Ouray & Fall in Colorado

Happy Sunday Sweet Hearts!

Fall is in the air here on my mountaintop in So Cali.

The sky is blue, the sun is bright & it's crisp & cool outside,

PERFECT sweater weather & I do LOVE a GREAT sweater, don't you??  ;)

{in Ouray, this house is built right into the rock & has an elevator to get you in the door}

But fall in California & fall in Colorado are two totally different things...

fall in Colorado turns your world to GOLD!

An abandoned mine in Ouray...

I have the most WONDERFUL sister, who always plans amazing trips when I come to visit...

on this day we were heading to Silverton, but making a stop at the historic mining town

of Ouray & the Box Canyon Falls!

Put together a Canyon Creek & some limestone rock...

give them a little time, like a few hundred millenniums or so...

& then stand back in awe of the pounding water

& rock formations like you've never seen before.

The falls drop thousands of gallons of water a minute into this boxed canyon...

it's hard to even fathom! {& loud too}

I am absolutely afraid of heights & these old metal stairs that take you to the falls,

made my legs weak. I mean really weak, just like noodles.

The higher I got, the less my legs felt like they had any bones in them at all. lol

But the older I get, the more I believe that in order to see AMAZING things,

you have to be brave, come out of your comfort level & just DO IT!

And so I do & look what I get to gaze upon...

Ouray's spectacular, natural Amphitheater created by an ancient volcanic eruption...

I LOVE this tiny mining town in the Colorado mountains,

it's quint & charming & breathtaking!

When my sister booked this unplanned, spur of the moment trip for me, I can honestly say

it didn't occur to me that I would be traveling right at the height of Colorado's glorious FALL.

It didn't occur to me until the mountains in every direction, turned to GOLD!

And due to some of the surrounding mountains being filled with rich minerals & ore...

even the rivers turned to GOLD!

For all of you friends who live in beautiful places that have their own wondrous FALLS,

you may wonder, "What's the big deal? They're only leaves."

But to a born & breed, southern California girl like me...

a fall like this is SPECTACULAR!!!

I am BLESSED!!!

XOXO
vintagesusie

I Dream of a Ranch in Colorado...

I dream of a ranch in Colorado with it's blue skies, white clouds & red roof.

A sanctuary from over stimulation & a respite for the weary traveler looking for peace of mind.

Happy occupants greet you at the gate, bringing a smile to your face & a sense of belonging.

This is a place where the animals out number the people &

the peoples purpose is to take care of the animals...

a perfect kind of synergy.

With a vineyard in the making, young grapes grow in tidy little rows...

waiting to be picked, ripe & full of color,

sweet & juicy, ready to be eaten straight off the vine.

The sound of falling water provides the background music,

interrupted now & then by a wind chime, taken by the wind.

A hummingbird's nest is tenderly tucked into the high grasses next to a stream

& Llama Love is EVERYWHERE you look!

In the evening we walk the ranch, beer in hand, watching the changing color,

  the shadows & light dancing on all we can see as I take out my camera & shoot.

It seems no matter where I go, it's the skies that call my name...

there is nothing in the world that can compare to a western sky!

{Kristen, Skipper & Tucker in Whitewater, CO}

My sister's dream is my dream too now, she has created something magical,

something wondrous, something to be so very proud of & I am...

so very Proud of HER!

Thank you Sweet Girl, for sharing your dream with me.

I can see it so clear now, all your planning, all your hard work,

everything you've done to create this paradise.

I Dream of a Ranch in Colorado

& can't wait to get back there!

XOXO

vintagesusie

Rocky Mountain Llama Love

Guess who's lookin at YOU???

My sister's llama's are Who's Lookin at YOU!!  ;)

And by tomorrow night, I'll be lookin right back at them TOO!

Soooo very excited & HAPPY to be taking off tomorrow to Grand Junction, CO for a little R&R...

time to hang at my sister's ranch looking out over the mesa,

time to sit on her porch with a bottle of beer, laughing & remembering,

time to watch llama's majestically walking the fields & pastures,

time to just BE!!

No facebook or blogs,

no computers or cell phones or emails,

only a little stretch of time to do with as I please

& my sister

& her llama's

& the Rocky Mountains showing me the way!!

XOXO
vintagesusie

Anybody Hungry? It's Time for Some BEAD SOUP!

Happy Saturday Sweeties!

The weekend is here & today is a day many of us SOUPER'S have been waiting for...

it's finally BEAD SOUP Reveal Day!!!

Yipppppeeee.....are you hungry for more?

Here's how it works...

Our fabulous hostess with the mostest, Miss Lori Anderson of Pretty Things blog,

had over 300 jewelry designers from all over the world sign-up this summer to

participate in her much anticipated event. She then paired us up into partners,

with each of us sending our partner a batch of BEAD SOUP.

My partner is Malin de Koning from Sweden & I couldn't have been more pleased

when my ingredients arrived! They were stunning, I LOVED the colors & textures

she included & knew from the moment I saw my soup, I'd be using the glorious

blue ceramic focal & frayed sari silk in my design!

This earthy necklace almost made it's self! Malin had included this fabulous

chunky, wooden button which I knew I HAD to use, so instead of using the clasp she

sent along with the soup, I made a large loop at one end of the sari silk & threaded the

other end through the button tying it off in back. I love the raw & rustic look it created.

I had so many amazing beads to choose from, one of my favorites being

these thick, rough, glass rondelles the color of Root Beer, I decided to

make two pairs of earrings to match my necklace.

All the elements of my design are from Malin's

generous soup ingredients, the only things I added were the keys

& the vintage rosary charm on the necklace.

I ADORE my SOUP & couldn't be more thrilled with the end result.

I want to THANK Malin for sending me such glorious elements,

I want to THANK Lori for working so hard to organizing this Enormous Event

& I want to THANK you, for taking the time to stop by & see what we have all

been up to this summer!

I hope you're all still HUNGRY, cuz there's 364 more SOUPS to visit!

Just click HERE friends, to start your Bead Soup Blog Hop...

I'm grabbing a Starbucks Venti Mocha Frappicino,

that should get me through the 1st 100 or so.

Then I'll have some Chai Tea, a Hazelnut Coffee,

an Espresso, a Latte, some Earl Grey....lol!  ;)

XOXO

vintagesusie

FLYIN to The Junk Gypsy's & Round Top

 

Yeah...it's the HUMP Day & the weekend is almost here!!!

Just had to share with you my finished creations for the

Fabulous Junk Gypsy's!

 

 

Right now, as we speak, these SPOONIN necklaces are flyin over clouds & fields...

 

 

over mountains & streams & longhorn steer,

makin their way to one of my FAVORITEST places on Earth...

 

 

Round Top, Texas!

I would love to be a tiny fairy & slip effortlessly into the parcel & make this

journey with them. Oh, to see the JG's face when I popped out & grew to full size...

what a GREAT Surprise I'd make!

 

 

But alas, I am not a fairy & can only dream that it is so,

unless you have some Fairy Dust handy!!

Do You my Sweet Hearts???  ;)

XOXO

vintagesusie