New Items in my Store!

Finally... a sunny day that I'm at home and had a moment :) I added a few things to my store. Please stop by and take a look!!

Strangely therapeutic

Not sure why... I've never been one to write in journals, now I wonder if I should. Why does writing in my blog feel like a sort of therapy to me. I was just looking over my blog and realized that on the day that my dog, Bandit, passed away, I actually wrote a blog post about it! The day is a bit of a blur to me... I don't recall thinking "hmmm... go write a post about this". Maybe I just wanted the world to know how sad I was... why did it matter that the world know though? Does the world knowing make it easier? Does having more people feel sad make it easier? It's interesting to me how therapeutic blog writing is. I'm sure if I google "why does writing in a journal make one feel better" I'd come up with a lot of answers... I won't google though. I'll ponder this thought until I come up with some ideas of my own.

(photo of a pretty flower at the park)

The Sea Monster

then suddenly she appeared on the surface. From the depths of the ocean she rose. Coming to play with the puppy.... Ahhhhh!

You know how you take a million photos on the digital camera... then you come home, sort through and save a couple of the good ones? Well, as I was sorting through, I saw this photo. Amelia's posture is hysterical and I didn't even notice it when I was taking the photo. haha

This photo was taken at the Fairport Harbor dog beach.

Almost Giving it Away!

Square Locket Necklace (above)

(had to throw in a photo of Ruthie leaping over the creek!)

Free shipping on top of the sale prices on the items in my store! Free shipping until Mon. AM. :)

Almost All on Sale

Take a look at the sale prices in my store! I'm working on many 1-of-a-kind pieces, so clearing out to make room :)

Floating Down the River

Amelia, Sydney and Phil (I was in front... the navigator)

Waiting for the bus

705 lbs.


Eating



Getting shot at!

What could be better than a canoe trip on Labor Day? I say nothing :) That's what my family and my friends did this past Monday. It was a nice day... the rain missed us. Of course we saw turtles sunning themselves on the logs... a few lilys and just the beauty of the trees and river. It was relaxing and rejuvinating.

We went to the Camp Hi Canoe Livery in Hiram OH. We've been going there for years, but it was Amelia's first time.

Oh and almost forgot to mention this! We docked at a clearing along the river. Before kids this is the place that we used to dock to eat and drink... we walked up to a clearing and saw a farm. It was very picturesque... you can see it in the background in the close-up of Phil. This is where the farmer yelled at us to get off of his property and fired a shotgun up into the air!! wow... now I can say I've been shot at! haha

Eat all of the cantaloupe.

Over the past few days, since Bandit's soul has left the Earth, I've moved through various stages of grieving. The first (now these are not textbook, I'm sure) was shock. He's gone... how did this happen so fast?! Then, I moved into pure sadness. My Bandit is gone... I miss him.. I'm cutting a cantaloupe and he's not at my feet begging for some. I'm walking outside and he's not running to be with me... the cats are running around like crazy and he's not coming to check it out... oh... there's some of his hair in the corner... where's his blanket? his food bowl is empty... I just ordered Advantage for him, it hasn't even come yet... where are all of my pictures of him... where's his leash, his collar, his toy? It was so strange and empty not having him here. Then I was mad... why did the vet leave me in the room for 1/2 an hour believing we could fix him!? I imagined him on the trail in the park.. walking him to the square... healing from surgery with my loving touch, hugs and kisses. How could they do that to me? Then guilt... I should have spent more time with him. I should have brushed him the other day.. if I'd known it was his last day eating cantaloupe, I would have given him the whole thing. If I'd known it was the last day that we'd walk to the square, I would have walked for hours.... if I'd known it was his last night sleeping next to our bed, I would have pet him longer before falling asleep. Then ... OK ... he's taught me so much about life and death. My little Bandit, without even knowing it... has reminded me to never, ever, ever take for granted the relationships that I have. Never go to bed angry... always pray for my family and friends... call them more... love them more... less anger... more joy and time spent together. Eat all of the cantaloupe. I love you Bandit! Thank you for all you've done for me. You made my life so much better by just being in it.

Bandit - My Love

Bandit - 1994 - 2009

My beloved friend passed away today.... here's a letter that my mom wrote to me

Dear Julie, Phil and Amelia-

My heart is sadden with the passing of our special friend Bandit. I remember him as a springy little young guy running like a gazelle around my front yard. Running as fast as he could, jumping as high as he could, running, running, running - jumping over our beloved Shadow - so high it looked like Bandit was flying. We would laugh so hard. The more we laughed the more he would fly through the air.

I remember how he loved Tucker. You would ask Bandit do you want to go to see Tucker - he was off and running to the car. And making happy sounds as he rounded the corner of the street heading to our house.

