Elements by Julie

Strangers

2010-05-27T18:11:00.004-04:00

I've been thinking today about the strangers that come in to our lives for just a brief time maybe just a for a minute or two, and give to us words of wisdom that last a lifetime.

The two instances that I remember seemed unimportant at the time but now, many years later, I am still thinking of them.

The first stranger came to me when I was a young wife shopping for citrus fruit - she told me to look for the heaviest fruit, because it had the most juice. Simple, yet not something I had considered before.

I thought of her today, a good eighteen years later as I was trying to find the heaviest lemon at Shaw's.

About fifteen years ago I was trying to hurry my little girl along as she washed her hands at the mall, seeing a line behind us. Another wise stranger said that she had as much right to have time to wash her hands as the adults did. Of course! So simple why didn't I think of that? I think of her even now when my young son needs time to accomplish something and people are waiting...he gets as much time as he needs :)

Thank you wise strangers!

Haiti

2010-01-26T19:07:00.000-05:00

This has been on my mind for some time now. If the people of Haiti had had more assistance from the world at any time in the past hundred years..would their buildings have been stronger? Would so many have died in the rubble? It seems they have been ignored and left to their own devices for so long and now the forces that be are vowing to build them up strong. Of course it's after the fact...

Haven't Been Here In A While :)

2009-08-05T09:49:00.003-04:00

Hello Everyone, I've been away from my blog and my Etsy shop for a while and I've missed it so.
I'm happy to announce that I now have many lovely new items in my shop and am also having a big sale in honor of my Birthday (I can't believe I still get excited about my birthday!) on the 9th.

I am sending a free pair of earrings with each order to my blog friends too! Just convo me "blog" in message to seller :)

Also, I hope that you will follow me on Twitter (and I will follow you!)

http://twitter.com/elementsbyjulie

Have a wonderful day!!

A Thought For Today

2009-02-12T06:58:00.002-05:00

"When you look for the bad in mankind, expecting to find it, you surely will."

- Abraham Lincoln.

A Beautiful Swirl Treasury!

2009-01-31T15:02:00.004-05:00

A big "thank you" to Doodlage Doodlage.Etsy.Com and www.doodlage.com for including my hammered swirl earrings in her beautiful treasury :)

Check out her shop, she is an amazing artist!

Our New President

2009-01-19T15:42:00.008-05:00

Very soon we will have a new president. There is so much hope surrounding this man. People all over the world see him as someone who has overcome great odds to become Commander and Chief of the United States of America. Now, Americans of all ethnicities can look their children in the eyes and tell them with certainty "You can become president someday, you can aspire to greatness."

Would Obama be where he is today without the upscale eduction he was so blessed to have? The odds are unlikely. Hopefully better educational opportunities will come to our children in the future regardless of what neighborhood they live in or how much money their family has. Who knows how many more presidents or secretaries of state are out there just waiting for their chance?

And now, heres Bono because what's a blog without Bono?

I love Beaker!

2009-01-04T19:27:00.004-05:00

What's a blog without the muppets?

Treasury

2009-01-02T10:18:00.004-05:00

My Swarovski Crystal Earrings were featured in this gorgeous treasury!

How Safe is Your Makeup?

2009-01-01T08:46:00.004-05:00

Did you know that the FDA doesn't require cosmetic companies to test their own products for safety?

And that there are hormone altering chemicals in the products our teen girls are using?

I didn't know this until recently and now I am passionate about spreading the word.

How can they get away with this? Do THEY use their products knowing the crap that is in them?

There are chemical free options out there that are just as good if not better than the chemical laden ones (I know because I use them!)

Check out Skin Deep.com to see where your beauty products are on the hazard scale!

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T17:04:00.004-05:00

Roberta Flack, what a voice :)

Happy New Year Everyone!

"Don't you Smile"

2008-12-30T10:40:00.006-05:00

"Don't you smile!" in her most serious voice

This was how my dear grandmother used to get us to smile (and laugh) every time. Try it today..it works like a charm :)

"We don't say goodbye, we say ciao" -Catherine LeBlanc D'Angelo 7/20/1919-12/20/08

Godspeed Grandma..I love you

Pomander Balls, Santa

2008-12-01T11:41:00.014-05:00

Have you made pomander balls before? They are lots of fun and easy for the kids; they smell wonderful too! We use clementines (they have a softer peel) Simply poke cloves all around and roll in cinnamon and nutmeg. Apples work nicely as well :)

Jacob decorated the tree near our library this weekend with his hand painted airplane.

Does Santa know what a "build your own lightsaber is??"

This is what happens when you let a 6 year old boy loose with the camera :)

Thank you for your "help" with the leaves Molly!

Want to do a puzzle?

2008-11-18T15:43:00.003-05:00

Jacob and I were doing a puzzle on our favorite puzzle site jigzone.com when he noticed that I could add it to my blog!

Yes We Can!

2008-11-05T11:05:00.019-05:00

This is a picture of me with my dear friend Nancy Lee. How could I be so close to an African American woman? I didn't know any black people growing up. They seemed so foreign to me..so different. And then I met Nancy Lee!

We have so much in common, she cares about her family and the world just as I do. She has given such an important gift to my family, the gift of understanding and tolerance. I see the world through different eyes now.

If someone told me twelve years ago that I would have an African American sister and an African American president I don't think I would have believed them.

But it's true and I am so happy that it is :)

A Few Random Thoughts

2008-10-21T06:37:00.013-04:00

A few random thoughts for today (some important, some not so much!)

