Be happy

I pray you are Happy on this spring day!

Easter Tags in the making

I have lain down my beading to make a big paper mess of my art room! While I have the mess I decided that I needed to get some Easter cards made also. (Do you remember, way back when, the Sunday School teachers used to give out Bible markers, at Easter time?) I just HAD to make some Bible/book markers for my cards. While looking through my Easter file I found numerous bunnies, flowers, eggs, chickens, etc., etc. etc. I realized how "cute" all of the old postcards and prints are but do they really reflect what I think about when I think of Easter? My Easter file is around four gigs in size. Don't ya' think I could come up with bunches of pictures to reflect the REAL meaning of this Holiday? Nah, not a lot. Easter is about new birth; is that the meaning of the eggs or the bunnies? Easter is about a new start maybe that is the reason behind the flowers, bunches of flowers & spring?
Nah, I don't think so.

I believe that Easter is to:

Celebrate Christ's Resurrection

from the grave to give us our new birth & eternal life!!! Easter is my kind of Celebration!

Because Jesus the Son of God came to this earth, suffered, died and rose from the grave, I know that I will live forever with Him in heaven! Now THAT is the biggest miracle of all! That He would love me enough to die for ME, of all people, me...yes, & you too! We are so very blessed with this promise.




It is not only that He is reserving a place for me in Heaven, He lives in my heart, here on this earth. He went before me, He is inside my heart, He is my forever! He wants me to walk "with" Him. He wants me happy. When I am not happy He is with me even there. It is so mind boggling to me that the Son of God cares for me "in" and "through" every part of my life. (I pray that my life is a reflection of His love for others)
The Bible says "God so loved the world that He gave...." John 3:16 He gave us new life. What a wonderful, wonderful gift to you and to me during this Easter Season!

Now I am not a prude. I am helping to hide Easter Eggs for our community on Saturday & I am looking forward to doing it! I get warm fuzzies inside when I see all those lovely colored eggs against the new spring green grass, the candy, the sweet faces of the children, and all of the flowers in bloom. The fresh clean smell in the air is marvelous to the soul. My thinking is; "It is a whole new beginning! All of the cold is gone and the warmth of the sun fills my soul. Spring, blessed spring, you have been gone too long".

I guess, this blog is pretty preachy but when one has such good news for the "world" ya' just gotta' find a soap box and holler!

Find the eggs, find the happy faces, enjoy the season but most of all celebrate the TRUE story!
He is Risen! He will come back for us!

Sharon

Pink Snow in Georgia?

Alot of the blogs I follow, I see is having PINK Saturdays! Here it has been snowing pink petals! Can you believe it? My back yard is covered with beautiful PINK! It has been raining and raining and raining for three days. It is overcast, cool and dreary. But one has to smile at the lovely pink flakes coming down from the cherry tree. My pink is very original, don't ya' think? The tulips are even cooperating with the pink Saturday theme!

My Jewelry Feature:

Swarvoski Crystal Twists!

I made this beautiful Swarvoski Crystal Flower with a spiral twist necklace with gold accents. This color of crystal is escpecially with spring in air! The "set" includes the necklace and the ear rings. The closure is an antique button that was in my Mother's collection. It has four dainty stones with a curved stone but I do not know what type of stones that they are. I don't want to loose the patina to find out.

Swarvoski Twist Bracelet:

I have made this pattern numeous times but this bead is so gorgeous with the gold accents. In the center the herringbone is twisted one half over, then I set the same roset that is on the necklace.

I have been busy making cards. It is either, cards or beading or computer. It seems there is never enough hours in a day. Even when I work until five or six o'clock in the morning it never is enough time to get everything done that I have on my plate. Oh, yes, in between I have to cook, clean, do wash, etc. etc. Here is a very poor scan of cards that I am working on. (I dearly love this rose painting & use it alot.) I need to make Easter Cards very soon or my family will have to have a boughten one this year. (One can only do so many projects at a time.) When I bead I use all of my desk then I have to "reset" everything to make cards. Someday there will be a room where I can have one table for each project. (That would be wonderful!) I am still very very thankful for my hideaway called MY SPACE, my computer room, my Art room, My Space!!! (For this blessing, I am so very grateful!)

I pray you have a space that is just yours. It is truely wonderful!

Have a blessed nights sleep and create where ever you are! Sharon

More things I cherish

Burmese Ware by Fenton:

In 1970 we had the opportunity to go to Disneyland and in a gift store I spotted my first "Burmese Ware" and I was in love! At Disney we purchased the first piece and from that day on every time I saw this lovely work I just HAD to have it. A tornado came over our house and removed 12 pieces from the shelves! I was horrified but I now cherish the only pieces I have left. These are a perfect example of what I love....roses, soft colors, pinks, yellows and artistic talents. Each detail has not been lost on me. I have painted china roses, therefore, I KNOW how hard each artist had to work. There is a signature on each piece and I even cherish that. Burmese ware is very hard to find now and IF one can find them they are soooo expensive, way to expensive for me now! I dearly love each one of my precious rose collection.

