SHE CREATED A MONSTER!

Every once in awhile, I learn something new that really sets me in motion.  I was sitting during last night's hellacious rainstorm, thinking, "It's ALIVE", as I looked at the results from a class I took two weeks ago. Mind you, I had a a sweet out of town visitor, for 10 days, in between the class and this (meaning this has happened in less than a week's time)...yes, it IS alive!

These will be used as gifts, all...what started as a pearl hand-knotting class producing a single strand of  black Swarovski Pearls, has now produced six (6) single strands of Swarovski Pearls.  You know a teacher is pretty great by the amount of interest she can generate in her pupils, to want to carry on once they have left a class.  I knew, halfway into class, this was destined to become a favorite past time.

Thanks to Diane Schreiner - it's always a plus to find a teacher so impassioned about what she does that it rubs off on her students, almost immediately.  If you're a local, Diane will be teaching one more class this month (a little different from just pearls - CLICK HERE), before taking a hiatus.  Glad I got in when I did - I can't say enough great things about this wonderful woman - she created a monster (in a good way)!  Thank you, Diane...

May your weekend be happy and your cup runneth over!  XOXO

THE SANTA FE PENDLETON PROJECT...I CUT UP A SERIOUS BLANKET!

We bought a ridiculously gorgeous, expensive wool blanket with every intention of taking scissors to it.  It then took me a couple of months to work up enough courage to actually do it! Splitting the cost with my Mom, on our way through the southwest, this summer - an idea that both of us had been mulling over for a few years, but never bringing it up to the other.  This summer we did - "How about sacrificing a wool Pendleton blanket for the sake of fashion accessories"?!

Hers was finished this week, and flew home with her to CO, just this afternoon.  Large hobo bag - a pattern modified to accommodate the design woven into the blanket; straps of my own design; with the addition of grommets and leather ties.

Lined with a heavy/sturdy brushed cotton/denim (so soft to the touch) in a gorgeous rust/brown.  Two zippered pockets in this - I salvaged the blue tag from the blanket to sew into the lining, under my own label.

Brass grommets and leather thongs cinch in each side.  Hesitation on my part, but this thing sewed like "butter"!

A large, thick, black Bakelite button carved into something reminiscent (at least to me) of a poppy design - the center reminded me of a SW conch, but it had me at the stylized look of a Georgia O'Keefe poppy.

While the body of the bag is mainly deep red and black, this rust/black design ran the length of each side of the blanket, making it perfect for the straps.

I'll show you the other substantial purchase I made, later - more of the gorgeous blanket for now.

One bag done - a second/mine to follow.  Fraternal in nature, they will be, though cut from the same cloth (this was a 39" x 68" blanket). Loved having my Mom here while this was in production...she provided that little "nudge" (the old "Atta' Girl!") of confidence I lacked on my own with this one - Mom's are like that, aren't they?!  My sewing skills and inspiration come from her - I am happy to be able to give a little of that back to her.  I think she quite possibly left here a happy camper today.  

"MANY HAPPY RETURNS" ~ LIMITED EDITION Bead Embroidery Swallow Necklaces...

They say a swallow always returns ~ to its home ~ to loved ones ~ to places familiar.

I returned to an artwork that I love, in the past few weeks - bead embroidery. Fashioned in the style of traditional swallow tattoos - a tattoo favorite of old-time sailors, symbolizing 5,000 nautical miles journeyed. A single swallow would oft times be tattooed at the beginning of a long sea voyage, and a second added upon a sailor's safe return home.

For me, it has been a return to the meditative handwork that I so adore. Each of these little swallows (2" X 2") is comprised of size 15 and Charlotte glass beads (these are one to two sizes smaller than regular seed beads - tiny beads for tiny birds), lovingly hand-stitched onto a stiff foundation, two beads at a time, over many, many evening hours.

The bead edging is applied one bead at a time, and similar to a blanket stitch.  Backed with vibrantly colored Ultrasuede (there is also a "stabilizer" between the finished bead work and Ultrasuede), and hung from a brass chain (necklace measures approx. 19", plus a 2" extender); each with a bit of "bling" - vintage rhinestone buttons, most often.

  

These four have winged their way to new homes, with a few more special orders in the works. The Etsy shop has been closed, for the time being.  HOWEVER, I am offering these, through the blog, as SPECIAL ORDER/LIMITED EDITION pieces.  No two will be exactly alike in color combinations (it's the way I've always worked, whether custom bags or jewelry).  $35.00 plus shipping ($32.00 each for orders of two or more), in your choice of main color. My email address is readily available on the sidebar of my blog, under the little envelope - drop me a line...let's talk!

My mom makes a return for some Vegas fun this week. May your week hold much of the same - may you soar high, sing sweetly, and always return to places familiar, beloved, and safe.  Many happy returns of the day!  XOXO

THINGS I DO TO KEEP MY MIND OFF THIS...

 

Spider Monkeys...hate em!  Big, black, woolly spider monkeys!  Terrifying.  Goes back years, with a daily walk run past a spooky property where one hung in the trees during the warm months. Run, little kindergartners, run!  My brother had to corroborate the story that I told my parents about 5 years ago, after all this time...now they just feel like bad parental figures that they never knew - and didn't really believe me at first.  Really, it's become something of a joke, but I could put my face on this woman's body (PLEASE put my face on that woman's body!), and this is my worst nightmare!

But last night I dreamed about hand-knotting pearls.  One of those dreams where you relive something you did during the day, ALL night long.  Learned this old art from a fabulous teacher here in Vegas - who knew there was really a trick to hand knotting pearls the right way!  LOVE this technique - had such a great time that  I know more are in the works for me.  Done in less than 2 hours, including instruction time, but dreamed about it all night long (in a good way) - at least there was no room for spider monkeys!

