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May Day is upon us.  In short it is the celebration of spring. Depending on your religious beliefs there may be additional meanings but most agree with the spring part.  For me it reminds me of a beautiful memory. The mid 1980’s in Lucern Switzerland, awaking to the sound of trumpets in the street. We rise from our beds to see what is happening and determine that this is like a “call to order” of the community.

So out of bed we tumble and scurry to get dressed and see what is happening.  People are gathering along the street below, the sky is blue and there is the smell of flowers in the air. We hurry so that we can get a spot. What we were about to witness was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.  It was the Festival of Children Parade. Little boys and girls fill the streets dressed up and adorned in flowers.  Flowers everywhere, trimming their clothing, in their hair, on their shoes.  They were all just beautiful and there were hundreds of them. I was trying to get to the edge of the sidewalk but there were so many people, and then, this little girl about 8 years old parted the crowd in front of me.  She had long blond hair that fell in ringlets around her face with a halo of flowers tumbling down from her head.  She looked like she had descended from Heaven itself.  She was beautiful and she walked right up to me, handed me this beautiful pale purple flower, curtsied, smiled, and then ran back into the parade. I will never forget it, and yes, I still have the flower. 

On May Day take a moment to have wonder like our children do, to dance in the street or the rain, enjoy a beautiful flower, and make someone feel special.

I want to give a special shout out to Heather and my lady friends at Willow Gift and Home. 

www.willowgift.com  www.facebook.com/WillowGifts  

They are having their 4th Anniversary Open House on Saturday April 30 starting at 10:00AM. I have had the pleasure of doing trunk shows at this fantastic establishment.....that was also voted “Best Gift Shop” 2016 Readers Choice. Way to go Ladies! 

Here are a couple of pictures from my last show there.  They have a lovely clothing boutique and the most wonderful gift shop. This is the place to shop for your Mother’s Day gifts and I am sure you will find a treat for yourself too.  And be sure and tell Heather that you like her new Willow tree out in the front! 

Cherokee Corn Tears Watch - Absolutely nothing is happening!!!   It takes so long for these to germinate.  You just think that they are never going to come up and then you see a shoot. I still have a while to go before I see anything and I know that.......trying to wait patiently. Laughing out loud now......that is not true....there is something happening.  The squirrels think that they are food!  Pesky little critters! I see them out there sitting in the garden eating, like I have prepared a feast before them. This is yet another reason to think that it never is going to happen.  Never fear though, they always come up in spite of the squirrels.  I just forgot to warn everyone about them! 

Just so you know - I love comments here on my blog.  Its nice to know you were here! Prizes and giveaways coming soon! Until next time! 

Julie

This past week has been all about the weather.....beautiful weather.  If it would be like this year round I would be so happy. Sunny and 70 and perfect! So of course it is time to plant.  There is the normal garden of peppers, tomatoes, carrots, etc, and then there are the Native gardens.  This year my focus is on my Job's Tears/aka Cherokee Corn Tears.  I almost ran out this year so it seems as though I need a larger crop.  Last year wasn't the best year for them so hopefully this year will be a little better. 

So - I am here in Indiana.  I thought maybe you could follow along with my crop this year.  I am planting the first round today on April 19th.  I will try to let you know how my crop is doing, how the harvest is, etc.

This are a meaningful crop for sure. Legend has it that the Cherokee found these along the Trail of Tears and used them for personal adornment which is how they came to be known as Cherokee Corn Tears.  There are also Biblical references to these beads that are known to represent Job from the book of Job in the Bible.  Job was known for enduring great suffering and loss, which in my own opinion sounds much like what the Trail of Tears would have been like. The more these beads are rubbed the shinier they become.  These are perfect beads for jewelry and rosaries.

The pictures here are a good representation of what they are.  The center picture shows the "beads" before they are mature.  As you can see there are inner stems.  This is the part that you pull out, usually with tweezers and then you end up with a perfect channel by which to sew or string them by.  The mature "beads" look like the other pictures.  Some are different shades of grey and some are even white. I have some that are very old so I can tell you for certain that they will last for many many years. 

