Flea Market Finds!

So I had the opportunity a few weeks ago to experience my first visit to the Kane County Flea Market, located in the lovely town of St. Charles, Illinois.  It was fantastic, especially if you adore vintage in all shapes, sizes, and colors.  The market hosted an array of great vendors.  I had the opportunity to meet the lovely Traci Tessone of Whimsy, a great vintage retail boutique located in Morris, Illinois and Connie Perez of Aesthetics Creations of Crystal Lake, Illinois.  These ladies had a fantastic booth, filled with an array of goodies any fun loving vintage obsessed girl or guy would love!  I look forward to visiting both of the ladies again in the near future. 

I also found some really shiny and colorful vintage jewels...yummy...can't wait to see where they turn up in future designs.  

THIS LITTLE FIND IS NEVER FOR SALE!

Challenges Bring The Light

 

“Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging.”

~Joseph Cambell

“Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are.”

~Bernice Johnson Reagon

“Challenge is a dragon with a gift in its mouth. Tame the dragon and the gift is yours.”

~Noela Evans

"The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials."

~Chinese Proverb

It happens sometimes - life is progressing, happily and beautifully, when suddenly, you are face to face with what seems to be an insurmountable challenge.  This challenge forces you to slow down or just stop.  In the midst of your challenge, you discover that all the things that once seemed so important are now insignificant, or better yet, meaningless.  You are numb, at first, then slowly you must put one foot in front of the other, and proceed with this thing called life.  For days, you may cry uncontrollably, you make walk around in a complete fog, or you may feel absolutely nothing at all.  You might experience all possible emotions - anger, hurt, sadness, loneliness, fear...and then slowly yet carefully, you might begin to see a sliver of light again, peeking out from behind your darkness.  This light could be your family, your friends, your pets.  Whatever the light, wherever the brightness, you must grasp it and hold onto it with all the strength you have left.  For this light will give you the necessary strength and energy and love to move forward.  

Thank you, to my wonderful husband, for always being my light!

And for those of you who may be experiencing personal challenges, 

I send you peace...

Sweet Mojo For All That Ails You!

 SUNBEAM SUGAR SCRUB AND PERFUME OIL

I ADORE fragrances, almost as much as I love jewelry.  So you can imagine my delight when I discovered that the very talented mixed-media artist, Jessica Moreau Berry along with business partner Jolene Hoch, had launched a new and exciting line of bath and body products called "Sweet Mojo Apothecary".  Sweet Mojo is a collaboration of "two friends who have always been interested in natural home and health practices".  The wonderful collection of natural sugar scrubs, bath oils, salt soaks, perfume and massage oils and hair treatments are almost too good to be true!  Combining citrus and essential oils like lavender and neroli for their Wild Wing products and sweet orange blended with delicate neroli & smoky vetiver for my personal favorite, the Sunbeam line, these two talented ladies have shared with us a true gift!  I ordered the Sunbeam perfume oil because it's such a great summer scent and the compliments I've received have been overwhelming.  I encourage you to visit their Sweet Mojo Apothecary and browse through all their magical combinations - I've included just a few below.  The perfect gift for yourself  or a friend to alleviate those hot, summer days.  Oh...I also received a sample of the sugar scrub with my order and can I tell you, it is one of the best I've ever used...and believe me, I've used a variety of scrubs! Drop by Jessica's blog, Junque Revival, and let her know what you think about her new adventure!

 Examples of fragrance blends from  
Sweet Mojo Apothocary

JADED SPIRIT: calming lavender blended with delicate neroli, frankinscense & rose deep, rich & sweet, it’s truly for the wild at heart 

HAPPY WINGS: rose & violet blended with calming lavender & sweet woodsy scents….sweet floral notes with a hint of woodsy aura, spread your wings and have a happy day! 

FAIRY LORE: tranquil lavender blended with rose, neroli & exotic ylang ylang…..a romantically floral scent, it’s like sitting in an old cottage garden.

My Wish For You...

This is my wish for you:  

Comfort on difficult days,  

smiles when sadness intrudes, 

rainbows to follow the clouds,  

laughter to kiss your lips,  

sunsets to warm your heart,  

hugs when spirits sag, 

beauty for your eyes to see, 

friendships to brighten your being,

faith so that you can believe,  

confidence for when you doubt,  

courage to know yourself,  

patience to accept the truth, 

Love to complete your life.

~ Author Unknown

This exquisite vintage brooch and earring set was a gift from a very wonderful and beautiful friend.   

She has enriched my life with her sincere and true friendship.  

Her view of life is positive, and just like these gorgeous pieces, she continually brings sunshine to everyone she encounters.  

