"The Inventions of God"

Two weekends ago my husband and I headed to the beach for a short get away. The Jersey shore in January isn't exactly a hub of activity which of course is part of the charm. No crowds. No hurry. The ocean's ebb and flow is comforting, like a heartbeat. The vast expanse of sea and sky, a reminder that the world is large and I am small...and so certainly are my problems.


The beach held many treasures, "inventions of God" according to John Muir.


We found these whelk egg cases and were both immediately struck at how much my flat, translucent polymer beads mimic them. Did I see one of these as a child, hide the image in my memory until one day when it found its way out on its own? I don't know. But I feel like there is some kind of creative connection that I intend to continue to explore further.


The boardwalk in Wildwood was eery and fantastic.


My husband took the photos for this post. You can find new work from him daily at his new art blog.

Daily Grommet

Check this out! Watch the video with Jeanne Connon over at the Daily Grommet...wearing my necklace!

Far away...but not so far

My friend Jacques lives here but his brother lives in Haiti where he runs an orphanage and we have waited over the past week while the string of news has trickled in.

The children are safe.
Jacques' brother and his family are safe.
They got a few day's supply of food.
And finally, Tuesday, they are all moving into a more secure location in the countryside.

Jacques is unable to take money to his brother right now. So he, like the rest of us, waits and prays that the large aid organizations and military get what they have to the people who need it.

My eight year old asks "if our army knows now to take care of people in emergencies why don't they just do that all the time instead of going to war?" So I ask, "Samuel, will you please be president someday?"

Support for the orphanage has been done pretty much by word of mouth up until this point and there isn't a web location where I could point you you could donate. If you haven't done so and would like to help I can, however, recommend World Vision - they have an excellent financial responsibility record and already had people in the country when the earthquake occurred.

Very clever

Mary of MaryMade purchased one of my Stone Upon Stone rings a few months back. She was kind enough and clever enough to include the ring in one of the photos of her recent listing of her beautiful Blueberry cowl! Aren't those colors wonderful?


I, in turn, chose her cowl as the inspiration for my current treasury.


See how much fun advertising can be?!

Let there be light

My husband has always known the way to my heart. This was my Christmas gift!


And with the addition of a 35mm 1.8 lens I can now take photos any time of day (or night). Gosh, no more perching close to a southern facing window waiting for clouds to clear. What will I do with all the time I'll save?

I guess I can work on four new necklaces that are partially underway.

All Things are Made New

Happy New Year!
Hoping you had a wonderful Christmas! I made an attempt to vanish from the computer world for a bit as I find as much as I like what the internet can do I need to walk away from it sometimes. I spent time with family and went caroling on Christmas Eve. I reflected, looked ahead, prayed... I read a whole book. If someone offered one MORE week of holiday I would take it in an instant but I do feel refreshed and ready to start school tomorrow.


New Year's Day brought a nice surprise. My birch bark posts were chosen to be part of a great collection of earrings over at A Thoughtful Life. Its great to see such creative variety with the smallest piece of jewelry. Thank you April!