Antares is the winning name and Lorraine is our prize winner!!

Lorraine was our winner of the help me name my piece contest. She said" I like the name of the Northern American goddess: "Antares" - (which means the following) : The star called the Scorpion’s eye. The spirit-star of the Old Goddess of the Pawnee and Cherokee Indians. I also like Cheyenne".

Thank you to everyone who participated. I loved all of the name suggestions, many I had never even heard of before. It is so eye-opening to see the way that others percieve your work of art.

Thank you,
Rachele Dagley
Rachele's Originals

Voting for a name has begun!!

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in finding the perfect name for my newest creation. Now that I have accumulated all of the name choices the voting has begun. The poll will remain open until Sunday evening at 11:59pm. I look forward to seeing what everyone chooses as their favorite. This is going to be a very tough challenge, we have some fantastic name suggestions. What started out as an idea of my husbands(thank you baby), has turned into a wonderfully exciting and fun event. Thanks for your help and have fun!!

Sincerely,
Rachele Dagley
Rachele's Originals

Suggesting a name could win you a prize!!

I created this new necklace, which also includes some of my newest polymer clay creations. While I was creating it I was thinking about ancient civilizations, mother nature, Gaia, the feminine principle, ancient goddess....I'm sure you get the idea.
After completing this new necklace, and keeping all those things in mind, I just couldn't settle on a name. I asked my children and husband what they thought and although they had some great names, nothing quite fit. My husband then suggested that I get all of your opinions on it, which I thought was a fantastic idea. So I ask my fellow beadweavers and bead embroiderers if you would be so kind to leave me a comment with your suggestions for names. I will collect those names for a couple of days. Once collected, I will post all of your suggestions in a voting poll, and the person who suggested the winning name will receive this little gift package (shown below) that I put together, as a way of showing my appreciation. This package also includes a couple of my new polymer clay cabochons. I excited to see what you come up with.


Thank you so much,
Rachele Dagley
Rachele's Originals

Mermaid Lore

This necklace was created for the Beadweaving Emporium Market's November Challenge themed Beachcomber. The first thing I thought of was shells, and then I started thinking of all the things that could be washed up to shore. My head started swimming with shipwrecks, treasures, and yes....mermaids. I have always been fasinated with fantasy, legends, and the Sea.

I imagine walking along the beach one afternoon, pondering lifes many lessons. The foaming tides covering my bare feet as they washed to shore. The winds very crisp, wild, and refreshing, and the Sun has taken refuge behind some clouds in the distance. I can feel a slight drop of rain touch my face as I gaze out into the great, vast ocean . I wonder what it would be like to be a mermaid, just for a day, to explore and unlock the many treasures and mysteries of the sea.

Just then, from the corner of my eye, I spotted something just ahead on the rocks. This sparked my imagination, so I ran to explore what the sea had gifted me. To my amazement, a very beautiful and enchanting necklace lay at my feet. It appeared to be very old, enchanting and alluring, almost calling to me. I was entranced with it, and had to try it on. It fit perfectly, and just as I closed the clasp, I was transformed into a beautiful mermaid.

Ahhh, what a fantasy. Although this necklace will not actually turn you into a mermaid, you can let your imagination run wild, while wearing it. Mermaid Lore is completely hand sewn with much care and with great attention to detail, and to VOTE for your favorite please visit our voting polls now through the 15th at http://www.thebeadweavingemporium.blogspot.com.

I must also mention that the Etsy Beadweavers are currently in the voting stages of there November challenge as well. Although I didn't have enough time to enter the challenge this month, the entries are breathtaking and deserve much admiration. So please go to http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com to VOTE for your favorite and browse through all the gorgeous creations!!

Pricing Beadwoven Jewelry

How do you price your beadwoven or bead embroidered jewelry? Is there a method to this? What things do you take into consideration? Am I underpricing my work? Am I charging to much? These are all valid questions, and I would like to shed a little light onto my thoughts about all this. Let me say first, I do not create jewelry as a hobby, I do this as a passion, addiction, and a business!!

