About Me

I am.... A mother of 4, my greatest accomplishments. The man in my life.... supports me, makes me & the childrens a priority, shares many of my passions, & will wait hours for me while I shop for beads & crap, I mean crafts :) I love... my kids, my man, my family & friends, animals, live music, & traveling (going to zoos & bead stores anywhere we go). My obsessions are... Aerosmith, P!nk, Disney, & Josh Hamilton. I watch... Transformers the movie at least once a week (guess that's an obsession too) My confession... I am a hoarder of BEADS but I hope to be more productive in all medias of art jewelry.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Found Treasure!!

I found this wonderful strand of carved bone this weekend.   
I think they are awesome!!!


History of Bone Beads

by Beverly Fernandes
Bone was one of the first things early humans used for ornament. Since the local butcher shop is a recent development in human history. Most humans had to butcher their own animals. Whether wild or domestic living animals come with a full complement of meat, bones, hide, and other organs. Early humans were efficient and frugal out of necessity. Every part of the animal that could be used was used, meat for dinner, hide for clothing, shoes, and containers, fat for suet and tallow, horn and bone for tools and ornaments. Even the internal organs had their uses.
Early peoples worked bone with stone tools and some of the earliest known "Venus figurines" were made of carved bone. These are among some of the earliest known ornaments. Using little more than a sharp edge of a stone as a saw and a hard piece of slate or sandstone as a grinding surface early people made a remarkable variety of beads and jewelry.
Bird bones were small and hollow and they required little alteration to become beads or pendants. They can even be made into whistles, these were prized the shamans to summon or dismiss spirits. Snake vertebrae were ready made beads and just need a good cleaning before becoming a necklace. Many have been found in association with ritual paraphernalia. Deer and sheep hooves were made into noisy clackers by both the Scythic tribes of southern Russia before the birth of Christ and more recently by the American Indian tribes.
What do all these examples have in common, they are associated with ritual and magic. People believed the spirit of the animal continued to influence whoever wears a part of him, especially if the bones were altered only slightly. Modern urban humans, beginning with the Romans, have lost the sense of magic that comes from being close companions to the animals that sustains them. As people became more "civilized" and had access to a local butcher shops, they also became less attuned to the source of their food and the magical influences that comes from using other animals to sustain their lives. The respect and reverence of the hunter for his prey was broken as soon as that prey was kept in a pen.
Bone beads lost much of their magical influence as humanity developed towns and cities. The development of domesticated animals meant hunters were no longer reliant on the magical protection afforded by the bones of the animals they hunted. The connection between hunter and hunted was lost forever. They were relegated to being an ornament of the poor who could not afford stone or ivory beads. Today bone beads are a cottage industry in Indonesia where individual craftsmen and women make bone beads for a greater global market.
Bibliography
A Handbook on Beads by W.G.N. van der Sleen
The History of Beads from 38,000 B.C. to the Present by Lois Sherr Dubin
The Oxford Illustrated Prehistory of Europe edited by Barry Cunliffe
The Universal Bead by Joan Mowat Erikson
Women’s Work The First 20,000 Years by Elizabeth Wayland Barber

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Out of the Box.



 Hours of blog hopping & I have been inspired by this idea of creating a pair of earrings that are mix match, that's what I'm calling it at least. My first attempt isn't AS mix matchy as what I have seen out there & I would like to improve my wrapping but it's a start

Sunday, November 13, 2011

What A Mess!!!


Today I finally got ALL of my beads unpacked & started to sort.
Most of my beads have been packed away for almost a year so busting them out was...
AWESOME!!! 
Over the past year I have continued to collect so I needed to merge  my existing collection with my new collection which caused this mess on my table. 

It took  me most of the day to get through this mess & I still feel unorganized, so  my question is....
How do you sort your beads?
By style?
By Size?
By Color?

I feel this is going to be an on going process and any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

A place to create!!

My Grandmother is letting me convert her basement storage room into a studio.  I can not express how excited I am!!  I will be posting photo's throughout the process. 

Here is the before..


It's going to be GREAT!


