Raccoons and Rain

Volume 15 Issue 6, June 2018

What's New in June?

The 2018 Hurricane Season has come in with a named storm a few days before the official start This may be an indication as to how many times I have to evacuate. On the other hand, it might be the only showing of the season. It’s never accurate, and it’s never certain. For now, all of my many, many, many flowers are enjoying the fresh God-given rain.

Our yard is filled with color, butterflies, birds and bees, so we feel that we have done our part to encourage nature to flourish.

I have recently finished my second book and am about to publish it. This one focuses on 1950s music trivia. As soon as I have the link, I will share it with everyone. Until then, enjoy one of the many creatures who are calling my front yard a stopping point. He thinks I put the bird seed out for him!

What’s New

Posters: I have been working diligently to get my posters together, and those that are not hot rods are soon to follow.

Charms: I decided not to keep all the charms to myself, and started offering them for sale in my shop. They are located under the bead section.

Magnets: New hummingbird and giraffe magnets join the lineup. Hot rod magnets are also available. Right now, I only have the Fords done.

You will find all of my beads, canes and finished jewelry on my website. www.bluemorningexpressions.com

Until next month,

Julie

Things to Look Forward To:

New Products:

Cross Stitch Patterns: As many of you may have noticed, my cross stitch patterns are almost all loaded on the website. I have another 20 or so to add before I can start doing more designing.

Key rings: I am working on developing a ton of new key rings that will include my hot rods and National Park photos.

Coasters: Another new product is a line of drink coasters that go with my mugs. Still have not put them all together yet, but am working on it.

Star Light, Star Bright

If you want to see a true aster in the United States, you must travel to the alpine meadows in the northwestern Rockies.  This is where the true Alpine aster lives. All of the other beautiful blankets of “asters” that adorn the eastern coast of the United States have been reclassified to another flower thanks to the ability to truly breakdown the genetic code within the flowers’ DNA.

Since all of our Mother’s Day bouquet flowers have some sort of Grecian story attached, it is no wonder that the Aster also has a tale or two to tell.

The tears of the Greek goddess, Asterea are said to have given birth to the beautiful aster. Asterea was gazing upon the heavens one dark and lovely night, and she said, “HEY! There are just not enough stars up there!” 

Like a love-struck teen, she flung herself to the ground and cried, and cried and cried. She was so depressed, that she went Goth and  painted her fingernails black. And cried some more.

All of those tears became the little star flowers that we know of as the aster to this day.

There are other legends around the aster that include Virgo dusting the Earth with stardust thus creating the aster. It is also the flower of Venus, love’s goddess, and it is believed to be a sacred flower of all the gods to the point that they used the aster in their ceremonial wreaths.

There are 180 species of aster that all live in Eurasia with the exception of the Alpine aster.

The aster was used in Victorian culture as a symbol of patience, charm and daintiness.

The aster comes in a host of colors that include:

• Pink – Sensitivity and love
• White – Purity and innocence
• Purple – Wisdom and royalty
• Red – Undying devotion

The Chinese use the aster in tea that is said to aid digestion as well as stave off epilepsy and cure a hangover. It is used holistically for coughs, asthma and other respiratory conditions. Last, but not least, if you burn asters, you can ward off serpents! Snake be gone!

Millions of stars can be found in the aster’s petals, and every one of our handmade artists are stars in their own rights.

Here are some of their stellar creations that shine as brightly as any star.

Hanging Snowflake Kitchen Towel With Hand Knit Topper and Ties

HollyknitterCreation 

Baby Blue Heart with 3D Blue Roses

RSS Designs in Fiber 

Natural Howlite Sodalite Nugget Southwest Beaded Bracelet 7.5" to 8"

Diane’s Dangles 

Blue Lampwork Glass Women's Earrings

Lady Green Eyes Jewelry 

Heart Earrings Clear Swarovski Crystals Hoop Earrings

MagdaleneJewels

St. Francis of Assisi Chaplet Bracelet

Pretty Gonzo 

Bell Christmas Tree Ornament with Snowflakes Handcrafted from Birch Wood

Kevs Krafts 

Fireworks and Stars Patriotic Dog Bandana

Sew Amazin 

Purple Flower Boho Dangle Earrings with Jasper Gemstones and Glass Beads 3-inches Long

Blue Morning Expressions 

Moon Charm Bracelet

The Singing Beader 

Unusual Orange Vined Business Card Holder with Glass Cabochon and Glue Cip Textured Glass

2GlassThumbs 

Heart Bead Lampwork Coral Orange Glass Ivory Band Silver Focal 20mm Lg

Covergirl Beads 

Rose Quartz Charm Bracelet Gemstone Bracelet

Treasures of Jewels 

Silver Earrings

Blonde Peach Jewelry 

Red Poppy Jasper Necklace with Faceted Teardrop Gemstone OOAK Necklace

Kats All That 

Cross Earrings, Red Creek Jasper Southwest Gemstone Christian Jewelry

Shadow Dog Designs 

Hope that you enjoyed these gorgeous creations. If you do not see what you are looking for, contact any of the above friendly and creative artists, and I am sure that they will be more than happy to make something just for your “mom”.

