Claire's Heartspace

2011 Jewelry Trends

2010-12-27T16:49:00.000-08:00

This busy bespectacled elf is working on the latest trends for women's jewelry fashion in 2011. I thought some of you would like a preview of what will be hot in 2011.

For a fraction of the cost of high-end designer jewelry in department stores, you can purchase non-sweatshop handmade (by me) jewelry from Heart Space's Etsy Shop.

Last year's wardrobe, with the addition of affordable jeweled accessories, will not only draw color, light and fancy to your best features, but will automatically update your look.

Here are some up-to-the minute trends:

-Massive, Dramatic and Heavy Metals

Look for contemporary designs, sleek geometric shapes, and large chunky stones. Very big this year in the world of artisan jewelry: COPPER!

- Antique, Vintage, Retro & New Combinations

Delicate vintage beads layered on with chains and pendants - more is better. Tall or large-framed women can wear delicate styles when impact is increased by layering accessories.

- Dramatic, unique, unusual necklaces

Almost any keepsake or talisman can be put into a locket or designed into jewelry. Contact Claire, the Heart Space artisan for custom jewelry designed to express your unique style, to your exact specifications.

- Eclectic Natural Look
Wooden beads, pressed flowers in lockets or pendants, shells, semi-precious stones, seeds - reflecting the beauty of the earth!

- Crystal, Rhinestone & Venetian Art Glass
Many of these originate from the fine artisans of Czechoslovakia. All create sparkle and dance with the light. Want to light up the night? Choose rhinestones and crystals in colors that flatter your complexion, hair and eyes.

- Neutrals
Classic creamy pearls, topaz, black onyx, amber, agate, almost every stone comes in a neutral color that you can wear day after day, and wear as your signature jewelry.

- Real Pearls

Pearls come in colors to flatter every coloring - every size from giant globes, to minute seed pearls. They glow warmly against a woman's skin. Fresh water pearls are especially affordable now. I love knotting pearls by hand - it's like prayer - very meditative.

- Enormous Hoops and Chandelier Earrings

These are so fun. Watch for an inexpensive line of handmade danglers coming soon to HeartSpace.

-Green Eco Aware Movement

Look like an earth mother - with new awareness of mother earth.
HeartSpace researches the origin of her materials. I recycle beautiful, old beads and materials I find at estate sales and curio shops.

October Orange

2010-10-24T15:11:00.000-07:00

I LOVE ORANGE

Even those who turn up their noses at this dynamic and joyful color are known to use orange to decorate for Halloween. We gather bright sprays of autumn leaves to celebrate the changing seasons. The hills and hedgerows seem lit on fire. Orange is not a timid color. Orange is warmly dynamic.

Yet there is a range of glorious orange, from the soft blush of peach to the bright joy of tomato red-orange. Almost everyone can find an orange to flatter their coloring, or to brighten up a spot in their home or garden.

Orange shoes, handbags, and jewelry accents are making a resurgence. They can warm this fall's gray fashions with sophisticated whimsy. A splash of orange highlights your playful side.

The color orange is joyful, creative. In interiors, subtler tones of this color are said to encourage conversation, fellowship, and interaction. Orange is a great accent when used with complimentary blues and blue-violets. Think of a field of poppies underneath a blue California sky.

Here are some delightful examples of orange in full glory.

Orange just glows! Couldn't have Halloween without it.

Against this drab gray background, these peaches are a study in soft contrast.

Nothing more brilliant than a glistening tomato. . .

. . .unless it's an autumn maple against a blue sky.

Orange necklace from HeartSpace. Click here to see this & more.

The Joy of Color

2010-09-18T15:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, subtle and neutral is wonderful but in the autumn color is what prepares us for the gray days of winter. I go out and soak up color: mature wheat fields, the deep blue September skies, ripening pumpkins, red-tinged dogwood leaves, the last of the late summer flowers, the dahlias, sunflowers and asters, and trees laden with dusky reddening apples.

Nothing neutral about autumn.

Nothing neutral about my heart space.

Or HeartSpace.

Please click here to see the latest in HeartSpace's Store.

The Cosmic Egg Hatched: Altar Assemblage

2010-09-03T15:59:00.000-07:00

Over a month ago I promised photos of the completed piece, with the working title: The Cosmic Egg. A fanciful depiction of Saint Hildegard of Bingen, for a special patron and artist, Melanie Weidner, the piece was completed at the end of July, in time for Melanie's landmark birthday. The santo is now on it's way to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Melanie has a very good camera, and a skilled artist's eye, so I am posting her photos, which are better than I usually have. Here you go!

detail: The Cosmic Egg

In this piece I have incorporated several aspects of the spirituality and art of Hildegard and the art and spirituality of Melanie Weidner. See her work http://www.listenforjoy.com

Hildegard's face, the moon and the egg are sculpted with Das Clay, combined with fabric, a wooden bowl, and found objects.

My desire was to incorporate natural objects reflecting Hildergard's work with plants, especially as medicine. I remembered my stash of dried rose hips, collected on a late autumn. Likewise, the feathers from goldfinch, raven, bluejay and sparrow. The shape of the altar, though a octagon, not a hexagon, still evoked the chambers of a bee-hive, a place of mystery, and relating to Melanie's name, derived from the Greek for honey bee.

The industry of bees reminds me of the industry of an artist, especially Melanie. She has been pondering her diverse interests as a spiritual director, teacher, artist and contemplative and how to further synchronize them. The work of the bees, gathering from so many different flowers to make honey, reminded me of all that we draw together in creating our life work.

I have placed a tiny replica of the Labyrinth of Chartres within the golden, sunlike egg. Opposing matrices combine in the creative process, requiring intuition, patience, even hard-scrabble struggle. Within the Cosmic Egg is a labyrinth that can seem endless. In the bee hive of the brain impressions are transformed in the folds and crannies unseen, so much like the twists and turns of a labyrinth. The brain is somewhat like an egg (intelligent people are teased for being egg-heads), hiding the gestation of ideas.

The moon and the loving old crone, who is part bird, with the feathers of combined birds, is a reminder of the magic that occurs outside the brain in the heart. It is the mother-love with which we nurture ideas that transform them into art. Little by little the mother bird feathers her nest, and little by little our creations unfold.

All through the process of making this altar I kept this quote in mind that Melanie shared with me: "The order of the universe is toward compassion." -Dr. Pete Terpenning Every aspect is designed to curve and meld into the other, just as I imagine the spinning galaxies and the universe unfolding.

This piece can be turned several ways.

100 Steps Beach: Offering Hope at the Altar

2010-08-18T13:41:00.000-07:00

Two heart-shaped rocks left by Heart Space

At the top step, at One Hundred Steps beach, I wondered if my sore legs would carry me all the way down to the seashore and back again. There may be only one hundred steps but they are steep ones and my knees can play tricks on me.

It is hard to commit to a hike, with rheumatoid arthritis, because I can't predict when or where the flare-ups will appear. Still, this is my own beach, the one I claim as entirely special. You never know when you will see a seal, an eagle, or a pelican, which definitely trumps any fear of a little pain.

I decided to make the offering of my strength, such as it is, to the hike. I could take it slowly, and if any especially speedy types approached me on the trail, move over and let them pass me. So I made my plodding way with care.

At every turn I appreciated these stairs, the rails constructed of found objects and driftwood, how they offer quirky diversion. Soon, I'd forgotten the swellings and aches that accompanied me, and was able to keep up with my companion. He made the sacrifice of going slowly, so that I could feel hardy enough, and in the end, probably reaped the benefits of the smaller details. You just can't see them when you're whizzing past slow people on the trail.

The stairs themselves, constructed lovingly by someone who has made the remote beach accessible to most all who can walk, are a sacrifice, are an offering of compassion. Only the best of climbers could have accessed the beach before there were steps. And those who climbed must have made a mess of the flora and fauna. Such places give me hope for humanity - both because they were made by good souls, and are respected by humble enjoyers of them.

Some sights, even the speedy can't pass without noticing. The little shelter two-thirds of the way down the trail, appears to be a sort of shrine, or has been made into one by passersby. It is here, with gratitude for the sunshine, the sea, a pile of tiny agates in my pocket, that I left my one heart-shaped rock, and my love left his, too. (You can see in the photo, there is a kind of makeshift altar, and an interesting drawing, almost a petroglyph, nailed by someone above the shelf where we put our stones.)

Never do we know, when we begin an undertaking if we will see the end of it. We must obey our hearts and set out into the unknown with hope. Hope can be as complicated as one hundred steps down and one hundred up again, or as simple as one step forward into the unknown. It is hope that carries us to the best places, sites that we can share with loved ones, and all of humanity.

Pietopia Entry: My Favorite Blackberry Pie

2010-07-31T15:12:00.000-07:00

I entered and did not place in a contest called Pietopia. Some of you have asked to see the entry, so here it is. It was supposed to be very, very short, but the contest guidelines were unclear as to whether the word limit included the recipe.

I played it safe and kept the whole thing under 300 words, which made it very, very streamlined.

It is my favorite pie recipe which I share with you in this posting. Enjoy!

Claire Germain Nail

Gypsy Blackberry Pie

Himalayan Blackberries are a nuisance in Oregon. Some summers I feel like that oft-maligned vine: a gypsy imported from a hotter, wealthier land. Yet, I’ve sent down my roots for good. Come rain or shine!

Times have been tough here for me and countless others. The nearby Blockbuster store is gone, but the berry vines behind it prevail. Damn the economy, the cloudy gloom! I thrive on pie, replete with luscious blackberries: free for the picking, notwithstanding vicious scratches and purpled fingers! Blackberries are tough; so are Oregonians. So am I.

Simple blackberry pie, ingredients available cheaply: tart it up or down, like your little black dress. Necessary tapioca thickener disappears into the berries. Add lemon. If you’re too rich and too thin, use butter instead of oil. The sweat-earned luxury of wild blackberries: money won’t buy gems more wickedly dark and glistening.

