WOMEN'S MOONMEET- Sat-June 26- @ 7:30 PM

Wishing you a wonderful Litha - Sumer Solstice!

This coming Saturday is the full Moon of June and we will hold our first Women's MoonMeet of 2010. We will g ather at the Fire Pit at 7:30 PM... We will invoke and honor the Goddess Arachne, to join us and help us on our Life Journey. Arachne is the Web Builder, the Weaver, the Community Construct, the Communications Expert in Wisdom, Strength and Courage. In the coming times we need Her to guide us through what lies ahead.
Bring with you a warm jacket, hat in case of a cool evening, something to drink, insect repellent, a skein of bright colored yarn or black, but no pale, wimpy colors, a snack to share, and percussion and drums if you have them. I will provide a facilitated Ceremony, eating utensils, and a beverage. All women are welcome... from age 10 to 100+, we will honor the Triple Goddess, Who dwells within us and without us.... Please let us know you are coming and how many beautiful women to expect in our Circle under the Full Moon of June. There is no charge for this event, a donation will be graciously accepted to help cover costs... Thank you! Blessed Be... Linda
(You can contact Linda at jvstudio@freeway.net)

For those who have reserved as a tentative participant, we would appreciate a solid Yes or No, to help in preparing the Ceremony. Thank you very much!

(This event will be held on the grounds of Sacred Sparks in East Jordan, Michigan)

LOT'S HAPPENING AT SACRED SPARKS....

Happy Hello's to everyone!

You can sure tell we are going into our Summer mode. Things are bustling around here. We just held our "Summertime Welcome and Sacred Sparks is ALIVE!! (after the year of nothing (2008))."

We offered a 10% discount on all sales in the shop, and Intuitive Reader JEN was here to give in depth readings to those who reserved a spot. She received rave reviews by the folks. We will be having her here again and will let everyone know when that is happening. Thanks to all who came and enjoyed our little celebration of ALIVENESS! We had a nice turnout and are now focusing forward to June. (If you would like to receive email notices of our events held here at Sacred Sparks, please let us know, leave your name and email address and we will add you. We do not share addresses, our messages are sent with blind carbon, so no one can see your address).

Our first event this month, is our well known, WOMEN'S MOONMEET. This year we will only hold one MoonMeet and Sunday, June 7Th at 7:00 PM is it. It is open to all women, girls, elders. We welcome all ages because then we have a rounded representation of the MAIDEN, the MOTHER, and the CRONE. The full life span of the feminine. If you live near enough to attend, we do so hope you will. Please call us at 231-536-2704 to reserve your seat at the Sacred Fire. Please bring a healthy snack to share, a drink, cool evening clothes, a chair if you do not choose a bench, drums, rattles, chants, songs to share, your beautiful shinning face. A beverage and tableware will be provided. We will have an uplifting evening honoring the Goddess and filling ourselves with her essence. Returning to our humble, busy lives, transformed and ready to meet each day just as the Blessed Goddess within us would! Blessed Be......

Saturday, June 20Th at 6:00 PM we will be holding our SUMMER SOLSTICE FAMILY CELEBRATION. If you and or your family would like to celebrate the return of Father Sun, then please reserve your place in this circle of the Wheel of Life, ever turning, ever progressing, with us lowly humans as travelers along it's Way. We will do a short ceremony, walk the Labyrinth, Feast and then Drum. Call us to let us know how many will be coming in your party, bring a healthy dish to share on the Feast Table, a homage of the Gifts bestowed upon us from Mother Earth, something to drink, cool evening clothing. Beverage and table ware provided.

THESE EVENTS ARE FREE OF CHARGE...ANY DONATION YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEAVE WOULD BE MOST APPRECIATED...THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!

MAY DAY CELEBRATION is May 2nd!

Do you remember when you were a little person, maybe 8 or 9 years old? Did your Mom tell you all about May Day and the tradition of secretly leaving a bouquet of posies at your neighbor's door? I remember all of this, and my Mom who loved this holiday. I think she told me about it so that I would secretly leave a little bouquet at our door, just so she could be surprised. For several years I participated in this lovely First of May, Victorian Ritual. I would gather deep purple violets from our back yard, (they were always in bloom at this time). Tie them together with a frame of green violet leaves, add a small round paper doilies and tie the gathered stems with a contrasting satin ribbon with a loop for hanging on a door knob. I would create at least 3 or 4 of these and take them round to the neighbors doors. I would attached them carefully and then knock at the door and then run as fast as I could, so it would be a secret to who had left the flowers. I knew how to have fun all by myself, and make others happy too.

