Charity, what is it? Well most of us think about the picture above as our first definition especially at this time of year. So many worthy groups asking for money to help with every kind of support need you can imagine. We feel the big G if we pass those men and women standing out in the cold ringing those bells for many reasons. Guilt, yes that is the word I am talking about, because let's face it we feel obligated to be good people and give, we feel bad for those souls in the cold, we can't pass without giving or putting our heads down. But why do we feel this way? Isn't charity supposed to make us feel good?
      A group of friends and I had this discussion recently and it came to my attention that so many of us do not know the real meaning of Charity and/ or we have a distorted and sometimes painful experience with how it was defined in our minds. We think of this time of year with dread because of the gifts and the charities that we truly want to give, but we haven't the funds to do it all. We stress over not forgetting to give to everyone in our lives a gift. We feel strained by all the giving and guilt that come with making everything beautiful and perfect for everyone. There's that big G again. But through our discussion I had a few realizations that made me feel the other big G, Good, and I wish to share these thoughts with you.
       The definition of Charity - the voluntary giving of help to those in need, a deed done out of loving kindness. Loving kindness, not guilt, obligation, expectation or judgement. So if we remove the idea that we must do to be loved back, to be a good person, or out of obligation, we remove the Guilt and leave room for the Good.
     So many know the saying that Charity begins at home, but where is home? I believe it is right in your own hearts and is the well we call our souls. A friend said to me "I can not give what I do not have." This was like a spark to me, I can not give what I do not have. It hit me that if we do not start in our own hearts with Charity and give that Charity to ourselves, we can not give it to others in a loving free way.  Giving to yourself first is the first step in Charity and love, fill your well up with love for yourself. Remove all fear of judgement, obligation, and recognition. You can give so much more when you begin in your own house. The big G of good has no room for guilt.
     Remember also that you can only give what you have means so many other things. We do not need to give the gift of things to show our loving kindness to others. Time is precious and also a gift most of can give and truly wish to receive. Give your time to a family member, a friend, a lonely stranger. Giving your time is the ultimate way to show love. It makes people feel important in your life. It is a very loving gift, one in which we receive as well. Giving time can be volunteering to the charity group you can not give cash to, it can be making a hot cup of coffee and bringing it to the souls outside in the cold ringing the bells. It can be so many things we can do for others in small loving acts, be creative and do all your charity out of love for your soul, not out of fear for your worth, and the Big G will be no longer for guilt.
        I believe you all to be loving kind souls and my wish for you is to love this season again and to fill your hearts with the giving and receiving it deserves. I wish you many wonderful moment of Charity to remember and smile at long after the season is over for the season of giving is on going. 
                                                                                          Love to you all,
​                                                                                                  Dawn

.    I have been absent from my own page for a while. Trying to find myself, I seem to have gotten lost somewhere in the day to day stuff of my life and stopped enjoying it. I have begun to make a new change in my life and to become a more present and joyful person. What does this have to do with my post today and this strange and magnificent sculpture by Patrick Doreghty?
     Well I have never enjoyed doing events alone. I didn't know how to enjoy my own company, got bored, and felt nervous to do things alone. It has always been this way. Others around gave me more confidence and strength. I am trying to find my own joy and enjoy doing things outside of my comfort zone, so this weekend the opportunity came up and I decided to not let it pass.
     I went to a mini yoga retreat offered by Innerglow Yoga of Mashpee. It was a wonderful fall day and the venue was amazing. It had the wonderous sculpture right as you approached the manor and I was delighted. It is all made of twigs and vines and the twisted walls are fluid and invite you to explore and feel like a kid again. I knew as I went through it that this day was going to be a terrific experience.
       We entered the building and it smelled amazing of fall spices, Michelle was cooking delicious food. We went to the kitchen first for a short lecture on how to feed our bodies properly in the cool weather coming and then we did slow, calm and fabulous yoga in the main area. I was able to see the sculpture during my practice and it helped me remember to be fluid and gentle with my own practice and journey. When we ended in a meditation I was overcome with a feeling of gratitude for being brave and allowing myself the opportunity for this amazing day. We ended with warm food and hearts. I made new connections with many of the other participants.
       It may seem small to some, who may be more adventurous, but for me it was a big step into a place I was uncomfortable in. I will continue my stepping out and let it propell me into new experiences.  
         I would love to hear about your own journeys and adventures, no matter how small they may seem. Share with me and let's inspire each other.

