Spring RV Trip

 

     

     Our longest RV adventure (so far) just ended.  I put my Etsy shop on vacation mode and off we went. We traveled through New Mexico, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and finally - Ohio!  

       

     The trip started out great in New Mexico's Route 66 RV Park.  It was a quick overnight stop. No time to visit the nearby casino.  But the park is convenient, and the people are friendly.

From there it was three more quick overnight stops. There were a couple of windy nights, but the drive itself was uneventful.  As we traveled east, we met colder weather. Spring flowers were scarce, and the trees were bare.  

By the time we reached Ohio, I realized that I had not packed nearly enough warm clothes.  Still, it was great to see family and friends.  

The KOA campground in Ohio was large, with two ponds, lots of wooded areas to walk, and even a covered bridge.

On the second day there, Tikaan got to see snow for the first time!

We bought some warmer clothes.  Had great dinners and visits with our loved ones.  All too soon we had to leave and make the trip back in reverse.  We left a day early to avoid some very scary weather that was forecast. (Like tornados and severe t-storms)   

Except for some heavy rainfall for a few hours, we escaped the bad weather.  We were tired but happy campers.     

But we'll all be ready to go off again in a few months!

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My Etsy shop, Desert Dabbler Handcrafted Jewelry, is now up and open again.  As a Thank You for visiting and reading my blog, here's a coupon code for 20% off:  SPRING2022 

Use the coupon when you check out.  Good on items from Desert Dabbler until May 30, 2022.  

Dog Stamps Plus Contest Update

      Hurray!!! I received an Honorable Mention, with a $20 gift certificate prize, in the Dog Stamps Plus rubber stamp contest!  My entry "Husky Dreams" was chosen for this honor. 

      There were so many great cards in the contest. I'm sure selecting the winners was a hard task.  The company was very generous with its prizes.  First Place was a $100 gift certificate! You can see all of the entries and winners by going to DogStampsPlus website and clicking on View Entries.  

      This was Dog Stamps Plus first contest. They gave away up to 6 stamps to anyone who wanted to enter the contest. 

       My second entry was made with a stamp that had a Husky pup and a snowman.  A very cute, popular stamp. I think more cards were made with this stamp than with any other one.   

        The contest was also created to draw awareness and support for shelters. A very worthy cause.

       Thanks go out to all the nice people at DogStampsPlus for sponsoring such a fun contest.

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     The coupon code for my Etsy shop for this month is MARCHSAVINGS.  Use it to get 20% off your order from Desert Dabbler Handcrafted Jewelry.   But hurry - the coupon expires March 31.  

Going to the Dogs

    A few weeks ago I saw a notice for a stamping contest sponsored by Dog Stamps Plus.  The contest was unique - they gave away rubber stamps plus the possibility of winning gift certificates for more stamps plus the potential of raising money for a great cause, animal shelters.  The contest didn't cost anything to enter and promised to be fun regardless of whether you won a prize.  

     When I took a look at the stamps they were giving away, I was hooked.  The stamps included HUSKIES!  All you had to do in return for the stamps was to agree to send them pictures of the cards you made from the stamps.  I submitted two entries: 

 You can see all the entries on their website, Dog Stamps Plus.  Winners will be announced later this month.  But I think we've all won in this contest.  

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     The coupon code for my Etsy shop for this month is MARCHSAVINGS.  Use it to get 20% off your order from Desert Dabbler Handcrafted Jewelry.   But hurry - the coupon expires March 31.  

     

 

     

Howling Wolf Pendant

       When we were in Durango last year I bought this great ceramic howling wolf oval.  I love wolves!  

       I wire wrapped it with copper wire and added a leather cord for the necklace.  It's for sale in my Etsy shop now.  You can find it here.   

        You can use coupon code FEBRUARYBLOG to save some $$$ on this or anything else you see in the shop.  Simply type in the code when you check out.  But hurry - there's only a few more days left to use the February coupon. 

      Thanks for reading and looking at my shop.   Oh---if you go to my shop, please consider favoring it by clicking on the little heart.  Doesn't cost anything or obligate you in anyway, but it helps small shops like mine.   Thanks! 

Tucson Bead Show Update & More

     It was great to be in Tucson again for the bead and gem show.  I only went to two shows this year, but found enough treasurers to last me well beyond this year.  

     I started at "To Bead True Blue" and "Colors of the Stone", held at Casino Del Sol.  The two shows must be made separate for their own accounting reasons.  For us shoppers, it is a seamless transition between the two.  

