MiShel Designs

Earring Swap!

Last week my friend, Kashmira, and I decided to 'swap' earrings.

Kashmira told me she liked a pair of earrings I had posted a pic of over on Facebook and wanted them, but they were already 'spoken' for.

So I told her if she was up for it (she had gone through some major therapy on her hand and hadn't been able to create anything for quite a while), that I'd make another pair in the colors she wanted and she could make me a pair of earrings in exchange. "Something with some color!", I told her.

Now, here's the kicker - Kashmira and I have never met! We got to know each other via online jewelry sites, blogs and facebook groups. We email and facebook each other quite often, share blog comments (she's much better about commenting than I am!!), and we're participating in the Studio Sublime's Focusing on Life: 52 Photos challenge together this year as well.

Anyway, after a few emails back and forth - here's what we came up with!

Earrings by MiShel Designs

Kashmira decided on purple in her earrings, so I re-created some wire wrapped hoops with recycled Sari Silk and purple dyed lava stone (the original ones she had spotted had blue lava stone dangles).

Kashmira wearing Shelly's Earrings

And, she had someone take her pic so she could show me - how sweet is that?! She's making them look fabulous, don't you think?!

Then, when I got Kashmira's package in the mail, I opened it to find she had not only created an awesome pair of earrings for me, but this cute little paper box for them as well!

Earrings by Kashmira of Sadafulee

Sweet!!

Here's a link to the tutorial that tells how she created the box!

Aren't the earrings she created just the coolest?! I love the pop of orange! It's a color I'm drawn to but never wear because I think I can't pull it off.

Shelly wearing Kashmira's earrings!
(Lame self pic - cause the hubs and son were gone!!)

I'm rethinking that now. See how they just pop!

Kashmira has a lot more beautiful jewelry over in her Etsy shop - she's a very talented jewelry designer!

She's also an amazing woman who enjoys helping others and is involved with something called Project Why. Project Why is a New Delhi based organization working with kids in the area. Kashmira has been helping them for a while now and you can read her story (and theirs) over on her blog, Sadafulee,...Always in Bloom, it's something you won't soon forget! Watch the video she has posted, too - it's awesome!!

I'm looking forward to the day I finally get to meet Kashmira.

I imagine with the way we chat online and via email now, no one around us will get a word in edge-wise!! LOL!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Making Friends!

Cheers,

~Shel~

Birthday Earring Winners

It's April Fool's Day! What a fun day, huh?

Okay, here's the winners from the

Birthday Earring Give-a-Way this weekend.

(Seriously - No Foolin'!)

There were only 11 commnets,...

I guess with the Bead Soup Blog Party 1st Reveal and

Easter this weekend, it wasn't a good weekend

to have a give-a-way. LOL!

Since there were two pairs of earrings and I asked you all to tell me which pair you liked best, I seperated you into two groups:

Copper with Sari Silk and

Copper with Ceramic Bead

There were 5 of you who like the Copper w/Sari Silk earrings and 6 of you who liked the Copper w/Ceramic Bead earrings.

1st up is Number 5 for the Copper with Sari Salk:

My Life in Dog Years!

and

2nd up is Number 4 for the Copper with Ceramic Bead:

Jan W.

Congrats to both of you!

I hope you enjoy your earrings and I will be contacting you via email this afternoon so you can send me your mailing address and I can get these popped in the mail to you!!

Everyone have a great week and play nicely with your friends and family today for April Fool's Day - okay?!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Fun!

Cheers,

~Shel~

BSBP Is Well Underway!

Yesterday was the 1st Reveal for Lori Anderson's

7th Bead Soup Blog Party

and next Saturday, April 6th is the 2nd Reveal.

My partner, Francesca Watson, and I are in the 3rd Reveal that takes place on Saturday, April 13th.

Everyone is so excited to participate!

It's a huge undertaking for Lori (I cannot even begin to imagine all the work and countless hours involved to pull this off the way she does!) and it's a ton of fun for all of us who are hopping around each other's blogs, commenting and drooling over delicious soups!

Please stop by Lori's blog today and see the list of the participants in the 1st Reveal and hop around today and try out some yummy soups.

Don't forget to come back here on Saturday, April 13th to see what Francesca and I have cooked up, too!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and the 1st helping of Bead Soup!

Cheers,

~Shel~

Focus on Life: Week 13 - Have Faith

*If you're looking for my
Birthday Post / Give-A-Way - It's HERE

And Now,...

It's Week 13 for the Focus on Life series over at

The Studio Sublime.

