RAW Friday::True Costs

{Photo credit: David Seah}

Random Acts of Wisdom

Sometimes it costs more to do nothing than to do something.

{in an email from Customer Service Guru Jeff Mowatt.
Read more at his website www.jeffmowatt.com}

Wednesday was the first snow day of the season. The way it was coming down on Tuesday, I knew it would be a snow day so I made sure to bring over as much of my studio as I could possibly use in one day {that is the one room in the old house that hasn't been cleaned out yet...I don't trust anyone but myself to screw that up}. You would think that a day locked inside a cozy house with hot coffee and cocoa, festive Christmas music and warm slippers would be ideal to create in. But I fretted the day away because I could not find one little padded mailer containing two tiny sterling silver charms destined for a custom piece that I have to start creating like now, dammit. Did I do any creating? No. Not one bit. I was so wrapped up in the fact that I couldn't find this bitty baggie that I couldn't move on to anything else. And I couldn't get to sleep that night either {that or the wind howling outside at 3am might have something to do with it.} The only thing I did manage to do was to find the box and unpack the junk drawer contents from my old house to my new.

What did this big bunch of nothing cost me? Precious time in my quest to get it all done.

Today I have a new focus...I have re0rdered said charms {I consider it a slight cost to losing my sanity searching for said charms...oh, they will show up, when I least expect it...and by then I will have no real need for a sterling silver pair of socks and tennis ball charms. Go figure.}...I have let myself move on to other projects {like the 16 charm necklaces that were due by lunch today}... and I have pledged to use up what I have in stock {let me tell you...it is a LOT!}.

And I have realized that doing nothing did indeed cost me more than doing something. Anything at all.

Have you ever been in a situation when you just had to "do something"? Maybe you procrastinated, or forgot what it was you had to do, or you were so restless that you couldn't wait to jump out of your chair and start the doing?
Or...Have you ever been in a situation when doing nothing was a bad choice?
Do tell!

Enjoy the day!

30 Words::Winter's Gift

{Photo Credit: Fractal Artist}

Frosty shadows lengthen
Creating cool blue snow-dune landscapes
River waves frozen in mid-peak
Stark branches reach for what little sun
Winter’s gift comes wrapped in
hot cocoa and snow angels

Enjoy the day!

{REMINDER: Inspired by...Grandma's Jewelry Box challenge going on now. Last time to upload your photos to the Inspiration is Everywhere Flickr account is Sunday, December 13th at 11:59 pm CST. Winner will receive a copy of Bead Star magazine and a custom piece of jewelry from me. And who knows? Maybe there will be a bonus winner too! Looking forward to more of your inspiration!}

A Pinch of Creativity

"Enthusiasn is excitement with inspiration, motivation, and a pinch of creativity." ~Bo Bennett

Today is the first snow day of the season. The kids were home. Snowballs were thrown. New friends in the neigborhood were forged over snow forts and snow angels. Hot cocoa was prepared (actually Ovaltine, but they don't know the difference!). I even made a trek to the old house (still not completely empty) to load up some of my studio that I knew I would need today to make those found object inspirations....well, here it is 4:30 and I have yet to touch a bead. But I did get some fab-u-lous surprises in my mailbox from Kerry Bogert at KAB's Creative Concepts and from my Charmsters swap.... I will tease you and save those for another day. :-)

Looking for some found object inspiration? I want to introduce you to a resource to spur your creativity.

First, my friend Jennifer Heynen at Jangles is having an Open House starting in...YIKES!...like RIGHT NOW! Get over to her blog to join in the fun, including door prizes on the hour, sales and tons of fun. If you recall my last post when I mentioned the necklace that won me the 2nd place in the Heart Category? Those were Jangles beads and I see that she is offering some of her hearts at her Etsy site. Check it out!

And if you want more incentive, see these great sets of Jangles beads and hand selected found objects she calls "Eclectic Sets." (I plan to get me one of those!

I also wanted to mention that we have some entries into this weeks Found Object Challenge...Inspired by...Grandma's Jewelry Box. Click on the Flickr account link on the top right to get there. Here are a few of the gems you will find there...

Check It Out::Jangles

Enjoy the day!

