buttons...buttons...buttons

Welcome to new JOOLZ artist Hope Milner from Beaconsfield, Quebec, near Montreal. Hope uses buttons...buttons...buttons to make fun, colorful, inexpensive jewelry. We've just brought in a pile of it -

~~excellent earrings~~

~~bodacious brooches~~

~~pendants par excellance~~

and

~~razzle dazzle rings~~

cross country

(posted on Kate's Facebook page - lifted by me!)

Kate and Brian, along with their two dogs, Murphy (Great Pyrenees/Bernese Mountain Dog, timid and reserved) and Bella (Type-A pug) are driving from Denver to Canandaigua right now. Kate is posting on Facebook as they progress - having a GPS sure helps with the calculations. Can't wait til they get here...and on Sunday we will all be together: 2 parents, our 3 children, 2 in-law children, 1 grandchild and 2 granddogs, along with various other relatives and friends. Doesn't get much better than that!

date night

Popcorn, a cuddly blanket, "Monsters Inc." and your favorite date. What could be better?

overheard this weekend

Overheard this weekend:

• LOVE this store!
• I've got to tell my husband about this place
• There's such a great selection
• How does she find such interesting pieces?
• Love that there is a wide price range
• Great name for the store
• Very classy

and my personal favorite:

• I want one of everything!

art and music festival this weekend

Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be busy along Canandaigua's Main Street - it's time for the annual Art and Music Festival.

Craft vendors, food vendors, not-for-profits, musicians - they're all headed to Canandaigua. Slap on your sunscreen, wear comfy shoes and prepare to have a great visit in downtown Canandaigua.

And while you're here, stop in at JOOLZ to have a glass of lemonade and check out all our new loot. We're bursting at the seams with beautiful baubles!

gone to the dogs

Meet Berklee, the almost 4-month old Golden Retriever puppy/first child of our niece Allison and her fiance, Keith. A&K spent the past week at the family cottage on the lake and Berklee came along for the ride.

He met his "uncle" Mac, a 12+ year old Cairn terrier who normally rules the roost. Mac ignored Berklee, bothered Berklee and eventually shared his toys with Berklee. Mac has the zip of an Energizer Bunny; Berklee seems to have a laid-back, mellow personality. But somehow, at the end of the day, they tolerated each other and made their respective parents very proud.

Next up on pet patrol....Bella and Murphy, our granddogs, who will be traveling from Denver for a 2-week visit in August. More photos to follow...

great glass

California artist Carter Seibels has sent us some wonderful glass necklaces, all just bursting with color. We love her sense of whimsy and appreciate her obvious skill with the torch. Look at all this great glass:

This last piece, Black Serendipity, is one of my favorites. I've worn it at the store for 3 days straight!

just adorable

The Craig family moved in across the street when I was 7. Much to my delight, there was a 7 year old girl in their family. Lee and I became good friends, although like any good friends, there were rough patches here and there. I'm happy to say we're still good friends. We were each in the other's wedding, and this year we will both celebrate our 40th anniversaries.

And now we both have grandsons. Miles Constantino Matarazzo is almost 7 weeks old and is visiting his grandparents for the month of July. He l-o-v-e-s to be held, so his Grandma is happy to oblige. Here he is, with his Grandma Lee and his Mommy, Hadley. Isn't he just adorable?

happy fourth

Soft breezes are blowing and our flags are reaching for the wind. At the top, of course, is Old Glory.

On the left is the Marine Corps flag, flown in honor of our nephew, Ted Hubbard, who is in Afghanistan with Echo Company of the 2/8. Recent news reports indicate that Echo Company has seen intense action against the insurgents. We keep them all close to our hearts as we celebrate Independence Day.

On the right is the Hubbard family pennant, designed many generations ago by a sea-faring great-grandfather. It seems appropriate to fly it from our nautical flagpole, overlooking our beautiful Lake Canandaigua.

Happy Fourth to you all as we celebrate this important day and the 100th post on the JOOLZ blog.