Soul Humming

Quickly

hope is the dream of a man awake - large enameled heart

thank you all for your kind notes to me. i always try to reply to everyone but sometimes i just can't. with my wrist on the war path and deadlines sliding past, i haven't been able to. and 'sorry to be away so long. i'll be posting when i am able. but with my body on the fritz, i'm trying to behave, which doesn't come easily for me.

i am busy working on my ornaments for the 12 Days of Christmas Exchange (which actually will have 13 days this year). but i can't show you those because they are always a surprise to be opened on their appointed day. i'm day number 10 this year so it will be a while before i can show you what i'm working on. i've had to enlist help due to my wrist. that makes me nuts. but, it is what it is and i'm trying to be patient (not an easy virtue either).

i have things to show you but the photos are either not taken or still in my camera. i'm not so much fun today, am i? oh, i can show you this 8" x 8" piece i made for kristen.

it is part of a group gift where several people made squares of the same size and ruth put them all together in a wall-hanging. kristen loves jane austen so each piece was to contain a quote from one of her books. mine says "the very first moment i beheld him my heart was irrevocably gone." it has vintage velvet ribbon and flowers from my husband's grandmother. it is pretty textural and then finished off with a thick coat of glossy medium so it super shiny. if you click here you can see photos from kristen's surprise tea party for her birthday.

tid-bits

i've been laid up in the bed for a while this week. i really, really hate this sort of thing. my body decides it has has enough and refuses to move without pain and spasm. i did finally visit a chiropractor yesterday and am writing with my wrist in a brace and back on the mend (fingers crossed). yadda, yadda, rest and ice. who has time for that?

in the few moments when i wasn't grinding my teeth or singing praises to the heating pad i painted little bits for the painted faces envelope round robin. here are some tiny peeks then i have to go rest...

 

i added a cloaked secret agent to the wild pink and orange zoo.

 

more bunnies. these two are guardians of the highest order. i'm hoping their healing powers will be felt by my renegade ribs.

chow!

Rabbit, Run

Her New Home

acrylic on 9" x 12" wooden panel

Hammered and Etched

The last couple days I've been making earrings. Only two pairs so far but I really do like the design of them and hope to make more as time allows. 

These are hammered brass with faceted iolite.

These have a secret handwritten love note etched on them.

 

the backs are fun, too.

 

They're both for sale in my Etsy store if you would like them for yourself.

Ring Around the Rosie

i've been making rings.

I've been using brass and copper and silver.

and a variety of semi-precious gemstones.

Dark and shiny labradorite

Cherries Jubilee

The stones on this one will keep you entertained as you can spin them round and round. It can be your very own portable prayer wheel.

I've made another one (my favorite one) but I'm not sure where it is currently. I'm terrible about wearing my jewelry and taking it off to work, be it at the computer, jewelry bench or the kitchen. And then it sort of travels about until I find it again. As long as kitty doesn't get it, I'll find it soon enough.

Creepy Good

Once a week my sweet mother-in-law picks the kids up at school and spends the day with them. This week my sister-in-law played along with them, too, and they made these creepy cool cupcakes.

There was a mummy, a cat, a black widow spider, frankenstein, and many other fun monsters. With cinnamon spice and red velvet under those mounds of frosting, these are sure to magically disappear.

She also gave me a ghostly spoon and a vampire spatula from Williams Sonoma along with Halloween themed silicon cupcake cups. She's such a sweetie.

I'm off to the second school Halloween party of the day. I hope you are having a great Friday!

Flower Pod

I'm digging the enamel class I've been taking. I like having an appointed time and place  to work. It is easy to get lost in the flotsam and jetsam of life and not accomplish much. But with a plan and a purpose, I am happy.

Last week I made this...

It's a flower pod. Well, it's a flower. No, it is a flower-pod.

It is very long. Where's my ruler? It is seven inches long from the top of the bail to the bottom of the petals. It also doubles as a party horn. ;0)

 

It is made of sheet copper that I put through the rolling mill to get this great bubbly texture. Then it was cut and filed and annealed and shaped and curled and hammered and enameled and sawed and given a dark patina and polished on and on.

 

Inside it is lined with transparent red enamel. And it has enamel and seed beads to create the stamens of the flower. It is a good piece, I think. I like it. I would like to make many of them, some the same and some smaller. But they are a lot of work. And I have new things to learn. So we'll see what comes next.

moccasin flowers

by mary oliver

All my life,
so far,
I have loved
more than one thing,

including the mossy hooves
of dreams, including'
the spongy litter
under the tall trees.

