Writing it Down

Author’s Note: Life has forever changed from the Pandemic of 2019. My perspective on it continues to morph as I hear about friends sickened by it, friends vaccinated because of it, and those who choose not to participate. For at least the next 3 to 5 years, I think I’ll be reflecting on life after Covid-19 and the challenges and opportunities it has brought us. Some of us will be calling it the “new normal” for a very long time. Personally, I see no point in looking back at pre-pandemic living, just to ache for its return. It's time to move on...

There will never be a better time to start recording your thoughts and experiences than right now. It is never too late. There are many forms it can take. Write letters, write short stories, write a novel, author a blog. Depending on the amount of time you have on your hands, you... 

Life in the Zoom Zone

 Author’s Note: I continue to qualify my perspective on the Covid-19 pandemic out of respect for those who have suffered emotionally, financially, and/or physically from this cruel virus. I have suffered little compared to so many who have. I write this from the viewpoint of a retired person, yet still a striving, small business entrepreneur. My blog posts reflect life after a cross country move from Florida to Utah which, in itself, has presented its own set of difficult challenges and rewarding experiences, followed very close behind by this awful pandemic.

As I continue to assess our pandemic life, I can’t help but notice a seismic shift taking place. It’s called “hope”! Just thinking of eating in a restaurant: “Ohhh, Pad Thai, here I come!” How about you?

With vaccinations slowly becoming more available, there is reason to believe that life is evolving to a new stage. My husband and I got our first...

Cleaning in Pandemic Times

My blog posts are beginning to organize themselves into Series. I just finished a four-part series on DIY Jewelry. As a change, this post contributes to other blog posts I’ve written on pandemic living. It seems there is always more to say about any subject on which I’ve written. The COVID-19 pandemic has given us all plenty of time to think, right? When I'm not creating artistic jewelry, I have to clean. Yuck!

So I want to talk about cleaning during this pandemic season. Now, let’s be real, this pandemic year is a better name for it. With the daily grind of self quarantining, I have yet to figure out how to resume a habit of cleaning the house. My need to clean has always been driven by a need to kill germs so we don't get sick. For me, dirt is sort of secondary. As I steer clear of public gatherings, enclosed spaces, and hopefully the virus, my time at home is filled with crafting, jewelry making, reading, and cooking. I feel like I'm living in a waiting room. I have to do laundry, for obvious reasons, but why should I clean? No one is coming over...

Making Jewelry - Part 4

We have covered a lot of territory in this Series, from choosing your jewelry making tools and materials to experimenting with beading techniques. My fourth and final blog post of this Series will cover wire working. I hope you’ll leave a comment on the Series as a whole and let me know if you are a beginner, you learned something valuable, you were inspired to try it, etc.

A variety of phrases are used to describe working with wire. Here are my definitions based on some research and my experiences.

Wire wrapping means wrapping wire around something else, like a stone or a bead or maybe even another wire. Here’s ...

Making Jewelry - Part 3

Welcome back to Jewelry Making 101! My plan is to point you to resources I am familiar with and also share what I am interested in exploring in the future. This is my third blog post on the subject and I sure hope you have been enjoying this Series so far.

To start, this paragraph has nothing to do with making jewelry. In Part 2 of this Series I shared a creative alternative of macrame and a link. Well, curiosity got the best of me and that project drew me and my brand new macrame board like a magnet. I made two of those Christmas trees! It was fairly difficult to learn as my first macrame project and I ripped it out about 8 times getting started. I confess to lots of frustration but I am known to be tenacious so I stuck with it. By the end of the first tree I had more confidence so I made a second one that was close to perfect. Challenge appreciated, curiosity relieved, and a new skill learned, I sent both of them to my sister who loves to decorate. Here they are, complete with holiday cheer: Ta-dahhh...!

I know, I digress...