Forgive me if I’ve shared this story with you in past posts:
My Great Aunt Eileen wore a beautiful diamond ring. I asked her one day if it was her wedding band or engagement ring, simply wondering what the story was behind the piece.
She told me, “This ring was a gift from your uncle, he gave it to me for no reason at all, which is the very best reason to give or receive a gift.”
She passed away a few years ago and this might be the greatest portion of her that I carry with me always…
To give for no reason at all,
except to give.
I’m giving this necklace away.
For no reason at all, except to say thank you for being here and being part of my life.
I realized, early this morning, that I haven’t offered you a giveaway piece for ages — forgive me!
The entry rules are VERY simple!
To have your name entered in this drawing please:
1. Leave one comment below! Say hi, tell me about the very best no-reason-at-all-gift you’ve ever received or let me know your favorite tulip color. Whatever! It all goes!
2. Include your email address so I can contact you if you win.
Happy spring!
Happy happy!
Happy for no reason at all!
xx
CONTEST CLOSES AT MIDNIGHT ON SATURDAY!!!
EEEEKKKK! That is so beautiful! I absolutely love butterflies and have 3 of them tattooed on me. My best friend told me once that I am a butterfly. I flutter from person to person making sure they are happy. I would be honored to wear that!!
Thank you for the wonderfully sweet giveaway and for being so wonderfully you.
Woot, what a lovely lady you are. My favorite non-reason at all gift was from my aunt and it was a ring, too. I told her it was beautiful and she just took it off and put it on me. It sort of startled me because people are usually attached to the things they own, and she didn't even flinch, it made me feel bad for saying I liked it! But she was so so dettached and honest about me having it that I quickly put away that feeling and just marveled at it 🙂
Hi! I too have a treasure diamond ring that my Aunt Sylvia gave me. It was found in the dirt at the childhood home of my grandmother's, and as to the owner of the ring no one ever knew so it's a long lost mystery…
sending happy rays of Florida warmth your way on this lovely Wednesday!
Angela
amellis1@yahoo.com
How perfectly wonderful!
Thank you, for always bringing beauty into my life. It is always a pleasure to read your words and admire your images.
Hope your spring is springing out there in Pocatato!
Crossing my fingers and toes!
Love from the bee at sea
betha42@gmail.com
Favourite tulips…YELLOW!
I love this necklace…I am a partner in thyroid issues.
hugs!
maria
misscrowland@gmail.com
Even though I know it can, I must ask: Can your beautiful self (in and out!) get any more wonderful?!?!
xoxo you are the plumiest of peaches.
These necklaces are beautiful!
I'd have to say the best no-reason gift I've ever gotten was a card my then-6-year old daughter made for me. It said, "my mommy is the beast" (I'm *pretty* sure she meant "best"). It still makes me laugh out loud whenever I think about it.
I have received many no reason gifts…don't know why? x
my favorite kind of gift is a random gift, i like to apply that to birthday and holiday gifts as well. if i can i stagger when i give them, so the spirit is extended past just one day! one of my favorite moments where i was given something just because was when i returned home from italy. andy and i had just started dating and he had filled my mailbox with all sorts of trinkets, faery bobbles and special little notes all lovingly wrapped… there was even a note in a bottle! it was so wonderful!
i love that this is why you are having a giveaway, for not reason in particular, just because. and your offering is so spectacular! i really appreciate that your work is not just an adornment, but like a painting to be worn, with a story and love behind each piece.
also, i don't know if i could choose a favorite tulip (i do love tulips so…), but i especially like the light creamy ones with a little green or pink marbled through the veins with the slight ripple to the edge of each petal. i posted a photo of one of my favorites on my blog http://littleowlarts.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-post.html
Hello!!!! every piece that leaves your work bench completely amazes me. i believe that when God created man, He in turn designed US to create.I believe you are walking out in every aspect of your being, your God given desire to create & to create with majesty. With every passing year i find myself desiring to create with my hands. even the smallest of things down to a coupon organizer. Something, Anything. Thank you for always doing what your heart tells you. We benefit from it.
My latest JUST BECAUSE gift from my husband, he was at hastings and saw the 'Pioneer Woman' love story book & picked it up for me….true love
Hi Jillian!
My favorite tulip color is orange with flecks of yellow. My green-eyed engineer bought me some of these a few days ago when we were out shopping. Did you know that tulip stems will continue to grow even after they are cut and put in a vase? Because they do.
Happy Wednesday!
wow Jillian, you are so generous! This is just lovely and I do hope I am lucky lucky lucky!
Rose are red
Violets are Blue
Your talent is quite amazing
Just wanted to say THANK YOU!
I love your ring story. absolutely right.
xxxoxo
Hi there! I'd be very pleased to own a piece of your finely crafted jewelry!
As far as tulips — I like them all – but there are gorgeous:
http://www.raretulips.com/i//Rare_Tulips_ice_cream_tulip_image.jpg
and I love red and white striped tulips.
my email: janice@doxallo.com
My comment: I think I have this Very Same Shirt in cream & army green. I love it. 🙂
I just want to say that I appreciate you as a person and love being your friend. I don't need to be entered since well… I feel spoiled enough 😉
Though, I do envy the lucky person who wins this!
I love when my husband shows up at my office on a random day with a very large hot latte. It's for no reason at all, or just that he loves me. I am always thrilled by this small gesture.. a visit from my true love with my very favorite drink. Just when I forget about the last time, he shows up again. It makes me feel very special.
Oh, my…I'm the first to comment. The best no-reason-at-all-gift I've ever received: a splendiferous pair of earrings I still wear once a week. And my favorite tulip color – the darkest, deepest purple.
my boy brought me a chicory flower last spring. I have it hanging on our bulletin board!
zorah@mac.com
Oh what a beautiful piece! You have such a generous spirit.
For me, flowers are the best for no-reason-at-all-gift. I don't like them for specific reasons because they don't last but just as a lovely little thing, they are the best.
Aloha J! What a fabulous piece to give away…that blue is amazing! I'm not sure I can recall being on the receiving end of a gift for no reason but I just gave one…I recently returned from a visit with my parents, they had yet to see any of my silver smithing creations in person so I wanted to bring something special for my mom…I crafted a heavy, wide, hammered spinner ring with two substantial spinners orbiting the wide shank. Seeing her face light up when it fit so perfectly on her finger and the pride she seemed to have in my creation was the best feeling! This will definitely be the first of many gifts I give for "no reason". It just feels so darn good! Oh, and the Tulips…I miss them so much since living out here. I absolute favorites are the ruffled white and red ones, they look like they have been hand painted!
I cannot think of a "just because" gift I've recieved… but recently I gave one. I mailed my best friend a to-go mug, "just because". She walks to work and always carries a regular mug, spilling her coffee on a daily basis. She was happier than a pig in you-know-what!
I love dark purple tulips.
oh, and wlynndecker@gmail.com
Though you may be grateful for us, we are eternally grateful for you, Jillian! You are constantly inspiring me, personally, to live a stronger, more bold, more beautiful life. Thanks for this giveaway–but mostly, thanks for being you!
That is one beautiful necklace – the colour is gorgeous!
No matter who wins, this blog post is gift – the idea of giving something to give warms my soul, and that's something i needed today!
Thank you, Ms. Plume, for the unexpected gift of your timely recommendation to check out The Artist's Way. I did just that and my soul has already been greatly blessed and grown wings to take me places I once only dreamed of …
and a thumbs up for yellow tulips!
Lisa
werhan@verizon.net
My favorite tulip colour is smokey purple. I would love to wear your necklace.
what a wonderful giveaway – thank you! and what a beautiful lesson to have been shared by your aunt… (not to mention that super special uncle)…
my 19 yr. old daughter asked me to come outside with her one cold and snowy day… up to my eyeballs in dishes and laundry, i (reluctantly) did so – only to find she had made me a heart in the snow with her footprints… it was beautiful… i was reminded me that life is short and chores can wait…
I was just outside pondering spring… We most often think of buds and birdies, and fresh new growth–when there are equal parts decay and… putrefaction. All of the dead things that litter the ground, moulder, stink, fester, and then burn up to dust under the sun–allowing the New Things burst forth for their time under the stars.
It sounds serious and perhaps a bit metaphysical, but I am just quite affected by my early evening shoveling, moving and sorting of the winter compost. Peeeee-U!
xx
I have been adoring your new stuff these days. Work to dream in…
Gorgeous necklace dearest Jillian.
Best no-reason gift I've ever received…the gift of friendship from all these amazing women across the globe…(does that sound sappy?)
