An Inexpensive Water Feature Idea

For quite some time I had been wanting some kind of water feature in our home. The sound of trickling water is soothing to me...but I was never happy with the ones available in the stores. Most of them were plasticky and kinda cheesy. The ones I was happy with were in the expensive home and garden catalogs and stores and completely out of my price range! As I was visiting the Salvation Army thrift store last week, I happened upon a fountain that I thought had some potential. It was just a simple square shallow pot with graduated glass slabs...what really got me was the fantastic price of just 4.00.
I took the guts out of the fountain and put them in a huge ironstone bowl from my ever growing collection of ironstone, and placed that on a large ironstone platter...and I got this:

Though I am not in love with the black cord trailing from the bowl (I guess I could have painted it white?), still not too shabby for four bucks...and I didn't even expect the light to work! So many variations for this. If you see a cheap fountain that may not be aesthetically pleasing, you can paint the outside of it, or even the inside if you use that spray paint used especially for plastic. Or you could just take out the pump and you can make a fountain out of a pile of those clear stones you can get by the bag full at Walmart or Michael's. Just pile them up around the pump in a container and add water...and maybe even some floating candles? You could use cups and saucers glued together with marine glue (glue for boats) or clear caulk. The hardware store always has clear hose available by the foot so you can go as high as you'd like. You could use a stack of terracotta pots and thread the hose through the holes in the bottoms to the top of the stack....or use the good 'ole standby; rocks. You can get pretty, smooth stones at any craft store....or how about tumbled glass? Or slate? Oh my, the possibilities!

Such a Lovely Treasury

I was honored for my steel moon earrings to be included in this amazing treasury by Voladoradesign....

You can get to the clickable one Here.
Forgive my absence. I've been struggling with some issues with the arthritis in my spine. But I'll be back very soon with some fun and easy projects, a spotlight on my favorite jewelry designer, AND a some very special give aways.
xoxo
Jennifer

Buddha and a Church Lady for Free Friday

The handwriting is from a long and skinny antique ledger kept by a woman for a church describing the daily events...I love the handwriting so much... she gently writes of gatherings and food, baptisms and visits and tithes and such. Old ledgers are one of my most favorite paper things.

The next picture is from an old text book about Japan. I've always wanted to travel there. My Great Grandfather spent some time in Okanawa after the war and his whole house was infused with the orient. My most favorite thing was his collection of chopstick rests. Though I am a Christian, my thoughts are also infused with the teachings of Buddha...I even have several Buddha statues in my home. The serene expressions on their faces, a constant reminder of peace.

What? No Fireplace? Well then...I have just the idea....

We like a nice fireplace at our house. If we had one, that is...don't know why we didn't think of this so much sooner. My husband and I found an old gas "fireplace" for 20 bucks at our favorite antique place. I knew in an instant what I wanted to do when he pointed it out, and it was this:

Then at night, it looks like this:

I will most likely add a lot more candles as soon as I get to the store to buy some of those clear votive holders....but I thought this was pretty darn nifty. I also like the idea of filling it with old bottles of singular flowers. You could even fill it with mason jars of fresh flowers, or it can be decorated with greens for the holidays...or even some old glass balls and white Christmas lights bunched up inside of it. Lots of different things to make it your own.

The Real Thing

(This necklace is currently for sale in my Etsy shop)

The comments that I received from my last post have at times, left me in awe. Speechless...and those who know me personally know that isn't an easy task. I've always been a talker....and I was always the "loud kid". The "talker".
I just want you to know that you're on my mind every day. Yes, you...those of you reading this now....and those of you who left such kind and heartfelt comments about my last post.
Thank you for taking precious time to read my simple blog. To hear what I have to say. To witness my ramblings and creations and musings and not be scared off by my mention of talking to God. ( And I really do have a big black, no; two big black heavy and working rotary phones in the house!)
I always hesitate about mentioning God like I did in my last post or in my articles, in fear that I will be labeled a "Bible Thumper" or a "Holy Roller" among other things, but the truth is that I am a believer. I have had my doubts and my struggles but I always come back to the mystery of faith.
I have a quote from Proverbs over my table that brings me the greatest peace during times I question my belief and question my life and question my God and it is this:

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart,
and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him
and he shall direct thy paths."

