Made by One Girl

One of my favorite pieces of art that we own is Frenchie by Lisa Norris. I had it hanging in my laundry area for a long time (which is in our kitchen), but I just recently moved it to a great spot above our newly remodeled stairs, that way I can see it whenever I come down.
Here are some more of her pieces that you can find on her website Made By One Girl. She also does a lot of other cool things like hand-made books and such.

Sick Kids

These are the weeks that I dread the most- when my kids are sick. They are throwing up and very miserable and that makes ME miserable because there is nothing that I can do to fix them. And, I have this constant fear of who's next. Well, when the dark days are here, you got to know the bright ones are ahead. Right???

Good lesson in Spiderman 3

We took our kids to see Spiderman 3 last night and I was worried that it would be too scary for them on the big screen. Luckily none of them had nightmares, although they confessed to hiding their eyes during some parts (my six year old covered his during all of the kissing parts). I was excited about the message of the movie and that I would be able to talk to my kids about how unforgivness and resentment can turn you into a person that you don't want to be. Several people had told me before the movie that there were too many sub-plots and just too much going on, but I disagree. The many plots really were wrapped up into one central theme; that unforgivness can be a chain, and if you let it rule it ruins other people's lives around you. Peter Parker was the object of unforgivness by his dear friend Harry, and while Peter saw the injustice of this, he was was harboring the same feelings about the man who killed his uncle. Because of this, Peter causes yet another person (Brock) to resent him and he also hurts the one person he cares the most for (Mary Jane). I also thought that it was neat how they show that the black venom needed a willing host. This is a good example to show my children that they can choose to forgive and give mercy to others, thus ending the chain.
Last night after the movie, I went home and was reading my daily inspirational reading and the page I was on said this:

"Resentment is the cocaine of the emotions. It causes our blood to pump and our energy level to rise. But, also like cocaine, it demands increasingly large and more frequent dosages. There is a dangerous point at which anger ceases to be an emotion and becomes a driving force. A person bent on revenge moves unknowingly further and further away from being able to forgive, for to be without the anger is to be without a source of energy.
Hatred is the rabid dog that turns on it's owner.
Revenge is the raging fire that consumes the arsonist.
Bitterness is the trap that snares the hunter.
And mercy is the choice that can set them all free."
-The Applause of Heaven by Max Lucado

That was a timely message!

Five Restaurants

I was tagged by Carrie to do a "restaurant meme" of my five favorite in my area. Well I was going to claim East Nashville as my area, because it really is, but I couldn't think of five that I really like, so I am choosing my five out of the whole of Nashville (and surrounding areas). I really don't have five places that I "love" because I can always find something that I don't like about a restaurant, and there are plenty of places that I didn't list that I really like, so when I started thinking about this I became utterly confused and decided that I actually don't like restaurants at all, although if someone were to offer to take me to one, I surely wouldn't refuse. So after all of this, I have decided to list some places that I have gone where I did not have a bad time and also some places where, if alone I would not rate the food as outstanding, but when I take the children I usually have a wonderful time and the joy of the experience outweighs the taste of the food.
Ichiban- I love to eat sushi and there are lots of places to eat it in Nashville, but I have had the most "good" experiences here. It is located on Second Ave. which is kind of a bummer because you have to park downtown, but if you have on your walking shoes, you can park across the river and cross over the walking bridge (which can be a great date).
The Melting Pot- Also located on Second Ave. Seth took me here for one of our anniversaries and it was such a fun experience. He bought me flowers at the restaurant and they took our picture, which was a nice perk for a special date.
The Old Spaghetti Factory- Wow, I like a lot of restaurants on Second! The food here is not the best, but it's not bad. The kids love it and we all get free ice cream with our meal. I remember going here when I was a kid and those memories combined with the lofty idea that I am creating special memories in my kids minds, keeps this one as a fave. And it's easy on the wallet.
Battered and Fried- East Nashville Yay! I really like this place because it is a great place for kids. A lot of people haven't liked the food, but I don't care because the staff is nice to us when we bring all three boys. The first time we went here, we had just had a fight with Sam at Sam's Sushi over the fact that he didn't like children. He didn't even give them time to misbehave (we had just walked in the door)when he informed us that kids weren't welcome. So we went to Battered and Fried and sat outside. My kids behaved like normal and none of the staff made us feel like they were anything other than perfect princes!
Nashville Pizza Company- We have to travel pretty far to go to this pizza place, it's far out on Hillsboro Rd., but they really do make good pizza. That is all I have to say about that.
Now, I think I am supposed to tag some other people, but I really don't know of anyone else who reads my blog except for Carrie, and she was the one who tagged me...so...if you DO read my blog and you would like to be tagged, let me know. And thanks Carrie, this is my first tagging and I feel honored:)

Street Art

If you have never seen the work of Julian Beever, I suggest you go take a look at his site. I think it would be great to walk down a street and run into a three dimensional street drawing such as the ones he creates. It reminds me of the Dick Van Dike character in Mary Poppins where you could just magically jump into the drawing and be taken to another world. Not all of Julian's drawings are winners, but there are several 3-Ds that take the cake.

Now that I have gotten some cool photos of my jewels, I have become increasingly interested in photography. These are some awesome photos I found thanks to Tiffany, done by Baxter, who was a friend of hers at college.

My artist statement

Thanks for your opinions! (I could still use more although I have whittled it down to 7) I wrote my artist statement yesterday, so I thought I would post it today. O.k. here goes...

