Almost Summer in my Garden

 

SUMMER begins here is about 5 day on 6.21.22.  it is about 90 here today so feels like it is here now. plan to honor my summer traditions and eat meals outside to enjoy the season this summer & fall.   

We attended our first picnic of the season recently.  Double Chocolate Mocha Brownies.  Chewy, gooey goodness in every one.  

 

How are you spending this Pride Month? I have a trip to visit family nest week.  se excited to be able to see them in person.  Quality time with Family is PRICELESS.

Black Lives Matter

Free the People ROC is the group in Rochester, NY. 

 Free the People ROC

 

We must stand up and VOTE to support our sisters & brothers.  The massacre in Buffalo, NY  is horrific.  The hate fueled white supremacy was encouraged by the 45th president.  We need to talk to our friends & families and be sure they register and vote out those who do not want to bring our country together.   Search the below terms 

I Can't Breathe
Black Lives Matter
and read from fact checked news sources.   

 

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Pride earrings will support The Mochas Center all year. Donation of 25%  during Pride for the earring sales.

   Pride Earrings

Hello Pride Month 2022

 Hello PRIDE

 National PRIDE MONTH is June.  Local Rochester PRIDE is July. Because I want to support pride locally, for each pride item sale there will be a donation to the Mocha Center in Rochester, NY.  the donation will be 25% during PRIDE.                   Pride Earrings

The Mocha Center

ROC PRIDE

BLACK LIVES MATTER

Free the People ROC is the group in Rochester, NY. 

 Free the People ROC

I believe in supporting my local community hence my choice of The Mocha Center for the Pride donation.  As an ally I know we need to listen and show up when needed to support local groups.

 

 

 Buy Local and Shop Small

Snowflake Obsidian

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This is a freeform cabochon I cut and will make into a finished piece of jewelry.

What is a Lapidary

What is a lapidary

 I am a lapidary which means I hand cut my own gemstones.  Having enjoyed cutting gemstones for many years, I have crystal and cabochons to sell.  Also rough stone - which is the rocks before they are cut into cabochons. do you know any  friends whom are jewelry designers or jewelry store owner?  I work with rock lovers al over the world. 

definition  Lapidary

 

Here is a Unakite boulder in the quarry where I have collected some rough in NY state.  The travel mug in this pic is about 10" tall to show perspective. The boulders are over 3 feet tall.  The blue rocks on the left side are mostly calcite.
 

 7 Steps to make a cabochon

1. select a rock
2. cut a slab form the rock
3. decide  the shape of the cabochon & draw it
4. trim the slice around the lines
5.  dop the trimmed piece
6. start cutting the cab
7. polish the cab

Michigan Kona dolomite slab.  This is a piece of the selected rock cut into a slice.  This is a slab or a slice from the rock.(step 2)   Imagine the rock as a home made loaf of bread cut into slices.  They can be cut whatever thickness I desire.

Black Lives Matter

Free the People ROC is the group in Rochester, NY.   FB page  Free the People ROC

 

Join me:stand up, listen to others, be kind and to support our sisters and brothers.  

#bekind #blacklivesmatter  

#stopasianhate #standup

#listen

Being involved is more that attending a march, make phone calls, VOTE, talk about these rights we have,  help friends VOTE! 

Cabochon (step 7)

On the right, a piece of the Unakite I collected as a finished cabochon.  I went through all 7 steps  to create this cabochon..

My cabochons are free form which meas they are not round, or oval like most of the ones I see for sale.  This makes them unique and OOAK.
OOAK means One of a Kind. Cabochons are also called cabs.

What to do with all these cot gemstones? I sell them to other jewelry designers & collectors.  My focus is on my gemstones and showcasing the beauty in them with my wire designs. 

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For every $100 you spend at a local business,  $68 stay in the community.  

 

June is ending, summer is here

 Lapidary and the garden

Happy Monday all. heat wave and summer is here in ROC  As a lapidary it is almost impossible to slice or slab any rocks because of this heat.  On the other hand, good part is I can cut cabochons because that equipment is inside in my basement. 

 

This is a snowflake obsidian cabs.  Obsidian is a volcanic natural glass  there are several varieties of it that I have as rough and cabochons.   

 

The heat might be stressing the plants though we are keeping them well watered.   We use recycled rubber soaker hoses to water the vegetables and most of the pants in our gardens.  They conserve moisture by placing the water where it is needed at the roots of the plants,  none is wasted as with sprinklers.  As in the past years of drought, the soaker hoses allow us a harvest and not having to remove dead plants. Fingers crossed this short term heat wave and dry does not turn into an all season event for the summer. 

 

This is yellow turquoise that I cut and set in sterling silver. I love the play of colors on the stone and the final design to show off the shape of the cabochon.   

 

 

Black Lives Still Matter

 

 

Free the People ROC is the group in Rochester, NY.  FB page  Free the People ROC

I invite everyone to stand up, listen to others, be kind and to support our sisters and brothers.  

