Merry Wonderful Christmas!

I get to accompany several choirs and individuals from high school and church this year in various concerts and programs.  I am grateful to be able to play the piano and hear the beautiful music telling of our Wonderful Savior and His great love for us.  I would like to share two videos with you, each about 2 minutes.

Take time in this busy season to remember for Whom we have this joy and love that we share with each other, especially during this time of year.

He is the Gift

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzjFEMmM0Xs
and

A Savior is Born

 https://www.mormon.org/christmas

Very Sincerely Yours,

Julie Pike

Cyber Monday Latecomer!!

Please checkout my Etsy store and use coupon code "ribbon2015" for 10% off all items through December 7.  Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

Riveting Class: If at first you don't succeed...try try AGAIN!

September 29, 2015

Dear Friends,
I mentioned in my last post about my experience with Artful Gathering Online retreats.  I enjoyed two classes this past summer; Luthien Thye's class entitled "Fly With Me" and Keith LoBue's Class entitled "Rivets Revealed."

In Luthien's class we learned how to make a darling pendant that looked like a cuckoo clock.  It was fun to see other students' work and ideas and all learn together.  (See previous post.)

In the riveting class, Keith gave clear instructions on various types of rivets such as decorative rivets, tube rivets, flush or blind rivets and so forth.  We didn't make specific projects but learned techniques to accomplish our own designs.  So with a new-found understanding of how some rivets work, I will practice making them better~and that's the key, often we take a class and learn a new skill and forget that the teacher IS the teacher because they've been doing that technique for years and we, the student, need to practice.

So here are pictures of from my riveting class...see, I'm just beginning, and someday, I'll post some pictures of new and improved workmanship.  This is a vintage makeup case I wanted to make into a pendant.  The closure was broken and I attached it poorly to two more pieces of metal.  I re-riveted it four times.  The fourth time, I changed out the back metal plate so it would look better and fixed the latch. My tube rivets improved as well after taking the class.

Here are pictures of the pendant after I fixed it up.  It's still not perfectly straight, but it's a huge improvement. The picture inside of the pretty lady is my mother, Shirlee, getting ready for a high school prom in the 1950s. 

You can see I have work to do!  I also tried to make a riveted pendant from some etched metal I made and a little piece of sterling silver chain that actually moves!  It takes practice to learn new skills. The follow story is a sad example of what I'm trying to say:

Some years ago, I was in a quilting class and a woman became frustrated with how her project was going.  She compared her work to the teacher's and other students who had been sewing a lot longer than she.  She decided to leave.  I tried to coax her into staying, but nothing I said would change her mind.  As she was leaving, I thought, I knew what she felt like.  Early on when I had attended quilt shows or art shows, etc., and saw all the incredible talent of the artists, sometimes I would compare my work to theirs and discount mine.  I wondered why should I even try?  Look at all that talent out there and I'd think, "I'll never be as good as they are..." But...

I changed my attitude.  I decided I wanted to appreciate and learn from that talent out there and stopped playing "Pity Pearl" and I got to work learning, growing and enjoying trying new ideas. Now I admire so much talent out there and thoroughly enjoy looking at the amazing incredible ideas of people on Pinterest and the Web.  You people are AMAZING AND INCREDIBLE!   I just love to see what's out there in the art world!

Thank you for sharing pictures of you artwork so we can enjoy your awesomeness!

Sincerely,
Julie

Artful Gathering Retreats

Dear Friends,

I wanted to tell you about a great experience I've had this summer with Artful Gathering 2015 on-line art retreats: http://atozinnia.org/ 

During the summer, a number of wonderful teachers from all over the world come together to teach classes for 6 weeks.  The teachers have pre-recorded videos you can access via the internet after you pay for the class.  During the six weeks the class is available, you have the most excellent chance to converse with the teacher via the web and show pictures of your work, discuss problems, and get personalized help with techniques.  The DVDs of the class are available for purchase at a discounted rate for class attendees, but will be available to the public as well at a higher price.

I took the "Fly Away With Me" class from Luthien Thye who lives in Malaysia.  She is fun, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, helpful and extremely talented!  I was able to ask questions about the project and get an answer fast, even though she is half a world away!  Another feature of the class is getting to know the other classmates.  They are from all over the globe as well.  We learn from each other too.

Here are the little birdhouse pendants I made:

I made three necklaces with different lengths of chain.  You may notice that the little hearts actually move up and down when you pull the two side chains.  Isn't Luthien's idea for that wonderful?  She was delightful to have as a teacher.

Luthien has a fb, blog and Etsy store.  Her blog address is entitled "Altered Alchemy" and her address is: http://luthienthyegallery.blogspot.com/  and find her also at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AlteredAlchemy

My son took this picture of me wearing all three!  I love them!  I learned how to use some new materials that I hadn't worked with and new techniques.  I also enjoyed seeing how the other students completed their projects as well.

