In Too Deep: A Crafter's Reality

Behind The Door - A Short Story

2010-12-30T10:04:00.000-06:00

Sharing a Short Story I wrote a couple of years back... enjoy :)

   "Behind The Door"
   By: Tracey Criswell Wilson

The frosty wind bit mercilessly into the old man's paper-thin, pallid skin. Shuddering uncontrollably, Dan trudged back toward the weather-beaten, colorless front door. “I'm gonna kill me some damn kids, if'n I ever catch 'em,” Dan mumbled to himself.

That was the third time this week that they knocked on the front door and called his name. By the time he got off of his bed -- the couch -- and made it to the front door, there was never anyone in sight.

“You damn kids. You think you're fooling an old man, but you ain't foolin' nobody. I taught you'un once, and I'll teach you'un again,” Dan screamed while struggling to get the front door closed against the savage wind.

Shuffling his feet back toward his only afforded luxury; he stretched out on his over-stuffed, overly large, pillow couch. The couch seemed to be the only place he found any solace, except tonight. Losing himself in the cushions, he closed his eyes, and fell into a fitful, distressful sleep.

********************************************************************************************************

Bam, Bam, S.. C..R..A..T..C..H, BAM. Dan's eyes flew open. Reluctantly, he looked toward that hellish room; his bedroom. The same bedroom he shared with Sarah, his wife, before she went away. The bedroom Dan would never dare sleep in alone, ever again.

“Who's there? Answer me!”

Laughter echoed like a rubber ball off the time-beaten walls and throughout the sparsely furnished, old home. It wasn't the bubbly laughter of children at play. No, it was a dark, evil laughter. One that made the old man's hair stand on end.

Not wanting to let his fear show through, Dan flipped the heavy quilt off of his shriveled body. Trying to step over the creaking, aged boards, he made his way toward the bedroom . . . toward the injurious laughter.

The air grew thick. It reminded him of how the air felt after he and his buddies in World War II took control of an island off of Guadalcanal. The stench of ironclad blood mixed with gunpowder filled his nostrils. The laughter stopped abruptly. It was then that Dan noticed somehow he was on the other side of the bedroom door. Turning quickly to make his exit, the door slammed shut. The temperature dropped traumatically, making it feel as frigid inside as it was outside. The sinful laughter enveloped him. “Stop!” he cried, throwing his arms over his head and crunching his body as far down to the floor as he could.

“Dan? Dan?” The soft, recognizable voice called.

“Sarah, is that you?” His voice cracked. Turning and looking slowly behind him, Sarah stood as beautiful as the last time he saw her.

With tears streaming down his wrinkled face, he backed into the now closed bedroom door. “But how? How can it be you, Sarah?”

Sarah looked at him, her head tilted slightly. “Oh Dan, don't fear me. What do you have to fear from me? Come now, Dan. Come into my arms.”

There she stood, with her arms held opened wide. She was so alluring and accessible. Like the broken man he was, he flung himself into her arms sobbing like the day he had to go away. The day after Sarah and the kids left. The day he...

Suddenly, he jumped back, as recognition of that fateful day hit him like fire on a sunburn.

“No! You're dead!” When he glanced back up, he was alone in an empty room. There was no laughter, no sound at the door, no Sarah. I'm going crazier than I already am, he thought. It's all a figment of my fevered brain. That's what it is.

Hastily he opened the bedroom door and walked into a well-lit living room. Halting where he stood, his mouth fell ajar. How? This isn't possible. What's going on around here? It couldn't have been no later than midnight when I went into the bedroom. Glancing up at the clock, the time read straight up 12:00. Twelve o’clock in the afternoon?Running as fast as his weary legs would carry him, he flung open the front door; as he rubbed his eyes trying to make them see a different scene in front of him, his mouth fell open. There was Sarah in plain sight. Looking the way she did before she died. And that wasn't all; Diane and Billy were in the front yard with her. The same age they were thirty years ago. Wearing the same clothes they were all wearing on the last day he seen them all. That was the last time when they were laughing together, just as they were now. The last time they were all still alive.

“Hey Honey. Won't you come join us?” Sarah called from the yard. Dan gazed at Diane and Billy, wanting to go to them, but afraid. Suddenly, Diane called out, “What's wrong, Daddy? You look like you've seen a ghost.” Slowly all their heads turned toward the shadow of the old man at the front door, and from somewhere far in the distance, the laughter begun. As if he was stuck in a puddle of molasses, Dan couldn't move. He felt sluggish, like he was being suffocated by an invisible darkness. His heart was pounding for escape. Helplessly he flung his arms trying to hold onto anything that might help him. His family was coming nearer. Their faces were melting like a chocolate bar left on a hot dashboard of a car. Their mouths stretched opened, long and wide, with eyes sunken deep within sooty, dismal sockets. Arms outstretched, they called in a grating voice, “Come now. What do you have to be afraid of? Come to me. Come Dan, come with us.”

Screaming, at the top of his lungs, Dan's feet finally came free. Jerking himself clear, he slammed the front door and locked it. Then the stark living room went gloomy and foreboding once more. The view outside was obscured. It was midnight once again. The immoral laughter was now deafening. Falling, he slid down the wall until he was limp on the floor. Curled into a fetal position, he wailed, “I'm sorry. Oh Lordy, I'm so sorry. I didn't want to kill ya'll. Don't you'un see? I had to. The devil had you all, just as he has you'un now.”

The temperature in the room was scorching, like the furnace was on full blast in the middle of summer. Dan felt as if he was being roasted alive. He heard footsteps in the room with him.

“Who's there? Leave me alone! Go away and leave me be!”

With a loud clamor, all the doors in the house shut at once. All that is, but the one door which was closed to begin with. The bedroom door swung opened so fast and furiously that it now hung only by a single door hinge. Through the distortion of the heat waves, Dan saw before him his family standing in the same bedroom where he took his rifle and blew his wife and kid's away.

“Come Dan. Come Daddy.” They called.

He found it impossible to look away from their contorted faces, which stared through him with an impenetrable glare.

As if having no will of his own, Dan trudged to his unearthly end.

Today I Cried, Once More

2010-12-14T09:59:00.001-06:00

Just when I thought all my tears have dried - today I cried once more. I cried for the time together we have lost, and for the time we'll never have. The tears came quite unexpectedly. I awoke today feeling no different than yesterday. Nothing to make me feel more nostalgic ... I thought. Perhaps, the holidays have spoken to me. Quietly deep within - perhaps my mind carried on an internal dialog so secret, even my conscious self wasn't aware. I cried once more for the parents I had lost; and as I write this, tears threaten to fall again. Why would tears for lost parents be so foreign? You see, I didn't lose my parents just last month, or even last year. My parents have been gone for many years. I'm a middle age woman in my late forties. I lost my mom in 1997, and my dad I lost at the tender age of thirteen. Oh, how I still miss them. I think sometimes I miss them more now, then I did in recent years. I yearn for the guidance which only parents can provide. For comfort one can only find within a parent's words or arms. I understand now that it doesn't matter what had happened in the past. During the years of my youth, my parents were still growing up in so many ways - more ways than I could have ever realized, until I started growing older.

I watch others, especially those my age or older, interacting with their parents. I wonder, Do they truly know how fortunate they are to still have their parents? They can still go to them when they need to talk, call them when they need a word of reassurance, and gaze into their eyes to feel the security and comfort of one who can truly understand them. One who yearns to help them achieve to be the best person they can be - without judgement.

I don't envy those who still have their parents. I just ache for the years I have not had mine. I ache for the times when I long to speak to them. The times when I know that it's the only two people in the world, who could understand what I'm going through, what I'm feeling deep within. The only two who could help comfort me at those certain times. At other times, I have the thought, If you could have just hung on a little longer, Mom, we could have helped each other so much. I would have taken you into my home, and you would have never had to work for another thing! You could of finally had rest and peace. As for my father, it is who I received my writing ability and creativity. He was an artist and a poet.

He wrote this poem to comfort me, when I was hospitalized and hallucinating from a severe illness:

Come lite on my hand, my little butterfly
And I will build you a nest of sticks, stones,
Sunshine and happiness.

Now Spread your wings, my dainty one,
And fly without fright, For my army of love,
Will protect you through the days and nights.

He wrote many beautiful poems and had a book in hardcover, ready to be published, before he had a major heart-attack. He never regained enough strength to finish quite a few things he had in the works, before the heart-attack would lead to his death, a year later. A few years after he died, the preventative cure which would have kept him alive was released to the public. So once again, I find myself saying, If you could have just hung on a little longer...

But God was ready for them, He opened His arms and welcomed them home, into a home of rest. Into a home where they no longer feel pain, physically or emotionally.

So this morning when tears came for the first time in a few years, it caught me by surprise. I didn't have just a few single tears, no; I cried once more for my mom and dad. And as I cried, I yearned for the comfort of their arms. "God, please wrap your arms around me and bring me comfort and peace."

And as I felt a warm embrace, tears fell once more. I wrapped my arms around my body, and with a smile I spoke aloud, "Thank you, Lord for being my Heavenly Father and when I need it most, my Earthly Daddy."

