Help Michigan's Economy

I have gotten several e-mail's recently about how to help Michigan during these economically challenging times. The crux of the message is that Meijer and Kroger are Michigan stores that buy Michigan produce. That's true. The e-mail encourages readers to spend $10 a week on Michigan grown fruits and vegetables and urges the reader to shop at Meijer and Kroger for their produce needs.

This is where I differ with the sender about what will help Michigan's residents. The best way to help Michigan's farmers is to buy produce from the farmer directly. This reduces your carbon footprint. You won't spend as much in fossil fuel to purchase your food. You help the local economy. You eat what's in season. You get to ask questions to the person that probably picked the food from their fields and drove it into town for sale like , "what's the best way to prepare this cabbage."

What a concept. Talking to the person that grew what you will eat.

This is not to say you shouldn't frequent Michigan based companies like Meijer. (Kroger is not based in Michigan) or those with stores in the great state with two peninsula's. If you have a choice, choose fresh. Choose products picked that morning.

Want to find out if there is a Farmer's Market near you? Click here for a listing of markets based on where you live in the State of Michigan.

Cut out the middleman and buy direct.

IKEA Hacker Blog

I love using found objects for other purposes. This site shows how to take items and repurpose them.Check it out.
IKEA Hacker

Chocolate Mint Necklace and Earrings

Wasn't feeling the best today. I think it was something I ate considering my symptoms. I had a fever and chills, upset stomach. And it's summertime! I hate being sick in summer.

Anyway, before I was under the weather, I made a necklace and earring set from turquoise and black beads that my friend Stacy gave me for my birthday. The necklace sits nicely at the collarbone with five strands of beads hanging from the main necklace. It's held together with fishing line and silver wire. The clasp is magnetic. Take a look!

Ying Yang Necklace

Choices, choices, choices. Our lives are filled with choices. Some of us have more difficult decisions to make, while others just need to decide which pair of black shoes to wear. Here it is...finally! The Ying-Yang necklace. I originally wanted to make the necklace entirely from recycled materials. I played with the design and actually made several prototypes. This is the version that worked the best. The necklace consists of waxed linen cord with silver wire that's coiled and that also holds resin discs in contrasting black and white colors. (Technically, neither black nor white are colors) No price on this baby since it took forever to complete. Another project that was worth the effort though.

Free CFL Bulb

What a great idea. A free CFL bulb that reduces energy consumption. Yes, I know, it contains a small amount of mercury. When disposed of properly, this shouldn't pose a health hazard. Want to register? Here's the site http://www.millionlightsproject.org/

Back to Blogging

I took a bit of a vacation from blogging to purchase a car; a Ford Focus. So far, I got 29 MPG in the city. Not too shabby for an automatic.

I entered some of my writing into a local fair. It's a children's book I wrote and illustrated. I'll let you know the results of the judging soon.

My beading is coming along. There is a black and white necklace and matching earrings to match the ying-yang bracelet you will see here in a few days. Although, it's so tempting to just enjoy the sunshine and wonderful weather rather than make jewelry.

Perfect days this past weekend. High temperatures in the 80's with cool evenings - great for sleeping. We are so fortunate here in the Great Lakes region that the terrible storms moved around us. With any luck, the farmers will have a good crop of corn and soybeans. That will help not only our local economy, but supply food for others in the Midwest.

Where do I get my Antique Beads?

Someone asked where I get my antique beads. They come from several sources. I scour antique shops for loose beads. I also go to estate sales and buy jewelry that looks very dated and rework the design. Voila! It's fabulous and chic all over again.

I got hooked on estate sales and used stores when I wanted to purchase a bicycle. The versions I liked were more expensive and out of my price range. The bikes were $300-$500. Yikes! friends pointed me toward a store in Lansing, Michigan called, "Dicker and Deal". Apparently they have several locations in the area. Each shop specializes in different products. One shop is known for sporting goods, another for leather jackets and still another for furniture. I guess it's all what the market demands. I ended up with a terrific bike for under a c-note.

The best part about buying items with a history is you are recycling :)

Latest Fav Blog Site

The Sartorialist is my new favorite blog site dedicated to fashion. Yes, I am fickle. I went through all the posts. Such fun. Take a look http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/.

Unusual Weather this Week

There is a saying in Michigan, "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes, it'll change."
That saying sums up this week's weather.

Temperatures were chilly at the beginning of this week. I even rooted out some sweaters to wear during the day. The mornings started in the fifty degree range and warmed up to the mid-sixties. Very unusual considering that summer would officially begin on Friday.

On Thursday, I volunteered to spread mulch around trees at a nearby church. It poured rain for a half hour after I arrived at the church. When I was done with the mulch, I started trimming boxwoods only to look up and see a double rainbow in the southeastern sky. Gorgeous!

Today is the first full day of summer and it brought warmer weather. And thunderstorms. I have been in four storms today. One storm had five minutes of hail. What was unusual was the hail was limited to my area. People I called just a few miles around never saw any hail just the rain. There was enough hail to cover the bedliner of the truck.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association has an interesting article on the weather. Click HERE to read their latest report.

Dangling Earrings

Puppy was barking at something at 5 a.m. today. Nothing wakes you like a dog barking, unless it's a squeaky toy being played with next to your ear. Who needs an alarm clock when you have a dog?

Since I was up, I decided to make a pair of earrings. (Who knew it just took getting me out of bed on a Sunday morning before 6 a.m. to accomplish this?) Dangling from a silver clasp are citrine and amber colored glass beads with seed beads and an antique resin bead in a scarlet hue.

I call these earrings BECCA. They are an unique mix of colors. The cost is $12.00.

Did I mention that all my creations are one of a kind. When you purchase my jewelry, you are getting something no one else will ever have, unless you give them the jewelry.