I've been on a jewelry kick...

Last time I was here I was bitching about my lack of headpins...well, I took care of that matter and finished up the bracelet/anklet/necklace. It could be any of those...I used a silver chain with a black coating which was then diamond cut, adding sterling findings for the end. The bears are a resin, with black glass seed beads, silver headpins, and silver spacers and silver crimps.

This is the end result:

Artaios: The Bear King:

And I got the focal for this necklace as an extra goodie when I ordered from Luna Essentials on Etsy.

The focal is ceramic, the beads are pearl and Keltic style plastic beads and glass seed beads. I named it Mefusen, the Welsh name for Strawberry. Because that's what the colours reminded me of.

And I made earrings to match with the beads that I had left over:

I also made THIS one for the Pagan Team Spring Challenge. I bought a couple of Bone Arrowhead and didn't know what I was going to do with them, until then.
It's called Mitakuye Oyasin which is Lakota for "Everything is Related."
I also made a bracelet to go along with it and it hasn't really left my arm since I made it.
They're made of cowries, buri nuts, lava rocks, and wood beads.
I made a similar necklace which I posted on my new Artfire shop...this one had an adjustable piece of wood for the main part of the necklace, which came from Aneurythm's Etsy shop. You can even see my brand new pacemaker scar in this one...
This was my first Artfire sale and it went to a gal in Washington, DC who was going to wear it doing tribal dances...way cool.

Then I went and got some Kambaba (Crocodile) Jasper from Luna Essence...it was different, but I had no idea what I was going to use it with...this seems to be a major feature of this adventure...

Then I found some neat black glass twist beads on clearance at Michael's, green and black dyed Buri nuts, and gold spacers. It came out really nice. I named it Osiris in Khemet. Because Osiris (Ausur) was known as a Fertility God and was pictured with a green face. Khemet is the Egyptian name for the country. I made a set out of this bunch of odds and ends also.

I sold the matching earrings and the earrings to Mefusen to the same customer. She was waiting patiently for me to make them.

This one is made with Blue Tiger's Eye, black pearls and dark metal findings. I bought the Blue Tiger's Eye from Luna Essence. I had to go back and buy more because I fell in love with this necklace. And thank the Gods, she had more.

This one I made about the same time as the Circle Challenge one. I had bought a choker when I had gone to Disney way the Hades back in 86. I added a pair of sterling turtles, and a carved shell turtle. It's lovely actually.
My most recent piece is glass and more glass in Amber and Silver.

Another project sponsored by Luna Essence.

Right now I'm waiting on some items from Aneurythm and from Blue Rose Beads and another one from Ebay...I've been trying to match some Gold and Cobalt/Navy blue Window beads that i got from Luna Essence and have not been having an easy time of it.

This little tiki guy from BlueRose and the little shells from Aneurythm will make up part of my Metaphysical Team Summer Challenge piece.

This is for the blue glass windows.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360196150496&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_1510wt_922

I couldn't get the picture to come up, but at least you have the idea...I THINK I do...hehe

Trying to be a good doobie.

I'm helping a friend out with a hand up. I met her on a Cowboys Prayer, an EZBoard/YUKU site I've been on since forever...I'm the resident Pagan and there's an Atheist too...but we all have fun, get along and try and help each other out.

Her husband died in May of last year. And since I allegedly sell on Etsy, she asked if I could try and sell some of her husband's chokers. I said sure. I only have 20 cents to lose.

My Gods. John did beautiful work.

I got a bit of information about him so that I could better understand him and his work. He was 1/4 Choctaw Indian. His grandmother was 1/2. But all the papers were lost in a fire. Dang. Way back when interbreeding was frowned upon. But still!

He was a Swabbie. He was sent off to the lovely jungle playground called Viet Nam where he got to play with that wonderfully carcinogenic delight Agent Orange. He died from diabetes probably caught from that silly chemical...pfft.
He managed 3 years over there without getting his ass shot off. Hoorah!

Came home and became a smoke eater at Fort Hood. When he retired, the family moved to Macon Georgia. I did a bit of snooping to get some of this information. I had his first name, last name from FB, and address from his wife's package. But I wanted a bit more...so I did a google search. And I came across this...

http://marinemajorone.blogspot.com/2010/05/john-julius-irwin-iii-us-navy-veteran.html

By the end of it I was bawling. I am proud of all of our fighting men and women.

These are his goodies that I want to share with folks:

All of them:

Turquoise and Bone Hair Pipes with Silver

Unakite Chips with Bone Hair Pipes

Faceted Garnet, Black Jasper and Tea Dyed Bone Hair Pipe

Rose Quartz, Silver, Black Buffalo Hair Pipe

Carnelian, Brass Beads, Black Buffalo Hair Pipe

Turquoise, Silver, Black Buffalo Hair Pipe
Carnelian, Brass, Dyed Blue Bone Hair Pipe

Turquoise, Carnelian, Bone Hair Pipe and Black Buffalo Hair Pipe
My fave. Lapis Lazuli and Silver:
According to Tradition, the amount of strands the choker each had meaning also:
1=One God
2=Affirmation
3=Completeness
4=Earthly Situations/Seasons/The Four Directions.
5=God On Top
6=Human Accomplishment
7=Spiritual Perfection
8=New Beginning

George Catlin, the Painter famous for his Native American portraits did one of a chief way back in the 1840's who was wearing a 4 strand hair pipe choker.

Hair pipes were supposedly originally made from bird bones because they're hollow. Ewww. I know some tribes used to make flutes out of bird leg bones so what can I say...

Hair pipe beads can be found in coastal shell middens. And were made of bone or shell, now you can find them in the crafts stores made of plastic, or resin.

Chokers were supposed to protect the warrior's throat from knives and arrows and also if worn during a meeting, it was to show that the person would speak truly...

