But The Fruit of The Spirit is Love....

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22

After a couple of months of "fruitless" efforts in creating I finally feel like I've begun to be inspired again. After a particularly difficult week at work, I was feeling much regret over my response to a particularly challenging individual and the offensive nature in which she had presented an issue to me.

I responded to the situation in kind, an eye for an eye. I defended myself and left with a self-righteous indignation that left a very bad taste in my own mouth.

The next morning in my quiet time I was once again on the carpet laying low and feeling defeated. I was never going to get this right! Never going to behave good enough to please my savior!

But He, as a gentle and loving Father, lifted me in His sweet arms and carried me to this passage in Galatians 5:1 "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
Yes, I had failed to respond the way I should have, but my failure has not condemned me. Christ has set me free through His redeeming sacrifice on the cross! I do not have to work to earn my way to Him in heaven. He has already done the work for me. All I am to do is to rest in Him and trust that I am forgiven.

"You, my brothers, were called to be free."

"But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other."

"So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law."

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. "

Thank-you Lord, for filling me with your Spirit and reminding me that I am to love, not a love born out of my own efforts, but a love that comes from the fruit of your very own Spirit, which you have deposited in me until the day that you return.

Thank-you for continuously bringing me to my knees before you so that I might fill up on this love and bring it with me each day as I face the work you have given me to do.

The necklace above was inspired by the Holy Spirit and is titled "But The Fruit of the Spirit is Love...". It has been hand crafted from antique salvaged treasures including a beautiful antique rosary with blood red cut glass beads and a rare brass and faux pearl grape cluster. If you would like to see more of The Fruit of the Spirit necklace, or are interested in purchasing it, check it out here on Etsy.


"to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."

I featured this necklace last time I posted, but I am not one to leave well enough alone.

I loved the art nouveau era brass lamp medallion and the way it played with the aged patina of the brass cuckoo clock chain and that of the antique faux pearl tear necklace drop, but I was not completely satisfied with the overall effect.



I was treating myself to a lazy night of watching "Vanity Fair" and soaking in the sumptuos costumes and jewelry when inspiration hit! Did I see the end of the movie? I don't remember.

Two gorgeous fat round antique rhinestone studded beads and two oval cut glass crystal beads intersect with the rosary bead and brass chains to complete the choker style necklace with panache!


When I look at this necklace I get a sense of a beautiful strength that comes from a life that has been restored. Something broken is now beautiful, beauty from the ashes.


He is the key.

Check it out on Etsy if you are interested in purchasing.

In The Hands Of The Master Carpenter

It is very tempting to start this post as if I had not disappeared for the past few months. Here's my latest piece, see it here on blogger, see it over there on Etsy, have a nice day. Goodbye.

But who would I really be serving? I believe God is calling me to a deeper walk during this time in my life then ever before. He has told me very clearly in one way after another over the past few months to trust Him. Trust His soveriegnty, trust His will for my life, trust Him with my reptuation, my finances, my children, trust Him with my marriage.

I hear Him saying be transparent, be vulnerable, let others see His work being done in my life.

So here I am, back to share with you, in all the humility I can muster, the place that I am in and what God is doing with me here.

I am learning to trust you Lord. As I loosen my grip on everything that I knew to be my security. As you gently pry my fingers from all that I held dear and say to me "trust me".

"My times are in your hands" psalm 31:15

Who am I? Wife, mother, step-mother, child of God.

Seperated from my husband, my lover, my best friend.

How odd that I can still say he is my lover, my best friend. He is my other half, a gift from God, a literal answer to a prayer whispered on the edge of my bed 7 years ago. But he, like me, came to this marriage with brokeness and baggage from the past and no idea how to deal with it, but to stuff it down and pretend it did not exist.

Have you ever stuffed your emotions? Tried to hide how you feel? Do you wear a mask when you go to work, in front of the kids, when you go to church to hide the pain?

I have been to my knees for this man over and over in the past 7 years. My lover, my friend, please God, please God, please God. Please help him, please help me, please come Lord Jesus.

