Retail Madness

So believe it or not, I usually have a hard time during the holidays. Christmas is a tough one for me, because while I absolutely love the message and the meaning of Christmas, I really struggle with the rest of it. It's tough on me financially, and I usually feel splintered from my family and long for the Christmases of my childhood when we'd all be together. And now that both my mom and dad have passed on, I feel pretty lonely. This will be my first Christmas without my dad,  whom I was especially close to.My husband's family are all far away, and I know that he misses them dearly too.

Countering that, I now have a baby girl to help stir up some joy in me. While I am a practicing Catholic, I don't really have a problem with the idea of Santa Claus or reindeer or any of that stuff. I know many Christians would argue that Santa is blasphemous and takes away from the true message of Christmas, but I think it's okay as long as we don't loose sight of the truth. Really, Santa is based on a saint, and his whole schtick is to spread cheer and joy and make little kids happy. How can I argue with that?

Don't get me wrong, the ridiculous over-marketing and commercialism of the holiday is enough to make me want to barf. Example: Shopping in Wal-Mart the day after Halloween and hearing the cheesiest, schlockiest Christmas music piped over the speakers.

Sally is too young to really understand anything about Christmas. We went shopping at Cross Iron Mills today for something to do, and I forgot how insane Christmas shoppers are. Sally seemed stunned by the throngs of busy people. She was eager to get out and walk and run in the mall, but it was just so busy that she kept getting knocked around. I felt bad for the kid. She did enjoy the pretty lights and decorations though, and she was particularly enthralled by a shining star and light strand display. She lifted both arms over her head and tried to touch the sparkly things, cooing and talking a mile-a-minute. She's so funny.

But it waswatching all those people clamour over racks and shelves and each other, clutching SO many bags of stuff that I actually felt grateful that we don't really have disposable income right now. My husband and I are going to spend a little bit on Sally- maybe 2 toys, and I usually like to support a few of my favourite charities. I'm going to try extra hard to keep positive by spending time with those that are close to us and by remembering to take a few moments to pray when I feel sad.  I'm going to remember all the incredible blessings God has given me- my little family, a roof over my head, food in our bellies, friends that love us. I've got no reason to feel badly, and when it comes to missing my mom and dad, I can take comfort in knowing that they are safe in heaven and free of illness and pain. All the presents in the world can't top that.

God Bless,
A

A Brief History

Maaaan, I am feeling stoked. And buzzed from the giant mug of chai I drank to power me through finishing a rosary this evening. It's after midnight, but I can go to bed knowing that I don't have to worry about this order! It's for a friend's son's confirmation, and he likes red and black. So, I made him a rosary out of dyed red agate, smoky quartz and black wood. It's pretty sweet. And he's a teenage boy so I didn't go overboard on the bling either.

I thought I'd post some pictures of my very first rosaries that I ever did! I thought they were the greatest things in the whole world, not because they were particularly unique or even well made, but I taught myself how to do it and that was a big accomplishment for my awkward fingers!

Check this out:

I'd lay all the finished pieces out just like this and stare at the pretty colours and sparkly beads. And even though these beginning rosaries were made out of the most basic of materials, with no caps or crystals or anything, each one would take me nearly a DAY to complete. And the findings/crucifixes were just the cheapest of base metals- the supplier I work with makes their crosses and centres available in several different grades of material. I now use pewter or sterling, but back then I could only afford the tin and nickel. The white rosary on the far left is the very first one I ever made, and it took me 2 days and is truly pitiful. It's the only one that I have left from those days, and it hangs proudly in my bedroom in all its gnarled glory.

My dad was always my biggest fan, and he'd insist that I email him pictures of any new rosary I'd completed. I'd even pack them all up with me when I went to visit him, and we'd look through them and think of ways to improve them. It's stuff like that that is hard- I've made so many pieces that I know my dad would LOVE, and sometimes I make rosaries using his favourite colours or stones just because they remind me of him. I so miss his excitement and support and interest in my life.

