a primal place

finished 'inner sanctum' earrings - it took a long while to work through the design... but i ultimately relied upon interpreting my space... my inner sanctum is ancient... like a clearing in a forest - green with lichen growing on fallen stumps... breezes blow through the leaves, creating rustling noises... small shafts of light filter through the tree cover... and a trickling stream is heard in the distance... 

these 'journey' earrings were designed for the love my art jewelry giveaway this week... the powerful symbol of the unending circle, combined with papers preserved in resin that encourage one to live... hand dyed fibers in beautiful blue/green... and iolite - a stone for spiritual seekers which helps to balance the yin/yang energies... if you haven't entered, please do - the rules are on the site... 

too many

too many words, too many feelings....


decided to go with what moved me in the natural world - the reminders of how you are a small part of a very large whole... 

last night a fast moving and  powerful storm rolled in - the clouds were actually purple...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

the foliage is beginning to change - one of my very favorite things in the whole wide world... 

&

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

a sky so blue and dappled with wispy clouds it took my breath away...

inhale...
exhale...
repeat - 

a nature save ~

sometimes, having lots of project ideas is a good thing... and sometimes, it is not - like when your brain is in overdrive and you cannot settle it down to begin... 


so i went for a walk by the river... and was gifted big time! 'make way for ducklings' was one of my favorite books as a child.... i look for the babies every spring, so when i saw these little fuzzies i was elated -

mama stared me down hard - but i understood and moved along...


also came upon some lily of the valley -

which inspired me to create these... i did best today trying to keep things simple and use what i already had... like a bag with etched copper pieces... lampwork glass by marie at bleuverre... 

return to happiness

'in nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect.

trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways,

and they're still beautiful.'

~ alice walker

then there were the little buds slowly outgrowing their outer shell... lampwork glass by mika at pinocean... 

tiny buds

it's funny, i have a couple of books that i really love... especially the ones on metalworking and smithing... i will carry one around for a while, absorbing what i can but knowing that there are things i am not ready for... it will then get put away... weeks/months later i return to it and find that i understand and can apply things that i couldn't before... it's a nice feeling... not rushing or forcing the learning, but really trying to internalize it all... 


i am having a giveaway if you missed the last post - just leave your name and tell me how your life has changed from blogging... last day to enter is friday - winner will be announced on monday... 


now if only my eyes would stop burning from the oak pollen - it ends up looking like we have  tumbleweeds here in spring!

where did the week go?

'difficult times have helped me to understand

better than before,

how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in 

every way,

and that so many things that one goes worrying on about

are of no importance whatsoever.'

~ isak dinesin

a happy face found in a bowl of spaghetti-os

chuck gets a bath

(emily was named after penwomen emilys, 

chuck was named likewise - think 'fight club')

crocus

philly

ceiling of an elevator

the fog rolled in 

i have had a post rolling around in my head all week - hope to get it up later... i need to empty it onto 'paper', as the room in there is at a premium!

your true nature

true to your nature

"if a Queen isn't meant to fly, why does she have wings?"
lessa, dragonflight

in anne mccaffrey's land of pern, certain humans are joined to dragons (this predates eragon by decades) communicating in unspoken form, sharing thoughts & emotions... lessa is new to this world and bonds with the golden dragon ramoth at the time of her hatching... lessa is told that Queens fly only to mate - and the strong lessa begins to change things which allow both she and her dragon to be true to their natures...

while we don't have wings, we each have other attributes that make us unique and special... that define us... people my lean on you for support, count upon you to help, look to you to lead...

i love hero's journey tales... the kind where some unassuming person - like frodo, harry potter, arthur, simba, dorothy - finds him/herself in a position where choices must be made and along the way they grow... i admire the hero... i love and find comfort in the wise one... but the hero couldn't achieve what he/she does without their most trusted allies, their best friends... one of my literary favorites is samwise gamgee from lotr... sam is a kind, unassuming hobbit who openly admits his fears... but he sticks with frodo to the bitter end, thru horror after horror, becoming a hero in his own right... sam would lay his life down for frodo, he is loyal and true... i think those are qualities we all strive to have and want from our friends... sam's nature is exponentially magnified and so his potential is reached...

'the only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.'
- the buddha

this bracelet has beads in it that are certainly a tribute to their creators... a raku bead by mak has white crackle and golden glazes in addition to fine silver pmc... a ceramic bead by barbara lewis is layered in color then carved away to create pattern, texture and reveal the colors (and here, next to the dragon, i think the carving looks like something the talons could have done)... a green girl studios pewter dragonegg bead... gorgeous lampwork by mary ann at linden avenue designs... these beads were custom made after i went back into her sold items... they are called 'granite' and i love the way you question whether they are stone or glass... lots of bali silver, mykonos greek ceramic beads, two great silvered ivory glass spacers from donna at purplepozies, faceted feldspath and a snakeskin jasper drop at the clasp... this bracelet is earthy with color used to highlight that which is found in the glass & ceramic components...

'and i'll see your true colors shining through,
i see your true colors and that's why i love you.
so don't be afraid to let them show.
your true colors,
true colors,
are beautiful like a rainbow.'
- cyndi lauper