Weekend Recap

It snowed here this weekend.
Blizzarding snow flakes of mammoth proportions came twirling down,
recklessly covering the roads and filling the driveway.
*grumble*
I could figure out why my back ached so bad this morning, until I remember last nights struggle to dig out the driveway so the Mr. could get in ( we are on a steep hill).
Ah yes, that would be the source of my pain...
Good thing he is so darn cute :-)

I also treated myself to some new mugs! I hated the plain boring white ones we had - they had no personality and they kind of slid in my hand due to the size of them.
I found these puppies for a complete steal - $1 a piece!

Aren't they pretty? I got two of each colour combo.
I have already sipped tea from each one and it tastes equally delicious in all three ;-p

I also spent a little time this weekend brainstorming up some special for you all - details on that to come! I think your gonna like it.... *tease*


What did you do this weekend?
xo


PS - thank you from the bottom of my heart to those who did comment on yesterdays blog post about my dear sweet grandma. She was the spark that made me start selling my jewellery and I am ever grateful for that. 

5 years ago...

Five years ago today you passed.

It was a Monday afternoon, and unseasonably warm.
It rained in the morning and as the sun warmed the city up with its rays a beautiful rainbow appeared as I drove home to be with the family.
We sat, and listened to Johnny Cash cause you loved him.
We ate chinese because it was one of your favorites.
And after the tears dried, we smiled and laughed and remembered you, because you would have told us not to worry about you.

You were never afraid to tell me the truth,
and you believed that the young people of the world had the potential to do great things.
You were my champion.

I miss you.
I miss the way you always had candy in your purse,
and the smell of Chanel on you.
I miss your laugh,
and the dinner rolls you baked every Christmas.
But mostly, I just miss you.
If I am half the woman you were - I'd be one hell of a gal!

For you Grandma - 5 years and yet it feels like yesterday.





xo,

The Little Shop Update that Could...

Well let me tell you - this was not an easy shop update.
The solder didn't like flowing.
The stones weren't fitting.
Bits and pieces went missing,
only to be found again after I had remade them.
Oh yeah, and then there was the shipment of supplies missing part of my order.

BUT, this girl pushed on. Hopefully the fruits of my labour were all worth it!

Heading into the shop tomorrow, Weds Feb 23rd starting around 11:30am PST :

Saluting the Moon Necklace
Sterling Silver, 14k Gold and Labradorite

Saluting the Moon Ring

Sterling Silver, Prehnite and Carnelian

New Horizons Ring
Sterling Silver, Mookaite and Turquoise

Many Moons Ring
Sterling Silver and Turquoise

Starry Starry Night Necklace
Sterling Silver, 14k Gold and Labradorite

See you then!
Toodles,

Monday Musings : Wherein I Confess...

Hello world.

I think I may just be ready to put myself back out into you and live with no intentions or plans again.
Just "doing things" and not over and analytically thinking them.
Just being ME.
Crossing my own line of comfort and blazing new trails instead of going down the same old path.
And I'm feeling a  little vulnerable - like I maybe don't know who I am anymore, after spending so much of the last few years making others happy?
Time to take on the ultimate challenge - finding myself again.
And it's a little scary.

Honest thoughts for a Monday maybe - but thoughts that need to come to fruition regardless of day of the week.
Lots of journalling going on the last few days :-)



In jewellery related news - a shop update is planned for Tuesday Feb 22nd.
Pictures to come later today!

A little Help from my Friends?

The *lovely* Allison Sattinger (aka - Mrs Sunny Rising) has entered her original song into this contest here - and she needs our votes!
If you haven't heard Allison's soulful voice on her blog, you are in for a real treat.
Take a listen to her son "The Love of Your Life" and then vote for her here :
http://krty.com/Put-U-In-A-Song-Listen---Vote-/9216568

Change

Change.
Ohhh its a big scary word sometimes isn't it? It certainly can be.
It can also be an amazing soul satisfying thing we can accept into our lives. I was challenged to blog about "Change" and how I deal with it, which I thought would be cinch {do people still use that phrase? "it's a cinch? Am I dating my 80's childhood here?} until I sat down and truly thought out my feelings on the subject. To be honest, ever since the challenge was made a few weeks ago, I haven't been able to stop pondering my life as of late, and how it has changed for me. So much so, that I have picked up a pretty new journal and taken pen to paper once again, like I used to many moons ago. Only this time, I am writing openly, honestly for my own self therapy. 
It is proving to be interesting, and full of moments of clarity.

{I am keeping my journal in my purse for the time being for on the go writing}

The last year of my life has been about change, accepting change, and no change at all when I needed it so badly. And after toughing out possibly one of the crappiest years of my life, I wonder if I could have accepted more of the unexpected changes of 2010 as life experience, rather than moments of resentment. 
I quite honestly might not have been strong enough for that, then. Perhaps it is everything 2010 presented me with that has made me come to the decision that 2011 needs to be more about me. Part of me {a big part} feels horribly selfish for saying that out loud. It sounds a little self involved no? It does a little to me, but I feel like I *need* this, and maybe for once I should listen to my needs?


There are so many types of change. I consider it the Ebb and Flo of life. Sometimes things just sail smoothly, for what seems like eons of sweet simplicity. Other times I feel like life as I know it changes beneath my feet and pulls back away from me despite how many steps forward I take.