Thank you, Jaclyn, for this wonderful gift and for being such a bright ray of sunshine...

you brighten so many lives! 

Don't ever let anyone take your sunshine away :-)

Spontaneity

"Spontaneity is the quality of being able to do something just because you feel like it at the moment, of trusting your instincts, of taking yourself by surprise and snatching from the clutches of your well-organized routine a bit of unscheduled pleasure".

~Richard Iannelli 

The definition of spontaneous is "happening or arising without apparent external cause; self-generated.  Arising from a natural inclination or impulse and not from external incitement or constraint".  I find that my most passionate and creative work results when I least expect it to occur.  I get this fire, this drive sometimes that I cannot explain, but I've learned to just go with it and allow my creative juices to flow.  When I surrender to this incredible inner hunger, I could create for hours, and ideas just flow freely.  There are times when I feel pressure to create, and I'm learning that forceful creativity is not creativity at all.  Anything I touch when I'm not inspired, tired or bored just doesn't have the same light and sparkle as my spontaneous work.  

Last week, the weather was absolutely perfect here in Illinois.  I was outside, soaking up the beautiful sun, spending time with my gorgeous dog, when I had this urge, out of nowhere, to work with some beautiful artwork I had acquired months earlier.  I finally envisioned a way to incorporate it into my jewelry, and these pendants are the result of my letting go, and "doing something just because I felt like it at the moment".  

May I present my Spontaneous Collection...

I haven't named them yet - I'm awaiting another brilliant moment of unsolicited creativity to manifest!

In the meantime, may I present the most spontaneous little fellow I know, before and after his summer haircut.  LOVE this little guy!

BEFORE...

AFTER!

And just tired of me taking his picture!

May your week be filled with passionate and spontaneous creativity :-)

Full Moon Magic

Thursday, May 27th 

A new opportunity for cleansing and clearing your life will present itself...

a beautiful full moon, in all her glorious spender, 

will once again shine in the night sky.  

Do you have things in your life that are prohibiting your spiritual and creative growth?  Are there troublesome elements that you would like to clear from your being? Do you desire to release negativity and purge your spiritual life?  If so, a full moon is the perfect time to symbolically "let go" of all that troubles you and move forward in a positive new direction.  I've always enjoyed the magic and beauty of rituals and the energy that surrounds them.  Churches always have beautiful rituals, various cultures have rituals they have practiced for centuries and each of us have our own little personal and sometimes private ritualistic ceremonies.  For me, the full moon provides the perfect opportunity to channel my energy into hope, light, peace, forgiveness and love.  You can enjoy your little release ceremony with others, or entirely alone.  There are several options, and only you can decide which ritual works best for you.  You may choose to write down what you wish to release, then cast it into flames.  Water is also a powerful spiritual element that symbolizes cleansing and elimination of negativity.   

Whatever full moon ritual you decide to pursue, keep your heart OPEN to good, and ALLOW the light, beauty and abundance to penetrate your life.  

FOCUS on creativity, positivity and love...

always remember LOVE.

For The Love of Jewelry!

I adore jewelry.  I make jewelry; I collect jewelry; I search for unique, sparkling and one-of-a kind jewelry.  For me, it's all about the jewelry (and an occasional handbag and shoes for added elegance :-)  As a result of my passion for this marvelous accessory, I have fun looking for new and different items to add to my a) current collection or b) my "gift" list.  Most of these OOAK items are usually vintage pieces that I'm fortunate enough to find at an antique shop or estate sale.  However, because of this incredible tool of networking, I'm finding more and more beautiful and artistic pieces that I desire to add to my jewelry wardrobe.  

Due to the absolute breathtaking beauty and intricate detail of my most recent jewelry find, I must share with you, my faithful blog followers.  Doesn't this simply take your breath away.....

 SWEETGRASS LILY

Don't these just make you week in the knees?

FEYCUP EARRINGS

I can't contain my joy - look at these beautiful rings...

MAGIC RINGS!

The artist is Lorianne Jantti and her lovely jewelry company is Plumvine.
 AMAZING.

Her jewelry is "created entirely by hand (by Lorianne) from resin clay which is meticulously sculpted and embellished with a wide variety of of finds of mostly vintage origin". 

Her work is available on ETSY, and here's my newest jewelry collection additon:

RING OF THE WOODS

LOVE it and can't wait to receive it.  

Visit Plumvine's website and browse through her gallery.
You will be astounded and amazed. 

I located Plumvine via another fun and whimsical blog, 
"Folk and Fairy", by artist Elva Undine.  
Such a wonderful new space to visit.  
I encourage you to visit Folk and Fairy today for some magical and fairy fun!