Chinese New Year - The Year Of The Rooster

Chinese New Year is a time of celebration in many Asian cultures. The new year has begun

Lucky Panda Lampwork Beaded Bracelet

and will last until Feb 15th, 2017. The new year, also known as the Spring Festival is marked by the lunisolar Chinese calendar, so the date changes from year to year. 

Symbolism, especially in jewelry plays a large part in the Asian culture. For example, shown on this lampwork beaded charm bracelet are 'lucky coins'. The square inside a circle means the harmony of earth and heaven. The humans carry the heaven and earth and the whole three elements go together to create a 'lucky aura' that brings wealth and money. 

Lucky Panda Lampwork Beaded Earrings

Are you, or someone you know in need of some 'lucky aura'? You can find this beautiful bracelet and matching earrings on Handmade Jewelry Haven's Etsy site here.

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12 Weeks of Letter Writing Challenge - Week 2

Today's post is participating in the 12 Weeks Of Letter Writing Challenge that I was invited to by Mrs. Dash Say's....blog here.

This weeks letter is to mom and dad,

Dear Mom and Dad,

This letter will be a little hard to write as you both have passed on...and so you probably will read this in heaven.
I miss you both greatly and am so often reminded of you both in so many ways.
Mom, this past weekend I reconnected with Chuck Thornell and his wife Kathy after 25 years! When he heard my voice on the phone he said I sounded just like you, and I suppose I do. Sometimes when I laugh, I hear your voice come out of my mouth. Kinda weird, I know...but I do. Sometimes I wish you were here so that I could ask you about things like going though 'the change'...as I am now, and don't know if the many things I am feeling and experiencing are 'normal' or not. I try to read things on Google or books...but everything is just so vague. You probably wouldn't have been able to tell me as your dementia was so pronounced at the end. But I miss your smile and your positive attitude and your quickness to laugh at every situation.
We also talked about you dad. As always...no one has anything but praise for you.
One of my only regrets is that you did not teach me to read a chart and plot a course.
That would have been something cool to learn from the best boatman in the world! You instilled my love of the sea and were my anchor and I couldn't have asked for a better father.

You both are probably the reason I love going to the beach and looking for seaglass!

Anyway...I will wrap this up with one of the only (if not the only) pictures I have of you two together. I reminds me of what a great time I had seeing snow for the first time.
I love you.

Dad, mom and me circa 1974

To see some of my ocean themed jewelry, come visit Handmade Jewelry Haven's Etsy page!

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(Almost) Friday Fictioneers - The Broker

She was furious! Seething mad actually. The shipment was late again! Why couldn't he ever get his act together and just get the crates where they were supposed to be, WHEN they

PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot

were supposed to be there? She was going to catch hell with the buyers again. Oh where was he??! She paced back and forth in front if the window, watching...waiting for the truck. The old matrons would lament, 'The jewels! The jewels! What shall we wear now? The old ones just won't do! The old ones just won't do!! No...No...they won't!

A big thank you to Rochelle for hosting Friday Fictioneers and to Roger Bultot for the picture!


Please visit Handmade Jewelry Haven's Etsy shop to see some of the Jewelry that DID make it!

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Kumihimo - Learning Something New

So back in November, some of you will remember, that I drove over to the west coast of Florida with my kids to visit relatives for Thanksgiving. It was a great trip, we got to see people that we haven't seen for awhile and do some things we love to do in new places (shelling and glassing). One of the people we got to see was my aunt Judith. She is my aunt by marriage, my uncle Bob passing a few years ago, and she is just an amazingly creative woman. Ever since I have known her she is 'into' one thing or another. I remember one visit she was into sewing these, literally, award winning quilts. She would make these amazing quilted clothing pieces that had a decidedly Asian quality about them. Her and my uncle used to travel a lot to Japan for business, and he used to live in Japan for many years, so he had an affinity for everything Asian. Anyway...after that visit I, totally on impulse, I went right out and bought a book on quilting intending to jump right in and create these beautiful heirloom quilts that I would give to family members for years to come. Well...if any of you have known me for any length of time, you will know that I have an absolute love-hate relationship with my sewing machine. I can barely hem a pair of pants without the bottom thread getting all bunched up - which you can't tell has happened until either, A: The fabric jams in your machine or B: You take out what you think is a beautiful piece of hemmery (I know that is not a word - cut me some slack here!) only to find this jumbled mess of bunched up thread underneath. Anyway...long story short, quilting never became part of my world.

