Something Sublime

Christmas Offerings

Christmas is coming!  With that in mind, I'm listing a few things in my Etsy shop.  I'll be adding brand new designs in the next few weeks. 

I love including mica into my designs.  These earrings are a style I've been making for a long time now and are a favorite of mine.

The drusy stones I used for this pair of earrings is absolutely stunning.  I liked these so much, I made several pair.  They're great with jeans or dressed up.  Love the sparkle...

Speaking of drusy...these precious drusy pearls are so unique.  I've paired them with faceted garnet drops.  These are perfect for the holidays.  

This is a necklace that I can't believe I still have.  I've worn it and it's really striking.  The faceted heishi garnets on this piece are so incredible.  They were hard to photograph so the sparkle and luminescence doesn't translate well but, believe me, these garnets are gorgeous.

This should give you a little better idea of what they look like.  This necklace just sparkles on your neck.

The locket is vintage...

...and filled with the sweetest, tiniest, antique, German bisque doll and antique text.

The back is as fabulous as the front with antique watch chain, clasp and fob....and a silver resin bezel.

Photos don't do justice to these beautiful earrings either.  I've never seen mabe mother of pearl beads so I snatched these up and paired them with some lovely, faceted mother of pearl drops and vintage rhinestone head pins.  These earrings glow mellowly in your ears.

I have one more of these pieces left, made from antique Victorian elements.    This one is really incredible...made almost completely with antique parts.  The focal is from an antique Victorian belt, as are the drop, chain and filigree.  The clasp and rosary chain are vintage.

Check my store for other pieces and for the new designs I'll be adding for the holidays!

On The Fourth Day Of Christmas...

It's day four of our 13 day Christmas ornament extravaganza and it's Melissa David's package that we open today.  Melissa amazes me with her creativity and attention to detail.  She combines things in ways I would never think to!

Melissa's packaging is beautiful but her ornament is even more so!  I'm not sure what all the materials are but it's a gorgeous plaster heart, with a crown, attached to some wings, attached to a piece of screen, attached to some vintage text attached to another thing...  Well, you get the idea;  layers and layers of luscious elements PLUS dangles and rusty fabric.

This is my favorite part, the grungy heart with its grungy crown thingy and wings.  I'm a sucker for sacred hearts and this reminds me a little of one.  It's gorgeous!

John

On the fourth day of Christmas ornament swapping, we're taking a look at the fascinating personality of John.  John was a fisherman; the son of Zebedee, brother of James.  As I wrote in my last post, John and James were nicknamed, by Jesus, Sons of Thunder for their impetuous and passionate characters. It is thought that John was the younger of the two brothers and in many places in the Bible, John is referred to as, "the disciple whom Jesus loved."  This reference doesn't mean that Jesus loved any of the other disciples less but merely indicates a special relationship between Himself and John.   Of the disciples, John was the only one to remain with his beloved Master, at the foot of the cross, with Mary, mother of Jesus.  In a touching and heartbreaking moment just before Christ's death on the cross, He entrusted the care of His despondent mother, Mary, to John.  John faithfully took her into his home.  John, with Peter quick on his heels, was the first disciple to reach Jesus' tomb after the resurrection.  Can you imagine his excitement and bewilderment upon hearing the the tomb was empty?  In the book of Acts, we see him taking a prominent part in the founding and teaching of the Christian church.  John is the author of five books in the Bible:  The Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John and The Revelation of Christ.  Christian tradition shows John taken to Rome where the Emperor Dometian persecuted him and threw him into a vat of boiling oil from which John miraculously emerged unscathed.  John, an old man, was then banished to the small Greek island of Patmos where he wrote his prophetic book of Revelation which is a message of encouragement, hope and second chances for everyone.  I highly recommend it for exciting reading!  John survived all the other apostles and was the only one to die peacefully, although he suffered much during his life in his quest to spread the gospel.

On The Third Day Of Christmas...

My friend, Jackie Allison's ornament arrived at my doorstep in a festive box, decorated for the season.  Inside was this tantalizing little bag, surrounded by red tissue and a lovely, vintage style tag.  Most of the time, the tags are so beautiful, I end up putting them on my Christmas art tree right along with the ornaments.

Jackie's always creates the most detailed and meticulous ornaments.  Her work is really stunning.  Just look at this year's offering...a beautiful German china doll head mounted on a vintage candle reflector, complete with my favorite...rhinestones.

Jackie's ornament always elicits a gasp from me...this year, a double gasp!  I love everything about this dolly...including the fact that she has a fine crack running right through her face.  It makes her all the more vintage and perfect to me!