The second session of classes have started but there are a few days left to purchase before it's closed until next summer.  Consider taking a class now or next summer:  http://atozinnia.org/

Have a wonderful and inspiring Day!

Julie

Are you a Pioneer?

Dear Friends,

My husband and I are shown below in our Pioneer Trek 2015 costumes.  We participated with about 300+ youth and adults in a re-enactment of the Pioneers using handcarts to cross the plains to the Salt Lake valley arriving on July 24, 1847 in Utah. 

Doug and I were story tellers along the 20 mile trail that the youth walked over the three day experience.   They pushed and pulled handcarts and got a tiny glimpse of the toil and trouble it takes to move a group of people in this fashion.

I told about the story of my Great-great-great Grandmother Zina who's mother, Zina, died of Malaria soon after her family arrived in Nauvoo, Illinois, when it was still swampy and infested with mosquitoes. After much hard work, Nauvoo became a beautiful city with brick homes, businesses and farms. Zina was forced to leave her home in Nauvoo in winter with her husband and 3-year-old son, Zebulon. She was over eight months pregnant when her little family loaded a wagon with their belongings and left the rest in the small home.  Because of the rainy weather, the ground slogged with mud causing some of the wagons to sink deep into the ground.  Families tried to double and triple the yoke of animals, but there wasn't enough strength to pull the wagons free.  Some items were redistributed among any other wagons that could carry them, and the mud bogged wagons left standing in the mud.

Zina tells about when they needed to cross the Chariton River.  It took about 50 men to hold onto a rope tethered to her family's wagon to pull it upright through the river without upsetting it.  They made it across, but some were not as lucky with their wagons.

After crossing the river and the time was nearing for her childbirth, Eliza Snow and Patty Sessions came to bless her for a safe delivery.  The weather was cold, wet and dreary when "Mother" Lyman assisted as her midwife.  Zina gave birth to a boy and named him Henry Chariton Jacobs after the river he was born near.  Mother Lyman came to check on her the next day bringing her something hot to drink and a biscuit. Zina writes,"What a luxury for special remembrance!" After the birth, Zina recalls, "Occasionally the wagon had to be stopped, that I might take breath.  Thus I journeyed on.  But I did not mind the hardship of my situation, for my life had been preserved, and my babe seemed so beautiful."

I think of our pioneer heritage and all they did and sacrificed.  We speak of them now and wonder how they could live through those hard times.  We've been so blessed in our time with medicines, a wealthy nation, education, technology, instant communication, and so much more.

What will be said of us and what we accomplish in our lifetimes?  What mores, traditions and examples will be spoken of us by those who come after?  If you haven't started, consider writing down what you know about your parents, grandparents and on back.  If you don't write it, who will? Will children and grandchildren know who they came from?  

  What a treasure it is to pass on stories about your family to the next generation.  Check out http://www.familytree.com/ 

and http://home.ancestry.com/

for information and help to learn about your family tree and ancestry.  Doug and I enjoyed learning by doing in our participation of this great journey...but we're glad to be back "our time."

Have a wonderful and happy day!

Julie

Take a Moment...

We look forward to Spring and renewal at Easter.  Time for much needed moments of reflection on the wonderful gift of life and love from our Savior.  I've lost two women friends this past week and helped with two memorial services.  The loss of loved ones is a stark reminder that life is short and death seems so final.  Our Savior insured that we will see our beloved ones again and enjoy associations of tenderness and friendship.  I'm so grateful for this truth.  I would like to share a short two-minute video with you that I hope brings your comfort in your own life reflections. Love, Julie  It is entitled Because He Lives.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZqTRSVA1YA

January 2015 ALREADY?

Is there anyone out there who remembers when people were worried about the possiblity of a computer glitch in the year 2000?  Sheesh!  Here we are 15 years later...I read the following recently "...our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream..."  and there went 15 years.

I have family pictures on the wall of my children when they were little and that's how I still remember and see them sometimes.  When they were little I thought they wouldn't grow up fast enough somedays and here we with everyone almost all grown and on their own.  It happened all faster than I thought it would.  For those of you younger mothers who are trying to get through the day with small beautiful people who are still learning how to eat, go potty, dress themselves, clean up their toys, and play nice...just know, it goes by faster than you think, it really does. Riiiight.  I didn't believe it either.  So spend time saying "yes" as much as possible and let the chores go so you can play with the kids.  Make happy memories for your family and record them.  Family is a big part of my life even though I have fewer of the kids to care for these days. Here are a few of our family pictures of yesteryear.

 Attitude...just comes through even when they are in diapers!

 Getting ready to have Halloween fun!

 Yup, that's me with the big hair back in the day...

Just an example of how one year they're graduating from Pre-school and a few years later, from High School???

One of my favorite family pictures.  I made a necklace with this picture on it.  May 2015 contain wonderful memories with your loved ones.  Sincerely, Julie