Almost Autumn!

Fall is in the air, and I'm so glad! I LOVE Autumn!

The trees are much prettier in their colorful clothes, the air is crisp and clean. It's just wonderful!

These are some leaves I found in my yard, and the last thing is a Persimmon that fell from the tree by my house.





I was in the shop all day, working on orders, and when I finally finished, I realized I had made a stupid mistake! I had 4 stamped stacking rings, with names on the front and dates on the back. All of the dates are off center! So tomorrow I'll make them all again. (Sigh) Never work when you're really tired! :)

Oh, here are my new favorite earrings! I made them a couple of days ago. I can't decide which ones I like the best.

College!

I feel like my life is spinning out of control right now!

My youngest starts to college in a couple of weeks, and it is horribly expensive! Tuition and room and board were mostly paid for by the scholarship and Tops, but the supplies and books are ridiculous.

I bought him a new Macbook for graduation because I knew he needed it for college. Now I've had to buy an $1800 Adobe Creative Suite 4 for it! Everyone in the Tech School of Art has to have that program plus a $200 printer. At least it came with a free Wacom Intuos Tablet.

Today we spent a chunk on art supplies for class, and now we have to stock his dorm room. Thank God most of this stuff is a one time deal! I couldn't do this every 3 months!

If you have small children, and you expect them to go to college, start saving up for it NOW! It is not cheap!

Weird Bug

The Jumping Spider (Metacyrba genus)


Jumping spiders, all of which are in the family Salticidae, are among the most interesting spider groups to watch. Jumping spiders come in many sizes and color patterns. Active hunters during the day, they have good eyesight, relying primarily on movement to locate prey. They stalk their prey before attacking in a fast leap. Jumping spiders put out a line of webbing when they jump and can sometimes be seen dangling from this silken dragline after a leap that fails.
Many jumping spiders are bold, stocky and often brightly colored. They often have conspicuous bands of black and white on their bodies or legs. Others have velvety red abdomens and some even have metallic colors on the chelicerae. Jumping spiders have eight eyes, with one large pair in the front. Like most spiders, jumping spiders are not considered hazardous to humans and are unlikely to bite unless cornered or handled.

My son found this little guy dangling from his hair! He was tiny, about 4mm long. The reason I knew he was a jumping spider was because while I was photographing him, he leaped at the camera! I've seen lots of black and white, hairy jumping spiders, (and been bitten by one!) but never one like this.

My hubby went back offshore and will be gone a month this time. I'm working a little, but I've only been doing what I have to do. I'm burned out right now, but I think it's just the heat in the shop. I don't want to work!

Blog Giveaway By Nova Design

Nova Design is giving away a gorgeous pair of earrings and I want them! :) So I'm blogging about her blog! http://nova-designs.blogspot.com/2009/08/amazing-blog-giveaway-for-my-silver.html You may notice she is included in my treasury, too, but that was before I saw the giveaway!
Anyway, check it out, but DON'T enter! :) I want them! LOL

Treasury

I snagged a treasury on Etsy yesterday! At first it said I didn't get one? When I checked today, there it was! So here it is, check it out: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=74452
I would post a pick but I don't know how :(

UPDATE! I did it!

WOW

I'm really falling behind with my blog!

My hubby has been home since June 13th and I can't seem to find time for everything.

I've been working in the shop everyday, but it's mostly orders. I made a few new simple necklaces, but that's it! Right now I'm working on a huge order of earwires, which is not something I normally do. For one thing, I hate making them, and it takes a WHILE to make 100 of them!

I did make this bracelet as a special request. It says There, But For The Grace Of God...which has always been a favorite phrase of mine. I think I'll make one of these for me!


I'm not going to bore you all with necklaces, but I will show you a new bug. I don't have a problem finding those!

This one is a Reddish Brown Stag Beetle that landed on my shirt one night while I was eating a salad. He was so heavy, I knew it was something big! This guy was about an inch and a half long and over a half inch wide! Scary but harmless.


Lucanus capreolus
Reddish-Brown Stag Beetle

When confronted by people, the male beetles may rear back their heads and open their mandibles, but actually these pincers are capable of little more than a very mild nip to a human.

Male Reddish-Brown Stag Beetles fight with other males of their species over females.

These adult beetles are nocturnal and feed on tree sap. They are also attracted to lights. The larvae feed on the decaying wood of tree stumps and fallen logs.