PotW 6/27/12

Hi Everyone!

In honor of the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, commemorating our nation's independence, I present to you, the Constitution of the United States of America.

Many of us can recite the Preamble...we had to memorize it in school.  Many of us can rattle off certain articles from the Bill of Rights and cite which Amendments relate to particular important topics.

Few people ever read the whole thing.  Everyone should do so. 

A little refresher on how our government was intended to operate might be good for each of us to keep in mind as we hear get ready to head to the polls in November.  

And then...check out the Piece of the Week, just in time for the Fourth of July, with a special price.  Patriotic and Made in the USA.  Order yours and I'll ship/deliver them asap.

http://www.twowillowsjewelry.com

Until next week--

Kim

Here's the link to the full text--

http://www.usconstitution.net/const.txt

PotW 6/20/12

Hi Everyone!

Can you believe that it is the summer solstice already?  Summer officially arrives at 7:23 tonight, and this evening will be the shortest of the year, giving us over 15 hours of daylight today/tomorrow.  But take a step outside today and you would swear that summer has already settled in here---it's a toasty, humid 88, heading well into the 90's for the next couple of days.  Insta-summer.  Welcome to Maine.

The summer solstice was a time of ritual significance in early civilizations.  Early people planned planting, harvesting, and many other activities according to the phases of the moon and the lunar calendar. Within these rituals they used gemstones to which they had attached special importance. One such stone was Smoky Quartz, the National Gem of Scotland.

Smoky quartz is one of the rare brown gemstones.  It can range in color from pale gray-brown to dark, almost black-brown. It was popular with many ancient civilizations, and for a time was thought to be solidified water or ice.  Because of this connection to water, smoky quartz has been used in rainmaking ceremonies in parts of the Pacific, especially among the indigenous people of Australia and New Guinea. Smoky quartz was a favorite stone of the Druids, and was thought to be lucky for foresters and gardeners, making it an important stone for summer solstice celebrations.

Because smoky quartz was easy to cut as a gem and could be shaped for both ornamental and practical purposes, smoky quartz artifacts have been found around the world.  Native Americans used smoky quartz to magnify the power of the sun and start fire from wood chips. In China it was used to make small bottles for medicines.  The Romans used smoky quartz to make ring seals, and other civilizations carved it to make impressions in clay, for decorative items and to make stone tablets with a written record of events.  In Egypt, smoky quartz was turned into beads, scarabs and other decorative jewelry.

This week's design features Smoky Quartz.  I saw these stones a while ago (can't remember where, exactly), and had to buy them because of their unique shape AND the way they are drilled.  They are truly some of the more unique smoky quartz beads I have seen anywhere. That's all I'm going to tell you...head to the website for a photo and details!

http://www.twowillowsjewelry.com

Until next week-

Kim

PS--I have silver in stock for stamped cuffs right now, but it's been going fast.  If you have been thinking about ordering a cuff and it is at all time-sensitive, please order early.

PotW 6/13/12

Hi Everyone!

I have written before about the history of Mother's Day.  In brief, Mother's Day came about as a result of the peace and reconcilliation campaigns of the post- Civil War era, when mother's of both Union and Confederate soldiers came together out of desire to heal a divided nation.  It veered toward the more commercialized holiday we now know in 1908, when the Wanamaker department store in Philadelphia sponsored a service dedicated to mothers in its auditorium.  A mere year later in 1909, 45 states were observing a "Mother's Day" holiday, and in 1914 it was declared a national holiday by President Woodrow Wilson.

But when and how did Father's Day come about? (excerpted from History.com)

The campaign to celebrate the nation’s fathers did not meet with the same enthusiasm as a celebration for mothers--perhaps because, as one florist explained, “fathers haven’t the same sentimental appeal that mothers have.” On July 5, 1908, a West Virginia church sponsored the nation’s first event explicitly in honor of fathers, a Sunday sermon in memory of the 362 men who had died in the previous December’s explosions at the Fairmont Coal Company mines in Monongah, but it was a one-time commemoration and not an annual holiday. The next year, a Spokane, Washington woman named Sonora Smart Dodd, one of six children raised by a widower, tried to establish an official equivalent to Mother’s Day for male parents. She went to local churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers and government officials to drum up support for her idea, and she was successful: Washington State celebrated the nation’s first statewide Father’s Day on July 19, 1910.
   
Slowly, the holiday spread. In 1916, President Wilson honored the day by using telegraph signals to unfurl a flag in Spokane when he pressed a button in Washington, D.C. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge urged state governments to observe Father’s Day. However, many men continued to disdain the day. As one historian writes, they “scoffed at the holiday’s sentimental attempts to domesticate manliness with flowers and gift-giving, or they derided the proliferation of such holidays as a commercial gimmick to sell more products--often paid for by the father himself.”