James

Our apostle for day three of  my Christmas ornament countdown is James, son of Zebedee.  James was a fisherman and brother to John, the beloved disciple.  They were fishing in a boat, with their father, when Jesus called them.  They immediately dropped their nets...left their father...and followed Jesus.  What would it take for you to drop your nets, leave your loved ones, and follow Jesus?  They didn't discuss it.  They didn't put it off until the fishing was finished.  Not only did they drop what they were doing but they left their father...and went after Christ to become a fisher of men.  Jesus gave these two disciples a special nickname:  Boanerges, or, Sons of Thunder...a fitting name for these two loyal, hardy, manly characters.  In an incident where Jesus was not welcomed into a  Samaritan village, the brothers response was:  "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?"  Of course, the heavenly fire did not come but isn't it just like us to want to push the "smite" button on someone we don't agree with?!  James and John were important disciples and, in New Testament lists, their names are amongst the first four.  James was put to death by the sword of Herrod Agrippa I, during his persecution of the church.  James was probably chosen for beheading because of his zealous temper for the church.  Early church histories show that the accuser who led James to judgment was so moved by James' confession that he, himself, became a Christian and was beheaded alongside James.

On The Second Day Of Christmas...

The second day of Christmas belongs to my sweet friend, Pilar.  Pilar always amazes me with her insight and creativity and this year, for her ornament, she made a gorgeous, fabric  strip of layered goodness.

It reminds me, a little, of a Victorian bell pull.  Pilar made these to be representative of a sort of prayer cloth or flag...see Pilar's blog for a complete explanation.

Pilar's version is stitched and textured with hand sewn beads, chain, fabric and resin and handmade papers.  It may not make it to my art tree...I may have to find some way to wear it as a cuff on my wrist. 

Pilar has been creating all kinds of incredible, stitched pieces, including amazing prims, wrist cuffs and milagros.  Check out her etsy site to see!

Andrew

On this second day of Christmas ornament swapping, I bring you Andrew.  Andrew was the brother of Peter and the first disciple called by Jesus.  Andrew was a fisherman, by trade, and a follower of John the Baptist, cousin of Jesus.  Upon seeing Jesus, Andrew at once recognized Him as the Messiah and hurried to bring his brother, Peter, to meet Jesus.  At that time, the brothers pulled up their fishing nets and left everything to follow Christ.  An interesting fact:  within the various listings of the 12 apostles throughout the New Testament, Andrew always numbers in the top four.  After Christ's crucifixion, Andrew took an important part in spreading the gospel to the world. 

Andrew was martyred, for his belief in Christ, during the time of the reign of Nero.  He was crucified on a saltire (x-shaped) cross, now known as St. Andrew's cross.  He was bound to the cross, not nailed, in order to prolong his agony.  It is said that his followers heard him proclaim:  "I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it."  Tradition also says that he preached for two days from that cross, as he died.

As you're probably realizing from these "13 days of Christmas ornaments/13 days of apostles" posts, the lives of the apostles of Jesus did not necessarily have happy endings!  But, I hope that what you see in the brief stories I'm posting here is the faith and strength by which they lived, and the grace and courage with which they died.  All of it began with the birth of a baby.  The pretty ornaments, trees and frippery are all meant to honor and celebrate that birth!

13 Days Of Christmas Ornaments

It's that time again!  Every year, I do a Christmas ornament swap with a group of artist friends.  Usually, it's done over the first 12 days of December but this year, there are 13 of us.  In the past, I've included descriptions of the meaning behind the 12 days of Christmas, which actually occur beginning with Christmas and go to Epiphany on January 6th.  This year, I thought I'd do something a little different and do some research on each of the 12 apostles of Jesus.  If you'd like to see my past posts on the 12 days, and past ornaments (they're fabulous!), click here and here and scroll through the December posts.

Our first day of Christmas ornament is brought to you by the super talented...

...you guessed it...Danita!  I admit it, I love absolutely everything this girl does.  She is a gifted painter and transforms her paintings into any number of gorgeous works;  delightful canvases, enchanting stuffed dolls, beautiful jewelry, tiny boxes and trimmings...all wonderful and whimsical in typical Danita style.

For this year's swap, Danita brought all her considerable skills together into this sweet pipe cleaner doll...yes!...pipe cleaners!  I'm telling you, the woman can make a work of art from anything.

I fell in love with my adorable doll the moment I set eyes on her.  She looks so sophisticated with Danita's signature style face, and yet so vintage with her crepe paper dress.  Soon, she'll be dancing with my other artsy ornaments on my special Christmas art tree.