Get Paid For Tweeting

2010-12-13T08:36:00.000-06:00

You can get paid for tweeting- it does work! After you sign up, with the link below, make sure you go into your account and change the money requested for each tweet to around .25 -.35 cents. It will probably be at .50 - 1.50 suggested price. You will make much more money, if you make it lower than suggested price. You probably won't get hardly any offers, if you keep it at the suggested rate. Once you get more followers or become pretty successful at sending out tweets which do result in clicks, you can try to start raising the amount, a small bit at a time. Also, make sure you put in the category keywords in which you are interested in sending to your followers. Play around with these keywords to find the ones which will send you the offers you are searching for. Keywords, along with the suggested amount per tweet are the two things which will determine how many offers you are sent - as you go along, the more you send out, with people clicking on them, the more offers you will start to receive. If you're not getting any offers after a couple of days, or not enough- pay attention to the subject of the offers you are receiving- if you like the offers you're receiving, keep the keyword in which you believe those offers are coming from and play around with inserting new keywords- pretty soon, you will have plenty of offers coming in, with the subject content you are comfortable sending your followers. Whatever you do, be sure not to flood your followers- no one likes to be spamed, but no one minds getting great offers!

If you sign up through my link, contact me if you don't start receiving offers, or if you have any problems and I'll try to help you all I can :)

Click Here to Start Making a Few Bucks :)

Wishing you lots of Success. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

IFCJ: This Week with Rabbi Eckstein

2010-12-05T07:18:00.000-06:00

Israel is on Fire! Please help now- prayers are so needed and appreciated!

Read about here:

IFCJ: This Week with Rabbi Eckstein

Defeating The Devil

2010-10-12T09:30:00.000-05:00

Do you have questions about the Devil? Does satan actually exist?

Get your questions answered- read below :)

Defeating The Devil

Stillness

2010-10-02T10:34:00.000-05:00

Have you ever stood still in the middle of chaos and felt the breeze on your face and the sun on your back; knowing that each breath you have taken in, you're closer to death, but one step closer to Jesus' arms?~

Have you ever noticed that a bird flying around in a circle has more freedom in that one flight then we will have in our entire lifes?~

Did you ever watch all the people walk by and wonder about their lives, and what they have going on inside their heads? If they have been hurt, abused or lonely? If they look forward to a special event tomorrow, next week, next month or even next year? When we don't even know what the night's end will bring~

Have you ever felt sorry for yourself for having heartbreaks and hurts from someone you love...but realized there are many out there that have no one who loves them enough to have their heart broken?~

Have you ever heard a seagull's call and noticed that every time it brought a peace and tranquil feeling; And filled your mind with visions of white sandy beaches and waves that have crashed upon the shore?~

And, have you ever wondered how the sky can be such a perfect blue that you have never been able to get just the right shade when painting?~

And, how even the trees grow in bunches and thrive off each other because even a tree knows life is better and more nourishing with friends~

Have you ever wondered?

Healed From Hate

2010-04-17T08:36:00.001-05:00

Barbara Kouba had the perfect life as a young girl. She loved life and was in total love with creation itself. She went to a Catholic School, and even though one year she found herself in the principal's office way too often, she still considered herself to be a good girl, who just liked to peer over the other side of the line every once in a while. Most of all, Barbara was a very happy person who loved God dearly... until a walk she took within four walls, would not only change her outlook on life, but also her relationship with God.

At 18 years old, Barbara noticed she started getting abnormal bruising- if she sat down too hard, she would bruise the whole top part of her back, she'd notice bruises pop up all over her, and didn't know when or how she got them. It turned out she had a blood disorder, and so she was admitted to a huge research hospital. She was so sick at the beginning, that she never left her room, it wasn't until she started getting better, that she was strong enough to take the first walk outside of her room- this is the walk that would change her life forever.

Barbara was in the children's ward, where they housed patients from newborn to 19 years old. The walk around her end of the ward, was about a block wide. As she walked down the hall, this young woman who dearly loves kids, and wanted about 12 kids of her own, did not hear the normal laughter and play of children- instead she heard their screams, cries and the horrid stories that went along with them. Newborns with tiny bodies, and heads as big as a basketball, or only as big as a lightbulb, a little girl they called the bionic girl, because she drank a bottle of drano, which ate up her insides; every kind of horror story imaginable, Barbara heard and seen. Her heart broke into pieces on that one walk- her security walls came crumbling down, and Barbara crumbled with them.

Barbara closed the door on God. She couldn't understand how or why she was getting better, when so many other innocent children suffered and died. She began to hate God and called him a sadistic monster. She questioned, "Why God?" as so many of us have done. Because of this she sank into a deep depression with over-flowing anger. She found herself lashing out at everyone- she didn't understand how nothing had changed, when everything seemed to change within her. Barbara couldn't understand why she was alive, she didn't understand her deep, seething anger. As her anger grew, so did her mental problems. She had a complete mental and spiritual breakdown, and was admitted to a mental hospital. There she stayed heavily medicated, sinking deeper into her hate-filled void. They treated her with insulin shock treatments, shock treatments, medicated several times a day- she felt like she was a walking zombie.

One day she went into a quiet room- basically a padded room. She sat in a corner, totally over-whelmed, when she heard a voice, "I love you. I am proud of you." She looked around, this was not a thought that came from her, she still hated herself. The words were repeated- and she knew these were words coming from God. He told her there was much for her to learn, that she needed to open her heart and let him back in, that he would no longer let her lock him out. There she sat having an internal conversation with God. He told her she had had enough suffering, it was time for it to end. She questioned God, "Why does my suffering have to end? The babies are still suffering." Again, God repeated she had much to learn, and that he loved her. All of a sudden all of the anguish and anger she had held in for so long, came pouring out, like a flood. She cried and cried. Still asking why, she told God that she still didn't understand and still couldn't love him. He answered, "That's okay. I'm a big God. I can take it. Anger can be turned into love." She said that it was a long process, there was no over-night healing. But God told her that everyday he would give her a gift, which will help her grow and learn. (Please see the video here: http://www.wordnet.tv/videos.htm It's the one at top, entitled 'Healed From Hate')

Barbara is now going on 54 years old, and she said she indeed has been given a gift from God, every single day. Every morning when Barbara wakes up, she says, "Okay God, what's going to be my gift today?"

Being an Artisan Store Owner

2010-04-06T18:12:00.000-05:00

Come with me as I look into being a crafting addict. Do you believe you can relate? Most whom own their own artisan stores, can definitely do so- and I actually believe you almost have to be. Many people do not realize the work that goes into running an online business... not that I'm complaining, I absolutely love it- most of the time ;). But if you don't love creating new pieces, then online artisan stores, is not for you. You need to be able to list new items to keep your listings fresh in search engines, but mostly to keep your customers coming back, as well as bringing new customers in. I try to have a wide arrange of styles - though, I guess I can only design a limited degree of styles and fashion, I try to offer as wide of a range as I'm able. (And the more experience I get, the wider the range spreads).

I have four main stores, plus list my items on other places. I try to visit many of the social networks, and while I am getting better at utilizing them, I'm not doing so to their full extent. However, I don't believe in spamming in any sense of the word, but I do believe you have to be able to spread the name of your stores, or you will never do any business.

I create jewelry, greeting cards, note cards, photography, mixed media, graphics and wall decals. I'm always dabbling in different mediums. I love staying busy- mainly with my mind and hands. It's really a must with me. Even when I'm watching T.V, I have something in my hands, rather it's a project, or a book. I'm an avid reader and writer. You can find many of my articles all over the internet. I write mainly for ezines.com- ezines is a site where web owners can post articles from the writers on their site, as long as they leave the credit to the writer. I would like to start blogging on more of a regular basis- it would seem since I love to write, that blogging would just come second nature to me, and to tell you the truth, I don't understand why I don't do it more often. If it takes me all this year, I will learn how to utilize my time better (can you say that with me) lol

Owning an online store is very time consuming. Most people (including my own husband and family) still don't realize how much time and energy go into running a store. It's more time than an outside job, that's for sure. But I count my blessings everyday to be able to do something that I love and brings me in a little money.

My main store is Bonanzle: http://www.bonanzle.com/inspired
I not only have my creations here, but also list other items: dvds, books, clothes, etc... This is such a great site! It really is my favorite, and believe me, I have experience with many. Everyone is so friendly and will go over and beyond to help any way they can. The boys who run the place is the absolute best! They stay on top of it all and really care about what the members have to say- not only do they care, they actually listen to the members and put it into action. I believe that's why Bonanzle has grown so quickly so fast, and will continue to do so!

My main artisan only store is on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/traceystreasures
This was my first artisan store and still my favorite "Artisan Only" store. I did take a break from it for almost a year, because if you're not careful fees can add up awfully fast, especially if you try to renew your items to keep them up front. Renewing was worth the money when Etsy was newer, but the day I renewed a piece of jewelry and found it only a short few minutes later already on page ten, I knew renewing often was only a waste of money. There's so many other ways to advertise- also, I believe if I'm going to advertise on etsy itself, the showcases are a much better way.

