More Great TeamSC Member Items For Sale At Etsy.com

This explosion of color is an original acrylic painting on masonite by Bryan of www.bzglass.etsy.com. In addition to being a talented painter, Bryan is also a glass blower.

This beautiful painted glass ornament is offered by Kirsten of www.thepaintedpalmetto.etsy.com, and is embellished with Swarovski crystals and a touch of glitter for extra sparkle. Wouldn't a Christmas tree filled with these be gorgeous?



This precious necklace was made by www.strangelittlegirl.etsy.com. I love the combination of the watermelon tourmaline and freshwater pearls. This is very South Carolina. What self-respecting South Carolina belle wouldn't want to wear watermelon AND pearls?

Que the Wet Willy Song, it's FRIDAY!

Hallelujah! I am so ready for the weekend. Hopefully I won't have anything more stressful to do than breathe.

I've got a few necklace designs sketched out that I hope to finish, and at some point I need to put my Winter clothes in storage and break out the Summer stuff. We are feeling the heat down South today with an expected high of 99 degrees and near 100% humidity. I felt like a piece of wilted lettuce when I stepped out the door at 9:00 this morning.

I've been fooling around with shades of red clay. I've got a special request to fill and I want something between a cherry red and a tomato red. My new friend saw my "Miss Thang" necklace pictured here, which I've already sold, and wants a similar pendant.


So far, I've made 20 pendants, and I don't like any of them. I used Studio by Sculpey clay in pomegranate to create the pendant I sold, and wouldn't you know it? The new batch of pomegranate red I bought isn't the same color. It's darker and more of a cherry red. It's getting on my last nerve. I have a love-hate relationship with Studio clay. I love the colors it comes in, but hate its consistency, which is like hot chewing gum. I like a glass-like sheen on my finished pieces, too, and you don't get that with Studio clay.


Finally, as this week's Favorite Find, I thought I'd post a photo from my collection of vintage children's kitchen toys. This sweet little Delta mixer is from the 1950s and measures just 5" tall, excluding the beater, and about 4" wide. The beater works perfectly and the piece has very little rust. I just love it. It is one of my favorite finds ever!

Happy Weekend everyone, make the most of it!

Are Southerners Too Nice For the Internet?

Hmmm, I beginning to think we are, so the internet is just going to have to change, because I didn't get courtesy and manners beaten into me by my Momma all those years for nothing, and I ain't changing now!

My Momma's favorite saying is that "manners don't cost a thing". I say please and thank you and address everyone with a "ma'am" and "sir". I realize y'all people in the rest of the world don't understand why we Southerners actually look you in the eye when we're talking to you; or why we pull over to the side of the road when a funeral procession passes by out of respect for the dearly departed and the family, even if we don't know them; and you don't "get it" that we don't wear white before Easter or after Labor Day (I don't care what some model in NY says, we still DO NOT do it, it's too tacky for words!)

If you ever came down here and had the sinful pleasure of tasting a pulled pork BBQ sandwich (yes, BBQ is an adjective, not a verb), you would never want to leave. If you tasted Dukes mayonnaise on a tomato sandwich, you'd know why it reigns supreme: It's brain food, and Miracle Whip is a dirty word. A meal isn't a meal unless rice and butterbeans are on the table, and a real peanut butter sandwich has bananas in it and is fried in butter, baby!

So, y'all keep on being your cranky selves, and we'll keep on being nice to you anyway because, while we really don't give a rat's a** how you do things up North, bless your little hearts, my Momma would take a hickory switch to my 49 year old butt if I told you so.

DNA Testing For Genealogy Purposes

Now don't roll your eyes, this stuff is very interesting! I became involved with DNA testing for genealogy purposes a few years ago, when it wasn't all that popular. Back then, trying to recruit participants for the Moseley project was terribly difficult. Everyone I contacted was skeptical and thought they would be giving up their privacy and that their medical secrets would be spread out all over the internet. We've come a long way in 5 years. What started with 1 participant has now evolved to 66 participants. We have several separate, distinct Moseley lines represented among the participants, and many as yet unmatched participants who are just waiting to be matched with a cousin.

Our Moseley DNA Surname Group Project piddled along with about 10 participants for a few years, until I talked my brother (read as holding him down and scraping his gum personally) into taking the test for our line. That's all it takes, a simple cheek scrape and you're done. No bloodletting involved, honest! Your medical history is not taken, not tested, and the results are confidential. The lab holds on to your results for 25 years, and you will be contacted of any and all matches with your DNA during that time.

