Following......

Mulsum

Ok those of you who know me well, know how terrible I have been of late and not only blogging but catching up on everyone elses blogs ~ I have great excuses ;) but won't bore you with them here because I have a new gadget on my blog! Yes, following is the new way to keep up to date with friends blogs ~ now at a drop of a hat I can see who is posting without trawling through each and everyone's ~ sadly if your blog or name was after L I probably wouldn't get to you because the beads would start calling and I would forget where I was ~ maybe its my age not the beads ....

Theodora

Showing of my surprise bracelet ~ yes I actually used gold~filled and found it very lovely to work with. I love the warmth it gives the garnet too. The earrings are a bit of sneak preview ~ as of Monday evening not even my Flickr watchers have seen them yet!! What do you think ~ Amethyst, labradorite and pink Amethyst on posts ~ I'm really pleased with the out come but need to stop putting pink Amethsyt in everything I make :P

Green Quartz Dangly Silver Earrings

I went back to one of Eni Oken's older tutorials, and created this pair of earrings. Really like the outcome, they are lightweigh and fun to wear.

Sterling silver wire are wrapped around to create two rings, adorned with tiny silver beads.

The briolettes are green glass quartz. Glass quartz is a laboratory made quartz, to enhance the charity of the bead and to give gorgeous colors not available in the natural stones. They are very fashionable in the jewelry industry.

This pair is ~ 6 cm including the ear wires. All metal is sterling silver.

22 Euros

Natural Perfumery

One of my latest hobbies is blending essential oils to create natural perfumes. I always had a very sensitive nose for smells, so I know I can put my strong sense of smell to good use.

A very recent niche to perfumery is about using only natural components, no synthetic material, like they use in the commercial perfumes. I am very interested in this, and decided to pursue it a bit further, see where it takes me. I think it complements making artisan jewelry quite nicely.

So far I have the following essential oils (real essential oils, not fragrances) that I can play around with (more on the way from the UK):

Cedarwood

Rosewood

Ylang Ylang

Lavender

Patchouli

Bergamot

Frankincense

Sandalwood

Lemon

Neroli

Clary Sage

Grapefruit

Black Pepper

Rose

Apricot

Mandarin

Lemongrass

and Jojoba and Apricot as carrier oils

I've already played around today with three little recipes, the first two I snagged from the web, and the third I put together myself. Very basic stuff, but I remember when I started with wire wrapping, I was so proud of my first little wrap around a bead. I guess that's what these little perfume concoctions are for me *grins*. Bottles need to be dark color, and to be shaken a few times a day for the mix to blend nicely in. The earliest you can have an idea of what it will really be about is after 48 hours, but just like with a good wine, the longer it stays, the better it will be. One week, two weeks, or even more...

Basics

Luster of Life

I suppose my title may confuse you but as someone who can't help but watch the news I know the world and his horse are all waiting to hear some good news about the credit crunch ~ my fellow jewellery lovers will know that treating yourself in times of trouble is a great pick~you~up and treating friends and family especially now we are approaching Christmas!! So I'm coming up with a basic range ~ something that will still have the 'gem heaven' sparkle of course!

Ghost Tree

My lovely friend Brandi tagged me this week, anyone who has been reading my blog since the start will know I have been tagged a few times before ~ but you never know you may read something new about me today ~ well I will try!!

1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by including links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.

1) I love nail polish ~ mainly pinks and reds and have bottles of the stuff but I also bite my nails so colours are confined to my toes!! You will be pleased to hear I am trying and have one hand which is not quite as embarassing as the other

2) I'm in love with sock monkey ~ I found a site on Etsy with some stunners on and keep trying to tell Elli she wants one for Christmas!! I WILL have one lol!!

3) I am growing my hair ~ I get bored so easily and decided on a change ~ *disclaimer I may change my mind again at anytime

4) I've seen Mama Mia twice and actually would have gone more if I could have!!

5) I am tone deaf ~ can't sing a note yet I do a mean Babara Steisand in my shower!! WEll I think so (I was brought up on Barbara and especially love the Guilty album)

6) I can't leave the house without eyeliner and lipstick on!

7) I have an important medical appointment I keep putting off and need nagging about .....

