Treasures from Tucson

      It's that time of year again - The Tucson Gem & Mineral Show.  In case you've never been there, the "Show" is really a whole lot of small and big shows spread throughout the city and over a span of about 3 weeks.  Everything is here. There are gems, both precious and semi-precious, mineral specimens, huge geodes that weigh tons down to small ones you can put on your shelf.  For jewelry makers there are cabochons, bead cut stones, pendants, chain, metal findings, wire of every size and gauge, and more.  Many sellers are from other countries and bring stones that aren't mined here in the US.  It is a fun, fascinating place to visit.

       I went there the first time in 2013.  It was amazing. Overwhelming, really. I had just started to make jewelry and had very few supplies. Seeing all of the stones, beads, and jewelry findings was like being turned loose in a candy shop. And like a little kid, I overdid it. I went to at least six different shows in three days. Of course I bought something from each show, though luckily for my bank account I didn't buy from every shop. (But I wanted, too.)   

      Over the years I have cut back as my stash grew and my energy level drooped.  I've been doing a lot of needle felting the past two years and not as much jewelry making.  So I didn't really NEED anything. But it was Tucson, and I had to go.

       I went with a list of the wire I estimated I would use this year.  Paramount Wire Company, makers of Parawire, brought a huge selection and had a good show price. I bought my favorites and tried a new one. I picked up a 20 gauge white wire that I might try to use for claws on some felted projects I have in mind.   

       I visited the Australian sellers at the Kino Sports Complex show. I was looking for Mookaite, a type of Jasper that is only found down under.  They had a lot of big stones, but not the small ones I use in my jewelry. I did find a small irregular shaped Mookaite stone that I'll use as a display piece.  Fortunately Voices of the Stones, located at the Casino del Sol site, had a large selection of the Mookaite beads. I found a cabochon I liked and some round and oval bead cut stones.  

       

       A shop that was new to me was Candy Beads, also in the Casino del Sol location.  I found some beautiful Red Jasper there.  They also had Red Jasper and Picture Jasper cut into star shapes. I think they'll make cute earrings.  

    Another great find was at Patricia Healey Copper.  She had a huge selection of pendants and findings all made from copper.  I bought 3 circle pins that I might be able to make into shawl pins.   She also had really cute fox and coyote pins.  I couldn't resist a little fox face.  I'm not sure what I'll make with it, but it was too cute to pass up.  My photo doesn't show the color very well, but in person they are great.

      

            Had a great time.  I'll have an even better time making these treasures into jewelry.  

       

STRINGING BLUES

   

    I belong to a beading group that meets once a week here at Sun City Grand.  Recently two of the women were making multi-strand necklaces.  They were very pretty and very different from one another.  When the other beaders saw them, interest in making these long time favorites grew.  Most of us had made multi-strand jewelry before, but not recently.  They're fun and fairly easy.  The only tricky part is getting the cones attached properly.

     Soon the interest grew into a challenge.  Make one (or more) necklaces and bring them to the club in August.  The only requirement is that they have to have more than one strand.   

      I mixed up a blue bead "soup" and got to work.   Here are the two that I came up with. 

       I'm not sure if I'll make more since we're going away for a few weeks.  If I do, I'll make them in different colors.  But who knows???   Maybe being on vacation will be the perfect time to string a few beads.  

 

                                                  ***v****************************

COUPON CODE FOR JULY & AUGUST.  

      As a Thank You for visiting my blog, here's a coupon code for 20% off in my Etsy shop:  SUMMER2022 

Use the coupon when you check out at Desert Dabbler Handcrafted Jewelry through August, 2022.  

 My shop will be taking a vacation from July 16 through August 12, 2022.  The coupon code can be used before or after this time, until the end of August.  

Howling Wolf Pendant

       When we were in Durango last year I bought this great ceramic howling wolf oval.  I love wolves!  

       I wire wrapped it with copper wire and added a leather cord for the necklace.  It's for sale in my Etsy shop now.  You can find it here.   

        You can use coupon code FEBRUARYBLOG to save some $$$ on this or anything else you see in the shop.  Simply type in the code when you check out.  But hurry - there's only a few more days left to use the February coupon. 

      Thanks for reading and looking at my shop.   Oh---if you go to my shop, please consider favoring it by clicking on the little heart.  Doesn't cost anything or obligate you in anyway, but it helps small shops like mine.   Thanks! 

Beaded Bracelet Sale!!!

      I rarely have a sale on Etsy, but I decided to try Etsy's sale feature to give us all a holiday gift.  I dislike stores and shops that always have a sale going on.  But it's the holidays so who doesn't like to look for items on sale?????

      Starting Nov 10 through Nov 30, I have placed 12 beaded bracelets on sale - 20% off.  All of them can be seen here: Beaded Bracelet Section    Or click on the I Sell on Etsy button (on the right) to see my entire shop.

Here's one of the bracelets in the sale:  

Hope you'll stop by and take a look.  While you're there, do me a favor and Favorite my shop.  You'll get updates from Etsy whenever I post a new item.  Hope to see you at Desert Dabbler Handcrafted Jewelry.

The Art Challenge Update and End

      As you saw in my last post, I was invited by some friends to participate in a 10 day Art Challenge on Facebook.  It was a great experience. Lots of encouraging comments and views. Lots of practice posting. I posted more in 10 days than I usually do a year!  

       I had planned to update the photos here as the Challenge continued, but as usual I'm behind. But better late than never, here are the other pictures of my art:

                                     A leather and Tila bead loomed bracelet.

                                         Ceramic wolf with Turquoise

                                           A little Steampunk for a fun day.

                                         Shibori silk for elegant times.

