Gargoyle on a roof

Gargoyle on a roof

There's something weird on this rooftop!

Zoomed in for a close-up from the front.

 There are so many Historical buildings in our town. I should share some of them, later ... but this isn't a building I'm intrigued with, it's a gargoyle sculpture on a roof.

So many times I've driven past this house in Nelson, BC and caught a fleeting glimpse of this sculpture on a roof top. As I'm sure many of us locals have. It's been there for years but I've never seen it up close.

My curiosity finally got the best of me, so we took the time to stop & I walked around taking pictures & getting a closer look.

I'm thrilled to see it's made of metal, and has some amazing details like claws, scales, a cool tail and I wonder if he always sports the helmet & skis.

 I don't know who made it, or if it has a name,
but it's pretty cool, and so I thought I'd share it with you :)

I'm sure a lot of Nelson folks have seen this, but not up close.

 

View from behind

A bit closer

Close up from the backside... love his scales!

Close up side view from behind, love his tail & the skis :)

Front view- OH NO! he sees me! 

Love this pose.
Too bad the sun was behind him. I had to edit the photo to lighten up what looked like a silhouette.
Note to self: stop & take pictures again, but next time later in the day :)

Wedding bouquet photo charms. What my customers say...

 Photos from my brides 

photo by Ildiko Gagyor photography 

photo by Ildiko Gagyor photography

Sarah, Brittany, Chelsea, Annabell and Dora were kind enough to share their photos with me.

Thank you and congratulations Ladies!

My charms look so much better with a photo in them.
 I've used an old photo of myself to model some of my memory charms. 

I thought I'd share some recent reviews from my customers.

  I've been making these memory charms for brides, but have found that they also make priceless gifts for: family reunions, Valentines, Christmas, birthdays, and more. 

 Here's what brides say about my wedding bouquet charms.

Wedding bouquet charms. Freshwater pearl set of 3. Dec 18/13

Perfect to remember the 3 special people that won't be here for my wedding day. Came in very quickly and they were just what I was looking for to make my day one of a kind. Thank you!

Sparkling wedding bouquet charm. Memorial photo charm. Dec 15/13

Received my 2 customized bouquet charms and they are absolutely gorgeous and came in pretty packaging which was quite thoughtful:) Great service and beautifully done too:D can't wait to use them on my wedding day next week!thanks a whole bunch!

Wedding bouquet memorial charm- Galaxy blue photo charm.

great work!keep up the flawless service:D thanks!

Just add your own photo.

Nov 23/13

Wedding bouquet charm. Pink shell pearl charm.

a very special part of my wedding day, for my grandmother and I were very close and wished for this wedding to happen for so long. Not only are her dreams coming true but mine will too. Although she will not be physically present, her memory and her photo will walk me down the aisle. The seller was so helpful and prompt!

Nov 16/13

Wedding bouquet photo charm. Freshwater pearl.

I love them! They are going to look great attached to my bouquet! Thanks so much!

I have many colour options, and love custom orders!

Nov 15/13

Wedding bouquet, Memorial photo frame charm. Metallic blue.

Shipped promptly. Product as shows. Love the color blue of this charm!

Nov 8/13

Wedding bouquet memory charm. Light purple photo charm.

I always dreamed of my grandparents walking me down the aisle, but they passed a while back. With these charms I was able to hold them close to me and it was like they were still walking me down the aisle. They worked absolutely perfect and the color of the bead matched my bridesmaids' jewelry EXACTLY. I couldn't have been more happy with these charms! Thank you so much!

A lovely DIY project, or I can do the photo/s for you 

Nov 5/13

Wedding bouquet memorial photo charm. White shell pearl charm.

Beautiful job, even nicer than the photos. Thank you so much.

Oct 22/13

Wedding bouquet memorial charm. Bright white shell pearl, Bud

Very beautiful, timeless, and vintage. A Very great addition to my wedding details. Not Very big, but it is just what I was looking for. Now my grandfathers can both walk me down the aisle along with my father.

