Merry Christmas Eve...

A very Merry Christmas Eve to everyone. Here in Northern California it is raining and pretty much washing away the beautiful white snow we had. I think we are down from 1 1/2 feet to about 4 inches on the decks and ground. It was snowing this morning but the rain has taken over. It is very cold and we are thankful to be inside our cozy home with power to run the lights and heater and oven.

I just baked a smothered pumpkin cake for dessert tonight so it smells heavenly. A little whipped cream on top and yummy in my tummy! We will be spending this evening with friends and sharing good hot soup and dessert all around. Of course some presents will be opened also.

I feel a small sense of accomplishment for finishing a lovely purple scarf for a friend. She doesn't know it is finished and hasn't gotten it yet due to the traveling conditions we have had with snow and ice. I know she will love it because she actually bought the beautiful soft, fuzzy, double strand yarn so that she could learn to knit or crochet. I tried to help her however my knitting skills are not so good and we both had struggles. Therefore we tried crocheting and there is where I excell. So, I volunteered to "start" her scarf for her and she could finish making it. :-) Well, after I worked with the yarn I realized how difficult it is with the separation of the two different strands wound together and the ability of the fat strand to split on it's own I just knew she would have way too much stuggling so I just kept on crocheting and getting more skeins of her yarn from her (I think the count is five) and finished it. I did let her see it to ask if she wanted fringe or not and decided she did but not real long. Lindsay if you are reading this and see the picture I hope you love your scarf!

A very Merry Christmas to all.

Shoe picture...

Funny...I love to read other blogs and it seems to be the uniform norm to take a picture of your own feet/shoes and then post it so here is mine. Too cute snowmen socks from my soul sister saucy chickie and my snowflake glitter shoes from me to me. I think they are a match made in shoe heaven. I love all types of shoes. I actually would consider myself to have a shoe fettish. When I was a young girl and going to elementary school most of the girls wore their very cute mary jane shoes and I had to wear saddle oxfords every day so that is when and where I think I caught the shoe fettish disease. Now I cannot have too many shoes. I even have bought shoes that I can't even wear but that I have displayed in my dressing room just to gaze at them. And everytime I see them I smile. I especially love red mary janes and think every female should own a pair. I still have one (not the pair) of my daughter's little red mary jane shoes from when she was very little and wore a tiny infant size 5. My grandmother had the mate but through the years and several generations passing on the other shoe has lost it's way. I know this is not very holiday minded but I seriously love shoes.

Jolly on to all...

Snow pictures...

Here are some pictures of the snow we have just gotten this week.

December Snow...

Hello anyone out there reading this blog.

Here in Northern California we have finally gotten some snow. Our weather has been very dry so far this year and as everyone else knows we desperately need the rain and snow for the water table. We have over a foot of very beautiful white snow. Today it is very sunny so all of the snow has fallen off the trees and landed on any driveways or roads to then become ice as it is very very cold. So if driving (which I am not one to do in this weather) please be extra careful since ice makes a vehicle have a mind of its own!

I did decorate an outdoor Christmas tree this year and took this photo of it before the snow fell. So far my tree seems to be doing just fine as the snow falls off of it. Even the bows are popping back to shape. The CD's are twirling and catching all the light they can so they look very festive.

I will try to blog again very soon. Some holiday plans have changed due to life circumstances so we are adapting as well as possible.

Lots of Jolly to everyone!

Relax...

I am writing this blog today to remind myself as well as others to relax and enjoy each day. Many of you probably did the over-shopping yesterday and are exhausted today. Well, in the words of Calgon, "Take me away". A nice hot bubble bath, a good book and a cup of tea is very relaxing and good therapy at these extremely busy times we live in. Any time of day would be perfect for this recipe.

I am looking forward to the upcoming holidays and visits with friends and family. My goal is to not stress out completely but to be able to relax and enjoy all the wonderful experiences and sights and sounds this season brings. Last evening my husband and I watched "Polar Express" for the very first time. I do "believe" and the magic is always amazing.

