I’ve just finished my annual Christmas ornament project. It first began with the desire to gift each student in my (then) rather substantially sized flute studio at Christmas. I’ve made seashell angels, organza & ribbon angels, large bead angels, flute & cross ceramic disks, hanging crystals, and finally settled on the crystal wreath ornaments I’ve been making for many years. The fun begins with deciding which pendant crystal shape and color I want to use for the center focal element. Then I choose what pearls and crystal beads will match/compliment it. Next comes calculating the size of each necessary to achieve the circumference I want. Those may change as many as three or four times as my supplier informs me of whether or not my choices are available! The Miyuki seed beads, memory wire, & ribbon all come from different sources. After everything comes in, I make one completely to be sure I’ll be happy with the design and then do the rest assembly line: cut the wires, put a loop in one end of each, bead & loop the other end, assemble the focal sections, attach the focals to the wreaths, add the ribbons & tie the bows, place them on description cards, & finally bag each. Oh, and I also use Fray Check on the tails of the bows and super glue on the bow knot. I want these to last! I always look for a way to attach a meaningful message on a card designed to match the ornament.
When placed on a tree in front of the lights, these will have a lovely sparkle as they reflect & refract the light. They make great gifts for others or yourself. I make them from the ‘creme de la creme’ of manmade crystals and crystal pearls (manufactured in Austria), and Miyuki produces top of the line seed beads.
Many years ago, during my tenure as Coordinator of Special Music Activities for the Texas Tech University School of Music (that’s certainly a mouthful!), an Associate Director of the SOM gave us Schmid Jerrandie ornaments each Christmas for about 10 years. We still put all of them on our tree. Keepsake ornaments are meant to be treasured. My goal is for the ornaments I make to be that special.
The Crystal and Crystal Pearl Ornament Collection contains the newest ornament as well as some from past years. Check them all out - there may be a color that you’d just love to have on your tree or in your window!
As a side note, in case you didn’t see my FaceBook post, I made a slightly more than 50% donation of October sells to the Susan G. Comen Foundation. Thank you to those of you who made a purchase towards that goal.
I wish you all a safe, happy, & blessed Christmas season.
CRYSTAL AND CRYSTAL PEARL ORNAMENT COLLECTION
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Ribbons of various colors are often used to bring awareness to causes.
Purple for Domestic Violence & American Cancer Society & Alzheimer’s
Yellow for Gulf War & POW/MIA
Orange for ADHD
Grey for Brain Cancer
Green for Mental Illness
Red for HIV
Burgundy for Brain Aneurism
And the list goes on.
Pink has come to represent breast cancer awareness. And October has been the month to advocate for awareness, screening, and fund raising since 1985. I choose to call myself a breast cancer conqueror rather than a survivor. I found the lump myself and will interject a reminder here to do your self-exams! My first reaction to the diagnosis was disbelief. After all, I lead a pretty healthy lifestyle. Lots of exercise, mostly healthy food, vitamins, supplements and no previous family history. But as reality set in, I had to develop a warrior's mind set in lieu of the victim one lurking at the corner of my mind. A good friend gave me a journal which I decided to call my ‘Thankful Journal.’ Every day of the journey I wrote in it and made myself record as many things as I could find in that day for which I was grateful. Faith, the prayers of many, surgery, radiation, & chemo all combined to make victory possible. I’m five beautiful years clear and just had my yearly physical and have been declared perfectly healthy. I am incredibly blessed. When chemo took my hair, the Susan G. Komen organization provided me a beautiful wig free of charge. I even got to pick it out. I’d like to make a donation so that continues to be an option for others just starting on the daunting journey to conquering breast cancer. This month, 50% of the money from any purchase out of the PINK collection will be donated to Lubbock’s Susan G. Komen organization.
Click below to satisfy your pink cravings as well as contribute to helping women maintain a positive self-image while battling breast cancer.
Title photo credit: https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/realistic-ribbon-breast-cancer-awareness_5582996.htm
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It’s December 1st. I celebrated a birthday a few days ago (not saying which one). Mother & I completed a major project (family Christmas gifts, so I can’t say what it was, lol). This Sunday is my last scheduled show of the year. Guess it really is Christmas season.
An aunt of mine recently passed away at 90. She had ceased to put up a large Christmas tree, opting instead to do a ‘table top’ version and decorate it mostly with the ornaments which I make. A very dear friend does the same. So does the mother of another friend. That they choose MLC ornaments as the main adornment makes my heart happy. I call them keepsake ornaments for a reason. I’ve been told they also make great gifts! Some folks even find a way to display them all year 'round! A great deal of time is spent researching colors and shapes and determining the appropriate combinations of crystals* and crystal pearls* for the size of ornament I want to create. Most of my jewelry is ‘one of a kind.’ But I do make approximately 100 ornaments each year. When they’re gone, they’re gone. It takes quite a while to design, assemble, add ribbons, create the card, & package that many! Each ornament is always accompanied by a card with the special meaning I associate with that year’s wreath. Christmas is a wonderful time because of the ‘reason for the season.’ I want my faith in the significance of Christ’s birth to accompany these ornaments.
