~buddha

enlightenment 

beatnheart destash beads, scorchedearthonetsy heart, destash chain

vintage skateboard

~more goodies

only cried a little this morning at the overwhelming nature of the boards so, i uploaded some jewelry i have made but never posted and then thought.thought.thought. and now i can tackle the edits on entry 2. this journey is so hard but so worth it! i already feel i have looked at my profession and career in a different light and it has made me more reflective and pro-active. i even wrote the secretary of education about the bogus eval system she has put in place. i was very nice about it, but really, i'm being graded (yes, i get a grade) on my students ability to test (50% of my eval is tied to a test). when students are not in school or the community is transient, one cannot expect them to do very well. i can only do so much to educate them and the students need to be in school for that to happen. many parents need to do more, but many won't. i am graded on their habits and behaviors. bogus. oh well, i will prevail. cheers! xoxo

new bottle caps

vintage crystals and glass buttons

~enamels

i'm gonna take the plunge into torching again. this time i'm gonna try my hand at enameling snippets of my bottle cap components. i've found a tute on how to and watched some videos. love a challenge! can't wait to play.play.play. my birthday present to me. that and a box of destash from beatnheart. xoxo

newly listed today~front

~back

~newbie

many months ago, as a newbie to the national boards, i waffled back and forth on what to do with crafting jewelry and my shop. open.close.open.close.destash.quit. as i became more in-tune with the process and figured out the scope of the project, i realized i was simply unsure how crafting would fit into my new life (working a ton beyond my existing workload) yet it never really left, did it? no siree. i even find now that, as i ruminate over passages and lesson plans and video taping and how to reach my students, i go putter while i process. it works! not only can i create and play, but doing just a little something every day has had a rewarding effect. you all didn't believe i could stop and you were soooo right! i just needed to find the fit. so whether i'm packaging a sale, making something new or uploading something i've never listed before, i am still in the national boards mindset. thinking.thinking.thinking. i spend so much time thinking and doing and creating and being. it's exciting to say the least. today i've listed a choker i made before the recycled art show. it's great with a plunging neckline! xoxo

new here today

~love and faith sunday earrings

found here

~and today

~bangles stacks

well. my honey is home from the hospital and graft looks like it took. thanks for all the well wishes!
i decided to show off the bangle stacks that are in the shop. cheers!

~new today

smashed bottle caps, clay nails from petra. gilding

here

~awaiting surgery

my husband is having a skin graft today. a bit nervous. he'll be laid up for a week with a vacuum and splint on his leg then more time for complete recovery. so, while i'm waiting for the app. i made some earrings and posted them everywhere! lol.

fun. fun.

~bottle caps

bottle caps, petra and kim. reclaimed chains.

~valentines and aquarians

new today. the perfect gift.

~today is polymer fun day

here today

and here
xoxo

~eep

so. in working hard on my boards i shifted gears on one of the entries and wrote about a different lesson. then, bam, i realized i should go back to the original one i started. thanks goodness i learned my lesson to save everything. EVERYTHING. oops. sorry for yelling, but, seriously. i save everything now. i save it on my computer. i save it to the cloud. i send it to my home and school emails. i save it to a thumb drive. never again will i loose my data. my entries. my goals. even drafts that i'm not sure about i save in all forms. i think i'm covered. there was a news story here about two years ago where a women had her whole dissertation on her computer and it was stolen. she hadn't backed it up. i should've taken notice! i think i've got it now. but! i do not back up my photos. i should learn to be as thorough with that as i am with the boards. but i figure they are here. and on fb. or sent to family, etc. but i should be backing them up too. baby steps i guess. anywho, sometimes i hit a wall when writing and kim, of numinosity fame, suggested i go make jewelry. so. every day i've gone in to the studio and day 1 i cleaned. the next day i made something. the next day i made something else. see? blister pearls from kim and crazy assorted beads from fagins daughter.

and then today, i drew something. it's really helping. that and getting out with the hubby. he needs it. he had a bad snowboarding accident and did some damage. they tried to sew his calf back together but it didn't take. skin graft is next. poor thing. won't even eat his chocolate. afraid he'll get fat because he can't exercise. so. we get out and check mail and go to the bank and go for a beer (though now i'm off beer while supporting my daughter whose on a new diet for intestinal stuff). she's a trooper. i miss my beer, but got my gin. hear that petra?  lol
thanks for being there you wicked awesome peeps. your inspiration is motivating and invigorating! xoxo