So today I went looking for some information about pyrite and found this gem lore site I hadn't run across before -- it's a pagan-oriented site with a section called "Stones -- History, Myth and Lore."
Unlike many sites, only a select few stones are listed, and I like that the lore included isn't the usual "greeks and romans" stuff, but includes also Asian lore and stories from the indigenous Americas.
I also like that the author delves also into the scientific aspects of the stones, a topic she seems comfortable with and knowledgeable about.
It is written and compiled by Patricia Jean Martin. There's music, but it's pleasant, especially when turned down low. ;-)
SERIOUSBEADER ~ Mixed Media Beadwork & Altered Art from the Land of Enchantment
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Instant Bead Soup, Canine Style
This story started when I finally made a jewelry sale in my new shop (no offense Monkey Girl but your purchase didn't count -- you are not a total stranger ;-)
I could not for the life of me find the little chacha rings I'd made, one of which sold. (yay!) I reorganized everything on my work table in case I'd inadvertently set it there. Stayed up late putting things away and triple-checking my Etsy inventory drawers. No chacha rings. So I set out the materials to make another one, and finally went to bed.
The next morning I got up and re-inventoried everything in my Etsy drawers against what I've got in my shops, and lo and behold, found both the rings. Whew!
But once that cleaning gene gets activated, it's hard to stop and I've learned not to ignore it since I know from experience it'll go back into remission in a few hours (sometimes for months . . . )
I tend to keep things in little paper plates or bowls. They're cheap, eh? They double as paint trays, glue puddle holders, portable organizers. I had a plate for seed beads to put away. I had a bowl of tiny vials of sterling silver components. Stacked bowls with gemstones and the findings to make them into bracelets. A neat little tray of pairs of earrings waiting for me to make sterling earring wires for. By golly, I haven't been this organized in . . . well, a very long time.
So today I come home from work and immediately noticed the dog is trotting out of the computer/jewelry table room, instead of sneaking off the couch before we bust her. I'm like, wha??? She is always at the door to greet us. Today she comes barrelling around the corner in bark mode.
To my great and utterly depressing dismay, I see that for some strange reason (bird? peeping tom? low flying hot air balloon?) she has jumped onto my once-in-a-lifetime-tidy worktable and swept EVERYTHING off onto the floor, in order to CLIMB UP on the windowsill (this is an adobe house, my windowsills are a foot deep) where she managed to knock off some antique bottles I use to photograph earrings.
Right now, I'm looking at headpins and short lengths of silver wire strewn around my feet. A strand of turquoise on the carpet, with loose beads nearby. An upside down vial that once held some silver finding or another. I can't quite bring myself to look beyond (or under) the chair cushion in the corner of the room. But lemme put it this way, I'm seeing more table right now than I have since the holidays, when I boxed everything up and put it UNDER the table. ;-)
Can't blame the dog. She's normally so mellow you'd think she was on medication. My kid says she probably scared a burglar away. He's probably right. And now . . . for the cleanup. See ya in a few days . . .
I could not for the life of me find the little chacha rings I'd made, one of which sold. (yay!) I reorganized everything on my work table in case I'd inadvertently set it there. Stayed up late putting things away and triple-checking my Etsy inventory drawers. No chacha rings. So I set out the materials to make another one, and finally went to bed.
The next morning I got up and re-inventoried everything in my Etsy drawers against what I've got in my shops, and lo and behold, found both the rings. Whew!
But once that cleaning gene gets activated, it's hard to stop and I've learned not to ignore it since I know from experience it'll go back into remission in a few hours (sometimes for months . . . )
I tend to keep things in little paper plates or bowls. They're cheap, eh? They double as paint trays, glue puddle holders, portable organizers. I had a plate for seed beads to put away. I had a bowl of tiny vials of sterling silver components. Stacked bowls with gemstones and the findings to make them into bracelets. A neat little tray of pairs of earrings waiting for me to make sterling earring wires for. By golly, I haven't been this organized in . . . well, a very long time.
So today I come home from work and immediately noticed the dog is trotting out of the computer/jewelry table room, instead of sneaking off the couch before we bust her. I'm like, wha??? She is always at the door to greet us. Today she comes barrelling around the corner in bark mode.
To my great and utterly depressing dismay, I see that for some strange reason (bird? peeping tom? low flying hot air balloon?) she has jumped onto my once-in-a-lifetime-tidy worktable and swept EVERYTHING off onto the floor, in order to CLIMB UP on the windowsill (this is an adobe house, my windowsills are a foot deep) where she managed to knock off some antique bottles I use to photograph earrings.
Right now, I'm looking at headpins and short lengths of silver wire strewn around my feet. A strand of turquoise on the carpet, with loose beads nearby. An upside down vial that once held some silver finding or another. I can't quite bring myself to look beyond (or under) the chair cushion in the corner of the room. But lemme put it this way, I'm seeing more table right now than I have since the holidays, when I boxed everything up and put it UNDER the table. ;-)
Can't blame the dog. She's normally so mellow you'd think she was on medication. My kid says she probably scared a burglar away. He's probably right.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Santa Fe Relic
Recycled vintage tin "house" pin with vintage ephemera collage. Hammered and antiqued sterling silver wire, vintage carved turquoise bird.
In my Etsy shop, y'all. :-)
In my Etsy shop, y'all. :-)
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Yes, Sig has finally lost it
If you've done beadwork for any length of time, you know Sig Wynne-Evans. (Hint: She's older than Delicas and younger than Deon DeLang ;-)Ya know, a lot of times people "in the biz" feel a certain pressure to behave in public. When a vendor, designer, author, teacher, or otherwise well known person in the industry (and I'm sure this is true for other art/craft genres) speaks too frankly, speaks too honestly, speaks their true feelings, there is an inevitable backlash. Especially on the Internet.
But Sig, though sweet as pie, generous as the day is long, and warm as a teddy bear in person, has generally elected to speak her mind no matter what and it doesn't seem to have hurt her any.
Until now. I am fairly certain she's completely flipped her lid and lost her marbles! One too many rows of odd-count flat peyote?
Miz Sig, in case you haven't heard, is now on Chapter 6 of the Cracked Bead, a tell-it-like-a-veteran-designer-sees-it "journal" of things some of us wish we'd said others of us might wish she hadn't.
The title? Tips for Designers: How to design Creatively Rich, Artistically Perfect, and Phenomenally Yummy (C.R.A.P.P.Y.) Patterns yes that's right folks -- with intimate testimonials from the designer herself. And extra points for sarcasm. ;-)
Oh and if you feel the need to catch up, the rest of the Chapters are still online too.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Lavender Blossoms Beading Pack
Just one more...
The lilacs are in bloom all along my street. They're the inspiration for this new palette.
Pretty vintage lucite beads, mostly flowers, in lavender, lilac, and violet.
Brand new and in my Etsy shop.
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