web store excitement

The last few months I have been so busy making pendants, altered dominoes, magnets, earrings, necklaces... the list goes on! I have SO many pretty things still to list on vickstress.etsy.com and I hope you will take a moment to click the link on the right.

Any and all feedback is welcome and I do hope you will BOOKMARK it and peek in, now and again! "There's always something fresh, here, in the beauty of the garden!"

Offerings will include:

Photography
Artisan OOAK Jewelry
Altered * Pendants * Magnet Sets * Bookmarks
Rusty Bits <-
Vintage Items
ART!!

... and I have my 2nd country flea market on saturday so I must wait until Sunday to list any more items. Wish me luck!!

I've been told...

....that I am a very sentimental person and, I suppose, that is why so many posts are reminiscences! Today is no exception!

June 2, 1945 my parents were married SIXTY YEARS AGO today. Even though my dad passed away in 2005, I still call my mom to let her know that I'm thinking of her and have told her I will always celebrate this day in my heart, forever!

They left quite a legacy of love that I'm blessed to be a part of.

In memory of my father

I am thrilled to announce the official re-opening of my etsy shoppe, Beauty Of The Garden. It really is a full-circle moment for me and something that's been in the planning stages for many months! ✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿ The forget-me-not theme is a deliberate "nod" to my father, who passed away five years ago. A few months after that, a lovely little patch of these flowers appeared and I knew in an instant that it was a sign from him. We were so close throughout the many ups and downs that are a part of life and I will always feel his love and support for all of my creative ventures in photography, handmade jewelry and mixed media collage. I count my blessings both to have had such a special relationship for five decades and to know that he continues to watch over me.

"I love you, dad!"

adoption day!

adoption day
Originally uploaded by cookievf

As I write this post, these little guys are already 3+ weeks in their new home! Let me start from the beginning...

Saturday, April 10. What a fateful day! 2 weeks prior our precious Satch had passed away and we were donating some of his special high protein food to our favorite charity, Kent Kats, a local spay/neuter assistance & shelter.

And look who was waiting for us? YOU just try and resist!

This 7-month-old sibling pair, "Charlie" and his sister "Suki" were initially feral, then adopted and then given away to the shelter due to allergies (and problems with their Jack Russell). I am so proud and happy to say that we are their THIRD AND FINAL HOME! Welcome home, kids! A Wonderful Life is waiting for you here!

Seven Keys to an Artful Life

"sunbeam just for me" - by vicki cook

• move your body daily, joyfully

• nurture your precious spirit-self

• practice loving self-care

• find your authentic livelihood

• create a tranquil home

• tap into abundant creativity

• cultivate healthy relationships

special book = special course

Over the weekend I signed up for Juliana Coles' first online "extreme journalism" course, titled ALTERED STATES. More info is available on her website! The initial cost, being her first, is only $50 for 3-months of access to the artist, discussion group, PDF, audio, video and more!

First step: find a book!

I purchased a vintage record collection "book" (circa late 40's) at a tag sale about a year ago for a few bucks, never IMAGINING I would be guided by Juliana through the altering process!! I'm excited that the cover has torn off so I can work on that in lesson #2! So far I've cut 10 manilla folders in half, deciding to sandwich each sleeve with them leaving the top open for use as pockets. And I've taken the book apart and removed cardboard spacers, only to put them back into use... who knows!

There are sleeves that hold ten 33rpm records and an Index listing a mix of artists. What I got were 10 Perry Como EP or extended play singles, so someone already "personalized" their collection to be different from the original. Kind of cool, since that is what I plan to do ~ make this my own!

Wouldn't it be a great tie-in to incorporate some of the lyrics from the records?

"I hear your haunting theme
And I begin to dream"

"Each tender note you play
Will be my serenade"

Can't wait to jump right in!

Most Recent ATCs Are Loaded With DIIMENSION!

Posting cards I made a few months ago ~
Personal Collection and possibly Etsy.

~ follow up post ~

Last year, 17 artists participated with me in this artezine board book swap with Christine Shebroe as the hostess. You can view the swap in its entirety here.

