Category: story telling

Hope Springs

Hope burns with righteous passion. 
Springing from rot like a fiddlehead
ever-expanding, full of strength. 
Curious, Creative, persistent
she nurtures our dreams
with contagious laughter
and bountiful grace. 

Traveling the world to gather souls, 
she wraps her arms around us and
gathers us in her garden
Where we can root, 
heal, 
transform, 

and spring forth again with righteous passion. 

--nan braun 1/27/2020

The new spring collection, “Hope Springs” will release on March 28.

Stay tuned here as I explore the facets of hope and share sneak peeks as the collection continues to take shape.

Ripples

“Your grandmother was an activist, you know…”  Mrs. Bailey cocked her head to one side and waited for me to respond. I just sat silently. 

“I have to admit that she might not understand what it is you are protesting….”  I sighed. Apparently,not under my breath like I had Intended. “But truth is, her parents and grandparents did not understand or agree when she took off to the south to march for equality, either. The important thing is not if she would agree with your stance, but that she would be proud of the fact that you are taking one….”

We carry generational values out into the world- and in every generation, the ripples are larger , travel farther and are more inclusive.   

What  are the values that you internalized from generations of your family, but you have re-interpreted to make the world a better place?

If you know someone who is making big ripples in the stream of humanity, this piece might speak to them. 

Mindful

Verdant. 

She suddenly understood the real meaning of that word. 

The jungles of Belize surrounded her, were alive and growing and moving everywhere she looked.  Even in the still of the day, she could feel the jungle like a living organism, with a million  interacting parts. 

It fascinated her, but she knew there were dangers here too.  Entire Cultures had thrived and died here, before she was conceived.  She was thrilled to her core to be visiting the Mayan ruins, but she could not let excitement make her careless. 

She focused on the deepest green growth around her and centered. Moving alert, but with mindful intention. 

Don’t let the complexities of your life distract you from the purpose you have chosen.  This malachite /amazonite set are the focal point you need to remind you to stay mindful. 

More about the Mayan ruins in Belize

Drifting

She leaned back against the inner tube, her head resting on the edge and her hair dangling into the river water.

She traced little eddies in the water with her hands as she drifted freely. There was a long, slow piece of the river coming up. She looked over to make sure that Barb was still with her, and then briefly closed her eyes. The sound of the cicadas echoed in the August heat, and a gentle breeze whispered in the trees.

Her breathing was slow, easy. She was pretty sure that this was the only time she was actually calm.

She felt the water gaining speed around her and opened her eyes to watch for rocks or trees. Nothing. She looked up, and spotted an elephant and a dragon in the cloud, along with a silly little gnome whose hat was turning to puffs. She smiled widely and lavished in the warmth of the dappled sun filtering onto her face and body through the overhanging leaves.

Without question, Drifting was her favorite summer pastime


Even in the blowing cold snow of winter, the dappled blues and whites in this pendant will remind you of the clouds on a summer day as you drift down the river.  The ripples of wire are a reminder of those small water ripples when you toss a rock or dangle your fingers and toes.

Pause just a moment and the memory of that summer heat will come to your body.
 

Layers

It was late.

Her body was exhausted, but her mind kept racing. Her back screamed to lie down in bed, but she knew if she did, her brain would never slow.

Sleep would elude, once again.

She tossed another log on the fire, turned down the lights and settled into the deep rug that laid in front of the fireplace.

“Alexa, Play Native American Mediation Music”

Calm flute sounds tumbled from the little Echo Speaker and she focused on her breathing.

She followed how her breathe flowed in and out, through all the layers of her body. She allowed the energy to flow past her solar plexus and into her core. Although her body was upright, legs crossed into a triangle, she felt her whole being relax, felt herself settle back into her body, like a blanket that had been shaken to lie on a bed.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.


She knew that the demands of tomorrow would wreak the same havoc, but she also knew that the process of working through it made a difference in people’s lives.


Her racing mind calmed. She noticed that the log was burned down to embers- had she really been sitting that long?

