Photo Glass Pendant

I have been admiring these beautiful soldered glass pendants by many designers. Jewelry should be one way to express yourself artistically. I have looked at many pendants for one that speaks to me...tells a story...expresses a piece of me... and of course like any crafster I decided I needed to try this technique out myself. So, here is a self-portrait of my new pendant. The photograph was taken in my Aunts' house in Greece. I doctored it a bit in Photoshop to desaturate the colors of the chair and hat and really saturate the blue door. I then strung some turquoise beads to really draw your eye to the door. The back of my pendant reads

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God."

- Marianne Williamson

This piece will be a reminder to live those words.

neat Freak

Well, if you know me in the least bit, you know that this label does not fit me at all. (Stop laughing!) I try so very very hard to be organized and neat, but frankly I just think it is somehow genetically impossible for me. Now this is not to say that I have an incredibly messy house. I think it is quite clean and just accented by bits of eclectic clutter. Clutter of the moment mind you... I'm always working on something creative and frankly I like to spread out. One of my dear friends once said that creative people have more important things to focus on and should not have to be bothered with cleaning...I love her...

Well, my new favorite favorite show is called Neat. It is hosted by Hellen Buttigieg, a professional organizer (Canada) with a Certificate of Study in Chronic Disorganization from the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD). I was not aware such an organization even existed! In her show, she travels to the home of a habitual clutter bug and helps them purge their earthly treasures for a more serene and simple existence. Her patience and lack of judgement really help in this process and are really motivational. We have been purging massive amounts of "stuff" from our home in the past weeks and it is amazing the mental clarity that comes from this!

Gudrun Sjödén

I love a little window shopping and web window shopping even more. Gudrun Sjödén is a unique home and clothing company out of Stockholm, Sweden. Their designs feature colorful printed and embroidered textiles typical of Sweden and Swedish folklore. Their website and especially their catalog is full of beautiful photography. They photograph their products in unique settings with natural lighting giving the consumer a sense of quality of life along with their quality products. I love these red and white embroidered table runners and pillows. I bought all of my Christmas wrapping this year at IKEA (another Swedish company) from their ISIG line - with a very similar red on white and white on red design. I also bought some some beautiful red ornaments to dectorate the packages with. Now I just have to do some shopping and sewing...

Craft Sanity

If you are a crafter or just interested in the current DIY (Do It Yourself) movement, you have got to check out Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood's website www.craftsanity.com. In her weekly podcasts, Jennifer interviews some of the most amazing crafters making an impact in the crafting community. Recent interviews include Debbie Stoller (co-creator of BUST magazine as well as author of the "Stitch 'N Bitch" books), Amy Karol (of Tie One On, Angry Chicken and King Pod), and Linda Permann (editor of the new magazine Adorn). Jennifer takes an hour with each guest to talk about how they started crafting, what they are doing currently and what they hope to do in the future. It is fascinating to hear how these men and women are contributing to this wonderful movement. I have really been blown away by the knowledge, sincerity, creativity, imagination, resourcefulness and business sense that these crafters have. I have learned so much and enjoy the inspiration I gain from Jennifer's insightful interviews. It also doesn't hurt to craft sanity!