StregaJewellry's Blog

Life and Beads
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Challenge of Color Blog Hop

Published: 12-03-2012 12:10pm
Here goes another blog hop! Erin Prais-Hintz is hosting her 3rd annual Challenge of Color Blog Hop. Imagine 80 artists all joining together in a learning experience, because Erin's challenges always have a learning process. This year the challenge is Earth as Art. The Earth As Art image gallery is a group of over 120 pictures taken from the Landsat series of Earth observation satellites since 1972. These pictures of the unique features of our beautiful planet are a vital resource for understanding scientific issues related to land use and natural resources. If you have time, check out the page. The images are just gorgeous! ... » Read More

Variations Blog Hop

Published: 11-29-2012 06:18pm
Posted In: Works in Progress
It's reveal day for the Toast of the Town Variations blog hop. In case you missed my previous post, our challenge was to make a necklace from Erin Prais Hinz's design, her Toast of the Town Necklace featured on Micheal's project pages. Erin is an awesome designer. You should check out her Etsy shop. Three of us won some strands of beads to use as our base for the project. All the bead sets were different so we could show the versatility of the design. These are the beads I won. Micheal's Craft Store just happened to have beads on sale for 50%. off so I went with good intention of buying only beads to match the ones I won.... » Read More

Blog Partners Guild

Published: 09-15-2012 08:15am
As I have posted in the Checked In Forums, I am planning to start a new guild called Blog Partners Guild.   Initially, this will be open only to members of Checked In.   There are questions that I want to address so this will be a wordy blog with no photos. Guild Purpose:To promote Artfire shops and srtists through blogs and challenges.  To encourage and support each other.  To increase our SEO through blogs and sharing.    Requirements:1.  All members must have a blog or be willing to start a blog even if they only use it for guild purposes.   You can use your Artfire blog as long as you post the link on your Facebook page or tweet i... » Read More

Gettin Jiggy Steampunk Style

Published: 08-30-2012 12:00am
A couple of weeks ago, I told you I was going to be in a travel challenge and I would be blogging about Ireland, the one place I dream of seeing. I talked about the influence of Irish music from my childhood and gave you a link to that rousing Irish jig, the Irish Washerwoman.I got inspired by that song and the photos I found that seemed to represent my idea of an Irish washerwoman. I want to post a couple of pictures of some jewelry I made from that inspiration.First photo:I decided she wanted some earrings to brighten up her dull day scrubbing clothes. This is the pair I createdThe other photo seemed more of a peasant style, fitted the wor... » Read More

Traditional Irish Gifts

Published: 08-28-2012 05:54am
This week, I want to tell you about two of the best known traditional Irish gifts. I promised I'd be blogging about Ireland all month because I'm participating in the Travel Blog Challenge hosted by Erin Prais-Hintz of Tesori Tr0vati from her blog, Inspiration is Everywhere.If you've ever owned a sweater made in the style of the Aran Isle knits, you know how warm and cozy they are.For ages, the women of Aran knitted their husbands heavey "ganseys" to keep them warm on the often treacherous sea. In the last part of the 19th century the Irish govenment made an effort to try to improve the economic conditions of the poor densely populated rural are... » Read More

Heritage: Gettin' Jiggy With it

Published: 08-19-2012 07:19am
Posted In: Works in Progress
I've joined a beading challenge. This will be the first time I've participated in this type of event and I'm a bit nervous becuase there will be some fantastic jewelry artisans from all over the world. The challenge is this: pick a country you would love to visit and research it. Use travel photos and design a color palette, use maps, whatever and design a piece to be showcased on September 1st. I'm really excited about this, but there are 60 other women who will be designing also...............so.........I hope to come up with something really nice.My choice: Ireland. It's the one place in the world I would love to visit, with the e... » Read More

Wing and a Prayer Steampunk Necklace

Published: 08-09-2012 05:17pm
Posted In: Works in Progress
A while back, I did a blog about a jewelry piece I was working on that I called a Wing and a Prayer. I loved the piece when it was finished and wanted to do one with a steampunk theme.I took the same bird picture, added some steampunk gears and parts and put them in a heart shaped bezel. I put an aviator helmet on the bird and gave him a metal beak made from a watch part.Loved the bird, with his metal beak and aviator helmet. This has to have an aviator's prayer in the channel bead. I figured that before I made the actual piece, I should write the prayer. That would give me a better idea of how the beads should go into the piece.Our Lady of G... » Read More

Firefly Tale Part II

Published: 07-29-2012 06:07pm
Posted In: Stone Lore
Fireflies have unborn stars in their tails. This is from the previous post. I told about a native American firefly legend I learned from Jamie Sams book. When my young friend, Casey, died, it touched me deeply. I was happy to have known him and to have given him some encouragement before he left us. My own sons were not much older than he was at that time, so his death made me appreciate the days with my own boys so much more.We never stop and think, when we are raising our children, that each day is a gem, to be treasured. We always think that we will have them with us until our old age and that they will be present to mourn our passing.... » Read More

