CHRISTMAS IN JULY SALE!

      It's officially Christmas in July and time for the huge CIJ Etsy team sale.  I'm participating this year with my Desert Dabbler shop.  All of the handcrafted jewelry is on sale at 10% off.  
     In shops all over Etsy there will be sales on everything from accessories to zippers over 850,000 items on sale.  That number will probably grow as more shops get involved.
      To locate items easily you can search using CIJ or ChristmasinJuly in Etsy search, found at www.Etsy.com.    I'm using the CIJ tag on my items, but some shops are using the longer tag.
     Another easy way to find sale items is the Etsy On Sale site, which is at    
https://www.etsyonsale.com/browse

       In addition to the sale, the CIJ Team is planning 10 days of activities on their Blog.

July 1st – Welcome To Etsy Christmas In July 2017 – #EtsyCIJ 2017
July 2nd – CIJ Team & Wandarrah Team Cross Promotion
July 3rd – CIJ Team Leaders: Feature
July 4th – #CIJPopUpMarket #1: International Shops
July 5th – #CIJParty
July 6th – #CIJPopUpMarket #2: USA Shops
July 7th – #CIJPopUpMarket #3
July 8th – #CIJPopUpMarket #4
July 9th – CIJ Team Members: Best Photos From the #CIJLovesJuly Photo Challenge
July 10th – Happy Etsy Christmas In July 2017 To All, And To All A Good Night! – #EtsyCIJ 2017

      Desert Dabbler is one of the shops in the July 6 Pop Up Market.  Very exciting!  I'm not sure what to expect, but it will be an adventure.   I hope you'll stop by.

     The sale runs until July 10.   Happy shopping!
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Quail Chicks in the Courtyard

Quail Chicks in the Courtyard

     I was working in the casita this morning when I heard the clucking of a Gambels Quail family. When I looked out my window I saw them scurrying around the plants.  Quickly I grabbed my camera.

     These little guys have feathers so they are a few weeks old. When they're first hatched they look like fuzz balls on stilts.  They zoom around the yard following their mom and dad at an amazing speed.  I've never been able to get a picture of them at that stage. They're invisible against the gravel, which is probably best.  We have owls, hawks and other predatory birds here that would love a quail snack. 

     The adults are great parents. One leads the group and one brings up the rear.  They never leave the chicks unattended. Once they were in the casita the male flew to the top of the wall to watch for danger.  

      They stayed ten or fifteen minutes hunting through the seeds and leaves. Some people around here pick up every leaf and seed that drops. Some even call it "litter".  

      As you can see, I'm not one of those people! I see seeds and leaves as part of the food chain.  Although looking at these pictures, I realize I could tidy up a little and still have a banquet of left overs for the wildlife.  Maybe I'll do that when it cools down. In the meantime I'm enjoying watching these guys feast.

       

  One of the adults, probably the female but I'm not sure.

A solo chick

I hope the quail enjoyed their breakfast and come back soon.

Christmas is Coming...in July

      Christmas in July is a big Etsy event that will run from July 1 through July 10 this year.  It's shaping up to be a fun event. Shop sales, promo’s, give-aways, and free tutorials are all planned.  The Christmas in July (CIJ) blog can be found at https://etsychristmasinjuly.wordpress.com.

      In addition to the 10 day sale, there’s going to be a “Pop-up Market” on July 6.  I’m really thrilled because my shop, DesertDabbler, will be one of the seven shops participating in the Market!  I'll have more info on this event later.

        Lots of Etsy shops will be participating in the ten day Christmas in July event.  Each shop can choose whatever they want to offer for the sale.  Discounts, free shipping, or other offers are some of the ideas being discussed. I plan to offer 10% off of all items in my shop. All you have to do is use the coupon code EtsyCIJ17 when you make your purchase. 

         So mark your calendar now! The sale will run July 1- 10 and the big Pop-up Market will be July 6.  I'll post the link to the market later.

          In the meantime, if you see something you like in my shop and don't want to wait until July....contact me.  I'll let you know how you can take advantage of the 10% off.   

K-2 Pendant Finished

Updated K-2 Pendant Necklace

   Here's the updated K-2 pendant.  I changed the necklace to a braided Kumihimo style with a black toggle clasp.  It's much more secure now.  Looks even better than the original suede cord necklace, too.
    I almost lost the pendant, which is what caused me to re-do it.  I had worn the necklace when Kent & I went out to lunch. I wanted to check how it felt and hung.  When we got back to the car, the cord was hanging on my neck, but the pendant was gone.  Yikes! The original hook and eye had come undone and the pendant had slipped off.
     I raced back into the restaurant. Luck for me, the pendant was right by the table. I was so glad I found it unharmed. I knew I didn't want anyone else to risk losing it, so I changed the necklace.  Now it's braided into the necklace.    
      I've listed it in my Etsy shop. You can see the listing here.

K2 --The Awesome Stone from the Mountain

                                                     Image©iStockphoto and PatrickPoendl

       Many people know that K2 is the second highest mountain in the world, after Mount Everest.  Standing 28,251 feet above sea level, on the China-Pakistan border, it's an impressive and awesome mountain.


