Saturday 30 June 2018

Today's Market Production...

I'm in the midst of sorting and packing for the Gem Expo/MetaExpo at the Hyatt Regency on King Street in downtown Toronto coming up fast the last weekend of July. Three and a half weeks to go and -- gasp -- I'm already getting ready, not leaving things until the last day like I usually do...

I've been unearthing orphan pendants and odds and ends of beads, and this morning I played around and made these three adjustable leather chokers. They've all sold, but you can always come to the Woodstock Farmers Market at the fairgrounds on Nellis Street every Saturday (except when I'm at the show in Toronto) from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Tons of beautiful artisanal foods (and crafts), most is organic -- or as good as -- and locally grown/raised/crafted.


Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you next Saturday!

Friday 29 June 2018

New Chakraluscious Chakra Bracelets...

Here are my two new Chakraluscious chakra bracelets ready for the market tomorrow at the Woodstock Farmers Market at the fairgrounds on Nellis Street. Come and see these bracelets and more between 7:00 a.m. and noon tomorrow and every Saturday morning.

Both are stretch bracelets with genuine moonstone, garnet, carnelian, gold rutilated quartz, nephrite jade, lapis lazuli, iolite, amethyst and labradorite beads, finished with either white rabbit jade or black lava beads and brass findings.




I make custom jewellery to fit your budget. I also do simple repairs: replace clasps or earwires and restring items.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you tomorrow. Happy Canada Day, everyone!

Wednesday 27 June 2018

Chakraluscious Chakra Bracelets...

Design your own custom Chakraluscious chakra bracelet with crystals that are meaningful to you. At the moment I have almost 200 6mm crystal beads to choose from with more added every month. Prices will vary with the crystals used. Please contact me for a quote based on your choice of crystals.

Contact me here to order yours, or come and see me at the Woodstock Farmers Market at the fairgrounds on Nellis Street every Saturday morning 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

Simple, pretty, well-made with quality findings and stretch cord... And every one as individual as you.

Chakraluscious Chakra Bracelet
Bali silver, lava, shungite, 3 quartz crystal, 3 garnet, 3 sunstone, 3 citrine, 3 malachite, 3 aquamarine, 3 iolite, 3 amethyst, 3 quartz crystal, shungite, lava.



Chakraluscious Chakra Bracelet
Bali silver, 3 quartz crystal, 3 amethyst, 3 iolite, 3 blue apatite, 3 nephrite jade, 3 citrine, 3 sunstone, 3 garnet, black tourmaline, shungite, lava.



Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday 26 June 2018

Classes are now posted for the JULY GEM EXPO, TORONTO!!!

Go to The Gem Expo/MetaExpo and sign up for all kinds of classes (especially mine!!!). Don't forget, you get three days' free admission to the Friday Gem Expo and the TWO SHOWS (Gem Expo and MetaExpo) on Saturday and Sunday in two ballrooms with your paid class(es).



@

The Hyatt Regency Toronto
370 King St. West, Toronto, On M5V 1J9

info@thegemexpo.com

July 27-29, 2018
Friday 11:30 am - 8:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sunday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

TICKETS
Friday only $6.00
Saturday & Sunday Pass $10.00
This gets you into both shows - The Gem Exp PLUS the MetaExpo

Kids 12 and under are always free!

See you there!!!


Thursday 7 June 2018

Get The Look For Less -- Chakraluscious Crystal & Lava Stretch Bracelets...

These are the first in my new line of inexpensive Chakraluscious bracelets using mostly lava beads to keep the prices down around $30 to (occasionally) $50.

Fitting a loose medium, they're great for stacking. Contact me to order your bracelet here or to order a custom size or with particular crystal beads. Note that in the 6mm beads I have almost 200 different crystals to choose from.

The following are just some crystal properties. Meanings change, amplify and alter depending on other stones they're with.

Garnet & Lava:
8mm beads, $30.
Aids in turning visions into reality; regeneration, energising, balancing, protection, strengthening; removes and transforms negative energies.



Orange Calcite & Lava:
8mm beads, $30.
Integrates the spiritual realm with the physical body; enhances creativity; helpful with emotional issues; directs positive energy into will and sexuality. 



Golden Tiger Eye & Lava:
8mm beads, $30.
Releases fear and anxiety; aids in harmony and balance; make decisions with discernment and understanding unclouded by emotions. 



Malachite & Lava:
6mm, $50.
Warrior stone; manifestation, transformation; guardian of the heart; absorbs negative energy, pollutants; brings balance, abundance. 


Lava: 
 grounding; providing strength, courage and stability through times of change; 
reducing anxiety. 

All of my bracelets are strung with Stretch Magic, a silicon stretch cord. Customers have come back a year later to show me that even with continual wear their bracelets have still not stretched out. Need repairs or resizing? Has your favourite choker gotten all gungy? I sell replacement leather cord, and I do different types of repairs from replacing earwires and broken clasps to resizing and restringing necklaces. I charge $5 to restring bracelets.

Shipping depends on your location. You can pay via Visa, MasterCard, Interac eTransfer (in Canada), and PayPal. Cash works, too! Don't forget, I'll be at The Gem Expo / MetaExpo in Toronto at the end of July.



Come and see my new bracelets, sterling silver, skulls, crystals and tree of life pendants and more at the Woodstock Farmers Market every Saturday morning from 7:00 until 12:00 noon on Nellis Street at the Fairgrounds. For you early birds, I'm almost always there by 5:00 a.m. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Friday 1 June 2018

Quiet Break in Toronto...

Highlight for me was on Monday afternoon going to the Gardiner Museum where we saw the Yoko Ono exhibit (photos not permitted) in addition to the permanent displays.

I'm a big dragon and phoenix fan and I got to see lots of those.












What I had never seen before were comparison examples of porcelain and painted designs beginning with the original Japanese designs, then Chinese riffs, and subsequent British interpretations. Of course, I didn't take a picture of them. Next time.

I find all museums and art galleries to be enlightening, even when I'm not particularly interested in the subject matter, the Cosmodome north of Montreal being a case in point some 20-plus years ago during an ice storm. I fell in love with ceramics at art college 30 years ago and it's hard to believe I'd never been to the Gardiner before now. 

Ambled over to the Duke of York by the Bedford exit at the St. George subway stop in the Annex. I used to go to the Duke pubs in the '70s. The food was always good then, and it's truly amazing to find that 40 years later it's still good. Scary realisation: I was going to the Dukes long before any of the current wait staff or management here were born. Yikes.

In terms of food selection, sure, it's the same old pub grub; however both our taste buds say the Duke just does it better. The battered fish were extremely good and the beef burger sliders were intensely beefy. 



Bonus, we finally tasted a Moscow Mule. I've tried the Kettle brand Moscow Mule potato chips -- yummers, love anything with lime -- but we didn't have a clue what the drink would be like. So freakin' good -- and icy, icy cold in the copper mug.


Tuesday was another slow amble through the downtown. I finally saw the dog fountain on Front Street in action. Previous trips, it was either under construction or turned off in the winter. It's two blocks from Hi-Toronto where I usually stay, and worth spending a few hours under the trees, people and dog-watching and reading a book.




Then finally, came home to my not-so-green-anymore tomatoes from Mike at the farmers market. Love the natural green-to-red graduation because they all started out uniformly green. I'm eating them one at a time, really good, sharp, acidic tomatoes.


Lots of vendors are moving outside tomorrow -- see you at the market!