Happy New Year!

how quickly Christmas passed ... although technically, the 12 days only began on the 25th. Still, it seems the years are racing by us now. And the shops are decorating for Christmas in September! Hey! What about Halloween! Thanksgiving! ... I must've missed those displays in the summer... I'm sure you know of what I speak!

i'm still wrestling with that nasty cough I cought earlier in the month, but feeling a bit of relief so I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Just barely. But, seeing the end is half the battle. Feeling tired... exhausted actually. Still, the thought of a new year gives me hope. And isn't that the golden fruit? Afterall?

i am hopefull... and I pray that all of you have just a little hope for a most stellar year. I've made some resolutions, despite the fact that most of my previous resolutions have been broken before the years have ended. I was amazed by the fact that I actually stuck to some of last year's, and so this year I am committed to commit! (So, who doesn't PLAN to commit to their resolutions) I hear you thinking....

well, you're right of course. I'll give it a good go, let's put it that way! Since I have a few days to pinpoint my plans for the new year, I can turn them over a few times in my mind's eye and make sure they will provide some sort of return worthy of a commitment, or at least, give my life some umph! I hope (plan) to post my resolutions here for curious eyes ... but mostly so I can say, I said I'd do it, and you witnessed my saying it, so I can't pretend I didn't intend to do it ... you get my point. perhaps...just perhaps... that will help me to stick to my resolutions with even more resolve and focus.

i wish you all an uncommonly blessed season and hope you too have a floating hope in your hearts for a fabulous future beginning in 2008!

peace....

Solstice! only 5 more days to go

i'm sitting at my desk today, the house all decorated and a sparkling coat of frost on the trees and lawn, and instead of feeling grateful, I am feeling, well, short changed... why me and woe is me?... coughing like a dog ... sick as a dog, in fact ... and I have to wonder ... where does that come from? I mean ..."Like a dog?" when referring to sickness and laziness and smelliness ... (dogs always seem to get a bad rap when it comes to all the ills of humanity... dogs and pigs that is, I think) anyway, ingrate that I am, I am highly bothered that somewhere along the way during these 12 merry days of Christmas I was unmerrily invaded by a microscopic bug that settled into my bronchial tubes and caused much havoc among the natives. I've been trying to cough it all up for days and the result is extreme exhaustion and even some downright depression. So many things to do and no energy to do them!

today I will admit is the first day among many that I've felt the least bit of energy to sit at my desk and pound away at the keyboards. So I should be grateful. I even took the family mutts for a long walk, and as I trekked along behind them, huffing and puffing, I coughed my head off. Well, I do actually have my head now, but at the time, it seemed to be lagging behind somewhere and I wasn't too pushed either to go find it!

this afternoon, despite my desire to go to bed and dull my central nervous system with cough medicine laced with codene, I've been invited by my son to accompany him and his girlfriend to the mall for lunch and loafing. Considering 17 year old boys rarely want their mothers along for much of anything when they have girlfriends, I realized I should be grateful, and decided I must take him up on his offer and so, precious delirium will have to wait. Sigh.....

at the back of my mind a nagging thought triggers some guilt, i have many commissioned pieces this season and most are due by CHRISTMAS MORNING! I should be working. BUT... instead, this weekend will be a busy one frought with me bundled to the nines, fingerless gloves, mufflers and ear muffs while i hunker over my work table "creating" glittery things. It's so cold down there this time of year. I turn on the space heater and put it right up against me, practically, just inches from being a fire hazard (okay, so maybe it IS a fire hazard)... and then I try my best to achieve a state of comfort. This is necessary in order for creative juices to flow, otherwise, one's mind wanders to visions of hot cocoa and roaring fires and feather beds piled high with comforters and cozy socks ... you name it. Anything BUT creating. So... I suppose the point here is ... wish me luck?

Finally...i hope you are enjoying your 12 days to the fullest and that today, you are beside a warm fire place or in that feather bed with comforters piled high, or enjoying a cup of steaming cocoa while you listen to Vince Guaraldi's "A Charlie Brown Christmas" ... my most favorite Christmas music in the world!

in keeping with the theme of gratitude which is what this season is all about... I am very grateful to Charles Schultz AND Vince Guaraldi for creating wonderful memories for me. I can't quite get enough of that wonderful little animated film, A Charlie Brown Christmas ... and listening to the music reminds me of all those wonderful Peanuts characters I so love. Thank you, gentleman!

