Having Fun With My Photos: Poladroid.net

Here are some of the photos I had fun with today. I found Poladroid.net a few months ago and I thought I would pass it on today! Tell me what you think!

My Etsy shops! So many ideas...not enough time in the day!

I wish I didn't have to sleep.....I'd be making things 24 hours a day! I had a long dry spell where I wasn't feeling very inspired and now I can't stop! I recently revamped my sweetvintageemma shop to feature my handmade wire wrapped dangle charms. It's taking off slowly and I'm happy with the sales so far. I've been having fun coming up with new designs and buying lots of supplies (the most fun)! I already have quite a collection of glass beads because of my accumulation of vintage costume jewelry over the last few years. Any jewelry that is broken or too damaged to sell has been going into several large plastic bins. Now I have a use for it all! I plan on selling small lots of broken pieces for jewelry designers to reuse in new designs.

My sister gave me a huge box of 1 inch wood blocks so I've been inspired to make some Paris inspired shelf sitters with them. I made a few for Halloween too! I'm thinking about revamping my vintagelife shop too so I can feature more home decor items that I'm dreaming up!

My emmasgems shop has been neglected lately. I need to retake most of the photos of the jewelry that is left in my shop. I think that is why much of it hasn't sold. I already lowered the prices on most of the shop if anyone wants to take a look! I will also offer free shipping to any blog reader. Just let me know when you check out and I will refund the shipping via PayPal. I will be adding fresh inventory soon so please keep checking in!

My vintagelife etsy shop has been reworked with a new banner and avatar. Featuring a much brighter and clean look! I've been working on my newest version of tile jewelry including custom photo pendants.

I've made lots of pieces using recycled vintage jewelry. See my Halloween jewelry below....I laughed the entire time I was making them! They're a bargain too....just reduced the price this morning. Check them out here!

I truly believe that you get out what you put into your etsy shops. I've also found that renewing DOES work. Constantly adding new product will almost always result in sales for me. My sales were at a standstill until I started renewing or adding new listings. But what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another. Just my personal observation.

I've gotta get back to work now. Hope you have a great day!

Historic Jacksonville Oregon Trip

Just got home from a fun end of summer trip to Southern Oregon. It was a 2 car caravan of kids and adults to Grants Pass to take the Hellgate Jetboat Excursion trip down the Rogue River. We took the same trip last summer and wanted to go again! My sister and I took all of our kids and my grand kids too. We had a great time! We stayed in Grants Pass after the Jet Boat ride and the next morning we headed to Jacksonville.

Jacksonville is a small historic gold rush town near the city of Medford. We rode the trolley around town, listened to the guide give us some history and took as many photos of the beautiful historic homes as we could.

We had a great lunch at the Bella Union Restaurant and Saloon. Great atmosphere! We sat outside on the patio but the saloon looked like great fun too! I had the best Chicken Sandwich....ever. It had a chicken breast marinated in walnut and gorgonzola pesto; grilled with prosciutto ham and fontina cheese on a fresh bun. Yummy! I would drive all the way back just to have another....

My sister and I have decided that we will be going back (sans kids) and stay at the quaint Magnolia Inn sometime this Fall. If you live in Oregon or are considering a trip here you must visit Jacksonville. It was the perfect end to a wonderful Summer!

No Way!

It has NOT been 5 weeks since I posted! It's been a busy summer. We finally went camping at Detroit Lake here in Oregon. Of course the weather didn't cooperate....it rained very hard one night. We stayed dry but it wasn't a very warm trip. We still took the boat out and had a good time.

We had all the kids and grandkids come along this time. I think they all enjoyed it. The bees took over whenever we sat down to eat! The same is happening at home which reminds me of why we stop eating outside in August. Sleeping is always a challenge even with the inflatable mattresses. I had to yell for help when I fell off of mine at 3 am! My husband thought it was funny...he had stacked 2 on top of each other which isn't a good idea. So I fell off the side and was hanging onto the tent pole...also not a good idea.

The weather was best the day we left to go home so we packed up, all got in our boats and took a short ride around the lake. It is a beautiful place! I took LOTS of photos too.

I'm still working on my family genealogy and helping others with theirs when I can. I really enjoy doing it. I know how I excited I was to get even the smallest tidbit of info that would lead me to some new discovery. I enjoy helping others do the same! I'm still working on my Rondo line...hoping to find that elusive long, lost relative who has all the info I am seeking. I know it will happen some day!

Fall is coming soon! I can feel it in the air. School will start. I will be driving my granddaughter to school everyday so my life will have more routine. Therefore my blogging will be more regular...I hope! Keep checking in! Thanks for visiting me.....

Vintage Family Fun!

Clarence & Clara DeChaine circa 1911

Melvina Rondo Forcier and Mary Elizabeth "Bessie" Forcier McAllister

Melvina Rondo Forcier and "her girls"

Melvina Rondo Forcier and Mary Elizabeth "Bessie" Forcier McAllister


These are some of my relatives that I've spent the past few months researching. I received the photos from a distant Forcier relative in Washington state. So excited to see these and thought I'd share.

The top photo is my grandmother Clara DeChaine and her twin brother Clarence. They were born in Brainerd, MN. My great-grandmother had sent a photo to her family in Washington.

The other photos are of my great-great-grandmother Melvina Rondo/Rondeau who was born in February 1850 in Vermont. The story is that she was a nurse and lost one of her legs during the Civil War in Vermont. She married Damase "Thomas" Forcier in 1866 in Vermont. They moved to Sauk Centre, MN in 1870. They eventually had 10 living children over a span of 25 years! The family moved to Seattle/White Center, WA in 1889.
At some point they moved to Redmond, Washington and were pioneers in that area.

I'd love to hear from anyone who is related to this line of Forcier's!
I'm a descendant of the Forcier, Peterson, Olson, DeChaine, Marineau and Paulson lines from the Brainerd, Minnesota area also.

My entire family tree is on Ancestry.com under Bergh/Peterson.