Call For Artists - Raleigh, NC Area!

Flood The Streets with Art and Scarf Drop

This weekend has been so busy, and I am so happy.

5 years ago Scott Wong brought to life his brain child - Flood the Streets with Art. Here is a little quip from Scott - "The goal is simple: On BLACK FRIDAY (Nov. 24th, 2017) I want every artist, human being, man, woman & child on our planet to drop one piece art they've created on the streets of their community for a random stranger to find, pick up, take home & love. Yes, for FREE. 

Allow me to explain...

Here in the United States of America, we will celebrate Thanksgiving Day this year on Thursday, Nov. 23rd, 2017. We will spend the day with family, friends & loved ones giving thanks for everything in our lives we have to be thankful for. It's really loving and special and meaningful. ♥

But then...

On the following day a.k.a. BLACK FRIDAY (the day after we've given thanks for everything we have in life), we rush out in an uncivilized manner trampling complete strangers to death while pushing, shoving & acting like a complete lunatic so we can buy a big screen TV for twenty bucks. I'm speaking tongue-in-cheek, of course, but truth be told, it's not that far removed from what actually happens. I wish I were joking. :( "

I have participated the last four years and it is my favorite time of year. Being able to share my gratitude in the form of art means so much to me, it is very fulfilling. 

I did a huge drop this year. Six paintings and jewelry. I heard back from one person who found my earrings!! That was so exciting, AND they are going to participate next year! It is spreading!!!

These are the pieces I dropped this year. All around Raleigh and Cary, NC. So much fun under the cover of darkness, dropping art for people to find. 

And then there is my true heart - dropping scarves and hats around downtown Raleigh. It is getting cold at night, and there are so many people who do not have enough, that I love leaving warm items around for them to find!!!

During the Thanksgiving season, I am truly grateful for what I have, and who I have in my life. I love giving back out of gratitude and love to my community. It is that small ripple that starts the waves of change. 

All of my jewelry creations are based on the metaphysical properties of the stones or the colors that are incorporated. Jewelry should be a window to our soul, a protector of our emotions and a companion to our spirit. All of my other creations come directly from my heart in hopes they touch yours as well. Celebrate yourself with healing jewelry, and other gift ideas made with love!

Granola Bars - recipie

I am on the go - Go Go Go!

One of my favorite breakfasts in the world is oatmeal, but I don't always have time to sit down and enjoy it.

I did some searching and found several great recipes for granola bars, combined 3 - 4 different recipes and came up with this one :) Now I have something that I can grab on the go, and still feel full all morning.

2 1/2 c Rolled Oats
1/3 c sweetened coconut flakes
1/3 c dried cranberries
6 dates, chopped
1/8 c pumpkin seeds
1/8 c sunflower seeds
1/3 c pecans, chopped
1 T flax seed
1 T hemp seeds
Salt and pepper
1/3 c olive oil
1/3 c honey


Combine all dry ingredients first.

Add oil and honey - mix well

Place in greased 9x9 pan

Press down hard. I used a broad bottomed bowl and mashed it in there good!!

Bake 325 degrees 30 min

Cool, cut into 12 squares.

Approx 230 calories each


I used honey, because I was out of molasses.  Use molasses or maple syrup to make it vegan, which will change the calories as well. May try it again with agave, but I am not a fan of it. I also used salt and pepper, because I am more into the savory/salty than the sweet.

Store in fridge in air tight container.

Tell me what you think!!!

Lasting Impressions Fine Art and Hand Made Gift Show

Hey Raleigh!!!! Here is your chance to see my tie dyed scarves up close and personal!!! I will be at Lasting Impressions in Fuquay, 11/24-26/17!!

Lasting Impressions is a locally run artist fair and show for the holidays. You can find fine arts and crafts ranging from oil and watercolor paintings, pottery, wreaths, jewelry, fused, stained and dichroic glass, Holiday ornaments, baked goods, candy, scarves, doll clothes and more.

Open the weekend following Thanksgiving 2017:
Friday, November 24, 9am-6pm
Saturday, November 25, 9am-6pm
Sunday, November 26, 12pm-4pm

Find out more!!
@lastingimpressionsfac - instagram
https://www.facebook.com/lastingimpressionsfinearts/ - facebook

All of my jewelry creations are based on the metaphysical properties of the stones or the colors that are incorporated. Jewelry should be a window to our soul, a protector of our emotions and a companion to our spirit. All of my other creations come directly from my heart in hopes they touch yours as well. Celebrate yourself with healing jewelry, and other gift ideas made with love!