Blessings on this Solstice night and best wishes, friends,

Christmas is nearly here!

Well, I didn't get too far in my countdown because number one son absconded with the camera and then I couldn't find 5 Really Cool Things (at least all at the same time) ... I do love horses, kittens, country roads, farm houses and rainy days, but just try getting those really cool things into one photo shot!

so now it's the 15th and I'm not sure what day of Christmas that makes this... and I'm really not sure when the 12th day of Christmas starts anyway. All I do know is there's one more week to go!

I do have my tree decorated FINALLY! And although the living room has some seasonal decor decking the walls and halls ... the three presents under the tree is/are the sweetest "thing" of all. Only THREE! That's because our tradition has been to wait until Christmas for the magic to arrive. The few little bits before the big day are just harbingers of things to come. Of course, none of these three things are for me because Yours Truly is the decorator and wrapper in this little house. And despite the best intentions... we're all last minute shoppers, too!

we've never been an over the top sort of family this time of year, although having one child, that child tends to be somnewhat spoiled, just a bit! Now that the child is 17, hopefully he will see that it is his turn now to do a little spoiling of others. For those of you who have "only" children, you too understand just how difficult it is to teach these young ones the concept of "sharing" ... especially when they've never had to wrestle their favorite toy out of the hands of a sibling.

still, the days of toys are pretty much over. Now, it's a different sort of plaything... guitars and amps, skateboards and video cameras ... these are the items on the lists of only children who are 17. AND...Girlfriends.... did I mention that? ONLY Sons often disappear to assist the girlfriend's family with decorating and preparations. As mine did last night. Something about setting up the nativity scene at the church and Mexican food afterwards. Who knew it would come to this?

i asked number one son if he would like to go with me to Seattle to watch the Nutcracker or see the symphony to help capture that special Christmassy feeling. His reply? Mom, I'm just happy when the house is all decorated like you do every year, and everything smells so nice and Christmas music is playing. That's all I need to feel the spirit.

sigh.... perhaps he'll be okay after all.

counting the days to Christmas!

on the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

... four flakes a falling



...three pearls with pendants



... two parrots playing....



and an angel in a fir tree...

Christmas Sale

if you are considering buying jewelry for someone this Christmas, I'm having a sale at LoraKellyDesigns.com through the 25th. You might want to drop by and see if there's something you like. Be sure to click on the "specials" link so you go straight to the sale items.

i will be adding items through the season, so be sure to check back. If there's a particular item you are interested in, send me an email at lorakellydesigns@aol.com and I'll let you know what date it's slotted to go on sale!

keep in mind ... all items are "handmade in America" and if they are to be gifts, I provide free gift wrapping. If you want your gift shipped directly to the recipient, I'll be happy to do that for you, I will also wrap it and include a persnalized card! Just email me at lorakellydesigns@aol.com and tell me if it's a gift and if you need direct shipping.

all items are shipped USPS Priority Mail ... and I've been told by the post office to allow 6 days during the Holiday season.

on another note ... I have yet to get my house decorated! Although I do have a beautiful evergreen wreath in the living room smelling things up nicely and plans for the Christmas tree hunt are culminating on this Friday! THEN it will feel like Christmas. I do plan to decorate the studio as well ... so I'll be sure to take photographs. Although I can't imagine much making that place seem cozy while temperatures are in the 30's!

I took both parrots to the studio yesterday. Word of caution ... never take parrots to a bead studio. We'll leave it at that.

goodwill and peace to all!

~L

Happy Thanksgiving!

i began this post on Thanksgiving morning, then couldn't seem to finish it, not really having a clear idea of what it actually was I was going for. It is now Sunday evening, the end to a perfectly beautiful four day weekend, filled with sunny skies, lazy mornings, fun with friends (Saturday night at a comedy club) and luxurious walks in nature with my dogs.

my intent was more than just wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving, I realize now. Mostly, I think in giving thanks, or being prompted to because of an annual holiday, gave me to understand that I am grateful everyday, not just the day they give us permission to voice it! In fact, I am grateful for so much I thought I might make a point of noting my gratitude in every blog entry, which may or may not be every day, although every day is my intent!

if there are things you too are grateful for, let me know, or post them in your blog for all to see, and we can start a gratitude revolution! Change the world by changing the way we think about it. Instead of all that's wrong with it, what's right, right now, in our personal experience, that brings joy to our lives...