If you want to see more of their outstanding works, then here are some more links from which to shop:

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9

And even more!

Tulips
What’s in a Name?
The Flowers of the Gods
Kiss the Sun
Consider the Lilies
Keeping Regular Hours
Beautimous Borderlands Botanicals
They Call Him Flipper

Enjoy, and share this blog post and all of these handmade items with your friends and family! We handmade artists always appreciate a good share.
Julie

Technorati Tags: bluemorningexpressions,handmade gifts for mom,mother's day gifts,bracelets,earrings,dog collars,jewelry,necklaces,gemstone jewelry

Mother’s Day Countdown 2018 Week 9

The Countdown to Mother’s Day has begun!
Shop now for handmade and unique gifts for mom.

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They Call Him Flipper

When you think of dolphins, you think of the smooth, blue-grey bodies gliding in and out of the ocean or the laughing call of Flipper. I’m blessed to be surrounded by playful porpoises in our nearby river, but that’s another story for another time.

You don’t usually think of flowers when you think of dolphins, but the Greek root “delphis” means exactly that. The closed flower buds on the delphinium is said to look just like the nose of the dolphin.

I just do NOT see this, but there are plenty of things that I see that others can’t, so …

The delphinium is another of our Mother’s Day bouquet flowers to have a Greek story attached to them.

As the story goes, the Greek god Aias (or Ajax) was a war hero from Troy when he died, and his blood droplets gave birth to the flower we know of as the delphinium. According to the legend, the petals were inscribed with the letters “Ai”, which is also Greek for “alas”.

As luck would have it, I went to get a gallon of these lovely long-stemmed blue beauties to add to my garden, but someone else had the same idea, and the last bucket was in her cart.

These flowers are closely related to the larkspur; although, they are not the same flower. The larkspur was used to cross pollinate into some of the delphinium we see in today’s bouquets.


While hiking in the Rockies, I came across this field of larkspur rising tall above the other wildflowers. ©jcleveland 2015

These flowers are poisonous, but that didn’t stop “doctors” from using them to help people sleep and relax. Other than the fact that they slowed the heart rate, induced difficulty in breathing and lowered the blood pressure to the point of death, they were a smashing success as a sleep aid.

The North Americans and Europeans used their colorful petals to make blue dye. They are said to cure scorpion stings and repel parasites like lice. Yay!

The delphinium is included in bouquets to signify the openness to new experiences and a positive outlook. Something a new mother definitely needs.

The tiny blue flowers are joyful, fill you with warmth and inspire fun. They signify the desire to expand your horizon and experience new life adventures.
Blue is a symbol of dignity, and the other colors like pink, white and light blue offer youth and renewal.

Let’s see what other blues we can find to offer youth and renewal to the woman on your Mother’s Day gift list.

Blue Gray Tweed Ribbed Knit Hat

RSS Designs in Fiber 

Tribal Earrings Blue African Sand Glass Black Obsidian Betel Seeds Sterling Handmade

Pretty Gonzo 

Women's Silver Beaded Fan Earrings

Lady Green Eyes Jewelry 

Schnauzer Wauzer Dog Snap Tab Key Fob

Sew Amazin 

Ford Mustang 8 x 10 Wood Wall Art

Kevs Krafts 

Yachting on The Pacific in Blue Gray tones Sailboat

Colleen Cornelius 

Blue Grey and Orange Striped Tube Beads

Blue Morning Expressions 

Turquoise Amber Earrings

Shadow Dog Designs 

Charcoal Grey Bulls Eye Jasper Tourmaline Quartz Riverstone Necklace

Kats All That 

Grey Pearl Earrings w Silk Swarovski Crystals

Magdalene Jewels 

Stained Glass Quilt Square 6" Log Cabin Appalachian Traditional Quilt Pattern in Blues and Purples

2 Glass Thumbs 

Natural Sunset Dumortierite Round Gemstone Beaded Necklace Blue 20 inch

Diane’s Dangles 

Rustic Turquoise Handmade Lampwork Beads Shiny Gunmetal Glass 236g

Covergirl Beads 

Dangle Earrings for Women

Blonde Peach Jewelry 

Hammered Pewter Earrings Long Dangling Blue Crystals Lever Backs

The Singing Beader 

Hope that you enjoyed these gorgeous creations. If you do not see what you are looking for, contact any of the above friendly and creative artists, and I am sure that they will be more than happy to make something just for your “mom”.

If you want to see more of their outstanding works, then here are some more links from which to shop:

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8

And even more!

Tulips
What’s in a Name?
The Flowers of the Gods
Kiss the Sun
Consider the Lilies
Keeping Regular Hours
Beautimous Borderlands Botanicals

Enjoy, and share this blog post and all of these handmade items with your friends and family! We handmade artists always appreciate a good share.
Julie

www.bluemorningexpressions.com

Technorati Tags: bluemorningexpressions,handmade gifts for mom,mother's day gifts,bracelets,earrings,dog collars,jewelry,necklaces,gemstone jewelry