Gypsy Berry Filling

9 inch pie

Preheat oven 425 degrees

Mix:

8 -10 cups juicy blackberries

1/2 cup sugar (or more if you prefer a sweet pie)

1/4 cup instant tapioca

Ginger to taste

2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup lemon juice and peel*

Let sit in warm place and make crust.

Easy Crust

2 cups flour

1/2 mild-flavored oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

up to 1/2 cup milk (water if you are really up against it)

Measure flour into bowl, stir in salt.
Stir in oil with fork, forming pea-size clumps.
Stir in liquid slowly, till dough forms ball (less liquid on wet days).
Divide into two balls.
Roll out crust to about 1/4 inch, between wax paper. Flip dough over into pan and peel off paper. Arrange crust and trim overhanging edges.
Add berries, 6 flecks of butter, cover with top crust, and crimp edges. Slit top crust.
Bake 45-60 minutes, till golden and bubbly. Cool before eating.

Waiting for the Cosmic Egg to Hatch

2010-07-11T22:10:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a new project for an artist friend in exchange for a beautiful painting. This is a painting which I have permission to use as the cover for my up-coming novel which will publish before Christmas.

(Watch for information here regarding this novel: Saint Sullivan's Daughter.)

The new project is a secret right now, as it will be a surprise for my friend. Let us just say these few hints. It involves the moon, the color blue, stardust, and a bee.

That and the beautiful inspirational image (you'll find below) - an illumination from Hildegarde, who lived from 1098-1179: visionary, writer, artist and composer. And like so many gifted European women of her time, a Catholic monastic.

Have a great week! I'll be publishing a photo of the altar sculpture as soon as it's done.

The Cosmic Egg by Hildegarde of Bingen

HeartSpace offers free shipping this July 2010. Click here.

Some new things for your perusal. Plus a Spanish Recipe.

2010-06-23T16:34:00.000-07:00

Here's an idea for a quick, easy and delicious dinner: a great way to use leftovers.

Spanish Tortilla

In Spain a tortilla is an omelet, similar to a frittata. It's a great way to use up leftover roasted potatoes, or cottage fried potatoes, or even, a pinch, some hash browns.

The main ingredients:
eggs
olive oil
potatoes
onion
sea salt
and ground pimiento (get the good Spanish stuff).

You can add all kinds of delicious things such as olives, green pepper, veggie or meat sausage, cheese, and herbs. Go crazy!

First cook the potatoes in olive oil, if you have no leftovers. (Start with olive oil in the pan) Then add onions, etc. Add egg. When it starts to coagulate, I usually put my whole cast-iron fry pan in the oven for about 10 minutes or so (depending on how many eggs.) This is so delicious - even cold.

And easy. . .

This locket reminds me of many I saw in antique shops in Spain, except this one was made by me in Portland, Oregon.

See this and more at HeartSpace on Etsy

Jewels like Water Video

2010-06-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

The winner is . . .

2010-06-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

To all who entered the contest: Thank you for commenting, following, and trying something new.

The lucky winner is Kim, who wins her choice of HeartSpace jewelry, 20 dollars or under. If you didn't win, please read on - there's something in it for you.

I want to offer a second, consolation prize to whomever commented on this post (original posters in the give-away - I have your names, dearies!).

Anyone who originally posted a comment here is eligible to buy anything in my HeartSpace Etsy store for 25% off the listed price.

Let me know what you want, BEFORE you order on Etsy, and I will lower the listing price and reserve the item for you.

To take a look at what's available, click here http://www.heartspace.etsy.com

This offer only applies to those who commented on the June 2 blog post.

Wishing you every happiness,
Love from Heart Space

Contest Time!

2010-06-02T16:57:00.000-07:00

It's raining and gloomy in Portland, Oregon. Al and Tipper Gore are divorcing after 40 years and I lost a follower. I was so excited to have reached a 100, but alas, one of the doves has flown!

Never mind, I understand. Some blogs lose my interest after awhile, too. Let's see what I can do to spice this one up a little.

How about a contest?

Comment and become a follower and you will be added to a drawing for a free gift of your choice from my Etsy store, valued up to twenty dollars.

Let's begin! Contest ends June, 10, 2010.

Ode to Earrings

2010-05-25T12:47:00.000-07:00

Oh, tiny pendants, perfect pearls,
glittering gold,
shimmering silver,
beads bobbing bright,
how you dance around my head!

Earrings, you enhance
with so little effort,
just swing from my ears,
like stars fallen from last night's dream.
I love thee so!

But oft I have lost thee,
only to find another pair,
just as lovely to entrance.
Ears are fickle, as I am.
And earrings are
everywhere.

Very silly, but sincere. I love earrings. Come see the new ones in the earrings that sparkle section at my Etsy store. http://www.heartspace.etsy.com

I just need one more follower to reach 100.

2010-05-25T00:31:00.000-07:00

And that would be a milestone, wouldn't it?

Have a great day and take good care of your heart.

You only get one, and even if you receive a transplant - you only get one at a time.

Blessings,

from Clarita

Bruce Lee Said "Be Like Water; See with Your Skin"

2010-05-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

"Be like water," Bruce Lee said, "see with your skin."
Be like water, I imagine, flow around obstructions.
Be like water; refresh, then go your way.
Be like water: shimmering, gentle, powerful, awe-inspiring.

Every time I look at this necklace I think of water,
of the sea, of water's ability to move without effort,
of water's ability to change color to mirror the sky.

This abalone pendant catches the dance of water,
it's music, both gentle and strong.

Water has moods, without moodiness.
Water replenishes perfectly.
Water is a treasure we take for granted.

This necklace could be a talisman to remind one of several things:
to protect one's resources, and to protect the Earth,
to flow without effort, without stress around difficulty,
to shine and move as you are intended,
and to be like water.
[Click here to see necklace on Etsy.]

Do You Consider Quality Over Quantity?

2010-05-05T22:41:00.000-07:00

When you have to stretch your dollars, it's tempting to choose quantity over quality.

Leave a comment below and let me know your answers to one or more of the following questions.

1. Are you looking for quality materials and craftwork?

2. Are you looking for something totally unique, or do you prefer something that resembles what you've already seen?

3. Do you care where the materials come from and how they were derived?

4. Is price your primary concern, over everything else?

I Made my first Treasury on Treasury East!

2010-04-26T02:35:00.000-07:00

Hi, friends,
It took me forever to figure out how to do this, but I curated my first treasury on Treasury East and I'd love it if you took a look at it and maybe even commented. Here is the link. It's a celebration of Cinco de Mayo and all the saturated colors and delight I associate with Latino culture.

Enjoy.

Click here to go to the treasury.

Filigree and Fiddle-dee-dee to Fashion

2010-04-19T23:46:00.000-07:00

There are lots of blogs telling you what to wear. I won't do that. I am going to tell you to have fun with your jewelry.

Why not? I have fun making it. I'm always on the look-out for interesting materials and juicy gems. I love the hunt.

For instance, I recently found these antique brass filigrees that remind me of flowers, and combined them with gorgeous golden freshwater pearls and sundrops of citrine. And Voila!

They'd be lots of fun, especially on someone with light-colored blonde to red hair, or short hair of any color. Very feminine and Victorian feeling ~ like one of my favorite flowers, the fuchsia.

I have more citrine, if anyone wants a nice little necklace to go with these earrings.

GEM LORE: Pearls are very fashionable this year, but do you know they have healing properties as well? Pearls are cooling and soothing, can help balance emotions, and symbolize purity. They are very absorbent of whatever the wearer feels, but when pared with citrine, which deflects negativity, the energy is very balanced.

El espíritu de la fiesta. The Spirit of Fiesta

2010-04-06T17:04:00.000-07:00

En español or in English, the word fiesta stands on its own these days. The word fiesta connotes more food, more music, more color than the word party does. Many parties are joyful, colorful and fun, but not all. I expect a fiesta to be wonderful.

There are pity-parties and home-shopping parties at which you are enticed to buy Tupperware, and those uncomfortable to escape parties: familial days of guilty obligation. Who among us, not having the proper stylish attire, hasn't tried to fade into the wallpaper at some chi-chi soiré ? Would you long to hide at a real, live fiesta? Probably not.

You'd show your true self, because that's who was invited.

The espíritu, or spirit of a fiesta, is the festival, or celebration of a feast day. Originally these were spiritual or religious in nature, and that may be why they're different. At a true fiesta the host is more concerned with the welfare of the guests, the celebration, than in selling Tupperware, or an idea of oneself as stylish decorator or gourmet cook. At a true fiesta the hostess splurges on food, music and the children's piñata before her dress and the silverware.

(That's why I designed my Fiesta Collection of celebratory jewelry with affordability and joyful color in mind.)

WHAT MAKES A FIESTA, OR REAL LIVE PARTY JOYOUS FOR YOU? I'd love to read your comments.

¡Bondad!
Click here to be my guest on Etsy!

I Love Water

2010-03-10T21:25:00.000-08:00

I have just returned from a wonderful weekend trip to one of my favorite places in the world: Silver Falls State Park in Silverton, Oregon. Inspired by my love of water, I made this necklace before I left.

Here are some photos of the water falls as well.

There are Ten Waterfalls in all at Silver Falls.

One of the most beautiful places to be in Oregon.

Things to Consider When Shopping

2010-03-03T15:30:00.000-08:00

Most manufactured items in the USA are made in China under difficult, even unhealthy conditions. This includes jewelry available at stores, even high-end department stores. It is worthwhile to consider, before buying: is this item something that supports unhealthy, unsustainable conditions?

No matter how cheaply one may purchase an item, if it is something that will hurt you, the person making it, or even you (because of unhealthy ingredients like lead paint), it is not really cheap. In fact, it is very expensive. It is good to be aware and ask questions of retailers.

It is not always easy to know what is involved in the making of your treasures. Suffice it to say that here in the Heart Space workshop, I do my best to ascertain the origin of all the stones and materials I use. I take special care because I care about my own health, your health and the health of the planet. I may not get rich making my art and jewelry, but I am having a wonderful time.

