New Snowflakes Appear

Snow is falling !! Our handmade wooden snowflakes are flying out of our shops and landing all over the world! Have you seen them? They look amazingly beautiful on a tree,with the lights behind them they twinkle like stars! and Mom hangs them from the ceiling on various length strings to look like falling snow...we even had a friend tile them into a backsplash in thier kitchen!
We leave ours hanging year-round,they make us smile. It is a laborious process to make them, but a labor of love ,indeed. Hope to see you on our map of where the snow is falling!

Busy Little elves at Grah-Toe Studio

The elves at Grah-Toe Studio are in high gear today! We are making lots of new hair forks, including new sizes(Mezzo) and new woods..Lignum Vitae and Ebony along with Holly, Birdseye Maple and many more. We also have alot of new antler hair sticks in pairs, with new wood caps and small sizes too. What fun it is to play and create in anticipation of seeing and hearing the joy of new hair toys!

Gearing up for the holidays

WE are getting ready for the holidays! the air has changed to cool or cold and I absolutely love it!
We have 2 local craft shows coming along with holiday sales in our shops on artfire and etsy..hope we can make lots of people happy with great gifts. We have unique handmade items that you will not find anywhere else!

And we will do free gift wrapping and mail directly to the recipient for the holidays!

Our hair art is world renowned now and our snowflakes have traveled the globe too!This is so much fun!
I hope you have clicked on the ornament swap badge to the right and joined in for the fun!

**WE would love to have you check out our artfire shop, we have lots of items, more payment options and you do not need an account to check out!**
Love to all out there in the cyber world, if this even gets read! I want to spread love, there is so much bad in the world,and have a great rest of the week!

I LOVE fall!!

Well, the air has changed..the mornings and evenings are cooler, the light is a bit less intense and the leaves are changing color in the mountains! We went on a 2 hour drive to see the spawning salmon that change to a brilliant coral color and it was just

beautiful! The heaviest activity was not yet present but we saw about 20 of the brilliant orange fish along with beautiful mountain scenery.

In anticipation of the holidays, i have joined an ornament swap and i invite you to join too! just click on the box to the right and join the fun!!

Hope to see you there!

Love to you!!

And the winners are...

The winners of our name the fork contest are......drum roll please.....


Mermaids tail, by physicsjen for the 2 prong design and...
Threnody , by redhairedzealot for the 4 prong design

Thank you all for your creative submissions!!
This labor day weekend be sure to celebrate your ability to go out and work, as some cannot leave thier homes due to illness or any number of things. And be sure to thank someone who works for you or with you as well.
Love to you all, more to come on our shops and new hair forks!

A word on friends and love

There are 3 days left to enter the name hair fork contest!

We have it narrowed down to a couple in anticipation but would love to have our socks rocked off by tons more in the next 3 days!!!

Here are a few great quotes on frienship and hence love. Really loving is being a true friend.

To have a good friend is one of highest delights of life; to be a good friend is one of the noblest and most difficult undertakings. Unknown

The real friend is he or she who can share all our sorrow and double our joys. B. C. Forbes

A cheerful friend is like a summer day which sheds its brightness all around. John Lubbock

One who knows how to show and to accept kindness will be a friend better than any possession. Sophocles

In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity we know our friends. John Churto Collins

Give and take makes good friends. Scottish Saying

Have a blessed day everyone and hope to hear from you! Love to all, Kimi

There is still 12 days to enter..

Thank you all for entering our name the fork contest..but there are 12 days left!! tell your friends we need lots of names to chew on!! All of my friends at LHC..this is a chance to win free custom hair fork!! (www.longhaircommunity.com) you get the chance to check out our craftsmanship and name your length!

A great place for long hair care tips,styles for long hair and lots more!!

I got this adorable picture in an email from Mom and had to share it, it makes me smile! We are really looking forward to announcing the winners in our contest and having a name for our hair art!

You guys rock!!

The lilliputians have arrived!

WE have some great names already entered ! The contest is running until September 6th so keep them coming! Remember, it is for the SHAPE not the design or color of the forks.

Our new smaller forks called the lilliputians are here! They are adorable and sturdy,same great quality you know and love but smaller(the picture on the left is a lilliputian 2 tine)! Originally i wanted a line a of forks that really stand out, like the hair decorations in early 1900's...but we had so many request for smaller sizes we decided to just make our entire line shrunk down to lilliputians!! So now you can have either at Grah-Toe Studio!