The line that really stands out to me is
-and lean not unto thine own understanding.

There are some days when this is all I have to hold on to. That everything happens for a reason. That it will all come together and make sense to us eventually.  That it is ok to not have all of the answers....That professing my faith is never going to be a "bad move."

Thank you for sharing your journey with me.
Deepest,
heartfelt,
Thanks.

On the Old Rotary Phone with God

Today I am listening to the Patty Griffin station on Pandora and enjoying the rest of the day from behind the big picture window glass because it is so damn hot this afternoon. You know summer isn't my favorite season. The house is still today. Well, at least for a little while, so we can talk. The cats are all napping. Jeremy is watching Wubbzy. And Pandora is singing through the speakers to me to just breathe. Just breathe....

This morning, you gave me a sign. At least i think it was a sign. Could you confirm that?
I wandered outside with thoughts of mylifethusfar. How long will I live now that I have this so called rare disease....I....I  mean this gift? This thing that has opened my eyes so wide to the wonder of it all and at the same time fills them with tears? Is what I am doing relevant to the world? Is it worthwhile? Does anyone really care about these pictures of sunflowers for the new blogpost or the new earrings I made last night? Am I on the right path? Sometimes the voices in my head get really really loud about how stupid all of this is. How no one reallycaresaboutjewelry. How no one really readsyourstupidbloganyway. How it's too late for me. I shouldhavestartedthissooner.
And so I ask you, God, what is true? What is real?
Sometimes the tears stream down my face at night (Of course when everyone is asleep you know, so I don't upset anyone) in a mix of deepest gratitude and Amen and why me and mixes of grief and joy; I get confused God. I get confused. What is my purpose here?
Anyway, back to the sign. I think this was it.....I think it was.



Am I right? Were you trying to tell me that I am only just beginning? That my wings haven't even fully opened yet? That I am beautiful? That life is all about experiences and we can only ever be what we leave behind in the hearts and minds of others? That I'm going to be alright?
Thank you. I really needed that, God. I really did. Yes, I think I'm going to be ok. Thanks for answering the phone. Sometimes I wonder if this old rotary phone still works but I love it so......

Sunday Morning and it's Lena Horne

Yesterday, my son Christian brought this home for me. He remembered I had been searching with hope that another vintage record player would come along to replace the one that came here to Michigan with us in the little U-haul so many years ago...and here it is. Complete with a beautiful glowing light on the off and on knob. And finally, Lena Horne can be set free to waft and roam the rooms downstairs as I cook and as I create and as my little one plays quietly...all of us soothed by the crackling and popping sounds of yesterday. And later, it will be Willie and Barbara and James and Simon and Garfunkle, Crystal and Linda and Rod....I've yet to find her but I am hoping, so hoping someday Billie will come to stay with us too. My beloved, my favorite songstress of all, Miss Billie Holiday....

Artful Blogging, and Gratitude

I flip the pages and arrive at my article in the current issue of Artful Blogging. It is a surreal experience. I am somewhat stunned I guess. How did I get here? My heart printed on pages for the world to see. In the article I speak of blogging and how it has helped heal my heart after my father's death....and there is still a lot of healing to do...
Another wonderful part of this amazing gratitude package is that my sister, Kelly Rae is in this issue as well. That makes it so much more special.

The photos taken with my little 'ole Sony runofthemill digital camera, are there on the pages. I shake my head in disbelief. Did I really take those pictures? Humbled. I am truly humbled.

Yesterday I was reading my daughter this post. I wrote about why I use Queen Anne's Lace as my "icon" or "brand". She said that I should be a writer. And I said, I am a writer. I am.

