Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Oh, tourmaline...

"When one's emotional experience is defined by the rising and ebbing tides of the events of life, happiness is often short-lived.  However, Watermelon Tourmaline teaches one the meaning of joy - that unbounded happiness is not caused by any external circumstance but is instead the natural condition of being."


from "The Book of Stones" by Robert Simmons and Naisha Ahsian


No wonder I love this gem so much.


I'm addicted to Watermelon Tourmaline...


it soothes my soul and makes my heart happy, 


and it's ever-so-pretty to look at :-)


I wear my own set of rose cut watermelon tourmaline stacking rings all the time...


Watermelon Tourmaline stacking rings


And you have kept me busy creating your own beautiful, unique ring sets too!


Watermelon Tourmaline Stacking Rings


Watermelon Tourmaline Stacking Rings


Watermelon Tourmaline Stacking Rings


Watermelon Tourmaline Stacking Rings


*le sigh*


I just want to wear them all at once...


Rose Cut Watermelon Tourmaline Stacking Rings


Almost too much loveliness to bear!


Though I started with 15 of these beauties...


Watermelon Tourmalines


there are six that remain should you wish to create your own unique set...


Watermelon Tourmalines 13 Jan


Available in my Etsy shop :-)


~*~


The past month has been occupied with:


selling a house,


daily visits to the hospital as somebody I love fights the battle of his life
(and I can say, unequivocally, that cancer of the brain is the MOST evil, heartbreaking, soul-destroying disease...),


starting school for the first time...


Indie's First Day at School
(despite never having spent a day away from me in her four short years, India has taken to school like a duck to water!  On her first day, there were no tears...until it was time to come home! LOL  My heart is absolutely bursting with pride for my beautiful little girl ♥),


seeing my work and words published here...
Bead Design Studio,


and restoring antique furniture.


There is a magic about breathing new life into something that is timeworn and unappreciated.


This sweet little antique corner table has beautiful bones and I fell in love the moment I saw her...


Antique Corner Table - Before
(and she cost me all of $12...!)


After many hours of laborious sanding and painting, sanding and painting, sanding and painting...
(did I mention there was lots of sanding and painting...?)


she has a new coat to wear and renewed personality that the years had stripped away...


Antique Corner Table - After


Details


Details


Details


Details


Next on the restoration list is an antique dresser...then two antique boudoir chairs...then the dining room table and chairs...then...then...then...


I think my newfound obsession stems from an unquenchable need to make something better, to heal what is broken...


...because, despite ever fibre of my being wanting to, I cannot make somebody better, I cannot heal their broken body.


It is a daily battle to understand and accept what it out of my hands...


I am trying hard to learn the lesson of watermelon tourmaline,


to not allow the ups and downs of life to dictate my happiness,


but rather, to find contentment in simply being...


~*~


With all of the above craziness occupying my every waking moment,


I completely overlooked the fact that February 1 was my first year anniversary on Etsy!


This call's for a celebration, lovely people...


...you have made it an amazing, unforgettable, fun-filled first year...


...you have allowed me to run my business self-sufficiently and to be completely self-funded, and I am grateful beyond words!


So stay tuned, I will dream up something special...


just for you :-)


Friday, December 30, 2011

Quietude...

As the year end approaches,

I find myself in a quiet place...

a state of rumination,
reflecting and letting go.


Quietude

Gosh, what a year.

2011 has been the hardest year of my life.

Hands down, the hardest.


Web

Hope and heartbreak has been the recurring theme,

with December bringing more heartbreak than I thought I could possibly bear.

But if there is anything I have learnt this year,

it is that no matter how tattered your soul may feel,

there is always a chance to heal...

if you allow this of yourself.


Sprout

~*~

This week Anthony and I clocked up six years of wedded bliss...
(and I can say, without an ounce of doubt, that we will still be blissfully married in 60 years time...the health Gods willing!)


Bliss

Despite the turmoil around us this past year
(and really, just about every year of our marriage)

we are stronger,
more in love,
more devoted

than ever.


