When In Rome,...or Venice!

So, the vacation has come to an end.

 

The little village of Sommocolonia, near Barga, Italy in Tuscany where we stayed.

 

 

The sights, sounds, smells (except for all the cigarette smoking) and photo opportunities were amazing!!

 

Colosseum - Rome, Italy. Photo by Michelle Buettner

 

 

I will be posting some great window displays every now and then over the next few months as inspiration with everything from jewelry, shoes, purses, fashion trends - the awesome ways they display products - you name it!

 

Yes, I found the Swarovski Store in Venice, Italy!!

 

 

I'm not really jet-lagged. I thought I would be but luckily I think I figured out how to program my body and brain.

 

Italy really is this beautiful.
Sommacolonia, Italy  (near Barga in Tuscany)

 

 

I'll have my Etsy shops back up the 1st week of October is all goes well. I don't have all of the new designs I wanted to have finished done yet, but hopefully I'll have a few for you.

 

Pretty Blue Turquoise in One of the Shops in Venice.
I felt right at home!! ;-)

 

 

What have you been up to in September?  Have you transitioned into Autumn yet?  Do you enjoy this season and all it's fascinating colors and jewelry styles?

 

 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Returning Home!

Cheers,

~Shel~

Tempo di vacanza!

Well, I'm officially outta here!

I'm on a jet plane headed for Italy with my sister and one of my girlfriends. 

 

 

 

 



We're meeting up with my brother-in-law (who's been hiking the Swiss and Italian Alps this past week!) in Venice tomorrow morning.

 

 

 

I'm actually freaking out! Twirling my hair with both hands (which makes it hard to hold that pre-flight Bloody Mary!!), I've got butterflies in my stomach, tears in my eyes and my heart's beating way too fast! 

I've got Dean Martin singing Sott'er Celo de Roma on my iPod, Paulo Coehlo in my back pack (The Alchemist), way too many clothes in my suitcase and my camera on my hip!

 

 

 

 

We're staying at a quaint little hotel in Venice that my sis's stayed at before. We're taking the water taxi over to Murano (Glass + Beads = Sweet!), going on a gondola ride (of course!) and walking some great little paths along the canals.

 

 

 

 

After Venice we're headed down to Tuscany. Barga to be specific. The most Scottish Village in Italy. Seriously - look it up!  (I'm so psyched about this part!! You have NO idea!!) We're staying in an old farm house that's pre-WWII and survived what so much of the village did not. 

 

 

 

 

We'll be taking some day trips - one of which will include driving over to the Cinque Terre and hiking the hill top towns over there (Yes!  I get to see the water,...and a beach!!) and possibly visiting Siena and San Gimignana and going to a winery (oh yeah baby!!).

 

 

 

After that, we'll all be heading down to Rome and staying in a friend's apartment which is situated in an area that's close to the Colosseum and all the other goodies Rome has to offer.  I'm excited to get some really cool pics of all the amazing architecture and ancient ruins!  Oh, and we're going to an opera while in Rome. I know - pinch me now!!

 

 

 

 

Then there's that little nagging thing in the back on my brain that keeps the tears right there on the verge of spilling over and running down my cheeks,.....my boys will not be with me. (insert sad face here!!)

I can't tell you how much I am going to miss them. And it's not only the fact that we'll be apart longer than we've ever been apart before,...but it's the distance. Oh, geeze,...the distance. My stomach is in knots, and the butterflies are fighting and knockin' each other around in there!!  Holy Cow - this is the most difficult thing for me right now, you really have no idea!

 

 

 

 

 

 

But, I know I'm going to have fun. And, I'm with family so it's not like I'm with people I haven't traveled with before or anything like that for goodness sakes. And they're fun people to hang with, too - that's for sure. So, I know I'll be fine. More than fine,...I'll be in Italy with my sister!  OMG!

 

 

 

 

 

A long time ago, probably between 15 to 20 years ago, Marsha and I said that we'd someday to go Italy together. Well, today's the day!

 

I'll be silent here on the blog until the last week of September. I'm not sure I'll even be able to post to Facebook or anything like that (all kinds of iphone/Verizon drama!!). I know I won't have email, so there will be a lot to read when I return home! LOL!! 

I hope you all have a fabulous next couple of weeks and I'll be sure to post pics upon returning.

Until Next Time,

 

Peace, Love and Sitting Under the Tuscan Sun!

 

(oh, and fulfilling dreams!!)

 

 

 

 

 

Ciao!

 

~Shel~

Loaded Dino

I mean, loading Dino.

 

On my iPod. 

 

Well, actually he's already loaded,...

 

On The iPod!

 

Geeze,....what are you guys thinking?!!

 

Here's a clip.

 

To me, Dean Martin has the best voice ever!

