I feel the earth...move...under my feet....

In doting memory of that classic 1970 something song, I did feel the earth move right under my own this morning, here in grand old Pasadena.

Having only lived here for about 4 years, I've felt two and this, by far, was a good one!

I'm glad nothing serious happened and obviously a hat's off to the savvy construction crews who have built up surrounding Los Angeles to withhold a decent rumbler when they do happen!

Back to the originally programmed scheduling now....

I went running today

for the first time in a long, long, long, long.........long, long......long, long, long.....time.

Can we say Hurt Like a Sommabitch?

The only thing that isn't sore are my finger tips. Actually...wait...yes, they are.

Blech.

Oh, the air we breathe....

I live in the area of Los Angeles.

Let me say.

The air outside looks like the color of my widely known obsession for triple shot iced mocha beverages. Can we say just slightly brown? If only it smelled like my coffees tasted.

A tree snail moves faster than what I accomplishing this day. I'm over-heated, I'm tired, and I'm sure my lungs are devalued by 50 percent.

I'll explain that.

See, I run a cash system on my lungs given that, at any moment, I'm sure I'm carrying enough precious metal to pay for any future college educations for my future kids. Bar any coughing from particulants within my system, I should be more valuable especially in this high priced precious metals market. Unfortunately, after coughing, wheezing and hacking miserably, I'm now losing in the stocks. Sigh.

Please rain here. I must sign off to perform a rain ritual which may involve naked dancing.

My Journey into the Abstract....

May as well begin here. I am typically known for making bridal headpieces, which are themed yet elegant and dare I say on the side of non-traditional.

I have begun a wave of making abstract, freeform pendant designs to which I love the play, the diversity and the texture of them all.

For example:

and another recent creation featuring a blue sapphire and gold beads:

I will feature more as I get these in action and uploaded...but feel free to share your thoughts!

The most AMAZING place in the world....

Was, for me, my recent trip to the Grand Canyon, Bryce National Park and Zion National Park. There just wasn't enough time to fully see and explore all the nooks and crannies the parks have to offer.

To hike amongst these canyons puts a new perspective on your own size in life. Even the way these structured and large trees found life amongst high wall embankments makes you feel so...well...small.

The Grand Canyon, while breathtaking and beautiful, was actually not my favorite. It was surreal, like a painting, and you lose much perspective whilst staring out for over 15 miles of foreign cavities and ridges of prehistoric time. It's something you lose yourself in and quickly find you need to turn away to get your head back to square. Wicked history, right there.

I will post more but I wanted to capture a beaming me, on my trip, and these waterfall shots at the canyon of Bryce, where it's desert, dry as a bone and no water to be found except the remnants of sponged rainwater coming out of the rocks...some water as old as 4000 years!

It was an amazing and gorgeous trip...one I will remember for the remainder of my life. Y es, it was that profound and powerful. A spiritual moment that we all need from time to time. It's nothing you can get from a book, per se. It's all right here, under our very noses, in our own backyards.

How friggin' cute is this? You see, I've been "looking" at pop-up trailers for a while now. Ever since my near death camping experience in a two seater tent, from REI, really meant for a small...no...miniature toy poodle.

Anyhow, I'm devouring my sites at these wonderful contraptions to which embrace the idea of RV'ing in a more earthy way. You could call it a poor man's RV or a rich man's tent...either way, I'm all over this idea and think it's a perfect investment!

eBay is shooting themselves in the foot

I have a gripe. A formal complaint against this company. I have been with them for over 7 years and recently, I was in "violation" with keyword spamming in my listings. I make hand-crafted bridal circlets with a very Celtic, Renaissance and Medieval feel and I had about 25 listings wiped away due to spamming? How does one describe their product without using words like Celtic, etc, if that's what it truly is? I'm feeling a bit miffed and hope, eventually, that all the hard work I did on eBay will migrate over to another forum, such as Etsy, or my personal website.

Should I close my store front account with them or leave it up with a link directing here? Anyone know if that's doable?

Again, this is so frustrating. I pay outrageous fees, been a loyal and 100 percent feedback seller all this time, and this is how they repay me? I feel like I'm being targeted. It especially upsets me given that I see other merchants doing the same thing and they're not being targeted at all.

Perhaps, given this recent activity, with the French Connection via fraudulent watches, and in this sue-happy era, ze Francois won a 60 million settlement from eBay...which means that any of us who use indicators to describe our listings which may seem suspicious, to eBay, will get pulled. Still...totally not fair.

Heaven's Blevins...What a glorious view from here!

I just came back from an *amaaaaazing* 5 day quick trip to Bryce Canyon, The Grand Canyon and Zion National Park.
5 days isn't enough for one park let alone three...but wow. For anyone needing a bit of spiritual restoration, please...I cannot stress this highly enough...please make time to see one of these!

It's food for the soul.

Divine - Pleasure - Oral - Intoxication

These words describe the insatiable lust I feel for my mocha at this moment in time. I have NO shame in declaring my utmost confession of the true addict I have become over a quad mocha, 2.5 pump, easy whip decadent delight.

I'm off to worship my straw.....

Silver Nugget Bracelet Cuffs and Nugget Pendants

Tell me...I've been making a lot of sterling silver nugget pendants and bracelets lately. Okay...I lied. I said a lot but that really means, in hand made jewelry terms, that I've made two. Which can feel like a lot when you spend hours crafting them. :)

At any rate, I like this concept...again.... a lot.