A Nippon Cocoa Set & Dresser Set:

I had my eye on these pieces that were in my Momma's china cabinets for as long as I can remember. They are so luscious with lots of gold accents. I don't think any designer has ever made such gorgeous china as Nippon! How very feminine and sweet! Can you believe that I actually have these beauties?
I went to help my parents when they had their antique auction and worked night and day for a week helping them clean, organize and set up. At the end of the week and after the sale was done my Daddy & Momma gave me these pieces as their love payment for the work that had been given to them with a pure heart. God rewarded me for my labor of love and I truly thank HIM for these lovely works of art!

ALL of these pictures are only examples of "things". I would not trade anything in the world for them but they are NOT my priority, they are just my blessings as long as I keep them in prospective. "They are only earthly things that will pass away, they are not eternal". I could give up all of them up with a little regret, if it were required of me. But in the mean time I thank my Lord for each one. I thank Him for blessing my eyes with these delightful creations of men.

My morning view:
What a wonderful view when I have to cook and wash dishes! (Can you see the white cherry tree in full bloom?) I have my rose colored stained glass window and my collection of birds. ( It is hard to clean the window itself but my birdies do not care, they get dirty too.) Each day a little chickadee comes to the window and tries to peck at the chicks on the shelf.

It is a delightful way to start my mornings.

(I love springtime!)
How wonderful that you have stopped by!!! Thank you, I do sincerely appreciate it! Sharon

Things I love

I have numerous things around the house that I cherish and I wanted to share them with you. There is not a lot of monetary value to any one single piece but they are precious to me for various reasons, mainly good memories. The two lithographs were given to me 30 years ago. (One the back is the information about the artist. )

The following are clocks upon my night stands in the master bedroom. The one on the left was given to me by my parents. They collected china clocks from around the world but the ones I loved the most are the china ones. The clock on the right I bought when they had a large estate sale. The working women doll is from Germany and was given to my Momma by Allen when he was in the Marines & was stationed there. The small donkey bank was given to momma by my Aunt in 1937. He is sorta strange but Mom cherished him all of these years. Now I too cherish him even if he is a little weird. The aqua jar still holds Moms' hairpins. For as long as I can remember it sat upon her dresser. These "things" somehow hold her close to my heart in the memories of her collections.

Things that hang upon my walls:

"Home Sweet Home" is a beautiful cross stitch that I got at a garage sale for $2.00! Yes, $2.00 for all of those hours of work and it is even professionally framed. It hangs over the stool in my spare bathroom.
This lovely rose was painted by Patricia Clark, my very first oil painting teacher in 1978. She did this for me in less than 5 minutes! I have always tried to paint like her, sometimes I do, sometimes I miss the mark. But I keep it to remind myself that she is the one who made me stretch my artist muscles and set me free to create whatever I wanted to do. "It may not be perfect but if it is done in love that is good enough for anyone!"

One weekend I was staying up in the mountains at a lovely resort and I noticed that the lower level of the cottage rooms were being redecorated. Along the walkway was a stack of large pictures that were being exchanged for others. I asked the man what he was going to do with them and he pointed to the dumpster. I gasped and asked if I could look through them. He gave me two lovely pictures but this little girl is my very favorite.

Another garage sale find is the mauve tapestry of Paris. I had been to Paris just that year. In my home this tapesty is a constant reminder of that wonderful city. This one I only paid $5.00 for! I already have gotten my $5.00 worth of enjoyment from it the very first day.

The computer does not give one good perspective of the size that this picture can be. It is huge! It used to hang over my bed and went from ceiling to the top of my headboard. Now it hangs next to the bed and I have another tapestry there.
Yes, another garage sale find! I got this one for $10.00. My daughter gave me this lace trimmed sheer. I hung the gorgeous sheer at the top to reach down the sides to soften the hard edges.
You probably think all I do is go to garage sales. Yes & No, last summer I did not go but a couple of weekends. You know that it is the hunt that keeps us going. Melissa always finds such wonderful bargains but she goes more often then I do. We do have a good time shopping for bargains. It is called "treasure hunting" in our family.
Now that spring is here I hope to be able to get out and hit a lot of the neighborhoods near me. I hope we will run into each other someday out teasure hunting! Happy hunting! Sharon

Memories of Friends

My precious friend, Margaret Cramer gave me this picture over 20 years ago. It has hung in my house with such loving memories of a dear saint of the Lord! She knew me so well and we were such dear friends. I still miss her so very much. You know, best friends are missed more when you can't hug them anymore. Their memory becomes even more dear to our souls.
I thought I would get on here tonight and share "things I cherish" but after my hubby going in outpatient today... I am worn out.

(Lynn Lovelies has a gift coming her way... Please check back a couple of blogs to see!)

I have a file all ready to show you what I love to see each day. I have to get up again tomorrow and take him to the doctor for a check-up at 8:00AM. (This is getting to be a bad habit, waking up when normal people have to.) I will try to show you my file as soon as things are straightened out here.