One year, when  the "Masked Rider" was about 11 or so, we actually learned all the words to "On an Evening in Roma" (Sott'er Celo De Roma) while we were driving home from the cabin. We were singing (in Italian) at the top of our lungs just as the photo radar snapped a lovely pic of us coming down the hill into Payson.  Never did see that pic in the mail. Guess the folks at DMV had too much fun laughing at us that they had to keep it for themselves! Good thing it didn't come with sound. We would have been really fined for that one!!

 

Getting ready for my trip to Italy this week.

 What are you doing?
 

 

Until Next Time,

 

Peace, Love and Entusiasti di andare in Italia!

 

 

Cheers,

 

~Shel~

 

And this is just for fun!
 

 

 

 

Snapping Away

 

 

I sat under the tree with Coco and sipped my coffee this morning.

 

I enjoyed the cooler than normal temps and the nice breeze and snapped some pics, too.

 

 

 

It was nice. The breeze made it a bit hard to get photos that weren't blurred.

 

 

 

 

But, they are what they are.

 

I'm freaking out that I leave for Italy in three more days. (!!!)

 

Hope you all have a nice Sunday!

 

 

 

Until Next Time,

 

Peace, Love and Quiet Sundays!

 

Cheers,

 

~Shel~

 

 

Sharing the love up close today with I Heart Macro

over at Studio Waterstone.

 

End of Summer,...

Well not officially, as that will happen later this month, but activity wise, school wise and in other ways, it's the 
End of Summer!

It's so hard for me to grasp that Fall is basically upon us since the temperatures here in the desert are still over 100 and will remain this way for several more weeks.



Photo Creidt: Marsha Hindman

 



 

Autumn is my favorite season. (Summer's second!)  The colors are amazing,...various yellows and oranges, deep reds, purples and browns - it's all so rich and colorful. (Not where I live, but in other places!)  Oh, and I just love seeing all the Autumn decorations, too - especially my sister's (Marsha Stewart's got nothing on my sis!). 

 

 

 

Maybe all the Fall decorations along with the great childhood memories, colors, smells, etc., are why I love designing jewelry with fall colors and motifs. Quite the palette for the imagination, isn't it?!

 

I'm going to be re-stocking my MiShel Designs Etsy Store with some new designs next month and today and tomorrow are the last two days to enjoy the huge saving with my "End of Summer" sale.

 

 

  

All the items in my MiShel Designs Etsy store are 45% off through the 7th, so hop on over and use coupon code ENDOFSUMMER45 upon check out for your super end of summer savings!!  

 

 

I was getting ready to put together another video tutorial, but I'm having some trouble with the quality and since the videos from my iphone and the flipshare are both pretty horrible, that will have to wait until I return from my vacation. (Sorry about that folks!!)

 

I mentioned a while back that I was going on vacation here soon.  Next week actually. I'm going to Italy with my sister and another friend.

Photo Credit: Marsha Hindman

We're meeting up with my brother-in-law in Venice before going over to Tuscany to stay in this very old, very cool farm house for a spell and then we'll make our way down to Rome for a short stay before returning home.

 

Photo via Pinterest

 

Sadly I will be going 'solo' so to speak. Meaning that the hubby and son will still be here at home, working and going to school.  That's the down side of owning our own business and not having employees and no one to turn things over to.  

Oh, and another kicker,....I'll be in Italy over our 18th wedding anniversary!  Yep. Bad me. Mike says it's great because he doesn't have to plan anything (Italy's my present) and he and the 'masked rider' can sit home, order pizza and watch movies and just hang out at night - you know - guy stuff!

 

I'm going to be snapping away, getting as many pictures as possible. I will have my iphone but they've told me it won't work over in Italy (it's not the newer models), and I opted not to go pick up one of their International phones because I didn't want to carry it around along with my other one and all that good stuff. And now, after making that decision, they tell me that not just the cell phone part won't work, but my wi-fi features and all that good stuff won't work on it while I'm over there either.  (seriously??)

 

That's a real bummer as I was going to facetime my son and FB with he and the hubby while I was away to stay in touch. 

 

My bro-in-law has a little tablet thingy we were going to use to use for facebook and stuff like that too, but I guess it took a nose dive onto a tile floor and fell to it's death. So, I'm going to just get a calling card and be completely and utterly unplugged for two weeks.

 

Yep - that's gonna be really weird!  

 

And, I was getting ready to do another give-a-way too, but my tutorial (it was a tutorial with a kit) isn't exactly as I want it to be either and so this too is going to have to wait until I return.

 

I despise putting things off - turns my stomach - but I guess sometimes you just have to realize there's only so much you can do and just deal with it. 

 

But, as a more positive way to look at it, it's something I have to look forward to when I return at the end of the month, isn't it? Yeppers,...that's the way to see things!!

 

So, once I leave, there will be 'radio silence' here on the blog for a few weeks. (Me, silent?! Ha! That's a good one!!)

 

How about some Autumn Inspiration for the moment,....