This is a rosary I made a few months after my first examples above:

Carnelian and brass filigree. I still love this rosary, and I still love carnelian and gold together. This rosary went to a good friend of mine. I was really proud of this piece, it was the first time I took a few risks with the design and it looked so opulent. This rosary was the very first true 'Ava' rosary (re: blingy)

It's interesting watching the progression of my passion. When I started making these a few years ago I had no idea how much fun I'd have, how fulfilled I'd feel and how many eyepins I'd spear my feet on.

To many more beads, eyepins and sparkly things!

A

Brrrr.

Well hi there!

I'm a mombie (mom zombie) this morning. Kid was up all night with a boogery nose and a cough, so that means I was up all night rocking her and wiping that boogery nose. Aaaand, it's about -30 here in Drumheller (and forget the windchill, it's probably -2000) so I'm tired AND my feet are freezing.

But the good news is that I've ordered a bunch of new beads and I got some great stuff off of Ebay. I'm pretty new to the Ebay world in terms of my rosaries, but I think I got some great stuff, including some sterling crosses and a couple of vintage sterling rosaries that I intend to rebuild.

After many requests I've decided to branch out a little, so I'll be making rosary bracelets, vehicle rosaries (mini rosaries that you can hang from your rear-view) and the like. The good news is that these won't take me as long as a normal rosary and I'll be able to sell them for a little less.

My Etsy shop is quickly emptying! I can't keep up with the orders it seems. I have a few rosaries that I need to photograph and put online, but finding a quiet moment is a big challenge. Speaking of time, I see a busy, sick little baby trying to pull the contents of the bookshelf on her head so I gotta go!

Xo
A

Le Sigh

I'm taking a break from making stuff tonight. I have to share this link with you so you can see where I first came to love the elaborate and ornate rosaries that inspire my own!

Check this out- Baroque Pearl Rosary

Seriously. Amazing.

I actually bough my dad a sterling replica crucifix from this website and built him a rosary with it. It cost me a mint but it was worth it. I actually haven't purchased any other supplies from this site because it's so pricey, but I absolutely would love to! Maybe someday I'll get lucky enough to get a commission to use some of these gorgeous replicas.

I like this site too- Antique Rosaries. It totally satisfies the history nerd in me.

And of course, I like to check in here too.

If anybody knows any other sites that deal with beads or rosary parts, please feel free to share!

Xo
A

Snore.

I'm not too sure why I think now is a good time to sit down and update the blog! I had a request to make 4 'feminine' rosaries for some older ladies who are quite devout. I've got 2.5 rosaries completed so far- and I've been working so late at night lately that my eyeballs feel like they might drop out of my head. I'm really, really tempted to just call it a night and go snuggle in bed with the hubby, but I know I'll regret it later. Plus, hubby is snoring, and I'll likely just lay awake thinking evil thoughts about him anyway.

Alright, time to go back to work. I've got pearls and crystals to bead! And What Not to Wear is on the tube, which provides good background entertainment for me.


I'll post pictures when I'm done!

xo
A

Busy!

Holy moly, I've been super busy with rosaries! I find myself gently 'encouraging' Sally to go to bed a little earlier so that I can get to work on my stuff. I have an order to ship tomorrow that I needed to get done before I started work on another order, so I had to finish it this afternoon while Sally was awake. Wow. Try telling a 13 month old little girl that she can't touch sparkling, pretty-coloured beads. She looked so desperate to get her hands on everything that I started to feel kind of bad, so I gave up and packed it all away. I know that I personally would be super bummed out if nobody let me play with shiny, pretty things.

I'm trying to think of a cool way to make a kids rosary. It would have to be a pretty seriously constructed rosary, with fimo beads or something. I'll have to think about this one. If I could find little angel beads or flowers or something cheery, that would be awesome.

If any of you every wonder where you can find great beads online that ship out of Canada, I absolutely recommend www.beadfx.com. They are a little pricier than some of the US companies, but the quality is always solid and they ship super fast. Whenever I buy Czech glass I always get it from these folks. Plus, I don't get dinged hardcore on the exchange rate.

Sorry blog, I gotta go. But if anybody knows of any online bead stores that they think I should check out, please share!

xo
A

Treasury

Oh man, I can't get the coffee in me fast enough this morning. I stay up late working on stuff, which I love to do (and I have to do if I want to get anything done), but it kicks my butt in the morning.

