DIY Wire Gem/Bead Tree

When I've gone to the Sudbury Gem & Mineral Show in the past, I've always noticed some booths selling pretty wire trees with gems as the leaves. There were all sorts of different colours since different gems were used. They looked so complex that I thought it would take a lot of work but, earlier this year, I decided to see if there were directions online. I bought some beading wire and gemstone beads at a craft store and tried it out. I wanted to make a small tree just to learn how to make them and it was easier to make than I thought! I gave my first tree to my Dad as a late birthday present. I decided to make another wire gem tree for this DIY post and I even made another tree, a weeping willow, with seed beads! The step-by-step directions are below along with photos and tips. Once you know how to make the wire gem/bead tree, it is easy to switch up some of the steps to make different looking trees. At the end, I give a short description of how to do some of the steps differently to make a weeping willow with seed beads.


Supplies:

• 24-gauge beading wire
• Gemstone beads (or regular plastic/glass beads)
• Ruler
• Scissors

Notes before starting:

*These instructions are for a small tree. If you want to make a larger tree, increase the amount and length of the pieces of wire.

*Always twist wires in the same direction so that they look nice.

*Trees are perfectly imperfect so make sure to keep this in mind:

• The twisting does not have to be perfect.
• Give your branches and roots some variety. Do not make them all the same.
• Arrange the branches and roots in a natural way so that they go all over the place.

Instructions:

Step 1:

Cut 24 pieces of the beading wire, each measuring around 12 inches.

Step 2:

String a gemstone bead on a piece of wire, bringing the bead to the center of the wire and folding the wire in half. Twist the two halves of the wire together a few times at the base of the bead. 

Repeat for all of the other pieces of wire.

Step 3:

Take two of the beaded wires and join them together by twisting them together at the base of the previous twisting. Add a third one to a few of them. 

Repeat this with the other beaded wires so that you have several small branches.

Step 4:

Take two of the sets and twist them together, just like we did with the single wires in the last step. Add a third one to some of them.

Repeat this with the other sets so that you have at least four large branches.

Step 5:

Twist all of the large branches together at the base of all of the twisting and twist down to create a trunk. Do not twist all of the way.

Make sure that you leave enough wire to create roots in a similar way as creating the branches.

Step 6:

Separate the wires into three groups.

Separate each group into two groups so that you have a total of six groups.

Twist each of the six groups a bit. A few of these groups can be twisted all the way. Others can be separate again into two groups which can be twisted all the way.

Cut off any excess wire.

Step 7:

Bend and arrange the branches and roots in various directions.

To make a weeping willow with seed beads:

Cut 24 pieces of the beading wire, each measuring around 12 inches. Keep each piece of wire straight. Curl one end of each of the wires in a bit to make a sort of loop that will hold the beads on.

String seed beads onto a third of a piece of wire. Do this for each of the other wires. Be careful not to let the beads slip off of the wires. Follow steps 3-7 of the wire gem tree instructions.

They make such pretty decorations and they especially make pretty gifts!

Cheers,

Kaylie

Religion and Mindfulness

This Spring, I have visited the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, known to Sudburians simply as "The Grotto," here in Sudbury on two occasions with my best friend. The first time was to show her the Grotto because she had never been there and the second time was to have a picnic there for her birthday (although it was raining on and off so we didn't stay very long). It is a very beautiful place here in our city. I always think of it as a hidden gem because it isn't something that I see "advertised" anywhere. You usually have to live here to know about it or find out through a friend or through a search online. I first learned about it through a short little blurb in a Sudbury history pamphlet and I have since found some more information about its history on its old centennial website. The area is not only home to the statue of Mary but includes several other religious monuments, some spiritual and decorative monuments, as well as grounds filled with paths, benches, and flowers. A flat labyrinth can be found where one is supposed to meditate as they follow the path to the center. There is also a fountain surrounded by pillars that have a roof. This part of the area is a common place for people to take graduation and wedding photos. Since I went during the Spring, the fountain's water wasn't running but it's beautiful when it is!

One thing that is made clear about the Grotto is that it is not only a place for religious people or people who follow specific religions. It is a place for anyone to go to relax, reflect, meditate, or pray. I'm not religious but I do consider myself to be spiritual so this is a lovely place to visit. When I visit, I just like to look around and take it all in. The view, flowers and plants, monuments, and layout of the area are all things that I enjoy. I appreciate that we have a place like this in Sudbury, even though it has a lot of monuments that I don't identify with. That's ok. It isn't entirely about just one religion. It's about spirituality and appreciating the beauty of life. It's also a good place to just sit and think.