Here is a beautiful lilac-grey agate pendant on a twisted glass bead necklace. The agate slice is from inside a geode.

New in Shop for Spring!

2010-02-25T15:00:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends,
I hope you are anticipating spring with happy hearts. At Heartspace at Etsy, I have posted several new jewelry pieces. I feel very creative right now, just thinking of the garden about to burst into bloom. Come visit HeartSpace. Here's one photo to whet your appetite.

http://www.heartspace.etsy.com
P.S. - This year I'm donating 10% of what I make on Etsy to World Vision in Haiti. I have a little girl I support there, but I haven't heard how she's doing since the quake. Please keep Suaveline in your hearts.

Colores de la Primavera

2010-01-31T14:31:00.000-08:00

Colores de la Primavera: the colors of spring - how we love the joyfulness of these! If you are recycling old clothes this spring, think of adding brightly colored accessories to cheer your look. Two colors that are on the vanguard for spring are turquoise blue and of course, bright green. I love the numinous quality of light through waxy new leaves. Today I am featuring new earrings with this color quality in stone and glass.

Spring is coming, yes, she is! And you have my permission (as if you needed it) to prepare for her with great gusto. What will you do to color your life?

Don't be afraid to splash color around yourself: accessories, flowers, even your walls. It can be as simple as tucking a sprig of hyacinth into your buttonhole, or as dramatic as painting a whole wall your favorite color (paint is relatively cheap). Color has the ability to renew the spirit. And what better time to renew than spring?

Something Small with Great Love

2010-01-20T21:21:00.000-08:00

This locket hides a mini-shrine and a quote from Mother Teresa:

"We can do no great things,
only small things with great love."

My intention was to create something handsome, that could be worn anywhere, but would hold the secret close to one's heart, ready to be opened in times when extra encouragement or prayer is needed.

The locket closes securely with a magnet and will not pop open. The beaded rosary chain is sturdy and attractive. The little sequins are vintage 1940's and the tiny Guadalupe portrait is cut from a photo.

If these mini shrines are popular I will gather lockets to make more. Let me know if there is a particular quote or image that inspires you.

Ride the Changing Tide on Etsy

2009-12-30T15:57:00.000-08:00

It feels like I am riding a changing tide. At the end of my first year on Etsy, I'm pondering how to survive the economic crisis and still grow my Etsy site. There's so much I would do with my site, if I had more capital to invest. I would make a lot more jewelry, advertise more and certainly expand my options. I have made a vow not to create debt while starting this small business, and that has kept my business small. I have made ten sales this year, though I have made more sales off line at trunk shows and craft fairs. Ten sales feels too small.

I enjoy making jewelry, but I've other work to do, too. I would enjoy hearing from those of you with Etsy businesses how you find time to grow your business and do whatever other jobs you have. I will share some of the things that have been storming my brain and look forward to your ideas, too.

Claire's Ideas for Growing Business

Make simpler, quicker jewelry, which can be sold for less.
Repeat designs instead of making "one-of-a-kind."
Find a less expensive source and recycle materials.
Diversify what I make to include non-jewelry items (there's a glut of jewelry on Etsy).
Find a good, active Street Team on Etsy. I love the team I have, but I maybe need another.
Advertise myself more off-line.
Focus on preparing for a few big craft shows and fairs and participate big time.
Guard my spare time with a passion so I don't get burned-out.
Passionately uphold my schedule, with an eye for boundary busters. (They don't know who they are, poor things, but they suck up a lot of my energy for my work. Only I can create my boundaries - and only I can enforce them.)
And I will be aware of the fact I am learning and not compare myself to other artists.

I will honor that I am doing the best I can, even in those times when I need to do better.

So tell me all of you out there in Etsy Land - any advice for growing my business, without going into debt or spending too much? How do you guard your time for other things? What has served you well? What hasn't?

To Wonder at Beauty, Stand Guard over Truth

2009-12-17T09:47:00.000-08:00

LABYRINTH AT CHARTRES

As the year spins to an end, I hope all is well at your house. I offer these words attributed to Rudolf Steiner, philosopher and mystic of the early 20th century (revised for inclusivity):

To wonder at beauty,

stand guard over truth,

look up to the noble,

decide for the good,

leads all on their journeys

to goals for our lives.

These words work well to say to oneself at the beginning of a walk, especially a labyrinth walk, if you do such things. Even if you don't, life can be a labyrinth, the twists and turns confusing. I love the expression that all those who wander are not lost. I would like to add wonder to my wandering, especially when I feel lost, and find the beauty in the place I am.

May you find wonder, beauty, truth, nobility and good to lead your goals for 2010.

The Special Gift: Have You Found What You're Looking For?

2009-12-01T22:35:00.000-08:00

Something New: Red Tiger Eye, Garnet, Jasper &Copper

I love giving gifts. I don't always have much to spend, but how I love figuring out a way within my means to bring a look of pleasure to someone, along with the sense that they are appreciated and understood by me. At the end of this blog post, I will share some of my free or low-cost ideas for gifts. If you can afford very reasonably priced jewelry items, I recommend you visit my Etsy site to do some carefree gift-shopping. I will even gift wrap for you and postage within the USA is free this season.

I hope that my ready-made designs will please some, but I am always open to collaborating to create something that speaks to the heart. That is why I call my store the Heart Space, because I put my own heart and soul into these items. It is a way of sending my joy outward - via color, precious metals, beautiful beads and natural stones.

If you have an idea for a gift that you might like my help realizing, please don't hesitate to contact me. We might be able to collaborate. You can contact me via email at santomilagrito@yahoo.com, where you can leave a message, even attach a photo of something you might like. I'm fully aware, gauging by sales this year that this might be a tight season financially for me and many others.

Here are a few ideas for free or extremely low cost gifts and community-building that I especially enjoy.

10 Hearfelt Gift Ideas

The gift of time. Start with a hand-written invitation on a pretty card (You can find many nice cards on Etsy, by the way) Invite a friend for a lunch you cook yourself. Sit deep and catch up on each other's lives.
Copy out a favorite poem on nice paper - choose one that reminds you of someone special. Copy it in your best handwriting or on your computer with a nice font. With a glue stick glue on a relevant picture from a magazine or old greeting card. Toll Tie it with a pretty ribbon.
Even BETTER - if you can write a poem or paragraph of your own - with a memory of a special time with that friend or loved-on. You can decorate it to the extent of your ability - and time.
Give nature lovers something you have found in their favorite places - the beach (a shell?), the mountains or forest (a river stone or pretty pine cone). You could combine this gift with a poem above, or quote from Nature writers such as Thoreau or William Stafford.
A loaf of bread, a dozen cookies, a jar of spaghetti sauce, anything home-cooked to anyone living alone or anyone terribly busy is always welcome.
Time again - invite someone to accompany you for a special walk. Bring a picnic? If it's cold you could eat it in the car.
Sachets: Buy bulk lavender at the Health Food store. Sew tablespoons into little pockets and fill in the rest with cotton stuffing. Tie with pretty ribbons. Include in gift baskets with bars of nice soap, or your homemade jam - or the sea shells or poems. (See above)
Shop local and help small businesses succeed - these are your friends and neighbors. A few pennies saved here and there can't make up for the community you lose (not to mention the gas to drive around) when big stores take over and the little guys close down.
Even on Etsy, there's a shop local feature where you can find people in your city and state from whom you can buy gifts. Heart Space is located in Portland, Oregon.
Always shop in a good mood. Take a walk in the fresh air first and you will be in a good mood. Believe it or not, statistics show that when you are happy you make much wiser choices overall.

I hope these suggestions are useful to you. Here's to a Happy Holiday to each and every one!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T00:09:00.000-08:00

Due to the untimely demise of my hard drive, I've been invisible in the blogosphere of late. The computer was still on the warrantee, I managed to save my photos and my two novels, so I have much for which to be grateful.

One event I am grateful for is my first Open Studio November 13. It was fun and pretty successful. I built a merry fire and served tea, persimmon cookies and scones, with the hope of making it more of a party than a marketing venture. I didn't want anyone I invited to feel obligated to buy anything, but to feel free to browse at my work and enjoy the refreshments and atmosphere. I hope they all had fun.

I must create a larger sphere of fans locally in order to really have a knock-down-drag-out open studio, but this was a practice attempt at introducing my fledging business, showing some of my altars and installment art, as well as the jewelry which with more people are familiar.

Last December I started my Heart Space store on Etsy and have made 9 sales online. Much more sales have been to people who have met me and have seen the work in person. I am hopeful that I can keep increasing the quality and style of my work, and sales will continue to increase online as well.

There is so much for which to be thankful. I am grateful for my friends, customers, blog followers, and everyone who has supported my creative ventures. My husband has found work (after nearly a year of unemployment) this month, which is a huge relief to us both. This year taught us much- especially how strong and resourceful we can be. But we couldn't have survived without those who helped.

The provisions and kindnesses that have sustained us this year have been so many. I hope you all will give and receive the same to whomever you may. Life is indeed too short to be lonely, hungry or sad; let us all share good things with each other.

(P.S. - the grandmother in the Norman Rockwell picture at the top, always reminded me of my own - and though N.R. is not by any means my favorite, images like this never fail to make me smile.)

Make Your Own Day of the Dead Altar

2009-10-31T00:03:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends and Followers,

HAPPY HALLOWEEN AND DAY OF THE DEAD: El Día de los Muertos¡

To read about how to make your own Day of the Dead Altar, please follow this link.

http://www.saltlighttomatoes.blogspot.com/

Jewelry Trends For Fall and Winter

2009-10-18T21:53:00.000-07:00

A little bit steampunk, a little bit 1960's modern. Beautiful hardware silver earrings aren't heavy to wear.

Beautiful, autumnal moss greens, copper and feminine pink.

Stunning sky blue turquoise makes a statement that you're beautiful, strong and in tune with the natural world.

Hardware Edge: Heartspace's Glass and Chrome earrings

A statement necklace: choose stones and colors that enchant you.

(Emily wearing Heartspace's Autumn Fire Agate Necklace.)

