Tuesday's Treasures - Newest Necklace Inspired by Boudica

Lamp Work Glass Boudica Celtic Sea Necklace, From my NeoAmour Collection

I am so thrilled to show you my latest necklace today, as today is Tuesday's Treasures, where I will aim to show you one completed jewelry piece per week. This necklace has been in the works for quite some time; almost a year, as that was when I bought this beautiful focal bead from my friend, incredible lamp work glass artist Louise, from Fireseed . It is a special bead, being one of a kind, and I knew it needed special treatment to do it justice. It took a while, but this is the fantastic result (if I do say so myself!).

Inspired by Boudica and the Ancient British Seas

I've long been inspired by the ancient Celts, as I've spoken about many times here on this blog, and beyond. When I recently took this bead out again and started turning it over in my hand, I was immediately reminded of the sea. I love the colors in this bead, as they are so vibrant yet still manage to be natural. I love how Louise managed to get so many different shades of brown, topaz, silver, black and blue into one bead, yet the whole bead does not look too busy. In fact, as I looked at it, I thought of the ancient English sea.

Simple, Yet Bold

Thinking of the ancient English sea, with its white foam, sandy stones and beaches, and vibrant blue of water and sky, I was suddenly, clearly inspired to create this necklace. I thought of, long ago, a young Celtic warrior Queen, Boudicca, as she prepared to take on the Roman Empire. She knew how important reserve forces would be for the Romans as they came over the channel from the Roman empire to Britain. I could see her planning her strategic attacks on British soil, against the usurping Romans, and thinking of how quickly reinforcements would come over the sea if the battles lasted too long.

This necklace was created for her. I used the stunning bead Louise had made, and then created a hand-blended mix of glass seed beads in shades to complement the focal bead. This necklace was made in a lariat-style so that you can wear it either choker style, with the bead hanging farther down your chest, or looser, with the pendant closer to your neck, depending on what you're wearing and how you like to wear your necklaces.

Please visit my Etsy shop to see the necklace here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/90201685/lamp-work-glass-boudica-celtic-sea and please let me know what you think!

For more stunning glass beads by Louise, please visit her Etsy store here: http://www.fireseed.etsy.com
or her website here: http://www.fireseed.ca

Have a great day,

New Celtic Knotwork Drawings

A long, long time ago I posted photos of a drawing I did, with the phrase "Siochan Leat" (meaning "Peace Be With You) on it and a myriad of Celtic knotwork. Today, I wanted to show you that one again as well as a new drawing that I have finished, and one that is in progress! The one above is about 8-1/2" x 10-1/2", done in pen, pencil and waterolor pencil. I didn't use water over the watercolor pencil as I had already done the gold pen on it and I am afraid it will smudge...For now I am not making jewelry as I have boxes of already made jewelry that I have decided must sell before I go and make any more. The sale is still going well in my Etsy store, check out the new items here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleStudioJewels
Lest I drown in jewelry (I am sure there are worse deaths), I am taking some time to go back to my drawing roots:

Here is another one I just finished, a Green Celtic Knotwork Circle. I used pencil, pen, ink and watercolor pencils. I painted the watercolor pencils to give depth to the knotwork and border. It is about 8-1/2"8-1/2".

Here is a closeup of the knotwork. I used gold pen in the center to give light to the middle, like sunlight shining through the center.

Here is my newest work in progress, a Celtic Cross done in knotwork. Here you can see the pencil drawing, and I have started to go over it with pen and when that is done (I have already done about 3/4 of it now at this posting), I will start to go in and color each part of knotwork and background of the cross. I am contemplating what to do the background of the whole piece...do I do grass and sky, or just leave it white? What do you think?


Another question arises...what do you think I should do with these drawings? Should I make blank greeting cards with them? Would you like to purchase or receive a card with something like this on it? I am interested in opinions, so please join in the discussion :)


On the exercise front, I am (sort of) plugging away at it. I'm trying to do yoga everyday, but with the weather changing, I am finding my fibromyalgia pain is coming back. The good news is that when I do yoga, the pain almost instantly lessens or goes away so that is absolutely fantastic. I just need more cardio...I went for a walk with Arwen yesterday (she says hi!) and that was wonderful. I need to get out there more with her and also ride my stationary bike more. Anyone know a really good company for doggy rainsuits and boots? Arwen needs to get some as the roads are wet and I now have half the dirt road on my hardwood floor...hmm...maybe I should go and clean that up...


See you soon, and please, let me know what you think of the drawings and what I should do with them!

Sweet Saturday: New Rings and Things!

Boudicca's Celtic Spiral Ring in Sapphire

Here are some new items in my shop this week! The sapphire ring (above) will be listed later today, and comes in different color combinations, see below for another example.

~Copper-Dyed (permanent) Freshwater Pearls~

I also have some great new beads to destash. I make room for more beads, and you get top-quality beads at great prices, everybody wins!

~Boudicca's Celtic Spiral Ring in Peridot~

I also have quite a few other jewelry pieces that are new to the Etsy store this week, so please do check out my store!

~Dyed Blue (Permanent) Agate Beads~

...Are you getting the inside scoop on deals, specials and more? Sign up for my monthly newsletter and get exclusive information on sales and more in my shop! You'll get subscriber-only discounts on entire orders, as well as weekly specials on selected items to make gift giving (and self-splurging!) easier than ever. So what are you waiting for? Sign up and get in on the savings!

Have a great weekend!

New Celtic Watch!

I just added this watch to my Etsy store, What do you think?

New Celtic Necklace!

Boudica's Sheild 3Spiral Celtic Necklace

Just added this Celtic necklace to my Etsy store, what do you think? http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21764753