 I found the rest of my stash, thank goodness!  Supplies are low so get them while they last.  Here is the link! 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/276618212/cherokee-corn-tears-jobs-tears-corn?ref=shop_home_listings

April is the month of showers which leads me on the quest of finding my first rainbow of the season. Rainbows have always been special for me.  I used to have a business named Rainbow Art & Frame.  For me rainbows seem to bring messages.  They seem to show up just when I need encouragement or an extra ounce of hope. Usually you see them in the afternoon in the eastern sky but a couple of years ago I saw the most amazing rainbow at dawn in the western sky.  It was an amazing rainbow and the first and only time I have ever seen one in the western sky. 

So in speaking of suffering and hope, this seems like the perfect time for my thoughts of the week.  There are so many around us that struggle with so many things.  For some it is hard to even get through a day.  Some are in chronic pain, some are emotionally or physically abused, some have just run out of steam with everything, and these are the people we know! I am a believer in blooming where you are planted.  My Cherokee corn tears are going to bloom right where I planted them.  We are much like the little seed.  We all have our lives going on in our own little worlds/gardens.  Even with the divisiveness in the world today can't we all agree to be kind to one another? Sometimes a phone call, a text, email, or an actual card can make a huge difference to someone.  Maybe you can give of your time, mow the neighbors lawn, give them some extra fruit or a bundle of flowers the next time you go to the store and tell them you just had extra.  How about doing something extra for those that service you?  Your food servers, hair stylists, bankers, all of those who help you.  

There are two songs that have a similar message.  Tim McGraw's, "Humble and Kind", and Dirk Bentley's, "Riser".  Lets all be risers and lift someone else up.  You never know, in doing so you may lift yourself up as well. 

Until next time my friends......get out there and make a difference in the world....right where we are. - Julie 

Running after it a little bit to get this blog in.  Gotta find my rhythm to this which I am sure will develop over time. I was so pleased to get the new website, newsletter and blog up that once it was done I just moved back to my work table to get caught up. 

One of the things that I wanted to do with this blog was to promote some other great artists and the first one that I need to promote has been instrumental in my new website.  So my featured artist friend is Holly Bean.  

Holly has an Etsy store and her own website. www.etsy.com/shop/HollyBeanDesign and www.HollyBean.com .  Holly is sharing her healing spirit through her art and I can say from personal experience that this is true.  Holly creates beautiful and meaningful beaded art jewelry.  She recently made a memorial necklace for me in honor of my late kitty Jingle Bell.  It is just beautiful. 

Holly and I both have interest in making more memorial products.  I think they touch our hearts and we would love to work together to create a special piece for someone. The necklace/beadwork that she makes would be the perfect focal piece to attach to one of my memorial bags and with Memorial day coming right up it is the perfect time to think about that. Memorial Day is May 30th and what a perfect gift it would make for someone who has experienced a loss this past year. 

This is a picture of the piece that Holly made for me and the link for a custom listing for something like mine.  

https://www.etsy.com/listing/271380493/memorial-custom-keepsake-necklace?ref=shop_home_listings

Hello world!  Welcome to my blog.  New things all around this spring.  It is a time of rebirth for the earth and for me with a new website, updated Etsy site, new newsletter, and this blog. 

In keeping with spring and the earth I have just made a listing for short custom ankle moccasins that I am calling barefoot moccasins because they feel like you are barefoot when you are wearing them.  So soft and comfortable, perfect for spring. 

Custom Handmade Ankle Moccasins 

$225.00 

I am looking forward to the opportunity to connect with you in a different way.  I know that I would like to use this blog for business purposes, of course, but also for personal thoughts. I want to give you a chance to get to know me as well as my work.  From the business side of things I plan to introduce my new products as they become available, let you know about upcoming shows and events, and even flash sales and coupon codes for my stores.  Personally I will share with you things that are important to me and you can follow along with the change of seasons here in Indiana. 

I also have a great network of friends on Etsy too and I hope to introduce them and wonderful creations so we can all enjoy them.

 Today I have a little challenge for you.  Take a moment to find a little patch of earth and take your shoes off and feel the earth.  Let your body soak up the Earth's energy.  You will feel better I promise and if you haven't done this for a while you will be reminded of what it was like to go barefoot back in the good ol’ days. 

We would do well to not let the time get away from us so maybe my musings on here will give you pause for a moment so that you can stop and smell the roses. Until next time...... Julie