MY INSPIRATION...

...is drawn from many places, but mostly my Mom, celebrating Mother's Day back home in Colorado today.  Always encouraging in the creativity department, as well as everything else I've ever done with my life, this arrived in the mail for me (from her, like I'm her mother or something), this week.  "Make something with it", she said..."I have faith in you", she always says.  The scissors came with the Bakelite rose, and belonged to my great-grandmother on my Dad's side - Grandma Gove.  I come from a long line of seamstresses, on both sides.

In the midst of this old family photo, is not only my Mom's Mom, but her Grandmother, and Great-Grandmother, also.  Raised on a ranch in Freeland, CO, my Grandma (Hazel) Rhyno raised two pretty wonderful daughters of her own, years after this photo was taken.

Once a fashionista, always a fashionista...she can't help it - she was born with style!

Her senior photo - Barbara (Bobbie) Jean - I would kill for a pair of sunglasses made from those specs!  She captured the heart of my Dad soon after, and went on to raise three kids of her own (two of whom turned out pretty awesome...wink, wink); who produced seven grand kids; who, in turn, are now in the throws of child bearing themselves, adding three "greats" to my parent's count.  The old folks, back on the ranch, would be proud!

So, like I said...Mom has always been an inspiration not only in the everyday life type of things, but in the crafty thingamajigs department of life, too.  Handy with scissors...we ALWAYS had the BEST homemade Halloween costumes, growing up - dear sister is still wearing the witch's hat.  Mom could (and CAN) do anything (same goes for Dad...such talent from both of their hands, and minds).  When she sent the rose this week, I had already been in the throes of making bangles...lots and lots of bangles, from a great online tutorial I had recently purchased here.  You, too, can make bangle stacks - the hot accessory for summer, if you don't have cat-eye glasses and have to make do with something far less cool.

I had actually finished the stack of bangles before the rose arrived, and realized that the color fit right into the whole scheme of things.  Struggling for two days to come up with a way to hang it (from hand beaded chain, to threading all the beads onto beading line, and then ripping everything apart, over and over again), I stepped back today, and realized it needed to be simple to go with the rest of the Bohemian feel...hence, the leather cord, with a few beads...amen.

Utilizing my own daughter as a hand model (she wouldn't allow the camera any higher tonight, with threat of bodily harm), the resulting set of fun.  "Make something", I did, Mom...thanks for the huge amounts of love and encouragement throughout my life...you will never know just how much you mean to me...OK, you might.

Coming out of the Barry Manilow show in Vegas last summer, with new "glow stick earrings" from the performance...like I said, always the fashionista, always beautiful, and always fun!  HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MOM - I love you!

And, speaking of fun and since I'm on a bangle kick around here (yes, the Bakelite bangles still get stacked 5 high on most days), LOOK at what I found this week, on a quick trek through TJ Maxx.  I even left the price tag on so you could see the bargain I got - heavy, real brass beauties from India...not flimsy, these babies are substantial - all 36 of them!!  I'm sharing them with my Mom...not that she isn't worth a lot more!