This bracelet was hand made for me by my brother when we were both teenagers.
Makes it an almost antique!
It is one of my prized possessions.
The Japanese calligraphy stamped on it is our last name, Matsumoto, which means base of the pine tree.
You can tell from all the scratches that it is in well-worn, appreciated and enjoyed piece of jewelry.
Thanks again Sam. I think of you every time I wear this. Love, Paula.
The Cherry Creek Arts Festival here in Denver Colorado is one of my favorite festivals.
This year on July 4th my stepdaughter and I connected with this artist.
Alex lives in Arizona and we aren’t as close as either of us would like to be.
As a surprise I went back on July 5th and picked out these two sets of earrings.
If we each were buying a pair Alex would have bought the pair that looks like twigs and I would’ve bought the flowers.
This is what we did. We each keep one earring from each set to wear them together. Then we can think of each other when we are wearing them!
The artist was excited when she heard what we were going to do in to make the earrings even she put the flowers on short wires and the twigs on long wires so they are about the same length when we wear them.
We will be thinking of each other a lot!
The Cherry Creek Arts Festival here in Denver Colorado is one of my favorite festivals.
I enjoy connecting with the artists. This year I was lucky enough to connect with maja and you can see more of her work here maja , http://majadesigns.com
My stepdaughter Alex was visiting for the week and we are trying to reconnect. This festival was something we did together as a family when she was much younger. We went on July 4 to check it out and she also loved this artist.
I went back on July 5 and picked out two sets of earrings. And this is what we did:
We each keep one hearing from each set and wear them together. Then we can think of each other when we are wearing them! Since she lives in Arizona this “brings us together across the miles”.
I took my friend Jennifer Lim an huge plastic bag of broken and “I’m tired of this piece” jewelry.
I had been saving all this jewelry with no idea what I was going to do with it. Since at least half of it was broken I couldn’t take it to the thrift store.
She does this amazing thing with bits of forgotten or discarded jewelry, she re-purposes the bits and pieces and makes entirely new pieces of jewelry!
I wish I had taken a picture of that plastic bag of broken jewelry, sigh, but here are a few examples of what she did with those castaways:
Thank you Jennifer for being so fun and giving me back some memories!
If you would like to see Jennifer’s creative pieces in person, bracelets, earrings and necklaces, join us at Simpson UMC on 10-19-2014. Her prices are unbelievably reasonable. All proceeds she donates to the Simpson UMC Chancel Choir for special music and adding musicians to help our extremely talented pianist with Christmas and Easter Cantatas.
A light lunch will also be served until sold out. There are many amazing artists that display each year and you will not be disappointed!
P.S. If you would like to donate some broken jewelry Jennifer will make it into something amazing which she sells and donates all proceeds in support of the Simpson UMC Chancel Choir. Bring your plastic bag of bits and pieces!
Angelique was filled with good energy. Her art was also filled with good energy, happy and moving.
Dream horses she made to ride to your dreams.
Cheerful jewelry to pick up your spirits!
Christal Chapman was my favorite artist at the Lafayette Peach Festival, and she was fun too!
She rescues scrabble, dominoes and mah-jongg and other small game pieces from thrift stores. She then turns them into the bases for her works of art these adorable, creative and fun little pendants.
This is a very small sample of her work. She tells me that sometimes her projects take over her house. I hope to go and maybe watch her while she’s creating some day soon but at least go and pick out some more pendants!
She also rescues magazines and books for their art and to incorporate into her art.
Her mother also does some amazing paintings on these itty-bitty toy pieces, I was dismayed when I got home and realized I forgot to pick out one of her mother’s painted pendants. A lot of detail on a small canvas. Definitely need to hook up with Christal soon and I hope I can find and rescue some dominoes and mah-jongg pieces from the thrift store for her artwork.
sanseilife 