Sunday, January 24, 2010

Balance

I recently obtained a wholesale order from Kimberton Whole Foods in Kimberton, PA for several pieces of my chakra jewelry. Since many people are unaware or don't understand the concept of chakra, I thought I would do an introduction for my blog community:

Many of us often experience feelings of unease, yet we can’t quite put our finger on the source. Despite confusion, some seek to dispel the anxiety with food, drugs, alcohol, sex, shopping, etc.; others simply cast a blind eye toward the situation. However, this is like putting duct tape around a leaky pipe: applying a temporary fix to a potentially growing problem.

When the realization hits that deeper intervention is necessary, many people look to prescription medication or psycho-therapy. Others seek answers in religion, while some choose to concentrate on healing body chakras.

Life is energy, and the chakras are about energy. The energy that pervades the universe circulates through us and helps us experience life. Chakras are centers within the body that store and transmit universal energy.

The chakras have been described as whorls of light that are situated along and in-front of the spine. Picture the lights on an Internet modem. When all the lights are shining steadily, your Internet connection is fast and strong. However, the outage of just 1 light indicates a problem and you can’t connect to the Internet. Chakras operate similarly, although obstruction of 1 chakra doesn’t usually bring one’s functionality to a screeching halt as it would on a modem. The chakras are much more complicated in that blockages could cause us to feel emotionally disconnected or imbalanced, specifically in the area controlled by the “stuck” chakra.

Practitioners of eastern religions assert that true happiness can be achieved when all chakras are open, allowing energy to flow in and out. Everyone has 7 major body chakras:

* First Chakra: Base or Root Chakra
* Second Chakra: Svadisthana or The Sacral Chakra
* Third Chakra: Manipura or Solar Plexus
* Fourth Chakra: Anahata or Heart
* Fifth Chakra: Vishuddha or Throat.
* Sixth Chakra: Ajna or Brow Chakra
* Seventh Chakra: Sahasrara or Crown Chakra

The purpose of chakra balancing is to dissolve blockages before they become physical (although it can also be helpful with physical conditions. Crystals, being symmetrical in their molecular structure, radiate energy in a consistent and steady manner. When they're used in chakra balancing they can help to reestablish a healing, creative flow.

One of the nicest aspects of crystals is that they are color-coordinated with the energy centers called the chakras. Each chakra has a color, and usually stones of corresponding colors are placed there.


First: Black, brown, red
Second: Red, orange
Third: Yellow
Solar Plexus: Coral, yellow-green
Fourth: Pink, green
Fifth: Blue
Sixth: Dark blue, purple
Seventh: White

So, the jewelry I created takes crystals and gemstones to help remove blockages and assist the body in fighting of illness and maintain proper system function.

Here are a few of my favorite pieces that I came up with. Each piece has affirmations attached with them. Some of the pieces have affirmations created by repurposing scrabble tiles and others are created using recycled copper and patina-ed brass.


This bracelet is created using Turquoise and Lapis Lazuli. Turquoise is the Master Healer and attracts good fortune and helps enhance creative energy. The lapis lazuli expands awareness and encourages a state of serenity.


This necklace helps attract good fortune and enhance creative energy and also helps encourage optimism and personal power.


Using a repurposed scrabble tile, I created a necklace that will disperse negativity and promote peace and protection.

If you could use some balance in your life, please let me create something beautiful and healing for you!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Valentine's Day Is Coming....



I can't believe Valentine's Day is just around the corner. In the jewelry world, this is a busy time of year and there are lots of great beads to create with.

There are a lot of different symbols associated with Valentine's Day and I try to incorporate these symbols into my creations.



The HEART: It was formerly believed that the heart was the seat of all human emotions. Accordingly, the gifting of a heart signified the selfless act of giving everything to someone you love. Though the ancients were not aware that the heart was responsible for pumping blood though the circulatory system, yet they knew one thing for sure that the heart was the center of all feelings. This ancient belief has lingered on through the ages.

The ROSE: From time immemorial, beloveds have been compared to roses. If we juggle the letters of the word ROSE we get EROS, who is the God of Love. Rose has thus been the traditional choice of lovers around the world. The colour red is associated with strong emotions and below are listed sentiments expressed by different hues of rose:
Lavender -- Enchantment and Uniqueness
Pink (Dark) -- Thankfulness, Friendship and Admiration
Pink (Pale) -- Grace, Joy and Happiness
Black -- Farewell
White -- Innocence, Purity, Secrecy, Silence, Reverence, Humility



RIBBONS, LACE, AND FRILLS: Ribbons and laces have been associated with love and romance since the days when a knight used to ride into a battle sporting the scarf or handkerchief presented to him by his ladylove. In the bygone times, laces were used making women's handkerchiefs. It was also usual for a lady to drop her handkerchief in the path of the man whose attention she wished to draw.

Artbeads is usually the first place I look when I'm creating and I was in luck. They had such a wide assortment of lampwork glass beads and charms especially for Valentine's Day. They even had some great silk ribbons so I could add a little touch of RIBBONS, LACE, AND FRILLS to my project!

Disclosure: I participate in Blogging for Beaders with Artbeads.com and have received the products free of charge from them. I am honestly reviewing the products and have not been paid for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received.

Friday, January 15, 2010

And the winner of the "Show Me The Love Contest"....

is RAINMOMMY. I will be contacting you via email to firm up where to send the Serpentine and Lapis Bracelet that you LOVE!



Thanks to everyone who entered and who helped me spread the love. Check back soon for discount coupons and other giveaways!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Show the LOVE Giveaway.....

It's been awhile since I've posted and I just noticed that this is my 100th post....yippee. So, in honor of this post I wanted to run a giveaway where you could pick anything at all from my etsy shoppe or I can come up with a custom item for you and YOU get it for free. That's right....FREE!

But before we get to the particulars of the contest, I wanted to share a few pieces I've been working on for the Valentine's Day Holiday. I need to create a few items for Patsy's Potpourri of Gifts in Boyertown, PA. I'm having a lot of success selling there and my inventory is getting a little bare after the Christmas Holiday. So without further ado....





Now I'm sure you all are ready to find out how to enter this giveaway....right?

This is all you have to do:

1) Leave a comment on what piece from my shoppe you would like to win OR what type of piece you would like me to create just for you (1 entry)

2) Blog or twitter about this contest and be sure to leave me your site name so I can check it out (1 entry)


Contest ends at midnight on January 14, 2010 and is open for all to participate.

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