Two Treasuries in Under 48 hours!

It's that time of year... I'm getting excited about Christmas! I know not everyone celebrates it, so whichever holiday you do celebrate or observe.. I hope this season is warm and inviting to you all!

Last night I received another convo telling me that my Topaz Swarovski Crystal Earrings were featured in the beautiful treasury below! Check it out!

I'll be back tomorrow with more musings, and new pictures!

'amber in gold' by dodoo

Dark Raw Amber, Natural Tur... DreamsFactory $99.00	Long fabric necklace Sunny F... katrinshine $20.00
Industrial geometric sculpte... Arctida $39.00	BEWARE- THEY ARE COMING On M... petekdesign $3.90
Carnivale - Fine art photogr... JKphotography $19.00	Yellow Pebble ( Felted Lemo... SoFino $13.00
Was 14 Now 11 gold rose blos... ayawedding $11.00	Yellow Fingerless Gloves/Mit... ottupura $25.00
Vintage Glass Stone/ Cab. Ar... AlteredAngelSu... $3.25	Vintage 1960s Amber Waves Op... SmallEarthVint... $34.00
Candlelight Topaz 14mm Cosmi... aereonyx $17.00	Oki Islands appetizer dish s... GlazedOver $84.00
Complextion Bar (Small) amethystsoap $2.99	Texture pillows in pale oran... annakrycz $29.00
Root Beer Apple Jelly bovinebubbles $7.00	Vintage Amber Glass Cups/go... FishboneDeco $32.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Winter Is In The Air

I love snow. I love winter. Not a big fan of the cold, but a warm jacket, boots and gloves sure do help. I love the woodstove going, and coming in for a mug of hot chocolate after being outside for a bit. While today didn't consist of me going outside- nevermind leaving the seat of my recliner- I have been watching the snow slowly melt under the glare of the not-so-warm sun today.

Winter Queen- Details Shown With Black

Instead, I took it as an opportunity to change the design of my blog to reflect my excitement for Christmas this year. I can't wait until they have our town decorated in lights, because after a fresh snowfall- when they're turned on, it's simply magical. Everything dusted white is just so beautiful. To be honest with everyone... I just haven't had the motivation to create.

Winter Queen Carved Agate Earrings

I would open my jewelry box, determined to make at least a simple pair of earrings. After huffing, puffing, and nearly tossing it down in exasperation and frustration- I still hadn't created anything I liked. I had all these beautiful crystals, beads, findings... And nothing. Not one iota of creativity coming out from my head. Not one thing I put together I liked. I packed it all right back up, and put it away. I've been doing this game for months. Take out the box, go through and find some pretty things, stare in disgust because I didn't like anything the way I paired them.... Throw everything right back in and put it away again.

Hand Carved Agate Necklace

But finally, this past weekend I was determined to make at least two new things that I'd like. I made sure I liked how the components were coming together. I asked my parents if they liked how they looked. I wasn't crazy about it. I let them sit in front of me for a while. They grew on me. I liked them, turned into I love them. Success! Finally! And I love how the pictures turned out. I think because of these unique beads, I'm going to have to start finding more!

Raku Bead and Autumn Colors

Tell me what you think, and if I should make more :)

Christmas Treasury

I received a message today, informing me I've been included in a beautiful, assorted Christmas Treasury!

'Merry Christmas 2010' by SunflowerRosie731

Red & Green are two main colors of Christmas Time. Cheerful colors.

Kickin' Back trinasclaycrea... $15.00	Two Flamingos (Orig... KKtiandi $38.00
Black Friday ON SAL... aereonyx $16.00	Ornaments, ceramic ... ginalimosaics $10.80
Birds of a Sweater ... threesassysist... $5.00	Wool Mittens and Ha... theloopylady $24.00
8 Christmas Tree Be... doublebrush $16.00	Dark ruby hearts ne... FallenAngelDes... $37.00
Black Friday 2010 S... lustercanyon $4.50	Sale - Green Disco ... CrochetHooka $5.00
On Sale Zoe opera c... FIAZCO $65.00	Heart Yarn bowl Han... DarriellesClay... $38.00
Elegant Pleated Red... tasifashion $65.00	Silence V 8x10 Tex... sunshineartdes... $18.00
Red, Wine, Cardinal... Iovelycrochet $127.00	Metal Wallet, Metal... colorsbyliza $72.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Black Friday Sale!