Luminosity

They seem to appear from the canvas,
with searching eyes, somehow manifesting from the drips and smears;
a soul of their own doing.
Brought to life through his hands,
these waywards finally at rest.
A life story made real
yet transient and fleeting
as the fog rolling by
the car windows on a sultry nighttime ride.
Luminous
soft
fluid
and
smoldering
from the palette of his dreaming.

(Untitled acrylic on canvas)

("Speed" acrylic on canvas)

("Transgressions" acrylic on canvas)

(Jeremy, crayon and acrylic on canvas)

("Apparition"acrylic on panel)

( These are an example of work by my husband, Ken Morford.  His online Etsy shop is still under construction,but  inquiries about purchasing paintings are welcome. His blog contains a little more about his work. Click here.
Ken is also a poet. You may find his beautiful poetry here.
I am a lucky girl. Surrounded here at home by his talent, and graced with his words.

True North

I received this letter today. It was resting upright on my jewelry table when I awoke this morning. Of course the tears came...in this letter he speaks of our favorite song together, Float On by Modest Mouse. And in the top right hand corner his letter says "True North". Something I told him years ago that he never forgot. I talked with him about what it meant and how to know if he was truly heading in the right direction in his life...what made him truly happy...and what his personal True North is. He has overcome so much in his 15 years of life. A rare congenital disorder, learning disabilities, being teased and bullied in school because he is so different. Still, he remains the tender hearted, creative, hopeful child filled with questions and wonder that he has been from the very beginning. My compass. My constant.
This child of mine....this child, holds a constant mirror to my soul. (I am tearful with joy and gratitude as I write this.) Such joy I find in my children...I know how fortunate I am. I know....
He says to me in his sweet letter, written in his best hand, that my father would be proud of me. That Jerry would be proud and that I am stronger than most and that he is proud of me....and to remind me, that no matter what, no matter how heavy things get, we will all float on alright.....my dear child, this I know. We will float on.....and on. Alright.

For Free Friday: An Exquisite Bird Illustration (my favorite) from an 1876 Almanac

Another favorite of mine is birds...this is a particularly stunning engraving from an 1876 Almanac. I have included the cover. Though it is quite damaged, it is a nice example of the typography of the time. It is hard for me to believe that I actually own something made of such delicate paper, that is 134 years old. I found this, and most of my antique paper collection in a dumpster several years ago. I was stunned to see that a family, cleaning out a home after an estate sale, threw volumes of old family photographs, paper antiquities such as this, and other antique items away. To them, these things had no value. To me, they are priceless.

Keep your eyes out for the next giveaway. It will be fun! (I am almost finished with the cabinet card and ephemera packages and I'll be mailing those out tomorrow. August 1st.)

Assemblage Necklace Display Project Idea (easy and fun!)

I thought I'd share a little project with you today. It is a necklace holder/display created with vintage glass knobs and a hunk of antique door frame. I really love it...
It is a very simple project!

Materials:
1 Hunk of old wood
Several vintage glass knobs
Wood screws that fit the size of the knob and long enough to screw at least 1/2" into the wood
Picture hanging hardware (or two screws and some wire) 
Screwdriver

Directions:
Decide how you want your necklaces to hang on the hunk of old wood. Screw the knobs on, taking care not to screw down the screws too tight and crack the glass. Nail on the hanging hardware. Hang on wall. Display your favorite necklaces.
This project could have hundreds of creative variations!

Assemblage Necklace Display

Necklaces from some of my favorite Etsians

Playing with Light, Dreaming of Autumn and Christmas in July

Provincial Earrings

Egyptian Alabaster and Turquoise Earrings

I was gone all day today, and in my rush to get some creations posted, I caught the last bit of evening light right here are the desk. No tripod. No fancy background. Just the window, a piece of printer paper and the light. I thought these photographs came out fairly well for such a quickie operation.

