Work Table Wednesday

Wow, last week was very exciting!  I have now spent the last few days, sorting through my supplies and trying to figure out what direction I need to focus on next.  I have a craft fair that is coming up the first week of November and it was requested that I make more earrings, so I had to hunt down all of my supplies that I have not touched since May.

It can be amazing what you stumble across when you are cleaning and reorganizing your stash, like this white turquoise that was given to me.

If you ever want truly exceptional stones/gems/minerals to work with, then you simply must check out CrysallisGEMS on Etsy.  Deb has the most amazing pieces and is just a wonderful person to do business with.  I received these gorgeous Prehnite pieces from her last week and it made my day!  I am eagerly stalking my mailman for two more sets of Prehnite, as well as a couple of beautiful Lapis.  So, these currently sit on my work table, waiting for me to decide just how to accentuate their natural beauty. :)

They are just so beautiful and I could not get a good enough picture to truly do them justice.  They shimmer beautifully in the light and you can practically see through them and all their layers.

CrysallisGems has several wonderful items in her shop and you should definitely check them out.  Here's just a few!

Chinese Turquoise Oval Nugget

Kwun Yum Guanyin carved Ametrine Charm Pendant, how cute!  The intricate details on this amaze me.

And these stunning Brazilian Amethyst are just breathtaking!

But, maybe you don't have time to make anything with these gorgeous items.  Well, Deb has that covered with her other shop, CrysallisCreations!  Here, you will find some of the most beautiful jewelry and wire-wrapping that I have ever seen.

Her eye for colors and combinations create some of the most unique, one of a kind pieces that you could ever imagine.  Click on any image to go directly to her shop page on that item!

Have you ever...

seen snails that are so adorable, that you want to snatch them up and take them home?  You haven't?  Then, obviously, you have not ventured to ColtPixy's Etsy shop or to her blog to see her latest work.

Here is one adorable little snail that steals my heart

Bubba the snail, with his little brown jug

At the moment, amazingly enough, he is the only snail listed in her shop.  This is because every time she posts a snail, it sells within minutes!  Twice, I went to buy a snail she listed and it was gone!  That is how amazing her sculptures are and how popular they have become.  She keeps herself very busy with custom orders.  Below are just a few of her amazing snails!

ColtPixy is working very hard to have several snails added to her shop next week in honor of her 100th snail that she has made.  She will be doing a giveaway on her blog, so definitely check it out as well as all of the new snails she will be surprising us with in her Etsy shop! 

Check out the latest creations on her blog:

 Sally and Tommy Snailsberg...look at the tiny little glow worm doll and the pet frog!!!

She doesn't just make snails though.  She also specializes in adorable owls, unique fantasy and beautiful egg sculptures!

The Results are In!!

We made it to the Fair and had a blast!  I buy our tickets early so we get a discounted price, but it can still be expensive, so you want to make the most of your time there.  We paid a little extra for parking, but it was worth it since we were right across the street from the fairgrounds and everyone was SO nice!

Of course, you have to sample the fair food...in all of it's fried glory.  One of our favorite vendors does amazing cheese sticks/cubes/melty goodness.  Here is a jalapeno pepper jack with jalapeno ranch dressing.

So worth the calorie count!  Followed by Italian sausages and more fried foods.

After the food, we decided to walk off all of those calories by checking out some of the livestock exhibits.  Look at the adorable bunnies!

We finally made it to the Handicrafts and Hobbies exhibit.  To my shock and amazement, every single entry won a ribbon!

Here are the results!

My acorn egg won First Place AND Best of Show for the egg decorating competition.

My pumpkin egg won a Third Place ribbon among some beautiful entries!

My Gnome Sweet Gnome house also won Third Place in the decorations division.

As did my hermit crab :)

My miniature Koi Pond received a 2nd Place ribbon in the Miniatures category!

I am so thrilled that all of my entries earned a ribbon of some form.  We also had a great time and won some stuffed animals at the balloon dart toss, as well as the ping pong ball game for goldfish.  I refused to bring home any fish, so the lady let me have a stuffed one instead :)

We also did a turkey shoot for the first time!  My boyfriend did a much better job than I did (his two targets are on the right, mine are on the left and are less..holey) :)  We would have won, but one guy was just a smidge closer to the crosshairs. It was still an amazing time!