She is...

...growing like a weed.

 

...learning to smile.

 

...starting to play.

 

 

... enjoying a few more trips out of the house.

 

...getting too big for her jammies.

 

Me?

 

I'm starting to relax just a bit and am learning that motherhood is not an exact science and that you're never going to be perfect or get it all done.

 

 

Happy Mother's Day to the first-timers and the old-timers. ;)

On Hold

I started this before baby's arrival.

The theme was growth. This mint green aventurine rose-cut pillow just sang of Spring and the soft new leaves sprouting up everywhere.

A tiny vine, the negative of this one, was carved out of a band of silver and then laid on top of another band for a thick, wide silver circle.

 

 

The plan was to finish it before baby arrived and to my credit, I came dangerously close.

A file here, a sand there, a dip in the liver of sulfur followed by another polish, and this ring would have sung sweetly of Spring on my finger.



 My plans were interrupted by another sweet sign of Spring and I can't really complain too badly about an unfinished ring.

 

We're coming up on five weeks now.

April was completely lost in late-night feedings, early morning cuddles, mid-afternoon naps, and constant diaper changes.

I'm worn out as any new mom normally is, but it's a good kind of wear, the kind that's a sign of new life and health.

 

A routine is slowly developing and I know will develop a bit more as age and necessity create new habits.

 

I'm looking forward to May and June and watching the little one become a bit more baby and a bit less newborn.

She was little when she was born, and she's finally out of newborn diapers and wore her first 0-3mos. sleeper yesterday.

Baby steps...big baby steps....

 

 

Enjoy the beginning of May, it's the only one you'll get this year! 

In Bloom

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your well wishes and congratulations that accompanied my last post. It's been crazy around here the past couple of weeks with a new life, but we're slowly slipping into some kind of routine and it feels good. (I tend to thrive in routine)  

 

Now, I'm not normally one of those people who spend time posting pictures of random natural occurrences, but I couldn't resist this time. My husband bought one of those DSLR cameras (I have no idea what that stands for, but I feel intelligent when I say it) and the macro function on that joker is da bomb. I did not know it was possible to take photos this close.

 

It's all beginning to bloom around here and the gorgeousness combined with the mild temperatures has found me outside pushing baby girl in stroller for short (and slow) walks.

Here, I'll share it with you:

 

 

This one is my favorite:
(I'm seriously considering Shutterflying it and framing it somewhere in my house)

 

These are actually berries from a holly bush (I know, very Christmas-y in April)

 

I need to go back out and check to see if this has bloomed yet:

 

This part of NC is known for its Azaleas and we've got them in all colors.

 

Does this remind anyone else of Alice in Wonderland? (The good 'ol Disney cartoon, not the Johnny Depp version)

 

 

Like I said, everything is in bloom.

 

Get out there and enjoy the Spring before it gives way to hot, humid and sweaty Summer.

That's an order!

 

Good Friday

I think it was around December when I really started turning my mind toward the task that lay before me.

I didn't know anything about giving birth other than the obvious and I knew what the words epidural and induction meant and I had so often heard the word pain associated with contraction that in my mind any woman with the cajones to go through labor unaided by modern medicine was akin to Wonder Woman and need not be messed with in this life.

 

So, when I picked up this book on the shelves at my local B&N (totally on a whim mind you) I was not prepared to have my mindset about labor and delivery take a 180 degree turn four months before I was due, but it did, and I am so glad that it did.

 

First off, I hated my experience with my OB/GYN. For baby #2 I will be hunting down a midwife. There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 doctors in the OB/GYN practice that I used and you are "rotated" through all of them so that whoever happens to be on call the day that you deliver is the doctor that you end up with. I saw only one doctor more than once and I NEVER saw the doctor who delivered my baby until about three hours before the pushing began. I felt like a number on a chart and each visit was like checking in to a factory to insure that the machine was up and running.

 That said, by around February I knew I wanted a midwife, but I'd already swum halfway across the pool with the OB/GYN and decided to tough it out till the end.

 

Back to the book...

I think the things that became so important to me as I read were the author's deep explanations of the process of labor, what is actually taking place inside a woman's body, why you are feeling what you feel and the power that a woman's body has to deliver a child into this world when it is allowed to do what it was created to do naturally.

She took the fear out of childbirth for me.

I'll admit the closer I got to my due date the more I was scared of the journey that I'd have to go through to give birth to this little baby.

Understanding the process and reading the first-hand experiences of other women helped tremendously and really knowing that there was no reason to be fearful kept me focused on the goal.

 

The other huge help was page after page of explaining how medical intervention interferes with this process. Now, having said that, I understand that there truly are instances where medical intervention is absolutely necessary and has indeed saved the lives of precious babies and mamas that would otherwise not have been saved.