As a note to lift the level of love in the world,

Psalm 59:16 But I will sing of your strength,in the morning I will sing of your love;for you are my fortress ,my refuge in times of trouble.

I pray you all have a blessed and joyful day, full of peace and creative fun!

Thank you for your creative entries and keep them coming! we look forward to picking the winners!

Win a custom hair fork!!

Here are a few pictures of the shapes we need names for in different angles, get the creative juices flowing!!I know there are descriptive words running through your head, just shout them out! Post a comment and leave contact information so you can be reached if you win!! We will do the shape you named in any length you need as your prize. Please feel free to spread the word and check out our other designs as well if you need more inspiration. Our forks are bold and big and meant to be seen! We have had requests for our shapes in smaller sizes so we are in the process of introducing our "lilliputian line"...same great Grah-Toe shapes and quality in liliiputian sizes!!

Good luck to all, I look forward to the struggle of choosing from all the great submissions!

Name the hair forks giveaway!!!

We are in need of a name for a couple styles of hair forks that we make and want your help!! We will be giving one of each away to the person whose entry is chosen! here are the styles:

We do them in several types of wood, it is the shape that needs named, not the color or design. We will do a custom length and design for the winners! You can see more examples of our work at http://www.grahtoestudio.etsy.com/ . Thank you everyone for putting your thinking caps on and getting creative! We will end the contest September 6th, one month from today so spread the word to all your long haired friends! Even if you don't have long hair they are wonderful gifts for the lovely longhairs in your life! Our forks are very sturdy, bold,and slick. We sand and finish each one extensively so you will never have to sand your tines when your fork arrives.

**Leave your contact info and the entry name in comments so we can reach you once the winners are chosen**

On a note for more love in this world..here are a few love quotes.

The word "love" has many meanings. In describing the enjoyment of ice cream some would say, "I love butter pecan." And in describing their deepest and most intimate feelings some would say, "I love my fiancée." Love is a little word with lots of implications

Love is too large, too deep ever to be truly understood or measured or limited within the framework of words. M. Scott Peck

Love talked about can easily be turned aside, but love demonstrated is irresistible. W. Stanley Mooneyhan

Love doesn't just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new. Ursula K. Le Guin

Acting in kind and loving ways causes us to experience kind and loving feelings Stephen Covey

Love is that splendid triggering of human vitality...the supreme activity which nature affords anyone for going out of himself toward someone else. Ortega Y Gasset

And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. I Corinthians 13:13

I am so proud of my husband..

Stacy's woodturning is featured in a wonderful treasury of wood workers. I would love to have you all take a peek!There is some really awesome stuff in this treasury! Great gift ideas and some really neat eye candy too!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=70742
PLease feel free to share!

shopping around treasures!

Well, I have been just cruising around artfire and etsy today, checking out everybodys stuff...We artisans are amazingly creative and diverse people! I am just in awe of all the lovley things,from painting to woven fibre arts..If only I had millions of dollars I could get something from everyone and I would love to support all of us ! But, alas, I won my first thing a few weeks ago from http://www.theresarosedesigns.blogspot.com/ ...But I wanted to share this shop , I adore these earrings!

The shop is www.marelf.artfire.com and she has lots of lovely treasures to see and buy!
We are having a "play with clay day" with our friends and thier kids today so I am busily gathering my tools from around the house..which I do my art ALL over the house! ANyone else do that? At work I am OCD about clean and order but at home I am opposite!:0) Well, in any event have a great weekend and Fathers day for all Dads out there and See ya soon! Love to all of you fellow artists, in bunches!

Ok,a wierd thing happened to me today..

Hey all! I had a fun thing happen to me today..I was out back feeding and tending the bunnies and i felt something brush by my pant leg..i thought it was my dog but I could not see her, so I started to look around and I saw some golden fur in the bushes, but it was so small, I leaned in closer and a PRAIRIE DOG ran out across the yard! I have never seen them in town at all let alone in my yard!!That was fun.

We have some new hair toys on our etsy shop and we are still offering FREE SHIPPING ON HAIR STICKS through June so take advantage of that! A celebration of summer updo's!