I've been Googling the trends for Fall and Winter 2009 and then thinking about which of Heartspace's offerings fit the bill. I'm happy to say that the natural look of semi-precious stones in the rough is ever-popular this fall. Look for what they call a "statement necklace," that is, some piece of jewelry that makes a statement about your personality and style.

Try combining color trends with the healing qualities Gem Lore celebrates: luscious red garnets for steadfast love, sky-blue turquoise for protection and power, rainbow moonstone for feminine intuition, and yellow citrine for positivity and prosperity.

I am seeing a lot of steam-punk: that is watches and gears, etc. in jewelry. There's a lot of this available on Etsy, but what is top fashion is a bit more refined. Heartspace offers a couple of affordable, hardware earrings with silver findings that look like metal parts. Very chic and handsome: not at all heavy, either.

Coral is big. I fell in love with it last year, but learned to be careful to purchase fine coral that isn't illegally harvested, or even worse dyed red, only to come off on your neck! I have yet to find any coral this fall that is affordable and not dyed or "fishy" in origin. When I find quality affordable stones and shells, I will pass the savings onto you.

The bohemian look just won't die; I think because it's so fun to wear Gypsy jewelry. For just a few bucks, you can layer on a necklace or two, and try out some of Heartspace's beautiful earrings, that are guaranteed to flatter your face.

I make test samples of all Heartspace earrings, wearing a pair for a full day to make sure they are comfortable. None of my designs are heavy or scratchy to wear. I promise!

Jewelry is a very affordable way to update one's wardrobe without breaking the bank. May I suggest you don't scrimp with ho-hum jewelry that doesn't glow with color or interest. If in doubt, go without, until you find what really sings to you.

El Día de los Muertos: The Day of the Dead

2009-10-01T22:48:00.000-07:00

Day of the Dead Necklace available at Heartspace store

In Mexico and other Latin American countries colonizing Spaniards combined their Catholicism with the traditional religious practices of the indigenous peoples. The Day of the Dead is such a synergism: a combination of the Catholic holiday of All Saints Day and All Souls Day with the cult of the dead, dating back to Aztec and Mayan traditions.

Many cultures believe that as autumnal days approach, the veil between the worlds of the living and dead grows very thin. The Latin American indigenous peoples prepare for the celebration beginning in early October, when the bakeries start selling calaveras de azucar (sugar skulls) and pan de muerto (bread of the dead) which will be used to decorate the altars in honor of long-gone ancestors and recently deceased family members.

Furnishings are moved to make room for elaborate altars (ofrendas) within family homes. Arches decorated with garlands of marigold flowers stand at the head of the altars and papel picado: intricately cut banners of tissue paper are hung about the space dedicated to them. Framed photos of the deceased, as well as their favorite foods, objects such as cigarettes, military medals or jewelry that once belonged to them are favorite offerings. Everything is planned to celebrate the lives of those who have died, as well as to entice their spirits into the home to celebrate with the living. It is traditional in preparation for the Day of the Dead to clean and decorate the grave sites as well.

On the eve of All Saints Day, Mexican families meet for a candlelight vigil in the cemetery. Although there is prayer and reflection, there may be music, singing and a picnic at the grave, the family strewing marigold petals to guide the spirit of the loved one to the altar at home.

On November second, the family will eat the food from the altar and proceed to the cemetery one last time, again strewing the marigold petals to lead the spirit back to the grave site before the veil between the two worlds closes and the spirits are stranded in the world of the living.

Many Moons Necklace

2009-09-16T15:32:00.000-07:00

This necklace is made from fair trade U.S. mined and cut, whole natural Sleeping Beauty turquoise and moonstone buttons. Hand wire-wrapped with fine sterling-silver wire, it is light as a feather and very comfortable to wear. The design came to me first in a dream, but it took me awhile to find the little moons to space between the smaller clusters of turquoise and the focal clusters of longer dentate turquoise.

It is fairly uncommon to see moonstone and turquoise used together in jewelry. With this combination I attempted to capture the wonder I first experienced as a child upon noticing a white moon in the blue daytime sky. I could not keep my eyes off such a wonder and in my dream I affixed tiny moons between bright turquoise, just as I have in this necklace.

Turquoise is a stone attributed with properties of protection and strength, while moonstones are supposed to have feminine properties of intuitive power, enhancing cycles and rhythms. In India the moonstone is sacred for lovers. Seafarers were known to carry moonstones as talismans, but to what end I do not know. Perhaps sailors carried moonstones to protect them from the whims of the tides, so dependent the moon's gravity.

Enhancing this respect for gravity, is the grounding property of turquoise, which the First Peoples of this hemisphere prize so highly, expertly incorporating turquoise into beautiful amulets and jewelry.

It has come to my attention recently that many of the Third World sources of turquoise mine and cut this semi-precious stone in conditions that are dangerous and unhealthy for the workers. For this reason I have undertaken a search for American turquoise, such as that used in this piece. No matter what wonderful folklore may be attributed to a stone, it is important to know it's origin as well.

September Special: Free Postage in U.S.A.!

2009-09-09T20:38:00.000-07:00

SEPTEMBER SPECIAL:

Free Postage for every order shipped within the U.S.A!

Click this link to visit my Etsy store:

http://www.heartspace.etsy.com

Two tier Autumn Fire agate and copper necklace, as shown, $45.00.

Animoto.com

2009-08-21T21:10:00.001-07:00

End-of-Summer Give-away!

2009-08-20T11:55:00.001-07:00

This fifteen dollar-value necklace is only available

to those participating this give-away,

but the winner can choose any Heartspace item

valued ten dollars or under.

Want to Play? Here's how:

Just post your comment here and--

Leave a heart on my Etsy site (that is, mark me as a favorite if you have an Etsy acct.) :http://www.heartspace.etsy.com

Feel free to comment on this blog as often to increase your chances of winning.

Winner will be announced the day after Labor Day Weekend. Be thinking of which prize you want: the pictured necklace or anything in my shop under ten dollars.

Good luck -- and best wishes from the Heart Space.

How to Make Blackberry Pie: Part One

2009-08-13T23:01:00.001-07:00

Kneading the dough

Rolling pie dough between sheets of wax paper

The dough sticks to wax paper and is easy to transfer to pie pan.

Waiting for the lid.

Fluting the crusts together

Good idea to cut a vent

¡Esto es! See my recipe in posting below.

Berry Pie: The Zen Way

2009-08-13T22:37:00.001-07:00

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees.

(Yes, this is my antique, 1970's Magic Chef Electric Range.)

BLACKBERRY FILLING

Mix and let stand while you make crust:

About 6 cups fresh wild blackberries

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup Minute Tapioca

(make sure you have 1 tablespoon butter to add to berries before top crust)

CLAIRE'S CRUST (EASY)

Measure two cups unbleached flour, exactly as possible. "Cut" off excess flour at top with table knife.
Stir in 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.
As you pour in 1/2 cup canola or other suitable oil (mild flavored), mix with fork.
Add approximately 1/2 cup milk (this is the Zen part) according to atmospheric conditions the dough will come together with more or less milk. As dough begins to stick together stop pouring milk. Sometimes I have used as little as 1/4 cup milk.
Knead the dough slightly and form soft ball. Divide dough into two equal balls.
Flatten 1 ball onto wax paper and cover with another sheet of wax paper.
Roll with rolling pin from center outward until dough is about 1/4 inch thick, roundish and larger than your pie pan.
Lift top sheet of wax paper and place over 8 1/2 inch pie plate, wax paper side up.
Peel off wax paper.
Add berries + 1 tablespoon butter, broken into little dots that you scatter on top of fruit.
Repeat the roll and lift, laying top crust over berries and butter.
Crimp together top and bottom crust.
Cut out vent. I always put a heart: for Heart Space, for love, for the courageous heart it takes to brave those thorns and pick the wild blackberries.
Place pie pan on cookie sheet and bake for one hour at 400 degrees. (Middle oven rack)
Cool for at least 1 1/2 hours for best results.

See photos of steps in posting above.

A Little Mermaid Surfaces in High Summer

2009-08-05T23:17:00.000-07:00

Yemaya,

or La Serenita:

The Sea Goddess of South America

Mermaid Necklace, by Clarita

for Heartspace

http://www.heartspace.etsy.com

The clear and darker aquamarine stones in this

necklace catch the light and pool cool oceanic color. Notice the

silvery dolphin the mermaid rides and the little gold stars.

I found this onyx, hand-painted in Ukraine pendant

in Santa Fe, New Mexico!

One of my favorite mythical creatures is the mermaid. I love the thought of a beautiful sea creature: half-human and half-fish. The iridescent scales, the comb of shell and the hair that floats like seaweed atop the water. The story of a mermaid will always enchant me, whether Disney or something more numinous, such as The Secret of Roan Inish, or the Silkie of Shule Skerry.

In Hispanic cultures, the mermaid is a sea goddess: La Serenita, often pictured in a floaty white dress with a star on her forehead and instead of long golden hair, Serenita's locks are as black as the night. This South American goddess is descended from the African goddess Yemaya.

The sixteen-inch mermaid necklace I created for my Heartspace Etsy store consists of a Ukrainian pendant painted on semi-precious onyx, with what must have been a minute paint brush. The pendant is an one inch by one half inch faceted oval. The necklace itself is of onyx, fresh-water Aegean blue pearls, aquamarine faceted rondelles, gold-plated beads, aquamarine chips and lovely Japanese seed beads, like opalescent water droplets. The clasp is gold-filled. A truly winsome bit of fancy.

10 % Off Sale for Blog Followers

2009-07-29T12:10:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends of Heart Space,

I am frying slowly in Portland, Oregon. It's the third day of a killer heat wave. The forecast for today is one hundred eight degrees! And it's not dry heat, either. It's putting me in the mood to let go of all this stuff that has been sitting around in my store. It's putting me in the mood to earn enough gas money to take us to a much-earned trip to the sea side for a day soon. If I make 50-100 dollars I could pay for gas and take us out to dinner. Anyway, I'm going to try.

