When the going gets tough...

Not feeling so tough myself lately, and yesterday was really stressful,
so I don't know what the "tough" do when the going gets tougher...
maybe GO MAKE SOMETHING? or PLAY WITH BEADS?
That's what I did last night, when I had a blue million other things to do.

Helps to take my mind off things.  When my hands are busy, my mind
seems to switch gears.
I called this pair of earrings "Forget Me Not"; they remind me a little of
the flower.
Maybe wearing them would improve memory?
Maybe I should make a pair for me!
I'd just as soon forget this week, but I'm sure there was something
in it I'll want to remember. And maybe it really has made me tougher...!

Where's all the sunshine and rainbows..?

...and happy, little leaping deer... and butterflies... and lollipops.....?
...sigh...

Well, it's not all sweet and wonderful all the time. I know that. So many
people are facing worse circumstances, and I really do have blessings to count.
Sometimes it just feels like the odds are stacked against us and we'll never
get through this. But we will.
One thing that's helped me lately is Natalie Grant's song "I Will Not Be Moved".
In my mind, I sing with as much soul as she does, and I feel strong enough to
get through things.  Suddenly, getting bleach on my new rug doesn't seem like
the last straw after all.

So what do you do when it feels like the world is ganging up on you?
Click the picture above and turn up your volume a little. Doesn't the sound
of the ocean help? Calgon, take me away!

Extra! Extra! You can't read all about it!

My dearest newsletter subscribers (both of you),
I know you are probably sitting on the edge of your desk chair, waiting for the first
of my special, for-your-eyes-only editions of The Treasurefield News.   I offer my
most humble and heartfelt apologies for the delay.

I'm afraid I am having to repair (by hand) the super-dooper, uber-complicated, digital
inkomometer.  And the astronomically, outrageously, expensive printacephalator has to
be replaced, shipping from the tiny island of Fontevidio whose work week consists of
Saturdays and Sundays only, and using carrier penguin as its primary mode of transportation.

So you see, it may be a few more days before things are running smoothly and ready to be
thrown delivered to your doorstep desktop. Rest assured that your wait will be
rewarded! In the meantime, be sure to stop by my spacious office and join me for
a bit of tea and crumpets.
Your patience and understanding are most gratefully appreciated.
Sincerely yours,

Fingerprint Friday

There's a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
"I can see the fingerprints of God...
When I look at you.
I can see the fingerprints of God...
And I know its true:
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds,
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God."

I'm joining some of the other bloggers out there, posting
an example of where I saw God's fingerprint this week.

This is a gorgeous sunset I glimpsed as I crossed Lake Norman 
last weekend:

I was driving alone, and couldn't really drink it in, so I snapped this
out the window.
Don't you love sunsets? I'm always awe-struck by the unique
beauty of each one.  They make me feel like God is a painter and He's
standing back with me to admire the effect of His work.
(Dear God, you did good!) 

Wow! It's Wednesday?

And it's almost over???
I've been Spring Cleaning, so a couple of days got away from me...
This is what happened today:



(ha ha! "A little look") *wink*
Finally, I got up and tackled that monolith --big as a refrigerator.
MY refrigerator. I moved it and vacuumed and mopped and scrubbed the wall
and washed out that little drip pan thing. Ew. And to think no one will see
the evidence of my hard work! *sniff*
But it was long overdue. And my mom is coming to visit in two weeks.  Ergo,
my motivation.  Her house is so clean you can eat off the floor. Even the floor
under the fridge.  
 
I'm actually having fun with all this deep cleaning.  Tossing the dead-weight,
finding treasures I'd forgotten about...  I can even see some progress now.

But I have been one tired puppy at the end of every day.  And I still have to
make my mom's Mother's Day card and gift.  Hmm.... what did I do with that
box of macaroni?   And the jar of glitter....?

Thanks to Dave Walker of CartoonChurch.org for the use of his
wonderful cartoon (above)!

On the road (again)

Last week the beach, this week the mountains.
I really do love living halfway between the two.
I'm off to visit my mom and celebrate her birthday.  
Every time I see Pilot Mountain as I drive, I think about
the native Americans in the area, when the mountain was their
"jomeokee" or "great guide".  
The weather is looking great; let's hope it holds!
See you Monday!

Fingerprint Friday

There's a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
"I can see the fingerprints of God...
When I look at you.
I can see the fingerprints of God...
And I know its true:
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds,
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God."

I'm joining some of the other bloggers out there, posting
an example of where I see God's fingerprint this week.
This is my son's girlfriend:

The picture was taken with my cellphone at the beach last weekend
because I forgot my camera. We were walking around "Broadway at the Beach"
and I had her pose in the funny, green hand chair.
Not only is she incredibly beautiful and sweet, but I believe she's the
girl I prayed for years that God would provide for my son. We've all taken
her into our hearts. We can clearly see God's fingerprint on her and her
life, and we join Creation in applauding her and thanking God for her!