The one with wood burned leaves and vines was scarfed up as soon as I posted it but I have more coming and the woodburning designs come out just lovely on the maple wood background! The others have stones set in them. The one pictured here has black snowflake obsidian adorning it.The top picture is the first one we made and I got to keep it!:0) They hold your hair really well and look stunning and dramatic.

CrAzY TrAiN rider

This dragonfly pin is beautiful! I think dragonflies are fun, and deep red is a new fave color. Her shop is full of Hawaii inspired treasures and a real treat to the eyes! stop over and get something lovely for your summer wardrobe!

www.kraftouchtreasures.artfire.com

I WON!

Good morning to all! I just got some really fun news..I WON! On http://www.theresarosedesigns.blogspot.com/ . She is having a name the jewelry contest and I won! I rarely win anything and this made my day! I hope you will pop on over and checkout her etsy shop too. She does have a gift for design and color, even if she does not feel naming is the best of her creative talents!

http://www.theresarose.etsy.com/

Thank you Teresa Rose and I am sending love and blessings your way!

It's my day, what do I say...?

Hello all! I have not been blogging as I have been in a bad flare-up, my hands are not working right! BUt I had to say, THANK YOU ALL

It is my 2 days to ride the crazy train..lots of visitors to the shop, no sales yet but really wierd to see our shop everywhere! OK, wierd-good!:0) I am so proud of my husband, who does all the wood working. His items are so beautiful , the pictures really do not do them justice...

That is what I have been working on, getting our pictures in both our Etsy and Artfire shops retaken in better light. It is a real task, retaking/reposting and I am so impressed with the great pictures I see everywhere because it is tough to get one! I am going to try a light box, i just found a great" "recipe" for one here http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html And it is in keeping with the budget friendly feel of the times as well!

Once again I would like to say thank you all for spreading the word about crazy train, Grah-Toe Studio and Love and blessings to you all! I will be back!!WHOOWHOOO

Why do people do mean things?

As a child i was often the brunt of teasing...we were poor and I did not have fashionable clothes or hair or anything for that matter...I was always SO looking forward to being a "grown up" because there were better things for them to do than pick on me and I could do what I wanted. Well, we all know as an adult you cannot always do what you want , the bad news is "grown-ups" still do mean things to each other and for the life of me I cannot understand why! Life is hard, we all need a boost, a smile, a kind word or an arm up..there is a new venue to promote handmade www.votehandmade.com and there are people going through there marking others not on "thier" marketplace down. NOW COME ON!! let's all please play nice, wether you believe in karma or Jesus Christ there is truth in the saying "what goes around comes around" and why would you want it to be bad!?!? I really am frustrated with adults in this world....:0(

CrAzY TrAiN today is carrying www.alisunstoo.artfire.com check it out!

On a creative note, since the weather is warm again I am focusing on my pottery and having a really good run..my husband is making these adorable little footed vessels (that I will unveil soon) and I am making all kinds of handbuilt mugs and beads. I find the opalescence of certain glazes over the red clays amazingly beautiful and am focusing on that play of colors. I hope to have some good sunlight this week to revamp my studio pictures and to post some awesome pics of the pottery..meanwhile PLEASE Be kind to all and do wrong to none..Love to you all, Kimi

CRaZy TrAiN friday!

This bracelet is such a lovely idea,from suxbax, especially in the light of Mothers day this weekend! She will custom create this is in grandkids/childrens birthstones and to the length you want(according to the amount of "birthstones).!

The jewelry designs in this studio are obviously inspired by where the artist lives, in Florida, with lots of blue/greens and fun designs.I hope you will stop over and visit this shop and grab a piece for your accessories collection! www.suzbax.artfire.com

CraZyTrAin Janelson Arts

What a lovely Pendant for spring and summer! Spring is taking its time here in Utah but we are all ready to bust out the shorts and bright colors!

If you are looking for pretty lamp work beads as focal points in a jewelry design this is the place! Be sure to check this studio out at www.janelsonarts.artfire.com

I want to spread love to day and pray that you are all enjoying a restful and refueling day this Sunday!

Well LaDeDa and Hubby too!

Well La De Da and cool creations in clay! I think these polymer creations are just amazingly fun and happy!The colors and highly polished surface really show the time and love that has been put into each piece.Please hop over to her shop and add a piece to your collection or your Moms collection! Just enjoy the wonderful swirls and let your eyes dance over each piece. We love the Crazy Train !!

Viruses,trojans,and worms, OH MY!

