Tuesday, May 13, 2014

mixed metal/ giveaway and facebook promotion

 

so these are my new mixed metal pieces, the ones i alluded to before, with the poll. i love the way they have turned out, such a nice mix of colors. the charms were all made using art clay- copper, bronze, and silver.
 
so, the giveaway. i am giving away one of these mixed metal specimen necklaces. i want to do an experiment. everyone keeps telling me that facebook is the best way to promote your business. so far, that has not been my expereince. so i want to try something. in order to enter the giveaway, first please like my facebook page if you haven't already done so. (my facebook business page is silver sparrow. i'm not the only silver sparrow on facebook, but i think i'm the only one in all lower case letters.) then, once you've liked my page, please share the post that talks about this giveaway. to keep things simple for me, leave a comment on the post telling me you shared it. THEN, if any of your friends share it, they will be entered in the giveaway and you will be entered again, etc. just make sure to leave a comment letting me know, so i have all the entries in one place. yes?
 
 
the mixed metal specimen necklace no.1
copper moon face, bronze heart, silver fern
 
 
 
you can find it here.
 
 
mixed metal specimen necklace no.2
copper feather, bronze disc with a sapphire, silver heart with a ruby
 
 
you can find this one here.
 
 
mixed metal specimen necklace no. 3
copper feather, silver lotus, bronze heart
 
 
 
and you can find it here.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Monday, May 12, 2014

waters

i had a wonderful mother's day yesterday with the girls. they brought me breakfast in bed and made me a million beautiful cards and drawings. hope all you mamas had fabulous days as well.

 

this is the let the waters settle necklace,
with a gorgeous high dome teardrop rainbow moonstone and a small faceted labradorite
 
 
the labradorite is nestled in one of my wood-grain specimen pieces, and there's a handcut dove made from several layers of silver sheet.
 
with a lovely rumi quote on the back
 
 
 
and this is the new ocean necklace,
with a gorgeous apatite cabochon
 
this necklace was inspired by the gorgeous song new ocean, by jake bellows, from his album of the same name.
 
I’m lookin’ for the one;
a path into the hills;

another setting sun;

the power without the will.


And we can fall into the new ocean

Make ready, all the boats.
The valley’s filling up.
Let’s lower down the ropes
and let our brothers in.

And we can fall into the new ocean.
With all you do are you already sunk?

Here we come,
Here we come,
Here we come—

Tied a ribbon around the star
so it won’t forget my wish
to never be so far.
Give my body to the fish so they don’t starve.

And we can fall into the new ocean;
and where are you, my darling one?

Here we come
Here we come
Here we come—

Here we come
Here we come

the chain is made of wire-wrapped frosty apatite and chrysoprase beads. a fine silver star with two white sapphires dangles from the end,
 

 

and jake bellows' beautiful words on the back.
 
 
 
 
and, i don't normally post photos of food, but i wanted to share this. i've been doing the whole30 program for one week now. are you familiar with this? basically no sugar, (at all-- no honey, no stevia, no agave nectar, nothing) no gluten, no grains, no dairy, no corn, no beans, no alcohol. i also gave up coffee. for 30 days. the idea is to completely clean out your system and let it reset itself. after 30 days a thing becomes a habit. so, i can eat eggs, meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, eggs, and nuts. so far, so good. i've been trying so many new recipes; it's wonderful.
 
 
so i made these salmon cakes last night, and they were a-m-a-zing. the whole family loved them; the girls each ate six!
 
 
and i made homemade tartar sauce to go with them- made from olive oil, egg, pickle, and herbs

 

spectacular

 

Thursday, May 8, 2014

storks, specimens, santa fe, and a sale

 

the among the white storks bracelet,
with a hand-pierced stork,
accompanied by turquoise, peruvian opal, apatite, and iolite beads
 
inspired by ian felice's gorgeous song, her eyes dart 'round:
Her Eyes Dart 'RoundO my love is light as a dove
Her skin is fair and dark is her hair
And her eyes dart 'round and fall on the ground
And her lips move along to an old country song

Down south you'll find among the high pines
An old liquor store where we danced on the floor
O the light on the wall, it brightens the hall
But the room in the back is quiet and black

What keeps me alive is the green in your eyes
And the sweet distant drone of your voice on the phone
Could I hear, in death, your voice and your breath?
Could I hear them sounds in life underground?

O lightly she walks among the white storks
And craning her neck, she steps from the deck
Could I bow in the sand to your lily white hand?
Can my head gently rest in your lily white breast?

O my love is light as a dove
Her skin is fair and dark is her hair
And her eyes dart 'round and fall on the ground
And her lips move along to an old country song


and a sweet little heart at your pulse
 
the specimen bracelet #2
with a fine silver wood grain disc, a bezel set moonstone, and silver charm
 

 

hand-knotted garnets, amethyst, and chrysoprase, and wire-wrapped amazonite, garnet, kyanite, and lepidolite complete the bracelet.
 

 

these will be in the etsy shop tomorrow.
 

 

i recently took a beautiful trip to santa fe

 

 

 
i had my tiny co-pilot to help with the drive
 
we went for some lovely hikes
 
and found fields of crystals like this one

 

when i got home, on another hike, i found this little guy, just sitting right in the middle of my path. my neighbor told me that in navajo mythology horned toads are said to be "the biggest, best good luck" and my friend tracy said they represent courage.
 
and, i got a baritone ukulele!
it's really just a mini guitar with four strings. i am in love with it and cannot stop playing. i have not had a new instrument in 12 years.

 

i am doing well. things are good.
i hope you are also well.
xoxo
 
p.s. in honor of my 6-year etsy anniversary all items in my shop are 10% off and shipping is free. and, if you go to my silver sparrow facebook page there's a coupon code for an additional 10% off.