Beading Daily

Thanksgiving Menu - This is Mine, What's on Yours?

LitaC — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:33:25 GMT

I've been sort of lazy this past year. I kept it very low key for Passover and Rosh Hashona, with the promise of pulling out the stops for Thanksgiving. It's not that I don't like to cook, but doing it up means taking off time from work, and when it's only my Dad and I, I have little desire to get fussy. While only one of my sisters will be joining us, old family friends and some personal friends will be with me for Thanksgiving, so I've got some incentive to show off. This is the general outline of my menu, but I'm still looking for inspiration, so maybe you'd be interested in sharing:

Appetizer:

Tomato and Apple salad, dressed with a raisin balasmic vinegrette

Soup:

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Intermezzo

Strawberry and Champange Granita

Main

Turkey (of course) with Gravy made from pan drippings and the pureed cooked aromatics (carrots, onions and celery)

Stuffing Two Ways - Cooked in the bird (no, I don't want any lectures on the dangers of this) and en casserole (outside the bird)

Grilled Asparagus

Roasted Carrots, Leeks and Mushooms

Caramelized Sweet Potatos with Bacon (or crisped Procuitto) and Onions

Cranberry Relish with Walnuts, Apples, Shallots and Oranges

Roasted Sweet Corn and Bell Pepper Salad

The optionals:

(a) Mashed potatoes with parmesean

(b) Sauteed sugar snap peas

Dessert

Apple Pie

Bread Pudding with Chocolate Sauce

Fresh Fruit

Any suggestions? Too much, not enough?

Lita

Please help! I can't make a wrapped loop!

craftlady — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:40:36 GMT

I have been making jewelry since 2002 and still can't make a wrapped loop out of earwire guage wire. I purchase my earwires so the guage is thick. I just can't seem to wrap the wire around because it is too hard? bigger guage?. My fingers just are not strong enough. I can make a wrapped loop with 24 guage and of course 28 guage but I know they are not really strong enough. I have tried using my fingers to wrap it and also tried chainnose pliers to try and wrap it. Any suggestions? I am really tired of not having professional looking jewelry. Thanks. Lynn

Swine flu

LoisB — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:40:19 GMT

Well, life sure does like to throw curve balls. My inlaws came for a short visit... arrived Tursday evening. DH went off to work Friday, and all the sudden came bursting in the door at... 10:30am... shaking uncontrolably. FREEZING. Took me an hour and an half to get him warmed up enoughto stop the shivering. Poor thing is layed flat out. So he's been stuck in bed unable to see his family, and I've been busy taking care of him and trying to be a good hostess. SO fun.

Anyway, here's to hoping for a speedy recovery!

Lois

Leslie, BD staff, and the forum Regulars

Billy Z — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:03:31 GMT

I apologize for my outburst yesterday. It won't happen again.

Billy ;o)

1st Craft show of the season tomorrow

Sheila H — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:37:31 GMT

Okay, so tomorrow is the first craft show for me this year. I have even made some old fashion hard candy and some cookies to sell. Just a few to hopefully bring people in! LOL!

Also bought some plaster ornaments and wood cut outs that I have painted very patiently ( UGH! ) to sell as well as some jewelry. I found last year that booths with more variety had more sells. I did not do a lot of any one ( other than my jewelry ) thing so hopefully this will work out!

I have a craft show next Sunday ( 11-29 ) and one the Saturday after ( 12-5 ) and that is the only 3 I am doing this year. A couple of the others were just not worth the effort.

The one tomorrow is the one where last year I cut a necklace string so that I could put the focal on a plain black cord for a little girl to buy & give to her mom. When my sister went to pay for her Christmas tree this year at the library, the lady that took her money asked her if she attended last year. Sister said yes, that I had a booth. The lady asked where. When my sister told her the lady just smiled and said that they had talked about me all year! She was the grandmother of the little girl. It touched all of them so much that I would cut the string on a necklace to make the little girl happy. She informed my sister that they were all coming to buy from my booth this year! YEAH!

