Of Mammoth Proportions

I had the complete pleasure of working with a lovely lady on a custom ring these last couple of weeks. She saw my Orbit Ring and wanted something similar with a stone she already had.

Well, let me tell you, this is a ring of mammoth proportions!

It was fantastically fun to make, and even more fun to look at while on the hand!
{imagine how many gazes will be caught with this?}
I love making something I maybe normally wouldn't have done - isn't she grand?


I hope her new owner wears her like a shield guarding her from all that is bad in the world, only letting in the good.

xo

Surprising the soul

A curious thing happened this week.

I caught small glimpses at first,

through trees, and into my window,

Something was staring back at me.

The sun.

The sweet, glorious sun has returned after what seems like and impossibly long winter!

This Spring and coming Summer I plan on really soaking in the power that sunshine can do for one's soul. 

Like the ferns and trees around me, I too grow with the nourishment that comes with warmth and light.

My character develops, and a smile creeps across my face, because the Sun is a drug that does the body good!

Maybe the next time the sun shines in your eyes, or warms your shoulders, remember the power sweet sunshine has to make your soul shine, and smile at someone, just because you can!

*these pictures are taken literally blocks from where I live - aren't I lucky?

Have a wonderful day!

Hello Spring, It's GIVEAWAY Time!

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED :-)
This is my first giveaway since Christmas!
I am hoping it puts smile across someone's face out there, and inspires them to be generous with something in their life, just because they can :-)

The items (yep, you heard right - there are 2 pieces involved!) up to win are both inspired by the power of the sun {hello spring!} and the strength we carry in ourselves. They both come from my second, made to order shop www.bellabijoutoo.etsy.com (which I have not yet done a giveaway for!)

One lucky person will win :

Fern Cuff in Copper

and Sterling Silver Leaflet Studs

"I spent my childhood playing in the forrest. Full of green. Green trees, green moss, and green ferns. We would run through the bush barefoot, because as kids there was never enough time to do such time consuming things as put shoes on. The ferns would tickle your toes and brush against your ankles. Some were tall and grassy, others curly or even a little furry. 

They seemed to pop out of nowhere and everywhere. I saw one grow right up through a paved road in front of my yard. Not over time, but literally overnight. The power of something trying to reach sunlight amazed me. The perfect balance of strength and delicacy"
Both of these pieces are made using a real leaf, in a process that destroys the leaf, thus making each version a little different than the last! 


TO ENTER YOU CAN :

Leave a comment telling me your favorite thing about Spring = 1 entry

Tweet about this giveaway and reply it to @bellabijou and link to your twitter account in the comments below = 1 entry

Click "LIKE" on the  Bella-Bijou on facebook www.facebook.com/bellabijoujewellery  and mention that you have in the comments below = 1 Entry

Change your facebook status to mention this giveaway with a link to this post, then post it here in the comments section = 3 Entries

Blog about this giveaway with a link back to this post and leave the link to your post in the comments section = 4 Entires
{please put all your entries into ONE comment if possible}

There you go - you can put your name in the hat a possible 10 entries for this giveaway! As always my giveaways are open WORLDWIDE - I love you all!

The giveaway will run until MONDAY APRIL 4th at 12 midnight (PST), and the winner will be announced shortly thereafter,
GOOD LUCK and thank you so much for reading my blog and supporting my passion!


xo

Confessions of :

... A doodle queen.
Occasionally I find a pencil in hand, and full page of doodles before I catch myself.
I guess sometimes never change - if you looked at my school binders they were covered in doodles and poetry.
Does this mean my mind is in constant artistic thought?
Or maybe I am just a fiddly person who gets lost in day dreams.Are you a doodler, scribbler, fidgety fiddler?

Fruits

Goodness me it has been a while since I have created some new gems isn't it?
Truth be told March has not been an easy month so far for me (or the world it seems - my thoughts have been very much with the people of Japan and Libya).
The last couple of weeks have brought tragedy to my community, with two young people and their dog lost in a horrible car accident.
They have brought loss to my close friend who lost his father to cancer of the liver, and complete worry to my own family after my brother took frightful trip to the ER (thankfully he will be ok!)
Lets just say, there has been so much going on my world, and the world in general.
My challenge has been to repel the negative energy from my soul to make room for positivity, and after a couple weeks of complete static thought, and half started designs on my bench, I have finally been able to let the colour in.
I have finally been able to feel the flow and let creative juices flow from my finger tips.
And boy oh boy it felt good.

