Slightly Obsessed....

Prehnite Rondelles on a Special Chain

Rasberry Pink Quartz on a Special Chain

A sampler of some of the creations that either are or will be available in the
Special Chain series

I just love being in "the zone" where new creative ideas flow freely and am just delighted to be in this zone right now. Obsessed might be too strong a word, but this new "form" or "structure" that I've designed and developed here is just so compelling for me! (Ooops, you can see I was trained in sculpture when I use words like this to describe....a necklace!! Ha ha ha!)

But I'm enjoying this design so much as a way to sort of frame and wear a nice 3, 4 or 5 inch collection or cluster of stones or beads. You see, I collect stones and beads...have been for quite a long time, starting with the lapidary stone collection my grandfather created and that was left to me when he passed on. Sometimes, I'll look at a set of stones or a strand of beads over and over again and just cannot commit to using them, not finding the right way or place. I put them away to come back to later.

So this new design has me digging through things here, and unearthing strands that are just waiting to be used in this new way. I realize it may sound a bit lame, but I've christened this design my "Special Chain" series and I've developed a special link for it in my Etsy shop. The two stands of oxidized, then burnished, sterling silver beads function as the "special chain" that holds or hangs the stones....(sometimes, titles are really hard--I often do much better with visual explanations....which is why my blog uses photos so much!!)

Starting today, I will begin to dedicate 10 % of all my art sales to Haiti relief work. I plan to post a button over on the side bar, but it's not quite designed yet. I'll keep tabs on how this goes here on my blog and keep you all posted on what kind of success this has. A month is a pretty good stretch of time, so hopefully, sales will be OK and funds raised will be OK, too! The whole situation is currently so grim...I hope more relief can get there quickly and begin to make a difference.

And also, today, the brand new I Heart Handmade for Valentine's opens!! Pop over and have a look at all the Indie artists and artisans...do a little shopping...visit my "booth" and leave me a comment (please!!) The main home page is here and there's a button on the side bar that will be up all month....and the direct link to my own page is here....drop by soon!!

Have a wonderful weekend!