Dear brother's results and paper pedigree matched other men whose paper pedigrees indicated descent from the "Old Rapphannock, Virginia" line of Moseleys, whose earliest documented patriarch is William Moseley born about 1624 in England. William was transported to the Rappahannock River area of Virginia, or Essex County, by William Underwood in 1650. Underwood was possibly William's brother-in-law or cousin by marriage. Anyway, William married Martha Brasseur and his progeny eventually ended up in North Carolina prior to 1768. From that point, William's descendants proceeded to populate South Carolina, Georgia, Texas and several other states.

Many of our participants had reached a brick wall with their paper pedigrees. In those cases, DNA testing is the only way to break through those brick walls and make any further progress. I urge everyone to get involved in DNA testing for genealogy purposes. If not for yourself, for your children and grandchildren and the future generations of your family.

The test is a Y-DNA test, which means only males in the direct Moseley line of descent are eligible for our particular project. Females do not carry their father's DNA, but can take an mtDNA test on their direct, maternal line. Males who descend from a female Moseley are also not eligible. Only males whose biological father was/is a Moseley by birth can take the Y-DNA test. So, if there are any Moseleys (or McCrearys or Fortunes) out there who are interested, email me or post a comment and we'll discuss it further!

Family names I research: ALLERTON (MAYFLOWER PASSENGER ISAAC AND HIS DAUGHTER MARY), BELLINGER, BOHUN, CATER, CRAFT, CRAWFORD (DAVID-VIRGINIA/BACON'S REBELLION), CUSHMAN (THOMAS, HUSBAND OF MARY ALLERTON), DAVIS (BUDD-GA/SC), FELDER (PALATIN HANS HENRY), FORRESTER, FORTUNE, GALPHIN, HARDEMAN, HARLEY, HYRNE, JAUDON (HUGUENOT), JENKINS, LANDRUM, LAWTON, MCCREARY, MEDLOCK, MOSELEY, MOSSE, PAGE, PEEPLES, RAINEY, RHODES, ROBERT (HUGUENOT), SAMMS, SMITH (LANDGRAVES THOMAS I & II), STONEY, TAYLOR, WANNAMAKER, WARREN (MAYFLOWER PASSENGER RICHARD)

Newest Designs, Collaborations

I love collaborating with other Polymer Clay artisans and Jewelry designers on new pieces.

This necklace features my polymer clay pendant in the most delicious shade of red and a rich, old gold, my gemstones, and beautiful little polymer clay beads made by Rebecca Geoffrey. I purchased them at Rebecca's shop at Etsy, www.rebeccasannex.etsy.com. She calls them Olde World Beads. This necklace turned out even better than I hoped. I wear it all the time and get wonderful compliments on it every time. The photos do not do it justice. It is stunning in person.

This necklace features my polymer clay pendant and gorgeous silver, copper, gold and black, hollow, polymer clay lentil beads made by Sally Sotelo of www.silvergatestudio.etsy.com. Sally traded her lentil beads with me so that I could make this necklace. It's a big ol' honker, too, measuring 37" in length! I think it is appropriate that I named it "Ode to Warrior Queens", since it will be auctioned off for breast cancer awareness later this year.

This necklace features my gemstones and one of Jael Thorp's fabulous polymer clay teeth. I purchased it from Jael at her shop, www.jaelsjewels.etsy.com. Jael makes these and other beads in the style made famous by PC artist Karen Lewis, or KLEW.

South Carolina Etsy Street Team

I am so fortunate to have been born in South Carolina. I love my state and everything about it. After the United States flag, our state flag featuring the palmetto tree and crescent is the most beautiful flag in the world.

I just joined the South Carolina Street Team, an Etsy team made up of South Carolina residents who sell at www.etsy.com. These artisans come from all over the state, from Spartanburg to Hilton Head and everywhere in between. We offer unique, handmade arts and crafts. For a down home taste of South Carolina (in some cases, literally!), visit us at www.scstreetteam.blogspot.com to see more of our handmade items. Here are three of the member artists:


www.bluepalmettotree.etsy.com makes lovely, 100% cotton, crocheted dish cloths and exfoliating scrubbies!


www.bittybooks.etsy.com makes these charming little books, which would make great gifts for everyone on your list.


www.jackandjane.etsy.com makes fabrice items for baby and baby's mom, from hair clips to these delightfully sweet little ponytail holders.

Please visit us at www.scstreetteam.blogspot.com to see more from our South Carolinian artisans.

PCAGOE Monthly Challenge - Please Vote!

Voting has begun for the June PCAGOE challenge. Here are the entries, yours truly is #5. Two lucky voters will win one of two prize packs featuring polymer clay items made by members of the guild. Please vote by going to http://www.pcagoe.com/ and thanks so much!