Living here in the mountains of Northern California we usually get snow by this time of year. I am not big on snow or ice or the challenges it brings each year, however we really do need the water table that comes from a good snowfall. Besides we can make a very happy snowman.

Thankful and full...

I do believe this year was the nicest Thanksgiving in many a year. My husband and I prepared a small turkey breast with all the standard fixins; dressing, mashed potatoes, vegetable, cranberry jelly and we ate until we were full. There is so much to be thankful for in our world. We have our health. We have good kids and grandkids who will be visiting for Christmas this year. We have wonderful friends. We have a lovely home and are quite proud of all the hard work we have done to get to this point in our lives. Our very sincere thank you.

Sherry has spent enormous amounts of time and has finally achieved a goal of hers. Please check out her new online store: http://createology.etsy.com/ which she debuted a few days ago. Since then she has been learning lots about photo shooting, composition, lighting, camera behavior, editing and general how to do everything involved in setting up shop and listing items for sale. Etsy makes it very easy once you know how to do it. Let's see if we can insert a photo here for a teaser. Well we have a photo however it didn't land where it was planned.

Tomorrow is another day closer to the end of November 2008 already. This year is flying by so quickly. We hope you and yours are making the most of each and every day possible. As Sally Field says, "We only have one life to live."

Thank you for checking back often to see the progress being made. Also thank you for checking out the new online store.

Debut preview

This is a preview of the debut of our new Etsy shop http://createology.etsy.com featured item. Stay tuned for details.

November Update...

This is the lovely fall month of November and the leaves, pine needles, cedar debris are all definitely falling. It is much cooler and thankfully we have had lots of rain and dampness so all the natural trees and plants are very happily drinking in the nutrients of mother nature.

The Createology studio is very busy these days. Completing lots of projects is the daily goal. Many of the items are gifts for loved ones of family and friends as we approach the holiday gifting season. Some of the items are excitedly awaiting their debut on our new Etsy shop which is very soon to be open for business. More on that in our next blog.

We Saucy Chicks wish everyone lots of things to be thankful for as Thanksgiving holidays arrive. Sharing good food with family and friends and making memories to last a lifetime.

Creatively Yours,
Saucy Lorraine and Saucy Sherry
aka Saucy Chicks of Createology

October Ending...

My how the time is passing by. It is exactly one month to the day since our last post. When I think I should feel terrible that I have been neglectful and let down our readers and followers I remember that we do not have readers and followers as of yet. :-( It seems that none of our families or friends are in tune with "blogging" and therefore do not regularly visit our site.



Now for October coming to an end...the fall colors are in full spectrum here in Northern California. Many of the trees have completely finished and shed their leaves while other trees are just beginning to change from greens to gorgeous reds, burgandy, oranges, yellows and golds. With just the slightest breeze leaves just "rain" down to the ground and pile up thickly awaiting the human rake crews or the lazy leaf blowers. All in all this time of year is so beautiful and the weather is just perfect. We are currently awaiting rain that will be very welcome to the earth and flora and fauna.



This is also the time of year that our thoughts turn to gift giving very soon. With that in mind we begin our gift lists and shopping and plans. Most of the Saucy Chick shopping is for supplies which help us to make our gifts for our listed recipients. This past week we have been designing some lovely jewelry...bracelets and necklaces. We have some new and exciting items we are working on and will be placing in our Etsy shop as soon as we open for business.



Speaking of opening our Etsy shop reminds of a quote recently read...author unknown:

"Courage - Willing to act in the face of the unknown." This pretty much describes our reluctance to move forward and just open Etsy for Createology. We still welcome any hints, tips, suggestions or help if you already have an Etsy experience or shop of your own.



Happy Halloween to all and be safe.

