I'm Thinking 4th of July!

Remember doing this to your bike as a kid? I just might do it to mine....kids can't have all the fun!

I love to celebrate holidays by making things special. It could be an art project of some sort or creative cooking and baking. Here are a few ideas I came upon and thought I'd share with you. I'm already preparing my patriotic cupcakes and cupcake flags, painting my nails red, white and blue and bead dazzling myself with a patriotic heart made by, you guessed it, me :) Images and most ideas found on Martha Stewart website.

These look great and they aren't too many calories either! I've been planning our holiday meal and this will be on it for sure!

I like this idea since you can choose a low fat ice cream sandwich helping to make the calories a little bit lower :)

I love watermelon and what a simple idea! A star cookie cutter and ta dah! Whipped topping will be the white for the flag!

One of my patriotic hearts will top off the simple 4th of July celebration! You can get this one by visiting my Etsy Shop!! More flags will be coming soon since the Olympics are just a few weeks away!

Hearts for Hannah

Thank you again to everyone who purchased hearts this year for my annual fundraiser. All hearts have been sold and over the next week I will finish up getting hearts mailed out. Once all money has been collected, I will post the final dollar amount raised and will write a check to Joining Hearts and Hands.

The hearts made for today have all been sold so I just did not bother to post.

This year was a little challenging for me due to tendonitis and changes at work. Thank you to all who stuck it out with me and patiently awaited hearts to post.

I sell my hearts ALL the time so please do stop by my Etsy Shop or visit me at a summer show to pick some up. These hearts support me so I in turn can do for others.

Hearts for Hannah....almost the last batch!

Here they are....its almost over everyone. I hope you find one and are able to snag it! I will have hearts listed in my Etsy Shop so please stop by and take a look there too.

Please leave a comment here on my blog indicating which one you'd like. It just makes it easier for everyone else to see. Comments do not publish until I have read them so don't worry that you can't see your comment right away.

Thank you everyone for supporting this fundraiser and Joining Hearts and Hands!

3 Beautiful Things

Periodically I will post 3 beautiful things that have happened to me on a given day. I think this is a great way to sit back and reflect on what is really important......I try to do this in my mind daily but sadly, I've  been so overwhelmed I have forgotten to. Please visit Clare's blog since she is the originator of this awesome idea. Thanks Clare for helping us all find beautiful meaning to each day :)

My 3 Beautiful Things:


:: Watching the amazing light show provided by 1000's of Fireflies last night. My sister took my husband and I to a park that has a spectacular amount of these little guys and the show was not disappointing....I could have stayed for hours.
:: Yesterday morning a 3 point buck with velvet around his antlers was grazing at our neighbors crab apple tree. He was pretty calm considering the busy road he was very near.
:: Out on our brother-in-laws boat for a peaceful night ride on the lake. On our ride back home after dinner, he stopped the boat a good distance from the shore and we all took a moment to enjoy the stillness of the water, the humid air, and shore lights........beautiful!

One of my last batches of Hearts for Hannah will be posted later today....

Hearts for Hannah- Batch #7

I have a new batch ready to show. I hope you find a heart or two to buy.....remember, ALL proceeds go to Joining Hearts and Hands in memory of Hannah Congdon. Click on Hannah's image and find out more.

I will have more hearts Friday and my last will be posted on Saturday. Thank you one and all for once again purchasing a Heart in memory of Hannah. Good things happen with kindness.

First Full Day of Summer Vacation!

:: Slept in until 5:15ish (thats sleeping in for me)
:: Enjoyed a quiet cup of coffee listening to the birds.
:: Went for a nice hour long walk with my husband. So lucky to have him off of work until after the 4th! We never have much time together since we are both so busy...especially him!

Dozens of Swans were sleeping while we walked by this morning.

SeaBreeze! We plan on going there over the summer (its just down the road from us) Pete loves water slides! I like the rides.

We really do live in a nice area! Water, great trails and plenty to do....

:: Took a nice motorcycle ride out to a farm market thats about an hour or more away from home. I had never been to this place and wanted to check it out...Brown's Berry Patch is awesome!