               Love to you all,
​                   Dawn

 I have been
​Hello my wonderful followers and supporters, I have been busy working on my jewelry and myself over the last few months so I apologize for my absence. I hope that you have all enjoyed your spring and are looking forward to the fun of summer.

I wish you all a good Memorial Day Weekend. Let us celebrate the brave women and men that helped us keep our freedoms. They are the reason we can make our choices everyday. To choose to be kind and allow others to find their own path. To choose what to believe in and how we will help others. I am so grateful for these and so many other choices I can have because of their sacrifice. Be safe and enjoy the time together. 

I will be spending a week down on the Hyannis Harbor in a Shanty by the sea. I will be there from June 17-23rd and I can't wait to open the doors to show my new designs and fill my days with the beauty of the Harbor, the people and the fresh ocean breeze. I hope to see you there. Mention this newsletter and I will give you a thank you gift for coming by to see me, no purchase necessary.  

I am also offering a coupon so you can get out that wish list and spoil yourself now until the end of the month. Just use this link.
 https://www.etsy.com/shop/DawnRosellDesigns?coupon=MEMORIALDAY

Thank you again for your support and love It keeps me motivated to find my way out of the fog that sometimes gets us all.

Sincerely,
Dawn Rosell

     Spring has sprung here on Cape Cod. A couple days of warmth rotating with chilly and rainy days. Of course everyone would love it if it was all sunshine and warmth, but that isn't how it works. The reset button for Spring comes with rain and sometimes a step back into what seems like winter. The same is true for the Artists reset button. We, like everyone else, going through changes or taking on new challenges find we have some very sunny days and also some rainy ones filled with set backs.

     I am sure you can relate. But Spring is wonderful. T o me it's even more of a chance to change than New Years. It's a chance to try new things and find hope in the reset. My wish for this Spring is to find new ways to look at the world, to go back to a place of wonder and awe. I am planning more away time to rekindle that spirit in me. I am also refocusing my business and my way of making my art to put myself into uncomfortable places so I can grow into a more fearless place of inspiration. Easier said than done, but that is my goal.

     My wish for you is to also find a place of reset to become the person you want to be. Never stop challenging what you think you know. Never stop wanting to see what you've never seen. Never stop having new adventures. Life is a journey and you can't have one if you never step outside into the rain and the sun. 
                                                                                                        Happy Spring,
​                                                                                                           Dawn Rosell

         November is the month of giving Thanks. I have a lot to be thankful for, even when my life is upside down. At first it was really hard for me to feel thankful because life is really difficult right now. But the more I tried to look away from what I was making me unhappy, the easier it was for me to see what I was thankful for. I began to think of just the small things I was thankful for, like the girl in the burrito shop who makes the best burritos and always has a smile for me when I go there. Then it became easier to see the bigger things I was taking for granted because I was no longer buried in the thinking of my difficult situation( or self pity blunty put). So I will be sharing some of the many things I am thankful for with you and reminding myself along the way how Blessed I truly am today and every day..

         First of all, I get to celebrate not only my birthday this month, but three others in my close family, My mother, my sister in-law and my brother in-law. All these birthdays fall within a week of each other and so we do one big birthday dinner and cake celebration. It is really quite wonderful. A roomful of Scorpios would normally sound pretty intimidating to any outsider, but I assure you we all get along very well and enjoy the celebration together.
     
        I am also thankful for all the amazing friends and family I have that have pulled in to help whenever I needed them. They have come to me to listen, hold my hand and do whatever they can do without hesitation when I needed them most. They have been there to celebrate the good and brace for the bad. I am so very blessed by them all.
       
       I am thankful for my doctors and physical therapist, who have made it possible for me to continue to do what I love and made my hands healthy again.
       
        I am thankful for all my terrific customers who support me and my art.They make it so I can keep my business alive and growing. They allow me to be a part of so many special moments and  inspire me to create pieces that bring them and others joy. 
           
       I could not be all I am today and do all that I do without any of you, friends, family, doctors, therapists, and customers. Thank you so much for being you and doing what you do.

         I encourage you, even if you are feeling low or having a difficult time right now to look harder at your life and see the many things you can truly be thankful for this season. Try starting small like I did, then look deeper and see all the things you have that maybe you too forgot while you were busy being unhappy. 