I find that religion and spirituality are similar to mindfulness. You slow down and notice the world around you or pay attention to certain aspects of your life. Instead of just moving through life from one thing to the next, you take the time to look around you and appreciate all of the beauty. Gratitude is a big lesson in religions and I think that gratitude is a part of mindfulness too. Mindfulness involves living in the present moment and I find that when we live in the present moment, we realize just how much there is to be grateful for. The world is so busy and noisy these days and people seem to just be rushing through life. We need to learn to slow down, relax, and appreciate our lives.

Someone once told me that prayer is a form of meditation and it's true when you think about it. During both prayer and meditation, you are focusing on the present moment and focusing on a specific thought or several specific thoughts. They are also both times of relaxation. There are many different ways to meditate and you can actually see many different activities as a meditation or turn them into a meditation. Prayer is simply a more religious form of meditation. The Grotto here in Sudbury is a place where some people go to pray but if you aren't religious, it is also a nice place to meditate. When you see someone praying, think about how they are also doing a type of meditation. It really opens your mind to all of the possibilities when it comes to meditation.

These red and white tulips are the Canada 150 tulips for Canada's 150th anniversary of confederation which is this year of 2017. It was a nice surprise to see a lot of these tulips at the Grotto along with other flowers as well. The second time that I visited the Grotto with my best friend, there were beautiful lilacs and you could smell their amazing aroma while walking towards the statues. More flowers had been planted since the first time and there were a few more candles in tall glass vase-like holders at the base of the statue of Mary. I also spotted a faerie ornament beside the Grotto. It's so nice to see that this beautiful place is being taken care of for everyone to enjoy. It is a place that people know about but, at the same time, it isn't too busy. Even if there are other people there, they tend to be respectful and not be too rowdy. It's a great place to go to get away from the craziness of life for a little while.

Cheers,
Kaylie

Seasons and Feelings

Seasons make us feel a certain way. We feel certain emotions and associate the seasons with certain things or experiences. We look forward to some things during certain seasons, and there are some things that we don't look forward to, but I want to talk about what I love about each season and what I associate with each one. First off, I think I should mention how I rate each season since this will give a better understanding of which seasons I like the best. Fall is my favourite season. Summer and Spring are almost tied but I'd say that Summer takes second place with Spring coming in third. Winter is in last place, although I do like the beginning of it. I'll explain more about the parts of Winter that I like in the rest of this post, along with what I like about the other seasons.

Spring

Spring is a new beginning. It is a time to wake up and enjoy the little things in life. The world starts to come alive again. The snow melts away and plants start to grow. It's fun to explore and see which plants are starting to poke up out of the ground. The sun starts shining way more and the cold starts to go away, allowing us to spend more time outside without freezing. To me, Spring is magical. We don't know what to expect when the snow melts and everything that disappeared during Fall and Winter comes back. Spring is full of surprises. When I think of Spring, I think of bunnies, flowers, rain, and innocence. The days should be filled with tea parties and prances through fields of wildflowers. Spring is a time of pretty things.

Summer

My birthday is in July, so naturally I love Summer, even though my favourite season actually comes after summer. Summer is a time for swimming and lounging by the pool. It is a time for gardening and eating fresh fruits and vegetables. Summer is very established. Sure, things continue to grow and there are still surprises, but it isn't as unpredictable as Spring. The right place to be during the Summer is outside. Meals should be eaten on a porch, or better yet, at a picnic. The days should be spent on road trips. The nights should be spent camping in a tent or stargazing under a magnificent starry sky. Summer is the time for adventures.

Fall

Fall is not too hot and not too cold. It is cool enough to get to wear sweaters but not too cold that you have to wear a whole lot of layers. The mosquitoes are dying away and it is the perfect season for spending time outdoors. You won't get too sweaty and the bush doesn't feel so crowded anymore since the plants are drying up and the leaves are falling off of the trees. It's especially nice if Summer decides to hang on for a little while longer while Fall slowly comes in, giving you that perfect combination weather. Fall is a very cozy season. I tend to think of it as dry and earthy. It's a spooky time of the year, but spooky in a good way. Fall and cemeteries just seem to go together, because Fall seems old too. I love thinking about my ancestors during this time. It's the perfect time to look at old photos and documents. Libraries beckon us inside and an evening in a cabin with a wood stove is a necessity. I love harvesting and seeing what we can still get out of our garden. Herbs, pumpkins, and squashes come to mind. Fall is the time for being thankful.

