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Friday the 13th
12:31 PM PST, 3/9/2009
Friday the 13th ~ the Lucky Antidote! a charmed bracelet Friday the 13th, long considered unlucky. What could make it unluckier? Well, walking under a ladder. Spilling salt. Opening an umbrella indoors. Having a black cat cross your path. Breaking a mirror. Sleeping on a table. Refusing a kiss under the mistletoe. Chasing someone with a broom. Dropping a dishcloth. Rocking an empty rocking chair. The list is endless.
What's a person to do on this unluckiest of days? Have I got bracelet for you.]
What's on it? Some of the greatest good luck charms known to man.
A four leaf clover, of sterling silver Eight rabbits' feet (still attached to the rabbits) in sterling silver. (Removing them is bad luck for the rabbit.)
A horseshoe, ends up so the luck doesn't run out, in sterling silver
A lucky penny in, well, copper and assorted alloys
The first star you see at night, for wishing, in cloisonne
A ladybug, also for wishing before you set her free, in cloisonne
A dolphin, king known to bring good luck to fisherman, carved of amethyst
A pair of lucky dice... may they always roll 7s, of pressed glass
Three sets of lucky cherries, in vintage lucite but, alas, not in a slot machine
A lucky koi, of Tibet silver
A bead to protect you against the evil eye, of lampwork glass
A maneki neko, or good fortune kitty, both paws raised, of bone china
A wishing well, a vintage charm of indeterminate material and origin
A wishbone, useful for making a wish, except it, too is a vintage charm of indeterminate material and origin
A lucky elephant, trunk up to keep the luck, of Thai Karen silver
The Chinese symbol for happiness
Now aren't you happy you found it? Go break a mirror! -
Stormy Weather
12:11 PM PST, 1/26/2009
Stormy WeatherDon't know why there's no sun up in the sky
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together,
Keeps rainin' all the time...
Okay. Maybe life isn't bare, gloom and misery everywhere... but here's a bracelet with the colors of a stormy day or a winter sky, inspired by the EHAG challenge ("The Weather Outside is Frightful"). The tones are grays, hematite, and and black.
There's a sterling silver lightning bolt and Thai Karen silver charms that I choose to think are rain, mixed in with foiled lampwork glass recycled beach glass, Swarovski crystals, hematite rounds and hearts, cat's eye beads Czech glass & fire polish crystals.
Love that hematite. Not only is the color and luster spectacualr, but the ancient Egyptians used Hematite in the creation of their magical amulets, some of which were treatments for madness and inflammation. Hematite relates to the Mars, the Roman God of War. Roman warriors used Hematite as protection during battle; they believed it could even make them invincible. So perhaps this will not only make you invincible, but will protect you from madness (and inflammation!)
And maybe from stormy weather. -
Turtles of the World, Unite!
11:59 AM PST, 1/26/2009
When I was in Albuquerque, I fell in love with the turtle fetishes and the legends behind them. That inspired this bracelet.
Zuni Fetishes are consulted when the spirit of an animal can help solve a problem. They are carried when the power of the animal is needed to accomplish a specific task, such as a safe journey or a successful hunt.
It is appropriate to keep an offering of cornmeal and water near the fetish.
Since breath represents the living spirit, one must breathe into the spirit of the fetish when requesting help.
The turtle ~ oldest symbol of mother earth ~ is a symbol of longevity and confidence. It bequeaths a centered and secure self. The bracelet is full of turtles: a fetish turtle carved of aventurine as well as a turtle carved of hematite, one carved of fiberoptic glass, and one carved of opalescent glass. There is also a cloisonne turtle, a Czech glass turtle, a ceramic turtle and a ceramic turtle button, and a turtle of Peruvian clay. There are four sterling silver turtles, as well: one in the fetish style and three 3D sterling turtles.
I wanted to make their "background" organic, as well. They hang among bead charms of recycled beach glass, aventurine, jade, malachite, crystals, and Czech glass. I don't know about you, but I'm about to breathe into my fetish. It couldn't hurt. -
On the Wings of a Dove
5:42 PM PST, 11/24/2008
I think today is a good day to think about peace. Every day is a good day to think about peace.
I watched the doves feeding on my hillside this morning and sat there basking in the sounds they made. They coo and cluck. When it's time to go, they lift off in a flurry of feathers, which also makes an amazing sound. They just make me happy... which is why I keep tossing seed on that hill, to the frustration of those who would garden there.
With that peaceful feeling, and with those colors in mind, I sat down and made this bracelet and earrings. The center charm is a beautiful one of sterling silver. There are two smaller silver-toned charms and I can't vouch for their provenance. I'm hoping pewter. I added some ceramic doves -- two in flight and two resting... looking peaceful.
I added beads in blues and whites. I found some recycled glass beads that show off different shades of blue depending on how the light hits them, and some more recycled glass beads of a frosty clear glass. There are crystals and artisan lampwork beads, as well. I like to think that the beads make up a peaceful sky of blue dotted with wispy clouds.
And then I thought peaceful thoughts. Of course, I usually do, aging hippie that I am.
You can see them in my store:
http://stores.ebay.com/Cornerstoregoddess
I hope they brings thoughts of peace to you, too. -
Gingerbread Musings
5:33 PM PST, 11/24/2008
Thoughts on Gingerbread
(Hey! I bet you think about strange stuff, too!)
You know, I never liked the story of the Gingerbread Man. He was so arrogant, thinking that, just because he could outrun senior citizens, he could hold his own with a fox.
Not that I wished him harm. That was, after all, the fox's job.
I didn't even like gingerbread boys and girls for eating purposes. The icing didn't taste nearly as good as it looked, and those suckers could get rock hard. But what I liked was the smell... and the look. The pink or aqua icing against the rich browns of the gingerbread, and that pungent aroma.
With this is mind, I started collecting gingerbread charms and beads. (Yeah, I know... OCD strikes 1 in 10). And soon I had a tidy stash. But the beads had to be just the right colors. I wanted to conjure up those delicious-smelling cookies.
And so I made this bracelet...
...and these earrings.
They don't smell like gingerbread, but they're pretty cute, and you can find them in my store if you run, run, as fast as you can.
http://stores.ebay.com/Cornerstoregoddess
I am also reminded of the e.e. cummings poem, which begins: here is little effie's head
whose brains are made of gingerbread
when the judgment day comes
God will find six crumbs
Hope you find more... and that they are delicious.