MOTHER CABRINI SHRINE - Golden, Colorado on "TRAVEL TUESDAY"

On the side of Lookout Mountain, in Golden, Colorado, sits a beautiful landscape that holds a peaceful shrine dedicated to Saint Francis Xavier Cabrini - this is the Mother Cabrini Shine.

Although a Colorado/Denver native, this was one spot I had never been until I tagged along with a sister-in-law this summer.  Open to the public, free of charge, 365 days a year.  Mother Cabrini came to Denver in 1902 to work with the Italian immigrants and miners.  This is one of the ways she came to be known as the Patron Saint of Immigrants.  What is known today as the Mother Cabrini Shrine, was originally established as a summer camp for orphan girls at Mother Cabrini's Queen of Heaven Orphanage in Denver.  The land was purchased in 1909.

While no reliable source of water was known to exist on the property at the time, there were two barns and a spring house that had been built sometime in the late 1800s.  The only water was in a small pond next to the spring house.  All the water needed for drinking and cooking had to be brought up the canyon from a stream below.  The Stone House (middle right) was built between 1912/1914, as a summer dormitory for the orphan girls, and later serving as the convent for the Sisters of the Sacred Heart before the permanent convent building (left bottom) was completed in 1970.  The site is self-supporting, receiving no funding from the Archdiocese of Denver.

Mother Cabrini discovered a spring on the property in 1912.  A replica of the Grotto of Lourdes was built over the spring in 1929.  Demolished and replaced by the current sandstone grotto in 1959, the spring, which is housed in an 8,000 gallon tank, has never stopped running.

The mountain gardens surrounding the grotto and throughout the property are beautiful and serene, offering up some gorgeous Colorado vistas.

The property became a pilgrimage site in 1938, following the beatification of Mother Cabrini, and was established as a shrine in 1946 - the year she was canonized.  A 373-step stairway was constructed, following a path Mother Cabrini took to the top of the mountain.  Along this staircase, you will find beautiful mosaics depicting the Stations of the Cross, as well as numerous benches should you need to rest on your way to the top - it's quite a climb.

There is also a road running from the bottom to the top, for those not inclined to make the hike.  

In 1954, a 22 ft. carved statue depicting the Sacred Heart of Jesus was mounted atop an 11 ft. base, and erected at the highest point of the site.

In 1912, Mother Cabrini took several sisters, and a few children from the orphanage, along what was (at the time) a cow path, to the base of the highest hill.  From there, leaving their buggy below, they climbed to the top where they gathered white stones - Mother Cabrini arranged them in the shape of a heart, surmounted by a cross - the Sacred Heart.  Those stones remain in the same position to this day, at the base of the statue, covered by a glass case.

An old wagon on the property, where we stopped to watch a large elk herd.  In the history of the site (there is a great little museum housed in the old spring house, also), it was mentioned that the girls would load up native stones for the construction of the Stone House, into horse drawn wagons.  I can only assume this may be the remains of one of those very conveyances.  For more information on this beautiful site, as well as travel directions, click on this link...MOTHER CABRINI SHRINE.

WINGS OVER THE ROCKIES AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM, Denver, Colorado on "TRAVEL TUESDAY"

A few minutes from the heart of downtown Denver, CO, on the grounds of the old Lowry Air Force Base, sits a gold mine of military aviation history - worth a look for the pilot, astronaut, and kid in all of us.  This is the WINGS OVER THE ROCKIES AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM.

We actually dropped by this site in January (hence the garland on the pole).  Opened in 1994, some pretty impressive military aviation history is housed within the 40,000 sq ft Hangar #1, built in 1939.  The area surrounding the former air base has been transformed as of late, and is now a fairly metropolitan area, including a beer garden/restaurant in one of the adjoining hangars, shopping and a gym across the way, and surrounding by houses and apartments.

The museum preserves the history of Lowry AFB's operations from 1938 to 1994 in its collections, archives, and research library.

Features of this museum's collection include the USAF's B-1A Lancer and B-52 Stratofortress bombers, as well as other military and general aviation aircraft - there are over 3 dozen aircraft in this collection.

Open daily, with exhibits and cockpit demonstrations hosted by volunteers and Civil Air Patrol Cadets.  The Museum also hosts summer Space Camp events.

The Museum hosts annual events, such as a B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber Fly-In, the Annual Gala, and the Spreading Wings Award. We actually went there that day for a large antique show, in amongst the airplanes, and were surprised at the history we found.

Largest plane I believe I've ever seen - it was hard to get it all in one shot and get any type of perspective.

Bombs - every shape and form.  The B-61 Nuclear one is hanging from the parachute in the upper photo.

The Space and Rocketry Exhibit gives a nod to our aerospace industry and Colorado astronauts.  My dad is standing next to a lunar jet pack (until he calls and tells me what this actually is) he worked on (for NASA) as a Design Engineer for Martin-Marietta, "back in the day".  UPDATE:  As expected, I now know that the item in the case is a "Man Maneuvering Unit"...one of the first made, and designed for use in repairs made outside spacecraft, while in flight.

Shiny and impressive!

There's also a little something for the Star Wars fans - an X-Wing Fighter from the movies...part of another special exhibit, that stayed on full-time.

Large-scale models in the entryway.  You can find all the information you could ever want to visit this fabulous museum by clicking right here... WINGS OVER THE ROCKIES AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM.  Up, up and away...Happy Tuesday!