A to Z, 2012-- R is for...

Reading!

I'm an avid reader. I love books-- I love the way they feel, I love to learn, and I love experiencing new worlds and new ideas. My childhood nickname was "Belle"~ as in, the Beauty from "Beauty and the Beast~ the one whose nose is always stuck in a book.

I own over 1,000 novels and books of poetry... even more if you include books from my former classroom and my own childhood, and even more than that if you include reference books and art books.

I'm currently reading two books:

Borrowed from my mother-in-law...

... and this one, purchased by me!

Although the second one is much more applicable to this blog, the first one (and all others by the same author) is DEFINITELY worth a mention on here as a hysterically funny "must-read" book! While it's absolutely worth the purchase, take a click over here to see the website that began it all. The author of the book has graciously left a great deal of the content on his website, so you'll be able to read it before you buy it- Woo-hoo! My favorite is the segment about Aunt Jenny, but the whole thing is AB-SO-LUTELY HY-STERICAL. If you've got an offbeat sense of humor and/or a love of all things food, you will not be able to resist cracking a smile with this book and the others in its series!

I don't want to spend too much time writing today-- suffice to say that the second book is so much fun to read! I'm starting to get into polymer clay, to make my own beads, and this has been an invaluable resource... perfect for me, because I'm not a COMPLETE beginner (I dabbled in it when I was a little girl), but I'm also not ready for those super-fancy inspiring books for experts.

I am WAY BEHIND with my blogging-- as one of my friends said recently, I can't do it all... I can only do what I can do. So here I am, doing what I can. Next up, the letter "S"~

A to Z, 2012-- Q is for... (PART ONE)

Quick Commercial Announcement(S)!

...Okay, so it's not going to be my *real* letter Q post. That's going to come later on, sillies!

However, I have a few quick things to talk about today.

ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER ONE:
I am taking part in another giveaway by Rebekah. I didn't get any of her sets from last time, but they are so beautiful I can't resist trying again~ there are three sets, but these two are my favorites:

This one's called "Bright And Sunny"...

... And this one is called "Deep in the Forest."

I think I'm partial to "Bright and Sunny", but "Deep in the Forest" is a close second, and equally lovely. There's one more set, too, that is also exquisite... click on the link above if you want to see it, or to sign up to win these beads for yourself!

ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER TWO:
The handmade jewelry community recently lost one of its own-- Judy Glende-- to a battle with melanoma. In honor of her jewelry legacy, many are selling tribute items in their shops. The money earned will be donated to research, in memory of Judy "gaining her wings". I do not have an online shop yet, and I did not know Judy... but many others do, and did, and are participating. Rebekah (the same lady mentioned above) is selling this bracelet in her online shop, donating all the proceeds to Judy's cause:

This one is called "Bluebirds Fly"~ in memory of Judy~

ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER THREE:
I am pleased (and excited) to announce that I won a lovely focal bead in a giveaway, hosted by one of my blogging friends, Jelveh!

Isn't it just gorgeous???

She is hosting yet another giveaway (she offers them quite frequently, actually!)-- and while she doesn't ask that I promote her blog and her business, she is just so generous that I feel it would be a disservice to her to NOT say anything over here about it.

That's all for now-- I'll return to write my REAL entry shortly. 'Til then~!