by lynn krestel

sanding and soldering

a day of sanding and soldering....i get antsy to start new designs that are floating around in my brain!! but i really gotta finish what i am working on first!

i have been creating pendants that are actual bits from a letter my grandfather wrote to my grandmother from italy during the war -WW ll - the year was 1943. this one is his signature at the end, he had just finished telling her that he loved her with 'all my heart' - that's on another one!!

they are turning out even more beautiful than i could have imagined!! here is a sneak peak - not quite finished...

if you have a letter or photo that you want preserved in pendant or charm form - just convo me!!

it is already mid september and christmas is just around the corner...so much to get ready for... i am just finalizing another trunk show for november. i love to meet the people who buy my jewelry...so cool to put names and faces together!!

back to work, more later!

God bless america

  it's 9-11. i'm sure i like everybody else relives where they were, what they did, how they felt on that awful day. i don't want to forget what was done and i want my daughters to know and never forget.

i was at my sisters house in seattle, my brother in law called and woke us, and told us to turn on the television... we didn't go far from it all day..

in the afternoon, we traveled to my other sister's house on the other side of the city. we wanted to be together. we watched as the congress sang God bless america. the city was quiet that night, all i heard as i lay awake was an occasional military helicopter circle around.

we were on the other side of the country, yet we felt connected. i don't want to belittle in any way what others went through, the loss they experienced, the pain they felt. i just want them to know we remember, and we still pray for them....

the flag picture is by Ron J. Berard, the link is his story in new york that day.

may we never forget!!

grandmas legacy

 i  added today to my etsy shop a mixed media necklace that is fun and unique. i've included in it a silver word charm and a cute silver bird charm - i just love it. the turquoise silk cord and turquoise beads accent the tiger ebony, smoky quartz and the freshwater pearls.

i also love working with vintage beads and buttons and have included both. i have made the clasp and closure as well as the silver links. i think i like most that when you wear a necklace like this you change the look by just changing which way you wear it. i always wear with the clasp to the front, it is unique and beautiful.

i have been photographing on a vintage quilt i bought at a thrift store. it is the wedding ring design. it inspires me to incorporate the same attention to detail and fine handiwork to my own work and designs.

my great grandma della was a quilt maker. i just uncovered this picture of her as a young woman. i remember staying with her as a small child. it wasn't big but her house was neat and tidy. she had beautiful furnishings, firm overstuffed chairs with handmade doilies on the arms and back, glass lamps, family photos. i was lucky enough to receive a green roseville apple blossom planter that was hers.

i remember her showing me a quilt she made from her husband oscar's pajamas. he had been sick for some time and so her remembrance of him was that quilt. it was quite remarkable to me, even as a young girl. i saw the love and attention to detail that she put into her work, as well as the value of including what was precious to her.

in the next few days i will be unveiling a new line i have been working on - stay tuned!!

musing...

its that time of year again....fall, cooler air, sweaters!, and back to school.

usually this just means getting back to a schedule, no more sleeping in or watching tv reruns or lazy days spent at the beach, but this year is different. and i am finding myself, surprisingly, more emotional about it than i thought i would.....

you see, it is the beginning of the senior year of high school for my beth. i feel like it was just such a short time ago she was heading off to her first day of kindergarten.

her first - front - tooth had just fallen out, ponytails bobbing, 'hurrying me up' to get out the door in time to go to school....

well, the ponytails are gone, no more loose teeth! but she's still 'hurrying me up' to get her out the door - to head for work, school, or just to meet up with friends.....(both are punctual, organized girls!!)

so i've realized though we are still going to face a year of 'firsts' of grad stuff, decision making, test taking...and as i drop my two off at the school front door, (and wipe away a tear), i feel like i finally understand what my mom would always say about how fast the time flies, to enjoy them while they're little....

and don't get me wrong, i love my teenagers - we shop, play, work, and of course argue together! its just amazing how fast they have grown up!!

so enjoy your 'babies' while you can - you'll never regret it!!

and yes, my youngest jayme is taller than her big sister!!

happy september!!