This is a craft show/tree auction that this library puts on as a fund raiser. Groups can pay a tree fee and then the group provides the tree, lights, decorations etc. Those trees are on display in the library for about 2 weeks prior to the craft show. Then the day of the craft show, they auction off the trees. The money for the tree goes to the group that entered it. So the library keeps only the craft booth rentals and the tree entrance fees. Last year was the first one and the turn out was really great! One tree went for $500! YIKES! Although most were going for around $100-$150! There was this one that was pink everything. Pink tree, pink lights, pink decorations, pink ribbon, Pink EVERYTHING! It was a breast cancer awareness tree. It was actually really cool.

It is a 2 hour drive one way but I will get to spend the day with my sister so it is worth it regardless. But please...wish me luck! I'll post Sunday how it went!

Class Conundrum

coolmoon — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:58:04 GMT

I need help. I am the owner of a small bead shop. I'm an intermediate/advanced beader, and I love teaching beading classes. People ask me "do you teach?" on a regular basis. However - how do I actually get them to sign up? I've got two classes on the calendar right now that several people have asked (no, BEGGED) me for. One of them is tomorrow - no takers. One of them is in two weeks - the 5th of December. I contacted the ladies that asked about that one - nope, they're not signing up 'right now' either. So what the? WHY ask about classes, BEG the instructor to find the time to put together a kit complete with instructions, beads, and whatever else is needed, and then NOT take the class that you asked for? It takes A LOT of work to put that all together. I've even tried asking for a deposit - still no luck. They still either don't sign up (because they don't have the deposit amount right then), or ask me to 'hold' the deposit til a later date and cancel on me. Holding deposits is really difficult to do, especially when I've had to purchase items to make up the classes with. Also - if I go ahead and sell the kits in the shop, without expecting them to take a class or ask for instruction, do I charge more - or less? I am getting very frustrated with this particular part of the bead biz - but hate to not give them the option. I'm also thinking of offering ONLY one on one sessions instead of an actual CLASS-with PREPAYMENT required. So HELP. What is your take?
Sheryl
Cool Moon Creations & Beads
Lansing, Michigan

A brand new knee

Pam — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:06:45 GMT

As some of you know I've been having a hard time with my knee lately since moving down here and unloading the truck of my stuff in late August. I've tried staying off it, taking diclofenac and last week a steroid injection which didn't help much at all. Billy took me to the orthopedic guy this morning and the plan is now to just give me a new knee on November 5th.

I'm both encouraged and discouraged...it will be over someday, the doctor said recovery takes about 2 months...and discouraged that I probably won't be much help to anybody until then. I've been in pain with this thing off and on and to some degree constantly since having a car accident in which I broke it (it's called a tibial plateau fracture) in November of 1998. It has it's benefits, it gives me tons of compassion, but I'm tired of it and want to be able to walk around without thinking about it, resting up for it and planning ahead for it all the time. So alright already, I'm compassionate now...now I'd like to ditch the old knee and all the hurting and start taking care of other people better and just plain do things. Mostly I can take the pain okay but it drives me nuts to not be able to do stuff.

Prayers would be appreciated, and thanks in advance....

Just to let you all know how good Billy is, he told me exactly what was causing the pain and me not being able to walk on it like this. He felt it and moved it a little and said it was a piece of cartilage stuck behind the kneecap inside the joint. When we saw the x-rays this morning it was right there plain as day, this piece of something stuck upwards in the middle of the joint.

Pam

I will not be on the forums very much

Sherri S. — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:47:41 GMT

My dear friends,

Well, it's official. As of 4:30 p.m. this evening, my employer has placed all of their employees in the dark ages, without internet. The only sites we have access to are the on-line email server and the on-line time clock where we punch in.

This means that I will have to do everything at home using my 24K internet dial-up connection. Since I am trying to get prepared for the Steamboat show next month, I will be spending most of my evenings for the next month making jewelry, so I will probably not be on-line much.

