Thoughts on Valentine's Day

Love, Cupid, hearts, chocolates, cards and flowers are everywhere--it's Valentine's Day! On February 14, Americans celebrate love and friendship. But where did this holiday of affection come from?

The origins of Valentine's Day are murky. We do know that the ancient Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia, a spring festival, on the 15th of February. With the introduction of Christianity, the holiday moved to the 14th of February--the saint day that celebrated several early Christian martyrs named Valentine. But somewhere along the way, Valentine's Day came to represent romance. You can watch a romantic movie right here, "The Kiss," produced by Thomas Edison back in 1900. The romance we associate with Valentine's Day may spring from the medieval belief that birds select their mates on February 14th. During the Middle Ages, human lovebirds recited verse or prose to one another in honor of the day. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" wrote William Shakespeare. 
Poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning expressed love this way:

How do I love thee; let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach. . .

Do you write poetry? We also hear these sentiments in love songs, such as this funny old tune, "Aba Daba Honeymoon." How many love songs can you think of that could send your message on Valentine's Day? 

"Will you be my Valentine?" Nowadays, people often ask this of their loved ones in greeting cards. Probably the first greeting cards, handmade valentines, appeared in the 16th century. As early as 1800, companies began mass-producing cards. Initially these cards were 
hand-colored by factory workers. By the early 20th century even fancy lace and 
ribbon-strewn cards were created by machine. Perhaps you will give or receive a card today or celebrate your family or that special someone in another way. Valentine's Day also gives people a chance to reflect on the meaning of love. What do you think makes true love? 

Source: America's Library

Come express YOUR love to your special someone with a unique, one of a kind, jewelry piece from Handmade Jewelry Haven. You will forever have her heart!

Heart Bracelet

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Flashback Friday - A Bead So Beautiful!

Flashback Friday takes place on the last Friday of the month The idea is to republish an old post of yours that maybe didn't get enough attention, or that you really liked, or that you think others will really like..

As I started this blog in 2010, and then took a few years off to raise my little ones (only getting back into it this past November), I know there are a LOT of you out there that did not see some of my earlier posts.

You can see the original post HERE.

A Bead So Beautiful...You Could Just Eat It!

Original Picture

Current Picture

It was in Murano that lampwork beads first became widely produced in the 19th century. To this day, the most famous style of lampwork bead is the 'Venetian' or wedding cake bead. the secret of the glass making process was jealously guarded. Many countries tried to lure glass makers away from Italy. While some succeeded in producing lampwork beads, they did not typically put up a challenge to the Murano lampwork beads. In the mid 19th century, a few Bohemian (now Czech Republic) citizens traveled to Italy to work in the glass works and learn the secrets. They returned five years later, frustrated by the wall of secrecy they had encountered. However, they did learn something and glass bead making was started in the Czech Republic.

The Czech also became masters at making lampwork beads and rivaled Italy on the national market. In time, the Czech and Italians taught the Indians how to make lampwork beads. Today the majority of lampwork beads come from India. The Czech and the Italians still make beautiful lampwork beads in much more limited production.

Handmade Jewelry Haven's beautiful 'Swirl' necklace, and matching earrings are made with lovely amethyst colored Italian Wedding Cake beads, and is set off by a gorgeous blown glass pendant in soothing colors of purples golds and silvers.
Find them all at Handmade Jewelry Haven's Etsy Shop Here.

source; The Beading Times

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Wall Flower

So just imagine, just for a second, what it would be like to be drifting, alone, in the middle of the ocean. Just floating there. What do you feel? Scared? Peaceful? Now I know my boating friends are all mumbling..'we KNOW what THAT feels like! - Get on with it!' Ok ok...just bare with me here!

Now imagine, entering your middle school cafeteria for the first time. Or the Auditorium, or your first class dance hall. All those people that you didn't know. A 'sea' of people. How did you feel then? Not so 'peaceful' anymore I bet. You might have walked in, looking for the most inconspicuous chair to sit in, away from anyone that might notice you. You sit, by yourself, wishing on everything that you had not come in, in the first place and just wanting it to be over with? All you wanted to do was blend into the wall and fade away.

You would just sit there, watching the popular girls, beautiful and flirting with all of the popular guys and you would just wish you could be like them. Just have enough courage to stand up, walk over and join in with the rest of them. 
Did you ever have a time in your life that you felt that way? Do you still feel that way at times? Perhaps at a party or a company function? Where you suddenly look down and wish you had worn something lighter, brighter and prettier. Or did you spend half the day primping, so excited to wear that new dress only to find that someone at the party was wearing the same thing? In a ready to wear society full of bargain basement prices, that is not so hard to do. These days everyone has access to the finest stores. They are not for just the 'well off' any more. What is it about fashion that drives us crazy? We all... men and women alike, want to look our best...no, better than the one next to them. The need for social connection is just human nature says University of Chicago's social neuroscientist John T. Cacioppo. He goes on to explain that a sense of isolation or social rejection disrupts not only our thinking abilities and will power but also our immune systems, and can be as damaging as obesity or smoking! We innately want to be different, to show off our individuality. But sometimes we don't know how. Well, I say.. 'go and buy that simple black dress' and then dress it up with a beautiful one of a kind jewelry piece from Handmade Jewelry Haven. No two pieces are the same and you can bet that you will never feel like a wall flower again. You will feel like a million bucks, floating in the middle of the ocean. But this time, you are on your very own YACHT! 



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