So fast forward many years, to this Thanksgiving, and we have driven aunt J back to her 

place of residence in Naples, and we are having a nice lunch with her before we drive the last leg back to the east coast and I am just DROOLING over her necklace. I compliment

Kumihimo Bobbins

her on it and am just floored when she tells me that she MADE it! My daughter and I were just stunned! So in the middle of this...she blurts out this funny word...(and I am really praying that she never reads this blog post). Well Bella and I just kind of glance at each other like what did she just say?? See, Aunt J is not from the US, and she has this really strong British accent, plus she just naturally speaks very low. Well...we both just smiled and nodded and life went on.
Some weeks after we got home I was still thinking about that necklace and started googling and low and behold...KUMIHIMO was introduced into my world! Then it dawned on me!! THAT is what Aunt J blurted out! Kumihimo! Now...for those of you that don't know, Kumihimo is a Japanese form of braiding. Cords and ribbons are made by interlacing strands, of thread, and very recently, by adding beads to make very decorative pieces of Jewelry.

Kumihimo Beaded Necklace

 Kumi himo is Japanese for 'gathered threads'. So, I watched a couple of YouTube videos and bought all the stuff and went to work. Now THIS was something I could get into! I LOVE it. Talk about a stress reliever! And now I have something to compliment my sea glass pieces that I am wire wrapping! So, if you are wondering what is happening at our household on Tuesday and Thursdays, you can bet that Bella and I are weaving to our hearts content. Be sure to 'Favorite' my Etsy store at Handmade Jewelry Haven so you won't miss these upcoming treasures! 

Kumihimo is fun!

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12 Weeks of Letter Writing Challenge

Today's post is participating in the 12 Weeks Of Letter Writing Challenge that I was invited to by Mrs. Dash Say's....blog here.

This weeks letter is to my best friend Kathy Wheeler.

Dear Kat,

It has been a long time that I have actually written to you. Like...I can't even remember that far back, but I am sure it must have been when you lived in St Augustine or maybe even when you lived in Arizona. Before the advent of email or 'The Internet' even...lol...ok, not quite that long ago.

We met in preschool and I remember when someone ran my finger over in the playground with some wooden wagon thing when you and I were crawling around on all fours playing Simba. I remember the wood shavings they would spread on the ground so we wouldn't get dirty.
I remember silly little things of our childhood like the time I barfed my breakfast of cereal and milk in kindergarten and all you could say was, 'Cottage Cheese!! It looks like Cottage Cheese!!'.

I remember us going to the beach every Saturday and how we used to roam as far as we could go in one direction and then do the same in the other direction, 'discovering' 'Blood River' at Cape Florida and climbing the lighthouse. I remember our moms taking us to the Key Hole bar afterward where they would have 'giraffe' beers (draft) and you and I would have vanilla ice cream because that was the only flavor they had.
God those were good times.
Probably the source of my many sea glass musings on this blog.

I remember when our moms stopped speaking and we weren't allowed to see each other anymore and we would sneak midnight phone calls and you would read Stephen King books to me until I fell asleep. We never could figure out how to pronounce the northeast slang-ism of 'ayuh'.

Me and Kat circa 1983

I remember when we got our first cars and would drive down to the Keys and lament over old and current boyfriends. 
I remember taking a 10 day camping trip all along the west coast of Florida and how on the 9th day we finally caved and got the last hotel room in Panama City. We dragged our bikes up 2 flights of stairs and slept for 10 hours until we finally fessed up that we both wanted to go home and so we drove 13 hours straight to get there.

I remember you being my maid of honor at my first wedding...and my second. You looked so beautiful at both.

Now you are raising your two beautiful boys in California and, although I know our life will never be what it once was, it will always be filled we these memories and many many more.
No matter how far apart we are, you will always be on the top of my 'Bestie List'.

PS. Kathy was one of my main inspirations when I started beading. 
You can see my jewelry on my Handmade Jewelry Haven Etsy page here.

Next weeks letter will be to my Mom and/or Dad..(this should be good ;)

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Flashback Friday - A Bead So Beautiful...You Could Just Eat It!

Today is Michael d'Agostino's Flashback Friday! 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!

Amethyst Lampwork Beaded Necklace

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, bracelet 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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Wordless Wednesday

Here are some more wonderful trinkets courtesy of your oceans.....

Click here for more Wordless Wednesday fun and be sure to visit 

Handmade Jewelry Haven's Etsy Shop here.

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