Item of the month!

Because I get so excited when I create something new I have decided to run item of the month specials! YAY!!

The item of July is the Numbskull necklace. It was just added to the store and I sorta love them.

Help me bring back the ever so endearing term "numbskull" in a fun way! You have until July 31st to use the coupon JULY13 at checkout to save 10% off these cute little numbskulls. So jump on it!!!

If you have a special color request just let me know, I have a wide variety of these itty bitty skulls.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/155120530/numbskull-necklace-tiny-white-skull

 

 

 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/155128821/numbskull-necklace-handmade-skull

 Be sure you are checking my blog for next month's item of the month! Also, keep your eyes peeled for my new monthly newsletter!

Namaste Y'all

Hating Yoga was something I felt very passionately about for a long long time. I had tried to take classes in the past and I don't know if it was my past as a dancer or sub-par instructors, but I always found them to be incredibly boring. Not only that but I don't like being upside-down for long periods of time. I always got dizzy and then had to sit down. SIT DOWN IN A YOGA CLASS! I am not even out of shape, I just hate downward facing dog!

My inner hippie seemed to judge my hatred harshly. It seemed like the world is crawling with fit little yogis talking of nothing but how yoga had changed their lives. I swear, if I had a dollar for every time I have heard the sentence "Yoga changed my life." I could buy an island and sit on the beach and....you know...not do yoga. People are so emphatic about their life changing discovery of yoga that to say you hate it, is to say your hate puppies and trees and recycling. And again my inner hippie was sporting her disapproving expression and about to get preachy just as all the yogis I had pissed off by my proclamation.

I went so far as to create a necklace that states simply "I hate yoga" as a means to ward off those "yoga changed my life" conversations. To the dismay of yoga enthusiasts everywhere I have sold quite a few. It seems there is not middle ground on this subject. You hate it, or you love it and it was clear to me what side I was on and I was not alone.


https://www.etsy.com/listing/88218941/i-hate-yoga-necklace

I then turned 30 and began to realize things like, I can not actually remember when my neck did not hurt, you can only sleep funny for so many nights in a row, and the most troublesome, I can no longer turn my head in all directions with out a shooting pain radiating throughout my body. This was the moment I knew, I need to start yoga to save my poor body from itself. It was the week I had this self proclamation that I woke up and discovered I had thrown my neck out. I didn't honestly know one could do that. A back yes, but a neck....well this was a new one for me. After being unable to move for about a week, I bought a yoga mat, and begin doing yoga once, sometimes twice a day and fuck if I didn't feel better. My neck began to loosen up, I rediscovered flexibility and I just felt good. All those preachy crazy people were right all along. Damnit.

So I have been playing with different kinds of Yoga. I found I enjoy Rodney Yee DVDs and even thought for one second about doing hot yoga, but realized quickly I would sooner put needles in my eye than voluntarily put myself in a crazy hot room for an hour and a half. Cleansing or no. Not gonna do it. I bought a package of Air Yoga classes at Canton Club in lovely downtown Baltimore and just recently began taking them.

 Air Yoga, if you are not familiar, is done with the use of swing like silks that hang from the ceiling. You do your normal yoga poses but you are either holding onto them or suspended from them. Either way getting a deeper stretch. AMAZING! This is one class I did not mind in the slightest being upside-down for! 

The very best part of yoga for me is the relaxation at the end. I am not a good sleeper so I value these moment of feeling truly relaxed. I would pay for the air yoga relaxation alone. The silks are wide enough for the entire length of your body. So you pull it over your head, stick your feet in the other edge and stretch out. You are then encased in fabric suspended from the ceiling. You feel like you are in a cocoon. Once we got used to our space in the silk, our instructor Brandie, turned off the lights, guided us though a relaxation and walked around the room giving everyone a gentle push. So you lay there, swinging though the air, wrapped in fabric. It was heaven.

I am going back tonight and I just can not wait. I refuse to go so far as to say that yoga has changed my life. I am not preaching yoga to anyone. I'm just saying that I have flip flopped on an issue I once felt very strongly about. I'd make a terrible (or typical) politician. But if I can turn my head one day with out pain shooting down through my toes then the flip flop was totally worth it. I will gladly eat my words with some granola and yogi tea or what ever the hell die hards consume.




https://www.etsy.com/listing/155111439/namaste-yall-hand-stamped-yoga-loving

Hello!

As I have mentioned before, I am technologically delayed. I enjoy writing letters, and balancing my checkbook and most of all keeping an actual calendar. Well a few months ago I lost my calendar and with it my will to live. I barely could bring myself to work, to clean, to cook or to even leave the house. My entire life seemingly revolves around a handful of bound pages. I bought a new one in April and was all ready to regain some control when I opened it and realized it didn't begin until July. I finally found one that started at the beginning of the year in a clearance bin somewhere and by the time I finished transferring my life over, I found my old one in a pile of sheets. Because, why wouldn't a calendar end up in between a pile of folded sheets?!?!?

So I am now back on track, my spring cleaning was thorough and arduous, I have begun making small trips to the grocery store, I am relearning how to cook, my hair is freshly dyed and I have now re-entered the studio with energy and I am ready to start again.