Here's the plan. If you're a follower of my blog and order before August Fifth, I'll give you a 10% discount on any item. Such a deal! The prices are already quite low.

Surely someone out there is about to drive down to some mall or other to pick up a gift for someone. (We do it out of habit without even thinking.) Well, I don't blame you if you have no Air conditioning and are having a heat wave like ours. But wait, you could be purchasing a handmade, fair trade item from yours truly! I'll gift wrap it for free, too! What could be more easy? Well, I know some of you love the thrill of the shopping hunt. So. . . .

Go ahead and troll the mall. I bet I can beat their prices and you will still enjoy the air conditioned walk. Here's the link - http://www.heartspace.etsy.com

P.S. For those who don't know: the link is to my shop on etsy.com, a site where millions of artisans compete for attention from potential buyers. It is not unusual for a newer store to only have a few sales like mine does. It is no reflection on the quality of my work. I don't have money to advertise, etc. This blog is about it. Luckily I do sell my work in person, too. Still, it would be great to sell more and build a business that has many outlets.

The Little Lupitas

2009-07-25T01:46:00.001-07:00

Three New Little Necklaces

The third one has sold already!

You Are What You Love

2009-07-13T22:16:00.000-07:00

Clarita loves the color robin's egg blue.

What do you love?

Today I recommend a new form of shopping that costs absolutely nothing. It occurred to me while contemplating how people who shop on Etsy leave virtual "hearts" at their favorite Etsy stores, or give to items that catch their fancy. Maybe an Etsy shopper never buys that thing, but just having "hearted" it, they've made it a part of their Favorites Section on their Etsy site. It's a way you can come to know a person on Etsy, by what favorites they display. Some people keep their Etsy hearts secret from all others, but many are so proud of their favorites that they announce them on blogs or on Twitter. Maybe this is a metaphor for a very valuable spiritual and creative exercise: listing your favorite things in some tangible form.

First, spend a few moments with your Heart's Longing, what you'd love to see around you, or how you would like things in your life to be. Then imagine that you have left a bit of your heart at the place where those beloved nouns are sold, or appear, or congregate, just as an Etsy shopper might.

Finally, create a book, either real or imaginary where you might store images or words that represent those nouns, or even some verbs, if what you love is an action word. Now imagine that this book has a photo of you on the cover. All these qualities, things, experiences, etc. are part of what you store in your heart. You might title that book: My Heart's Desires.

Such intentionality might actually help you obtain some of these desires. I intend to make such a book this summer and keep it in a sacred place. Can you list at least a hundred things you love? I guarantee that just doing this will lift your spirits.

What do you cherish in your Heart Space? Please leave a comment with one favorite thing you love. It doesn't have to be anything fancy or ponderous: just what first comes to mind!

Wishing you every happiness,

Clarita

The Audrey Necklace: Wondrous Citrine

2009-06-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

This is my latest posting in my etsy store (link at left). I call it the Audrey Necklace because it evokes the 1960's style of the elegant actress, Audrey Hepburn. It is reminiscent of a necklace Audrey wore in the movie, Breakfast at Tiffany's. I was aiming to create something classic and natural enough to go through an entire day: from breakfast (at Tiffany's?) to that nightcap on your penthouse balcony. Okay, you don't have a penthouse, but wouldn't these stones catch the sunlight on the way to work? Wouldn't they brighten up that tired black linen suit?

The longest strand of this necklace is approximately 19 inches long and the shorter strand about 17 inches. But the most interesting facts about this necklace are the stones, gorgeous citrine, which has a topaz-like glow and a wonderful LORE about its supposed properties.

LORE: Citrine emits such positive energy, it is said to never need cleaning to remove negative vibes, as some stones do. It's the recommended gift stone for Virgos and your 13th and 17th anniversaries. The joyful golden color of citrine probably inspired the lore that it's the Success Stone, which brings good fortune in unexpected ways. If a long lost uncle dies and leaves you a million dollars, or the old poetry notebook you threw away falls into the hands of an enthusiastic editor who searches you down to publish it, you might be wearing citrine!

Those who believe in the healing powers of stones say citrine helps the heart, kidneys, muscles and promotes mental clarity, as well as heightening sex appeal. Hmmm, all that abundance, AND it eliminates any self-destructive tendencies you might have picked up on the way to the bank.

I don't have anyway of proving all the lore, but the rich golden color of the citrine makes me happy just to wear it. The sunlight moves through them and spills out golden rays. More gold than yellow, they look good anyone who can carry off gold jewelry.

The Audrey necklace is one of my favorites so far, and it available for $50, from my Heartspace etsy store. Just click on the etsy store link at the left and check out my new summer jewelry.

Tell me what you want?

2009-05-31T14:20:00.001-07:00

"Tell me what you want, what you really, really want!" the song by the Spice Girls begs. Now I beg of you, appreciators and artisans alike. What is it that would tempt you sorely to part with your hard-earned dollars these days? What would you like to see in the store window above?

Why do I need to know?

Any artist trying to survive needs a public, needs to find a need and fill it. I don't care if you're a poet or a sculptor, you are looking for a niche to fill. And those of us who read, listen, wear, and most of all have hard-earned dollars to share want something really special.

Lately I haven't cared that I don't have much to spend because I don't see all that much that really sings to me. However, I will save my desires for the next post. Right now I want to hear from you.

What stories that haven't been told are you longing to read?
What colors can't you find out there?
What would you wear and need to wear that just isn't being offered anywhere?
And so on? Tell me more. . .

Please, please tell me in your comments on this blog. All you have to do is click on the word comments and the window will tell you what to do.

THE MOST HELPFUL COMMENT left on this blog WILL WIN, ABSOLUTELY FREE A BEADED HEART*SPACE NECKLACE. DEADLINE June 14, 2009.

To get what you want and need and more, it is necessary to formulate a vision of it and most of all ASK!

What's Happening at Heart*space?

2009-05-21T23:36:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends,

I've been neglecting my Etsy Store and this blog for a few weeks due to some unpleasant adventures. Trust me, it was no picnic, but love carried us through. At last everyone is well and hope is rising with the flowers.

I'm back on a creative binge. I have begun work on three altar installations and have placed some of my newest jewelry creations at a cool beauty salon called Images Unlimited where Jenny, Tari and the other talented stylists help men and women to look their best from head to toe. I'm so pleased to have already sold a few of my most fashion forward pieces to Images Unlimited clients already! Just for joy and for a Mothers' Day gift to myself I got my scraggly hair cut for the first time in ages. I must say they did a great job.

So, if you live in Portland, Oregon and need a good haircut, you'll have to run down to Images Unlimited where they'll pamper you royally. Tell them Claire sent you and take a look at my Mermaid Necklaces, one with the look of beach glass, the other with charms and pearls.

While my life settles back to its usual happy chaos, I will finish the Wise Women installations and hope to post them soon. In the meantime, I pray that spring warms into summer less eventfully, or at least may all your events be blessed. I know I am glad to be alive and living right here at this time.

Spring Sale Ends on Sunday, April 12th

2009-04-06T17:44:00.000-07:00

This is an invitation to visit my Etsy Store and order something for Easter. I am offering free shipping within the USA and reduced shipping overseas to all jewelry customers. If you wish to order from out of the USA please convo me at

http://heartspace.etsy.com

There are a few countries to which I cannot ship.

After Easter I will be posting many new items, including new smaller nichos (portable altars in boxes) with the wise women: beautiful old women with faces kind of like this one. The nichos will sell for around forty dollars.

I hope the sun's warmth is returning to your neck of the woods, and you can feel the hope of Easter approaching.

Starving Artist's Recipe: Pizza San Antonio

2009-03-29T00:54:00.000-07:00

I hope you'll visit my Etsy store and check out my Spring Sale. For less than the cost of a cheap pizza, you can find a nice gift for someone special. I love pizza and a movie, but why spend your hard-earned money on greasy pizza, when you can make it so much better and healthier at home? Homemade is pretty easy and fun to make. I have a recipe for delicious crust, and you have control over the quality of the toppings.

Use the best cheese you can afford, fresh veggies and anything else you love. Always, always lightly bake the crust for about five minutes in a very hot oven before you top the pizza, that's the secret to getting a homemade crust that you can pick up in your fingers without it wilting. (If you have a brick oven, you can forget that step, but most of us are stuck with the usual electric or gas range.)

Before you sit down eat your pizza, don't forget to thank Saint Anthony, the Abbot, patron saint of Naples, and the original pizza, which originated there! Saint Anthony is pictured at the left, preparing a fire on which make a pizza al fresco. The barnyard animals are encouraging him to make it vegetarian style.

Though I admire his campfire skills, I won't be making an altar to San Antonio any time soon. I will be making my own delicious pizza and eating it while I watch a DVD from the good old Multnomah County Public Library! Dinner and a Movie on the cheap! Monday I begin a whole series of altars to the wise women. Maybe you're becoming wiser when you try this new recipe.

Clarita's Pizza Recipe:

4 cups unbleached flour

(or you can mix 1 cup semolina flour, or half whole wheat - half unbleached, but I suggest that it's best if there's some unbleached for good texture)

3 Tablespoons dry yeast

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup good olive oil

1 large can good quality canned petite diced or crused tomatoes (drain diced tomatoes, not necessary to drain crushed.)

fresh or dry basil

2 cups Mozzarella cheese

Toppings: your call!