And they are a more affordable alternative to the gold nugget variety. I make these all by hand, and I forge and mold and forge and texture... a lot...to get these looking as much from the Earth as possible.

Any thoughts?

What's your Goddess Birth Sign?

Wow, mine could not be more perfect for me, considering I'm a HUGE Stevie fan. If anyone reads this who knows me, would surely know this!

It says....

Nov 23 - Dec 21 ...RHIANNON... A maiden of ethereal beauty, Rhiannon was the Welsh goddess of fertility and rebirth, transformation, wisdom, and magic. She was born with the first moonrise, embedding her with an inner urge for adventure and travel. As such, she rode her unearthly white mare between this world and the Underworld to satisfy her thirst for discovery. Rhiannon-inspired women can be so focussed on the horizon, they forget about being sensitive to those around them. They could learn a little tact occasionally, and anticipate others' needs rather than waiting for them to ask.

Do this: Identify someone who needs your help, and assist them without thought of payment or thanks.

To see your birth sign, click this!

Insert graphic chomping noises

I'm. in. dire. need. of. this.....

If you're considering that diamond purchase...

Then please consider this:

Diamonds Are Forever

"Diamonds are virtually worthless."

Or at least, they are worth a lot less than you might imagine. The story of how the diamond came to be viewed as the rarest and most coveted of gemstones, found on the fingers of married women worldwide, is a story of insatiable greed, ruthless strong-arming, and most of all, brilliant marketing.

Today when a woman gets engaged in most of the developed nations of the world, she expects a diamond engagement ring and most likely will also have some sort of diamond setting on her wedding ring as well. After all, the diamond is the rarest of gems, and what better way to show a women exactly how much you love her than with the gift of a diamond. Right?

But this was not always the case. In fact, as recently as 100 years ago a woman whose husband-to-be could afford one was at least as likely to wear a ruby, sapphire, or emerald on her wedding ring as a diamond. Indeed, in countries as far apart as India and England, it was the ruby, not the diamond, that was exalted as the most beautiful and rarest of gemstones, and thus it is not surprising that in India, the word "lal" means "red," "ruby," and "beloved" as well. Indeed, statistically speaking, the ruby is the rarest of the major gemstones, followed by the emerald.

The Rise of De Beers

Enter a family of South African of Afrikaner heritage who in the early 1900s owned a small but productive diamond mine - The De Beers. Through a combination of business acumen, worker exploitation, and large quantities of luck, the De Beers corporation had become one of the world's biggest producers of diamonds by the 1930s. At first openly in the 1930s and then secretly during World War II, De Beers gained a leg up on the competition by selling industrial diamonds to a desperate Adolph Hitler, with whom other more principled diamond producers refused to deal.

By the 1950s De Beers controlled a majority of the Earth's diamond supply. Over the next three decades, the company went on a massive buying spree, acquiring mines in South America, the United States, India, and the rest of Africa, asserting one of the world's largest and most successful monopolies over one of its most coveted items.

With its monopoly power, De Beers has been able to control diamond prices worldwide by dumping or withholding diamonds in its private stockpile. As a privately owned company not traded on any stock market, De Beers is not required to divulge its assets, profits, or the size of its diamond hoard, although it has been estimated that even if all diamond production were ceased tomorrow, De Beers has enough diamonds secreted away to maintain current rates of diamond consumption for 15-20 years.

This stockpile has been the key to maintaining the De Beers monopoly. Whenever a new mine was discovered or a competitor attempted to undersell De Beers' inflated prices, the company would simply flood the market with diamonds, driving prices so low that its rivals would be brought to their knees, either forced to sell out to De Beers or to sign agreements agreeing to follow De Beers' orders on pricing.

Just remember there are other investments and choices when it comes to laying down huge money for a hard mineral. I, for one, would support my local artisan, pay not nearly the amount a small round rock would cost (just because I'm supposed to and it's operated by a cartel) and give back into my artisan community.

Just think about it!

I have a Shadow Box!

Just received a new shadow box to take, I hope, better photographs of my jewelry. I will be practicing like a fiend to perfect this technique.

An example below.

Before the shadow box:



















After the shadow box:




Wow!

What a strange occurance...

Has anyone been approached by a door salesperson asking to check the contents of a particular alarm system to see if it needed an upgrade, only to NOT be part of the company that installed the system in the first place?

I think my place was trying to be cased!

So, I alerted the local authorities just to be sure.

Go me.

Stumble Me!

My StumbleUpon Page

Featured at this site for Unique Jewelry Designs

I have been featured here! Slowly but surely....

Is what they say.....

Please leave a comment. It makes me feel warm and I will do tricks.

I'm on an Etsy Treasury

I am featured on an Etsy Treasury. Have a look!

Etsy Treasury of Bridal Goodies

Well, so now what?

Gotta say. I'm slightly discourage with the overall results of my hard work and efforts this week. I can't get my application accepted for major bridal sites such as the Knot, or artsy sites such as Trunkt. I'm feeling discouraged because while people seem to like my work and the quality of it, this does not translate into marketability for me. Or them.

Yeah, I'm down.

Time for a coffee and a breather.

New angles of Headpiece pictures!

I'm trying new angles and new backgrounds since my headpieces need to really look more elegant and organic...especially, because it does zero justice on plain white background with a poor photographer, (meaning me, cuz I really suck at taking pictures) and some background will add, I hope, to the mystique.

Could use some opinions...feel free!