Married to the Forest Cuff

The woods are lovely,

dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

- Robert Frost

Available here.

♥ Carin

There Was That One Time.

Photo credit Natalie Davis

There was this one time. 

My friend kidnapped me and took me to a magical place. 

Not so far away, yet it seemed worlds away.

It was magical.

Peaceful.

Full of life, and love. 

And there was a dog named Merlin.

And we laughed.

We enjoyed each other's company.

And we just live.

Enough said.

♥ Carin

Shop Small

I'm joining the bandwagon to get the word out about shopping small!

Every gift you buy this holiday season is really 2.  The obvious, the person you are gifting the item to, but there is a less noticeable first one. That is to the person you are buying from. 

Every purchase you make from an artist or small business is like a little present for them. The money and support is directly used to pay their bills and put food on the table. 

The alternative, buying from a big corporation is like giving a present to someone on Santa's extremely naughty list. Even the jolly old man himself would only give them coal.

So make the decision.

Join the movement.

Make the effort. 

Happy Holidays.

♥ Carin

Mandala Monday

♥ Carin

Life is Always Preserved //

I woke up in the middle of the night with a faint idea in my head. 

My best ideas always seem to arise when I'm sleepy. 

A blurry image of a circle of life. A basic idea introduced in elementary school, but the details of the concept are also very complex. My dreamy mind can barely wrap my head around it.

As I come into consciousness, the idea develops. A predators and prey. A wolf, the top most predator of the forest and his prey. 

As I blink my eyes open a few times, the desire to create it grows stronger and more details be come clear. 

The layout and final images appear before me. 

I know I can't ignore the pull. I must answer it's call.

My body is tired, but it surrenders to the creative spirit. 

I'm out of bed now, and find myself bundling up as I head down to the studio. Toting with me nourishment and tea. 

As I saw away I find my mind drifting back. To my childhood, to my young adulthood. 

I was always terrified of death. Something about the loss of life. The last few moments, and the finality of being. Death always tortured me. Friends, pets, wildlife that have passed flashed before my eyes. 

I feel my shoulder stoop lower. 

My posture loosen.

My head hang. 

I am consumed by the death before me. 

As I continue sawing rabbit, then hawk, then wolf, I came to an epic realization.

IN THE SANCTITY OF NATURE,

LIFE IS ALWAYS PRESERVED.

No matter the prey, the being is providing life to the next. An energy transfer if you will. The life itself cannot be taken. It cannot be created nor destroyed in this moment. 

Instead one soul feeds the next. 

No small drop, no tiny piece is forgotten. All is used in nature.

Consumed by a predator or detritivore. 

As life pours from one being to the next, no drops are lost. 

And that is beautiful. 

Wall hanging available here. 

♥ Carin

Yellowstone //

Thought I might share with you an amazing custom piece I just finished. It was such an honor to be able to make this piece in honor of her love of Yellowstone. 

Such a beautiful, magnificent place. Such a wonderful person. 

I hope I did both of them justice with this piece. 

♥ Carin

Introspection //

There is a place inside you.... A place inside all of us. 

It's beautiful and mysterious. Only the bravest of us will ever get to see it and behold it's grandeur. 

The journey there can be frightening. There is no road, no path, and it's frequently dimly lit if not pitch black.   But in your heart, you know the risk is worth it. The payoff will be big.

Some people call this place, this thing, your soul while some prefer your true self. No matter the vocabulary, it is special.

Only you have a key. 

With no light to guide you, the journey seems impossible.  

The first steps are taken with caution. You stumble along the rocky landscape, and frequently you find the terrain too hard to manage. The steep slopes and sharp drops feel unconquerable.  So you search for a path to walk on, a place someone else has been. 

You find a place where the grass is slightly trampled, maybe there is even a trail. Your steps seem smoother now, it seems easier to manage. 

Your pace quickens.

Although you start to feel refreshed and rejuvenated with the new terrains, this feeling is temporary. An overwhelming sense of tired washes over you. 

After a few more steps, you realize you've been walking someone else's path. It did seem easier at first, but becoming someone else's true self will never quite fit. 

The journey will be harder, but you make the conscience choice to go back to finding your own way.  In the end it will be worth it.

Sometimes your soul is one needle in a whole forest. You might pick up 1,000 needles thinking it's the one. 

It can take days

months

years,

 some people give up before they find it. 

But you know it's not about the timeline. It's about the journey and the reward.

You are courageous.

Tenacious.

You will get there. 

____

 These pieces are glimpse into my soul. With no plan or layout, I let my hands work and my heart guide me. 

A snapshot of my true, authentic self. 

Misshapen circles, as I myself am always a little asymmetrical and different.

A thicker design for my depth, strength, and heightened awareness. 

Gold leafing showing my ability for continuous growth and change.

Perfect white pearls for clarity and truth.

Serious texture and dimension conveying the chaotic, passionate and creative being I am.

Plus overall beauty.

We are all beautiful.

You are beautiful.

♥ Carin

You can shop this jewelry here. 

As the Salmon Return //

It is time now, the summer heat is slowly consumed by the crisp fall air. The days are growing shorter.

A nearly impossible mission. Absolute death. 

But it's in their nature, their deepest being. It is written in their DNA.  

They must go. They have no choice. 

They will go as the generation before them did, and as their offspring will.

This journey will be their hardest, but most important.

Against all odds, nature knows best. 

As the salmon make their way back, swimming up-stream, going against the current, everything seems to be against them. 

Fighting for their lives. Fighting for their species. 

They use every ounce of energy they have to return to the stream from which they came.

A beautiful, miraculous journey, as they lay their eggs in 

one last triumphant roar. 

Custom sterling silver and turquoise ring made in honor of the beautiful fish. 

♥ Carin

October //

 Something about how the cold air feels as it enters your body. 

Slides down, slowly warming as it brings you life. 

The first breath is shocking to your system, but after a few moments it becomes easier to breath. That first portion of each sip of October air, remains piercing, and awakens you. 

It stirs every part of your being, and makes you thankful to be here. 

The breath remains nourishing for just a moment. Your body takes what it needs from it, and almost instantaneously the same air that gave you life, is now toxic. 

As you exhale you can see your breath escape you. Expelling the toxic elements creates the necessary space for a new fresh perspective.

Huddled up in the crisps morning air watching the sun peek over the horizon. 

You start noticing the little things around you.  How the air feels against your warm skin.  

The birds just awakening and giving  their morning chirps.  

 You notice that the trees around you are also exhaling in a similar pattern as yours. 

As the October air colors their leaves, they start to turn. 

A vibrant display of the change happening deep within themselves. 

The leaves and blooms that once proudly conveyed their health are no longer useful. They must prepare for the changes that are coming. 

So much energy was used during the last season. 

So much growth. 

The pessimist might see it as a shame, 

a waste of life, 

but the optimist.. the optimist knows the true beauty hidden beneath the dying leaves.

The amazing wisdom the tree must have to know when it is time to shed it's leaves and let go of something once so valuable. 

To know that changes is good, 

change is necessary, 

change brings life. 

The leaves will go on and be something valuable for the Earth and plants around. 

The tree will also go on,  and it will now have the room and energy to accept new life. 

Something better and more magical will happen this year.

Just as the tree, we must shed the negative, 

make room for the positive. 

Change is scary, 

but the opportunity for new life and growth is too beautiful to pass up. 

new items available here.

♥ Carin