More treasures

No matter how many times I tell myself I don't need more gems, more beads, more stones... I end up buying more. Mostly because some of the deals are too good to pass, and sometimes because in my area we have just a handful of Gem Shows a year ~ you miss them, you'll wait until next year. Last (but definitely not least), I just come up with new ideas I need special stones for :) I know I'm not alone...

Anyhow ~ this is what happened recently.

First, I have been asked by 2 dear eFriends to participate in their own personal anniversary events: both Cynthia of Antiquity Travelers and Therese of Therese's Treasures had a similar idea and I was one of the lucky few to be given the opportunity to work with their choices.

Cynthia's is celebrating her 2-year blog anniversary with a small blog-hop and her package arrived first:

• a beautiful red silk bag... what can it hide?! 

•  OMG ~ look at that! A gorgeous tribal 'mask' (handmade in polymer clay by Jana of Happy Fish) with lovely matching reclaimed sari silk (look at that incredible blue!), along with seed beads and a strand of gemstones. In love!

•  Yes, definitely in love: my uncle used to make such tribal masks (larger, for interior decorating, carved in wood) and Cynthia's tribal figure just sent me back in time! Now all I need to do is incorporate this childhood memory in a piece of jewelry... not sure what yet, but I am confident I'll work it out. You'll have to come back on Wednesday, October 23rd to see what we have created (and how close we stayed to our own styles, or borrowed from Cynthia's "Ethnic BOHO"!)

Therese had a blast over the summer learning to fuse glass. She decided that having a blast is something one must share and share she definitely did. She is celebrating her own birthday with a blog hop as well and her package arrived this past week containing this:

• totally, completely, 100% swoon ~ it has a beautiful texture too, you can't really see it, but in the upper-right 'corner' and bottom-left one, the blue areas are waving, a little bit like the ocean... It is such a gorgeous piece, I've been going back and forth with ideas ~ nothing pleases me so far! I'll figure it out. The day when we will reveal the work made with her glass cab is Saturday, November 16th ~ please mark your calendars and make sure you'll visit too :) 

A couple of weeks ago there was a sale on lampwork glass... I have a very unhealthy (financially speaking) relationship with glass: I cannot resist it! Show me an art bead and I suddenly must have it. Oh, the conversations my two "I"s have... they drive me nuts :) This time I succumbed to these beauties made by Heather Behrendth of Lampwork Glass by Heather:

How could one resist? I haven't seen that many musical notes on a staff in glass and these are just perfection.

And, of course, there was the Ancaster Rock and Gem Show. It's very close to my house and it happens only once a year, so I can't miss it, can I?!

• This is how the 'loot bag' looked like ~ after taking off the child's rocks (he completed his collection with some new beauties... he actually had a list of what he wants to buy!) 

•  Of course I couldn't pass this beauty, a blue Argonite with the most surreal sky-blue tint I've ever seen... no, couldn't have passed it. 

•  Rose quartz cabs ~ a special plan was devised for them :) 

•  Jasper cabs - same size as the Rose ones (what the angle of the picture can do with the image :) )

•  My favourite: Amazonite (cabs)

•  I finally got a sandstone in the proper size (have been looking for one for a couple of years now) ~ different 'landscape' on each side. Can't wait to get to it :) 

•  Apparently I am in love with Labradorite ~ I have about 5 of them now... still waiting for me to clean the studio and get my new desk in, so I can start working properly (note: my current desk is the very first one we bought in Canada, it can't really withstand metal working so I was gifted a wood-desk for my birthday... ouch, that's almost 6 months ago :) )

•  These little donuts were way too cute to pass by ~ various stones: hematite, jasper, quartz

•  3 strands of 3 very different stones: larimar (the chips on the right), amazonite (the top right bag), and jasper (bottom right bag) ~ and yet they look almost identical! 

• And a splendid Amethyst ~ it'll end up being wire-wrapped, most likely. I had no vision for it, I just knew I can't leave it there, it has such a lovely colour :) 

And there you have it ~ please pray I actually make something with them. I sure have some ideas, some plans... all I need is dedication now.

What kind of treasures have you recently acquired?