Sending you lots of love.
xoxoxoxoxo
M
P.S. Email is moonlight.lotus(at)gmail.com
One of my most memorable just-because gifts came on a box from my grandmother one spring evening in 1984, nowhere near my birthday. After my mother doled out a few things for my brothers, she looked around, and said dramatically, 'And this is for you!" It was my very own Cabbage Patch Kid. Idalia Ingrid was her name, she had maroon overalls and unfortunately a bit of a club-foot due to a manufacturing defect. But I still loved her.
so lovely…and so nice of you to give it away! have you ever seen a black tulip????? my fav…
🙂 Pam
pamkrinsky@msn.com
hi! my grandmother used to always give me gifts for no reason. once, out of nowhere, she gave me a gorgeous brooch covered in amethysts and pearls with a dangling locket. it was my grandfather's wedding gift to her. another time she gave me a weird fuzzy orange scarf.
; )
oh, email: zazel@hotmal.com
like everything you make, this necklace is gorgeous!
-jody
I love that necklace!
I had a great customer once who ordered these amazing pieces to be custom designed by me. It was wonderful. She loved them, as did the person they were intended for, as did her super-picky husband!
A couple weeks after she received them, I came home to a box on my doorstep. Inside was a lovely, gorgeous, Butterfly Cocoon casing in a little framed box! It sits above my desk today, and I love it every time I look at it.
I hope you have a lovely weekend!
The best gift (or gifts) I've received was from a dear friend and mentor. I helped my friend clean out her 99 year old mother's house after she passed away and she gave me her mint green singer sewing machine and her Birds of America Audubon book. These two things are among my most treasured possessions. I didn't do it for recognition, just to help a friend through a difficult time, but she gave them to me and laughed because she said no one else was crazy enough to spend hours going through tons of junk in the moldy basement with her.
Oh, and I love bright red tulips!
columbia, sc…i am 19 (25 years ago)…i am a waitress and at 5pm sharp i've justed turned the "open" sign on the door over to face the street…soon after a bedraggled man comes in and sits at a back table…i serve him pot of tea after pot of tea…after a bit he asks for the bill and i say, "don't worry about it"…he looked like he needed a friend, a break…as he gets up to leave, he approaches and asks me to take what is in his hand…a wedding ring, his wedding ring! he shares that this "time" is over, my small kindness has meant the world to him, and to please take this ring…he wants ME to have it to thank me… please just take it…jesus, i was 19! i provided every reason why he should keep it, but finally stopped talking and just took it…there are some things you should just receive and this was one…
You know I've been admiring your work (and you) since I discovered it and, if I win this giveaway, I will treasure the necklace for ever.
I think that, gifts given with no reason are the best gifts because they come from a very deep part of ourselves, from our true love!!
Hope the spring comes full of great experiences for you!!
With love
Gaby
hughesgabriela@yahoo.com.ar
Have I SEEN a black tulip!!!????
I have six hundred of them planted at my curb!!! 🙂 They're my favorite too!
…………………………
My Cabbage Patch Kid was named Bartholomew Nicky — I called him Bart. He was African American. 🙂
Hellooo, oh myyyy what a gorgeous piece that is!
The best no-reason gift ive recieved has to be from my Oma, she gave me a small amount of american money saying "you never know, it may help sometime" just a few weeks before i had to go into the states, where that money saved me from a very unfortunate night. Gave her a big thanks for that one 😀
email: ryanburke@cogeco.ca
I am a firm believer in giving for no good reason at all! I have made it part of who I am : the friend who brings flowers when I feel like you could use them, the friend who remembers you've never seen that movie, so she picks it up when she sees it in the store. And while I never quite feel the sentiment is reciprocated, it certainly isn't wasted – I told my mom once years ago if I could be known for anything in my life it would be for a kind generous soul.
Hopefully I can live up to that goal!
I would very much like to win this (I never win anything!) I promise I would pay it forward 🙂
xo
jaime
bella-bijou {at} hotmail {dot} com
I love reading your blog, you really inspire me to see the beauty in living and to be honest with myself. My favorite no reason at all gift was a bracelet my high school sweetheart gave me made from a bicycle spoke. I still wear it everyday.
Thanks for being who you are and sharing with so many people!
Jenni
spjenni_penni@hotmail.com
Well, thank you for your kindness Jillian Susan! It is a true beauty, just like you.
For years I admired a ring my grandmother wore, a gift to her from her sister. A few years ago, before she passed away, she gave it to me. Out of the blue. I was so tickled, but gave it back to her because she dearly loved her sister and that ring. I made her promise to leave it to me when she could no longer wear it though.
When she left us, I did receive that ring. I love it so, but am afraid to wear it, out of fear I'll lose it. silly me.
oh drat, the email address…trina.hurley@gmail.com 🙂
(from the Cabbage Patch Kid posting)
GOSH!
YOU'RE A BEAUTIFUL FLOCK OF BIRDS!
THESE STORIES OF "GIFTS FOR NO REASON" ARE TOTALLY AMAZING!!!
DON'T THEY MAKE YOU WANT TO RUN OUT AND GIVE STUFF AWAY!?????
xxxxx
I just wanted to comment, for the very first time, to say that I think you are lovely. I found your blog via my dear friend Heidi Wiebe and have been a regular reader ever since.
(I don't want to be entered. Just wanted to say hullo.)
oops, forgot to include my email!
skeylin@msn.com
You're amazing!
My fave gift was a mobile from a precious 7 year old sweetie girl…
She had taken a commercial egg carton and cut out each cup. Then strung them all together with pretty ribbon in such a way that each cup was topped by another cup to make a closed vessel.
There would be a space on the ribbon then another closed vessel.
Alla whispered in my ear…
This is to hold all your secrets.
I always took it to mean the secret hopes and dreams we hold close to our hearts.
The gift made me teary-eyed and I still have it 20 yrs later.
Not everything that counts can be counted. Not everything that can be counted counts.
– Albert Einstein
Those whom we support hold us up in life.
-Marie Ebner Von Eshenbach
Jillian Plume…
Thank you, always, for the blessing of your friendship
xoxo
p.s. my word verification is *bless* !!!
Adore it! I was looking at it and thinking how you keep getting better and better then read you are giving it away! How wonderful!
That is such a beautiful necklace! Wow….I would feel so happy and honored to be chosen for such a piece from my favorite jewelry artist!!
Missy
Yssimee7@yahoo.com
Great giveaway. My husband and I don't worry about specific dates, in fact we are always forgetting our anniversary. I guess its a good thing we both do that or someone might be annoyed.
I have everything I need, a cozy studio and a happy family. Although that sweet necklace couldn't hurt.
you take my breath away.
i love you so.
tonight after dinner my dear husband drove to the store and bought me a slice of six-layer artisan chocolate cake, just because. he doesn't eat sweets, so this was truly for me. then he sat at the table and watched me enjoy part of it with a fresh cup of coffee, chatting about a book we had shared. sometimes it's the little acts of love that speak to the soul.
oh, and these comments! aren't they wonderful?!
Plume, you are your own most fabulous jewel.
I have a very modest worn-down rose gold and three-diamond ring that I inherited from my great-grandmother. I'm Anastasia Cox; she was Annie Cox. Annie's life was full of unremitting hardship and bad luck, but apparently she faced it all with tenacity and the most preposterously terrific and loony sense of humour. So this little worn-down ring feels like the most sublime tailor-made suit of armour to me. I feel a surge of humour and courage every time I slip it on, which is most days.
It wasn't gifted to me for no reason though. My latest gift received for no apparent reason is the slanty golden autumn light presently bouncing off and around everything down here in Southern Hemisphere Land. It fills me with such unalloyed, inexpressible joy. I would dearly love to capture a sample, to keep glowing on my desk in a glass jar. But then of course the light would not be free, and therefore not nearly so beautiful.
You can't begin to know how your inspirational creativity and generosity of spirit help me along my own path. Thank you xxx
For me, the best "for-no-reason" gifts are the unexpected phone calls, text messages, or thinking of you cards that friends send from near and far. To know that someone is taking the time out of their busy day to spend with me in voice or in spirit makes me feel so special and loved.
You are beautiful through and through, Jillian! I love YOUR soul 😀 I would be *honoured* to hang this beauty around my neck!
My husband's most recent 'just because' gift (in a LONG line of many…I'm so spoilt!) was a pair of vintage cowboy boots from Etsy. I love them almost as much as I love him!
