Looking into the coming Winter

Every day I am amazed to be back at a daily task yet again, and realizing the time spinning; therefore the year spinning; and here we are starting our walk down the chillier path to the deep darkness of the Winter. It is our time to celebrate the hearth, where we find warmth and the sustaining energy to keep us through the long season of short days. One of the great joys of human relationship is the custom of celebration and gift-giving. No matter what faith or belief system we embrace, I believe they all have a deep winter celebration in common. It gives us comfort and hope; encouragement that at this point of the longest nights, we will turn toward the sun once more and begin the walk back to green and growing. I have always loved Christmas. As a child it was a time of wonder and family, and I have never become disillusioned with the mystery and holiness of the birth of the baby to his young and gentle mother. I also observe the Winter Solstice for its natural and supernatural implications. Perhaps it is because my day of arrival on this planet coincides with the shortest day and longest night of the year I feel so aligned and congenial with this "most wonderful time of the year".

As we prepare for the lovely return to introspection, to family, to fireside or lamplight, to favorite sweaters and the hot teas, hot chocolate, warmed brandy and mulled wine, we think of gifts for the ones we love to enhance the celebration of Winter. For crafters and artists, this is a time we create gifts for our families and friends. We also offer our handmade-with-love-and-care items of beauty and usefulness to you; with hope that you might find them to be "just perfect" for someone on your gift list. Please browse the handmade gifts of Etsy and Artfire, and the local shops around you, for truly authentic and genuinely inspired items that will be treasures for all who receive them. Thank you! Please watch for new works of art and craft in my shops as well.
http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/StarflowersCreations

http://www.etsy.com/shop/starflowercreations

Thank you again. In this season we also find many reasons to be filled with gratitude and appreciation for our the blessings and the goodness we find in our world. If I don't get back to writing for you again soon, have very happy holidays - whatever they are for you, may they be blessed and holy, joyful and fulfilling, meaningful and magical!

Ask and receive; trust and believe.

Today I want to show you my most recently completed work. It is a silver wire wrapped beaded cross made using all manner of green beads and crystals at the request of a dear friend. I love to make the beaded crosses, hearts, and other jewelry and ornaments that I create; and it is very delightful to make something that has been specifically requested, knowing that the recipient will love that it has been created especially for her.

In the same way, I began to ponder this idea in the larger realm, and am always reminded that this is the basic truth of my universe. When we identify what we would like and need, and we set this idea out, clearly articulated, we truly will see fulfillment and actualization in our lives. In the same way my friend believed that I could create a piece that would embody the concept she held in her mind's eye, so we also have to proceed out into our futures with faith and trust that our goals are valid, our desires are justified, and that we can create the reality we can imagine.

These days, with so much turmoil and distress in the world, it is very perilous to our spirits to be dragged into negativity. We must not let ourselves be deceived into thinking that we have no power. Rather the opposite, we must never relinquish our personal power, for it is all we truly have with which to effect positive change in this world.

My, oh my..

The temperature is unbelievable so I won't bother writing it down.

Occupying my thoughts today is the question of how to prosper financially through creative endeavor. I have been working on my etsy shop
http://www.etsy.com/shop/starflowercreations
and I also am keeping an artfire studio
http://www.artfire.com/users/StarflowersCreations
to find the people who will recognize me. I have been making new objects of beauty and adornment, and I am blessing the work and the medium, and expecting a positive return.

Please share my links with friends whom you think would enjoy beaded art and jewelry, little knitted quirkeries, and the out-of-print or extra craft books I will be offering in more abundance soon. I would so appreciate that bit of passing along the smooth and shiny stone I am passing to you now. If you are of a similar nature and have ideas or suggestions that work for you, please write me a comment?

I also want to make this blog more reflective of the chaotic beauty in my head, and less sedate, but I need to learn much more about how that may be accomplished. Helpful insights are welcome as resources for my learning.

Thank you for coming over to visit. I am seriously resolving to spend more time working on all creativity in my life, and I will be sending you notes of music, art and literature. Please invite your friends to join us here, where we may even discuss topics of incredible importance to us as a race of sentient beings! But for now, let it suffice to speak of beauty and art and the desire of my heart to prosper through the creation of my honest hand work.

Time, time, time flying...

Well, hello friends. I guess keeping up with short entries didn't exactly work out, did it? But we are all working steadily along, aren't we?

Please visit my etsy shop at
http://www.etsy.com/shop/starflowercreations

and my artfire studio here:
http://www.artfire.com/users/StarflowersCreations

I also have a facebook page for you to like! It's right here!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Starflower-Creations/90839953978

I am still trying to decide exactly how to devote enough time to make blogging a viable component of my business and promotion. I know I can organize and reorganize time, work area and effort to make more meditative and whimsical items to share with you. I think I have installed buttons for you to click on to get to my shop and studio as well, but want to be sure you get the links. :-)

I really love to work on beading and jewelry because it provides very meditative work for me whereby I can send up thoughts and prayers, for the people of Japan, for instance, in a positive and creative way, while letting my mind and my hands bring forth a new piece of personal art to share with you. Knitting also has that quality - allowing the maker to be present in the work, but also to be fluid in time and space, working out spiritual work while a thing of useful beauty or joy is created.

I hope you will share your work and thoughts with me, and I will continue to figure out more ways and opportunities to make this little blog meaningful and possibly entertaining. Stay tuned and have a lovely time until we talk again.