Carrie's Busy Nothings: Favorite Things: The "Art" of Friendship

This week I'm plugging a friend of mine - or rather, her blog/products. I have known Beth since we were six and seven (respectively) and we met while holding a not-so-friendly unofficial competition to see who could balance on the railroad tie flower boarder the longest while our mothers talked about something called "home-schooling". Beth won hands down since she could balance and walk all while reading Mr. Popper's Penguins. After getting in the car and asking my mom who that stuck up girl was (Me? A sore loser? Ha!), she informed me that she was my pediatrician's daughter, she was going to join our home-school group, and Mom hoped we would be friends. Yeah, right...Miss Popper's Penguins. But some 22+ years later, the rest, as they say, is history. We had doll parties until we were probably too old to be playing with dolls. I went with her family to the beach. We worked together at a living history museum and later at a Christian camp. We fought and made up and fought and made up and...well, you get the idea. We ended up graduating from high school the same year and then went our separate ways to college and life. She was in my wedding and three years later I was in hers. Even though we rarely bump into each other anymore, we'll always have pictures like this to prove that once upon a time we were cool enough to dress alike in very stylish t-shirts proclaiming that we had class. (Sorry Beth, but if it makes you feel any better, it's not my best picture either!) :-)

In case you can't read the shirts, they say, "Home Schoolers Have Classs" - don't be jealous.

Beth was always the artistic one - my basket or picture might be finished first, but hers was perfect. For my birthday one year she created a copy of some famous beach painting (which shows you how much I know about art - "some famous") and painted another one for a wedding gift. Both are hanging in our dining room and people comment on them when they come over. After college she started her own business, Beth Stone Studio, and has painted murals all over our area. She writes a blog and sells pictures and paintings from her online store and on Etsy. (You can click on any of those links to see her work) The reason I'm writing today though is to share her latest project and one of my favorite things...check out these necklaces and how she involves her artwork!

Left to Right: "Be Thou My Vision", "It Is Well With My Soul", and "Silver Bird's Nest" pendants

I just love them (the red beaded one is my favorite) and am already thinking about future Christmas and birthday gifts! :-) She's working on getting them listed on her Esty shop, so if you don't see them right away, send her a message if you're interested in ordering one or ten. :-) Also, take a few minutes to check out her websites - she has a great line of note cards and framed artwork as well. In fact, all the art on the necklaces are available for purchase in larger sizes on her website. This watercolor print hangs beside our back door...another one of my favorites.

"Sparrow's Nest" by Beth Pearson Stone

I told her about this post beforehand and she requested I please post another picture besides the "Home Schoolers Have Class" photo - just to prove that we grew out of the perm and flat bangs phase of our lives! I know I can prove I no longer have flat bangs, but I've yet to find a good hairstyle. Check back in another 20+ years! So in the name of friendship, here are the photos from our weddings...