1. I take many things into consideration when figuring out my price for one of my pieces. First I take into consideration my cost of materials. You must be sure to keep track of your materials....For instance, if you buy a 16" strand of 8mm pearls for $8.00 and there were 50 pearls on that strand. If you use the whole strand that is easier to calculate, however if you use 37 of those pearls your cost would be $5.92. I usually put the cost per bead on the container when I check my items in.

2. Then I take into consideration, how much time I have invested. You must figure out what you are going to pay yourself for your time. I charge approximately $18.00 an hour. It used to be higher, however I considered with the economy, I would lower my hourly wage, just like many others in this nation have.

3. To have a successful business, you must consider your other business costs, such as advertising costs, business cards, signs, displays, show entry fees, shipping fees, travel expenses, learning materials or expenses. I am only naming a few things here, however there may be many more business expenses to consider.

If you are doing word of mouth advertising via social networks, consider your hourly wage in here, however keep it to a minimum! We know this could raise our costs considerably, because we spend a large amount of our valuable time trying to promote our work. How long does it take you to snap, edit, and post your pictures and listings? These are all things to consider!!

After I have taken all these things into consideration, I have the basis for my costs.

For instance if I made a big necklace that cost me $30.00 in supplies, and 23 hours to create, plus I add on the average $4.00 to each product to average out my business expenses. My necklace would wholesale for $448.00!! I actually sell my necklaces for wholesale prices, however if I had a larger business, that had larger expenses, I would sell them at retail. Retail (to my understanding) is usually considered triple the cost of wholesale.

I have every bit of faith in my work, and I sell One of a Kind pieces of art that I have poured much of myself into. When someone asks me, how can you sell something for $450.00, I simply state that I feel my prices are actually on the lower end, when you consider the amount of cost and time that I put into it.

My target market is not someone who can not afford my pieces, but rather a collector who truly appreciates art and who can not afford not to have one of my pieces!!

Artists, have you found the value in your work?

2 Days Left

There are only 2 days left to place your vote for your favorite. The art of bead weaving and bead embroidery is one of passion and patience. At times we can spend many hours, days, or even weeks to produce the beautiful end results, that you see. The participants of these themed challenges, do them for many different reasons. I cannot speak for every one of them, however I can say that I do these challenges to broaden my views, increase my abilities, and get exposure for my works.

I truly believe if we had more artists in the world, it would be a much better place. Art takes us in directions, that we may have never taken, without it. It opens our hearts to compassion, and extends our minds to possiblities. It can broaden our view if we allow it too, and most importantly it is the very best way to express ourselves.




Please show your support for our art by simply placing a vote for your favorite piece.

I've Got The Power

"I've got the Power" is my entry for the Etsy Beadweavers October Challenge. My favorite super hero of all time is Wonder Woman, who is probably the worlds most famous Amazon!! The Wonder Woman show started when I was just a young girl being raised by my true hero, my mother. My sister, cousins, and I used to play wonder woman all the time. We would all put on our bathing suits, and make wrist bands, crowns, and belts out of paper sacks and crayons. The only problem was that we all wanted to be Wonder Woman, so there were never any bad guys....lol. As an adult, I still love her, and look back fondly on all those special times, I had as a child.




Wonder Woman was a great role model for young girls growing up in the 70's and 80's and I dedicate this necklace to all women who have found their own inner beauty and strength.


For other gorgeous Etsy Beadweavers Entries please type EBWC into the Etsy search bar. The voting will begin October 9th and continue through 15th at the Etsy Beadweavers Blog.
So please show your support by placing a vote for your favorite!!

The voting has begun

It's that time again!! This challenge was an especially fun challenge for me. Indian Summer is all about the last bit of warm whether, with all the beauty of Autumn. My challenge piece is called Tropical Indian Summer (shown below) and she is one of my favorite pieces to date.