Oct 13/13

A little way to remember someone special.

Reserved listing for Tanya

I loved that it was exactly as described and for a minimal fee, the photos were placed for me. Correspondence was prompt and I am thrilled with the charms. I have been showing them off :)

Filigree heart lockets, with a pearl or crystal, and I've got a
great selection of other colour beads just ask.
 I love custom orders!

Oct 4/13

Wedding bouquet photo charm with pearl, heart and frame.

Just what I was looking for. Affordable, simple yet beautiful.

Sept 29/13

Wedding bouquet photo charm. Freshwater pearl.

So adorable. Worked great for my bouquet and husband's boutonnière. Perfect size. Great quality.

Aug 27/13

Wedding bouquet memorial charm. Bright white shell pearl,

I used this to add a charm of my sister who passed away to my wedding bouquet. It shipped quickly and is exactly as pictured. The image was easy to install and attach to my bouquet.

New design- Blue shell pearl and heart wedding bouquet charm.

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/173408293/

A Milestone event.

My Pearl Wedding Bouquet Memorial Charms

June 24/13

I am so excited! My shop is reaching a Milestone this week!

Just add your photo...  or let me do it for you.

I'm almost at 1,000 sales in my Etsy shop!! 

To celebrate: 

 My 1000th sale will get free shipping on their purchase! 

And starting right now I'm offering a 5% discount off for purchases (over 8.00) in my Etsy shop for the rest of this month… June 25-30/13 

Please use this Coupon Code: 1000THANKS    when making your purchase.

 I try to keep my items affordable, which means there isn't much room for discounts, but this is a big deal to me, so I'm going to try out the Coupon Code feature for the next few days.

I'd also like to extend a GREAT BIG "THANK YOU SO MUCH!!" to my customers, on-line friends at Twitter, Etsy, Facebook, and more! 

 Without you, my life wouldn't be so charming :)

Weddings are a lot like flowers.

It's spring here in the Kootenays …



 the season of new life, with courtships and weddings popping up, 

sort of like the variety of plants and flowers sprouting in my garden.

Short version: Weddings are a lot like flowers,

Longer version:

 I love flowers with their amazing colours and endless variety.

Since weddings and bouquet charms are on my mind a lot these days it makes me wonder: 

"Are there similarities between weddings and flowers?"

  Hmmm, I never really thought about it, but now that I am, let's see...

Weddings are often: colourful, vibrant, elegant, exciting, memorable events. 

They come in infinite varieties: sizes, presentations, characteristics, traditions, expectations, 

and even emotions can vary  significantly. 

 With so much variety in weddings, what do they all (or almost all) have in common?

A wedding is really a ceremony that begins a marriage.  Uniting the lives of 2 people- to each other, 

based on commitment and a desire to bond their lives together, call it love.

  If Love is the soil, our earth, it provides the nutrition and base for all the flowers to grow and multiply. 

 A flower, can multiply and become a family.  Many other families are connected by numerous weddings to form a unique garden, in a plot, in a community, in a region, in a zone, in a planet…. um, maybe I'm getting carried away.

Some flowers will thrive and grow well together creating a beautiful, harmonious space, while some are more prolific or aggressive, taking over and pushing others out of the way…

 Yes, I believe I could go on, but I won't. (Not now anyhow. I certainly don't want to get into  "weeds"… and seeds.   : )

 Anyhow, I guess the analogy of a wedding being like flowers, has a lot going for it.

I like the idea of a garden full of weddings. Families, growing and thriving together, with their roots bound in love.



I will likely read this again in a couple of weeks (to add more links), and feel silly for posting it, but I hope not.

 I'd love to hear  your thoughts...

Spring time in the Kootenays.

 Spring time in the Kootenays.

In a nutshell: We drove up to Trout Lake to see the gerrard trout spawning.