In spring
the moccasin flowers
reach for the crackling
lick of the sun

and burn down. Sometimes,
in the shadows,
I see the hazy eyes,
the lamb-lips

of oblivion,
its deep drowse,
and I can imagine a new nothing
in the universe,

the matted leaves splitting
open, revealing
the black planks 
of the stairs.

But all my life--sofar--
I have loved best
how the flowers rise
and open, how

the pink lungs of their bodies
enter the fore of the world
and stand there shining
and willing--the one

thing they can do before
they shuffle forward
into the floor of darkness, they
become the trees.

Pondering The End - Day 13

"It will be found, in fact, that the ingenious are always fanciful, and the truly imaginative never otherwise than analytic."

- Edgar Allan Poe

Day 13 draws to close our POEtic exchange. Miss Martha (aka Martha Brown) is waltzing in to be analytical, or in the eyes of Edgar, truly imaginative. See for yourself...

 

Washed ashore screaming Nevermore is lucky thirteen. What will be inside this wrapping? We can't wait. Let's see it...

 

It is a soft and black book made of fabric.

 

The spine is sewn up with jet black braid.

 

The back whispers Shadow Dreamer to lure you along.

"And all my days are trances
  And all my nightly dreams
Are where thy dark eye glances
  And where thy footstep gleams—
In what ethereal dances
  By what eternal streams."

- Poe, from, To One in Paradise

 

And finally inside there is a note from sweet Martha telling you that this is a book for keeping your pins and needles. How perfectly fitting! And how fabulous! As I never know where to find a pin or needle this little black book arrives right on time. Thank you, thank you, oh so much, Martha! I love it.

And, because Martha is so sweet, she's giving away one of these dear books at her blog. So go visit and get one for yourself!

So as we say goodbye to the POEtic celebration, I encourage you to start right now to gather up your friends for an exchange such as this. It is wonderful for Christmas or Hanukkah. The 12 Days of Christmas is a great exchange. I am in such a swap with Christmas ornaments each year. It is such a happy group and we have so much fun. Cousins, aunts, uncles, sisters, friends...Gather them all. You can make your ornaments or buy your ornaments. You open one a day as we did in the Poe exchange. Only you open them in the 12 days leading up to Christmas day. I hope you will join in the game and spread some joy. Thank you for spending time with me during our darkly lovely POEtic exchange.

Poe - Eleven and Twelve

"Never to suffer would never to have been blessed. "

- Edgar Allan Poe

 

Day Eleven came all the way from the Netherlands. It is created by the effervescent Catherine van der Hoeff...

sigh...typepad will not let me center my images. it's going to be that kind of post...my apologies. but you can still see how beautiful catherine made her gift's wrapping. they are all sewn up in red fabric bags with lovely tags to make you happy.

And once the thread was pulled and snipped I found this pretty, pretty...

It's a lovely mixed media canvas complete with Raven...

 
Poe and a tiny, soft wire-wrapped egg. And I can hang it either way. So clever, so great. Thank you again, Catherine!

Onto Day 12 which comes from dear Liz Gale. I might have had way too much fun with the little Poe box Liz sent to me...

Poe, in hand

Poe, as crab

Poe, as mermaid

My kitten also enjoyed the little Poe box. I kept finding the box in the floor and under furniture. She would bat it off the table where I kept all the gifts and play soccer around the house. But, this seemed very agreeable to Mr. Poe box. I'm sure by the time Day 12 arrived I saw his smile peeping out. And then, inside the wee Poe box, there was this...

Can you see what it is, perched here on the lips, ready to be spoken?

It is my own little pocket Poe!

 

Inside is the poem, The Raven, every word, ready to be carried and read and loved wherever I may roam. It's so delightful! It is just fabulous! Thank you, thank you, Liz, for this tiny treasure. It is, unfortunately, being enjoyed by everyone...

Naughty Margo Polo ran off with Poe in her mouth! Luckily, my little book was fine.

Poppy gets lectured about how she cannot play with the book. But she looks rather hypnotized instead. Must be that Raven.
 
 I will have to tell you about the last gift tomorrow. I've been here far too long and it is late yet there is still much to do away from this glowing box. All God's blessings to you all. xo-k

 
 
 
 

 

 

 

Poe is Back - Days 9 and 10

When I left you last I believe I had just wrapped up (or unwrapped, as the case may be) Day 8 of the POEtic gift exchange. And I can attest that the gifts opened in your absence have been Fierce!

First up for your perusal and admiration is super fun Day 9 from my lovely friend, Julie Molina

 

the kids had quite the tug of war over that red pencil topper monster

but, lucky me, i didn't have to fight with anyone for the gorgeous gift inside!

it's a Raven-inspired fabric cuff!

