Ranch Life 2009

Every year I become a cowgirl for a week.

This year I went with the Echo Canyon Gang to Drowsy Water Ranch in Granby, CO.

Most of us have ridden for years...some have horses and some don't, but we all get to be kids for six days and seven nights.

Team penning.

Herding. Barrel racing. Woo hoo.

Great food.

Border collies gone wild.

Cozy cabins in the woods.

Roping. Rodeo. You name it, Drowsy Water has it.

Family run and operated since 1977, they own their own horses.

Mine was a blue roan named Mariah.

She was fleet of foot - a true cutting horse with a penchant for horse treats, nose rubs and soft whispers.

Wish I could take her home with me.

Corgis: Pieces and Parts

Today, I went for my daily walk with the dogs. I took my camera to take stunning photos, but instead I got "pieces and parts." A tail here. An ear there. Fur streaking by the camera. No smiling Corgi faces until the end. Hope you enjoy the journey with my furry little friends. Winston (he's the long one) and Sake (the short one).

My Favorite Things...

Oh, the list is long and varied.

Cydwoq shoes: see beautiful black boot in photo (visit Cydwoqshoes.com)

Kick-ass cowgirl boots with stars. Oh, yeah. (there were a few pair at sundance.com last time I looked)

Lolita Lempicka: Why have one when you can have three in different glass bottles no less?

And things that are even better than my favorite things?

My latest adornments alongside them!!!

See boots, necklaces and Lolita Lempicka working in tandem to make this girl shine!

There you have it. My Corgi is a jewelry hound. It all started with the pink and white polka dotted collar I bought him last month. Next day, he was like a kid in a candy store poking in my closest for new pieces. I caught him in casual “what, me…a jewelry hound???” mode trying to make a getaway with the loot he’d taken. These shots aren’t the only evidence. He left a couple of bracelets on the stairs since they wouldn’t stay on his paws while running. The one consolation? He only takes pieces from my most recent collection at indigorhinodesigns.etsy.com. At least the pooch has good taste.

Can you say Cruiser Bike?

YeeeeeHaaaaaaa!

I got a brand spankin' new vanilla and PINK cruiser bike with a bright pink basket.

Now, I've always been a red 'n black gal...rustic and rough on the outside. Rustic and rough

on the inside. But I saw this baby online at Benny's Bike Shop and had to have it.

I ride it everywhere and it makes me feel like I'm 12 again.

It's got that wide white bucket seat that's so comfy and a simple cruiser brake...no speeds.

Just my speed.

It's so goofy looking that it makes strangers wave and kids laugh as I cruise through neighborhoods. All 52 years of me.

What made me buy it?

OH, I could say my inner child or my pink side, but I prefer to think it was merely a bike that called to me on the internet. And I answered it.

There's also an "Out There Guy" in Boulder, CO (Ryan Van Duzer). He's riding from Boulder to Washington D.C. on a cruiser bike with two gears; pulling all his own gear. I think he's two weeks into the trip. If he can do that, I can do this.

Watch for me cruisin' by.

Corgis On Patrol

My Welch corgis go to the park with me to shoot photos of my work.

They run free in the tall, tall grass as though they're wild gazelles.

One is two: Winston; the other is seven: Sake

They mill about while I adjust lighting and get the necklaces just right.

Every little thing is perfectly aligned and suddenly Winston

breaks through the grass

and br ea ks every thing up.

It's unexpected and expected at the same time.

He's the d

r oo

ler

and the wild boy, like a kid with toads and marbles in his pockets.

Sake is ever vigilant. Very quiet. And constantly good.

Winston is a little hell-raiser.

Like two kids from the same family.

Completely opposite. And both completely adorable.

I've posted "Luscious Lime" and "Luminosity" today.

Hope you'll take a peek at:

indigorhinodesigns.etsy.com

When Pigs Fly and Corgis Dance...

My most recent purchase is a flying pig.

Yes, a flying pig.

Now I have no excuse for all my nasty habits.

Like,

"I'll quit biting my nails when pigs fly..."

OR

"I'll clean the garage when pigs fly..."

Well, I have a flying pig now, albeit a metal one.

She's yellow, red and white with a squiggly tail.

And she's made completely of old car parts.

Isn't she adorable?

So now I have to come up with another excuse

for not completing the things I hate to complete

OR

refuse to complete.

You see I have these Welch Corgi buddies.

They're my best design partners.

Two paws up for a winner.

One paw down for a loser.

They love old trade beads.

So now to replace "When Pigs Fly," I'm going

with"When Corgis Dance."

And you know, I'm expecting my boys to

DANCE in the next few weeks.

Keep your eye out for it.

They love jazz, rock 'n roll and bluegrass.

Meet Sake and Winston...my cuddly little guys.

And say "hello" to "Miss Piggy."

I swear she flew over my bed last night.

Sunshine on my Shoulders...

Oh, does it ever feel warm and good.
We've had six days of rain in "sunny" Colorado. Made for a very grumpy Memorial Day weekend. Now, the sun is shining brightly and everyone's back to work.
Spring has sprung.
The grass is ris.
And I know where the flowers is...
Where did I learn that?

As I Grow Older, I Like Bigger and Bolder...

That's just the way I am. I see so many petite and delicate necklaces and bracelets made of light blue and crystal and bird feathers and butterfly wings. And I look at my designs and I think,
WOW,
my pieces are big and bold.
And that's what I like as I grow older. Or younger.
I was a shrinking violet as a kid, hiding my face and trying to blend in.
Now, I strut about like a spring chicken in cowgirl boots, tight jeans, brassy earrings, sassy necklaces, all bright and gold and bold...with rings
d
r
i
p
p
i
n
g

off many of my fingers. And what might people think? It's Colorado and colorful is certainly the norm.
But it goes deeper than that. I like who I've become and I want people to see that. The adornments I create feature tribal and vintage beads...some clay, some brass, sterling silver, Thai Tribe silver...many with proud pendants including scarabs and African-inspired brass and silver pieces. For centuries, women have adorned themselves and their homes with art and beads that tell a story about who they are and where they've been. I like that. It's as simple as that...

Come visit me at indigorhinodesigns.etsy.com