "happy cocker spaniel tail wag" tho if she was able to meet this adorable little doggie. A few names I have picked out so far: Ruby, Sapphire, Gem, Jewel, Diamond and Ariel (since Jasmine who is still the queen of the house, was named after a Disney princess.. well you get the idea). Happy Thursday everyone!

A few of my favorite things...

Oh yeah.. nuttin like retail therapy! Have a down day? Nothing like a new blouse or a new pair of shoes.. that always makes me smile! OMG.. what does that say about me?? *gasp LOL. But hey, I'ma girl .. its what we are programmed to do! When I shop.. I plan a day for it. I live 90 miles from the malls.. so its an all day event. I just thought id window shop and say hi!! Have a great day! *wigglin her freshly pedicured pink toes*

THE Bet !!!

Hi there! Well what can I say.. I HATE loosing a bet. But.. a bet is a bet and win or loose I will hold to my end of the bargain. A friend of mine from Alaska, Jim, is a BIG Pens Hockey Fan. I am a BIG Red Wings Hockey fan. We made a bet during the playoffs. IF the Wings would win the cup, Id send Jim my Red Wings Jersey to model and take pics in.. but if the Pens won.... well you get the picture. As you can see, I lost... but I have to say.. it was fun. I did do a slight no no.. (i cant help but giggle) but hey.. its what ANY Red Wings Fan would do.. honest !!! Go Red Wings!!! Just remember, Wings will always RULE and the Pens will always DROOL!

Friday Night Live Blu Moon Style - Yumm-O!

Hey Everyone.. its Dawn.. c'mon at cha liveeeeeeeeee, from Michigan! You know.. sometimes ya just need a lil something to get ya through "stuff"..tonight it was Sushi for me! Yep, I went to the Blu Moon (again!!!) Im soooooooo dang addicted. What can I say, I just love that lil bistro! They just started to make sushi - the only place in town and its YUMMY! So, I thought Id share my little sushi experience with ya. Sushi is an "art" after all, right?? Oh and the creme brule.. FAB!!! Speakin of art, I did take some indoor pics of Blu Moon to share - cute decor! I love the frames and how they "hang". After dinner I roamed the streets of downtown as Ludington has "Friday Night Live" 4 fridays in the summer. Its kinda cool! I found a 14 yr old gal playing and singing blues... who was out of this world! Way to go girl! Seriously.. i was VERY impressed. I found a local store that carries Trollbeads (watch out!). I got the cutest little troll - he rocks! I roamed further and found the LFD trucks.. so guess who had to be a ham?? Me!!! Ok, so I'm a big kid.. and proud of it! We are all a kid at heart at times.. arent we? C'mon baby.. light my fire!

July June Bugs!

Happy Tuesday Everyone. I did another monthly challenge with my local scrapbook store. I have to say, this challenge stuff gets me diving into my stuff and gets my mind into a creative zone, that I love. The July challenge was using the Basic Grey's "June Bug" line of papers. We also had a blue pen included where you had to journal somewhere on the layout (I don't like my handwriting so I put mine inside the "story" pocket to hide it), and 9 papers total. As usual, I looked at this challenge saying.. "hmmm" a lot. I decided to do yet another "Tim" idea, using foam board and making nitches in my layout for some dimension. I decided to use some pictures from Ranger U for my layout. Ive not "scrapbooked" in a while.. multi media stuff yes.. scrapbooking per se, no. So, since I had to use a "little of everything" (its why I punched out flowers, because I had NO clue what else to do with some of these shades of paper I had). So, I used a little of everything and .......... tada! Finished layout! The clock arms do spin freely. Its fun to have bulk, accessories and gadgets that you can physically mess with on a page or an altered book.

Once In A Blu Moon........

Once in a blu moon.. or ...... more! This is where i had lunch today. I met up with a few very good friends of mine. You know the kind of friends that even if you don't see each other often, when you do get together..its endless conversation and lots of laughs. I've always been a firm believer that friends are much cheaper than therapy! Blu Moon Cafe is right downtown. Its such a cool place & the owner, Marilyn is always so darn happy its addictive! She has this eclectic art hanging all over inside and heck, its just a fun, casual cool place to go. If you are ever in town, make sure to stop in! May I suggest a cocholate cherry iced coffee, eggs benedict, sushi or their yummy perrogies. Always make sure you take time to get a lil therapy.. once in a Blu Moon!

Being A Troll In More Ways Than One! Don't Worry, Bead Happy!

Hi Everyone. Happy Saturday! Another beautiful day in NW Michigan. I love it! Today was an Artisan show in Pentwater. I love this tiny port town. It's located just south of my hometown. I found some goodies on my adventure out today. Im always lookin for unique things. First of all, lets talk trolls! When a Michigander is a "troll" that means you are "under the bridge" (Mackinaw Bridge that is) and thus.. a troll! Ok, so along with us using our hand as a map.. we have some goofy terminology.. (kinda like the term.. fudgie for a tourist who purchases fudge). Anyway.. I found some trolls that I absolutely adore.. Trollbeads that is! I'm totally addicted!!! These are on the same basis as Pandora beads but, they are a bit more whimisical and what I'd call more on the "artsy" side. Each bead represents something.. I purchase my beads becasue of a meaning to me personally. I got a little carried away and I started my second bracelet. (Robin, if you are reading this, dont laugh!). Art Gallery in Pentwater carries a large variety of Trollbeads. http://trollbeads.com/site/trollbeads/

While walking the art show I found a lot of pretty things, but there is one lady in particular who I love to visit with. She owns Molten Obsession. Her and her son make their own lampwork beads and she does all the assembly of these beautiful pieces.. earings, bracelets and necklaces. It's heaven in a booth! I usually buy a piece of her art every year.. and this year was no exception. Here is my newest addition, a bracelet with cream, light pink and mint green lampwork beads. I love the chunky and the dangles of this piece. You can find more of her beautiful bead art here: http://www.mo-beads.com/ . Check it out if you are the slightest bead lover.. you wont be sorry. Have a great rest of your weekend!

Happy 4th Of July!! Small Town Stuff - Clowning Around

Hi There.. Happy 4th Of July!!! So, what do I do on the holiday? Most of it I spend working, but, I do have a few traditions that I truely enjoy and try to do every 4th of July here in my hometown of Ludington.. (http://www.ludingtoncvb.com/cvb.com/ ). The first is the Fine Arts Show. All I can say is WOW!!! Even tho the economy is bad this year, there were still quite a few artisians and a LOT of people looking. One of the first booths I stopped at, I fell in love with this mirror. She had some fabulous work! This will definately be going into my studio. It was a bit pricey but the work is fabulous and it was love at first sight. She used old scrap metal, old ceiling tiles and beads and more! The other tradition I do enjoy is the local parade. It is about 1 hour long and full of the cheesey local stuff we have every year but its tradition and hey, isnt that what hometown Independence Day stuff is suppose to be about? I save a spot or two on Ludington Avenue hours before.. the parade is serious business for us small town people.. can ya tell? The Scottville Clown Band is pretty cool. They end the line of the parade every year and they end it with a BANG! The are a VERY talented group of local guys who dress up in drag, clown outfits and more.. but their music they do take very seriously! Google them or check them out on Youtube.. they are truely a hoot! Everyone loves them. So, this is how I spent my 4th of July.. I hope you are having a fun and safe holiday and sharing a smile with family and friends!