And it is reversible with sweet red stitches on both sides!

It's all Treats for me! Thank you, thank you, Julie!! I love it!

And, if that weren't enough...there's much more!

Day 10 comes from my BFF Pilar Pollock...

 

 

Her gift was with me when I was almost swept out to sea. And inside was a new friend to guide me back to the beach through the darkness...

 

My Very Own Dark Tell Tale Hearted Bat!

 

Isn't it so fabulous?! I can't begin to imagine all the work Pilar put into this. She never does anything halfway. It is so wonderful! I can't thank you enough for your splendid spooky gift, Pip!

Okay, I'm off to celebrate the third birthday of the weekend (one son, one friend, one nephew). It's been busy but also very joyful. I'll catch you up on the last of the Poe gifts and new pieces of jewelry from me as soon as I can.

xoxo - kelly

Auctions are Ending!

Pendant by Shari Beaubien

All the auctions for A Charming Exchange are ending within the next three hours or so. Please come over and bid on some beautiful pieces. We still have one piece that has no bids! You can walk away with a gorgeous piece of jewelry and help raise money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Click this link to go straight there.

 

Pendant by Katie Kendrick

Ten Ten Ten

I bet you're thinking, what? It's not day 10 of the POEtic gift exchange, Kelly, it's day nine. And you are right, if you are thinking that (and oh my gosh day nine's gift was so, so Awesome!!). But tomorrow, my little guy...

 

 

 

is turning 10!

i cannot believe he will be ten years old. my mind is boggled, completely boggled, by how quickly the time has flown past. i am sure he is still three and a half. in my heart he is frozen at that age right before his brother was born. that was such a sweet time when i had just one little boy, my first little boy, and we were so excited for the arrival our second little boy. and now they are both so big and so very loved.

so i've had to divert my attention from my present opening to preparations for his present opening.

i'll be back with my previously scheduled Poe antics shortly.

Eight Eight Eight

Eight is one of those words that just looks completely wrong. E-I-G-H-T. How the heck can that spell eight? Can you tell that blogging every day is starting to take a toll on me? Bring on the snark! Bring on the funk! Bring on the eight!

Today is the eighth day of our POEtic gift exchange at The Altered Guild. And today's gift comes from the delightful Dawn Sellers.

 

I was very curious about this one. It was in a little box which, once opened revealed itself to be a box you keep slides in. I love those boxes so that's a bonus present for me right there. But the Real Present is fabulous! Check it out...

It is an awesome pin made of red leather, a metal zipper, and this very cool blue eye. It is so cool. I love it. It is definitely going to be next week as we are leading up to Halloween. I'll be working in my kids' classrooms for their holiday party. I'm sure it will be a big hit with everyone.

Thank you so much, Dawn! It's super!

And here's a POEm to keep you until tomorrow...

To the River

Fair river! in thy bright, clear flow
Of crystal, wandering water,
Thou art an emblem of the glow
Of beauty- the unhidden heart-
The playful maziness of art
In old Alberto's daughter;
But when within thy wave she looks-
Which glistens then, and trembles-
Why, then, the prettiest of brooks
Her worshipper resembles;
For in his heart, as in thy stream,
Her image deeply lies-
His heart which trembles at the beam
Of her soul-searching eyes.

- Edgar Allan Poe

today

sometimes it is easy to forget that Today is really all we can count on. it gets incredibly heavy to live fearlessly each day. one visit to the oncologist, one swollen lymph node masquerading as a lump, one odd blood level. all these things can shatter my super hero exterior and cause me to take off my magical flying shoes and walk on the earth again. don't get me wrong, i am fine. it's the powers needed to reign in the stray germs of fall and low potassium levels that are wearing me down. it is easy to let my mind rush off to the worst possible outcome of the most minor inkling.

steady, steady...balance. 

and, in order to create balance i try to find moments of quiet. best gotten hold of in the morning when the day is still new. when i can parcel out the blessings onto my scale and admire them. when the mere act of breath coming in and pushing out is miraculous enough to swell my heart with quiet joy.

Today is enough. Today is all i have. Today. Today. Today.

i will celebrate this day with a headache or without. i will find joy in Today even though i have to clean my studio. i have a studio to clean Today and that is excellent! Today i will put down my super hero shield and know that i am enough.i will not let fear win Today. i will be strong Today for myself and for so many who are still fighting. i am lifting you all up and sending you so much love.

Poe Holla

Are ya'll getting tired of hearing me holler about Poe? Are you just in it for the presents? I'm onto you people. ;0)

Let's briefly journey back to last week or whenever it was that I reveled in the gray day spent in Corona del Mar. That will lead us to today's giftie, number Seven...

