The Amazing Journey

Stones are amazing, each one unique, each one perfect, each one imperfect, each one has a story to tell about its own journey through life, through ages, what it's seen, what it's experienced, what it's been part of.

Each one is full of color and life, and each one has something to offer its temporary owner, before it takes another journey to a new life or new owner.

I think this is what fascinates me about stones!

Ocean sand magnified 250 times, courtesy of somewhere on Facebook!

Faceted Stones

Cut more like a gemstone, these have more sparkle and shine than a regular round stone, and of course, are more costly than regular rounds, but oh so pretty in the light! Picked a few up to start working into my pieces...more sparkle, more beauty!

Visiting Downtown

I manage to get down to the Osaka wholesale district once a month or so to check out stones, cabachons, findings, anything interesting! It's a whole-day event, starting at Hommachi Station and walking 3 stations down to Namba. So many distractions, shops to spend money at, people to stare at, food to eat. There's a Burger King now, Hard Rock Cafe, Kit Kat store, 3-story Daiso (100-yen shop), amongst others...

This trip I was out looking specifically for cherry quartz, onyx and magenta tiger eye, which I managed to find. Also on the list was white agate, which I didn't find anywhere, and haven't for a long time... I also wanted some cabachons and tumbled stones for pendant making, and found a lovely raw emerald stone, small amethyst and nice sized malachite!

Twas a very fun yet exhausting day!

Tumbled emerald, amethyst teardrop, malachite oval

Crystal and turquoise tumbled rocks

Watermelon Tourmaline teardrops 

Faceted cuts: Pyrite, silver leaf jasper, crystal, onyx, hematite, red jade, indian aventurine

Crystal: rainbow rutilated (right), rainbow mix (left)

Faceted 4mm crystals

Red Light Paper Piecing

I drive, a lot, every week, on crowded streets with lots of red lights, some of them a minute long, or so it feels!

So, besides an awesome audio book to keep me company, and so I don't break any traffic laws playing on my iPad while driving, I do....

Paper Piecing!

I keep a small pouch in the car with my scraps and my pieces, scissors, needle and thread, and whenever I come to a red light, out the piece comes and I whip it together! I can usually get at least half the piece done at a light, and with 1.5 hours of red lights, that's a lot of piecing!!

So, here is my very first Red Light Paper Piecing Project! The fabric was pulled out of my mom's scrap basket when I visited 3 years ago and carted across the ocean, the pieces were purchased locally, the hand stitching uses leftover DMC cross-stitch thread, and voila!

Moon and Dreams Upgrade

A custom request for the popular Moon and Dreams single wrap, but with more garnet in it...I removed some hematite, added one more garnet to each accent set, it's quite a lovely little gift! Little more expensive than the original, but quite worth it!

January's Birthstone: Garnet

January has come, bringing the garnet! A deep and rich red which almost looks black in the shade, the garnet is a strong stone, bringing the wearer self-confidence, willpower and perseverance. Associated with the thyroid and spleen, it is also a stone for deep meditation.

Good for business, it attracts success and gives vitality needed to go forward.

Although garnets come in many colors, today, garnet usually refers to the red variety. Today's garnets come largely from the African continent.

A couple of pieces I've made using garnet:

Contact if you would like to design your own piece with garnet and other stones for a prosperous 2013!

Doll Quilts!

I love sewing! Every so often I just have to do it! Stayed up till 1am last night working on this doll quilt for one of the dolls in my life who is turning 3 soon. Kit is courtesy of my Mom via the Temecula Quilt Company who makes some wonderful stuff!

Next visit to the States I swear I'm getting the largest cutting mat I can fit into my suitcase! One that covers my entire table would be lovely, but my suitcase isn't that large. While Japan does have cutting mats, they are all marked in centimeters, making it hard for me to follow my US patterns (do you think the US will ever switch over??).