May Zodiac Bottle~~Taurus~~

May's Traditional Birthstone is the Emerald...try finding some nice real green ones. "Tain't easy!

The name of the Stone could be from a few cultures: Zammorod in Sanskrit, Zumrundi in Persian to Smaragdos in Russian and Greek. I don't see that.

The Emerald is a symbol of Rebirth and Resurrection, probably because it's green like the greening of the earth in the spring when flowers and beasties of all kinds reappear. Emeralds were mined in Egypt starting around 1330 BC during the reign of Ramesses the Great and Kleopatra had some Emeralds in her collection. One of the best known historical uses of Emeralds was the crown made from the gold and stones stolen from the last Inka king, Atahualpa by the Spanish in 1532. The crown was an offering to the Virgin Mary for sparing them from a Smallpox epidemic.

These days they can come from Colombia, Brazil, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Norway, Austria, Madagascar or Zambia. In the States, they're mined in North Carolina.

Unfortunately, high quality Emeralds are becoming few and far between, so some unscrupulous folks treat them to increase clarity and colour.

In the Middle Ages, you could foretell the future using an Emerald, allegedly. It was also said to prevent epilepsy, stop bleeding, cure dysentery, and to help the eyes along with protecting the wearer from panic.

One of the Zodiac signs for May is Taurus the Bull. He represents Stamina, Will and Strength.

Taurus goes from April 20-ish to May 20-ish and you WILL know a Taurus by how practical and stick in the mud-ish they can be. They're patient also and make great teachers, instructors, advisors and mentors of all stripes. They DO like to be praised for doing a good job and need routines. Nothing upsets a Taurus more than a monkey wrench in the smoothly running cogwheels of their day.

They are extremely faithful in addition to having strong values.
Their main goal in life is to be secure monetarily, emotionally and in their partnerships. Their Secret Desire is to have a secure, happy and wealthy life/marriage.

The Taurus bottle is crammed full of gemstones, both precious and semiprecious. This one has Lapis Lazuli, an Aquamarine chip, Rose Quartz, and if I can find an Emerald chip, that'll go in too. Same goes for a Ruby Spinel Chip and Bloodstone.

April Zodiac Bottle~~Aries~~

April's traditional Birthstone is the Diamond and it is thought to provide the wearer with better relationships and increase inner strength. (No wonder it's the stone in the engagement ring...) The word "Diamond" comes from the Greek word Adamas meaning "Invincible". Well since it's one of the hardest minerals, I guess that's a pretty darned good description...only another diamond can cut a diamond.

But remember, no matter how much you might love her, do NOT give her this one:

That's the Hope Diamond for those not in the know and there's a curse on it. Well unless you'd like to, but that's on you.

Aries the Ram...You know who you are...They would be Hell Jumpers...like from Halo:ODST. Feet first into Hell...

This specific bottle is for people born under the sign of the Ram. If you were born from March 20-ish to April 20-ish, you are an Aries.

 Aries personalities are independent. Being the first of the zodiac signs, they venture out and are go-getters, often leading the way. Their upbeat and magnetic personality often entices others to follow their lead because Aries personalities rubs off into others' lives.

Aries are activists. If a business idea comes their way, they tend to plunge right in. Aries' are outgoing and assertive, but trusting with a wonderful ability to bounce back from adversity. Their faith in life and the future remains untouched by hardships and they tend to remain children at heart.

Rams don't like being tied down and so may travel extensively to keep away from those sorts of entanglements.
Aries women are forceful and aggressive, while Aries men are looking for their complementary side.

They are ruled by fire and are very physical by nature and are
doers rather than talkers. They also tend to rush in "where angels fear to tread".

A good career for an Aries might be in Finance or Politics. They're adventurous so something in the Police or Fire fields or the Armed Forces would be a good fit. Commissioned sales is another possibility, or promotions.

Their major thing in life is to trailblaze so that others may follow in their thrilling paths.

This Bottle is chockful of semi precious and precious stones. The Aries bottle contains Garnets, a Ruby Spinel Chip, Amethyst, Carnelian, and Pink Tourmaline.

March Zodiac Bottle~~Pisces~~

This picture is a few of them on my back gate. I DO have all twelve in stock.


Here's a bit about the Fishy People:
Pisces goes from about 21 February to about 20 March, depending on Sidereal or Tropical Zodiac.

March's Birthstones can be Bloodstone, a red and green type of Jasper and Semiprecious Gemstone, or Aquamarine, a Precious Gemstone.
Aquamarine is Latin meaning "water from the sea". It's a Blue, Green, Green-Blue or Blue-Green transparent stone. It was said to protect Sailors and to calm the temper.

Bloodstone is a dark Green with Red spots of Iron Oxide.It was used by the Babylonians to make seals and amulets.



Mysterious and alluring individuals, most Pisces are extremely talented, but even though they are gifted in many ways, they still manage to spend most of their lives battling "confusing" conditions.

