I became a grandma this week! Little Benjamin was born on November 12, and weighed in at 8 pounds and 3 ounces! He's a quiet and observant little fella...chubby-wubby cheeks...and I am completely smitten with him...and busy with holiday orders (for which I am so incredibly grateful) and helping Em with the baby. I just wanted to share a couple of photographs with you here. I am still recovering from almost living with Em in the hospital for an entire week. She got very sick before she was due to deliver, with sepsis from a nasty kidney infection. To be honest, I thought for a moment that I would loose her. IV antibiotics for an entire week to manage it. I have never been in a constant state of prayer like that before...ever.
Benjamin David
exhausted new grandma and baby Benjamin
I was given the honor of being present during the delivery, and the incredible grace to calmly see my daughter through a very difficult labor and delivery. Her quiet strength astounded me, and renewed my belief in my own inner strength.
I am so looking forward to watching the changing dynamics of our family...seeing the interactions...watching my husband relish being a new grandpa, and having a new baby to hold and talk to...
there is just no limit to the amount of love a heart can hold.
I wanted to share this little idea and photograph sent to me by my dear mama today. She is so creative and crafty!
Simple ingredients:
glass ornament, old rusty spring, chandelier crystal and pillar candle holder! Turn ornament upside-down, attach the crystal, set inside the spring and into the pillar candle holder and....voilà! How nifty is that? I'm thinkin' maybe I'll try it with an old plate instead of a candle holder, and an old Christmas ball instead of the heavy glass ball, I'm thinking with lighter ingredients there might need to be a bit of glue involved.
whatdya think? Feel free to share this idea with friends!
Every time I receive a lovely photo from one of "my brides", it reassures me...and always, always melts my heart. As I have said before, weddings give me such hope. Weddings hold such promise...and I believe in love.
When I create a piece of jewelry for a bride, or for anyone for that matter, I infuse each piece with my greatest hopes and love for the wearer. My customers often say they can feel it when they wear it...that means everything to me.
Lovely Ashlee's Wedding
Ashlee's vintage assemblage bridal comb
Glass Garden, vintage assemblage necklace
Glass Garden
In Love, shabby bridal earrings
Ave Maria, vintage assemblage earrings
I have a grandson coming tomorrow, so I'm busy "nesting" here at home. He and Em will be with us for awhile until she can get on her feet. I cannot even describe to you the excitement I feel when I think of seeing his little face for the first time. I find myself gently shaking my head in disbelief, as I write here in the early morning hours, that nine months have flown by already. It has been a rough road for Em, but I know this little fella will help direct her path from here on out. Yup, I have a very good feeling about him...and about her too...
Em
The next time we talk, I'll be a grandmother for the very fist time...magic!
Warmly,
Jennifer
I've been busy making some of my favorite things for the online
shop....using everyday kinds of objects and elevating them to little
functional assemblage art pieces. I get the inspiration from the curls of wire that I use, from one of my favorite artists, Brian Andreas.
This is a bit time consuming, but fairly straightforward.
Here are the things you will need:
vintage salt shakers sturdy wire, 20 gauge steel is best (check your local hardware store) two part epoxy resin
small paper cups
wooden or plastic sticks for stirring
vintage pins or earrings
metal file or Dremel tool with sanding bit
wire cutters
paper for protecting your surface
paper towels
safety glasses
painters tape (blue)
e-6000 glue
Directions:
First, clean and dry your shakers. Set them on the protective paper on a sturdy, flat surface. Keep the lids off, but set them next to the matching shaker. Put on your safety glasses.
Cut lengths of the wire about 2 1/2" feet long. Curl one end around your finger a bit to shape it and stick the wire down into the shaker bottom. Do this for each one you want to make. To keep from poking your eyes, curl the top tips a bit to round them out.
If you want two curls coming from the top, like mine, use two strands of wire, or make a "V" shape and stick it down in there.
Next, mix about 1/4 of a cup of the resin in the paper cup, stirring with the stick until completely blended. No need to measure perfectly to make 1/4C. Just be sure to add equal amounts of resin into the cup. It usually comes in squeeze bottles, so hold the bottles over your cup in each hand and squeeze them together in unison and it will be right enough for this project! (because no one will see it if it gets bubbly and imperfect.)(It's ok)(Really. It is.)(It will get hard enough to work fine.)(Trust yourself.)