 

Can you believe, Christmas is almost here again?!  Like I said, for this year's ornament swap, I'll be posting about the 12 apostles of Christ.  The 12 are sometimes referred to as "disciples," meaning pupils, learners or followers.  They are also known as "apostles" which means "one who is sent out."   The 12 were chosen by Jesus and are listed in the Bible in the book of Matthew, chapter 10:  These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; ³Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Peter

Simon, a simple fisherman, was re-named Cephas (Peter or Petra, meaning "rock"), by Christ, to show that he would become the foundation, or rock, upon which the Christian church...the followers of Christ...would be built.  Peter is one of my favorite apostles because of his passion and humanity.  Jesus named him, not for what he was, but what he would become, by God's grace.  Before Christ's death, Peter was often impulsive and emotional.  Peter is the one who, during the arrest of Jesus, passionately drew his sword and sliced off the ear of the servant of the arresting high priest in an attempt to protect Jesus (John 18:10-11.)  He is also the one who vehemently swore his loyalty to Christ before Christ's arrest and crucifixion (Matthew 26:31-35.)  He loved Christ dearly...and yet, just as vehemently, he denied him three times after the arrest, then wept bitterly with regret (Matthew 26:69-75.)  And yet, in the book of Acts, Peter is, indeed, a founder and pillar of the early Christian church.  According to Christian tradition and/or early historians, Peter died a martyr for Christ, by crucifixion.  By his own request, he was crucified head down as he deemed himself unworthy to die in the same manner as his beloved Master.

Thanksgiving By The Sea

 There is no better place to spend the Thanksgiving holiday than at the beaches of Florida.

Our extended family (which is fairly huge!) gathered in a large rental house which, at first, was unfamiliar, but quickly became home.  We kicked off our shoes, settled in and soaked up the sun and sand.  The water is so amazing...a million shades of blue and green and crystal clear.  The beaches are covered in brilliant sugar sand.

It's a wonderful, refreshing place to give thanks.  Just being here, with family we rarely get to spend time with, was an enormous blessing.

But, it's also a beautiful place to come and warm up when much of the rest of the country is slipping into cold weather.

We talked and laughed, shopped and played...and, of course, we ate.  It's a great escape and it's over all too quickly.

Wherever you were this last week, whatever you were doing, I hope the same abundance and blessing for you...

 

Grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal.  It's a way to live.
Attributed to Jacqueline Winspear

Give Thanks

Thou hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more, - a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days,
But such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise.
~George Herbert

Shady Ladies Altered Art Workshops

Interested in taking a class with me?  I'm really excited to be teaching in Texas a few times next year.  Shady Ladies Altered Art Retreat is a new event, hosted by Jeri Aaron.  It will be held in the charming town of Salado, Texas which promises to be a wonderful, intimate setting.  Salado is known as "the best art town in Texas" and downtown features shops filled with antiques, crafts and galleries.  I hear it's a really fun place.  The retreat will be held April 24-25, 2010.

I'll be teaching two classes.  My Wrapped in Silk Bangle Bracelet class is Saturday, April 24, 2010.

My Winged Things class is set for Sunday, April 25, 2010.  For a few more photos of my projects, click here.    For the Shady Ladies site, click here.  There will be a lot of fun things going on at the retreat including raffles, mini projects, giveaways, a catered bar-b-que and a vendor event.  Of course, there's a fabulous list classes and instructors including Lisa Renner, Sharon Tomlinson and Angie Platten.  Click here to see class descriptions and instructors.  Registration has begun.  I'd love to see you there!

Echo-Abundance

Our Echo photo prompt from Susan and Chrysti is "abundance" and above you see my interpretation...the abundance of the cross.  I've been enjoying these photo prompts so much, and working with DJ is, of course, a delight.  Here's her interpretation....

"A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."  Luke 12:15 

Make sure you check DJ's blog for our second set of photos from the prompt.

Whatta Weekend!

What a fantastic time I had at the Houston Bead Society Show!  Sally was a fabulous assistant and  cheerleader (of course!) and we met some terrific people.

My neighbors were most talented and fabulous.  I just couldn't resist Eric Mort's incredible glass hearts.  He was kind enough to let Sally and I dig through every one of them at least three times!  For a long time, I've wanted to learn to do lampworking but that would involve a whole new set of tools and skills.  Maybe one of these days... Eric only sells at shows and a few select shops so check out his schedule to see where he'll be.  Believe me, his glasswork is spectacular.

Another new friend, Jennifer Ionta, of Spotted Moon Designs, suggested a trade, which is much more fun than just outright buying.  I think I got the better end of the deal....just look at this gorgeous bracelet.  It was delightful getting to know Jennifer and her sweet mother.  Jennifer's work is meticulously done and so beautiful.  She also sells kits (check her etsy site), teaches and makes amazing lampwork beads.  That metaly looking focal is one of her beads.

Thanks to all of you who stopped by my booth.  Quite a few of you are my blog readers and it's so much fun seeing you in person!