Mountain Storm

Here it comes...a picture of a snow storm rolling in over St. Mary's Peak in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana.

A Wonderful Montana Holiday

Another Christmas day comes to a close. It was a wonderful holiday. Once again the family was together and the food and festivities were a success even though the long list of gifts from last year had to be cut in half this year. I can honestly say that we enjoyed this years giving more than the last. We found ourselves delighted with the handmade gifts that we shared. Simple things like knitted potholders, recipe boxes complete with recipes for the young cook, handmade 2008 Keepsake Christmas tree ornaments for the kids, hand knit sweaters, polymer clay keepsake boxes and lots of grandmother's home made brownies and cookies. Grandpa made sure the room was nice and warm by tending the fire in our little wood stove while the snowflakes danced past the windows outside. There was popcorn, candy canes, chocolate Santas, spiced cider, cheesecake in a multitude of flavors, hot chocolate with marshmallows all served after a scrumptiously moist ham and pork roast dinner with all the fixings.
Outside, the deer and some pheasants were nibbling under the birdfeeders while the snow created a beautiful white blanket covering the Rocky Mountain tops and the pastures and meadows. It was a beautiful sight to behold making us all thankful for the things we hold dear.

An Accidental Beauty

Sometimes when I mix my polymer clay colors, a very pretty accident happens as I run the clay through my pasta machine. While working on some of my wishboxes, I found myself with a bunch of leftover clay. I gathered it up and just randomly stuck it together. I decided to blend it and ran it through my pasta machine a few times and came up with a very unique, warm and bronzed looking color combination. I trimmed some rough edges and voila' a beauty appeared! I added a simple coiled bail made from gold wire and strung the pendant using some beads that I had laying around. I then made some simple beaded wire earrings that I formed from the same gold wire as the bail...here is the end product. It will be available in my Etsy store this weekend. You can go there by clicking on any of my jewelry pictures or my Etsy link tab.

My Polymer Clay News

A new experiment in polymer clay sculpting has turned out well for me. I started making little wish/keepsake boxes and included a gold tied scroll inside them (to write your wish on) and I am very happy with the way that they have turned out. The oval ones are a whole lot easier to make than the square ones though. The main cylinder is actually one piece simple while the square takes four seperate pieces to match, bake and then fit together. You can see them all in my Etsy store at www.ajoydesigns.etsy.com. There are some pictures here too. Hope you enjoy them. Each one is unique, signed and dated.

Why Nana Hasn't Written Sooner

Dear Riley,

I am so sorry that I haven't written to you sooner but I have been away on a quest.

Three weeks ago, Uncle Mick was mowing the lawn on Pappa's riding mower when all of a sudden it stalled right in the middle of a fairy circle. Uncle Mick tried to jump off right away but it was too late. He disppeared right before my eyes...POOF and he was gone. I tried to hold on to him but the force was too strong. I immediately ran as fast as I could and grabbed my magic bag, the sword of inches and my invisible cape and jumped into the hole in the circle to try and rescue Uncle Mick.

To my surprise, I found that the fairy circle tunnels were very different. Instead of turning in smooth spirals they were whipping around and around. There was lightening, dark clouds and a green mist was floating everywhere. Every exit that I went to was blocked and the pressure was building to an explosive level. I could feel the tunnels shaking and the walls were stretched and creaking. I knew right away that something evil was happening underground. I slipped on my invisible cape and set out to find Uncle Mick. I knew that without his magic things, he could not survive for long.

I traveled the tunnels for three days and not a sign of Uncle Mick. I feared the worst. I was sure that something had eaten him but on the next day, I found Pappa's riding lawn mower and there was a note on it from Uncle Mick. He told me that he had to leave there in a hurry because there was a large band of Schnorkels hunting him. He told me that he would try to make his way to the Golden Gates of Atlantis where he would go to capture the Schnorkle king. He feared that the Schnorkle king must have escaped from the dungeon that we had put him in three hundred years ago and he knew that the king had to be captured and put back into the dungeon.

I knew that Uncle Mick's quest was going to be very hard so I put a spell on the Sword of Inches and turned it into the Sword of Wings. I covered myself and the Sword of Wings with the invisible cape and I flew like the wind towards the Golden Gates of Atlantis.

After three more days of flying, I finally reached the Golden Gates. I was surprised to find them closed but just as I looked up, there, standing on top of the middle gate was Uncle Mick. He motioned to me to hurry, so I flew up and as I was going over, I grabbed onto Uncle Mick and we both flew down the other side to safety.

We searched all of Atlantis for the next three days but could not find the King of the Schnorkels. We were just about to give up when we saw a giant Pheonix and sure enough, the King of the Schnorkles was trying to fly away on it. Uncle Mick and I got back on to the Sword of Wings and flew three thousand feet up into the sky to do battle with him. We flew very fast and as we were catching up to him, I handed Uncle Mick my magic bag. Luckily, I had packed my fireballs. As we got even closer, I made a sharp turn and Uncle Mick threw three fireballs at him. They were all a direct hit! The Phoenix began to fall down, down, down, until he hit the ground with a great thud. We followed it down in a very steep dive, three hundred feet downward every three seconds, and when we reached the ground, we found that the King of the Schnorkels had been knocked out in the crash.

