When will this year be over? Yeah, ok, I know, December 31...a few days from now. Sigh. 2009 has been full of challenges and I can't wait to see the back end of it. One of the ladies at work told me that in her household they take the tree down before the New Year. The idea is not to bring any of the bad vibes and 'old issues' from the past into a fresh new year. I like the thought of that...so the tree will be coming down before the New Year starts. Why take chances?

I had a wonderful Christmas day and so did my family. I am enjoying the videos my sister took (post more) and can't wait to see the rest of the photos. Here's an interesting fact...my parent's have had a digital camera for about a year now and I have yet to see a photo that they have taken and if I was to ask the question of if they took any photos on Xmas day the answer will likely be no. Hey guys 'use it or lose it'. Moving on....

I have been mulling over a number of thoughts lately. My brain hurts sometimes from the mulling. Seasons and people come and go in our lives. Destinations are not always known. What is your definition of happy? Where will we all be this time next year and who will be in our lives?

Where will we all be this time next year and who will be in our lives? And that my friends is the biggest question at the moment. But one I am not going to try and answer until after my trip to Italy. Oh, and funds are getting tight on the once in a lifetime trip so if anyone out there has won the lottery recently and would like to donate some cash I'm happy to accept it. ;)

I made a list of 10 things I wanted to do over the holidays. The list was originally meant for the 4 day weekend but I have decided to extend it into the next long weekend as well. It isn't big or important so no worries but a few things I'd like to get done. One of the items is sew on buttons. The pile of buttons and things that need buttons isn't towering over me but it is starting to inhibit my wardrobe selections. A couple of items I managed to cross off the list--hang new shower curtain, finish pink necklace. Yep, its a tough list.

The necklace is actually a project that I originally started in mid-August. I haven't worked on it the past few months so it didn't actually take me 4.5 months to finish. The necklace is what actually prompted a trip to Ikea and the purchase of the desk/table for crafting. Which lead to the re-arranging of the living room the hurting of my back and the list goes on. But with a 4 day weekend ahead of me and a feeling of relaxation I decided to tackle the necklace again and I'm glad I did. I am very happy with the results. Now to start the next one. LOL. The next one has a much simpler design and now that I know a little bit more about what I am doing it should go much faster. Oh, and I purchased a proper crimping tool over the weekend which makes one portion of the projects much easier and faster. Isn't it amazing what the proper tools can do?

Here's a few photos from this weekends work...and the finished product.


Seed beads are very messy. They come on strings but when removed from the string have a tendency to roam all over the house.


I need a lamp. This is my bedside lamp and doesn't produce enough light to see the tiny holes in the beads unless I am holding everything right under the shade. I have looked at Ikea but they are all energy saving lamps and don't seem to have enough sparkle to see. Maybe I should look at the craft stores...hmmm...good idea.
Detail of necklace.



The finished product. The large piece of rose quartz in the centre was not wrapped by me. The lady at the craft store made the cage. That was one part of the necklace I knew needed to be done correctly or I would regret it later on...when the rock fell out and broke. It isn't quite what I had envisioned and I can add more to it if I want...but I'm happy with the results when I wear it. I might just wear it to the office tomorrow and see if I get any comments on it.