Black Friday Cyber Monday Sale at Wild Woman Jewelry

Happy Holidays!

Teardrop Earrings are New at Wild Woman Jewelry

... a treasure trove of jewel-tone wire wrapped earrings for the holiday season-- all silver is sterling that has been oxidized and handpolished to achieve this lovely rustic patina and to create interest and contrast from the sparkling glass teardrops! Earwires are also handcrafted. Enjoy the party season!
...Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends in the US!

Snow Day!

Well... there is something magical about the first snow that speaks to the heart of this northern girl. In the not too distant future, you'll find me shovelling the driveway and swearing about all the snow-- but not today. Today, I'm lovin' it!

The forecast is for 10-20cm and I've cosied right in-- crackling fire, lots of wood, Christmas music playing, candles burning -- I may have my whole winter in one day!

Most years it seems such a rush to prepare for the holidays but we've had such a beautiful fall, there was lots of time to decorate outdoors and clean up the yard- I feel like a satisfied little squirrel that has lots of nuts put away for the winter.

All this snugg-iness even inspires me to bake (not one of my strengths, hehehe, but even I can pull off an apple crumble-- with double crumble, my husband's favorite!). I have two cookbooks (well, I have about 10 but only use 2), one that includes all our favorite recipes from family and friends that I've actually written out and pasted into a notebook-- this one is a treasure! The other is a book we made as a fundraiser at my old school. It is full of tried and true recipes from families and staff and I've never prepared anything from it that isn't absolutely delicious! Here's the recipe I always use - warm apple crumble for dessert tonight - YUM!

Hope your day is cosy as well! xo karon

Handmade Holidays ~ Blue Christmas Gift Guide for Her

1. Sapphire Gemstone Earrings, by JarosDesigns 2. Glitter Blended Blue Fingerless Gloves, by bysweetmom 3. Lapis Lazuli and Sterling Silver Necklace, by moonovermaize 4. Knitted Cowl, by theYarnKitchen 5. Blue Flower Wall Collage - Daisy Delight, by Arthur and Olive 6. Blue Circle Skirt, by AliceCloset

Perfect gifts for a Blue Christmas!

Black and White Christmas on Etsy's Front Page!!!

...so happy to see all these lovelies on Etsy's Front Page last night! congrats everyone :)

Handmade Holidays... Deck the Halls in Red and White

Last Christmas, simple red and white holiday decor made me swoon... and the obsession cntinues this season. Here are a few of my favorites- 1. Personalized Christmas Stocking by NanaMontana 2. Miniature Bird by doudoubirds 3. Believe Sign by CowCountryCreations 4. Silver Snowflake Embroidery Hoop by sometimesiswirl 5. Hanging Plate by owlcreekceramics 6. Wood Reindeer, White Christmas by SlippinSouthern 7. Folk Art Reindeer by RawBoneStudio 8. Red and White Christmas Ornament by LoveMeOrnamentals

Handmade Holidays

"Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas. ~ Peg Bracken
I've made a decision to do as much of my holiday shopping as possible this year supporting handmade and small businesses offering their imaginative and artistic creations. I just think it will mean more. In that spirit, I've been (and will be) creating lots of gift idea treasuries on Etsy and featuring some fabulous items for loved ones on your holiday list, right here as well. And, hopefully, find that 'just right' gift for everyone on my list too! Happy shopping~

Shutterbug ~ Gifts for the Photographer

1. Autumn Tripod Floor Lamp, by MabelDear

2. Littleput Vignet, Smile, by littleputbooks

3. Mini Holiday Gift Tags, Polaroid Series, by createdbylindy

4. Screen Printed Camera Scarf, by Rabbitapparel

5. The Photographer's Ring, by CreaShines

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Garden Clean Up!

Have you heard the phrase "Eat the frog first"-- what else could you have to do that would be worse than that? The truth of this makes me laugh-- the energy created by doing the worst thing first and getting it out of the way is amazing! Anyway, I have been procrastinating the garden clean up for weeks and the avoidance of it has really sapped my strength so starting on Saturday, I decided to get to it and finally today, YAYYYYY! it's finished-- all the overgrown dried and dead plants are trimmed back to the ground, every bed raked and 17 wheelbarrows full of leaves and plants have been dumped in the compost pile! It was such a beautiful day (sunny and 16 degrees C) that I also started collecting some fir boughs for the window boxes on the shed and garage...here are some photos of the before and after.

BEFORE and AFTER!
The weather forecast for the rest of the week is lovely so I think we'll try to finish the outdoor holiday decorations before the snow flies... now, which frog will I eat tomorrow?

Bangle Bracelets are NEW!

I've been playing with some bangle bracelet designs recently, looking for ways to personalize some of my jewelry-- for individuals, family and friends. Creating this design was a breakthrough as it will allow me to individualize the focal point of each bracelet, and keep it simple and elegant at the same time... I'm thinking birthstones, hearts, rings, etc. For the moment, I've incorporated these gorgeous hollow glass beads in rich vibrant colors, perfect for the holidays and maybe even gift giving :) These are available in the shop and stay tuned for updates as I develop the line!

Saturday morning...

...this morning dawned lovely and bright. As soon as it warms up a bit, I'm heading outside to FINALLY clean up the garden. I admit, it's not my favorite 'garden chore', but all the cutting back is so much more difficult in the spring when there is new growth that must be carefully protected. Maybe I'll leave the dried hydrangea flowers to catch the snow when it falls-- they grow by the garden shed which looks so cosy in the winter with the flower box filled with pine boughs, twinkly lights and a dusting of white. I think I'll collect some boughs today as a reward for all my work in the garden and maybe take some before and after photos to motivate myself...heheheheehe...yup, it's myself I'm trying to motivate! I'll be back-- enjoy your day! xo