I also have an Ecrater store: http://www.intueys.ecrater.com/
This is also an 'everything' store. I don't have all of my products on this site yet, but have been adding them slowly. I sure can't complain, as Ecrater is totally free and has been since they opened their doors. I find that amazing! Ecrater also shows up in the search engines with no problems- which is a must!

My newest store is on Artfire: http://www.artfire.com/users/intuey
It's an artisan only store as well- but vintage, supplies and wall decals are allowed (as with etsy) which is nice. I joined it last year, but actually just started using the site, listing my items, etc... about two-and-a-half months ago. I joined as a pro. but went to basic this month. I will probably go pro again shortly. I'm new to this site, but I like the layout of the place. The owner seems really nice.

I'd love to have you visit any of my stores. I'm always happy to make custom orders. If you come via this blog, please let me know. Also, if you shop on Bonanzle, you can put in a coupon code, 'yay' and save 20% off your purchase! :)

Thanks for stopping by- I would love for you to 'follow' me. If you have anything you'd like me to write about, give me a shout-out! I'd be happy to do so.

Tracey

Posted by Tracey at 6:08 PM

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Finding Inspiration in the Little Things

2010-03-10T17:02:00.002-06:00

Pulling my huggie closer around my shoulders, I pour my first cup of strong coffee and inhale the delicious aroma. I wrap my hands around my favorite puppy dog cup and let the heat help warm my morning. Staring off into space, my mind is filled with all the possibilities that await me in my craft room.

Today, I will be productive and do more than just play and rummage through all of my ever-growing supplies. I say this to myself, with utmost determination, and try to ignore that little pang of doubt hiding in the darkest recesses of my brain. After all, an artist's block can only last so long, right?

Two hours later, and I still haven't started a project - but this time, I'm not letting it get me down. I'm going to try a little something new and hopefully put a new meaning to 'rummaging'. While sorting through all the gorgeous colors and mouth-watering textures, several ideas have popped into my head. I pick up my trust-worthy notepad and gel pens, which are always close by, and start sketching rough drafts of various projects. Instead of tagging various areas with the intended color, I use the coresponding gel pen color. Gazing at the delicious colors, my inspiration starts to rise. I embrace the electric energy of my old friend Creativity, flowing once again throughout every single cell of my being.

Standing up to stretch, I glance down at the notepad, pick it up and start leafing through my rough sketches. My smiling eyes grow wide at the emerging rainbow of colors. I can't believe all of the potential projects I now have before me - fabulous projects that may not have ever crossed my mind, if I hadn't gone through this 'so-called creative 'rut'.

Excitedly, I pull out containers of supplies I don't dive into often. Plucking items, one after another, which grab my attention for any reason. I'm not limiting myself to an idea project, instead I'm grouping a wide range of supply items into various piles: colors that work well together, materials which compliment each other, certain items for 'wild mood,' off-the-wall projects, supplies for different theme vintage projects, and so on. While separating the wide varying genre supplies, inspiration grows stronger, and snapshots of designs pop into my mind. I grab my pencil and notebook and write down the idea, making a rough draft.

The day grows late. I may not have created a certain project today, but I am so content, so fulfulled. I have finally broken the curse of my artisan's block! Beside me sits my notebook, flowing of color and ideas, several projects to keep me busy for quite a while. Tonight, the world outside will be sleeping, but the light in my window will be shining, right along with my spark of creativity.

God, Unclog My Spirit - Spiritual Life - CBN.com

2009-12-08T19:44:00.000-06:00

God, Unclog My Spirit - Spiritual Life - CBN.com

This Is My Life, Part 1

2009-01-09T08:04:00.003-06:00

It's been a while since I posted a personal entry, I so thought it was time to do so.

I know I haven't been the best at blogging- I would say this is one of my resolutions, but since I don't 'DO' resolutions, I'm just going to say, it is one of the things I'm working on. :)

Wow, so it's 2009- Every new year, since 2000, I remember a brief conversation with my dad, who passed when I was 13 yo. The one thing my father and siblings loved to do when growing up, was to gather in front of the T.V set (on Saturday nights, I believe) to watch the great new show, StarTrek. Back then, there were only 3 channels, and T.V went off the air at midnight (*HORROR*) lol

So a good T.V show was truly an event- yea, yea, I know I'm telling my age. hehe

Anyway, the year at the start of the show shows, "2000". I remember In my wide-eyed amazement, I'd always comment on actually living in the year 2000! I'll never forget a comment dad made, "I won't be there to see it, but you will!" That single comment really effeted me, and clinched something deep within. Even now, being in my forties, I don't understand exactly why that comment effected me so deeply and why I still remember it and think of it often, especially at the beginning of each new year- but he was right, he died long before the year 2000, actually a couple of years after that statement- maybe that's why it had such an impact- maybe we both knew he was soon going to be gone, even though at the time he showed no signs of serious illness- I'm not sure, but I know even as a child, I always had an inherit knowledge and wisdom much older than my years. And now here we are, only 3 years from 2012. I don't know exactly what to expect in 2012, but I do know the 3 years ahead of us will include a lot of change- for everyone, worldwide.

So looking back on 2008- it was all and all a pretty good year. Everyone stayed safe and healthy- which considering the two previous years, that's saying quite a lot. I definitely thank God, whole-heartedly. May 2009 continue good health (meaning no serious illnesses) and keeping all in our family/friends, safe and protected.

In 2008 we were able to get a big tax matter settled, with fantastic, favorable and blessed results. So that's a huge burden lifted off our shoulders, as we enter 2009. This year will be a year of remodling. We completed the purchase of our home in Nov. 2007, and since 2008 involved an unsure amount of tax dollars owed, we didn't get into remodling. We've been living in this house for 10 years, and it desparately needs a lot of work. The kitchen is still in the 70's style- along with one complete wall of paneling in the livingroom. I have a really small kitchen, so I am going to knock down a couple of half walls which lead from the kitchen into the dining room, and extend my kitchen on into the dining room. The paneling is definitely coming down out of the livingroom, new paint and flooring is also going in. I have a lot of plans. I'll be sure to share pics as I go along.

My stores are doing pretty good. My main store is now at Bonanzle: http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/inspired

As much as I love etsy, I'm afraid they're starting to take a lot of the same turns and mistakes of that awful 4 letter word: e*ay. My hope is they recognize this and turn theirselves around, back to how they originally were.

Bonanzle is absolutely the best! The people there are also the best to be found. If you don't know Bonanzle, rather seller or buyer, you have to check it out- once you do, you'll be hooked! As Martha Stewart says, "It's a good thing." :)

http://www.bonanzle.com/user_invites/new

I do have to get busy and post some new items! I've been slow to getting back into the swing of things, since the holidays. M U S T G E T M O V I N G ! Please someone push me!! *laugh*

Bonanzle

2008-12-11T10:59:00.008-06:00

Be it a buyer or a seller, the great new place to be is Bonanzle! They have everything and anything! Sellers can post handmade, commercial, antiques- anything their heart desires. The people are extremely friendly, the prices are fair and the fees are excellent! Stop by my booth and take a look around! I have a 20% off Sale on the entire store:

http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/inspired

I'll be posting more of a variety soon- including home decor, clothes, etc...

Bonanzle is growing fast! The guys who run the site, welcome suggestions and ways to improve the site. They have made listing fast and even fun, if you can believe that! When is the last time you actually didn't mind having to post a few items?

And if you already have your items listed, then their copy and paste, enables you to list an item in literally seconds!

http://www.bonanzle.com/user_invites/new

Many sellers also offer Best Offers- and actually welcome them. You can put all your items or some of your items on sale at a percent discount. Also, once a month they offer what is called a Bonanzle- that's where your shop will be featured on the front page, to let everyone know that you are having a special sale, which last for 6 hours- your website is decorated with spotlights and a radio. It draws in a lot of people and is an awesome feature!

They are listed with Google Search Base and have complete step-by-step instructions of how to set your booth, where all of your items will automatically get listed on Google. They're happy to help with anything and everything!

I feel so blessed to have found Bonanzle and those who are members. We are quickly becoming one big, happy family. We'd love for you to join us!!

Come on in and join us! I promise you won't be disappointed :)

Vote WOW

2008-01-18T05:48:00.001-06:00

Innocence and Beauty

traceystreasures

Outfit Deets

Swarovski Crystal Necklace:

Handmade with lots of love and good energy :)

The story behind the look: I made this necklace for my granddaughter. It features a polymer clay rose with leaves, and the strap is made with light pink swarovski pearls and leaf green swarovski bicone crystals. I try to put her beauty and innocence into this special piece.

