Treasures, Treasuries, and Thoughts

I swore I would never do a blog! So much for swearing. I didn't think that I would have much to say or share. I was wrong! I have been so blessed with a wonderful family, loyal friends, sharing colleagues, and the support from so many that I will never run out of topics to write about.

I have opened an on-line store at a place called Etsy (rhymes with Betsy). The items on the left are available for purchase there. These will change from week to week to show you my latest creations. The link to the store is in the upper left corner of this page.

I also have items for sale listed on Art Fire. The link to my Art Fire Studio is http://www.jstinson.artfire.com/

I hope you will visit this blog, my Flickr page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jstinson/2500402289/) and my Etsy and/or Art Fire stores often. (http://www.jstinson.etsy.com/ http://www.jstinson.artfire.com


So come along on my Trail of Treasures! It will be a Spirit Journey for me and I invite you to join me on the trip.

Monday, July 7, 2008

I Treasure Turtles







Turtles are totem animals in Native American culture. They are said to be the oldest symbol for planet Earth and represent the North American Continent which the ancients called "Turtle Island .
As totems, turtles teach the art of grounding, they shield one from hurt and envy and suggest we go inward as they do for contemplation. They have the power of earth and water.

I can say with some degree of of assurance, that I am probably one of the few people on earth with a bouquet of turtles in my living room! I purchased the majority of the turtles seen in the photo in the fall of 2006 with plans to put them in my garden. Since it was late in the season, I decided not to put them out until the following spring.
Instead, I stuck them in an umbrella stand, meaning to move them later.

After awhile, I had grown to like them there and simply left them so that they could "ground" me on a daily basis. They generated much conversation during the following months. Then a strange thing began to happen. Gold spiral twigs were added. Then came some greenery. And soon, I was gifted with a turtle walking stick. And most recently, my friend, Veronica Wetzel, purchased a turtle metal sculpure for me at Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha. She was on a tour of these beautiful gardens and thought of me when she saw this wonderful piece in their gift shop. It is the latest addition to my bale of turtles. Yes, a group of turtles is called a bale, not a herd!

In addition to the bouquet of turtles in the living room, I have numerous turtles made in a variety of materials tucked here and there throughout the house and in my jewelry box. I gave my granddaughter, Sydney, a sterling silver turtle ring for her birthday this year.

My most recent "turtle treasure acquisition" is a pair of earrings. I purchased these earrings from an Etsy store named The Filigree Gardens. It is owned by a fellow member of the Boomer Street Team on Etsy. Her name is Olivia and she lives in Menden, MA. Liv, as we call her in our team chats, is a talented artist.
I copied Liv's store announcement as it describes her store better than I could. It says, "The Filigree Garden is always in bloom with unique handcrafted accessories inspired by nature. In The Garden you will find one-of-a-kind and limited edition jewelry and sewn items that blend repurposed and vintage pieces with new elements and findings. You can visit her store by clicking on this link:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5373919
You can see the earrings that I purchased by clicking this link:
You will be glad that you visited her shop. Her work is wonderful!
Yes, I do treasure turtles and hope this explains some of the reasons why.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your blogs are always so informative. I love the
treasure turtles. Thanks for sharing with us.

The Filigree Garden said...

I love your "bouquet of turtles." I have been very fond of turtles since I was a child. I enjoyed reading about how different turtles came to you. Thank you for mentioning my shop in your lovely post!

Liv

Unknown said...

Love those turtles. I enmjoyed reading your blog - keep writing!!

Barb

Zuda Gay Pease said...

I love your turtles!!! Liv's jewelry is always very lovely and unique!

Judy Nolan said...

I love this story about your turtle bouquet, Joni, and about how you related to turtles! Great incorporation of Liv's work, too.--Judy of JN Originals

Jean Levert Hood said...

What an exciting post, Joni! Thank you for educating us on this wonderful culture. I did not know this rich information about turtles.

The walking stick is delightful, and I love the metal sculpture. I love how you keep around you those things that are grounding. I bet your house is full of peace.

joon said...

Joni, your turtle post is just wonderful. I love everything about it. I came by to read your latest post. I don't see a comments link there but I can say right here that your blog is so nicely written and assembled and I love what you have to say. So glad you're enjoying it and you joined the blog world!

Kim said...

You see my friend, you have a lot to offer this world. I think it's great that you're giving it a chance...this blogging thing!

Your Friend,
Brett

Jill said...

Very informative about turtles. No wonder I am especially drawn to them lately--grounding and shielding!

Pam said...

I'm thrilled I was catching up on the chat thread and found this posting. I truly love turtles, too! My collection comes from years of gifts and self gifts! :) At one time in my elementary school, we gave all of our classes animal names. Mine, of course, was The Turtles, and hence the collection began! Wonderful post. Wonderful blog. Loved it!

Theresa said...

I love your bouquet of turtles and how fun to have them in your house for daily grounding. Bless those little creatures - I love them too.

Aneurythm said...

Hi Joni
Love it all. What a talented artist you are!