Glimmering all over the place...

I was standing taller, smiling so much more, noticing things that I hadn’t taken the time to notice in a very long time and it all started with putting ribbons in my hair!

It started back in April. I’d read an article about “Glimmers” a term coined by licensed clinical social worker Deb Dana. Glimmers are the opposite of Triggers. Where Triggers are places, circumstances or people that can bring on a negative or unwanted reaction - usually due to a trauma in someone’s past - a Glimmer is something that produces a micro dose of joy. It might be snuggling with your pet, It may be seeing a butterfly, or cardinal that reminds you of a loved one. It could be certain colors that elicit a joyful emotion for you.

This prompted a series of choices for me this Spring that ended with a daily decision to chase after joy. I wrote a full length article about this experience for the Summer Volume of The Turquoise Iris Journal!

Ultimately though, my new collection of Hair Glimmers was born out of this experience. the past few months I’ve been releasing these fun hair accessories in a variety of colorways using the artisan ribbons and fibers from my work with fiber art, as well as the stones and wire wrapping I use in my jewelry work! I absolutely love creating this color collections, but I want to do more with them. I don’t only want to sell an accessory, I want to help other chase after joy everyday! So I’ve created a subscription box that is built around this idea.

Each month subscribers will not only recieve a Deluxe Hair Glimmer in that month’s colorway along with an exclusive add-on accessory only available to subscribers, but they will also recieve a curated collection of other small products, journal prompts, playlists and more to help them create an environemnt for themselves that allows them to find joy every single day, no matter the circumstances they find themselves in!

I hope these boxes will serve to help us remember that we can choose joy everyday, and in doing so we can become a bright spot - a glimmer - for other people!

To grab your own glimmer Box Subscription just click the button below. Let’s chase after joy and #beaglimmer!

In its time...

In the fall of 2017 I spilled a container of beads. Sounds simple, but it ended up being pretty significant to me. You can read the original blog post I wrote HERE if you would like. The gist though, is that I had a large container that held all of my separate “seasons” for the Tree of Life jewelry I make and during a Holiday Fair I managed to drop the contents all over the floor. There was no separating things. All of the beads were gathered into one large bag in the clean up and when it was over I couldn’t help but notice how pretty the mixture was!

Inspired by Ecclesiasties chapter three I create a new tree design and named it every season. I wear those earrings like 75% of the time. I really love them and it’s always been a great symbol for me, of how no matter how bad things get, they can be really great too. It’s the cycle of all of it that makes life meaningful and wonderful.

Now its 2020 and when I reread that blog post last week I laughed out loud and thinking to myself, “I’m so glad that the grieving woman who wrote that didn’t know what the future held.” She would have been so discouraged to know that after two and a half years she would have two more babies in heaven and would still be waiting for so many things.

I wasn’t laughing out of bitterness (at least not entirely) but because how do you explain that while it’s been disheartening, it’s also been full of significance. The lessons I’ve learned, the moments of clarity God has given me, and the hard things I’ve done since then have all been so meaningful. Even this pandemic that we are currently living through has taught me more than I could’ve imagined.

Ecclesiaties 3:11 says “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

I still have hope for a family of my own, for living children here on earth, so that my husband and I can have the joy of being parents this side of heaven. While I often get very discouraged that we are still waiting after all this time, I know that when it happens - it’s going to be so much more beautiful that I can fathom.

I don’t know what you’re waiting on, but please don’t lose hope.

In its time.

I’ve added a new bracelet to my Every Season Collection inspired by Ecclesiates 3:11. You can find it here in my shop.

MADE

Have you ever sat in a room in your house and thought to yourself, 'This room just isn't working for me. It doesn't seem like anything fits.' But when you start trying to figure out what to move, you find you like it all?

This is exactly what was happening with me, only it wasn't a room in my house. For a while now I've been feeling like my business just wasn't working for me. I felt like I was pushing products that I loved, but that didn't fit together. I started to consider choosing one brand (jewelry or candles) but then decided that I loved them both too much to choose!