In large bowl measure flour, make a nice little crater in the middle, add yeast and 1/2 cup warm water.
Let yeast dissolve for a few minutes, then gently mix into dough with salt and olive oil.
Add 1 cup warm water.
Stir until well mixed.
Knead till smooth on floured board. (Kneading involves folding the dough and pushing down on the mouth of the fold. After each knead, turn dough and repeat fold and push-press, until dough is smooth and elastic, about ten minutes of good arm exercise. Scrape the bowl clean with a strong rubber spatula and add all those little crumples to the dough as part of the kneading process.)
Oil the mixing bowl with olive oil and roll ball of dough in bowl and cover with clean towel. Leave dough in warm but not hot place to rise until doubled. This might take 45 minutes to an hour.
Flour your hands, punch dough down and remove it from bowl.
Oil your pizza pan and sprinkle with cornmeal.
Stretch the dough gently by hand onto large pizza pan, or two, depending on size and thickness preferred. You use more dough per pan for thick pizza, use rolling pin if you like the crust cracker thin.
Brush the crust with a tiny bit of olive oil in which you have crushed a clove of fresh garlic.
In very hot oven (450-500 degrees) pre-bake pizza crust for five minutes until lightly golden.
Drain some lovely petite diced tomatoes and spread thinly on crust, along with fresh or dried basil and lovely grated or thinly sliced mozzarella cheese. If you have the $$ for other stretchy Italian cheeses, such as Provolone, or accent cheeses, such as Romano, Parmesan and Asiago, sprinkle to your heart's content. Save a little to sprinkle lightly over your topping veggies .
Top with whatever else your little heart desires. I love marinated and broiled eggplant, olives, mushrooms and artichoke hearts.
Bake for about 10 minutes at 450 degrees until cheese is bubbly and golden. Let cool a bit before slicing: maybe 5-10 minutes. ENJOY.

Etsy Going to the Dogs? May be, but it's a good thing!

2009-03-11T22:48:00.001-07:00

Beautiful hemp items available at Earth Moon Beam's Etsy Store and website.

This dog looks so proud in her handsome Celtic collar.

And the prices are reasonable, too.

Hi Etsy Fanatics,

Have you found everything you needed on Etsy, the premier site for artisan made items? Well, maybe not everything for your pet, eh? These handsome Hippie dogs in spiffy handmade hemp collars delight me.

The collars and leashes should last forever and be a lot more comfortable than a lot of the collars around, especially more comfortable than those choke chains. You can custom order a collar and have your dogs name beaded into the macrame design. Check out Earth Moonbeams art while you're there. What a versatile artist!

Amazing: all the beautiful things at Earth Moon Beam's groovy store!

http://earthmoonbeam.etsy.com

That's all for today,

Your roving reporter,

Clarita de Heartspace

Cooking From Scratch Part Two: Spanish Lentils

2009-03-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

The saints love lentils. Why? I am not sure, but it must have something to do with the cheapness and ease of cooking the versatile little legumes. maybe it's because because lentils are mentioned in the Bible. In the story of Jacob and Esau: a story of extreme sibling rivalry. Esau traded his birthright as the eldest son to his brother Jacob for a "pottage of lentils."

I once watched a movie about a troupe of Spanish actors visiting early Nazi Germany. They were starving for lentils, so they ended up in a Jewish restaurant on Kristalnacht, a night when Nazi brown shirts attacked Jewish businesses. Though the experience horrified and frightened them, the actors didn't regret having enjoyed the thick brown stew. Lentils reminded them of home.

You can make such a homey stew, one will stir the passions of a gourmet, and meet the approval of the most saintly vegetarian, all for pennies. A pottage for a pittance: what I mean is this recipe is good and cheap!

Lentil Stew:

(serves starving masses)

NEEDED: one very large heavy stock pot.

2 cups lentils

3 or more stalks celery

1 onion

4-6 carrots

1 large can diced tomatoes

2 cups shredded green cabbage

olive oil

salt

pepper

garlic

rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil (or whatever preferred herbs: I often use Herbs Provence)

Options: Add cubed red potatoes or macaroni with the vegetables for a more hefty stew.

Wash and sort lentils carefully.
Put lentils in stock pot with six cups water and bring to boil. Boil about 3 minutes.
Add 1 teaspoon salt, garlic, two tablespoons olive oil and tomatoes, simmer 1/2 hour.
While simmering chop vegetables into spoon sized bites, shred cabbage & add to lentils.
Add herbs if dried; if fresh wait till last fifteen minutes or so to add herbs
Simmer until vegetables and lentils are soft, stirring occasionally. This should take about 1/2 hour to 40 minutes.
Serve with grated Parmesan cheese and crusty bread for a satisfying meal.

Kreative Blog Awards

2009-03-05T22:36:00.000-08:00

Here are the rules [I must follow]: List 7 things you love and then pass the award on to 7 people tagging them and letting them know they've won. You can copy the picture of the awar and put it on your sideboard letting the blogger world know you're a KREATIV BLOGGER [their spelling not mine]. Here are some things I love"

Color: couldn't live without it every day in massive doses. Especially Blue, green and yellow...
Sesame Seeds and almonds, also in massive doses. Very healing.
The herbs lavender and rosemary have cheered me all my life.
Birds: Hummingbirds, meadowlarks, mockingbirds and mourning doves.
The sea, the sea! Oh my, it is my favorite location.
Sailboats: the way to go nowhere with joy.
Cats, (especially my cat Xochitl) horses, dogs, and just about any creature.

Now friends here are some blogs you shouldn't miss. I give them all the Kreativ Blogger award:

TAG YOU'RE IT BLOGGERS!

Cooking From Scratch Part One: Your Own Delicious & Healthy Bread

2009-02-27T15:57:00.000-08:00

Dear Starving Artists,

I am about to share a secret that will halve your grocery bill and allow you to ride out this recession with finesse and style. Get yourself a good, simple cookbook and learn the work the grocery store to your advantage. Prepared foods cost more per unit than basic ingredients and are definitely less healthy. Cook from scratch from bulk ingredients.

This may sound difficult if you don't cook at all, or if you hate to cook but it will definitely protect your health to cook your meals from the best ingredients you can afford. For example: bread is a healthy staple and a lot easier to make yourself than you might think.

If you turn on your oven to bake, it does cost something, but your house gets warmer, and delightfully fragrant in the bargain. Not only that, but your bread will be so much more delicious and you have control over the ingredients.

So many of the brands of bread contain corn syrup which in NOT GREEN (google KING CORN, the documentary) or healthful. I put ground flax seed meal and all kinds of healthy stuff in my bread, and minimize the fats and sugars. I buy my flour from the bulk bins at WINCO (a very affordable grocery store) and when I am rich, I buy organic flour. We do the best we can with the dollars we have, right? (Please don't scold me; buy something from my Etsy Store and I will buy organic flour in your honor!)

So, I'm going to share my easy and excellent bread recipe here. It makes four beautiful loaves, and as you improve as a baker you can vary the ingredients. From time to time I will share more recipes, especially Hispanic ones that my family has passed down for ages.

FOUR LOAVES OF GOOD BREAD

Sponge:

5 cups flour

3 Tablespoons yeast

1/3 cup sweetener (honey, brown sugar, or molasses) or less to taste (must have 1 tablespoon)

5 cups warm water

Mix above ingredients quite well: no lumps or clumps. Allow to rise about 1 hour, or until the sponge is bubbly and doubled.

Later add: 1/3 cup oil

1/4 cup flax seed meal

2 Tablespoons good salt

enough flour to make dough (about 4-5 cups, so that you can knead and it's not sticky)

After the sponge has risen for about 45 minutes to an hour, add the oil, salt and continue to stir in flour until you can no longer stir with a heavy wooden spoon.
Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead the dough. You do this by pushing and stretching the dough with the heels of your hands and then folding and turning the dough, each time pressing the dough forward with you hands and refolding until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. How do you know the dough is ready to shape into loaves? When you pinch it, the dough will feel like your earlobe! Add flour as you need to to keep the dough from sticking.
Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and cover with towel as you shape each loaf and set it into a greased bread pan. The best size for this recipe is about 6 by 9 inch pan. You can grease with butter, PAM spray or shortening. Oil doesn't work well.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Allow loaves to rise under a light towel until they're curved about 1/2 inch above the top of the bread pan. Be sure it's a warm place, but do not place loaves too near heat as they will rise too fast and the yeast will die. If the place is too cold, the yeast will sleep and rise sluggishly.
Before you place loaves in oven, you might choose to brush with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes in center of oven. The bread crust will look browned and the bread will sound hollow when tapped if done.
Remove from pan and cool at least 15 minutes. (Use willpower; it wrecks the loaf to cut it too soon!) If you must leave the bread out for awhile, cover the loaves with towels to keep them from losing too much moisture.
To store unused loaves wrap and place in freezer. Bread defrosts fast!

WE HAVE A WINNER!

2009-02-21T23:45:00.000-08:00

Jen and Chrisy were neck and neck, but Jen had the most correct answers. So Jen wins the necklace. However I'd like to reward Chrisy for being such a loyal contestant by offering her a $5.00 coupon to go towards any item in my store, except vintage and the custom altars. Jen and Chrisy should convo me to claim their prizes.

In the midst of all this, I have been on jury duty, so the contest hasn't been promoted as it should have been. I will try again later. I am still learning about this business and don't know how to do a lot of the promotional things.

However I love to write, so I'll stick to that for awhile and we'll revisit contests and promotions in the spring.

Keep warm and happy, everyone. Life is so short!

Contest Question # 5 & 6

2009-02-20T21:19:00.000-08:00

Midnight tomorrow I will announce the winner: the one who posts the answers to 5 &6 first on the blog and has correctly answered all the previous questions.

Here are the last two questions:

A. Good mojo, I say she has it! Who is she and what item features her?

B. This pendant, I describe that it looks like cherry candy. Odd of me to say that, better check to make sure I'm right.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! Wish you all could win...Hope it's been fun/

We'll have to do this again soon.

Contest Clue # 4

2009-02-19T23:46:00.000-08:00

You deserve a medal for getting this far. So does she; and while you're at it, pick up some roses.

Who is she?

Question # 3

2009-02-18T23:35:00.000-08:00

Did you answer #2? What was the item that might be used to turn over a new leaf, or as an affirmation for hurtful memories?

Okay, question #3 is as follows:

The birthstone for January...which item did I design around a 1930's glass bead?

Happy day to you!

Tuesday's Clue and Question #3

2009-02-17T23:16:00.000-08:00

Time to turn over a new leaf. This item might be worn as an affirmation to heal hurtful memories...

