A cowgirl's tips and tutorials on how to live a crafty life. I hope I can help empower you to get your craft on by sharing some of the things that inspire me in everyday life. I believe the best things in life are homemade. So if you enjoy handmade crafts and DIY projects, jewelry designing, gardening, cooking and baking, decorating, horses and all things cowgirl, you've come to the right place. Kick your shoes off and stay awhile!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Crazy Hot in Texas
Whew, the heat is definitely ON! I'm from Texas and expect the summers to be hot, but I'm startin' to sound like my granny who always said, "I can't recall it ever being THIS hot around here"! The good news is I'm getting a lot work done indoors like housework, designing my jewelry, taking jewelry pictures and, of course, blogging!
So, how hot is it? It's so hot the corn in the deer feeders is poppin'! Although some areas of Texas have received small amounts of rain, most remain unbelievably dry and record heat is the norm. Even Lake Taxoma has been closed to swimmers because the hot, dry weather has caused the blue-green algae to bloom uncontrollably which can be dangerous. I even saw a picture on a friends Facebook wall of someone with cookie dough on a cookie sheet on their car dash. Hmmm. I guess cooking an egg on the sidewalk is old school. Anyway, I'll end this with something to make you giggle, especially if you're from Texas!
You know your in Texas when...
Happy Trails and may the good Lord take a liken' to ya!
So, how hot is it? It's so hot the corn in the deer feeders is poppin'! Although some areas of Texas have received small amounts of rain, most remain unbelievably dry and record heat is the norm. Even Lake Taxoma has been closed to swimmers because the hot, dry weather has caused the blue-green algae to bloom uncontrollably which can be dangerous. I even saw a picture on a friends Facebook wall of someone with cookie dough on a cookie sheet on their car dash. Hmmm. I guess cooking an egg on the sidewalk is old school. Anyway, I'll end this with something to make you giggle, especially if you're from Texas!
You know your in Texas when...
You no longer associate bridges or rivers with water.
You notice the best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.
Hot water now comes out of both taps.
You can say 110 degrees without batting an eye.
It’s noon in July, kids are on summer vacation, and not one person is out on the streets.
You actually burn your hand opening the car door.
You break a sweat the instant you step outside at 7:30 a.m. before work.
No one would dream of putting vinyl upholstery in a car or not having air conditioning.
Your biggest bicycle wreck fear is, “What if I get knocked out and end up lying on the pavement and cook to death?”
You realize that asphalt has a liquid state.
Happy Trails and may the good Lord take a liken' to ya!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Il Mare Atelier - Bloggers Unite Featured Artisan
This week's Featured Artisan is Suftan - Il Mare Atelier! Absolutely gorgeous
creations in her shop. Perfect addition to any wardrobe and great gifts too!
You can find Il Mare Atelier on:
Monday, August 15, 2011
Court and Sparks Featured Artisan - Share the Love Blogger's Unite
This weeks featured artisan is Phillippa Pinka - Court & Sparks.
Darling Creations that make perfect gifts! You can find Court & Sparks on:
Grab the code for your blog here:
Monday, May 16, 2011
Discover This Featured Artisan - Cranberry Crafts
Today's Discover This featured artisan is Cranberry Crafts from ArtFire and her store is a little bit different than most. In this shop you can find some great ezines and ebooks to promoting and marketing for artists who sell handmade products online.
One of her ebooks will show you different ways to sell handmade products online and off:
-One special niche audience that can boost your sales during the Spring season.
-The easiest way to make your online store more appealing to shoppers.
-How to tap into someone else's market without creating competition.
-An offline opportunity that helps you market to people who are already spending money.
-How to become the Martha Stewart of Spring season and drive more traffic to your online store.
If you want your business to stand out, expand promotion methods for your handmade products BEYOND blogging, social networking, forums, comments and dozens of other “promotional” gimmicks that everyone else is doing.
CC Store is also a writer, director and graphic artist and has been featured in Border's book stores. She is currently distributing a documentary on intellectual property rights while making custom designed clothes and gifts. Do yourself a favor and visit Cranberry Crafts to pump up the volume in your promotional strategies and marketing your one-of-a-kind handmade items.
One of her ebooks will show you different ways to sell handmade products online and off:
-One special niche audience that can boost your sales during the Spring season.
-The easiest way to make your online store more appealing to shoppers.
-How to tap into someone else's market without creating competition.
-An offline opportunity that helps you market to people who are already spending money.
-How to become the Martha Stewart of Spring season and drive more traffic to your online store.