During the 1920s and 1930s, a movement arose to scrap Mother’s Day and Father’s Day altogether in favor of a single holiday, Parents’ Day. Every year on Mother’s Day, pro-Parents’ Day groups rallied in New York City’s Central Park--a public reminder, said Parents’ Day activist and radio performer Robert Spere, “that both parents should be loved and respected together.” Paradoxically, however, the Depression derailed this effort to combine and de-commercialize the holidays. Struggling retailers and advertisers redoubled their efforts to make Father’s Day a “second Christmas” for men, promoting goods such as neckties, hats, socks, pipes and tobacco, golf clubs and other sporting goods, and greeting cards. When World War II began, advertisers began to argue that celebrating Father’s Day was a way to honor American troops and support the war effort. By the end of the war, Father’s Day may not have been a federal holiday, but it was a national institution.

In 1972, in the middle of a hard-fought presidential re-election campaign, Richard Nixon signed a proclamation making Father’s Day a federal holiday at last, 58 years after the first official Mother's Day.  Today, economists estimate that Americans spend more than $1 billion each year on Father’s Day gifts.  (No count has been kept of how many ties and soaps-on-a-rope that represents)

So--for some unique (like Dad), personalized (because he deserves it) and utilitarian (because Dads are practical) gift ideas, check out the website:http://www.twowillowsjewelry.com

Until next week--Spoil Dad a little, even if he says he doesn't want you to!

Kim

POTW 6/6/12

Happy Birthday, Caroline!!!

And Hello to Everyone Else!

My little niece turns 4 today.  She is a one-of-a-kind beauty and I am looking forward to seeing her grow up.  She has a unique mix of really good looks (eyelashes that most of you on this distribution would KILL for...no exaggeration), intelligence, a sense of humor and a spunky personality.

I may be just a tiny bit biased.  I kinda think she's the bomb.  Even (especially) after babysitting her for 4 days recently.

Caroline's more of a girly-girl than I usually can relate to.  I've always been glad I had a boy baby.  Every time I went into a friend's house that was full of Barbie palaces and other pink, plastic stuff my skin started to crawl.  Give me Legos, Tonka trucks, Brio trains and remote control cars.  Ask me to play "Princess" or "tea party" and I am looking for the door.  "Check, please!"

But Caroline is hard to resist.  She bats those eyelashes, pulls a pout, raises an eyebrow that tells me she knows exactly what she is doing and...plays the puppet master.  Auntie in the role of puppet.  Smiling.  Having tea at a tiny table under a huge pink canopy.  What could be better?  Call it personal growth.

So, now I am back from Seattle and organized enough and out of the weeds and can present you with a new design for this Piece of the Week and what do I make?  Something with some of Caroline's favorite colors!  One of a kind stones (just like her).  Hey--it's her birthday, she deserves a special shout out.

Check out photos of the items on the website (yup, it's a set, because my little niece likes 'ensembles' when she plays dress-up). http://www.twowillowsjewelry.com

Until next week--

celebrate the one-of-a-kind people in your life!

Love you, Miss C!!

Auntie Kimma

PoTW 5/31/12

This is an encore presentation of a message that received a lot of feedback when originally sent.  I hope you enjoy it and pardon the re-run as I get caught up from vacation-Kim
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Good morning, Everyone-
 
This weekend is commencement for the Class of 2010 at Morse High School.  Nathaniel will be graduating, along with a great group of kids we've had the pleasure of watching grow up over the years.  It seems like yesterday when they held hands just to work up the nerve to board the school bus for the first time.  Time truly flies.
 
These days it seems like the words "Remember when...?" are a bit more common than usual.  Whether it was sorting through the old photographs looking for pictures to be included in the senior class slide show or just the realization that this is a major milestone for my baby (he isn't on this distribution so I can get away with saying that), I've found myself in reminisce mode quite often of late. 
 
As if I wasn't teary enough after going through old pictures,  I sat and flipped through a little notebook I kept with funny things Nathaniel said or did over the years.  One of the entries in the notebook seemed appropriate for this week's message, so I'll share it with you.
 
On a typical evening when Nathaniel was just 3, we were sitting in a rocking chair and he was all cuddled up with me before he went to bed.  He had that just-after-a-bath clean smell, hair still a little damp, face flushed, drowsy and angelic in his fleece 'footie' pj's.  It was a moment of pure love, and before I knew it, I had tears rolling down my cheeks just from the intense, quiet happiness of it.
 
I thought he was asleep, but instead of carrying him up to bed, I continued to rock him and hold him tight.  Then, all of a sudden, his head popped up from my chest, he sat back, stared me in the face and asked "Why are you crying?"  So I gave him an answer that was simple and true:  I said "These are Happy Tears!"  The explanation seemed acceptable to him, because he put his head back down, snuggled up closer and fell asleep.
 
I look back on that now and realize that it was probably his first awareness of the fact that tears can denote something other than sadness or pain.  I'm sure it didn't really sink in at that moment, but I recall him telling me he had "Happy Tears" when he was cuddling his first puppy, so it did register with him eventually.
 
