Rose of Sharon Jewelry

Play is a critical part of building a wealthy and healthy life. $ is tight in most communities but you could win a $10k grant to improve a local park!

As a creative person and advocate for increasing creativity, emotional health and wellness, I believe that play is critical to everyone from infants to seniors. Local parks are vital to maintaining physical play in a world where we “exercise” in front of a TV!

KaBOOM!, the national nonprofit dedicated to saving play, has partnered with the National Environmental Education Foundation to promote National Public Lands Day (NPLD) and Play Days 2010, both being held on September 25.  By starting a project at playday.kaboom.org, communities can win grants of up to $10,000 to further improve a local park.

This is a great way for a few citizens to make a difference in the lives of families.

National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest single outdoor volunteer event, this year drawing an estimated 170,000 volunteers at over 2,300 sites across the country on September 25.  KaBOOM! Play Day 2010 is a national celebration to save play in the lives of children. It includes games, activities and "spruce up events" at playgrounds coast-to-coast between September 18-26, 2010.

Groups that participate in both programs are eligible for improvement grants of up to$10,000, courtesy of Mott’s and NFL PLAY 60.

This partnership helps with NPLD's outreach, especially among families with young children and in urban and suburban areas where many pocket parks, or small neighborhood green spaces, are situated.  With more than 2,300 NPLD sites, September 25 will truly be a national event for the whole family.  Last year, more than 1,200 communities across the country held KaBOOM! Play Days, raising both funding and volunteer support for their local parks and playground.

So get out and play today! You’ll be so much wealthier!

Thanks for stopping by again. Don’t forget to check out the newest releases in the Rose of Sharon Jewelry store.

I’ve got 64 ways to be creative today. A colorful box of Crayola® Crayons! Coloring isn’t only for kids – it’s also a great way to unwind.  Today I want you to color – inside or outside the lines!

The treasured 64-count box with the built-in sharpener is a beloved memory. Introduced in 1958, I was so happy to be “big enough” for my own box when I was in 2nd grade.

The Power of Memory on Play

I’m sure many of you have these same childhood memories so this playtime has extra special meaning.

Even if you have crayons in the house for kids or grandkids, I highly recommend going out and getting your very own box. You might even want to splurge on the new 120 count box. Perhaps those extra colors will inspire you! Besides Mom isn’t there to say, “But the teacher’s list says. . .”

Today’s Crayola brand crayons (Don’t waste your money on anything but the authentic Crayola.) have some color changes – no longer will you find Maize or Raw Umber, for example. If you were born after 1972, your color box would have included 8 new fluorescent ones like Hot Magenta. Crayola even has a color history chart.

What to Color

The crayons are the easy part of this process. Now what do you want to color?

Inside the Lines?

Are you an “inside the lines” person? Then you should buy a few coloring books to get you started. You’ll be surprised at how costly they are so to get started perhaps you’d rather download some color pages. To find a printable coloring page on any subject, simply use your search engine. There are literally thousands of possible choices.

• Crayola coloring pages
• Coloring pages for adults and artists
• Flower coloring pages
• Coloring fun for adults – lots of links here

Outside the Lines?

If you want to stretch your imagination and “color outside the lines” – simply start with some copy/printer paper. You can move up to better suited paper with a trip to any craft store. Select a matte fiber-based paper for best results.

Professional colorers (or colorists?) choose quality paper to transform prints into hand colored works of art. Why not explore the art of hand coloring?

Your Coloring Session

If you’re coloring for pure joy, color any where you want (with kids or without.) Coloring for relaxation and exploration is best achieved in a quiet area with appropriate natural light (daylight bulbs work, too). The proper lighting will show the “true” color without any lighting influence.

The key is to relax your shoulders and wrists. Crayons don’t   require the death-grip many of us use at work or while paying bills.

Coloring for Inspiration

1. Try different methods – like color around the outside lines then fill in the blanks or lightly color one direction then blend in from another angle.
2. Go outside your comfort zone – pick colors that aren’t your first choice. Combine colors which feel like they clash.
3. Try shading with a darker or lighter version.
4. Include white as a color to break things up visually.
5. Select colors from a favorite painting and use those to start your creation.
6. Have someone randomly select 4 colors then create something using them.