Today, I am grateful for my handsome, creative and inspiring son, in whom I am well pleased. I can only hope I have loved him enough to shield his heart as he prepares to go out into the world on his own. I am grateful for my little house, it isn't an amazing house, but it's warm and friendly, surrounded by a wild garden and a shock of trees and shrubs, it makes me smile and has sheltered my family this many years. I am grateful for work I love, friends who make me laugh, and having been blessed with a creative spirit that motivates me and guides me towards happiness.

i wish you the warmest of holidays... and many reasons to be grateful,

~L

a day's work

Carnelian pendant with Bali Silver and Peridot dangles from Freshwater Pearls.


these three colors contrast with each other perfectly!


Turquoise and Bali silver balls wrapped on Sterling Silver chain


Two strands of freshwater pearls


Another view...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVE!
~L

My First Home Party!

it's early morning, 6 am actually, and I'm sitting in bed with my computer doing my entry for the day... outside a storm rages against my house, 40 mile an hour winds and rain lashing against my windows. I pray the power stays on just long enough for me to do what I need to do this morning before all goes black!

yesterday afternoon I did my first home jewelry party and it was a fabulous success! And, despite my initial nerves, it was so much fun! I thank all of the lovely ladies who attended the show and purchased my jewelry, and thanks to Michele who was so lovely to host the party! Michele has two gorgeous dogs, Mocha and Ivan, who are two beefy labby dogs. What sweethearts! Thanks guys for snuffling everything you possibly could and making me feel totally welcome!

so, with the help and encouragement of friends, I've launched a new aspect of my business which is home parties. Unfortunately, at this time, I am only available to do parties in the Puget Sound area in Washington State. But who knows what's to come down the road?

thanks for stopping by, dear readers! I so enjoy your visits to my site. I wish for you that your day weatherwise is better than mine!

luv
~L

pretty things

toyed with simplicity today...



I played with a variety of stones and my favorite, chunky silver chain...



finally found a place for two chunks for Aquamarine that have been calling to me...



and what to do with Blue Agate rounds? They remind me of berries...


I mixed them with tiny Onyx beads that look like little seeds on a vine...

I managed to come up with a few pretty things.

Thanks for stopping by!
~L

falling back

i set my clocks back on Sunday. Today I compared notes with a tree. Trees don't think much about time. But they love moonlight. I never knew.



I worked in my studio and made this... I was thinking about water being formless, yet taking the form of any vessel it fills, perhaps our souls do the same ... Trees also like water very much.



Trees wear their own sort of jewelry and are always in step with the seasons. Of course, they are the trend setters. These simple pendants and pearls speak of fall... berries, bark, leaves, water and stone...



squirrels love trees. Baby squirrels also love decks and sunny afternoons and naps...



trees remind me of change... they are always in a state of change and yet they are always the same... we are like that, too... the golds of fall will become the grays of winter and gardens will glow golden like this citrine wrap necklace...until the first frost



birds love trees most of all...



and they also love shoulders, especially their mom's. Mr. R and Ms. L think of me as some moving tree with a kooky personality that is always changing and always the same... I feed them much like the trees feed the wild creatures, and give them shelter from the storm.

this weekend, I fell back an hour into fall. fall reminds me to slow down, be quiet like the trees, remain constant, grow, and change my colors once in awhile... to have a sheltering heart and arms, to bend, to be both flamboyant and austere, to drink deeply of fresh water, to be grounded... and to breath...

sometimes, we must fall back in order to move forward...

~L

the "green" city of Portland, new friends, and all things considered

i'm back.....


(labradorite & onyx bracelet ... if you click on the picture for a better look, just click the "back" arrow when you're done, not the X, or you'll exit out of the site!)

Portland was so much fun! I truly enjoyed myself despite my hotel room. Perhaps I didn't mention I slept on a cardboard box filled with concrete? It was disguised as a mattress, but I know different. Let's just say, my BACK knows different. So, ahem, despite that ... Portland was fun.