It was WAY BACK in July 2009, that I posted a few steps here to illustrate the WIP on the cover. I always meant to share the rest of my pages and I guess, better late than never! As with any first attempt, i still recall my inner critic was in "over-drive" and, in the end, I produced something I was very happy with! Moral of the story??? ... SILENCE that pesky inner critic and you will be surprised to see what lovely things can happen!

blessed by a life of love

.................................... these are recent pics ...........................

Our house is alot emptier these days since our precious 18 year old "SATCHie" crossed the Rainbow Bridge 3 days ago, on Sunday. Finally free from the Diabetes that kept him on a 12-hour insulin shot schedule for 5+ years, we know that he is young again, rolling in catnip, scratching his post and chasing fuzzy mouse toys with Sam. "Have fun little Chi-Chi.. We will be there to see you as soon as our time comes!"

We honor his passing the same way we did with his brother, Sam (3/11/92-2/4/06) by making a shrine that includes photos + a candle and participating each monday in the Candle Ceremony for pet loss.

The ceremony began online in 1993 and spread internationally in just 2 weeks (time zone chart below)! And although we can light our candles privately and in our own way, by lighting them at the same time we are all joined in spirit to share this common love and healing.

The ceremony encompasses not only the newly bereaved but those remembering beloved pets from long ago as well as animals with special needs, those who are sick or suffering as well as other pet OWNERS who are going through this difficult time.

Excerpt from the original website "When a human loved one dies, a prescribed ritual provides a cushion between the loss and the return to "normal" life. When the loved one is a furbeing, society provides no means of closure. For many of us the Candle Ceremony has brought peace, acceptance and the hope of eternal reunion someday in that place 'just this side of Heaven' we call Rainbow Bridge." - Marion Hale.

Mark your calendar and join us, won't you?

Candle lighting times are...

In USA:
10 PM Eastern
9 PM Central
8 PM Mountain
7 PM Pacific
6 PM Alaska
5 PM Hawaii

In South America:
Sao Paulo - 11 pm
Chile - 10 pm

In Europe, Asia & The South Pacific:
Central Europe - 2:00 AM GMT Tuesday
London - 3 am Tuesday
Poland - 4 am Tuesday
Madrid / Paris - 4 am Tuesday
Egypt - 4 am Tuesday
Moscow - 6 am Tuesday
Australia (West Coast, Perth) - 10 am Tuesday
Tokyo, Japan - 11 am
Australia (East Coast, Sydney) - 12 noon

I am back to more scanning/restoration of treasured family and ancestor pics. here's one from yesterday..

Treasure found! - I always WISHED I could find a pic of my parents dancing, and surprise! Both of them were "clear-the-floor" ballroom dancers in their day. An accomplished gymnast, Dad taught dance at sumer camp in Maine when he was only 19 years old. He also taught square dancing in the philadelphia area throughout my childhood. Mom, 86, recently told me there was NO WAY she was going to marry a man who couldn't dance ~ and boy, did he have the moves!! ♥

Reigniting A Love Of Hand Tools

chain nose pliers ca. 1980

If I were to share an interesting fact about myself it would be that I was once a cardholding member of the "Sheet Metal Workers" union!

At 22, I was living at home, working P/T and going to school P/T when my father changed jobs. We moved to another part of the state at the same time the country was in a major recession and I wasn't able to find work. The earliest unemployment records in the U.S. only date back to the early 1984 when 2.1 million young people (26% of 16-24 yr olds) were economically inactive. I can attest that it was a DIRE situation in the late 70's as well!

By registering at the State Employment/Unemployment Office I qualified for a government subsidized work/training program, called CETA, and began a lucrative 6-year career in the field of electronics. The position required that I pass a 2-week/80-hour Government Certification course in soldering and, after several weeks, I found that I was enjoying myself! My company did alot of government contract work and at the time we supplied electronic sub-assemblies to be used in missle radar and life support systems... no cold solder joints allowed!

After about a year I was laid off and registered with a "technical" Temp Agency. I wore many hats over the next several years in addition to soldering. I did wire harness assembly, benchwork, point-to-point wiring, ran a bench press, punch press, coil winding machine, learned flash welding and my ultimate fave:
soldering under a microscope (in the field of microelectronics). There you have it!

It has been a thrill to return to my trusty old chain nose pliers ~ and maybe try my hand at soldering again :D