#bekind

#blacklivesmatter 

#stopasianhate

#standup

#listen

 

 

 

 

 

  

Buy Local from the Maker

My shop:  Panda Wear Website
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Why shop small?  For every $100 you spend at a local business,  $68 stay in the community.

 

 

This is a natural Aquamarine from a mine in New Hampshire.  I did not cut this beauty but the fact is is a USA gem made me purchase several cabs in a few different gemstones from the mine owner.  

http://bit.ly/Panda_aqua

Garden Design Week 2021

My favorite day is the 1st day digging into the dirt in my garden for the the initial pea seeds of the season. It is about 2 months away.  I am preparing for the 2021 Veggie garden, and will work on design through this weekend. Enjoying the pile of seed catalogs from my mailbox & the many choices.  

 

My garden has some outdoor residents.  this is one of them.  She eats my weeds in the lawn in the warm weather.  Her favorites are clover and dandelion leaves.  This was taken last week in the early morning. She & I seem to enjoy breakfast together.
As an avid gardener, we have dealt with visitors for over 15 years.  We have a 7 foot seasonal fence around the vegetable garden to keep our veggies for the people not the outdoor guests.  as winter has set in here she is frequently uncovering some of my plants and enjoying the dead parts of them for her meals. Most are perennials which regrow from the roots every year so no permanent damage. We have a compost pile which is great for garden fertilizer every spring.  She also seems to like my root vegetable peels and tops from the edge of the pile. 

My inspirations from nature helped me to design & create this.  This is a piece of Rhodochrosite from Sweet Home mine I transformed into a beautiful cabochon.  I believed it need other spring colors to compliment the patterns in the gemstone.  I have not made many pieces in seed bead work so I am learning.  Another one I have in process is a stunning dragonfly.  As soon as my tendonitis calms down, I can work on it again. Rest for it is the best medicine combined with topical anti inflammatory treatments.  My favorite insect is dragonfly and we have several whom visit our garden pond every year.  

 

 

 

Here is another simple cabochon in Rhodochrosite set in gold filled wire. This is not my favorite shape to cut  thought it looks fabulous in gold. Both of these pieces show the real beauty of the gemstone.  Photos do not do either of these justice. 

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For Education  Search 
 I Can't Breathe
Black Lives Matter 

and read from fact checked news sources.  As a supporter I am speaking up.  Please join me.

 

Welcome August 2020

August has arrived in my western NY garden.   The hazy, hot, & humid month of summer is here.  On the positive side we have has a few visitors recently I wanted to share with you.  Two stunning examples Mother Nature sent me this week.  Blue dragonfly and yellow swallowtail butterfly.  It is great to have these minders of the beauty and delicate nature of teh creatures around us always.  we may not see them but they are near by and they are worth taking notice of.  Stop and enjoy the moment. 

For every $100 you spend at a local business,  $68 stays in the community.

 

Black Lives Matter!  Flatten the curve. Wear A Mask. Stay Safe. Practice social distancing.

I did virtual back flips yesterday when Presidential candidate Joe Biden announced his pick for VP,  Kamala Harris. She is an amazing congress woman and she will be a fantastic VP.  I ask all of you to please vote in November.  Be sure your friends are registered and that you all vote.  Here in NY they have made it easy by sending absentee ballots to all registered. 

I will end with my recommendations for all of us to become educated and support our sisters this anniversary of the 19th amendment  Celebrate the centennial the way our fore-mothers did and stand together in unity. 

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For Education  Search 
 I Can't Breathe
Black Lives Matter
and read from fact checked news sources.  As a supporter I need to speak up.  Please join me.

2020 Events Artisit's Life

Any other year, this would be a time of year when I would share the success of the season so far.  This year was off to a fantastic start with my goal of participating in more events then ever before in a calendar year. 

 My success ratio was the best in several years and I had many new projects / designs in process.  the Winter was working well to develop the ideas & prototypes.  

Thanks to corona virus no live events / shows from March forward for the rest of 2020.  The beginning of this I spent two months unable to create.  60 days unable to do what I love.  that was HARD!

On the upside:  have a roof over my head,  food to eat, & great friends to talk to during this pandemic.   

I wish I could say I understand how the African Americans feel.  It is time we listen. Let our sisters & brothers take the  lead & show us what we can do to help them. 

I know we can fix this and become one nation again.  It will be a process and it will take time.  Be patient and show your LOVE of others now more than ever. 

DISCRIMINATION,
POLICE BRUTALITY
& RACISM are  WRONG. 

How do you help you ask?  >>>>>>>>>>>>

this is a problem we had had for generations and we need fix it NOW!

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For every $100 you spend at a local business,  $68 stay in the community.  

We are in this together. Wear a Mask, Stay home, Stay safe, Flatten the curve, Fasts Matter.   

Please join on on the 100 anniversary of the 19th amendment. Seneca Falls Revisited conference 2020.   We are doing a virtual party in 2020   It is an amazing collection of of topics & speakers. 