I remember just the other day how every time I would come over to your house and Bandit would hear my voice he would pick up his tired little body and come over to me. He would look up at me smiling waiting for me to say - “Hi, Good Boy! How are you today”

God has taken Bandit into his arms. He has taken Bandit’s tired little body and made it so he can run and fly again like he used to in my front yard. He has put a smile on Bandit’s face by lifting all his soreness and stiffness - he has taken away his cloudy eyes and made them clear again so he can find his friends Shadow, Emma and Mr. Bunny. Bandit is running in tall grass, through clear streams - running with his friends - he is feeling joyful with his newness in God’s hands.

We miss ou dear little friend - he made us all smile. He gave us many years and then hung in there a little longer. My love and hugs are with you all today as you work through this sadness. When you’re able go through your photo’s - and look for all those special moments with that crazy little dog Bandit and smile again.
Love,
Grandma (mom)

Overwhelmed With Joy

I was baptized in Nov. of 2008. Even though at the time, I was fully aware of my decision, I had no idea of the joy and blessings that accepting Jesus as my saviour would bring. I am so filled with happiness, filled with the feeling of love and filled with a sense of purpose... more so than ever before in my life. This is not something that I can explain... it's just something that is inside of me. Based on my studies, I'm pretty sure it's the Holy Spirit at work :) Never before has a tree looked so beautiful and intricate. Never before has an apple tasted so sweet and looked so artfully made. Even a glass of water tastes better than ever before. Realizing that God has put this all on Earth out of his love for me overwhelms me at times. God's creations continue to inspire me... I am in awe.

(the photo is of a moth that Amelia spotted during a walk in the woods)

My Peace Lovin' 3rd Grader

3rd Grade!?! When did this happen!? Today is Amelia's first day of school. She's starting the 3rd grade and gets to go to a special class once a week for gifted kids (don't like the name of that.. but that's what the government calls it). The morning was wonderful. It's a beautiful day, Amelia had her outfit picked out (we even did her toes and nails to match on Sat.). We walked to school through our little town square. Picture perfect :) I'll pick her up and bring Ruthie with me to surprise her after school. Can't wait to hear about her day....

Where Have I Been?

Hi! I've been away for awhile... my laptop broke, my Etsy shop was closed (temporarily!), I've started a new full-time job, I will be starting a new part time job at my church and we got a puppy! School starts for Amelia this coming week. Life has been busy and new. I haven't touched my jewelry for months... but starting to get in the swing of things.

Going forward, my blog will include new jewerly, thoughts about God and my growing relationship, news on our puppy Ruthie and updates about my family and friends.

My store is opened with a few items that may look familiar, but there will be new items to come.

This blog will be about Ruthie, our new pup. We adopted her on 7/4/09 all the way from Delaware OH. She's a Cattle Dog Beagle mix. She's adorable, but really a handful!

The first hug 7/4/09

First run in the yard

she's dreaming

sleepy pup

What's out the window?

SALE!

Another puffluna piece reduced for you! :) This necklace was $32. For a limited time grab it while it's on sale!

Feed me!!

My mom took Amelia geo caching today... they ended up in PA. This photo is of part of their expidition just makes me laugh so I thought I'd share. The carp appear to be larger than the ducks! wow...Don't fall in that water!

BIG Sale

on this bracelet! :) This was $29... marked down to $22 for a limited time...

Thanks!

New!

New items listed on my site! Take a look :)

On Sale!

This Already on Vacation Necklace is on sale! $11 off. More BIG sales to come....

It's Official

Hi everyone... just wanted to tell you what's been going on lately.

I was contacted by someone from my old line of work and I'll be starting back there on Monday! I'm really looking forward to it. I've been cooped up in the house making thousands of pieces of jewelry for the last 3.5 years. Not that I haven't loved it, but it's time for a change again. I'll still be making jewelry.. just not as often. My Etsy site will remain and I will be adding new designs. I'm thinking many 1-of-a-kind pieces will be popping up.

Thank you to everyone who has supported puffluna these past years. I am so appreciative to all of you. I find it hard to express how grateful I am to you and to Etsy for providing me with the opportunity to stay at home with my daughter Amelia. It's been a dream come true.

Please check my site for new pieces... they'll be coming straight from my heart (I have many necklaces hanging on my model waiting for a sunny day for photos!)

Love, Julie

It's the BIG Sale!

HUGE sale going on right now in my store (almost everything!). Please take advantage of the great discounts. Many of these items are the last of their kind! Thanks! :)

Tadpole Season!

