I have thousands of photos of this water in an effort to capture how blue it is. Can you see the cobalt line on the horizon? That’s the deep waters heading off to America. It drops off from 4 m deep, to 10 m, then bam, you are in 500 m of water and it is the deepest cobalt imaginable. The blue rainbow entering this harbour is something everyone should experience.

It is this bluest of blues that I think of when I make my Bahama Blue glass.

Can you believe how hot this summer is? I’m loving it! I’m also incredibly thankful for the kick ass air conditioning system in the studio because sitting in front of a flame in this heat would be unbearable without it. I’m also thankful that I live close to Lake Ontario and can go and sit on the waterfront. Somehow just sitting by the water makes everything so much cooler doesn’t it? So what do you do to cool off when the temperature skyrockets? How do you chill out?

This month I’m giving away one of my silver Shell necklaces, becasue it reminds me of seashores and cool water. A winner will be drawn at random on September 1.

To enter the giveaway: leave a comment below and tell me your favourite place to chill in the heat.

It’s humid.

It’s sultry, hazy, languid, whatever you want to call it, it’s hot.

These are the “dog days” of summer. I’ve always heard that expression, but then I wondered, why are they called dog days? Theory one (on the internet) is that it’s so hot that dogs lay around on the pavement because it’s too hot to move. Theory two is because dogs go mad in the heat. As Noel Coward wrote, “only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noon day sun”.  Is that it? Well no.

The dog days come from the ancient Greeks and Romans and refer to the dog star, Sirius, and its position in the heavens.

Biking to the studio should take me about 10 minutes. And it would, if it weren’t for the lilacs. The smell is so intoxicating that I have to stop and smell every bush I pass. This is a spectacular year for them. Naturally that meant that today is another version of my new lilac colourway. Today I played with small and delicate, something that is seriously out of my comfort zone. Lovely mini beads in shades of lilac strung with some fun curved silver bars. I do like this design. And I can see it in so many other colourways!

Available here.

For many years now I have been on a mission, to find the perfect sea shell to cast as a necklace. I have spent hours (and days) wandering along seashores looking for just the right shape. I am fascinated by the interior curved spine of shells, the spiral within. I had to find a shell just the right size, with the spine intact and of just the right spiralness. Last March I finally found it. I carried this shell with me very carefully. I filed down the outside core to showcase the perfect spine. From this model I made a mold and cast the perfect shell into sterling silver magic.

Available here.

Spring, spring, spring, happy times!  Full of flowers and birdies! One of my favourite birds is Zoe, she’s a Scarlet Macaw parrot and the inspiration behind my Zoe pendant. Perfect for spring!

In the spirit of spring, I am giving away a Zoe necklace. All you have to do to enter is hop on over to the blog and tell me your favourite happy word. Joy, bliss, ectasy, delighted, whatever word makes you light up.

To enter the giveaway: leave a comment here! on the blog! Tell me your favourite happy word. The winner will be chosen at random on May 1, 2016.

For more chances to win, tweet this giveaway and email me the link to the tweet.
Post this on Facebook and email me the link to the post!
Blog it and email me the link to the post.

Once upon a time, in a land far away, in an alternate universe,  I rode a motorcycle across Australia. It was hot, it was dusty and sometimes the distances were unbelievably long and boring. I loved it.

The interior of Australia is raw and harsh and stunning. It’s where I really understood for the first time just how powerful nature is. I also learnt about looking for the small things. Sometimes you can stand there, on a gravelly dusty road and see nothing but a few stunted twisty little shrubby bushes and wonder about how there is nothing out there.

Until you look down.

In the crevices, beneath a rock, under the bush. In the midst of nothingness you’ll find a single flower or a tiny patch of green. From a hole in the ground weird and wonderful creatures emerge, like wombats. Out of nowhere a herd of emus run past and disappear over the horizon. If you walk over a small hill instead of just nothingness you might see a couple of wild camels staring back. And of course there are the mobs of kangaroos bouncing along. At nighttime a whole world emerges in the cool air and cries of the night dwellers fill the sky.

When I began the trip I saw miles and miles of empty roads filled with desert nothingness. When I finished a saw a vibrant, colourful world full of small wonders.

It’s been a long time since that trip and I haven’t had a chance to return to a desert. Coming up I’m heading to New Mexico for 10 days to see what I can see. I’m looking forward to this.

Such a gorgeous day today as I rode my bike to the studio past all the lovely spring gardens! The pops of colour amongst all the light lovely greens was truly spectacular!

Available here.

Every day for the month of May I will create a new piece of jewelry. All pieces will be listed in my online store at a heavily discounted price. What I’m looking for here is feedback people. Some of my ideas are better than others. Let me know what you think. If you love something but think a different colour would be better, let me know! Longer? Shorter? Bigger? Let me know!

Some days I will create a single piece. Some days I’ll create a piece in several colours. Some of these will make it into the permanent collection but most will not. So if you see something you can’t live without, best to grab it now. (remember shipping is always free!)

Day 10 of my 30 New Pieces of Jewelry in 30 Days. The cherry blossom pendant.

Well it’s not hard to see where the inspiration from this comes from! Everywhere I turn the blossoms are out. My favourite is cycling through a carpet of gorgeous blossoms. This pendant is spring itself.

Available here.

Every day for the month of May I will create a new piece of jewelry. All pieces will be listed in my online store at a heavily discounted price. What I’m looking for here is feedback people. Some of my ideas are better than others. Let me know what you think. If you love something but think a different colour would be better, let me know! Longer? Shorter? Bigger? Let me know!

Some days I will create a single piece. Some days I’ll create a piece in several colours. Some of these will make it into the permanent collection but most will not. So if you see something you can’t live without, best to grab it now. (remember shipping is always free!)

Did you see my video of the wind in the trees? Listen closely. There’s birdies singing!!! I just LOVE the sound of birdies chirping. One of my favourite memories of being a kid in Australia is of listening to the flocks of kookaburras laughing, such a joyous sound.

In the spirit of spring, I am giving away one of my Pearl Nest Necklaces!

To enter the giveaway: leave a comment below. Tell me your favourite birdy.

For more chances to win, tweet this giveaway and email me the link to the tweet.
Post this on Facebook and email me the link to the post!
Blog it and email me the link to the post.