Well, to make a long story short, we tied him up with my magic rope and put him back into the dungeon in Atlantis. The giant Phoenix was ok, he had just hurt his tail and wings. I put a spell on him to guard the King of the Schnorkles and never let him escape again.

The fairy tunnels are now back to normal and Uncle Mick and I made it back safely. We even managed to save Pappa's riding mower. Of course, the puppies were very happy to see us and they jumped and barked and licked our faces when we came home. And, Pappa was very happy that we saved his riding lawn mower too.

Love,
Nana

Paradise


My little island
Surrounded by sapphire seas,
A warm tropical breeze blowing
All is serene and at ease.

A lounge chair and umbrella
On a beach of white silky sand.
Listening to the sounds
Of a distant steel drum band.

A tropical drink
Flavored with coconut and rum,
And a deeply browned body
Absorbing the hot island sun.

I have found my paradise
And I wish I could stay,
I must return to reality
But I will come back another day.


Angelika Joy
July 2007 ©

Photo credit goes to...Paradise by s2... at deviantArt.com.

My Star

A star that shines
In the sky so bright
A star to watch over me
Through the long dark night.

Oh beautiful star
Shining brightly above
Please fill my dreams
With hope and love.

As the Earth revolves
So follows the night
That every creature on Earth
May share your bright light.

And just remember…

For every star that twinkles
On a clear winter’s night
A soul has gone to heaven
And now shines bright.

A. Joy
©2006

Picture credit goes to Wallace for this digital art called 'light2:Star Kiss' from http://www.deviantART.com

In your Memory

I will love thee
All my days,
I will love thee
In so many ways.
I will love thee
When I am left alone.
I will love thee
When your memory is all I own.

I will think of thee
When I am overcome with fear,
I will think of thee
And you will be near.
I will think of thee
Just after I awake,
I will think of thee
Until the last breath I take.

I will be with thee
When my time is at end,
I will be with thee
My love, my friend.
I will be with thee
No longer we’ll be apart
I will be with thee
Once again, heart to heart.

Angelika. Joy
©2006

The picture credit entitled ' You Know Why' goes to hearthy from http://www.deviantART.com

Believe Me When I Tell You…


Life is funny
The directions we choose
Some being wealth and fortune
Others you loose.

With an open mind
Examine your heart and soul,
The things most important to you
Are your ultimate goal.

Many paths lie before you
And the directions may not be clear,
Hold on to what you believe
And the things you hold dear.

Family and friends
And the necessities of living,
Don’t forget the rewards
Of sharing and giving.

In youth define your goal
Work hard, be a bit of a miser,
For you’ll appreciate the rewards
When you’re older and wiser.

Living in the past
Serves you no purpose
Invest wisely in your future
Make your investments diversive.

Now sit yourself down
And decide your fate
No matter how old
It’s never too late.

Angelika Joy
© June 2005

Credit for the picture entitled 'Another Place' goes to mamazmeilor at http://www.deviantART.com

A Moment in Time


Shadows cast upon the land
The land of winter’s snow,
Shadows cast long and deep
From a gentle full moon’s glow.

Peaceful and quiet
The Earth is at rest,
I am on this Earth
Just a short term guest.


My life is but a minute
Between the future and the past,
It will vanish just as quickly
As the shadows the moon has cast.


Angelika Joy

© 2007

Credit for the picture entitled 'Sleepless Nights' goes to skybase at http:www.deviantART.com

What?

The problem with doing nothing is that you don't know when you are done.

A Long Trip

A Long Trip


Anything had to be better
Than this place for me,
So I traveled the world
By land, air and sea.

Europe was beautiful
It’s castles, it’s people, it’s charm,
But something was still missing
So I had to move on.

Africa and Asia
Much beauty surrounded by hunger and strife,
Australia and South America
Wide open spaces, a lonely life.

Then one day I realized
Sitting and thinking all alone,
Time to pack my bags
And find the shortest road home.

Shortly after my return
To my little home town,
I knew this was the place
Where I would settle down.

I will visit other places
Both far and near,
But never again will I leave
The place, that my heart holds dear.


Angelika Joy

2005

Picture credit goes to myself...My backyard

Buy Handmade

There are many talented and creative people in the world who make a living from their art and writing. I have a shop called ajoydesigns on a wonderful website, www.etsy.com. This website features artisans from all over the world. Praise to the creators of Etsy who have given us an affordable place to set up shop and sell our creations. On Etsy you can find just about anything that you are looking for, from the ordinary to the most exquisite and extreme in all price ranges.

Please go and visit my store at http://ajoydesigns.etsy.com and from there I urge you to explore the whole site. You will be delighted in what you find.