     What is less known, but word is spreading quickly, is that an impressive and beautiful stone is being mined from the base of K2. Coming from the Skardu area of northern Pakistan, K2 is a grayish-white granite rock with bright blue splashes of color. One writer called it an "eye magnet" for anyone seeing it for the first time. It certainly was for me.

    

      The first K-2 cab I saw, I bought.  I was at the Tucson Gem Show earlier this year and found it at one of the open air rock hound booths.  The couple only had a few pieces of it on display, and I bought the biggest one I could afford.  They had a pair of smaller matched cabs that would have made great earrings, but the combo was too pricey for me.  Besides, at that time I had never heard of K2.  I didn't want to spend a lot of money on stones I didn't know anything about. So I limited myself to this oval beauty until I could discover more.  

      What I found wasn't a lot.  It looks like the first cabs started showing up around 3 or 4 years ago, but not on any of the major beading sites that I buy from. It was chosen as the Rock of the Month in May, 2014 by Body Mind Spirit Guide.  It is currently featured at Dakota Stones. but this is the only major site that I can find carrying it.  

      The experts aren't in total agreement on what comprises the stone.  Most, if not all of them, agree it is granite. There are a few places that call it "jasper", but that appears to be incorrect.  The blue spots are probably azurite or malachite when they are green, which I haven't seen.  Most authorities call the spots "stains" rather than "inclusions" because you can see through the blue spots to the granite. But regardless of its scientific properties, all of the sites agree that K2 is unique and exciting.

      I was able to find more K2 cabs in some shops on Etsy.  I bought my second cab there at SlabsCabsRough, a shop from Pennsylvania.  I've already started turning it into a pendent:  

      In addition to its beauty, many people believe that the stone has metaphysical properties.  Pat Krajovic wrote in Body Mind Spirit Guide, "It has many healing properties. If you want to promote harmony and connection within your work and family groups, communicate your deepest thoughts and feelings, and have more control over your emotions, this stone is a must! K2 helps the user become more grounded, balanced and live in harmony."

       If you're into make jewelry, check out Etsy for some great buys on K2. If you like to leave the making to someone else, check back soon. I'll announce when I've completed the K2 necklace and listed it at Desert Dabbler on Etsy.  

Porcelain Jasper Butterflies

      At the Tucson gem show a few years ago I found a great shop called Colorwright.  Amount the treasures that I found there were a pair of Porcelain Jasper cabochons shaped like butterfly wings.    

  

    I bought the cabs, along with some other great stones, and put them away until inspiration struck. I also knew I needed to do more bead embroidery so my skills would improve. Working the irregular shaped cabs was going to be more challenging than going around an oval or round shaped cab.

    The next year I went back to the Tucson Gem Show and found Colorwright again. I also found another pair of Porcelain Jasper butterfly wings  This time the cabs were on sale! I immediately bought another set, even though I still had the first cabs waiting in my stash.  But as any beader will tell you, you need to buy a great stone when you see it.

    While the Porcelain Jasper sat in my drawer I worked on other jewelry, gradually increasing the complexity of the projects. But the whole time I kept thinking about those jasper butterflies.    

   Finally I thought I was ready. I made the first pair of wings into a brooch.

     Then I made a necklace with different style of edging. The cabs here are actually the first ones I bought; the ones you can see in the top picture.

     I used a variety of seed beads and Charlottes to give the lacy look on the wings edges.  The body of the butterflies are a combination of onyx, crystals, and black Spinel.  

     Porcelain Jasper is found in Sonora, Mexico, in a variety of pinks, greys, and corals.  These butterflies are different colors and not meant to be worn at the same time.  They were challenging to make, especially their antennae, but I'm happy with the results.  

Tree of Life

 

Tree of Life

     The idea of a Tree of Life exists in nearly every culture, religion, and tradition from ancient times to the present.  The Tree appears from the beginning in the Garden of Eden described in Genesis, and its bark plays a major role in the Iroquois creation.  Scientists, poets and artists all find something fascinating about the Tree.  Charles Darwin discussed the concept of a Tree of Life in his book, The Origin of Species (1872), and trees in general were described beautifully (and famously) by poet Joyce Kilmer.   The PBS program “Nature” features a wide tree in Africa in its opening, and the movie “Avatar” gave the Tree a starring role.    

     So it’s not surprising that artists (including jewelry makers) have added their ideas and interpretations to the Tree of Life.  A quick web search on Tree of Life images will show you a dazzling variety of Tree of Life paintings, photographs, and interpretations, like the one pictured above.

      One of my favorite companies, TierraCast, makes Tree of Life charms, clasps, and links. I've used them in my jewelry for a long time.  

 

  

1.       My latest Tree of Life pendants have been made out of wire and gemstone chips.

  I've been working on my own little forest:

    If you've made a Tree of Life pendant or other item, let me know. I'd love to see it.  If you'd like to learn to make one, check out YouTube for great tutorials and ideas.