This week's prompt: Have Faith

And here's what Sally told us:

Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe. ~Augustine~

"There are many of us who are religious and there are many of us who are not, but most of us, religious or not, have faith in someone or something. A faith that gets us through our day, a sickness or even a death. Faith is held by each of us; it is what keeps us believing that there will always be a positive outcome even if we can't see it at the time."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

November 27th, 2007

He was only 10 years old when he walked down the hallway of the hospital with his mother. As they rounded the corner she bent down and spoke quietly into his ear , "I'm not sure you're old enough to be in this section so if anyone asks, you're 12. Okay?"

"Okay, Mom."

Standing on the other side of the door was an orderly,

looking out as if waiting just for them.

He opened the door and pointed to the second door on the right. The woman looked at the nurse behind the ICU desk. The nurse, nodding the 'okay', gave them an almost apologetic smile as the young boy and his mother entered the room.

With tubes sticking out everywhere and his skin a light ash color, this wasn't the man the boy had seen that morning as he left for school.

"Dad?"

"Hi, son," the man whispered; his eyes barely opening.

"How ya doing, Dad?"

"I'm doing okay, son."

"Are you hurting?"

"Not really anymore. They've got me on some pretty heavy stuff."

"You gonna be okay?"

"Oh yes, I'm going to be fine son. It might be a while, but I'm going to be just fine, don't you worry."

When visiting hours were over and it was time to leave, the boy kissed his dad, told him he loved him and that he'd see him tomorrow.

As the mother and son said goodbye and walked out of the room, the nurse behind the desk looked at them with tears in her eyes and with another, even more apologetic smile, told them, "Good night."

The next day, the young boy went sadly to school and the woman returned to the hospital.

As she walked into the ICU ward she noticed the mood of the people behind the desk was different than the night before. There were smiles on their faces that morning.

"Oh, you're still here?", the woman asked the nurse.

"Yes. I'm here for about 30 more minutes," replied the nurse.

Entering her husband's room, the woman saw him sitting instead of laying. His color was returning and there was a

slight smile on his face.

"Hi Honey! Got my computer like I asked you?"

"Yep."

"Good."

I'm not really sure you're allowed to have it here with you."

"It'll be fine. I gotta get back to work and let my guys know what's going on and that things might be a bit slower coming out to them this week. Can you tell the nurse that I need some more bottled water?"

The woman walked out into the hallway and asked for more bottled water.

"Oh my. He's already gone through all those bottles? We don't have anymore on the floor. I'll have to send someone to get more."

"Thank you."

"Last night was rather touchy," the nurse said. "I'm glad he's doing much better today. It's like a total turn around."

"I know, right?!"

"I got rather choked up as you were leaving with your son last night."

"I thought you looked really sad."

"We all thought that was the last time he was going to see his Dad."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"That thought crossed my mind too, for a minute anyway. But then I realized that that just wouldn't be Mike," the woman said as she turned to walk back into the room where her husband was typing away on his computer.

Two days later the man was released from ICU.

Mike and Logan goofing around, like normal, at the 'look out' - June 2008
And yes, he hiked up the mountain from just above that valley you see below
with a defib in his chest only 7 months after his heart attack.
We call him 'Iron Man' - LOL!! :-)

A few months after recovering at home the doctors put a defibrilator in my hubby's chest (on Valentine's Day of all days!!) and to look at him now, well,....you'd never know he had a massive heart attack 5 years ago or that the staff at the hospital had little to no FAITH that he'd even make it through the first night.

The "Masked Rider" and Mike,...a.k.a. - Iron Man!!

Faith is believing in something when common sense tells you not to. ~from the movie, "Miracle On 34th Street"

Mike just says that he was too stupid to believe otherwise.

;-)

The Buettner's - December 2012

I "Have Faith" and am grateful that there will be many more family photos just like this one!

Please stop by The Studio Sublime today and see all the other wonderful accounts and what happens when you

'Have Faith'.

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Blind Faith

Cheers,

~Shel~

**Thanks to all of you who have left comments on this post - it means the world to me!!
We're away camping this weekend in the desert and I wanted to be sure to let you all know how much I appreciate you taking the time to comment and for your thoughtful caring words!**

It's My Birthday!

And that means YOU are getting a gift!

Yes indeed!

Copper and recycled Sari Silk Earrings by MiShel Designs

These two pair of earrings are up for grabs this weekend!

Hammered Copper and Ceramic Bead Earrings by MiShel Designs
Ceramic Beads by Havana Beads on Etsy

Leave a comment below on this post with which pair you like best and what you'd wear them with and on Monday I'll let the random number generator choose two lucky winners! Make sure to leave a valid email in your comments so I can contact you.

Thanks to all of you who read my blog and leave comments - I cannot tell you how much I love reading them each day!

Sometimes, birthday's can be hard.

Not sure how I feel about this one yet.

This is number 48.

Wow. That felt weird to write.

LOL!!

Oh well, it is what it is, right? It is just a number after all. (That's my story,.....)

And, I'd like to wish fellow birthday gal,

Lori Anderson,

a very Happy Birthday today, too!

