Nature trail

Last weekend we went to the nearby Nature Center for a walk along the trails, where I pretended to be a National Geographic photographer. There were a million dragonflies by the pond, and we saw a family of what we believe were Canadian geese, as well as pretty flowers and turtles. I'm still amazed that I was able to capture the dragonfly in the last picture, because they were flitting about so quickly.

Dragonfly necklace

I have an affinity for dragonflies; I just think they are so whimsical. So I named this new necklace Geillis, after the equally whimsical heroine of Mary Stewart's Thornyhold. I recently re-read Thornyhold and was charmed all over again by the beauty of that book (which I'll be reviewing on Paperback Musings soon). Anyway, back to my dragonfly. I oxidized the sterling chain by hand to match the vintagey feel, and the whole thing is about 18" long.

I also forgot to mention that I made my first international sale! The Je t'aime earrings sold to someone all the way in England, and I finally got the chance to see if the international shipping rate I estimated was accurate (it wasn't). I ended up having to adjust the rate, which is now also reflected at the shop. Unfortunately I'm unable to offer delivery confirmation service for international orders at this time, but the rate is pretty comparable to domestic shipping, so that works out.

Dragonfly in the garden

My fresh supply of sterling silver wire finally made it into my hot little hands, so I was able to finish this piece that I was working on. The pendant is made of bone, shaped into a charming dragonfly, and the strand is made of jasper beads in swirls of reds, greens, and browns.

Here is a close-up.

The necklace is approximately 18" long, with a sterling silver clasp, and the dragonfly spans 2" long and 2" across its wings.

I have to admit I'm really pleased with how it turned out!