Indeed, tears do comefor a variety of reasons and in a variety of sizes and shapes---which brings me to this week's feature:  Sterling silver "Happy Tears"!
>>>Sterling Silver Teardrops
See photos on my website:   www.twowillowsjewelry.com
 
Until next week---if you see me crying at the commencement ceremony-don't ask.  They're Happy Tears.
 
Kim 

PotW 5/9/12

Hi Everyone-

April showers bring May flowers, but what do May showers bring?   In Maine, the answer is most likely: "mosquitoes".  

I'm pretty sick of the rain at this point, but have been taking advantage of not being able to work out of doors to get a lot of orders done in the studio.  My housework isn't benefitting from the fact I can't work outside, but quite a few people will be getting something nice from TWJ for Mother's Day this Sunday!  Enjoy, all :o)

I suppose that the gray, rainy days we are having here so far this month are good training for my upcoming trip to Seattle.  Although I have had very good luck weather-wise on past trips there, I have heard, (from people in a position to know), that it can be pretty dreary from time to time.  I also heard rumor that there is a large mountain that appears on the horizon in good weather, but have found it to be fairly elusive when I am visiting.  In about a half a dozen trips there, I think I've seen it once, maybe twice---and with otherwise good weather conditions, this makes me wonder if it's really there or just some ploy to make people want to visit, despite Seattle's dismal weather reputation.

It is there, of course.  I know that.  I've been to the parking lot at "Paradise" in the National Park!  I had a wonderful view of...well...the parking lot.  Only part of the parking lot, if the whole truth be told.  It was just a tad foggy when we were there.  Mind you, it was perfectly clear when we left the house in Seattle and headed out to see "the mountain". Rainier, you jokester!

It matters not one bit whether I get to see Rainier when I am there.  I am on another mission.  A hug-smothered, "little"-chasing adventure.  I'm going for some quality sister time and way too-long between visits auntie time.  An "I am so glad my brother-in-law is part of my family" time.  I am going to hold down the fort and take care of my nephew and niece while my sis and her hubby go for a little get-away.  My excuse for going  a whole week early is to get used to the time difference and to get to know the kids' routines.  It is purely an excuse.

Other probably outings in a Seattle visit find me saying: "You guys have hemp milk in your coffee shops?"  "I need a fix from the barristas at Hotwire." "Of course I want to go to the French bakery!".  "Pho for lunch? OK!!"  "Let's go walk Alki and see if the mountain is out (hahahaha)." and maybe, just maybe..."Can we hit that bead store downtown that I like so much?"

The same store where I bought the Kyanite disks used in today's featured piece.  They've been in my bead-stash since an earlier trip!  See a photo on the website:  http://www.twowillowsjewelry.com  (on the Odds-n-Ends page, as always)  

Stay tuned for updates from Seattle on FB.  There won't be a PotW for the next couple of weeks because I'll be away, but I am going to load LOTS of new photos onto the site this afternoon to keep you busy.  They are marked with a star (anything with a star has been added within the last month or so).

If you haven't yet, pick out something nice for Mom, and I can deliver it or you can swing by the studio before Sunday.

Until next month-- get your DEET ready.

Kim

PotW 5/2/2012

Hi Everyone---

I am going to keep this week's message extremely short...  I'm quite busy in the shop putting together an order of items for Shore Shop Gifts on Isle au Haut, Maine, that will be delivered at the end of the week.  I'm also working on samples and cost quotes for the gift shop on Seguin Island, Maine!  I guess I'm going to be "Island Girl" this summer.

But I still want to get this last great suggestion for Mother's Day out to you, and give myself time to process any of your orders in time for gifting on May 13th!

There are a lot of styles of "Mom" jewelry out there---but speaking for myself, sometimes I think they are kind of cutesie, and don't reflect the active, down-to-earth nature of today's active Moms.  I have a solution for that!

My hand-cut tags are available in sterling silver or copper, and are hand-stamped with a nice, casual, lower-cast font.  The ones shown in the photo are about 1 1/8" long, but the tags look good in lengths up to about 1 7/8" to accommodate longer names.  Each tag is on a ring that is large enough to slide over most chains that people already have, but I also have sterling and copper ball bead chain, suede and leather cording, and NEW---18" black rubber cords that have a sterling silver clasp on them.  These are perfect for active wear and look super with the sterling tags.  (Rubber cords are available in other lengths, but would have to be ordered)

I could also add a small stone bead or Swarovski crystal to the ring of any tag to represent the person's birthstone, for an additional charge ($2-$4, depending on stone requested).

So if you know a cool Mom out there who isn't one to wear the mass-produced jewelry being advertised on tv right now, consider a hand-cut, hand-stamped, totally personalized name tag.  The perfect, unique gift for a perfectly unique woman!

See a photo on the "Odds-n-Ends" page of the website:  http://www.twowillowsjewelry.com

Until next week-

Kim