Good Ol Monday Morning!

While I give the sun a chance to wake up, before I take anymore pictures, I thought I'd share a few that I took last week.  I've been working like a mad woman!  After careful consideration, I've decided not to order any more pre-made necklaces, and make my own instead.  I will continue to use bought steel neckwires, but I wanted to keep most of my work handcrafted.  Maybe I have "fool" stamped on my forehead?  So far the couple that I've created I love!

We had a great weekend.  I didn't make it to our local bead show (I'm kicking myself now) we did shop for new components though, and I'm excited to get to working this week!!

P.S. - Pendants/beads are awaiting their new home on necklaces.

Did You Make These?

With the upcoming art show season upon us, I'd like to share the top 5 things that people said that made me giggle. Every.  Single.  Time!

5.  "Is this jewelry?" 

4.  "What's polymer clay?"  I explain.  "Oh, you mean like PlayDoh?"  Errr...no.

3.  "Where did you get your art degree?"  I dare not tell them that I wanted to go in to forensic science while in college.  I'd feel like an imposter. :)

2.  "Are your displays for sale?"

1.  "Did you make these?"

I love participating in craft shows, and talking/sharing with people what I love to do, although sometimes I talk too much!  Making new friends and shopping for myself is a plus too!  Besides my makeshift studio, they're the place I feel most "at home."

Stay tuned tomorrow...weather is suppose to cooperate and hopefully I'll be able to get some pics of what came off the work bench in the past few days.

I once heard the quote "you're not really a woman until your mother says that you can be, or she's no longer here."  I really didn't give it a second thought, it was ludicrous....until I lost my own mother in 2005.  I never realized just how much I still depended on her even though I was a "grown up."  Suddenly, my biggest fan/critic was gone, and I was officially lost!!

I'd had plenty time to process the ramifications, she'd been sick for over a year, yet I cough it up to self preservation...somewhere your brain just can't bare to go beforehand.  It's still a shock, still the biggest heartache I've ever lived through.  She'd be proud of my creative side...I don't doubt that, but I can't help but smile thinking that the next comment out of her mouth would've been "but you really need to get a real job Tania!"

Goodness, I miss her!!  Some days that brings tears to me eyes, and others bring a memory that makes me smile.  I still hear her voice (usually when I've done something insanely asinine...so almost daily) and I'm grateful for that...but it doesn't make the ache go away.

Today would have been her 65th birthday...and yes, I would of razzed her endlessly for being a senior citizen!

Happy Birthday Momma!!! 

Back in the day....

The last picture I have of my Mom & myself.  My wedding day 2004...exactly a year to the day before she passed away. 

If Roses Grow In Heaven

If Roses grow in Heaven, Lord,
please pick a bunch for me (yellow please),
Place them in my Mother's arms
and tell her they're from me.

Tell her, I love her and I miss her,
and when she turns to smile,
place a kiss upon her cheek
and hold her for awhile.

Remembering her is easy,
I do it every day,
but there's an ache within my heart
that will never go away.

 

I Shouldn't Be Left Unattended!

Clay on sale for .99 + opportunity to go alone =

Guilty as charged!!  It was a good day.

Around and Around We Go

I tried my hand at wire wrapping today.  I've tried it exactly once before...I sucked at it, and never picked it up again really.  Other than doing a simple wrap...I'm clueless when it comes to wrapping.

Today, armed with rolls upon rolls of "gifted" copper wire, I set out to conquer my fear.  Ok, maybe I didn't conquer it completely, but I gave it my best effort and I won't shy away from it so easily from now on!

Here's my first "passable" freeform wrapped pendant.  Don't laugh...I'm well aware my skills need some major refining! :)

7000 Bracelets of Hope

Bracelet Blog Hop -- 7000 Bracelets of Hope

The 7000 bracelets for hope blog party hosted by the gracious Lori Anderson!

Sign ups will end at midnight, Tuesday, April 5th  Please read how to join the fun and supporting The Global Genes Project, an advocacy group who launched "7000 Bracelets for Hope", a children's rare disease campaign. 
Just make a bracelet in an adult size in a denim/blue jeans-inspired theme.  The bracelets are given to one of 7000 families having children with rare diseases to show them love and support.If you would like to participate in this blog hop, please follow this link to Lori's blog: Pretty Things

To learn more about this campaign, please visit The Global Genes Project by following this link: Global Genes Project

Due date for bracelet and the blog hop is Saturday, April 16th!!

Please feel free to grab the 7000 Bracelets of Hope logo for your blog, too!

Angels in the Strangest Places

As I posted to Facebook this afternoon, "Sometimes I just look up, smile and say; I know that was you God...Thank you!"  Never was it truer than today.

We stopped by a little, hometown, craft/thrifty/antique boutique in the hopes of finding a few things we could use as displays "on the cheap."  It's hard to admit that, and I hope that one day (soon would be nice) I can afford shiny brand new professional displays...I'm just not there...yet!  That doesn't stop me from having a "wish list" with gorgeous displays, risers, vendor tent, etc, and I was looking at several Thursday night while trying to mentally run through our set up.

So, back to the antique store.  I love upcycling, and repurposing in general.  I love how it forces me to use my imagination and creativity, and having a handy husband is nice too! :)  I found a few odds & ends and gladly paid her asking price.  I'm not a haggler at all.  She kindly asked what I was doing with my finds and I told her about repurposing them as displays for jewelry.

Bless her heart, she remembered me from the Blackstone Arts & Crafts Festival last year and said she had recently looked for my business card but couldn't find it.  She then asked if I needed any necklace displays?  She opened a cabinet and took down 12+ necklace displays...almost identical to the ones I'd been eyeing just days before online.  Chris quietly asked how much she wanted for all of them?  I held my breath.

In the words of my Mother, I was "gobsmacked" when she said she wanted to give them to me!!  You just don't meet strangers like this often...or at least I don't.  While Chris was loading them in the truck I told her about Chris' new found hobby of upcycling vintage flatware into jewelry.  She gently tugged at my arm and led me through a few small rooms to show me a display of what she had to offer....again, she bagged them up, and told us to take them!

Those of you that know me, know that I'm not an emotional person, and that's an understatement, but Mrs. Tucker stole my heart when she said to me "someone helped me out when I was just starting off, and you deserve the same chance!"

I met an angel today that's for certain!  So, if you're ever down our way PLEASE stop by and visit Mrs. Tucker!

P.S. - She also gave me 3 huge unopened rolls of copper wire in various gauges...I wonder how she knew I needed to practice my wire wrapping skills? :)