Every year since Amelia has been 5 she has been obsessed with the tadpoles in Grandma's backyard. There's a swampy area where the frogs come and lay eggs every year. We get to see all of the stages of development. Amelia has no fear and just sticks her hands in the mucky water to catch tadpoles. This year she actually picked up some of the gooey egg sacs too. It was a wonderful day :)

Friday Special - April 3, 2009

Today only... free shipping on all Sale items if you mention this blog special! I'll refund the shipping back to you PayPal Account. A sale item is one found in the sale section of my Etsy store.

Have a nice weekend!

18 Items on Sale

I've added more items to the sale section in my store. I also reduced some prices to lower amounts! You can find the deal here :)

Friday Special - March 20 - 22

Yes... I forgot to mention the Friday special again! I'm not doing this on purpose :) I have a few other things going on in life and apparently it's affecting my blogging time. haha Anyway... all weekend you can have an additional 10% off of any item in the Sale Section of my store. I'll refund the discount back to you.

Thanks!

Spring has Sprung!

I know... it's so cliche :) But it has! I have flowers in my yard and in my head. I've designed some new spring pieces and have been slowly adding them to my store. This one is a versatile wrap bracelet that fits similar to a bangle. It's made with mottled pink glass seed beads and olive green glass flowers.

Friday Special ... Better Late than Never!

Today's (and this whole weekend 3/13 - 3/15) this necklace will be $20 with free shipping! If you like it, and you purchase it, you can either wait for a revised invoice from me, or you can pay and expect a refund. Your choice :)

Have a great couple of days!

What are the odds...

I think the last time that I won something prior to the past two weeks, was back when I was in high school and won a Led Zeppelin mirror at the church festival! (did I just totally date myself? oh well...) I won another blog prize! I am so excited and grateful! Look at this beautiful little fragrance pillow! You can find Dream Acres', the artist behind the pillow, Etsy shop here . This is her blog . This is what I wrote in the contest (oh the rules were to write the first thing that popped into your head when you think of Mom (or Mum)) :

I think of laughter. Her and I giggle like silly girls almost every time we talk. We just get each other's humor. I always tell her that she makes me feel like a comedian and that I may quit my day job if she's not careful. We still crack up when we think of the time that my grandmother, her mom, went to the store with a dryer sheet and a pair of panties stuck to the outside of her velour pants. hahaha On a serious note, your work is beautiful! So glad I found it :)

Oh What Fun!

I love it when I open the vintage stash drawer and see the perfect thing to use! It happened today... I've had the zinc wrap bracelet sitting on my table for days... I opened the vintage supply drawer today, saw the red earrings and had a match :) I created the bracelet pictured. Click here to take a look at it in my store.

The winner is....

Vivien! Entry #42. Vivien please go to my Etsy shop and contact me so I can give you the details! Thank you all for playing again! Come back in April for another drawing :)

Thank you longwinterfarm

for creating this beautiful treasury that made the front page! Take a look at her store here. She makes soap that makes my mouth water! My White Flower Bracelet was included in the collection! :)

Thank you Etsy Admin

for choosing my glass locket necklace to be on the Etsy front page :) It's the one on the top row center :)

Destash - Supply Bargains!

I'm cleaning house over here and thought I'd offer some of my over abundance of supplies to the Etsy shoppers. I'll be adding supplies to my store over the coming days and weeks. Take a look in the Destash Section of my store. (I'll be adding some unique vintage items too)

March 2009 Monthly Giveaway

Let's do it again!! The prize is $15 to spend in my store this month. To enter, leave a comment in this post no later than midnight on 03/08/09. I'll generate a random number from the people who comment and the person whose post matches the number will receive the gift!I will post the winner on my blog on 3/9/09 and give the details about claiming your prize!

Thanks!

Friday Special - Feb. 27, 2009

I'm having a special on anything labeled green! See post below (two down). Have a lovely weekend!

Proud Mama!!

My new line is now available! I'm am really excited about this (and so is my little artist, Amelia!) I decided that I wanted to wear her art and have it with me wherever I go. I took one of her drawings (see the whole picture above) and chose a part of it to print and put in my pendant. I seal it with a gloss that leaves a shiny coating, almost glass-like, on top. These are currently available in gold plate and a shiny brass locket. I will be offering silver pendant and rings soon. You can choose the pendant style and chain. The chain is gold-fill. One of the chains is a delicate cable chain and the other is a link chain that's a bit larger. These are $45 and available now in my Etsy store!

To order, you'll scan your artwork into your computer and attach it to an email. You can send the email to me and I'll open the art and crop a section or use the entire thing. I'll send you some options via email and make the pendant! The whole process will take 2 weeks.

Let me know what you think! Thanks!