Blue Ridge Fall by Jim Dollar on Flickr - Via Pinterest

 

 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Seasonal Change!

Cheers,

~Shel~ 

Photo by Michelle Buettner

The Low Down,....

The 'emotions' roller-coaster was in full swing last week. 

From sad things to happy things, here's a little run down and also a gesture of appreciation for you at the end of this post!

 

 

• A childhood friend was laid to rest.  (this was the sad/sucky part!)

RIP My Friend - See Ya On The Other Side!

• Had a bead magazine ask for an article from me for publication in 2013! (Woo-Hoo!!)
• Found out some various designs I submitted were accepted by a couple of bead magazines (double woo-hoo!)
• Saved a turtle who decided to venture out of 'lake-land' into the "asphalt jungle". (feel good kind of thing!)

 

He's cute, isn't he?!

 

• Created Jewelry to submit to more magazines and to put in a boutique. (fun part - but I can't show you anything yet!)
 
• Listened to the adventures the Hubby and Son had while camping this weekend: torrential rains, held baby horny toads, almost broke a bridge by crossing it, chased by a swarm of bees and stung (hubby!), hit a tree head on,...with his motorbike and his head (again - Hubby!), heard bears, found gorgeous crystals and fossilized shells, helped a stranded motorist, returned some one's lost phone, saw a gorgeous rainbow, and got pictures of none of the above! (they ARE the reason I have so many wrinkles and why I twirl my hair with both hands at the same time!! Actually - more Hubby than Son - Son's the responsible one!)

 

Partner's in Crime!

 

 

• Had an awesome massage!(Thanks Debbie!)
• Cleaned the house, did laundry, got groceries. (nothing new there!)
• Stopped by Creative U and got my Creative Fix (and some supplies!) and chatted with friends!

 

Hanging with Jen @ Creative U

 

• Filled orders and shipped stuff (thank you to all my wonderful clients - you rock!)

There's lots of other things too, but this is plenty to list for now!

 

I wanted to spread some love around by having a sale over on my MiShel Designs Etsy site from now until September 7th, 2012.  

 

 

 

 

 

When you use coupon code ENDOFSUMMER45 upon check out with Etsy, you will save 45% off your total order!

 

The reason I'm having a sale this huge is because I'm clearing out my inventory to make room for some new jewelry designs coming in October.

 

The other reason for the sale is that I'll be shutting down both of my shops from the 8th of September thru the 30th of September while I'm away on vacation (more details on that later next week!).

 

Hint: There's a Roman Aqueduct where I'm going!

 

The sale is only good in my MiShel Designs shop, not my Shel's Jewelry Supplies shop.(Sorry about that, but I've got my findings priced as low as I can possibly go right now.)

 

So, what kinds of things have been going on in your life lately?  Any stories to share?

I'm going to be having a little give-a-way, sharing some jewelry pics and putting up another little tutorial here on the blog this week.  (At least that's the plan anyway - wish me luck!)

So, stay tuned and have a great Monday!!
 

 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Hair Twirling!

Cheers,

~Shel~

I Heart Macro - It's Sunday!

 

Flowers and Fossils

 

Black Eyed Susan - Nutrioso, AZ


 

 

Fossilized Shells - found near Payson, Arizona

 

 

Fossilized Shells - found new Payson, Arizona

 

 

 

And, a very pretty mineral that I just couldn't get to focus right, so the detail isn't there.

 

 

Vana Dinaut - From the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show - 2011

 

 

Trust me, it's beautiful!

 

 

 

Vana Dinaut - From the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show - 2011

 

 

 

 

Joining in the fun today over at Studio Waterstone with I Heart Macro.

 

Happy Sunday Folks!

 

Until Next Time,

 

Peace, Love and Beauty in Many Forms!

 

Cheers,

~Shel~

Farewell,....

A childhood friend of mine is being laid to rest this week.



Yes, he was from 'Mayberry'.

(How I lovingly refer to the small town where I grew up)

Mike was one of the 'Good Guys'.

Always there if you needed something, didn't know a stranger, had a fun and ornery sense of humor, and he was the dare-devil growing up (and even till his passing) that we all wanted to be. 

To say he will be greatly missed is a huge understatement.

For those of us who knew him, whether when we were kids or now, it's pretty clear there's a void,...be it in our memories or our day to day lives. 

My heart goes out to his wife and children and I hope that the many friends and family they have surrounding them will be of some comfort.

I'm sure he's up there in the clouds, cracking jokes, riding his bike with that sheepish grin on his face,...showin' them all how to have a great time!

Oh and,...."Yes Burleson, I have a car where my feet actually touch the peddles and no,...I don't still look 'through' the steering wheel to drive!"

(Only time I think I've ever seen him look just the tiniest bit scared!)

Mike - 1978

Rest in Peace My Friend!  See ya on the other side,.....

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Fond Memories!

Cheers,

~Shel~