WOW~ I had a huge glitch in my matrix! the computer crashed last week and i had not realized how very much I do on this thing! I look up weather and words i don't know and Do my Artfire and Etsy shops...And let me tell you the library is no fun place to try and do business on a computer! It is like swimming with your hands tied..So, I am back! Hello all, I have missed my blogfriends!
Are you doing the class Tim Adam is offering on Etsy Marketing? It has been a really enlightening, as his stuff usually is. Lots of good tips about Face book, blogging, twitter and marketing in general. Good stuff.
I hope you will all be following me on twitter and checking in here, for I am back!! YYEEAAAA!
Love to all out there ~Kimi

lovely jewelry by creative cove jewelry designs

WOW! These pieces are simply elegant! my favorite piece is this one
http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=ViewListing&product_id=117364
a lovely dichroich glass pendant and earrings. please be sure to visit and patronize this artist shop if you are in the market for some new accessories for spring!

Monday monday, so good to me..

Good morning ! Crazy Train rider today is Shine Your Hiney Soap Co. Custom lotion and soap scents and the list of options is bountiful! They offer mix up to 3 scents, and lots of premixed lovely scents to choose from if you don't already have a fave! Check it out!www.shineyourhineysoap.artfire.com

Good advice..

Sometimes i sit down to read the blogs i follow and i feel like i am on the yellow brick road! there are so many paths to chose, so many good things to learn and see,to laugh with and to tug at your heart. Today this really grabbed me and i would like to share it with whoever is out there following this yellow brick road.
http://thevintagejewelrycollector.blogspot.com/2009/04/business-sense-and-sensibility.html
This is an observation by a fellow artist about keeping our attitudes positive and owning the art we create! We all have something in us that has to get out, and we do it through our art. We need to be proud of what came out and what we are talented to do.And if we are not proud,use the BIG hammer theory!(see earlier posting today).
You must understand, when i say we, i am absolutely including myself! I think i am probably the worst...i have very low self esteem and i really struggle with confidence. So this went right to my heart.
Have a great Friday, Chirp some love on twitter and have fun!!

Friendly Friday

GOOD STUFF ON FRIENDLY FRIDAY

"Dreaming permits each every one of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of the week." Charles Fisher

"In order to maintain a well-balanced perspective, the person who has a dog to worship him should also have a cat to ignore him. (I guess I had better get a cat!)"

Romans 9:21
Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?

**** Mother's Day is on the way!! ****

PLease be sure to check out http://www.djstoreroom.artfire.com/
They are the riders of the Artfire CraZy TrAin today! Lots of supplies and cool stuff!

And make something from your heart today, wether for noble purpose or for common use! Or ,as my husband likes , just to smash with a BIG hammer! :) It's actually quite enjoyable, you should try it sometime when a project isn't going how you want, instead of frustratedly trying to keep working it , just SMASH it and start over!

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=ViewListing&product_id=95022
Mothers day is around the corner now, check out our shop, http://www.grahtoestudio.artfire.com/ and http://www.grahtoestudio.etsy.com/ for a handmade, OOAK gift to surprise and delight Mom! Wooden bowls turned are lovely for a potpourri dish, for candies or rings...or an alabaster jar filled with scented oils! ( we will line it with beeswax before we ship it to you!)

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=ViewListing&product_id=85216

Crazy Train Monday Joy!!

HaPPy MonDay! My charge to me today is:

Ten times a day repeat these dynamic words, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)

Optimism is the determination to see more in something than there is.

Never forget that ordinary life can also be quite extraordinary if you remember to be grateful for what you already have.

This is once again from my beloved Aunt's Positive thought for the day news letter. I love these tidbits, they are not so hard that you don't want to even try, just baby steps, just do this one thing today, take one step better and it will help that much!

On a creative note,today's passenger on the artfire crazy train is Accessoriesbygottjoy! How appropriate for a monday! There are some very elegant pieces in this shop! I love this one http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=ViewListing&product_id=43319

But this little key chain fob is great! I hope you will all check this shop out today and tomorrow and then we will have a new passenger to lavish sales and traffic and praise on! The old saying" it is better to give than to receive" is so true in that you get a much greater depth of joy from giving and seeing it bring to that person what they need to be happy, that it makes you that much more full of joy! A great circle to be stuck in! ]

***I have been working on pendants all weekend, making custom collage pendants for a local shop. I am really excited about them! I put a few up in my shop,i would love any feedback from you guys about what you think of them!***

Have a blessed day full of love and spread it around!

