Isabel Designs

It’s a rare sight for most of us, so I’m considering myself very lucky to have an eagle in the neighbourhood. I can’t tell whether it’s male or female, but it’s very big, its presence ominous. I first spotted it hovering above the lake last fall, and wondered if this was simply a migration stop. Apparently, eagles love fish, and the little lake I live on has plenty of them, so even if there’s a little competition with the herons, it’s a good feeding place. At any rate, it came back this spring and I hope it’ll stick around. 

I don’t know very much about the bald eagle, but I do know it is the national symbol of the United States, and a sacred symbol to many native American and Canadian tribes. In some cultures, eagles are considered spiritual messengers between the gods and humans. “They send their prayers to Eagle, so as it rises above the chaos to meet the Creator…it will return with a vision for the people.” (Animal Totem)

I have always been interested in spiritual signs. I seek them, wait for them, and hope to recognize them when they are presented to me. I wonder if the eagle has a message for me? According to the Animal Totem website, an “eagle shows us that people with high ideals need to be able to spread their wings so they can reach for the stars. Eagle brings the gift of clarity of vision. As long as we follow our intuition we will be heading in the right direction.” 

Another website on totems says the eagle is a great reminder of our own ability to soar great heights even if it means getting ‘scorched’ in the process. Perhaps the message for me is to glide  and flap on the air current and let go of the emotional fear of falling – or failing; to be open to new experiences and possibilities, even if they make me uncomfortable. That’s a good message any day of the week.

When I was a little girl, I was always drawn to my mother’s jewelry box. It was fun to try on her pretty things and play grown up. My favorite thing to do was open up a purple velvet case, that Mom always kept separate. Inside were what I came to name, her wedding pearls. It was a necklace which had been a gift from my Dad and which Mom wore on her wedding day. Luckily for me, it was my ‘something old’ and my ‘something borrowed’ on my own wedding day. As an adult, my memories are more about peeking in the velvet case, than seeing the necklace on my Mom. As my daughter prepares for her Prom, we have been hunting through an enormous number of stores looking for just the right outfit. As she tried on her dress with the necklace she had planned on wearing, she disappointedly remarked, “I don’t think it looks right”. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it earlier, maybe it was a divine reminder from above…. In any case, I offered for her to wear Grandma’s wedding pearls. It has been a long time since I opened the purple velvet case. The mystique and memories are always vivid. To my delight, they are the perfect compliment to my daughter’s dress, and the glow of happiness at the privilege of wearing them was evident. For me, it’s never about the actual value of an object, but the sentimental value that wraps itself around an object over time. Now my challenge is to make earrings to match!

memories from childhood

I really didn’t know anything about ovarian cancer until my mother was diagnosed back in 1998. Her symptoms snuck up on her and by the time she realized there was a problem, she was already in stage three of the disease. Ovarian cancer is typically very difficult to diagnose, and can remain silent for quite some time before causing any symptoms. My sister and I are now quite vigilant about our ‘reproductive’ health, knowing that often this type of cancer is in the genes. Regular visits with our doctor now include additional screening – just in case.

There are a few things all women can do to reduce the risk. According to the Ovarian Cancer Research organization of Canada, taking the birth control pill for five years can reduce the risk by more than 50%. Another little pill we can take that will substantially reduce the risk is vitamin D. The American Journal of Public Health stated that, “The high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, combined with the discovery of increased risks of certain types of cancer in those who are deficient, suggest that vitamin D deficiency may account for several thousand premature deaths from colon, breast, ovarian and other cancers annually.” (link to article)

I’ve been taking vitamin D for a few years now, initially as a way to combat depression, but now I take it for cancer prevention too. I think we all need to be extremely proactive about our health, and this is just one little thing – that may turn out to be a big thing – that I can do for me. 

Now what I’d like you to do for ‘you’, is visit the Ovarian Cancer Research website and familiarize yourself with the information available there. There is a feature on their site that allows you to set out a postcard to family and friends to help spread the word about education and prevention of this disease. The photo below is one of their postcards.

Over the winter I had the opportunity to take a jewelry making class. Yes, I already know how to make some jewelry, but there is a such a vast array of materials and techniques associated with this craft that a lesson or two here and there is essential. So Jewelry 101 taught me how to shape metals – silver, bronze and copper – using a jeweler’s saw with a tiny, delicate blade, along with files, grinders, and polishers. I also learned how to solder metals using a torch – the lesson here  being that I love playing with fire!

Have you ever wondered how they get those beautiful textures in the metal jewelry you wear? Well I have…and now I know. There is a machine called a ‘rolling mill’ that looks a little like Mom’s old ringer-washing machine, except it’s a tad more sophisticated. I was able to create an impression of a feather, and imbed the profile of a guitar string in metal. Simply a remarkable tool that I enjoyed experimenting with.

There are aspects of every trade that are mysterious until you get a chance to ‘tour the studio’. Once the curtain is pulled back, it shines light on a plethora of possibilities. Down the road, I hope to implement some of this new knowledge into pieces for Isabel Design. For now I leave you with photos of two items I made in class: a guitar string ring, and a musical wave broach with a bezel setting.

I love to work with my hands to create things I feel with my heart. Jewelry has been a relatively new ‘craft’ for me, especially the pieces that can be seen at Isabeldesigns.com. I first experimented with necklace making when I was on tour with my band and choir on the East Coast of Canada in 1998. Between gigs, we spent time at ‘Point Michaud Beach’ on Cape Breton Island. The shore was lined with ocean tossed stones; their beautiful colours and markings exposed as waves curled to shore and washed over them.

I left the beach that day with my pockets full of precious treasure. Treasures that were then fashioned into “Crossrocks”. I have since made over a hundred of these necklaces, and sold them at concerts and online for the next few years. They are still a popular gift for confirmations and other special spiritual occasions. I am always moved when I see someone wearing one, and they continue to remind me that no matter how small an object, or how tiny a deed, who we are and what we do matters. 

I know Mom would be proud – is proud. Our local newspaper caught up with Sue and I to write a little expose on our jewelry business. If you’d like to read the article, it can be found on Isabel’s website.

There are many traditions that wrap themselves around Easter, not least of which is egg decorating. Historically, the egg was a symbol of rebirth and new life. What started as a pagan ritual of spring was embraced by early Christians and celebrated during Easter.

I don’t remember egg decorating as a child, but I sure did love to wake up to chocolate and jelly beans on Easter morning. When my nieces and nephews were little (and not so little), we would hide scores of candy outside on my parents two acre property, and watch them scurry through the grass (and sometimes snow) to fill their baskets with loot.

This past week we had a few friends over for ‘craft night’ – which of course entailed egg dying and decorating. There is something magical about the process and I think we all felt like kids in some fashion. To feel young at heart is exactly the kind of rebirth I needed to enter into this years celebration.