Bright red bamboo coral

I was thrilled to receive some bright red bamboo coral this week in a variety of cuts - chunks like above, slices and tubes. Red is such a hard colour to find in a gemstone - mineral or organic - yet so many people want it! But I can see why - it is a great accent colour - it will add some punch to a plain outfit and is suitable for all seasons. Think of the wow factor of a bright red necklace with a white sundress in summer and a black or chocolate fine knit sweater in winter.

Naturally, when I receive something that grabs my attention I just have to make some of it up immediately! So I now have three red necklaces in stock - all in bamboo coral, but all completely different.

Coral is one of the earliest used jewellery materials - Neolithic amulets have been found in Switzerland dating back to 8000 BC! Almost every cilivization since then, which had access to warm seas or traded with someone who did, has used coral for ornamentation.

What is termed 'coral' are the structures of generations of tiny invertebrates, built out of calcium carbonate and/or protein. Bamboo coral is a branch-like structure interspersed with joint-like areas. As the structure no longer has living coral in it, when it is harvested the colour is creamy white with brown or black markings. The porous nature of the coral means that it takes a dye well - so the result is a lovely bright red colour. Although soft by mineral gemstone standards (a 3-4 on the hardness scale), bamboo coral is reasonably tough and will take a high polish.

As it is an organic gemstone, it is susceptible to damage from chemicals and heat. It is best to wipe over with a soft cloth regularly and you can clean coral in a weak solution of cool water and mild detergent.

:)

I haven't had a lot of time this week for perusing the web, especially as I have been getting ready to exhibit my wares at the Dunedoo Show this Saturday, 4 April at the Dunedoo Showgrounds (I'll be in the ladies pavillion - if you're attending come and say hello!) but I always find time for a little web surfing and came across these lovelies that I wanted to share:

* If you're feeling nostalgic and want a taste of yesteryear, then check out the showroom at EP Designs;

* For a cute, whimsical critter to sit on your desk or shelf and make you smile, check out this little guy from Alexia of ARRRT! on Etsy. Isn't he adorable!? Alexia also makes journals and other fun 'stuff'!

Till next :)

Dads

I seemed to have missed St Patrick's Day. My bloggy friend Michelle published a great article on St Pats Day that was picked up by the Chicago Sun-Times. Way to go Michelle! And I need any occasion I can get to feature green - so here are a pretty little pair of earrings in my favourite colour.

It has been a sad week for me. My father, who after many illnesses and ailments over the last few years finally passed away at the age of 87. A man who was bigger than life in so many ways - he will be missed by an incredible number of people.



Ingrid Cliff of Heart Harmony chatted about her dad on her blog this week - about how he would like Harley Davidson to make a mobility scooter so that he can still get his bike fix when he gets too old to get around comfortably. I reckon my dad would have got along just fine with Ingrid's dad!

Even if your dad is going along just fine, time passes so quickly - especially in these days of our increasingly busy lives. So give your dad a hug next time you see him - 'cause you definitely can't give him too many!

Courage and Success

In my wanderings around the blogosphere, I found the following quote on Donna-Marie Coggin's blog:
“The difference between a successful man and a failure, is not one’s better abilities or ideas, but the courage one has to act on them”
-Maxwell Maltz

Then I ran into this post on Lori Anderson's blog that epitomises one boy's courage.

And it put me in the mind of success. Sometimes you have to stick to what you believe will work, with your passion and your ideals. It isn't always easy and it isn't that straightforward, but success, when it comes, is just so, well, satisfying!

Our local community held a music festival last weekend - the yearly jazz festival, whilst enjoyed by those who went, was a big drain on the community resources - there were never enough people to help organise, set up, pull down and access was rather tortuous through the national park. But the scenery was gorgeous!

So after last year's festival the committee decided to go biannual and this year run a low-key music event close to town to encourage more townspeople to attend. A lot of people didn't approve and some people said they wouldn't be going.

The day dawned clear and bright, the sun was shining - but it wasn't too hot and all was in readiness. The clouds came over - threatening but nothing too drastic and all continued on as scheduled. People turned up in droves.

Then mid-way through the evening the heavens opened - the stage got wet and dangerous and there was even a black-out. Oh no!!! However, the headline act, in true professional style, just pulled out some smaller equipment from their vehicle, set up in a shed and kept playing. And everyone had a marvellous time (even if they were a little damp!) The town is now full of praise for the event, the organisers are thrilled and for their courage at pursuing their goal, are smelling that sweet, sweet smell of success!

The picture for today is a bright and fresh gemstone bracelet of rock crystal quartz, carnelian, garnet, freshwater pearls, and citrine.

