Bead Table Wednesday: 4 Cool Things To Share Today

Happy Wednesday To You!  Today I've got 4 fun things to share with you!

1.  Happy Birthday to my amazing Mother!

My Mom is such an inspiration to me.  She sets the bar for character and integrity, and has taught me so much about how to be a mom, wife and woman.  This past spring she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and has completely blown me away with the grace and dignity she has shown throughout diagnosis, surgery, treatment, and now as a healthy survivor.   I am so proud of her, and so proud to be her daughter, and wanted to make her something very special for her birthday this year:

I know that pink is the Breast Cancer Awareness color, but when I think of her, I always picture her in cobalt blue for some reason.  I had my friend Julianna Cannon of JulsBeads make up a gorgeous set of cobalt blue beads, including one of my favorite heart focals, and made Mom a set from my heart to hers.  She didn't get the earrings, as somehow,  in the 3 steps from the front porch where I took the pictures to the computer, I temporarily 'misplaced' one of them.  Within 5 minutes of shipping off her gift, I (of course) found the other earring, so she will be getting a surprise post-birthday gift - lol!

2. Maire Dodd is today's Grateful Living contributor!

If you aren't familiar with Maire Dodd's writing and artwork, you are in for a treat.  Her gift for sharing - both visually and in writing - is profound.  Check it out!

And while you are there, take a look at the other contributiors' posts from the past couple of weeks; I guarantee you will have a smile in your heart after reading what these remarkable women are grateful for in their lives!

3.  Deryn Mentock is having a Blog Challenge!

Deryn Mentock of Something Sublime is having a really cool blog challenge that incorporates the beautiful colors and feel from this photograph:

The reveal day is October 19th - you can read more about the challenge details here.

4.  Oh right - it's Bead Table Wednesday!

Here's what is on my bead table today:

Yep - a little cryptic, but I don't want to spoil the surprise of  what I'm making for Deryn's challenge!

You can see what all the other BTW participants are working on this week at the BTW Flickr site.

As always, thank you to our lovely hostess, Heather Powers of Humblebeads for hosting this weekly event.

Have a fantastic rest of your week!

Happy 70th Birthday Mom!

(I am posting this a couple of days past her birthday to make sure Mom has received it before she sees it online.)

I can't believe that my Mom is 70.  She looks and acts so much younger, that it just doesn't seem real to me.  They do say, however, that 70 is the new 50, right?

So, now that she's opened her gift, I can share with you all what I made to give to her:

I am still playing with enamels in my new kiln, and this combination was perfect for Mom.  I love the delicate greens, yellows, oranges and reds mingling in the blue of the focal, and the leaf accent brings out these colors beautifully.

So, Happy Birthday, Mom!    Thank you for teaching me how to be a mother who shows compassion, love and joy.  I love you so much and am so proud to be your daughter.

Thanks, Mom

I know this post is a couple of days late, but I wanted to make sure my Mom received her gift before I posted.

In church on Sunday, we were asked to write down what we think is the most important thing we learned from our mother.  That is a tough one, trying to narrow it down to one thing.  My mom has taught me so many things in my lifetime.  Things like: loving one another, laughing with each other, supporting one another, putting others before ourselves.  You see - lots of things to choose from.

The one thing that sticks out the most in my mind is this:  your circumstances don't have to dictate your character.  In other words, I can't always control the things that happen to me, but I can choose how I respond to them. 

When I was young, my parents went through an ugly divorce.  The messy situation and extreme heartache she was left with would throw anyone off of their game, but Mom chose to rise above the "stuff" and put my brothers and me ahead of everything else.  I never felt, even for one second, that I wasn't loved or protected, and it is her character that made that possible.

So, Mom, thank you for that oh-so-important life lesson,and thank you for being my mom.  I love you so very much.

Here's a picture of the necklace I sent to her:

It has yellow jade and black/gold amazonite stones that have been wire-wrapped with handmade etched copper bead caps.  The focal is a beautiful ceramic pendant made by Kylie Parry that matched he amazonite stones perfectly.

I hope all of you mothers out there had a very special Mother's Day!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Mom, who turned 69 this week, asked if I would make jewery for her birthday gift this year.  Of course I said yes - I was so excited to make it for her! 

Then I started working on the piece, and...well...I just wasn't loving it.  I had an idea in my head of what I wanted, but was having a hard time making the jump from the idea in my head into reality.

So I've been working for more than a week to get it right, and (finally!) I am really happy with the results.  Mom asked for something she could wear with either brown or black, and she loves wearing silver. 

So, without further ado, here is her gift:

Discs made from etched and patinaed copper and an antique tin I had are riveted to reticulated and patinaed sterling silver sheet, giving a decidedly modern look to the set.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!  I love you!

:-)