Now I am an elder woman but I continue to celebrate my most favorite season. This coming Saturday, May 2nd beginning at 1:00 PM till ?, we can happily announce our 5th BELTANE CELEBRATION! If you live near us, you are invited. This is a FREE event we only ask that you bring a donation for the PETOSKEY WOMEN'S RESOURCE CENTER SAFE HOME. They are always in need of non-perishable foods, toiletries, paper goods, first aid items, infant care items, and kitchen cleaning supplies. They do not need clothing because they operate a resale shop. Oh yes, monetary donations are welcome as well.

This event is planned and sponsored by the Northern Michigan Pagans. A loving group of gentle minds and generous hearts. The traditional May Pole Dance will take place in the later part of the afternoon. Fabulous music by PINKY LEE and others will kick your Spring time spirits into a happy place. There will be a Celtic Ogham Quest for Empowerment, with each participant receiving a souvenir representing their journey. You will learn about this ancient Gaelic Ogham Tradition along with leaving with a deep sense of focus for an issue in your life you would like to see solved or come to fruition. Your little wood Ogham pendant will go with you to help you focus each day on your quest as it slowly comes into being. There will be Face Painting and Tarot Readers, with a Pot Luck Dinner following the May Pole Dance. We hope you can join us.

The photo is a print Jerry did from last years May Pole Dance. It is for sale in our shop... http://www.1000markets.com/shops/sacredsparks

Prep Work For Spring...Hey! It's Serious Business!!

You betcha..it's serious business! For me when the Sunny temp's warm Mother Earth to an acceptable level for bare feet, I'm there. Then everything that is done in door's is moot. That leaves all projects still in process, waiting for the attention needed to complete them, and if I am not in that equation, they just gather dust. Not good, but a fact of my life. Can't help it, I am a barefoot wild woman, who is so in love with the beauty of this planet I can't be anywhere else. Right now we still have 2 feet of snow between me and the creek. Without high boots I can't make it down there, so the studio is currently, still my haunt. I know, from watching the 11PM weather forecast that Spring IS on it's way. That means that I have to up my time in the studio, if I am to complete some of these projects. A sense of seasonal expediency is now in effect at Sacred Sparks.
Currently I am finishing a special order pin, that I call 'Midnight Bunny'. (I don't have a photo of this piece, but you can see the line drawing I did in an old catalog above, this piece is not $68 as listed in drawing but $78.00 to reflect silver prices of today). It was ordered by a customer who originally purchased this piece at an art fair in Wisconsin, but later lost it. She found me on Etsy and requested another, if possible. Of course that is possible! Working on this piece has renewed my love of acid etching. Through this process I can draw on metal with permanence and achieve some cool effects. It has inspired some other projects I now have in process too.
With Spring, and the awakening of the Earth... melting snows will reveal downed branches and sticks, Autumn leaves covering the ground and gardens in need of some major tender loving care. All this means that a huge work load is about to descend upon us (there's only two of us here).

We host a Beltane Event here on the grounds of Sacred Sparks. This year, it will happen on Saturday, May 2ND, from 1PM on. So it isn't difficult for anyone to imagine the tasks of clean up, and tidy up, and prep work to host such an great event, which will benefit some needy organization in the area, (entry fee will be donations of non-perishable food or toiletries, and cash donations if you wish, no clothing please), (this will be a family event so children are welcome -if you commit to watch them- but absolutely NO PETS).
I still need to keep my on-line shops active, and this blog current, and twitter as often as I can. On Dial-Up that is an enormous time bandit but we have no choice with nothing offered in our corner of the globe as of yet. I'm sure you can imagine our frustration, but what to do? Not much right now, other than go with the flow of slow and not get too stressed out about something we can't change.
So mark your calendars for our Beltane Event here, welcome Spring in the traditional way of our ancestors of Europe. The Northern Michigan Pagans have some really good entertainment lining up and some fab plans for Celtic activities. There will be a Pot luck dinner, May Pole Dance, and lots of FUN guaranteed! Stay posted to this blog for more info as it comes available and nearer to the actual date.
Don't forget we are offering some cool earrings FREE with every $20.00 purchase in our Esty shop during the month of March. http://www.sacredsparks.etsy.com/ We are also offering some really cool art in our 1000 Markets gallery. http://1000markets.com/shops/sacredsparks
I do have our Face book page up... but only on a minimal basis...hope to work on that today if I get a chance. You will know when I feel I'm ready. Thanks for visiting and please follow us. Thanks for supporting American artists...we REALLY appreciate it. Blessed Be & Goddess Bless

...............~♥MANNA IN MARCH♥~ ...................~♥ GIVEAWAY IN OUR ETSY SHOP!!♥~....