As we once again enter this magical holiday, I pray you find many ways to make it memorable and meaningful.
AND . . . if you’d like to add an ornament to YOUR keepsake decorations, just click the photo below the see all of those still available!
* The 'creme de la creme' of manmade crystals & crystal pearls, manufactured in Austria
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This blog will be short, but personally meaningful.
I’m not and have never been in the military although I did once make it to the last round in an audition for the Coast Guard band. And I've marched in many July 4th parades and played many symphony concerts celebrating Independence Day. The piccolo part to Stars & Stripes is embedded muscle memory! But many in my family HAVE served/are serving in the armed forces, law enforcement, and as first responders. From both sides of my family - great uncles, uncles, cousins, 2nd cousins, step-son, father-in-law, and friends. I respect their service and know that my life is better for it. We’re an imperfect nation because people are imperfect, but I truly believe in the goodness and honor of the vast majority of those who followed/are following that path of service. Some had no choice, others made the choice, but all rose to the occasion. I’m not sure who coined the phrase ‘those who would disrespect our flag have never been handed a folded one,’ but it is so very true! The formal declaration of a grateful nation as the folded symbol is handed over is very moving and I could not stop the spilling of my silent tears through it at my father-in-law’s and two other family members’ funerals. Bob’s father’s is in a case and has a visible place of honor in our home. With my whole heart I join Lee Greenwood in saying that I am proud to be an American and stand with every word of that beloved song.
Because Independence Day is almost upon us, I created a few jewelry pieces that would help you celebrate the occasion. Red, white, & blue necklaces, bracelets, and earrings can be viewed by clicking the fireworks below. I hope you find something you can’t wait to wear!
Mothers Know Everything!
I’ve long since passed the rebellious stage where a mother’s knowledge is questioned. I’m at the stage that respects and reveres her wisdom and knowledge. Although I have to admit that I never much questioned her omniscience. Sooo, I’m going to recount an event which I believe will reiterate that accurate perception and perhaps elicit a chuckle.
Let’s start with the certitude that Mother ties the best bows. No haphazard creation of loops but neat, precise, lovely creations. The next part of this narrative includes the fact that I have served as baker for two of my nieces’ weddings and one of my nephew’s groom’s cupcake double T. If you’ve noticed the recipes included in some of my other blogs, you'd accurately deduce that I love to bake. I even weighed the batter for each of the cupcakes so that they would look totally uniform in presentation! Well, Amy wanted red roses and black ribbon decorating her cake. I should mention here that I don’t live in the city where the wedding was to take place. The four tier cake would have to be assembled and decorated onsite. So I made the layers, covered them with fondant, then drove my husband batty with constant peeks into the truck’s back seat as he drove to the wedding location. Upon arrival we wheeled the layers on a cart to the reception hall with said husband threatening to do wheelies down the ramp and me threatening his early demise! The assembly proceeded flawlessly, the roses were ready to place, and a wide black ribbon ready to be tied into a beautiful bow around the top layer. Ahh, seeing the plot thread now? I turned to Mother and asked her to do the honors. She looked at me and said ‘Why didn’t you look online for how to do this?” My immediate and resolute response was ‘I did, and it said ‘get Mother to do it!'.“ She just stared at me. . . and then proceeded to tie a perfect bow.
There are MANY more from which to choose here: https://mladycreations.com/collections/mothers-day
or if you'd like to check out other collections, click here: https://mladycreations.com/collections
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Happy Fall! The mornings are definitely feeling like that season, but the afternoons, not so much. We’re to be up to 80 this week-end!
I’m a country girl; always have been. Yes, I’m a professional musician and I love classical music. I love to dress up and go semi-fancy. But I also love country and living in my jeans in the country. As you know by now, we have a garden, a small orchard, and a bit of land. I also have my two wonderful lipizzan horses. That’s the ‘long way 'round the barn’ to introduce that I wear a cowboy hat - not a cap (I do have a cap from Pitkin, CO that I love) - almost every day when I go to the barn. I even wear it when we travel, although the hat for mucking stalls is NOT my travel hat. My redhead’s fair skin definitely appreciates the respite from the sun. A hat is also an easy ‘umbrella’ at times. I have a couple of summer straws and a really nice bespoke winter felt. It was shaped to accommodate the wires under my scalp that lead from the neurotransmitter to the electrodes in my brain for the DBS which controls my essential tremor. Wearing that one for extended periods is very comfortable. The hatband on it features one of my fused glass pieces!
