Monday, November 24, 2008

The Solitary Fern

Made with love on Grizzly Mountain!

This "Solitary Fern" pendant was created using earthenware clay. No two glazed pieces ever come out of the kiln the same, so each piece is truly unique. This pendant hangs from an 18" ball chain and is available for purchase in my Etsy shop. A gift box is included with your purchase.

A special note to those of you that have contacted me regarding my earthenware Celtic Ogham and Runic pendants--First of all, THANK YOU! for your interest! I was "lucky" enough to have been chosen for jury duty for the months of November and December. We live in a sparsely populated county, so there isn't a huge jury pool. Between that and getting ready for my wonderful son to be home for Thanksgiving I don't have a lot of time to create, but hopefully I will get back on track soon :)

I hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Two Great Discoveries


I don't usually use my blog to promote techie "stuff" but I thought I would share a couple of interesting new sites.  Most of my other blog sharing sites have closed, so I went in search for a new blog sharing site and I found Scoutle.

What is Scoutle.com? Scoutle is an automated social network for bloggers and functions as an ideal Guide for internet users to find a valuable blog, no matter the language, subject or location.

Scoutle helps you find, promote and connect blogs using an automated rating and matching system. Not only find a blog easily, but also know what a blog is worth and discover similar blogs.       
                                                                                                                                                                                                             

The other neat site I found was Qurify.com which is a 
site that generates QR codes.  QR Codes are 2 dimensional barcodes that are easily scanned using any modern mobile phone. This code will then be converted (called "dequrified") into a piece of (interactive) text and/or link. For instance, you walk around in the city and notice a poster for an event that seems interesting. You take out your mobile phone, scan the QR Code and will instantly get more information and a link to a website where you can book your tickets. You don't have to type or remember anything and because QR Codes can be very small, this saves a lot of space on the product as well.  Now I just need to figure out how to use these to market our art!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Secret Spiral Ceramic Pendant

This dainty "Secret Spiral" pendant was created using an impression from a sea shell from our family collection. No two glazed pieces ever come out of the kiln the same, so each hand carved piece is truly unique. This pendant hangs from an 18" ball chain. A gift box is included with your purchase.

Vintage Copper and Purple Swarovski Crystal Earrings


Filigree beads and headpins made from vintage copper, give this stunning pair of earrings their character. A gorgeous deep purple Swarovski crystal sits atop each vintage copper bead. For some reason, my camera makes the Swarovski beads look blue, but they are in fact purple.

Copper has long been thought to have healing properties, and many people believe that copper has the ability to conduct spiritual energy back and forth from individuals, the mind, crystals, auras, and the spirit world. Some New Age followers also combine it with their stones and crystals to “align” the properties of the crystals

Celtic Rampant Lion Ceramic Pendant

I created this Celtic Rampant Lion piece from earthenware clay. It's been glazed with a purple colored glaze to have the appearance of an ancient relic. The bead is a matte glass crow bead.

What is the significance of the Rampant Lion symbol?

According to Wikipedia, the lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally symbolizes bravery, valour, strength, and royalty, since traditionally, it is regarded as the king of beasts.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Sage Spiral Ceramic Pendant

Made with love on Grizzly Mountain!

This Sage Spiral, is another in my series of spiral pendants. This pendant has been glazed with a sage green glaze and impressions of fresh home grown rosemary surround the spiral.

Beautiful Blue Bubbles!

A spherical mass of gas surrounded by a liquid or solid.....otherwise known as a bubble!

I created this "Blue Bubbles" piece from earthenware clay. It has been glazed with a gorgeous dark "Blue Grotto" glaze. Measuring about 1 1/4" in diameter, this pendant hangs from a ball chain necklace.

Mayan Sun Ceramic Pendant

Made with love on Grizzly Mountain!

I made this "Mayan Sun" pendant from earthenware clay. It has been fired with a chili pepper red glaze. Each pendant comes out of the kiln with it's own unique color properties.

