Featured Artist Sharon Haber of Haber Heartwork

I’ve known Sharon Haber of Haber Heartwork for several years.we met through the Etsy community during the fall of 2008 when she began purchasing my handmade glass shapes for making jewelry. We spent many late night hours on the Etsy convo system and even more hours on the phone. We would both find ourselves working into the wee hours of the morning on cold winter nights. So when the opportunity arose for Featured Artist, I wanted to offer the first right of refusal to Sharon. I’m happy to say, there was no refusal.

Knowing Sharon, the loving and caring person that she is, I knew she’d have an interesting perspective to share, and perhaps many of you can relate to her answers. I hope that by sharing her interview you will find something familiar, or find inspiration in the world in which she lives.

Thank you Sharon, for being a wonderful customer, and most importantly such a wonderful and caring friend.

Tell us about yourself
I have loved creating through art, crafts and music for as long as I can remember.  It brings me great joy.  A wide range of things provide inspiration for me so I enjoy creating with a variety of materials.

My degree is in Music Therapy and I have an ongoing love for music as well as animals.  Both have filled my life with love and taught me a lot.

As a breast cancer survivor, I have experienced first-hand how wonderful it is to receive care, encouragement and kindness from many people.  I in turn, genuinely love to offer any type of encouragement I may to others during their difficult times in life. My art, crafts and music often play a role in this. This aspect of creating things to share with people is an added joy for me.

What part of the world are you in? Where are you originally from? I now live in Wake Forest, North Carolina but was born in Florida.  I grew up in New Jersey in close proximity to New York City.

What motivates you; a challenge or a reward? What is your favorite kind of challenge or reward?
I like a challenge and a reward.  My favorite kind of challenge is one that allows me to figure out how to create something new and/or different.  The reward is in achieving the desired end result.

What is it you create?
I create jewelry, buttons, key chains, magnets, pocket mirrors, zipper pulls, bookmarks, bulletin boards, ornaments and many other things as an idea presents itself to me.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?
I find inspiration in nature, people, music, faith and often in day to day experiences.

How did you get involved in the work you do? Do you work full time on your creations? Is it a means of income for you or a hobby? Do you work on these creations to help support an organization?
I have been involved with creating for a long time. I began to work at it more consistently as a young adult and have gradually increased my time involved with creating.  At present I devote a large amount of my time to my creations and consider it a hobby as well as a means of income.  A portion of my profits is donated to several non-profit organizations.

What is the most rewarding aspect of creating? Is it financial reward, creating a relaxing outlet for you, does the act of creating provide a sense of place in this world, or something else?
Creating does provide me with a relaxing outlet.  However, I believe the most rewarding aspect is taking something through the creating process to see the completed creation.  Also, I love giving and selling my creations to people.

What is a typical work day for you like? Do you work all day, part days? Do you work seasonally?
I work year round and typically spend about 6 hours a day on my work.  There is not really a typical day for me as I tend to go where the spirit leads me as well as tending to other 'life' responsibilities that require my attention.

Do you sell your work? I so, do you sell online, do you sell wholesale, do you participate in art and craft fairs? If someone likes your work, how can they contact you?
I sell my work online in my two Etsy shops: www. haberheartwork.etsy.com  and haberheartworktoo.etsy.com

Wholesale offers are provided upon request.  You may contact me by email or through my Etsy shops.

Where do you see your hobby or business in 5 years?
I hope to expand my online shops and continue to grow in my creative life.

Share something not related to your craft, such as a short recipe, a favorite poem, place you like to visit...
I love being a wife and mother and being part of a wonderful church family.
One of my favorite authors is Anne Lamott.  I like what she says in her book "Traveling Mercies". "Music is about as physical as it gets:  your essential rhythm is your heartbeat; your essential sound, the breath.  We're walking temples of noise, and when you add tender hearts to this mix, it somehow lets us meet in places we couldn't get to any other way."

Please visit Sharon's shops on Etsy: www. haberheartwork.etsy.com and haberheartworktoo.etsy.com

If you are interested in being a Featured Artist, please contact me by email. Please be sure “Featured Artist” is in the subject line.

Maddie Update: An Appointment at Mayo.

Maddie December 2010
The updated news for my niece, Maddie, is hopeful. After what can easily be compared to applying to an Ivy League University, Maddie has been accepted and given an appointment at Mayo Clinic. I asked my sister, Laura, for an update, and the following is what she shared.

