Beautiful Carnelian from Afghanistan...

Just got these in this morning from Afghanistan, first photos...

18-inch strands of mixed carnelian beads ranging in colour from white, yellow and orange through to deep carnelian reds and browns to black. These strands are mostly rounded tube-ish shapes from 7mm wide x 7-10mm long. There are a couple of strings of oval beads,10-12mm wide x 12-15mm long. Plus there are six strands of matte bicones, 10mm wide x 8mm in length, pale orange to medium red-orange.

Online blog price each: $60 plus shipping. Email me and I will send you a picture of exactly the string(s) you will be getting.

Note that I will have these at The Gem Expo in Toronto at the Hyatt Regency on November 21st, 22nd and 23rd. Get your discount admission tickets by subscribing to their emails.


Thanks for looking!

Another New Table Setup...

'Tis the season: today all the vendors came in from the cold... except it was really balmy and mild out this morning, looming black clouds not only holding off on a massive dump, they eventually blew away, and it's now a gorgeous sunny late Saturday afternoon/early evening. Almost springlike. My flowers are budding away -- snapdragons, geraniums, bacopa and pansies. Just hope the first hard frost holds off for a few more weeks.

More seasonal disruptions: I'm doing a two day craft show in Vittoria on November 15th and 16th and then the following Friday the Gem Expo opens in Toronto. Both will mean new table setups on the fly.

Here is my new setup at the farmer's market where I'm a little jammed up. Started out with two 8-foot tables, but they left me no room to leave my little nest to help customers, nor for customers and friends to come in and sit for a while and play with beads. Had to drop down to two 6-foot tables and an 8-footer and ended up with one table along the railing on the ramp, which is actually kinda cool, being able to stand leaning on that, observing and commenting on items on the table from a lofty/ier perch.

Doesn't look so bad from this angle...

BUT there's barely 12 or 14 inches of space between the vegetable display and my table.

The market manager stole two 6-foot tables from another vendor (they'll never notice). Let's see how this works out.

It makes it faster to set up, knowing how the table cloths work. I started out with the riser at the back, but then nobody would be able to look at the earrings and pendant boards way in the back.

Moved the riser back to its usual position, with the earring carousels and boards. These are all my inexpensive items and I figured to continue keeping them up front and centre, if only because this is mostly a cash-only market and I get a lot of kids -- and grownups -- who will have a spare $5 or $10 or $20 in their pocket, but not $100 or $200.

Front and centre, all the usual suspects -- skull bracelets and necklaces, crystal, seed bead and semi-precious bracelets, sterling pendants...

On the table along the railing are all my better necklaces and pendants.

Next week for sure: LIGHTS!

Thanks for looking!

Red Leaves & Pansies...

I still have pansies and geraniums blooming even though we've already had a couple of frosts...

Thanks for looking!

More Stretchy Stretch Magic Bracelets...

This morning dawned colder, darker, windier and wetter: a perfect day to stay home, sit and play with shiny things.

I've signed up for a Christmas craft show down near Lake Erie in Vittoria, Ontario, on November 15th and 16th. Details to come when I know more.

These are part of my new line for Christmas -- stretchy party bracelets that will make great gifts for moms, aunts and grandmas, especially great for those who in particular suffer from arthritis and/or for whom clasps are impossible to fasten. Don't forget Secret Santa gifts for co-workers. The bonus is I'm making these in medium and large, making them more wearable than the default tiny "one size fits all" (when do they ever???) commonly available in stores.

Here are a few of the colourful, glittery bracelets...

These and more will be available at tomorrow's farmer's market in Woodstock. Prices start at $12.00.

Do you have jewellery that you love but can't wear any more? Bring it in and I'll see if I can repair, restring or remake it.

Thanks for looking!

Carved Wooden Skull Bracelets...

I finally found some decent elastic that doesn't immediately stretch way out and get floppy -- the brand name is Stretch Magic and I got mine at Lacy Tools in Toronto -- and after a number of false attempts very early Saturday morning remembered how to tie a knot that holds. There's a good video here on how to tie a surgeon's knot using Stretch Magic. The surgeon's knot is a very handy knot to know about for any type of cord. I noticed also that I can't pull the first half knot too tightly, otherwise the beads get jammed up. As always, there's finding that sweet spot where the beads sit just right and the bracelet has just enough structure. 

Hand-carved wooden skull beads with assorted copper spacers, jump rings and coils from Africa, carved bone dice and/or matte black seed beads:

Thanks for looking!

Roman Glass From Afghanistan...

They're here! It's all wonderful! Sneak peek!

I'll get individual pictures up ASAP, but if you see something you think you might be interested in, email me.

Thanks for looking!