Brandi tagged a few of my mates so here's my list

1) Izzy of Adventures in Glass
2)Bettejo's A bead a Day
3) Nina ~ Beads in the Belfry
4) Caroline ~ Crafted Gems
5) Sharon ~ Manamoon Studios
6) Becky ~ Chameleon Designs
7) Kelly ~ Kebo Jewellery

Lapis Lazuli Herringbone Silver Necklace

Using some of the lapis lazuli beads I bought the other day, I made this sterling silver necklace, incorporating also matching dyed agate beads, which I used for the larger wrapped herringbone weave links. It's a looker piece!
Approximately 44 cm long (except for the hanging part).

Lapis lazuli is said to enhance one's awareness, insight and intellect. It is also said to impart ancient knowledge and wisdom, bringing peacefulness and self-acceptance. Helps cure depression, insomnia, recurring fevers, vision and hearing problems, and disorders of the throat, lungs and immune system.
And best, it has a gorgeous deep blue color :)

35 Euros

Hello from Hilton Head

I just spent a few lovely days in Hilton Head, South Carolina, tagging along while my husband attended a conference there. We got there a day early so I was able to get him out on the ocean in a kayak (my favorite form of transport on the water). Of course, I took my work with me, but there is a difference in working on the balcony of the ninth floor overlooking the ocean and listening to the waves break and working in an airless office with the droning of air conditioners in the background! The picture above shows the balcony and the sunrise over the ocean. The first day my husband awoke me a few minutes after 7:00 to share the sunrise with me - and it was much more beautiful than the picture suggests. It was so lovely that he woke me every morning just to see it (no easy task getting me awake in the morning). I told him that Sunday morning we ought to get up early and watch the sunrise while walking on the beach. I know he thought I would never get up, but I did! Of course that was the only cloudy morning! However, I jumped in the pool for a 7:30 dip, which was heavenly as was the hot coffee when I got out.

The bracelets you see here are some that I made in Hilton Head - a great place to work! Of course, I was limited by the supplies that I could actually take with me, but that, too, was part of the fun - seeing what I could do with the limited quantities I had. The first bracelet that you see (above) is a unique mixture of aquamarine, chrysoprase, chalcedony, carnelian, lemon quartz, and amethyst combined with sterling silver. Below, a double-stranded amethyst bracelet gets its allure from vermeil components; I especially love the little faceted vermeil nuggets from Bali, a favorite that I haven't been able to obtain for a while.

The rest of the bracelets are combinations of gemstones that you don't always see together. Below, pink chalcedony, dark peacock-blue apatite, aquamarine and carnelian are held together by an unusual lampwork bead by James Derrick Reeves in this unique bracelet with sterling silver. The next tiger-eye bracelet also has citrine, including a citrine pendant/charm, more of the peacock blue apatite, and a lampwork bead with the golden brown tones of the tiger-eye as a base and yellow and blue "speckles" accenting it. Finally, the last blue lace agate jewelry piece is a bracelet with a focal pietersite nugget with blue marbling thoughout although the picture is making the whole nugget look more red than brown.

Working in a vacation spot has its perks, the ocean, the great seafood, a wonderful change in scenery, but coming home has its own rewards. Two of them have been sleeping on me or following me around since I returned. One of the little furry ones keeps shutting the bathroom door deliberately, then meowing until I come and let him out. He waits a moment and then does it again. Why don't I just shut the door so that he can't get it open at all and I won't have to get up again and let him out? Because I really, really missed him!!! I missed the other kitty, too, but he's a little less dramatic.
Some of you have been asking where to buy the jewelry you see here. On my website, of course. The CLUNY GREY JEWELRY website!

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blue lace agate jewelry
amethyst bracelet tiger eye jewelry Hilton Head

Germany

I've been in Germany - did anyone notice ;) My E won a place in the Mercedes Trophy World Final 2008 Golf Tournament and so I have been a WAG for a week!! There was four in the team - three playing and a team Captain plus partners and what fun we had! With 27 nations all socializing as well as the golf - it was a surreal, can you imagine not only flying Business Class (VIP lounge was fab) but also arriving in Suttgart to see the Vans to collect us!

Our guys were dressed as James Bond complete with Martini's - it was so cool to see them all being applauded. There was some fabulous costumes of national dress and from that first day it was one big party ~ and I am still suffering I can tell you :))
As Wags we were taken here, there and everywhere the above pic was taken at the Mercedes museam which was fantastic ~ like travelling through time with the car company. The great thing was we ended the Tournament here with the presentation can imagine partying amongst 30 yr old mercedes, mind you we didn't come into contact with them at the end of the evening wonder why!!
And here's my E mid~round have no idea what he's doing though ~ but then I have no idea how to play golf, a WAG is too busy shopping!!!!