My Heidi Necklace

     Last July I had the opportunity to travel to Colorado and take a private workshop with my favorite bead artist, Heidi Kummli.  She's the author of "The Spirit of Bead Embroidery", my favorite beading book.  I practically sleep with it under my pillow. 
      I brought the white bone carving that I had bought at the Tucson bead show earlier in the year.  I told Heidi I wanted to make a beaded collar. I had never attempted such a big project, although I have been wanting to make one for a long time. 
      Heidi showed me how to make the collar pattern and helped with the initial design.  On a large piece of grey ultra suede Heidi drew the outline of what would morph into the pattern you see in the picture.  She attached the middle row using my bone carving and the green and violet beads that came from her stash.  While she worked on her own jewelry project, I began stitched her iris gold seed beads around the first three beads. 
       Surrounded by Heidi's art pieces and supplies, I had a relaxing and inspiring afternoon of beading.  Heidi was generous with her advice and encouragement and is an excellent teacher. 
       The basic design stayed the same, although I decided to add more natural stones to the project.  From an online store I bought more "Heidi beads", the iris gold 10/0 seed beads that she uses in many of her projects.   Whenever I worked on the collar I remembered the great time I had that day.
        If you want to see more of her work, here is the link to her website.  She also sells on Etsy in her shop.  Her designs are one of a kind, wearable art. Beautiful and inspiring.
        If you have a favorite bead artist who offers workshops or classes, I highly recommend you try to go.  I hope you'll have as much fun and get as inspired as I did.
        I've worn my "Heidi necklace" once and can't wait to wear it again. 

   
   

Happy Birthday, Etsy!!!

      Etsy is celebrating its 13th birthday by featuring a site-wide sale event!  The celebration will be held June 18 to 22, 2018. Many shops, including mine, will feature deals and discounts that you won't want to miss.

      Etsy is the premier site to find unique handcrafted and vintage items. For the DIY'ers, there are shops selling supplies, too. Currently there are nearly 2 MILLION sellers from around the world on Etsy.  You can find one-of-a-kind jewelry like I make, as well as paintings, posters, clothing, knits and much, much more. If there’s something you want, you can probably find an Etsy shop that sells it.

      Many sellers, like myself, are joining in the birthday fun by placing items on sale.  I rarely have sales in my shop, so this is a unique opportunity for buyers to get a handcrafted bracelet or necklace at a special low price.  I will be giving a 15% discount on all items over $20.00. Plus free shipping within the U.S.

       Click on the Etsy logo on the side or here to go to my shop, Desert Dabbler.  Or go to www.Etsy.com  to reach their main page. 

       Mark your calendar - the sale starts June 18.

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!

   
 

Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary's Winter Campaign

   I've been a supporter of Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary for a couple of years now.  Ever since I learned about the work they do in rescuing wolves and wolf-dogs (plus a few other animals) from owners who have abused, neglected or mistreated them. I was even lucky enough in May, 2016, to visit the sanctuary and see Teton, the wolf I help sponsor, and meet some of the other wolves up close. 
      A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from WSWS that included an e-book about wolves and dogs and information about their plans for a Winter Campaign.  A few days later I received a second e-mail, and today I received the best and last one about their new campaign.  Included in today's e-mail were sound tracks of the wolves and a video! 
       If you love wolves and are looking for a great way to help support them, take a look at Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary's video.

If you would like to donate, their website is here. Howls of love and gratitude to you!

Moose Watching

      When we were in Colorado this summer, there was a pond near the road that the local moose loved to visit in the afternoon. 

     Ten or twelve of us photographed her from the road, but she didn't seem to mind.  There was a barbed wire fence between us so perhaps she knew none of us would cross the fence to bother her.

    One of people spotted her calf in some tall weeds on the other side of the pond.  He or she was very well hidden.

    My edited close-up is a bit blurry.

  A day or so later she was back in the pond.  Or at least a moose was in the same pond. I'm not sure if its the same moose. She also had a calf. This one looks older and bigger to me, but I'm no moose expert. 

     Moose are such amazing animals.  Huge, too.  I saw my first one in Maine in a state park pond.  In Alaska I saw a momma moose and her calf very close to the Visitor's Center in Denali.  Lots of people around, but at least no wolves to snatch her calf. So she was a smart moose.

     I've made some moose inspired jewelry, too.  

If you like moose jewelry, too, check out my Etsy shop to see what's currently available.

An Interview About My Perfect Vacation on the CIJ Blog

    An interview about my perfect vacation spot was featured on the CIJ (Christmas in July) blog today.   You can read about it here.
     If you're looking for vacation ideas, check it out.  Other members of the team have been featured this week, too.  Super places from around the world are being featured.  
     Great arm chair travels.

An Escape to Nederland

     

    With temperatures soaring past 110°F here, it was time to escape the desert.  We took off for Nederland, Colorado, a small town nestled in the Rocky Mountains.  Nederland is west of Boulder at an altitude that’s a cool 8200 ft.  We chose it because I had arranged to do a workshop with my favorite bead artist, Heidi Kummli, who lives nearby.   It was a magical week that included beading, hiking, wildlife viewing and happy hours.   

      Boulder Creek was right behind our Lodge. An easy walking trail is next to it so you can hear the relaxing sound of the mountain stream.    

       The town is small and picture perfect.   This covered bridge leads to Crosscut Pizzeria & Tap House, which makes the best wood fired pizza I've ever eaten.  A huge selection of craft beers are available, too.  We shared the patio with the other pizza lovers and their dogs.  Nederland is a very dog-friendly town.  

                    

     We hiked a lot.  The mountain are spectacular.   The lakes, when we could reach them, were beautiful. 

   The highlight of the wildlife was a moose and her calf that we saw a couple of times.  She was very accommodating by standing in a pond that was right beside the road.  My knees appreciated her thoughtfulness!

    

  One day we drove the scenic Peak to Peak highway to Estes Park.

          We returned to Lily Lake, where we had hiked a few years ago.  We walked around the lake and saw ducklings, ground squirrels, and a muskrat. On our first visit we had seen a beaver lodge. Unfortunately they died a year or so after our visit. However, a ranger at the Lake said that a young beaver has been spotted a few times recently.  Maybe the next time we go back we'll see beavers.  

      The day I spent beading with Heidi was wonderful.  She helped me lay out a pattern and place my first 3 cabochons. This is my most ambitious project so far so it will take a while to complete.  More to come on this subject.

       In the meantime, we soaked up the mountain air and tried to pack it in our suitcases.  Too soon we had to return to the heat of the valley.  But we loved Nederland and plan to return soon.