March Merriment! (And some Aquamarine and Pearls!)

March in the Arizona desert is one of my favorite months because the weather is usually so amazing!

The citrus trees are blooming and smell fantastic, the birds are singing extra 'pretty' and the sky seems to burst each day with colorful sunrises and sunsets.

 

 

I have several family members and friends who have birthdays in March and it's my birthday month too,
so March is special to me.

Aquamarine is the birthstone for the month of March
and it's one of my favorite stones.

 

 

Each year during the Tucson Gem Shows in February I try to snatch up a few of these precious gems and then create something for my birthday as my gift to myself.

(I know, kinda weird, but that's just me!)

 

This is what I created this year. 

Hand-knotted faceted Aquamarine nugget focal with faceted Aquamarine roundelles,
faceted Labradorite rounds and freshwater cultured Pearls. Handcrafted
sterling silver hook clasp.

 

 

It's an asymmetrical, hand knotted necklace and bracelet with pearls (of course), aquamarine and labradorite. There's also a piece of ancient Roman Glass (love this!!) from Happy Mango Beads thrown into the bracelet mix.

Hand-knotted faceted Aquamarine nugget and roundelles, faceted Labradorite rounds,
freshwater cultured Pearls and ancient Roman glass from Happy Mango Beads.
Handcrafted sterling silver hook clasp.

 

 

The pieces aren't totally 'matchy-matchy' but they're still similar enough to be what I would call a 'set'  

 

It's a bit unusual, but I like that!

 

I love reading about gemstone lore and learning the metaphysical properties of the stones I'm wearing or using to create jewelry. 

 

I feel the energy in the different stones brings the piece to life, so to speak, and gives it an inner meaning that speaks to the wearer, offering up a sense of protection, guidance or clarity to things.

 

 

Here's some of the metaphysical properties and folklore of the stones within this set:

 

Aquamarine: It is said to be the 'stone of sailors', as they believed it would protect them on the water.  

 

The Romans used it for diseases of the stomach and also believed it could alleviate or cure liver and throat problems. 

 

Aquamarine represents Courage, peace, balance, preparedness, purification self-expression and intuition.

 

Pearls: The mystic properties of pearls lend them to be associated mostly with women and they are known as the ultimate gemstone for feminine energy.

Pearls are said to represent purity, faith, loyalty, truth, integrity, fertility, charity, innocence, spirituality and wisdom (to name a few things).

Some cultures use pearls as a way of helping women to connect with their “inner goddesses” and pearls are believed to help you focus, keep you centered and to give the wearer a sense of calmness.

 

Labradorite:  It is believe to be a stone of transformation that protects you through change by reducing stress and providing clarity, insight, patience, peace and sense of good timing, while increasing intuition, mental illumination and helping with subconscious issues.

 

One of my niece's and I used to call Labradorite, 'fish-stone', because we thought that its color and iridescence was like that of some fish scales.

Which makes it perfect (in my opinion) to pair with pearls and aquamarine.

 

You know, other 'water-stones'.  (grin!)

Do you have something special you do for yourself for your birthday or during your birthday month?

I'm curious.

Until Next Time,
Peace, Love and Aquamarine,...with Pearls, of course!
Cheers,
~Shel~

 

 

 

 

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Get Your Green on!! 

 

Have a safe and happy

St. Patrick's Day!

 

Until Next Time,
Peace, Love and Goin' Green!

Cheers,

~Shel~

FOL14 - Week 11 - Beauty All Around

It's week 11 for the Focus on Life 2014 Weekly Photography Challenge and Sally over at The Studio Sublime has given us the theme of

"Checking Out" for the month of March.

 

This week's prompt is:

 

 

Beauty All Around

 

You've all seen the sunrises and sunsets I've been posting lately, which would have been super for this week's prompt, but I'll spare you yet another one!

 

I was out walking in the neighborhood keeping a keen eye out for something to photograph that would embrace this prompt.

  

This was some of the
beauty I found all around.



Pretty flowers outside our subdivision

And, even more.

Beautiful Bougainvilleas

 

 

Okay - so I couldn't resist.
 
Here's another sunset.

Friday Night's Sunset Over the Big Lake
(sorry I couldn't make it bigger w/out it running off the page!)



And here's a duck landing on the water, too!

  

 

 

 

Please go check out the "Beauty All Around" that everyone else found this week, won't you?

 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Beauty All Around!

Cheers,

~Shel~

 

 

 

An InLinkz Link-up

FOL14 - Week 10 - The BIG Picture

It's week 10 for the Focus on Life 2014 Weekly Photography Challenge and Sally over at The Studio Sublime has given us the theme of

"Checking Out" for the month of March.

