Current Portfolio

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Jamie's Hair Clips LISTED

As promised, I have listed the clips I have made in Jamie's honor. I even made it by the end of March..just barely! If you wish to make a donation but do not wish to purchase a clip, please make all donations at  "The Jamie Bowe Donation," at any U.S. Bank. NO donation is too small!


Lavender- To raise awareness for ALL Cancers!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/71068280/charity-cancer-awareness-feather-hair

Grey- To raise awareness for Brain Cancer!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/71156622/brain-cancer-awareness-charity-grey-bow?ref=v1_other_1

To make it simple, I have listed them both for $50 plus shipping. ALL proceeds will go to her fund at US bank.
I have also dedicated a hat in my Creations By CReid crochet shop to this cause.


So please help in the awareness in cancer and help a family! I know this isn't much and not near enough but I hope that I will be just one of many to do something for such an important cause.

Monday, March 28, 2011

SHOP FEATURE: H0neyburn Cottage In The Woods!

My first shop feature! I would like to introduce you to Nicole of h0neyburn! As many of you already know, I am obsessed with her leg warmers! My kids have many pairs. I stole a pair from them to use as arm warmers and am in the process of ordering my own leg warmers and a pair of arm warmers with a thumb hole for me :)
 


Most people call me Nikki. I'm a simple kind of woman. I love God, my family, and good food. I have always enjoyed drawing and making crafts. I'm married to an amazing man who is also my best friend, and I am a stay at home mom to our one (so far!) 16 month old daughter. When I became pregnant a couple of years ago, I learned how to crochet so that I could make cute hats for our baby. I ended up crocheting adult leg warmers for my shop from that experience, which led me to learn how to re purpose new material into cute warmers for all ages.

What inspires me most is God and this amazing place He created. I love nature. I can sit outside under the trees for hours with the breeze in my hair listening to the sounds of wildlife around me. I decided to start making hair accessories out of faux flowers because of my love for nature. I like the way I feel with a flower in my hair, feminine and earthy.
 

I started painting in high school, forgot about it for a while, then picked it back up when I opened my Etsy shop. I like to paint dreams, topics that concern me, and moments in time that make me happy. My favorite time period is the farming prairie days before the Industrial Revolution. Many of my paintings reflect my love of these simpler times when families stayed together and fought for what was right. It seems they had more respect for the land they worked than we have for the land we fill with garbage. I try to find uses for any 'trash' I cannot recycle or compost.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/70516382/a-walk-in-the-woods-original-acrylic

I'm a real down to earth, bohemian kind of girl. Give me a tree, I'm sure I'd hug it.

Follow her great blog at:  http://momma-small.blogspot.com/
You can also find her on facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/h0neyburn

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Lacking patience, independece, engergy and loving it MOTHERHOOD

As you all know, I am a mother of 2 beautiful girls. They are my everything as life wouldn't be the same without them. They test me daily on different things.

Mostly it's a constant test of patience. The one thing that I fear I will forever have to work on.
They test my wittiness, my strength(physical, mental, spiritual, emotional), my stamina, patience..yes, I already said that but it needs saying again lol, my word, my independence. its a non stop test everyday.
Today was a rough one.

My oldest is 6 going on 16. Its a joke amongst friends but really, its not a joking matter and nothing to laugh at.  Over the span of the last 4 years, she has somehow became delusional and believes that she is an adults equal. She thinks that everything in the house is "hers" and she has some mysterious right to get what she wants etc. Yes, I know this is common amongst kids. But you have to "see" it to understand the degree she takes it.

I love her to end and everyday I pray for a good day. They are there. Just not as often as one would hope. Her sister on the other hand is the complete opposite so far but she is only 21 months old. Lots of time to catch up to her big sis.

I may be out of patience, not so independent as most days I can't go to the bathroom without one of them following, physically and mentally drained and yes..out patience..lol BUT I WOULDN'T CHANGE IT FOR THE WORLD! Because at the end of the day, the hugs, "I love yous" and snuggles make it all worth it!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

We are back and SURVIVED A TSUNAMI!

Hawaii was amazing! But of coarse we already knew that. There is so much to do and so much to share that I will just give you a sneak peaks of whats to come.
We visited the island of Oahu and stayed with friends..no..let me rephrase that...family. While they are in laws from my first marriage, they have continued to be my family even though my ex and I couldn't work it out. They opened their house to us and endured our kids for 9 days. Paegen was a handful..well..2 handfuls. Adealia traveled well. Our family as a whole was much happier and more at peace while on the island.  It was great for me to be home again.