Any tips or ideas you want to share would be greatly appreciated!!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Grab the Bull by the Horns

Well, just spent another wonder 4th of July in Prescott, AZ!! 
Home of the Worlds Oldest Rodeo and a very all American town. 
If you can ever make it here for this holiday you should!
Now it's time to get serious and stop slacking.  So........
More posts to come!!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Friday, February 25, 2011

Lucks in the Gutter!!

I can't believe how lucky I am! 
I am laying in bed at The Motor Lodge Hotel in fantastic Prescott, AZ.


I am laying in this bed for FREE because of a contest that TML posted on their FB page....

Contest details:  In appreciation of our new rain gutters (melting snow no longer causes us angst) we are giving away a free room (good for tomorrow night only) to the closest guess (without going over) of how many linear feet of gutters now grace TML. One guess per person and contest ends at 10pm tonight. Can't make it?...play anyway and give the room away to a friend if you win!

I painstakingly calculated to win this contest because I love this place (even before staying here).  It's been recently remodeled and ever since I have SO wanted to stay here.  Anyway, I contacted a family member to help me out (my phone a friend).  We each sat on our computers looking at pictures of the hotel.  (Did I mention that this person is a licensed contractor, hee hee)  So after about an hour of figuring I submitted my answer of 648ft.  However a few posts later they stated that the gutters were only installed to the front of the hotel which meant I needed to cut my amount in half.  The strange thing is 324 did not feel right, I was completely feeling 316 and was 100% correct with that answer!! 
WHOOT WHOOT!!

So my children and I spent a wonderful evening next to the fire on the porch visiting with eachother and one of the owners, Joe.  I learned that the hotel was originally builts as summer cottages back in 1910.
How awesome is that!?! 
They were bought as kits and I think he said from Sears, will verify tomorrw.  Now I have kids on the floor and my bean (aka youngest daughter) snoring next to me.  The only thing missing is my oldest.
What a great night making great memories. 
Thank you TML!!



PS. And can I say that Joe and his partner got the most important thing right, the bed is super COZY!!


A Chuck Wedding - AWESOME!!

I saw this in the wedding edition of the "Prescott Woman" magazine.  IF (and it's a big if) I were to get remarried this would be what I would want.  Chucks are my favorite shoes, I have loved them FOREVER!!  My favorite pair is grey suede with pink leather.  Super Cute!!


Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Hotel San Carlos!! built 1928

In 9 long days I will be going to Phoenix (about an hour away from where I live) for a mini vacation.  SO EXCITED may I say!!  We will be staying at the Hotel San Carlos.  I absolutely love staying in historic hotels!!  This will be a perfect location for the First Friday Art Walk we will be attending.  There will be so much to see and I will be sure to blog and post pics!!  Can you say visual entertainment!!



1928 The formal Grand opening March 20th, 1928 was boldly announced in the Arizona Gazette (now the Arizona Republic). Mr. Dwight Heard, a prominent figure in Phoenix real estate and development, and his partner, Charles Harris, were very proud of their state-of-the-art hotel. It was the most modern hotel in the entire Southwest United States, the first air conditioned, high-rise hotel in Phoenix, and the first high-rise hotel with elevators (hand operated) in the state. It had Italian tapestries, a card room, dancing, and an outdoor sun room. At a time when the latest automobile, the model "A" Ford, cost only $820, the Hotel San Carlos was build at a cost of nearly $850,000!
The original air conditioning compressor, belt driven, was a York model D-8. The unit was brought by train and wagon where it was installed in the basement. The well that was dug for the old schoolhouse was modernized to provide water to pre-cool the air via a pump and evaporator before being drawn across the air conditioning coils - A brilliant design that tamed the Phoenix summer heat. It also generated an extra 25¢ to $1.00 per night to sleep in the chilled air. Previously, hotel guests would drag their mattresses outside onto sleeping porches at night to get some relief from the heat.
The luxuriously appointed hotel with its Italian travertine-tiled lobby also featured steam heat with radiators in each room and re-circulating chilled ice water taps in every room. Many of these taps can be seen in our rooms to this day, although the system was discontinued in the early 1970's. The hand operated elevators remained in operation until the late 1970's. The steam heat radiator system is STILL in operation. Other notable elements are the lobby's original carved plaster crown moldings, Austrian crystal chandeliers and wall sconces, and copper-clad elevator doors and moldings.
When visiting the hotel, one should note the original architectural features. The entrances are decorated with vertical-ribbed terracotta tiles. Above the entryway, at the 2nd and 3rd floor levels, are neo-classical column ornamentations, with shaft and capitol. Textured concrete, scored to simulate stone masonry, is used on the first floor level. On the 4th floor level, a projecting balcony with lintels resting on corbel is seen. Lintels also project on both manor facades along the bottom of the 2nd story level. The lintels recur over the tops of the 2nd story windows, and are more richly decorated with scrolls and relief carvings. Above the 7th floor is a penthouse, of original construction. Charles Harris, the original owner and General Manager, resided in the penthouse with his family.