Speaking of Cabbage Patch dolls, my Mum couldn't afford to buy me one when I was a kid…so she made me one instead. She bought a head (lord knows where you buy a Cabbage Patch doll head! But she found one! LOL) and made the body from old stockings which she stuffed with filling. She totally looked like the real deal! Until you lifted her skirt and she didn't have the little stamp on her bum. Mum even made us matching dresses LOL A mother's love knows no bounds!!!
B.
-xxxooo-
I love random gifts, mine are usually in the way of baked goodies. I love whipping up a cheesecake to simply pass it off to someone who is truly amazing!
Thank you for all of your gifts!
Kokie
kokielarson@hotmail.com
ooooooh, so very nice!!
my favourite gift for no reason at all is usually flowers. there is nothing like seeing my husby at the door with a bouquet of flowers.
sigh.
Hi Jillian! Love this necklace! I looked up your blog after reading an article about you in a beading magazine and have been hooked ever since. My best non-reason gifts are the sweet kisses of unconditional love that my 15 month daughter plants on my cheeks every day. Every time they melt my heart :).
Altinay (altinay@gmail.com)
Red tulips, and giving (and receiving!) are always good! Thank you for such a lovely giveaway…
Amymarez@yahoo.com
p.s. I love violet or dark aubergine tulips!!!
This is glorious. I LOVE it. I am a critter loving girl from way back.
My best "no reason" was from my dearest Pop – a dozen red roses. I was 19 (yes, dinos still walked the earth *grin*) and a very young deejay. He'd called to check that I got them while I was till on the air and said, "Play Misty for me." I said, "Daddy, that's not funny."
But it was – and so was he. I don't care if I ever get roses again.
Hi! I've been reading your blog a while now and always get so inspired. And I think the best almost-no-reason-at-all (though pretty practical) gift I've ever got was when my new boyfriend (now we're living together) gave me a lovely yellow umbrella totally unexpectedly. That's special because when he saw me first time I was crossing the street with a broken umbrella. 🙂
Chrissie
miniuscelsius@hotmail.com
I received a little tiny wooden asian sculptured lady with tiny cloth clothes from my best friend while she was in California. She was visiting her Japanese side of the family and wanted to give me a piece of what she experienced out there while visiting. Tulip color? The super bright red/pink ones that you can't help but notice!
Love this enameled piece, such a beautiful blue!
I love that your Aunt's ring was a gift for no reason at all -so sweet.
Happy Spring to you!
nr_smith@hotmail.com
OH, and chartreuse or lilac) or both with pale pink) tulips and I think you have my email. You def have my number. 🙂
Dear Plume,
I've so enjoyed your blog. You are so talented and I am inspired with how you and your family embrace your life and surroundings! Many thanks.
Kathy
kehiowa@southslope.net
Jillian,
You are a sweet girl. I love your latest creation. The color is so rich..
My favorite gifts for no reason are the ones my husband brings to me. He is a land surveyor and while he is out doing his surveying thing he takes the time to pick bunches of pussy willows in the spring and white pine bouquets around Christmas time. What a guy!
My favorite tulip color is white. They show up in the garden even after the sun goes down. I like that.
Thanks for this fabulous give away.
xo
cw33stone@aol.com
I saw the prettiest orange tulips today. This post hits closed to home for me- I think there is no better use of time or money then giving it to someone else. I work with bereaved families and most regrets come from things unsaid, undone and ungifted. I love all that you do, Thank you!
erinb82@yahoo.com
i am frequent gift-giver but am poor at receiving. always feel i don't deserve. i'm working on *that*….[smile] every one of sweet michael's gifts makes me cry just a little, from being floored by his thinking of me.
my favourite tulip? yellow.
you are a dear, generously giving away a piece of your hands' labour.
xx
Hi, hm… I can say my own answer outloud this one,:D the best gift in my life is my son from GOD becuase my life was totally changed the point of that time which my son was born. I lost most what I got, but I have him with me now. everyday, say, "I get angry, sad, and happy becuase of you."
Maybe there is some reason but it is my own problem to solve. :>
Wow, this necklace will surely be the best for-no-reason gift I'd ever received if I'm blessed enough to get it. Your designs are so inspiring — thank you for sharing with us! Yellow tulips are always so cheerful.
Thank you!
Leana
lschelvan at gmail dot com
My favourite tulip colour: red ! 🙂
My thyroid sucks. It made me cry today. 🙁
I absolutely LOVE this necklace!!! It made me feel happy! Thank you for creating such pizazz and beauty!
I'm going to go listen to The Hip now. 😀
Vita – full of randomness today. ;P
xoxo
email: crashingbison [at] gmail . com
I have been busily researching tulips for this giveaway and i have seen some breath-taking colors…but i would have to narrow it down to 2….Tulipa 'Blue Parrot'….and the Paul Scherer Tulip. I like them for different reasons…the blue for the frivolity and wild petals…the black for it's vast depth ~ speaking volumes without saying a word. Thank's for hosting such a lovely giveaway! ♥
and the email….dalahorsestar@gmail.com….sorry!
Idaho is the second best state in America.
Sincerely,
Dawn
Nederland, CO
Favorite tulip color: Black Parrot. But they're all lovely.
Best no-reason gift: my mother's magic shoes. My mother had primary progressive MS. I was 22 and it had been a year since she'd been able to walk unaided. In the house she stumbled and lurched from table to sofa to hallway, always just *this* close to falling, furious at the world, her heart shriveling and exhausted with bitterness and grief.
My parents went out on a summer afternoon and I got dinner started. When they came home, my dad told me they had a surprise for me and to turn around and close my eyes. After a moment, he said to turn around.
Across the room, standing alone, was my mother – all 5'10'' of her lanky body standing upright.
She wasn't leaning on anything. She didn't say a word. She just… walked right up to me like it was the most natural thing in the world, like she used to, and hugged me. She gave me the tenderest look. It was one of the best moments of my life.
They had found some magic shoes with special soles. I don't know how they gave her back the freedom to walk, but they did – for 6 more precious months. In the midst of the desert of the disease, I lost my mother long before she passed away. But I often think of this gracious moment when I need to remember that my mom loved me.
Holy crow, Ketra, that made me cry! xx
Why yellow, of course! Best gift for no reason at all – a handmade hammock stand for my backyard, a backyard filled with plenty of flowers and shrubs but no trees strong enough to hold a hammock…BEST gift, for no reason, ever!
redbuggirl@hotmail.com
This necklace is stunning! I have really been enjoying your enamel work! And I also love givinging just to give. I find myself giving little just to say i love you gifts all the time. I would be thrilled to wear this lovely necklace!
corimarie@me.com
I think the greatest gift I ever got was my love of the ocean but I'm not sure who to credit that too – nothing makes me happier or more at peace.
The necklace is beautiful!
jane
jemmcgraphics@aol.com
SO lovely, Plume! My friend made me some artwork- a row of snowflakes, no two perfect or alike, just like every moment in life. She gave it to me just because. my email- hschlehlein@gmail.com
What a delightful thing to do, to offer a giveaway for the sole(soul) purpose of giving away!
Regarding tulips; the prettiest I ever saw were petite botanical ones of lavender with yellow centers. They popped up quite unexpectedly in my old gardens; a lovely gift from nature!
caren(at)teachickadees(dot)com
I wish that I could meet people like you in person…that is all.
my mom is the best giver of no reason at all sorts of gifts. it started when i was little and i would find little notes from her in my lunch box and come home to a few trinkets on my bed that she had picked up while i was at school now i am 27 and she still does the laundry for my fiance and i every weekend. sometimes when i bring home the bag and unpack it, i find that she has hidden little treats in the bag, just as she did when i was little. pick me!!
xo
sami
aglimpseofglamour@gmail.com
weee!!! gorgeous!
weefaerie@gmail.com
Oh My, Ms. J, You've done it again. I hope you don't get tired of me saying that but it seems to be the way. This piece is sooooo beautiful. My most favorite non-reason gifts are always the flowers my DH brings to me. He's not much of a gift giver but he surprises me with beautiful flowers every now and then. I love the black tulips and would love to see all 600 of yours;o) Love you to pieces and as always, you brighten my day!! myartandmysoul@cox.net XXOO Sal
Yay, a giveaway! You're great aunt was right, a gift for no reason is the best gift of all. Thank you so much for a chance to win an awesome necklace. 🙂
Jillian
I'm thinking a nice black tulip. Or a field of tulips in some glorious arrangement. Best no reason gift? A compliment always brightens the day. And dark chocolate.
Lovely plumage!
Fly x
Sarahc2310@aol.com
Thank you for once again doing a FAB giveaway!!! My FAVE no reason at all gift is you sharing your world with us!!! 🙂
xoxo Mindy
mjelizaga79@yahoo.com
Oh J,
I tried to resist…but I just CAN'T!
