Rose Red

In many, many ways, I strive to be an individual.  I take great pleasure in being unique and going against the grain.  If something is trendy, I tend to be driven away from it as opposed to drawn to it.  


Yet there is one way that I am hopelessly and utterly stereotypical: I love red roses.  So much so that my husband makes a habit of buying them for me--whether or not there is an occasion for them.  He started doing this when we began dating, and I'm happy to say that he still does it now, 7 years later.


What do I do with the roses?  Honestly, I spend a great amount of time just staring at them.  I arrange them.  I dry them and use the petals, whether as potpourri or decoration.  


And (surprise, shock), I take pictures of them.

I love the depth, the way that the petals are gently unfurling.

Perfect bloom...  Reminds me of one of
the quote my mother always tells me:
"A Bud is not a Broken Rose."

Almost looks like a desktop wallpaper--and I took it!

Playing around with focus...  I like the contrast of the
white on the red.

This last round of roses (shown above) was given to me on Valentine's Day, and has the distinction of being photographed with my new, amazing camera.  (Also bought by my husband...  I am blessed!)


To take those pictures, I actually put the bouquet on the floor.  That way, I could get the best lighting from outside.  Tolkien found this very amusing:

He looks either hungry or annoyed...
I cannot decide.

So why am I blogging about this?  Besides showing off my snazzy pictures of my favorite flower?


I wanted to show what inspired this, my most recent Silmaril:

Rose Red - Silmaril Pendant

Another shot of Rose Red

As might be expected, I love that color red.  It reminds me of roses (obviously).  It also reminds me of the many blessings in my life.  


When I find myself blocked for creativity (which has been happening quite a bit recently), I have been trying to find ideas in simple things.  The green of the grass.  The red of roses.  There is so much beauty surrounding me...  I am endeavoring to take the time to actually see it.

Update and Question

This morning, I took over 500 pictures of new items for my store.*  Now I am going through all of said pictures, trying to decide which ones to use for my listings.  I am limited to five pictures per item, after all...  And sometimes it can be hard to choose!


The next step: coming up with the stories to attach to them!


I do have something to show for my work, however...  I just posted two sets.  One is the Phoenix Feather set (shown here); the previous one sold, and I had the materials to make another one.  The other set is one that I originally made for myself, but have never worn.  


Behold: The Treasure of Mazade!

Treasure of Mazade - Hairsticks

Treasure of Mazade - Necklace

Mazade is a place that actually features prominently in my Landus Fantasticus novel.  When I first obtained these elements, they immediately reminded me of it; the color combination was perfect.  I am particularly in love with the necklace--how the lacy edge of the pendant matches the lacy look of the chain.  I have never worn it, though, so I thought I would list it.


One more thing...  I have so much more that I'm working on currently.  More Silmarils (I also posted a pendant tonight, called Rose Red).  Matching earrings for the Ouroboros necklaces.  More hairsticks.  


Is there is anything that you would like to see me work on?  Please leave me a comment!  A particular color combination that you want to see?  More hairsticks and less necklaces?  I would love to get your feedback!


And, with that, I am off to sorting through pictures.  Hope everyone has a good night!


---


* - For the record, 500 pictures is by no means an excessive amount.  For each item, I take between 20 to 80 pictures--trying to get the angle and the lighting just so.  I take the visual aspect of my store very seriously, and want to make sure that I always post the best!

Update on Silmarils

I am now offering the Shining Silmarils as individual pendants!  

*and there was much rejoicing*

The plan is to sell the pendants at a fixed price (currently $15.00), and add separate listings for matching chains.  That way, you can choose as many pendants as you want, and only purchase as many chains as you want.  Already have a chain that you think will work?  Then you don't have to buy any.  Want a chain for every single pendant?  That is an option, too.

As of this moment, there are no chains listed...  That will be remedied shortly.  In the meantime, here are the current Shining Silmaril pendant listings...  And as the weather starts to get nicer, there will be many more to come!

Purple Sky

Nebula

SilverShade

Rainbow on the Water

Frosted Spring

Blue Jupiter

Green, Green, Green!

Ahhh, it's that time of year.


At least were I live, it's that time of year that you just know that it's going to get warm soon.  And you just know that things will turn green soon.  And you just know that it's going to happen any minute now--why won't it just hurry up, already?