If anyone needs or wants to reach me on a regular basis, contact me and I'll give you my work email address. I see no other way around it.

HUGS to you all! I'm going to miss spending work down-time on the BD!

Sherri

Criss Cross 4 Holed Bead

laurie1313 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:37:12 GMT

Hello everyone! This is my first message. I'm not great with computers, so I'm glad I made it this far.

I need help in finding a bead. It is sterling silver, has four holes and I call it a criss cross bead, not a cross. There is a slight pattern on it. The little bead store I bought it from went out of business, but she said the bead was from China. The bead is no more than 4/16th high/wide.

I would appreciate any help!

Storage boxes

AngelineB — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:15:56 GMT

Hi all I have noticed quite a few posts about what to put beads in. I mainly work w/ seed beads. I found at my local Harbor frieght these great boxes intened for small tool parts.

These boxes hold 24 seperate small containers inside the larger one. I honestly love these boxes. They last forevor and are fairly cheap. I have seen similair on bead sites going for more then I pay. I pay about $2.99- $5.99 per box less if on sale. They hold seed beads amazingly well with no spillage and they are easy to label. I have them all stacked up on my book shelve. I have bought extra shelves at home depot, they cut the wood for free. This way I have more shelves then the five standard ones.

I am attempting to post the pic or a link to show what they look like. Ok it is a no go on pics so I will post the link.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15784281@N04/3798901680/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15784281@N04/3798067393/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15784281@N04/3798063821/

Enjoy and happy beading!!

Another pointed-back rhinestone order - will anyone share?

Sherri S. — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:56:27 GMT

Some time ago, some of you were kind enough to share the cost of a rhinestone order I placed - I had to purchase a minimum.

Well, I'm in that boat again. Those last rhinestones I bought are good for some things, but are too small for the brass earwires I often use in my jewelry making, so I want to buy some pointed-back rhinestones in 2.85mm or 22pp. This size fits perfectly into the flower setting earwires at www.accessoriessusan.com. I really need to get some in at least 6 colors in this size. The minimum I have to pay is $42.75 per 10 gross of any size/color (that's 144 x 10, or 1,440 rhinestones for $42.75).

Is anyone interested in sharing this cost with me to get some rhinestones in this size? I want to get perhaps 6 or 7 different colors - Montana blue, Peridot, Emerald, Ruby, (Yellow)Topaz, Amethyst, and maybe Rose. Geez, I think I left out Sapphire, so we need to talk about choices. Peridot and Yellow Topaz have to remain in the list.

I want to get more colors, like Smoked Topaz, but I can only get priority colors to start, unless enough people express interest. For anyone who's willing to share, we can adjust these color choices, just let me know what colors you're interested in.

If anyone is interested, please let me know. NOTE: I can't get them until after the first of the year 2010, so we have time to plan. If we can get more colors it would be great, but the colors listed will be a good start.

I hope to hear from some of you!

HUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sherri

Just went to a bead show!

Evalie — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:47:23 GMT

Thought I'd share my enthusiasm with my beading friends on BD. I had no intention of going to this show this weekend. I made a new 'beading friend' through work, and she couldn't go to this one, so I was going to sit it out too. (Didn't really need anything...and I know ALL about the temptation!) So, I started a new project last night, and hit a snag. I needed 15/0 beads in a color to match some natural cat's eye...AND I DIDN"T HAVE ANY! [:'(]

I figured I could just make a quick trip...not counting the hour drive each way.....and be really good....not buy too much...make it really short and sweet, ya know? Well........best laid plans and all that!

I did find some wonderful things I just couldn't pass up. First there was the strand of swiss blue topaz faceted nuggets...then the claw shaped faceted green amethyst....then the 7 colors of 1.5-2mm seed pearls.....oh and the 8" strands of baroque pearls...I just couldn't leave those there!

So, unplanned trip that it was, it was worth it! Spent too much, but got GREAT prices, and the ribbing from Hubby when I got home wasn't too bad. (He knows me well) Now I just have to get ready for the next show in Jan.