Best non-reason gift I've ever been given was red leather cowgirl boots from a woman I want to be someday. I wear them when I need courage!
xo
M
Back in the fall, Gretchen and her daddio went for a walk in our neighbourhood and she came back with a white rock (from a neighbour's rock garden). She had picked it up, and given it to her father, saying "dis fo mama" and so he brought it to me. And ever since, it's been sitting in my kitchen, right behind my sink, where I see it each day. And it means the world to me <3
(Thank you for the chance! Giving makes me so darn happy! Is it Christmas yet??)
a sculpted gem, be still my heart!
a gift, as of late:
up at the cafe, a couple of ice cold beers given by way of a tourist from Minneapolis . That kind of random generosity holds dear.
My fingers are crossed, as always!
Much love,
-lulu
Hi, I enjoy your blog, your dogs and a window in your life. You are a giver and an old soul for such a young one. I hope you feel better. I recently got a cat because of yours. I don't wear fushia lipstick however. I live in Barbados and your blog gives me a taste of home. I appreciate all that you give. Thnx, Lisa
I´ve been reading through these wonderful stories all this morning..and totally forgot to drink my morning coffee!
It´s so important to be reminded about the goodness of human being, the greatness of our souls. Reading these made me realize I need to make someone in my life happy by giving something. And as we all know it doesn´t have to be much. I´m thinking about creating a simple piece of jewelry to the bestest of friends. In that piece I give a tiny piece of myself, my soul, my being. What more can you give than a part of yourself? And it doesn´t leave you with less of yourself, giving makes you even bigger&better!
About something I´ve been given by someone for no reason at all.. The biggest thing that comes to mind are smiles. I mean those heart- melting smiles that are born on a persons lips for no obvios reason; they just felt like smiling to you!
I can´t get enough of these amazing creations of your hands&mind. You make my heart SWELL!! Always a joy to read your stories and stare at your jewelry with a desire in my eyes.
xxPiia
piia.myller@gmail.com
http://aninspirationburstuponher.blogspot.com/
PS Intensive red tulips make my blood flow a little bit faster.
One the the most precious memories I have of my late husband is when we were newly weds of a couple years. One day after his work day he came home and gave me a wild flower. He said that he saw it growing on the side of the road and thought of me. He stopped his truck and picked it.
I loved that he thought of me. He was not the kind of man to send flower shop flowers so this gesture was precious. Oh and it was for no reason but Love!
My sister in Saskatoon mails me gifts for no reason at all. Once it was a JD Salinger book, once a restaurant gift certificate for my roommates and me, and once, an iPod. She rocks. Gifts for no reason are the best. So are you!
Beth
bethmalena@gmail.com
i am not posting here because i want you to give me something for free … but because earlier today, i saw a grand flash of light coming from the direction of North & Eastward!!!
for a split second it caused my eyes to tear, and i felt the velvet wing beats of a thin and graceful bird brush against my cheeks
if my instincts serve me well, then what i suspect i experienced today was your GOLDEN HEART, shining and in flight from your own patch of Idaho to where i was sitting along the blue fringe of the SF bay
you are a rare bird … uncaged but oh so guilded!!!
i just needed to tell you that, that's all.
XOx
L.
Hi Jillian,
My fave tulips are vanilla varieties – shy, bulbous, creamy.
My most memorable "whaa – for me?!" gift was a wooden box full of organic tomatoes a dear friend bought over one evening. Living in the city, a present of produce was an earthly touchstone for me!
pandora@philosophi.net
I love this piece:) It is gorgeous:) and my favorite tulip color is white…;) Thank you for the lovely giveaway!:)
Kasia
kicabijoux@gmail.com
Lovely! Umm…my favorite gift i received for no reason came from a friend who i haven't seen in forever. she mailed me a hand carved wooden snail. really random and unusual and awesome.
sugar4489@yahoo.com
oh so beautiful!
The best no reason gift i recived was a gift for my daugher a beautiful handmade teddy bear with her name on it she loves it to bits!
silverniknats@email.com
What a lovely piece!! It is so symbolic of being free ~ such beauty!!
<3
I got a notebook a ew weeks ago,just cuz…no real reason,just so i can be creative. I love that. More gifts or no reson! Tulips…so dark red,almost black i a vase. Or crisp pink outside.
Regards from Sweden 🙂
The first time I saw a tulip was in Eugene, Oregon where I spent my first spring ever, having just arrived from a tropical country some months before. It was a red one and I remember peering into the cup and being mesmerized by the architecture of flower. Red tulips have remained my favourite.
Leah (tayleah@gmail.com)
Wow! My favourite tulip colour is bright yellow, this necklace is beautiful!
Sorry forgot my email hangilbs@gmail.com
Hmm I think I love yellow tulips don't ask me why but I do!!
I love giving gifts out to people but my favourite gift I recieved for no reason was my husband lol I fought the love he wanted to give me but hell he's stubborn 😉 and eventually I had to succumb ~ I thank him everyday for loving me (I can be a tad high maintenance I think lmao!!!)
What a generous and absolutly awesome giveaway. Hmmml let me think, my favorite tulip color would be – pink:-)
This necklace is beautiful. I find your jewellery greatly inspiring. You have a gift, thank you for sharing it!!
I know the colour of tulips I don't like (yellow). To me nothing beats vibrant red tulips with lots of green foliage.
soniagenaitay@googlemail.com
Hello from Belgium !!! This pendant is so sweet, thank you to share its originality with us.I love the spirit of your jewels !
My favorite tulips are cream ones. Since a few years ago, my neighbour's daughter offers me a bouquet of them every spring. Just because she knows I love them… Her name is Justine, she is now 18. I consider her like my own daughter, we are very close.
I wish you all the best,
Anne
annestradiot747@hotmail.com
Black tulips! Oh gosh are they lovely and mysterious.
I enjoy GIVING no-reason-at-all gifts because the best gift is making someone else's day.
Namaste.
jambandfunkyparty@gmail.com
I love your black tulips…and red and purple ones as well.
I'll never forget being introduced to a great friend by my father, when I was a teenager. He had met some people who were moving and could not take their cat with them. She was a gorgeous seal-point Siamese. I had long been intrigued by Siamese cats. He was not a fan of cats and our household already included several. Nevertheless, he brought this lovely lady home to me; total surprise, out of the blue. She turned out to be an affectionate, complex, rich spirit–one of those "great cats". A little portrait I painted of her hangs on my wall today.
*sublime*
you know, my mum used to always say to me when I was a little girl, how I was her butterfly, dancing around, laughing, chattering, bringing joy, never resting… the butterfly spirit is strong and delicate, easily crushed, and yet, so in the moment that it can fly again and again, even after batterings and knock downs. it is so lovely to share the butterfly spirit with you, jilly xxk
[osirisjewellery@gmail.com]
One of my favorite just-because gifts has to be the simple gesture my daughter showed me when finding a pretty flower in our yard. She plucked it, declared it beautiful, then handed it to 'pitty mama'. To see her sweet smile as she presented the tiny little daisy to me was the best part.
I forgot to leave my email address on my previous comment….sorry about that. berry.lisa.a@gmail.com
Hi, my husband sent me flowers at work with a card saying "just because".
I love all tulips so I can't say I have a favorite.
jamescadecreations@gmail.com
thank you for your generosity!
David gave me a card once in the beginning when we started seeing each other. He had bought the card years ago and held on to it. Waiting for the right moment. For the right girl I guess. One ordinary day he handed me the extraordinary card.
It said something like:
I can't say in which exact moment I knew I loved you. I think I always have.
I treasure that card so much. It was the most beautiful gift he could ever have given me.
and now I am going to cross my fingers and toes in the hopes of winning that gorgeous necklace!
novaofsweden@me.com
That butterfly causes heart pounding!
Last week my sweetheart brought me a vanilla heart cookie after work. No reason at all. Made my day!
You are a generous soul!
My favorite "no-reason" gift came from my then fiance (now hubby). I was standing at the sink, elbows deep in bubbles and dirty dishes and he comes through the door from work. We're chatting and he puts a little box down on the counter with a beautiful little ring in it. We were already engaged but I had seen this ring in a consignment case and fell in love with it. It still makes me giddy and smiley to think that he went and got it just for me! Gifts are so special…thanks for making one for one of us.
