Growth of the GreenChild Necklace

The Challenge for April for the HandMadeMN team is Growth. That's pretty wide open, and can be interpreted so many different ways. I finished my Challenge piece and it is listed here:
Growth of the GreenChild Necklace


I was pretty proud, I took the above pic by myself, of myself... camera in one hand, mirror in the other, deep breath, try to make the shoulders look relaxed... don't move!


The face for this pendant was a mold that I resculpted. My former business partner absconded with a bunch of my molds (among other things). I hope they bless her abundantly in the way she deserves to be blessed! Because of the now-scarce molds & that the leaves are a custom clay mixture and hand sculpted, this pendant won't ever be made again! She has so much motion - very much like a child on the playground swings. This is a very fun piece, and at the same time, very meaningful! My description on Etsy is more in-depth. Hope you can get there to check it out!

The Beauty of Magic Treasury

LilYkaT Studio The Forest in Shadows earrings were included in this treasury that was curated by MetaphysicalShppe on the Etsy PaganTeam. She really picked some lovely items, & I'm honored to be included. I loved the theme, the name, the affordable price points... she did a great job. Jealous that I didn't think of it! ;)

The Treasury will be listed on Etsy West until Tuesday, March 30. The Beauty of Magic

Check it out!

Mermaid pendant ready to list!

I love the Amazon look of this undersea Goddess Mermaid, with her jewels & trident. She's beautiful, but not cute. I had to remake the necklace, as the first time it looked too dainty! Some people don't like the clothes-free look, but I figure, would a half-fish person bother with clothing? Adornment, yes! Clothes, no!

I've checked, and Etsy allows artistic nudity, it's even been on the front page. OK, good. Time to write a description!

Metal Tiger 2010

The Chinese horoscopes have always been a bit more accurate for me than others. So, just for giggles, here is a page to tell you what the Year of the Metal Tiger, 2010, will be like for you. Have fun!

Chinese Fortune Calendar

My year looks smooth, no major highs or lows. How is yours?

Spoons For HandMade MN Gift Baskets

Hand Made MN is giving away some fabulous gift baskets at the upcoming Art/Craft Fair.
My donation is two pyrographied wooden spoons. My bestselling design "Add Love," and the strange humor "Visualize Whirled Peas." As always, these spoons are not intended as a discipline tool!

Spring Jewelry by LilYkaT Studio in Sacred Paths Center, St. Paul!

Got Spring Fever? Me, too! This week has been rainy, droopy & dreary in my corner of Minnesota. Ug! But I know Spring is coming. In anticipation, I created some Spring-feeling jewelry that Teisha has put into the shop at Sacred Paths Center in St. Paul.
Just look at the soft green Amazonite Leaves, the aqua tones of dyed moonstone, Opalite butterflies, rose quartz and complimentary glass bead in the Spring Fever set, above. In the middle picture, Spring Flowers set, the beautiful multiple green tones are featured in lampworked glass and crystals, with accents of soft pink quartz. The top photo shows the Lucky Malachite & Turquoise necklace featuring a turquoise mosaic equal-armed cross bead, surrounded by malachite, turquoise, and Austrian crystal. The clasp has the word, "Luck," on it for a finishing touch!

Pictures of the March Aquamarine collection to come. See these wonderful creations along with beautiful and meaningful artwork, herbs, candles, stones, giftware and more at:
Sacred Paths Center
777 Raymond Ave
St. Paul, MN 55114

March Birthstones

So... back to my quest of finding rocks for every season & every reason. It's March! Winter will soon be melted away. The almost-full moon was casting shadows on the snow last night, and even the darkness was energizing. Beautiful!

Here is what I've found out:

The modern birthstone for March is Aquamarine. Traditionally, Bloodstone has also been used. Spring Equinox is in March, & the Emerald is considered the stone of Spring. Other Spring stones are: Amethyst, Green Diamond, Chrysoberyl, Spinel, Pink Topaz, and Olivine. Jade is the Mystical stone of March. March Zodiac signs are Pisces and Aries.

Pisces: (Feb. 19-Mar. 20)
Birthstone: Rock Crystal Quartz (White, Clear),
Sapphire (Blue),
Amethyst (Purple),
Bloodstone (Green with Red Markings)
Sugalite (Purple/Black)

Planetary Stone: Aquamarine (Blue/Green)

Lucky Charms: Amethyst (Purple)

Aries (Mar. 21-Apr. 19)
Birthstone: Bloodstone (Green with Red Markings),
Diamond (White, Clear)
Garnet (Dark Red)
Ruby (Red)

Planetary Stone: Jasper (Brown or Red)

Lucky Charms: Bloodstone (Green with Red Markings),
Jasper (Brown or Red)
Diamond (White, Clear)

Jasper is also mentioned as March Birthstone in many cultures, including Russian, Italian and Jewish, in the book, The Curious Lore of Precious Stones by Kunz. He also recommends to use stones found on your birth continent as their birthstone. His suggestion for those in the USA for March is Californite - which I'd never heard of before! A little research revealed Californite is a type of Vesuvianite, also known as California Jade. It's a nice, translucent green and can be seen here: Californite Gallery




I'm surprised that Malachite isn't a March birthstone. It's a nice multi-shaded green that reminds me of spring. The copper in Malachite used to cause stone workers to get sick, if they didn't use water to work with it, so it was considered an unlucky stone. Perhaps that's why.

An interesting bit of Tarot trivia - Mary K. Greer associates Aries with the Emperor Card & the ruby. She associates Pisces with the Moon card and the stones Pearl, Moonstone and Milk Opal. I love her tables of correspondences - I'm a correspondence geek!



More resources on birthstones can be found in these books:
The Curious Lore of Precious Stones by George Frederick Kunz
Crystal, Gem and Metal Magic by Scott Cunningham
Love is in the Earth by Melody
The Essence of Magic by Mary K. Greer