The Mid-Twentieth Century

1928-1960 During this time the hotel continued to be a hub for the Phoenix elite, political and social, as well as a Mecca for Hollywood stars. Mae West stayed here in 1929 while performing at the Orpheum Theatre, 203 W. Adams, in "I'm no angel". It was reported she left orders with the front desk to "not be awaked until 3:00pm with a bottle of champagne and two glasses." The Phoenix Press Club was founded here.
Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent much of their romantic time here in Arizona at the San Carlos. Gable often referred to Lombard as the "love of his life." Marilyn Monroe was a guest during her filming of Bus Stop. She wanted a room close to our pool on the third floor, so that she could slip out to the deck and sunbath with the least amount of attention. Other stars such as Spencer Tracy, Jean Harlow, Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Gary Cooper, Humphrey Bogart, Gene Autry, and big band artists Kay Starr, Woody Herman and Harry James all spent time here over the years. Governors, senators, and countless other notables, also enjoyed the services of the San Carlos over the years.
From its inception, the French Café, the hotel's first restaurant, was immensely popular. The signature French Onion Soup was the "best in town." Adult libations were regularly embibed in the Palm Room off the lobby which served as the cocktail lounge. Anyone who was anyone routinely relaxed in the air conditioned comfort of the Palm Room. During World War II troops were housed in the hotel and our bar became known as "Base Operations" as more officers were present there than at Luke Air force Base headquarters.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Flower Power

Bona-Vista Bona-Vista Dear oh Pink and Green (with a little red).
I think I have everything now for my next Sparkle Garden bracelet, what I am calling flower power.  Obviously I am in the mood for spring!!  So excited for this project!!  I will post pictures as it comes along.  Won't get much done tonight, going to sleep early tonight - by 11 for sure. 

Have a great night :)

Monday, February 21, 2011

Facebook Page!!

Just set up my Facebook page.  Be sure to check it out.  Of course you can find me as "Jennifer's Jewels and Junk".  Be sure to click "LIKE"!!  Thank you

Discouraged Beading

The creativity just can't get going, so....  I started on a kit I bought ages ago.  It's for a garden bracelet and I think I am making it too thick (cause that's how I like it) and if I continue I won't have enough beads - UGH!!  Going to stop for now and do some blog hopping and start again tomorrow fresh, decide if I should undo it and start over. 

Stay tuned, more pictures to come!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

More snow.

We got more snow which I'm not happy about even though it sure is pretty. Thought it would mean I would be stuck in the house and find time to bead but had family visit which is always enjoyable. 

Tonight going to blog hop and go through my magazines, get inspired and then get to work tomorrow. 

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Testing Testing

I have no idea what I am doing but am so anxious to get started that I just couldn't wait!!  Hope that my wonderful brother will come by this week and help me out.  Anyway.....

Tomorrow I am looking forward to spending the day with Lizzy (my oldest daughter).  Haven't really seen her in weeks and miss her terribly!!  It's amazing how quickly children grow up.  I know everyone says it, I heard it a zillion times when growing up.  But it's so true unfortunately :(

After spending the day with my daughter I do plan on doing some beading.  It's difficult to create with such limited space but there will be a time soon when I have a wonderful work area (postings and pictures to come). 

Now off to bed so that tomorrow can be here!