Well I just found your blog through color sepia and how happy I am that I did! Very lovely necklace and I think it's quite kind of you to give it a new home. I've given gifts just because and I agree…it's rewarding. I've received flowers from my husband just because and must say it was quite nice!
jrruskamp@msn.com
hey there plume! hope all is well. what a wonderful necklace! this may sound like a cliche, but the best gift i ever received for no reason at all was my little stella who will be turning one next weekend. she is the best thing that's ever happened to me. what a perfectly happy accident!
xoxo
lindsay knapp
lindsknapp@gmail.com
When I was around fifteen, I was really into writing. My mom and I went to a bookstore one day, and I asked her to buy me a book called "How to Write and Publish Your First Novel", or something to that effect. She did not comment, only asked if that was the book I wanted. I said yes, she bought it along with her own things, we went on our way.
I consider that the best "not reason at all" gift, ever, because my mom's lack of criticism and easy acceptance of me wanting that book was one of those little "My mommy believes in me" moments that has stuck with me ever since.
and that is my entry for the giveaway!
have a good day up there in the northwest… it is muggy and hot here in the south.
Ooh, I'm totally pumped! I usually don't sign up for giveaways because I NEVER win, but for anything you make I'll be running for that bandwagon. 🙂
My favorite no reason at all gift was a string of pearls from my husband. He'd never bought me jewelry before (besides wedding set) and when I opened the package I seriously thought they must be fake because there was no way my husband would by me pearls. I was rendered completely and utterly speechless. I just sort of sat there staring at them.
Did you know real pearls are cold to the touch? I didn't until he put them around my neck and told me that. I still remember that moment clearly in my mind. The feel of my first ever pearls being placed on my neck by my fantastic husband. No comparison!
And luckily my reaction was exactly what he wanted because he's given me more 'no reason whatsoever' gifts since.
My email is cannwin at ymail.com (yes… Ymail)
Hi Plume!
The best give I/my family ever received: The kindness of strangers after we evacuated for Hurricane Katrina–strangers bought us meals, invited us into their homes, offered to fold our clothes in the laundromat . . .
Peace,
Alison
I think flowers are a wonderful no-reason-at-all gift, and they're my favorite kind to get. Gorgeous work!
Gosh! Again! These stories and comments are amazing — thanks to everyone who has taken a moment to share!
RW and I were talking last night — after HE gave ME a gift for no reason at all — and we both agree that no-reason-at-all-gifts are the very definition of "GIFT"…….don't you think? To give without obligation or hope of reciprocation is an actual heartfelt, deep give…..it's the only way I want to give from now on!
Don't STOP sharing these wonderful stories! It's a real thrill and a heart trill to read them!
xx
hello friend. tulips are my favorite flower, and although i would have told you that the bright pink ones were my favorite, i think the pink-edged-with-yellow ones are growing on me in a big way. also, i will always love white ones…because there's something so gorgeously demure about them.
one of the best gifts i may have gotten for no reason at all was a pink coat. wool, with 2 buttons. i think that as much as i loved the coat itself, i loved more that he'd listened to me quietly exclaim over it weeks before and bought it without me knowing.
i'm blessed enough to have received many gifts for no reason at all, so it's hard to choose just one story. this is the one that rises to the surface today.
thehighestheel(at)hotmail(dot)com
dear plume…i am utterly intrigued by your butterfly toggle solution. how clever and beautiful. like you.
a sandwich. my husband came home a bit before lunchtime, out of the blue, with a simple sandwich for me. it could have been a diamond ring it made me that happy. still does.
thank you for inspiring me in so many ways.
…tess
Those are the best presents and usually the only ones I give!
My favorite present that was just given because was from my Dad. We never really understood each other growing up, but one day, out of the blue, I came into my room and found a beautiful crystal unicorn pendent. It just said from Dad. We never mentioned it to each other, but that meant a lot of me.
Like I said, best presents ever.
Reading your blog is like a present! I love it. Whoever gets that necklace will be incredibly blessed.
Hope all is well!
Felicia
felicialynne21@gmail.com
How beautiful:)
I`m going to my first enamel-course to college here in Finland this summer. Cant wait!
hennahintsanen@gmail.com
A very good thing to do…
A win for barely any reason at all would be nice too!
My Father gives me little gifts all the time. For Easter a wee bit-o-cash folded into the shape of a bunny…He has always given just to give. A phenomenal man. {yesterday he gave me his lunch, because it was homemade fishcakes {♥}…and bought his own at work}
Lovely work Plume…Love the story especially…
Thank you.
xo
{andrealbarrett(at)yahoo(dot)ca}
Ello Ello!!! Me likey!!!
ps – I made bread twice this week!! How proud of me are you??
(also I know you have me email addy so I'd prefer not to put it up on the comment wall m'k?)
oops 🙁 forgot my e-mail too
jkuyek(at)gmail.com
(mine was the comment about your post being a gift. Though on further thought, I definitely treasure two rocks my 91 year old grandfather gave me last year. I plan to set them in silver. He's had them since 1929!!!!
miss plume. thank you for being lovely as aaaaaaaaaaalways.
and it's been such fun reading everyone else's comments! (i'm feeling quite warm and fuzzy at the moment)
best no-reason gift? a stranger's compliment. the no strings attached, no ulterior motive words of positivity are always heartfelt and brighten the greyest of days.
love,
lindsay.
(and to get in touch? you can do so through my blog! chopstickbeateneggs.wordpress.com
wheeeeee!)
Just yesterday I gifted my dear friend Angela a Confederate Jasmine plant. I was just picking up a plant mister at the store when I happened to mosey by it and thought of her. I dropped it of on her door step last night. I hope she enjoys it. Thank you for your always wonderful blog posts and inspiration. Leah @ thesocialcellar@yahoo.com
one of my favorite things are little sweet nothing notes tucked into corners.
love the butterflies.
stacey
s.wildflower@gmail.com
oh wow, well aside from the fact that butterflies are my favorite I can appreciate giving just to give. My husband and I don't exchange birthday or christmas presents but instead when something strikes our fancy we buy it for one another, it is usually something small like me coming home to fresh flowers that he has picked or bought for me, or I'll buy him his favorite cigar. These treasures mean more to me than anyhing becuase we did it for each other just because. Those moments always hold a special place in my heart.
Thank you for sharing the love with us.
Noelle
noeymayer@gmail.com
I love gifting. I love finding that special thing and then surprising the recipient with it perfectly wrapped, always with a real ribbon bow. I bought the most precious little etched box from Riki Shumacher last year that had a real quail egg coated in resin in a nest on the top. I sent it to my dearest friend Heather (who just so happens to share the same birthday with me) along with a one of a kind book of poetry by the artist and poet Gwen Frostic all about her beloved Michigan (she lives in TX currently). She was just so pining for her hometown at the same time… it was a special gift. That is the sort of thing that I love to receive as well. Recently a sweet friend sent me a lovely hand made PMC silver birdhouse necklace because I commented that I liked it. I am waiting to find the special something to send back to her.
Thank you for being such a restful and engaging spot to rest my eyes. I always love what you have going on in your corner of the world, and especially the way you see it!
Enjoy the day!
Erin
Oh, thank you for the opportunity! My favorite color tulip – those beautiful lipstick pink ones. The best gift, my son was 3 and we were in VT on vacation and he appeared at the back door with a bouquet of hand picked flowers.
Beautiful necklace, lovely giveaway. Squirrels eat all the tulips I plant, so sometimes I get pots of them to enjoy indoors. My favorites are orange and ruffly.
Hi!! This is a wonderful piece… so generous of you to give it away :). No reason at all gifts are the best and I have a great artist friend, Juliana, who is one of the most giving people I know. She is always giving me little, fun, suprises. Hope your Thursday is full of creativity and joy!
My e-mail is greenbee13@hotmail.com
What a wonderful story (and a beautiful necklace!)
My favorite color of tulip, in fact my favorite color of just about anything, is deep deep royal purple. Love that color!
Nancy rynnac at gmail.com
Oh a springtime lepidopterus, the sweetest ever! I wish I myself was one, instead of sweating and shivering to try to finish my PhD thesis in time for mid-May.
I don't think I've received many "just because" gifts, but there are several birthday etc. ones, which I cherish. My silver bracelet with the 8 small wild bears for the name of my son, for one.
Elli
elli(at)mbnet(dot)fi
yayay! LOVE the necklace 🙂
My favorite gift ever was at an art show somewhere in Idaho with my family. We were passing through and just decided to stop. So we go in and I basically fell in love with this very bright and lovely abstract painting, but I had no money so I wasnt going to buy it, but the painter who was a slightly odd but in a good way old man started talking to me and at the end of the conversation said that he really wanted me to have the painting because of how it spoke to me, so he took it off the wall and gave it to me. I have adored it ever since.