 

from head

 

to toe

i knew

lucky seven

would be

a hit.

 

Just look at how awesome it is...

But I do not know which of my marvelous friends made it. There is no name on the little red tag. Tsk, tsk. How can I scream Thank You when I don't who the You is? Well, I will tell you who it is when I found out. In the meantime, off to run some errands with Edgar in my pocket for company.

Happy Tuesday, people!

UPDATE: My fab, fab, super fab Poe was made by none other than the uber talented Michelle Remy. When I said I could guess who made it up above, my guess would have been Michelle. She has a great style and this little dude was singing her name.

THANKS, MICHELLE!!!

Blackbird - Day Six

 

"But as in ethics, evil is a consequence of good, so in fact, out of joy is sorrow born. Either the memory of past bliss is the anguish of today, or the agonies which are have their origin in the ecstasies which might have been."

-Edgar Allan Poe

Poor Edgar. He was orphaned, then adopted, then his adopted father spurned him, died, and left him nothing. He couldn't keep a job, received rejection letter upon rejection letter, finally married only to later lose his wife to TB. It is easy to see why his work is melancholy and dark.

But this quote here today...Thank heavens I don't agree with him on this one. Often evil is a consequence of good and sorrow can be born of joy. But I much rather believe that evil is evil and sorrow is sorrow. More simple perhaps but it rings true to me. Deeper to the root of it all is the heart of the one exhibiting these emotions and characteristics. And, my agonies rarely grow from what might have been. I am not one to look behind me except in the most extreme instances of sadness and then I can see the joy that is much preferred.

Such as a day at the beach...

Today is the sixth day of our Poe exchange. And yet a whole week to go! I'm running out of things to say about Poe. I'm not a Poe scholar, after all. You may soon be seeing little drawings of him with only my pretty gifties to ogle. Speaking of the ogling...

 

this package sewn up and feathered is from my dear friend, mija. mija and i adore crows specifically and birds generally. i was delighted with her feather label. and i knew without a doubt i would not be disappointed with what was inside...

it's a wonderful felted blackbird necklace!! it is beaded and stitched and has a teeny wee red bell that sings as you wear it. i happened to be wearing all black today and was clapping my hands when i donned this festive creation. as i was wearing it i realized it is also a little pouch to keep secret notes and tiny treasures in. so cool!

thank you, thank you, sweetest mija, for my gorgeous present! it is such a beautiful, happy piece and will always make me smile and think of you.

"No pictorial or sculptural combinations of points of human loveliness, do more than approach the living and breathing human beauty as it gladdens our daily path."

- Edgar Allan Poe

Five is My Lucky Number

And so Michelle assigned me Day Five of our Poe Gift Exchange to provide a gift for everyone. And Day Five was a trying day. It was a good day but a day of intense emotions with the little people and some big people. I'm rather done in. And when that happens, all you can do is say a prayer and hope it is bed time soon enough.

Hymn by Poe

At morn--at noon--at twilight dim--
Maria! thou hast heard my hymn!
In joy and woe--in good and ill--
Mother of God, be with me still!
When the Hours flew brightly by,
And not a cloud obscured the sky,
My soul, lest it should truant be,
Thy grace did guide to thine and thee;
Now, when storms of Fate o'ercast
Darkly my Present and my Past,
Let my Future radiant shine
With sweet hopes of thee and thine!

There. Now do you feel better? I feel better. So much so I'll show you my wrapped gifts I made for the girlies.

I love it when someone goes all out and makes elaborately wrapped gifts. But I will most often wrap small gifts in old book pages and tie them with twine, no tape. Especially if I have made the gift. If I have worked to make the gift the wrapping of it is a nuisance. I know. I'm lame. So here's what's inside...

I thought we would be overrun with crows, which were my first choice. But I struggled to make what I wanted to make. I can't even remember what the first two test gifts were.

 
But I ended up with a Tell Tale Heart

 
(and one raven).

 
Really, can a girl have too many necklaces? Not in my book.

when i paint, i want to there be a lot of texture. when i take black and white photographs, i appreciate high contrast. when i write i want subtext and more subtext. and when i made these necklaces, i wanted visual layers. i also wanted simplicity. so the chain is a ribbon of recycled sari silk. the hearts are polymer clay, unvarnished and matte. and each is finished with a dangling gemstone. there are peruvian opals, bright green chalcedony, and freshwater pearls. each one glossy and shiny. in this way, the elements create tension, structure, subplot, and texture. all the sorts of things i like. but as a whole, they are simple, unfettered, and easy. i like that.

i hope the girls like that, too.

and, on a timely and homorous note i will leave you with this. did you know that poe published an article, a piece of fiction in the new york sun in 1844 titled The Balloon Hoax? it appeared as if it were a true story, but it wasn't. oddly familiar? 