OK, this part is where you have to work quickly. After you have mixed your resin, squeeze your cup a bit to make a pour spout shape at the top that will fit into the top of the shaker. Small enough to pour the resin into the shaker. This can ba a bit tricky if you have a shaker with a narrow top opening! Especially if you already have wire sticking out of the opening. The trick though, is to cover the bottom of the shaker AND the wire in it, so that it will be sturdy when the resin hardens around it.
If you get resin on the shaker, just wipe it off with a paper towel as soon as possible.
Now, slide the shaker top on to the wires, threading it through the holes you want them to go through. Twist on the cap.
Curl the wire, beginning with a small curl, then work your way outward to form a spiral. Now to decorate, be sure to put on your safety glasses, and remove the backs from the pins and earrings with your wire cutters. File the backs down roughly with your file or Dremel tool. Hold them up to the shakers to see where you'd like them to be placed. File that spot on the shaker a bit to roughen it up. Lay it down and put a dot of glue on the roughened area of your pin or earring or whathaveyou. Wait about 30 seconds, then place your vintage element on the roughened spot on the shaker. Use a piece of painters tape over it to hold it in place and set overnight, or wait several hours for the glue to semi-set before adding more pieces on top of that one. The tape peels right off when you're finished.
Whew! We're done!
Please feel free to contact me with any questions. I'm very approachable! Ask me anything. Just leave a comment here with your email address so I can answer. Anonymous is just fine. No hoop jumping allowed here. No letters to decipher and punch in to leave a comment.
milk glass shakers with vintage earrings!
an example of an oil can holder I made
If you don't think you want to fuss with all of those directions, then you can purchase some of these pieces from my etsy shop! I can also do custom orders for weddings. These would make great place holders or displays for any shabby chic wedding. Speaking of weddings, here is a recent shabby bridal comb I've got in the shop right now.
When I feel like giving up, I think about them...the precious brides-to-be that come to me and my shop for the assemblage bridal combs, earrings and bracelets that make them feel beautiful on their most special day. I sometimes hear the voices in my head that say that what I do is meaningless adornment in a world filled with so many more important things. The voices say that I'll never make lots of money, or be well known for my work....the voices say that I am wasting my time. Who do I think I am?
And, I say back to the voices, that maybe I'll never be as successful as others...and maybe I won't ever make the big bucks...but what is important is what I feel when I create, and how others feel when my creations belong to them. I feel incredible bliss when I create that nothing, aside from my children, has ever given me. My work is infused with it. It feels like a divine compulsion...something I must do even when I want to give up because my body won't cooperate, or because life gets too complicated or stressful. I escape into the little world at my desk, where old things are made new again...arranged like flowers in a vase until all of the elements seem just right.
custom bridal comb in vintage silver
Making jewelry for brides is my most favorite thing to create. It is such a humbling experience to receive photographs from "my brides" wearing something I put such deep thought and love into. I see the photographs and I shake my head in wonder and amazement and in thanksgiving for such an honor. Such a joy to be a part of one of the most special times in a woman's life...
Alison's Custom Bridal Comb and Earrings
Jenny's Assemblage Bridal Charm Bracelet
Jenny's Wedding (favorite picture)
Custom Bridal Comb Set with Antique Crinoline (some of my most favorites!)
Melanie's Lovely Australian Wedding
Melanie's Bridal Bracelet and her Beautiful Bouquet
Where do you find your bliss? Tell me about it, won't you?
I've also marked down the whole shop to clear things out for new pieces...come take a peek here.
Em and I and KW have traveled a very rough road together. Her early teen years were extremely troubled, and there were lots of late night talks between my husband and I about what on earth we should do differently...what in the world are we going to do about her? Where did we go wrong? Feeling like failures. Calls to the police. Missing persons reports. Sighs. Yelling. Exasperation. And tears of frustration.