The baby is teething something fierce, so she's a little off this morning too. Right now she's poking buttons on the DVD player and I don't really feel like stopping her. She's seriously the busiest kid- she exhausts me just watching her! She was an active little thing when I was pregnant with her too- forever kicking and bouncing around in my belly. She felt like an octopus in there- an octopus that likes to boot people in the spleen.

So I had a message in my Etsy inbox this morning that my shop is in another treasury! I love, love, LOVE it when somebody finds my shop and puts it in a treasury.  Etsy is such a cool site. It's the online store where I sell some of my rosaries, and it has just the coolest stuff there. Basically, Etsy is a site for all kinds of handmade or vintage goods. Sometimes sellers will compile a group of other sellers together in something called a 'Treasury.' Usually treasuries have a common theme, like every item is vintage, or a certain colour, or a particular style.  The treasury that I'm included in is all about the colour 'red.'

I am here to admit that I am a massive Etsy nerd. You should go wander around the site and check out all the different stuff- you just might finish up your Christmas shopping!

Here's the treasury I'm in!

 Etsy Treasury

Love,
A

New Rosary

When I make a new rosary, it can take me forever just to figure out the colours, beads and pattern I want  to follow. I have a ridiculous system of tackle boxes and bead containers that I pile up in a corner in my tiny living room, out of reach of baby's curious hands. Pulling all my supplies out and mulling over the countless combinations I can work with is really time consuming.

And of course, sometimes I'll start a rosary, get halfway through it and then realize that I don't like it at all. This really, really irritates me so after pulling it all apart I usually have to sit and stew about it for a bit before I can approach it again.

Because there is no way that I can work on my stuff when the baby is up, I wait until after she's gone to bed so that I can work uninterupted and not have to worry about pulling tiny eyepins, beads and other sharp, stabby bits out of her mouth.

All told, each piece can take me days to complete, but I really do enjoy every minute of it- even when I end up redoing them.

I really do wonder how moms manage to work on their art with little kids running around. I mean, I've only got one so far and I find it really challenging some days. Maybe it'll be different when Sally's a bit more independent. Also, our house is really, really little (750 sq feet) so it really does feel pretty squishy in here. But this system works pretty well for now, even if it means that I have some late nights. After all, it's an awesome excuse to park myself in my chair in front of the television and watch lame shows while putting my rosaries together!

Here's a new piece I just listed tonight on Etsy. I really like the colour scheme I used- it feels very stately and elegant to me.

I'm feeling very accomplished for getting so much work done this evening and I'm now going to reward myself by rooting through the discount Halloween candy I bought on the clearance racks.

Goodnight!

A

Welcome!

Hey!

I decided to create a blog to accompany my rosary business. I thought it would be a great way to connect with my clients and to share a little about myself. I know that I always find handmade goods so much more intriguing when I know a little about the person behind them and their history.

Speaking of handmade things, I've decided to make a concerted effort to purchase more handmade or recycled goods this year. I've long been a serious advocate of second-hand things (one look at my semi-raggedy wardrobe will confirm this!), but I think I can help my family even more by being extra careful. Things are extra tight around this house now that I'm not employed (hopefully this will change soon) and I really have to watch our budget. Thankfully, in our town we have a couple of second hand clothing stores and I have lots of great friends who always pass down their unneeded baby clothes and gear to me.

For those of you that are new to my life, I am a 31 year old female, married to an outstanding husband who I love dearly, even when he makes a mess and doesn't put his dishes away. Or his underwear. We have a wee 1 year old baby named Sally, and we are pretty convinced that the entire universe revolves around her smile. I suppose this makes us typical first-time parents. A couple of years ago I had an epiphany while soaking in the bathtub, and that pivotal moment led to me starting my own rosary business. I search high and low for cool, one-of-a-kind beads, findings and crucifixes and fashion rosaries in a style that can best be described as 'sparkly.'


I'll end my first post by attaching a link to one of my latest rosaries on Etsy.

Love,
Ava

Angelic Angelite, Quartz and Agate Rosary