 

But I made a choice in December to do this the old way, to trust that what was happening to my body was not only desirable, but necessary, that it served a higher purpose and that the pain associated with each squeeze did not require the fight or flight response, but instead deep, focused breathing.

 

So, on the morning of Good Friday, sometime in the middle of my fifth trip to the bathroom, I was absolutely shocked when my water broke sometime around 7:30 am.

The thought ran through my mind, "I'm having a baby today."

I had packed my bag the day before, so me and hubby made our way to the hospital, my mom in tow laughing at the first baby in our family to ever arrive early.

"It's not Monday, baby girl, it's not Monday!"

 

I found myself bearing each contraction with my forehead leaning against one of my teammates (sister, husband, mother...whoever happened to be standing within arm's reach), a deep breath in through the nose and a low hum as I let it out. (Yes, this is a team sport.)  

 

There were only two contractions that I thought my body would not be able to handle and those because of the uncontrollable nausea that swept over me. I could hear my sister's voice encouraging me to hold on, ever watching the monitor as the contractions peaked and slowly tapered off.

 

My mind was so engaged in the process and I found myself standing as each contraction rushed over me, swaying gently from side to side and trying to visualize the baby's head moving down and closer to being out.

 

I remembered the words I had read about working with the contraction, using the power and force to speed up the labor and I did just that, walking the halls, pacing the room, floating in a tub, and finally sitting on a medicine ball.

 

At 7:49 pm, roughly 12 hours to the minute from when my water broke, baby Rosa made her entrance into the world, all pink and angry. She grabbed the scissors the doc was using to cut her umbilical cord and he had to pry them from tiny fingers.

 

I've never done anything so absolutely draining and so absolutely rewarding all at the same time.

Suddenly the sharp jabs I'd been feeling in my ribs for two months became feet and the weight I'd carried in my belly was now lying on my chest.

I burst a ton of capillaries in my face pushing (note to self, next time don't push through face!) and looked like some kind of measles victim for a few days after.

 

 

 

But, oh, was it worth it.

I've been a Mama now for 11 days and that work has been almost as hard as the labor, but each day that passes becomes more rewarding.

I think of the relationship I have with my mama and I'm looking forward to the rest of my life with this little one.

 

Welcome to the world, baby girl.

Moving Sale!

 

Okay, it's not what you think, I'm not actually going anywhere

(Trust me, with baby on board, it's an impossibility)

but, my tutorials and patterns are!

I've moved all my tutorials to my supply shop:

La Bella Joya Supply

 

It was really more their idea than mine, they weren't getting along so well with the finished pieces in my jewelry shop.

 

One was always trying to outdo the other, so I just ended up separating the whole lot.

I kinda like it this way anyway, I have such great fun putting together things for my supply shop.

 

I'm definitely one of those idea jotters and supply hoarders.

Here's how this pendant started, life as a bunch of swirlies on a piece of paper.



The little drawing in the top on the right-hand page became my Gift of the Magi bracelet.



 

It translated just beautifully once I got the colors all put together.

 

 

 I don't often do just classic peyote, but occasionally, I'll find a really great pattern that I have to repeat, like the one seen at the bottom of this page:

 

After a few tweaks and a work up in that rare...ahem...orange color that I use so infrequently, this is still one of my favorite peyote pieces.

 

 

I think I'm trying to get to this point...for me, working with the supplies and patterns and tools is where I really find my creativity and I love to see other people find inspiration in creating their own color combos when they use my tutorials or taking bits and pieces that were once lovingly in my stash but need a new home.

 

I still have two Creative Bead Collection Kits in the supply shop and both have been reduced in price.

 

Oh, another great feature about the tutorials in my supply shop? 

INSTANT DOWNLOAD!

Yep, that's right, no more waiting on me to e-mail you, AND I've enabled direct checkout!

 

So, to celebrate all this madness while I'm in the process of updating and upgrading both shops so they look super awesome, I'm having a sale in my supply shop!

 

Use this code: GRANDOPENING

and you'll get 15% off any tutorial or bundle or Bead Collection Kit in my supply shop. This offer isn't going to last forever, so jump on it while you can!

 

The only tutorials that aren't instant download are the bundles for the simple fact that you get to choose exactly what you want and I'll send it directly to your inbox.

 

I hope you're having a great day and feel free to spread the word about the sale, oh and also, make sure to head to the supply shop and add it to your favorites list that way you'll get new destash items and tutorials in your Etsy feed.

 

Have a great weekend all!  

