5-10-17


Back in June 2016, I started a new "series" of posts... if you will... 
 And so on Wednesdays; I've been posting an old photograph to inspire your creativity.
Write a poem!   
 Plot out a short story.
 Have inspiration for a piece of art or composition.... let your artistic soul shine.
--and occasionally I write my own sordid story or poem. 
 (you can click on the photos in this post to make it larger to see).

~~~

The first things that strikes me about this photograph, is that the children look really unhappy.
Perhaps it was having to wear their "best" clothes
or stand very still for the photographer longer than they wanted to
or just that they weren't able to play...

But the boy seems really sad, and the girl seems "determined" if not angry.
I can imagine all sorts of scenarios that might explain this...
but this time... I will just put the photograph out there.
See what comes to your mind...

5-9-17


...some days are rougher than others... and I find myself tangled up in knots.
Today is one of those days.

For now, I wish you all... 
peace, kindness, growing gardens, art, books, music, movies, great tasting food, health,
 financial security, religious freedom, fresh coffee, flowers, birds singing, clean water, compassion for your fellow man, 
nurturing for all the beasts, bugs, birds and fish on this big blue ball... and love.

See you all tomorrow.

5-8-17


Well, it's happened. 
After 22 years of selling things online (onEbay, Etsy, and for awhile on Amazon)... I got a "bad" review.
I will say, that I did everything I could to rectify things when a customer wrote me and told me that one of the two gemstone charms she ordered had arrived, and it didn't look to her, like the one in the photo (which is was). I sent her a replacement charm for the one she was unhappy with, and let her keep the one she didn't like (or pass on to someone else)... along with yet another one I had sent her as free as a gift with her original order. She still left a review of 1 out of 5 possible stars.
A few years ago, this would have absolutely crushed me. I strive for happy customers, and it is my goal to always do the best I can for folks. That said... in some instances, you can do everything right... and things will still end on a sour note. And you know what? That is ok. It is part of being human, and having other humans interacting with you. Sometimes it's ok... .some times it's not. People are unpredictable. People can be stubborn and confusing; we are a hot mess. It's ok. Life goes on.
Do the best you can.... let it go.

In other news... I had intended to make some water-themed jewelry for an upcoming fundraiser, raising money to get out local town pool up and running. However, time was coming down to the event... and being still in a Lupus flare, my energy is very little... and few and far between spurts. So, instead, I decided to donate a 16x16 inch photo canvas print of one of my original photographs (above). I also made up a dozen key chains (or they could be put on a backpack, purse, or zipper pull) featuring beaded Mermaids. They can sell them individually, or offer them as door prizes. 
It just seemed like the right thing to do.

So... for this "Maker Monday" post...
Keep crafting folks. Keep creating things that make you sing.
Don't let situations or folks get to you.... we all are going through things
... and need to give each other slack. We're all in this together... 

See you all tomorrow.

for the weekend


tender spring blossoms
dripping with the morning rain
nature's best perfume

~~~~

(photo taken this am of my neighbor's lilac bush)

It's a very rainy weekend here for this season's Maple Festival downtown.
I might just stay inside and read.
See you all on Monday.

5-5-17



Catrina gossip girls 
talking til their skin falls off
wisdom teeth grinding

~~~~~

Happy Cinco de Mayo... with one of my favorite photographs.
I've used that exact photo to create a new mandala design... just to celebrate today.

5-4-17


Let's talk about Fluorite.It's a gorgeous stone, and comes in a variety of natural colors. From yellow to white, blue to green, and stunning purple.... fluorite is a great stone to have in jewelry. 
Generally speaking, Fluorite is thought to help remove negativity and relieve stress, help with decision making and increase concentration. However; each color tone has specific attributes.
And because I've been doing this so long (since 1995) I have some stunning shapes and sizes of this rainbow colored wonder. 
What would you make?

5-3-17


Back in June 2016, I started a new "series" of posts... if you will... 
 And so on Wednesdays; I've been posting an old photograph to inspire your creativity.
Write a poem!   
 Plot out a short story.
 Have inspiration for a piece of art or composition.... let your artistic soul shine.
--and occasionally I write my own sordid story or poem. 
 (you can click on the photos in this post to make it larger to see).

