Bejeweled Barbie

  Painting the Roses Red We're painting the roses red We dare not stop Or waste a drop So let the paint be spread We're painting the roses red We're painting the roses red Oh, painting the roses red And many a tear we shed Because we know They'll cease to grow In fact, they'll soon be dead And yet we go ahead Painting the roses red From Alice in Wonderland I lost a friend today; the entire YouTube Jewelry Community is grieving along with her flesh and blood family and friends. It is inevitable that there are many people whose life will be noticeably dimmer without Bekki's sparkling smile and sugar plum sweetness. Across social media tonight, the pain and shock is palpable.  That is why I am sitting here at 5 a.m. reflecting on Bekki's untimely death. But, is there ever really an "untimely" death? If you believe in God, as Bekki did, you must acknowledge that the matters of life and death are ultimately in His Hands. Our human hearts, however, cry o...

  I love taking vintage or other jewelry pieces and making them into a more useable, attractive item.  Usually, the pieces are broken anyway, and this rescues them from the landfill  This particular piece was a  VCLM choker necklace, beautiful but way, way too short for anyone  (It also has a stone missing that is not noticeable.) I took the piece apart and made earrings and a bracelet with just a few twists of the pliers. Since this one has a little missing stone, I won't be selling it.  However, I do sell many pieces like this on our Tuesday night auction at 5:30 EST each week.    Our Youtube Channel where we hold Tuesday night auctions Thanks for reading!

 It is Thanksgiving Day, 2020. 2020, the year that will go down as one to remember, albeit not fondly. Even the most positive thinkers would have to admit that it has been a very tumultuous year. We as citizens of America and the world have seen things that we really have nothing with which to compare! There are some pretty funny memes on social media about the year 2020 and how it will be remembered.  All this being said, you might reflect that you have nothing to be thankful for this holiday. But, of course, most will admit that they truly do.  The things that are really important will come to mind.  I could compose a sappy list of family, friends, food, health, a roof over your head, etc.... But, did you ever consider that you don't have to eat your dinner out of a poop bucket? I am not sure if a quarantine is the ideal time to begin reading historical fiction from the World War II era, but, I did! I have been doing a bit of research for several years for a fictio...

While perusing Facebook at 2 A.M., which is my wont, I read a friend's repost of a meme saying, "No-Noise November so just SHUT UP!" It caught me as funny at first read, and then I quickly realized how much I felt the same way. Aren't you just sick to death of all the voices saying all the same stupid things?  Sounds of Silence? It might be said that many of us who are isolating more than others would be surrounded by silence, not bothered by the incessant voices of others. Ah, but the isolation of quarantine has driven us (among other things!) to an almost constant existence on our electronic devices. Instead of one or two human voices with whom we interact one-to-one in our normal environment, we are surrounded by a sea of voices, weaving in and out of the static. Don't you ever just wish the voices would shut up?  Friends or Foes Social media can be an entertaining and useful connection to people from the timelines of our lives. Especially during a quarantine-t...

Post-war German ruins (photo credit Morguefile) This morning I was having that first glorious cup of coffee in my porch swing on the deck. Looking out over the view in the neighborhood, for a split moment, it felt like any normal day in any normal time until reality of where we are barged into my sunny morning. Does anyone really know what time it is? Of course, this begs the question, "Where are we?"  And, probably more importantly, where will we be afterward? At the end of the quarantine, as now projected as April 30, where will we be? And, as a carrot dangled for a racehorse, our President has assured us that the world will be great again on June 1, if we will just stay the course.  I sure hope that Covid-19 is less threatening on April 30 and long-gone from conversation by June 1. However, I am wondering this morning about what the ruins of this "Covid19-War" will look like in America. Post 9/11 America After the events of 9/11 in America, everything ...

Charcoal Portrait by the Late Becky Perkins I am at that stage in life where most of my anecdotes, stories, and thoughts begin like the lyrics to "American Pie!"  "A long, long time ago; I can still remember...." It was the 1980's, the decade of frizzy-big hair, neon colors and very bad music.  I was young and my life seemed to stretch ahead of me with sparkles and butterflies. I was a stay-at-home, breastfeeding mother, neither of which were really mainstream or even desirable at the time. "When are you going back to work? How long are you going to nurse that baby?" Breastfeeding was basically considered a poor, lower-class choice. Not working was almost a guarantee you would be just that! Ken and I were oblivious to the criticism, often from those we loved. I was practicing social distancing before it was a concept. We only had one car, and my husband worked a lot of overtime at a soft drink manufacturer. In charge of the m...