Blog

New styles up in the shop

Posted on May 23 2020

I've been working on updating my shop this week and there are over 30 new styles to choose from.

Many of the stones in these pieces were found on my trip to Tuscon in February. Like so many of us small business owners business came to a screeching halt in March with everything being closed. I'm so glad I already had a website and Etsy so at least people could shop online with me.

Instagram sample sale!

Posted on May 08 2020

I'm going to try something new and do a sample sale on instagram. The available pieces will all be prices and have photos up in my stories. I will save it as a highlight and delete things as they sell. I have lots of stock that I made for events that were cancelled so I thought this would be a fun way to do a virtual event.

I'm also sending a sneak peak out to my mailing list so you can sign up if you haven't already.

The sale is going live on Saturday May 9th.

A little love for this month's birthstone

Posted on May 03 2020

Emerald comes from the Greek word smargos, meaning green stone, but the oldest known mine is Egyptian and dates back to 3000 BCE. It was traditionally bound to the left arm to protect travelers.

Emerald is a stone for love, luck and prosperity. It helps us cultivate the courage it takes to love and be loved. You can wear it as a reminder to stay open and get comfortable with your vulnerability. It is a stone of abundance helping you draw in abundance in all forms. This stone can help connect you to Divine Love, compassion and gratitude. It is a heart chakra stone and known as the "Stone of Successful Love".

April reading roundup

Posted on May 01 2020

This month I had fun setting up some lists of what I'm reading and my favorite books over on bookshop.org. Bookshop.org is a cool new platform that's trying to give an alternative to Amazon that helps support local and independent booksellers.

This month I read mostly nonfiction with the exception on The Giver of Stars.

Broken Open by Elizabeth Lesser

The Deepest Well by Nadine Burke Harris M.D.

Seeds of Hope by Jane Goodall

Brainstorm by Daniel J Siegel M.D.

The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Meyes

Mother's Day Giveaway

Posted on April 24 2020

This giveaway is CLOSED. The winner has been announced on Instagram.

This week's giveaway is up on instagram. I'll be putting together a package with earrings, crystals and incense to give to one lucky mama. Head over to instagram to enter to win.

Giveaway for acts of kindness

Posted on April 17 2020

This giveaway is CLOSED. The winner has been announced on Instagram.

This week’s giveaway is here and I’ll be giving away at least 2 pairs of these silver stick studs.

Simply nominate someone who has done something kind for you or someone you love. Every act of kindness creates a ripple effect, so I want to give a little gift to people spreading kindness.

Culver City Shares: one of the ways I've been trying to spread some love and kindness right now.

Posted on April 16 2020

A new video about Culver City Shares

I've known Lisa Schultz through The Whole 9 Gallery for at least 5 years. She carries my jewelry in the gallery, put on one of my favorite art shows - Affair of the Arts, and runs The Peace Project that has done amazing work around the world.

When the Safer at Home order hit she pivoted to work with the Culver City community to turn the gallery in to a food bank. With the help of lots of generous donors, volunteers, local businesses and a heck of a lot of hard work from her she pulled together the first offering within a week.

It's Giveaway time!! Nominate your favorite health care workers to win a Little Rock necklace.

Posted on April 10 2020

This giveaway is CLOSED. The winner has been announced on Instagram.

I'm going to host a different giveaway every Friday for the next few weeks as a little way to spread some love and appreciation to all the helpers.

The first giveaway is for any healthcare workers. There are no fancy rules for the giveaway just nominate someone you know to show them how much we all appreciate their superhero skills. If you're on instagram just pop over and nominate them there, leave them a compliment and they'll be entered to win. If you don't use instagram just send me an email or comment on this post.

Times are hard for so many of us, but this is a small way that I can put some love and kindness out in to the world.

Jewelry to brighten your day

Posted on April 06 2020

I've been adding some new pieces of jewelry to my shop. I found all of these stones on my February trip to Tuscon.

What I'm reading: February and March reading roundup

Posted on April 05 2020

Reading brings me joy. I love listening to books while I work and I love settling down on my couch to enjoy reading at the end of the day. Some of these books made me laugh, some made me cry and others just taught me new things.

