A beautiful community of creatives and artisans inhabit Wimberley.
Painters. Sculptors. Musicians. Writers. Poets. Potters. Textile Artists.
And a remarkably talented jewelry designer following a vision and a call.
Meet my friend, Mary Owens.
Check out the selection of beauties she displayed at her Christmas event.

Mary's story started with a search for significance.
This excerpt from Mary's website (www.mostudioart.com)
recounts the inspiring moment
she received the Key to the Kingdom assignment.

 I was working on a project for a client and working with an image of an antique key in my photo editing software. As I turned the key to fit the working space of the file, I accidentally created a duplicate.
Intrigued, I turned it again in the opposite direction and the 3 keys made
the cross of Christ! 
At that moment I heard in my spirit,
"I AM the Key of the Kingdom of Heaven."
This totally gave me chills so I grabbed my bible and went to Matthew 16:19,
"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven...” 

A piece of jewelry was birthed from this divine encounter. 
The cross became the keystone to the Key to the Kingdom line
which includes a variety of necklaces, bolos, cuffs, and earrings.
The unique collections are hand-crafted in Texas, rich in symbolism, 
and designed to be opportunities to speak about faith in style.
Proceeds from the sale of Mary's jewelry are donated to missions.

Click the buttons below
to order or make appointments to view the jewelry
or to learn more about Mary Owens, her journey, and her fine art.
​(She's also an accomplished painter.)

​Think about the keys clanking on your key fob.
They all have a distinct purpose. Whether the key is used daily or once a year.
If something you need is behind a locked door,
or in a lockbox, filing drawer, or a post office cube, 
you need a specific key.
That key is crucial, important, essential, vital, significant.

Friends are like keys.
One of my favorites lives in Denver. We see each other once or twice a year.
But her value to me is as special and individual
as the friends I see every week.
The depth of a friendship is not measured by the calculation of minutes.
Friendships blossom through meaningful
and sometimes unexpected interaction.
Conversation. Common interests. Honesty. Trust. Vulnerability.
Understanding. Encouragement. Empathy. Laughter. Tears. Love.
These sprinkles of life create a connection that is 
crucial, important, essential, vital, significant.

Christmas is a wonderful time to reach out to friends.
Who needs to hear from you?
​

​Keys alleviate a traumatic episode for Anne,
but Delana will have to unlock the secrets in the diary to understand why
​in my novel
All In For Life

 
Word.

I love Christmas. Level: Obsessive.
My halls have been decked since the second week of November.
(My tree was up before Halloween. Don't judge.)
Santa figurines grin from every angle.
Nativities inhabit special spaces.
 Store bought collections mingle with homemade and school made crafts.
The main tree drips with assorted ornaments weighted with memories.
A smaller tree showcases shiny, colorful glass blown beauties,
Tabletop trees feature themes like sports or cooking or textiles or
Texas or nature or sentimental keepsakes or names of Jesus. 
Candles, melters, and diffusers collide the fragrances of Christmas.
Fake greenery crawls every surface because real evergreens would never 
survive six or seven weeks in a Central Texas home.

This year, as I sashayed around in the glow of warm, white lights,
inhaling orange and clove wax as I fiddled with red berries and pinecones,
I noticed words.
One word. A phrase. Quotes.
​

These words. 
Comfort.
Joy. 
Welcome.
Home.
Hope.
​Heavenly.
​Peace.

They speak strength, delight, hospitality, community,
​encouragement, love, and rest.
I want to experience and offer to others all of this.
May my words declare life and do no harm. 

This season, whether you
 pause with wonder to ponder the humble birth of King Jesus, 
or celebrate the whimsy and symbols of the season,
or resist the holiday commercialism in favor of compassionate deeds, 
I wish for you these things:
Comfort and Joy when you are fragile or weary,
a Welcome Home when you are lost or lonely,
Heavenly Peace when you are stressed or worried,
and Hope when you are fearful and discouraged.

Here are some of my favorite inspirational Christmas lyrics.

Here are some of my favorite not so inspirational Christmas movie quotes.

Here are my final words. From my house to yours.

What are your favorite Christmas words, quotes, or lyrics?

In my novel, All In For Life,
philandering Ace endures a bittersweet welcome home dinner,
longsuffering Krystal finally embraces hope for her future,
confused Hayley slips into a waiting season of heavenly peace, and
desperate Felicia finds joy through the strengthening comfort of an old nun.
Get caught in the intriguing web of how 
​these fascinating characters intersect in 
All In For Life.