Winter

Oh, Winter. You're so crazy but you're wonderful in the beginning. I love Winter during the month of December (even though I realize that it doesn't officially start until less than a week before Christmas). The beginning of Winter is nice because the snow is just beginning to fall (hopefully it is or else you might end up with a green Christmas) and it's pretty. The first snowfall is magical, even it is light. When it comes to Winter past January 1st, I find that it's just too much. I tend to stay inside a lot during the Winter since I get cold more easily than other people and it becomes uncomfortable and even a bit painful, in a way. Winter is all about curling up with hot chocolate and a good book, with a fireplace video playing on a computer or laptop (or a real fireplace). The Christmas season brings warm, happy feelings, especially when it gently snows the first few times and the snow is just so pretty sitting on tree branches. Winter is a time of love and patience.


Sometimes, I feel like I just move through the seasons without fully celebrating and enjoying them. I am not Pagan but I do think that the Wheel of the Year that most Pagans follow to celebrate the seasons is very interesting. I think it would be great for paying more attention to each season, like people did in the past. Seasons were important in times when there wasn't as much as there is now. Farmers had to pay close attention to seasons and the seasons often determined whether or not something could be done. I want to enjoy seasons instead of always looking forward to the next one. I want to live in the present moment of each season and appreciate each one for what it offers.

Cheers,
Kaylie

The Muckross Abbey Tree in Killarney, Ireland

When I visited Ireland with my family in the Summer of 2015, we visited a place called Muckross Abbey in Killarney National Park located in Killarney. It ended up being my favourite memory from Ireland all because of the yew tree inside. The true name of this place is actually the Franciscan Friary of Irrelagh. This specific building was founded in the 1440s. It was used by Observantine Franciscans until the Cromwellians drove them out in the 1650s. Yew trees are common in old cemeteries and monasteries in Ireland since the yew tree is a symbol of life and death. The yew tree at Muckross Abbey is said to be over 500 years old.

How about I bring you to my favourite part of Muckross Abbey through photos:

Firstly, I need to show you the actual building that houses the tree. Here we stand in the cemetery behind the building. I was very interested in the cemetery (because I love cemeteries) and forgot at first that the man driving the horse and cart when we started our jaunt to tour a bit of Killarney had told us that there was a 500-year-old tree inside.

A view of the entire building from the cemetery.

Some of the interesting old graves in the cemetery with the building in the background. Old graves are so amazing to see. They are often very different, with different inscriptions and symbols than what we're used to nowadays. Also, they make me wonder about the stories of the people buried beneath them.

When I finally entered Muckross Abbey, I was interested in some of the graves that are actually inside of the building but I soon found myself walking into the cloister.

Once through the doorway, these are the views that you get. It really makes you feel like you have travelled back in time. You can imagine the friars walking through here in their robes.

When I first walked into the cloister and looked through the arches at the tree, it felt like time stood still for a moment. I just stopped and stared in awe at this magnificent tree. Some sunlight was shining down on it and it just seemed so mystical and magical.

It is definitely amazing to look up at this massive tree reaching out of the building towards the sky.

Here is part of a plaque with a sketch of the tree and cloister along with a few sentences about this part of the building. This is actually how I learned that the enclosed walkway with the arches is called a cloister.

Here is a pretty map made from tiles that I found inside the building. Unfortunately, one of the tiles is missing and some of the words and images are fading away. A clearer map can be found online on page 161 of The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland (5th series, vol. 2, 1892). You'll just have to zoom in on the image. Pages 160-162 of the journal cover information about the architecture of Muckross Abbey.

It wasn't until after my family's trip to Ireland that I realized that seeing this tree was my favourite memory from our trip. When I think of Ireland, I think of words like "ancient," "mystical," "magic," and "history." I wanted to have a moment in Ireland where I truly felt all of these words come alive for me. I wanted some kind of magical moment. Seeing this tree was my magical Irish moment. I also realized that this tree is so old that it has been here for such a long time before I was born and it will still be here for a long time after my life ends. I think that's kind of beautiful. This tree has seen so much and it will continue to see many things. It is strong.