Studio in my studio

At the end of last week, I had to make an emergency supply-buying trip,
so I was in A.C.Moore, the craft store and "accidentally" (ahem!) wandered
down their polymer clay aisle. Whoa! This new formula by Sculpey was
on sale; and the colors were delectable!
These are the six I bought:
Buttercream
Butterscotch
Avocado
Pomegranate
Peacock and
Patina

I didn't have time to try it right away, and didn't want to, anyway.
It just looked so pristine and pretty and full of promise, there in
the package.
But finally it lured me to try it....

Of course, it was only then that I decided to see what the polymer
clay community is saying about it. And it doesn't sound great.
Despite its looking more sophisticated in the smart packaging, I'm
not so sure it's an improvement over the plain old Sculpey III.
It's very soft and un-Premo-like. I tend to want to sculpt
things. And one of my first ideas to use it was caning.
Reports are that it tends to crack and break if too thin.
We'll see... I have a piece cooling as I write...

All I know is... I don't love mixing colors, and here are these,
ready and wonderful. And since I have six packages,
I WILL find a WAY to MAKE these WORK!

From my walk on the wild side...

On my walk this morning, I picked some daisies, growing wild along the
roadside.
So I went around my yard and collected a few of the little growing things
that don't get noticed much.

Besides the daisies, I have wild strawberries, wild onions, clover, and
a dogwood leaf. Looks like the leaf was breakfast for some tiny creature.
Or maybe a canvas for its art. I like to think both. :)

Together, I think all of these make beautiful art!   Reminds me of once
when my boys were little, they brought me a collection of beautiful
things from the yard:  tree bark, grape hyacinths, a camelia bloom, and
dandelions.  It was colorful and wonderful and sweet.  I think they 
somehow knew just what I love!

Guess where I've been...?

Clue:

Yes!
We (my family) made a spur-of-the-moment decision to take a weekend
beach trip to celebrate our older son's birthday. Lucky for us, he was
cool with having us along. Of course, otherwise, he would've been
footing the bill, so no wonder he was gracious. (hehe!)
Anyway, we all had a really great time together. It was wonderful
just to relax, especially for my ultra-hard-working husband.
The ocean was chilly, but the weather was lovely and the crowds were
sparse. The perfect time of year, in my opinion.

While the Carolina low-country was sunny, we came back to an inch of
water in our rain gauge and the nearby creeks were way up!

Checking my Etsy shop, I found a new "heart" from Star Girl Jewelry,
whose work is pictured above and here:

Wow! These really make me want to get back to the shore!

Sweet 18

On the occasion of my first son's 18th birthday...
He's still a babe!

"My Heart is Like a Singing Bird"

Before I did the "photo shoot" for these new birds,
I snapped a picture of them on a little drawing.
Longleg Birds like to stretch up and eat apricots from
low-hanging tree limbs, see?


Aren't birds the greatest?!
I'm loving this short-lived time of year when I can have
the windows open and listen to them sing. I hear,
"Sweet! Sweet!"
"Doooi. Doooi."
"Cheer up! Cheerily!"
and one I can't translate.
Here's a site where you can listen to various birdcalls:
eNature's BirdAudio
Compile a list and enjoy them all!
Hope your heart is singing with the birds today!

"My heart is like a singing bird." --Christina Rossetti

Distract me!

Blessing or curse? You know... how you're searching for something on the internet
and next thing you know, you're way off track...
I was recently looking for something bird-related and came across various pictures
of birds. I was so taken with the Little Green Bee-Eater I had to try sculpting one.

Feathers don't translate easily into clay, although I know some artists do an
amazing job of it. I found a gallery of birds by Jenny Armitage of Dancing
Feather Studio, who uses polymer clay canes to represent the feathers. This
sandpiper, for example:

They really ARE amazing! I would love to see them up close!

So whether or not search engine distractions are good or bad may be
a matter of perspective, depending on priorities, time, etc....
Now... where was I....?...

Shuffle

For the second Saturday night in a row I painted an art card ("ACEO").
When I put it away, I got out all its little art card cousins --some I've
made in the last year or so that are still around.

I like to get them out and shuffle through them. They feel good in my
hands, and they're better in person than on a flat, old computer monitor;
especially the ones with a bit of metallics.

So I make them for fun, and I sell them so I can buy more paint. Or paper.
Or polymer clay. Or books. Or, if necessary, food.
But if they never sell then I've got a collection of my own artwork to
show my future grandchildren.
I wouldn't mind that!