Carnelian Focal Pendant Neclaces

This week has been a productive one and I have enjoyed it so much. I finally got my web site going and have it linked to my blog and my Etsy shop. I am really happy with it so far and I am really looking forward to expanding it as time goes on, along with my blog. My new web page address is www.happyplacesjewelry.com

Then; after the web site building, I got to some fun business...working with stones and beads. My brother, Thom Tapp, gave me these stones a while back. The carnelians are natural stones that he hand cut in free form to compliment the stones bands and color and then tumble polished them to a beautiful sheen. I drilled the pendant holes and created necklaces with them using garnets, amethysts and tiger eye beads along with sterling silver, Hill Tribe silver and tiny seed beads. I have to say that I think these necklaces are beautiful and they are truly unique, original one of a kind necklaces. I am going to list them in my Etsy shop for this weekend. When they are gone there will never be one exactly like them and I think I will miss them, a real sacrifice :)

Beauty

I find that beauty can be found; no matter what life is throwing at us, if we only look for it. It is my joy to look, find, photograph and create as much beauty as possible. As I continue my quest for the beauty around us I would like to keep a record, share and create from what I find.

I love where I live. It is odd the way things have gone full circle in my life. I never thought about how nice it was to grow up in a little southern town in the middle of ;what I then thought was, nowhere. It took having to move away and watch my family grow in a town I did not know for me to realize what I had left behind. Of course the most obvious was being away from family and friends. A closer look would lead me to realize much more.

It is beautiful here, where we live. We have hills, valleys, mountains, lakes, streams and rivers. We are within a days drive to a favorite ocean side get-away. Our winters are rarely too cold to enjoy nature and our summers are hot enough to enjoy an almost lackadaisical and whimsical atmosphere, perfect to reflect on life around us, books to read and creativity.

Yes, our little circle in life is now completed as we begin a new circle. We are, once again, at home. Litterally back at home. We built this little house 28 years ago. We lived away for 20 years as we watched our children grow into adulthood. Now we have moved back into the same little house we built in what seems like a lifetime ago. We are back to our roots and ready to begin sprouting again. Our first grandchild is on his or her way this year!

I love to walk around the farm and take pictures of the landscapes and the lake, the park near by, the mountain trails in the Tennessee Valley. I enjoy making jewelry from what I can only call inspiration by nature. I truly feel inspired by my favorite happy places.