My 1st Family Video- Family Affair

2008-01-18T04:54:00.000-06:00

I'd like to share with you all, my very 1st music slideshow video :) Well, the first one that was given real thought, and made on a movie maker time line *laugh*

I'm really happy with the way it turned out! It's under intuey on youtube- it's easy to find, as it's the only one I've posted (so far) *wink*

I'm the one in the pink shirt (in most pics), the older man is my hubby of 26 years, (in March), the young adults are my kids, Eddie and Star and my DIL & SIL- the babies are my grandchildren: Mikayla, Grace and Cole. I stuck two old baby photos of my son and daughter within- they're easily spotted.
The other woman around my age in there is my sister, who is also my best friend.

Just about all of the scenery shots take place in Helen, Georgia, which is where we all went for vacation last mother's day in 2007. The rest of the scenery shots are in Florida.

Enjoy and let me know what you think! (Turn on your speakers to listen to the great voice of Elton John singing, "The Circle of Life")

So Much Going On! I Now Have An Adorable Grandson!

2007-09-03T21:22:00.000-05:00

Today's entry will be in blue to celebrate the birth of my beautiful, new grandson :)

I'd like to introduce you to Little Man, Cole. This is him at 2 days old :) 8 lbs. 11 oz. He wasn't playing around in Momma's belly- he was busy eating! lol

Isn't he a cutie? He looks like a little boxer.

I definitely think he's going to be a big boy growing up. Now I have a beautiful grandson to go with my two gorgeous granddaughters- which you have met in previous entries :)

Little sister has taken to her new little brother and just loves him to pieces. At 2 yo, she is busy being a little Momma *smile*

She always wants to know where little brother is and if he needs anything. Cole will be 2 weeks old tomorrow and yesterday while Momma was changing his diaper, Little Gracie just reached down before Momma knew what was happening, yanked his little umbilical cord right off! *laugh* My daughter, Star, called me freaking out! I told her it was about time for it to fall off anyway and since he didn't cry at all- it probably didn't bother him too much. That I'm sure he'll be fine as long as she keeps it clean. I also assured her it would not change the look of his belly button. heehee

Gracie said it was a boo-boo, so she was taking care of it. lol

I have more recent pics of Cole, but haven't loaded them into the computer yet. I'll probably do so tomorrow. This past week has been a blur, with so much going on. We had another little family emergency- but all is... okay, I guess- as far as it can be, anyway.

I'll tell you one thing, our savings seems to be just twindling down to nothing. Everytime we turn around it seems that there's a green monster eating up our money! Geesh! We are suppose to buy this house before the end of the year! We better start acting like that money doesn't even exist!

Today was my daughter's birthday. We cooked her barbeque chicken, homemade mashed potatoes, corn-on-the-cob and rolls; and of course birthday cake. She enjoyed it. And she liked her presents. I was going to keep her babies for her- but she doesn't want to be away from Cole yet, because he's so young and Gracie wanted to go home with Momma and Daddy, since baby brother was going home. That's highly unusual, because she always wants to stay with memaw *me* But since I just had her for a week, when Star had Cole and a few days after, she wants to be with her Momma. I think if Cole stayed, she would have been fine. That's all good- I'll have them both in the morning for a few hours while she runs errands and my back was killing me this afternoon, and just became tolerable, after a few meds finally kicked in!

I had my last MRI's about 4 yrs ago. I'm schelduled to go this week for neck and full back MRI's- it will be 3 separate ones- then I have another nerve conduction test in the next week. My last one showed carpal tunnel on my LEFT wrist (weird, since I'm right handed) and slight left sided nerve damage. I definitely have gotten quite worse since those tests, so I'm not looking forward to the results. Plus my osteo or rheumatoid arthritis has gotten worse- not sure which one. I think the rhumatoid- and I'm only 43- geesh! To anyone young getting a radical hysterectomy- TAKE YOUR HORMONE PILLS! I didn't and man, am I ever paying for it. If I had it to do all over again- screw the side effects! Trust me, these side effects of not taking them are SO MUCH worse!

Okay- for a few new items added to my stores. At Tracey's Treasures *always available through clicking on the title of my blog entry* I'll show you the two newest items:

This is a gorgeous Leopardskin Jasper Necklace. The beads on this necklace are on AAA gorgeous! The three focal dangles are a flower in the middle and two nice teardrops on each side, hung with 20g Sterling Silver wire. The strap is made with Leopardskin Jasper beads, Fauceted Moss Agate and AB Czech Crystals. This is a completely gorgeous piece- one where no matter how many pics you take, you're just not going to pick up the true, rough beauty of this piece.

This bracelet and earrings set is so pretty. It's made with green Millefiori beads, which means a Thousand Flowers and AB Crystals that match the red flowers perfectly. The Aurora Bourealis Crystals shine the colors of the rainbow when it's kissed with light. A sterling Silver lobster clasp completes the piece.

The earrings hang about 2-1/2" and are hung on sterling silver wire and a sterling silver earring hook. This will make an excellent Christmas gift for someone special. It really is a pretty set :)

The next two items I am going to show you is from my other store: A Crafter's Reality, at http://acraftersreality.etsy.com/

I absolutely LOVE this necklace! The true beauty lies in the color combination of all of the gorgeous beads. The white glass beads are Butterflystroke beads, the wings are painted a deep blue, and it has a stroke of gold and silver on each brushstroke. The AB Honey Crystals match it perfectly and glitter like sun shining on water when touched by light. The electric blue Crackle beads pick up the beautiful blue of the brushstroke wings and have a depth to them that is unreal. It's like gazing into a whole galazy. The piece is completed with a sterling silver lobster clasp.

The last piece I'm going to show you today are these totally awesome earrings:

I call these, "Surviving The Storm" and if you have read my entry, entitled the same name, or you have been through your own storm- rather nature or manmade, you'll be able to relate to the flower thriving and bursting to get out of their confinements as they survived the storm that almost buried them forever. The gorgeous Black Diamond Drops represent the storm that is now past and their gorgeous Aurora Bourealis finish, shines a rainbow of colors that is often times left after a bad or devastating storm- a sign that beauty and life is still there for us to not just exist, but to live and live life in full!

So every time you wear these, there will be a special meaning that only you will know.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope to see and talk to you again soon!

All of my pieces can always be altered, either longer or shorter, completely free of charge. All ofmy first time buyers receive 10% off.

If you stop by http://traceystreasures.etsy.com - I'd love for you to read the wonderful feedback left by a few of my customers- it's in the shops's announcement for your convenience.

I hope you all had a wonderful labor day weekend!

Introducing My New Card Line

2007-08-09T20:42:00.000-05:00

How's things been going with everyone? Boy, the dog days of summer are truly upon us. It's so hot and sticky outside, one can barely stand to stay outside long- much less work in it. My husband and son build roads and the like- I truly do not know how they can stand it. Hubby does get breaks from the heat, since he's the boss and has to stay on the road taken care of business- that helps get a break from the heat- but even with occasional breaks, I couldn't handle it *UGH* I guess I should have been born up North- even though I'm a true Southern in heart, the body hates the heat and the spirit loves the mountains! lol

I've started a new line of cards yesterday. My card line is called, "TLW's Poetic Expressions. It's cards featuring my own personal poetry. I'm working on putting together a poetry book now for publication.

I only have four cards out right now- 2 Halloween/Scary ones and 2 Inspirational/Encouragement ones.

The one above with the Spirit on front is a Halloween Card with my poem, Spirits In The Dark, written inside:

I'm scared to turn my face and see,

What may be lurking behind me.

The voices have started again,

At the time my visions began.

There's a lady in a long, white gown

At the top of the steps, looking down.

She holds out her arms, the cuts run deep,

As she starts to fall, I begin to weep.

It is her lonely soul who haunts these grounds,

And causes trouble when others are around.

She is not alone in this house of mine,

What I can see she's ghost number nine.

Another spirit is coming this way,

He was murdered, drowned in the bay.

He's a good soul who got grounded to earth,

Because he wanted to see his first son's birth.

There's evil spirits that are a bound,

They are the ones who make an awful sound.

They try to scare all who come their way,

By showing themselves even in the light of day.

At times I can feel them staring at me,

I want to run, but am not sure what I'll see.

I'm breathing hard and my pulse is racing,

I can not sit down, so I start pacing.

Heavy breaths are now trickling down my neck,

I want to look, but I'm a nervous wreck.

I say a prayer to casts the spirits out,

The prayers work miracles, I have no doubt.

As I am able to turn around and see,

The ghosts and evil spirits have left me.

I sit down with tears running down my face,

I am safe once again, by Heaven's grace.

This poem is about a sensitive and the spirits that she comes into contact with

on a daily basis. It tells a sad tale of the many lost souls, who were truly already

lost even before they died, when all they have to do is do what the psychic does now to protect herself. Call out to God- her saviour and refuge.

Now, let's lighten up the dark, with a Song of Hope...

Song of Hope, is a favorite of mine. I wrote it after being inspired by this Emily Dickinson quote:

"Hope" is the thing with feathers,that perches in the soul, and sings a tune without the words, and never stops at all.

-Emily Dickinson

Isn't that beautiful? It inspired this poem that is very close to my heart:

A bird soars within my soul

And lights upon my heart;

Flights of freedom it must take,

never to depart.

It sings a song of love and hope

Which words cannot express,

Quieting the turbulence in my mind,

Soothing my distress.