While I was reading Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley, I read these words spoken by Uncle Montague and they resonated so deeply with how I felt about the Muckross Abbey tree: "Look at how long some trees have been alive. Think of what they have seen. Why, there are yew trees in churchyards that may be more than a thousand years old - older still than the ancient church nearby. Their roots are in one millennium and their branches in another."

Unfortunately, our time at Muckross Abbey was limited since we had to continue on the rest of our tour. I actually didn't learn a lot of the history of this beautiful place until after my trip when I decided to read about it. If I were to revisit a place in Ireland, I would definitely return to Muckross Abbey just to wander around and visit more with the tree. I encourage everyone to visit this magnificent tree but if you are unable to, you can still check it out on Google Street View on Google Maps and look inside Muckross Abbey a bit. This link will bring you to the tree but you can go and look in some of the other rooms from there if you move around by clicking, holding, and dragging the image around and then clicking arrows when they appear.

Cheers,
Kaylie

Tussie-Mussies

I found out about tussie-mussies when I was browsing the internet learning about uses for herbs and the history of perfume. I guess tussie-mussies are somewhat connected to those searches. I found tussie-mussies to be very interesting, especially when it comes to their history, and I decided to make one for my grandma for her birthday last year. First, let's go over a bit of information about tussie-mussies and how to make them and then I'll talk about the one that I made for my grandma!

Tussie-mussies are small bouquets of flowers, plants, and herbs. The flowers are arranged in the center of the bouquet while the leafy plants are arranged around the outside. The bouquet is then tied together somehow (using elastics works great and then a nice ribbon can be tied around that) and then the bouquet is wrapped in a doily or pretty paper with a hole cut in the center where you place the stem of the bouquet so that the bouquet sort of sits on the doily.

Tussie-mussies were used centuries ago and then became popular again during the Victorian era. During that time, there were certain customs that controlled conversation so people had to figure out a way to speak without physically speaking. Tussie-mussies were perfect because the important part of a tussie-mussie is that each flower, plant, or herb means something. People call this the "language of flowers." People would wear a tussie-mussie to express what they wanted to say or sometimes they would send one to a specific person. For example, maybe they would want to show that they were grieving or maybe they would want to express their love to a certain person. A flower, plant, or herb can have anything from one to several meanings and sometimes the meanings are even contradictory. People would therefore consult special dictionaries that listed the meaning of the flowers, plants, and herbs or they would attach a small card to the tussie-mussie explaining the meanings, especially if the tussie-mussie was being given to someone. I recommend searching for tussie-mussie dictionaries online and finding the ones that you prefer to use. Some are better than others.

Since I was making a tussie-mussie specifically for my grandma's birthday, I wanted to express joy over this occasion (since birthdays are joyous occasions) and I also wanted to express all of my wishes for her on her special day. I also wanted to use flowers, plants, and herbs that were currently available on my family's property and in our garden areas.

I chose the following flowers, plants, and herbs for her tussie-mussie:
Pansy = Merriment
Yarrow = Health
Vervain = Good fortune
Wood Sorrel = Joy
Basil = Best Wishes
Fern = Sincerity

The pansies came from our hanging flower baskets. The yarrow, vervain, wood sorrel, and ferns came from further back on our property (in the bush by a river). The basil came from our vegetable garden.

It is also common to create a phrase using all of the meanings so I created the following phrase:
Sincere wishes for health, joy, and good fortune on this merry occasion.

I used rubber bands to tie all of the stems together and did this several times throughout the bouquet to ensure that the various layers stayed together and didn't fall apart. I cut a piece of paper in a sort of round decorated snowflake style and cut a hole in the center large enough for the stems of the bouquet to fit through. I also tied a nice ribbon around the elastics and the base of the paper to hide the elastics and paper edge as well as to hold everything together nicely. I wrote out the meanings and phrase on a piece of paper along with a little birthday message and tied it to the bouquet. I also placed the bouquet in a small vase of water to make sure that the plants would last. I told my grandma that she could leave the bouquet in the water for a while and when the plants start to wilt, she can try drying the bouquet so that she could keep it. She ended up letting it dry and still has it sitting on her table beside her chair.

