Hand Crosses As Prayer Tools

I make these hand held crosses with polymer clay and shape to fit the hand. They may be used as a tactile focusing tool for personal prayer and meditation.

Polymer Clay Hand Crosses For Prayer & Comfort

A local ministry recently ordered 50 hand crosses to be included in comfort kits for cancer patients. Working as a prayer is inevitable as I work on an order like this. Even though I was pushing an overdue deadline, while preparing for large shows at the same time, the power of the end use of these hand crosses, slowed me down to form each cross with an intention of prayer.

“There are some people who, in order to pray, use as an excuse the fact that life is so hectic that it prevents them from praying. This cannot be. Prayer does not demand that we interrupt our work, but that we continue working as if it were a prayer.”  – Mother Teresa

Dear Lord, help me to always fill my work with you, with focused intention, in continual dialog with you.

Butterfly Jewelry Celebrates Spring

In my corner of Texas, spring hit with a big burst last week. Each day as I walk around the yard I experience fresh fragrances, new blooms, budding new growth, butterflies floating through the air and nectaring on the new flowers. Butterflies hold such strong affirmations and uplifting messages for me.

"Be Ye Transformed" Sterling Silver Butterfly Pendant

One of my earliest symbol designs was inspired by Romans 12:2, Be Ye Transformed, a butterfly pendant with a rejoicing figure as her body. This verse and story accompanies this jewelry design: “…and be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Romans 12: 2
When we allow ourselves to be transformed by Christ, he gives us wings with which we can soar to new heights. I designed this butterfly with a rejoicing figure for its body to symbolize that joyous transformation.

The Be Ye Transformed butterfly has always been a piece I like to wear when memorializing a departed loved one as a reminder to me of their new life of resurrection in Christ. So many friends and customers have shared stories with me of the healing powers that butterflies held for them around the death of a loved one. I personally experienced the presence of butterflies in the church yard as my father’s cremains were interred in the memorial garden that had once been my own church day school playground.

"Spirit Wind Beneath My Wings" Sterling Silver Butterfly Pendant

My most recent butterfly jewelry design H61, Spirit Wind Beneath My Wings, was the first piece of jewelry I designed from my new country home studio. As I worked to create this design, I watched butterflies dancing by my studio window, affirming my new creative life in a new setting. This symbolized for me the transformative power of new creative beginnings in my tranquil country studio setting. This jewelry design comes with the message: The butterfly is a living parable of the promise of resurrection as the caterpillar (Jesus) goes into the cocoon (tomb) and emerges from the chrysalis (leaving the old behind) as a butterfly (made new in the risen Christ) to soar free. The butterfly also symbolizes my freedom in Christ today on Earth, as I lay my burdens at His feet and soar light and free as a butterfly with the wind of the Holy Spirit beneath my wings. “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old has passed; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Diocese of Texas ECW Centennial Butterfly

My other butterfly jewelry design H53, embodies the movement and activity of the butterfly to symbolize women in action. This was designed for a centennial celebration of a church organization of our diocese, The Episcopal Church Women or ECW. This design features a woman as a butterfly, with an “ECW” monogram on her wings. She is a woman on the move, heading into the future with joyful anticipation.

Click any image here to link to more information with prices and purchase details on my website.

May we all anticipate and embrace the uplifting symbols of spring, rejoicing in the transformative powers of our faith. There is a new creation, the old has passed and the new has come!

Art Of Grace

May 1-2 “Art of Grace” Epiphany Art Show & Sale, Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, Houston, 9600 S. Gessner @ Bissonnet. Join us Saturday, May 1st, 2pm – 8pm, reception begins at 4, Sunday 8am – 1pm. A celebration of artists & their creative gifts, professional & amateur alike, sharing their art of grace with the community. The spectrum of art includes paintings, photographs, icons, glass, jewelry, wood, textiles, pottery, art quilts, greeting cards, & mixed media. Proceeds to benefit ECHOS, Epiphany Community Health Outreach Services.

