Oldies but Goodies - Travel

This week the Jewelry Artisans Community Oldies but Goodies Challenge was about travelling, but guess what, no planes, no trains and no automobiles turned up in the entries.
Jewelry artisans, I tell you. They go on a trip and the first thing they find in a city is a bead store. They are looking for charms, shells, nothing is safe from them if you don't stop them.
So today I am taking you to Italy, Eilat, Vermont, Lake Tahoe, and Cambridge - all via beads ;-) And there's more to see in the original thread, too!

1 Violetmoon's Corner
2 and 3 Jewelry Art by Dawn
4 Cat's Wire
5 RioRita

Oldies but Goodies - Tranquility

We live in a fast paced world, glued to our phones and computers, surrounded by stimuli of all sorts, constantly bombarded with information, hit by noise and light - and nagging cats. Oh wait, that's just mine sitting next to me right now.
Where was I? Oh, right. It's enough to drive you crazy sometimes (so is the cat). People try different things to find some peace and quiet, time for themselves, a time out from everyday stress.
This week tranquility was the topic for the Jewelry Artisans Community Oldies but Goodies Challenge. Tranquility is an issue for us, too. We are getting there through making jewelry, for example. But what kind of jewelry feels tranquil to us? It was interesting to see that we didn't necessarily have the same approach to that.
For some it was color. Pastel colors. For me it was pattern. One member found she had chosen plants.
What brings you tranquility?

1 Jewelry Art by Dawn
2 MC Stoneworks
3 Cat's Wire
4 Violetmoon's Corner
5 RioRita

Let's have a look ...

More than four years ago I kicked off my Monday thread series about other artisans and artists in an interview with my friend Dawn. Unfortunately I have shared very few pictures of her work back then and of course over time some things have changed. For example I own another beautiful pendant Dawn hand painted of my Queen Mephista after I had lost her much too early (if you want to know more, have a look here). Dawn is retired and among other things she and her husband have been travelling.

One of their trips took them to an elephant sanctuary in Thailand, the Elephant Nature Park, about which she is telling us on her blog.
Dawn had impressed members of our old jewelry forum before with an elephant bangle. In an older Oldies but Goodies post I pointed out what a pity it was that the long WIP thread about this amazing bangle had been lost when the forum broke down.
I can still share these pictures, though.

There is more elephant jewelry in Dawn's shop and 15% of the proceeds go to the Elephant Nature Park!
I'm sure there will be more soon - or how about asking Dawn to make something for you?

Hand painted elephant necklace

Elephant ring

Hill Tribe silver elephant earrings

Enough talk from me. Just enjoy a few more pictures, have a good start into your week and don't forget to visit Dawn's shop!

Hand painted Scorpio necklace

Netted jasper necklace

Wire caged paper bead earrings

Braided Celtic style bracelet

Hand painted black and white butterfly necklace

Amethyst crystal necklace

Hand painted whale tail necklace

Leaping trout ring

P.S. I don't gain anything from these posts, I am only sharing what I love. Just making that clear ;-)

Oldies but Goodies - Anything goes

Sometimes it's fun to throw all rules overboard, and that's what this week's Jewelry Artisans Community Oldies but Goodies Challenge does.
We were allowed to share whatever we wanted and you should take the chance to click into the thread to see everything.

Anything goes! :-)

1 Jewelry Art by Dawn
2 RioRita
3 MC Stoneworks
4 Cat's Wire
5 Violetmoon's Corner

Oldies but goodies - Teardrops

"The classic shape associated with a drop (with a pointy end in its upper side) comes from the observation of a droplet clinging to a surface. The shape of a drop falling through a gas is actually more or less spherical for drops less than 2mm in diameter. Larger drops tend to be flatter on the bottom part due to the pressure of the gas they move through. As a result, as drops get larger, a concave depression forms which leads to the 
eventual breakup of the drop."
Thank you, Wikipedia. I'll stick with the pointy end upper side thingy here because exactly that was the topic for this week's Jewelry Artisans Community Oldies but Goodies Challenge. To be exact, the topic was teardrops, but honestly, none of the entries could make me cry. In fact they rather made me smile. And I think they will make you smile as well because there is something for everyone.
I am very fond of drop shapes for jewelry, especially for pendants and earrings. My problem usually is which way round to use drops because I like both. What do you think about that? Let us know.
And while you try to make up your mind, please enjoy these wonderful drops by JAC members and don't forget to click the link up there ↑ for more pictures.

1 and 9 RioRita
2 and 6 Violetmoon's Corner
3 and 8 Jewelry Art by Dawn
4 and 7 MC Stoneworks
5 Cat's Wire

Let's have a look ....

I know Monday is usually the day for finds of the week or an interview with the artist, but today I'm going to spare you the story or the questions. Instead I will ask you to enjoy a few pictures from the German shop Seelenlautfarben.
At Seelenlautfarben you can find postcards, greetings cards, posters, mugs, all of the motives can be made into wall art as well. I'll leave you with what the artist says herself: "May power, light, love, and energy always flow from my paintings."

Postcard "Fire spirits"

Large postcard "It's raining soul colors"

Poster "Soul sound blossoms"

Greetings card "... but not our love"

Poster "What sounds on the wings of the lute"

And last but definitely not least there are the cat postcards! Couldn't go without mentioning them, could I? ;-)

Postcard "Couldn't hurt a fly"

Oldies but goodies - Rose quartz

I loved visiting my grandma when I was a child (granted, we had some epic battles because we were both stubborn - I still am - and because even as a child I didn't think someone else should tell me what my opinion on overcooked green beans should be).
I loved playing with her things. That was also the first time I got to see rose quartz. My grandma had one of those necklaces with graduated beads and even then I liked touching them. I have a few things that belonged to my grandma, and the rose quartz necklace is one of them. Although I hardly ever wear it for which one reason is that it doesn't go that well with nerdy t-shirts, I certainly treasure it.

Since ancient times rose quartz with its pale pink color has been most commonly associated with love.

You already know that the rules for our challenges are not that strict, so for this week's Jewelry Artisans Community Oldies but Goodies Challenge pale pink non-quartz pieces were also allowed. I hope you'll feel the love that's behind all of these entries.

1 Cat's Wire
2 MC Stoneworks
3 Jewelry Art by Dawn
4 Violetmoon's Corner
5 RioRita