Focusing on Life - Week 45

Industrial Photography

Most industrial landscapes are not designed to be cute, fashionable or charming but entirely functional.

Such is the case with my place of employment, a shipping supplies company. We sell bubble wrap, tape and boxes, as well as, janitorial products and more. Nothing glamorous or exciting but certainly all these things are important for the day to day operation of many other businesses. We provide a vital service to our customers.

All looks quiet and peaceful after the warehouse staff have gone home for the day and the main lights are turned off. They keep the place well maintained and tidy, don't they? It's the neatest warehouse I've ever seen and I've been in a few over the years.

To see the industrial photographs of the other participants, you can check out the links below...

Fiesta® Dinnerware Comes to Canada!!

A dear friend of mine, bless her heart, got me interested in Fiesta® dinnerware. I wasn't going to let it happen but all those beautiful bright colours captured me.

I started slow, with teacups and saucers only. I'm a tea drinker so I was able to justify it in my head like that. I'd enjoy using them myself, right?

But then, you can't have tea without a proper teapot, can you? And you certainly require a sugar and cream set for when company calls.

Whenever I visit my friend all I see is Fiesta®, in every room, including the bathroom. She serves dinner and snacks on Fiesta® plates and bowls, serves tea in Fiesta® mugs, and stores teabags in a Fiesta® canister. There are shelves full of Fiesta® in the living room and a dining room buffet is packed as well. All of her kitchen cupboards are overflowing with Fiesta®.

The old white Corelle® dishes in my cupboards, the ones that I've been using for years, are not so appealing to me anymore. My goodness, have I really had them over 30 years? I'm sure that I have. In fact, they are the same dishes my mother had before that.

It is definitely time for a change! Those cheery colours have been calling out to me long enough. What finally tipped me over the proverbial edge was a conversation with my friend a couple of weeks ago. It's all her fault.

She was placing an order with a major department store in the U.S. for, you guessed it, Fiesta®. There was a good sale, a 20% coupon and a free shipping offer. I decided to add a couple of items to her order.

Here's what we got. Only one bowl broke in transit and the replacement has already been shipped to us. I can hardly wait to get down to her place and bring my pieces home! Such pretty colours.

What got me looking online again for a retail outlet in Canada was my friend planning her NEXT order from the U.S. department store! Yes, that's right, the first order has barely landed on her doorstep and she is planning her next one. I prefer to order locally if I can to avoid the exchange rate and duty fees.

Well, guess what? Bed Bath & Beyond in Canada have JUST started carrying some Fiesta®. And there is a store right in the town where I live. How amazing and convenient is that?

The prices look comparable with the pricing in the U.S. and when you sign up for their e-mail newsletter, they send you a 20% coupon on one item. I went to the store today to get a Lemongrass place setting.

Unfortunately, only display pieces were available, their full stock compliment has not yet arrived. I was, however, able to order my place setting. They are shipping directly to me via UPS. Estimated timeline for arrival to me is 12-14 days. And because I ordered in the store, the shipping fee was waived and I got to use my 20% off coupon.

Not all of the Bed Bath & Beyond stores will be carrying Fiesta®, and those that do will not carry every piece in every colour that you see on their website. But if go into the store to order, the shipping fee will be waived and it will be sent to you by UPS.

I'm thinking that it's not going to take long for me to brighten up my kitchen now. And I don't know whether I should blame my friend or thank her for spiking my interest in Fiesta®. *smile* What do you think?

Focusing on Life - Week 44

'Whether trick or treating,

celebrating the spirits and souls of loved ones that have passed,

or having a scream from a scare, 

this week take a moment to capture a spirit,

spider or other spectacle of the season.'

I pass by the cemetery every day on my way to work. Never a time do I miss reflecting on the lives of those family members whose final resting place is there.

My father...has it really been 22 years that he's been gone? It's so hard believe. He was the same age that I am now when he passed away. He was taken from us too soon. I never appreciated him enough when he was alive or properly thanked him for all the help he provided me while I was raising two boys on my own. I didn't tell him I loved him as much as I should have. if only I could turn back the hands of time.

My grandparents...how I wish I'd spent more time with them in their declining years. There are so many questions I should have asked, so much wisdom that I could have benefited from. Now, that I am researching our family history, there is a lot of information they could have provided had I taken the time to inquire...had I made it a priority. And in light of my own struggles with osteoarthritis, I can better empathize with the challenges my grandmother faced each day.

My great-grandparents...they were gone many years before I was born. How I would have loved the opportunity to know them. The old family photographs show a loving couple dedicated to each other throughout their lives. They passed away within months of each other, the one left behind not able to go on without the other by their side. The house they lived in, close to the cemetery, is still there. I can only stand back from a distance and gaze upon it. It belongs to someone else now.

On All Hallow's Eve, after the trick or treaters had all gone home, a few candies eaten and my witch costume was hung in the closet, I lit a candle in memory of those special people no longer with us. And I felt gratitude to them for the part they played in making me the person I am today. For without them, I would not be here. Without their hard work and dedication the world would be a different place than it is. The legacy they left behind should not be forgotten.

To see the reflections, thoughts and photos of the other participants, please check out the links below...

My Favourite - Halloween Jewelry

In keeping with the theme of the day, I thought that I would share a few of the fun Halloween jewelry designs that I found on Etsy this week.

I was surprised that not many of the offerings really intrigued me. I guess I was looking for truly handmade and unique but found a lot of the 'same old thing'. I had to search through many pages to find the examples below but well worth the time spent, as you will see.

This Halloween bracelet, made by Dana (pawsintime) uses upcycled Scrabble© tiles with vintage Halloween images adhered to them. The pictures are covered with epoxy resin and there are glass beads between each tile. The letters inside the bracelet spell 'BOO TO YOU'.

These adorable Halloween cupcake earrings were made by Indelible Jewelry. They were sculpted and embellished by hand from polymer clay. They have been accented the with pale orange swarovski crystals and attached to closed-back surgical steel ear wires. So cute!

This necklace is made by Cathy (TempletonTreasures) from a vintage art reprint held between two pieces of crystal clear glass. The glass is joined with lead-free solder using a technique developed by Tiffany and Company to create their lovely stained glass lamps.

Designed by Kris (LaughingVixenLounge), this necklace would be fun to wear on Halloween. I love the glass ghost bead. This former hairstylist now spends all her time creating a collection of Retro Kitsch, Rockabilly Chic, Vintage Horror and Pop Culture Obsession jewelry to sell on Etsy.

Have fun and stay safe today. Happy Halloween!

Jewelry Through the Ages - Ancient Sumer

Beads are one of the most common artifacts found in excavations of prehistoric villages in Western Asia. Presumably, they were used for the same range of decorative purposes as they are today; for jewelry and for sewing onto clothing.

The examples below were found in a royal grave in the Sumerian city of Ur, the southern region of modern Iraq, and date around 2500 BC.

The main materials used for Sumerian jewelry were gold, silver, lapis lazuli and carnelian. These elements were imported from other places, most likely Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan, as none of them were available locally.

The Sumerians took great care to alternate and balance the different colours of stone and metal in their designs. The jewelry worn by the women of privilege would have included head-dresses of golden flowers and foliage, large crescent shaped earrings, chokers around the neck, and long loose necklaces, as well as, dress pins to fasten their clothing.

Sumerian necklaces and headgear discovered in the royal graves,
showing the way they may have been worn,
on display at the British Museum

Many of the motifs they used are quite popular today: spirals, flowers and leaves. As with fashion clothing designs, old is new again.