So after some soul searching and on the advice of some trusted mentors, I decided to get back to the heart of my business. MADE by Danielle is my new brand that encompasses all of my creative products & classes. Crafty Wino Candles aren't going anywhere & Wired Essentials jewelry is still everything you expect it to be. But my focus is coming back to the heart of the matter. All of these things are handmade by yours truly. I love to play with new ideas from time to time & I want to share that with you! 

I want to get back to blogging about the crafty products I take on (in my spare time 😆). I want to show you the awesome finds I come across and even share some of my friends' work with you from time to time.

The website and social media channels have a new look, but the handmade quality that you've come to expect from me isn't going to change. You'll notice over the next few weeks that I'm rolling out a couple of new things; FREE Workshops in the MADE Community Group on Facebook, MADE by You - more in-person classes and home parties and even more! 

If you aren't already in the Facebook Group I would love for you to join us! Head on over to community.danielleskaminski.com to join!

Fall

I'm a planner.

My schedule has a tendency to fill up weeks in advance and while often that is a result of running my own businesses, sometimes it is because I forget to set boundaries. So when I started to think about a word of the year for 2018, my initial thoughts were circulating around Balance. 

As 2018 got closer though, it just didn't feel right. I was becoming more and more aware that white-knuckling my schedule wasn't exactly how God wanted me living out my year. While I was working through a Bible Study entry I felt strongly that that God was pushing me to let go of my plans & try to focus more on the things He was putting in front of me.

I was chatting with a friend over coffee and she was talking about her martial arts practice. One of the first things they learn is how to fall without hurting themselves. I was overwhelmed with the feeling that this - Fall - was my focus word. It took a couple more weeks of reflection to understand exactly why.

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The visual of letting go - falling - and trusting God to catch me is exactly what I want to keep in my focus this year. I'm pretty sure the more traditional word choice would be Trust, but it's so much more than that. It isn't just the concept of trust or the knowledge that God is looking out for me. It's the action of trusting Him that I'm striving for this year.

More than lip service. 

More than a word.

Choosing to let go. 

Fall.

Every Season

They say when it rains it pours and that was certainly been true for me this past month. A few weeks ago as I doubled over in pain from a kidney stone, I found myself explaining multiple times that 'no, it wasn't possible I was pregnant because I miscarried less than a week ago'. There were other small things going wrong around me as well and I truly felt as though I was being clubbed again and again. 

“For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.”

— Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

Ecclesiastes 3 has always been somewhat of a touchstone passage for me. When things seem to be crumbling around me, I try to remind myself that it is just a season and things will get better. It can be hard to stay positive when it seems like troubles keep coming one after another. In fact it becomes incredibly easy to start going backwards and listing out every thing that has gone wrong in the past year, two years, even five years. 

About six weeks ago I was at a Holiday Market Event with lots of family and friends. It was one of my bigger events this fall and it went really well. Towards the end of the day my 'graceful' tendencies showed out and I spilled a container full of gemstones all over the floor. It wasn't just any container. It was my container of gemstone chips; carefully curated and separated into "seasons" for my Tree of Life designs. We all worked together to gather the stones and put them in one large bag. As I put the bag away I noticed how beautiful the mixture of colors really was. In the moment I knew this was one of those things that would mean something later.

I pulled that bag of stones out almost a month ago now and decided they would look really nice set against some copper wire. As I wore my new favorite design, slowly & softly it started speaking to me. 

This season of life that I am in feels as though it is lasting forever. Moments like the one I had in the ER a couple of days before Thanksgiving are particularly hard to swallow when it seems there is no end in sight. A container of spilled gemstones reminded me though, that it's only when all of these "seasons" are blended together that we will see the beautiful picture God is painting with our lives. 