There is still time to catch my Christmas in July sale! Everything in the shop has been marked down, with an additional 10% off of necklaces and bracelets.

These days, I've been thinking quite a bit about Autumn. Maybe because of the oppressive heat wave we've been having? I'll be posting some more summer colors very soon, along with some very rich fall pieces using beautiful polished tiger's eye, tumbled garnets, golds and plum.
More soon!
P.S. Still a few envelopes left for the ephemera and cabinet card giveaway!

Gratitude on "One of Those Days"

Today is one of those days. One that I need to focus more intently on what I refer to as my "Mental Gratitude List". I have days like this. I do. Days when I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. OK, a lot overwhelmed. A little of feeling sorry for myself mixed with feeling like I'm not doing enough. Not being enough. Not a good enough parent, mother, sister, writer, maker, wife, friend....insert various roles. Feeling undeserving of the incredible and lovely words I read from those who take the time to write and to comment. Days where the sweetness doesn't come easily and I have to keep readjusting my focus. Bringing back my awareness to the now.
I have become acutely aware of the preciousness of time. Maybe because it seems to evade me somehow. Like sand through my fingers. It always seems to me that there is not enough of it. (Though there is always enough sand.) There are days that I am angry at my body because I hurt, or am exhausted for no apparent reason and I don't want to sleep. I feel that if I sleep, I'm giving up. I'm missing out. I'm not enough. And I feel like my body has betrayed me.
But I didn't come here to whine or elicit sympathy. I really didn't. I came to share with you some of the things that are on my mind; but most of all, some things that are on "the list" today.

Waking up in the middle of the night with Alice, one of our kittens, curled up next to me. Here she is, asleep in the sun.

The remnants of sunsets that I can see from the back steps of our home. Black outlines of the trees against the open sky. Sometimes the entire sky is pink...and on a moonless night, laying in the back yard beneath the sky with the children and laughing under the stars.

The scent of a freshly cut lemon.

The sound of my children laughing.

and always, him.......

                                             
What's on your list today?                   

Free Friday (on Saturday Night), and a little Giveaway fun!

I have quite a large collection of antique cabinet cards... These are a few of my favorites. I'd like to send random cabinet cards to the FIRST TEN people who respond to my Free Friday (on Saturday night) post and ask for them! I'll send one to each person, along with some other vintage goodies. Just for fun! You can email me your address at sacred_cake@yahoo.com...and I promise I won't show up at your door, nor add you to any junk mail lists. Pinky Promise.
I got this Giveaway idea from one of my favorite Assemblage Jewelry Designers, "Fanci" at FanicfulDevices on Etsy. When you get a chance, click the above link, stop by her shop and tell her SacredCake sent you!

Crystal Springs and Dreams of the Sea, assemblage necklaces and Stories of Water and Wonder

When I was a girl, I went to Crystal Springs, Florida with my family...and rode in a glass bottomed boat. I will never forget seeing the fish swimming under the boat as we cruised along....the water, was so clear that you could see the bottom from where you sat in the boat...we gathered around a window to the springs....a window to the summer of my youth. I remember being a little scared, but feeling the comfort of family enough to bravely drape my little sun-kissed hand over the side of the boat and let my fingers trail in the coolness of the spring water....Yes, this necklace is about coolness and clarity, and summer and family, and the beauty and silent wonder of water.
You can see more of it here.

Then, there are Dreams of the Sea... several years ago when I could still feel the gentle rush of the ocean over my toes, and the crush of tiny shells beneath my feet; I fed the seagulls on the Jacksonville shore with my mother. It is my absolute fondest memory to date...our hearty laughter mixed into with the whipping ocean winds and the cries of a huge flock of gulls overhead. They were so close we could look into their eyes, and they were riding on the wind...somehow they remained stationary above us, and all vying for the perfect spot to catch the next morsel. Some were brave enough to eat right from our outstretched hands. I remember the feel of a rough beak grasping the tips my fingers for a moist crust of bread, and the boisterous laughter and  the wonder in my mother's bright eyes when she looked at me... In that moment, it was only she and I and the ocean and everything else between us dropped away; lost to time... lost to the sea.

