dipped crystals

Spring is in the air every once in a while here in Vancouver...the rain is a bit warmer, there are crocuses popping up everywhere. I've even ridden my bike to work a couple of times and I am a wimp when it comes to riding in the cold or on rainy days. With longer days and warmer weather, I've been working on orders that are headed off to Portland, Montreal, and Ottawa, respectively. There will also be some select Camp + Quarry at a certain bookshop in Winnipeg and Saskatoon...details coming soon. Having so many pieces ready to go, I took the opportunity to update some shop photos and wanted to share them here. I still really, really, really wish I had a new camera with better macro abilities, but with a little photoshopping I can usually get my pictures to look passable.

I love these stones. So much variation. My favourite one right now is a gold dipped clear quartz that has a bit of a tangerine inclusion (you can see it in one of the shots below). I'm saving it for my next online order of that listing. These guys are all live in the Camp + Quarry Etsy shop now-ish. Have a wonderful Sunday!

core samples

Can I just say that this week is going by waaaaay too fast? Jeff and I are moving in about ten days and we are nowhere near ready! Sure, we have like six boxes in our apartment, but they're pretty much all empty, and the ones that are packed Jeff took care of. I have been busy busy busy making things for the two shows that I have coming up at the end of November and beginning of December (check out the sidebar for more information about Sadie holiday events). Part of my pre-holiday updates included adding new silver dipped amethyst core samples to the Sadie shop, including a listing for a special deal on two amethyst core sample necklaces. This evening I just wanted to share a couple of photos with you of these new pieces. I'm really happy with the way the top image turned out. It's given me some inspiration for how to set up my displays at Portobello West and Got Craft.

Oh, and I picked up Mindy Kaling's new book (normally I'd get it at the library, but I'm kind of boycotting the Vancouver library right now because they keep finding bedbugs in their books!!!) and I'm really enjoying reading it everyday during my seabus commute. My favourite line so far:

There is no sunrise so beautiful that it is worth waking me up to see it.

So true. Have a great week, everyone!

a few new things: solar quartz

Just a quick post to share some of the new pieces that I've been making lately. These stud earrings and rings are made from slices of solar quartz and amethyst. Some are from my trip to Seattle, some are from my favourite gem shop in the world in Calgary. The pinkish stone that they're photographed with is called aura quartz and has tiny little crystals that give it a soft texture. It's one of my favourite finds from Christmas in Calgary last year. I'll have these with me at BLIM this Sunday and in the Sadie shop, too. The shop will be closed on Sunday only since all of my wares will be with me at the market. It'll re-open by Monday morning with lots of new pieces being listed soon.

mixed minerals: black tourmaline and some other great things

amethyst and black tourmaline

quartz and black tourmaline (silver and gold dipped)

citrine and black tourmaline

We're back and getting ready to face the real world music tomorrow morning. Poor Jeff has to get up at 5:15 AM tomorrow and put in a twelve hour day! I can hardly complain in comparison. Seattle was so fun. We took it easy today: visited some of our favourite neighbourhoods and checked out Silence-Heart-Nest at the suggestion of talented Seattle resident, Moorea Seal. (Thanks so much for the tip, Moorea!) I also discovered a stone/jewelry-making paradise, for real, cannot emphasize enough how awesome (and therefore dangerous to my mini vacation budget) this place is. It's not that they have everything, it's that they have lots of stuff that I have never been able to find in Vancouver, and at reasonable prices, too. So, be on the lookout for even more new stuff in the Sadie shop soon, especially more mixed mineral necklaces in a similar vein to the ones above that I just listed tonight. Happy almost weekend, everyone! Do you have any plans for Saturday and Sunday yet?

coming soon: amethyst core samples

Four new amethyst core samples will be in the Sadie shop this week. Two gold, two silver, all one of a kind. I'll be showing off lots of new jewelry here in the coming weeks, so keep checking back for sneak peeks of what's going to be in store in May. I made two new Miriam necklaces today, too, and am excited to be able to offer the pastel pink version in the shop this spring. Let me just say, it is so nice to be sitting in the sun, drinking coffee and making jewelry on a weekend. I can't wait to tackle all of the projects that I've been dreaming of starting soon. What are you working on these days?

amethyst core samples

I'm planning a big Sadie shop update over the February reading break (the 14th to 20th) and thought I'd give you a little sneak peek at some of the items that will be available. These gold dipped amethyst core samples will be among the new crystal pieces that I'm going to post. I also have some new Cave Explorers, which I'll share a day or two before I put them in the shop.

Amethyst is one of my favourite stones, perhaps because I think it was the first stone that I was ever given. My parents gave me an amethyst ring when I "graduated" from preschool. I lost that ring in a brook on my grandmother's farm, but my mom actually miraculously found it the next day in the water! I love how each core sample is really unique and tells a story about different geological conditions that formed the colour bands and crystal structures. These gold-dipped pendants will be in the shop soon!

two new things...

Just a quick post today to give you a head's up on a new Grizzly Cave Explorer in the Sadie shop. This is the last of the grizzly bears that Jeff and were making things with over Christmas. The diorama and the first Grizzly Cave Explorer are gone, but I finally found the perfect stone for this last little figure!

I'm also adding a new amethyst druzy necklace. Amethyst is the February birthstone and it's totally my favourite stone right now. Thanks to all of my new followers and commenters, by the way. You make keeping this blog going even more fun!

UPDATE: So, moments after I posted the latest Grizzly Cave Explorer I was contacted by a buyer, so you'll notice it's now reserved. I promise, however, that there are more Cave Explorers on the way soon. And don't forget about the lumberjack in the shop. He doesn't photograph particularly well, but he is super fun in person! Check him out!