My story isn't over yet. This really hard, really difficult season is just a piece of it. Without this barren winter the finished product wouldn't be nearly as beautiful. I may not know what the end of my story looks like, but I do know that these years of seeming desperation will only make it that much more beautiful.

Shop Every Season Tree of Life Jewelry 

Daddy's No. 1

"This is Danielle, she's number one." That's how Daddy introduced me. Anytime he talked about his daughters he would tag our number after the name for reference. I was the oldest, so I was number one, on down to the youngest, number four. 

Daddy had four daughters from two marriages and his introduction system organically grew from plenty of conversations of "how many kids do you have?" when only two were present or when it was obvious my step-mom was not old enough to have a daughter my age. Of course once he got started with it he liked to have fun with us. I've never met anyone with a grin quite as impish as my Daddy. He'd get so tickled at himself. That is one of the many things I love to remember about him.

There are so many stories I want to tell. So many great memories. Daddy has been gone for over four years now, so when my sister (No. 2) asked me about making a bracelet for Daddy the way I'd made a necklace for James, I was surprised it hadn't occurred to me sooner. When she suggested stamping our "numbers" on the bracelets I knew it was perfect. 

I think this is exactly what Remembrance Jewelry should be. A reminder not only of the person you lost, but of something about them that makes you smile. We have so many wonderful memories and that is what we want to hang onto.

Today is Daddy's Birthday. It's always a tough day, but it's getting easier to think about all those great memories. As much as I miss him I do like thinking that he is up there with my sweet boy and they have one another.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Essentially Perfect

As a jewelry designer my favorite thing to make is a long strand of wire wrapped gemstones. I work this element into most of my storyteller pieces but my favorite will always be the Essential Necklace. I think these necklaces are so incredible. I have at least three in my personal collection and my bright gemstone mix on bronze wire is my go to necklace. I have never worn it that someone didn't ask me where I found it. Pictures and words don't do these necklaces justice in my opinion. It's best to hold them in your hand and see the light reflected off the stones in person. Of course the next best thing is a video. 

The Essential Necklaces take an hour and a half to two hours to create making the price point a bit higher than my other designs but the versatility of this piece makes it worth the investment! In this video I go over 5 different ways to wear the Essential Necklace and how to pair it with with my Essential Pendant to take it to the next level. 

I try to keep as many gemstone mixes and wire options in stock as possible, but if you don't see exactly what you are looking for please contact me with your custom requests! Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go play with gemstones!

The Carolina Collection

So last fall my friend and fellow creative Jim Stephens, from 292 Sparcon at Home, came to me about a collaboration. Jim does a lot of laser engraving and wooden cutouts. I've bought so many things from him that I just love, including my market signage. He threw out some really fun ideas and we decided to touch base after the holidays. Now ya'll know I have to sit on things and let them roll around in my head sometimes. This was no exception. I thought his ideas were awesome, but could I pull it off? Would it fit with my style? This spring he brought me the first handful of prototypes and his wife Nancy asked me to work up a few necklaces for her. Once I got my hands on them and started playing with gemstones I was sold! These wooden pendants are such a unique, natural design element & I can't get enough! Now that I see how these wooden elements can fit into my designs Jim is going to get sick of my e-mails! 

I can't wait for you to see all the unique designs that come out of this collaboration but first, let's serve an immediate need. In South Carolina we love college football & our state flag! If you are like me I always end up in the same t-shirts on game day and if I sport any themed jewelry it's often cheap and plastic because I've never found anything nice that I've fallen in love with. This Collection really steps it up! You are going to be showing these off to all our your friends. Even better, you can personalize them for no extra charge! 

It's the South! You have College Football and Initials. What else do you need?

(A Koozie. I didn't make a koozie, sorry ya'll.)

All Carolina Collection Designs are now listed online and available in stores!

Storyteller

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I have a love for stories. I just love to know more about the people we share this earth with. I also have an insatiable appetite for inspiration. The more stories I hear the more I think of creative ways to tell those stories. My Inspired Collection is of course representative of the stories in my life and the ways that people or scripture have inspired me, but what about you? I want to create pieces to represent what inspires you.

