“Too much work, too much vacation, too much of any one thing is unsound.”

Today’s quote is by Walter Annenberg…

Has everyone noticed how crazy busy everyone is at this time of year? My accupuncturist has taught me that this season in the Northern Hemisphere corresponds to the liver meridian and the incredible upsurge of energy as things sprout and grow. That incredible energy is one of the most creative and powerful forces in the world, but the flip side is being in a constant state of overwork.

This is made worse by our view that the busier we are, the more worthwhile we are, our penchant for coffee, which overstimulates the adrenals and central nervous system, and is also responsible for increased anger, impulsiveness and restlessness. This can all lead to sickness, fatigue, insomnia and misplaced aggression. (Believe me, I know….)

I haven’t been crafting much lately, and it is interesting for me to see how irritable and judgemental of others I’ve become without taking time for what feeds my inner life. So for today’s post, I’m highlighting the work of other crafters.

One of the scrapbooking artists I’ve met at Creative Bloggers is Tiffani at Totally Rawkin’ Designs. She writes a blog about her designs, ‘scrapping’ and mixes it in with stories about her family and life.

Another blog I enjoy is written by Valerie, at Additonal Style, because she’s always suggesting ways to keep one’s creative fires stoked. Her Etsy shop is full of the coolest jewelry made from hardware and woven wire and beads!

I am noticing more and more artists playing with redesigning old costume jewelry, and the ones who keep at it eventually develop their own style. (like everything else one works at!) One such designer I came across recently is Etcetrix. Check out her gallery!

Remember to take time to reconnect with yourself, and to renew the best parts of yourself so you can joyfully share your time and talents with others!

Take time to smell the…

Suspiciously Cheese-y

One of the many fantastic things about my job is that I get to work with wonderful singers. Recently I led a vocal workshop for a 12-member, all male, a capella group called The Suspicious Cheese Lords. And all I am going to say about their name is that you have to go to their website and find out why they named themselves after a leery coagulation of milk proteins.

(yes, in the above photo, there are men singing with pencils in their mouths…I asked them to do that….)

Anyway, I got home at 11:30 pm after a regular teaching day and this 2.5 hour workshop and was wiped. I can’t drink alcohol to relax, unfortunately. (That’s a whole other story. one glass of wine, maybe two margaritas if things are really bad, but that’s it.) Everything on tv bored me, so I went down to my crafts space and thought I’d do something to unwind. But I was too bleary-eyed to do anything. So I started surfing the web, for YOU GUESSED IT,

CHEESE JEWELRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Lydia Layne)

(tharmonycollection.com)

(souzou creations (Etsy)

(Michal Dagan)

(Amy Secrest)

Who knew that cheese could inspire such beautiful and/or fun pieces?!!

And The Suspcious Cheese Lords sing music of the 15th and 16th century, employing counter tenors in the place of soprani. Click HERE for an aural treat!

First Jewelry Show…

Alrighty then! Yesterday was my first jewelry show outside the home, held at an African bazaar in Oakton, Virginia, of all places. I sold the beautiful recycled paper beaded items made by Women of Worth Uganda. The only profit I take is to cover shipping costs from Uganda, and to reimburse myself for any materials I use to repair pieces.

I learned a lot about selling at crafts’ fairs (made of long list of “Do’s” and “Don’ts”) and was amused by the way we Americans assume everything “comes in different colors…do you have a catalog…do you have a website where we can order…can you make this longer, shorter, whatever…do you accept credit cards.” I had to keep explaining how small a venture this is, but one that is making a difference in the lives of women who are living below poverty level. In the long run, though, the buyers came through and I had a good afternoon. Well worth doing on many levels.

One of the comments I received yesterday was from a gentleman who asked me if I was doing anything to help single parents here in the States. After telling him that what we do for another benefits all of us, and him not getting that at all, I told him that I recently received a phone call from my house cleaner, Aline, who is also a single mother. who comes twice a month to clean our house. (I refuse to be the family’s maid any longer, and since I have tried to teach, show, explain and set by example to help others to care for the inside of the house and they can not be bothered, I hired Aline. Or I would move from this house, I swear.) Anyway, Aline is a legal Brazilian immigrant, who had to go into the hospital. She has health insurance, but no paid sick days, so I told her we would pay her anyway, for a month, and then reevaluate at that time. And that is one way I help struggling single mothers closer to home.

I then asked him what HE was doing, and he answered that he is a single parent with two kids. I asked him if he had a good job, and he said yes. And so I told him that, while I do understand how difficult it must be to raise children on your own and not feel like there is time for yourself, having a good job takes the issues these women struggle with daily right out of the picture. He didn’t even buy any beads. pffft.

But you should have seen the women who bought the beads! I wish I could have taken pictures while I was handling money and talking about WOW and the process of hand rolling each bead from recycled paper. They were “feeling” the colors and forms, lovingly handling them and asking for matching sets of beads and earrings. There were little girls layering beads on their necks and wrists, then extending their hands and admiring the patterns laid out on their skin. It was so much fun watching the buyers!!!!!

So now, next posts will get back to refashioned jewelry…wait, I will be doing a post on Cheese and Jewelry very soon…..isn’t the suspense killing you????

Room for Rumi

Today’s Creative Inspiration comes from the great Sufi poet and mystic,  Jalaluddin Rumu.

When I first read the following words, their beauty stirred such romantic longings within me that I sat, stupefied, in my chair.  Reading Rumi’s words caused my outer mask to vibrate and crack a bit.   And a glorious shining face began to emerge from the mask–whose? mine? 

Some Kiss We Want

from Rumi, the Book of Love, translated by Coleman Barks

 

 

There is some kiss we want
with our whole lives, the touch

of spirit on the body. Seawater
begs the pearl to break its shell.

And the lily, how passionately
it needs some wild darling!

At night, I open the window and ask
the moon to come and press its
face against mine.

Breathe into me. Close the language door and open the love-window.
The moon won’t use the door,
only the window.

 

(I’ve been repairing jewelry for Women of Worth Uganda the past few weeks, and am getting ready to sell it on their behalf on Sunday, the 23rd after a concert of African music in Oakton, Virginia.  )