Roses

When you marry the man who has a heart as expansive as the sky,
and as warm as the sun...

the man who knows just what to say,
just when you need to hear it...
(or when to just be silent)


the man who worships you for all your shortcomings,
yet never makes you feel as though you are anything less than perfect...

the man who takes the heart you have entrusted him with,
and cradles it away in his own stronghold of flesh and blood...
(where you know it will be safe, cherished, always...)

the man who tells you that you are beautiful,
when you are feeling anything but...

the man who makes you feel like a queen,
every day,
yet who you would still be utterly content to spend the rest of your days with should you ever become paupers...

...then you will never, ever spend a day unhappy in your married life.


Roses

If you know a man like this, ladies,
grab him and never let him go!

But sorry, this one is already taken ;-)


Love Note
(Of all the anniversary gifts I received this year, I cherish this one the most...)

~*~


In other news,


India is still a princess...


India


and Jett still loves dirt...


Jett


Jett


*le sigh*


Such a girl.


Such a boy.


India & Jett


Oh, and let me introduce you to Bruce...


Bruce - The Water Dragon


He is our resident water dragon...


he hangs around in the yard (or the pool),
and jumps up on the window sill outside the lounge room when he wants some dinner...


Bruce - The Water Dragon


I love his armour...


Bruce - The Water Dragon


And if you ask India, Bruce would make the best pet *ever*...


~*~


And finally, in studio news...


My Etsy shop has been closed for a few weeks,


though I hope to re-open sometime in January.


I won't be accepting any custom orders,
at least not in the immediate future.


I just don't have the heart for custom work.
(Nurturing my family and caring for the terminally ill is just about all my heart can bear right now)


Though these two hands of mine cannot remain idle,


so there will be new work...


...soon.


Ring Preview


~*~


Good bye, 2011...


...see you on the other side, my friends!


Much love,


Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Babes and bracelets...

The thing about babies

is that they are loved long before they take their first breath...

Annabelle's Bracelet


...I know with my own two,


I was head over heels before I had even cradled them in my arms


or delighted in their newborn scent...


Annabelle's Bracelet


...and I'm pretty certain I was smitten with the *thought* of them before they'd even been conceived...


Annabelle's Bracelet


The anticipation of a bub's arrival is almost too much excitement to bear...


Annabelle's Bracelet


...and not just for the expectant parents,


but for expectant extended family too. 
including besotted aunties! :-)


Annabelle's Bracelet


This bracelet speaks of a love that extends beyond time and place,


a perfect, permanent reminder to a precious baby girl that she is loved now and always.


Annabelle's Bracelet


Welcome to the world, baby Annabelle





~*~


Bracelets have been popular lately!


Here's a few more I have made recently as custom orders...


Sterling silver bracelet with prasiolite, lemon quartz and 9 carat gold


A stunning faceted prasiolite takes centre stage, 


perfectly pretty in pastel green...


Sterling silver bracelet with prasiolite, lemon quartz and 9 carat gold


...and six hand fabricated charms of sterling silver leaves and 9 carat gold pebbles adorn the chain...


Sterling silver bracelet with prasiolite, lemon quartz and 9 carat gold


I also made this variation of my *Nomad* Bracelet...


Linda's *Nomad* Bracelet


Completely hand fabricated from sterling silver sheet and wire, with nothing more than my jewelers saw and needle files...


Linda's *Nomad* Bracelet


I enjoyed every moment of every detail of this bracelet...


Linda's *Nomad* Bracelet


Linda's *Nomad* Bracelet


...including stamping the phrase 'go your own way' on the reverse side...
(it's proving to be a popular phrase, and I'm delighted that it resonates with so many souls!)


Linda's *Nomad* Bracelet


An exquisite faceted aquamarine nugget completes this special piece...


Linda's *Nomad* Bracelet


And speaking of aquamarine...


Custom made *Nomad* Ring


How I adore it raw!


Custom made *Nomad* Ring


The stone takes on a whole new beautiful energy when it is left in its natural state...


Custom made *Nomad* Ring


~*~


Loads more custom orders to come,


and honestly,


it's probably all I will have time to create for the remainder of the year.


I'm not taking on any new custom orders for this year,


and I'm already booked out for January.


I'm just finalising the details of my new system for customs, so I'll write all about it soon.


I'm going to steal back some more time for me and my Muse...


...we are (quite literally) spilling over with ideas and have not time nor energy to bring them to life.


2012 will be all about stepping back and finding balance, I think :-)