So I was looking at some of my stone beads one day and thought ‘those would make a great hatband!’ They did indeed and I was inspired to go looking for more stones that would be cool ‘statement’ hatband components. I found some double drilled ones that I LOVED and the rest, as they say, is history. There is now a collection on the website dedicated to gemstone hatbands. I recently had a booth at the All American Cowboy Festival in Ruidoso Downs, NM. I sold several of them and received a plethora of positive comments. A hat booth down from me even sent a few folks my direction! I find that show folks are always friendly and willing to help out each other.
Perhaps you wear a hat as well. But If you don't, you’re bound to know at least one someone who does. Take a look yourself, then send your hat wearing friends to my website to look around.
I’ve also been feeding my wire weaving obsession, so there are a number of new pieces in that collection as well. Check it out.
I'm sure you don't need a reminder that it’s Christmas shopping time. As a small business owner, I’d love to have your support. What you order from me definitely won’t be stuck on a ship waiting to be unloaded!
Just click the appropriate photo to link to that collection! Happy shopping.
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It's apple time again. Oh my, our trees were certainly prolific producers this year, yielding more than ever before! I've been processing apples for at least six weeks. Fortunately, the two trees ripen at different times! I've made applesauce, apple butter, slices frozen for pies, and rings dehydrated for snacking. The apple chips are our favorite so the dehydrator has been going practically non-stop. I also dug all of the onions and sweet potatoes, then put all of the garden to bed except the watermelons. There are five more of those out there that I THINK will ripen. They've been averaging 20 - 25 very sweet pounds each.
Okay, on to jewelry news.
I’ve become intrigued by a new (to me) jewelry technique called wire weaving. I love the myriad possible iterations of using it to create jewelry. After spending a good bit of time completing a plethora of practice pieces - now owned and worn by my family and close friends - the process is becoming second nature. So I’ve started offering woven wire pendants on my website. There’s very little possibility of any two being exactly the same. At the moment copper and silver plated copper are the wires of choice, even combined in a few pieces.
Wire weaving seems to have begun in ancient Egypt, been adopted by the Vikings, then branched into wire mesh and chain maille for armor in Europe. It went on to intricately decorative wrapping and weaving/bending as drawn metal (wire) became more abundant and refined.
Designs using wire weaving can be as simple or intricate as the imagination can visualize. It is done using copper, silver plated copper, sterling silver, fine silver, and even aluminum. Stones, pearls, and crystals can be incorporated in the pieces. It a bit hard on the hands, but oh so fun to do.
When discussing wire, it is generally referred to by its gauge. The larger the gauge’s number, the smaller the wire (go figure). Wire weaving’s larger ‘base’ wires are usually 18, 20, and maybe even 16 gauge for bracelets. The wire used for weaving the patterns onto the base wires is generally 26 or 28 gauge. All of it should be ‘dead soft,’ meaning it is very flexible and easy to bend. The process of shaping the wire will generally ‘work harden’ it enough to make it sturdy. Just so ya know, half hard wire is not easily shaped and hard wire is very difficult to curve.
Now to explain ‘work hardening.’ To strengthen a metal by plastic deformation is to work harden it. The strengthening occurs because, in layman’s terms, the material’s atoms slip over each other and rearrange (dislocate) themselves. Go too far with work hardening and you will actually create metal fatigue and breakage.
I hope that last bit wasn’t too technical. No worries, just click below to scoot on over to the Woven Wire Pendant collection page and have a look. Nothing technical about enjoying the pieces I’ve created! You might even see something you absolutely must have!
Please check out the Just Created section for something calling your name.
More items have also been added to the SALE collection, so take a look at that as well.
I'm finally back to teaching flute lessons face to face and I can't begin to express how happy I am to be with the kids again!
I promise I’ll be back in your inbox again soon and hope you have had a fun, healthy summer and are enjoying the beginning of fall.
Mother’s Day is coming up the drive. We each have our own unique relationship with the woman who bears that title. And I thank God every day for mine. She married her high school sweetheart very young and then had children very young. From the stories she (but mostly my wonderful grandmother) told me, life was hard. But things gradually got better and because she started young, we’ve been adults together for a great long while. That means that I still have a precious friend and Mother rolled into one entity. She’s a legit BFF!
She’s always been my biggest encourager and supporter. Whatever project I wanted to tackle and every crazy idea I had, Mother was down for it. Occasionally she’d tell me to ask Daddy, like when I wanted to build an electromagnetic motor. (And he did help me; it turned out pretty cool.) She taught me to sew, to cook, to garden, to be creative, to look outside of the box, to love reading, and to always love learning. When my Girl Scout leader quit, she took over the troop so we wouldn’t be disbanded. She was my riding cohort because my sisters weren’t horse crazy like me. She attended every concert and contest we ever played in during our public school years; even a few in college & beyond.
