I have been SO busy!!

Here are the newest pieces! All them can be found in my Pinky! shop on Etsy. OH! Except the orange one with the stars, that one is for me. My daughter picked out the stars for my birthday and I paired them with these great mother of pearl pieces. Isn't it great!

Enjoy browsing and if you see anything you like - GO Buy IT!!! Happy Tuesday!

(Amber, I know someone who has their eye on the Amber Mist piece! Watch Out!)

"Crossroads"

Natural Bone with Hammered Metal Cross

Choker Necklace

"Asian Spice"

Hand Painted Wood Beads

Memory Wire Bracelet

All Mine!!

"Purple Elegance"

Triple Strand Necklace with

Amethyst, Pearl, Silver and Glass

Garden Whimsy ~~~SOLD~~~

Garden Whimsy
Green glass and Sterling Silver
by:
Pinky!

available NOW on Etsy!

NOT ANYMORE! IT'S SOLD!! JUST A FEW DAYS AFTER POSTING!!

YEAH!!

Amber Mist

Amber Mist
17" necklace with glass beads and a stunning faceted pendant drop.
by:
Pinky!

available NOW in my Etsy shop!

This is the newest piece I created. I looks and feels womderful on, plus, I got to take the pictures of it using my new Light Cube. Which, makes my jewelry actually look like it does in person! No glare! So, since it is a long weekend, go treat yourself to something special. Go dance in the Amber Mist.

Not Anymore

"Not Anymore"

original oil pastels

by:

Pinky!

I know I haven't posted in a few days, but this painting is why. I've had a lot of inner turmoil to deal with, accept and begin to overcome. Being self-confident hasn't been one of my strongest qualities, even though I make it seem like it is. That's partly what "Not Anymore" is about.

I purposefully made all kind of beautiful swirls and colors and then plopped a big ugly box on top of them. It's that box that has given me the most grief in my life. It's filled with everything ugly within me and around me. For every time my worth was based solely on my weight, or my beauty or my talent, it went in that box. Every negative word, every time I professed the children's rhyme of "Sticks and stone may break my bones, but words can never hurt me", and knew that physical wounds would heal, but the words did hurt me, I put it in that box.

The "yes" and "no" that are scrawled in there aren't an argument about the truth of the ugly. Sometimes the yes meant all those nasty words were true. Yes, you are fat, yes, you are ugly, yes, your talent is lacking, yes, you are not worthy. The no's are my own. Not someone trying to dispute all the yesses. No, you're not good enough, no, you aren't pretty enough, no, you aren't thin enough, no, you can't, no, you won't, no, you just don't have it in you.

That is what I have been dealing with, the yes and no of the ugly in myself. That's where all the colors come in. That's why there are so many of them, dancing around the box, mocking it, showing that they are the majority, they are free to move, and the box is small and immobile.

Every ribbon of color is the beginning of my truth.

"Not Anymore", I claim over and over again. The box isn't my truth, I AM NOT UGLY, I AM NOT WORTHLESS, I AM NOT WEAK ~~NOT ANYMORE, NOT ANYMORE~~ every ribbon touches that box in one way or another and with it the words of truth ride along. I am not accepting the ugly into my life anymore. I have lived with it for all my time here on earth. I have felt that box in all my movements. Not Anymore. Strength, beauty, talent, worth, amazement, quality, these are the things I am now.

I told you on the previous post that whatever you thought that painting was going to be, you were wrong. Do you see now why I said that? I am in tears as I post this because nothing I have ever done is this raw, this open and this true. But that's part of "Not Anymore", releasing those fears and being able to tell everyone, man, woman, child, that they don't have to live with the ugly anymore.
Not anymore...

Just So You Didn't Think I Forgot About You...

A preview of a new painting! Whatever you think this painting is going to be, you're wrong. It's still in very early stages and I would love to get more done, but it's WAY past my bedtime and I don't want to wake up tomorrow thinking "what the hell did I paint that for?" I have plans and ideas for this and, so far, it's coming along just how I wanted it. I have a lot of things that I want to share: jewelry, photos and stories, but I'm just not up to it, not now.

So, if you're looking for jewelry, click on over to Amber who is creating the most wonderful pieces! Why she stopped, I have no idea. Seriously, I'm jealous of the Luminous earring she has.

If you're looking for fabu art and some bitchin' photography, go check out Heather. My raw and radiant best grrl friend. She is cranking out some really good art, you must go look.

And, if you're looking for something funny, really funny, check out the newest craze over at my brother's stop. Read about the scorpion, I swear, you will get in trouble for laughing loudly at work.

