The lovely coffee brown drusy agate oval gemstone cabochon shown here is 27mm long. You can read more about what drusy agate is here.
Agate is traditionally believed to help you to discern truth, improve memory and concentration, increase stamina, prevent insomnia and ensure pleasant dreams, enhance personal courage, protect you against danger, and provide a calming influence.
I used this cabochon to create this custom piece:
The lovely brown coral oval gemstone cabochon shown here is 36mm long.
Petoskey stone is fossilised coral from the Devonian period found in Michigan, USA. It is named after the Ottawa Indian Chief, Pet-o-sega.
I used this cabochon to create this custom piece:
The lovely flower jasper gemstone cabochon shown here is 38mm long.
Jasper is believed to encourage personal bravery and help people gain independence. It is thought to help cure gynecological problems and to strengthen the stomach. Some believe it can help bring rain, and it has been used as a protection against evil spirits and snake and spider bites.
I used this cabochon to create this custom piece:
The stunning sparkly cream oval drusy agate gemstone cabochon shown here is 30mm long. You can read more about what drusy agate is here.
Agate is traditionally believed to help you to discern truth, improve memory and concentration, increase stamina, prevent insomnia and ensure pleasant dreams, enhance personal courage, protect you against danger, and provide a calming influence.
I used this cabochon to create this custom piece:
The stunning black and grey oval Picasso marble gemstone cabochon shown here is 30mm long.
Picasso marble is a combination of magma and limestone which was formed millions of years ago, creating colours and patterns which are similar in appearance to Picasso’s art, hence the name.
Picasso marble is believed to strengthen self-control, clarity, stablilty; give total recall of dreams and assist in meditation. It apparently helps expand the mind, and aids in the manifestation of physical and material goals. It is believed to help to heal viral infection.
I used this cabochon to create this custom piece:
The wonderful black oval drusy agate gemstone cabochon shown here is 26mm long. You can read more about what drusy agate is here.
Agate is traditionally believed to help you to discern truth, improve memory and concentration, increase stamina, prevent insomnia and ensure pleasant dreams, enhance personal courage, protect you against danger, and provide a calming influence.
I used this cabochon to create this custom piece:
The end of another month is drawing near, so I wanted to remind you to subscribe now for your emailed monthly copy of The Silver Forge Newsletter (if you haven’t already!)
As well as a page of richness and marvels (ok: some pretty pictures and mildly entertaining items), one lucky subscriber will be drawn each month to win a special something. This month’s giveaway prize is a unique pair of one of my more popular themes, a pair of sterling silver triangle spiral earrings.They’re fresh, interesting and simple enough to be worn every day; and so comfortable you’ll hardly know you’re wearing them until someone comments on their amazingness!!*
You only have until 28th Feb 2013 to sign up in time to win these beauties, so get cracking, won’t you. Good luck!!
*(Disclaimer: amazingness may only be present in the eye of the beholder).
‘One flower for you’ (Fine Art Photography by Andrea Caroline)
Let’s Ova-Run Cancer, a fundraising organisation started by Leanne French (an ovarian cancer survivor) and some of her friends, is holding its second annual fundraising auction which starts tomorrow. The funds raised go to Ovarian Cancer Australia to help research and fight this disease.
In Australia, three women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every day. There is no early detection test for ovarian cancer and the Pap test does not detect the disease.
More than 1300 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in Australia each year and 800 women will die from the disease. Approximately 75% of women are diagnosed at an advanced stage, where the cancer has spread and is difficult to treat successfully.
At the moment, only 43% of women with ovarian cancer will be alive five years later. But if ovarian cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, women have an 80% chance of being alive and well after five years.
The Ovarian Cancer Australia website has lots of information about the disease, including the symptoms to watch out for.
I have donated two pairs of earrings to the Ova-Run fundraiser. Why not head over to the Ova-Run website and check out the many fabulous items in the auction while you’re there! Registration is now open. All you need is a valid e-mail address and away you go. Bidding starts at 7am EST, Monday 25th February 2013 (that’s tomorrow morning!). The system is a lot like Ebay and is easy to navigate.
This cause is close to my heart, as some years ago I had my own ovarian cancer scare when one of my ovaries was removed in an emergency procedure due to a torsioned cyst. It turned out to be a fortuitous operation, as there was a pre-cancerous tumour inside that cyst. Five years of monitoring blood tests and ultrasounds saw me still in the clear, for which I am extremely grateful. You can understand why I am glad to have the opportunity to help fund research to help people who have been less fortunate than I was. I plan to donate 10% of all sales from my shop during March – let’s get behind this worthy cause together!!
One of the many joys of having a small person around is rediscovering the miracle of Playdoh. I don’t love how you spell it, but I do love to play with it!!
Did you know that Playdoh started life as a wallpaper cleaning product? Thank goodness the company started to go under! They had a surplus of stock, and enterprisingly started selling it as modelling clay. When PlayDoh was first released to the general public in 1956, it came in one colour – ‘off white’. About how you’d expect wallpaper cleaning dough to look, really!
By 1957, you could get red, yellow and blue. You’d be pretty set there, really.. the primary colours could be mixed to give you every colour of the rainbow!! Still, it’s a beautiful thing that today you can buy Playdoh in so many different colours. It comes in Neon, Metallics and Glitter as well… ahhhh!!!
A life sized Playdoh car was built as part of a new car promotion on the streets of London recently. 1.5 tonnes of Playdoh was used. That’s 10,000 pots. Yes, there was a blue Playdoh shortage in England after this!
The joy is about the colours it comes in. Being a colour lover, it just appeals to me so much! It’s also the smell. Cracking a new container of dough.. “Fun to play with, not to eat?” Bah!!! Who hasn’t munched some Playdoh when they were small? And the fleeting moments of stress-free creation… relax; make it, and if it’s no good, squash it! (And if it is good, your small person will squash it anyway!)
You can always make your own if you’re that way inclined, and I have more than once! I have a good recipe: if you’d like it, let me know. But for my money, a couple of dollars for a nice new pot of the real thing is hard to beat. (Although I’m not sure that the above PlayDoh advertising is doing it for me. It’s partially “wow!” and partially “weird and a little creepy.” What do you think?)
Ahhh, my love affair with Pantone continues. It’s one-sided, sure, but who wouldn’t want a never ending set of Pantone storage boxes to make your life complete?
The recent release of the 2013 Pantone ‘Fall’ colours is a bit exciting!! Emerald is the Pantone colour of the year, and I’m loving those more muted but still funky autumn tones. There’s not one I wouldn’t wear!!
I’ve looked through my gemstone collection, and here’s a few suggestions for having your own unique piece made, and being on trend this autumn. Contact me if you love one of these stones and want it for your very own!
Contented sigh…. I love colour. Still! 🙂