The members of the Etsy Beadweavers really knocked this challenge out of the park, with all of there interpretations of Indian Summer! I was blown away, by the beautiful array of colors and textures used in their work. Come take a look for yourself, and show your support by placing your VOTE for your favorite entry!! Please don't be shy and tell your friends about it as well!!

Tropical Indian Summer

Tropical Indian Summer is my entry piece for the Etsy Beadweavers September challenge themed "Indian Summer". This necklace is truly a beautiful OOAK hand sewn piece of wearable art. The voting will begin on the 9th through the 15th of September at the Etsy Beadweavers Blog . Please show the members of EBW your support by placing your vote for your favorite.

Nefertiti's Treasure

Nefertiti's Treasure is my entry for the Etsy Beadweavers August challenge, themed "The First Lady of Style". I chose Nefertiti because she was known for her beauty, and there are many mysteries about her life and death. One theory is that she had shared the throne with her husband, the Pharoah, Akhenaten. Another theory was that she became the ruler, and had changed her name to correspond with her higher station. There was thought to her possibly being considered a goddess. One thing is for sure, for a woman in that time period or any time period for that matter, she held great power, and that's ok in my book!!

The "First Ladies of Style" voting begins on August 9th through the 15th at the Etsy Beadweavers Blog. Were counting on your votes.

We have a Winner!!

Congratulations to Dini of Beadazzled of Oregon for taking the win in our very first Market challenge. Here's what Dini had said about her challenge piece. "The challenge is: "A New Horizon" and there is a second challenge to use the color green in some way. So here is what I came up with ~

I loved the colors and the way this bracelet worked out so I used it for the photo when I made my shipping labels for Beadazzled. I mailed a custom order to a great customer in Texas, she saw the bracelet on the shipping label and emailed me: "I can't find this bracelet in any of your shops: I HAVE TO HAVE IT!" I really had to chuckle ~ I was saving it for moi!

So, off it went via Priority mail but the photos stayed at home!"

Dini, We love your work, and we look forward to hearing what the next challenge is going to be!!

So everyone let's hear it for Dini, Congrats girl!!

New Horizons Voting has begun

The VOTING has begun at the Beadweaving Emporium Market, for our first challenge themed "New Horizons" These friendly & fun challenges are beneficial to our market for several reasons. They are a great way to increase our beadweaving skills, inspire us in a new and unexpected ways, and give us the opportunity to showcase our works. We ask that you please take the time to review the challenge pieces and then go to our offsite Beadweaving Emporium Blog at http://www.thebeadweavingemporium.blogspot.com to vote for your favorite. The voting polls will be open from July 9th through July 15th, 2009.



The participants are as follows:

1. Sandfibers with "You are my sunshine" can be seen at http://www.1000markets.com/products/65802

2. Njema with "New Horizons Bowl" can be seen at http://www.1000markets.com/products/63517

3. Slavetobeads with "Green Earth the New Horizon" can be seen at http://www.1000markets.com/products/58179

4. Beadazzled of Oregon with "A New Horizon; Sunrise" can be seen at http://www.1000markets.com/products/70758

5. Three Fates Design with "Rising Sun-New Horizon Necklace" can be seen at http://www.1000markets.com/products/71244

6. Rachele's Originals with "A New Horizon Barrette" can be seen at http://www.1000markets.com/products/71317

7. Enchanted Beads with "New Horizons Wedding Necklace" can be seen at http://www.1000markets.com/products/71388

8. Beadsforever with "Night Vision Necklace" can be seen at http://www.1000markets.com/products/71521

Thanks again for your support!

The Voting has begun!

The voting has begun for the Etsy Beadweavers challenge themed "Here Comes the Bride"! Please place your vote between July 9th - July 15th at http://www.ety-beadweavers.blogspot.com

It's a Red, White, and Beadweaving Sale-E-bration

A 4th Firecracker SALE!