2009 autumn / fall colours

Woohoo this is my 100th post *party*! Who would have thought a post or so a week would have brought me to such a lofty level :)

I was excited to see Pantone has released it fall/autumn 2009 colour report - I love to sort out what gems will match the colours. The favoured tints are

American Beauty a deep red with blue undertones - garnet;
Purple Heart - deep royal purple - amethyst;
Honey Yellow - a creamy tan which - jaspers, particularly the creamy brown version of mookaite;
Iron - a grey with slightly brown undertones - smoky quartz;
Burnt Sienna - a mix of orange/pink/tan - fossil coral;
Rapture Rose - a deep dusky pink - rhodonite;
Warm Olive - chartreuse - olive jade;
Majolica Blue - a dark navy - dumorterite;
and the other two colours, Nomad a greyish beige and Creme Brulee a soft warm cream, will be great neutrals to wear any stone with!

Overall this is a palette I am very happy with - it's sophisticated and not too dark. Do you like the sound of these colours?

One thing I've just realised is that Theresa from TiLT Creations (she makes scrumptious bags) pinged me for TWO memes last week, not just one ... so I had better do the other one I failed to do! This one is a 6x6 tag - where I go to the sixth picture in the sixth folder of my pictures and show you what it is. I've had this computer going quite a while, so this is quite some time ago for me! Here it is:



Altogether now... "aaaaawwwwwwwww". Aren't they cute!? These are my children - five years ago! Langdon is now about to turn 11 and Celia and Meredith are now eight. My oh my, how time flies. They're particularly clean and rather groomed so I imagine the photo was taken before we went out somewhere - going out then was an occasion in itself with three in tow!!!

Now I need to tag six others. Hmmm, let me see -

Debi from Who Says 8 is Enough
Chriss from Petit
Ickle Kids
Corinne from Daydream Art Studios
Christina of Really, Christina?
Elaine from Commotion from the Ocean of Life
I'll be checking to see what pics you come up with ladies!

The pic I've selected for today is from my new winter collection and incidentally it is almost the same colour as Pantone's Burnt Sienna! It is fossil coral - creamy, delicately patterned ovals, set off with a magnificent disc in a burnt orange-tan, the whole highlighted with a touch of gold. I've named the piece Thalassa which means 'from the sea'.

First show for 2009 and an award

My first show for the year has been and gone and I had a great day out. The occasion was the International Women's Day in the Warrumbungles Shire, and they had an amazing number of speakers - all interesting women from within the Shire. Speakers included a local doctor, a resident originally from South America, an aboriginal elder, a herbalist, a previous shire councillor, a local choir ... and more. There were a small collection of booths from local concerns, all run by women. Everyone was extremely friendly and I was glad to see the men had been put to work in the kitchen ;) - they were profusely thanked, after all, we don't get them in there very often!



Do you ever wonder what you actually do in a day, a week, a month? I frequently ponder and occasionally get a bit distressed at how much time I spend doing 'nothing', or at least 'nothing productive'. At least I'm not alone. In my regular visits to my favourite blogs I see that Nicole of the Modern Goddess Online is wondering where the last two months have gone, and Terry of Magical Beadstalk has actually dissected her day to try and work out where the time goes LOL. Of course we all really do achieve things - they're just not always glaringly apparent! That's my story, at any rate, and I'm sticking to it!

I've feel very honoured to have been awarded the Kreativ Blogger award twice in the past week - once by Theresa of TiLT creations and by Jennifer of It's A Beauty Filled Life! Thank you so much ladies :)


Now, the rules of this award are to list seven things that I love, and to then pass this award on to seven bloggers that I love. I must also make sure to tag them and let them know they have won. So, here we go....

7 Things I Love:

1. chocolate - I'm sure I've mentioned this one before, but nevertheless...it deserves to be said again!
2. the colour green. I can't help it. Long term readers will know of my penchant for green jewellery. Maybe I need help.
3. my herbalist
4. blogging friends
5. warm sunshine on a cold day.
6. Jane Austen
7. Trinny & Susannah

7 Bloggers that I love:

1. Mariam of Angelshair. I have only just found Mariam's blog - she has some beautiful images of her work and some profound thoughts.
2. Ann of Ann Again...and again - always an entertaining read
3. Trisha Funky Food Allergies - because she HAS to be creative with toddler who has multiple food allergies.
4. Andrew of Chainmaille by BMOI - a new artist I have met who creates beautiful handpainted glasses and incredible chainmaille.
5. Elizabeth of La Toriana - beautiful quality children's wear - its enough to make me wish my children were younger!
6. Giggle Smile Designs - children's wall decor - another blog that makes me want to wind back the clock.
7. Lori of Pretty Things - because she always has great pictures and something interesting to say!

Today's picture is a necklace of lava and silver that sold at the show last weekend. Full of contrasts - rough/smooth, dark/light, matte/shiny all added up to alot of impact even though it wasn't that large a piece.