The fruits of my labour:

First Blooms Necklace
Sterling Silver, Amethyst, Chalcedony and Prasiolite

Sun Streaked Sky
Sterling Silver and Rutilated Quartz

Sea of Tranquility Ring
Sterling Silver, 14k Gold and Dendritic Opal

The Smell of Spring Necklace
Sterling Silver and Boulder Turquoise

Simmering Sunset
Sterling Silver and Agua Nueva Agate

I have to say, I am so thrilled with the way everything turned out! I am loving colour so much right now, and pinks, greens and yellows seem to be ruling my life.
I guess it must truly officially be spring!
Hallelujah!

What colours are you loving for spring?




PS - the new pretties will be in the shop throughout the day monday!

My other self

When blogging we put ourselves out there for the world to see.
Part of ourselves I suppose.
We pick parts of our day to day lives we choose to share with you, and there is constantly the question of "should I put that out there?" "is that too personal to share on a public blog" etc. 


This month I challenged the members of the Chatty Metalsmiths team to blog about their "Other Self" - to shed some light on who they are besides being an artist, or creator. The thought on this being able to open up and connect with your readers :-)


My other self? Well, I always planned on something much different for my career. Anyone who knew me 10 years ago knew exactly what I wanted to be "when I grew up" - a makeup artist! I  had oodles and oodles of makeup - well over 100 different eyeshadows alone! I guess you could say I have always gravitated towards colour; I would think nothing of rocking lime green shadow! 

{yep, thats me 7 or 8 years ago}

I kept a kit (that was a giant tool box) and worked with some freelance photographers in the city here doing makeup on photo shoots. I was completely self taught (again, I believe in teaching myself!) and would get compliments daily - "you have such glowing skin!" "Are those your real eye lashes?"
I would even have ladies come into my day job (I work in the photography industry) asking for my mascara recommendations, and what bronzer should they use. 
You would think that would give you plenty of self confidence... ;-p

{my moms favorite picture of me! Back when I was doing makeup}

Then somewhere along the way I discovered a gem shop not far from where I was living {I've blogged about my intro to jewellery several times so I wont bore you!} and the rest was history. I transitioned my love of colour from face to metal and stone, and some how just kind of faded away from the career I had planned on since I was a little girl.

{taken around the time I was discovering my love for jewellery}

Then recently, for some reason or another, my interest sparked up again!  I suppose it never went away, it was just like a dormant volcano waiting to ignite again. And while the industry is almost impossible to get into these days, I decided to channel my love of cosmetics, health and beauty into a new blog. Here I will post product reviews, tips and tricks, and tutorials on how to use some of my favorite products. The goal is to shed light on products you may have never looked twice at, and to give you the information you need when looking for a new foundation, or when to pair what shade of blush with what eyeshadow. It is for the woman who just wears lipstick, and the woman who loves to wear it all - a community to share for all because I love the way my makeup makes me feel. It allows me to have the freedom to express myself, and make the outside feel as beautiful as the inside. 


So I suppose, that is my Previous Self, becoming my Other Self - the person I am when I am not covered in silver dust with safety goggles on. 
Two very different worlds, both with the potential to put a smile on someone's face, which we all know is the most beautiful thing a person can do :-)


If you would like to support me over at my new blog, you can find it here :

As always, thanks for reading - each comment that is left puts a big smile on my face! I appreciate you all so very much.




PS the next post is jewellery related I promise - and I hope it will be worth the wait!

Some others thoughts on this topic:

5. http://www.nova-designs.blogspot.com/
8. http://aherondesign.blogspot.com

Today

We celebrate 4 years together, and 10 years of friendship.

And my heart still does pitter patters ♥

Squeeze the one you love for no reason today. Smile at them like the first time you ever did.
Find a yet another reason you love them and cherish it.
xo

I did it!

That's right, I conquered my irrational fear of going to Yoga class this morning. ( fear of looking like an idiot because I didn't know what I was doing, and therefor getting discouraged.)
An amazing and gracious friend of mine completely guided me through the process of choosing a class and teacher whom she felt I would respond well to. She answered all my silly questions for 2 weeks while we scheduled a time when we could go together.
What do I wear?
Do I need to bring my own mat?
Are the classes full of pro yogis?
What do I use those blocks for?
And so on...

Well.
I did it!
I kept up.
I put myself out there to do something for myself.
And it felt good.