Check those out and maybe, just maybe, tomorrow I will have more to offer. Until then, be well...

Quick Post

How Does Your Garden Grow?
by:
Pinky!

oil pastels

This is my FIRST attempt at oil pastels, so please, don't judge harshly. I had an emotional two days and needed to get some of it out through art. I'll post more later, but right now, I have to go to bed. So glad to be home...

Ghost Dancing

Ghost Dancing

by:

Pinky!

watercolors on card stock

I'm going home for the weekend. Well for today and tomorrow at least and I have become such an obssessive blogger, I thought I should post something before I left. This is a painting that I did a while back and just forgot to post. If you look at it, you can see the little spirits dancing within the swirls. I was sitting outside, which I do a lot, and with the wind blowing all around me, I started thinking about some of the people that I have lost in my life.

Like my grandfather and my great-grandfather. Two people that shaped my life so much that I wouldn't be a strong as I am today without them. I miss them both, terribly and often look up to the sky to talk to them. I know that in some way they can hear me and know the things that I am telling them.

That's what inspired this painting. Feeling loss and missing my family. Knowing that somewhere they are dancing around, hearing my voice and kissing me with the gentle breeze of a spring morning. My great-grandfather always said that he would dance at my wedding, but he passed when I was 13. Yet when that day came, and the wind touseled my hair, I knew he was there, dancing with me.

Whenever you are feeling that loss of a loved one, remember that there is a whole universe of things that we can't explain. Those times when you are lonely or scared and a strange breeze wafts your way, just imagine the ghosts dancing with you.

The Birthday Girl Has Left the Building...

I am pleased to announce the Amber has bought the Birthday Girl necklace!!! I could not be more excited about someone getting this piece. She has been a big supporter of my blog and me, in part, because she could empathize with a lot I was dealing with. She is a fantastic woman who is going through some tough times right now, but she is strong and ready to face the future, whatever it brings.

What is really important to me is that she understood the piece. She seemed to know why I was creating it and why I posted it on my birthday. That is unbelievable and wonderful, to have someone "get" your art. I encompassesd everything I have been through, and survived and conquered, for the last 30 years into this necklace.

So, dear Amber, please wear this with joy and know that it carries strength, determination and victory with it. This piece is going home to be with who it belongs.

(bows gracefully and humbly)

thank you...

Today is My 30th Birthday!

HOPE

by: Pinky!

available only at www.pinky.etsy.com

Yeah, the heading is right. I turned THIRTY today, and let me tell you, I haven't been happy about it. My husband asked me what my problem was, and simply put, I just didn't think I had accomplished enough by now.

Sure, that sounds stupid, but it's true. So I sat down and started thinking about the last 30 years. For the first half, I spent it with my brother, having some of the best adventures of my life. We had imaginations like no other kid we knew, and you could give us a pile of rocks and we could turn it into a castle built for two. I love him crazy and he is still an idol in my mind. He shaped me in a lot of ways, good ways, to trust my talents and to believe in myself.

That came in handy as I grew up. When I reached 15, I had my first knee surgery. I relied on him as I went through surgery after surgery. Ten in all spanning four years. I learned to be strong when you have no strength left. I learned that faith is more potent than any medicine. And I learned that when doctors told me "you can't", I could push myself to prove that I could.

As I got older, I got mixed up in drugs pretty bad. I strayed pretty far from being a bright eyed little girl that followed her brother around all the time. By the time I was 19, I was a wreck. I decided that was not the life for me and I had to change, so I did. It was ugly and hard but I did it. And I'm proud of the fact that I walked away and stayed away. A lot of people can't say the same. It took courage to say I was addicted and it took strength to put it away and start all over.

When I started into my twenties, I had no idea how hard they were going to be. No one tells you that, no one lets you know how much you change in just a short amount of time. I had surgery for ovarian cysts at 20, got married at 23, had my daughter by age 24 and nearly died at age 25. 26 brought a separation and 27 brought a divorce. When I was nearly 28, I had another surgery for pre-cancerous cervical cells. Then I got engaged to a wonderful man and by 29, I became his wife.

The last 10 years have kicked my ass, in retrospect, I'm not going to miss them at all. Here I was thinking that I hadn't accomplished anything and I was wrong. I have learned to be stronger than I thought I could be, I have looked addiction in the face and told it "no", I have learned to live and love and be heartbroken all at the same time, and still go on.

I have made a life, my story, my song. I am proud of who I am today. Even with the grey in my hair, the scars that mark surgery and pregnancy and the days when I am too tired to get out of bed. I'm proud because it's all mine. No one else can have my story. So, I raise a glass to toast the end of my twenties and the start of something better.