Can't Get Enough Tie Dye!

I can't get enough of tie dying! I have to dye everything. Doesn't matter what I look at, fabric wise - I wonder what it would look like if it was crinkled up or  rubber banded and loaded with color.

I recently went to visit my brother in Oklahoma City. What a blast! He is an artist, WONDERFUL artist, and shows his work at The Purple Loft Gallery.

Last year, I went out to The Paseo Art District and did a show of my jewelry, this year, I took tie dyed scarves.

I made scarves from cotton flannel, and cotton muslin for a lighter weight scarf. They were a hit!

 I love each design, and the way that I do it, I don't duplicate the design, staying true to my one of a kind philosophy.

I will be selling my scarves locally at The Green Monkey in downtown Raleigh, at Raleigh Brewing on 12/9/17, at Lasting Impressions Art Show in Fuquay-Varina over Thanksgiving, and will be at New E nuff in Bethany OK!! I am so excited at the doors this tie dye adventure has opened!

We all need more color!

All of my jewelry creations are based on the metaphysical properties of the stones or the colors that are incorporated. Jewelry should be a window to our soul, a protector of our emotions and a companion to our spirit. All of my other creations come directly from my heart in hopes they touch yours as well. Celebrate yourself with healing jewelry, and other gift ideas made with love!

Art at the GPAC: Tish McDermott

I am so excited, SO EXCITED!!

I Got The Tie Dye Bug!

This is something I have wanted to do for a long time. I am a tie dye junkie, most of my clothes are tie dyed, and it is rare that I don't leave the house with at least one thing tie dyed on my body.

Back in the spring, we (me, my daughter, her bestie and daughter) tried 'staining' as tie dye. Using all the things that stain your clothes as the dye, ya know, coffee, red wine, mustard. It was a fun experiment, and the result were interesting. I think it would have been better if we would have let it sit several days, instead of an hour :)

A few weeks ago, my daughter hit me up, she had bought some liquid rit dye, and was going to re do her stained shirt. EXCITING!! We then devised a plan based on our limited knowledge of tie dying and the experiences we had had with rit dye. 

1. use vinegar and water to wet the shirt

2. rubber band it

3. dye it

4. let it set a week

5. rinse, wash, wear

Her shirt turned out awesome!

Well now I caught the bug. I used liquid rit, soaked shirts in salt water (which i have now found out doesn't work with rit) and set the color with vinegar water, that does work!

I didn't document my first process with rit, so I did it again with two shirts so I can do a comparison when my professional dyes come next week. Yes! I jumped in with both feet, and I am going to start tie dying!!!

This is my first attempt. This is a rayon type fabric? was done with rit dye, soaked in vinegar water, and let set for 1 week before rinsing - SLAY!

This is a cotton dress, done in salt water, and let set for 4 days, washed and dried. Pretty, but not as bold as I wanted. 

Here is one of my favorite shirts, stained of course. Gauze material. Soaked in salt water and rubber banded randomly. 

here is another fav shirt, of course coffee stained.... I did the crinkle style on this one. 

both shirts, crinkle on left, random on right

I put a rack over a plastic bowl and used squirt bottles to apply the dye. This way, I could pour the dye down the sink, and not make such a mess. 

welcome to the house of a creative! we have no shame in our creating game, and use the whole house :)

i learned my lesson from the last tie dye session and i hung these two shirts in the shower to air for a week before rinsing. The first time I did it, I had them on racks on the shower floor, but due to all the salt, there was tons of rust, and it ruined the racks. Now we wait a week!

Thanks Mr. Clean Magic Eraser! 

Tune in again next week for the reveal and the final vinegar setting process!!!

All of my jewelry creations are based on the metaphysical properties of the stones or the colors that are incorporated. Jewelry should be a window to our soul, a protector of our emotions and a companion to our spirit. All of my other creations come directly from my heart in hopes they touch yours as well. Celebrate yourself with healing jewelry, and other gift ideas made with love!

All The New Gadgets!! Loop Making Pliers

I am so out of the loop when it comes to specialty tools. I am so old school :)

I saw a video for these pliers on Firemountain Gems Facebook page this morning and WOW!!