This month's birthstone is Diamond: a symbol of great strength

Posted on April 02 2020

This month’s birthstone is the strongest crystal out there made by the magic of mother earth. For so many years I dismissed diamonds and thought they were overrated in their appeal. Then I found rosecut diamonds. I fell in love and got curious about how they are created and their meaning. Now I like to wear a tiny diamond as a reminder of strength.⠀

Four more lists of my some of my favorites

Posted on March 22 2020

I feel so lucky to have been introduced to meditation through Buddhism as a young teenager. My meditation practice is helping me so much right now. I've shared my favorite meditation teachers with lots of friends and family over the years. So I thought now would be a good time to make a list. There are lots of apps already out there, I always recommend Insight Timer and the Unplug app but I've heard Headspace is great too. All of the teachers on the list have great resources on their sites. Many are going live on facebook, instagram and zoom offering free content as well as paid. I will save all of these in a highlight on instagram too so you can follow the tags easily. I would love to hear if you have any favorite meditations or teachers to share.

10 Feel Good Books to Stay in With

Posted on March 19 2020

I've been thinking about what I can do to help bring a little joy and peace in this unprecedented time. Books are definitely something that brings me joy.

One of my favorite yoga teachers Kathryn Budig started a virtual bookclub called The Inky Phoenix and she had the idea for people to share some of their favorite feel good books to bring us comfort while we're hunkered down in our homes away from our friends and family.

My two favorite books I've read so far this year.

Posted on March 05 2020

I heard The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See was great and it did not disappoint. The characters were well developed and the story had lots of twists and turns. There were parts that made me laugh and others that made me cry. It told a story over many decades and you could see how the world changed. This story of the all women dive collectives on Jeju Island is one definitely worth reading.

A little about Aquamarine: this month's birthstone

Posted on March 01 2020

In ancient lore Aquamarine was believed to be a treasure of mermaids, and it was used as a talisman to bring good luck, fearlessness and protection to sailors. It was also valued as a stone of eternal youth and happiness. It is a water element stone which gives it a calming energy. It is a throat and heart chakra stone that can help with clear communication of your highest truth.

Click through to see more aquamarine jewelry.

Crystals and Stones: A recap of my Tuscon trip and some new designs

Posted on February 17 2020

My annual trip to Tuscon was so much fun. I always come back with so many new ideas and feel totally inspired. These were a few of the new stones I found for my Little Rock Necklaces. These aren't up on the website yet but I wanted to share them with you anyway.

Exploring Tuscon outside of the gem show

Posted on February 14 2020

This year I was in Tuscon for longer so I got to get out and check out more around the city, which was so much fun.

Last year when I came I really wanted to go for a hike but just didn't have time. So this year I got to go to Pima Canyon. The view of the city was beautiful and the saguaro cacti were absolutely amazing. We were hoping to see some of the Bighorn sheep on the trail but we didn't have any luck with that this time.

The history and meaning of this month's birthstone - Amethyst

Posted on February 03 2020

Beautiful purple amethysts have been prized since the time of the ancient Greeks. Because of their grape-like color, the Greeks associated these gems with the wine god, Bacchus. They believed that wearing an amethyst could protect you from drunkenness—in fact the word amethystos meant “not drunk” in ancient Greek. According to gemstone lore, amethyst jewelry keeps its wearer clear-headed and clever. Artist Leonardo da Vinci wrote that amethysts enhance intelligence and protect against evil thoughts.

Taking a look at a few of the current favorites.

Posted on February 01 2020

These styles were all added just before the holidays and were some of our most popular styles. The felicity earrings are now available in sterling silver or 18K vermeil. The elements hoops are shown here with herkimer diamonds and are also available in lots of other stones. Lastly the sunrise studs with stones are a little larger than some of our staple studs, so they make a little statement on your ears while still being easy to wear.

A weekend trip to Cambria.

Posted on January 30 2020

This past weekend we drove up the coast to Cambria for the Art and Wine Festival. Since it was such a beautiful day on Friday we headed up early and stopped at the Monarch Butterfly Grove in Pismo Beach. I'm always impressed by the state parks when we drive up the coast, they had great docents there to give tours and answer questions for visitors. The monarch population is devastatingly down on the west coast so if you get the chance to visit this park you should definitely do it soon. Hopefully with conservation efforts they can bring the population back up like they were able to do with the sea otters.

Let's keep in touch!