I love farm markets for some reason. They feel very homey.

:: Returned home and had a nice light lunch
:: Made some colorful vessels for an aromatherapy fragrance class a friend and I will be doing soon! Really looking forward to that and these vessels will hold said fragrance or essential oil blend.
:: Off to get my hair cut in a few minutes

Gosh......Its been a great day so far! First Full Day of Summer Vacation has been wonderful....

Hearts for Hannah- Batch #6

I've been busy working on wrapping up the school year and trying to stay cool in the 90 degree weather! And with it being in the low 90's, working at the torch was not the best idea....Yesterday I was able to make a few hearts before going to a party and then my nieces recital. So, here are my current hearts....I will have more tomorrow and the rest of this week since I will be on summer break! I hope you find something you love :)

I've also been creating some very sweet Aromatherapy vessels....I make these on and off and have recently become intrigued with them again.

These will be in my Etsy Shop later today. If you are on my mailing list you will also see that I will be offering a create your own Essential Oil fragrance class too....

Hearts for Hannah- Batch #5

Here is #5....

 Please leave a comment here on my blog as to which one you would like. Comments will not appear until I have read them. Thank you all :)

Aromatherapy Vessels...

Here are some vessel pendants I've been making....very soon I'll be offering an aromatherapy class where you can mix your own blend to add to these vessels.

These are a bit plain since I wanted the glass to do all the work....reactive glass is beautiful all on its own. I'll be making some colorful ones too.....just fooling around right now :)

Hearts for Hannah- Batch #4

I hope you see something you like here! Please post here on my blog which one(s) you would like...please note that your comment will not appear until I have read it. This is a safety feature for spam....

Thank you so very much. I'll be posting Batch #5 later in the day or early tomorrow morning :)

Hearts for Hannah...

Good Morning everyone.....I will have a small group of hearts later today and of course the days that follow. I will post the time that I will publish on my facebook page!

Thank you to all so far who have purchased hearts! If you click onto Hannah's image in the left side column you can read more about Joining Hearts and Hands and Hannah's story.

Hearts for Hannah- Batch #3

Here is Batch #3! Thank you so much!!

Our hardwoods are almost done and they look awesome! So, I am hoping our home will be back to normal later next week.....and I can have my office back too!

Hearts for Hannah- Batch #2

Here is my second batch of Hearts! I hope you find one...... or 5 that you have to have!!....last year I made over 100 hearts and sold everyone of them. I would love to be able to do that again! They make terrific graduation gifts, birthday presents or keep until Valentine's Day for someone special. There are plenty of ways and reasons to give a heart. Hearts are 25.00. Please be specific as to which one or all that you would like...first come, first serve.

My apologies again for the poor image. I'm afraid all week long you will get these types of photos until my "good" technology is available again.....

Hearts for Hannah Begins!

As many of you already know, each year for the month of June I create heart pendants and sell them to raise money for Joining Hearts and Hands in memory of Hannah Congdon. Hannah was one of five Fairport teens killed in a tragic accident 5 years ago. These girls, although I did not know any of them, left an unforgettable mark on me.........A reminder to be kind in the time you have. Help others. And do good when & where you can. This is my way of paying it forward.

Below are my initial hearts I offer for sale. For those that are new to this, each day you will need to visit my blog, select a heart or two that you want and then leave a comment here, on my fb page or by email indicating which ones you want. It is first come, first serve.....HEARTS GO EXTREMELY FAST!!!! So don't hesitate. But also don't get discouraged. Keep trying and I'm confident you will get what you'd like. Each heart costs only $25.00 and ALL proceeds go to Joining Hearts and Hands....a shipping fee will be included if I have to mail out your hearts to you :)

I DO NOT take orders. These hearts come from my heart and I don't want to limit my time at the torch filling orders. Creating freely is such a peaceful joy for me that I want these hearts to remain true to the spirit of Peace, Love and Happiness!

Here are todays hearts. I apologize for the so so image but our floors are being refinished and I do not have access to my better technology......these images are taken with my phone. Please know that they look beautiful in person and you will be happy with whatever one you select....color often does not come across correctly in a picture or on computer.