Holiday Bling Blog Hop 3: Celebrating the Spring Equinox

March 30

Begins Spring

Celebrate

the equinox

 with us

Holiday Bling Blog Hop 3

Welcome. The Holiday Bling Blog Hops are hosted by Marshell Swaps: Shelley Graham Turner of Tori Sophia and Marlene Cupo of Amazing Designs by Marlene. Today's blog reveals will celebrate the Holidays of February and March. Our Toltec Jewels - Windbent jewelry exchange and reveal celebrates the Vernal Equinox, the start of spring, night & day equal in time; sunrise & sunset due east & due west, right on the directions.

Windbent

I've had the pleasure of participating in every Holiday Bling Hop, and each time I've been honored with a very special, gifted partner. My partner for HBBH3 is the creative, multi-talented, beautiful, smart and magical

Lennis Carrier

My partner, 

incredibly talented, 

smart and magical!

It's my great privilege to celebrate the Spring Equinox and exchange jewelry with Lennis. I admire her work tremendously. Getting to know Lennis is a gift. I cherish our friendship, and feel like I'm talking with an old friend. 

The Earth, the Air, the Fire, the Water

returns returns returns returns

When the most beautiful lampwork bead appeared, made of Lennis' favorite colors with a tree bending in the wind against a sunrise, indeed WindBent, it was simply magic! I knew the lampwork -- with its spring peridot green grass, morning twilight teals, violet March sky, and tree silhouette at sunrise -- was meant to be Lennis' bead. 

SRA H.J. Sanders of Dichroic Dreams created the magical focal. 

Inca Puño

Wanting to create a kind of ombre effect with the colors of the lampwork, I began by creating about 600 jump rings in 8 shades of green, violet, and teal. After trying a few  Persian weaves, I finally came upon a simple weave that I modified to look like little flowers with leaves. I liked them. They reminded me of the flowers I drew as a child .... 

And the little flowers, with mystic hematine and the gemstone of the Toltec Indians, obsidian, became an unusual, unique Spring sunrise silhouette chain maille necklace and earrings. The bright yet cool colors radiate against the obsidian & gunmetal.

The Spring Equinox Sunrise ... 

                    Balance

Marlene and Shelly have asked us to share the jewelry we've created, but in addition I'd love to share the jewelry gifted to me by Lennis. It arrived as my Jasmine bloomed here in Orlando, along with an abundance of treasures: Marilyn Miglin's Magic and Feng Shui incense, beads and a splendid, full notecard -- even telling of the music played as "Thicket Fairy Awakening" was created by Lennis. Her beautiful clay focal and handcrafted chain is exquisite, with Czech beads & flowers that seem to bloom under the fairy's guidance & fluttering, graceful wings.

"Thicket Fairy awakening" by Lennis Carrier, Windbent.

merry we meet

merry we part

and

merry we meet again

Alicia Marinache

Catherine King

Chris Schlicht

Cynthia Machata

Dyanne Everett-Cantrell

Gina Hockett

Jennifer Reno

Laura Reed

Leanne Loftus

Lennis Carrier

Lori Bowring Michaud

Marti Conrad

Mary Govaars

Renetha Stanziano

Sandra McGriff

Sarah Goode

Sherri Stokey

Sonya Stille 

Tammie Everly

Therese Frank

Tiffany Goff Smith

Toltec Jewels

Marlene Cupo

Shelley Graham Turner

  gracias y ¡adiós!

 

Toltec Jewels is an author by day, jewelry maker by night. Her literary work is housed by the San Fransisco MOMA and is published internationally in popular magazines, literary quarterlies, and university publications. She has won a number of awards for literary and jewelry arts. She is happiest making handcrafted jewelry with her entire family, snuggling with her doggies and grandkids, sewing, singing, reading, and learning jewelry techniques. She is the host of Jewel School Friends, a community of expert and emerging artisans taking inspiration from each other and Jewel School. Join her on Facebook for networking, fundraising for Beads of Courage, jewelry making challenges, contests, give-a-ways and of course, cool beads and jewelry!