Natural and Healing Jewelry

In my natural line of jewelry, the materials I use are not only naturally occurring but also have beneficial properties. From times immemorial, humans have looked to nature for physical and spiritual sustenance. Plants, minerals, stones, bones, shells were seen as possessing qualities to nurture and protect the mind, body and spirit. Humans have not always treated their generous protectors well-- that is a different story for a different time. But, nature in her infinite generosity has not stopped giving.

Shells and pearls and in fact, all waterborne gemstones enhance the sense of self, heighten intuition, promote calmness and inner peace. They are  connected to the heart chakra and thus promote heart health, are said to help with digestion and, because of their calcium content also strengthen the bones. In cultures that have been traditionally dependent on the sea for livelihood, pearls and shells are worn for good luck, good health and prosperity.

A shimmering paua shell pendant in iridescent green and blue paired with an iridescent black lip flower pendant is the focal point of the necklace pictured above. The chain part of the necklace is made of sea green and white mother of pearl beads, white and dark silver coin pearls and green swarovski crystals.The large pendant measures 55 mm ( little more than 2") and the smaller one is 33mm in diameter. The necklace is finished with a toggle clasp.

It is available in my Etsy shop.

Thanks for visiting.

Weekly Challenge #20: Royal Wedding

The theme for this week's challenge at I am the Diva CZT is Royal Wedding. A theme ripe for either romantic ooh and aahing or parody. Not being a monarchist, I opted for parody and the hat parade at the wedding was too tempting a target. Originally I was going to borrow from the actual hats worn by the guests but then I happen to notice the cover of one of the chemistry trade journals that my husband subscribes to--the chemical structure of an enzyme. Perfect! The model for the hat is Earl Spencer's girlfriend who wore a hat with such a wide brim that her face was virtually invisible. I gave her a braid with an actual zentangle pattern and it was done! I am rather pleased with the results.

P.S. I did not watch the wedding but did look at the slide shows in the New York Times. The actual structure is much more complex than what I have drawn.

Work in Progress: One Sign at a Time

This is the first in the series called Zodiac Art that combines my longstanding interest in astrology and my love for mixed media art. I started with my own sign Pisces and have eleven more to go. I first painted a piece of cotton cloth and then printed the text relating to the sign on it. The text describes and delineates the sign in relation to other signs occupying various houses. The zodiac sign medallion was hand painted on a piece of silk and mounted on a rigid interfacing. I also created a companion card that delineates the placement of the ascendant lord in different houses.

It took a while to get the first piece going. What's taking up time is the researching and composing of the text materials relating to the sign. These pieces will be available in my Etsy shop soon.

Weekly Challenge #19: Light Over Dark

When I did the two projects above a while ago, I was not thinking of William Morris. Yet, when I found out that this week's challenge at I am the Diva is to create a tile or a tangle of light over dark a la William Morris using white dots, I could not resist using them for the challenge. Granted they are not exactly zentangles and they are also white dots over color instead of black. But the white dots do convey a pattern ( morning sun rays on the first and  flight of the butterfly on the second). I also find creating dot patterns extremely meditative. So, maybe this could be called ZIA? (I used deco art white pen.)

What I found in the Mail Box

From the Etsy Melange ACEO swap, beautiful cards from: Top left : Elenamary,, Midwestielady,  LDphotography
Bottom Left: Whyte, LizAnna

Thank you talented ladies.

Sustainable Earth

April 22 is celebrated as Earth Day. My little contribution--repurposed rice bags into journal covers. In the spirit of not wasting anything, I used as many parts of the bag as possible. On the cover of one of the journal above I have even stitched the product information tag that comes with the bag. The wrap around cord was dyed naturally in a coffee-tea solution.

The cover is lined with felt. Inside there are three signatures to a total of 120 pages. The signatures are sewn with a sturdy cotton thread. All the sides are matchine stitched to prevent fraying. There is an earthiness and unpretentiousness to these journals that come from the use of natural and repurposed materials.

Sadly, more and more of the rice I buy now come packaged in cheap polyester bags. Pretty soon, I may not have any bags to repurpose.

More available in my Etsy shop. Proceeds from sales at my Etsy shop are recycled into donations to help physically challenged children and adults. Here is my blog post on the organization I support .

Thanks for visiting.

New Jewelry

Yesterday it did not just rain but poured.  Could not go outside and so I made some new jewelry. It is sunny today and I got them photographed and even listed some of them in my shop. The necklaces I make tend to be on the bold and big side and I always felt that photographing them flat did not do full justice. This morning I got the brilliant idea of painting the white plastic mannequin I have into a brown color. I must say the necklaces look quite nice draped around its tanned neck! Here is peek and you will find more in my  Etsy shop  here.