"If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world."

-C.S. Lewis

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Solstice Greetings (and a surprise!)...

The Solstice day dawned gray and dreary here, bringing a promise of more snow. A blanket of frosty white covers my garden this time of year, which is stark in contrast to the lush green foliage of summer, but it is beautiful, none the less.


I think, living in Michigan, you must love winter to some degree. It is simply beautiful! I love getting cozy in the house and baking, and bundling up to play outside.

Now, after today, the days will begin to get longer again, and the sun will begin to return. But that doesn't mean the end of winter. Indeed, we are just getting into it!
The dregs of winter
are still ahead.
Maybe I enjoy winter because I have a winter birthday. It reminds me of birthday parties that I had as a child that usually involved sledding, cocoa and cake.

One of the things that I love to do in winter is curl up with a blanket, a cup of coffee, and a good book. I have always loved to read, and I have always loved books. I have shelves filled with them, and boxes of them...in my closet, in the basement...I can't bear to get rid of them.


When I was in college, I got my first antique book. A copy of Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe copyright 1900. It was in the bottom of a box of sci/fi books that I bought at a flea market. I went back the next week and bought Shakespeare's Hamlet copyright 1896 with a beautiful green cover that was ornately decorated in gold. I returned again the following week, but the book seller had packed up and left.


I was hooked.
From then, I sought out antique books at flea markets, estate sales, anywhere and everywhere. I have grown to love the musty smell that accompanies old books, and the dingy, dark places that you can usually find them.





My family knows of my love for old books and I have recently been given some old schoolbooks and notebooks that belonged to my great-grandfather. They are simply amazing. I especially love the notebooks because they have great-grandpa's doodles in the margin, including "class of '01" (that's 1901!), and the name Meredith (who was NOT my great-grandma).


A few books do not have copyright dates, or publisher information and I have been trying to track down some information on them. While looking through one of these books, The Home Educator, I found a little surprise.



A beautiful old holiday postcard.
It is in near perfect condition with a sweet little scene of Kris Kringle using an old fashioned telephone. The postcard was postmarked December 22, 1909. It tucked it back inside, but am going to have to look into how to correctly preserve it.





Many of you have seen a few of my old books in my jewelry photos. I do not box them all up and hide them away. The ones that are in better shape are out on my shelves and I look through them often. I do have some that are beginning to show their age and loosing pages, those are off limits.
Last summer I had the chance to look through some amazing antique books that my dad has. They are Victorian era books that show the birth of the Michigan counties on the east side of the State. They are full of detailed maps of the townships and downtown areas, and have maps of individual families' land and farms. He recently asked me if I wanted them.

YES! I answered before he could even finish asking me.
I will hopefully be bringing them home with me (very carefully!) next time I visit my parents. You can be sure that I will be pouring over them and I will certainly be sure to share pictures here with you!

I wish you a very happy Holiday Season with your family.
Be safe, cozy, and healthy!

Friday, December 3, 2010

My Holiday Wish List...

Dear Santa,

I have been a very good mama this year.

I have helped my kids with their homework, and always made sure their teeth were brushed and hair was combed.

I have hugged them everyday and told them how special they are.

I have tried to stay afloat in the sea of laundry.

And I only snuck into my kids' Halloween candy once or twice (ok, maybe 3 times).

I have been exercising regularly (well, I have been thinking about it).

So, anyway... I have my eye on a few things...






Top to bottom:

Night owl shirt by Circular Accessories
Moravian Star by LA Glass
Vintage Hair Pin by Pulp Miscellania
Pantaloons by Bayou Salvage
Felt Robin Hood Hat by Frixiegirl

I will be extra good next year, I promise!

I will be sure to leave a home brewed-beer out for you again this year, I know you get tired of cookies and milk.


Wednesday, December 1, 2010

The Holidays are Upon us...

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We spent it with my parents and had a perfectly lovely meal. Of course, we ate until we were stuffed and then ate some more.