During our stay, we encountered a Tsunami! After a day of relaxation and hanging out with my family, we were informed to turn on the news. Needless to say we got little to no sleep that night. People were crazy trying to fill their gas tanks up. We just laughed and thought why? No real damage in our area. Water came up onto the roadways but that is not uncommon for that area anyway. The next morning/early afternoon we went for a drive to the North Shore and I got some amazing pics at Waimea Bay. The waters were still pretty angry but that didn't stop the crazy surfers and tourists from venturing in.

We did alot of shopping and eating. But that was expected. And then our vacation was over. If it weren't for the tattoos my husband and I got while there and the few trinkets and many pics...it could have very easily been a dream.

My sister in law has started making jewelry and is quite awesome at it. She has sold a couple bracelets at a local shop already. I was able to get some amazing pics of her talent. In the near future, I hope to do a little feature on her :) OH, and she is donating the proceeds of a necklace to Jamie's fund!!

my fav that she had done! I even got to wear it :)
I am now burdened by a cold but hoping that it passes soon. I have the clips I will be donating to photo and list, as well as a couple new designs. What do you think of me adding prints from our vacation for sale in my shop? Would love your opinion!!

If you don't wish to wait on seeing more pictures, please feel free to view them on my facebook fanpage. Please be respectful and do not copy my photos. I retain the copyright to ALL of my images and the images I have used of Dawn Aldermans work in previous posts were with her permission.
Thank you.
PS. Once I have 50 blog followers, I will do a giveaway and the official shop features will begin.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Jamie Update

After speaking with Dawn, Jamie's sister, I decided I needed to include a little more information. While I am actively working on pieces to sell and donate the proceeds, I felt it was important to take it a step further.

These boys and her loving husband are her support team. I cannot imagine how they are handling this. How do you prepare your kids and husband for a life without you? How do you say goodbye?
With the aggressiveness of this form of cancer, it will take a miracle for her to have another year with them. Her new medications have been proven to extend the life of its patients for 7 months.

In Jamie's words on a website "The medications seem to have all the worst side affects on me.  But I will stay strong. I realize times are hard for everyone and money is tight, but I was the only one working and now I cannot.  Kenny is going to school and taking care of the boys, but I fear the financial burden is taking a heavy toll on him.  If anyone can help, please donate to "The Jamie Bowe Donation," at any U.S. Bank.  Thank you in advance, and we wish all of you the best.  Love, Jamie"

So, if you have an extra $5 that you were going to spend at McDonalds or buy that candy to snack on, please consider donating to a family in need. I know I am and hope that others would do the same for me. I would love to see them be able to afford to do something special with the boys before she gets too sick and give her husband a little financial relief.

I had to undergo heart surgery at age 29. Knowing that there was a chance I may not wake up after surgery had me in a panic. I kept thinking, "How will Paegen ever understand?" That was enough for me so I can't even imagine what Jamie and her family is going through.  Make sure you give your kids an extra hug today, tonight, tomorrow and always. Be sure to tell your loved ones how much you love and appreciate them. Life is one second at a time and should never be taken for granted.
Thank you for reading this and hope that we can spread the word about the horrid nature of this Cancer and what it does to families.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Vacation

Sorry to leave you hanging after my last post. We are all still praying hard for a miracle. I find myself hugging my girls a little more often. You never know what tomorrow brings and I hope that I leave my girls and husband feeling loved and appreciated every night as they go to bed.
As mentioned in the last blog, I will be making and listing pieces in Jamie's name and all proceeds will be donated to her and her family. So far, I have made 2.
Grey Ribbon-Brain Cancer Awareness (hints of lavender-for overall cancer awareness)

Lavender ribbon-Overall Cancer Awareness

Still looking for a few shops to participate in this. I have one donation so far by Once Found Collection. She is an emerging jewelry designer. Thank you!

Will be listing these at the end of the month..which leads me to my next topic. I will be on vacation with my family for quite awhile this month. All purchases made from March 5-20, will not ship until the 21. For the week of the 21st, I will use USPS Priority to help make up for any inconveniences.
Where are we going you ask? HAWAII! A trip that has been planned and re planned for the last 5yrs is finally happening. So be prepared for many heavy pic posts when we get back! As well as new designs!
Thank you for your continued support through my journey here.
A Hui Hou