Dreaming of Spring

Last week I added two new pieces to my shop that have me seriously longing for warmer weather.  I think it's that gorgeous blue of the Amazonite stone featured in both necklaces that making me a bit impatient for the spring and summer sunshine just lingering over the horizon.  This stone, which at first glance seems to be a Turquoise look alike, is quite lovely and has an interesting lore behind it.  

Ankara Necklace

Capri Bobble Necklace

Amazonite can be traced back to ancient Egypt, where it was employed in jewelry designs, inlays and ornamental carvings.  It is said to have been named after Amazon women warriors and thus is known as the stone of courage.  Some say that the Amazon river itself is reflected in this blue-green stone. Amazonite is also said to enhance creative expression, sooth nerves and improve self-worth.  And perhaps my favorite is that it is also known as the hope stone as it inspires confidence and hope.  Just looking it, I find hope for the warmer days to come.  :)

This stone also has a personal connection to me.  It reminds me of the waters of Capri which is why the Capri Bobble Necklace is named so.  In particular, it recalls a trip Dan and I made a few years back to that gorgeous island in the Tyrrhenian Sea.  We travelled there in the winter, January to be exact, while I was living in Italy.  During these chillier days the island seems barren- we honestly felt as though we were the only two people exploring it.  I really wouldn't have had it any other way- some of our best memories were made on that little island.  

I'm looking forward to being transported to warmer weather on Friday (mentally, any how) when I meet up with my mom for a trip to the Philadelphia International Flower Show.  This year's Hawaiian Islands theme promises a tropical experience.  This will be my first year attending and I'm sure I won't be disappointed.  

I plan to snap lots of photos and I'll be sure to share them with you all next week!  

Tweet

The Banker Horses of the Barrier Islands

On our second day in the Outer Banks, a few of us took a day trip to the Currituck Outer Banks to see the wild horses that live along the northern beaches.  Known as the Banker Horses, these wild mustangs have been well documented on the Outer Banks since the eighteenth century. 

Many believe the arrival of the horses dates as far back as the sixteenth century, when they arrived with Spanish colonists.  Though no one can be certain, it is thought that they were either abandoned on the barrier islands on exploratory expeditions, or that they may have even survived shipwrecks.

Where i've been

Oh my, it's been over one whole month since I've posted.  Yikes!  My only excuse is that I have been busy- very busy doing lots of things to post about.  

First off, I got accepted to my very first craft fair!  When I read the letter of acceptance, I was literally jumping up and down with giddiness.  I don't think I had been that excited since I found out I was accepted into graduate school five years ago.  But my excited spirit was quickly upstaged when reality sunk in- I had a lot of work ahead of me.  I'm talking an insane amount of work.

For the past few months I've been hard at work making beads for my polymer clay jewelry, working out possible designs in my sketch book, creating a bracelet for a friend of mine to wear on her honeymoon, reading as much as I can about selling at craft fairs and cutting up fabric for the totes and bags I plan to sell.  

Until this fair is over, at the end of August, our apartment is off limits to guests.  Polymer clay, beading supplies, a sewing machine and a huge tub of fabric have taken up permanent residence in our tiny living room until then.  My dad came to visit a month or so ago and I was ashamed at the cluttered living room but really, where to put it all?  

Despite my anxiety in getting everything accomplished, I am really looking forward to this event.  It is a Celtic Festival at Spyglass Ridge Winery, a winery nestled in Pennsylvania's picturesque Susquehanna River Valley- just a short distance from where I grew up.  I attended the festival last year as a guest with my parents and family friends.  We spent the day tasting great local wines and listening to very talented Celtic performers.  I thought the venue, which also hosts many craft vendors, would be a good one to start with.  Keep your fingers crossed in the hopes that I was right.

I also sneaked a little traveling in.  Dan and I took a road trip to Lake Lure, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, to spend a long weekend with my parents who were vacationing there.  After ten hours of driving, a six hour stop in a hotel to sleep for the night, and our first Waffle House ever, we arrived.

And we had a really lovely and relaxing time at a gorgeous lake where, among other movies, Dirty Dancing - one of my all time favorite movies - was filmed.  Yes, I channeled my inner Francis "Baby" Houseman for this trip.  

I'd like to share more photos from our holiday but I don't want to overload you with images- I'll save them for another post.

A few weeks later I took a much needed visit to Pittsburgh to see my younger sister. 

She took me to my very first weekend long music festival. (Yes, I am a depraved near-30 year old woman) The weekend was hot- we donned huge sunglasses, sun dresses and floppy hats- but it was  an incredible time where I met her wonderful friends and listened to some very talented musicians.  I will have more photos to post of this weekend as well once I get my D.I.Y. 35mm rigged Diana photographs developed. *fingers crossed they turn out well* :)