Storm approaching

Outside my window is a blustery windy day. Soon it will rain. I see the wind in the trees through the breaking dawn, and I see many shades of gray. Green gray, silver gray, brown gray, blue gray, and it might just be like any other dawning day except for the wind which has arrived like the conductor to command the orchestra. Under his lead the symphony begins, the branches are bobbing the trees are swaying and the leaves are twisting and fluttering on the branch holding on for all they are worth as they are still green.

In true God fashion, I was led to a great blog post this morning and it has been such an encouragement to me. Here’s the sharing link: http://www.drunkdreamer8.com/?m=200807 She is a favorite of mine.

She says, “In the midst of all that we are going through revelation falls out of the sky like rain. Hopefully you are not covered with an umbrella you will miss it.”

I can’t even sit to think anymore, without thinking of hurting people. I know of so many who are in need. So when she says ‘in the midst of all’ I see the vastness of the ocean, dense and wet. Money, health, peace of mind, trust and betrayal…we seek shelter.


She makes the point that our world is backwards to the world of God, our thoughts are not always His thoughts and stresses let the Spirit rain down, be covered by the Spirit of the Living Word.

“We need Gods open heaven on us, all that he has for us. That why it says in the bible Psalms 91:1 HE who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalms 91:2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress;My God, in Him I will trust.” We will hide under his shadow, His shadow!! “

Time for Holy Spirit rain, cover us Lord, let us be refreshed.





P.S. Life inside a music box ain't easy... :0)

Life inside the music box ain't easy
The mallets hit the gears are always turning
And everyone inside the mechanism
Is yearning
To get out
And sing another melody completely
So different from the one they're always singing
I close my eyes and think that I have found me
But then I feel mortality surround me
I want to sing another melody
So different from the one I always sing

...but when I do the dishes...

I run the water very very very hot
And then I fill the sink to the top with bubbles of soap
And then I set all the bottle caps I own afloat
And it's the greatest voyage in the history of plastic
And then I slip my hands in and start to make waves
And then I dip my tongue in and take a taste
It tastes like soap but it doesn't really taste like soap
And then I lower in my whole mouth and take a gulp

...and start to...

Feel mortality surround me
I close my eyes and think that I have found me
But life inside the music box ain't easy
The mallets hit the gears are always turning
And everyone inside the mechanism
Is yearning to get out...

Button sadness

Mini little sculptures, mini little works of art one and all... click the pic and just marvel at their delicateness, their detail. sigh.

Well I had an idea, (excuse?) and that was... I have gone through so many changes lately, taken a few hits to the psyche, come to some conclusions about the way things are, you know made a maturity leap. boo...scary. I think that is part of the reason for my button obsession as of late.

Something that was saved from bygone days before fast food, plastic wrap, suv's, when women would sew clothing for their family, the men and children as well as for themselves.

This is a group that got away. It was an unusually large ebay listing from the civil war and Victorian times. I was instantly entranced... bid to my max... and lost. I just had to make a little feature so that I could look at them one last time. sniff. Click the pic, they get big.

Hold on to what is good even if it is a handful of earth.
Hold on to what you believe even if it is a tree which stands by itself.
Hold on to what you must do even if it is a long way from here.
Hold on to life even when it is easier letting go.
Hold on to my hand even when I have gone away from you.
- Pueblo Blessing


Next time....I'll get you next time my pretties!!

Button Mania

Some days I just don't feel led.
I even ask 'what should I be doing Lord'...
I just hate to feel the void... the idleness.
Time is one of those precious elements that I really hate to waste.

If I sit my mind starts to think about way too many things.
I look to the east, I look to the west and there is a project or a mess.
I start something in one direction and end up in a completely different direction with too much on my plate and nothing completed. I really hate those days when nothing gets done.

But if I really stretch my definition, I could say that I did accomplish much... I know I am enjoying my accomplishment... the act of gathering, you know being gatherers and hunters that we all are, I am amassing an amazing pile of buttons!

Here's another small share in my latest Internet hunt... these are minis, the largest is probably a wee bit over 1/2 inch. Look at all that detail!

And you will be happy to know ALL these pictures are clickable to a bigger size!! Wowwwiiieeeeeee!! You can see how amazing they are with just one click!

Vegetable Ivory:

At the height of their production they were second only to pearl, the only other natural material as versatile as Vegetable Ivory. A button maker's dream, Vegetable Ivory could be buffed, dyed, engraved, carved, pierced, embossed with a die, trimmed and stenciled. Vegetable Ivory takes a lustrous polish, and the buttons have a satiny feel.

From the nut of the corozo or tagua palm in the rain forests of Central and South America, the natives had used the Vegetable Ivory for personal items for centuries. Johann Hill, an Austrian wood carver, perhaps not the discoverer but some one astute enough to observe an upcoming trend, introduced Vegetable Ivory at the 1862 Universal Expo in Paris. America and England began production of the buttons right away. Some production had already been going on, but on a small scale. France did not get into the trade until the 1870's.

The trade name became Vegetable Ivory to distinguish it from tusk ivory. Also it was used as a substitute for the same when it was discovered to be cheap and plentiful. Decline in production didn't come until the 1920's when plastics became more economical. By the 1940's few Vegetable Ivory buttons were made.
http://www.abuttonlady.com/sys-faq.asp?SiteID=34436&PageID=124677#6

Celluloid is the name of a class of compounds created from nitrocellulose and camphor, plus dyes and other agents. Generally regarded to be the first thermoplastic, it was first created as Parkesine in 1856 and as Xylonite in 1869 before being registered as Celluloid in 1870. Celluloid is easily molded and shaped, and it was first widely used as an ivory replacement. Celluloid is highly flammable and also easily decomposes, and is no longer widely used.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celluloid

Antique celluloid buttons from apparel and home décor pieces can be quite fragile precisely because celluloid does contain organic materials, which degrade over time. The celluloid can “crystallize”, which causes the antique celluloid buttons to harden and finally crumble. It is best to store your antique celluloid buttons in a cool, dry place, away from all metals, heat and humidity. However, do not store them in airtight containers, as the celluloid needs to “breathe.”
http://www.antiquebuttoncollecting.com/Antique_Celluloid_Buttons.html

So there you have a few of my acquisitions...and yes, there is more. My intent was to make jewelry out of them, but there is just something about these little vintage jewels. I can't see my self just selling them, they need to be adopted into good homes.

They are just so historical. I can envision the outfit that they were on, I even remember the camel's hair and mohair coats that the grownup's used to wear in the 50's and I have some clunky chunky buttons from that era. They could have come off my very own aunt's coats. ha.

There you have it. I could go on and on. I will need to discover oil in my backyard however...these little bits of history can be downright spendy!!! So I am pulling in the reins for now, maybe if I sell a creation or two, I can finance my habit but until then, I am learning about the different kinds and types. Sort of puts me in a happy place.

and besides, just look at what is out there....


YYY!!!! BUTTON SHOWS !!!!YYY

photo courtesy of: http://www.abuttonlady.com/sys-faq.asp?SiteID=34436&PageID=124677

Shope par excelant:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=15121988