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That is what the Storyteller Collection is all about. These new designs are all unique. I will never duplicate a design in it's entirety. The elements of these designs take on a personality and tell the story that you want to hear. I have loved seeing my friends pick up these pieces and say, "I have a friend who needs this." I want these pieces to have so much personality that they simply belong to one of you, before I even know it. 

There are so many more designs to come in this unique line. Many are currently on display at Vintage Warehouse of Spartanburg & Rustic Restorations of SC. You can find some online HERE. I hope you find the one that belongs to you or a friend!

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Mother: v. to raise or protect

I am so fortunate to have a wonderful mom. She has always been my biggest supporter while remaining a voice of reason when I get ahead of myself. As an adult I can say without reservation that she is truly one of my best friends. I want her opinion anytime I'm making a big decision, or even a small one. We talk almost every day. I pray that I have the same positive influence on my own children one day.

I'm blessed beyond measure by family, but I'm also very aware that not everyone is. Some have lost their mothers to death or circumstances beyond their control. Some never had an opportunity to know their mothers. Many of us remember the children who made us mothers, but are no longer here. Mother's Day can be really tough for so many people, myself included.

But on these occasions that bring out that ache in our lives, it is important to remember that not all family is created by blood. Mothering isn't solely reserved for the women that gave birth to a child. Even those of us with wonderful mothers also have a village of women and men who impacted our lives and raised us up to be who we are. 

I would love to challenge you to reach out to those people in your life who have raised you up in difficult times and encouraged your dreams. Tell them the impact they've had on shaping your life. Imagine the impact you could have just by saying, "Thank you for loving me so well."

In the Garden

Yesterday marked a year since we saw those two pink lines that said we would be parents. This Christmas has been incredibly difficult for Jason and I but it was filled with love and family. Last night we came home from Christmas Eve Mass and I discovered that Jason had strung lights on one of the trees in the garden "for James". My carefully maintained facade cracked and we sobbed in one another's arms. This Christmas, while wonderful, was not what it was supposed to be, at least as far as we'd planned.

We dedicated James's Garden Thanksgiving Weekend and the month since has been so difficult for us. There are days that the grief is so heavy I feel I could simply collapse beneath it, but mostly I drown myself in busyness to avoid emotions and search out small things to be happy about. 

Planning this garden was very enlightening. I learned that it is often when a plant appears to be bare and without much chance at survival that it has the most growth. Tonight I stood in James's Garden and saw the new life we planted just weeks ago is now wilting and bare. How encouraging to think that perhaps this barren and desolate time will not only lead to growth for these trees and plants, but might bring about something beautiful in us as well.

It comes as little surprise to me that the most profound connection I've felt with God during this time relates to another garden. The night before his crucifixion Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. In the Gospel of Matthew he says, "Oh My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me". I was right there beside Jesus asking God if there wasn't some other way.

When we came home from the doctor the Thursday before Easter (coincidence? I don't think so) after receiving James's diagnosis I was begging God not to ask this of us. We knew we couldn't let our baby go. Still, I couldn't imagine being able to survive the pain if he didn't make it. I began to pray that if James couldn't survive for God to please take him from us and spare us that pain. I am so very grateful that God stamped His all knowing NO on that prayer.

We loved James so much already and we hadn't even met him yet. We knew that if there was even the smallest chance he could make it we had to do everything in our power to give it to him.

Ya'll that's what Jesus did for us when he said, "if this cup cannot pass away from me unless I drink it, Your will be done." He hadn't met us yet, but He loved us so much already. He knew that going to the cross was the only chance we had, so He gave it to us.

Obviously I'm not Jesus, but I realized that when it came to understanding what I was feeling, he knows better than any one.

