Sunday, November 8, 2009

Ceramic and Myrtlewood Support Spindle Spinning Bowl


This is another joint project between Grizzly Mountain Arts and Good Dirt Jewelry :) Once we had finished this piece, I could hardly wait to photograph it and get it online!

This design turned out even better than we had planned!
We have created a support spinning bowl that has combined the efficiency of a ceramic surface with the stability of a wide beautiful wooden base. Our ceramic bowl measures 1 3/4 inches in diameter, and the myrtlewood base is 3 1/4 inches in diameter. The wooden base has been adorned by Dave with pyrography (burn etching). Four felt dots on the back keep the wood from scratching other hard surfaces.

A few more photos of this piece can be found in our Etsy shop where it is listed for $29 with FREE shipping :)

Friday, November 6, 2009

Two New Druid's Egg Pendants


I'm giving a new online selling venue a try! Zibbet.com

Dave carved the original egg for me, then made a mold that I use with earthenware clay. These two Druid's Eggs have been glazed with earthy green glazes--one is a paler color and the other a very organic mixture of greens and browns. These pendants will arrive in a gift box and shipping is FREE, and did I mention they are only $19!

*What Are Druid's Eggs?*

The Druid's Egg (also “glain,” “serpent's egg,” or “snake stone”) was a talismanic object sacred to the Druids. Tales about it resemble those of the Philosopher's Stone sought by the alchemists. Its myths may also be related to those of the Omphalos, a meteoritic stone which was kept at Delphi and was thought to be the egg of the serpent-monster Python. In legends, the Druid’s Egg is credited with endowing its possessor with the ability to obtain almost all he might desire. The Druid's Egg was also believed to create a favorable outcome in courts of law, so much that the Romans outlawed carrying one into any courtroom. If you'd like to learn more about the legend behind the Druid's Egg, please visit the listing for these items on Zibbet.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

New Ceramic Support Spindle Bowls

From time to time, my husband who is the artist behind Grizzly Mountain Arts fiber art tools, and I join forces to work on a joint venture. These ceramic support spinning bowls have been just been added to our Grizzly Mountain Arts fiber art tool line!

When researching support spinning bowls for Russian and Tibetan style spindles, we found that there are two important attributes that need to be incorporated into the bowl. One, is the reduction in friction by creating a ceramic glazed surface--don't forget, wood spinning on wood is how boy scouts start fires :) Second, the bowl needs to be stable to keep from constantly tipping while the spindle spins.

Grizzly Mountain Arts and Good Dirt Jewelry, have worked together to create a ceramic support spinning bowl that is cone shaped. Our bowl measures 3 inches in diameter across the bottom with a recessed well to support the spindle on top. We are making our support spinning bowls in a variety of glazes and no two pieces ever come out of the kiln the same. Every ceramic support spinning bowl will be one of a kind.

Grizzly Mountain Arts ceramic support spinning bowls ship for FREE and can be found in our Etsy shop for $19!

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Good Dirt FaceBook Fan Page



I finally found some time to get my Good Dirt Jewelry Fan Page set up on FaceBook. I find FB to be very frustrating to use, so I'm not sure what good it will be other than providing additional search engine optimization :)

Thank You!


I just wanted to say "Thank You!" to a few customers who purchased my work lately through my Good Dirt Jewelry Etsy shop. Unfortunately, several of you haven't heard from me because your email provider is blocking all email from Etsy.com and my GDJ yahoo account. I'm guessing that Verizon and AOL believes all mail from Etsy and Yahoo is spam so it's sending my messages to you into your trash.

So, if you have purchased a piece of ceramic jewelry from me but haven't received any notifications, that is why :)

Sunday, November 1, 2009

An Enchanted Etsy Treasury!


Having another artist include one of your pieces in their treasury is such a wonderful treat! It is such an honor, especially when all of the other artists are so amazing! Tre Civette Sul Como', who curated this wonderful collection, has a beautiful shop on Etsy that sells new and vintage haberdashery from Italy.

My Norse Daeg "Awakening" ceramic rune pendant has been included in this beautiful collection. Be sure and check out all of the other amazing artists included by following the link below the photo!


Saturday, October 31, 2009

Ceramic Burmese Deity with Leather Bolo Necklace

This stunning Burmese deity ceramic pendant was created from a mold I made from an antique lead amulet from Burma. The earthenware clay pendant which measures about 2 inches in length, has been glazed with an earthy rust colored glaze. The 36 inch long dark brown bolo cord is leather and I have adorned it with copper wire and wooden beads. More photos of this piece can be found at the Etsy shop listing.

**Who is this deity?**

At first, I thought perhaps he was Mahakala, the protector of monasteries, since there are skulls beneath his feet, but Mahakala is always depicted with a fierce, tooth baring grimace. All of the images I found of the Buddha holding a sword, have the sword of justice held high in his right hand, not at his side. Another thing that is interesting about this amulet, is that the deity appears to be cradling a infant in the left arm leading me to speculate that this may be a female Buddha. I was contacted recently by a blog reader who thought that this may in fact be a Hindu deity, so the mystery continues!

When I received this spectacular amulet, it had a wonderful patina on it which has now been removed thanks to the mold making process I use. I apologize in advance to all of the antique amulet collectors for doing this, but it had to be done for the sake of art :)

Shipping is FREE for this item and a gift box is included!