I will be posting evidence of my rejoining the human race shortly. Perhaps one of these days I will put my calendar on my phone like everyone else.

 

Upcoming Events!

Spring is coming! Spring is coming! With that means my schedule filling up with really fun events!

Coming up first, I will be participating in RAW Baltimore's show GENERATION, on Thursday March 7th 8pm-12am. RAW's shows are unique in that they incorporate all art forms. There will be several 2D artists as well as musical performances, fashion designers, makeup artists, improve groups and now ME! This months show will be at TATU located at Power Plant in downtown Baltimore. I had the opportunity to get a sneak peak at the venue and it is really something to see!

 

This event requires a ticket purchased in advance. You can do so here http://www.rawartists.org/heavenstobessie They are just $10. Even if you can not make it to the show, please consider buying a ticket as a sponsor for me. I really do hope to see some of you there!!! It is bound to be a great time!



For you Government employees out there I will be a CWF vendor March 12th-13th.



Next up on the calendar is the Perry Hall Spring Show. This will be held at Perry Hall High School On Saturday March 16th from 10am -3pm. There will be crafters, vendors, performers, food trucks....your all around fun spring show! 

Next comes April! On April 7th I will be participating for the second year in the Dazzling Details Wedding Bazaar. This years event will take place at Hotel Monaco, in downtown Baltimore. This is the most beautiful bridal event I have ever seen! If you are engaged, or in the bridal industry COME SEE THIS SHOW! You can purchase your tickets and get more information at  http://www.dazzlingdetailsbazaar.com/index.html


That's all for now but if you haven't already, be sure you have found me on Facebook ( www.facebook.com/heavenstobessie ) and on Twitter and Instagram ( @heavenstobessie ) These are the best ways to get up to date info and see new pieces first!

 

1 Million 4 Anna

One of the great joys in life, I think, is doing something that truly means something to someone. I am fortunate that I get the opportunity to experience this rather frequently. Creating jewelry may seem like a trivial thing do to, and sometimes it feels that way, but then you get to work with a bride to create the perfect necklace for her or her attendants, or a pet paw print for someone who just lost a beloved animal, or a baby footprint for a new mom or grandparent. In that moment, I know I have done something truly meaningful. Not meaningful in the grand scheme of things, but meaningful to that one person. It is the very best part of my job.

A few months ago, an old classmate of mine got in touch with me about an organization she was involved with called the 1 Million 4 Anna Foundation, which was created in honor of one of her former students. She told me a little bit about Anna, and how she had passed away after battling Ewing's Sarcoma, a cancer of the soft tissue and bone that typically affects those between 10 and 20 years old. Then she said that the foundation was looking to create jewelry designed from the tattoos that Anna had. Naturally I was more than happy to do so.

As the creative process went on designing these necklaces, I learned more and more about Anna. I have exchanged emails and phone calls with a few people close to Anna and one thing continues to blow me away. The amazing love that Anna felt for everyone and the overwhelming love that everyone she touched feels for her and the positive ways they keep her memory alive.

One of the ways they have done this was creating the 1Million4Anna Foundation. The over all mission of this foundation is to completely wipe out Ewing Sarcoma, but in the meantime they are raising money to help those battling today. Keeping these warriors spirits up while going through chemo by going on trips, gifts from projects like Anna's Closet, as well as providing support for affected families are just some of the ways the 1Million4Anna Foundation is making a difference. They also raise money to provide college scholarships for when the battle is over and the next stage of life is set to begin.

I couldn't wait to help. Working with Anna's mom and others close to the organization, we created three necklaces to celebrate Anna and to help raise money for this amazing cause.

The first of these pieces is necklace that says simply "Float On". This was Anna's first tattoo which was inspired by the Modest Mouse song of the same name. Her parents kept saying no to her getting a tattoo but the day after they received the news that cancer still existed in her bone marrow, her mom picked her up early from school to take her to get it. I love the simple positive message these two words carry with them. This piece can be found here https://www.etsy.com/listing/115234552/1-million-4-anna-foundation-float-on

 

 

The second piece was created from the second of Anna's tattoos that she got 3 days after she turned 18. It is a West African tribal symbol meaning "By God's grace, all will be well." Anna got this tattoo on her right hip, the sight of the primary tumor. It is a beautiful design and carries with it a beautiful message. https://www.etsy.com/listing/115234929/1-million-4-anna-foundation-heart

The third necklace combines the two tattoos as well as a purple crystal. Purple was Anna's favorite color and it is the signature color of the 1Million4Anna Foundation. There is also a small charm at the back that says "12:12". At www.1millionprayers.com , people pledged to pray for Anna at 12:12pm every day. A time that was chosen because of the prayer that they would say for her. Romans 12:12 which says "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" This piece can be found at https://www.etsy.com/listing/115233869/1-million-4-anna-foundation-triplet

As you can imagine, I have been so unbelievably honored to work along side this amazing organization, work with such amazing people, and work for the memory of sweet, amazing Anna. Please take a moment and visit https://1million4anna.org/ to learn more.