Beauty and the Beast

Well, I’ll start with the “beast” . . .

Here in New England, we’re in line to be hit by Hurricane Sandy, a huge storm beginning late Sunday and running through Tuesday. They’re calling it a tropical cyclone and it will bring high winds, flooding, and large areas of power outages.

So, we’ve stocked up on water, batteries, and food that doesn’t need to be cooked. We also filled zip-lock bags with water and they’re freezing in our freezer as I type. That tip was new to me, but I think it’s brilliant. It will give us lots of extra ice to help keep things from spoiling in the fridge should we lose electricity.

Wish us luck! And best wishes to everyone in the path of this storm, which meteorologists have dubbed “Frankenstorm” – both for its ferocity and its proximity to Halloween.

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For the “beauty”, here’s a pendant I finished this week. I considered just putting it on a black cord but then decided to make a little necklace to set it off.

The pendant itself is created with a needle and beading thread – utilizing a method called “beadweaving”. I chose a glittering Swarovski rivoli crystal in Tanzanite as the focal point, and surrounded it with a frame of tiny glass seed beads.

Below is a look at the back of the piece to illustrate how the stone actually sits in a basket of seed beads.

I know. I used purple . . . again.

I have no defense.

Is there a support group for purple lovers? 😉

Hugs,

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It’s All Good

If you’re like me, you’re tempted to be a little disappointed if you can’t accomplish things you were planning.

Oh, I know we all talk about how important it is to set priorities, to schedule “me” time, and to live in the moment – but following through is the tough part.

Of course, there are periods when we’re able to get into a groove of putting our plans near the top of the list. It can even seem quite natural.

But then there are also times when life gets in the way. Family and friends need us and when they do – it seems much more natural to put our own plans aside.

Ok, Crystal. Sounds true enough, but is this going somewhere?

Why, yes it is! 😉

I’m talking about a light bulb that went on for me recently as I looked back over the past year. At first, it seemed as if I didn’t finish very much on the creative front. While re-organizing, I came across a bunch of supplies and patterns that I’d been so excited about initially, but had never had time to begin. I tried to remember what I actually had finished and, off the top of my head, I couldn’t come up with much.

Then, I went through some photos and was surprised to see that there was more than I thought.


A lot more than I thought.


I‘m including some of the photos to remind myself to focus on what was finished (not what was left undone), and also on whatever positive things I was able to accomplish for my family and friends over the course of the year.

We all know it, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded . . .

There will always be things we wanted to do.

Far better to concentrate on the things we DID do!

When you look at it that way – it’s all good! 😀

Hugs,

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TGIF

It’s going to be a lovely weekend.

(She said confidently!) 😉

Even though we have a bunch of boring spring/summer chores to do, I’m taking a positive approach and concentrating on ways we can enjoy a few little breaks in the action . . .

I’ve stocked up on our favorite snacks, and will make a nice dinner on Saturday night. By the time Sunday evening rolls around, we’ll be more than ready to put our feet up – maybe watch a movie from our stash of “bargain” DVDS.

I hope you have a good time, too!

See you Monday 😀

Hugs,

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