Replenish

Today the Saucy Chicks did some replenishing of supplies. An entire day of shopping and gathering supplies is exhausting but very necessary. The day before we spent working on projects and organizing more of the studio. We are so very pleased with our work. We merchandised our display area of Saucy Chick decorations and gift items that have been given to us. We sorted through lots of office supplies including a lot of colored pencils, Crayola boxes, watercolors and general pens, pencils, scissors and punches of all shapes and sizes. Lots of duplicate supplies are headed to some wonderful disadvantaged school children.
Now we feel ready to tackle lots more projects that we have in our minds to do.
We are completing tote bags, aprons, beaded bracelets and holiday cards. Gearing up to complete our own Christmas list of handmade gifts for friends and family. Therefore our supplies needed to be replenished so we will be ready to accomplish all the fun and fabulous items we will make.
We Saucy Chicks just completed a wire wrapping class so now we can expand our creative projects to include some of these fun techniques.
Today is also the last day of September and fall is in the air and on the trees which are turning lovely shades of reds, oranges, yellows and browns. It was very warm today and we have had no rain since February so we are hoping October brings us much needed moisture for the very parched earth and flora and fauna.
Createology is our motto.

Autumn Equinox

Gosh, tomorrow is already the Autumn Equinox. It is feeling like fall is here as the trees are beginning to change color and the air is cooler and of course it is getting dark much sooner in the evenings. It also feels like time to make soups and bake yummy comfort foods. We ate so much salad this past summer that I think it will be great to take a break from eating like a rabbit in a lettuce patch. Time to work with wool felt and yarns and beads and heavy fabrics and hmmmmmm.
Saucy Chicks are getting ready to spend lots of time creating in the studio. One Saucy Chick who has been working full time has resigned her position and will be able to concentrate full time on fulfilling her creative endeavors with her Soul Sister Saucy Chick partner. We have lots of ideas and supplies for our thoughts and plans.
We have a goal of opening our very own Etsy.com shop so that will be something we will be concentrating on and preparing items for. It would be so much simpler to do all of this if we were computer and www savvy with things like Paypal and Etsy shop set up. If anyone out there is reading this and has any personal experience in doing these things, please make comments on this blog for us. We are grateful for your knowledge and help.

It is exciting to be a part of the wonderful artisan world of creating handmade items. Please check back with us as we make serious progress toward our creative goals.

Inspiration today...

Well, today was the best day in a long time for the Saucy Chicks and Createology. We spent all day in the studio and were creatively inspired. We made plans for what we want to make and accomplish the next few months. We inventoried some of our supplies. We began to finish some of our current projects. We cut fabric and sewed, sorted buttons, sorted charms, arranged beads and findings and discovered we need to place an order with our favorite gem supplier. We siliconed some glass pieces together so they can cure and adhere to one another. It felt so wonderful to get our hands and creative brains actively combining our thoughts and talents. We focused on what we do not want to do. This is very important so that we can spend our precious time doing what we want to do the most. We have some new ideas and are planning ahead about 15 months out. In the next few weeks we will complete several unfinished projects and gifts. We will prepare and complete lots of holiday gifts to check off our lists.
We also kept our thoughts open to our upcoming plans for expanding our sales. This is probably one of the most challenging topics we discuss. It is a big unknown and not in our comfort zone. However, we do know we can accomplish this if we work hard and continue to challenge ourselves as we travel along this Createology journey. Thank you for reading our blog and we welcome comments. In fact, is anyone out there reading this blog???

Goodbye summer...

Gosh this past summer went by very quickly. Here it is September already and Labor Day holiday weekend is over now. Lots of fun and visiting with friends and celebrating has been done. Unfortunately no creative projects have progressed. My Saucy Chick partner Lorraine did give me a huge box of Crayola crayons...96 and a sharpner, some new glitter glue pens in both primary and pastel colors, and a new set of twister Crayola crayons. How did she know I love new crayons since she had purchased them for my birthday long before I posted on this blog. I am just so very lucky!
Now...what to do with crayons...any ideas out there? I do love to color with them but what else could I be doing? Yes years ago we shaved the crayons onto wax paper, ironed them to a melt stage and then pressed paper onto the melted forms to create beautiful one-of-a-kind papers that once dried were nice to craft with. But I think there must be some new innovative ideas that we Saucy Chicks would love to try. Please post your ideas on the comment section.
May each of you begin your September with a goal in mind and may you achieve that goal as you go forth.
I do feel fall in the air and the trees, especially the cedars, are really raining down the debris.