The fire of hope may flicker,

But the flame will never die,

Blanketing the menaces with feathers,

Carrying them on toward the sky.

Deep inside my spirit

The song of hope has a perch,

Keeping me alive with its rhythm

Daily in my search.

If you would like to check out the other 2, there at my stores- I have them in a mix or match set of 5 at http://acraftersreality.etsy.com/

And for single purchase at http://traceystreasures.etsy.com/

I'm really excited about mixing my love of poetry/writing, with my love of art. I hope you enjoy it also. *smile*

Shades of Purple

2007-07-26T09:04:00.000-05:00

Since my last post *too long ago* I have posted a few new additions to my store. I tend to lean toward fall colors, so I worked on adding a bit more color to my pieces... *yep, just in time for the end of summer* *laugh*

Shades of Purples seems to have called me. I'm going to show one of my absolute favorite pieces first.

This bracelet is sooo gorgeous! The beads are designer beads from the popular J Moore. You have to see these beads upclose and personal to really be able to appreciate their pure beauty. The artisanship is simply supreme. I accented this divine piece with lavender matte, deep purple and light purple swarovski crystals; which are known as the most beautiful crystal in the world. If you have never seen swarovski crystals reflect light, you are missing one of the most beautiful sites that jewelry has to offer.

The dangles are made with size 20g Sterling Silver wire and Sterling Silver bead caps bring a touch of added character and style.

This bracelet is 7-1/2". An extender chain is always available free of charge, upon request. I'm always happy to shorten any pieces as well, also free of charge.

If you love Amethyst- then you will ADORE this Chunky, Amethyst Nugget Necklace. I fell in love with these stones- they have such a natural beauty. I didn't feel like they needed any extra accessories. I wanted to keep it simple and let the beauty of the nuggets speak for themselves. So I strung them with, what I feel, is the perfect, complimentary beads- Aurora Bourealis Crystals. The crystals capture the rich, purple color and reflect the color in sparkly hues.

At 17", it fits most size necks as a choker. It does come with a Sterling Silver extender chain, that lets you adjust it up to 19-1/2". I'm always happy to adjust the length for you, free of charge.

If you want to make a statement in a natural, subtle kind of way- then this is your baby! *smile*

Let's take a turn away from jewelry for just a minute. Halloween is fast approaching- do you or someone you know throw the most awesome Halloween parties? If so, then you need the most awesome Halloween Invitations to go with it!

These are really fantastic, with tons of character and what I like best, texture. I love a card that has a lot of different textures to it- I think it adds a lot of character.

I also posted a general invitation with the Halloween invitations- you can have your choice or combination of both. You can choose the colors you would like the general invitations to be. Keeping in the theme of purple, that's the color I chose:

If you would like more invitations than offered, just write me- I'll be happy to make as many as you need.

Do you want to show off your talent, along with the faces you love best?

If so, this little Purse Scrapbook is so great to add your favorite faces to. What I do with these, is add a wallet size pic (or equivilant cut-out size) to one side and scrapbook the other side. It's a fun way to show off your favorite people and furbabies, while showing off your talented embellishment talents! *smile*

I'm going to close, veering off purple shades, just a bit. Keeping the color scheme beautiful and feminine.

This elegant Pink Puruvian Necklace and Earring set is totally gorgeous! You'll feel so elegant and feminine when you put these on.

The Necklace is a generous 22" in length. A figure 8 Puruvian Opal is the focal and is accented with Puruvian Opal Square beads and fantastic, artistic light and dark pink glass beads. The glass beads have a splash of black splattered on them, which adds tons of style! Silver bead caps cradling the beads, adds the perfect finishing touch.

You have to love the 2-1/2" dangle earrings that come in the set. They have a victorian flair- I'll be making some of these earrings, in different colors, to sell separately. They are hung on Sterling Silver earwires and the dangles hang on 20g Sterling Silver wire. AB Crystals are added for a touch of sparkle. I think they're the perfect compliment to the artistic glass beads and silver bead caps.

I hope you enjoyed the little trip through some of my new listings. Remember, I am always happy to do custom orders and I do not charge extra at all for them.

Would you like certain colors for birthstones?

A matching children's piece to go with the adult version?

A similar piece done in different colors?

Just ask! If I'm able to do so, I'd love to make you your own custom piece(s).

All of my first time buyers receive 20% off of their total order, before S&H. Refer a buying customer to my shop and receive 30& off of your highest value item, on your next purchase!

Gift wrapping is always free and comes complete with a card- when you order, just be sure to let me know you would like gift-wrapped.

These are just a few ways for you, my customer, to know how much I value and treasure you.

I hope to see you soon!

The Art of Using Wire to Enhance your Jewelry Creations

2007-07-11T07:15:00.000-05:00

Using wire in your jewelry pieces can dramatically change the look and value of your piece- so much so, it can change it from another beautiful piece, to your new masterpiece!

This is my latest piece using wire to enhance the uniqueness and style of this one-of-a-kind beauty.

To frame this pendant with a 'starburst' frame, I used 2-1/2 feet of sterling silver wire, which was woven using two parallel dowels. I then used other strips of sterling silver wire to string the red garnet stones, peridot and black diamond swarovski crystals on and then weaved them into the wire-work frame. I chose to use four different straps of wire to do this. One for the top, one for the bottom and one for each side. This helped me to weave it into the design more easily without disturbing the original design. It also helped me to shape the additions and keep them to the outside of the starburst frame, completing as close to a symmetrical circle as possible.

This is an example of using wire to dramatically change the look of my piece. It wouldn't be the same without it. But using wire doesn't have to be so dramatic. It can be simply making a beautiful, long pair of french earring wires, (e.g; like the Smoky Quartz earrings we made in an earlier blog entry):

Look how making our own earring hooks added so much character and elegance to the pair of earrings mentioned earlier. Imagine them with the regular short, french hooks- they wouldn't have the same elegance, would they? I don't think so. They would still be cute, but just simply adding a longer style of hook, puts them in a whole new category.

If you have never made earring wires, don't let it intimidate you. They're much more easier than you would expect. Be sure to look up the blog entry where I gave step-by-step instructions and make your own! And if you do, please share them with me! I'd love to post them in a blog entry :)

Dangles are another easy way to add a lot of character to your pieces. To learn how to make dangles, all you have to learn is how to make a simple eye pin, with a basic loop wrap. Then simply string them on in the order of your design.

When most people think of wire-work, they think of the heavily wrapped pendant or a piece like my green garnet pendant. But as you can see from the other examples, everyone can use wire to enhance their jewelry and give it a whole new look.

On the pendant below, I used wire to simply wrap all four corners of the picasso pendant.

Just a little wire on all four corners add character to this artsy stone, without taking away from it.

The sterling silver wire earrings were easily made by just making a figure 8 and wrapping in the middle. So easy to make and I absolutely love them! Word charms seem to be really in style at this time. I've always loved word charms and have been using them for a long time. I'm a scrapper also- so words are a huge part of scrapbooking. I chose pewter charms to hang from these- one says, live and the other, laugh.

Live life and laugh a lot while doing so! A great message for everyone to follow :0)

Using wire is fun and exciting! It brings a whole new dimension to the world of jewelry making. The designs you can make using wire is endless.

I'm working on a pair of crochet earrings now using very thin sterling- 28 gauge. You crochet wire, just like you are crocheting yarn and it creates a beautiful web for chips and small nuggets.

Don't be afraid to mix different metals, as well! Try using copper, brass and gold filled wire.

There's endless articles of how-to's on the web. Punch it in your search bar and get started today! Buy art wire from your nearest craft store or department store to practice with before you start using the more expensive metals. I would suggest keeping art wire for trying new designs on first. Wire can get a bit expensive, so you want to know what you're doing, when you grab your sterling silver or gold-filled wire.

If this article has inspired you to dabble into the world of wire, please send me your creations! I'd love to post them :)

Remember, you can always click on my titles to get to my store! All first time buyers receive 20% off of their total order, before S&H.

Happy Creating!

My MIL Had a Heart-Attack

2007-06-27T06:25:00.000-05:00

Still have not been able to post the pics of my aromahealing bottles on my blog or http://traceystreasures.etsy.com/

Right after I got my last blog entry posted, we got an emergency call from GA. My MIL had a heart-attack and they were going to be doing a triple by-pass on her. So we had to pack up and leave immediately. We just got back last night.

She's doing really good, considering. They only ended up doing a double, because the third one is in back and is in a tiny artery with only a 30% blockage. They said it may had done more damage to try and fix it. So they left it and said it should be fine, as long as she follows the docs rules.

Hubby had a double by-pass when he wasn't but 38- he's 46 now and doing pretty good. He doesn't take good enough care of himself, though :(

My kids really need to take good care of themselves- heart trouble runs on both sides of the family :(

Hopefully, I'll be able to get the pics posted today and get some new and fresh items listed in my stores. I relisted a couple of items to freshen things up a bit and get my store higher up in the categories searches.