Inspired by...Grandma's Jewelry Box

{"An Affair to Remember", featured in Bead Trends October 2009, vintage silver belt buckle links, old sage green grosgrain ribbon, smoky quartz, faceted pearls, swarovski bicones, green sage freshwater pearls, vermeil and sterling spacers}

Sorry for the radio silence this weekend. We moved into our new home this weekend, but my computer is still at the old one {and I am supposed to be cleaning the house right now for the showing tomorrow! Wish me luck! And don't tell my husband that I was blogging!}

First I have to say that YOU have inspired ME with your show of support and playful attitudes toward my first ever Inspired by... challenge. Would you like to do more of these? We still have weeks two and three of this Inspired by... challenge...so stay tuned. But if you would like to continue to be inspired, let me know, comment about it, send me a message in a bottle, or email me and I will come up with more fun with my friends.


Such a great response to the first challenge. Some of you were so inspired to keep on making jewelry. And that is what it is all about. I promised a random winner the Swirly Girl earrings and the one of a kind mixed media painting by Kerry Bogert. And the winner is...............................

Sue Beads!

Congratulations SueBeads! Your name was randomly chosen. Contact me at enjoytheday{at}tesoritrovati{dot}com to tell me where to send your prizes.

But wait................................there's more!


A last minute surprise arrived in the mail over the weekend from my friend and amazing artisan bead maker, Melanie Brooks of Earthenwood Studios. She sent me a goodie package to share with a second winner of my Hardware Store challenge. Talented and generous is a dynamite combination! A selection of her Steamstones and Bits similar to the ones shown below:
(Note: not all of these are in the gift pack, just one little rust colored one like the one on the top row, along with a large round gear, two small cog beads and a skeleton key connector. Yippee!)

Thanks, Melanie for the awesome extra prizes!

And the winner of the bonus prize is...............................

KiwiBeads!

Congratulations KiwiBeads! {By the way, you went above and beyond with this challenge...you were most certainly inspired!} Please contact me at enjoytheday{at}tesoritrovati{dot}com with an adress to send your prize!

Week Two – December 7-13
Inspired by...Grandma’s Jewelry Box

When I was a child, I lived in Minnesota. During the holidays of Christmas and Easter we would travel to my father’s hometown of Stevens Point, WI {smack dab in the middle of the state}. The first place that I always went during my time at Bousha’s house {Polish for “grandma” I would guess} is to her bedroom. In the soft smelling quiet of that room I would gingerly sit on her impeccably made bed and open the cream colored leather box on her bedside table. I loved to touch the powder blue silk lining that box and to run my fingers over the treasures within.

Bousha, like most women of her generation, had a box brimming with sparkly rhinestone pins and clip on earrings. Those sparkly baubles held my attention longer than any other toy in the house, and I always snuck away from the festivities to sneak a peek in her jewelry box. When she died in 1986 I was a freshman in college. It was very hard on me. It was right before Christmas {needless to say, my first semester of finals was a disaster}. When all the cousins and relatives were descending on her house to claim furniture and objects to keep, I made straight for her bedroom. I have her blue silk lined, cream colored leather jewelry box, and even some of the treasures that it originally held.

One of my most favorite places to find inspiration is in the jewelry that was special to a family member. No matter if it is very high end, I like to preserve that memory for my clients. While we might not wear brooches anymore, I think they make wonderful focals for necklaces. The strands of costume jewelry often have some fascinating color combinations {that you can’t quite see from a black and white photo} and while the style may be outdated, there is some wonderful components there. Some of my favorite things to use are clasps from broken necklaces that have beautiful filigree or rhinestones, strands of vintage Swarovski crystals or imitation pearls, and chains of all sorts.

For Round Two of the Found Object challenge, see what might be lurking in your own jewelry box of outdated jewelry. Never through it out! There’s treasure there! Mix the rhinestones with new crystal colors. Take apart those outdated triple strand necklaces and turn it into a bracelet and earrings. Ask your grandmother {or mother or aunt or older neighbor…} if you can make something fresh from their jewelry. Use them in unexpected ways. I guarantee that you will never look at an antique store or flea market table of broken jewelry bits the same way again {and you might start going to more garage sales in the process}.

