like the phoenix

i've always had a thing for the phoenix. i just adore the mythology behind it. (here's what wiki has to say about it.) i love the idea that out of the end comes the beginning. that just when you think it's over, it is really starting all over again. new. fresh.

when we went to the city of phoenix in the beginning of december, i was very inspired by the city's logo, a stylized version of the bird. so i started sketching this bracelet. i've been collecting the just right stones since then, and working on it a bit at a time, here and there. this week, i felt very inspired to finish it. here it is. it is enormous.

from left to right: sardonyx, carnelian, laguna lace agate, carnelian (top), lake superior agate, laguna agate. i chose the stones for their flame-like colors and patterns.

i crafted a humungous toggle to hold the weight of it. i actually made every single component of this bracelet from scratch, even the jump rings. very zen. very therapeutic.

the back is quite personal, but i am happy to share it with you. it is my simple little mantra that i repeat to myself when things are tough. you can laugh if you like, but it is quite powerful. "i am loveable (misspelled on purpose of course). i am beautiful. i am successful. i am good.

so now it is my wonder woman power bracelet. it is a very definite presence on my wrist.