~♥MANNA IN MARCH GIVEAWAY!!!♥~
For the entire month of March we are giving away, to our Etsy customers- who make a purchase of $20.00 or more...a FREE pair of Charming Cherub earrings. These little Cherubs will brighten your gloomy March days...and help you get through the month with a smile. They are handmade by me ....I sell these in our store for $12.00. These are so sweet and arty, that you could give them as a gift or keep them for yourself. Only one pair per purchase. Thanks for your support of American artists. ...~♥~...
FREE with your $20.00 purchase from our ETSY shop....click here to go there....
http://www.sacredsparks.etsy.com/

LEAPIN AND DANCIN FOR JOY!!!

Today - Friday - February 27th - We are LEAPIN for JOY... We were accepted into the 1000 Markets "PEACE AND LOVE MARKET"!!! We are SOOOOOoooo.. all about PEACE & LOVE here at Sacred Sparks. To be a part of a Market with that projection is the 'cats' meow'.

We sure do hope, if you are reading this, that you will visit our little shop at 1000 Markets to see what we've been up to there. We will be listing new pieces often so you may want to book mark us. If you Tweet on Twitter, come join us and you will get updates there about our crazy lives.

Speaking of crazy....Today is Crazy Brutal Outside! We got 6 inches of super slop snow last night. While we slept the temps went from 34 to 16 and the wind is coming straight out of the North at about 20 to 30 mph!!!! The word is NASTY!!! Do NOT go out there! But of course we Have to! Jerry just got a fire started in the studio, while I type this. He shoveled his way out, with all that slop now turned frozen rock hard! YUCK! Can you tell we are REALLY ready for a break in weather here.

Needless to say, we will be working indoors today...creating more cool pieces for someone out there- who will see it, love it and buy it. We LOVE our customers! Thanks in advance with giant HUGS!

The photo I posted today I call 'Little Spring Buds' they are a wishful thinking pair of earrings. You know, if you project it, think it, IT WILL HAPPEN!! You can buy these for only $28.00 on www.1000markets.com/shops/sacredsparks, or on http://www.sacredsparks.etsy.com/, or on http://sacred_sparks.artfire.com/. We thank you so much for your support.

Networking...Networking...Networking.......

Good Day to all... The past few days have, once again, been a blur of activity. I have been sitting in front of this computer screen for WAY too long. I have created a profile on Yahoo, and been working on my Flikir presentations. Lots of time there....

Then I spent 2 days working on a FaceBook profile...That site is not easy for me. I have done enough networking where I should be able to traverse a site...understand it's inner workings and proceed to create my own presence. MySpace was not difficult at all. Blogspot..(where you are right now), was easy and smooth...but FaceBook...whoa..that is another story. I still haven't published it yet. Everybody says it is simple. Guess I am simple, minded that is. I'll keep trying. I don't give up, I just try harder, which usually pays off in the end.

What do I really want to do? I want to create!!!! But I know that I must continue to network, so that what I create will not get dusty, and shoved into some corner of my studio. Not to mention that I just paid bills and our account is looking like a giant Black Hole. Scary is not the right word...Nightmare- might work...ominous...pending disaster.... To give you an inkling of where we are at... We went to the insurance office today to pay our monthly bill. I put together a nice pad of our current pieces of Valentine related gifts. Hoping to offer the agent a fine selection of fine jewelry he could select from for a gift to his wife. Maybe his purchase would help pay for our bill to him. We didn't take the jewelry in to the office but we did offer it, to no avail. I should have just taken it in and allowed the ooh's and aah's to take over. I have no nerve.

I guess I am on an rant...got to stop that...it is not positive at all. 'Keep a stiff up lip', my Moma always told me. She was awesome, guess I'd better heed her words of wisdom. Onward and forward....

We were featured in two Treasuries on Etsy this last week. That was WAY COOL. I do believe it upped our lookers, but no sales yet... Did you catch that positive "YET"? Check it out here... http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=39347 (this link does have an expiration date, so if you want to see it...you need to go there in the next couple of days)... also check out the good artists who created the Etsy Treasuries... here.... Dahlia House Art Studio on Etsy ( a fellow Michigan artist)... http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5569049

....... and Diva Designs Etsy shop ...here...

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5342292

Above is a pair of yummy earrings I just made and listed on our 1000 Markets shop. If you want to see more of what we have there, just go to this site = http://www.1000markets.com/shops/sacredsparks

come and Tweet at us... http://www.twitter.com/sacred_sparks

become our friend at... www.myspace.com/sacredsparks

see our shop at Etsy.... http://www.sacredsparks.etsy.com/

see our shop at Art Fire... http://sacred_sparks.artfire.com/

Come visit, make a comment, or let us know you were there... that way I'll know that I'm not spending all this time for nothing. Your attention is VERY much appreciated. Thank you so much!!! Have a Blissful Day full of Smiles and Happy Thoughts....Linda