 "Maddie is holding her own right now - we have had some issues with severe seizures that were totally unexplained, until we realized that they appeared to come with certain antibiotics. It is unclear whether the seizures are related to infection, or the antibiotics. She is also having periods where she can't move a muscle, but is wide awake. This is pretty scary for her, but she pushes through it. Partial paralysis of her legs, arms, digestive system and elimination systems, as well as partial paralysis of her diaphragm continue, but she manages her issues with a smiling face and a cheerful attitude. She is a real inspiration to so many people, on so many levels.

 We finally have an appointment for The Mayo Clinic at the end of January, beginning of February! We pray daily that this will hold the key answers, and help her regain some of what she's lost during this ordeal. We want to thank everyone who has contributed to helping us get Maddie to Mayo - without all the love and support, I have no idea how we would ever manage to get our child the help she needs. We have been touched beyond all comprehension by the generosity and true caring that has been gifted to us."

We can't thank everyone enough for their continued outpouring of support. I wanted to share this piece of news as it fills us all with tremendous hope. Have a safe journey, you guys!

Dear Santa. Say it with Scrabble Tiles.

Dear Santa. What a cute idea for holiday decorating or a page in your scrap book. Customers ask for different combinations of letters, some of which I can fill, and this recent request was just too sweet. I loved the idea and I made a few special listings of them in my shop on Etsy. What will you wish for this Christmas?

Making a Difference. My niece, Maddie and her struggle to solve the puzzle.

When life throws you a curve ball, whip out your ukulele and start strumming.

That's what my then 16 year old niece did when she fell ill last September, or she would have done if she had her uke back then. My sister, Maddie's mother, called me one evening a couple of weeks after a family reunion to ask me about the symptoms of mono, something I had when I was Maddie's age. It was diagnosed as a viral infection.

But Maddie's symptoms grew from the initial fatigue, to severe shocks in her feet and lower legs, to the sensation of a 300 pound rugby player, who I think she named "Oscar", sitting on her chest.

The conditions worsened still, some of a private nature, and still others of an ocular nature. The pinches and shocks continued to progress up to her waist. The pain was excruciating. The symptoms progressed to the point that Maddie needed a wheelchair and a first floor bedroom because it had become too difficult and too painful to use the stairs in their century-old Victorian home.

Maddie has some awesome custom Converse!

There were countless middle-of-the-night trips to the ER, lots of blood work, several MRI's, a CAT scan, spinal taps (yes, plural) all of which left the doctors and specialists in some of the finest medical institutions in the Eastern US scratching their heads. There have been many helpful and compassionate professionals along their journey who have helped my sister navigate the complicated path of contacting specialists who may have held the secret piece of the puzzle that would put Maddie on the path to recovery.

There have also been some very large disappointments from some highly regarded specialists who reviewed Maddie's MRI's, inspected her without regard to Maddie's self-esteem, and after 5 minutes of their time told my sister the problem was all in Maddie's head, that she was a psych case. Still, there were others who suspected my sister of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, which meant they accused her of intentionally harming her own daughter to gain whatever satisfaction there is to gain from something as despicable as that.

The struggle to diagnose Maddie endured through February when at some final point of insistence a medical professional finally listened to my sister and reviewed the growing mass on the 3 MRI's Maddie underwent in the 4 month long journey, all of which had been reviewed by physicians and surgeons, specialists, if you will, who all discounted it as "inconsequential".

And it was malignant.

Maddie underwent surgery where they removed her thyroid; the tumor was that large, having been allowed to grow for 4 months. She underwent radiation therapy, which is scary stuff because they tell you that no one can be near her, or touch her or touch what she touched for about a week. And the pillow has to be tossed out afterward, along with the sheets. But she survived, and that's what we care about.

And we all prayed and held our breath, and hoped and wished and crossed fingers that Maddie would start to regain those things she'd lost. And some things were showing signs of coming back. She could walk better, for example. Her eyes were better. Some of the symptoms lessened. But there were other things that weren't getting better. She could no longer hold down food so she was fitted with a feeding tube.

And then it all started slipping back again. The tingling, the ocular disruptions, the breathing, and the fatigue were returning.

The diagnosis didn't end with cancer.

Two months after Maddie's diagnosis of cancer, by which time the cancer had metastasized to her lymph nodes, the surgeons and specialists all agreed that the paralysis was not due to "mental stress", but rather the paralysis was due to her being sick with cancer. Eventually, after almost a year of debilitating and paralyzing symptoms, Maddie was diagnosed with paraneoplastic syndrome (things that occur around a cancer, or "Neoplasm"), a condition related to cancer where the body mistakenly attacks healthy cells.