Keep trying...

Okay creative souls out in blogland. I shall aproach this blog with the attitude that this is fun and easy even after a very long day of frustrating W2 work which is not fun nor easy. I am feeling creative but too tired to actually produce anything. Please understand only one of us Saucy Chicks is writing this blog tonight. I did purchase my brand new 24 box of Crayola crayons this past week. I also bought some new butterfly themed fabric. My mind is thinking creative but my body is not reacting to the creative juices that are trying to flow through my veins. I have heard that it is not productive to force creativity but to just let it find it's own way. Well, I am waiting...
I just love the smell of brand new Crayola crayons. Some day I will buy myself the biggest box that is made. Not that I ever really use my crayons but I do love to have them in my studio. I also love colored pencils and have lots of them in all sorts of brands, choices of styles and colors. It seems that my studio is very well stocked. I am always buying supplies and telling my husband I need them for when I retire. He says retire now and use my stuff. Now that would be just fine except that I do feel the need to work and provide benefits since I never planned ahead when I was much younger.
Thank you blog readers for letting me put this out there and therefore making myself aware of the invalid reasons why I am not spending time in the studio being creative. I do have lots of ideas to work on...

Who knew???

"Count Your Buttons Day, October 21
If you’ve been out and about shopping recently, you’ve probably noticed a preponderance of small packaged candy lining the shelves. That’s right, we’re gearing up for Halloween! But before you start counting your sacks of sweets, get ready to count something else…your buttons!That’s right, October 21 is Count Your Buttons Day according to holidayinsights.com. While the origins of this holiday appear to be unknown, the implications are clear to button collectors everyone – take some time to take stock of your collection! If you’d rather not count your buttons (or have too many to do so), why not reorganize them? Purchase a few new storage containers or display cases? Or maybe set a few aside to distribute in lieu of Halloween candy? You never know – maybe a future collector will be trick-or-treating at your door!"

This was found in the Button and Bead emails that we receive.

Oh too bad the picture of lots of buttons in bright cheery colors did not copy through.

What a fun idea…to have an entire day to just count your buttons. We already have days to count our blessings but now we have a day to count our buttons. Actually we Saucy Chicks just had occasion to need and use our buttons and thought how nice it would be to organize them better and really know what we have.

Shall we Saucy Chicks count our buttons? We certainly count our blessings for being creative!

Please stay with us...

This is all so new to us. We haven't committed enough time to truly get this blog up and running. One of us works full time and one of us volunteers full time therefore leaving very little time to learn and utilize the wonderful land of blogging.
It is our goal to become part of a very talented and creative world of bloggers and artisans who appreciate and share similar pursuits. We feel very confident that we will succeed and expand our creative horizons. We both have grown young adults but unfortunately none of them live close by or we would easily learn so much faster and be so much more adept at this blogging.
So for now...please check back and see what progress we do make.

Well...now it begins!

The world of blogging is taking us on it's journey.
Hello to anyone who is taking the time to read this. We are thrilled to share our adventure with you.
This will be quite an adventure as neither of us is truly computer savvy especially when it comes to things like this. We will be doing some construction as we learn and get through the process of what to do and how to do it. We welcome suggestions and help.
Please stay with us on this journey that will take us to new ventures. We spend our time together talking, laughing, sharing and being very creative. We finish our words together, think alike and have wonderful ideas that work very well together. As a result the only conclusion and progression is to form Createology and share with the world.
This is such an exciting time and we thank you for being a part of it with us.