                                                                       I am thankful for you.
                                                                                                                        Sincerely,
                                                                                                                        Dawn Rosell

Ps. No Winter classes to be held. No new events as of this date. I am currently getting a new line going for the Christmas/Holiday collection. I am still accepting custom work and am able to complete those within the normal 4-6 week time frame at this time. 

Need anything made for a special occasion, or a special someone? Contact me and let's get creating!

      Normally Fall is one of my all time favorite times of the year, I just love everything about it. The change of the colors, the smells of the kitchen, the warmth of the clothes and foods. The excitement of Halloween and the coming of all the family gatherings. But this year I am having trouble letting go of the warm days, I am hating all the wet in the earth and I am not feeling excited by the idea of gatherings. I feel as though I am falling into fall, rather clumsily I might add.

      I know it is because I am still trying to find my own way through a maze in which I am unfamiliar. It is partly because the world seems to make so much less sense these days, not just because of my own struggles that I am going through but because of what we as a country seem to be going through. We are in some very uncharted water where the accepted is being challenged and for very good reason. We are seeing people we thought we could look up to, wavering in their morals and forsaking us. People we though of as friends, become strangers by where they seem to stand on issues they never knew we have kept as secrets because of shame that we should have never felt was ours to bear. This is a time of change and turmoil. Not just in the country and media but in many of our personal lives, including my own. It can be very unsettling, painful and lonely. But I wanted you to know, you are not alone, we are not alone and we are stronger than this moment.
    
     Life sometimes sends you down roads you have never traveled without a map. Hopefully you learn how to be a better driver and a more patient passenger. I realize this seems as though it has nothing at all to do with my art and business, except that it actually does. As an artist, my mind influences my art in what I create and my ability to be able to create. I find some days I can't stop creating. It helps me think and I burn myself fiercely into my work, hoping to find clarity somewhere within the work. Other days, I feel nothing at all and can't find a shred of inspiration to create or to understand what in the world makes sense. This is the blessing and the curse of an artistic brain I suppose. Not that I am naive enough to believe an inartistic brain does not suffer a similar fate, I do believe it does. It is just a different kind of sorting through that happens. But this is where I am, at the moment and how my artwork comes along for the ride.

              So what does this all mean to me. It means that I am still working, growing, changing and evolving, like everyone else out there. I am learning patience I had forgotten how to show, finding  immense strength I never knew I had, and becoming ok in the skin I own, as mine, as beautiful, as worthy of respect and accept nothing less. It means showing others to find these qualities within themselves.  It means accepting all diversities as beautiful and marvelous and wondrous. It means feeling adventurous and curious again. It means I will try to see this falling simply as a jumping off point to begin flying. I will use this growth to fuel my art and work into a new life of it's own and allow myself the time and patience to fail as I try new things. It means that I hope to find peace and other kindred spirits who can help me make sense of the madness. To bring back that hope and common decency to a lost world.

It means trying with all my heart to fall in love with Fall again.

                May your own Fall be a journey of peace, let your struggles be paths that lead to a place of learning and as always be patient and kind to yourself. 

Sincerely,
​Dawn Rosell


PS.  I would like to invite you to send me stories,feelings or comments on your own journeys in the comments section.
Much love to you,
Dawn

       So wow, I totally forgot to publish the august newsletter, oops. I guess I was a bit busy, lol September has been very busy also, hence why it is being release a few days out. I am sure you all are busy as well. What with summer winding down and school days beginning. So much to do, such excitement! Our school was delayed a few days because of the heat and we loved it. Let summer last as long as possible! But it comes with days of catching up too. I sit here typing and all I want to do is go out and play at the beach, such a kid, right? 

          My August saw me doing two different stays in the Hyannis shanty program. My first was at the new overlook on Ocean and South street with two other fabulous ladies. The marvelous twins, Mary and Marilyn and I had a terrific time. It was a slow but successful week this first year and I look forward to doing it again next season. A few weeks later I did the Harbor Shanty with , Chris, Deb, Linda, Sue, Sarah and Laura and it was an amazing week! I had a very successful week that resulted in my getting many people to see my new keepsake pendant. I am so happy to have had the chance to get it out there for everyone to get excited about how beautiful it is. I am back in my studio getting it ready for release into another market as well and I am very hopeful that it will have a huge response. I met so many wonderful people that also asked about custom work. I look forward to hearing from them with their treasures to be custom wrapped in the near future.
        