Now Em is expecting her own child. She has settled down and she has discovered a new passion, sewing. She sews for hours....seriously. HOURS. Experimenting with different patterns for baby clothes, making curtains and pillows for the large room she will share here with her baby, who will arrive via induction on the 24th of October. A tiny gift this Autumn, whom I can hardly wait to hold. My other oldest daughter is due in March...so I'll be double grandma within 6 months time. A grandbaby for fall and a grandbaby for spring...my two most favorite times of the year....incredible gifts...
Em looking at her recent sonogram pictures (love this picture)
Lately I've spent more time noticing. I'm not one to live behind my camera lens, but today there were things I wanted to capture.
noticing light in the kitchen
little white dresses we use as kitchen valances
our middle son Christian's huge shoes by the sofa
I was diagnosed with Fabry disease almost two years ago. Sadly, I am now loosing the feeling in my fingers. It is the same neuropathic damage that has already happened with my feet. So I know what is coming. It begins with the softest things. A child's skin, kittens, the underside of mushroom caps...and it progresses. For now it is just the tips of my fingers. I don't know how fast or how slow it will progress. I just know that I am struggling with it. I remind myself that there are others that have it so much worse than me...and that I shouldn't complain too loudly. I talk myself out of tears. I think about selling all of my jewelry making supplies. I consider giving up.
I won't lie to you here and say I'm coping well. I'm not. Not right now anyway. I take it one day at a time. I'm angry. I feel grief. Uncertainty. I feel like I better hurry up and touch everything and burn it into my memory. I cry. I allow myself to feel sadness. I allow myself to feel anger. But I keep it to myself for the most part. I'm not here to elicit sympathy or make you feel sad for me. I am here to gently remind you to relish the little things. Touch everything you can today. Use your fingertips. Really notice it. Touch your child. Caress your own face. Run your fingers through the grass, crumple leaves, hold soap bubbles in the sink, press the tips of your fingers into the underside of a mushroom. Relish it.
And I'm going to keep going. Because, as I also say in this post in 2010, I don't stay down for long. There is just too much to love about living in the moment...
I was inspired to share this amazing video with you by my dear friend Mia.
I have never seen anything so lovely....and I love the music...
I am off once again to the OB with Em. We've been going every week for awhile now, and sometimes in between weeks. It is a bit stressful. Baby Ben is not growing like he should and will need to come by C-section soon. We are just waiting for him to grow just a bit more. He will be a tiny fella when he comes. Em needs your prayers. So do KW and I. We will be caring for them both, which is a blessing, but also very difficult too. I won't go into too many details, but she is young and single and in need of our support right now.
I hope you all have an amazing day! Don't forget that this moment is all you have. I struggle sometimes with being present in the moment, don't you? Life is filled with stress and distractions and worry that robs us of our lives. Like my friend Liz says, Be Present. Be Here. Enjoy her beautiful website today. I find comfort and inspirations there, and wanted to share it with you.
Whew, there are so many, it is hard to choose. I am so grateful to those who take the time to make Etsy Treasuries that feature my assemblage jewelry and artwork. I know how valuable time is! Hope you love all of these lovely hand made Etsy things! I'm welcoming Autumn leaves with open arms...
I made this assemblage necklace with thoughts of my sweet
mother...who since as long as I've been alive, has made work and much
sacrifice of being a secretary and bookkeeper. She began in Washington
D.C. as a page with a little black metal typewriter on her desk, and in
her 20's, we migrated to the south, where i spent most of my life. Every
day after school I called her...and in the background, I'd hear the
chatter of the keys on her typewriter...over the years, as technology
progressed, the keys would become quieter and quieter still...and I was,
and still am, sincerely amazed at the speed of which she can type and
simultaneously converse. Each time I see an eraser wheel such as this, i
think of her...long ago...leaning forward to erase a wayward letter,
while thinking of me and longing to be home.
My mother has
finally taken the leap she has been dreaming of forever. A move toward
the Oregon coast, away from the oppressive heat of the south. A move that
she has dreamed of for years. This necklace is a bit of a homage to
her, and her brave flight toward a new life.