Evalie

Oh yeah, I really did get those 15/0's that I needed, too.

I've been accepted to my SECOND juried show!

Sherri S. — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:55:05 GMT

Hi everyone!

Well, I'm excited to say that this week I was invited back to sell my jewelry at a juried show in Steamboat Springs, CO again this December! I got the invitation and application on Monday via email. I filled it out, sent it in with a picture of an example of my jewelry and a check for the booth rental. I got the confirmation email yesterday that they accepted my application and I will be selling there again this year! Yippee!

I just hope there won't be a blizzard anytime near the date - I might have to cancel and won't be able to get my expensive booth rental back!

This time, my helper and I will share a hotel room after the show so that I don't have to drive over Rabbit Ears Pass in the dark. It may be snowing that evening for all I know! And this will allow us to have a nice dinner in a semi-fancy restaurant and I'll be able to enjoy some wine. Living in a tiny cowboy town of 1500 people, I rarely get a chance to eat at a place like that, and Steamboat Springs (a ski resort town) has boatloads of those types of restaurants, and people who live there make plenty of money.

I am also excited because since I sent my application in immediately, I know I will get a better booth than I did last year. It is first-come first-served with booth assignments, and last year I was a last-minute addition so I got one of the worst booth spots.

I am really hoping that the people who bought from me last year will search me out this year. And if that famous guy from last year wants to buy from me again and take the jewelry with him and send me a check later, I will let him.

Another reason for me to be excited is I have planned improvements to my booth. No one even glanced at my bracelets, which were all jumbled up on a triple-bar bracelet display, so I have to do that differently. I got more necklace busts and I plan to display all jewelry sets together to increase the chances of multiple sales to one person. That was my big mistake last year - not displaying sets together. We live and learn!

And unfortunately, I know I will lose some sales due to the fact that I can't take credit cards - except through PayPal. No one took advantage of that last year - I think they wanted instant gratification by being able to take it home that day. I know that I lost some sales last year just because I didn't take CC's, but I don't do enough business to justify the expense, which is big when you are starting out because it is best to buy the equipment rather than rent it.

Anyhow, just wanted to share my excitement! Now I am trying to make at least one piece of jewelry a day, or 7 pieces a week, from now until December 5. It will be a fun time!

I most have been SO good =)

Inca — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:45:57 GMT

I got a little early Christmas gift yesterday.

NEW PLIERS =)

So I am now the the proud owner of some Lindstrom's pliers - Round-nose and Bent-nose.
And I am totally in love .... even tho I havent dont anything other than play around with some wire scraps making loops ....

This most be "pliers angels" ... cause they are so sweet.
I honestly cant believe how I have been able to make anything at all with my old stuff.

My old "no-name" pliers makes my hands hurt and tence up after holding them for like 2 min ... while the new Lindstrom's are like holding clouds =)

I am so so so so HAPPY!!!

For pictures see my blog...

Pattern for 'The Illusion' by Julie Ann Smith?

Meow — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:36:09 GMT

Hi,

I have been trying to find the above mentioned pattern on this site but cannot. I tried the search box but only see forum posts. Could someone advise where to look to find this. It could be staring me right in the face but I cannot see where else I might search other than the search box.

Thanks for any help.

Jane.

Use The Muse III

LYILHA — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:01:03 GMT

Has anyone gotten their UTM III kit yet? I know we can't talk about the Muse but I just wondered who all was participating and if anyone had gotten their kit yet. I am SO excited!!!! I haven't gotten mine but I am already running all kinds of ideas through my head! =)

Crystal medallion

MaryB — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:44:19 GMT

Hi Folks,

I saw a pattern in the past year or so for a beautiful woven circular pendant made of Swarovski crystals and seed beads, which I told myself I'd do later...

Well, later is here now, and of course I cannot find the danged thing! LOL

This is a fairly stiff disc which is strung either by the top or through the center, and it appeared to be some sort of RAW, as I recall.

Does anyone remember them? Can any one tell me where to buy this pattern?

