Trick or Treat?

Chloe compared to a Large Pumpkin!

One of my most favorite things to do in October is to visit this really cool pumpkin patch... or DD Ranch and pick out a pumpkin or two! It really is amazing gorgeous and beautiful and so much fun!

I have this inner desire to be a farmer..or wife of a farmer. I try to talk my husband into it, but he's not buyin it! It's obviously very hard work..but there is just something about being so close to the earth and working outside with animals and plants.

Smith Rock, Terrebonne, Oregon

It gives me a greater appreciation for the food we eat when you visit a farm. Today, we picked our pumpkins out..and went home....

Sorry the lighting inside my house is horrible!

Cleaned them up, baked the seeds..and ....

My Jack O'Lantern!

Carved them out. The one on the bottom is my guy! I can't wait to light him tonight!

Enjoy this season...!

What makes you happy?

As a mom..one of my greatest joys in life are my children. I was reminded nine years ago that a sweet little girl entered my life! Miss little Mia turned nine yesterday! Needless to say ..I have been very very busy because we had a birthday slumber party. I will tell you..these are the kind of parties that never seem to end?

Have you heard of the Kinect box? It's a really fun video gamer, because now your body is the remote control and all of us "old" people can dance and play without having to fiddle with the controls. It really makes for a fun evening with your friends and family. Watching them perform a goofy dance or tiff it out in a boxing match can be hysterical when they are in their 70's!!!

Okay..well I am taking the rest of the day to relax..I need it. I pulled a muscle in my back earlier this week and now I know what it means to have a bad back... After this party..I am going to just enjoy a nice cup of hot tea and a movie..or maybe a book!

Enjoy your weekend!

I love being green

Vasonite aka Vesuvianite set in 14k gold filled ring patterned ring band.

Isn't this stone just a beautiful green color? Wow. It's not easy to find an all natural green gemstone like this. I love green tourmaline but it is difficult to find a nice green one sized like this. This is called "Vasonite" or aka "Vesuvianite". I only have a very few of these and probably will not be able to get more.

14k gold filled patterned ring band

I am feeling much more comfortable working with gold filled and solid gold these days. The trick for solid gold is to anneal your metals to soft..or simply just order dead soft. The other thing is learning to use a punch when setting stones. I actually enjoy it..but you do have to have a pretty hard stone in my opinion as a beginner. The only thing that makes me tense is the cost of gold. It can be tense when working with it..because you may make a mistake ...and well you know! But hey! You can recycle it and sell it back..so it's not so bad.

I can also make these rings in solid gold if you would like...just let me know!

So... what do you think?

Hunky Pirates

Us jewelry sellers will have discussions in the Etsy forums regarding the use of a mannequin to display our jewelry properly. For the life of me...I have contemplated this issue over and over..and honestly, plastic people are just a turn off to me. EXCEPT...check these guys out, huh? What do you think? Not bad for a "MANnequin"...too bad they are plastic. They are kind of hunky to me. Maybe I would not have a problem displaying my jewelry on one of these guys..ha ha!

Newport, Oregon

Last week we headed on over to the Oregon coast to get away for a few days. After feeling like our summer was such a short slump..with my mom being ill, our family just needed a few real fun days to hang out. So, we decided to visit the coastal towns of Lincoln City, Newport, Netarts, Pacific City and Tillamook.

A Big Crab

We did our annual crabbing on a few of the docks. Although we did catch a ton of crab, we only caught four good size edible crabs. I guess we hit the negative tide last week and it really affected the height of the waters in the bays..so the bigger crab were not coming near the docks as much. Either that, we are seriously unlucky!! We also went clamming and wow..what luck we had there. The negative tide is ideal for clamming..and for the first time we were able to watch and participate with other clammers. The whole experience was educational and fun too!

Sea Lions

I think we should have rented a boat to go crabbing, maybe next time. We did get to see lots of sea lions and seals. We also tried to fly a kite on the beach, and just enjoy the mighty Pacific Ocean. We ate a ton of good sea food and just laughed at how we are so unlucky when it comes to fishing. It's a good thing we don't have to fish to eat!!

A couple of new blings....

Garnet Sterling Silver Ring

Just finished up this sweet garnet ring. Damn, it looks red doesn't it? This stone has lot's of color and with the oxidized sterling silver..it really stands out well. This ring is ready to go in my shop.

Rustic London Blue Topaz Sterling Silver Necklace

I found one last square london blue topaz gemstone and I wanted to make something different other then another ring...so I came up with this. I purposely and ruggedly set the stone for that rustic weathered look and appeal. I have a difficult time with my styles because I really like the rustic look too, but then sometimes I am in the mood for that shiny bling look. Hmmm? What does that say about me? And then, I also really like gold too! GEEZ!

Pink Drusy Quartz Pendant Sterling Silver Necklace

I have a few druzy cabs that have been patiently waiting for me to set. I actually started this early summer. I just simply became side tracked and never finished it ...till this weekend. It's a new style for me. I don't normally make larger jewelry..but this is eye catchy and has a pop to it. It has that earthy rustic look..yet catches the eye.

Drusy cabs are unique and each one has it's own character...no two are exactly alike. I just posted all of these rustic jewels in my shop here www.HelenesDreams.com.

Thanks and have a great day everyone!