Most importantly, Jacob tied his own shoes for the first time yesterday! He was so proud of himself. He ran outside and yelled "Hey world..guess what..I just tied my shoes!! " Ahh the simple things in life :)

Today I am on the Etsy Main showcase..will it work for me? I don't know..I just keep trying to put myself out there - sometimes I feel like a small guppy in a very large ocean of jewelry designers...I'm just going to keep my head down and plug away..people will notice!

My mug...why do I feel funny about putting my pic on my blog? I've been thinking about that lately...hmmm I guess that it really puts you out there..you are revealed! I think a picture of my jewelry represents me better than a picture of myself..does that sound weird? Anyway..I'll put my pic on tomorrow..just so you all know who you are dealing with!

And then I'll post a random act of kindness..something small I did for someone many year ago..I still think of him around this time of year.

And now a few questions. How do I get little pics of the items in my shop on my blog? Is that what the Etsy Mini is? Also...the Treasury..is it really hit or miss getting on it or having one of your own? And how come some sellers' recently listed items have already been viewed 40 or 50 times or more?

O.K. that's enough randomness for one day, hope you have a great one :)

Julie

Pumpkin Races!

2008-10-15T13:08:00.015-04:00

I promised you pictures of the pumpkin races and here they are! Does it look like these guys are racing in giant pumpkin boats? That's because they are! It was one of the craziest things I've ever seen! The pumpkin festival was in Damariscotta Maine.

He's Sweet!!

Don't be afraid of the giant spider pumpkin Jacob!

My three lovelies with a Japanese inspired pumpkin

Cool Snowman pumpkin!

Buy Local!...Buy Handmade!

2008-10-13T06:59:00.006-04:00

Lately the economy has been weighing heavily on my mind(and everyone else's). You can feel the uncertainty in the air.

The government and big corporations have let us down. Where do we turn? I say let's turn to each other, let's spend our hard earned dollars where we can do the most good. Places like Etsy that support cottage business and our local shops, and farmers markets.

This is my Main Street. It is a precious part of America. We need to keep the honest hardworking folks that keep it alive in business. If we lose our local economy, where will we be?

I'm getting off my soapbox now and taking my kids to the pumpkin races. Pumpkin races you say? I'll have pictures soon :)

Ocean Dream Bracelet

2008-10-12T12:38:00.012-04:00

Hello and a happy Sunday morning to you! I am proud to show off my new "Ocean Dream" bracelet. You can see it in a earlier post as a "beautiful mess"

It will be for sale in my Etsy shop tomorrow on Tuesday.

There is so much going on in this bracelet. All of the charms reflect to me the beauty and ever changing colors of the ocean that I love so much. There is Hawaiian sea glass, Iolite, Peridot, Pearl, Blue Quartz, Tourmaline, Amazonite and Abalone. All the silver is Sterling. I made the swirls and clasp by hammering sterling wire.

Here is my lovely daughter Molly hiding under the table at my jewelry show yesterday. It's hard to be professional when someone is tickling your ankles :)

It was a great show! Thanks to all of you who stopped by my booth and were so generous with your compliments...it's wonderful when your work is appreciated!

Quote for Today "Be True to Yourself!"

2008-10-09T09:05:00.003-04:00

Sometimes it's tought as an artist, craftsperson to keep the flow going, hoping that what you are doing is appreciated...sometimes things are slow...and then BAM! Someone comes from out of the blue and places a large order! It reinforces what you know to be true "Do what you love and the money will come." In keeping with this thought..here is my quote for today:

"Whatever you are by nature, keep to it, never desert your line of talent. Be what nature intended you for and you will succeed." Sydney Smith

Mork and Mindy

2008-10-08T20:41:00.010-04:00

Here is a picture of a clay bowl my Jacob made today..not bad for a six year old!! Maybe a budding artist in his own right!

I may be dating myself here, but I loved Mork and Mindy. Whenever I watch a clip today..I remember why. Robin Williams at his best, and those suspenders, sexy!! Below is a great clip...the guy in it was the caretaker in the Bob Newhart show "Newhart" http://youtube.com/watch?v=l2y2UE9yO5E

Does anyone out there have a favorite episode to share??

Quote For Today

2008-10-06T18:50:00.002-04:00

This quote was in my local paper today..I think it's worth sharing, especially because of the man it came from!

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."
Thomas A. Edison

Fall in Bath

2008-10-03T09:09:00.002-04:00

Good Morning!

This is my favorite fall tree in Bath...I wanted to share it with you before all the leaves blow away!

Getting Ready For Fall

2008-09-30T15:55:00.002-04:00

Today I am busy working on the jewelry that I will be giving away for my October giveaway contest which starts Friday!

I am also working on jewelry for an upcoming art show here in Bath. If you are in the Bath Maine area on October 11th, I hope you will stop by to say "hello".

My Fist Blog!

2008-09-26T10:54:00.000-04:00

Hello to all my new blogging friends!

I am so excited to be starting a blog! My hope is to give you a little peek into my world, and to share funny, inspirational, and or thought provoking things with you.

I LOVE sales and free stuff, that's why on October 3rd, I'll be starting a contest for a free piece of Elements jewelry! Be sure to stop back Tomorrow to see what I am giving away and to learn how you can win it!

This is my oldest Katie modeling my Hilltribe Silver Rose and Black Onyx necklace. She is really looking forward to being one of my jewelry models :)

Can you believe that in a couple of weeks this "beautiful mess" will become my "Ocean Dream" charm bracelet? It will be completed and in my shop soon! (the sea glass is from Hawaii!)

After I took this photo I noticed the small flowers, they are from my son who is six...he gives me a flower almost every day! (sometimes they are from other people's yards...but that's our little secret :)

I hope to read your comments soon!

Julie