A few days after the crucifixion, in another garden, Jesus appeared to a grieving and distraught Mary. He'd been resurrected just as He'd promised. Still, she didn't even recognize him through her grief. In the middle of intense sadness it is hard to remember His promises. I can tell you I have been there, and still am many days. Often I am so overwhelmed with grief that I don't recognize He is walking right alongside me.

But He is. I could tell endless stories of all the amazing people that God has put right in front of me through this journey. Sometimes I know immediately that He is at work through them and other times it becomes clear much later. No matter when I catch on though, He is always there.

One of the incredible things about James's Garden is that while we sit and remember our son, we are looking out at reminders of all of our blessings. Listening to the peaceful sound of the fountain, I'm looking at the home Jason and I are making. I see the fire pit where we make wonderful memories with our friends. On the occasions our yard is full of nieces and nephews playing, I know that one day we will have little ones joining in the fun. 

I will never be able to fully express the gratitude we have for all of the help and contributions that made this vision of ours a reality. James's Garden will continue to be a work of love for years to come. I look forward to helping my future children plant flowers near the fountain while telling them them all about their brother in heaven and how very special he is. His story isn't over. He continues to make me a better person for having been his mom. One day, in a new garden, I will hold my sweet baby again. Until that day comes I will do my best to make the most of his life, by doing as much good as I can with mine. 

Today we are celebrating the birthday of a Savior who made that possible. Cherish your families. Hug them a little tighter tonight for me, and have a very Merry Christmas. 

Blessings

Shortly after we learned about James's encephalocele my sister sent me a playlist of songs that she thought would encourage me. One of those was Blessings by Laura Story. This was the song that I played anytime I found myself alone and needing comfort. The lyrics were so true where they said, "what if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near". I've grown up in a christian family and I've had a relationship with God for the vast majority of my years on this earth. Still, I have never felt God's nearness the way I have this year. I've grown stronger in my faith and I honestly feel this experience is making me a better person than before.

Let me pause here to say something important. It is so easy to say "everything happens for a reason" when we don't know what else to say. However, I simply don't believe that there was a reason my son had to die. I believe that God created a perfect world that became imperfect through disobedience. I believe that the human race has continued to sin and make bad decisions since the beginning of time and that has perpetuated the fact that bad things happen. God doesn't cause the heartache in our lives; He sees it coming and prepares us for it. When tragedy strikes and we call out to Him; He will answer us. Sometimes He gives us a miracle. Sometimes He uses the pain and heartache - if we let Him - to shape us and give us blessings we never imagined.

Chapter 5 in the Gospel of Matthew is familiar to most of us. We quote it often to remind ourselves that life won't always be easy, but God uses those circumstances to bless our lives.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 5: 3-10 NIV

One of the many blessings we have received is the courage for me to change directions with my career. Instead of working full time and creating on the side, I now work part time to focus on building my business with the goal of eventually being a work from home mom. From the moment I began designing James's Joy I started to think of other scriptures and songs that inspired me and I decided that I would create a special line for these designs. This Blessings necklace is the second in that collection. A beautiful little reminder that sometimes His "blessings come through raindrops".

What if Your blessings come through raindrops? What if Your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights is what it takes to know You're near? What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

Blessings, Laura Story

You can find this and other Inspired designs in my shop HERE.

Gratitude

My heart is simply bursting with gratitude today as I head out to mail these special necklaces to their new homes. The generosity and support of our friends and family made it possible for us to start work on James's memorial garden this weekend. This is such a healing process for me and Jason. The knowledge that our son's short life will not be forgotten and that he has touched so many makes the heartache a little easier to bear. 

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."

So many have answered that call to comfort and support us using their own experiences as a guide. We are so grateful to them and to God for sending them to us. I hope that in the future we might answer the call in the same way. For now I hope that these necklaces are a blessing to those who wear them as they have been for me. Creating these necklaces and building this garden is helping us heal. We simply couldn't do these things without the love and support we are receiving.

Thank you.