 

 

 

This week's prompt is:

 

The BIG Picture

 

"As for this week, we are expanding what we are 'checking out' and looking at the BIG picture!"

 

I have a hard time with getting these types of pics to turn out the way the I want them to.
 

 





Click to enlarge - you'll be happy you did! :-)

 

 



 

These photos might not have been exactly what Sally meant with her prompt, but I did try a few different things this week, including trying to read the online manual for both my cameras.  (grrr,.....)

 

Well, after not having much success with that whole thing, I grabbed my phone and snapped the beauty around us while we were on a little walk about the neighborhood the other night.

 

 

 

 

 

I also captured this sunrise one morning with the 'panorama' setting on my phone.

 

 

click to enlarge

 

I'm a bit obsessed with sunrises and sunsets - as you can see.

I'm sure you're getting bored with them lately,....especially if you follow me on Facebook or over on Instagram.

But hey, I'm having fun and enjoying each moment I capture!

 

 

 

I looked. I focused.
I held my breath.
I clicked.

I captured what I found beautiful.

 

 

This one I used an edit on and then put a frame on it - but it still looks pretty much
the way the sunrise did. Except for the green glowing houses across the lake. :-)

 

 

I never thought in a million years that I'd say this but,...

I think my phone camera might be a better camera than either of my actual cameras.

 

Well, except for the macro shots I get w/my Lumix.

Those can be pretty awesome. 

 

So, I wonder what 'big' pictures everyone else captured this week?

 

Let's have a look, shall we?

 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Getting the Big Picture!

Cheers,

~Shel~

 

An InLinkz Link-up

Chasing Ghosts!

 

So, if you've read the blog recently, you know that last

weekend I was in Jerome with my girlfriends. 

 

 

 

 

(Love these crazy kids!)

 

 

Kyle calling The Ghostbusters upon arriving at the Jerome Grand Hotel.
Janet grabbing Elvis - what a hoot!
Us getting photo-bombed by a local shop owner in front of Passion Cellars Wine Tasting!

 

 

Jerome is one of Arizona's most talked about, historic, unique, colorful, artistic, and haunted, little towns.

 

 

 

 

 

(Lot's of cool stuff to photograph, too!)

 

 

 

The Textures of Jerome remind of the ones in Italy.

 

 

 

You can read the pre-trip post, here, about the 'Ghostly Encounter' I had the last time I stayed over night at the Jerome Grand Hotel (room 43 I think we decided it was)

 

 

 

 

 

Picked up a new book while it town,....should have read this before my last trip! ;-)

 



I've been fascinated with ghosts and ghost/supernatural/spirit stories since I was a little girl, but since I wasn't really looking to hit the 'replay' button on the above mentioned experience again, I was careful to 'ground' myself prior to entering the hotel this time; and, I had a little 'talk' with the spirits who inhabit this super cool, old building (it was once a hospital), letting them know my rules and intentions from the get-go!

 

 

For the people who have asked how our weekend was and told us to post some things, here's a little pictorial for you.

 

 

 

The 'Haunted' Jerome Grand Hotel

 

 

My sister and I were up rather early Sunday morning and got the chance to chat with Carrie, a super nice guest at the hotel who was also up with the sun and sitting outside. After exchanging stories and telling her to go to the Flatiron for the best coffee on the planet once her friends woke up and started moving about, we went our separate ways - saying hello to them at the restaurant later that morning.

 

 

You can read my 'review' of The Flatiron, here!

 

 

Well, Carrie messaged me this week with quite the story telling about how she recorded some 'whispering' in her hotel room during the night with her phone!

 

She said she didn't hear the whispering while it was happening and didn't bother to listen to her recording until returning back to the Valley at the end of the weekend, and that's when she discovered it!  You can read her comments, here, at the bottom of the post.

 

Pretty scary stuff if you ask me!!

 

You'll be happy to know (or possibly disappointed) that I was not visited by, nor did I see any ghostly beings,...although, we did capture something in this photo (an apparition, perhaps?). 

 

 

 

4th Floor landing at the Jerome Grand Hotel
Photo taken 2-22-14 - approximately 7:00p.m.
Taken with my Htc-rezound phone - no editing, except for the photo frame.
The 'yellow' light is a reflection of the lamp light that was next to this bureau.
The white-ish cloudiness that's smeared across the photo?
Well, let's just say it's 'something' interesting.

 

 

The people who were up on the 4th floor with their EMF meter and IR thermometer were picking up quite the activity in this exact location and upon seeing the photo, were certain that our 'something' really was 'SOMETHING'!

