2:30am....

Soooo it's been a long time s4 I have been unable to sleep.   I am laying in bed with my phone and trying to type a post about whatever comes to mind.  My thoughts seem to be scattered everywhere. Could be why I can't sleep.  Anxiety has been with me for many years but has been much better than before.   Typing seems to help as it keeps my mind focused on something else......

I bought paint!!!! "Banana Split!

I drove to Lowes today to try and find a color to paint my office in. I knew I wanted yellow but I didn't want a yellow that turns green when it goes on the wall.
Help at Lowes is hard to find so I ended up taking the samples and driving to Home Depot. Along the way, I see a Volkswagon Beetle in the color I was looking for. Gosh I wish I could have taken that in as a sample lol.

But anyhow, I chose a color close to it. It's called, "Banana Split!" Pretty pastel yellow. Not bright enough to make you close your eyes but yellow enough to make you feel warm, as if sunshine is on your back :-)

Now I need to paint!!!!

A bit of the ocean today

Everywhere on social media, my friends are talking about how horrible the weather is. Living in Southern California all my life, we get to see some really cold days but nothing compared to back east!
That's probably why I live here. We have oceans, mountains, lakes, and deserts. We truly have it all.
Even though it's been cold here, I have been wanting to start on summer beads. Beads that are bright or reflect the beach somehow. I long to move to the beach but until then, my beads will have to do.
These beads aren't anything special but I love the colors. Beautiful blues, aqua, greens, and white make these beads perfect to add into a nice summer piece of jewelry.
Hope you like it too!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/179223983/clear-waters-blue-aqua-greens-handmade?ref=shop_home_active_1

Is it 2015 yet?

Everyone's been writing on social media that 2014 is "Their year!" That problems they have been dealing with will be over, that losses suffered, will be restored, and that heartache turns back into a smile.
I don't know about anyone else but I don't see that happening yet. So far this year has been bustling with busyness, and total disorganization. Friend's are getting physically hurt, and others are fighting to live.
If this is 2014, I'm ready to take a nap and be woken up at midnight 12-31-14.

Ah, but that would be the easy way out and I don't do easy. Seriously! I don't seem to do easy on anything that I attempt to do.

So we keep going, we keep trying, we keep moving forward with an occasional on step back! It's okay. Just keep going forward, struggles are overcome when we don't stop!

Working on a design for my Pastor's sister. I have beads made but will gather all my materials and show you what were going to do with it. First, beads need to be cleaned.
And with that........I'm off!

The significance of a Heart

I have been making hearts for a long time now. There's something about a heart that draws me in. So what's the significance of a heart? Well, some would simply look at it from a logical viewpoint and tell you that the heart is the main organ of the body. It keeps us alive by pumping blood to all the other areas of the body. If it didn't do that, we would die. So basically, the heart is...."Life!"

From an emotional perspective, the heart signifies so many different things. Broken, Happy, Depressed, Cold, Warm, Loving, and Content are a few words that come to mind. You can tell alot about a person by "their heart." That may not be true but I do like to believe that the heart is more than an organ. When we talk about it from this perspective and we say, "He has a great heart!" We don't mean that his ogran is working just perfectly or vice versa. We use a heart as a symbol to tell the goodness of someone's soul. When a person is said to be generous, he has a "big heart." In medical terms that would be called, "Cardiomegaly." If a person is mean, we say he or she is "Cold-hearted!" Some people have "broken" hearts when they end a relationship or lose someone dear to them. I've been there! Alot, in the past few years. They say a heart can be mended over time which is kind of funny because the heart was never broken....from a logical standpoint. 

Most of us view the heart as the biggest emotional part of us, bypassing the brain where emotions are actually created and stored. Alot of artists use different techniques in creating them but we look at them and they touch us somehow.

This first heart, when I look at it, shows a darkness or brokeness on the outside yet the heart is blooming on the inside. The little twists and turns of color was the process it took for that heart to start blooming again. This heart was made by a lampwork artist and her store can be found here. Stephanie's Hearts

This heart also reminds me of a rebirth of the heart. It's taking on a adventurous nature as if it is being given wings to fly. The color orange is "fiery" and overtakes the soft violet as if to take on the world. You can find that heart here Calypso Hearts

This is my heart. I created it in 2012 and it isn't for sale yet. I don't know why I haven't listed it but it has alot of emotion tied into it. Heart is blackened, broken. This was after losing my mom, sister, job, and marriage all in October of 2012. The red inside was not a sign of rebirth or healing but the red is fire! Anger within a broken heart. It was where I was for a long time since.




 I think it might be time to make another heart like this. This time however, there will be rebirth.

Happy New Year....a bit late

I know, I know, I am a little bit late on the new year but you know how life goes. A new year with new plans and you set out on this journey and things get a little bit crazy during the transition. The main thing however, is that the transition is never over. We are constantly changing things up and what works...stays, and what doesn't....goes! I kind of like that attitude.

So I've been busy decluttering my life. My daughter starts nursing school next month and so we started with her room. Painted the spare room which is bigger for her to make a mess in. Scraping, painting, building shelves..it will be nice when it's complete. Almost there too! Then the next thing is to move the guest room to the middle room so that I can have the end room as my studio. FINALLY!!! I can't wait to have my own space to work. One where I don't have to drag things out every time I want to make something and then have to put it all away when I'm done. No more worrying about dogs touching or knocking anything over so if I'm working on a project, it can stay out until the next day. I am going to love it!

In my spare time I've been working on more hearts. Valentine's Day is right around the corner and have noticed sales on hearts lately. So I'll be making a few more before it gets too late. Here's some that were made awhile ago and up for sale now on my etsy store.

Oh that reminds me.....My main website will be up and running soon! Love that as well. Yes, I have been quite busy :-)

Today's A Good Day!

Have you ever had one of those days where you knew it was just going to be a good day? Today is that day. The past few days I've learned things that I knew all along but sometimes the mind needs more time to figure out what the heart already knows.
Every day is a special gift from God. I've always been the kind of person that worries about everyone else except for myself. I've finally grasped the concept that I can't change people, I can't change circumstances, I can't change the world. So, I am letting go and allowing myself time to breathe. Time to take care of me, my dreams, my goals, and my life. If anyone wants to follow me along that journey, Great! If not, I'll do it alone and do it happily! My heart's been torn so many times that the scars actually take up more room than the muscle itself. I amazed at my will to keep going in spite of circumstances. It wasn't easy, I'll tell you that much, but underneath the scars is a person that's just wanting to live. Alone, together with someone else, it doesn't matter to me anymore. Too much stress will kill a person. Too much worrying about other's will too.
If someone wants to go down the wrong path, I can't change it. I could try and offer words of advice but it looks like my words don't do any good. The person is going to do what they want to do regardless. It's their character, it's their choice and it's who they are.
I am so better than that!
Now that I have realized that, it's time to go to work on ME!
Have a blessed day everyone. I know I am blessed, will continue to be blessed, and continue to do what is right in all circumstances never allowing the bad choices others make to affect my life!
Be Happy!