My hearts cry and my deepest desire is to see him free, to be set free with him, to see our entire family free from the grip of a broken past. From generations of brokeness and bondage.

The past stuffed so far down comes out, like it or not. For my husband, for a lot of men, it comes out in a rage. A rage so strong and so overwhelming it is blinding. Not a physical rage, but an emotional rage that can be just as damaging. Like a hurricane it blows through scattering everything in its path.

When you live with a spouse who has issues with anger, you learn a sort of dance. You learn to control the environment around you in an attempt to keep things calm. But life presses in and the storm blows through again. You cry, you pray, you take a deep breath and start all over again.

And there are good days. God knows there are so many good days. Because he is really a good man. A hurting and broken good man. And I tried, God knows I tried to help him. To "fix" him. To make it all better. But I couldn't do it.

Who has the power to transform a life?

There came a day when I knew there was nothing God honoring about staying in that place. I heard God say that for Him to do the work that needed to be done I would have to step out of the way.

For a time, with a heart for reconcilliation. Not to divorce him, but to let God do the work and to focus on my own healing and to have a time of peace.

I thought that it might take months before he let go of his anger and acknowledged this problem. But it was only days before he had broken and God swooped in and began his transformation in some amazing ways.

He has sought counseling for his anger, joined together with a mentor and good friend to study John Eldridge's book "The Way of the Wild Heart" and begin a journey into discovering where he is broken and how to heal and become the man that God has called him to be.

He has swallowed his pride and tells others about his anger and his desire to be set free and shares how God is working in his life to do just that. For the first time I see a hope in his eyes that is truly the light of God shining through.

No more mask, no more pretending to be okay when he's not.

But he will be. We will be.

Out of the ashes....we went to a marriage conference at our church a few weeks back and one of the speakers shared a beautiful analogy of marriage being like a finely crafted piece of furniture. When two boards are joined together with the carpenters glue they can never be seperated. If you were to take a sledge hammer to the piece it would break, but not at the joint where it was glued. He wanted to illustrate that once married, two people would never be the same if seperated.

As I listened I began to feel the weight of condemnation. I am a Christian! What had I done leaving my husband!? I read the bible! I know what Gods word says! I should be ashamed to be sitting here among all these couples trying to work out their problems while staying together!

But as I squirmed under that condemnation, I heard God say to me, "Yes, two people joined in holy matrimony should never be seperated. Put together the right way, the glue is too strong. But sometimes a piece of furniture has been hastily made, or time has taken its toll, or abuse has caused damage and it has begun to fall apart.

To the average person, to the outside world, there may be no worth left in this piece. They say 'Throw it away! Toss it out! Start over!'

But in the hands of The Master Carpenter, the piece can be saved.

It has to be gently taken apart and cleaned up before it can be put back together. It can become something even more beautiful then before.

Do you trust me?"

Yes Lord, I trust you.

"You are my hiding place,
you will protect me in times of trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance." psalm 31:7

Hangin Around in the Background

I decided my beatle and Cicada necklaces looked a little unfinished, so I've added background text from the same antique dictionary the images are from.






The 1909 dictionary is chock full of gorgeous illustrations and I've been spending some time choosing fun ones to create more pendants and other jewelry. The cover of the dictionary is absolutely disentegrating and leaving a powdery brown residue over everything it comes in contact with, but the pages are wonderful and I was happy to salvage it before it wound up in the trash heap, as it was nearly the end of the day when I found it sitting all by itself at an estate sale.

A few pages wind up in each of my collage packs along with many other wonderful findings from the same era. I've been really pleased with the packs that I've been pulling together this month and I've received nothing but great feedback on the contents from the buyers! If you are interested, be sure to head over to my Etsy shop today because I am starting to run low.

Has anyone seen the Cicadas?

For all of the hype about the Cicadas coming to light after spending the past 17 years underground I have to say I am sorely disappointed! The reports were that this year they were supposed to be so thick they would be like ground cover and their song would be heard for miles!