Change can be a real downer, sometimes change in your life is just that, a complete hole you don't have the means to fill just yet. 

{I am writing again - has it really been that long since I sat down with a pen? Of course, not everything I write will be a pouring of my heart onto paper, but I guess that is the beauty of keeping a journal - there are no rules!}


Sometimes, adjusting to changes, and the willingness to do so can be the refining detail on your character. The polish that makes you shine for who you truly are, and can be. 
This is the year I am going to be the one in charge of creating *good* change in my life. Adding in the pieces of the puzzle to complete my outlook on myself. 
I will do things for me, because I always should have. 
I will challenge myself physically, mentally, and artistically. And make time to do so!
I will love myself a little bit more, because I deserve it damnit! {ok, this may just be the toughest challenge I give myself this year}
I will seek out my insecurities and break them down until the details no longer matter. 
I will change the way I look at crummy moments in life, and try and see them as a stepping stone, not a brick wall.
Sounds like alot? It is. I may not succeed, but I am going to try and change the things in life I need to be changed for me, so that I can accept the things in life I can't control.

So my thoughts on change are this : It happens.  

Sometimes it is the best thing that even happened to you.

Sometimes it feels like it is ruining your life.

How do I deal with it? A little of column A, and little of column B. 

If I never endured any sort of unwanted change in my life, perhaps I wouldn't be properly equipped to accept good change when it came my way?

We'll find out :)

Find out what these other folks feel about the subject of change:
1. http://annhartleystudio.blogspot.com/
2. http://janedeauxmetalfabrication.blogspot.com/
3. http://www.nova-designs.blogspot.com/
4. http://bellabijoujewellery.blogspot.com/
5. http://2trickponystudio.blogspot.com/
6. http://sassyglassdesigns.blogspot.com/
7. http://beadsnbanglesbykim.blogspot.com
8. http://kobrienjewelry.blogspot.com
9. http://www.artaddict.wordpress.com
10. http://www.abellablue.com/blog
11. http://luxedesignworkshop.blogspot.com
12. http://glenshire-shop.blogspot.com/
13. http://beachstonz.blogspot.com/

Happy Love Day

Whether you choose to celebrate the holiday or not, I just want to let you know this :

{a friend recently tagged me in this picture on facebook. I thought it was all too simple and often unsaid to not pass it on to all of you out there}


You truly are beautiful,

A brief moment of warmth

After a brief moment of warmth in the midst of winter, the icicles have returned.
Perhaps I am spoiled living at the base of a mountain, but I can gave up and see snow touched evergreens at any time.
While the sunshine is good for the soul, the return of the unseasonably warm winter wouldn't bother me one bit ;-p



Shivers,

A Time it Was...

I recently was blessed with the good fortune of having a little piece of family history past down to me. Just knowing that this possession is now mine carries this incredible feeling within me. Like I am now part of the story of "us".

A pocket watch - but not like any other I have seen.A 14k Gold Pocket watch with the most amazing intricate flowers carved into it. A simple way to tell the time, that was passed from my great great Grandparents down to my Grandmother, and now me. 
I am the sixth generation to have this in my possession, making it well over 100 years old. No longer does it tell time, but rather the story of times passed. A legacy.A preservation of family memories...

Isn't it sensational?I think so *swoon*
I will leave you with this - a truly beautiful song by one of my favorite artist pairings ever - Simon and Garfunkle.

Time it was, and what a time it was, it was

A time of innocence, a time of confidences

Long ago, it must be, I have a photograph

Preserve your memories, they're all that's left you...

"Bookends" by Simon and Garfunkle

♥

Creative Chaos

As an artist, I like to think it is healthy to work in a certain amount of creative chaos.
Sometimes ideas are gentle waves that gain momentum as I work away; Each design aspect coming together after the next in a slow smooth transition. I take my time and gingerly nurture these ideas in my mind and in sketch until they come to full fruition at the bench.
Other times inspiration comes crashing down on me like a rogue wave, and I feverishly fabricate with my hands to give the design in my heart and soul justice.
Regardless of which mode I may be channelling at the moment, I rarely worry about putting things back away in the "right spot". All my tools have proper homes; Spaces just for them where I can easily find them on any given day. However, creativity is not always about the everyday places, the spots things are SUPPOSED to be.
It is often about the creative chaos.
About your fingers tips knowing exactly where that hammer last was without thinking about it.
Even though it is not in its designated home.
Its about looking at a bench like this:


and knowing something really great came from this big mess!Its about the process of metalsmithing from raw materials into a tiny piece of art to hang round your neck, bauble on your finger, or dangle from your lobes. The passion for creation and desire to bring to life your design dreams is the fuel that keeps the fire burning. Healthy Creative Chaos I call it.You may call it messy, unorganized, slobby or what have you.I call it all in a hard days work!
I am in the middle of The Great Bench Cleaning of 2011. A good scrubbing away of the grime left over from 2010 was in order, and occasionally I enjoying starting anew with a clean work space - only so I can venture into that wonderful world of creative chaos all over again :-) I have some special pieces in the works, along with a mighty idea I have been putting off because of space constraints ( a clean bench is no excuse now!)'till then - toodles!xoJaime