Hello my friends, I hope today found you well and in good company!

Happy Thanksgiving to you, all of my friends! I had a wonderful dinner with my family, and recovering from Turkey Coma and thoroughly enjoyed the pies we had baked. I love this time of year! Our turkey was big, juicy and absolutely mouthwatering! I hope you and your families had a wonderful dinner today as well.

I realize I've been gone for quite some time- we're still trying to heal my back injury. It's taking time, progress is slow... But going forward is what's important. It's been a tough road- and there's still quite a ways to go. I'm optimistic, I'm looking forward to the future- and I'm excited to see what's in store for me.

Sweet Geranium Swarovski Crystal Drop

I really haven't been one of the "Black Friday" shoppers, and I certainly can't do it this year. Because of this injury- I've been out of work since mid-April, and stopped working at the end of June. I have no source of income at this time because I'm completely unable to work. I'm not telling you this to make you feel sorry for me, rather the contrary. I'm determined to get back to work as soon as it's possible.

Swarovski Crystal Waterfall Teardrops

As you've most likely noticed, there haven't been any new additions to my shop. This is due to a few different reasons:

1) My medications make me shake. It's very hard trying to convince my hands to hold still as I'm trying to wire-wrap a crystal or gem, and I don't want it to come out a mess. I don't want to waste sterling silver, or break gems. It's happened before. Granted, my hands don't shake nearly as bad as they did just a mere 6 weeks ago- but it's enough that I notice. So tonight, I took out my supplies. I've looked them over.... And I have some new ideas that I'll be working on this weekend.

2) My medication's take all my energy away from me. Most days, I sit in my recliner, and don't move too much. On bad days when the barometric pressure drops, I hardly move at all. The "ok" days are becoming more frequent though. I'm a little concerned with rain and snow coming in soon- I'm sure it will hurt. I will persevere, and I will stay positive! I may nap often... But that doesn't mean I really want to be a hermit forever. I don't.

3) I haven't found inspiration. It's tough... But I go through spells where I don't know what to make. I see all my supplies, I know there are beautiful pieces that want to be created.... But I don't know how to put them together. The picture in my head doesn't stay long enough for me to sketch it out, or design it as I'm holding the pieces. The past few weeks have been good- because I'm now looking at my supplies.... And they are showing themselves as they want to be crafted. This is good! This is excellent! It excites me after so many months of being stagnant!

The Great Christmas Tree - Changelings

The final announcement is that I'm holding a 20% off all items located in my Holiday Gift Ideas section of my shop starting at 5 am Friday morning the 26th, and through 1 am on Monday November 29th. I've included the items which are sprinkled throughout this post, and many more in my Etsy shop! It's a celebration of me making my comeback- just in time for the Holidays!

Sweet Golden Morning Earrings

There's no need to wait for the listing to be revised- the correct pricing will reflect at 5 am and run through until the wee hours of Monday morning. Shopping is so much easier online- there's no lines to wait in, no navigating shopping carts around throngs of other shoppers, and nobody holding up lines for sale items which don't ring up correctly!

Once again- I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Here's to happy shopping, and finding that perfect gift for someone special!!

Making a Comeback

Hello all my friends!

I know it's been such a long time since I've been writing- nevermind having the presence of mind or motivation to make any new jewelry creations... Truth be told, I've been an absolute wreck for the past 5 months. Since my early 20's, I've had back problems on and off, but mostly just because I strained myself too hard. However, in March 2007 I had a very bad car accident which I was very lucky to have walked away from. Later that same year, right after Christmas, I slipped and fell down our stairs- bouncing down each one (it seemed) right on my lower vertebrae because I had curled up a little to try and stop myself. While very painful, I still managed to get to work and do my thing. In spring of 2008 I moved down to VA where I was being treated by a chiropracter that was fabulous. He really got me back to "normal", as close as I could get, and I was feeling pretty human. Still- there were days I'd have a spasm, or not feel so great... But they were getting to be spaced farther apart with each "flare up".

