skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Whether in shades of aqua or blue, chalcedony is without a doubt one of my absolute favorite gemstones to work with. The vibrant, gentle color that these stones give off has a kind of stand-alone beauty and elegance that is both eye-catching and wonderful to create new pieces of jewelry with. The stones also, of course, come in a variety of other colors including lavender, white, buff, light tan, gray, yellow, pink, red or brown, but it seems that I'm always drawn strongest to the blue and aqua shades of this particular stone.
In the handmade gemstone earrings pictured above, I've used a pair of vibrant yet calming blue chalcedony beads to display that stand-alone elegance I'm so drawn to. Designed with silver wire for a touch of cool shimmer, these blue chalcedony earrings are both fun and elegant at the same time.
In most Mediterranean areas, olives are harvested in the months of November, December and January. In Tuscany however, they have a cooler climate due to valleys that are often visited by early frosts. For this reason, in Tuscany the harvest can begin as early as the end of September.
Unlike many of the surrounding areas, in Tuscans that an olive that falls to the ground is worthy of being pressed for the oil that they're harvested for. For that reason, in this area of Italy, olives are still picked by hand.
This beaded eyeglass holder is titled "Tuscany in Autumn" because it's creation was inspired by the Tuscan olive harvest. Beaded with rich, olive green beads on a strand of black, the eyeglass chain has just enough shimmer to catch the eye but not so much that it can't be worn as an understated accent.
Like all of my handmade eyeglass holders, this piece is perfect for leashing in those runaway reading glasses that keep getting lost.
Christmas is almost here!!
I'm one of those people that loves the holidays. I don't always decorate... in fact, I don't always celebrate, at least not in the traditional sense, but I love the holidays all the same. There's so much pretty out there at this time of year. Sparkle and shine and color. Not to mention the music!
Not only that but it's one of the only holidays that challenges the conventional color schemes to come up with something different for a few weeks out of the year. As a part of my holiday regimen, I love creating new and different Christmas ornaments and decorations. Each year I sit down and make something new, and sometimes I pull others into the fun as well such as friends and neighbors.
This is one of my creations from this year! A Christmas tree bookmark with shiny little bell and matching tassel all set to dangle from the tip of a silver plated steel shepherds hook bookmarker. I have to admit, it's one of my favorites!