Lonely Hearts Clue and Question #2

2009-02-16T23:30:00.000-08:00

Cheap wine, a favorite on Skid Row, had a little jingle vintage 1960's: "How's it sold/Good and cold/What's the jive?/Bird's Alive." It's between 13 & 18% alcohol by volume, made by Gallo, and is responsible for a lot of public drunkenness. Sadly, this wine's name name was taken from the great totems of Native American origin.

What's the wine called? And which item features this totem? There's an extra clue if you read the first line of this post very carefully. Post your answers to the question on this post and the one below. If you are the first one to post the correct answer to the last question and have posted the answer to each day's question you're the winner!

Good luck!

Lonely Hearts Scavenger Hunt Begins Now!

2009-02-15T19:11:00.001-08:00

You could win the lonely valentine heart necklace above, if you can find the answers to each day's question in my Etsy Store. It's a scavenger hunt of sorts, but not too hard. Here's how it works.

There will be six questions, one per day; the last one's on Friday. The clues refer to descriptions of items in my Etsy Store. You can find the answers in the descriptions. Remember to check both pages of the store.
Each of the questions have a clue as to which posting might include the answer.
Each evening until Friday, I will be posting a question and--you can leave the answer in the comments to that posting on this blog.
On Saturday I will be selecting a winner from whomever comments first with the answer to the very last question (provided he or she also gave the right answers to the other questions).
GOOD LUCK. If you have any questions, post them today as comments. If two people comment simultaneously I will look back to see who commented first on previous postings.
FIRST QUESTION: This one is easy. I'm leaving a clue. A clue: in spring a little bird paints hers bright sky blue. This item is sadly unhearted and I can't understand why. It is classic and timeless and would look as good with a little black dress as it would with a sweater and jeans. Which item is it?
<-----There's a link to my Etsy Store on this blog...Happy hunting!

Heartspace Lonely Hearts' Contest

2009-02-14T23:20:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends of Heart*Space:

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! I hope your heart is happy, and that your rose looks better than the one my cat gnawed on (see right.)

I want you to be the first to hear about my Lonely Hearts' Contest. In my store there are some lonely hearts that didn't sell for Valentine's Day. You could be the lucky winner of one of them.

Tomorrow I will be posting the clues to a scavenger hunt throughout my Etsy Store. Those who visit my store and search through the postings will find the clues in the item descriptions in various listings of artisan jewelry or custom altars. I won't tell you which, but I will drop some clues on postings this week! I will be offering one of my Valentine necklace's as a prize for the potential Queen or King of Hearts, who through expert scavenging, is able to deduct the most answers to questions by the deadline. I will be posting the contest deadline, directions and clues Monday at 12 noon Pacific Time.

Be sure to check this blog daily for updates.

Visit the Treasury?

2009-02-12T18:48:00.000-08:00

Hi Dear Friends who Follow this Blog,

Just a quick note. One of my vintage items has the honor of being featured in the Etsy Treasury of the Spanglish Team. It's a beautiful springy treasury. The other artists are so cool, I feel honored, even though I didn't make what is featured. It may help lead some buyers to my Etsy Store, or so I hope.

Here's the link:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=43049

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

PS. After writing this, I discovered I'm in another treasury! Another vintage item, which is a good start. Here's the link:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=43030

Thank you for looking!

Blessed Kateri

2009-02-06T12:38:00.000-08:00

This week I want to introduce you to Blessed Kateri, Lily of the Mohawks. I have made a necklace with her image to celebrate this Native American saint who awaits canonization. I have been drawn to her image in the garden surrounding Saint Francis Cathedral in Santa Fe, New Mexico, loving her story, which is seems so sad and is probably completely misunderstood.

That Kateri was a deeply spiritual woman attracted to the story of the wounded, rejected Christ and His grieving mother is not for me to dispute. Yet, the reasons for her rejection by her Mohawk peers when she became a Christian do not ring true to me. I believe the pain caused by the Missionaries, colonists and the White Man in general is the reason Kateri was ridiculed and marginalized by her people. How could one who knew the pain and sickness brought from Europe worship their God?

I believe Kateri's vision of Christ was in accord with her innate knowledge of The Holy that preceded her conversion. I believe there is "that of God in each one" and Blessed Kateri's gift was compassion and love not only for her own people, but for the conquerors who had so misunderstood Christ's teaching as to justify the destruction of an entire culture, a civilization with values and truth as viable as their own.

To wear this necklace if you're Native American is to celebrate the life of a great and compassionate ancestor Skin. If you are not Native American, perhaps it would serve as a reminder of the great souls that trod this Holy Ground before your ancestors came. May you walk softly, spread light and love and treasure the beauty all around you. Here, in honor of Kateri and her People is a reverent Mohawk Prayer:

Oh Great Spirit, Creator of all things;

Human Beings, trees, grass, berries.

Help us, be kind to us.

Let us be happy on earth.

Let us lead our children

To a good life and old age.

These our people; give them good minds

to love one another.

Oh Great Spirit,

Be kind to us.

Give these people the favor

to see green trees,

green grass, flowers and berries

This next spring;

So we all meet again

Oh Great Spirit,

We ask of you.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

2009-01-30T22:20:00.000-08:00

I have a special love for Our Lady of Guadalupe and her story. I love the synergy of Native American and Old World; and the fact that Mary appeared to someone the Europeans in Colonial Mexico thought of little importance.

Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to a poor Indian whom the padres had renamed Juan Diego; his birth name was Cuauhtlatohuac. On December 9, 1531, Juan Diego was on his way to attend a Mass in honor of The Virgin Mary. As he passed a hill, a sacred place to the Aztecs, called Tepeyac, he heard beautiful music like the song of summer birds. A radiant cloud appeared before Juan Diego, and within it, there was a little brown-skinned maiden so like Juan Diego's people, but dressed as an Aztec Princess. She spoke to him in his own language, not Spanish, and asked him to approach the Bishop of Mexico on Her behalf. He must ask the Bishop to build a chapel to Mary in the very place where she now appeared before him.

With much difficulty, Juan Diego finally gained the audience of Bishop Juan de Zumarraga, who received him with some skepticism, requiring that Juan Diego ask The Lady for a sign. Juan Diego, returned home to find his uncle lay dying, and avoided the hill of Tepeyac, in order to care for the old man in peace.

Our Lady of Guadalupe found Juan Diego in his uncle's home, assuring him that the old man would recover, that he should go about getting her the chapel. Juan Diego repeated to her the Bishop's request for a sign. Our Lady asked for Juan Diego's cape or tilma, and filled it with roses for him to carry to the bishop. Again, Juan Diego, an old man himself at 57, trod the long road to Mexico City and the palace of the Bishop.

When Juan Diego opened the tilma, the roses fell to the Bishop's feet. Bishop Juan Zumarraga sunk to his knees, but it was not to gather the roses, but rather in reverence. On the tilma, like a photograph, was the image of Mary as she had appeared at the hill of Tepeyac: a maiden of brown skin, dressed as an Aztec Princess. This anniversary of this date: December 12, 1531, has been celebrated throughout the Americas ever since. In the 477 years since this miracle, the image on Juan Diego's tilma had not faded. The image of is on display in the chapel built on the hill as Our Lady requested.

In honor of Juan Diego's tilma full of roses, I have made the Virgin Guadalupe Rose Necklace. May you also know the beauty of roses in the dead of winter, the hope that springs eternal. To see more of this necklace, and my other work, please click on this link.

www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20438690

Saint Valentine's Day

2009-01-25T23:05:00.000-08:00

St. Valentine certainly existed in Imperial Rome during the days of the Christian martyrs, but no one knows exactly why he's the namesake of the February holiday, other than his martyrdom on February 14.

Long having lost its association with the saint, Valentines Day bears little trace of this Christian martyr, beyond the traditional depiction of of the Valentine heart with an arrow through it. He may have been martyred by a piercing of the heart! Before his death, matters of the heart were a major concern for Valentine.

The story is that St. Valentine married Christian couples at a time when the Romans forbid this. This may have something to do with him being the partron saint of engaged couples, lovers, and happy marriages.

While awaiting his execution in Rome, St. Valentine is storied to have befriended his jailer's blind daughter, and finally restoring her sight. Legend has it, he penned her a note on the eve of his death, saying, "Farewell, from your Valentine."

I can find no connection with St. Valentine's story and the fact that he is the patron saint of beekeepers. Maybe that's the source of the tradition of Valentine's Day sweets?

If you wish to celebrate St. Valentine's Day with a gift of a heart, please visit my Heartspace Etsy. I will be thrilled to assist your gift with wrapping, etc. Go to Heartspace:

http://heartspace.etsy.com/

and check out the Valentines Section. Most items are less than twenty dollars with postage!

Wishing you love and every happiness,

Clarita

Welcome, Dear Readers!

2009-01-23T10:23:00.000-08:00

I hope you'll read about my late sister, Diane Vivell Delevett, below. In honor of the recent triumph of Barack Obama, to continue to celebrate Martin Luther King Junior and usher in the coming of Black History Month in February, I've written about her work for Civil Rights during the Freedom Summers in Mississippi. While you're here, I'd love you to click on gadget at left to become a follower of this blog. Please check out my amazing rose-eating cat on this blog:

http://saltlighttomatoes.blogspot.com/

Wishing you every happiness,

Clarita

Happy MLK Day: Remembering an Unknown Saint

2009-01-18T16:43:00.000-08:00

We are all grateful for saintly men, like Martin Luther King Junior, because of their passion, courage and willingness to serve. We can never repay these heroes enough for the sacrifices they make for us. Though unknown to most, my sister, Diane, who died in 1997 of cancer, was a saint in my life and quite a few others. Considering her devotion to Martin Luther King Jr.'s cause, I can't help but wonder if she's turning somersaults in heaven on the eve of this historic Inauguration Day. She was always profoundly political and deeply aware of injustice.