Birthday Girl

by: Pinky!

Available only at www.etsy.com.

Happy Mother's Day

Here is the piece that I did for my mom for Mother's Day. It's actually a double strand necklace, but it looked so cool piled in a little coil, that I wanted to share this picture with you. Plus, the way I made it, it is easy to transform into a bracelet. It's a combination of amethyst, citrine, aquamarine chips and an assortment of glass beads. My mom is a very colorful lady, so I thought this would be something she would enjoy and wear with glee.

I want to wish every Mom a Happy Mother's Day. Being a mom is a special and wonderful thing. Moms have to hardest job in the world and are often under-appreciated for it. So to all the moms, whether through having a child of your own, adopting, or gaining children by marriage, here's to you. May this day be filled with love, joy and rememberance of all the amazing things you are.

My First Commissioned Piece!

I have sold several of my pieces of wearable art to the guys at work. This afternoon, one of them called me and asked if I would do a custom piece for his wife. We discussed a price range, he offered to pay me more than I asked, and I came home to whip this up.

I'm totally happy with this piece and I may consider making another one. It's simple yet elegant and trendy all in one. Plus I have gotten lots of time to hone my skills in packaging. Which I needed, badly...

So, here is the newest bracelet, aptly titled just for her.

Last day

Today is the last day my daughter is in school. Yep, that's right. I picked her up less than an hour ago. And while I have been SO glad that she isn't going to be at that school, I totally and completely forgot to think about her not being in school at all.

I have worked since she was a baby, so she was in daycare, which is year round. No summer breaks, always a place that I knew she would be taken care of. And yes, I have a summer plan for her, it's a little convoluted, but I still have one. One week with the grandparents, one week with her friend here in town. Sounds great, but I never figured in how much driving time and how much "me" time I would be losing.

I know, that sounds crappy, but it's true. Now, granted, when she is with my parents, she will be in another state. Which will be fun for her, but as much as I like my free time, I miss her terribly when she is gone. I wander around not really knowing what to do with myself. Her room is empty and she's not up under my feet playing dress-up, getting into my crafts, any of those things.

So, yeah, I'm in this weird spot today. The one where I want her with me all day and the one where I want to be able to be silent and alone for a while. I know, somewhere in my brain, that this will all work out and it's just another phase of life that I have to deal with. But like most phases, it's not easy when you're going through it.

New Piece!!

Simple Stated Night

by:

Pinky!

Iridescent, black freshwater pearls

with matching earrings.

OH! I am so excited about this! I was actually finishing up another piece and I just had to do this instead. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but the black pearls have blue, purple and silver hues all through them. It looks like a pond, rippling in the wind, on a dark winter night. I'm not sure whether this will go in my Etsy store yet or not. As I have said before, I work with a bunch of guys and Mother's Day is this weekend, so I'm trying to sell off some of my stuff while saving their butts at the same time.

In totally unrelated news, I have to share this picture of my daughter. This just goes to show you what an artistic flair she has. That, and she is freaking beautiful!! Look at those giant, blue eyes!

And the cheekbones! What I wouldn't give to have cheekbones like that. She was playing dress-up and I just had to take a picture of her. You know what? Looking at this picture reminds me how lucky I am. I don't need flowers or gifts for Mother's Day, I have her, and that is the best gift I could ever have.

Big Props to Baby Pinky!

My daughter has been veeerrryy patient with her mom making all kinds of stuff that she couldn't help with. So I promised her that we would get some supplies so that she could make something, too. Well, we posted 2 of her designs on Etsy. com yesterday!!

Let me tell you how proud I am of her! She designed the layout of the beads and strung them herself! The only thing I did was tie the knot and take a picture of them. She even gave them names! How wonderful is that? She even told me how much she wanted to charge for them! Talk about a little businesswoman.

I am tickled pink (no pun intended) that she is so creative and is at an age where I can help that creative side flourish.

I am one proud momma and I wanted the world wide web to know it.

Check out her work at:

www.pinky.etsy.com

HOLY CRAP!! I sold my first piece!!!

I sold my first piece of jewelry on Etsy today!! I am SO excited that I had to share it with the world! Here's hoping for many more!!!

YEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Jaded

by: Pinky!

SOLD!!!!

If Tree - Finished!!

If Tree

by:

Pinky!

Watercolors on Cold Press Paper

If Trees could choose their own color, what color would they be? If you could paint the world anything you wanted, what color would it be? Dare to look at things beyond what is laid out before you. See how things could be, how things can be.