BLOG ANNOUNCEMENT:

Many of the shops that are members of The Beadweaving Emporium (BEM) market at 1000 Markets have teamed together and are planning a fantastic 4th of July SHOPPER-TUNITY SALE in their shops. Items on sale will be designated by their SALE-A-BRATION badge; some shops will have selected items and others may have every item in their shop on sale.

Participating beadweaving shops will be:

1. Cigarboxbeads................Marilyn

2. Beadsforever.....................Linda

3. Nossubgallery......................Ana

4. Mytreasures.....................Tanya

5. Enchantedbeads...............Ileana

6. Pvener...........................Patricia

7. Conlinscreations............Amanda

8. BeadazzledofOregon............Dini

9. RachelesOriginals...........Rachele

10. Littlestonedesign..............Cheryl

11. Hannahrachel.................Hannah

Be sure to check out each and every designated shop for outstanding handmade items and generous sale prices! Look for the SALE-e-BRATION badge in the participating shops for their SALE ITEMS.

Below is your own invitation to join us at BEM anytime the first week of July in our own Independence Celebration. Use the scissors to cut out this reminder ~ Shop right here at home!

RED, WHITE and BEADWEAVING SALE-e-BRATION!

DATES: July 1 through July 8th, 2009

WHERE: http://www.1000markets.com/groups/bem

WHAT: unique and creative beadwoven art

HINT: shop early for the holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, and more!

May we all be COFFEE

This message was sent to me today and I thought it was actually quite beautiful and wanted to pass it on to you!

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up, She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.'

'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee.. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother?'

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same
adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its
inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

'Which are you?' she asked her daughter.
'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another
level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have always have
enough happiness to make you sweet,
enough trials to make you strong,
enough sorrow to keep you human and
enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

You might want to send this message to those people who have touched your life in one way or another;
to those who make you smile when you really need it;
to those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down;
to those whose friendship you appreciate;
to those who are so meaningful in your life.

May we all be COFFEE!!!!!!!

I made a new badge

Above is a new badge I just made that for the Beadweaving Emporium if anyone would like I can email you the html code or better yet once I see whether or not this works. I'll post it on our forums for all members to use if they choose.

The Beadweaving Emporium

Announcing the new Beadweaving Emporium Market (BEM)!!
We are very excited to let you know that we are now open and currently taking membership requests! As Beadweavers we are happy to have a corner to showcase our Art over at 1000 Markets and are very much looking forward to all it's successes. So come on over, get comfortable, and prepare to be amazed at all the beautiful creations. We'll see you there!!

Time Machine Challenge

Don't forget to vote for your favorite this month. The pieces of work are gorgeous and it's a very hard vote. The challenge for is for Time Machine and the voting polls are currently open until 4/15/09, so go vote and support the Etsy Beadweavers.

We Did It!!

Well I got the word this morning, we were approved for the market! I'm so happy that we are going to have a much needed beadweaving market over there. Now it's time to start setting it up and spreading the great news!!

1000 Markets

A couple of weeks ago I opened my doors to my 1000 Markets shop. I was very excited about the atmosphere over there. Shortly after I was contacted by Dini of Beadazzled of Oregon about starting up our own Beadweaving market. It seemed to be a sign, because I had already been thinking that when she approached me. Over the last week a group of 8 of us beadweavers have been working very hard on a proposal for our market.

I'm happy to say we completed some beautiful artwork for our banners and the proposal was sent today. We are anxiously awaiting our approval. Let's all cross our fingers. Thank you god for the ability to create and the ability to see an opportunity when it arises!