I love making jewelry. Working with metal stirs up a passion in me because metal generally seems hard and unbreakable, but the more I work with it, the more I see it as quite the opposite. My pieces are very organic. I love the fluidity and grace of a not quite perfect line and the mystery of a dark patina. It reflects the beautiful reality of life. I have also been exploring an a-symmetrical element in my designs that also speaks of true life and to who we are as humans.
As an artist, a mother and the wife of an artist, I know that sometimes inspiration can be scarce during the moments that one is seeking it the hardest. I have found that I am most inspired when I shift my focus from seeking inspiration to giving inspiration by stirring my children and the people who view my work to love and to have hope. It is when I am pouring out that I am filled. I use a lot of imagery from nature to evoke this sense of beauty, hope, peace, joy and love. I also enjoy using words to convey these things in my pieces. I hope that this inspiration can pass on to the wearer of my jewelry which can then bless the people that they come in contact with, creating a beautiful chain of inspiration and blessing.

Help me decide

Vote for your favorite jewelry and favorite pictures in this post and the previous one to help me decide which ones to enter in the juried show.

Vote for Jewelry Pictures

I am entering a juried show in a couple of weeks, so I took some pieces of my jewelry to photographed by photographer Tiffany Dupree. We got a lot of great pictures, but now I have a huge dilemma. If I can only submit FIVE, which ones do I choose? This where I need your help. Tell me which ones are your favorite!

school's out for summer

My children are so precious, but this is the last week of school and I'm scared! Don't get me wrong, I still have that feeling of excitment probably left over from my school days when summer hits, and I relish the idea of not having to pack lunches or find outfits that "look" clean in the morning after the boys have already gotten dressed in something they pulled out of the bottom of the dirty clothes stack in their rooms that doesn't even match. And I love the idea of spending some extra quality time with the loves of my life, but what to do with the them during all the other times? We have nothing planned for summer, and we are on a tight budget, so everything we do has to be VERY creative. Any ideas?

The Walls Came Tumbling Down

We have been studying the book of Hebrews in church and we have been in chapter 11 where we explore what it means to live by faith. Verse 30 uses the example of the Isrealites walking around the city of Jericho until the walls fell down. So in the service today we talked about this place of faith where the Isrealites were trapped between a river at flood stage and a fortified enemy city. Between this "rock and a hard place" they were commanded by God to be circumsised, which also left them completely incapacitated. So here they were between two seemingly insurmountable obstacles AND they couldn't even fight! THEN God asks them to quietly walk around the enemy city a bunch of times and then shout. Weird. But because they trusted God, and obeyed, they lived and conquered.
Our pastor had the entire church listen to his directions once and we were to obey. They were this: everyone was to leave the auditorium and go to the field behind the church and then listen for a horn to blow, then we were to follow the pastor and walk completely around the building, go in the back doors and find our seat again, all without speaking. At first I thought that this was ridiculous because there was probably 1000 of us and dismissal after church is always a chaotic mess! But as we all silently obeyed, I was able to witness a small picture of how beautiful it is when together we obey the will of God, and how by being obedient, life works; even when it seems crazy to us. The whole church was able to follow the directions and get back into our seats in about ten minutes time, and it was peaceful and ordered. Amazing.
I so often find myself in an impossible situation where I am unable to go back, and I am also unable to move foward. I am completely weakened and have nothing to put my trust in but the Lord Himself. Today I was reminded that when I am in that place of impossibility, that it is a gift of grace. For in my human nature I am most willing to place my trust in anything that makes sense to me - even if it is not a good decision, instead of listening to God. So, when He puts me in that place where there is no one and nothing left but Him, I am thankful because I know that my life is not life with out Him. Even when it makes no sense to me, when I follow Him I truely LIVE! It is so exciting to me to see what God is going to do in the dire circumstances of my life! To see how He is going to sustain me, because He always does - in the most amazing ways. He has never given me a reason NOT to trust Him even though my natural instincts don't want to. He is faithful EVERY time I place my faith in Him. Now all I want is to be able to slow down so that I can LISTEN to Him, so that I can OBEY him, so that I can see the AMAZING things He has planned next for me!

Wedding Photographer

Occasionally, I work as a photographer's assistant, and that is what I am going to be doing today. I work with Tiffany Dupree who is a fabulous photographer, a fun, easy-going person to work with, and a good friend. I think that it is fun being a part of a wedding, even when I don't know the people because the commitment of love is such a beautiful thing. Tiffany and I also have a tradition of tasting all the wedding cakes to see which wedding has had the best cake. I think the winner so far is a wedding we did a couple years ago on Benton Ave. Don't worry, we don't spend all of our time eating cake, it's just an added benefit. Tiffany is one of the hardest workers I know and she stays on point through the whole event to capture the best and most beautiful moments on film. Well, I had better go get ready. I've got a wedding to attend!

Seth Conley - My Favorite Artist

My husband Seth is an artist. I'll share some of the things that he does. He loves, loves, loves figure, but he paints a lot of landscapes too. I love to watch him paint because he moves paint around on a canvas like a dancer. He is one of the most free and graceful painters I have ever watched. Perhaps that is why I married him...?

My first pictures

I got a new hard drive, so after months of not posting because I couldn't download a picture, I finally can! Now I can show you some of the things that I do.
I love making jewelry and I am constantly pushing myself to learn new metalsmithing techniques. At the moment I am practicing making rivets. I am also trying to figure out the best way to market my wares. I just finished a art show and I did pretty well, so maybe the best thing to do is stick to those. Now the task of finding them and applying!
(You can see more of my work here.)