When, as an adult, I had a large flute studio, I would have my students play in a studio recital each spring on Mother’s Day as a gift of performing for our mothers. My Mother would come to Lubbock a few days early and help me bake for the huge reception which followed the recital. That was how she spent Mother’s Day for many, many years.
Beating cancer was scary. But the support and prayers of family and friends made all of the difference. Mother was here helping Bob, holding my head, cooking, and cleaning. She didn’t ask about coming, she just showed up and we were so grateful.
It is comforting to know that she daily lifts her entire family in prayer. She’s a loving, moral, compassionate, faithful, strong, independent, and intelligent woman who has been a superb roll model for daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. I realize that's a great many adjectives in one sentence; but they all describe a truly remarkable soul. I would be remiss if I didn't add that she's been know to be a tad feisty and stubborn as well, lol! I’ve often jokingly said (though there is likely a wee bit of truth to it) that I was such a head-strong and outspoken child that if Mother hadn’t guided me to be what I am today, I would have probably ended up a problem child and a problem adult! She was strict, but there was always a boatload of obvious love surrounding it.
I’m sure you have equally fabulous feelings about your mother, even if she is no longer with you. I am thankful that mine is. If your are looking for a gift to celebrate your love for yours, I have a few pieces I believe you will like. Front and center on one is a pendant depicting a sterling silver heart containing a parent and child. The other features a copper plated lead-free pewter circle containing a tree of life. The secure roots put down by family truly sustain us all.
Happy Mother’s Day to those of you privileged to know the love and sacrifice which accompany being called “Mother.”
Click on the photos below for more details. FYI, there are more than one of each of these available!
AND. . . SPEND AT LEAST $20 IN THE MOTHER'S DAY COLLECTION AND GET 10% OFF THROUGH SUNDAY, MAY 9, 2021. (gift card excluded from discount)
Click below for the entire Mother's Day Gift Collection.
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It’s really spring. Hallelujah! Though I'm well aware that we can still expect at least one more bout of cold. And the ever present Texas South Plains winds are always particularly rambunctious this time of year. Ah, well. I’ve been worried about the effects of the Texas Arctic Blast on our plant life. It’s still too early to know about some, but at least our peach, apple, and cherry trees are budding and the peach is even blooming! Hope another freeze doesn’t get it. We lost a 30 year old peach tree to the wind a couple of years ago and I’ve been searching for an appropriate replacement so we’ll have two again. Locating a late-blooming, free-stone, semi-dwarf variety has been a bit tricky, but I think I’ve finally found one! A local nursery says they’ll have some semi-dwarf Ranger peach trees in tomorrow. Woohoo! Lubbock County has just resumed in-person jury trials and lucky me, I’m on jury duty starting tomorrow, so I’ll go by the nursery afterwards. I don’t want them to sell out before I am able to get there; I can’t wait to get another in the ground.
As I walked by the remaining peach tree yesterday, the delicate pink blossoms reminded me of the resilience of nature - and people. Life throws a lot of 'stuff' our way and how we re-act to it is all we can control. It’s often said that you can let it define you, destroy you, or strengthen you and what counts is the attitude we bring to life. I actually believe it’s the way we re-act that does the defining. Looking for the silver lining, the lesson, the blessing is often difficult, but always essential. This past year has found it to be an especially critical ability.
So, back to the pink blossoms. They made me want to showcase some wonderfully ‘springy’ pink jewelry. Click the pics below for details and pricing. You just might find something that will be perfect to help you enjoy the season.
Sets:
Just Earrings
Fused Glass Pendants
]]>Thought I’d do a little research and share with you a much abbreviated history of St. Patrick’s Day.
Soooo, did you know . . .Happy St. Patrick's Day!!
Click the shamrock to see the Love the Green Collection
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All of life is learning, or it should be. There were the square, circle, star, triangle, etc. for which you were tasked with sussing out the proper receptacle when you were a ‘wee bairn*.’ Or the worlds opened to you when learning to read. And for me, learning the intricacies of playing my flute and learning dressage**. Then there was my goal to bring the events I organized in a ‘previous life’ into the cyber world. I have two degrees in music, none in IT, not a single class! But I bought books (many books), read, experimented, and learned to code in quel, then SQL, then write databases (back end and front end) through Oracle. And better still, they worked! Woohoo!
Fast forward and now I’ve used the Shopify platform to build my website. They use a language called ‘liquid’ and I understand it enough to make the tweaks I need. Marketing research led me to hire Laryssa Wirstiuk and her company Joy Joya Jewelry Branding and Marketing Services. With her very pleasant and expert guidance I’m working to be more relevant in my online 'hoofprint' via social media. I’ve been busy updating my website and integrating and setting up Facebook and Instagram Shopping. Wow, it’s been a lot of learning and work. But I do enjoy acquiring the knowledge and seeing the results. I also finally dove head-first into the tedious (and odious) task of removing the word Swarovski from my business. (Except the physical product tags, don’t think I’ll change them all out!) There are around 500 items on the website, so yeah, that little project took a good long while! Fortunately, crystals and crystal pearls are not a component of every item. That’s all I worked on other than horse care, self care, and student lessons for several days. The unwelcomed impetus for this chore was explained in the Important Bling News blog. The removal necessitated URL changes, so I had to go into previous blogs and attach new links. It also means that many links in old Facebook and Instagram posts are probably broken. All links in the digital shops on those two platforms, however, reflect the brand new, spiffy, and fully functional URLs. So please feel free to browse and shop away! Oh, and check out the new collection called Wedding Radiance and the always popular one named On Sale.