SMOOCH!!!
That is beautiful, the post and the necklace!
staci.louise@hotmail.com
http://www.stacilouise.blogspot.com
My husband surprises me with little gifts "just because". Flowers, See's chocolates, novels I've been dying to read, and even a truck! He's the best, my hubby.
Yes, it's true, I am a Noisy Plume blog lurker…my email is sharonpalac@yahoo.com
Thanks for your generous spirit!
Howdy do, that is one mighty fine necklace!
Best ever, no reason at all gift would be a necklace from my Dad, rest his kind soul…we were in a museum gift shop around 10 years ago, I was in my early 30's and struggling financially, I saw this opal stone necklace and was smitten with it,but could not afford it. A week or so later, we met for lunch and he brought out a little package and said 'Just because'…he had gone back on his own and bought that necklace for me…makes my heart swell even now…meant and means so much to this day.
stilllily@cox.net
Hey Ms. Jillian,
Hope your spring is going beautifully! The best gift I ever recieved for no reason was a bouquet of white roses at my work from my best friend Chelsea the night after I had a sleepless night over a guy… to this day she is still my best friend and I love her to no end 🙂 Thanks for making such beautiful jewelry!
britt.macduff@gmail.com
holy smackers this is beautiful and generous.
what a delightful memory to accompany the piece 🙂
right now i'm enjoying spring's gift of lilacs.
keep flying!
Lynsey
lynsey.phelps@gmail.com
You are so right – it is the best gift when you give for no reason. My husband brings home little things frequently and I am always on the look out for some of the things he collects. It just brightens your day to get something you don't expect. Your necklace is drop dead gorgeous – thank you for the chance to win.
rmar261783@aolcom
The best gift is all the beauty and love that surrounds me each and every day. Right now, the colors of spring and warmer breezes make my heart sing.
Lovely lovely piece you have there.
email: julie_sperry@hotmail.com
Happy happy spring to you!
No better reason whatsoever!
Last night we were watching out newest bit of tv curiosity and the main character gave a short monologue about giving yourself a gift every single day. Not to plan it out too rigidly, but to let it flow. He gave himself coffee and enjoyed every last drop. I think that's brilliant.
LOVE YOU TONS MISSIE!
All the beauty and love that surrounds me each and every day is the best gift I can think of.
Lovely lovely butterfly.
Have a very happy spring!
my email is jsperry82@gmail.com
In my late 20s I was literally gifted with compassion and empathy. I can't articulate it. It came from something that I don't understand and I don't understand why.
tucsonblossom at gmail dot com
Wow – it's gorgeous!
My best gift for no reason at all was finding a bird's nest in my rose bush this year complete with four little blue eggs. Later in the week I finally saw the momma bird who is a little brown sparrow.
Now I check it every few days by nonchalantly walking by and peering at it from afar to see if the bird and or eggs and or babies are there. What a refreshing gift to find!
Becky
that is gorgeous work. Hmmm…great idea, favorite color of flowers, which gets me thinking of this past Easter. My dear friend from Bozeman surprised me with a charming easter dinner: china she had packed in her picnic basket, a pastel yellow table cloth, and the most gorgeous bright yellow Daffodils. It was truly the best easter ever.
so beautiful!
black or deeeeepdeeeeep purple tulips are my favourite,
vibeke
My grandfather bought me a chicken hatcher that would hatch 4 chicks, he took four eggs out of the fridge, put them in the hatcher and everyday i would check them when I got off the bus, well one day he said he heard something in there and I needed to check, wow 4 baby chicks complete with broken eggs, one rhode island red, one dominecker, 2 banny chickens, the joy of innocence and the chickens I think were great but having him for a grandpa was the best. nancy4133@gmail.com How can anyone not love all the colors of tulips?
I don't know how I first came across your Etsy shop and therefore discovered your blog but I am so VERY, VERY delighted to have had the good fortune to have done so. From your poetry and peeks of country life to stunning photography and silversmithing talent, I am in constant delight! Thank you for sharing yourself with us. Anyavieve@yahoo.com
Plume!! I am now a proud owner of 7 little baby chickies. They talk all night and are just the most precious things. I hope you're chickens are doing wonderfully.
Thanks for giving for no reason but to give.
my nieces frequently gift me little pieces of artwork. no reason, but to show me unconditional love. it makes me step lightly and smile all over.
life is beautiful.
Brittany
bbrntt@gmail.com
Hi J,
Lovely work. Hope i'm the lucky one!!
P
Lovely piece, lady. Again you show us your generous nature, both from yourself, and of Self.
My tidbit…
I am LOVING taking low-flying trapeze class. Such delicious fun.
holy SMOKES what a response!! 161 comments! at any rate, i'm here as always, although i've been incognito recently…what i want to say is that the weather is smartening up here. It's been sunny and warm and there are crocuses blooming at the dog park (which i assume goes for the river valley too, although i haven't checked)!! If i were to get another tattoo at some point in my life, it might include a crocus. And a barn owl. Anyway, i've received a few gifts for no reason before – a favourite of mine were some beautiful copper earrings from YOU…I still wear them all the time. I also had several clients give me baby gifts prior to going on maternity leave…which was such a lovely surprise to me! Can't wait too see who wins the bauble!
xoxo
Hi!!! I have some lovely yellow tulips outside my office that make me happy while we experience cold rainy weather here in Chicago. Yellow tulips are like the trickster tulips, from far away, you can't tell if they are tulips, or daffodils!
Hi! Thanks for the opportunity! After my now 6 month old daughter was born my husband bought me a beautiful necklace I commented on when we were out shopping. He bought it just to tell me he loves me and how happy he is to be having a family with me.
joseyhensley@gmail.com
Gorgeous necklace…thanks for such a generous giveaway!! 🙂
Favorite tulip color? Purple!
What a lovely piece.
My favorite tulip color is a dark startling red.
My favorite non-reason gift? A celtic knot necklace from my (then soon-to-be) husband.
Best regards,
Katy
fordycekm@gmail.com
What a gorgeous bauble, Miss Plume!
My absolute favorite tulip is yellow with a bit of pink and orange at the tips, dew drops on the petals, and popping up in the chaos that is my yard.
xoxo
mlkondrak@gmail.com
Thank you for an awesome blog and giveaway!
I can't think of receiving a gift for no reason at all so I would be very happy to make this my first!
Thanks!
Cilla
cillawatkins@sunwave.net
Thank you for the lovely giveaway!
My best no reason gift was from my grandmother who gave me her first wedding set (from the depression)… a thin little gold band soldered to another thin gold band with the tiniest diamond in the setting. She said that there was no reason for it to sit in a drawer until she died if I would enjoy wearing it right then.
Thank you for your generosity and kindness! This is a lovely thought and memory to ponder on. I think I was 4 years old, and I can barely remember this at all… my Dad's co-worker presented me with a tiny blue box, and when I opened it, it contained a tiny white pearl, perfectly round, a glowing lustre, attached to a golden chain. I can't remember why he gave it to me, but I still have the necklace decades later. Whenever I hold the teeny necklace, it reminds me of a kindness long ago, and it also reminds me to treat others with the same unexpected, uncalled for kindness to this day. 🙂
What a lovely thing is kindness, it transcends age, place, and time.
ce2fong[at]hotmail.com
Thank you for your generosity and kindness! This is a lovely thought and memory to ponder on. I think I was 4 years old, and I can barely remember this at all… my Dad's co-worker presented me with a tiny blue box, and when I opened it, it contained a tiny white pearl, perfectly round, a glowing lustre, attached to a golden chain. I can't remember why he gave it to me, but I still have the necklace decades later. Whenever I hold the teeny necklace, it reminds me of a kindness long ago, and it also reminds me to treat others with the same unexpected, uncalled for kindness to this day. 🙂
What a lovely thing is kindness, it transcends age, place, and time.
ce2fong[at]hotmail.com
Lovely!
My favorite no reason gift was from my mother, and it was my great grandmother's silverware and sweater clip. I love the history!
Laura (sharino11@yahoo.com)
My most amazing gift so far is a colorful glass ball from my boyfriend's grandpa. He was wearing this ball in his pocket during WW II and kept telling everyone that it saved his life and it was his lucky ball. He never parted with it. And then, out of the sudden when we were playing bridge (he loved card games), he gave it to me. To take care of it. He considered that I was the right person to keep his glass ball. I really loved him and he loved me, I think. He died a couple of months after that evening. I was 16 or 17 then now I'm 40 and the small glass ball is still with me. Somehow I feel incomplete without it. I keep it in my bag and like to play with it when I need some luck in my life. The story behind it is amazing.