"Art of Grace", Epiphany Art Show & Sale

guest artists include
YellowBird Studio/Glenn & Cherie McBride, Morgan Bradford, Laura White, Blakeley Smith, Patricia Hinojosa, Linda Hardy, Luis Olivas, Grace Tice, Kay Sevick, Sherry Byrd, Fran Wallis, Jean West Evans, Ada Terrell, & Marilyn Cameron

member artists include
Nancy Denmark, Margaret Bailey, David & Roberta Avery, Herb Agan, Lisa Bonner, Nancy Robbins, Carol Andrews Jensen, Kathy Mathison, Sharon Klander, Paula Dittrick, Charlotte Gifford-Weaver, Win Center, David Waddell, & Courtney Kilgard

Flying by the seat of my pants, trusting the Spirit has hold of a belt loop…

I am finding myself a bit overwhelmed with chairperson duties for a fundraiser at my church this weekend. Of course it is an event that my friend Margaret and I created for the church so I have no one to blame but myself! My big ideas often lead to lots of work. I also have a speaking engagement on Thursday morning. When I committed to both in the same week, I knew it could be a bit much, but trusted in advance that I would find a way to pull it off. So I started this week, lying in bed early Monday morning, thinking I should just accept that I would most likely “fly by the seat of my pants” this week. Then I lay there wondering where that saying comes from anyway. First thing Monday morning, with my morning espresso routine, I googled it. The meaning I found: “Decide a course of action as you go along, using your own initiative and perceptions rather than a pre-determined plan or mechanical aids.”

That is pretty much how my week is unfolding and I’m really going to hope for the best that this style works as I give my talk at St. Dunstan’s on Thursday morning. There will be some kind of advance prep and I guess it may appear here as my next blog post. I realize that this blog was probably made manifest the first week of November because I woke up on November 1, realizing it was time I gather my thoughts for this presentation.

Spirit Wind Beneath My Wings

I would like to think that the trust, hope, and using my own initiative is guided by the Holy Spirit. Trusting that the Spirit is the wind beneath my wings, I take these things on, knowing I will be given what I need, as I need it. As this week continues to unfold I will greet the opportunities with gratitude. I trust my chaos will turn to order as I go along. I am grateful I have these opportunities to serve. These occasions always seem to present opportunities to encourage others which gives me joy. I am grateful that my church trusts me with these events I dream up, and gives me a big green light to run with them. I am grateful that the Daughters of the King at St. Dunstan’s believe I have a story worth sharing. As I fly by the seat of my pants this week I will trust that the Spirit has a hold of one of my belt loops and will see that I don’t fall as I fly.

Working on my attitude of gratitude this morning, I found this quote which so eloquently sums it up: “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~Melodie Beattie

And of course I have a responsibility as a co-chair of this event, to not miss an opportunity to make my plea for folks to come on out and support it! We have a nice variety of show offerings and this will be my last local show before Christmas. More preview photos may be viewed online here.

click the image to link to map

This says it so well, “about that job”

As I worked yesterday and laid in bed this morning, I listened to the messages rolling around in my head as the next lead to what I might share here. In general I was gathering my thoughts together in a theme to convey how I grew from a “frozen chosen” Episcopalian to one who lives out my faith moment to moment in everyday life finding myself quite comfortable sharing and talking about it. Trust me, it did not come easy. It was a gradual progression. The “art part” of this art & faith story is that my art made it possible. My art made it comfortable for me. My art opens the door. Art is my job. Art is my ministry. Well…that post is yet to come…but it will come. In one of those serendipitous life moments I found this in my facebook feed this morning and thought…”same message” of sorts, so I will just share this link for today as I continue to formulate my own story. It speaks for me in so many ways on this theme of our job as our ministry in the world. It’s all about HOW we do the job that makes it ministry! More from me later on this theme. For today, read and ponder this: at the Episcopal Cafe.

Shine In My Heart