     A joint project. Kent wove the scarf and I made the Jasper butterfly brooch.

 And my personal favorite - 

I bought the loom pattern. Changed it slightly to make it look more like Tikaan.  It's Ultrasuede with a leather cord.  

One photo got left out, I think, but it's time to move on to something else.  Hope you enjoyed seeing my part of the 10 Day Art Challenge. If you've done something like this, or have other art projects on your blog, let me know. I'd love to stop by and see them.

The 10 Day Art Challenge

   Day 1 of the 10 Day Art Challenge

      A group of my artist friends have been participating in a 10 day Art Challenge on Facebook.  The purpose is to promote positivity, passion, and attention to art.  

     I was nominated by Leslie Ready to show one image of my art, my life, my studio, or exhibition for 10 consecutive days. The rules were that no explanation was to be given.  You were also to nominate another Artist every day to do the same. So basically 10 days. 10 images, 10 nominations. 

      On the first day I posted a picture of the bracelet I entered in the Arizona State Fair a few years ago. It was the first (and so far only) time I have entered a juried contest.  I was accepted, but I didn't win any prize.  But my husband and I got to go to an Artist's Reception with my friend Leslie and her husband, both of whom had entered and won awards for their art. It was very exciting and a fun night.

Day 2

       

      My entry for Day 2 was my Owl Cell Phone Purse. The feather came from a Great Horned Owl that had been living in another friend's tree and frequently dropped feathers on the ground.  I was taking a class on color, and the first assignment was to make something using neutral colors.  I had the little owl face in my stash and the feather, too.  I modified a Simplicity pattern to make the little purse.

 Day 3 

      My choice for Day 3 was a necklace I made from a piece of Quartz with some Amethyst and possibly Citrine in it. My husband cut and polished it from a small slab we had found at a rock show.  I added Swarovski crystals and other beads to make the necklace.  One of my faves.  

 

       I tried hard to nominate other artist friends to participate, but I struck out. One person wanted to do it but was recovering from a serious illness that I had not known about. A couple of others had projects and activities going on and didn't think they could take time away from them.  Two people couldn't get Facebook to work for them.  After trying six or seven people, I gave up on that part of the challenge.  It's too bad. They are all good artists and it would have been great to see their work.

       In a few days I'll post more of the Challenge pictures. In the meantime, if you've been in a similar challenge or would like to do so, let me know. I'd love to hear about it.

Fairy Door Bracelet

     A few weeks ago I wrote a post about fairy houses. I mentioned that I was working on a bracelet that featured a fairy door. It’s finished now!

Here’s a long view

     The project was very different from the jewelry I usually make. They usually involve animals or gemstones. This features fairies and glass beads and pearls.  Plus it was based on a design by Kate McKinnon in her book “Jewelry Architect”.
      The clasp started out as a pendant that I bought from an Etsy shop in England.  The bail was cut off, and it was glued to bead embroidery backing.  The clasp was a project that involved a village - my husband and his saw and my beading friends who gave me great advice.
       The door opens!  I glued fairy scrapbook paper inside, but it could have held a little picture.
        It’s one of a kind!  Fun to make and fun to wear.

Amethyst Rocks!

    Amethyst is one of my favorite stones.  The rich purple color reminds me of royalty. Maybe its the purple velvet robes I remember the movie kings and queens wearing.  The ones with the ermine collars and sparking diamonds. They must have cost a fortune. Luckily for me, amethyst rocks are plentiful and available to everyone, even a commoner like me.
     Cabs, beads, crystals--amethyst comes in many shapes and forms.  The rock itself is found in many parts of the world, including the U.S., Canada, Brazil, India and Siberia.  It's a type of quartz that gets its purple color from ferric iron. The color ranges from pale violet to deep, dark purple.
     Quartz dominates in the cabochon pictured here.  We found the slab at the Tucson Gem and Mineral show a few years ago, and Kent cut it into a cab for me.  I love its abstract shape, which reminds me of a flower.  I paired it with Swarovski crystals and pearls to turn it into one of my favorite necklaces.

  I have a couple of amethyst geodes in my casita studio, too. The one pictured below is the largest I have, although it's fairly small as geodes go. About 5 inches long.  At the Tucson gem show I saw Amethyst geodes that were three and four feet tall.  Beautiful! 

 
     At this year's Pueblo show in Tucson I found geode cabochons. My picture doesn't show its full beauty. The crystals are stunning!  It measures about 2" square.

  I added Swarovski crystals and pearls, seed beads, and a lot of love.  The result was this Amethyst crystal geode necklace.  If you want to see more pictures of it, check out my Etsy shop listing for it here.

    Amethyst has been a favorite of jewelry artists for centuries.  In ancient times they believed it would keep a person from becoming intoxicated.  In addition to wearing the stone, it was used to make wine goblets.
     Today many people still believe it has special healing powers. Aiding emotional balance, promoting love and dispelling negative energy are a few of its attributes.  The Crystal Bible calls it an extremely powerful and protective stone.  "Amethyst is one of the most spiritual stones, promoting love of the divine, giving insights into its true nature, and encouraging selflessness and spiritual wisdom." (The Crystal Bible, p. 54)
      No wonder Amethyst is such a popular stone!

   
 

    Grand Stitchers Boutique

     We had our first boutique of the new year last week.  Despite the unusually crummy weather and a ton of competing activities (it was Super Bowl weekend), we had a great time.
       A few of us didn't make it into the picture, but here are most of us:

     

 Setting up

 

 Here we are with our shops:

      Our next boutique will be this coming Saturday, February 7, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  We're located at the Palm Center, inside Sun City Grand on Remington Drive.    If you live in Surprise, AZ, stop by and shop with us!