Everyone have a great weekend and feel free to pass this along to your friends so they can comment and have a chance to win as well!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Birthday Fun!

Cheers,

~Shel~

Oh yeah, and don't forget, the first reveal of Lori's Bead Soup Blog Party is Tomorrow, so be sure to hop on over to her blog and check out all the wonderful soups every one will have cooked up!!

Spring Break and Blogging Friends!

It's Spring Break this week for my son. We're usually in California walking along the beach in San Clemente, listening to the loud 'booms' coming from Camp Pendleton, taking in the waves, letting the salty air kiss our skin and enjoying fresh seafood.

This year we elected to have one of those 'stay-cations' every one talks about. Business wise (not my jewelry hobby/business but our Indoor Air Quality company the hubby owns) things are keeping us busy, so it was hard to justify stepping away (he never steps away and is always doing data review every single day for our associates) from some of the IAQ investigations that were coming our way this week. Then there was the fact that my birthday is Friday and then Easter is Sunday and we usually spend that with family in another town here in AZ.

Plans got changed up a bit (having family in the Military, we're used to that!) and now "Easter" isn't going to be where it usually is and several members of the family are away seeing their kiddos and grand babies. And then, my boys said they would really like to go camping in the desert this week/weekend - and I thought that sounded nice, too - so that's what we're doing.

Arizona's lovely in March - usually not too hot, not too cold - perfect weather! We're hoping for some of that as we head out and enjoy the ruggedness of the desert and the awe-inspiring sunrises and sunsets our state is known for.

Arizona Sunset - Photo by Paul Hindman

While I'm away, I wanted to share with you a new Etsy shop set up by one of my blogging friends - Lynda Carson.

Lynda's one talented jewelry artists and her blog, Fresh Baked Designs, has been on my 'must read' list for quite awhile now.

I love how she regularly shares her creative process and shows her readers her 'adventures' in designing. Lynda's opened an Etsy shop because everyone was asking where to get pieces of her jewelry and although she has designs in some actual boutiques/shops near where she lives, there was nowhere online for people to purchase her wonderful creations.

Teal Leaf Bracelt by Fresh Baked Jewelry Designs on Etsy

I hope you'll hop on over to Lynda's Etsy Shop - which is called FreshBakedJewelry (because FreshBakedDesigns was taken!) - and see what she has to offer.

Her jewelry is just wonderful!

Red Tin Botanitcal Earrings by Lynda Carson on Etsy

If you stop by Lynda's blog, Fresh Baked Designs, this week, you'll see she's got quite a nice give-a-way going on for those of you who pass along her info via twitter, FB or other social media outlets.

Kyanite Drop Earrings by Fresh Baked Jewelry on Etsy

I hope you're all enjoying your week and for those of you who are getting more of that icky weather with snow and the like when it's supposed to be Spring,....well, I feel for you, I truly do, and I hope you get some "Spring" coming your way soon!!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Enjoying the Desert in Spring!

Cheers,

~Shel~

Focus on Life - Week 12: Observe the Curve

For Week 12 of

Focusing on Life: 52 Photos,

Sally's prompt was:

Observe the Curve

"In life, as in art, the beautiful moves in curves."

~Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

"We move, live and love in curves. Arms, legs and bodies curve to propel us into the life around us. Branches of trees curve to embrace the breeze. Letters curve and form words. Curves can keep things apart, hold things together or create a path. This week take a moment to focus on all the different kinds of curves that surround you everyday?

And there were indeed curves that surround me every day.

From the earring wires I create each day,

to the pottery dish sitting on my desk that was

skillfully crafted by my friend Kathy,

To the shadows of light that are cast,

Hand Carved Lucet by Gordon Wayne Baldock

On the perfect curves of the hand carved Lucets my brother so lovingly made for me.

Hand Carved Lucets by Gordon Wayne Baldock

Each week these challenges open up my mind, helping to slow the pace so I can

Observe the Curves of Life!

Hand carved Lucet by Gordon Wayne Baldock

Please join the other participants over at

The Studio Sublime

and see what Curves they have Observed!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Observing the Curves!

Cheers,

~Shel~

***Side Note***

Since people were curious as to what a Lucet (Knitting Fork) is and what it's used for, I thought I'd point you in the direction of
Rad Megan who sells them on Etsy.

I have one of her knitting forks.
I got it to use when I travel because I don't want to lose or harm the ones my brother custom made for me.

Rad Megan also has a blog and a you tube video where you can read about them, see the necklace tutorial she has posted using them and watch the video where she shows two different methods of
braiding cord with them.

Here's the Link:

http://radmegan.blogspot.com/2012/06/knitting-fork-summer-necklace.html

The You Tube Video is about
half way down on her post.

Enjoy!!

Cheers,
~Shel~