     The show was smaller this year but still fun and filled with lots of great items.  I shopped at "Filigree & Me", which is one of my favorite shops.  Then went to the Parawire store and bought a huge (for me) amount of bare copper wire.  I'm into wire these days, and this will keep me busy for quite a while.  Found some great jasper beads at Colors of the Stone, and a few more cabs and beads that were just too good to pass up at other shops.

      The next day I visited the shops at Kino.  This venue is totally different.  Lots of tents and outside booths filled with huge slab and uncut stones.  You buy these big boys by the pound.  Since we don't have a place to cut and polish stone, I didn't buy any of the slabs.  However, many of the places have a few cut into cabochons.  Lots of other booths have row after row of cabs.  It's great.  I bought  some lapis, more jasper, a composite called "Mohave Turquoise", Goldstone, and more.  One of my favorite finds is a Cherry Quartz heart that I hope to wire wrap soon.   

      This venue also has lots of other items - unusual tables and furniture, rugs, baskets and other items from around the world.  It's like going into a foreign bazaar without having the hassle of passports and long airplane rides.  I love Kino!

      A final quick stop at the nearby Tandy shop wrapped up this day.  They had left over small cuts of great red and purple leather.  They will be the perfect weight and amount for bracelets and trim.

       On Saturday I participated in the Grand Boutique, the first one I've done in a long time.  It was really cold in the morning, but that didn't stop people from coming out to the newly renovated community square at Sun City Grand.  There was great live music to add to the festival atmosphere.

Cold but fun day at the Boutique!

 Now for a reward for reading this Blog!!! Here's the coupon code for my Etsy shop for the month of February.  The code is FEBRUARYBLOG.  It's good for 20% off on 79 items in my shop from now until February 28, 2022.  Thanks for reading and looking!  

     Click here or on the Etsy square on the right.  

  

Tucson Gem Shows

 I'm heading to Tucson this week to shop at the Gem Shows   My first stop will be at Casino Del Sol, the location of To Bead True Blue and Colors of the Stone.  In the past it's been great, and I'm looking forward to seeing it again.  I really missed it last year when everything was cancelled.  

I had planned to leave my Etsy shop, Desert Dabbler Jewelry, open.  But I've changed my mind.  The new emphasis placed on fast, fast shipping by Etsy causes me some concern.  I had planned to make it clear through announcements and notices that any purchases would be shipped as soon as I return on February 4.  But I'm concerned that this might not satisfy the Etsy protocols.  A delay in shipping can cause your shop to be given less visibility.  Since there are literally THOUSANDS of jewelry shops on Etsy, any dinging and reduced visibility can really hurt.  

So my shop will be closed until Friday 4.  I have quite a few new items to list when I return.  Plus I'll be selling in person at the Grand Boutique, located in Sun City Grand, on Saturday, February 5, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.   This year our Boutique will be located in the newly re-opened community square.  Lots of artists will be displaying their works and offering them for sale. 

If you're in the vicinity of Surprise, Arizona, I hope you'll stop by Sun City Grand on Saturday, February 5 and say hello.   

Tucson Gem Show Returns

     At the end of the month, the Tucson Gem Show is returning after Covid caused its cancellation last year.  I can't wait to go!  Even though I don't really NEED more beads or gems, the show is too much fun to skip. My first stop is always "To Bead True Blue" and "Colors of the Stone". Then I plan to head to Kino and 22nd Street on the following days.  I'm looking forward to seeing lots of new items and many old favorites.

     The show in 2020 just made it before everything shut down.  Most of us weren't aware of the danger that was heading our way.  My own trip was a short one because we had just gotten our Pomsky, Tikaan, a few months before.  The gem show was one of his first public outings.  He did great, but we didn't want to over do it.  Plus the hotel that we normally stayed at wasn't pet friendly.  It was too late to try to switch hotels, so we cancelled our reservation and limited our visit to a day trip.  

      I noticed that a few sellers that I usually saw weren't there, but many reasons could have caused their absence.  But by 2021 everyone knew about Covid and its dangers.  Many countries wouldn't allow, or made it very difficult, for their citizens to travel to the U.S.   Some of those problems still exist, of course, but not as totally.  I'm especially hoping that the Australians will be able to come. I love their Moukite Jasper. 

     I'm not going to put my Etsy show on vacation mode.  But any purchases made after January 30 will be shipped at the end of the week, on Friday, February 4.  This includes the pendant that is the January special.  If you use the coupon code "JanuaryBlog" at checkout, you'll receive 20% off of the purchase price. 

    You can see it in my Etsy shop here.  But hurry - the offer ends January 31.