The Sun was highly revered by the Mayan civilization.The Sun brought the Mayans bountiful crops and is believed by some to be a symbol of clarity, ascension, and awareness.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Starfish Ceramic Pendant

Starfish are my favorite things to find when visiting the Oregon coast. This starfish pendant is made of earthenware clay and has been glazed with a beautiful bluish glaze. No two glazed pieces ever come out of the kiln the same, so each hand carved piece is truly unique. This pendant hangs from an 18" ball chain. A gift box is included with your purchase.

All items in my Good Dirt Jewelry shop ship for FREE, even worldwide!

Spiral Hand Ceramic Pendant


Made with love on Grizzly Mountain!

This Spiral Hand pendant has been glazed with a dark Chili Pepper colored glaze. No two glazed pieces ever come out of the kiln the same, so each hand carved piece is truly unique.

The spiral hand symbol can mean many things to many people. To some, it's seen as a symbol of universal healing energy, to others, a protective symbol to ward off evil.

Oregon Petroglyph Ceramic Pendant

Studying ancient cultures is a hobby of mine and I like to use their symbols in my pieces. This petroglyph is located in Harney county Oregon. He/she has been carved into earthenware clay and glazed to have the appearance of an aged rock.

Spiral of Life

This large spiral pendant has been glazed with a beautiful blue glaze. No two glazed pieces ever come out of the kiln the same, so each hand carved piece is truly unique.

**What does the Spiral symbol mean?**

According to Wikipedia, the spiral plays a certain role in symbolism, and appears in megalithic art, notably in the Newgrange tomb or in many Galician petroglyphs such as the one in Mogor.

While scholars are still debating the subject, there is a growing acceptance that the simple spiral, when found in Chinese art, is an early symbol for the sun. Roof tiles dating back to the Tang Dynasty with this symbol have been found west of the ancient city of Chang'an (modern-day Xian).

The spiral is the most ancient symbol found on every civilized continent. Due to its appearance at burial sites across the globe, the spiral most likely represented the "life-death-rebirth" cycle. Similarly, the spiral symbolized the sun, as ancient people thought the sun was born each morning, died each night, and was reborn the next morning.

The study of spirals in nature have a long history, Christopher Wren observed that many shells form a logarithmic spiral. Jan Swammerdam observed the common mathematical characteristics of a wide range of shells from Helix to Spirula and Henry Nottidge Moseley described the mathematics of univalve shells. D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson's On Growth and Form gives extensive treatment to these spirals. He describes how shells are formed by rotating a closed curve around a fixed axis, the shape of the curve remains fixed but its size grows in a geometric progression. In some shell such as Nautilus and ammonites the generating curve revolves in a plane pirpendicular to the axis and the shell will form a planer discoid shape. In others it follows a skew path forming a helico-spiral pattern.

Thompson also studied spirals occurring in horns, teeth, claws and plants.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Tiny Turquoise Earrings


These tiny turquoise earrings were made with the dainty earring lovers in mind!

The kidney shaped ear wires are made from vintage copper and measure about 1 1/2 inches in length. The tiny turquoise beads and copper spacer drop measures about 1/2 inch.

These and other earrings can be found in my Good Dirt Jewelry shop!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Norse Rune Ceramic Pendants

Made with love on Grizzly Mountain!

I created this EIHWAZ rune from earthenware clay. It has been glazed with a rich blue glaze. No two pieces come out of the kiln the same! This pendant hangs from an 18 inch ball chain, which can be easily removed if you have a favorite chain you prefer to use.

The EIHWAZ rune, symbolizes protection, strength, reliability and enlightenment.

Whether you are a practicing Druid, or just love the art of ancient traditions, the Runic pendants found in my Good Dirt Jewelry shop, would be a unique addition to your collection.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

"The Meeting" Celtic Ceramic Pendant


Jo created this Celtic inspired "The Meeting" from earthenware clay. It measures about 1 1/2" square. It has been accented with a very old Tibetan Yak bone bead that has been inlayed with copper. The pendant has been glazed to make it look like an ancient relic. 

This item ships for FREE and includes a gift box!

There's No Place Like Home!


We are back home safe and sound from our weekend show in Yachats.  I have returned several of the ceramic pendants that I took to our show to my Good Dirt Jewelry Shop and will try to get some new ones photographed tomorrow.