Thursday, April 22, 2010

Buddhas and Bhangra!

Two of my favorite things... I added a few awesome Buddha listings from Etsy to my favorites the other day, and later this weekend I'm going Bhangra dancing with some friends, so it's the perfect time to combine the two in a post.

First off, Buddhas... check out these fabulous finds from Etsy!

Okay, I know I make jewelry, and not only should I just get the items I need to make these myself, I should wear stuff I make, so when people compliment my jewelry, I can hand over a business card. But this Etsy artist just did such a wonderful job with these, I'm beyond tempted to just buy them. So awesome! Great work from Boots Raven Designs!

I also looked through quite a few Buddha photos, and trust me, there are a lot on Etsy, and found this black and white photograph to be one of my favorites. It's the "Sukothai Buddha" from Bomobob. From the listing: "In the ancient Thai capital of Sukohthai, one of the many magnificent statues of Buddha stands watch over the deserted ruins of the city." I want to visit Thailand so badly, and this is just one of the reasons why -- to see beautiful Buddhas like this one.


I've found some of the coolest soaps on Etsy, and this one from Windy's Creations is no exception. It's so beautiful... how could anyone dare use it?


I love jewelry that's created with help from nature -- unpolished gems and wood, especially, so, naturally, I love this bangle from Valle Girl Designs. On the outside it reads "namaste" and on the inside "I honor the Spirit in you which is also in me". How lovely!


I looked through Etsy at some of the malas that were listed, and I was really drawn to this one. It's made with 108 opalite rounds, tied together in a beautiful green thread, with a guru stone to match on the end. It's listed in Rebecca Moon's shop, and she gives a great description about the stone and the chakra it's linked to: the heart chakra: "This love center of our human energy system is often the focus in bringing about a healing. Thus, the words "Love Heals All" have great truth... Learning to love yourself is a powerful first step in securing a healthy fourth chakra." Well said and beautiful work!

Finally, a little love for a local artist. This painting, "Blooming Meditation" is by EyeCon Artist of Portland. Such beautiful, vibrant colors in an awesome piece!


And from Buddhas, to Bhangra! I'm so excited to go out with friends Saturday night for the final Andaz night at the FEZ ballroom in downtown Portland. Although I'm sad to see the last Saturday of the month event move out, I'm sure it'll be quite the party, and I hope some of my friends who aren't familiar with Bhangra will be able to come. It's music I've LOVED for years and have soooo much fun dancing to!

This photo's from Bhangra at the FEZ more than a year ago.


Anjali is the fabulous DJ who'll be spinning Saturday night. Check her out
HERE!


And perhaps the most well-known Bhangra-infused music around... M.I.A.! Awesome video...





Okay, that's it for tonight. I'm exhausted! Tomorrow Sarah and I are headed to the coast to hike up one of my favorite hikes... Saddle Mountain... then hit the beach with Kai

Love,
Katery

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

She's crafty!

...and she's been busy being crafty! Check out the goods I busted out over the last few days...

I went to a wholesale fair on Sunday and loaded up... I found this beautiful dyed appatite and made this sweet necklace for KATU anchor Deb Knapp.

I also finished this baby... a complex necklace for Elena. It's got rock crystal, sterling, freshwater pearl and crystal components... all tied together by sterling chain.
I'm happy with how it turned out! :)

I also made a few lariat necklaces... haven't done that before, and thought it'd be cool.
This one's sterling and opal glass...

This one's gold filled chain, raw brass, and swarovski crystal...

And a sweet little pair of turquoise and raw brass earrings...

I busted out this four-stranded freshwater pearl necklace this morning. Love it!

And another find at the wholesale fair... I think this graduated azurite round necklace is for moi!

And speak of crafty... check out the apron my girl Anita busted out for me. I told her I like damask paired with bright colors and voilĂ ! I scored this awesome apron!! I LOVE it!
...and so does Mike, apparently. :)

That's it for now.

Love,

Katery

Saturday, April 10, 2010

I heart dahlias!

They're my favorite flowers, I've decided... Ever since I discovered them at Mike's cousin's wedding a couple of summers ago. Her mom, Mike's aunt, did the flowers at her wedding, and I absolutely loved them.


See what I mean? I liked them so much that we asked her to do the flowers at our wedding... and she did a beautiful job again... If Mike and I had been married late summer, dahlias would've been in our wedding flowers for sure! I now love going to farmers' markets over the summer and buying beautiful bunches in every color. I'd love to go to the
Dahlia Festival on Swan Island, too. Amazing!


In the meantime, I've been looking up some of my favorite dahlia-inspired craftiness on Etsy. Check out what I found this evening!

An adorable dahlia laptop sleeve from Dahlia Handbags... love the fabric!


And talk about stuff I need... this beautiful little clutch from FIAZCO.
I LOVE it, and I really like how the fabric print continues from one side to the other. So pretty!

This lovely dahlia-print serving bowl goes so well with my kitchen... I love the colors! A great piece of art from an Oregon artist! Check out Yoga Goat on Etsy for more fabulous finds. :)


And a great wool piece to add flare to any jacket, cardigan, hairstyle... so many possibilities. This was handmade with love by Felt Sew Good. Eco-friendly and recycled, too!


And I heart the silver work on these sweet little earrings. They remind me of Thai silver, but are handmade right here in the Northwest, in Bellingham, Washington, by Shizen Designs. I guess us Northwesterners really love our dahlias!


Finally, perfect for my little pooch, I'm thinkin' Kai definitely needs a new collar. It will be her summer-wear for the season. She's laying next to me spazzing out and dreaming right now. She's clearly upset she doesn't have this great-looking collar from Pinky's Pet Gear.


And since I'm blogging about dahlias, it inspired me to put in a little order on Etsy for some pretty dahlia cabochons. I ordered large ones for necklaces, and some smaller ones for earrings. These are going to be beautiful!


So, that's it for tonight. Not only do I have a little dog sleeping next to me, but a little sister, and a Sherlock Holmes movie that's about to end. Time for bed! I'll blog again soon... as soon as I upload a ton of great pictures I've been wanting to share.

Love,

Katery