This mirrors how Pisceans are frequently torn between two pathways in life, or actually do live two very different existences at the same time.
Of all the signs of the zodiac, Pisces are the ones who end up in the most muddles over the years of their lives. They fantasize about situations, people and particularly romance - and because they spend so much time in their own form of 'fantasy land' this can catch them short in other more worldly areas.
One thing that plays havoc with your life is romance. When things romantically are going well for you, you are on cloud nine. When romance turns sour you land in a heap. Pisces often need to take lots of holidays (or time off) to recover from life's many diverse pressures. You are the zodiac's most sensitive sign, so you need to take extra special care of yourself.
Nobody can beat you up, as much as you can beat yourself up within your own mind. In your purest form you are psychic, visionary and a guiding light to all who know you. But, in your "out of tune" state, you become depressed, obsessive and confused.
They are to be found leading the field in many diverse areas of life and many Pisces can be found represented amongst top business millionaires. On the other side of the coin, prisons, reform schools and all kinds of institutions statistically hold a high number of Pisceans too. 

Life Pursuit: To avoid feeling alone and instead feel connected to others and the world at large.
Pisces Secret Desire: To live their dreams and turn fantasies into realities.

This bottle is crammed full of Semiprecious and Precious Gems. The Pisces bottle has Amethyst, Chrysoprase, Fluorite, Green Tourmaline, Labradorite, Moonstone and Opal. 

When I have Aquamarine in stock I will include it as well as Albite, if it's available for less than my Spleen, and Sugilite. Each bottle varies as to the gemstones, but they will all be represented as well as I can. There can be 3MM bicones to chips to larger orbs.

Zodiac Bottles ~~ Pest of the Month

Actually not really a pest, but there's an exterminator service what always has a "Pest of the Month" on it's sign out front and I can't help but cheer when we go by...I mean really how often do Swarming Termites get a cheer?!

Aha! this is them:
http://www.griggsbrowne.com/

And their pest of the month is Tick.

Hooray for Tick!!! See wasn't that easy?!

Ahem... 

Back to our regularly scheduled post...

Zodiac Bottles. There's twelve. One for each sign of the Zodiac from Aries to Pisces.

The below chart shows the Birthstones for each one, both Traditional and Modern.

This is the whole lot of the Zodiac Bottles that are in stock:

I'm going to start with Aquarius because it's the beginning of February. February's Birthstone traditionally is Amethyst.

Amethyst is a lovely purple gemstone that the Greeks used to prevent drunkenness. With Pan, Bacchus and Maenaeds running about I could certainly see why...

They were known to have a wild time...

Here's what I've got to say about Aquarius:

The dates for Aquarius are January 20-ish to February 20-ish, depending on the type of Zodiac you use: Sidereal or Tropical. The Sidereal system uses fixed stars whilst the Tropical uses the Vernal Equinox. There's a difference of  1.4 Arc Degrees per century.

Aquarius is regarded as the Zodiac Leader because ready or not, the New Millenium and the Age of Aquarius (Not going to sing the song from Hair), it is the sign of a Trendsetter for the Future.

Aquarius is a Philanthropic sign and these qualities will be highlighted in the days to come.

"Those born under the sign of Aquarius not only march to a different drummer, they make up new music as they go along. They are 'mind oriented' individuals, whose thoughts never stop tick-tocking over. Because of their high focus on intellectual exploration, many inventors, eccentrics and highly original trailblazers are born under this sign.

most Aquarians are extremely humanitarian and often involved in social programs that assist others. They can also be objective in judgement, for they never let their emotions get in the way. Outgoing and amiable, Aquarians attract friends wherever they go and those whom Aquarians befriend have their unswerving loyalty."

Aquarians are the zodiac's most mysterious and unusual people - and no two are anything alike, like snowflakes. 

Aquarians usually have strong political, environmental or social beliefs which goes right along with their philanthropy. 

An Aquarians Life Pursuit is To understand life's mysteries and their Secret Desire is to be Unique and Original

My Zodiac Bottles are crammed full, at least as much as humanly possible, with gemstones, both precious and semi precious.

Precious Gemstones are Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire and Ruby.Semi precious includes almost everyone else like Amethyst, Tourmaline, Citrine, Garnet, Peridot, Quartz, Fluorite and Moonstone. Some consider real Jade and Opal as precious because of their rarity.

The Aquarius Bottle has Aquamarines, Garnets, Labradorite, Lapis Lazuli, and Opal. They range from 3MM faceted bicones to larger chips and spheres. Each one is different depending on what I have available at the time. 

Also aligned with Aquarius are Fossils, Jet, Chrysoprase. If I can come across these, I would add them too.

Well that resolution certainly fell by the wayside...pfft.

But what can I say?! The best laid plans of Mice and Men soon go awry...sounds like it could be the right old saw...of course, there's always this one too.