I'd love for you to stop by and check out my store. I'm always happy to make custom orders :)

We All Have Doubts and Questions, Sometimes

2007-06-24T07:17:00.000-05:00

I haven't had time to post the pics (or even take them for that matter-lol) I've had both of my grandchildren all weekend, so we've been busy, busy :0)
They're leaving early this AM for church, so hopefully I'll get new items added shortly to my etsy shop; which can always be found by clicking on the title to my blog entries!

I'm taking the time before the babies wake up to make an entry. They stayed up past midnight last night, because they took a late nap after the beach party. So, I thought I'd share a couple of poems I wrote a while back when I was going through a really hard and depressing period in my life. In desperation, I hollered out these two questions. The answers came so fast, I could hardly keep up. I hope you find as much comfort in these words as I do :)

God, what am I suppose to achieve in this lifetime?

I see pictures of myself and I realize it doesn't matter what uniform I have on, what I do, but how I do it -- how I 'do' life!

It is not richness, it is not glamour, it is simply just life -- being a humane being.

I am supposed to achieve:

Kindness to all who cross my path.

Love to all in existence.

Charity beyond recognition.

Hope for human kind and the universe.

Laughter to keep our spirit alive.

Generosity to keep in touch with grace.

Gracefulness to keep in touch with our 'I AM' presence.

Humbleness to remind us where we came from and who we really are.

Patience for my heart and soul, but more importantly for those around me.

Freedom to give all the above without grievance.

And a prayerful heart, soul, body and mind to remember that God can give me the strength to do all He desires for me to achieve in my life, just for the asking.

God, Who Are You?

God, Who Are You?

I am the light of all that is.

As the clouds part to Reveal the heavens,
I see a lighted globule-

A light much more brilliant than the sun,
With a glow that radiates warmth without burning,
Love without ending, Hope without failures,
Life never ending and Love without conditions.

Attached is a pair of wings;
Wings that show freedom without restrictions,
Beauty without scars, Gracefulness without falling.

And the words come into my heart. . .
"I am all that ever was,
Ever will be, and all that simply is.

I am the light within Each one of you,
We all connect, We are all simply one.

In the beginning was the word,
And the word is God,
An extension of every life force,
Everything in existence-

What was then, is now,
What will be, is now,
What you are, I am,
What I am, so are you-

There is not a single molecule
In the universe that is not connected.

From one source we came,
And to one source we shall return."

New Things Are A Coming :)

2007-06-20T07:56:00.000-05:00

I'm excited to finally introduce my new aromahealing pinch bottles. They're sooo adorable! I am going to be selling them individually, made as pendants, keychains, necklaces, etc... I need to get some leather cord in first.

They'll be available with your choice of several different essential oil sceents, including: Jazmine, Peppermint, Lavender, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Spearmint and many others. The clay will soak up the scent, so it should last for a long time! Different scents have different healing properties, which I will list. For example, the peppermint is energizing, Lavender is soothing for headaches, Sage is good to ward off negative energies, etc...

I would really like a catchy name. If you have any good ideas for names, please send them to me :) If I use your suggestion, I'll make one just for you, Free of Charge!

They're made out of polymer clay. Since I am just learning the art of clay- be looking for many more projects to come involving the never-ending projects that can evolve from the PC World.

Sorry I don't have the pictures downloaded yet- I'll get them downloaded after while and add them. Basically, they look like minature indian jars, with cute little lid stoppers. Check back later this afternoon if you would like to see pics. I'll also be adding a couple of them to my store at: http://traceystreasures.etsy.com/ and http://traceystreasures.msmalls.com/ (my new store).

In the next day or two, I'll be posting about my new store location as well as another promotional site I am in the middle of sharing my information with.

I hope everyone has a great week! Don't forget to check back later for pics :0)

Check out my interview with thickgurl: http://thickgurl.blogspot.com

Do You Sale On-Line?

2007-06-12T06:22:00.000-05:00

The cards pictured throughout this blog entry are new cards I put in my shop yesterday :) You can always click on my titles to go to my store!

Do you own a store or auctions? If you do, I would like to hear from you!

I'm a newbie for selling on the web and I have heard June-August are the slowest months for selling. Has this been your experience?

I started selling about 2 months ago- at the very start it was slow. It took me about 3 weeks to start getting sales, then the second month (last month) was pretty steady. I'd go to the PO 3x a week and each time I'd have at least 3 packages to mail. Well lately, sales have been almost at a standstill. I've been reading a lot of comments from more seasoned sellers that these are the slowest months, so don't fret- just use this time to get up your inventory. So that's what I'm doing.

I have been selling locally for a little while (on and off) but am looking into that more seriously as well.

If you sale more than one type of item or medium, do you find that a variety brings in more customers?

I like to offer a variety in my store, because if someone is looking for a card- they may stumble onto my shop for a card and see a necklacet they just have to have! *smiles* I know when I buy something from someone's shop, I also check out what else they have to see if I want to combine S&H.

I'd like to hear from you- what has been your experience? Do you have any great tips that you would like to share with others?

What kind of items do you sale? And what kind of items have you found or noticed that sells the best throughout the whole year?

Is there any particular item you would like to see offered more often?

When you shop, what kind of items do you usually buy?

Thanks for stopping by! I'm looking forward to reading everyone's answers.

http://traceystreasures.etsy.com

20% off for all my blog readers! If you make an order, just contact me before you buy and say blogreader discount in the subject line- I'll send you a discounted invoice for 20% off your total order *before S&H*

Surviving The Storm

2007-06-02T06:38:00.000-05:00

While reading a new friend's blog on water damage, it reminded me (along with the start of Hurricane Season yesterday) all what we went through 3 years back when Hurricane Ivan destroyed not only much of my city, but also my home. This is my story.

A Story of Survival Through Hurricane Ivan
Surviving The Storm

We sat in the garage, looking out into the night, as Hurricane Ivan came upon our shores with a furry. I shone my powerful flashlight into the blackest night I've ever known. The darkness absorbed the light as if it weren't even there. What little I could see, I caught in strobe-flashes of lightning. The winds were howling and screaming as the 140+ mph winds snapped the trees as easily as snapping beans. My face grew pale and my heart raced as I thought, This has to be the worst storm I've seen since Freddy. I was excited and scared at the same time. Adrenaline rushed throughout my veins, making me feel wired, as if on some kind of drug. Glancing at the battery operated clock, it read 1:00 a.m. I exhaled a long breath, that I didn't even realize I was holding in. We're in for a long night, I thought to myself. The storm was horrid outside, but would get much worse -- as it was expected to last until noon the next day.

The darkness kept shocking us with an eerie bluish-green bright lightning that filled the whole sky. It was followed closely by a hiss, zap and loud echo of a boom, as another transformer blew. The transformers were blowing faster than we could count. We watched as different parts of the surrounding neighborhoods went black; houses and streetlights flickered out. We still had electricity, but knew it wouldn't last much longer. As the sky lit up with a freaky green light, we heard another hiss and boom that left us in darkness. Now, there was no light any where. We were in total obscurity.

Electricity continued to fill the sky. I could hear the angry Gulf of Mexico roaring about eight miles from my home. The radio announced that a 57-foot wave had been seen out in the ocean. God only knows how big it would be by the time it made landfall. The once beautiful, serene beaches wouldn't have a chance. Their tranquil visage was already being slammed with waves and sand. In the morning, the storm will still be raging on, but the beaches would have long since lost their battle.

Standing at the door, trying to watch what I could only hear, I wondered what destruction we'd be met with in the morning. All of a sudden, when I thought the storm couldn't sound any fiercer than it already was, a noise like a train fighting to stay on tracks filled the air. My huge, beautiful oak tree that stood proudly in my front yard started leaning over. I yelled, "There she goes! Our tree is falling, it's falling!" There was so much noise that all you could hear was an eerie creak of the wood as the tree was being pulled up by its roots. It went down sluggishly at first, almost as if in slow motion, as it came to a rest in my and my neighbor's front yard.

With all my might, I leaned into the door trying to close it, while yelling, "It's a tornado!" A sound like popping popcorn was all around us.

"Lord, what is that sound?" Pop-plop, pop-plop, over and over again. Flashlights lit our shocked faces as we listened to trees falling, debris flying and fences being torn apart. The sound of the handicapped train vanished, leaving us to once again hear only the screaming wind, as if it was in pain.

It was going on 3:00-3:30 a.m. when my sister said she was going to go lie down. She went back to her room and called, "Tracey, come here, quick!" I ran back to her room. She was pointing up to her ceiling where it was bowed in two places and cracked down the middle. Water was streaming out of both of the bowed sections. We quickly found two buckets to catch the leaks. We checked the other rooms and found another room to be in just as bad a shape. It's then when we realized that the popcorn sound we heard during the tornado, had been our shingles popping off the roof one by one. We grabbed buckets, pots and pans to try and catch all of the leaks we could. Great, I thought, a leaking ceiling in the middle of a hurricane.

We all went back into the living room. Everyone was worn out. My husband fell asleep in the chair and a friend on an air mattress in the living room. Jackie, my sister, kept saying she was going to go lie down in her room.