 

Day 4...Nevermore

You knew I'd say that, didn't you? It's been a long, long day. I've blown my wrist out this past week and can't really keep up. So, this will have to be short and I'm sorry for that.

Day Four's gift is courtesy of the delightful Terrie Lightfoot. I first met Terrie online via Art Chix years ago. She's a sweetie and talented to boot. Be sure to check out her Etsy store for great mixed media supplies.

I confess that I was enamored of how Terrie wrapped her gift...

so I took several photos to display it

she must have printed the fabric herself

and then sewn this awesome ribbon-trimmed drawstring bag

with matching gift tag. can you tell i was having fun with my present?

And inside was something equally squeal-worthy...

It's a mini-shrine necklace which is decorated with the same cool raven image from  the  giftbag.

And on the back is Edgar! I love the vivid colors. I can't wait to wear it.

Thank you, Terrie!!

Tomorrow everyone opens my gift. I am not a wrapper like Terrie. Wrapping gifts is right up there with mailing packages. It's terrible but it's true. Hopefully everyone will like what they receive. I'm going to be on the road tomorrow so I may not be able to post until Monday. Until then, I leave you with another quote from Poe...

“I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity."

Cheers to that.

Cover Bracelet up for Auction

The final items from A Charming Exchange for the charity auction going to Susan G. Komen for The Cure have been added at Ebay. This last lot includes the very special bracelet which graces the book's cover.

 

 It is a replica of the one designed for me by my precious friend, Ruth Rae, and more loving friends when I was diagnosed with cancer. It is really such a gorgeous piece.

 It has so many unique and amazing charms hanging from it's soft suede, pearl, and ribbon base. There's a tiny, tiny key that belonged to my grandfather. There's a miniscule light bulb shining with the word Life. There's a fine silver charm with an art tree cut into it. It is simply the most pretty bracelet you could ever have. And, if you win it you should know that this bracelet carries with it much love, blessing and light.

It will arrive in this beautiful fabric case made by Ruth.

Thank you all so much for your support in this endeavor. I've learned more about having a charity auction than you can imagine. I'll be much more informed next time around after many a hair-pulling hour. But, it has all been worth it. We've worked on this book for such a long time, with so many truly amazing artists. To be able to use the talents and gifts of us all together for good, is such a blessing.

I was thinking last night about cancer. I was thinking about how once you have breast cancer your life is changed forever in so many different ways. In some ways, it is an upside down blessing because you learn so quickly to value every second that you have. And, it seems to me to be of the utmost importance to try in every way, big and small, to help other women from ever having to fight breast cancer.

Did you know that 85% of the women who get breast cancer have No Family History of the disease? So, if you are like me, and your mom didn't have it, and your sister didn't have it, don't think that you will never get it. You don't have to be afraid but you do have to be proactive. Get screened. The mammogram is currently the best test we have to detect breast cancer. But, know that I found my cancer on my own before every having a mammogram. They're your boobs. Protect them. And the rest of your body, as well. Do self-exams, get your yearly mammogram and live your life to the fullest.

Day Three for Annabel Lee

One of my favorite Poe pieces is the poem Annabel Lee. It is so beautifully romantic and tragic.

 

Annabel Lee         

by Edgar Allan Poe

It was many and many a year ago,
   In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
   By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
   Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
   In this kingdom by the sea:
But we loved with a love that was more than love--
   I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
   Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
   In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
   My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
   And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
   In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
   Went envying her and me--
Yes!--that was the reason (as all men know,
   In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
   Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
   Of those who were older than we--
   Of many far wiser than we--
And neither the angels in heaven above,
   Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling--my darling--my life and my bride,
   In her sepulchre there by the sea,
   In her tomb by the sounding sea.

And so begins day three of our Guild's Poe remembrance exchange. Day three's gift comes to me from fellow Cali-girl Saundra James. Look at the clever little giftie she has given to me.

 

here's mister three at the beach atop a little castle...

and here he is in the garden with the fallen heather...

 

and this is my rose called fourth of july still blooming in october

but i digress...

 

inside the box, i'm being watched...

 

by the beating of the Tell Tale Heart.

Saundra made us all this fabulous polymer clay heart pin. I love it! I don't wear pins too often as it is typically hot here and I'm in a t-shirt. But now that fall is encroaching on my sunny city, I am delighted to pull out a sweater and don this lovely gift.

Thank you, Saundra!! It's wonderful!

See you all tomorrow...