Swarovski Siam Heart Chandelie ArtFire Artisan Alisuns handmade Jewelry Earrings Crystal

Swarovski Siam Heart Chandelie ArtFire Artisan Alisuns handmade Jewelry Earrings Crystal

Today i found a lovely jewelry shop on artfire! i wanted to share this with you all and ask you to please check it out !

Good Saturday Morning!

Hello wonderful artistic friends!
I have to tell you all, there are so many wonderful artists and sites to promrote them on , i am just in awe! I suppose most of you know about some of them, but there are over 50 places to sell/shop handmade!
I personally have been really thankful for http://www.handmadeology.com/ Timothy Adams is a Great teacher! There are lessons on how to do everything for your Etsy or Artfire shops. from A to Z! ANd he teaches even to the techno-dummies like me!( it is possible i am the only one , no offense to anyone else!) I have used these lessons over and over when i am stuck on something, and just to try and learn new somethings.
This site encourages and promotes artisans and i would recommend ALL OF YOU post your shops and twitter addresses and blogs on this site. they get alot of traffic and are offering a months free advertising to the top promoter this month! I would love to get that but i am also into helping others and i am not sure i have the time or know-how to get there so please-GO FOR IT!!! HAve a day full of love and spread it around!

IF you need a laugh!

This is so much fun!

Check out this shop! she has paired some great pictures with hilarious sayings. you will love browsing here!

Thank you picardcreative, i needed help getting going today and this did it!

The goal is LOVE

It is another day to celebrate waking! I check my shops and email every morning and sometimes writing something down here is so easy and sometimes..

"Writing is easy: all you have to do is sit staring at the blank sheet of paper until the drops of blood form on your forehead." Gene Fowler

..this is what i get when i sit down to write.
SO today as many other days before and i am sure to come i have a quote to ponder and hope that you will still comeback for the days when i am truly writing from the need to empty my thoughts onto this "page".

II Corinthians 13:11 "Finally, brothers,good-bye. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal,be of one mind,live in peace. And the God of Love and peace will be with you"

"Better to write for yourself and have no audience than to write for the public and have no self." Cyril Connolly

Be sure to check out www.thejewelryshop.artfire.com for lovely handmade and vintage jewels!

Crazytrain riders!

Good Day handmade fans!


Check this amazing piece of vintage jewelry out!


http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=ViewListing&product_id=174233


This is a most beautiful necklace that really grabs the eye!



I enjoy looking at others works and getting to know artists, but there are so many of us it is hard to keep up with everything fabulous going on around the handmade community!

I am so blessed to have another day to do this!

I will try to post great giveaway links here every week so please check back!

Good Morning,Sunshine!

It is a beautiful morning on this Monday! I thank the good Lord for another wake up and a day to do some creating!
I have jumped on the artfire crazy train and this is the artists of the day www.caterpillarpeacock.artfire.com
There is some amazing felt work here and i have picked this one to feature here! please check out this shop!http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=ViewListing&product_id=150870
Today my verse to focus on is Galatians 5:22-23 " But the fruit of the spirit is LOVE,joy peace,patience,kindness,goodness,faithfulness,gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law"

Now, even if you do not believe in the bible, how can this be a bad thing??! wouldn't the world be a lovely place if we all concentrated on this!!?!!
I love that the art communities i am a part of (ETSY and Artfire) are full of people focused on karma and helping other artists and being good and happy people!
I truly love you all and pray that all of our sales increase so we are all spreading the joy of creating through our arts!

giveaways are so fun!

This is the day that the LOrd has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it! PS 118:4
Thursday!
I have just stumbled upon this lovely blog and give away i wanted to share with you! She has a lovely Etsy shop and makes jewelry that is romantic and victorian-ish with a twist! please stop by there, enter the give aways and share your thoughts! love to hear back from you if you win!
http://baroness-bijoutery.blogspot.com/
Remember to be happy and share a smile full of love with someone today, please. there is so much bad and depressing going on out there, lets plant the seeds of love and happiness! let the winds of time spread the seeds all over!

Freebies!

Attention all artists! Free advertising if you donate an item for the game on foundhandmade.com!
Attention all handmade fans! win handmade items on foundhandmade.com!
great combo, everybody wins! YEAAA!!!

