Gratitude, Awareness and Appreciation

Posted on March 4, 2011 by hogwilder
I was thinking about appreciation and taking things for granted, when my mind wandered back to the 2010 Gem and Mineral Show in Tucson.

That year my daughter and I rode more shuttle vans to and fro ,thinking it would be a time saver (not!).  The good that came from riding the shuttles, was the conversations that we got involved in ,as well as, the people we met.  We encountered a lady who had come from Vancouver Canada, doing her yearly shopping for her gift store she owned.  She was an interesting gal that we plied with questions about government health care and immigration.  Her answers were enlightening.  But health care and immigration aren’t the point of this message.  There’s something else I want to address here.  In another spot we met two gals from Bermuda doing their shopping, as well as, a couple from England buying all that they needed for a years supplies.  She had a list she was shopping by and I commented on not ever being able to follow a list myself.  That’s how the conversation started.  They had to be very specific with what they purchased, because if they ran out, they couldn’t re-order because it was so expensive to ship.  They had to come to Tucson to shop as they couldn’t find what they needed anywhere in Europe.  That really surprised me, as I was under the impression Europe had it all.  The grass always seems greener on the other side, doesn’t it? Well back to my point….in the course of listening all the people we met, I began to see I was one lucky lady.  First off, I only travel two hours to get to Tucson and maybe a tank of gas.  I don’t have to stay an extended length of time but I can come and go as I please, over a two week period.  If I forget something, I can always drive back down.  I don’t have to think so far in advance but can buy what pleases me on impulse.  The lady from England had to be precise in her shopping.  We were in SII Findings when we met and I can’t imagine trying to buy a years worth of findings, not knowing what I may design in the year ahead.  SII Findings is located in Phoenix and I can order on-line with free shipping or I can go to the store in person and purchase what I need.  Any other dealer I met at the show, I can reorder without a huge expense in shipping as it all comes to me from the USA.

I never really stopped to think about how others have to get their product to conduct business.  I’m blessed to be where I am and I never saw it before as i just took it for granted.  Just think how much someone has to add to the finished product when they’ve traveled such long distances to get that product.

I don’t think I ever appreciated my location or circumstances in which I find myself, so close to the most amazing Gem and Mineral show in the world, plus suppliers in my own city or a call or a click away from an over-nite delivery.

If you’ve never been to the Tucson Gem and Mineral show I entreat you do so for just the experience alone. We spent a week there this year and we still felt we were in a rush and hurry and still had not seen it all.  It’s like having “your eyes bigger then your stomach ” syndrome.  People selling there from all over the world and when you’re shopping you hear accents and foreign languages spoken everywhere.

The African village, because of it’s dirt lot location, really does feel like you’ve arrived on that continent. The sounds and the smells of food cooking, the vendors in their traditional, colorful African garb, and the language being spoken, makes one feel that they have arrived in a small far far away.

tucsongemshow8
image

The areas of the show that display minerals, large and small, make one stand in awe at the creation that is found under the earth.  As humans, we’re smug with our creative accomplishments, but when you behold the beauty that’s hidden, it takes your breath away, as we marveled at “how can that be found down there?”
tucsongemshow9

I’ve always come home with more than just beads and findings.  I’ve come home with rugs,furniture,fossils,tapestries,tassels and large mineral specimens. But more than that I come home with the experience of seeing newly discovered minerals and a wonderful opportunity to experience the world in my own backyard and meet interesting people.
tucsongemshow12

Since this epiphany, I try to look a my surroundings and opportunities with appreciation.  I bet wherever you live, there is something special that only you get to experience and the rest of us would have to travel to see.
Appreciate where you’ve been planted and look with new eyes.
Happy discovering, till next time,
Claudia
Posted in BLOG | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Chainmaille Bracelets for Haiti

Posted on February 23, 2011 by hogwilder

My daughter Hannah attends The Caepe School here in Anthem, AZ.  After a recent trip down to Haiti and visiting a school with deplorable conditions her school decided that something needed to be done to help. The kids were inspired by the stories  to do something about it. So, I was asked to help…

I felt that chainmaille and making bracelets would be a fun way to expose a technique to a new generation of potential jewelry artists.