You can see more of this necklace here.

Every Little Thing Gonna Be Alright

Last night I broke down just a little...just a little. At my jewelry table in the darkness (surrounded by the circle of light from my old desk lamp), after reading an email from one of my most precious patrons. There was a feeling of profound gratitude for her words mixed with a deeper sadness. Kind of feeling sorry for myself mixed with the sweetness of life and the knowing of how fragile it is. How transient we all are.
...focusing on others tends to keep that ghost away. The ghost of sorrow and worry and the confusion of the questions and the why me?
I have thought about sharing what I am going to share with you this morning, and whether I should. I have told one of my special customers, my dear LoveLady about it, and a few friends and family. Maybe I fear that it will be minimized and brushed aside again, as it has by some so close to me.

But this is real and this is my truth. I suffer daily from quite a bit of physical pain due to arthritis in my spine, and a very rare disease I was recently diagnosed with, called Fabry's Disease. It causes severe nerve damage and severe pain among many other disturbing things....it shortens life. It makes life a little harder. And then a lot harder later on.  A little sweeter too...in a strange way, and I'm scared. That's it. I'm scared.

Over the past two years, I have gradually lost the feeling in my feet almost completely now. Nerve damage is a strange thing...I can no longer feel the dewy morning grass or warm beach sand beneath my feet, but I can feel the pain of my nerves that rage at me incessantly because of their lack of feeling....and now the dullness is creeping up my shins....and I am now loosing feeling in the tips of my fingers. That's where it starts. I knew it would come, I just didn't know how soon. I've been dropping things...
And so it begins; the loss of my hands. And I feel helpless.

I have accepted the loss of my feet. I had hope that a rare treatment option, a monthly two week infusion, would bring them back, though I know that once a nerve is severely damaged it is gone forever.
But now, my hands are leaving me. My tools of bliss. My joy. My life is here....in these weathered gems with which I speak.
There is a treatment available, yes. There is. But not just yet. It doesn't always work. Sometimes the treatment is worse than the illness. And I think the letter I received from the company the other day took some of my hope with it as I filed it away...it basically said, that treatment (the infusions) will be delayed indefinitely. No new patients. My heart sank.
This translates into more pain and more damage to my body ...but the worst part. The worst possible part, is that this disease has a hold of one of my children. Her treatment has also been delayed. Fabry's has been given a beautiful pale-skinned canvas...to paint what it will...to muddy the colors of her perfectly painted insides....to ravage her spirit.

Last night, as I sat creating under my little circle of light in the 2 a.m. darkness, I began singing this song to her as she slept near me. And I woke up with it in my head and thought I'd share it. I am thinking of us. E. and you out there and me here, and how we are all here together. Each of us with a story to tell. Each one of us, touched by pain of some kind. Each one of us so fragile. So human. So needy.

Each day, I search for God. And each day I find God; even in my sorrow and in the questions.
This morning, I found God in my childs breath rising softly from the early morning. This morning God was in my prayer for healing for me, for my talented and quirky E. and for all of us. This morning is a gift, and somehow this illness has become a gift. Life has more intensity. More purpose. More urgency. More beauty. More intricacy.
God was the sunrise and the song and the gift of another day.
This morning, God was Bob Marley with a sideways sunrise... and a laugh when after much trial and error, alas, I couldn't figure out how to fix it upright.