Love two weeks until the celebration of Easter

I have been thinking about love in the context of my Gram..when i was young and she would try to direct me, i "hated" her. she was mean and not fun. As i became an adult i loved her more and more for her strength of character, her unwavering self awareness and her words of wisdom. She was a woman who lived through the tough times of depression, bore 11 children, lost 2 very young and 2 in the last 20 years. She fed and cared for her children even through years of alcoholic abuse from grandfather(i never knew him). And this family of aunts and uncles are the happiest, fun lovingest people i know!

* 1John3:18 "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."*

My Gram did this. she was never light with her words like we are, saying "i love this" about anything that comes across our path. She loved in actions and in truth and meant it when she said it.
This day, love someone in actions. Do something that SHOWS them love; a gift, a service,a card with encouraging words. Lets be sincere when we say love and mean it truly.
Please do keep all those under the terrible storms in ND, KY, KS in our prayers as they are starting spring without homes and probably alot more.

PLAY & WIN

WOOHOOO!!
Fellow artisans, check out foundhandmade.com for ways to get free advertising !
And art lovers, play in the game and win free handmade stuff!!

A give away!

We are in a give away! Be sure to check out the Play and Win on www.foundhandmade.com I have a watch for you to win, donated by Grah-Toe Studio

I am still in jet lag/mourning..i am working on painting my kitchen just to be doing something..i will be back to creating soon.
Good luck in winning on foundhandmade.com!
Lovingly, Kim @ Grah-Toe Studio

a new beginning..

I have returned from my trip..i did get to spend 2 fun and loving weeks with my gram. She passed away on Sunday March 22, her suffering was short and we all know she is back at home with the Lord. It was a time of self discovery for me, and i experienced so many things. I will probably share some of them as i go along, for now the grief is too near to do that.

On a different note we are going to be involved in the play to win on foundhandmade.com! It is a give away and a few items from our shops will be there so please be sure to check it out! I am going to feature this watch :
http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=ViewListing&product_id=110703
I have so much to catch up on having been out of the game for 2 weeks so please post me a note about anything you would like me to know and i will get back to you or be sure to check it out! More tomorrow! Love to you all!

A break to go share love..

Well, i am taking a trip to visit a sick and very loved Gram..i will probably not be posting for about 2 weeks so i can go focus on her,sharing in her last days. This is one of those trips that you want to go do but don't want to go do..so please don't give up on me, keep sharing love and paying the good forward because you never know if you are the last person that does good to someone...Be blessed and well and i will catch up with everyone when i return.

TRUE love

From the Princess Bride~ "wuv,twue wuv may fowwo you ..." Well said!


I pray that we could all focus on love again! From the Message bible version..ROmans 13:9-10 FOr the commandments against adultery and murder and stealing and coveting-and any other commandment-are all summed up in this one commandment: LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. Love does no wrong to anyone ,so love satisfies all of GOd's commandments.

They call certain crimes hate crimes..any crime is a hate crime no matter who it is against!

Romans 13:13 We should be decent and true in everything we do,so that everyone can approve our behavior.
I want only to spread love and joy and help you see that the only true thing left in the world is love.

I am in the midst of a new project and am having so much fun!All my fellow artists can surely relate to that excited joy in the pit of our stomachs when creating and following a new inspiration. I am making collage pendants with my own twist and cannot wait to get them completed for listing! I am going to work on my Creative souls and byhandbyme pages!
May you all be blessed and have joy in your hearts!

Hi Thursday

I can't seem to avoid dog pictures! They just make me happy! It is a beautiful day out and i am so glad spring is on the way! I have been working on our artfire shop today and the house,so i am going to go outside and take a walk! I am really struggling today...has anyone checked out the spoon theory yet? it really helps explain what it is like to live with a disease that involves chronic pain,swelling,fatigue. I hope everyone has a chance to check that out if you know anyone who is sick and that can help you understand thier everyday life. I need to work on our twitter,etsy,creative souls,laundry,dishes,...Cinderella would never have made it in this tech world!O.K. it's me that can't handle it OK!!!!LOL love to everyone!

a long day..

I have a quote from the positive thought for the day my aunt sends me..

~Constantly reemphasize to yourself the great fact that God built potential strength into your nature. By affirming it and practicing it, this basic strength will toughen up as muscles do.