These days they're made from lots of different materials and styles like these by a couple of my Tsunali: Sweet Grass Valley, Dream Weaver Spirit, Lakota Witko, and Sirocco.

Lakota Witko
Lakota Witko
Sweet Grass Valley
Sirocco
Dream Weaver Spirit
Sweet Grass Valley Dream Weaver Spirit
Sirocco
If you do an Etsy Search for HairPipe Choker you come up with 3 pages...

Enjoy your looking.

Some new goodies.

It's been a sorta jewelry trend for me...

I listed some vintage goodies in the Kiwi shop...

Yes, I DID actually wear these...except for the teeny buddha. I don't recall where I got him. The purple heart choker was a gift, both my sister and I got one.


I didn't use a fancy shmancy clasp. I used THIS instead:
Necessity and all that...


This is just so pretty and interesting....
I don't know how they made the beads, with all the carving and scrolls and cut outs...

But I've also been MAKING some jewelry...

I introduced you to this one last blog post, but I love him too much not to show him off again. This is one of my fave pieces that I've made because it has so much meaning to me personally...

This one here was just a half formed idea I got while roving through my friend SageHealer's shop. She was going to use it, but it didn't quite fit, so I snagged it myself. Glad I did too because this necklace just came together so well. I also bought the Blue Laced Agate beads from her at the same time... The wood beads came from my stash and the turquoise-looking ones are dyed Howlite.

This last one I finished last week, but didn't list it...I hate listing on Etsy...it's so danged long to do and with the new picture thingee it's even more of an aggravation. But my friend Beadlady helped me out there. She called all the way from the West Coast to help me out...Thanks so much. It actually worked. W00t!!

It's part of KickingBear's Circle Challenge. This challenge has been going on since September, but we sorta put it off a bit because of the holidays.
I bought the focal from my friend, Aneurythm. She has a section called her orphans and I raid that alot. As soon as KB announced this challenge and I saw it, I had to use it. The black beads are from my stash too. As are the sterling pieces.

The focal reminds me of the phases of the moon for some reason. It starts out light then goes dark just like the moon phases. It came out really well and Ernie thought that I BOUGHT it!! And another person saw that THEY liked it and they're a jewelry maker. So I did good...

This one isn't finished yet. I had the idea and some of the supplies, but when I went to string the beads, I found out I needed headpins...guess who doesn't HAVE headpins? The beads are carved black bears. They're resin of some sort, I think. The chain is black enamelled, I think, diamond cut to show the silver underneath. So it's gonna be a black and silver anklet or bracelet. I think it'll be nice. I hope...

That's about it for now...don't forget to check out my shops. You never know what I might scrounge up from the cellar or my stash.
www.howlingcaterpillars.etsy.com
www.akiwisilkie.etsy.com

Wellllll...it's been a long time...

But I'm gonna try and be better at letting folks know what I'm up to for my Etsy shops.
I've continued with the Altars in a Jar line.
I have some for Mabon, Samhain, Halloween, and I want to do ones for Beltaine and Imbolc, but I dunno if I'll get to them...I can't seem to find exactly what I want...but I'll keep trying.

I even made one for a Sea Witch which I was in love with. I sold it to a gent in Coventry, England.


It has Gar Scales, Hermit Crab sand...hey it was on sale at work and a nice colour and designer/craft store sand is bloody expensive. There's also shells, sea glass and a vanilla scented candle. The one I REALLY wanted to use was a Yankee Candle one that was oceany scented but it wouldn't fit in...pfft.I bought the pretty blue jars at a yard sale on Federal Street. Woot! I bought her last two, so I can still make one up for me...

Another thing I made up was something I sorta stumbled over...I wasn't really looking and spent way too much, but it came out nice. It can be found in the Kiwi Shop.(www.akiwisilkie.etsy.com)



It's made of a metal and glass candle chimney that's painted to look like wood. It's a bit scratched up, but it added to the interest for me. There's styrofoam balls that are covered in various feathers, and some Cedar scented potpourri with some nuts and pods. This nifty goody is called "Thank Heaven for Little Birds."

There's a fruit bowl I made up for this past Mabon. It's also neat for an altar to Pan with grapes and leaves and a wine scented candle. I really like this one.




Another new project is a take-off of the Feathery Blessings bottles. I made ArchAngel Bottles and Zodiac Bottles. The ArchAngels are made with a gemstone, a feather piece, and Swarovski crystals. They've really come out nice and I've sold a few. The Zodiac Bottles are made with Gemstones that correspond with each sign.
I haven't gotten them all done yet, but that's certainly on the list.



So far I have Three of the ArchAngel bottles still listed, out of 15:
Tzadkiel, Ariel and Uriel.The rest I have made but not listed.
And I have 9 out of 12 of the Zodiac made and listed.



A couple of more new items are a Santiago's Cross Necklace. He DID give approval or I wouldn't have done it. Gracias Senor.
And Trias Magios (Three Magi for those not fluent in Greek) Ornaments.


Santiago's Cross, I made with a metal shell that I got at Michael's and a Sword Pendant that was marked down. I wasn't sure how I was going to use them, but it came together easily. I strung it on a piece of silk fabric.
The Trias Magios Ornaments are hollow hearts that I filled with a gorgeous purple and gold brocade fabric. Purple was a royal colour and Gold was one of the gifts that Gaspar, Melkior and Balthasar brought to the Christ Child. It also has Gold cube beads, and Frankincense and Myrrh resins that I snagged when I went to the St. Catherine's Taverna. Shh...I'll hafta turn in my witch license...They're alot friendlier there than at the place I got hitched and Mike got dunked in...and the Priest is cute too...

That's about it for now...time to watch the Steelers and Ravens...