This Week's Blog Post

Onyx With Gold 

Black onyx eyeglass chains and lanyards have always been a staple in my shop. However I have only made these using silver accents!

So I whipped up a gold eyeglass chain and will be doing the same with a lanyard. Onyx is such an affordable classic for every woman’s wardrobe! Available at Miss Val's Creations.

She’s So Creative

4 of my girlfriends celebrate May birthdays. This year I did my card shopping through She’s SoCreative on Etsy!

This one has salad dressing on the outside and reads “It’s Your Birthday! Just Vegetate.” Inside.

This one reads “Edna’s therapist tries a new approach to curing her fear of sharks.” on the outside and reads “Forget all our worries and have a happy birthday” on the inside.

This one reads “The Origin of Turkey Bacon” on the outside and “And that’s why they don’t have happy hour on farms anymore.” on the inside.

This one reads “The Dog Walk” on the outside and reads “Woof, woof! Happy birthday” on the inside.

Besides birthday cards, this shop has a great selection of other cards for various occasions. She also offers art prints, notepads, napkins, aprons and more! Stop by She’s So Creative for some fun shopping! I love her play on words!!! See her interpretation of pasta bowl or french chicks.  Like her on Facebook.

Brunch Fun

The May birthday girls came over for brunch. One of them and her daughter brought me a beautiful, vibrant bouquet!

A week later, the flowers still look fabulous. I decided to give the big orange one its own vase which Emmett thought was really cool.

I was craving one of my favorite things which I had to make….a corn salsa dip!  Simply combine the following in a bowl:

• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 avocados, chopped
• 1 can black beans, rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained
• 8 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, if desired
• 1/2 cup Italian dressing (I actually only use 1/4 cup of light)

It is ridiculously delicious as is or with tortilla chips. Luckily this has no effect on my gluten free diet!!!!

Rhododendron

I have a huge rhododendron that has amazing blooms. Here is the evolution of this bloom!

New Hairstyle

Every 6 months or so I feel a need to change my hair style (in the side bar). This is the latest. I actually had a different cut for the last 5 weeks which I did not care for. This is a modification of the last style combined with my former style.

Thank you for stopping by! Have a great weekend and week!!!  ~Val

This Week's Blog Post

New Earrings
Another busy week!  More new earrings available at Miss Val's Creations!

I love the multi-faceted hematite. These were picked up at a bead show. Their shimmer was calling me from across the room!!!! They sold the night I posted them but I have since made another pair!

Milk and Honey Naturals
I received this wonderfully scented bug repellent from blogging friend CourtneyJo of Milk and HoneyNaturals.

This solid can be tossed into your purse with no worry of leakage or smelling horribly (let’s face it, wearing bug spray will repel humans as well as bugs). Its scent includes rosemary, eucalyptus and citronella. After warming it in your hands for a few seconds it can then be rubbed on your skin.

Milk and Honey Naturals on Etsy also includes soaps like this yummy vanilla mint soap.

Sold shampoos like this honey lavender.

Gifts for various events. I love the concept of a favor that your guest can actually use.

Check out Milk and Honey Naturals on Etsy for more wonderful items. Stop by CourtneyJo’s blog here.

Rhododendron in Bloom

One of my rhododendrons started blooming! My cheap camera took some gorgeous photos! It is amazing how the flower goes from this...

...to this in just a few days!!!

Rhododendrons are not a favorite of mine. They are pretty when they are in bloom but I find them a bit ugly the rest of the year. I am really trying to grow fond of them since they are super hearty and like New England weather.

Bucket List

Some of you may remember that I jumped out of a plane back in September 2010 (blogged about here). Yes that is me freefalling in the sky with a very fake smile for the camera. I started writing my bucket list that month and did the most difficult item first.

Many months later that is still the only thing I have checked of my list, but had the intentions of doing 1 thing a year.

My 38^th birthday was April 11 and this year I decided to cross another item of the list to celebrate which I will be doing this afternoon. If I am not back with a blog post next week that means I have incurred a serious injury. This item is less dangerous than skydiving but the disclaimers I will have to sign are probably similar! Find out next week what crazy thing I did this time!

Have a great spring week everyone. Thank you for stopping by! ~Val