December 15th Already??

Wow.. Is it REALLY December 15th already??? This has been a wild and crazy year for me and I honestly cannot believe it is almost gone.

I hope everyone is well and looking forward to a holiday season filled with whatever gives you the warm fuzzies. I used to say I hope it is full of wonderful friends and family until a friend of mine said "Yikes! I'm running away for the holidays to HIDE from them all". There seems to be a wider perception of what gives someone the "warm fuzzies" than I realized, LOL. So, whatever your idea of a wonderful holiday is, I hope it's happening for you.

I have really enjoyed the comments that readers have sent me during the year as well as making new friends. So many of us that are now sharing blog links live pretty close to one another in Texas. Wouldn't it be fun to have an occasional meet and greet? Sharing our creations and trading tips/techniques? Sounds like fun to me...

We just did our last scheduled show for this year and have some glorious creative time until the first Saturday in January so I'm almost giddy with the possibilities. Besides playing with my gemstone goodies and the kiln, there's trees to trim and stockings to hang.....let's see....oh.. house lights to put up, garland to drape and TONS of cookies to bake~!

I hope everyone has a very safe and wonderous holiday season~!

Holiday Coupons, Layaway and Drop Shipping

The Holidays are almost here~! We are working to make your holiday gift making and giving easier, time-saving and affordable. Now thru the end of the year, DG Designs Jewelry and Supply is offering 20% discount on all jewelry supply purchases, 30% off of all finished jewelry purchases, FREE DOMESTIC SHIPPING (to you or to another address of your choice~!). We are also offering a free layaway plan, allowing you to make three smaller payments with no interest or holding fees.

Use the following discount codes to receive:

20% Off Jewelry Supply: HLDYSPLY20 (does not include Texas Artisan or One of A Kind)
25% Off Finished Jewelry: HLDYDSCNT
FREE Domestic Shipping: SWNOSHIP

To put your purchases on layaway, visit http://dgdesigns.artfire.com/ and make your selections. Send me an email at degarcia@gvtc.com to receive your layaway instructions and payment details. It's as easy as that~!!!!! If you choose to have your purchases shipped to another address as a gift, we will also gift wrap it and add a coordinating gift tag with your message printed on it for the recipient.

Don't Miss out~!

Trust me~! You do NOT want to miss out on this giveaway~!! eSMArts artisans from all over the globe have organized an awesome Holiday event for our fans and customers. One lucky winner will receive ALL of the items donated by our artisans for holiday gift giving or hoarding for yourself~!

(click the above image for more details)

I can only tease you at this point but if you browse the blogs and stores of the eSMArts members, you will see a mind blowing collection of talent. These same creative team members will be donating something from their own hand work~! Check my blog often for updates and listings of participating members~!

eSMARts Team Hidden Santa Giveaway~!

eSMArts is spreading the love with a bundle of unique, handmade delights to warm your holiday! One lucky winner will receive a bagful of hand made artisan items donated by members of eSMArts Team~! For details visit http://www.hiddensantagiveaway.blogspot.com and join in the fun~!

What I've Been Up to Lately

The team members of eSMArts are close to voting time on their August Team Challenge. The theme for this challenge was nature and I can't wait to see the entries. I will post winning pics here with a link to each winner's website as soon as they are announced.



I popped over to a new forum today and joined. Copper Wire Jewelers, formed by Lois Lindquist of A Beaded Affair is shaping up to be a great forum. Stop in and browse the member's pages and join us~!



Also this week, I added a bunch of new inventory to my Artfire store. Scrumptious new faceted brios in chalcedony, citrine, and labradorite, to name a few.

I managed to make time for actually being creative lately, too~! Helps when your computer hard drive decides to take a nose dive. Almost as bad as having no car, LOL~!

This piece I made entirely by hand, from collar to cobweb~!

And I managed to get three versions of this bracelet, and a pair of earrings, from one strand of gorgeous russian amazonite:

Other than that and the fact that it's been hot enough to fry a chicken let alone an egg on the sidewalk...... things have been as chaotic and nutty as usual around here~! Talk to you again soon~!

How Do You Spell Relief?

Remember that commercial? R-O-L-A-I-D-S. Let's try a non-chemical relief. Let's spell relief "K-O-I P-O-N-D". I love spending time at my koi pond. Even with the house barely 15 feet behind me, when I'm at the pond I am the only one around for miles.


It really is a world unto itself. Living in the country, I have always lived among wildlife... deer, possum, skunks, boars, vultures.. not to mention the daddy long legs and scorpians. I usually let the bats take care of those critters. .

But the pond is mine. My special "end of the day let it all roll away" place

There is a small pool behind the sun where the birds play and use it as a birdbath. It drives my dogs nuts seeing the birds in "their" pond.

The newest members of our family, little chihuahua sisters named Thelma & Louise, love exploring while I sit and relax.


Thelma is determined to find one of the two turtles that keep a low profile. I have tried for two weeks to photograph them myself but every time I see them, they scurry back to their cave before I get the camera set.

The fish, the older ones anyway, are so used to me they will come up to the very edge where I am sitting and look at me with those fish eyes and wait for me to feed them, but I guess the turtles are too cold blooded to be friendly... (no pun intended). No matter, I know they are there and thriving, so it is what it is.

It has become such a neat little environment since we put it in. Attracting all sorts of new wildlife to the area. Including a migrating crane that thought it was his own personal buffett for a week or two then happily went on his way with a full belly.....

During the summer, it is the first place my rottweiller runs to when I let her out of her kennel. She heads for the very middle, sits down and bites at the water as the fish swim around her. After she cools off, she climbs out and gives the rest of us a shake bath before running off to the far ends of the property.

I noticed soooooo many new fish this spring. Sometimes, when feeding them, I'll sprinkle some of the food near the lily pads. The little guys can get to it easily while the big boys prefer munching in the open areas.


I always see something new or observe a new habit of the fish. And once in awhile, when I lose myself in the quietness and total peace of the moment, I am rewarded with an opportunity.....

I don't think the turtle even noticed I was there. I imagine he was just as relaxed as I was.....