Here's a few scenery and wildlife photos, plus a short video.

A couple of weeks ago, we saw this badger, on our way to Cranbrook! Awesome!

Spring flowers in my garden.

Kaslo is our 1st stop on the way to Trout Lake.

Johnson's Landing- mudslide from last summer

The gerard trout spawning at the mouth of Trout Lake

 Early in May the gerrard trout spawn at the mouth of Trout Lake and Mother's day is the perfect excuse to go for a beautiful drive up along Kootenay Lake, and see them. 

It's become a bit of a tradition for us to witness this annual event, and enjoy our lovely scenery,  that we sometimes take for granted.

Trout Lake from the bridge.

 We went on the Monday after Mother's day, so there was no one else around for a long time, makes me nervous about bears. It was sunny and hot which encourages the spring run-off, and the fish are BIG!

The trout seem to just hang in place, but if you watch them closely you can see they are quite busy, and once in a while one would jump out of the water. 

Gerard spawning, just missed a jumper.

 There were many butterflies and birds of all kinds, including some common mergansers and a mature bald eagle. 

Hope you enjoy my photos :)

Mergansers

Spring run-off. This silty creek is flowing into the main river. Note the
difference in the water's colour.

Here's a short video of a jumping trout.

Where does the time go?

 I've been exceptionally busy lately.  Here it is,  Feb 1, 2013 and I realize how long it's been since
I wrote in my blog... um NOVEMBER?!  I'm embarrassed about that. Not like I haven't had anything
to write about.
 I've had some very sad news recently, happy news, and muddled my way through other personal ups
and downs and a fried hard drive, ( not my brain, but my computer's), and lost a lot of stuff, in particular my photos... NOTE: back-up any important stuff... do it now, I'll wait right here :)
     Life is an extra-ordinarily long roller coaster ride. It's fun, thrilling and scary, and there's times I wish I could change my mind and get off the ride, or just scream.  Looking back isn't a good idea, but looking ahead can be even more frightening. I love the calm parts the best especially when climbing up, the view's awesome, but just when I get comfortable, the ride changes directions at such an incredible speed, it feels like I might get thrown off. The best thing to do, is hang on tight and try to flow with it. Take a deep breath "Keep calm and carry on".
    I have been quite busy with my Etsy shop, and am focusing on my wedding bouquet charms. I was going to set up a separate shop, just for my bouquet charms but decided against it... for now. I want to reduce my time on the computer... not double it.
  My packaging is evolving, as is my marketing, and new designs are in the works, but the best reward is knowing I can make something lovely enough to hold the memory of a loved one, to be part of a wedding and will be treasured for years to come.
 Anyhow, enough said...I could go on, but it's time for bed. Gotta get up early for work tomorrow. It's after 11pm and I wanted an early night tonight.
  Where does the time go?

Wedding bouquet photo charms... not just for weddings.

    It's been many years since Dave and I got married...(in 1984!) and we have many fond memories of that day. I wish the same for all my lovely customers on their wedding day.




 Once in a while, someone sends me a picture of their charm, after they've added their photo. Why, just the other day, I recognized one  on Twitter, with a sweet comment! How awesome is that!? It makes me happy to know that I have helped to make your day more special.



It is so easy these days, to take ands share photos (or a links to them),
so if you have photos of something I've made for you,  I'd love to see and maybe share them here.
Here's some photos and comments from my customers.

My aunt recently gave me this beautiful Iittala glass vase.
It seemed fitting to add my parents' photo charm.

Maybe you'd like to see a couple of the charms I have in my home...
just to show, they're not just for weddings.

My Hungarian grandparents.

Our newlyweds... my son and his wife.

And here's  my Angel photo charms, for the Holidays:

Angel and pearl photo charm.

Angel and crystal frame charm.

I've added them to my shop.

Here's me, when my husband & I first met.

I often have lockets available too.