I had said that I had wanted to advertise one item a week, yeah, well...obviously didn't happen.

But I'll jump right back in again...

So!!

Shall I get started??

Because it was around the Chinese New Year when I made this necklace, I named it "The Water Serpent."

2013's correspondence is the Black Water Snake and it's gonna be an Up and Down one. In Feng Shui, Water is a Female Element, but Snake is mostly Fire with a touch of Metal and Earth.

The Focal is a blown Glass Snake in Gold, Green and Clear.

The Beads are African Jade and  Dyed Freshwater Pearls.

The Colours are all wonderful and it came together like a dream.

Snakes have been symbols of Wisdom and Change for a very long time, even since before they were labelled "evil."

Until Mother's Day, next week, this item will be on sale in the HowlingCaterpillars shop on Etsy for 20% off with the coupon code blog1.

Now for something completely different...

I am gonna try something new. I'm going to pick an item from either of my shops and write about it. It could be a piece of Jewelry or a DreamWeb or something Vintage.

It will be on sale for a week, until it's the next item's turn. I'm hoping that it will showcase my work and that more folks will get to see and enjoy it and learn a little more about me also.

So! Here we go!!

This is the first item:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/66280997/circle-challenge-necklace-ooak-abalone

Our elder, our brother, our friend, who crossed the Veil just last month, one of the members of the Native American Forum thread on Etsy, used to give us "Challenges" to promote our creativity and to inspire us. This was one of the first Challenges and it was about the Sacred Circle.

This is what he said about it:

The Sacred Circle of life begins with the fire in the center, the birth, that spirals into the direction of the East for the protection of family while developing. Then life spirals to the direction of the South to learn how to play and to learn of the fairness of games in nature. Then we start our spiral to the direction of the West, where we learn competition and endurance for work and play.We then spiral to the direction of the North, where we learn the skills and knowledge to be a teacher and master of our abilities or trade. We continue to spiral until we reach our elder years as we return to the sacred fire of life, to begin again in the spirit world as ancestors.
This is the Sacred Circle of life that brings us the understanding and our connections with all things within the Circle.

There are all kinds of circles and spirals found in nature, from a raindrop to a shell, from the earth itself to the Fibonacci Sequence.

 

I found the focal pendant in Merry (Aneurythm's shop) and KNEW that was going to be part of my particular Challenge piece.

It's a Black lipped Abalone shell carved with what seems to me to be Moon Phases, Concentric Rings and a Spiral in the centre.

What a pretty creature. Abalones are used for their meat and for their beautiful shells. They're called Black Lipped or Brown Lipped because of the colour of the edges of their feet. They live in Australia (lucky things), from New South Wales to Western Australia and in the waters off Tasmania.  They stick to rocks and lurk in caves and crevices on reefs, hanging out and eating algae.

Most of the beads were in my stash. The only ones I actually bought especially for it were the Glass and the Shell ones.  It all came together so wonderfully. It's soothing like the ocean. I actually grew up on a  beach, and miss it a lot.
BB

For now until next Sunday, this necklace will be on sale for 20% off using the coupon code blog1.

Until then, have a great week.

More jewelry.

I had a necklace that I made up a couple of years back...it was alright...I liked it and all, but when I went to relist it, I felt that it needed something else...but what...
https://www.etsy.com/listing/55463317/multicolor-autumn-leaf-necklace

I dragged out my favourite skein of yarn...oooo...yeah, that might do it.  This yarn is my favourite one EVAH!! It has wine and rust and pine and it's just really wonderful and fall-ish.

Then how to attach it...I wrapped, didn't like that, then tried a few more things..nothing was doing it for me. Then I was like AHA!!


I make Dream Catchers! Duh!! I can try THAT!! It worked perfectly, except for me wrapping myself, the wire, the table, the gluegun, basically anything within a 5 mile radius. I cut the yarn long enough that I wouldn't hafta stop half way through and add more cuz that would screwed me up even more...As it WAS, it took me HOURS to get it right, at least right for ME!

This is what it looks like now:

I really like it now even better. What do you all think?

My actual NEWEST necklace is more, I guess, springy, but it would be fine for any season too.

So it looks like the Irish Flag...deal...

I AM an Orangeman...well, I would be if I was a Christian anyways. I just liked the Colours together. I actually bought the orange beads to go with some Snowflake Obsidian focals I bought. But DS didn't like it together...I think he said something like too Halloween-y. pfft.

I had a bitch of a time finding Snowflake Obsidian beads! I actually bought some off Etsy. The gal's name is Oceanbeads. Nice things too. I got Turquoise Hearts, Hematite Stars, Dalmation Agate Orbs, Snowflake and Regular Orbs so I'm happy...Now I hafta sit and make something with them. Got plenty of ideas rolling about in my empty cranium.

We'll speak again soon...