My New Item:
I finished this cabachon tonight. I just needed to put a rope on it. I had it hung on a neck ring but it just needed that extra special rope to hold it in regal splendor. I really enjoy making the Russian spiral and this one went really fast! I got the pattern on the internet tonight and whipped it together. Well, not really, I started around 3:00 today and finished around 11:00PM. For a spiral that is pretty fast. I relaxed doing it after a morning of waiting for Don to get done with his surgery. I took my beading but just could not get awake enough to even pick up the needle.
You are all such dolls for stopping to read my blog. I appreciate each one of you. Thank you! Sharon

Red Cab/sorry but it is SOLD

To everyone who found out that the Cabochon is for sale and commented about it, Thank YOU for your wonderful thoughts! Yes, it is for sale. I think a fair price would be $35.00. It includes a chain/gold in color that is 28 inches long. It can be taken off the chain and put onto a neck ring or a choker chain for a totally different look. If you are interested in it you may email me for further information: saf47@yahoo.com. (Be sure to reference my blog anytime you email me) (My sis just called and she is going to buy it! Sorry to everyone else but family connections have there priority listings)

The question was also asked: "Do I do custom work?" Yes, I will be glad to make any of my jewelry in the colors of your choice. (Of course, depending upon the availability of a certain color range but most every color is available with some research.) I happen to make my creations in colors I like so that if they are not sold I can always use it myself.

Another question: Do I have an Etsy shop? No, I don't, sorry, but I have not learned how to do that yet. I "PLAN" on learning how very quickly but all of this computer work keeps me away from beading...ha ha ha Once my hubby is back to normal I will promise you that I will put Etsy first priority on my list!

(Someday soon, I want to make a slide show and photograph all of my work so that you will be able to get an over all view of each piece. )

As you can tell, I am really attached to Vintage/Victorian styles. That is what I lean toward most often. However, I am not adverse to making other designs that I am not currently using. If you have a picture of something that you really love, I can tell you IF I can reproduce a facsimile of it. I can tell you, up front, approximately what the cost would be and how long it would take to make it.

Again, ladies, thank you for your inquiring about this piece and I will look forward to hearing from you soon.

Bless each one tonight...Sharon

Lynns Lovelies has a gift waiting

Lynn, (Lynn's Lovelies) Here is your first two gifts for my baby doll outfit! I hope you are enjoying your necklace that you got while you were here. I thought maybe you would like to see how the beads that you chose turned out... I thought of you all of the time as I was stitching away. I hope you will like each bracelet. They are truely a gift of love to you from little me!!!

Tonight we were trying to do a few things before my hubbies surgery tomorrow. I went into the garage to move some flowers outside into the elements so that I can put them in the ground and this is what I found! These huge beautiful blooms were waiting for me. It really brightened my day. Isn't God marvelous to give humans such lovely works of art just to view & refresh our souls? Every time I get one of these amaryllis to bloom I thank the Lord for my wonderful neighbor who so generously brings me such beauties.



I am doing better tonight. Thank you all for your prayers. Emotional stress takes a tole on our bodies, doesn't it?
I went to meet with some wonderful ladies today to "just bead". It is so good to get together with people who have the same interests that you do. They really help me to have some renewed confidence when we share the things we are working on. BJ has been such a wonderful teacher but has become a dear friend in the process.
A few more Easter Postcards for you: Please go to "Free Vintage Images" and "Dover Publications". If you are wanting any pictures of vintage papers, cards, and lovely pictures, you should go over and check them out. I get so absorbed in all of the beautiful pieces they have that I have to make myself quit! They are so nice to give us such lovely work. I have forgotten how to put the blogs on my side bar so you can just click there but I will do that after this week.

It is finally done! It is such a ruby red that the color reminds me of candied apples or a deep red mustang convertible, (that I never got.) It is a little larger than I planned on doing but I can not imagine leaving out one row.
One of the comments on my last post said that my sister would enjoy it. So that my sister, Mary does not "think" I made it for her, I wanted to say that I thought about her when I was making it. Her favorite colors are red, black & gold. She just finished her kitchen and dining room in reds and blacks. She wears a lot of red/black. So it is safe to say "she loves them". So I naturally was thinking about her colors when I made this cabochon. However, so that sis doesn't get her hopes up I wanted to clear up my miserable typing error and say, yes, it is for sale. I have made her several things before and she has even bought a piece or so. She is one of my biggest fans! It's nice when "family" likes your things well enough to buy something of their own.
Swarvoski Crystals:
This bracelet pattern is one of my favorite designs. It is totally reversible with one side a beautiful colbalt blue and the other side is a creamy white. It is so delicate and dainty. I have made it in greens with copper, a rosey pink with a pearlized white. Each one is gorgeous! (I MUST get the photography problem worked out soon)

I guess I am tired tonight. I am struggling to get any words out of myself onto the page. I finally fell asleep around 4:30AM and got up at 9:00AM. So IF you will forgive me tonight, I am going to go to bed. Maybe I will be more expressive tomorrow.......

Night night, sleep well and God bless you this spring day! Sharon