Our home is infused with Holiday Spirit. I am very excited about the Holidays this year. Perhaps it is because my little ones are so excited, it is very contagious, you know. We have been decorating, baking, singing songs.
I am hosting my first Holiday dinner this year and am already thinking of my menu. Should we go with the traditional dinner? or should we do something interesting and start our own traditions?

Hmmm. Decisions, decisions.
Does your family have any dinner traditions for the Holidays?

I have also been creating some new pieces. Holiday Bling done Gypsy Moon style...




These are now available here in my Etsy shop. They would make great gifts, or would make a great gift to yourself. You have been good this year, haven't you?

I have many more new creations and will be adding new items to my shop daily.

We woke up to snow this morning. There was much jumping up and down and clapping from my two little ones. The first snow fall is always so beautiful. I love the snow, I just wish there was some magical way to keep it off the roads.

I will leave you with this magical clip from my FAVORITE Holiday movie, White Christmas.
What a wonderful era this was, ladies wore dresses and pearls everyday, and men wore suits everyday. Oh, to dance with Danny Kaye would be amazing...




Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Ancient Dreams...

I have always had dreams of another existence.

Images flash when I close my eyes of bonfires with men bearing swords and furs sitting around, laughing in celebration.
They are raising their mugs and slapping each other on the back, the sound of drums resonates throughout.

wolf tooth copper pendant
And in the Forest...
Running, climbing, living among the trees.
Gathering berries and lazing next to a stream.
It is beautiful.

wolf tooth earrings
These visions are a part of my inner self.
They are my sanctuary when I need a place to hide. I have so many dreams and visions like this, surely they must have been from a past life.

wolf tooth and feather penannular brooch
I have often suppressed these inspirations when creating my jewelry. Deciding instead to create what I thought others would want to see.
I have always been been a bit eccentric, never following the rules. So, why would my jewelry designs be any different?

Lately, I have been listening more to my heart. And I like it. And apparently, so do others.
My new designs have been very popular, for which I am extremely thankful. It is so inspiring to create something that is a part of your soul and have others fall in love with it.

It encourages me to create more of these wilderness inspired designs. I don't really have a good name for this style...Feral Fantasy? Wilder
ness Gypsy? Celtic Tribal?
Believe me, there are many more rolling around in this noggin' of mine.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Remembering...

Halloween is past, and November comes with it's cold bite and frosty mornings. I have had to dig out knit hats and mittens for the kids to take to school. Can you believe it is November?
The holidays are right around the corner now, and the time seems to fly by faster each year.

Does time go by faster as we get older because we appreciate it more? Or do we appreciate time more because it goes by faster as we get older? Anyway, I wish it would slow down.
I wish I could freeze it right now, with my daughter reading beginner books
and her front teeth missing.
I wish I could freeze it right now with my son learning to write his name and him still wanting to hug me all the time.

I have been thinking about my grandpa alot lately. He passed away while I was on my honeymoon. He didn't get to come to my wedding because he was in the hospital. I hate that he never met my husband, and that my kids will never get to meet him.


He introduced me to Willie Nelson (the only country music that I will listen to) and I thought this song fitting for today.




I also am missing our sweet furry baby, Scotta. She was a 100# Boxer lapdog. She was so lovey and funny. It has been 5 years since she passed and my husband and I still laugh about things she used to do.


So today , on Dia de Los Muertos, I remember my loved ones who have gone
and I will hug my loved ones who are still with me,
and tell them that I love them.


Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Sacred Heart Cemetery

I have been admiring this beautiful country cemetery since we moved into our house, and finally had the chance to walk through and photograph it.
Now that my youngest is in preschool for the first time, I am having fun with my new-found freedom (even if it is only 2 days a week). So after dropping the little ones off at school,
Mama took a field trip.

It was a beautiful, perfectly foggy morning. It made my visit to the cemetery so amazingly creepy and sent lovely shivers up my spine. With the leaves rustling and the laughter of workers from the nearby farm filtering through the trees, it truly felt eerie.
I glanced over my shoulder more than once.






This cross has been repaired more than once. The seeping glue looks just like blood oozing from the crack.

There is a corn field in the background of this photo with very thick fog rolling over it.