For the Love of Copper

I am often asked why copper is my favorite metal. In truth, there are several reasons why I love copper and there probably not why you think. Sure the color is breathtaking, and it’s less expensive then Sterling Silver and Gold, but that’s only the frosting on the cake. Actually, I love it most for the many benefits it continues to bring to humanity!
Copper is the oldest metal known to man. It was used by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Aztec Indians, Native Americans, Persians, and Mongolians, just to name a few. It was used for many purposes like, plumbing, dishes, and even utensils, because of its antimicrobial properties. Copper was widely used for jewelry and adornment as well, however most importantly it was used medicinally.
Did you know that copper is one of the trace minerals found in the body, and it plays an important role in our health, such as: healthy growth and function of bones and collagen, the brain, the heart, the skin, and the immune system? Copper is known for its curative powers, due largely to its antifungal and antibacterial properties. This makes it perfect for the treatment of skin diseases and wounds. It is also widely recognized for its effectiveness in treating a number of diseases such as anemia, stroke, heart disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and more.
Copper when in contact with the human skin often can create a green film on the flesh. Although it can easily be washed off, it’s noted to have many healing qualities once absorbed by the skin. Some specialist have claimed that wearing a copper bracelet around the wrist for 30 days leads to body absorption of approximately 13 mgs of copper, which would result to less than ½ mg a day. The human body has evolved an extremely effective regulatory mechanism to ensure that the copper ingested is put to use and any excess is eliminated harmlessly. Copper toxicity is rare, and the daily dose that is recommended for adults is 1-3 mg a day, with a child’s being ½-1 mg a day.
There have been reports of men not being affected by arthritis while they continued to work in copper mines. Another report stated that when there had been Cholera outbreaks that the men who worked in the copper mines seemed to be immune. There is so much more detailed information on the internet and at your fingertips, about the many wonderful uses of copper. I urge you to do a bit of your own research, and start to consider the possibilities.

Thank you for voting!!

I just wanted to send out a very heartfelt thank you. The voting has ended for the Etsy Beadweavers March Challenge and a winner was announced! My entry "The Seductress" took the win, and I'm very grateful to those who voted for me and I'm equally grateful for those who voted at all.

Beadweaving is a major passion for me as it is for the whole Etsy Beadweavers Team, I'm sure. These challenges not only give us each an opportunity to shine, but they give us each an opportunity to learn and grow and become better!!

Well the voting is nearing it's end!

Today is the last day of the voting! Check out my entry it's number 9 and it's called "The Seductress". The Etsy Beadweavers would love your support and so would I.

The Voting has begun!!

The voting for the March Etsy Beadweavers challenge has begun!! I entered the Seductress (see below. The Etsy Beadweavers Team would love your support and so would I!
Enjoy the eye candy!!

The Seductress

An Art of Temptation she is. Should I or Shouldn’t I. Will she tempt you with her beautiful rounded Onyx curves, or her enchanting cat’s eye’s? Will you be drawn in by her sinfully lustful red and her alluring gold and amethyst colors?

The Seductress is my entry piece for the March EBW challenge, themed Temptation. To view other challenge entries by EBW members, type EBWC in the search option on Etsy. A mosaic of all challenge entries will be posted to the EBW blog after March 5th and you can vote on your favorite by visiting http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com between March 9th and the 15th.

The power of positive thought!

I have to tell you, I see so much negativity in the world. It's everywhere, the news, tv, magazines, and worst of all the people in our lives. I just visited a couple other blogs today (none that I follow, I wanted to clear that up) and it was all complaints and negativity. I don't want to hear about problems, I want to be inspired! I want to feel good after reading a blog, not feel all your negative energy. Truly don't we get too much of that as it is.
Let us try to look at the positive in everything, and spread some positive, uplifting energy everywhere. I really use to think that one person really can't make a difference, but I was wrong. One person can make all the difference in the world. So instead of being Anti-anything....let's all try to be Pro-something...

Every Step I take I'm going to plant a column of light that goes straight up to god!!

I made it into a another Treasury!