It appears to be the tiniest bit of a learning curve to get the hang of these pliers.  For my taste, the loop is too far above the top bead, I would want a tighter design, that aside, I think this is genius. For a beginner that is having problems with learning to make a loop, this would be great. For someone like me, with arthritis starting to set in, it would be perfect. I can find so many reasons to use this tool.

What are your thoughts on these pliers? Have you used them?

By the way, I am not paid to review products by Firemountain Gems. I just thought this was really cool and wanted to share it with you!


All of my jewelry creations are based on the metaphysical properties of the stones or the colors that are incorporated. Jewelry should be a window to our soul, a protector of our emotions and a companion to our spirit. All of my other creations come directly from my heart in hopes they touch yours as well. Celebrate yourself with healing jewelry, and other gift ideas made with love!

Updating My Etsy Store - Etsy Algorithms - Photos And More

The struggle is real folks.

In my area of talent and creativity, there are just some things that elude me - photography and descriptions to be more exact. Having an issue with these two things in an online market place, it can make selling difficult.

At first I thought, "well, the pictures a pretty good, it will be ok, people will know what they are looking at.". As I follow my own thought process and scrol through my Etsy shop, I hear the words of my friend Julie- "People shop with their eyes", and it is true. I am even finding myself scrolling quickly and looking for something to catch my eye. Nothing does because my photos are sub par.

If you are stuggling with 'Why isn't my Etsy Shop preforming" I strongly recommend this quick and free course, that gives you information on how to access your shop, and see what you need to work on.
Handmade Seller  - Mastering The Etsy Algorithm Course - Free!.  Once you are on their site, just scroll down until you see the link for it.

There were so many good points made, and it made me take responsibility for my store. When I think to myself, why aren't my pieces selling like I want them to? The answers are in this course. Topics like, the photographs, the descriptions, the customer service, the tags, the marketing, they all play key rolls into a successful store. What I found out is that, what I thought was adequate, is just that adequate. There is nothing in my store that stands out, that makes people look and want or need.

Treating Etsy like a business and not a hobby, or a dumping ground for pictures of what you make, will give you the returns as a business (or hobby or dumping ground for pictures).

Learning how Etsy works, deep down how it works and learning to list your items so that Etsy will take notice, along with the millions of people who shop is essential. Read, watch videos, compare your favorite shops to your own, what do they do that makes them successful.

Invest time into your shop, invest yourself into your shop. It shows.

People who are shopping for hand made items want to buy from someone who is confident in their craft, shoppers want to be confident that what they are buying is well made. Make your shop well made to relay this to your customers.

I have started a new journey, upgrading my shop. Some things that I have done.

1. Got rid of some inventory. Some pieces had been taking up space in my shop for too long. Have a sale, move em out. Make new pieces to keep the store fresh.

2. Update all of my item titles. Here I am playing the Etsy game, and making the titles for my pieces as in depth as possible.

3. ALL NEW PHOTOS!! Yes. I started that today, and I could cry. Here are some samples of what I am trying to accomplish.

These first two are the images that are currently listed in my store. They are washed out, white, no warmth. but clear, and do show the fire in the stone itself.  How can I improve on this.

Instead of using the white background, I am going for a more natural look, and useing wood as the background, along with stone props to give the piece some depth (that is my thought process)

Problem with this light, is you can't see the 'fire' from the labradorite

Finally I got a good angle, that really shows off the fire in the stone, but the art work of the wire wrap is now lost, and even with the cropping, you can see the gap in the background walls.

This is where I am, and I have a long way to go, and I feel it is worth it for a truly successful store.  What do you do with your store that makes it successful? What do you do to attract new customers, and keep them coming back?

Bottom line.....I just want to make things!

btw - i am not paid to endorce handmade sellers - i just used that video course and thought it was worth sharing.

All of my jewelry creations are based on the metaphysical properties of the stones or the colors that are incorporated. Jewelry should be a window to our soul, a protector of our emotions and a companion to our spirit. All of my other creations come directly from my heart in hopes they touch yours as well. Celebrate yourself with healing jewelry, and other gift ideas made with love!

Emerald - The Stone for May

For all the May birthdays - Happy Birthday!!!

Emerald is the birthstone of May. May is one of the months that only has one birthstone.