 

 

I hope if you're ever in Arizona, that you take the time to visit Jerome.

 

 

The Sights of Jerome

 

 

 

It's a great little place, full of excitement, full of history, fun, adventure, great people and lots of photo ops.

 

 

 

Lovely old, rusty car in the Jerome Grand Hotel Parking Lot

 

 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and

Hanging with Friends in Haunted Places!

Cheers,

~Shel~

Focus on Life 201 - Week 9 - Macro

It's week 9 for the Focus on Life 2014 Weekly Photography Challenge and Sally over at The Studio Sublime has given us the theme of "Checking Out" for the month of March.

 

Sally explains this month's prompt, "March for me is the beginning of Spring and a good time for checking out!  There are many definitions of "checking out", but I'm talking about checking out and exploring the world around us.  Some times when we are checked out of life and checked in to technology we tend to not focus on the amazing things that are happening around us every minute of everyday."

 

 

 

For week 9, our prompt is:

 

Macro Shot
 

"This week we are going to get up close and really check things out!"
 

 

I just LOVE macro shots!

 

Click photo to enlarge :-)



I'm much better at drooling over them than I am at actually capturing them, but hey, I have fun trying!
 

 

 

 

 

 I spent last weekend 'checking out' Jerome, AZ with my sister and a couple of friends and was happy enough to capture some cool macro shots of the beautiful, fresh flowers that were on our table at The Flatiron.

 

 

 

Everything about The Flatiron was super!

 

 

From the relaxed atmosphere, to the awesome meals that Chad prepared, to the fun banter that could be heard between Jen and Amy behind the bar area.

This place was rockin' the cool-vibe! 

My sister's waffles on Sunday!  Yummy!

 

 

And, just so you know, they have the best coffee on the planet! (thank you Amy!)

 

And some really beautiful flowers that make for great macro shots, too!

 

Click to enlarge photo collage :-)

 

Please click on all the links below to check out what gorgeous, up-close macro shots the rest of the Focus on Life gang has captured this week, okay?
 

 

Until Next Time,
 

Peace, Love and Macro Lust!
 

Cheers,

~Shel~

 

  

An InLinkz Link-up

Focus on Life 2014 - Capture Color

It's week 8 for the Focus on Life 2014 Weekly Photography Challenge and Sally over at the Studio Sublime has given us the theme of "Cabin Fever" for the month of February and our prompt this week is:

 

 

 

Capture Color!

 

"For the last week of February, we will be focusing on something that can snap me out of 'cabin fever' and hopefully you, too! Bring on the Color! Capture color in all its vivid brilliance!"

 

I'm visiting the lovely little haunt of Jerome, AZ with my sister and some friends this weekend, but here's some 'color' that I was organizing this week and snapped a photo of!

 

 

 

 

Please enjoy all the other color that everyone else was able to capture this week, won't you?!

 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Color, Baby!

Cheers,

~Shel~

An InLinkz Link-up

Earrings Everyday "We're All Ears" Inspiration Blog Hop

It's time to see what everyone created for the

Earrings Everyday monthly challenge.

 

 

 

 

I didn't think I was going to make it for this one since I was a bit late to the game (so to speak) because of playing catch up this week and all kinds of other stuff that was going on with work (day job).

 

But I did manage to finally get some earrings created and photographed and I'm glad because not being able to create almost daily anymore has left me a bit cranky and unhappy - just ask my hubby and son about that one!

 

The Earrings Everyday blog is hosting a monthly earring challenge and this month the inspiration was this colorful photo below.

 

Damselflies in Love
Photo credit: National Geographic, Yeo Weng Sang

 

 

Beautiful, Funky Bug "Love"!

LOL!

 

So, here's the earrings I created.

 

 

The faceted, rutilated quartz slices reminded me of the gorgeous and ever so delicate wings of these cute little 'love bugs'. 

 

I made the earrings 'move' by knotting the cord between the beads so as to mimic what I thought would be their graceful movement.

 

The pretty, bright blue Sleeping Beauty turquoise, cheery salmon colored glass beads and the faceted pearls are all the colors, shapes and textures that jumped out at me from this photo. 

 

I had fun using this photo as the inspirational jumping point for these earrings. 

 

Thanks to everyone over at the Earrings Everyday Blog for their daily inspiration. I look forward to next month's challenge and hope I'm able to jump in and participate again!

 

Please give all the other participants some love and see what they have created by clicking on over to the
Earrings Everyday blog
and leaving some feedback, won't you?

 

Everyone have a super wonderful weekend!

 

Until Next Time, 

Peace, Love and "Funky Bug Love"

Cheers,

~Shel~ 

An InLinkz Link-up