New Website for Special J Creations!

Hello again Bloggersphere!

I have finally made the move to having my own URL and Independent online store for Special J Creations. I will also be keeping the Etsy Shop going for now.

New Online Shop Home Page Snapshot and Link for Special J Creations

I am going to use the blog feature that is built into my shop to bring it all into one place where I will also be pulling content from this site as "throwback" posts. I am keeping this wonderfully rich blogger site, too, because it has become a journal of sorts and some of it is more personal than business (especially some of the sometimes "sad poetry", thanks for reading it if you did). I may continue to update here as well, just not quite sure yet!

If you have been paying attention to what I have been up to in the past few years, you may have watched as I became somewhat successful in capturing a piece of a "dream". Realization of the dream and the never ending chase has been a helluva ride full of hard work, plenty of mistakes, love, heartbreak, loneliness, healing and rebirth - and I am sure there will be plenty more along the way.

If you are still tuned in here please feel free to give the new site a visit: www.specialjcreations.com . I welcome your feedback as well!

Thank-you so much for your love and support!

Seasons

Recent Works // Winter 2016

This winter has been full of surfing, yoga, music and practicing my craft. Here are a few of the more tangible things I have created over the winter as well as a few little moments of inspiration.

The Key

Of waning moons
and old keys
released
into a sea of trees
locks
never to be opened again
pried
from my own hands
unable
to
let
her
go
so many times
until
finally
flung
into the jungle below
I close my eyes
for not to know
her landing spot
and barely hear
the tiny clink
metal on leaves
forever gone
my key
to the door
where
love
once
lived
now stillness
rust and dirt
miles of tears
that flowed
down this hill
return
her brassy self
to the earth
minerals to minerals
loves
decomposition
savoring
the slowness
pain and beauty
letting go

Year End Thoughts...

Sometimes I write stuff up here just to get things out of my system. This is the result of a recent conversation with a good friend of mine who is an adamant carnivore. In our last conversation he was as adamant as ever, BUT he did say that he will never watch any of the factory farm footage or a movie like Earthlings because he wants to be able to continue to enjoy eating meat. Huge points for honesty and also, I know what he means because that is why I chose not to look too close - until the day I did.

The reason that I decided to turn vegan is because I finally got up the courage to delve deeply into footage and photos of the animals that I was choosing to eat and wear. I finally listened to the voice inside of me that could clearly see that the eyes of the animals in the farms looked empty, hopeless and sad. I let myself watch the things that I was terrified to look at and when I finally did, my emotional and physical reaction to what I saw was so intense that I was sick with grief for about a month. Since making the decision not to eat or wear animal products, I have been looking at less (if any) of the painful stuff and watching lots of footage of animals on farm sanctuaries. It is strikingly clear. You can see happiness and pure joie de vivre in their eyes.

Veganism is not a cult. It is not necessarily fanatical - though humans do possess the capacity to be fanatical about anything. I think that people become passionate about this because it is a huge awakening.

It is easy to make fun of vegans but that is because many times humans make fun of what we are afraid to face. We are afraid of it because we do not want to change our behavior. We KNOW that if we look at what is really going on that we will not be able to enjoy eating and wearing animals. Maybe it seems inconvenient to us. Maybe we feel we will lose a part of our culture or identity. Or maybe we just like the taste of meat, or how those leather boots look. Whatever the case, if you have that gut feeling that something is not right with the way we treat other non-human, sentient beings - even if it is just the littlest bit, I suggest listening to that voice. It is your inner child trying desperately to wake you up.

I'm not going to show you anything scary here on my website. Right here I'm going to show you something adorable and fun and show you what happy farm animals look like. But when you are done reading this, if you are feeling brave enough to examine, please consider clicking on a few of the links below.

Be strong. Dig deep. Keep Evolving.

Recommended links:

• EARTHLINGS Documentary
• Gary Yourofsky: The Most Important Speech You Will Ever Hear
• TED TALK: Dr. Melanie Joy on Carnism
• COWSPIRACY

Sea Dream Familiar

Out on the open sea
In a big water tent
With someone I know
Though I am not sure who
Feeling safe
But knowing
Anything can happen
I close my eyes
Turn off my lantern
Floating to sleep
Beneath a blanket of stars

Love Letter #149

Because Joni always says it best.

The Garden

Subtle breaths
Kisses on the palms of your hands
Kisses on each fingertip
Biting kisses
Little tickles
Tickling kisses
Where it tickles you
Kisses on every freckle
Down your spine
To your curvaceous warmth
Kisses everywhere
Intoxicating
Grasping kisses
Inspirational kisses
All of the little
Corners of happiness
Besos para ti, querida
Kisses beneath
A silver moon

For a moment
Seas divide
Inviting
Beckoning
Come
Live with me
I will show you my everything
I will share with you my all
I will give you my world
I will show you just enough
Together
We will create
We will love
We will wander
We
Will
Just
Be

Guapa
Bellisima
Succulent
Wonderfullness
Bella
Hermosa
Guapissima
Mi amor
Mi amor
Mi amor
Words
Fertilizing
Semillas
Sueños

And then
The most simple
The most beautiful
Words blossom
Filling every petal
I love you
And of course
The even more beautiful
I love you too

Palabras
Palabras
Palabras
Palabras hermosas
Beautiful
Beautiful
Beautiful
Beautiful feelings
Todos hermosas