"No, Jackie!" I begged. "Please don't go lie down. The ceiling could fall in on you at any second!"
I could see it happening just as plain as day. Twenty minutes later Jackie said, "I'll be all right, I'm going to lie down for a few minutes."

Just as I got ready to protest, we heard a loud crash, followed by a huge slosh. We ran back into her room and the whole half of her ceiling had fallen onto her bed and the surrounding area. It looked like waterfalls coming from her ceiling.

"All my stuff," she whispered.

We made a convoy line and cleaned her bedroom out in five minutes flat, except for the furniture. If the ceiling had waited five more minutes to fall, my sister would have been in bed.

"We need to go into the spare room and get all the things out, in case the ceiling falls in there as well," I said.

Everyone agreed. Then we heard another loud crash. It was too late; the ceiling was crumbling away to nothing. I stood under the waterfall and threw books, pictures, porcelain dolls and other knick-knacks toward them to be quickly carried out of the spare room into the living room.

While hussling to get as much items out of the room before it was ruined, we heard another loud noise. When we were through, we went through the house to find where the awful sound was coming from. It was the rest of Jackie's ceiling. The whole ceiling was now on the floor. The bedroom furniture might as well have been sitting outside. Turning around, we shut the door and ran into another stream of water coming from the ceiling in the hall. I went to check my room and found two more leaks there. As quickly as we could, we moved everything out of my room. We were able to save most of the items, but all of our furniture in each room was ruined. We came back into the crowded living room and sports room, which now contained three rooms full of stuff. We cleaned insulation and drywall from everything the best we could and placed them into stacks or garbage bags.

Exhausted, everyone laid down and closed their eyes. Mysterious noices filled the air -- both on the inside and outside of the house. I sat up with my flashlight and would go investigate each time I heard a crash. My mind could not compute the destruction inside my home. But I thanked God that He kept all of us safe, including my three little dogs.

I must have dozed off for almost an hour or so, because when I opened my eyes, daylight was streaming through the double doors. I quickly got up and looked outside. It felt strange seeing daylight, because it seemed so out of place in the midst of such destruction. As I looked out the door, my eyes grew wide and all I could think of was how much it resembled a war zone. It looked like bombs had been dropped all around us.

Slowly, the others started to wake as well. Not only was there total destruction outside the house, but inside as well; three feet of insulation lay scattered throughout the house. Ceiling material lay angrily at strange angles on the floor. By the time morning had arrived, the storm still howled, but no longer so fiercely. I walked through my home. The ceilings in the foyer, hall, three bedrooms and garage had all collapsed. Outside, our two biggest trees were pulled up by their roots. Branches on trees were twisted around. I could see neighbor's homes that were always protected by what were once privacy fences. The streets were not passable because the trees, power lines and floods covered most of them.

I will never forget the destruction Hurricane Ivan the Terrible brought upon us. We are still living in our living room, waiting for our FEMA trailor to be delivered. The smell of mold and mildew is still strong. Slowly we're tacking up felt for the ceilings, cleaning up the inside and outside of our home, and pulling up wet carpet so we won't have to feel the squish beneath our feet or inhale their awful, sour smell.

As I stand amidst all the destruction, I thank God, as I realize we are among the lucky ones.

10/07/04

Who is the Brilliant Mind Behind This Awesome Blog? smiles

2007-05-28T11:24:00.000-05:00

Me and my hubby of 25 yrs. a couple of weeks ago, May, 2007 in Helen, Georgia

How did you like my title? *laugh*

I thought I'd give a small autobiography about me. Who I am and what I'm about.

The above pic is me and my hubby last Christmas. December, 25, 2006, 7:00 A.m

My name is Tracey, I am 43 years old last Feb. 13, '07. I'm a nurse and a circuit board repair technician. I also have my Associates of Art in Philosophy. I've been married to the same man, Eddie, for 25 years as of March '07. I have a son, Eddie II, 24 and a daughter 22 years of age. My son had my first granddaughter April 6th, 2004. Her name is Mikayla Renee Wilson. My daughter had my second granddaughter as of July 6, 2005, Juliet Grace Wilson. We're all excited to be expecting our 1st grandson around August 21st!

The above photo is my son and his family. (The

baby was getting tired-lol) The above right is my
daughter (pregnant), DIL, grandbabies. And

the one to the right is both of my granddaughters
in Helen, Georgia. If you have never been to
Helen- order the brochures off of the internet and go! You will have a wonderful time! Lots of shopping and beautiful waterfalls :0)

I live in Pensacola, Florida, my hometown (Pensacola beach to your left). The beach is really pretty, but I would rather live in the mountains! I lived in Winder, Georgia- 60 miles NE of Atlanta for 12 years and consider it home. I have also lived in Monterey, California and Clute, Texas (about 60 miles SE of Houston).

I am a jewelry designer and artisan. I enjoy offering quality pieces at affordable prices. I also offer greeting cards, matted or unmatted photography, soaps and other hand-crafted items.

You can find many of my items at http://traceystreasures.etsy.com

I'm also happy to take custom orders! Just drop me a line!

I also have been writing as long as I can remember. I love trying different genres. But I am probably best at my poetry, prose, non-fiction and drama. I have four poems published and my short story "Surviving the Storm" [E]. The only thing I have submitted for publication in years, is the non-fiction Short Story listed above (and just recently a poem which was accepted!). I'm thinking about starting to submit my work regularly again to different mags and anthologies. With my sister and husband's urging, (and now a couple of friends) I have started a book of my memoirs. I love animals, mainly dogs -- I have 2 little terrier mix, who believe they are part human.

I did have three dogs, but sadly one has passed over. I'm allergic to cats and rabbits, but will still hold them for a second and even owned a cat as an adult. She had short hair and stayed outside most of the time, (Her choice). She showed up one day by our front porch. When she arrived, Special, (her name) was maybe four weeks old and was almost dead. I could count her ribs. I couldn't say no, as I am an extreme animal lover; so much so, that if we happen to get a rat in the house, my husband asks me if I'm feeding it. *laugh* I have had a lot of different animals in my life and have enjoyed every one of them.

I stay surrounded by books, craft items and notepads and pens at all times. When I'm not reading or writing, I love to listen to mostly meditative and gospel music. My headphones stay on my bed, I usually can't go to sleep without them.

Besides the artisan work listed above, I also love to do all kinds of different crafts. Name the craft and I have probably done it; all except quilting, which I would love to learn how to do. I love experimenting with my digital camera and playing with my different photo and graphics software.

I'm also a firm believer and lover of quiet times. I love to laugh and smile and make other people happy. That's what brings me the most pleasure and feeling of peace. I hate housework!! YUK! But manage to keep my place clean enough for people to enjoy themselves when they come over. *laugh*

I was raised in a very dysfunctional family and come from a life of abuse and neglect. All my parents and grandparents are gone now. I had five sisters and two brothers -- one brother has passed over, years ago and we lost my oldest sister, the same day my granddaughter was born -- April 6, 2005. And as of last August, 2007, another sister died, joining our huge family and friend's ring on the other side.

I am a now chronically disabled due to four herniated discs and left sided nerve damage, causing sciatica. Along with other minor disabilities. I am blessed though to still be able to get around without a chair. As long as I can take my time and take short breaks when needed, I do pretty good :)

I have a firm belief in God, but believe in all different religions. I don't believe just one has all the answers. My beliefs are out there -- but one thing that is not, is I believe Jesus died on the cross for our sins.

I consider myself much more spiritual than religious. I believe in karma, reincarnation and many aspects of the paranormal. I have had too many experiences not to.

Judgemental people really upset me and I try my hardest not to be judgemental. Of course it is human nature to do so a little, but I really try to remember 'Judge not, lest ye be judged' Elderly people and animals touch my heart the most, and people who do things for others out of the pure goodness of their souls. Violence and people or animals in pain emotionally or physically makes me the saddest. I'll do anything in my power to help people or animals.

*I am an Aquarius, which we all know is the best sign there is. No ifs, ands, or buts

*I'm very short -- a whopping five feet even-hehe

I have long, light brown hair down past the middle of my back.

Big bluish-green eyes that are actually hazel and change colors with my mood.

A little overweight, Okay, okay, quit twisting my arm ... maybe more than a little -lol -- always stayed slim, except as a child, so this weight thing I hate -- though, I hear from many I am well proportioned.

I Have ugly feet and hands and a cute stomach (well, when it's not pudging out like now, it's cute. So I guess you can say, I use to have a cute stomach).

I pick up on people's emotions very easily and feel them strongly with the person experiencing them.*I consider myself highly intuitive, thus my handle, intuey (intu from intuitive and ey from TracEY)*

I don't watch much T.V - but I still like to have it on.

I have an awful memory, though my husband who I have been with since I was 18 -- has told me, "You've always been like that, you just don't remember." SMARTASS! lol

My favorite colors are of the violet, purple colors. I do love teal and sapphire also. I don't think there is a color I don't like.