Apparently, it’s legal ‘best practice’ to use an email platform to communicate with subscribers from the website. Enter Klaviyo. Everything you receive from M’Lady Creations, aka Anna Whitlock Henry, will now be sent via Klaviyo or straight from Shopify.
Once I’ve hacked my way through the jungle of cyber exposure integration, I’ll be excited to return to the physically creative side of MLC and start plotting inspired jewelry with the newest arrival of freshwater pearls, crystals and crystal pearls - whose manufacturer shall not be named (see above removed name), stone beads, and sterling silver and gold-filled findings.
Hallelujah for Spring!
*small child
**a method of training & riding horses
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I’ve always told my flute students to dress nicely for performances, be it a recital or a competition or an important audition. It tells the listeners that we take our performance seriously and respect the complete picture we are presenting. But it also, and perhaps more importantly, gives us confidence because we feel good about how we look. It certainly doesn’t substitute for lack of preparation, but it is important and beneficial.
How does that relate to jewelry, you ask? Well, I am often told by those wearing my jewelry that they receive compliments from complete strangers. In the grocery store check-out line, at doctor’s appointments, at concerts and rehearsal, at restaurants, in the workplace. And so we’re back to all of the implications of ‘feel good.’ Our mood is positively enhanced when we like the reflection in the mirror as we start our day. And that, in turn, helps us feel more confident. Acknowledging that our ‘look’ is uniquely our own and will most likely garner attention is especially gratifying and empowering. Knowing the odds are extremely low that we’ll see someone else wearing a one of a kind or limited edition jewelry set lets us state that we ARE individuals and celebrate that special uniqueness.
In this crazy time we need all of the empowering 'feels' we can create. Check out some of these attention grabbing sets and pendants by clicking on the image. And there are plenty more in the various collection pages under Shop. One is bound to appeal to what makes YOU special!
This week I thought it’d be fun to learn about the gemstone Onyx. Most of the following info came from the International Gem Society (with tidbits from others).
But first, an apology. Much to my chagrin, I’ve been made aware by a reader of erroneous facts in my pearl blog. In my defense, I drew those inaccuracies from a source that I have since learned had not fact checked their own statements. For now, rest assured that sand is NOT involved in the creation of pearls, natural or cultured! SOooo, I’m digging deeper, learning a great deal, and will soon put out a shiny, new model with more interesting and accurate details!
Ok, back to onyx.
The word ONYX is derived from the Greek word for fingernail or claw. The myth says that Cupid cut Venus’ nails with an arrow while she slept. The nails fell to the bottom of the river Indus and morphed into onyx! (So now you know why nail salons like to use the name ‘Venus,’ lol!) Despite the fear associated with it, especially in ancient China, it has become a very popular gemstone. In many cultures is was actually worn as protective battle amulet.
Onyx is a type of chalcedony - which is a form of quartz - and occurs in a wide variety of mineral environments world-wide. It is distinguished by straight, nearly parallel layers of color. This structure allows extremely skilled carvers to cut away the minute layers to create intricate cameos and designs. Many sources (including the IGS) consider agates and onyxes both banded varieties of chalcedony with agates having concentric or curved bands and onyxes straight or nearly parallel bands, regardless of band/layer color.
The stones with black and white layers are known as ‘true’ or ‘arabic’ onyx. Sardonyx (one of my favorites) is onyx whose layers are white, reddish, brownish, or yellow.
Onyxes durability make them a great stone choice for jewelry. During the Victoria Grand period (1861-1885) they became very popular, especially for mourning jewelry. It lends elegance to jewelry pieces with it's ability to complement any color.
Black onyx is so often dyed that you can consider almost any totally black onyx as color treated. Because chalcedony is extremely porous, it readily accepts dye. This however, means you should be careful cleaning it mechanically or ultrasonically.
Now for the attributes. As stated earlier, it is considered protective and is said to absorb negative energy, strengthening confidence and enhancing decision making. It is mentioned in the Bible books of Genesis and Exodus.
I have several pieces made from black onyx and even one with ‘green onyx’ which is actually dyed chalcedony. Any set below is 10% off until 11:59 pm on October 7th! Just click on a pic (haha, that rhymes) for more info and bigger photos.