It's always a happy feeling when someone includes your work in their treasury! I'm so grateful that I have been given this wonderful gift, the gift of creativity. I have been beading for about 4 1/2 years total. Before that I had never even heard of bead stores or beading magazines. It's so wierd how that happens, just one day your whole life changes. When I look back now it's as if I was walking around with blindfolds on, and then I took them off, or actually somebody took them off of me. Does anyone else feel that way? It just seems the deeper I get into my own creativity, what ever that may be, the black and white screen turned to full color.
I'm grateful today!!

Tutorials

Well I'm thinking about doing different tutorials. I've been contacted by several different people about teaching classes, and I used to teach classes at a local bead store, however they closed down this summer. I work right out of my home, and it's little with really bad parking, so I really didn't want to do it there. I've recently noticed many Etsy shops have different tutorials and decided to look into it. You may in the near future start seeing different type tutorials in my shop...it's an idea!

Another addition to my shop!

I added another creation on my Etsy site today!! I love Amber, it is so beautiful I hope you enjoy.

Tropical Treasures Takes the Win!!

Mariya of Beadcatcher was the winner of the Etsy Beadweavers Holiday Tropical Challenge, with her necklace titled Topical Treasures. Wow! what a necklace, just look at the work that went into creating this masterpiece. It's simply fabulous and deserving of a win! Congrats Mariya!!

I'm on Facebook!!

One thing at a time! There is so much more to this business than just making the product. I'm learning more and more each day. It seems these days I'm spending more time blogging, signing up for this or that, or replying to post, than I am actually making new items. I'm trying to work on a new piece for the Temptation challenge for my EBW team. I'm actually very excited about it. I think it's going to be great. We'll see how it actually turns out in the end. Wish me luck......;-)

The ability to create....I'm so grateful!

I added another one of my creations on my Etsy site today! I love this piece, and truly the pictures don't do it justice. I'm so grateful everyday because I have the ability to create. For those who haven't found a way to express themselves, I urge them to reach inside to find a creative way to do so. We can all use some beautiful art in our lives.

Feeling Grateful Today!!

I'm feeling very grateful today! I finished the Women's Expo last night and we made enough to take care of some things. I was hoping for more, however given the state of our economy, we got almost to the penny what we needed! God is definately good! I learned along time ago to not look a gift horse in the mouth.....so to speak...lol. I'm grateful for everything that I have because it could always be much worse. Today is a great day!!

I'm so excited!!

Well I'm off to the Women's Expo in Lansing, Michigan. I've been looking forward to this for quite some time. Wish me luck everyone, I could use all your positive thoughts. Since my husband lost his job before Christmas, we have been struggling big time. If I do well enough, I could help pay our rent for the last two months and maybe even more...what a nice thought.

Every Step I take I'm going to plant a column of light that goes straight up to God!!

I made the team! I'm so excited that I was accepted to the Etsy Beadweavers Street Team yesterday. I'm so busy, I have so many things going at once, but today is definately a great day!!!

Another Day of Gratitude

Every step I take I'm going to plant a column of light that goes straight up to god!!! That's what I always remember as I'm creating new jewelry. I try to make sure that I'm passing positive energy onto the jewelry recipient.

Beading Like Crazy

I have this huge show coming up early next month, therefore I have been working like crazy on that. I have so far created about 10 more necklaces, a few of which are woven, I've created some bracelets, anklets, barefoot sandals sets, and earrings. Every time I start to make something I get inspired to make something else. It is just a never ending process. I Love it.

I don't care what it is that you do, but find something. I never thought I was creative at all or artistic in any way, and then one day a friend took me into a bead shop and it was all over. It changed my life forever. That one thing that seemed so insignificant, made a huge impact on my life and my families life.

You just have to keep your eyes open, and sometimes just take a leap of faith when opportunity shows it's face....

I cannot remember where I heard this saying but I have always found it very relevent, and I close out today with it.

"The choices we make, not the changes we take determines our destiny."

Today my step-father came home from the hospital. I'm so grateful that he's going to be OK. The way everything happened it is truly a miracle that he is at home right now. Thank you God!!!