I love shrimp and jumbalya, spaghetti also -- not real fond of sweets, but will eat them often. *smiles* Also I am a coke-a-holic, yep, you heard me right, have to have my coke- though I really prefer Pepsi.

I hope you have enjoyed getting to know me a bit. I look forward to visiting your blogs, sites and stores and making a few good friends along the way :0)

Smoky Quartz Teardrop Double Jointed Earrings

2007-05-24T07:56:00.000-05:00

How would you like to make these beautiful smoky quartz teardrop earrings? They are really easy to make (as long as you have a little experience in wirework).

You can use any stones that you would like to use. I chose smoky quartz for my teardrops and garnet and smoky quartz as my other stones. I also work with sterling silver- but again, the wire you choose is your choice. It's all good :)

I love the look of long, french earwires. It really adds style and elegance to some types of earrings- especially long dangles. These are posted on etsy, available for purchase at the above link.

Instructions to Make your own Elegant, Teardrop Earrings.

Materials

2- 2-1/2" Sterling Silver 20 or 22 gauge wire
2- 1" Sterling Silver 20 or 22 gauge wire
2- 1-1/2" Sterling Silver 20 or 22 gauge wire
2 Teardrop Stones (mine are 12mm)
4 accent stones (mine are 4mm)
2 accent stones (mine are 6mm)

Round Nose Pliers
Chain Nose Pliers
Flush Cutters

3 Step Plier *bail maker pliers* (optional)
Cloth to smooth and straighten wire or fine steel wool '0' or straightening pliers

Jewelry Files

I want to make it clear before we start- this is how I make my earrings. This may not be the way the professionals tell you to do it. But this is what works for me. I think jewelry making is as personal as jewelry design. You have to find what works best for you and as long as your jewelry is of good quality when it is completed, it doesn't matter how you get there :)

The first thing you want to do is cut 2, 2-1/2" of your wire. If you want to make your earring wires a bit shorter, than you need to cut your wire shorter.

Take your 3-step or round nose pliers and hold it just below the tip (or lower if you want your loops bigger) and let just about a 1/4" of your wire stick out the other side .

I'm using the last size on my bail maker pliers, but you will want to determine where to use yours, depending on the size of pliers you have.

If you are using round nose, you'll probably want to position it at the bottom of your round nose.

Hold the pliers with your dominant hand and the wire with your chain nose, a cloth or your bare hand. Hold tight and roll the pliers toward your body. Stop at a half turn. Remove your pliers- now, your wire should look similar to this:

Next, you want to take your round nose pliers and position the end of your wire in-between the top tip of your round nose's. Have just a hint of wire sticking out of the other side, where you can feel the point of it with your index finger.

If you notice, my hook is a little crooked. So I took this time to straighten my wire, by holding it secure with my chain nose at the top curve and took my jewelry cloth and firmly swiped down on my wire several times to straighten it. If you have a pair of 'straightening pliers' you may prefer to use them. When it's a small amount, like above, I prefer a cloth.

Again, hold the wire with your non-dominant hand and your round nose pliers with your dominant hand. Make a complete turn toward you, making a little circle with at the tip of your earring wire hook. This will look similar to a 'P'.

Congratulations! You now have the curve part of your earwire completed!

Now take your 2- 1" wires. You want to make a double wrap eye pin. Start by holding your wire at the tip of your round nose pliers. Make a complete turn, making a small circle on one end of your wire:

Now turn the wire where the loop is on the bottom. After making loops like this, you want to break the neck. This makes the eyepin stronger and more secure. Many tell you to break the neck, before you make the closed loop on the end. I like doing it afterwards. Hold your chain nose pliers over the loop, and use your index finger to bend the wire up to meet your pliers:

If you prefer to do it the traditional way, then grasp the straight wire with your chain nose pliers and bend it backwards to make like an upside down 'L' then take your round nose and place them on the piece of wire you bent backwards and curve it toward you to make the loop.

Now slide one of your 4mm stones on first, then one of your 6mm stones. Close the other end with a loop, just like you did on the other end. (I leave mine opened just a bit to slip onto the earwire, then close it after I hang it). Now you have completed a double wrap eyepin.

Now take the double wrap eyepin that you just made with the stones, and hook it onto your 'P' loop earwire:

Whoo-hoo! You're on your way to finishing a beautiful pair of earrings! The rest is all down hill :)

Now, we're going to do the same thing with our bottom dangle- this is what makes it a double jointed pair of earrings, with free movement.

Take your 1-1/2" wires and complete the closed loop on one end, just like you did above. Then hang your 4mm stone, bead cap and then your teardrop pendant. Now close your end with another closed circle on the end. If you want, you can make it a wrapped circle at the end, or close it with whatever style you like to use.

Now all you have to do is make the little curve at the end of your long, straight earwire. This is the part that you will insert into your ear. Clasp the end of your wire, have about a 1/4" hanging over the other side. Make about a 45% bend:

File the end to a nice smooth finish. Make sure all of your excess wires are cut flush and smoothed with your files. This is a very important last step for the comfort of the wearer of your jewelry.

Congrats! Now hold up your finished earring and admire your excellent work! If you made both of them at the same time (like I do) I find this helps me make them both even, much easier.

Now this is your finished creation, in your own colors and choice of stones, of course :)

I'd love to hear from you if you made a pair. Be sure to share your pics with us!

If you are an artist who would like to be interviewed, please contact me :)

Have a great day everyone and happy creating!

Tracey

The Beginning

2007-05-20T08:21:00.000-05:00

Yes! I have finally opened a blog for all crafters! If you would like to be interviewed and possibly have your store featured, please contact me!

This blog will be a bit different than others. It will contain my new projects, great ideas and finds I come across, as well as other artists, instructions to try your hand at various new creations and so much more! We will also discuss the things that go through an artisan's mind. Creative people tend to have the wheels in their mind turning a bit more actively and differently than people who are not so much into creative endeavors. Are we prone to more stress and/or mental illnesses? Simply, just how crazy are we? *laugh* It should be interesting.

If you would like to be featured on, "In Too Deep: A Crafter's Reality" Please contact me! We'd all love to hear about your creations and how your mind clicks.

This blog will feature all different kinds of craftsmanship. I do not want to narrow it down to only a couple of different types of art. There's way too many awesome talents out there, and I would like to explore and discuss all of them, not just the ones I create.

My store is http://traceystreasures.etsy.com and my ebay seller's ID is intuey1, my Bidville Seller's ID is traceystreasures. I'd love for you to stop by and visit- often!

My store features awesome, beautiful and quality Jewelry, handmade cards, photography (matted or not), soaps and more! Keep an eye out, because there's never no telling what may be making it's entrance shortly. I do a little bit of everything.

Since this is my first entry, I'm going to leave it short. I wanted to just let you know what you can (sort of) expect. I hope to make this an informative, fun and interesting blog ... and well, creative :)

Now a little about myself:
My name is Tracey, I live in Florida and have been married for 25 yrs. I have a grown son and daughter, both with a girl of their own, and my daughter is expecting a boy in August. You would never guess I'm a grandmother when you look at me *lol* And if you do, just keep it to yourself! *laugh*

I'm an Aquarius- simply the best sign that there is. If you know anything about signs, then you know Aquarians are quite unique and creative souls. I'm also an extreme animal lover- what's not to love? They are always there for you, they never complain and they give unlimited hugs and unconditional love.

I'm a jewelry designer, cardmaker, soapmaker, photographer, writer and nurse. I also create too many things to list- most of which will make an appearance, sooner or later, in my store. Although my crochet, cross-stitch and similar items I create will probably never make an appearance, because for me, they take too much time. I could never ask enough for them. I guess I'm just too slow in those particular crafts. lol

I'm always happy to take custom orders, so if you have something in mind that you would like me to create for you, just contact me! I'll be happy to work with you to the best of my ability.

I enjoy making people smile. Smiles are contagious and make the world a better place. I think we should all take responsibility in our world and try to do all we can to help save it. As Al Gore said, "Our world has a fever, we need to treat it, people!"

Thank you for visiting my blog, I hope you will be a regular return visitor!

In Too Deep: A Crafter's Reality

Behind The Door - A Short Story

Today I Cried, Once More

Get Paid For Tweeting

IFCJ: This Week with Rabbi Eckstein

Defeating The Devil

Stillness

Healed From Hate

Being an Artisan Store Owner

Finding Inspiration in the Little Things

God, Unclog My Spirit - Spiritual Life - CBN.com

This Is My Life, Part 1

Bonanzle

Vote WOW

My 1st Family Video- Family Affair

So Much Going On! I Now Have An Adorable Grandson!

Introducing My New Card Line

Shades of Purple

The Art of Using Wire to Enhance your Jewelry Creations

My MIL Had a Heart-Attack

We All Have Doubts and Questions, Sometimes

New Things Are A Coming :)

Do You Sale On-Line?

Surviving The Storm

Who is the Brilliant Mind Behind This Awesome Blog? *smiles*

Smoky Quartz Teardrop Double Jointed Earrings

The Beginning

Who is the Brilliant Mind Behind This Awesome Blog? smiles