~~~

I love this photo.
I imagine... that the two children, Joanna and James,
have traveled to the beach as part of their family weekend vacations.
Loving their dogs Bitsie and Pepper; they have  naturally brought them with them to frolic in the sand.
Bitsie, the smaller of the two, is naturally in charge. Leading the way, she gets Pepper
 in all sorts of trouble, as Pepper is more than willing to go wherever Bitsie directs him.

5-2-17


It's been a lazy Tuesday, here.
Sleep is coming in 4hr batches... and it's a bit hard to get it together today.
And, it's chilly and rainy today... which makes me want to just burrow in.

Late in the afternoon on the 28th, we were adopted by a little furr-ball that we have named Zerro.
It's been a year since my beloved Sabrina passed away, and we have sorely missed having a pup in the house. 
I was looking for a senior.... a rescue...a medium-sized dog... and a girl. 
Zerro (knick-named ZeeZe) is all boy... and we are not sure how old he is, or his breed.... but he is perfect. 
Which goes to show, that the Universe knows what we need sometimes better than we do ourselves. 
He is named Zerro, because he was rescued on a night when it was 3 below zero degrees out. 
Horrifically matted... chained permanently in a yard... he was badly neglected. He was at a local rescue for a short time, awaiting the "go ahead" to put him up for adoption. We just adore him. He is about 25lbs of love and attitude, and sort of reminds me of Sprocket (the dog) from Jim Henson's "Fraggle Rock" show. At any rate, we are all settling in to some semblance of a routine here... and it is wonderful. So far we have learned that he LOVES toys, soft blankets, and dinner. He is very well mannered (well, most of the time)... and howls like Snoopy! when the fire whistle blows. 
Welcome home, little dude.


5-1-17



Yesterday and today have been a mish-mash of formidable weather formations..
impressive clouds
tons of rain
torrential, short deluges
tornado warnings (and touch-downs over in nearby Bradford, PA)
and some fantastic sunsets.

I took photos.
See you all tomorrow.


for the weekend


pretty little one
worry not if the rains come
sunny days lie ahead

-----------------------------------

metaphor or not, I think we all despair a bit when things go awry from what we plan...
and often we forget that, just like when it rains... the sun will come again.

4-28-17


Everything is so green and alive!
As an artist, I notice the subtleties in nature, and they inspire me in my work.
This year's PANTONE color of the year is "Greenery."

 "Greenery is a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring when nature’s greens revive, restore and renew. Illustrative of flourishing foliage and the lushness of the great outdoors, the fortifying attributes of Greenery signals consumers to take a deep breath, oxygenate and reinvigorate."

 Feeling excited, I decided to look through some of my gemstones for examples of green...
What gets you ready to create?



4-27-17


... what a gorgeous day!
Hope you are all having a good one.

Today I am trying to take a break from the craziness that has been this last year... and cleaning out my freezer. 
Sometimes, cleaning and organizing things makes me feel a tad more accomplished and productive. 
I think that is true for lots of folks.
So... sweep the porch... open the windows...put on some music...
and I will see you all tomorrow.