      My store items have changed a lot as I sold out of many pieces, and I did make quite a few new pieces while at the shanties. I will be updating my website as soon as possible with the new stock, but if you have any requests or questions about anything, please contact me, via my website or my etsy store. Of course as always never hesitate to ask about custom work either, I love ,love, love custom work!

          I am not doing a fall class at Nauset at the present because the last classes didn't have enough enrollment and because I have other things going on, however, I am still available for personal lessons and/or one day events/parties of up to ten students if anyone wishes to book for a few hours class with me. For a party it is only $25-$30/person dependent on project and for personal lessons it ranges dependent on number of classes. So contact me for information if you are interested. It is a great ladies night, bridesmaid's get together, older teen party idea or even just a me time gift to yourself or someone else.

           Well, I do have some fun planned among all the work as I hope you all do to. So remember to keep enjoying the days among the craziness and I will hopefully see you out there on the beach, in the class room or maybe on the dance floor some time! 

Much Happiness,
Dawn Rosell

​Happy 4th of July! I hope this letter finds you all enjoy the beginning of summer. I hope you enjoy the holiday and remember to never take it for granted. Honor those that gave us those freedoms. Keep the freedom fight alive for those who still don't have it and free yourself from the oppression of ignorance and hate. Freedom is not free, even though it should be. Preach over, time for a beer,lol. 

   I have my First show this Saturday June 30th to begin the holiday week so I hope I might see some of you in Sandwich for this great family event.

   I am currently available for personal lessons to be held in your home or mine, right here on Cape Cod. I also do parties of up to ten people including the host. It is a two-three hour party/lesson where you learn and create your own piece of jewelry. Or if you want to host a retail jewelry party we can do that too. I not only bring a small selection of pre-made items but your guests can pick from my collection of stones and beads to have something custom made for them, or bring a special item for me to wrap for them. If you have any interest in any of these events just use the contact button to get a message to me for details.

   At the end of the month July 30th- August 5th I will be down near the Hyannis Harbor in the New Shanties on the corner of South and Ocean street! Park at the town hall off Main or South Street and take a walk down the walkway to the sea path to find me in the Green Shanty on the hill. These new shanties are so bright and cheery. I can't wait to try it out in this location. 

   Until next month have a wonderful July and may the sun shine on you.

Sincerely,
Dawn Rosell

     That's me and my mom up there. It is one of the many awesome days we have spent together. We went to a garden in in the spring a few years ago and wandered for the day through the woods and gardens enjoying some quality time together. My mom and I are truly friends and I love her so very much. I am blessed to have such a great mom and friend. Don't get me wrong, just like all mother's and daughters, we have our moments and there are things that I am sure drive her as crazy about me, as there are things about her that make me insane. But this is true of all great friends as well. My mom has been a terrific teacher to me in many ways and has helped me be a better mom to my son through her own example. So this being the month to celebrate mom, I wish to say Thank you mom for all you do, all you are and all your love. You were and are the best mother in the world to me! 

     I only have a few updates for you this month. My next show will be  June 30th at the Sandwich Fest in Sandwich ,MA.  Also, I am currently offering a free pair of earrings with any purchase of my Keepsake pendant until the day after mothers day. The earrings are simple hoops to match the pendant choice, it is the perfect Mother's day gift! It takes two to four weeks to complete, so get your orders in fast. I will send you a card to give in the meantime as your gift until the pendant and earrings arrive, so your mom will be super excited! 

        No classes until the fall so enjoy the time off or feel free to visit my projects section for some practice this spring and summer. Or give me a shout and we can get a group of your friends together for a personal class right in your home! I can teach up to ten people at a time and we complete one project in approximately 2-3 hours. It is great fun for bridal parties, they can make their own earrings for the wedding! Or maybe just a fun ladies night or celebration with a group of moms. I am local on Cape Cod, so a Cape getaway class is fun too. I can come to your cottage or house while you are visiting. 

         I have added quite a few new pieces to my Etsy store and they are also available on my Square store if you prefer to use that website. If you want to see me in person I will also be doing two week long stays at the Hyannis Shanties in early and late August, or shoot me a message and we can try to set up an appointment for you to visit my home studio some time.

       As always have a wonderful month and remember to not only celebrate your mom ,but also celebrate yourself if you are a mom cause you are awesome!

​Dawn Rosell