Glistening In the Dance of the Falling Snow

Sparkling by Raymond A. Foss
Sparkling, glistening snow
refracting the street light’s glow
Discrete colors of glitter
a fleeting rainbow
in the dance
of the falling snow

Two days ago we were, nearly all at once, blanketed in ten inches of snow. The big fat fluffy snowflakes, you know the kind. The snowflakes were coming down so quick and heavy on everything that you could hear the branches of my Maple and Oak trees creaking from the weight piling on them in layers so quickly. 

I can't ever resist the sparkle and the quiet sound of snow falling, so I alternate watching them from my picture window or standing inside my door. This time though, in my mesmerized state, I remembered to fetch my camera. I was able to snap a few photos, not many, as it was already dusk and I wanted the natural light to capture the glistening snow - as it was quickly turning to ice as I looked on.

Late last night I downloaded those few photos and while viewing the loveliness of the lacy patterns the snow makes on the trees and shrubs in the yard, I was reminded of a beautiful sterling and vintage Swarovski Crystal box clasp I once found at a gem show and was saving for a special piece of jewelry. 

Since I couldn't remember what box I saw it in last, I had to go on a scavenge hunt; found it in the second box I looked. What a gorgeous sight to see! It was those glistening facets of the Swarovski Crystal that struck me when I found it... and now it was those glistening facets that my memory recalled as I was coveting the beauty on those sparkling branches heavily laden with snow.

Finding the vintage clasp and holding it in my hand, inspired me to find someone to love it, to wear it, and to show it off properly! This morning I completed this new bracelet, "Snow Queen", named as such because it is not just fit for a princess, it is fit for a Queen! The lacy pattern of the silver reminds me of snowflakes.

I was inspired, as in the poem by Raymond A. Foss, ..... in the dance of the falling snow.

What do you think of it? Please share your thoughts or comments with me and with others.