Habits will either make us or break us. Good habits are hard to acquire but easy to live with. Bad habits are easy to acquire but hard to live with. In reality, as in all the good things in life, it boils down to the choices we make.

When you depersonalize life a little bit and laugh at yourself, it takes the pressure off feeling like you have to be perfect or do it all.


*Live your life and forget your age.

**Trust God and live a day at a time.

*Don't see yourself as old and getting older. Live youthfully now ---- and always.

*If there's no fun in it, something's wrong with all you're doing.

***If you love people, you inevitably get back love in return and thereby experience a joy that makes you a happy person.***

*When you get up in the morning, you have two choices---either to be happy or be unhappy. Just choose to be happy.

*Become a positive thinker. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see
the possibilities---they're always there.

One cannot help being old, but one can resist being aged.

I am managing my aging process with grace and acceptance.
I am at the perfect age for me today!
I am grateful to be alive at any age.

Hope this helps you all as much as me! i will have more time tomorrow to check in with everybody~Love to you all~

THe world needs more love

the world needs more love

it went as mondays go..expect the unexpected

Wow, i was in a really spring-ish mood this a.m. and put my bright coral scrubs on,bright flowered jacket,matching hair flower...prayed for a little break in the day to get the errands done and WOW! i got the day off! the Dr. i was to work with today comes to our rural little town but..he forgot our main tools back at home. Reschedule,go home! i was so glad i have been aching to start a new project and all the supplies arrived this morning!! Yea for answere prayer!..but i bet our patients were not praying for that! funny how that works, one prays for rain,one prays for sun..i am so glad that i am not the one in ultimate control becuase this place seems to be going down hill...is anyone else wondering why big guys can say"i didn't know i had to pay taxes" or why the money goes to those who already messed up, why not give it to US who can keep a home running on minimal staff and we actually do pay our taxes! AARRGGHHH!

Have you ever seen the bleeding heart flowers? They are gorgeous and i have added a picture of them from last spring..have a great rest of the mon-day! give love

A day of rest..thank you Lord!

I just love the animal pics so much, they make me happy! The koala pic was after the fire in Australia,in my past blog i added a link to the news story and i think there is a way to donate help if you would like. The other pics are just for grins and giggles! and the nature scene is actually from Coral Pink Sand Dunes state park in southern Utah, between Bryce and Zion. I just want to say have a smiley restful day today, and thanks to everyone following this blog and twitters,i hope i can bring a speck of love to someone and if i can then i am blessed for that!

Saturday! love,love,love babaduhdada

Hey lovely artistic friends~ Thank you all for reading my blogs and following ..hope it makes you smile and love if nothing else!

"Love all,trust a few. Do wrong to none."~ Shakespeare

I can always get a good belly laugh out of fun animal pictures and i got these from a friend this morning! My first thoughts were"ying-yang,NO MORE NEWS ,..PLEASE!, I love a good kiss, Queen of the leaves blesses her people" and i laughed, and my husband laughed ,and i hope you do too! I love animals, and i have been having a really hard time with the way the world looks to be heading. I vote, i write to my representatives, i forward emails..but the crap keeps coming so..i stopped listening to the news and am focusing on the lovely, the fun, the holy and good...somedays it is really hard. i have a disease that is very painful,i am trying to manage on my own naturally..everything seems harder when you are hurting..something as simple as getting behind on dishes and laundry makes me feel useless and that causes big ball of internal combustion and melt down...myhusband is SO good to me..i am truly blessed to be alive, have a home and a greatest-est husband ever,to be loved by the LOrd my God and know he has created me on purpose! I will look at these fun puppies over and over again today and remember to laugh to love. By the way, everywhere i go, dogs find me and lean on me and i truly believe the Lord sends them my way for the love i need to get through the day because "people" can be so...? be blessed and smile! ~><~0~><

grahtoestudio | Twitter Grader

grahtoestudio | Twitter Grader

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Fly like an Eagle...

