A Mother's Heart

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.  She never existed before.  The woman existed, but the mother, never.  A mother is something absolutely new.  ~Rajneesh


May Day

May Day, an oft forgotten holiday is May first. For me, May Day is tied to sweet memories of making little paper baskets with paper handles as a young girl. My sisters and I would then fill the small baskets with garden flowers and then hang the baskets on neighbors front doorknobs, ring the doorbells and run and hide. These little May Day gifts were probably never as anonymous as we thought but we loved the secretive nature of our gifts.  -Laurel 

Sky-High Silver Prices

Bad news for silver jewelry buyers. As of today, the current market price of one ounce of silver is $45.15. To put this in perspective for you, last month silver was $37.11, and one year ago the price was a mere $18.34! A shocking increase and a heavy burden for both folks who create jewelry as well as those who wish to purchase a piece of silver jewelry. Will the price continue to rise? I imagine that it will, but it may fluctuate around the $50.00 per ounce price. Gold is currently around $1500. per ounce. For those of us who make jewelry, this means that the price of gold and gold fill jewelry has increased an even greater amount than silver.

Why am I blogging about this? Well, for one thing I don't want you to be shocked by a steep increase in jewelry prices. It's important to be an informed consumer.

I, for one, plan to explore new avenues of creating work with other materials that don't contain sterling silver. It's kind of like riding your bike to work rather than driving your car. Sometimes necessity really can be the mother of invention. Stay tuned.

Arbor Day

    Friday is Arbor Day, an under appreciated and seldom celebrated holiday and is a fine concept; that of giving a little bit back to our environment. I am fortunate to have acreage on which we have planted more trees than I can count. Over the years, my family and I have planted ponderosa pines, junipers, willows, oaks, cedars, red twig dogwoods, Douglas firs, and so on. I have the pleasure of enjoying the fruits of our labor year round as these trees grow and become wildlife habitat and protection for the many creatures with whom we share our 12 acres. This environment keeps me centered and inspires me. 

Thought for the Day

Jewelry takes people's minds off your wrinkles. 

~Sonja Henie

More World's Treasure Bracelets

At last, we've taken a few more photos uploaded them to the website. Check 'em out. I am really enjoying these bracelets. They're fun and look great in pairs. I've got a few more waiting for their close-ups. I'll try to get to these bracelets after the 'Art Under the Elms' show this weekend. 

Everyday Should Be Earth Day

   Turn off the video games and TV and get your children outside.
Children who grow up without appreciating nature can grow into adults who don't understand why they should care about it. Sharing the great outdoors is a great way to connect with your kids and have them connect with nature.
   My children used to collect shells, seeds, beach glass, flowers and interesting pebbles and make necklaces, crowns and bracelets out of them. Curiously, I am reminded of this when I create my World's Treasure Bracelets.

Quote of the Day

All art is autobiographical; the pearl 
is the oyster's autobiography.  

~Federico Fellini

Art Under the Elms

   The upcoming Art Under the Elms event this weekend in Lewiston, Idaho began over 25 years ago as a celebration of the arts. It has grown over the years to be one of the largest outdoor festivals in Idaho, featuring local artists. The festival is a fundraiser for Lewis-Clark State College. All good things. 

   If you find yourself in Lewiston this weekend, stop by my booth and let me know that you read my blog. I'll give you a 10% discount on your purchase that day!

Earth Day

    41 years ago on April 22nd, we celebrated our first Earth Day. It was the dawning of the age of ecology. We owe a great debt and perhaps Earth Day itself, to Rachel Carson for her book, Silent Spring. This book did much to bring awareness of how we were polluting our air, land and water without compunction. Ms. Carson raised our awareness and made us realize that not only was all that unchecked pollution bad for the environment, it was bad for us too. We realized that we are part of a system- an ecosystem. All that pollution was bad for us too.

   41 years! How sad that it is still a struggle between ‘progress’ and environmental protection. We need to remember why it is we celebrate Earth Day. We need to remember to be aware of how our choices and actions. Teach your children not to litter, recycle those plastic bottles, ease up on the lawn’s Weed n’ Feed. We need to take care of the Earth.
   Thank you Rachel Carson. And thank you Mother Earth.
In honor of Earth Day I will offer free shipping on all my World’s Treasure Bracelets between now and April 22nd.

WSU Mom's Arts & Crafts Show

Mom's weekend was always one of our busiest weekends at The Old Mole, the natural fiber clothing and handcrafted jewelry shop I owned for many years. Now, here I am again (many years after retiring) doing another Mom's weekend. I can't seem to stay away! I love welcoming so many old friends and customers.

Gearing Up for the WSU Mom's Arts & Crafts Show

Mom's weekend was always one of our busiest weekends at The Old Mole, the handmade consignment shop I ran for so many years. Now, here I am after (how many years after retiring?) doing another Mom's weekend. I can't seem to stay away.

Little Boxes

Its wonderful how a little gift box can hold so much promise. A new shipment of gift boxes arrived yesterday. I'm all ready for packaging up little treasures for my Arts & Crafts Show customers.