Choose to move past the comfort zone of normalacy and create something different. Be the voice that rises above the crowd, become the composer of your own song, be the paint in your own picture. Whatever you do, choose to be You.

If Tree - Work in Progress

If Tree

by:

Pinky!

This is a watercolor Work in Progress

I am NOT done with it yet!!

My daughter and I were sitting outside looking at the trees and she wondered why the trees all look basically the same. I started thinking about what color would trees be if they could choose. That's how I came up with the idea for the "If Tree".

Like I said, this is still a work in progress, but I was just sooooo happy with the way it was turning out, I had to share. If anyone has any ideas or thoughts or opinions, I would love to hear them.

Check back in a day or so and I should have the finished painting up.

Mother's Love

Mother's Love

by:

Pinky!

Double strand pink and white freshwater pearls

mixed with glass beads and finished with a sleek

toggle clasp.

Available only at

www.pinky.etsy.com

You know how a pearl is created?

A piece of sand gets into an oyster's mouth and irritates the supple lining of it's shell. Over time, the oyster tries to remove the piece of sand by rolling it around in it's mouth. All the while, this tiny irritant is being molded and formed into a beautiful, yet imperfect, pearl.

Motherhood is not so different.

Children can be trying and difficult. We work to mold them into something beautiful, just like pearls. Children aren't perfect either, but over time, mothers work to cultivate their children into wonderful and amazing humans that are truly a remarkable form of nature. Yes, they can be the irritant and yes they can be difficult, but when it's all said and done, you, all mothers all parents, have created something special.

This bracelet was designed for my mother. I know that I have been that irritant in her life on many occasions. I know what inner turmoil I have caused her. But she never quit working to make me into someone special. I am special because she is special.

This Mother's Day, and every day beyond that, remember what our moms, dads, grandparents, aunts and uncles have all experienced, gone through and put someone else through, to create this wonderful Human Race. We have all been the aggravation and because at least one person continued on the Path of Love, we have become the beautiful, yet imperfect, pearls of our universe.

I love you, Mommy.

Get Reddy

To follow up on yesterday, nothing happened. I know, all that drama for nothing. I got to court, waited around, chatted with some legal buddies and went back to work with the promise that I would be called if we started prepping for trial. Well, I never got called, I checked back in and she never showed, so a warrant was issued for her arrest and now I just have to wait till they find her to go through this again.

Stupid, huh?

I did find out some useful information, though. I am, indeed, the only person that is testifying against her. All of the other cases have "withdrawn the complaint". The woman I used to work for has been getting threats about taking this to court. Comments like, "They can shield you while you're in court, but it's only a glass cage. You can't be protected in the real world." Um...okay. I also found out that the reason this is going to trial is because the defendant doesn't know there is a witness (me).

What's interesting in all of this, is that I should be legitimately nervous now, but I'm not. I'm not the least bit worried or concerned. I started thinking about all of it yesterday afternoon. I had to prepare myself to go to court, testify against someone I don't know, be sworn in the whole nine yards, and there is nothing in the world that I can do...except get ready. I can arm myself with the knowledge that what I am doing is the right thing to do. I can shield myself with the knowledge that I work for a Task Force and that I haven't heard any threats because I'm safe where I work. All I can do, all anyone can ever do, is get up, get ready and face what is ahead of them.

That's what I am doing today. Being in this moment and getting ready for the next.

Get Reddy

by:

Pinky!

Lampwork with Red and Blue Glass Beads

Lobster Clasp

available only at Etsy.com

ACK!!!

I have court this morning. That wouldn't normally bother me because I spent a year and a half working for the court system. Today is different. I am supposed to testify against someone in a Circuit Court trial. Let me tell you, I'm a little sick to my stomach. This is something I'm not used to and even though I know all the Assistant D.A.'s, 98% of the attorneys and almost the entire police and sheriff's departments, I'm still nervous as hell.

I tried really hard to get out of this. REALLY HARD. But it seems as if I am the only one that picked this girl out of a lineup. How can that be? This girl and her cousin ripped off stores all of the area. I am the only, freaking one?? Oh, I feel pukey.

In lighter and better news, my online store is doing well. I have several new pieces of jewelry on Etsy.com that I haven't posted here, yet. Go by and check it out. They are a really great site for any and all things handmade. It's a great place to get ideas and to check out some really great art.

Okay, I'm off to court. I know that this too shall pass, but I think I might try to smoke a million cigarettes between here and the courthouse. ( I cam walk across the street and be at the court so I don't think I'll get to do that.) Wish me luck and I'll update this afternoon.