Tussie-mussies are not just simple bouquets. They are so much more! I think that's why they make such special gifts. Also, you can adapt them for basically any occasion since there is a large range of meanings associated with the flowers, plants, and herbs. Give it a try!

Cheers,
Kaylie

My Indoor Plants

I love plants. They are peaceful. They are relaxing. They are alive. I have several plants that I have had for a few years now. Not all of the plants that I have owned have survived. Some died horrible deaths like my red moon cactus that didn't get enough sunlight and ended up rotting and simply falling down. I still feel bad about that one. Other plants just weren't doing that well inside and had to be planted outside. But I am proud of my plants that have survived indoors. They are mostly plants that are easy to take care of but I am still happy that I have been able to keep them alive and in good health. Some of these plants even have little stories attached to them. Let me tell you a bit about them.

Bamboo:

I bought my twisted bamboo at IKEA for $5 several years ago. The next time we went to IKEA, I bought the straight bamboo for $1 because I loved my first bamboo so much. The straight bamboo used to be taller but I once had it in an area where it didn't get enough sunlight and some of the top dried up and had to be cut off. Both of them look much cleaner and more bare now because I recently did some major trimming, especially on the twisted one. Bamboo is really easy to take care of since all they need is a little bit of sunlight (just make sure that it is definitely getting some sunlight) and water in the vase. I usually put enough water to last it a while and I just refill it when needed. It is such a relaxing plant to look at and it is quite beautiful too. Shoots have grown from these plants and I have trimmed them off to try and grow more bamboo but they never thicken.

Golden Ball Cactus & Blue Candle Cactus:

I bought these two little guys on sale for $2 each at Canadian Tire a few years ago and they are doing pretty good. I especially love the breed names. It makes them seem less scary (because any cactus with thorns is obviously scary, right?). I will admit that I actually did get pricked by one of these little things. Can you guess which one? You'd think that it would the Blue Candle cactus, the one with the longer thorns, the one that you wouldn't want to mess with... but it was actually the Golden Ball cactus. Yes, the one covered in tiny little thorns. Those thorns may look tiny, but they really hurt if they get stuck in your wrist when you are trying to pull down the handle to lock up your window and your wrist comes down on the cactus that is sitting on the window sill. I tried to take the thorns out with tweezers but that hurt so I ended up just brushing them off and that got all of them out painlessly. Lesson learned. They are pretty easy to take care of. You just have to make sure that they get enough sunlight otherwise they will rot like my poor red moon cactus. They don't need a whole lot of watering (they originally come from hot locations, after all) so I just water them once in a while, usually when I water my other plants since I don't water them a whole lot either.

Aloe Vera:

I also bought this beauty on sale (can't remember the price) at Canadian Tire at the same time that I bought the cacti. It actually used to be much smaller but it has grown quite a bit since I got it. As it grew, I kept transferring it to a larger pot (I think it's on its 3rd pot now) and it kept growing. Right now, it's leaning to one side because I assume it was reaching for the sunlight so I am currently trying to get it to lean to the other side to straighten it out a bit by leaning it against a cup to hold it up and also by leaving it leaning away from the sun so that it will hopefully try to grow in the other direction to face the sun. It really likes water and yet I still don't water it as much as I should. I want it to grow really big so that I will have a lot of aloe vera gel since the gel is really handy. Also, aloe vera plants are just beautiful and interesting to look at.

Christmas Cactus:

This Christmas cactus is very special. The branches actually fell off of the larger Christmas cactus that belonged to my great-grandmother. This main Christmas cactus is somewhere around 30 years old now and resides in my family's house since my great-grandmother passed away in the late 90's. I put the branches in water until they grew their own roots and then planted them in this pot of soil. The branches continue to grow and they flower a few times a year. The Christmas cactus is actually supposed to flower around Christmas and Easter but that doesn't always happen. It depends on how you care for it. You actually have to "neglect" it for a while by keeping it in a shady spot and letting the soil dry out and then water it to get it to flower. So, you could do that a while before Christmas and then again a while before Easter to get it to flower around those times. You just have to time it right, I guess. You can see a photo of it with flowers at the top of this post. These plants are pretty tough. Our main cactus has been knocked over so many times (since the pot is in a tall metal rod stand) and has lost a lot of branches but it is still living.


Cheers,
Kaylie