New Header

I've spent some time deciding on a new header. I've been wanting a label to use when I open an ETSY account this summer. I felt it had to be short and catchy, yet meaningful to me. So I came up with "Willow Blue".

First of all, when growing up, our family home had two huge willow trees in the back yard. They created lots of wonderful shade, and we had a swing set between the two trees that we spent hours on.

Secondly, as a child, we used dinnerware with the Blue Willow design. The dishes were a wedding present to my parents from my mother's grandmother. We used those dishes for years, and I now have the platter displayed in my kitchen.

Therefore the title "Willow Blue" in honor of endless summer shade, family supper, and my favorite color! It works for me, and I'll use it in ETSY as well as here!

The ANXIETY MONSTER

Do you know that feeling you have in the pit of your stomach right before a root canal . . . or upon finding an envelope in the mail with the words "jury summons" . . . or lying in a cubicle in pre op waiting for a "procedure" . . . or walking through the front door on the very first day of a new job? Of course you do. We have all experienced ANXIETY for a variety of reasons. The usual outcome is that the feeling goes away after a reasonable amount of time and your body returns to its relaxed senses.

Now imagine that same feeling of dread encasing your physical and mental self like an unwanted, unneeded, heavy cloak--24/7. It doesn't go away. It is paralyzing, consuming, enslaving, isolating. Not fun. Not wanted. Not needed. I call it the ANXIETY MONSTER.

Unfortunately, that MONSTER currently has its grips on me. Many people don't understand because they luckily don't have an ANXIETY disorder. And that lack of understanding is detrimental to me because my well-meaning friends sometimes corner me into situations that allow this MONSTER to take over.

My question is how much life will these episodes take out of me? And am I ever going to be safe from this ANXIETY MONSTER, or is it going to haunt me forever? My remedy . . . take one day at a time, and remember that this, too, shall pass . . . until the next time.

For now I am focusing only on today, and I know that in a few weeks I will feel contented and safe again.

Empty Nest Blues

The holidays and time with my kids have come and gone and here I go again. Why do I go through this every time? I certainly don't want my daughter and son living with me into their adulthood. Of course that would not be the right thing for them or me. They are ambitious young adults with active, successful lives, and I am so very proud of them.

But I miss them both so much. Whenever they are at home, the house is alive and whole and their energy transforms our house into a home. Their presence brings back irreplaceable memories.

It's particulary difficult for me when my son comes for a visit from college. I always look forward to it so much and work hard to create a welcome space for him and fill the fridge and cupboards with his favorites. There is nothing like that feeling when I first lay eyes on him either at the airport or climbing out of a friend's car. It's truly instant elation when I can finally give my son that first mama hug. The whole world looks a little brighter, and I find myself smiling without realizing it.

That's the high point. Then all too soon, the low point comes. It's time for him to leave, and I am facing that unavoidable grief once again. A heaviness fills me up and a painful ache takes over. I try to tell myself that I'm not being rational--that it's a good thing that he's in school and reaching for positive goals. That's the way it's suppose to be. But my emotional being just overrides everything else and the sadness sets in.

Then there's my beautiful daughter who does live in town. She's independent, successful, smart--just a great young lady. But I really don't see her nearly enough. There is too much time between visits. I treasure her company and want more of it. Sounds selfish, doesn't it.

I guess it boils down to the fact that I love those two more than life itself. They fill such a big part of my heart, so I guess it's probably normal to feel this empty nest grief. And I know that time will help to ease the heaviness, and there will be more visits to look forward to. But in the meantime, I will allow myself to feel this motherly sadness that grows from the enormous love that I have for my kids.

Good-bye to a Faithful Friend

Our dear, sweet 13 year old border collie-mix, Angel, died last Friday morning. It's difficult to put into words what Angel meant to our family. Anybody who has ever had a pet knows what it's like to receive unconditional love and loyalty every single minute from them. But once in a lifetime, there is that "larger than life" pet who leaves permanent paw prints on your heart. Angel is that pet for me.

My kids and I adopted Angel during a summer when our lives were in major turmoil. We had not celebrated Christmas together that year, so Angel was our late gift to ourselves. We named her "Angel Christmas", and what a gift she turned out to be.

Angel gave and gave to us her whole life. Besides unending love and loyalty, she gave us reasons to laugh again. She gave us a sense of safety and feeling protected. She gave us comfort and a distraction from the stifling stress. She gave us pride with her intelligence. She gave us warm, sincere companionship. And now even after her death, Angel keeps on giving. She's giving the gift of endless, happy memories when she was such a strong, fun part of our family.

Angel may be physically gone, but her special spirit will forever live in a warm corner of my heart.

Ever Hear of a Fringe Tree?

I hadn't either--until we happened upon this pretty little thing at a local nursery a couple of years ago. The fringe comes out during mid-spring, and it only lasts a couple of weeks. The fringe has a pleasant, sweet smell. LOVE IT!

Tutorial: How to Cover Alligator Clips with Ribbon

This is my first attempt at a tutorial. I like to call these "Cute Clippies".

First, you need to gather all needed items: alligator clips (mine are 1 and 7/8" X 3/8"), 3/8" wide ribbon (I prefer grosgrain), Fray Check, hot glue gun, buttons to match ribbon, button shank remover, small ruler, and scissors.

Next, cut two lengths of ribbon, each 5" long.

Put Fray Check on each end of the lengths of ribbon.

Put one end of each ribbon inside of alligator clip. Make sure the ribbon is centered.

Begin gluing ribbon to alligator clip. Do one section at a time, making sure along the way that the ribbon stays centered. Open the alligator clip and remove any excess glue after each section. You don't want to end up having your clip glued together!



The ribbon will not reach all the way to the end of the clip on the back.

To add a cute button, you first need to remove the shank from the back. The shank remover only works on plastic buttons, but it cuts through like butter!

Use the glue gun to hot glue a button to each clip. If you make a matching pair like I did, be sure to turn the clips so that you have a "lefty" and a "righty".

I plan to put mine in our craft show, so I made up a little card to attach them to. What do you think?

New Project

Here is my latest bead project. I saw this in a magazine and thought it was really pretty. I asked my daughter if she liked it, and she said that she would wear it if I made it. So I did!

I really like the glossy texture of the beads. And the geometrical design of the clasp looks perfect with the bead shapes.

I think I'll make another one (or two) just like it for our craft sale . . .