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I LOVE FALL! At the moment, we’ve skipped straight from ‘too dang hot’ to ‘dang, it’s COLD!’ As I type, our chill factor is 33 degrees. My poor horses’ coats are summer short and fine so I blanketed their shivering bodies this morning (Wednesday). It’s drizzly, but I wish it would go ahead and really rain. We need it badly. No telling what this abrupt temperature shift will do to the garden. Ah well, the weather usually provides a convenient condition for complaint. We’re to return to the 80's by the end of the week (much better than the multiple days of 100+). Back to loving Fall . . . Pumpkin is definitely synonymous with this season AND I happen to still have apples from our trees, so I made apple/pumpkin/pecan muffins this week. The pumpkin is from our garden a couple of years ago. It was so prolific that I haven’t needed to plant any since! They were actually Argonaut butternut squash and they were HUGE (see pic above). Of course, I had to include the recipe below. The molasses, OJ, & spices make these extra delicious!
Rich oranges and rusts are the last delightful, visual gifts of deciduous trees and bushes. I have several fused glass pendants featuring these leaves or their colors. You’ll also find some jewelry sets in these beautiful tones. As last week, anything pictured below will be 10% off for a week! A great time to treat yourself to jewelry that will compliment the change of season. Just click on the pic below for more info on that piece.
Fused Glass Pendants:
BOLO TIE:
SETS:
APPLE PUMPKIN MUFFINS
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.
Line approx. 30-36 muffin tins cup s with paper muffin cups.
Cream together:
3/4 cup very soft butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
Beat in with a wisk:
4 eggs
2 tbsp molasses
2/3 cup orange juice
2 cups canned or cooked mashed & strained pumpkin
1 ½ tsp vanilla
In a separate bowl mix thoroughly:
1 cup ground oatmeal (just process oatmeal)
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground allspice
Add dry to west and mix with spatula until moistened. Don’t over mix or muffins will be tough.
Fold in:
1 large apple, grated
1 cup chopped pecans
(optional - 1 cup chopped cranberries or 1 cup raisins)
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
Bake approx. 25 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.
It’s apple harvesting time at the Henry Homestead. We have three dwarf apple trees. Only two are producing right now since the third was just planted a couple of years ago. We gave up on two beautiful but frustrating dwarf nectarines trees which had only produced once in 20 years and replaced them with the third apple tree. It’ll be a few more years before I let apples mature on it. Even as we share many of the sweet fruits with the birds and rabbits, these trees produce all of the apples I’m willing to deal with, lol. Most will be sliced, dehydrated, vacuum sealed, and frozen for winter snacks. But I’ll also blanch and freeze some slices for pies. You’ll find my favorite apple muffin recipe below.
On to jewelry! Crystals, of course, come in varying hues of red. Gemstones in possession of the same include carnelian, coral, ruby, and garnet. Red is a bold, vibrant, energizing and motivating color. We are drawn to it. It is said to provide confidence and determination. Associations also include passion and sexuality. It is a very popular color; my F250 is a rich ruby red! SOoo, I’ve given you links to some of my creations that incorporate the lovely red we associate with apples! AND I’m offering a 10% discount on any of the listed pieces/sets for one week. The discount will be automatically applied at check-out. Take advantage of this offer. And give my muffin recipe a try!
SETS
FUSED GLASS PENDANTS
BOLO TIES
ORNAMENT
Apple Pecan Muffins
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place cupcake liners in muffin tins - this makes approx. 32-34 muffins
Whisk together:
1 cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup rice bran oil (you can use canola, but from what I read rice bran oil is much healthier)
½ cup very soft butter (preferably grass fed)
1/4 cup apple cider
3 large eggs (organic, free-range for me)
2 tsp vanilla
Whisk together in a separate bowl:
2 cups flour
1 cup oat flour (just process oatmeal)
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp all-spice
Add dry ingredients to wet and stir together with spatula just to blend. Over mixing will make the muffins tough.
Fold in:
3 ½ cups peeled, chopped apples (around 2 very large)
1 ½ cups chopped pecans (you could also use walnuts)
Scoop into muffin cups - about 3/4 full - they won’t rise a great deal.
Bake 25-30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the middle of one comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pans to finish cooling on wire racks. Great warm or cold.
Oops, I’m a day late this week. But . . . I have VERY good reasons. The best one is that I had my 4 year oncology check-up yesterday and have been pronounced in excellent health! Praise God!!!! The other is that Triple T Fence Company of Midland has been here all week repairing/replacing our hail battered Country Estate fencing. Wonderful folks. Very pleasant, efficient, proficient. I highly recommend them! At the end of each of their long days, I had a ‘treat’ ready for them to take back to their hotel: homemade cinnamon rolls, cookie bars, apple muffins, and the pièce de résistance - brownies! I combined/tweaked several recipes I had and came with the best ones I’ve ever made. I made a pan for the guys and a pan for us. We paired ours with homemade ice cream (flavored with a few drops of YL orange essential oil) last night. Yum-meee! I’m sharing the recipe below ‘cause they were REALLY good.
