It snowed around 2 feet here in Denver, so I had some unexpected time off this week. I think there may be only a few things better than snow days. And a snow day only 5 days before Christmas? I think life really does not get much better than this!

I spent the time in my cozy apartment making necklaces, baking cookies and trying out my new french press which makes a great cup of coffee. I even dusted off my sewing machine and did some sewing. I made a cozy bed for my dog using 2 old pillows we no longer use. While I had the project still in the works- I was making sure the pillows would fit inside the fabric I had sewed- he walked up and settled right on top of my work-in-progress. Apparently he somehow knew I was creating it just for him. It's been a while since I used my sewing machine and I have to admit it was great getting some time to sew a few things yesterday.

I am heading back to South Dakota to visit family next week, so the Moonwater Designs shop will be unofficially closed. You can still place orders, we just won't be shipping anything next week. All orders placed from now until December 31 will be shipped the first week of January.

Wishing you a very happy holiday!

wholehearted

Oh, hearts- how I've missed you! Here is a photo of my latest creation- a necklace featuring handcrafted silver hearts and turquoise beads on a sterling silver necklace. Click the photo for a closer view.

vintage tie handbags

My friend Stacie from Archival Elements in Sioux Falls just opened an online version of her shop. You must visit her website and check out her vintage tie handbags. I've been carrying my large lime green with brown vintage necktie handbag since last fall, and have never received as many compliments on a handbag as I've received on this thing!

Everyone from the white-haired woman at the bookstore to the teenager behind the counter at the local sandwhich shop seems to appreciate the tie bag. And the best part is that the handbag is stylish enough to accompany me on a night out on the town yet roomy enough to carry around things like my journal and a magazine.

New Bracelet Design

beautiful synchronicity

We're getting ready to move to Denver in two days. One of my friends from work, Leane- knowing of my obsession with finding neat old treasures to use in creating- gave me a couple of vintage books she found at her church book sale the other day. As I was packing the books today something fell out of one of the books. I pick it up, and realize it is a beautiful old envelope with a graphic in one corner, a fancy little logo from The Daniels and Fisher Stores Co-- Denver, CO! It turns out that the Daniels and Fisher Store was the most prestigious department store in Denver for the first half of the century.

The envelope has an address on the front typed on an old typewriter- Mrs. M.W. Ball, 2277 Bellaire St., Denver, Colo. I looked this name up online, and it appears as though M.W. Ball is Max Waite Ball (the address matches up on a geneology site), a petroleum engineer who appeared to live in Colorado in the 1920's.

It turns out the clock tower in Denver is still standing in LoDo, now housing offices, so I will have to keep my eye out for it.

I am writing this on my laptop as I sit on the floor surrounded by cardboard boxes. We're moving to Denver this weekend, so I am putting the finishing touches on a few charms then packing away all my artsy belongings.

I have mixed feelings about packing up my art studio. On one hand, I get to go through an informally inventory my supplies, giving away things I no longer use. It's great knowing that when I unpack, I will put things away very deliberately and for a few brief moments I will see everything stacked so neatly, in it's place, exactly where it should be. On the other hand, having everything in boxes means that I am no longer surrounded with things like old coffee tins full of paint brushes and colorful scraps of glass- these are the types of things that make me feel at home.

I look forward to the new adventures I'm bound to find in the big city, but I will definitely miss everyone and everything that has made Fort Collins my true 'home' for the last 3 1/2 years.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. GEORGE CARLIN


Although there are those recognizable big moments in our lives- the momentous types of things that are almost impossible to forget- it is more often the small things that take my breath away.
... The perfect coffee buzz.
... Finding a treasure at a thrift store and discovering that it's priced way lower than I would expect it to be.
... Pet quirkiness. I love the fact that they can make you laugh without really knowing they're doing so- sometimes at the perfect time when you most needed it.

Life isn't about finding yourself.
Life is about creating yourself.
(Unknown)

Custom Charms

For those of you who have visited my site in the past, you may have noticed that Moonwater Designs is no longer offering custom charms. While it's fun working with customers to create designs from their favorite images, custom work can be sometimes stressful and very time intensive!

I realized over the past few months that custom work was taking up the time and energy I would normally use to come up with new jewelry designs. Therefore, I am planning on spending this summer both "refilling the well," so to speak, and experimenting, and will hopefully come back with some exciting new creations.

:new shop: Matter Bookstore, Fort Collins, CO

I am excited to announce that Moonwater Designs jewelry can now be found at the Matter Bookstore (inside the Bean Cycle coffee shop) in Old Town, Fort Collins, Colorado. If you live in Fort Collins and haven't visited the bookstore yet, I highly encourage you to grab an iced white mocha and peruse the bookstore, which includes several cozy chairs and a great collection of books!

I am thrilled to finally have my things available somewhere in Fort Collins.

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.
Pablo Picasso

This charm was created by placing a vintage paper fragment cut from an old catalog between two pieces of clear stained glass.

Day 3 of The Heart Experiment.

(click on the heart to see all three Heart Experiment charms... )

Visit my new Flickr account to see photos of all the Heart Experiment pieces.

Heart Experiment Day # 1

Today is day 1 of the Heart Experiment! I will be creating one heart-themed piece of art per day for the next 30 days and posting my results on my webpage. The creations will be available via eBay, so if you're interested in checking them out, visit www.eBay.com and do an Advanced Search for seller moonwaterdesigns, or do a general eBay search on keywords Art Collage Charm Heart Series.