The most important rule is:

• Throw away all the rules.

I hope you’ll explore coloring soon. During some turbulent times in my life, I found serenity when I just sat silently and colored.

For some color related fun take the “What Color Crayon Are You?” Quiz.

A recent Scientific Mind article pondered reasons why depression has increased in the Baby Boomer and younger generations. It seems that moving away from work activities that engage the hands and mind plus result in a tangible reward may be a cause.  And one potential “treatment” may be crafting!

In the not too distant past, we physically raised our own food, chopped our own wood and made our own clothing.  The rewards of a healthy, tasty dinner, a warm place to sleep and enjoying a soft new sweater were a direct result of our actions!

Studies have shown that this action/reward pattern stimulates the parts of the brain that relate to happiness and our feelings of well-being. Work has become disconnected from rewards.

We now earn money (that we never even hold in our hands) in a less physical manner and our brains miss out on the rewards. We run for take-out, pay the electric bill, shop online for shoes while we collectively feel more unhappy or depressed.

The rewards we are giving ourselves aren’t as fulfilling now and simply don’t last very long. That’s why scientists who study happiness believe more and more people overspend. Don’t we all know someone who has a dress or two in their closet that has never been worn? The high evaporated before they got home.

Rebuilding the action/reward connection may be as simple as starting a new hobby that requires your hands, multi-step learning and complex brain activities. What better way to do that than to craft?

So get off the computer, turn off the TV and get out the knitting needles or pick up a pair of pliers. Knitting, crocheting, polymer clay work, intricate beading and other crafts can be a great way to ward off depression.

As my Granny always said “busy hands mean happiness.”

The “creative title” you give yourself tells a story. Words set an image and affect how potential customers approach you. When introducing yourself, how do you describe yourself and your  creative work? Do you say you’re a busy Mom trying to earn some extra money, a Artisan with original work, a single gal with expensive hobbies or a devoted Grandma who does some crafting to keep busy?

How you present yourself tells people how you value what you do. Earning money from your talents is an honorable career. Don’t undermine your image by diluting your work story with “poor me” talk – I’m just trying to make some extra money, I need to pay for my hobbies, etc. By definition, if you are selling your creative work – then you are a professional. And you do not have to have formal training!

For example, people often mistakenly believe Artists are more talented or produce more “important” work than Crafters. In spite of multi-millionaire Martha Stewart working diligently to advance the image of Crafters, many of us still have to “upgrade” our titles.

Professionals have “titles” that have perceived value (notice the word perceived does not mean actual). Unfortunately, that’s the way the world works and if you want to earn money from your art/craft/creative work, you need to be sure you are representing yourself as a valuable, creative talent.

For many years during my early writing career, I never told people I was a writer. I was just a Mom, a wife and freelancer. A wise Life Coach made me introduce myself every morning to my bathroom mirror. I’m a professional writer who specializes in….

She also made me carry my business cards everywhere and to assertively introduce myself to as many people as I could for 2 weeks. That was a hard task for me! It made my knees shake every time. BUT, at the end of the 2 weeks – I knew I was a professional writer and published author.

So when I launched Rose of Sharon Jewelry, I proudly announced to everyone that I am a professional Jewelry Artist. I’m not a Grandma stringing necklaces, a wife making money on the side or a woman hoping to pay for her bead addiction – I’m an ARTIST!

So this week, rework your story, update your Twitter, blog, Facebook or MySpace profile to reflect your position within the creative world. Announce proudly, who you are (not who you are in relationship to others). Put it on your business cards and get out there and tell everyone!

Good Luck!

P.S. Never be embarrassed that you want to be paid for your work! What you do has value beyond money but money is a good start. LOL

I know it’s February but it feels like Spring. Sun is shining and I’m planning several Spring-themed necklaces for release soon. I like working ahead of the curve – keeps me motivated. What do you do to keep yourself motivated?

I’m a person who’s always looking for something new to create or learn. Going to try yoga this month to help with flexibility, learn a new wire weaving technique for bracelets and teach Hunter to make fresh pasta.