Much love,

Juanita

GIVING AWAY TWO pair of my Dream Gypsy Earrings!

~~~ ♥ My GIVEAWAY to Celebrate 12-12-12 is open ♥ ~~~

I've been inspired to have a CONTEST/GIVEAWAY in HONOR of 12/12/12! To assure you we will be here to connect again, I will be giving away TWO PAIR of my handpainted "DREAM GYPSY" Cherubs earrings to the 600th "LIKE" on my Juanita Burton Designs biz page AND to the person who sent them. Eeeeeeee!

Important contest detail: HAVE FRIENDS CLICK LIKE ON THE BIZ PAGE NOT THE PHOTO, OR IT WON'T COUNT. All YOU have to do is share the Facebook post or link as often as you like to increase your chances of winning, and ASK your friends to come over and "LIKE" my biz page. As SOON as we reach 600 "Likes" on the page, I will contact that person and find out WHO's post/share sent them to the page. BOTH will receive a BEAUTIFUL pair of earrings with gift box and ribbon. I currently have 5 or 6 colors to choose from (only while each color lasts - 2 are shown here)!

So share this info, request the "LIKES" to my BIZ PAGE and win some JEWELRY! Two pair value: $94 includes tax & shipping. You can find other colors and the earring details by clicking here. If you make it over to my Etsy shop, PLEASE ADD me to your Circle, Favorite my page or items and I will be able to find you and add you back!

Thank you all so much and GOOD LUCK on the contest. I can't wait to find out who my TWO WINNERS will be!

Oh, and remember to "Follow" my Blog while you're here, it's so easy!

Much Love!
Juanita

Everyday Ways to Escape Everyday Chores

"Beauty is excrescence, superabundance, random ebulience, and sheer delightful waste to be enjoyed in its own right."  ~Donald Culross Peattie, An Almanac for Moderns 

When I am not in the right mood to work on things that I should be working on, I can find numerous interesting ways to justify avoiding the tasks. Many times it takes the form of photography. There seems to be soooooo many things I "just can't miss out on" when I am being resistant. Here are some shots from today.

Trees changing colors in my yard... I didn't even have to leave home to find this a beautiful distraction. This view is full of once-green leaves transforming into deep purples. Vibrant reds that appear more like pink in the bright sunlight.

...and one with those deep purples, vibrant reds and yet some unhurried green.

 

One of a weathered gray fence that borders my yard, that I LOVE by the way.

 

 

A curious Soldier Beetle, which I first thought was a Lightning Bug, seemed to be interested in me as I lay flat on my deck to shoot at low angles. While watching the beetle and thinking how he blended in with the Fall colors of my bangles, an easy camouflage, I realize I might have carried it into the house had it not tickled my arm. But I am not afraid of bugs, so no matter.

 

 

I could not resist adding this one. An unwilling photo volunteer just trying to get away to mow grass. Now, off to work with you!

 

 

 

Please leave me a comment if anything here inspired you to see the Beauty in YOUR everyday surroundings. It is my Purpose to share and contribute Beauty to every thing I touch, and then share it with you. Have a Beautiful day.

 

Many Harbors of the Gypsy-Hearted Woman

Normally a great morning person, today started out differently that most. Extremely sluggish from six long days of physical labor and paint fumes, my heavy feet scuff the wood floor. Wearily, I staggered toward the aroma of coffee that made its way to my nose only moments before. Seven-thirty in the morning and, rather than the sunshine that usually stirs me awake early, there is a hard peppering of rain against the house, the grass is swimming in water and the sky is smoky gray outside.

Patiently I wait for the sunshine to break through the clouds, or maybe I am just zoning out again - that happens when I don't rest enough. Drinking a minimum of two cups of java, I realize the caffiene has not yet induced me to begin work nor has the rain let up enough to work outside yet. By nine o'clock, I find I am home alone (and hey, that is not necessarily a bad thing, right?). With all the rain, it might be the perfect excuse to allow my body and brain to enjoy a long-awaited day of vegging out. My vegging style often looks similar to working; updating to-do lists, calendars, and answering email.

But I do declare, I have had a physical Siesta and a brain Fiesta! Aside from lists - I engross myself in my art books, attack the stack of unread Art magazines, and ogle vintage and period artwork on the internet.  Alphonse Mucha, Gustav Klimt, movements/periods of Renaissance, Baroque, Romanticism, Symbolism, and Art Nouveau, or pretty much anything Gypsy-themed (some say Bohemian) can capture my attention for hours.

This all brought me to thinking about the pontoon project we bought over a year ago (I always have a project in the works or some sort! hah!) And, for some reason I like to construct things different than the norm. Either caused by the slight bit of defiant/rebel in my blood, or in-born artistic way of visualizing things.  After a year of pontoon no-go-ness, I announced I would just strap a damn rocker to the bare floor and turn it into a Beverly Hillbillies pontoon and be done with it.  My other half was not to keen on this plan. *frowny face* ...I liked that plan!

With a bit of convincing and arm-twisting, we have been building a Pirate pontoon this week (it can be our secret that I insisted on a Pirate theme so I can find ways to incorporate Johnny Depp memorabilia). We are still working on it, but it is really taking shape nicely now. If only the rain would let up and give the painted sections a chance to get dry for installation. Here is a peek of one corner (unfinished):

Because I like simplistic types of fun and comforts, I could easily envision myself on this Gypsy raft;

However, I could not find a convincing way to insist on a Gypsy-theme pontoon. Now that would be even more fun and interesting .... for me .... and my chick friends.  Soooooo, guess I will have to find that sexy Pirate costume for a certain person to wear while swabbing the deck. *wink*

Next project: A small Gypsy-themed Travel Trailer that I can pull with my car....

Whoa the ideas are flowing already! Off to watch "Hope Floats" before the house gets noisy again.

Much Love,
Juanita

Calling all Artists! Building Profit & F.R.E.E Class

https://tonyadavidson.infusionsoft.com/go/artfulsuccess/JuanitaB/

Only offered once in 2012,
Join me on this exclusive free class to learn:
Artful Marketing: 5 Must-Have Components to Building Profits

Artful Success is all about being revolutionary in your art practice so that you can Build Profits while creating the art you love!