Have you ever seen a bald eagle in person, out in the wild? They are AMAZING to see.When we moved to Utah 4 years ago i had only seen them in the zoo,which is really sad now( they were a mated pair that had been wounded and would not have survived in the wild...death in your own field may not be such a bad thing for an eagle.)Since moving here we have seen them regularly,flying or perched, sometimes in trees,some times on a hill. Tonight we had to drive to town to shop,(30 miles to walmart & lowes) and there is a field that has been dubbed by my husband and me as "PD central"..The prarie dogs(PD's) love this field and they have hills and holes and pathways to rival any spaghetti bowl city highway! well, there were 3 magnificent bald eagles sitting together in this field..probably digesting a day of feasting! They are huge and very beautiful, i never can believe it when i see them even when it has been a regular occurance in the last 4 years. We often see pronghorn antelope on this drive as well but not much in the last year. The PD's ,however ,may be endangered elsewhere but here they are prolific..they are all cute and adorable looking and last year i was telling someone how sweet it was when they sit out on the road with a smooshed loved one and mourn and ..WHAM..that person told me they are carnivores and they are not mourning,.. they are dining..well, needless to say it changed the way i look at PD's..but they still look cute up on thier haunches with thier hands up by thier faces as if in prayer. HEY! it's my world let me dream!!:0)
sorry i did not have my camera ready for the eagles, i will try to make that up to you next time i see one.

O happy day..FRIDAY!!

This is a quote from "positive thought for the day-PTFD" my aunt sends me this most days and it is always so uplifting!

**Keep alert for those flashes of insight which come when you're really thinking.

You can literally force yourself to be courteous, happy, and enthusiastic with every person you meet. After you have forced yourself to be so for a short period of time, the habit takes over.

If we are to survive as a nation and discharge our leadership in this complex world, we and our leaders need to depend upon the guidance of God as did our forefathers in their time.***
Be kind and smile ALOT today!! besure to check out foundhandmade.com !

FREE ADVERTISING AT FOUND HANDMADE!! CALLING ALL ARTISTS!

Great tip from feathered friends,Found Handmade is doing free ads for one month! check it out!!:0)Handmade Rocks!!

Swirly thursday

I have been wanting to paint this jacket for 4 years now and i finally did it!well, i got the front done, istill have the back to paint.And this is "chewy" my lop bunny

it has been a long day for me and although my brain is still swirling in inspiration, my body is giving up so today i share love in a brief ~><~o~><~ BLess you all and have a good sleep, see you tomorrow!

SALE ON ALL JEWELRY!

Good morning all! OK..i did not make spaghetti last night..we made pizza!

i wanted to put our sale out there on jewelry on our etsy shop! 30% and shipping rates are reduced as well!

Wednesday..we got our taxes done, today we go work,work ,work!! talk to you all later

Spread love and joy everywhere you go today!

I was creating in my sleep last night and now i will be anxious all day to get home and make the stuff of my dreams!create!

Tuesday Love..spaghetti night!

Hello Lovely world and friends! I wanted to share how we arrived at the name for our studio with everyone, some are asking what we do..so here it is..

**We are a husband and wife team. We have both dreamed of doing our art full time and are on our way! We love to have new projects and welcome custom requests.

We work in wood,stone,clay,metal,antler and beaded jewelry.

Our studio got its name from a traveling experience..we drove from Florida to the west coast..the rock formations are amazing, some of which are called grottos..as christians,we believe that our artistic talents are a gift from God that we are grateful for all the way down to our toes! As we traveled and marveled we tossed these concepts around ,along with the amazing earth the Lord has given us to enjoy and we decided to call our studio Grah(from grateful) Toe( to our toes) ! So Inspired Creations from Grah-Toe Studio!

Thank you for shopping with Grah-Toe Studio. Stacy and Kim .. see our shop at http://www.grahtoestudio.etsy.com/ too!

Have a great day everyone,i am working on our taxes today...:0(

SALE~30% off all jewelry

We are having a jewelry sale! 30% off at our etsy shop through March 1st!! We have also lowered all shipping charges(if we have still overestimated s/h we will refund the difference!) ..we all need a break right now, right?!! Hope to see you there!!!
http://www.grahtoestudio.etsy.com/

My husband makes amazing wood bowls!

Stacy made this amazing walnut bowl on the lathe the other day...i am always impressed with how he can look at a piece of wood,knarled bark,crusty ends, and know if it is going to be a great bowl,dish or vase..He picks the parts of the wood that look like they will have interesting grain..he is amazing!

I made this necklace looking forward to spring..v-neck shirts,tank tops,strappy dresses flowing in the breeze...it reminded me of beachy sunsets and bonfires..:0)