4-26-17


Back in June 2016, I started a new "series" of posts... if you will... 
 And so on Wednesdays; I've been posting an old photograph to inspire your creativity.
Write a poem!   
 Plot out a short story.
 Have inspiration for a piece of art or composition.... let your artistic soul shine.
--and occasionally I write my own sordid story or poem. 
 (you can click on the photos in this post to make it larger to see).

~~~

Frederick and June were perfectly matched.
They both knew it... somehow.
She had come from "the old country" to marry him... sight unseen...
nervously traveling for weeks by ship.... coming through Ellis Island...
Getting on the next week's steam train out of the city to the wilds of Oklahoma...
I'm sure she must have been scared to death; gripping her only suitcase,
knuckles white as she road across the dusty landscape to what would be her new home... her new life.

Frederick was a simple man, but an honest one.
He ran the local General Store... which was also the post office, which was also the news-center of the town
... as well as having the only clothing, dry good, and hay seed for miles around.
He knew he needed help. He knew he needed a wife, and so he sent for one, as recommended by his mother and his Aunt
... they had also had arranged marriages, and it had worked out fine.

It was rough at first, of course, there was the language barrier and all.
But they overcame that... and every other trouble that came their way... together.
They relied on each other... and yes, they came to love one another deeply.
Years would go by... children would be born... the business would have it's ups and downs...
but through it all... they did just fine.
As they knew they would.

4-25-17


A friend of mine is having a hard time.
It's incredibly difficult when someone you care about is hurting or going through trials...
I feel so helpless.

Last night I happened to read this little book by Alice Hoffman called "Survival Lessons," which was really on point, and talked about this very thing. (and it's available at the local library). It's a brief book, but heartfelt, that reminds us to eat dessert first, take the trip, sit in the sun, love a dog... all those things you know ... but sometimes need reminded of when things get chaotic.

And so it goes....
Here are a few more photos from yesterday's walk around the yard.
(Top photo is our small forsythia bush, below is one of the Mullein plants,
and the bottom is a teeny tiny plant called "Creeping Charlie.").
See you all tomorrow.


4-24-17


This weekend flew by.
I want to take a moment to thank everyone for all the well wishes on my birthday...
you are all awesome... and I greatly appreciate the thoughts and love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's "Maker Monday!".... my weekly post where I feature something the daughter
 and/or I are working on.... and (hopefully) encourage the maker lifestyle.

I know I usually feature some jewelry, art, or craft project I am working on...
But I thought for today, as I am so tired, I would show you some photos
I took on a walk around our yard (and down the street) today.
It's a gorgeous day out there...


The top photo on today's post is a close-up of our currant bush.
This is a "new to us" bush that we transplanted last year from a friend's house.

The pink above, are gorgeous hyacinth flowers at our neighbor's house.


We love leeks! 
A friend gave us a bucket-full for a couple years in a row now,
 and we've transplanted what we could into our yard near a little creek. We hope that someday,
 the whole bank will be full of fresh Potter County Leeks.


These little flowers are microscopically small.
Just to show you... that you matter how small you feel in this big, wide world...
... you can always do something positive.

See you all tomorrow.

4-21-17


My new camera body arrived... and this is the first shot...
Our yard is sprouting with violets... and it's glorious.

4-20-17


Crafting a life...

...the thought kept running through my head as I lie awake til 4am.
We are crafting a life here. When my hubby lost his work in the fall of 2013, we honestly felt very optimistic about him finding similar work right away. Such was not to be... and here we are in another state, almost all the way cross country... in a radically different financial state.... and we are both working at self employment/ creating s new life doing what we love.

Today would normally be a blogpost about organizing and such... but I think, as I am done with the bulk of the organizing and paring down around my home and studio, that perhaps I will post sometimes about business, crafting and such.
...About crafting your life; as I am crafting my own...

4-19-17


Back in June 2016, I started a new "series" of posts... if you will... 
 And so on Wednesdays; I've been posting an old photograph to inspire your creativity.
Write a poem!   
 Plot out a short story.
 Have inspiration for a piece of art or composition.... let your artistic soul shine.
--and occasionally I write my own sordid story or poem. 
 (you can click on the photos in this post to make it larger to see).

~~~

The annual gathering of the Willow Street Coven had to be done in secret.
It was trying times, what with women trying to give off a facade of being the perfect suburban housewife...
yet there were more "Pagan Princesses" than one would think.
Yes, it was also the time of the movie "Bell, Book and Candle" and the TV show "Bewitched!"
... but was the average American family ready for a witch next door? Alice didn't think so...
and so she gathered a few of her fellow practitioners for a night of frivolity and majik.
Of course, they had to deal with the depths of her dark and somewhat damp basement in her New England house.
The cinder-block was clean... but it could do with some primping.
With the help of her friend Tammy, they strung crepe paper and dime store Halloween decorations about.
Before you know it... there was tea, and cake... talk about when to plant certain herbs,
and conversations about spells and who-turned-who into toads... it was great.

4-18-17


...not much energy today... so I am fixing up some vintage jewelry pieces that just needed cleaning and/or simple fixes. 
I was actually so excited to be able to work on stuff today in the studio, that I couldn't sleep...
 and I suppose, that is the way it absolutely should be when you are doing what you love. 
See you all tomorrow!