Inspired by...Fireworks

Fiery flowers bloom
In the night:
Roses, carnations…chrysanthemums, too,
Emerald green, red,
White, and blue. Silvery fountains spill
Out of the sky.
Rockets of gold sizzle and sigh.
Kaleidoscope colors cascading in space,
Showering glitter all over the place.
Poem written by a retired educator and librarian named Elaine Magliaro who taught a children’s literature course at Boston University.


There is something thrilling about watching the night sky bloom in a cascade of sparks.

Hearing the boom and the crackle and the oohs and the ahhs.

Little children squealing with delight and seeing the wonder in their eyes as the sky explodes.

That twinge of sulfur that assails your nose from the sparkler smoke.

In Wisconsin there are fireworks stands dotting the highways and byways. I don't go into them, but there are some seriously cool fireworks that you can pick up every year around this time.

Our fireworks this year were rained out. But we made the most of it with three foot long sparklers in the garage at my sister-in-laws house after the traditional cookout. Not the same, but still fun.

These pictures were taken last year at two different celebrations. One was the fireworks on July 4th in Sleepy Hollow, IL. I traveled there last year to surprise my college roommate at her surprise 40th birthday party. The other was the July 5th fireworks above the Wisconsin River at Riverfront Rendezvous in Stevens Point. We have a deck overlooking the river by this park and it is the perfect viewing platform without having to jockey for prime real estate on the banks of the river. And we have a bathroom just steps away.

I thought that it would be a great time to see what might inspire you about our celebration of Americana. So July's challenge is to be Inspired by...Fireworks.

How it works:

• Create something beaded using the inspiration of the Fireworks.

• Post your pictures to the Flickr account here.

• If you are so inspired {and I hope you will be!}, feel free to create as many pieces as you like for the challenge and post to the Flickr account, and this month your name will be entered for each piece. {For extra BONUS ENTRY opportunities, see below}. You have until 11:59 pm CST on Saturday, July 31st to post to the Flickr account.

In the description of your picture be sure to add the following:

•Title of the piece
•Short description of your inspiration
•Your Name
•Your email address, blog or website

BONUS ENTRY OPPORTUNITIES:

• If you use an art bead in your piece {art bead is defined as a bead or component created by yourself or another artisan}, be sure to point that out in your description {with a link to the appropriate artisan’s website, shop or blog} and you will have TWO extra entries.

• If you blog, Facebook, Twitter, sky write or take out a billboard to publicize each week’s challenge, be sure to let me know {leave a comment here} and your name will be in for ONE extra entry.

• NEW! Be a FOLLOWER of Treasures Found for ONE extra entry. (Be sure to post another comment for this to count!)

•That's a total of at least FIVE ENTRIES!


And for the winner....there is nothing more spakle-y than crystals, don't you think? As part of my Design Team duties for EK Success brands and specifically the Jolee's Jewels crystals line, I sometimes get product from them. I have asked if it would be okay to share some of the bounty since I won't ever be able to use it all. I have selected an assortment of items including:

• Lt Sapphire 6mm cube crystals
• Crystal AB 6mm bicone crystals
• Coin charms with crystals
• Royal design red crystal sliders
• Star charms with crystal AB
• Large stone and crystal pendant
• Open heart charms
• Maltese cross with crystals
• black satin cord necklaces
• one strand faceted white frost fire polish Czech beads
• Estimated value: $60

So, what are you waiting for? Go out and get inspired!

Enjoy the day!