As a boho style jewelry designer, emeralds are something I don't have the pleasure of working with too much, until now :)

Emeralds are soft and scratch easily and don't make a great bead. They traditionally are cut with a facet, and small, not so fun to wrap, and keep a boho vibe. FiremountainGems has several styles of emeralds to choose from on their site. You will also see they are oiled.  Emeralds are oiled to enhance the clarity of the stone due to the natural inclusions, fissures and microscopic cracks that happen naturally in the stone.  Gem Select has a great article on this process. 

Emeralds are a beautiful deep green, and found all over the world, some right here in North Carolina. Metaphysically it is the stone of rebirth and love. What a perfect stone for May right in the heart of spring!


I am a stone collector from way back, and several years ago I acquired a healing crystal business. In the inventory was this raw emerald. I had completely forgot about it, until I started writing out my to do list for blog posts.

I chose this hippie free form wrap for the stone. Didn't try to hard to match up two stones for the set because each piece of emerald is it's own work of art, in this raw, untumbled, un oiled state.

I am really loving this style, and will be making more!


All of my jewelry creations are based on the metaphysical properties of the stones or the colors that are incorporated. Jewelry should be a window to our soul, a protector of our emotions and a companion to our spirit. All of my other creations come directly from my heart in hopes they touch yours as well. Celebrate yourself with healing jewelry, and other gift ideas made with love!

Pancakes and Booze in Raleigh - Tonight!!!!

I am so excited to be a vendor at Pancakes and Booze in Raleigh at the Lincoln Theater tonight!!!

There will be lots of artist there, lots of local vendors there, live music and pancakes and booze!!

Here is a blurb from their site

"As you may have guessed, we are an art show, but we are not your typical art gallery. Since 2009 we've been filling the best venues in over 30 cities around the world with your favorite local artists, photographers, bands, and DJ's. We focus on keeping the work on display local and original to help artists of all types sell their work while they're still alive (why does it take dying to gain recognition?). Each show usually features between 50-150 local artisans, a unique lineup of live musicians and/or DJs, live painting, body painting, along with other forms of entertainment. Oh, and of course PANCAKES!
We seek to bring the art community and those outside the community together by creating an upbeat art show that appeals to the masses. Through the shows we create an environment where artists, potential buyers, and pancake fanatics alike can make connections with several different types of people within their own communities." 

I am debuting my new fabric wrapped bracelets tonight!

Come on out and see what is happening at Pancakes and Booze! It will be fun!!!

And as always, Be peaceful, Be kind. 

Remember to explore, create, dream, imagine and discover!

All of my jewelry creations are based on the metaphysical properties of the stones or the colors that are incorporated. Jewelry should be a window to our soul, a protector of our emotions and a companion to our spirit. All of my other creations come directly from my heart in hopes they touch yours as well. Celebrate yourself with healing jewelry, and other gift ideas made with love!

March - Make It Month! Butternut Squash Soup

March is National Craft Month, why can't cooking be your craft?!? That is what I am doing today on this rainy Saturday

One of the Dr's at work was going on about a soup she had made, and told me about it because it was a vegan recipe.  It sounded delish, and I couldn't wait to try it. Her soup was apple, butternut squash, sweet potato and veggie broth. I took it up a notch. 

I started with what she used, and I added garlic, green onions (not that big sweet onion) celery, ginger, garlic, curry powder, cinnamon and pepper. I opted out adding salt due to the sodium content of the veggie broth. 

Chop 2 green onion

Squash and mince 2 cloves of garlci

Chop 2 stalks of celery

Peel, core and chunk up an apple (this is a gala)

Peel and chunk a sweet potato

Peel, core and chunk a butternut squash

1 Tablespoon tiki masala curry powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mince 1 Tablespoon garlic

Throw it all in your crock pot with 3 cups of veggie stock and set it to high

Let it go for about 4 - 5 hours. Now if you have an immersible blender, it would work great for this, and make it wonderfully smooth. I used a potato masher, and got an amazing texture for this soup.

It just all fell apart from cooking in the crock pot all day. I really just stirred it a few times for this amazing, hearty, stew like soup.

Sprinkled with hemp seeds and a fat slice of bread for dunking. 

Man what a great bowl of soup!!!!!

And as always, Be peaceful, Be kind. 

Remember to explore, create, dream, imagine and discover!

All of my jewelry creations are based on the metaphysical properties of the stones or the colors that are incorporated. Jewelry should be a window to our soul, a protector of our emotions and a companion to our spirit. All of my other creations come directly from my heart in hopes they touch yours as well. Celebrate yourself with healing jewelry, and other gift ideas made with love!