To showcase jewelry (that IS the purpose of this blog) and since I have chocolate on the brain, I’ve included the links to several of my pieces which lean heavily to the chocolate brown spectrum. Enjoy along with your brownies!
Sets:
While its historical importance extends as far back as 5500 BC in Egypt, thoughts of turquoise in this country tend to conjure up the American Southwest and the indigenous peoples of that area. Most of the early mines were in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Nevada; so that explains that. The Anasazi (you might remember them from the Kokopelli blog) were mining the deposits as early as 1000 AD. They considered it a sacred stone which created a connection between heaven and earth and provided them with protection. It often adorned clothing worn into battle.
Almost all turquoise sold today is stabilized. 100% natural, untreated turquoise was once mined world-wide, but is simply no longer available because it has been mined out. That which is obtainable is EXTREMELY expensive and rare. Much of what is available today comes from mines in the Hubei region of China and is often stabilized.Last week I was a tad long-winded, so I promise a shorter treatise this week as we explore a wee bit about the gemstone hematite. I like it on its own and yet find it blends well with many other stones. So let’s talk hematite while it’s way too hot to be outside. (Supposed to reach 106 today and my phone tells me it’s 105 at 3 pm, so I suspect we may go even higher, ugh.)
Hematite is a common iron oxide and can be found in a variety of colors from black to silver grey, brown to reddish brown, or even red. After all, its name is a derivative of the Greek word for blood. It has also been used a pigment. However, most hematite used in jewelry is of the deep, metallic steel grey hue. You will sometimes see magnetic hematite, but it is a synthetic with the true name of hematine. While there is a rainbow hematite, most of what you see labeled as such is also synthetic. The legit stuff is sourced from may parts of the world. Although fairly hard, it can be brittle, so avoid steam or ultrasonic cleaning. Just a soft cloth is often enough. And try to avoid dropping it on a hard surface! As with most gems, it must be polished to achieve the shiny, smooth, metallic appearance we associate with it. It is rarely faceted. While usually appearing as a metallic grey, it will leave a reddish streak when scraped across another surface. But please DON’T ruin your jewelry by testing that!!!
Now to the metaphysical. If you’re into that sort of thing, then you will be pleased to know that hematite is considered protective and associated with the root chakra. It is said to balance energies and bring one into equilibrium of body, mind, and spirit by absorbing toxic, negative emotions and energy.
So, if you are feeling the need for a little ‘Zen’ in your life, or just like the soft, metallic shine of the stone, check out my hematite jewelry by typing ‘Hematite’ into the search box of my website: www.mladycreations.com. I have some lovely designs for you to peruse!
On a personal note, when I haven't been digging up purslane, I’ve been cleaning, cleaning out, and re-organizing the barn, barn bathroom, and tack room. Since I'm strictly a pleasure dressage rider these days, a lot of stuff from my time in the hunter/jumper world found a new home at a local teaching barn, and some just found its way to the dumpster. By the time I’m done, everything will be in a tall plastic outdoor cabinet and I won’t have to clean something before it’s usable! Two of those cabinets live in the bathroom which has a heater and never freezes (think first aid and grooming liquids) while seven and a frig reside in the tack room. My three dressage saddles are the only items not enclosed and they have covers as they sit on the saddle rack. Oh, and 35 pallets have been sorted down to the 17 necessary and in the best shape for storing winter hay and the remainder donated to a shop that burns them in the winter. Win-win for both of us! It will soon be worth the sweat I’ve generated and the dirt I’ve swept, breathed, and worn getting the project done.
Well, week 3's blog was an epic fail, as in nonexistent. In my defense, we were in the middle of contractor repairs to the house from May’s destructive hail storm. And I also had corn from the garden and peaches from our four tree orchard (one peach and three apple) to put up. That was a plus!
SOOooo....
Here’s Week 4, Blog 3
I set up a new collection on the website. It’s called ‘Simple Elegance.’ Like the little black dress, sometimes less really is more. I may not contemplate combinations of color, shape, and material with these, but it is still fun to put together something that is beautiful in its graceful and elegant solo presentation. These do not necessarily fall into the 'one and done' category. I may well repeat these IF I can get the same elements. But because I can't always be guaranteed of that, most, though not all, are sold as a set of necklace and earrings.
The chains are all sterling silver. Well ok, one is gold-filled. And that one IS a designed creation. The pendants are Swarovski, freshwater pearls, and one druzy. Please venture a look by clicking this link: https://mladycreations.com/collections/simple-elegance
In other news, it’s finally a bit less miserably hot and I’m back to riding again. I feed around 5:30 a.m. and am out to work with the horses around 7:30/8:00. We’re done before the heat sets in. Alta, at 25, doesn’t work hard, but we bop around for about 20 minutes. A trainer once called her an ‘energy efficiency expert.’ If you’re interested in her interpretation of that title, it’s ‘LAZY.’ Bwahaha. Mushin’s mere 15 years merit more work. Our turn on the haunches is more of a turn on the center, but hey, we’re working on it.