As you can see here, my booth looked absolutely wonderful ... so happy I invested in those black velvet necklace displays afterall! And despite having no electricity the first two nights of the show ... you can sort of tell if you look at the picture below, there was at least some overhead flourescents that enabled customers to see the displays and, all things considered, the show was a success.


(my booth at Portland Fashion Week)

finally...I had lights on Saturday night! That's also the night I lost my keys, my cell phone died, and I had to catch a cab to the hotel at midnight... not an altogether pleasant experience!


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would I do that particular show again? I'm not sure at this point since it was my first fashion show. Hopefully, by the same time next year, I'll have had a great deal more experience with these things and my decision to do it or not will be based in knowledge. Certainly six nights was a marathon! At the same time, I met some wonderful people and have decided to mention them here so you may check them out as well!

Izzy Lane is a wonderful company out of England that creates sustainable fashions from the wool of rescued sheep. What a fabulous concept! What darling sheep! I also met their wonderful designer, Helen, who's booth was next to mine at the show. Her cashmere sweaters, and plaid skirts and vests were adorable, simple and classic. All from sheep that are loved by their keeper and who will live out their lives on a beautiful estate in England where they are cared for as all animals deserve to be.

On the opposite side of me was Nicole Gionet, a handbag designer from Portland whose line of hand-sewn, elegant leather purses are original and unique.


Nicole uses a variety of textures, colors and metallics and each piece shows her spot-on fashion sense and unwavering attention to detail! Soon, Nicole's gorgeous bags will be in fine shops everywhere, but in the meantime, you can visit her website and contact her directly. She takes orders! Click on her name above!

Across from me was Madeline who is a young fashion designer in the Portland area who sells her totally hip dresses (resewn or made from salvaged or handmade materials) at the Le Rouge on SE Hawthorne. If you are in the Portland area, you must look her up! For amazing youthful, fun designs you'll find nowhere else ... this is the shop! Please tell her I sent you! She bought one of my wrap necklaces for her mother! I hope your mother enjoys her birthday gift, Madeline!

Meeting these wonderful, brave women was the very best part of the event! Our little corner of the vendor area was awesome. Thanks for the comraderie and laughs, ladies! It was a pleasure I will forever hold dear!

And now, it is Tuesday morning and I am off to attend to things that have nothing to do with jewelry, such as cleaning a basement, for one. It calls. Sadly, I must go.

Thank you once again for stopping by my blog, I've enjoyed our chat!
~L

images of fall

a beautiful day here in the pacific northwest ...


the bloodgood was crimson against the azure sky


the japanese maple like spun gold


the hydrangeas ... blushing violet

I am grateful to have witnessed such a spectacle in my own garden. I hope wherever you are, your day was as beautiful...

~L

catching my breath before the plunge

hello to you, dear readers who've dropped in to visit me on your daily blog rounds. Thank you! Please indulge me for a moment if you will and listen to my wailings. It is mid-week and I find myself not yet ready for my show come Friday evening. Because this particular show is 6 days long I have concerns about having enough jewelry or ... it being the wrong venue for any sales, in which case I have too much jewelry. And so I wake at night with my mind spinning with varying scenarios. It's sort of like having a baby, I think. I remember for years my husband and I said, when we can afford it, we'll get pregnant. But upon hearing my plan, a friend's wise advise to me was, if you wait until then, you'll never have a baby, because you can never afford it and you're never ready. So just plunge in.

today, I am remembering that sage advise (thanks, Alma) and realizing, I can never be as ready as I think I should be, so I will take the plunge must take it ...and hope for the best. Crossing my fingers and my toes, and holding my nose. (I was never good at jumping in and I'm a terrible diver, but I can swim like nobody's business! Hold that thought.)

in the column on the right, you'll see a badge entitled "One Thing be brave" ... and I found that on Jesse's site, Diary of a Self Portrait. You don't know me, Jesse, but you did inspire me to be brave. Thank you. What's so amazing is, I'd just watched a program on Eleanor Roosevelt, from whom this quote originated (Every day you must do the one thing you are afraid of doing), and had been telling myself "look at all she accomplished" and I was thinking about her when I stumbled upon Jesse's blog. Jesse is also a talented artist and has a shop on Etsy with lovely things. For those who would also like to find themselves a little braver in this life, click on the Be Brave badge and play along.

oh, by the way, we did take the plunge and get pregnant 17 years ago and today I am ever so glad to have the most wonderful son to prove it!

and so, another ending to a very discombobulated blog entry as I ride off to Portland to sell my wares at the fashion show. A little frazzled. But feeling braver.

anyway ... it's too late to back out now ....