National Craft Month - Mahogany Onyx Necklace

This is the newest off the bench. Mahogany obsidian and jasper necklace. I love the deep colors, the burgundies, and pinks all mixed together. Made it as a multi strand necklace and added fun metal components to it.

Mahogany obsidian is for inner strength, and I thought the journey tag as the focal was appropriate. It is times when we are going on a new journey, spiritually or emotionally, that we need that inner strength to accept the changes we will face as we grow. Jasper is a gentle stone, and a great addition to this.

And as always, Be peaceful, Be kind. 

Remember to explore, create, dream, imagine and discover!

All of my jewelry creations are based on the metaphysical properties of the stones or the colors that are incorporated. Jewelry should be a window to our soul, a protector of our emotions and a companion to our spirit. All of my other creations come directly from my heart in hopes they touch yours as well. Celebrate yourself with healing jewelry, and other gift ideas made with love!

March is Craft Month - Crocheted Slippers

March is national craft month, and this month all of my blog posts will be of something I have made. My goal is at least 3 things a week. Let's Play!

Lasts night I did some surfing on YouTube and found several tutorials on how to crochet a slipper. These slippers are based loosely

 on Stitch Stitch Booms pattern for slippers. 

I used the worsted weight medium size 4 Caron One Pound Yarn and a size H (5.0) hook

I have made hats, scarves and a blanket or two, so this was a fun change! One of the easiest things I think I have done. They are really quick to make

What I learned. Make them smaller than you need, because they stretch, and the yard feels 'hard' on the bottoms of my feet. I don't want to wear socks with them, that defeats the purpose of the slipper, but an insole works!!!! 

What are you making for National Craft Month??

And as always, Be peaceful, Be kind. 

Remember to explore, create, dream, imagine and discover!

All of my jewelry creations are based on the metaphysical properties of the stones or the colors that are incorporated. Jewelry should be a window to our soul, a protector of our emotions and a companion to our spirit. All of my other creations come directly from my heart in hopes they touch yours as well. Celebrate yourself with healing jewelry, and other gift ideas made with love!

March is National Craft Month - I Totally Forgot!!!

I completely dropped the ball on National Craft Month!!!

Ok, so we are three days into the month, so I am not that far behind. I can start today!

I had several ideas that I wanted to start in March, and thought I still had a week left!

Ok, so do you follow any March craft challenges? I would love to know about them.

Have you thought about trying a new craft, or starting a new hobby? March is the best time to do it!

Are you in a rut, and have walked away from your craft due to lack of inspiration? March is a great time to pick it back up and fan those flames of creativity!!!

I am off to start my crafting and try to inspire more creativity. 

Post links in the comments of what you are doing for National Craft Month!!! I would love to see them!

And as always, Be peaceful, Be kind. 

Remember to explore, create, dream, imagine and discover!

All of my jewelry creations are based on the metaphysical properties of the stones or the colors that are incorporated. Jewelry should be a window to our soul, a protector of our emotions and a companion to our spirit. All of my other creations come directly from my heart in hopes they touch yours as well. Celebrate yourself with healing jewelry, and other gift ideas made with love!

Amethyst - The Stone of February

Amethyst is February's birthstone - that's a given.
Amethyst is more than purple and shiney and faceted in a pretty setting.
Amethyst is the stone of peace

Amethyst is in the quartz family and can be found all over the world, and with great abundance in Brazil and Zambia. It's color can range from lightest to darkest purple. Some so dark they almost look black when in the middle of cluster.

When heated, amethyst can turn yellow to dark orange, to resemble citrine. But unlike citrine, if exposed to direct sunlight over time, those colors will fade out and the stone will be clear like quartz.

As mentioned earlier, amethyst is the stone of peace. It is the stone for travelers, used to control evil thoughts and much more. I keep amethyst in my car at all times for all of these reasons :)

I use amethyst often in my work because of it's peaceful properties. It is a great addition to any stone combination :)

Until next time

And as always, Be peaceful, Be kind. 

Remember to explore, create, dream, imagine and discover!

All of my jewelry creations are based on the metaphysical properties of the stones or the colors that are incorporated. Jewelry should be a window to our soul, a protector of our emotions and a companion to our spirit. All of my other creations come directly from my heart in hopes they touch yours as well. Celebrate yourself with healing jewelry, and other gift ideas made with love!