Take care. Be safe. Blessings!
Anna
According to Webster: punc·til·i·ous - adjective - showing great attention to detail or correct behavior. NOT in Webster's wheelhouse, also 'anal retentive,' LOL. But where's the alliterative fun in that?
Before the ‘fun’ part of the creative design endeavor comes the acquisition of components. Well, actually choosing the elements - color, shape, size, material - that’s fun. Already thinking about how they can be combined and engineered; definitely fun. Paying at the end of a shopping spree, not so fun. Seeing if I feel the same when they arrive and I peruse them ‘up close and personal,’ also fun.
Now for the ‘definitely not fun’ but at least I deem necessary tasks. I double check that everything I ordered has indeed arrived. Occasionally I receive a fun surprise. Several companies send a bit of candy in the order. My crystal source, Rainbows of Light, sometimes sends a thank-you of extra crystals or a pendant! That’s pretty cool and definitely better for me than the candy. Although I must admit the candy is rarely wasted.
Now the drudge task - cataloguing everything in my components spreadsheet. Each component gets a unique number. Since I began, I’ve catalogued a mere 3338 entries! After the entry number, I include the item name, size, shape, color, the company’s inventory code for that item, the number per package or string, the unit price, the number of units I purchased, a formula created entry for the extended price and another for the price of each individual pearl, bead, or whatever, the company from which it was purchased, the invoice number, and the date. Oh, and there’s also a column for the date when everything is used and I can move that entry to a different spreadsheet. BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! There are also formula columns for how many how many I’ve used and how many are left. PLUS a column for how many I use on an individual piece of jewelry. THEN there are macros for sorting the materials once I’ve plugged in the number used in each piece, a copy/paste for moving just the used components to another sheet, an edit to put it in a format for figuring my cost and up cost for selling, and then returning the component list to usability for the next piece’s input. Is your head spinning yet?
Time to start creating. Oh, wait, not quite yet. I still have to move to the project room and store everything so it’s easy to locate. I have multiple two tier plastic cases that each contain a color group. Crystals in that color group go in the top and beads and pearls in the bottom. And several for the various types of findings. For the uninitiated, findings are things like clasps, head pins, chain, the part of an earring that actually goes in the ear, etc.
By now I should need to rest, BUT since I can finally get to the most favored part - designing and creating, I'll pass on the nap and dig in. More on THAT another time.
See, a rather punctilious prelude!
I must confess, I don’t often read blogs. If I’m looking for a recipe, I just want the recipe, not a dissertation about it, lol. But I read everywhere that they are very popular. So I’m going to give it a try and see if I can make this interesting enough to hold your attention. On that note, I do promise not to write an entire missive, just a few (hopefully) entertaining, informational words. Wish me insight and luck!
So let’s talk about my latest collection - KOKOPELLI. If you’ve read my ABOUT M'LADY CREATIONS page, you know that I’m a flutist. I’ve been playing for about 55 years and teaching as well for at least 40. Um, let’s just say that I began when I was a mere infant. Anyway, moving away from the subject of how long I’ve been enjoying life . . .
I decided to use the character from Anasazi Indian mythology associated in modern times with the flute as the focal for this group of jewelry. Since I will hereafter use the masculine pronoun when referencing Kokopelli, I feel compelled to state that this fella was originally a very obvious male spirit. Over time, the image has been altered to asexual, but early depictions show an erect and exaggerated ‘male appendage.’ (Google 'Kokopelli petroglyph' for a visual.) Note: I have also read that the current Kokopelli spirit is a mix of ideas not necessarily attributed to the original, but I’ll forego cultural comment and just suggest doing your own research if you find that intriguing. For here, we’ll go with him as a fertility spirit, as well as the spirits of mischief, music, and dance, and a disseminator of joy. With the current uncertainty, I particularly like the idea of spreading joy. We flutists have adopted him because of his modern portrayal as a dancing flutist.
I’ve paired my silver and gold colored pewter (lead-free) with the earthy look of ceramic beads in earrings, leather slider bracelets, necklaces, and zipper pulls. Even if you’re not a flute player, I encourage you to wear Kokopelli for his mischievous, dancing, and joyful spirit - Great with t-shirts, tanks, & jeans! Go to https://mladycreations.com/collections/kokopelli to find a piece you can’t live without.
It's too darn hot to be riding my horses, so I may just have to create something awesome with the new pearls I just ordered!
I wish you health, safety, happiness, and blessings. I look forward to sharing with you again soon!
Anna
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