Studio Views

...well, it really is more of a laundry room turned place to house my burgeoning collection of old things. I can't sit in there yet, but I am working on that part. Other things are still stashed all over the house and then there is a corner of my own where I can sit and create jewelry, my true passion, late into the night. I am truly a fortunate girl. In one of my all time favorite books, Simple Abundance, I remember Sarah talks often of how order in your environment creates a sense of peace. I agree. I feel so  much more at ease now that my collections are where I can easily see them and enjoy the possibilities for future compilations. Assemblages are second to jewelry making these days, but I feel their pull each day...the objects call to me to wed them, one to the other to the other. Rusty old skates and bed springs, big Ben clocks that beg for paper wings, radio tubes, old frames, hairpins and as I discussed in my prior post, massive amounts of all types of vintage and antique papers all clamoring for my affections and the squeeze of my hands. Soon my pretties......soon.

         ( a favorite drawer)

For Free Friday today...Antique Postcards from Varese, Italy (and a tiny...confession)

Such architecture and finery...
I found these as I was cleaning my little studio yesterday...there is a whole set, joined together by twill and they fold over one another, but I won't bore you with the whole set...have I told you of my secret? Well, I imagine if I am telling you, it won't be a secret any longer, but here it is:
I have a "thing" for old paper.
I have an extensive collection of antiquated and vintage paper things. Not just the usual postcards and photographs, but hunks and bits and pieces of old stained cardboard from the backs of picture frames, book covers, stamps, catalogs, life magazines, stacks and stacks of old books, sheet music, old letters, vintage typed documents, ledgers, journals, newspapers, doilies, antique negatives...even vintage pastry crust liner and shelf paper and bits and rolls of very old wallpaper.....until now, only close friends and my children knew of my secret. It feels good to share it here. I have enough old paper for years and years of "Free Friday" downloadable stuff....won't you stay awhile?

WINNER of the Giveaway!

Susan, you won the little oil can assemblage featured in the current issue of Somerset Life...would you contact me so I can send it to you?
How I chose the winner:
I wrote each of your names on a little piece of paper, folded it, placed them in a favorite bowl....swished your names around, while I said a small prayer....my hopes for you, my gratitude for your presence and for each of you to proceed with your dreams as if you couldn't fail. My hope is that I helped shine a little light on your dreams to keep them alive. That was the reason I asked for your comment.
So please proceed.....as if......you could not....fail.
This life,
this one life,
is all we get.
Live inside your dreams. Even if it is just a tiny step at a time.
Make a plan. Dream BIG.
Why not?
What is the worst that could happen?
You won't know, until you try.
So try.
Find someone who is supportive. Someone you can tell your ideas and dreams to....If you feel you don't have anyone, then write to me. I will hear you. I will support you.
Don't feel silly.
You matter.

Talisman of the Sea, a vintage assemblage necklace

Talisman of the Sea;
amid the reports of bomb vests
and shootings
and those who are lost,
you are here
to remind me of the sound
of the sea shore--
the earth
breathing life;
throwing itself at our feet
over and over and over
again.
Love me.
Love me.
Love me.
Love me....

This vintage assemblage necklace is for sale in my shop right here.

Tears for the Bookbinder's Son, an antique assemblage

It has been quite some time since I've created an assemblage. I have been focusing my energies on creating "functional" artwork and jewelry. I think this is actually the first though, that I have had a specific feeling behind the creating of it...I guess maybe more an emotion...or quite simply; grief.
This piece is about my father, as a way of expressing some of the emotions I've experienced since his death. Looking through old journal pages the other day, I came across pages from a time many years ago, in which I struggled with debilitating depression. I often had days in which I simply needed to list "what was good"...as if seeing it in writing made it somehow more real. It helped to keep more focused on what was important and what was, in fact good. Going over my list, I came upon an entry that stole my breath and made me choke on the sobs that wanted to escape from my throat. Just one line in my short list that day, of what was good:
"Hearing my father's laughter."
I have good days that string together one to another to another, when I think the worst of it is over....and then there are those days when my heart feels as if a heavy stone is tied tightly to it and the tears leak from behind my eyes no matter how I try to stay out of the shadows of grief and focus on the light.

p.s.(I took these shots without a tripod, by the way, thus creating the not so crisp pictures...I have since ordered a little tripod.)