Thanks All -

Mary

Roll On Bracelet

Debbie — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:24:28 GMT

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My sister gave me one of these bracelets, made in Nepal. Does anyone know how to make these? Or what kind of thread or line? Crochet or weave. I am new at beading, but am fascinated with the possibilities!

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://images.solidcactus.com/gxonlinestore/rollonbracelet.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.mycoffeebeans.com/shop/product/Cluster-Beaded-Bracelets.html&usg=__fYrVw6QKrPOSFrPf_az1Eti6erQ=&h=600&w=600&sz=78&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=fZU6RCoP3VexiM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Droll%2Bon%2Bbracelet%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1%26newwindow%3D1

Kitten

LYILHA — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:25:24 GMT

YAY!!! So I got a kitten a couple days ago...a little lovey terror. lol. I have never had a cat so everything is kinda new to me. Thankfully my uncle has 5 and knows what to do. I do have a question though. I know alot of you guys have cats but my little booger (we think we are gonna name him Bones) has a few fleas and I know they can get bad left "untreated". What I am wondering is what is the best product out there? Is there a cheaper way to go? What gets all of them? He is gonna be a completely indoor cat 'cause there are alot of mean cats around our apts and because we live on a main busy street so I am thinking that if I can get rid of them now I won't really have to worry about them again. I would post a pic of him but I can't seem to get a good one. He has a GREAT personality so far...very loving. Tends to be a lap kitty - BUT...he gets directly underfoot ALL THE TIME. Chad, my brother, whom I live with, accidently punted the poor thing the other day. We have a "no punting the kitty" sign in our kitchen lol. He is always running directly infront of us or walking inbetween our feet...and inevitably he gets underfoot. We are really careful but SHEESH! Is that NORMAL?! lol Anyway, he is a little grey tabby cat but has some really unusual coloring. His face, tail and the ridge of his back are typical tabby but both of his sides have this strange giraffe-ish look. Large grey patches with thin lighter grey lines between them...kinda like giraffe spots. Then his tummy is white with little dark grey spots all over...looks kinda like a snow leopard. *laugh* My aunt found him in the middle of a busy intersection on Rock Springs so they temporarily named him Rocky. We didn't like that because everytime we called him that it reminded us of the boxer...not our style. We decided to name him Bones for alot of reasons...first...it sounds cool...lol. Second...we have alot of cow bones that a friend of mine got me to give to Chad and he was trying to sun bleach them and had them on our back porch. When we asked our landlord if we could get a kitten he said that he would make us a deal and if we would move the bones ("they look bad for our renters" ?!?!?hahaha) then we could get one. So we moved them. Third, he apparently keeps playing around in them...wierd but true. And lastly...well...we are unfortunate nerds and Bones was the name of the doc on the original Star Trek. Actually it was more of an afterthought that it was the name of the Doc...but we are cool with that. Anywho...just thought I would brag on my new kiddo. lol

(Optical) Phenomenal Gemstone Beads = Natural BLING!

DVHdesigns — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:06:14 GMT

Howdy Beaders, lately I've been on a bit of a spree with phenomenal stones. These are those stones with properties that cause optical phenomena to occur within the stone. The major categories are Asterism in star stones (ruby, sapphire, etc) which is caused by fiber like inclusions in the crystal; Opalescence (opals) a milky to rainbow play of color caused by large spheroid structures of silica in the stone; Labradorescence (labradorites & many feldspars) which is broad multicolor flashing surfaces; Adularescence which is a glowing effect as seen in moonstones; Aventurescence which is a sparkling, more glitter like, effect caused by metal or glassy looking inclusions in the stone; Chatoyance (from the French "Chat Oeil", or "cat eye") which is a gleaming effect all over or in a distinct cat's-eye; Schiller which is a directional sheen or shimmer; and finally Irridescence or Iris effect which is a play of color of rainbow colors often caused by a fracturing within the stone.

