Junior High Girls Love Beading!

I must share the excitement...today I had six junior-high girls to my house for a beading party. My sister-in-law, Kris, is their Sunday school teacher. During her spring program she gave the girls the opportunity to be able to come to my house and make jewelry by faithfulness in attendance, bringing visitors, etc. She has nine girls in her class, but 3 of them were unable to come. The girls made jewelry for them also. I have only one regret...that I did not take one picture! We had snacks and drinks (not on the same table as the beads!) and had most of my bead boxes on the tables. The girls were delightful and had so much fun each creating their own unique designs...earrings, necklaces, and earrings. Several girls made necklaces for their moms and one of the girls stated that she and her mom would both wear one of the designs she made. As I've written in previous blogs I love to invest in young people. They are the future of our homes, our churches, our schools, our nation. I will never cease to be amazed at the response of young people when they are loved and respected. This was the second time for these girls to make jewelry. The first time they did great, but they came this time really knowing what they wanted to make and had much more understanding of how to design. I also observed that they had more confidence. Young people respond well in learning new things and the feeling of confidence that showed as they each walked out the door with their bags of jewelry. All jewelry was wrapped in bright yellow tissue paper and placed in beautiful black and white and yellow gift bags. Each girl thanked me as she left and seemed so appreciative. Are you teaching anyone your talents and abilities? I encourage you to find a young person (or several!) and teach them to do what you do. They will appreciate your believing in them; they will grow in confidence; and you will be passing your talents and abilities on to the next generation. Try it; you'll be glad you did!

Totally Crosses

I am a shopper. I love to shop. When I'm too tired to do other things, [if I have money!] shopping invigorates me. One of the great things about Etsy is that there is such a wide variety of shops from which to choose. I've had so much fun just "window shopping" on Etsy. I've met so many great people and seen so many cool things. One of the shops I've enjoyed and appreciated is Totally Crosses. She makes only crosses. There is tremendous beauty in a plain, ordinary cross because of what it represents----my precious Saviour, Jesus Christ, and the sin and shame He experienced for me on that cross! The crosses T.C. makes are extraordinary in their design. These are really cool wire wrapped crosses. I love having visual reminders of what Christ did for me on the cross and the fact that we have an empty cross because Christ not only died for us, He rose again and had victory over death and sin. These crosses would make great birthday or Christmas gifts. Visit her shop at http://www.totallycrosses.etsy.com/. To learn more about T.C. and the story behind their wonderful business http://www.totallycrosses.com/.

Buying Beads

One of my favorite things to do in making jewelry is to go shopping for beads. My senses are assaulted as I walk the rows and rows of bead-filled tables---so many colors, so many kinds, so many styles, so many variations.... I always set a budget limit before I go so that I do not get home with beads I should not have purchased or feeling guilty because I spent more than I should have. A budget helps me to be discretionary in my choices to insure that I LOVE what I buy. I usually walk the entire floor to see what's there. After the first few visits to gem shows I became much more knowledgeable in where to spend my time. I pretty much know the tables I am going to walk by and not stop. That is not because I don't like their merchandise or I have anything against the vendors, but I have learned more the style and types of beads with which I like to work. More often than not I'm not even sure how I'm going to use the beads I purchase. I can just tell that eventually the beads and I will make a good team! That's part of the fun of designing. I don't know how you design your jewelry, but I do the following when I sit down to design: First, I pray and ask for wisdom. I realize that God is the Creator of the beautiful world in which we live. He is the Master Designer. I know he can give me great ideas. Then I begin working. I string some beads together, take them off, string some more, take them off, string even more...you get the idea. It is not unusual for me to make a design and then realize that is going to be OOAK or TOAK (2 or 3) because I only bought enough beads for one or two sets of jewelry. Such is the case with the shell necklaces pictured in this blog. These necklaces turned out so pretty, but alas, I am out of beads! Isn't it fun to be a jewelry designer?