I love the stone fence that surrounds the cemetery, it has inspired me to build one in my garden.
So beautiful and peaceful...it was the perfect early morning visit.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Master of Macabre...


Spirits of the Dead

by Edgar Allan Poe


Thy soul shall find itself alone
’Mid dark thoughts of the gray tombstone—
Not one, of all the crowd, to pry
Into thine hour of secrecy.


Be silent in that solitude,
Which is not loneliness—for then
The spirits of the dead who stood
In life before thee are again
In death around thee—and their will
Shall overshadow thee: be still.


The night, tho’ clear, shall frown—
And the stars shall look not down
From their high thrones in the heaven,
With light like Hope to mortals given—
But their red orbs, without beam,
To thy weariness shall seem
As a burning and a fever
Which would cling to thee for ever.


Now are thoughts thou shalt not banish,
Now are visions ne’er to vanish;
From thy spirit shall they pass
No more—like dew-drop from the grass.


The breeze—the breath of God—is still—
And the mist upon the hill,
Shadowy—shadowy—yet unbroken,
Is a symbol and a token—
How it hangs upon the trees,
A mystery of mysteries!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In remembrance of my favorite American poetic genius. On October 7, 1849, Edgar Allen Poe passed away in what was his biggest mystery of all.

May his tormented soul rest in peace.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Autumn is Calling Me...

My favorite time of year is beginning to show it's face. The leaves are just beginning to turn, and the apples are heavy on the trees. What is it about autumn that I love so much? I have such a feeling of giddy nostalgia and there is a certain spookiness that hangs in the air as Halloween approaches. I could, quite happily, live in eternal autumn.

Here are a few of my latest creations that speak "fall" to me...


archimedes in love vintage owl necklace"Archimedes in Love"


copper wire wrapped moon"Woodland Copper Moon"


Poet.  Antique fountain pen nib wire wrapped"The Poet"


"Feral Tendencies"

I will be selling my goodies at the Saline Oktoberfest Celebration this saturday September 25, from 10 am to 7 pm. If you are in the area, come by and say HI! After 7 pm, my husband and I will most likely be found in the Bier Garten slurping up spaetzle and German beer. :)

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Catching Up...

I am busy listing new items this week. There are many more to come!





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This treble clef barrette is a custom order for a customer, however, it has inspired me to do some other treble clef pieces.



Monday, August 23, 2010

Great Lakes, Great Times...

What a completely lovely trip my family had. We camped in Michigan's beautiful upper peninsula and explored many different places. It was a bit overwhelming for my 4 year old and he fell asleep in the most interesting places.

I have been visiting the U.P. since I was a child and am completely in love with it's woodland beauty, American Indian Legends, and it's haunting tales of icy shipwrecks. Did you know there have been roughly 5,000 shipwrecks in the Great Lakes?

Leaving was sad for all of us (I must admit I was a bit teary-eyed), but we are looking forward to exploring it together again...next time we will go even further north.

There are a lot of pictures here. I tried to narrow it down, but I just had to share the Michigan love with all of you.
The Mackinac Bridge is almost 5 miles long and connects the lower peninsula to the upper peninsula.

Old Mackinac lighthouse

Colonial Fort Michilimackinac first built in 1715 by the British was used as an outpost for fur trading and introducing the American Indians to Christianity.

Lower Tehquamenon Falls


Upper Tehquamenon Falls



Looking north on Lake Superior at Whitefish Point. There is a large freighter ship, and beyond that is Canada. Whitefish Point is known as the Graveyard of the Great Lakes. More shipwrecks have occurred in this one area than any other.

Sunrise on Lake Huron.

The Mackinac Bridge from the ferry to Mackinac Island.


The world famous Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.





Arch Rock on Mackinac Island.
The legend that the Ojibwa Indians have passed down is that of a beautiful maiden named She-Who-Walks-Like-The-Mist. She met and fell in love with a Brave from a rival clan. Her father, who was the Chief, did not approve and forbid her to see her love again. He chained her to the top of the hill to prevent her from running away and she wept at the loss of her love. She cried so many tears that they washed away part of the hill and left this beautiful rock formation.


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