I find it deeply unfair to pick only one favorite color of tulips. I like nearly all of them. :))
Hugs, dear J.
Your M. from faraway land across the pond (hope you know me so my email is not disclosed plus I've never won anything in my life so chances are slim)
Beautiful necklace!! So very generous of you to give it away.
My favorite tulip colour is a creamy yellow with a wisp of pink.
Michelle
tonkacat@shaw.ca
Crickey Plume, what a treat! I would be honored to wear this. Copper, silver, enamel, turquoise-ish in color…sign me up…PLEASE?
My favorite tulip is a light purple with fringed petals. Ours are currently warming up under a blanket of snow. Soon they will emerge, I can't wait!
Cheer,
Kristin
snowbisquit@hotail.com
forgot to give my email – steveandjordan@gmail.com
A nice "to me" gift is a bouquet of fleurs…. haven't done that in a while, should…. Tulips just beginning to come up here, finally!!
Ah, Jillian, what a magnificent Schmetterling (currently my favorite word when said by my German-speaking little nieces and nephew)!!
Was looking up some entomological etymology (for a story) and am VERY glad the old Dutch word for butterfly, “boterschijte” did not catch on! ("Yes, darlings, aunty has four buttersh!t tattoos, now. Aren't they pretty?!!")
I'm a cold-weather girl, too, but after five long months of winter, this 'four-seasons in one day' craziness the past month…well, I may as well be back home!! Today's weather: Some sun, light rain expected, possible snow flurries and thunderstorms. (Think that just about covers it!)
Hubby stopped off at the local World Market after work last night and picked up a bag of chocolate buttons, a childhood favorite of mine. I'm eating them for breakfast.
(Thanks for sending out some sunshine, Jillian!)
WOW! you're an amazing artist. this necklace is stunning. par for the course though, right? i'm pretty sure they're all stunning.
my favorite "just because" gift was from my husband back when he was my boyfriend and we had just started dating. he gave me this tiny little clay pot that he bought at a museum he went to when he was home on break. he said it reminded him of me [b/c i'm tiny too…] so he got it for me. it was the first gift he ever gave me.
thanks for your the generosity of your giveaway! fingers crossed!
kjwilliams7@gmail.com
WOWEEE! You are such a neat little gal! So inspiring. Thank you!
Hello generous winged one,
Happily, a little handful of "just because" gifts pop into my head:
Your gift reminds me of a necklace of silver butterflies that my older brother gave to me. Over the past 2 decades it has fluttered around the necks of a few sisters and friends. Usually easing broken hearts or spirits. The rules are simple. Keep it on until you are ready to take it off and pass it along to the next person who needs to know that we are there for them.
So many hand-made "just because" gifts from my much-loved R — some of the best: re-painting my bike a perfect shade of deep berry, beading a barrette for me, and earrings made from shards of my favorite pottery.
As I write this, I also see a little troup of wooden elephants marching along my window sill in the sunlight. They were given to me from a little boy in Malawi when I was on a youth exchange – 18 years old and feeling far from my rural Saskatchewan home. His name was Chimwemwe, "Happy". How apt.
Favorite tulip colours — cream and blackberry mixed with wild praires grasses…or bright reddy-orange-yellow parrot tulips with pussy willows.
Thanks for the inspiration to give for no reason at all. You've given me the gift of gratitude that I needed today to lift me out of the blue. Your creation and rave shifts blue into teal. I love it.
Z.
Hello generous winged one,
Happily, a little handful of "just because" gifts pop into my head:
Your gift reminds me of a necklace of silver butterflies that my older brother gave to me. Over the past 2 decades it has fluttered around the necks of a few sisters and friends. Usually easing broken hearts or spirits. The rules are simple. Keep it on until you are ready to take it off and pass it along to the next person who needs to know that we are there for them.
So many hand-made "just because" gifts from my much-loved R — some of the best: re-painting my bike a perfect shade of deep berry, beading a barrette for me, and earrings made from shards of my favorite pottery.
As I write this, I also see a little troup of wooden elephants marching along my window sill in the sunlight. They were given to me from a little boy in Malawi when I was on a youth exchange – 18 years old and feeling far from my rural Saskatchewan home. His name was Chimwemwe, "Happy". How apt.
Favorite tulip colours — cream and blackberry mixed with wild praires grasses…or bright reddy-orange-yellow parrot tulips with pussy willows.
Thanks for the inspiration to give for no reason at all. You've given me the gift of gratitude that I needed today to lift me out of the blue. Your creation and rave shifts blue into teal. I love it.
Z.
Right. That does it. It's snowing AGAIN…so I'm off to eat the rest of the chocolate buttons!
HA HA!!!
It snowed here last night too!
Just beautiful…
I am STILL experiencing UTTER RAPTURE while reading these wonderful stories and sentiments!!! Thank you ALL SO MUCH for your comments!!!
Btw: what are your current favorite gemstones? Top three or four?
Aquamarine (the dirtier/mossier the better).
Iolite.
Amethyst (it's my birthstone and I ALWAYS love it).
Tsavorite.
🙂
I've never commented here, but I check your blog everyday. You're a poet, did you know that? Yours is a lovely space to visit, so, thank you.
And I gave my four-year-old her first pink leotard (with attached skirt, natch) for her first ballet class last week. It was a gift much appreciated. 🙂
Beautiful butterfly!I love stories of just giving to give.Like you I am the giver I try to give all that I can.Not just to people I know but complete strangers.Money to the guy holding the sign need food or an unexpected tip of twenty dollars at your local coffee shop.Giving just makes me sooooo Happy.But when my grandmother passed away when I was eighteen and my mom gave me my grandmothers golden whistle necklace I was so happy. Not because it was so beautiful it was the memories of playing with the whistle as a child!Over and out!Tulip YELLOW! Quick Clicker
I forgot to include my email….rockstars_wife@hotmail.com
Okay, one last comment and then I really must get some work done. (I have a character giving me the beady eye because I've had a frivolously lazy morning…did I mention chocolate buttons?)
Best gift ever, for me, is when someone makes me laugh, or I manage to make them giggle.
One of the funniest things someone has ever said to me: Years ago I met this lovely elderly Maori gentleman, a quiet, professorial type who didn't say much. At one point he asked me what tribe my family is from. When I told him, he paused for a moment, started nodding to himself, and then said, in his quiet way, "Yes, I believe we used to eat you."
God…I just about died laughing!
xxx
BAH AH HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!!!!!!! Well, for certain, YOU would be delicious in every way:)
Thank you, thank you ALL, for making me laugh and smile this morning. Everything is coming up golden chimes and wind kiss.
xx
Why yes, because I believe I would taste just like chocolate buttons!! =)
thank you for the chance! I would have to say the best thing I ever received,no strings attached, was a car! A friend was a little worried about my hitch hiking so gave me her Chevy Cavalier!Not exactly my dream vehicle but it took me to the American SW 4 times!(I heart NM)
Incidently if you ever hitch to Alaska and the Yukon take your Daschund!! I did and motor home were schreeching to a stop to pick us up! I kid you not! I rode the Alaska highway in senior citizen comfort and style, sipping olvaltine and nibbling stale cookies the whole way!
Kat
I forgot my email address: redravencrafts(AT)yahoo.ca
Got up at 4:45 a.m. this morning and drove my boyfriend to the airport – with an orange glowing sunrise over the fields. He returned back home to Scotland today after a wonderful time we spent here together.
On my way back I stopped in at my sister's small house in the forests for a nice and relaxing afternoon, wind in the trees and laughter in the air.
She showed me a beautiful shawl she just knitted recently. I tried it on telling her how great it was – and she gave it to me, for no reason at all, just like that.
I was speechless, laughed and hugged her. Such a joy and a sign of the deep bond between us.
A giveaway is a treasure, always. And surely your necklace is, too!
xxx
Kathrin
Recently I met new man, who was both beautiful on the inside and out. We took a walk in a park near his place after he cooked me dinner on our first date near his apartment. Out of nowhere he gave me gifts of seeds from a nearby tree and flowers to adorn my hair…
Hi, this beautiful pendant is the art of creation for me. On the one hand it is real, the other impossible. Has anyone seen the Butterfly on a wave of blue sea?
I send greetings.
Kinga
meduska@o2.pl
Funny you should ask! I don't think I ever have!!! xx
Amazing necklace.
