bittersweet

a week filled with everything... none of them feeling small... 


a dear aunt diagnosed with a grave illness debilitated to the point of no normal daily activity seemingly overnight... it is there i have been - with her at appts and at home... remembering my grandmother today - for it is her birthday, the first one we have had without her... 


trying ever so hard to balance it with the kids, getting them ready for the first day of school on friday... and for the first time in over a decade, missing them at the afterschool pick up... 

learning about aging rats - and what they go through (yes, the universe loves to show you just how many balls you can keep up in the air)... and so we are making adjustments to his living arrangements... 

i have barely been on the internet, or doing anything besides being in my car going from one place to the next... 


but i had started these pieces for cycle art - a show that will be at a local used bike shop... 

my chest feeling like it is being crushed, touching this for even the moments it took to wrap a wire was a nice connection - i love nan's open hand, and it fit right into this chunky repurposed focal... 

a rusty piece which i felt was perfect for the message 'present moment'... i have plans to use old cassette ribbon and fibers... 


hope you are enjoying your labor day weekend... 

the forbidden 's' words

in our home, from the end of school (late june) until about now, there are a few forbidden words... 'school' and 'september'... well, the time draws near... we have been avoiding the back corner of target since july (what is it about stores not getting the concept of being in the moment?)... but i was there yesterday and saw these pencil boxes... i loved the name on them and the colors & figured/hoped those things would help to dip our collective toes into the waters of the inevitable! the bus pass has arrived for one child already... we don't bother to do bts (those commercials are changed immediately) shopping as it is always hot anyway and they just wear their summer clothes...

so i guess i feel like it's ok to officially begin making jewelry inspired by autumn... i live in nj, where we have full change of season and i love it... autumn is actually my favorite one (though i appreciate the others tremendously)... it was a little weird to be doing this as i had just gotten in from a walk in 1000% humidity - not.even.kidding. in nj summers are hhh or hazy, hot & humid - and i was sweating profusely, pretty image, right?

one of my new loves is antiqued copper... i used some pond green spacers from mary ann at linden avenue designs for these ones... they are meant to be like branches, with leaves spaced randomly... the ends are paddled for a more organic feel...

these porcelain charms by mellisa at chinook jewelry designs have been accented with mykonos greek ceramic beads in different colors of changing foliage... i realized that the color of the charms was rather like the deep red-browns that will be arriving...

'to be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind
than to be hopelessly in love with spring.'
- george santayana