Twelve years my senior and, as they say, a hard act to follow: Diane was as beautiful an inward person as she was outwardly (at only 12 years she was offered a screen test to play Elizabeth Taylor as a child!) But she was not just a hero to me, she was a mini hero in the early Civil Rights Movement, one of the many college students who went summer after summer to Mississippi in the early 60's to participate in non-violent struggle for justice inspired, largely, by Martin Luther King Junior and other African Americans in leadership.

She and several of her friends were given the task of riding into small Mississippi towns, dressed in their Sunday best: hats and white gloves were not optional. They would rent a highly visible car and park in front of African American churches, where they would attend for worship. What's so courageous about that, you might ask?

My sister and her student friends associated closely with African Americans who were known to be Civil Right's workers, according to the Klan enough of an offense to compel them to kill three male student Civil Rights Workers just months before. And three little girls were murdered in a church bombing, just prior to Diane's arrival in Mississippi.

No one knew if young white women attending a black church would be a deterrent to more bombings, but my sister and her cohorts were willing to take the chance that they could help their African American brothers and sisters worship in relative security. When I see photos or documentaries about the Freedom Summers my sister participated in, I see no college women dressed in hats and gloves on their way to church.

The young white people I see are famous icons such as Joan Baez or Bob Dylan, who spent comparatively little time in the south, but must have garnered much needed publicity for the cause when they joined marches and protests. Women walking into church arm in arm with their black cohorts are hardly as interesting as Bobbie and Joanie leading everyone in singing "We Shall Overcome" as police aim the fire hoses at protesters. The behind-the-scenes heroes go forgotten and many have died or are reaching old age.

Now we celebrate new heroes, especially a new one, who is largely untested and yet is riding on the hopes and dreams of our troubled country. We are on the eve of the Inauguration of Barack Obama! My sister, alas, is not alive to see this milestone, for which she is indirectly responsible by way of her small but not too small acts of heroism.

There are so many unsung heroes in the struggle for human rights all over the world and Martin Luther King Day is a wonderful day to thank them by some act of service, however small, especially if it might even slip by the radar unnoticed. But on any given day these small acts accumulate to tip the balance toward hope and reconciliation in this country and worldwide. A small act will not only change your world; it might change your life.

My sister went on to become an attorney and worked for justice behind the scenes for The Equal Rights Amendment, and for rural poor and farm workers through California Rural Legal Assistance. She once had the dubious honor of debating Conservative activist Phyllis Schafly over the Equal Rights Amendment in Saint Louis, Missouri.

But above all, Diane was an angel to me: an encourager, a wise friend, an advocate for my best interests and a person of great joie de vivre. I believe she was as imperfect as the rest of us, just as Martin Luther King was, and Barack Obama most probably is. The difference between the average person and a hero or saint -- is not perfection, but the willingness to act in courageous love before perfection is achieved. All this for the higher good. . .

I will celebrate this day by bringing food and warm clothing to my local Neighborhood House, a resource for people in need. Have you an idea to celebrate MLK Day?

Who are Your Saints and Sages?

2009-01-15T19:28:00.000-08:00

There is something mysterious about those who've gone before and blazed the trail for us. My Native American brothers and sisters call them the Grandfathers and Grandmothers, the Elders who now walk the Sky Road. The Native peoples of Tamasklit say that when one dies, his stories die also. This mystery is one that attracts and intrigues me. I want to know the old stories before they are lost.

We remember the stories of the saints and sages and retell them. The stories of those who came before have power for us. Sometimes, simply hearing the story of a saint's travail and triumph will empower us to overcome. For example, think of the icon Martin Luther King Junior has become for all who strive for a Dream against great odds.

In the form of an altar or a piece of jewelry worn close to the heart, the images of saints and sages remind us that we are following in the footsteps of the great ones who have experienced much the same hardships, joys and sorrows as we have. The reason these saints and sages are remembered and revered is because they bore the hardships, celebrated the joys and grieved the sorrows with remarkable grace and intention. Some promised to pray for us even after death.

Who are the saints and sages that inspire you? They don't have to be official canonized saints. I for one, am among the devout admirers of the late Fred Rogers, creator of the beloved misterogers show for young children. Each one of us know persons who inspired us as young people and still do. To commemorate such a person I made the altar of the old woman, in the photos above. It is very hard to photograph these, but I think you can imagine that they're better in person. (Like so many of us)

This little box is about the size of a book and my friend who owns it can carry it with her. She mostly keeps it in her art studio, where she paints beautiful pictures of flowers, remembering the lively friend of her grandmother who took her on nature walks in New England.

This is the most gratifying thing I've ever done, to help others commemorate the wonderful people and archetypes that have shaped their lives. And in making the altar pieces I get to be present with the stories my clients tell me, which is a very beautiful experience of which I never tire.

In Need of a Small Miracle. . .and Some Patience

2009-01-14T00:51:00.000-08:00

Today my husband Jim lost his job. It would be easier if I had work, because they suddenly fired him today, and he hadn't a chance to go looking to bridge the gap more gracefully. Yes, it's the same old story that is being told all over the country. I don't suppose it's even interesting enough to get people to follow my blog to find out what's next for us.

I'm confident that we can get through this, because we are graced with wonderful family, friends and as I mentioned in my other blog, a dear little cat who is presently chewing on the knobs of Jim's stereo. (See her picture above: her name is Xochi.)

It's precisely her mischief that relieves my stress somewhat. She is so unconcerned, so innocent of the big change in our material situation. As far as she knows, everything is as it was, and so it may be, in the bigger picture. We are alive and still under a warm roof. Today we had omelets and toast for dinner: delicious. There is one more paycheck and a little money in the bank

Like our country and our world, we're in need of miracles and patience to ride out this storm. I will continue to post in my Etsy store and make more and more economies, as we try to make the savings stretch over the time till new work comes our way. I may end up making these postings from the public library if we need to cancel internet...so keep reading. It means so much to me to write.

I do pray that some of you, the ones who like pretty little things might take a look at my Etsy store and if you see something you need, give me your business. It will feel like a sign that all shall be well in time. In the meantime, I am learning to be patient.

Why I Make the Altars

2009-01-11T18:56:00.000-08:00

As a teenager I lived in Spain and visited the cathedrals and churches. It was there that my love of religious iconography was born. I especially loved the niches that held beautiful images of Mary, as a maiden and as a grieving mother.

At Easter time in Seville I stood transfixed as a beautiful Madonna was carried down the street as the culmination of a Good Friday parade. To signify tears, someone had applied pearls to her cheeks, the bodice of her blue gown and her skirts. To add to the splendor, through the rod iron bars of a monastery window, a young woman about to become a nun sang Mary's ancient song of mourning. What a spectacle!

All too Baroque, maybe -- Gothic, certainly, but all the same the scene of the figures in purple robes and hoods carrying their Madonna and the unearthly soprano of the young nun are etched in my memory. I can remember that I felt as if I had risen from the ground, it was all so stunning. From then on, I began to study religious imagery in earnest. But I never dreamed I would every become an iconographer of sorts.

It wasn't till a recent trip to New Mexico that I began to wonder if I might make such images of my own. I am not an artist with a capital "A"but I love to make art. I would never presume to think I could capture anything living up to the spectacles in Seville. But the rough innocence of the Spanish Colonial religious icons there helped me see that one did not need to be a Murillo, Velasquez or Dali to create heartfelt pieces celebrating the HOLY. I came home with an itch to make some santos of my own.

My first piece was a flash of inspiration after breaking a lovely Ukrainian Easter Egg that a dear friend had brought me after a journey to Eastern Europe. I had only had it a few hours and as I made my way to put it away, dropped it and smashed it. There seemed to be nothing to do but to throw it away. I couldn't bring myself to do this, though. I was very angry at myself and thought about how so many things (tangible and intangible) I had lost in life through foolish, clumsy mistakes.

No longer able to live with the self scolding, I said a prayer of asking: how can I redeem this poor little egg? I thought, "If only there were an Angel of Broken Things." Then I decided to create this angel with the pieces of broken egg. I will post a photo of this first altar, not because it's particularly good, but because it was such fun to have transformed a broken bit of disappointment into art.

That is why I make the altars, to create sacred space and transform objects into stories that mean far more than the images look at first glance. Not great art, not masterpieces, but heartfelt and healing. What is broken in your life? Ask the Angel of Broken Things to inspire you to transform and heal.

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN. . .

2009-01-05T10:19:00.000-08:00

It's not easy being green. This little heart pendant sat in my bead box ignored, until I thought about how important being green has finally become to the populace. At last, we finally realize that the way we treat the earth has an affect on everything else. This little heart could be a reminder to do one thing each hour that TAKES CARE OF THE GREEN PLANET. Ideas:

Use a real mug instead of a disposable cup at work?
Reuse that envelope to write a grocery list or phone message?
Walk or take the bus somewhere instead of the car? Then you don't need the gym membership...

Send a Valentine to the Earth: reuse magazines, etc to collage a personal valentine to your friend or lover, and recycle the paper you don't use.

And when you're thinking of buying a Valentine gift, maybe bypass the mall and check out all the starving artists' work on etsy. I'd be honored if you checked out mine. There's a link on this page. THANKYOU.

(Please, scroll down to read about custom made altars.)

WELCOME!

2008-12-28T22:19:00.000-08:00

(Updated January 1, 2009)

I am exploring the sacred in the every day, in the lives of those who commission the pieces, the mysterious universe, and my own relationship to form and spirit.

The slide show, which I will be improving in time, features a few of my creations. Above right is a close up of an image of Santa Marta, commissioned by Peg Edera, who will be adding her review to the comments here. If you want to see my etsy store, please clink on the sidebar link.

I have made altars honoring such diverse characters as Frida Kahlo, The Virgin of Guadalupe, Emma Goldman, The Spirit of Crater Lake, Four Winds Woman, The Angel of Broken Things and Our Lady of the Fragile Earth.

Please contact me if you want to know more about the stories of saints, who might be your patron saint or sage and why that is helpful to know. I will be delighted to reply.

ALL CREATED CONTENT IS COPYRIGHTED & remains the sole property of the artist:

Claire Germain Nail 2009.