2008 IS THE YEAR OF THE RAT

According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2008 is a Year of the Rat (Earth), which begins on February 7, 2008 and ends on January 25, 2009. This is a good year to begin a new job, get married, launch a product or make a fresh start. The best way for you to succeed is to be patient, let things develop slowly, and make the most of every opening you can find. As it happens, I was born in a Rat Year...so Universe - bring on the creativity!!

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so I have added many sachets to celebrate the romance of that day. This week I have started a new and different twist in my Etsy store. I am doing some incense burners that will be hand-painted and charming. I have been using this type of burner for years and years and just love it! My first burner is a view out into space with a backdrop of a million stars! Take a look at: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9208293

This week's artist is Janice Edgerton. Having been raised in Southern California, she lived in Costa Mesa and moved inland to the San Gabriel Mountain range in an area known as The Woods. She has been married to her husband Mark for 25 years and they share a 20 year-old son, Matt. A seamstress for 30 years, Janice Edgerton started painting with oils at age 40. You'll be touched by her ability to transport you to an enchanting place and time with her artwork. She states, "we could all use some magic, be it from Angels or Elves. I hope to bring some magic and kindness to this world with my jewelry and paintings." You'll agree that she has a real knack for wire-wrapped jewelry...and the colors she uses have hopped right out of nature!

Janice is another talented artisan at Etsy...her store can be found at http://www.tangocatgems.etsy.com/. She is also a member of SRAJD #1097, Artisans of Southern California; and FAEETSY, which is Fantasy Art of Etsy. "Nature is my inspiration...sometimes when I see a beautiful sunset, that perfect water drop glistening on a leaf, a faceted gemstone or the birds that come to my feeders, I am overwhelmed with their beauty. It touches my soul." You can also find more of Janice's things at http://www.tangocatgems.com/. Stop by her store and wander through her heavenly collection of visual delights!!

That's it for this week. I hope that you enjoyed the new artwork. It's an important week for me as I am starting a position with the State of Hawaii. It's a job that I have been persuing for over a year and finally got my foot in the door! I will continue to blog and create as much as ever and hope that you come back next week to see a fabulous friend and local artist from Hawaii. Until then - Aloha!