ed abbey & emily dickinson (and ian felice)

all of these items are now in the etsy shop, my friends :)

big news!

just as soon as i told you that i had decided to leave the classroom and get back to making jewelry i discovered that i was once again embarking on the most meaningful creative endeavor of all- the making of a tiny human being.  i am delighted to share with you all that i am pregnant!  a brand new little baby girl will be joining our family in october.  glenn, hazel, june and i are so very excited.  i had some pretty serious complications earlier in the pregnancy, and was on "modified" bed rest for a while, but things are going very well now.

i avoided being in the shop during the first trimester because of chemicals and such, and then was on bed rest.  but this week i donned my oh-so-sexy asbestos mask and headed out to create some pieces that i'd been designing in my head.  i don't know about where you live, but here in southwest colorado it is outrageously hot and dry.  i found myself wanting to create smallish, lightweight, daintier items than i normally do- pieces that wouldn't have any unnecessary weight to bring about anymore heat.  these are the result.  i was finally able to use some of the magnificent stones that patty picked up for me in tucson this year!

the trust. kyanite, aquamarine, and moonstone necklace

this is a double-strand necklace, a textured silver chain and a string of hand-knotted prehnite beads with an oval kyanite as well.

you can find it in the etsy shop here.

the sun dog. rainbow moonstone necklace,

with this most amazing rose cut rainbow moonstone

also with a hand-knotted necklace

this one can be found in the etsy shop here.

the never forget who you are necklace,

with juicy chrysoprase and labradorite

located in the etsy shop here.

the "don't it make you wanna take your time?" necklace,

with the most gorgeous puffy tanzanite

not located in the etsy shop because this one has become a part of my collection.  i just couldn't bear to part with this stone!

from cary anne hearst's beautiful song, the thread

we're hangin here within an inch of our lives
from the day we're born until the day we die
don't it make you want to take your time
are you gonna let it pass you by

made every way cut you like a knife
any moment in time could change your life
will you be ready with the time you got
maker is ready if your ready or not

hangin on by a fragile thread
livin your life like your already dead
will you be happy with the time you gave
these words will be your final days

we're hangin here within an inch of our lives
from the day we're born till the day we die
don't it make you want to take your time
are you gonna let it pass you by

wish i could look death in the face
transcend both time and space
and reclaim those bygone days
that i was such a fool to waste

we're hangin here within an inch of our lives
from the day we're born till the day we die
don't it make you want to take your time
are you gonna let it pass you by

When it comes my day when it comes my time
I hope to hear y'all moaning in the second life
Just throw my ashes on some hollow ground
and sing me on my way with a joyful sound
you can sing me on my way with a joyful sound
you can sing me on my way 

you can sing me on my way 

you can sing me on my way 

you can sing me on my way 

and a new feather necklace

which can be found here.

the sun dog ring,

with the sister stone to the necklace

the flash is just incredible.

this one is here in the etsy shop.

a stacking set, 

with rose cut labradorite, rose cut iolite, and a sweet little tiger's eye,

which can be found here.

and this stacking set, 

with rainbow moonstone, prehnite, and a lovely little pmc daisy with a sapphire in the center.

these can be found here.

there's been a lot happening around here lately.  june's dog mason turned out to not be avery good fit for our family.  we discovered that he actually was not very fond of children and was pretty stressed out all the time so we had to find a new home for him.  about a month later we decided to try one more time to find a dog for junebug.  we found this handsome fellow at the pagosa springs humane society.  his name is patches.  he is a five year old border collie mix.  he is blind in one eye from being kicked in the face by a horse, and he is fabulous.  we love him dearly and he takes his job of taking care of junebug very seriously.

hazelnut turned ten years old!  it was a tradition in my family that you could not get your ears pierced until you were ten.  decided to stick to that tradition with my girls and hazel is delighted to finally have hers pierced.  i have been teaching her how to make earrings.

june and i got to go see shovels and rope in denver, which was so much fun.

and here are the girls with glenn on father's day.  we had just picked him up from his 300 mile road bike ride.

and now, to try to beat the heat, we spend pretty much every day at this amazing lake.

this here has been the best pregnancy purchase ever!  a nice hole for my big pregnant belly, and it allows me to lay on my stomach.  i float on it every afternoon.

i hope everyone is having an awesome summer!

xoxoxo

specimens in blues and greens

all the while that i was attempting to live my alter-ego teacher self, and was unable to get into my shop,  i was fantasizing about making specimens.  i am so pleased with these new pieces.

specimens are collected as samples, for further study, to examine to determine genetic make up, classification, genre, etc. they are used to further knowledge, to better understand. information is extrapolated from them to answer questions or determine further study. collected specimens are more than mere keepsakes; they have a purpose and a value beyond the sentimental. they tell us something of origin, place, roots. these specimens do the same. they are earthly remnants represented in silver. they symbolize inner study and definition, collection, classification. i've been asking myself a lot of these questions lately, looking at my thoughts and feelings in new ways, trying to see patterns in my mind, my thinking, tracing my thoughts, seeing where they come from and where they go and what feelings they triggger. as someone very dear to me put it, "who are we and why we are, in the moment, how we are?" who are you and what does it mean? how do you classify yourself?

the calmness is the cradle of power necklace,

with kyanite, aquamarine, green tourmaline, amethyst, iolite, and labradorite

as well as amazonite, aquamarine, prehnite, moonstone, and kyanite wire-wrapped beads

the love, specimen necklace.  rainbow moonstone necklace

with rainbow moonstone, labradorite, tourmaline, and amethyst

as well as labradorite, iolite, kyanite, prehnite, moonstone, and apatite wire-wrapped beads

the specimen bracelet. kyanite and chalcedony  bracelet

with rose cut labradorite, faceted pink tourmaline, faceted polite, rose cut chalcedony, and kyanite

a lovely fern specimen with london blue topaz

the mandala earrings. chalcedony 

the resolve earrings. labradorite

the mating of the dove earrings

inspired by ian felice's song

From the Gulf of Aden, to the marble coast

To the rolling hills of Oregon
And the Tigris River and the wind that blows
In the hanging bowers of Babylon

I'm a fool for giving all that I gave
to you pitiful people when the world was made
And if I come back down from the stars above
It's just to watch the mating of the doves

I was there in Egypt when your king was slain
And it made me cry a million tears
And it formed a river in a western state
And it carved a canyon through the years

And I'm a fool for giving all that I gave
To you pitiful people when the world was made
And if I come back down from the stars above
It's just to watch the mating of the doves

So you can preach of Heaven and you can warn of Hell
And you can murder millions in my name
But I gave you Heaven and the only Hell
Is the one you made from fear and hate

and the mandala ring stack,

with pink tourmaline

all of these pieces are in the etsy shop now.