I don't hardly ever cut star stones, but all the other phenomenal gemstones are among my favorites to work with! I especially like stones that show multiple optical phenomena like this

Above, we see this particular variety of sunstone which shows a moonstone effect on the opposing axes of the sunstone, almost like a sun and moon hybrid!
This is a new, spectacular gemmy sunstone material from Tanzania that is as good or better than the more commonly found sunstone from India. I hand cut this shield shaped bead which measures 40x27mm and is 12mm thick with a 3mm drill hole. It has a high polished finish. There are several healed fractures in this bead, but they don't threaten the structural integrity of the stone. The aventurescent qualities of this stone are apparent on the faces where one sees the coppery spangles phenomena of adventurescence while the sides at a 90 degree axis, show the adularescent moonstone optical phenomena! The images give you just a hint of how these well oriented stones go from coppery orange base color to a nearly blinding coppery whitish brilliance! White veining and some dark grey spots create an ethereal & spacey effect!

Here is what June Culp Zeitner of Lapidary Journal fame says about sunstone in her book, "Gem and Lapidary Materials,".... "Sunstone is an aventurescent labradorite, microcline, or oligoclase feldspar, distinguished by minute hematite or goethite inclusions which reflect the light" She goes on to say that some microcline sunstones like this one show both aventurescence and adularescence.

Some of the mystic lore that has been said about sunstone is that it is a stone of leadership, dispels fear and stress, increases vitality, encourages independence and originality, warms the spirit and brings good fortune!

Then there are stones like this iolite, A wonderful deep blue iolite with silvery rainbows of "meteors" flashing through it as it moves in the light! I hand cut this elongated teardrop shaped piece which measures 51x17mm, is 8mm thick with a 2.5mm drill hole and has a weight of 54cts. It has a polished finish all over. The stone is cut so that the orientation of the optical phenomena are at their maximum. Still images don't do this amazing and hard to find gemstone justice. The stone really has to be moved around in the light to get the full optical effects of the aventurescence, chatoyancy, and iris effect that are all present in this remarkable stone!

This material is called "Bloodshot Iolite". It is an odd variety of iolite, a magnesium aluminum silicate, that has inclusions of small flat platelets of reddish hematite or goethite. This creates the optical phenomena of adventurescence throughout the stone. It is the same mineral and optical effect found in feldspars that are sunstones, so this is also accurately referred to as "sunstone in iolite". Iolite is noted for it's pleasing blue color and is often mistaken for sapphire or tanzanite, which are both much more expensive. Most iolite has inclusions and in these stones that I have cut the internal inclusions also create "iris effect" which are little refracted rainbows within the stone. I have never seen ANY of this rough available before my last trip to the World's gem & mineral trade shows in Tucson this last February. I saw ONE dealer who had this rough and I bought his 8 nicest pieces, which yielded only about a dozen pieces and I only have 4 left in my eBay store. That is all I have EVER seen of the rough and if you look around you won't find any other loose beads or custom cut cabs out of this material.

I hand cut this wonderful teardrop shaped, 89ct bead out of a large crystal of rare, chatoyant, Kyanite from Tanzania. Kyanite is widely reknowned for it's powerful metaphysical powers, as described below. This piece measures 46x18mm and is 8mm thick with low domes and rounded edges. The drill hole is 1.5mm for easy stringing. This would look great with pearls! Nice shiny polish all over which really highlight the natural optical effects of this stone. There are a few minor pits to the surface that are only visible upon close examination (also see below for the difficulties in cutting kyanite). The internal inclusions cause a wonderful chatoyant, or "cats eye" effect, with a rolling silvery schiller that flashes in the light across the faces of this wonderful gemstone bead! When I was in Tucson this last February I bought a little over 4,000 cts of this stuff. This is one of the last 6 or 7 pieces I'll be able to cut out of what I have left. Lovely massive crystals that when CAREFULLY cut, yield these big wonderful beads! Compare with other custom cut, big focal beads of kyanite on eBay! (oh wait, there aren't any). Read on for more info on Kyanite....