A Firefly Tale

Published: 07-01-2012 07:08am
I think I've said before that I value my Native American roots. Stories and legends, teachings and lore all fit into my life in some way. This is one of my favorites. It comes from a wonderful wise woman of Seneca and Chrerokee descent. Jamie Sams is an author, a teacher and wise woman. You can find her books here and more information about her or you can visit this site and read some of her wisdom.This teaching about fireflies is one that has played an important part twice in my life now. I want to share both times with you so I will do part one on this blog and part two on the next blog. The story is Jamie Sams' own story from her book... » Read More

A Wing and a Prayer

Published: 06-26-2012 07:07am
Posted In: Works in Progress
I got some new bezels and channel beads from Nunn Designs a couple of weeks ago. While I was shuffling the new goodies around on the table, this phrase "a wing and a prayer" popped into my head. Where the heck it came from, I have no idea.Well, with my little ADHD brain, I sometimes go way off on a tangent. Other times, I know there is a lesson somewhere, waiting for me, so I follow the train of thought. First step, look it up.According to dictionary reference, the phrase means a "slight chance of success based mainly on hope".As far as I can determine the phrase originated during World War II. Apparently it became a catch phrase after a 194... » Read More

Handmade is the Best Made

Published: 06-17-2012 10:01pm
Posted In: Works in Progress
When my kids were growing up, I was a single mom and often didn't have extra money for gifts. Wait, what am i saying? I NEVER had any extra money!I learned to use what talents I had to create something for family or friends. It's a tradition I've passed along to my children that when you give something you have made yourself, you give a part of yourself.Even though they have better jobs and partners to help with the budget, they still know the value of a hand made gift. One of my favorite things my daughter ever gave me was a scrapbook. She has such a gift for making a page tell a story and she presented me with a story of her and her brothe... » Read More

Color Challenge

Published: 06-14-2012 11:16pm
Posted In: Works in Progress
Marsha Neill has some beautiful silks I want to use in making jewelry.  I just discovered her today and when I went to her website, I found she is having a color palette challenge.  It sure looks like fun and I sure do love color palettes!  So, what I have to do is share the link to this challenge.   Here is the button.      You can go there yourself and see the color palettes that folks are making from all the beautiful choices of colors she has.    Then, I have to choose a photo that inspires me.   Well, that's easy.  I get inspired by being outside and one of my favorite places to be is this bridge through the woods at Wegerz... » Read More

Cuff Love

Published: 06-13-2012 09:23pm
 I've fallen in love with cuff bracelets! I love wearing them and I love making them!I got a good deal on some steel cuffs but they were all silvertone which was way to tame for me. I only made two in the silver tone and they sold really quick. I spray coated the others with a cream color matte and then used a sponge and some Folk Art paint so they have a really cool pattern. I used about 3 colors per bracelet then accented that coat with Gilder's Paste and finally covered all of that with a clear matte finish.Next: decide what to add to them to make each one unique.Buttons were a really easy choice. They look simple enough, but make a... » Read More

Endangered Species

Published: 06-02-2012 09:28am
Every April I look forward to the gem and mineral show in Troy, Ohio. I love it because there are tables full of rock, minerals, fossils and BEADS! The other reason is because my old friend, Shellie is a vendor at the show and it's the only time in a year that I see her. Shellie has been in the jewelry business for about 300 years or more and knows all about kinds of rocks. She's the owner of Sheldon Studio, in New York.Shellie is also a fellow New Yorker. I'm not sure if you know this, but certain New Yorkers are born with a bag of bull that they carry around with them. I'm not saying we lie......never that.........but we sure do know a lo... » Read More

Something Wiccan This Way Comes

Published: 05-10-2012 05:46am
I have been a pagan for over thirty years, a solitary Wiccan. My spirituality was and is very important to me. I began the journey and along the way, I explored other cultures and lore, including my own Native American roots, and they became in integral part of my belief system, who I am and how I live. For all those years, I was one of the happiest people I knew.We never had much money and at times, were downright poor, but that is not my measure of what makes a person happy. Through broken relationships, betrayals, my oldest son's accident and subsequent disability and the ordinary struggles to stay alive, I maintained a strong faith in God and ... » Read More

I AM Organized!!!

Published: 01-08-2012 09:26am
I read a lot of other jewelry blogs and it seems almost everyone had some New Year's resolutions they posted. Hmmm. I try NOT to make resolutions. It just stresses me out, giving me one more thing to think about and be in charge of. (Bad English there). I AM organized! I will not resolve to get MORE organized! If I could find everything at the tip of my fingers, I would not have to search through forgotten purchases and I would get no surprises. I found some beads yesterday that I had forgotten about. It just happened that they perfectly matched some new beads that I wanted to work with. How awesome! I got so excited, I immediately set to work ... » Read More
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