I have to say today was a challenging day for me. I've just been continuing to learn more about Etsy. The more I do, the more I love it. I never thought I would be blogging too. Wow! things can definitely change in a blink of an eye. ;)

I have a very large show coming up on the 6th, 7th, and 8th of Febuary, and I really need to get more work done. I did put more items on my site today and will continue to add more everyday, so keep watching!!!

A day to go down in history!!

Yesterday I wrote about things that I'm grateful for and if you follow my blog you should expect a lot of the same.

When I read the book A New Earth by Echart Tolle, it was a hard book to read at first, and then it became a hard book to put down. I had so many light bulb moments when reading it, it instantly started changing my perspective on things, people, and pretty much life in general. I always felt so judged and then I realized that it was me judging myself far above what anybody else could do to me. By judging myself so harshly what I thought was through other peoples eye, I was actually judging them, because unless they told me how they felt about me, I really didn't know. It's really never safe to assume anything, because given our world, so full of negativity, it's almost brainwashed in us to believe the worst.

The way that I have made positive movement forward is by simply trying to look at every situation with baby eyes, so to speak. Like I'm looking at not just another person for the first time, but people in general, if that makes sense to you. The reason I do that is to try to break down all those labels that society, history, or other people put on things, and simply use a fresh perspective to help determine my thoughts. Breaking down those barriers, one baby step at a time.

With that being said, today is definately a day for the history books. I'm so hopeful for not just my future, but also the future of our nation. Change, expecially now is what our nation really needs. I'm so happy to be alive right now because like it or not.......change is coming.

I have such high hope for President Obama.......I can honestly say On this day I'm proud to be an American

Feeling Blessed Today!!

Feeling very blessed today!

My step father had a stroke and a heart attach yesterday and is gonna be ok. He had a warning and then went to the hospital and was in the hospital when he was having his heart attach. He went in for emergency surgery and the Doctor said he was one of the luckiest guys he's ever seen. I would like to think that their was more to it than that. God......Prayer....Faith....Love....need I say more.

I try to always remain a positive and happy person. Something that I borrowed from Sylvia Brown I like to say to myself all the time and it is:Every step I take I'm going to plant a column of light that goes staight up to GOD!!

* I'm very greatful because I now have my own website

I'm now selling on Etsy (which is an awesome site!!!)

* I have my Jewelry showcasing at the Michigan Women's Historical Center and Hall of Fame.

* I have my Jewelry in an Art Gallery in Lansing called the Absolute Gallery!!

* I have the Lansing, MI Women's Expo coming up in Feb.

I do this thing with my daughter every morning as I take her to school. First I always ask her what she is greatful for today! And the thing she always says first is that she is sooo greatful that she has such a large family so she can give out more hugs and kisses. Wow!! and then she proceeds to tell me the rest. I then go through my extensive list, and it just starts the day out better. It put's a new perspective on things. Here is just a small amount of things I put on my list to be greatful for.

*God *Family *Friends *The ability to love *The ability to be loved *The Earth (and all that implies) *A new day to make a difference in another person's life. *Eye's that work * Ear's that hear *A voice that can speak *Legs that still carry my weight * The ability to create something beautiful with my own hands *Change *The ability to learn and grow and become better......because that is really what we all do. *Even the ability to be greatful for the things that challange us because they may make us more compassionate, understanding, enlightened, or just plain old better.

I write about all these things that I'm greatful for because in my life, just like yours as well, there are a lot of things that I struggle with, but I choose to only focus on the good. If we are sooo focused on the good in our lives there is no more room left over to focus on the bad.

In closing my daily message is to look at anything that is in your life today that you are greatful for, lets do this one day at a time, but let's do it!!

Hello and welcome to Rachele's Originals Blog!

Please bare with me for this is my first Blog ever and very new to blogging and not really sure what to write....lol. So I'll just start by telling you about myself and my business and my passion for creating. Show you some of my work and answer questions if you have any. If you have comments or suggestions I definately welcome them all.