Do you need a touch of Spring in your life today? Here’s a two of my favorite Rose of Sharon Jewelry designs guaranteed to make you feel the warm sun on your skin, hear the birds sing and watch Mother Nature come alive again.

Capturing the Sun – natural rough tumbled Citrine bracelet

Green Blossom – carved Jade flower pendant with lilac to deep purple Fluorite beads.

I cannot wait for the garden catalogs to start arriving. What are you ready for in February?

January is a month filled with potential and pitfalls. My goal for the month is to dejunk my life. For sometime I’ve felt a need to clear away the mental and physical clutter.

I don’t have a rigid set of daily goals but a process of checking into my happy center of the brain and gut. I’ve discovered through years of failed reorganization efforts and multiple organization plans that rigid means failure. I just have a streak of “don’t make me do that” a mile wide. But I have found that checking in with myself throughout the day to see how I feel about what I’ve accomplished is a powerful tool.

Instead of an overwhelming To Do List, I have a makes me happy list. Just a few things to accomplish during the day that makes my stress level decrease, gives me a feeling of satisfaction and makes me feel productive.

Arden has caught the dejunk bug too so we cleaned and reorganized my huge upstairs linen closet on Saturday.  This is an A+ in my happy center!

Today I’m making myself happy by listing more books on Amazon for resell (so far in 2 weeks I’ve made $60). I get to clean up my office and earn some treat money!

My desktop is almost clear (as is my very visually based mind) and tomorrow I’ll take on my health insurance company!

Inspiration for creating handmade jewelry can come from anywhere. My new At Dusk necklace started with a thumbnail picture on eBay. The pictures weren’t the best but something about the long oval scalloped beads just said “Buy ME!”

I could tell the pressed glass had a vintage look including the slight edge around each bead. The picture showed swirly, soft hues of cream, white, lilac, brown and pink. Something just told me I had to have these.

When the package came, I was thrilled to discover that my instincts had been right. The shape is wonderful and the colors better than I anticipated. See for yourself below -

So now I had 5 new glass beads. Time to dig! My beads are divided by color so I pulled out yellows, browns, pinks, creams and whites. I quickly decided against yellow or white as they created to much contrast.

I was thrilled when I found the perfect Rhodochrosite beads in medium pink with just a touch of brown to soften it. Next was a strand of brown Rhodochrosite that I had bought the month before.

Rhodochrosite beads usually are a blend of colors such as both pink and brown stripes or swirls. The beads I had were color sorted and came from two separate vendors.

Keeping the vintage element in mind, I added antiqued gold over brass bicone beads and daisy spacers and a antique gold over pewter toggle clasp.

A simple single strand of straight stringing just seem best for this piece where the color theme is the most important part of the overall design.

The creative and planning process took over an hour as I sorted through all my options.

No, No, No, Maybe, No, Yes, No, Yes, Yes, Yes!

At Dusk is available in the Rose of Sharon Jewelry store.

I love the finished necklace which I call At Dusk and hope you do too. Enjoy the pictures and don’t forget to leave your comments.

Creativity sometimes needs a workout to flourish. I spend a lot of time talking, reading and thinking about the use and mystery of creativity. I thought I’d share this excellent post by Dean Rieck at  Copyblogger on the 11 Traits of Highly Creative People. 

Copyblogger is a great resource for anyone who blogs.

Whether you write, draw, sculpt or scrapbook, how people nurture and develop creativity is pretty universal.

I love to watch Bravo’s “Inside the Actor’s Studio” and listen to how actors, directors and other TV/Film creators approach their art. It is really amazing to learn how they approach the creative process. Set your TiVo for this show.

What do you do or use to inspire your art? Do you have “dry” periods? What do you do to get you through those?

Leave a comment here (link on left) or visit the Rose of Sharon Jewelry Facebook Fan Page to share how you exercise your creative muscle.

Here’s one of my creative outlets – pictures of the Hunter – age 12 at the Jim Russell Racing School in Sonoma. Hunter has been accepted in the 13-16 year old group to race in October. He is a speed demon on the track and has a natural talent. No brag just fact! LOL