Autumn Decorations and Halloween Clearance!

Halloween is over but Autumn is not! While I do have Halloween items at rock bottom prices in my handcrafts shop,

I still do have decorations for Thanksgiving and Autumn. It's not too late to decorate for the season!

Autumn Quilted Wall Hanging

Or how about a new apron for all of that Autumn baking and cooking?

This apron is reversible with a turkey fabric on the bib portion.

(Click on the picture to see more about this apron!)

Twist 21

Check out Twist 21 and her beautiful items on Etsy! She is self taught jewelery craftsman. All items that she makes are by methods that she has invented herself! She is inspired by established crafts such as Native American Sandpainting, Quilting, and Enamel work. She takes these inspirations and "twist" them to create a brand new piece of jewelry. One of my favorites is this beautiful Milifiori Bead ring. It is so fun!

Check out her shop!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Twist21

Wordless Wednesday 9

Only a few days left!

Don't forget!

I'm running a Breast Cancer Awareness special in October. There are only 5 days left in the promotion! Buy anything from my design shop and receive a free pair of Breast Cancer Awareness earrings. Also, I donate 10% of the sale to my Breast Cancer Charity.

Check it out! Maybe you will find something that you can save for Christmas giving!

Weekend Fun!

We went with the family to a local farm to visit their pumpkin patch! After a hayride out to the patch, the young ones picked out their own pumpkin, tramping all over the field to find just the right size for the intended jack-O-lantern. We had German sausages, roasted corn on the cob, apple pie and spiced hot cider and enjoyed a huge bonfire! Enjoy the pictures!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The Etsyblogger's blog carnival for this cycle was to tell a personal story or how you promote awareness about one of the causes for this month. This was an easy topic for me since I promote awareness of women's Breast Cancer issues and carry a line of BC items all year. My signature item is a Breast Cancer Quilt that I make. I use a picture of it as my banner for my Handcrafts shop. I have had several quilt buyers give them, to comfort a friend who is struggling with the disease. I gave one away as a prize to the American Cancer Society's "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" walk for the cure. I hope and pray that the quilts provide hope and comfort! Because . . . .

I am a survivor--four years now---with a good prognosis, one of the lucky ones, if you can call it that! Some women have not been as fortunate as I have, since there are different forms and stages of the disease. My journey started in October 2005 with a diagnosis in Texas. Most of my family lived in Oregon, so I did not want to undertake treatments without them. We immediately moved to be near them and have a support system. Although the emotional roller coaster has mostly subsided today, it is still present at times. One's own mortality is a mountain that we would all rather not climb. Support and hope are ingredients that are essential for the fight!

After surgeries and treatment I was able to return to work and life. I have several years of continuing treatment to go, making sure that cancer cells are prohibited from growing again!

One little hint. New research suggests Vitamin D is essential to women's health especially those of you who are younger.

So, I encourage every woman to become informed. I will not go into details--details are available elsewhere on the web. If diagnosed, or if you know someone who has been diagnosed, it is important that you are informed of your options. Fear does not facilitate good decisions. Make sure that you ask lots of questions. Call a reputable cancer agency that you trust and get their recommendations as to hospitals, doctors, or clinics that are up on the latest treatments and research. I called and found out that only one hospital in all of Oregon is recommended for the treatment of BC. So, you know where I went to find a doctor! Some hospitals and doctors say that they can do what you need, but get a second opinion.

Do your research, BE . AWARE and may you be blessed with good health!

Destination? On an Afternoon Stroll?

[Fourth and final installment]

Destination? On an afternoon stroll? We weren't heading for any destination, just passing the time on a blustery day. I guess the end of the path is a destination. What was at the end of the path, you say?


Well, the path ended at another parking area. A circle area to turn your car around adjacent to a concrete pumping station and an abandoned steel bridge above the river. Exploring the bridge, we found it to be, mostly probably, an old rail crossing. The railroad ties were no longer in place, but it wasn't wide enough for cars to pass. If we made an 180 degree turn from the bridge, we looked back down the main street of Gladstone, a sleepy little Portland suburb. This street, called Portland Avenue, if I'm not mistaken, has a rail car track of a bygone era down the middle of it.

Back at the bridge, high above the Clackamas River, the painted green steel was an interesting but cold and stark deviation from the lovely Autumn scene we had been experiencing. We decided not to scramble down a well trodden rut to the river. We really didn't have the energy to try to get back up the hill. Besides, this was a leisurely stroll, not a strenuous hike! So, we spent a little time picking up seed pods from the trees; throwing them up in the air and watching them flutter down like helicopters. I felt like a kid again! As we tired of the pitching and fluttering, we turned around and headed back to the car, retracing our steps and taking one last look at the little park, the river and the autumn color. The end to a perfect stroll!

Wordless Wednesday 8

Beads . . . Beads . . . Beads

I have boxes and boxes of various beads.

It all started as something to do, while my husband studied. We worked long hours together, then in the evenings he studied for his degree. I got tired of staring at the back of his head, so I started beading! The result: boxes and boxes of beads, boxes and boxes of earrings (started doing simple earrings) and two Etsy shops.

The first shop, Pruitt Handcrafts, opened nearly one year ago and is nearing it's first anniversary in November. Also, I've sewn for years, so at first the little shop had my Breast Cancer quilts and my jewelry together. But I love to be creative and it is the way I pass the time now, so eventually, I had so many fabric items along with my jewelry, that I decided to split my shop into two.

I love beads, I love looking thru the racks of beads in the local bead shop. As a result, I have made many necklaces, bracelets, anklets, and beaded items. The natural progression was to open a second shop. It opened in late June 2009 and is exclusively jewelry and beaded items. I call it my Design shop. Sales in the design shop are not what I had hoped, with a plethora of jewelry sellers out there, but I still create with beads, since I have boxes and boxes of beads! Maybe I should open a third shop and sell all my beads!


P.S. Coming soon--the last installment of the Afternoon Stroll Series--Watch for it!

Thrice Upon an Afternoon Stroll

I'm an asphalt path edged by a sliver of a grassy park on one side and a bark covered barrier on the river side. I provide a nice, wide walkway for several friends to walk together, arm and arm if they like! Plenty of room for that family with their large dog. They are having such a good time. Better than that last boy that allowed his dog to leave it's deposit on my tufted edge!

Here comes a cute couple, hand in hand. She's clutching her jacket tight around her neck; her hair is flowing around her head. I wonder what causes that action? Hmmm . . . Leaves fly upward as the man kicks them from my surface. Is he the landscaper to take care of me? They slow their pace and stand next to the barrier, don't they know that a path is for walking?

Now they are sitting on a bench. Have they abandoned their destination? Don't they know that a path is for getting to ones goal? Well, maybe a change of heart. They are moving again. They sure aren't intentional, walking from the grassy side and pausing, then to the barrier side. They will never get to the end of the path with their casual style! Oh well, they're enjoying the stroll.