By the way, did I mention a little contest called Bead Star? Put on by Interweave Publishing every spring? Last year I challenged myself to enter 7 of the 9 categories. {I only managed to enter 6 of the categories, so I failed to reach my goal.} Surprisingly, three of my six pieces made it into the top 20 in their categories. I have since found out that there were over 2000 entries. After the 26,000+ votes were cast, one of my entries entitled "Good Advice" took second place in the Heart category. Bead Star is on sale at newsstands everywhere as of December 8th. But I have an extra copy for the random winner of Inspired by... challenge #2!

{"Good Advice", second place Heart category, Bead Star competition}

Round Two Found Object Challenge PRIZES:
A copy of the 2009 Bead Star issue featuring my necklace “Good Advice”, winner of 2nd place in the Heart Category and a bracelet using found objects from Grandma’s jewelry box and featuring a Humblebeads bead {I didn't have time to make it this weekend, but I will soon to share with all of you!}

In keeping with challenge #1, I will also share a BONUS prize {to be determined later...}

How it works:

• Create a piece of jewelry (earrings, necklace or bracelet) using the inspiration.
  
• Post your picture 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 each weekly challenge and post to the Flickr account, but your name will only be entered once. (For extra BONUS ENTRY opportunities, see below).
  
• Check back on Dec 14 when I will announce the RANDOM winner of the previous week’s challenge.
  

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

• Title of the piece
  
• Found objects incorporated into the piece
  
• Short description of your inspiration (optional)
  
• Your Name
  
• Your email address
  
• Your 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 an extra entry.
  
• 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 on that week's challenge} and your name will be in for an extra entry.
  

Go and get inspired today!

Enjoy the day!

Random Acts of Wisdom

{"Hammer Cuddle" Photo Credit: tiffa130}

"The only tool you need is kindness."




{Surprise message found on the tag of my last bag of Woman's Dong Quai Tonic tea..."revive for your body"...by Yogi Tea}

I think this might become a new feature for Fridays....Random Acts of Wisdom...or RAW. I am always inspired by things around me, particularly messages and words and phrases. I never took the time to really look at my teabags and now that this is the last one I am discovering this overlooked treasure. (There were also messages printed on the box!)

Have you found a Random Act of Wisdom someplace unexpected? A fortune cookie that speaks to your heart? A message scrawled in graffiti? An advertisement copy that is more than just selling widgets? Do tell!


{And let me know what you think of this new feature!}

P.S. You have until 11:59 pm CST on Sunday, December 6th to enter the first Inspired by...Hardware Stores challenge. There are 6 amazingly creative entries so far. Go here to view them and leave them a comment!

Enjoy the day!

30 Words::Divinely Designed

{Photo Credit: Kiwiken}

no such thing as
"un~creative"

you are divinely designed to create

all you need to shine is

within you

stop second guessing

cut yourself some slack

make something

~ anything ~
today

{Photo Credit: illusionsbaroque}

{NOTE: Both designs above were submitted to the Inspired by...Hardware Stores challenge going on now. Last time to upload your photos to the Inspiration is Everywhere Flickr account is Sunday, December 6th at 11:59 pm CST. Looking forward to more of your inspiration!}

Enjoy the day!

True of Heart

“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”
~Confucius

An update to the Inspired by...Hardware Stores challenge....

You know that Kerry Bogert at KAB's Creative Concepts has graciously donated the grand prize for the first week. She completed it yesterday and blogged about it here.

This piece is entitled "True of Heart" and is so beautiful I am wishing that I could enter something to win.

O, NEVER say that I was false of heart.

Wouldn't it be fun to have this little gem in your studio or on your desk or someplace that you like to be inspired?

I am so excited by all the comments that people have left for the first challenge. I can tell that the wheels are turning, the inspiration is flowing, and an added bonus is that you are finding your way to your local hardware store to buy local {yea for local!}. I just know that you are all the sort of people who can find beauty in unexpected places...including the hardware store. I am looking forward to seeing your creations popping up in the Flickr account.

Have you found a unique piece of hardware that you care to share with the rest of us? Some of my favorites are locking washers, rubber "o" rings, compression springs, aluminum ferrules, and clear vinyl tubing...

What hardware store finds have you discovered to be beautiful? Do tell!Enjoy the day!