Braxton-Hicks and Tribal Inspiration

 

It may seem odd for a woman who is 11 days away from her due date to still be searching the internet in her free time for summer inspiration, but ya' can't control creativity.

 

When I showed you this a few days ago, I was very complimented by your kind words about the craftsmanship, both on it and the suspension pendants, which I loved creating by the way.

 

I'd like to get back to each and every one of you, but I've been busy lately.

We've been gussying up the nursery so that it's all ready for baby girl to arrive, the bassinet is ready to go, the stroller is assembled, and I found a great deal on a swing so little girl shall have no shortage of places to lay her head.

 

 

 

Anyway, I wanted to drop by today and talk tribal.

It's my latest obsession.

I really can't get enough of the beadwork, the bright colors, the repeating patterns.

And of course, after getting sucked into Pinterest, I started an entire board dedicated to my new-found inspiration.

 

Here's a few of my favs:

This purse.

I started wearing a hot pink sweater that I bought at Target when I got pregnant and while my husband laughs (it's not one of my go-to colors), I'm finding that I kinda like the eye-searing hue.

Did I already say something about hot pink?

(Oh, and while this bag definitely fits the bill, I don't think it has the durability of a diaper bag, so I'll be passing it over this season.)

The collar on this shirt is just amazing. I like the idea of working black and white into the tribal patterns and colors. Most of the time I get caught up in the idea that tribal has to mean color, color, color, and while most of the time it does, black and white really make the colors pop.

 

I know, I know, boot season is over...but don't you know that's the best time to buy boots? (Assuming they still have your size in stock..)

 

Okay, last one, this chair wouldn't match anything in my house and I don't really have anywhere to put it, nor can I justify the purchase (um, at what age do babies start sitting up?) but it's like a piece of artwork and a piece of furniture all rolled into one, and you know I'm a fan of multi-functional things.

 

If you want to follow my tribal path, you can catch me over at Pinterest.

I find myself over there a lot lately (especially when the pregnancy cramps and back pain have me relegated to the couch).

 

I hope your week is off to a good start and take some time this week to find what's inspiring you. I for one, am sketching little ideas for tribal stacking rings and multi-colored suspension pendants in my notebook while simultaneously counting days until baby gets here. 

 

Adios, Amigos!   

Suspension

Confession: I don't buy enough art beads.

Reason: I live in a dream world where I can do everything...resin, polymer, ceramic, glass, yadda, yadda....

 

I'm slowly waking up to the fact that the only person I'm kidding is myself and without a kiln I'm pretty much going nowhere.

(Oh, and then the baby girl with her feet in my ribs says, yeah right, mom, nice try.)

 

So, when these popped up in my Etsy feed approximately two days before my birthday, I decided that...Happy Birthday to Me....I was gettin' 'em.

 

I also knew exactly what I was going to do with them when I put them in my virtual shopping cart.  

 

I'm calling them Suspension Pendants. I like the idea of the bead suspended between the hammered copper. The only thing maintaining the delicate balance, a slim copper wire which has also been heated and hammered and patinated and rubbed and generally put through the ringer so the metal itself reflects the rustic finish of the bead.

 

 

I like the idea of the beads also, faceted and rubbed with each facet sporting a different color. I think it's a beautiful metaphor for the way we live.

With every ding and scratch and hit we take something else rises up out of us, sometimes good, sometimes bad and the color that jumps out defines us. 

They're small, tiny reminders that the abuse of the heat of the torch, the head of the hammer, the scrape of the file, and the rough rub of sandpaper can create something beautiful, and a life that appears to be hanging in the balance may actually be suspended on something sturdier than you thought.

 

HERE and HERE



 

I haven't stopped there with the riveting or the suspending.

This one was a bit more complicated. Two sheets of metal, copper and brass are riveted together with space between.

I've sawed out a tribal-like motif from the top sheet so the beads peek out between the sheets.

It's also been patinated and rubbed and each bead strung for a punch of color inspired by Southwest Indian afghans and woven rugs from Guatemalan handweavers. 

 

None of my clasps were good enough, so I made my own with the same pride and craftsmanship that created the pendant.

 

 Copper is not silver, it doesn't look like it, it doesn't feel like it, and it doesn't behave the same way. They're like distant cousins that get along well, but truly have nothing in common.

The one to me seems almost holy and when I work with silver I feel focused, intent, and try to pour perfection from my fingers.

 

Copper is different, it's warmer somehow and I don't mean just in color, but it feels more forgiving and kinder and I'm not as scared to let the hammer fall where it may or take an extra pass or two with the file.

 

They're like the two sides of my creative personality and both deserve to be explored.

 

This piece with all its tribal personality can be found HERE.