Until
One day
The beauty
Swallows itself whole
Letters fall away
From paper
Like autumn leaves
Until winter's final exhale
All the sweetness
Expired
Turned to flux
Compost
For the next
There is
Always
Another

Cherished
Love letters fade
Until ink and dead trees
And beautiful words
And behold
That one photograph
(or one hundred and eight)
Where for a moment
You felt loved
Eyes gazing up
Tanned skin
Sandy toed
Trusting
Unquestioning
Adored
Adoring
Unbelievably
Are
All
That
Is
Left

You are an annual
You may reseed
For a season
Or two
Or three
But you
Can
Not
Be perennial
For true perennials
Do not exist here
In his garden

Later
Grappling
To make sense
A lesson learned
A part of the journey
A roller coaster
A pebble in your river
A stupid cliché
Something not meant to be
And all the other things
You tell yourself
To quell
The fire
That scorched
Your
Last
Tender
Leaves

Down in the hole
Where you live now
Where you once thrived
You observe
A new garden growing
Off in the distance
Across the water
Again
Full of hope
And tenderness
And green
And yellow
And words
And kisses
And tingles
And tickles
Titillating
Succulent
Steeped in sameness
Sprouting
With new inspirations
Blind
Again
To the inevitable
Squelch and swallow
Unquenchable desire
Frolicking
In seasons
Disregard

And turning
In to yourself
One more time
Green with envy
Blue with loss
Red with desire
Purple
Barely breathing
You realize
What a beautiful flower
All of these colors will make

So you gather your own seeds
And quietly plant yourself
With sunlight
And rain
And patience
And quiet
Solitude
Knowing
There
Is
No
Other
Way
Back
Up

Be here now.

“Emotions are like waves.
Watch them disappear in the distance on the vast calm ocean.”
― Ram Dass, Be Here Now

Love Lines

Sweet Dreams

“You're an interesting species. An interesting mix. You're capable of such beautiful dreams, and such horrible nightmares. You feel so lost, so cut off, so alone, only you're not. See, in all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes the emptiness bearable, is each other.”
― Carl Sagan, Contact

Photo of the Swan Nebula taken in May 29-30, 1999 by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The Swan Nebula is located 5,500 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius. I love looking at these magical, wondrous images. Sweet dreams to you... wherever you may be

Love Letter #144

Lately...

We paddled out here and caught clean tinies, then paddled around the corner to where it was a bit better! This is one of my favorite spots and I enjoyed sharing it with a friend on a mellow day.


Peggylinda provides a heightened view.
She is also visible from the lineup.


First session at the WALL this summah.
Won't be the last.

T R U S T

••• trust •••

A photo posted by Special J Creations (@specialjcreations) on Jun 25, 2015 at 8:29pm PDT

All We Ever Needed

I want to start sharing here again but words have been failing and I don't really want to talk about it anyway. At least for now. But this makes sense. This one day is all we ever needed.

In Trim

Adding to the summer theme here with some more surf-inspired jewelry.
This time influenced by the beautiful lines of a single fin and the smooth, magical feeling of gliding across a wave face in perfect trim.

Shown above is a custom fin made for one of my surf sisters, Arianna from Stay Stoked Photography.
Custom typography is an option for yours, too!

Singlefin Trim Necklaces, Endless Wave Rings and other mermaid delights are available in my Etsy Shop

Photo Cred for photo #6 by Jacko

Atlantic Flavor

Back to my roots this spring and summer here in New England. Combining wampum (carved from quahog shells) with seaglass and precious stones. Melding magical ingredients into bohemian, beachy, mermaid goodness.

Long Live Rhode Trips

A little late spring cleaning...



Still a favorite place.

Gathering.

Until the sun goes down.

Wake up in a fog and drive around the corner to find your front row seat and morning glass.

Give thanks and pray for surf...

<< Do it all over again >>

Seashell...

A new creation and lyrics from an all-time favorite song by a dear friend. Seashell by Mica Lee Williams.

Seashell I listen well
To the stories from the sea you tell
Hold you to my ear
You put me underneath your spell
Both eyes open wide
I feel the ocean swell inside
Something in the sea that guides me
When I need to quell
And ooh I know it’s just as well
To never know the future
And ooh I ask it anyway
I listen what you say
And the best is what I pray to find
Seashell
Seashell pulled from the land
Smooth and heavy in my hand
Oracle made from the sand
And given to the brine
Oh I walk and smile
Along the shore another mile
Feel as when I was a child
I had no need for time
And ooh I know it’s just as well
To never know the future
And ooh I ask it anyway
I listen what you say
And the best is what I pray to find
Seashell

Endless Inspiration

It doesn't take much for me these days. Between surfing everyday, treasure hunting and creating - I am keeping busy and keeping very inspired. So much to do, so much to learn and so much to look forward to!

Of Endless Waves, Seaglass and Stones

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to make jewelry out of seaglass, stones and shells. I hoarded away my beach treasures for the day that I might be able to make something amazing with them. With good luck, a good friend, and lots of hard work - the dream has materialized. Here, I present to you a few of the pieces I have created. My jewelry is available here on my Etsy Site and in Rincon, PR at the recently opened shop: Ocean State of Mind. You will also find me at Thursday Night Artwalks and Sunday mornings at the Rincon Farmer's Market thru the end of May!

Setting up for a Thursday Night Artwalk in Rincon, PR.