If you want your business to stand out, expand promotion methods for your handmade products BEYOND blogging, social networking, forums, comments and dozens of other “promotional” gimmicks that everyone else is doing.
CC Store is also a writer, director and graphic artist and has been featured in Border's book stores. She is currently distributing a documentary on intellectual property rights while making custom designed clothes and gifts. Do yourself a favor and visit Cranberry Crafts to pump up the volume in your promotional strategies and marketing your one-of-a-kind handmade items.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Discover This Featured Artisan - Joycies Jems on ArtFire
The newest ArtFire featured artisan, Joycie Jems, has a unique collection of stylish jewelry and her own handmade lampwork beads. If you're looking for something special, look no further than this lilac and green lampwork glass beads & hand-dyed silk ribbon necklace pictured below.
Sparkling with style is another of her creations, a silver with a blue and white flower glass lampwork bead necklace.
You can see all Joycies Jems creations at her ArtFire studio or check out her blog and Facebook page to find out about new techniques she's learning or upcoming sales, contests or givaways!
Sparkling with style is another of her creations, a silver with a blue and white flower glass lampwork bead necklace.
You can see all Joycies Jems creations at her ArtFire studio or check out her blog and Facebook page to find out about new techniques she's learning or upcoming sales, contests or givaways!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Ride The Journey With Chris Cox
Have you ever been so excited about something you just couldn't wait to tell anyone and everyone? Well, I had just such an experience recently and thought it would be worth sharing. My good friend, who also happens to be my horses' trainer, invited me along to a two-day Chris Cox Horsemanship Clinic. It was the a real eye-opener to say the least and the best money I've spent in a long time.
"Horsemanship is a way of life and an exciting journey. Along the way you discover the journey is not just about the horse; the journey is about you as well. It's about getting to know yourself and learning to control your emotions so that you can communicate clearly with this wonderful animal, the horse. Always keep an open mind and never lose your passion, and you'll never lose the direction for your journey." This is the philosophy of Chris Cox and the key is knowledge. The more knowledge and understanding you have, the more effective you can be in communicating with your horse. Even if you're a good rider and have no apparent problems with your horse, I think we could all improve and hone our abilities and develop our horse's full potential.
If you own a horse or are even thinking about buying a horse, Chris can show you how to put horsemanship theory into practice with a minimal amount of gear and no gimmicks, and his building-block approach minimizes confusion and maximizes results. I told my husband the only thing I want for Mother's Day is Chris' DVD When you come across someone who has not only integrity and passion for something, but skills and knowledge beyond their years like Chris Cox, you should heed their advice. If you ever get the chance to go to one of his clinics, as I just did, it will be time well spent. My friend and I drove an hour and a half each way to get to his clinic and I would do it again in a heartbeat. In a covered arena at the San Antonio Rose Palace, a crowd of about 200 were electrified and awed by the natural talent of this ultimate horseman. Chris Cox has a God-given gift for not only communicating with horses, but for teaching lay people, such as myself, the techniques necessary to put horsemanship theory into practice and strengthen your riding partnership with your horse. My desire and goal is to attend one of his 6-day clinics at his ranch in Mineral Wells, Texas. His passion is contagious and truly inspires me to take this journey of authentic horsemanship.
Watching him read the cues of the horses body language and then see him communicate to the horse with his own body language was absolutely amazing. He explained that a horse must think about something before he does it. And if you pay attention to the signals a horse gives with his body language you have a chance to redirect him in a positive way. Horses learn through relief from pressure. That pressure might be from a rein, hand, leg or spur. It could also be pressure from just you presence, which your horse picks up on through, you guessed it, your body language, even if you aren't touching him. Relief of pressure and the timing of that relief is crucial to success. Once you know when to give that relief and your horse learns that relief comes from you, he will always look to you for relief. This relief is all a horse wants and it works better than treats or petting.
Chris Cox has won The Road to the Horse Championship the last three years running for a reason, he's the best at what he does. He's the real deal, authentic and a true master horseman. Chris says, "The difference between a horseman and a trainer is that the trainer trains the horse while the horseman trains himself." I would highly recommend his training DVD s whether your a seasoned veteran or you just bought your first horse. My horse is an ex-barrel racer and has a lot of holes in her foundation. She showed no respect, would never stand still and was hard to control. Since we started using his groundwork techniques she has improved tremendously and I couldn't be happier.
