Music and it's inspirational merits...

Let me be clear -- I can not sing.  Sure, I often do -- off key and in my own home.   There is something deep and emotional about listening to music. In fact much of my jewelry comes from inspiration found during not-one-second-wasted cleaning marathons, while blasting music.

Also, as a former DJ, I do have a deep love of expression through music -- especially when the music is deeply emotional and full of meaning.  But much of my favorite music has the kind of lyrical connotaion that I can make my own meaning from the words.

Take the odd reality of my two (current) favorite songs -- and their underlying stories, as well as the interesting information about me personally that will follow.

 

This is the original version -- and a full video, which will impart some interesting visuals to go along with the lyrics.  And by the way, the Coldplay version is not my favorite -- it's this one by Weezer: 

They sound pretty similar -- but to me the Coldplay Version seems a little more forced, like trying to force deep meaning out of the lyrics.  Plus, I have a little thing for "Lost"  -- sure it got a little strange those last two seasons and such -- bouncing around through time.  But, I found those last few episodes just beautiful, so well done.

The next song I am deeply in love with, though it is slower, it is also a good song for cleaning:

There is something deep and wonderful about Helleluja --If you close your eyes, you can see the imagry take you away to what the writer is telling you in the song.

Both of these songs have very religious imagery -- and I am not a religious person.   So why are my two currently favorite songs filled with that imagry?  Who knows -- but I will tell you songs to me are about the imagry they create with the lyrics -- which is how I garner inspiration for jewelry from the songs. 

Take Adele's "Set Fire To the Rain" -- imagine the imagery of actually setting Fire to the Rain -- what would this create?  To me in my head, I see Padparadscha Sapphire and London Blue Topaz in a Ring of fire (sapphires)  with the rain (London blue topaz) at the bottom.  It's what that song creates in my mind.

So-- Why am I talking about music here, it's not what this is all about right?   Well a dear old friend of mine once sang a song when we were out one night -- years ago.   I can still hear it in my mind, and the haunt is still as deep as it was then.  Her Voice is just that wonderful and powerful, reaching into the depths of my soul and letting me feel what the original artist meant when she sang this:

So when this old friend said she was raising money to tryout for "The Voice"  I had to support her -- because I can still hear Jewel's words tumbling out of Nastassia's lips.  She is that wonderful a singer. 

Please Consider Donating to her GoFundMe to get her to "The Voice."

Oh Gosh, Not the Creativity Slump!

I am sometimes pretty markedly creative, like so creative I get that wisp of a thought that "This Rainbow Necklace will change the world!"  Then several people favorite it -- and my ego rises. I get happy, go-lucky and so excited that people think the same of that rainbow necklace I thought.

Then I wake up to a dreary Seattle morning with no desire to even edit the photos I took the day before for the shop.

I am not a psych major, so I can't tell you in all honesty where this sudden slump comes from.  It's like: OMGosh, this can not be happening -- just after this massive surge.

I woke up like this on Monday -- after having a fabulous surge of creativity that lasted quite a while actually. Most of those new items are similar in nature however -- so maybe it wasn't as big of a surge as I thought.

When I get here -- to this out of creativity place, I write a lot.  I tool around the interwebs.  I look at other items by other creative people and I try to get sparks of imagination. 

Or, I set everything aside and I take the kids to the pool, or out to a park, or something, and just take the day off from the shop.  (Not really as still throughout the day I edited a few photos here and there to post, and watched my shop so I could ship orders quickly).

It's like lightening really -- so fast and furious. But worth the ebb and flow that it works in.

Maybe I should look at my gemstones once more and see if something "sparks" -- or maybe, just maybe I should walk for a while with the kids, after all -- even though they are older now -- they do still see the world in a very different way from me.

Rainbow Necklace

Christmas in July

When I was a kid, growing up in New England, there were a lot of stores advertising "Christmas in July" sales -- it was always a bit over the top with an air of "Sunday, Sunday SUNDAY" commercials on the local stations.  Always (and still) kind of made me chuckle.

I never understood the concept until this year.  See, it's not just for you, the customer, it's also a fabulous time to reorganize my shop and get some really interesting items in front of you. It's something deep-down about knowing my jewelry is out there in the world, and knowing it makes whoever owns it feel like a million bucks.

Take these fabulous (though a new design for me) Ruby Earrings I recently added to my "clearance section" for "Christmas in July."

Ruby Leaf Earrings

They are kind of a hoop, kind of a dangle, kind of a leaf.  But they are this beautiful variegated ruby -- starting at nearly crystal clear at the top and hitting that deep wonderful clear ruby at the bottom.  Plus, I am a sucker for the photograph --it mixes the rustic favorite "prop" rock outside my studio, and the deep elegance of the fabulous rubies.

It's in the clearance section not because it is an old design -- like some of the other items -- but since it's Christmas in July, why not use something that can be either a gift for a July Birthday Girl -- or a wonderful gift to put under the tree -- or give for Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa.  (These are normally $58, but currently on clearance for 34.80).

Some of the other items in clearance are a bit older -- a classic design that will always work, but still, I want to make room in the shop for the "new" designs I am working on. 

See, I have quite a few items ready to post already -- I just have to have time to do it, really.  But what is happening during this "Christmas in July" season-- is I am really playing with different things.  I am trying some use of glass in order to bring in the gemstone look, but to be budget friendly, and I am also working out my Luxury Line (Like if the sun would ever come out today, I have some darling Rose Quartz and Diamond Oxidized Sterling Silver Hoops I would just love to cue at the beginning of the "I'm behind on posting these" line.)

So until I can get the motivation to post those new items -- I am adding to my clearance section some wonderful old favorites -- great ideas for the holidays this year, and several July Birthstone items.

Check out the Clearance Section when you get a chance -- it's dual purpose, Christmas in July, and Clearance after all.