At the beginning of March this year, I noticed I had a spasm coming on, and it was quite intense. After seeking out my doctor, she had refused to give me medication for fear that I would stop breathing. Yes- this wasn't over the counter medication- I needed a severe pain reliever and muscle relaxant, which I was used to taking only with bad flare ups and only when I absolutely needed it. She relented and gave me a few pain pills, but those lasted me 2 1/2 days. After that, I sought out a neurologist and waited weeks to be seen- and when the appointment came, he told me everything I was feeling was in my head. I should give up, since I already went through all other avenues of therapy. I was not happy- at all. And through all this, my back was getting worse and worse. Sleepless nights, uncomfortable standing up, sitting or laying down. Coughing or sneezing was excruciating.

So I had my parents come pick me up and bring me back home to get treatment. My Dr. C has been fantastic, but he wanted an opinion of a neurologist (Dr. C is an Osteopath) regarding my condition since he wasn't really able to help me the way he wanted. Reason? I've been falling down randomly, and without warning. I have no idea when it's going to happen- it's totally random and without warning. Well- long story short- I wasted time with the "neurologist" and I'm now back ot seeing my Dr. C. This has been a very difficult road, as we're trying and testing medications to see how well they work. "Neurologist" was happy keeping me on epileptic medication, which was also a pain reliever, and a painkiller too. The safest dose for someone to be on is 1200mg a day, and as of last week I was up to 1500mg and he wanted to increase it more. I said no. Bottom line- I'm not going back to him. I'm looking for the reason I hurt, the reason for the pain, the reason for falling down. I'm not looking for a band-aid to cover the problem. And I'm not epileptic.

Since last week, I've been on a new medication for Fibromyalgia. I haven't been diagnosed with it, but the medication itself seems to be helping just as much as the other one I was on- but minus the head fogginess, disorientation, drowsiness and general sloth behavior. It left me feeling like I was underwater, breathing on an almost empty tank. And no motivation to move, get up, move a little bit. I was parked in this very chair I'm sitting in... Sleeping most of my days away. This new medication does make me drowsy- but it comes in waves. My pain seems to finally be not so severe, though I'd like it to nothing- but I'm sure that will come in due time.

Dr. C has diagnosed me, finally after all these months, as having Failed Back Syndrome. While it's most commonly developed after having back surgery, it also exhibits itself if a severe trauma has occurred. I've never had back surgery, and from what they can see- I don't have anything ruptured or separated in there, so there is no need for it. I'm having a nerve and ligament problem. The medications I'm on now, coupled with treatment which will start soon, should help me get back to normal.... Which means up, moving, doing all the fun things I've missed out on the past months. Said trauma would be the combination of my car accident and falling down the stairs in 2007, and me not having help with the spasm when it started exhibiting itself back in March 2010.

Had the doctors simply given me a little more pain medication, a muscle relaxer, and a note to work keeping me out for 2-3 days- this wouldn't have blown up into this mess it is. With the combination of the spasm working itself in so deeply, and the random falling down because I'd lose all feeling in my right leg from my hip down- it didn't allow nerve blocks, prednisone (steroid) courses multiple times over the past months, and OD adjustments partially done by Dr. C to work correctly. The ligaments in my lumbar area are so torn and stretched, they didn't heal correctly. As a result, each time I would take it easy and recover from a spasm- I was allowing it to get weaker and weaker without even knowing it. When this particular spasm started in March, the only way my body could protect itself was to throw me into this unbelievable kink, so horrible I could barely move. This helped keep my bones where they were- unfortunately.... They were out of alignment and in the wrong place. I've been so torqued up since, Dr. C's had a very hard time adjusting me and putting the vertebrae where they belong in there. The latest adjustment was Thursday, and already Friday evening while reaching for my cup of water I felt it pop out again.

I was still in excruciating pain. But... Today...  I'm finding I'm feeling a little bit better now. Every little increase helps SO much. Since it's rainy, I'm hurting more than usual... But it's better than being about ready to crawl the walls for relief. This new medication helps the body to cover the nerves with thicker casings- therefore, we're hoping- I'll not hurt so much, and the falling down will stop. It will also allow my Doctor to manipulate me in order to get my bones in the right place. If it still is stubborn and doesn't work, there's another option I'll have to look in to... But I'll deal with that when the time comes.

So my apologies to you for ranting and rambling a bit... I felt I owed it to everyone to give an explanation as to why I've been missing so often the past months, and especially weeks. I'm looking forward to being more present online!