Years
ago, during my first attempt at college in Washington State, I
nervously sat down in a class called British Literature. One of the
first poems we read was "Sailing to Byzantium" by William Butler Yeats. I
fell instantly in love with discussing literature, and the lives of
ancient poets. Here is an excerpt from the poem:
"Once out of nature I shall never take
My bodily form from any natural thing,
But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make
Of hammered gold and gold enamelling
To keep a drowsy Emperor awake;
Or set upon a golden bough to sing
To lords and ladies of Byzantium
Of what is past, or passing, or to come."
I think of that poem and those first amazing college days each time I create something with a boat...
I've wanted to tell you about so much...I've wanted to tell you about how the air is changing and the coolness coming in from outside as I make my assemblage jewelry there in my circle of light in the evenings is such a welcome and wonderful gift. I've wanted to tell you about becoming a grandma soon (somewhere around November 2nd) and how I can hardly wait to look into my tiny grandson's eyes, and how he has transformed my wayward and rebellious older teen into a young woman whom I can sing and laugh with...and how I have his presence to thank for that and how I know that everything that happens, happens for reasons we simply cannot foresee.
I've wanted to tell you about the funny "stink bug" infestation on the last of the melons in the back yard, and about the last of the tomatoes in the garden and the sound of birds I've never heard before as they migrate south through this tiny town in west Michigan... and how every time I think that I am now a bonafide "Michigander" it cracks me up; the 'gander" part particularly.
and I want to tell you about how poorly my spelling has become, but my desire to write and for my work to be read burns in my belly constantly...just that life does not desire me to write much at the moments I most desire to write and that is why I am here now, late in the night, writing. Because this is the only place I find time to write. Here in the quiet spaces of the night before bed...So I write here for anyone who thinks I may have something worth reading amid the busyness of life and of love and of daily exhaustion. ( I know the exhaustion, and that is why I appreciate those who choose to read here more than I can say.)
Funny, I have many partially empty journals dating back 20+ years...journals from my 20's with maybe ten pages out of 50 blank pages filled with random thoughts and scribbles and rants between ex-husbands and diaper changes. After they began to pile up, I simply ripped the few pages out of the journals that had writing and I stuffed them into what I call "the suitcase of life", which is an old and tattered medium-sized vintage suitcase filled with random tangible articles that verify that yes, I once existed here somewhere among the concert programs and the award for honorable mention for poetry for the High School Florida Young Writer's contest in 1986. (which has a typo in the program poem title that was supposed to read "A piece of Blue Glass." but instead reads, "A Piece of Blue Grass." which changed the meaning entirely, don't you think? So everyone at the awards ceremony must have thought, hey that 16 year old kid likes Bluegrass, eh?
I'm rambling. I know.
I want to tell you about my husband, whom I have such a deep admiration for, for so many things...one of them being his ability to paint and draw everything from duplicating the insides of the antique pocket watches he collects and repairs, to painting and drawing amazing portraits.
some of KW's recent Sketches
Even his scribbles or painting for fun with our son becomes artistic...like the day we painted paper plates for fun~
dixie plate portrait
I want to tell you how he planted my favorite flowers in the front yard so that I can see them through the window as I work~
the last of the Queen Anne's Lace and Hydrangeas
I have cleaned my table since the last movie I made for you here. I spent a good few hours sorting and cleaning and it just feels better to have an uncluttered place to work. I've also been working on these, which will be in the shop soon~
functional assemblage art oil can photo holders
the original oil can photo holders by jennifer valentine
I've been busy working on my new website also, SacredCake.com. If you have a moment, stop by and tell me what you think? It is in fairly basic stages, but I work a little each day. I am moving toward having a working shop of my very own running there soon! Until then, you can find my work in the usual place, on Etsy.com under the under name SacredCake, for those of you who may just be dropping by today! (and I'm glad you did!)
So glad you chose to come here.
Blessings to You and Yours,
Jennifer
also, my dear friend Laurie Jacobsen made me a "blinky"! What do you think?
I just love it! (Jenny, you make this so very special!)
In other news, my daughter Emily's pregnancy is doing well, I am looking forward to little Benjamin's arrival sometime in early November! Emily and Ben will be living with us, so i will get lots of grandma time in! I can hardly wrap my mind around it folks! Then, more news came as quite a surprize suprise suprize surprise (i can never ever correctly spell surprise! Am I the only one?!)...my other daughter, Rebecca is also expecting! She is due in March...YES. I'm going to be a grandma twice over within 6 months time.....WHEW. They say they didn't plan it that way....hhhmmmmmm......I wonder.............