~L

The Necklace Collection

Hey! Where'd she go? She ... (me, actually) will be furiously working on show preparations this week, so while I'm otherwise indisposed, I hope you, my visitors, will still stop in and take a moment to enjoy this really neat video of my necklace collection.

a matter of stone

this week I've "co-inspired" with my muses creating like a mad woman ... and despite the cold outside, and the cold in my head, ideas have bubbled up like molten lava, manifesting in stone ... wrap necklaces dance before my eyes in boundless variations and combinations; this one of golden Citrine and purple Flourite ... reminiscent of the drops of rain on my fading hydrangeas as fall gently nudges summer aside and takes her place in my garden...



click on the photos here for a closer view! This wrap, like the others, can be wound up tight as a choker, or worn long and tumbling like a reflective water fall.

below, more Turquoise and Coral are bound with silver findings... the chunk of Coral speaks of abundance, and seems almost magnetic here ...nearly edible, packed with the codified knowledge of the garden, dangling from a silvery stem, like the apple that caught the eye of an ancient Goddess...



and finally; visions of gold have danced in my head (and led me astray from my silver roots) ... asking to be combined with plum colored Pearls and Amethyst as dark as a king's robe and deep purple dreams ...



and tumbling into matter as the elegant wrap necklace pictured here.

my week ended with a raging head cold and this weekend I will tend to my wounds with chicken soup and a soft blanket, so that by Monday I can begin again. There's so much to do!

all of these creations will be displayed, and sold to good homes at Portland Fashion Week starting on the 19th. I hope you can come!

fondly,
~L

focusing on stone

i've been making things ... perhaps you guessed, which is why I've neglected my blog, other than to post the fruits of my labor so you may see what's been keeping me in hiding ... a beautiful pendant of Crazy Horse Jasper called to me (click on the photo for a close-up of this Jasper's kooky spottiness) ... but it took me awhile to find just the perfect mix of elements ... I've fallen in love with coin pearls ... and of course, the fall...



Turquoise and Coral are bound together, our ancient deserts were once the sea, and here they are bound once more.



a splendid pendant of Galaxy Quartz looks as though it might be filled with a tiny amber sea or rust colored sands from Sedona... it is a "farmed" crystal and not created by Mother Earth. Still, it caught my eye. I combined it with amber Czech glass crytals for a touch of sparkle... like rain on my window...



and then ... another a delicate wrap necklace was born...



filled with blue-green light ... I call it "River"



it calls to mind the cold green waters that rush over mountain boulders in the Cascades...



pouring forth from pristine, frozen lakes, reflecting snow-capped peaks and the delicate colors of the sky...



this one is "Winter" a fine wrap necklace that seems to have risen from just such a lake ...

but now it is fall, and I am in love with the colors of the season ... when the sun shines through the rain and for a brief while ...



the world is golden ... today was such a day



i hope your world is as beautiful...

~lora

"fall" wrap necklace

i remembered still having some 24K gold dipped leaves ... i mixed this one with freshwater pearls (i love the coin shaped ones!), Czech glass and Austrian crystal...



and of course a good length of Sterling silver chain ...



wrap it up as an elegant choker, or let it spill into your bustier! ... for a night at the opera, or to accept your Oscar... or ... who needs a reason? Wear it because it's beautiful...



wear it long and flowing with a gown ... or with jeans and a black sweater



or turn it around and let it spill down your back.

Tres chic!

~L

what i've been up to today

i've been quietly preparing for my upcoming show and so haven't been posting to my website or etsy, however, here's a peek at what I've been up to.



silver wrap necklace using smokey quartz, freshwater pearl, carnelian and crystal quartz



silver wrap necklace using aventurine, chalcedony, moon stone, quartz crystal, Austrian crystal and flourite


i just love the delicate mix of colors!



these necklaces can be wrapped many times or just once and worn long down the front or, if you're so inclined, down the back



silver wrap necklace using lemon quartz, died quartz and peridot


these items won't be posted for sale until late October, since they are show inventory at present ... now, back to seclusion!

hope your Tuesday is fabulous!