I like those stunning dark puple tulips which shift between deep purple and black.
bekahannah@gmail.com
So, so lovely. Best gift? A gold Aquarius ring given to me at the age of 9 from our elderly landlord for no reason at all. It was special because my true love of 20 years is an aquarious.
You keep outdoing yourself! Fingers crossed.
Helloooooooooooooo!!! I love pastel colours when it comes to my tulips xx
yummy yummy!!
Ohhhh…we are so blessed for this opportunity… not just for the possibility of receiving a piece crafted from your heart through your hands (which in itself is enough and oh how wonderful dear generous soul that you are) but also for the coming together to share our stories…to laugh, to cry or just to identify …THANKYOU THANKYOU
On that note I would like to share my special gift for no reason…2yrs ago I was contacted by a reporter of a TV show saying my daughter that I had adopted 31yrs previous was looking for me and wanted to make contact!! I dont know if I can adequately express here in words just how that phone call changed my life, how everyday in reunion with her is a gift, a gift she had no realisation she would be giving if she found me and would continue to give by becoming apart of my life.But boy oh boy a gift it has been, a gift of relationship and new beginnings, a gift of hope that all things really are possible, a gift of finding those lost parts of yourself so deeply buried, a gift so precious, sacred and surreal that you have to pinch yourself that this is really happening. A gift that is never to be taken for granted…but oh so sweet indeed!!
veronica.j.cox@gmail.com
PS: I adore purpley black tulips toooo they are so yummy!!!
Your blog banner threw me for a moment, because in the last few days it has turned into spring at our house, and winter scarves seem far away. Hmmmm, only the daffodils have bloomed outside, no tulips yet, but my favorite color is . . . nope, there's too many that I love. They speak spring! How could I choose? Any tulip that the deer don't eat is my favorite.
On another note, thank you for giving for no reason at all–except that you're a giver. The butterfly necklace is remarkable, but I always think that about your work. Soulful and blue and hopeful. Thanks.
Oh, tfike55@hotmail.com
–Holly
This is sooo beautiful, and I would love to win this for a good friend of mine who loooves butterflies, and I know she has a massive craving for all of your amazing creations as well. I think this would be such a wonderful way to show my friend how much I appreciate her. Thanks for this wonderful oppertunity!
Happy weekend to you! Greeting from sunny Oslo!
…if you're talking about Vibeke, I think you're right:) xxxxxxx
PPS: … A gift that is never to be taken for granted… but one I will cherish and be eternally grateful for… always.
Hi!
What a beautiful give-away!
I guess the most precious presents for no reason are hugs, kisses and drawings that I get from my kids daily.
I just sent a 'just because gift' in the post to my friend's son… seeds to plant in the garden and little lego men 🙂
My email is clare.edwards1 {at} gmail {dot} com
I wrote a comment yesterday but was thwarted by some blogger error so I assume it did not connect me… THIS NECKLACE IS BEAUTIFUL!!! And since tomorrow is my birthday maybe the cosmos will grant me this lucky win!!!
I love all tulips, especially when they are planted in big batches and are all different colors!
…oops boehm.jessie@gmail.com, but I think it shows up that way…
Woman: You have one BEAUTIFUL story of a gift. THANK you for sharing it.
THANK YOU ALL!!!
AGAIN!!!!
Your responses have been such a thrill!
THANK YOU!!!!!
xx
I get the best no-reason-at-all gifts everyday from my three children. A dandelion picked for my hair. A sweet little doodle of a bird. A smile, A hug, a laugh. Everyday little gifts that make my world go 'round.
whenday.renay@gmail.com
I like to wear my heart on my sleeve- that is my biggest gift… pick me and i'll come over wrapped in a big bow, holding a fist full of lilac tulips and giving you a great big smile:) You can laugh at my accent and i'll laugh at yours and then we can have tea in the garden… just because xx
Hi Jillian! (I'm borrowing hubby's gmail account to join in the fun … )
I once received a very special mug for no reason at all. I think of the giver each time I use it. And once I admired a friend's labradorite necklace and she gave it to me on the spot!
Laurie
egnerfamily@att.net
Oh my! You are amazing for doing this giveaway 🙂
I would love to win..and so do 210 that have commented before me..right 😉 ?
Best present-lovelyday :
One day, when I was 5, my father had bought me some crayons..and then watched paint myself on the wall..he just smiled..:)I know he is smiling at me even now that he is not here anymore..
I love parrot tulips with feathery edges!
One of my favorite gifts was when I was going through a rough time at about 25 years old and my dad showed up at my apartment with a beautiful cruiser bike, just because. It made me feel like a little girl again, almost as good as getting that first bike from him(baby blue with clouds painted on it and a darn comfy banana seat!). Yet it also gave me a reason to get outside and be independent again, too, which was the real gift.
I have been wearing yellow, lace-cut heels with a kelly green pinafore dress today and it is making me endlessly happy.
– Naomi
My favorite tulips are red. No, yellow. No, purple. Black.
I love them all. Each and every one.
Thanks for the reminder. These comments were so uplifting! Happy May Day tomorrow, everyone.
I would love this necklace TOO! My favorite no reason gift was from my mom. She had a ring from her mon and I loved it so! One day she took it off and said, "take it, it's yours"! I will give it to my daughter one day "just because". I love your talent!
Cindy
Hi, Hi! My favourite surprise, no-reason gifts are just when someone randomly shows up with coffee and treats to share. Brightens my day every time!
I love daffodils over tulips…. the little bright yellow ones!
Thanks for the giveaway! I hope your having a lovely weekend…
a.hersley@gmail.com
Must have it. That simple. Thanks.
The necklace is lovely as you are!
The best gift for no reason at all i received was a rock. I was given my new favorite rock this week during the terrible tornadoes in alabama. they hit where i live and cordova was wiped out. friends and i went to help find survivors and help people sort out their lives. a little girl gave me a rock to say thank you for helping her family. it now sits on my window and reminds me how lucky i am.
the necklace is amazing and i am constantly impressed with your work.
katnip1225@hotmail.com
Dear Jillian,
I can't believe that I almost missed the chance to win the beautiful necklace. My best gift for no reason had to be an old coin that my father gave me. It had the date of my grandmother's (his mother) birth. I truly treasure it as my father was not a demonstrative person. I mmade it into a necklace and wear it almost all the time.
Bless you for your artistry and your kindness.
I have enjoyed reading everyone's stories the last few days' I keep FORGETTING to tell my own.
Firstly, I have come to love species tulips(oh that Martha), they are the wild and uncultivated parents of the fancier hybrids from the 1800's and are so cool and untamed. I have some crazy 4-inch babies with plum and saffron in an almost-plaid pattern, NEAT. The best gift I have received was from Erma, a homeless woman whom I met while working at a lunch counter. She knitted me an emerald green cap(with white pompom)and matching mittens. I was overwhelmed with gratitude that this person who had so little save for a suitcase and few other belongings would make me something so precious.
Thank you for hosting this beautiful contest Miss JSL. The fanciful concoction you have created has my heart beating something fierce!
Oh no Oh no! Am I too late? Tis only 11:26pm here…well, if I am I am. I will share anyway.
When I was little, my dad brought me home a nifty, super sleek portable filing folder. It was hard plastic on the outside and it only opened if the key card was in place. Inside there were several folders like an accordion. To a 9 year old, it was the coolest invention ever. I kept all of my super important documents in that folder for many years after that.
Also, that necklace is stunning. You are inspiring.
sawyer.jessica@gmail.com
The most recent just because gift I've recieved is more of a God thing than a thing. In the struggles of life lately I'd been holding onto a lot of anger, it was filling me up with bitterness and blackness inside. I know it's a choice to let go of things like that, life situations beyond our control, but I felt completely powerless to let go, to be free of it all, I felt so trapped. Then about two weeks ago, it just happened. It all went! I was able to forgive, I wasn't trapped anymore, the dark, suffocating cocoon opened up and the beautiful butterfly was able to come out. I've felt so light and free and able to feel joy in my little girls and my husband and the little beautiful moments of daily life again, despite the fact that circumstances I don't like remain. That release, the ability to let go of that anger eating me up inside, truly felt like a 'just because' gift from God. That is the gift that I am feeling the most thankful for right now.
Oops, I forgot too.
aguakati@hotmail.com
Just in time!
My favourite tulips are hot pink. I’ve just this minute finished planting them out – together with some bluebells and jonquils. It’s raining now though so that’s it for today.
Melinda
mhooper1@optusnet.com.au
Love the necklace and would to enter. Best gift ever that came out of the blue was a knitted scarf my friend threw together out of her left over yarn. It's a mismosh and I love it.
cheers,
mo