This moves me.

this KINGDOM from phos pictures on Vimeo.

Leave Me

Sometimes we all dream of turning back time. What if it was possible?

Leave Me from Daros Films on Vimeo.

Ur doin it right!

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Guitar Kitteh

Fell off my chair laughing.

'Nuff said.

"I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be."
– Groucho Marx

I LOVE this ad!

That's it! I'm going out to enjoy the day: library, coffee and a thrift store!

Oscar peeking...

I don't know why...

but there's one in every crowd.

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Etsy Sellers that give back...

I just love Etsy! I love shopping there, I love selling there and I love meeting new, inspiring people there! Just the other day I learned about accessory artist Kathie Stamou - not only does she have an interesting shop, but an incredible story as well:
"I was the regional coordinator for 10 years for a group called "Rock and Wrap It Up!" in the Philadelphia area. This is a food rescue organization started by the son of a Holocaust survivor. They pick up food from backstage at rock concerts and take it to food banks and shelters. I heard about them needing volunteers on an MTV news broadcast in 1994 and was so inspired by Syd Mandelbaum who founded the organization. It felt fantastic to give back to the community - hunger and homelessness are issues which touch me deeply and make me want to take action. We moved to Dublin, Ireland in 2004 and I tried unsuccessfully to start a similar program here. There are too many restrictions and laws that would prevent such a program. I have, instead been involved with the American Women's Cub and International Women's clubs here and helped with thier many philanthropic endeavors. I have been collecting the toiletries that everyone gets when we travel (and we travel a lot here) and bringing them to the shelters instead of food."

WOW! What an inspiring story to start the new year off with! To read more about Kathie and to visit her marvellous shop, check her out here http://www.kathiestamou.etsy.com/
Happy, healthy and prosperous new year, everyone :)

Jewelry show a great success!

Many thanks to everyone who attended the craft show this past weekend and stopped by to say hello and take a look at my latest collections. Oh and all of the compliments you all sent my way were very encouraging and flattering, so much so that my head swelled up and I could hardly fit my giant ego into the car to go home at the end of the day LOL! But seriously, thanks for your support and appreciation for what I LOVE doing so much-the sales were great that day and it was so nice to chat with some of you instead of just selling online day in and day out. And many thanks as well to the owner of http://www.manicmittens.com who did such a great job of organizing the event-it really was filled with some of Winnipeg's finest artisans and I was very pleased to be among them : )

My kingdom for some cookies...

Alright, alright, I know. I haven't been around in a while. Quite a while actually. I think it has something to do with the changing seasons-when all you want to do is bury your nose in a good book, and burrow deeper into the sofa with a pot of stew burbling away on the stove and the aroma wafting throughout the house. Oh, and there should be cookies, fresh from the oven, waiting for the stew to nourish the body so that they can take their turn nurturing the heart. At least that is the way I feel in autumn. The ever-increasing chill makes me feel plump and drowsy, figuratively speaking, and everything else seems to suffer from neglect. Luckily, it is a transitory sensation; motivation kicks in again when it starts getting really cold, the days get shorter, and you know you are in it for the long haul.
Which brings me to the title of my post. I have no cookies in the house, though I have the ingredients to make numerous varieties, should the matter become urgent*. (*An example of this would be snowfall. I would urgently need cookies if it snowed). In an effort to incite motivation, I have spent countless hours perusing old cookbooks as well as the net for a cookie recipe of such rousing proportions that I might cast off this shaggy leaden coat of inactivity and spring (!) almost lifelike, to the kitchen, wooden spoon in hand and a song in my heart!
Alas. No such recipe has crossed my path and I am doomed to spend another day haunting the pages of "The Great Big Cookie Book", seeking not only a cookie recipe to soothe the heartache of another summer gone but also one that might prepare me for the long cold winter that surely looms ahead.

Lollishops?

Lollishops-a fun , new place to shop and meet people! Looks as though they'll be a mecca for those seeking sugar and spice to fill their life!
It will be a series of juried storefronts with enough romantic frou-frou for everyone, and looks as though it'll be opening this fall-check out their site!
There is already a long list of notable artists that have been accepted-click on the comments to find their shop links and visit them now!

What inspires you?

The subject of inspiration came up the other day when someone asked me "what inspires you"? It's a challenging question to answer; my answer often depends on who asked the question. Sometimes my answer is short and simple- nature, for example- but the reality is that it is at once, both more complex and more simple than that.

For me, I can be inspired by anything and everything, it is really more a question of receptivity. Yes, I think dragonflies are exquisite and yes, I have insect-inspired pieces in my jewelry collections. But true creativity, for me, is using any random thought as a starting point, and quietly following the course of that thought to an eventual or satisfactory end, one that can be physically represented using your material or medium of choice. I think that is what art is: an interpretation of something that has crossed through an artists's mind and out their hands. And the fascinating thing about art is that when art passes through an artist like that, they invariably leave their mark on it. The lifetime of experiences that the artist has lived or endured influences the subject in subtle ways to reflect that artist's life experience. These perceptions alter the body of work , often in very imperceptible ways - sometimes only the artist knows they are there, and sometimes it takes a very astute observer to see something that the artist didn't even realize had presented itself in the work.

Here is an example of abstract inspiration: the other day a friend of mine told me a great story about a family get-together. It had all of the elements of a good story: drama, danger, hope, love and faith. It only took 5 minutes to tell the story, but I thought about it all afternoon. In her family, she is an auntie to a little boy and girl, and I could never imagine a more fiercely devoted auntie. She works very hard day and night but is always -always-available to those kids, no matter how her workday has been. They are her family, and as such, they are with her in her thoughts all day. In my mind, I see them as a kind of beacon to lead her home, a kind of light at the end of her "workday" tunnel. And I see the unending bond of family in her life; as the undercurrent of her day, the connectedness like reassuring markers scattered along an uncertain path.

So, inspired by that, I created this ring. It is thick and solid, but not burdensome, just comforting. The band has a textured finish, representing the nicks, scrapes and challenges that we endure in the outside world. It has highly polished brass on it to symbolize her and the kids she adores-bright and gleaming, to represent the joy they bring each other. But inside the band is smooth and serene; the word family is indelibly forged, like a hidden map, secretly carried. And though the outside world may not be aware of its presence, it's a private reminder of what matters in this world, a reminder to make time, and go home to your family.

Earrings for Fall!

We've had some cooler weather lately and I must say that I personally am looking forward to boots, jeans and sweaters. And some new jewelry. And I wear alot of blacks, creams, and greys, so this particular pair of earrings is appealing to me for that reason. The glass flowers are a kind of pale smoky-grey lilac color-the perfect choice to complement the colors listed above. A post and drop style, I can picture these earrings dangling from the earlobes of Keira Knightley or Natalie Portman! So pretty!

The Lily Collection Copper and Aventurine Necklace 3

Lily reached for her good luck necklace; it made her think of China and the daughter that she knew was waiting there for her. Fondling the coins, it seemed to soothe the wait, and the red beads that intermingled with the luminous stones reminded her of an ancient saying: "An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break." She sighed, but was comforted knowing that she too, would eventually meet her daughter. Looking east into the rising sun, she knew it would be a good day.

This is the third necklace in the Lily Collection, and is now available in my Etsy shop...just click on my links to the left of this post!