Working Together

I have a dear friend of 35 years who also happens to be my sister-in-law. We have a unique and beautiful story. We met as students at a Christian college in Minnesota. I was a junior when she came as a freshman from Miles City, Montana. She attended college for just one year before moving to St. Paul to attend nursing school. Our paths crossed again a year later when I began attending church in a suburb of St. Paul which she joined a short time later. We then got an apartment together with two other young ladies and had a wonderful time as young, single adults serving in many capacities in our local church. Kris was and ICU nurse at the U of M and I taught fourth grade. A few years later Kris moved to Indiana to continue her Bible college education. One year later I also moved to Indiana. To make a long story short, we met and married brothers at a double wedding ceremony 26 years ago. In 2007 we celebrated 25 years of marriage by renewing our vows in a double ceremony with our children standing up with us. (See family picture) Kris and I, of course, have had our highs and lows in our friendship but there came a time when we had to decide (and this was before we knew we'd one day be in-laws!) if we wanted to work through difficulties and hard times in our friendship or allow hurt feelings to interfere with our relationship. We had a wonderful older lady who mentored us and helped us learn to work through difficulties. What a favor she did us. What a blessing that we chose to work through our problems! Kris and I have a close relationship and our families (husbands and children) are all close. Currently we are in the process of writing a book together. When you learn to work through relationships instead of "discarding" people when things get tough or uncomfortable, you never know what a blessing that will be to you and others in the future. Had Kris and I never learned to work through our relationship struggles, quite possibly we would never have married brothers, would not be working together on a book that is going to help women, or be able to do any of the other things we've been privileged to do together. Proverbs 18:24 says, "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." In other words, friend relationships take work. But that work is very worth it! You may not see the whole picture for years to come, but believe me, it is very, very worth it to build right relationships! I wonder how often we trade hurt feelings for some wonderful opportunities and relationships in the future and don't even know it. Take the time and effort to work through your relationships in life!

Young People Are Where It's At!

I consider myself most fortunate because I have young people in my life. Though I feel very young in my mind, I am approaching 60...the age my mother was when she passed away. Now I no longer consider 60 to be old, but I do realize I am joining the ranks of "senior citizen."
I am not a death and dying person; I love life and want to live it to the fullest. But the fact is, I will die one day. When I am gone I want it to have mattered that I lived. I want to have made a difference in the lives of those I love and those with whom I have contact.
Five years ago my niece and her husband moved to our area. What a thrill it has been to be able to enjoy their two sons, Drew (11) and Justin (7). (The boys are pictured with a pinata flip-flop we made for my sister's 60th birthday party.) Drew will be going into junior high school next year and so his mind is on becoming a teenager. Remember your junior high years? Remember how you felt? With their changing hormones and the emotional roller coaster they will experience, junior highers need the stability and the acceptance of the adults in their lives.
The other night in church Drew looked at me and said, "Aunt Jane, see this?" I looked and saw a small bump. "It's a pimple," he said. "That because I'm becoming a teenager." He was so proud of that bump!
I smiled and said, "Oh, I love it that you are becoming a teenager because I love teenagers." He grinned from ear to ear and slid closer to me. I knew I had connected with him.
Young people will never forget an adult who loved them unconditionally. We often feel intimidated and think teens don't want us involved in their lives. Nothing could be further from the truth.Why not try to connect with young people in your life? They need you and you need them! Try it...it's a great way to live...and a great way to live after you are gone as they'll remember you forever!

Starting A Jewelry Business: Choose Your Medium

A second factor to consider when deciding to make jewelry is the components you will use in your designs. When I first began making jewelry I realized quickly that I could get "no name" crystals for much cheaper than I could purchase Swarovski crystals. And I purchased a good number of those crystals. However, as I began making jewelry I realized immediately that the clean crisp edges and the sparkle for which Swarovski crystals are known was missing. It was at that point that I had to decide what types of components I would use. I could charge less for my jewelry using the less expensive crystals, but my name was on my designs and I decided that I wanted to use Swarovski crystals. Neither crystal is right or wrong. I had worn plenty of jewelry in my lifetime with jewelry containing the less expensive crystals. I just decided that with my perfectionistic tendencies and my penchant for quality I would never be happy with jewelry I made using lesser quality components. Again, neither one is right or wrong. You just have to decide what is right for you and then pursue it with all of your heart!

Happpy Birthday, Mom!

We recently celebrated my mother-in-law's 87th birthday. She is an amazing woman who helps keep all of us in perspective as to what's really important in life. She is a diabetic who has lost both legs in the past year and a half. Yet, she keeps a happy spirit that makes all of us want to be with her. She is having problems with congestive heart failure, and yet she doesn't talk her health. She is very ready to go to Heaven, and yet as long as she is on the earth, she uses the time she has to encourage family and invest in those she loves so dearly. Due to an infection she was quarantined to her room so she could not come home to celebrate. But that did not matter to her; she was with her boys and their families, and that made it a good day for her. She laughed so hard she almost cried (see picture) and we all had a wonderful time. What a great lady. She has reason to complain. She was a very accomplished artist who has not been able to paint since her stroke. She is in a care center rather than her own home. But she NEVER complaines. She believes life and God have been good to her. I hope when I'm 87 I have the positive spirit and great attitude toward life that Bobbie Grafton has. I love you, Mom!