After the dismal experience at Johns Hopkins where the care Maddie received was not in line with the stellar reputation the hospital has maintained, my niece was referred to Mayo Clinic in Minnesota where once again we hold high hopes that the caring and compassionate specialists there will solve the riddle that Maddie's body holds; specialists in paraneoplastic syndrome.

Again, we'll pray and hold our breath, and hope and wish and cross fingers that Maddie will start to regain those things she's lost. We'll have confidence that the specialists in this particular case will be able to positively treat Maddie with the compassion she deserves and the results we're all wanting for her.

I have a donation box on the right sidebar of my blog to help fund the expensive journey my sister and Maddie need to take from Pennsylvania to Minnesota this fall or winter. All donations go directly to my sister, Laura, all of which will be used to help her family fund this trip.

I give my thanks to all of you who've read about Maddie's journey. Huge thanks to all of those who have helped support my niece and her family, whether it was with donations, a prepared meal, or a hug. You are all angels. To everyone reading this who has, or has watched a loved one struggle with a debilitating illness, you know the emotional strain this takes on a family and individual.

I want to especially thank my sister, Laura, for being such a great Mama Bear and fighting the fight for Maddie and want to let the world know that long before the cancer diagnosis, she knew the key to the problem was in that first MRI when she saw the small mass on the thyroid that the doctors said was inconsequential.

Maddie over the summer with her sister, Emily (top), and her cousin, Bridget (middle).

Cooper Tools Issues Recall on Weller W100 Irons

I love Weller soldering irons, particularly the W100. It's by far the best on the market in my humble opinion.

Once in awhile, things go wrong, and Cooper Tols has issued a recall on this particular product so this is a little PSA to my soldering friends. If you're using the Weller W100 soldering iron, please check to see if your iron falls under the recall.

For information on how to determine if your Weller 100 is included in this recall, and how to obtain a replacement, please click the following 3 links:
PAGE 1 | PAGE 2 | PAGE 3

Please click the images to enlarge them.

There is a number you can call once you have determined if your iron is affected and tehy can provide you with mroe details.

Make Something Spooky!

This is a super fun project Vanessa worked on last week. I'm always considering new ways to use materials around here, and the small rectangle tins in my shop paired with these fun little plastic beads seemed perfect for a spooky Halloween coffin. She couldn't make it fast enough, I was dying to see it!

Here's what you need and links to where you an find it. You may already have everything you need to make it.
► Spooky Buttons
► Tiny Tin
► Glamour Glue
► Luxe Doming Resin
► Black paper

- optional -

► Magnets
► Bails
► Colored Chains

How To Make the Spooky Coffin:
1. Trim black paper and glue to the inside of the tin and the tin lid using Glamour Glue. Let dry, then trim around the edge.
2. Coat paper with Glamour Glue to seal the paper, let dry.
Mix the Luxe Resin according to instructions included.
3. Pour resin into the tin and add the skull. Coat the skull with more resin.
4. Coat the lid with Luxe Resin. Place both lid and tin bottom on level surface and cover to protect from dust. Let cure 24 hours.
5. Glue the tombstone to the top of the "coffin" with any strong glue, including Glamour Glue, more resin, Epoxy 330, or E-6000.
5. Add a magnet to the back or a bail and a chain to wear as a necklace.

Super fun!!!

Summer Blog Hiatus Over. Back to business!

It's been quite busy and very hot around the studio this summer with lots of new product testing, the development of new kits, and the excitement of a lightning strike in 90 degree studio temps. Firing glass in the summer heat is super hot work.

My daughter spent a week at a super YMCA camp where she got to eat sleep and breathe horses with a bunch of like-minded young girls. What fun! I remember those days well, and it was a rewarding experience for me, too, just knowing she was having a wonderful time creating life-long memories. This of course meant lots of intersate driving on my part, which was time I could reflect upon creative goals I'd like to reach.



I did find time to update the projects page on the website with a few completed tutorials. On this page you'll find the tutorial for making ribbon necklaces. Using compnonents small enough, you can make these to fit through the small Aanraku style bails.



You'll also find my tutorial on decorating dog tags. The tutorial uses Glamour Glaze, though Luxe Doming resin makes a nice durable alternative.



The tutorial for the Glass Bottle Cap kit is also online. The kit can be found at both www.anniehowes.com and my shop on Etsy.

More updates coming soon. I really wanted to be sure I remembered how to use this thing. :o)