keeping the faith

'hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark.'

~ george iles

as tiresome as sneak peeks may be for you, they mean (to me) that progress is being made! 

'never say there is nothing beautiful in the world anymore. 

there is always something to make you wonder

 in the shape of a tree, the trembling of a leaf.'

 ~ albert schweitzer

new things for my speakingyourtruth shop::

noticing a lot of really rundown ladies out there - don't know what is going around, but i empathize... here's hoping the weekend allows you some time to do what feeds you ~

like going to oz

yes, going to newark, nj can feel like going to oz! emily and i headed off to the opening of the exhibition 'make me something beautiful' the 2010 craft arts annual... i was fortunate enough to have a piece accepted into the show - and how strange to see it in a glass museum case with so  many other unique and beautiful pieces... sculpture, metalsmithing, ceramic, and on and on... no pictures were allowed - but there will be a catalogue... 

'there are two ways to live:

you can live as if nothing is a miracle;

you can live as if everything is a miracle.'

~ albert einstein

it felt like one of those miracle moments - and one of the neat things is that a lot of the artists knew each other... i introduced myself to thea clark who heads the nj metal arts guild - an organization i would like to become active in... 

thank you for the interest in my new etsy shop speakingyourtruth - i already have sales and am so glad that you are finding things you like... i have yet to get to etching and mica and more resin... end of school year activities are plentiful and keeping our family very busy... 

here are some of the things i have in the shop:

'dream' bead caps - 3 colors of enamel layered in different areas - blues, purples and deep turquoise... on antiqued copper...

'bing' bead caps - the deep blue red of bing cherries on antiqued copper... 

'sante fe' bead caps - 2 colors of enamel layered in such a way that the overlap creates an almost adobe red color... 

this is a ring i made for myself... i really love the symbolism and meaning of lotus flowers in buddhism... how they are firmly rooted in the muck and mud of the bottom of a pond, growing up towards the light... and upon reaching the surface, they blossom... opening and unfolding... this is symbolic of awakening... 

work in progress... 

'the secret of happiness is freedom.

the secret of freedom is courage.'

~thucydides

expanding the connections

'when we discover that the truth is already in us,

we are all at once our original selves.'

~ dogen

i had an idea to open up a components shop... i like the idea of people being able to create things that speak to them, of their thoughts and feelings... i personally believe that our current environment overwhelms us with visual and auditory stimuli (it definitely overwhelms me)... for every upside to the modern world, there is a downside... once again, it is about balance... having small reminders of what is important to you or what keeps you centered can be key to staying present... 

so i opened up speaking your truth last night... i had meant to open it with at least 10 items listed; but in order to work on it, i had to list something... so there are only 2 items right now... as we speak i have resin curing... and will be doing etching today... categorizing is a bit of a challenge - because some items use 2 techniques... perhaps i should list by component shape... i will be offering: resin paddles, etching, etched and enameled pieces, shibuichi and enameled pieces, maybe some simple ring forms, bezels... 

if there is anything you might like to see, please let me know... i am open to input...

simple - cont'd

'don't pin much hope on the mail,

and when the phone rings don't expect anyone wonderful to be calling.'

~ andy rooney

oh, andy - you obviously never met anyone through etsy!!


i practically skip to the mail - that should have been on my simple things list... dear mellisa from chinook jewelry sent me a business card holder, a ponytail holder, and some gorgeous lotus tiles... you had to see these... she has more - and if i don't snag them all, you may be able to get yourselves some!!

and i also found a lovely woman named lashell on etsy at who hand dyes sari silk in gorgeous colors... do you know how hard it was not to buy more?! almost painful... her mother taught her how to do it... 

'inspiration exists, but it has to find us working.'

~ pablo picasso

here's to getting some time to work this weekend in a way you love ...