OH! I also wanted to tell you about a little trick I do. Sometimes I find decorative candles that I really really like. So, to extend the life of them, I let them burn down about a couple of inches. THEN from then on, I put a small tea light down in the hole and light that instead. I like to use the scented tea lights or just plain ones. I buy a huge bag of them at Michael's and they last a long time! Pretty nifty idea eh?
Thank you for being here today!
Blessings and Light,
Jennifer
It has been finally cooling off in the evenings here in Michigan... I've moved my beloved work table (an old and very shabby french provincial desk found in an old barn) in front of the big window in my studio. I use the term "studio" a bit loosely...it is really kind of a middle room in the middle of the house that we didn't quite know what to do with, so we made it into an office with a loveseat and we kept our old antique buffet table in there too. When Jeremy was born, the "middle room" became a baby room. The buffet turned into a changing table with a nice coat of white paint and a purchased changing pad...diapers and baby clothes in the drawers. it was perfect! We added a rocking chair and a baby swing in the room too...
Now that Jeremy is 6, the changing table has conveniently become my shipping table! It works out very well. I have a long surface to weigh, wrap and package my sales and the drawers hold envelopes and boxes and tissue paper and other office supplies...(good idea huh?)
So, now the "middle room" is my studio/shipping area where I create the vintage assemblage jewelry for Sacred Cake, and I share it with my husband, who is a painter and also loves to repair pocket watches when he isn't writing his dissertation or gardening or working with disabled adults or being a dad. He is a very busy man!
I made a kind of silly little movie for you tonight. Just a peek into my evenings in the middle room studio. I often talk about working in my "circle of light". Well, it is a drab goose necked 1940's office desk lamp with one of those special daylight bulbs in it...and I think it needs a paint job soon...
I got the nifty Buddha fountain at Target. You can find it here, but it is out of stock online. Check your local store instead. Oh, and it says it has a trickling sound.....well, no such trickle. But it is a nice soothing water feature to have on my desk nonetheless. I really enjoy it.
If you have time, I want to share a few of my Favorite Etsy finds with you also!
I treated myself to this last week from Mireio on Etsy. She went above and beyond to find a "bigger girl" sized slip for me and dyed it the lovely deep purple color I requested. The price was very right and it arrived wrapped beautifully! I really felt like I mattered to her. And it I feel so beautiful in it! It is perfect with a jacket and leggings or over jeans. Click on the photo or the link above to visit her shop.
my custom hand dyed slip. photo courtesy of Mireio.
I also fell in love with MemrieMare on Etsy. Completely in love with the color and the texture of this hand dyed ribbon. She has amazingly gorgeous colors....and the German glass glitter stars are so perfectly beautiful. Thickly glittered only on one side, so they can be stuck securely anywhere you need them to sparkle!
Robin Egg hand dyed Ribbon. photo by MemrieMare on Etsy.
German glass glitter stars. photo by MemrieMare on Etsy.
and last, but definitely not least, I purchased this spray from Rhea at SweetsnThings on Etsy. Rhea was very kind and added a bit of Cedar scent to the lavender linen and room spray. Just a heavenly scent, if you haven't tried it! The price is great (6.50!) and the label and deep green bottle are very pretty and so nice to keep next to my bed. I spritz a bit on my pillows before I go to sleep. Very soothing! Great customer service too.
lavender and cedar room spray. photo by SweetsnThings on Etsy
These Etsyers did not give me any "kickback" for this post about them...I don't buy things "just for me" very often, and when I do, I like to get the same caring and personal service that I give to my customers. I'm just very pleased with my shopping experience. That is what shopping on Etsy should be...an experience, right? You won't be disappointed with these sellers.
By the way, I'm not going to tell you just how many times I had to fix a misspelled word while writing this post! I need to go back to grammar school! Spell check saves me every time...
Blessings and Light to you all and thank you for being here with me today!
Jennifer