You will learn and implement cutting-edge marketing techniques that work with your personality.

Discover the secret tips to building your online presence, using social media, and how to stand out with your booth to gallery owners and online where 3 million+ other artists are trying to market their work!

Walk away with tons of valuable insight and tips that you can apply right away from this complimentary class.

By implementing the 5 key components that we’ll be going over and incorporating a tried and tested blueprinted strategy, you’ll experience a higher level of clarity, productivity and – of course – profits in your art practice.

After this F.R.E.E. class, you will know:

• Why your $ales are directly related to the number of people on your list.  Effective ways to use a list, the process for automating and building your list are crucial to increasing your sales numbers.
• Proven strategies for designing your website which bring you the sales you need to build your profits.
  (Don’t waste money creating a site that doesn’t convert visitors and connect them to your work.)
• Cutting-edge ways to connect with your customer via social media. Are you overwhelmed with all the new choices for social media, ezines, and blogs? How about how to fit it into your already jam-packed day?
• Do you get the rush of customers to your booth when the art fair or tradeshow opens? Learn hot-tips on how to attract customers to your booth (before and at the show), capture their attention, and grow your sales.
• Do you know what gallery owners are looking for, where they find new artists, or how to have a retail store presence? I’ll share insights for working with stores and how to show them you’ve got what they need.

Enter your information in the box above to reserve your spot in this complimentary class.

Space is limited! Be sure to bring your notebook, pen, a great cup of joe or tea and I’ll see you July 10th.

https://tonyadavidson.infusionsoft.com/go/artfulsuccess/JuanitaB/

The Art of Memory: A Keepsake Story Locket

“Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean,
Tears from the depths of some devine despair
Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes,
In looking on the happy autumn fields,
And thinking of the days that are no more.”
~ Alfred Tennyson

Recently I had the pleasure of designing a custom piece of jewelry; a memorial of an exceptional woman. With great excitement I suggested, no I encouraged, a locket. This locket would be a bit unconventional, a mixed-media locket; concealing a photo, but also ensconcing tiny ephemera and objects of meaning.

A true inspiration to her family, this locket reveals a diminutive story of Carma Sykes. Never meeting her personally, it was necessary to gather bits of information about this much-admired woman, in order to create an intimate reflection. After discussions, pondering, musing, and several sketchings in my design journal, I was ready to bring the piece, as I envisioned it, to life.

This "Keepsake Story Locket" holds a black and white photo of a strikingly beautiful woman, a cherished wife, and loving mother. A sundry of ephemera - a wee lock of silver hair, a rose snipped from her handkerchief, and a meaningful Bible verse - are permanently set within the locket. The Paisley-patterned etching on the cover of the locket is reminescent of a colorful blouse she dressed in countless times - probably her favorite. Adorning the chain of a handcrafted Heart-Shaped locket is a Heart-Shaped skeleton key, serving to remind she is always close at heart. A Topaz tear-drop crystal symbolizes the month of her birth, and the fallen tears of her family. That special verse set into the locket cover, "The Righteous Woman", holds significant meaning to her children.

"The Righteous Woman"
She openeth her mouth with wisdom;
and in her tongue is the law of kindness
She looketh well to the ways of her household,
and eateth not the bread of idleness
Her children arise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praiseth her
A woman that feareth the Lord,
she shall be praised
~Proverbs Chapter 31

In Memory of
Carma Colley Sykes
November 14, 1924 - April 9, 2009

I take pride in creating custom pieces that are both Beautiful and highly Inspirational.  Objects that Speak to me are old and hold a Feeling of Warmth, as they have been well worn and Loved.  I feel Grateful to share my Passion, my Stories, & my Art -- with You!

Much Love,

Juanita

Photo credit: Alicia Neely, Johnson City, TN

RePurposing Treasured Lonely Earrings into Meaningful Jewelry

"Repurposing: The use of something for a purpose other than its original intended used. Repurposing an item can be done by modifying it to fit a new use, or by using the item as is in a new way."

Having a fondness that grew in childhood for recycling, reusing, and repurposing found or handed-down objects, I often use vintage, lonely, pieces in new ways in jewelry designs. Here, I'll show you something treasured that I repurposed recently.

A friend who ordered a pair of my custom Aztec-patterned earrings, almost two years ago, wrote me that she had lost them (photo below). She was very upset that she had not found them after several months. I replied, "Don't worry, they may yet turn up. I bet they are only misplaced." She said, "It's been months. They were a favorite pair of earrings and I wore them a lot, so I want you to make another pair for me". So I did, and I sent them on their way.

Some months later, she mentioned she had found one of the earrings. I replied, "Great, maybe the other will turn up and you can pass them on to your daughter as a gift." She stated it had been nearly a year she'd been saving the "lonely" Fine-Silver Aztec-patterned earring. At this point, she did not feel it would turn up.

Later, she was placing an order for a ring and I remembered the lonely earring. I mentioned that if she wanted to send me the earring, I could re-purpose it into a pendant and she would have a customized matching set; and so she did.

Here is a photo of the lonely earring after making a bail and attaching with a contrasting-color (Brass) rivet, adding a handmade clasp and a chunky, yet feminine, Rolo Chain:

Doesn't her Aztec pendant makes a beautiful custom set with her earrings? She said she was extremely pleased and has been receiving compliments when she wears it to work and out socializing.

Remember to put some extra thought into ways to reuse, repurpose, recycle; especially, items that have been loved and treasured by others.... find ways they can be meaningful again.

I hope you enjoyed my example of repurposing a lonely, yet valuable, earring!

Have a wonderful day!

Much Love,
Juanita