Cutting Kyanite is a real challenge! But since I found a good deal on good quality crystals, I bought some rough and am quite happy with the spectacular results! Well worth the challenge. Here's what the Goddess of Lapidary Journal, the famous June Culp Zeitner says about Kyanite in her book, Gem and Lapidary Materials, (the Bible for the lapidary!) in the chapter on Rare, Little-Known, and Unusual Gem Materials, (emphasis mine) "Blue gems are among the most popular, but unfortunately kyanite, although possessed of a wonderful true blue color, is seldom cut. Crystals are thin, splinterry, and brittle, and cleavage is prounounced....A Chrome green kyanite comes from Tanzania. Pink, gray, yellow, and brown crystal are also known. Not many stones are over 10 carats....It is transparent to translucent and often color zoned. A major fault as a lapidary material is that the faces of the crystal have extreme variations in hardness....Occasionally kyanite is chatoyant, so small cats eye cabochons can be cut, but cutting the cat's-eye is as difficult as faceting, so cut kyanite stones are not at all common. Avoiding the cleavage planes is critical in cutting." (emphasis mine)

For those interested in the metaphysics of gemstones, in her book Love Is In The Earth, New Age author Melody says (underlined emphasis hers, bold mine) "...one of the minerals in the mineral kingdom that never needs cleaning or clearing. It will not accumulate or retain negative energy or vibrations. The energy of kyanite is unlimited in application, making it one of the very best attunement stones." She goes on to say, "Kyanite aligns all chakras automatically and immediately, with no conscious direction. If directed with the consciousness of the user, it can also open the chakras...brings tranquility and calming effect to the whole being...stimulates communication and psychic awareness on all levels..dispels anger and frustration...provides a stimulating energy and supports one in the continuation of projects...." and she goes on and on about the wonders of kyanite. Then she says, and I quote with the emphasis and capitalization of the author, "Kyanite Facilitates Meditation! Whenever there is a problem with respect to 'getting into' meditation, the calming, clearing effect of kyanite can be useful....also when accessing the astral plane and when connecting with ones guides....provides for balancing of the yin-yang energies, bringing an orderly growth to the intellect, emotions and physical body." And there's more, but I'll leave it at that and suffice it to say that Kyanite is evidently a VERY POWERFUL METAPHYSICAL GEMSTONE!

Well that's all the "phenomena" I can deal with for today! Got to catch the last bus home. Thanks for letting me share. I'll have more optical phenomena in my work to show ya in the days and weeks to come!

Difficult to knit this earrings

Carole — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:16:20 GMT

It is really hard to knit this delicate earrings. But as long as you like it, it is worthy. Any idea？

SSE 7 - exhibit

Inca — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:38:44 GMT

SSE 7 - I know some allready gotten their goodies. And yeah I know some of you have reported to be very late shipping ...
But we usually make the show and tell thread at the 1 week marker ... so here goes ...

SSE 7 - Started =)

Inca — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:00:18 GMT

You should all have a mail by now – Round 7 is ON.

Shipping date Nov 13th

SSE Round 6 - show and tell!

Inca — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:48:02 GMT

I havent gotten or sent yet ....
But I know a lot you are waiting to show off .... its about 5 days since ship date so why not ... GO FOR IT...
What did you get ? Or make? (be sure if you post what you made that your mark have recieved them first)

Finally some new stuff

Cat — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:29:51 GMT

I was finally able to take pictures this weekend so here's a look at a little of what I've been working on.

First a simple wood pendant on suede cord with wooden beads and a clasp made by me.

[View:http://www.beadingdaily.com/themes/beading/utility/]

Next is my Fish N Bubbles bracelet and earrings. The fish beads are sodalite with fw coin pearls, swarovski crystals, and sterling findings. Earrings are FW coin pearls and sodalite chips which I have yet to put on earwires.

[View:http://www.beadingdaily.com/themes/beading/utility/]

And last a simple bridal bracelet and earrings

[View:http://www.beadingdaily.com/themes/beading/utility/]

I have more but I'll share later :)