She unfolded her legs and climbed back to her feet ( let’s face it, she was not a young graceful thing anymore, but she refused to stop moving).
now her brain and her body welcomed sleep, and she headed toward the bed.


Layers is a custom cut piece of Agate, cut and finished at SHAK Makerspace by David Braun. The undrilled stone is wire wrapped with rose gold coated wire so you can have a focus and sink into your layers anywhere you wear it.

Deep Cut

“What are you listening to?”

He stopped when he walked in the door of the tiny house, tilting his head and pondering.

“It is a Pink Deep Cut from “I’m not Dead“.

He shook his head. “Can’t you just listen to the popular hits like everyone else?”

She looked at him in surprise. “When have you known me to do anything that ‘everyone else’ does?”

She laughed a little, a sound from her belly, not some delicate Tinkerbell chime. “Besides, the Deep Cuts are the ones with real meat. They are too complicated to be popular- Kind of like me!”

He laughed and stepped forward to hug her. “And I would not have it any other way… now tell me more about this deep cut…”


Some pieces do not have convention glitz but are fascinating and versatile all the same. “Deep Cut” is an Agate Oval with some slight irregularities in the cut, but rich color palette. The colors are highlighted by a simple Rose Gold coated wire wrap setting. 

Twinkle

Her nerves were stirring up the butterflies in her gut as she drove toward the new assignment. 

She loved the freedom of working temp, choosing her hours and getting new assignments, but the first day always made her a little nervous. She jittered the bangles on her wrist, trying to settle, but it was not working.

Those first five minutes, when she walked in the door, were always so critical for setting the tone of the whole assignment.

She parked, took a deep breath, but left the power on. She swiped through her iPod, looking for the right song. There it was. She hit play, sat the iPod down and a smile snuck onto her face as the sounds of Love, Inc played at volume 8 through the Bluetooth speakers in the car.

She took another deep breath, and as the group reminded her she was a Superstar, she knew everything was going to be just fine.


Need a reminder that you are a superstar when music is not appropriate? Wear these Twinkle earrings and the slight flash of the goldstone beads will remind you of your Superstar status.

Bouffant

She pressed the button on top of the tall can and swirled it around her head. “Hey”, her neighbor hollered, “keep your cloud over in your space”.

The tall brunette smiled apologetically and then gave the hairspray another burst. Her tall stacked hair needed the extra reinforcement if it was going to make it through the endless retail crowds during her upcoming 10-hour shift. Stores just stayed open for far too long this time of year… people should be at home, decorating and gift wrapping, not endlessly riding the department store elevator floor to floor, piling up purchases in an attempt to buy atonement for the wrongs of the year.

With a sigh, she rose to her feet and gracefully navigated the aisles of the employee dressing room to her current assignment in housewares.

At least anyone looking at her stately bouffant would know that she was a lady of class, even if the crowds had made her weary.


Wear this hand-cut obsidian piece, set with sterling silver to remind you that you are a diva, no matter how bedraggled life leaves you feeling

How you know when to quit

2018-11-17 22.01.43When the light starts to turn slightly yellow gold, despite all the lamps turned on, and the cat keeps blinking, you know it is time to stop for the night and chill just a while before hopping into bed.

 

More pictures and more products to be loaded tomorrow….

Plated Sunday Dinner 10, 07,2018

When Dave says “I am going to make a fancy dinner tonight”, there is no doubt it will not only taste good but will look great too. He is having a lot of fun lately plating dinners.

Since the meat tonight was MahiMahi, my plate showed up with a palm tree and a beach, and the fish “beached”. Now, most restaurants would consider that out of bounds, reminding people that that delicious filet came from a dead fish, but for us, it was perfect and hilarious.

This was my Greenbean and Honeydew melon palm tree.  The melon was an amazing compliment to the Mahi Mahi.  That salad has a handmade fresh pomegranate dressing….

Parboiled potatoes with mushrooms and onions.. I could only eat about half of them, but they were delicious.

A better shot of the salad.

The sky view… Palm tree on the beach.. and beached fish..

Perfect Meal for a Sunday.