I gathered as many pliers as I could get my hands on and brightly colored aluminum rings with metal charms with words like “Believe”, “Love” and “Imagine” and headed to class.  I was surprised by the turnout and excitement to learn something new.  After a brief instruction, we handed out all the tools and rings and paired all the girls up since we didn’t have enough pliers for every child.  I had already tested out the patterns and technique on Hannah and her best friend Courtney.  So I set them the task of being in charge of a table of girls to answer questions and help with patterns.  The girls chose either a simple Two in Two pattern or a more complex “Queen’s Link” pattern.  Once everyone got the hang of it, they were all on their way with girls that had figured it out, helping other girl’s that were struggling.  I also made the rounds helping with technique.  I had the girls use bread ties and toothpicks to help with the “Queen’s Link” pattern.  I must had said, “The toothpick is your friend! use it!” a hundred times.

The girls are selling their bracelets for whatever price they come up with and bringing the money back to send to the Apocolypse School in Haiti for essential items.  Here is the exerpt from Hannah’s school news about our project.  It has been a great experience for the girl’s who continue to work on their bracelets after school and are learning more patterns as they go.  Who knows, maybe one of these girls will be inspired and go on to sell handcrafted jewelry!

Student Spotlight

Hannah 2

Fourth grader, Hannah Sampson, is working hard this week on designing bracelets to raise funds for our sister school in Haiti.  She already has preorders to make additional custom made bracelets.

Jewelry making spans generations in the Sampson family.  Hannah’s mom, Tamara and her grandmother are Silversmiths and own an online business called Hog Wild Jewelry.  Thank you Hannah for all your hard work and creativity.

you can also check out our Facebook fanpage with other pics about this project at http://www.facebook.com/hogwildjewelry

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

I know for sure….

Posted on November 15, 2010 by hogwilder

08.10.2010 (9:50 pm) – Filed under: Inspiration

“I know for sure that all experiences contribute to who we’re meant to be”- Oprah

I read that quote and I thought about some of my childhood experiences. I grew up ,as most people, in a very dysfunctional environment. But in that uncomfortable place was born all the creativity I possess today. It’s in my DNA but was developed in an environment of adversity. I was an only child and a product of a broken home. My Mom and I lived with my aunt and her children. I spent most of my childhood trying to stay out of the way and being as ” good ” as I could be and not being a bother to anyone. This behavior has not served me well in adulthood because I’ve spent most of my life trying to get approval and taking care of others so as to not inconvenience anyone. Hence, I tend to think of myself last.

Well that’s changing as I now am challenged by issues with my health that need my attention. I’m forced to look at myself first and take care of others second. This isn’t about selfishness but survival. As women ,we have this tendency because we’re born relational and are nurturing too. When you take care of yourself , then you have a supply of something to give to others. I never really learned that lesson until recently.

I remember when I was a child I received as a gift from an aunt, a box of stones. She bought them while on a trip. I think a lot of you will remember the box divided in squares and pieces of rock glued in the squares with the proper names of the rocks printed below. Well, I’m here to tell you, the love affair began for me in that moment. I treasured that box and began creating my own collection. I put down cotton to cradle my precious finds and labeled everything I could identify. At that point I was sure I would become a geologist when I grew up. I never became that geologist but have become an avid collector of beautiful stones that sit in divided trays waiting to become part of a fabulous design and creation. Nothing has changed from that meagre beginning, it just got more expensive.

I’ve thought about the stones I own and the adversity that formed them. The heat, cold and pressure that is put upon them to form such beautiful designs and shapes. How they’re mined deep within the bowels of the earth,to be brought out only to be slabbed, cut ,grinded into shape and polished to bring out their best. Gemstones cut to a brilliant shine, all waiting to be placed in someone’s creative jewelry design. Yes, us and the stones aren’t too dissimilar. I heard this said on tv last night and I wrote it down because it’s true. “ Pressure equals developement “. That’s how we all are,all of us , being developed in adversity. Don’t lament the past ,as out of it and the adversity, came your story, your beauty, your texture.

The intricate pieces of my life I thought were ” oh so bad “, became my teacher ,to make me into who I am today. I don’t lament my childhood anymore and what I didn’t have because out of adversity a real “gem” was formed ……….Me !

Talk soon,
Claudia Speed

Posted in BLOG | Leave a comment