When walking outside, it's like nature knows that Spring is coming.  The birds are becoming more active; the cardinals that nest outside my window have been chirping quite boisterously.  The air feels heavier; the clouds swell with rain and not snow.  I, for one, am extremely excited about the prospect of warmer weather and lots of green!


To tide myself over until that happens, I have recently posted four things to my store...  all green.


Enjoy!

Spring Leaves - Earrings
Their color is actually a bit closer to the light green seen
in the picture below.

Spring Leaves - Necklace
This necklace really makes me smile.

Frosted Spring - Silmaril Pendant
I'm now posting my Silmaril pendants separately, without
chains...  I should be blogging about this soon, too!

Frosted Spring - Silmaril Ring
A perfect touch of green, while waiting for Spring

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Edit 3/11/2011...

Right after I posted this, it started to snow.  A lot.  And then the next day (today), it all melted because the temperature reached 50 degrees Fahrenheit.  Go figure!

My Good Idea

Earlier today, I had an idea.


Now, this is not surprising.  I actually have a notebook that I carry around with me, simply to write down ideas as I get them.  I write and sketch and doodle and tape things in it; it is a very well loved notebook.


So, why was this particular idea special?  Because it happened suddenly, like a revelation.  Because I had all of the components to complete it, even though I didn't think it would work out.  And because, well, it turned out to be a blessing.


This is how it happened...


Most of my jewelry is connected to the stories that I have in my head.  I am sure that this is not surprising, especially to those who have spent any time looking at this blog or my store.  Now, I know many other writers.  My mother-in-law is one of them... One that has greatly influenced me.  (It was through her stories that I actually met my husband--but that is a sappy story for another day.)


One of her stories is influenced by ancient Chinese culture.  (I won't go into any more detail--it is her story to tell, not mine.)  So, as I rummaged through some of my discarded projects, I found some Chinese coin charms.  It occurred to me that perhaps, instead of making a necklace to match my stories, I could make one to match hers.


I had that thought this morning.  It wasn't until 10:00 tonight that I actually sat down to work on it.  Honestly, I was half-convinced that it wasn't going to work.  I had less of the charms than I thought I did.  I kept having issues with jump rings.  I kept dropping things.  Everything I did, I thought looked ugly.


But, I persevered, and lo and behold, I was holding a necklace.  And I was surprised...  it was gorgeous:

Please pardon the rather washed-out photo...
When I took it, it was more for documentation and less for
photographic brilliance.

Detail of the coins and beads...  enlarge the picture,
and hopefully it will be more clear.

Another detail shot--you can see one of the matching
earrings that I made for it.  (The other one I had dropped,
and did not find for another ten minutes.)

Excited and rather stunned, I bustled to give it to her.  She was so excited, she went and tried it on immediately.  It was the perfect length, and laid just right.  Yay!


Looking through my supplies, I don't have the makings to make another one, just yet...  And honestly, if I do make another one I may change it slightly.  After all, this is her special necklace.  This is a piece of her story.  Hopefully, it will remind her that I think that her writing is worthwhile, even if she (like all writers) starts to doubt her merit.


It is a joy to give gifts, and to use my talents to make other smile.  Sometimes, it seems, I have good ideas.

They're Back!

Yes, indeed, my "Caged" series of earrings is back.  Hurrah!  


For those that didn't know, this series of earrings has been on a hiatus for the last few months.  The reason is simple: I couldn't find any more of the silver cage beads. I scoured stores, both online and in my physical location, to no avail.  I honestly thought they had been discontinued.  Imagine my delight, then, when my friend located some for me!  


The cages that I now have in my arsenal now are silver-plated, brass, and copper.  I currently have no brass ones listed...  I do, however, have these listed:

Caged Moss - in copper

Caged Moss - in silver

Caged Night - in copper

Caged Night - in silver

Caged Dew - in copper

And, here is a sneak peak of one more pair to come!

Currently unnamed...  possibilities include "Caged Sky"
and "Caged Water"

Interested in a particular color combination?  Brass and red, silver and purple, copper and orange?  Let me know--I would love to make a custom pair, just for you!  :)


Another option: I have made hairsticks using the cage as part of the dangle.  Indeed, the possibilities are endless!  And hopefully, my stock will be endless, too...  Yay for chance discoveries!