Illusion Jewelry - Creating Magic

It was the BJ time in my life-- Before Jewelry-- when I was not yet an artisan/seller, but a retiree/shopper. I saw a woman at a distance with the most stunning stones floating around her neck. My eyes were fixed on the magic involved. As I approached, I saw the delicate silver snake chain responsible for the magic. A few years later, when I discovered the passion that would surprise & consume me for the next 6 years & counting, I couldn't wait to create some magic of my own.

Since then, I've strung delicate snake chain & fine beading wire through my favorite stones many times. Spacing them equally with a pinched, tiny crimp is a tricky, tedious business-- & hard on the eyes. Stringing multiple strands, with beads placed so they appear "balanced," is much easier. Illusion (aka "floating") jewelry remains a big favorite of mine and my customers. I suspect we all need a little Magic in our lives...

Happy Birthday USA!

It's been a week of frustrations==>  printer broke, my Facebook got corrupted, Hotmail quit listing all my email addresses on 1 page, Windows 7 failed THREE times to reboot (Where did I put those Rescue Disks?!), and my beautiful lawn got "mud freckles" wherever I burned it with fertilizer. I missed a lot of sleep this week trying to fix these problems. I was not a Happy Camper & my husband steered clear.

Last night while fretting over computer mysteries as approaching-midnight made my sour mood worse, I heard a series of loud booms. It was the first fireworks for July 4th. It shocked me out of my narrow, fretful focus. Oh, July 4th! Could I put the list of frustrations aside for 24 hours, long enough to be grateful for my life in this country? Could I focus on how blessed we Americans are?

• An honorable President- whether I agree with his policies or not
• Enough food to eat or places to get help
• Competent medical care & free public schools
• A wide choice of religions... OR... no religion
• Jobs, though more scarce. Again, there's help for the needy
• Laws enforced without bombs aimed at a population
• People that generally respect the law & justice system.
• Freedom to say, read, & write what we want
• No major earthquakes, tsunamis, revolutions, crazy dictator/killers, nuclear melt-downs.

This seemed like a good time for Cheryl to stop whining long enough to be grateful for her life. So I compiled a few creations from fellow artists on http://www.zibbet.com/ & on http://www.etsy.com/, who obviously thought about July 4th long before I did! Hope you enjoy my selections. I'm feeling better now, ready to go to bed fret-free:)

Happy Birthday to Us All

P.S. Just after the Big Booms, Windows booted successfully on the FOURTH attempt. Phew!