If your ready to really learn how to be a horseman or horsewoman and your willing to put in the time and effort, I tip my hat to you. You can get individual DVD s or the complete set which covers just about any situation you can think of. The Chris Cox training DVD s will guide you in a natural progression from the basics to advanced maneuvers and collection. No matter what kind of horse you have or what riding discipline you prefer, Chris' approach to horsemanship creates a fine partnership for both horse and rider. With the right knowledge and training tools you can effectively achieve your riding goals. Good luck and God speed.
"Horsemanship is a way of life and an exciting journey. Along the way you discover the journey is not just about the horse; the journey is about you as well. It's about getting to know yourself and learning to control your emotions so that you can communicate clearly with this wonderful animal, the horse. Always keep an open mind and never lose your passion, and you'll never lose the direction for your journey." This is the philosophy of Chris Cox and the key is knowledge. The more knowledge and understanding you have, the more effective you can be in communicating with your horse. Even if you're a good rider and have no apparent problems with your horse, I think we could all improve and hone our abilities and develop our horse's full potential.
If you own a horse or are even thinking about buying a horse, Chris can show you how to put horsemanship theory into practice with a minimal amount of gear and no gimmicks, and his building-block approach minimizes confusion and maximizes results. I told my husband the only thing I want for Mother's Day is Chris' DVD When you come across someone who has not only integrity and passion for something, but skills and knowledge beyond their years like Chris Cox, you should heed their advice. If you ever get the chance to go to one of his clinics, as I just did, it will be time well spent. My friend and I drove an hour and a half each way to get to his clinic and I would do it again in a heartbeat. In a covered arena at the San Antonio Rose Palace, a crowd of about 200 were electrified and awed by the natural talent of this ultimate horseman. Chris Cox has a God-given gift for not only communicating with horses, but for teaching lay people, such as myself, the techniques necessary to put horsemanship theory into practice and strengthen your riding partnership with your horse. My desire and goal is to attend one of his 6-day clinics at his ranch in Mineral Wells, Texas. His passion is contagious and truly inspires me to take this journey of authentic horsemanship.
Watching him read the cues of the horses body language and then see him communicate to the horse with his own body language was absolutely amazing. He explained that a horse must think about something before he does it. And if you pay attention to the signals a horse gives with his body language you have a chance to redirect him in a positive way. Horses learn through relief from pressure. That pressure might be from a rein, hand, leg or spur. It could also be pressure from just you presence, which your horse picks up on through, you guessed it, your body language, even if you aren't touching him. Relief of pressure and the timing of that relief is crucial to success. Once you know when to give that relief and your horse learns that relief comes from you, he will always look to you for relief. This relief is all a horse wants and it works better than treats or petting.
Chris Cox has won The Road to the Horse Championship the last three years running for a reason, he's the best at what he does. He's the real deal, authentic and a true master horseman. Chris says, "The difference between a horseman and a trainer is that the trainer trains the horse while the horseman trains himself." I would highly recommend his training DVD s whether your a seasoned veteran or you just bought your first horse. My horse is an ex-barrel racer and has a lot of holes in her foundation. She showed no respect, would never stand still and was hard to control. Since we started using his groundwork techniques she has improved tremendously and I couldn't be happier.
If your ready to really learn how to be a horseman or horsewoman and your willing to put in the time and effort, I tip my hat to you. You can get individual DVD s or the complete set which covers just about any situation you can think of. The Chris Cox training DVD s will guide you in a natural progression from the basics to advanced maneuvers and collection. No matter what kind of horse you have or what riding discipline you prefer, Chris' approach to horsemanship creates a fine partnership for both horse and rider. With the right knowledge and training tools you can effectively achieve your riding goals. Good luck and God speed.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Discover This - Desert Wind Designs
Desert Wind Designs is my newest Artfire featured artisan and is a unique shop that utilizes polymer clay as her medium. You can find original artwear necklaces and bracelets with a wide variety of earrings in either copper, silver or clay. One-of-a-kind keychains and even some absolutely amazing freeform beads that dazzle you with detail!
Check out her blog and find out about her latest creations and get the 411 on her new abstract paintings when they arrive! Also be sure to visit Desert Wind Designs on Twitter and Facebook and be the first to find out about any promotions, sales, or givaways!
Her latest pendants for Polymer Clay Smoosher's nature challenge are so cute! Can you handle the cute?
Check back here soon for more ArtFire featured artisans!
Her latest pendants for Polymer Clay Smoosher's nature challenge are so cute! Can you handle the cute?
Check back here soon for more ArtFire featured artisans!
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