golfing jewelry

the golf pro at the country club was telling me that he planned on bringing in a new line of ladies' golf attire into the pro shop.  i told him i would happily help him choose some new things--and that i would really happily make some jewelry to pair with the new items at the open house he is planning to promote the new line.  

i thought about the jewelry i liked to wear when i was golfing (if you can't play well, you may as well look accessorized...) and decided it had to be something easy: nothing long or dangly or heavy.  but i felt like i always wanted a splash of color, something bold enough to notice on that little "V" of skin that the average woman's golf shirt allows.  so i came up with these: my favorite handmade glass and porcelain beads simply strung on tiny chain with accents of sterling beads and spacers.  at 15-1/2" long, the focal bead rests just at the hollow of your throat.  i haven't been golfing much these days, but i will be wearing mine with just about everything, as this is such a great length to wear with a t-shirt or even a scoop necked sweater with another longer necklace.

and, of course, there are matching earrings.  i didn't make any bracelets because they just get in the way when you're golfing.  it pains me deeply to admit THAT.

good books and good jewelry

have you read this?  a friend loaned it to me years ago and it sat, languishing (love that word) on my bookshelf.  every once in a while i would glance through it and decide that i must have left it there for some reason--too boring,  too wordy,  poorly written.  i do have a stack of books like that, started and abandoned and now, languishing (couldn't resist).  a week ago, when i started with this chest cold that is SO wont to leave me, i picked this book up out of desperation.  i found that it wasn't languishing, it was overlooked.  and man, what i was missing!  it's everything i love: excellent writing about ordinary things and ordinary people, with a plot that keeps pushing forward in a slow, steady, hypnotic way.  with characters you dream about, and awaken sure that they are, indeed, real people in your life.  i am halfway through and i don't want it to end.  that's a good book.

and i have been trying to drag myself away from gaea's porcelain beads.  it's hard, but i was able to finish a couple of hill tribe pieces.  i love these beads:  the organic feel and the soft sheen.  as irresistable as a good book.

embroidery

is it wrong to be so passionate about hand sewing?  i am addicted to embroidering on wool felt.  just looking at all my supplies--the threads, the beads, my tiny stork scissors--makes me happy.  i can't face a long car ride without a supply of felt and thread.  i can't watch a movie on tv without annoying everyone with my light, so i can sew.  don't ask me to make clothing or quilts, but you want a felt pin?  i'll get right to work.

of course, i love working with my pliers, too.  so if you desire  a gorgeous porcelain pendant on a long, long chain, i'm happy to oblige.

portrait of a great man

this is my brother, david, who came to visit last weekend.  this is the first time he has come on his own (without kids/family), so we were able to spend a lot of time together.  on sunday he and i went to hawk mountain to watch the hawk migration, something we both have wanted to do together for a long time--something NOBODY else in our families has the faintest desire to do.  we arrived at the lookout at 9:00, and spent four hours there, quietly watching.  we saw a few broad winged hawks up close,

but mostly we watched "kettles" of hawks, some with 50 plus hawks, flying in the distance, searching for a good wind.  it was a peaceful, satisfying morning.  there is much to be said for sitting in sweet, companionable silence with the one who kicked you under the table during dinner throughout your youth. 

i am so proud of the man my brother has become.  a man who, during my growing-up years, i never dreamed he would be: patient, kind, smart, compassionate, generous.  a true friend.

when he left he took with him lily, the stray cat we took in and couldn't keep.  the cat no one wanted.  and the next day he sent me an e-mail, thanking me for giving him such a great gift.

a rare bird.  oh yes, dave.  yes, you are.

welcome, fall!

a really lovely start to a new season today.  we had brilliant sunshine and warm temperatures.  and i am finally getting over the bronchitis that has effectively shut me down since sunday.  it felt wonderful to go for a walk this morning, dragging henry along and looking for signs of fall for today's shuttercal entry.  that lack of energy was killing me.

i finally broke down and bought a light tent for taking photos of my jewelry.  i was getting things ready to take to outrageous today, so i didn't have much time to play with it.  i did manage a quick shot of a necklace with more of gaea's gorgeous porcelain beads. 

i love the earthy yet bright and contemporary look of her beads.  i ordered more today, so there will be plenty of pieces available for the holidays.

look at me, thinking ahead.

employment

yesterday i got a job.  i haven't worked outside of the house for five years, so this will be a little new.  luckily, i will be working for a fine jewelry store, so i will be working with something i love.  i can't wear--or even talk about--my jewelry at this shop, so that will be a bit strange for me. 

i am slightly wary of giving up the vast amounts of free time i have now, but i look forward to a schedule, a routine.  i am intrigued by the simple idea of having a job to do and having to do it.  in all of the time i have been at home, i haven't felt as though i have truly accomplished much, and that frustrates me--even though it is my own fault. 

and, of course, i like the idea that i will be earning money, contributing to our household, if only in a small way.

i am wondering if (and hoping that) i will be more productive, better able to schedule my time now that it is necessary to do so.

we'll see.

why is this so hard?

i will try again.  this blogging is tricky.  i missed a couple of days and then it stretched into a week and then...it's september.

i have been busy, sending her:

to rome,

trying to find a home for her:

and working on a few new things:

these are porcelain beads by gaea (www.gaea.cc), and they are just beautiful.  i have a few things listed on etsy.  the rest are going to outrageous, a wonderful shop in shavertown, pennsylvania.

i'm back.