Oh Cicadas....where for art thou?



To commemorate the (missing in action) Cicadas, I've just listed this romantic goth style necklace in my Etsy shop.

Combined with antique glass pearls and brass cuckoo clock chain, this one of a kind treasure wears like a romantic goth style necklace, but heads will turn twice when the antique etching of the Cicada catches the eye.



Revelations 5:13 reads: "Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: 'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!'"

If I catch the Cicadas song in my neighborhood this year I will imagine they are singing praises to the Lord!


I had so much fun with my Cicada necklace I had to create another. This one in honor of the Goldsmith Beetle.



I caught a beetle like this in the backyard once. Not sure if it was a Goldsmith Beetle, but it was big, and scary, and more then a little fascinating.

Your mother wants you to wear her pearls but you're not that kind of girl. You both get what you want on prom night when you show up in this little number!



"In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind." Job 12:10

So beetles just aren't your thing? You're in luck! I've brought out the birds to play today too!



"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" Matthew 6:26

Two vintage enameled pendants have been combined to create the centerpiece for this wearable art necklace.

Antique pale pink rosary beads, and green glass buttons usher in the start to your Spring and Summer wardrobe!



I haven't made art in so long, all I looked forward to the 3 day weekend with such anticipation!
And once I picked up my pliers, I just couldn't stop.

But I am so satisfied with the weekends offerings. Saturday night my dear hubby and I hit the annual all night flea market and in spite of the rain I scored plenty of vintage jewelry to play with.



I spent most of the day Sunday in the studio and I have the blisters in the middle of my palm to prove it!

But it was a labor of love as I created piece after piece. This was the first produced but the last listed. I've been wearing it for the past two days and just love the way it shows against my new found tan (oh yeah baby! I went to the tanning salon!)



This unique clasp created from an antique cuckoo clock hook and a little brass button secure the gorgeous mix of gold, mother of pearl, crystal, and rhinestone beads and buttons.



Well that's all I got listed today but check back soon. I've got plenty more started on the work table!

It's All About Me!!

Not all about me, its actually all about you when you order a custom brass stencil necklace from my Etsy shop!

I've had a lot of fun with these lately:



This one reminds me of the verse "He has taken me to the banquet hall and his banner over me is love." song of solomon 2:4




Each one has a little collage on the back, just for the wearer to enjoy!



Several customers have custom ordered a special phrase or saying to give to or wear in honor of one of their children.



I've even used the customers own baby photo and name to create a sentimental piece. I try to choose items to dangle that will coorelate with the phrase or have a special meaning to the wearer.

The back of the scrabble tile is a photo charm:

I've got several necklaces started, just waiting for your suggestions on how to finish them, so be sure to check out the listing on Etsy. If you don't see the letter you want in the photo, just e-mail me. I just might have one hiding in my collection for you!

Well the post is titled "Its All About Me!" for another reason. This week I have been "tagged" by 3 fellow bloggers! The assignment is to tell 7 random things about myself. So here goes:

1. I am a hopeless magazine-aholic. Almost weekly I make a trip to the bookstore to peruse the latest editions.

2. Call me crazy but, I prefer vanilla to chocolate and starbursts over candy bars.

3. My favorite color is red, but I can't eat the red starbursts!

4. With the exception of 1 quick overnight trip to the Canadian side of Niagra Falls, I've never been out of the country (Unless you count Milwaukee).

5. On Saturday I plan on joining Curves and hope to start working out at least 2 or 3 times a week. (stay tuned for future whining about that!)

6. I once saw a large LARGE cigar shaped glowing object in the sky. The weather man said it was a Rusian satelite burning up on re-entry into the atmosphere. Or was it?

7. I've got 3 adorable babies. They are 25, 21, and almost 18 years old. I've also got 4 equally adorable step-babies. They are 21, 19, 15, and 13.

Don't forget your Mother on Sunday!