Monday Mix: Random Acts of Kindness Week

My First Polymer Clay Sculptures - Not Perfect, but I'm Happy :)

 Good Monday morning on this, the first day of Random Acts of Kindness Week! I've got a great week in store for you all, so I hope you've buckled your seat belts. With this week being Random Acts of Kindness Week, I will aim to do one random nice thing each day. Today: Maybe we can send our special someone a couple of nice, short emails along the lines of:

You are awesome! 

I love waking up next to you :) 

You look great today!

Keeping them short and sweet makes sure they aren't bogged down reading lengthy emails when they should be working, but allows them to take 2 minutes to stop and smile :)

Before I get to this week's events, I'd like to share a milestone: yesterday, the Facebook page for Little Studio Jewellery by Meghann Lynch, reached 100 followers! The followers on that page have been given a little treat, so, if you want in on a pretty sweet deal, visit & LIKE the Facebook page and start saving. It's a limited time offer, so hurry on over and get yours today. The link is down and to the right on this blog --->

Tuesdays I like to unveil new pieces of jewelry, or show you pieces that I've rephotographed or redesigned. Tomorrow will be a grand unveiling of a totally new necklace inspired by Cleopatra's later life. Make sure you check back tomorrow for that! It is rich and luxurious, perfect for work or a night out.

Because, Really, Everyone Loves Seeing a Wiener Dog From the Side

This Wednesday, Arwen the Wonder Dog wants to show you her napping spots. She's been getting me to take her photo in her most favorite places, so get ready for some cuteness there :)

Thursdays are Treasury days, and though I haven't made that one yet, be prepared for a collection of beautiful handmade items from my fellow Etsy sellers. Any ideas on a theme? Let me know in the comments below and I'll do what I can...

This Friday will feature another great artist, Badgereels. You must stop by on Friday to see her work, it is really pretty (or manly, depending on the item) and functional, guaranteed to add a little whimsy to your workday :)

Finally, regarding the photos on the blog today: I've finally started playing with the polymer clay I bought almost 5 years ago. Amazingly, it's still very soft, so that was a relief (at $5 a small brick, I would have been seriously miffed to find it all dried)! While I'm sure I need another hobby like I need a hole in the head, I really loved making little sculptures throughout my childhood (though, thankfully, none have survived), and thought that this would be a bit of fun on my Sunday afternoons, when I try very hard not to do any business or work of any sort. The last few weeks I've white knuckled it. While normally reading or video games would help, it has been really hard to get away from the laptop, and so I knew I needed a stronger, totally absorbing distraction. Enter polymer clay, or "smooshing" as the experts call it (I am NOT an expert, but I like the sound of that word, so I might have to purloin it).

Inspired by My Own Playful Puppy, This Was My Second Ever Polymer Clay Sculpture

I have to say, I had an absolute blast! No pressure to make things to sell, no pressure to be perfect the first time (well, okay, I did have a bit of self imposed pressure, to be honest), and no pressure to be on a deadline. I spent a marvelous 2 hours conditioning, playing, pinching, sculpting and baking my first 3 little sculptures. I learned quite a bit; 1. blue clay under your nails is very hard to get out if it dries even the tiniest bit, and looks like you have cyanide poisoning; 2. I need armature to make the dogs' legs sturdier; 3. my cheapo, $20 toaster oven bought especially for baking clay is bang-on temperature wise (thank you, Black-&-Decker!), 4. I don't need to worry that polymer clay will spontaneously self-combust (I watched the oven like a hawk, biting my nails and occasionally throwing looks at the fire extinguisher "just in case"); 5. I LOVE POLYMER CLAY! I've already started adding polymer clay how-to books to my Amazon wish list (now 661 items strong - gotta love Amazon!), and woke up at 3AM this morning thinking of other things to make next week. I strongly recommend trying polymer clay "smooshing" if you haven't already. It is tons of fun!

Keep checking the blog this week to discover everything that's going on, and check back next Monday to see what else I was able to make with my new polymer clay hobby :)

Friday Feature: Sergeant Reckless

Reckless with the Recoilless Rifle, Courtesy of http://www.sgtreckless.com

While I normally feature an artist on Fridays, I thought that this Friday I would do something a little different. Anyone who knows me knows that I love horses. Immensely.
Anyone who knows horses knows that they are incredible creatures.
Then I heard of a horse who takes the word incredible to a whole new height.
Meet Sergeant Reckless.
She was a little Mongolian mare, sold by a Korean boy to American forces during the Korean War. The boy needed to buy a prosthetic leg for his sister, the American forces needed a horse.
She had been a racehorse, but she turned into a hero that all of us can admire, not just racing fans.
She learned how to carry loads of ammunition during battle, and to ignore the sounds of ammunition and explosions (anyone knowing horses will know how incredible that is in itself).
She learned to walk in certain directions all by herself to reach other troops. During battle.
She learned to get attention during quiet times in the most amazing ways - by eating hats, scrambled eggs, pancakes, and much more.
You can see her website, run by a fan and dedicated person who wants the world to know about this wonderful horse. The website is here: http://www.sgtreckless.com/Reckless/Welcome.html and the Facebook fan club page is here: http://www.facebook.com/groups/sgtreckless/
Still doubting the awesomeness of little Reckless?
Here is an excerpt from the Sgt Reckless website:

One of Reckless’ finest hours came during the Battle of Outpost Vegas in March of 1953.  At the time of this battle it was written that, “The savagery of the battle for the so-called Nevada Complex has never been equaled in Marine Corps history.”

Reckless Enjoying a Flower Arrangement, Courtesy of http://www.sergeantreckless.com

 Furthermore:

During this five-day battle, on one day alone shemade 51 trips from the Ammunition Supply Point to the firing sites, 95% of the time by herself.  Shecarried 386 rounds of ammunition (over 9,000 pounds – almost FIVE TONS! -- of ammunition),walked over 35 miles through open rice paddies and up steep mountains with enemy fire coming in at the rate of 500 rounds per minute.  And as she so often did, she would carry wounded soldiers down the mountain to safety, unload them, get reloaded with ammo, and off she would go back up to the guns.  She also provided a shield for several Marines who were trapped trying to make their way up to the front line.  Wounded twice, she didn’t let that stop or slow her down. 

 What she did saved the lives of many, and kept the morale up of many more. For her valor she earned two Purple Hearts, Good Conduct Medal, Presidential Unit Citation with star, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, and Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, all of which she wore proudly on her red and gold blanket.


What's even better? She survived the battle, and the forces brought her back to California where she could live out her days peacefully. She had parades in her honor, and even had 3 foals. She lived to a ripe old age of 20 and was buried at Stepp Stables at Camp Pendleton.


In 1997, TIME magazine did a special collector's edition, "Celebrating Our Heroes", which chronicled the lives of many heroes, including Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln and many others. Among them? A 900 pound, 14.1 hand high Mongolian Mare, named Reckless. 
I salute you, Reckless.

Thankful Thursday: Happy Turkey Day!

On this very Thoughtful Thursday I wanted to wish all of my American friends a wonderful Happy Thanksgiving!! I am very thankful for all of my blogland friends, all of my family, and everyone on Plurk, Twitter, MySpace and Facebook who has followed or fanned or chatted with me.

Arwen also wants to let you know how thankful she is for all of your wonderful compliments and comments that are directed to her. She sees every one and wags her tail as she receives them.

What are you thankful for? We wish you a happy, healthy and safe Thanksgiving!