Register here 2020 Conference

Conference teaser

Join your sisters and Celebrate this Centennial !

Welcome to SPRING in my Garden

 My Garden

Welcome to SPRING in my ROCHESTER Garden.  We are definitely  back to normal temperatures for this city.  Happy Dance here!  Plans for this week include planting our peppers, tomatoes, and beans.  The final hand roto-tilling was done yesterday & the compost incorporated n the soil.  Two very happy gardeners here in this house.


My pond guest has found a regular spot to sit in our pond.  He seems happy and soon should have a mate and then tadpoles.

Jewelry Design

Here is a stunning smokey quartz prong set in 14 ktgf.  I enjoy showing the beauty of the faceted gemstone with my wire work.  As a lapidary I immensely enjoy cutting gems into cabochons.  I leave the faceting to the people who enjoy spending hours to make such tiny beauties as this one here. I will keep cutting cabochons and selling them to other jewelry designers as well as collectors.   I make many more free form organic pieces such at the earrings below and my necklaces you have seen  here, my website or Instagram (links at the bottom of the blog).  Please feel free to see some of my hand cut gemstones on my website or contact me for pics.  Please include your name with the text or email for custom work.  Always happy for special orders.   

 I am taking orders for graduation gifts.  The class of 2020 needs to celebrate leaving high school and becoming adults.  I would be honored for  one of my pieces to be a milestone gift as they begin the next stage of their life.  If the graduation is college, they journey has been longer and more meaningful for the student.  I am able to work within you budget whether is is $50 or $500, your custom piece will make the graduate very happy. We should all celebrate the class of 2020 this year because it has been so difficult and different than any other year in history for a class to finish school.

. 
I will end this with my beautiful pond.   the serenity from listening to the waterfall and seeing the aquatic creatures enjoy the water is sublime.

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We are all dealing with this time in our own way  Remember to be kind., flatten the curve, stay home and stay safe. 

Yes it is Spring

As an avid gardener my spring plants for the veggie garden do not wait for the frost to go away.  They are large enough for transplant but my muddy garden is not ready for them.  There are both plus and minus to  homegrown plants.   My tomatoes are six inches tall right now & they smell fantastic.   We may try to remove & dry some of the soil to help them.


My giveback at this time is hosting an artist chat once a week.  Started last week.  Sure feels good to connect with like minded creatives right now.  Hard to be in isolation as an artist. Making a few new wearable works of wire art.

Working on adding more of my gemstones & finished jewelry to the website.  Time consuming to edit all the pics need to show the detail in the pieces.  Please take a look and let me know what you like.  Have some quarts points on FB and a few pewter beads for you to do your own DIY jewelry.  There are kits from $10 each for earrings.

Find memories of sisterhood from the trip to DC & our Womens' March on Washington 1/21/17.  Met some great ladies and felt a sense of sisterhood and love from the gathering.

Womens' March on Washington 2017

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Please remember to be kind.  We will get through this difficult time as long as we are together.  PM if interested in the Artist chats.Stay safe & show your love to others via face time, zoom or other social distancing choices.

Gardener with Gemstones

Lapidary beauty and my Gardens

On the left is Spider Agate freeform cabochon.  This is a hand cut gemstone and shows the beauty I find in the rough stones I have.
On the right is Biggs Jsaper a widely recognized form of jasper which is quite popular among jasper collectors.

How is the vegetable garden you ask?  It is doing well.  Mother Nature reminded us we are in
Western New York this week with a bitter cold snap.  was 65 a few days ago and now 38 outside.  We transplanted some hardy Kale yesterday.  The Mustard has given us two harvest sand is terrific in salads.  One snow peas has sprouted.  Is is early April so plenty of time of the rest of they peas to emerge.  some other plants have sprouted in the garden.  A few of the Hyacinth we look forward to each year with the intoxicating scent

As a small business owner I know how difficult it is at this time in NY state and around the US.  As a women owner business it is more difficult to generate the income necessary to keep the business going.  We are counting on the local community to remember to support all local business.  
For every $100 you spend at a local business $68 stay in the community.  
We are in this together. NY Strong.

One of my beach pieces in precious metal to show the beauty in the shell.  I sell wholesale & retail stones, rocks, beads, geodes, jewelry.


My shops:  Panda Wear Website
                 
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Habitat:  My Page Women Build

April Showers in Spring Garden

We always welcome  April showers in our garden.  It is the time when we see the garden come back to life from the ground. Almost overnight there is so much bright green everywhere. The crocus on the right were sprigs of green right before the flowers appeared.  

Well before these crocus thought of springing out of the ground, the planning began for the Vegetable Garden.  We use crop rotation to keep the group from becoming overwork.  When the snow was still falling,  back in early February, the layout began.  

The first seeds went int the garden in Much.  Thank you peas for being able to withstand the fluctuating temperatures of late March & early April.   

Shortly after the peas were planted the Mustard & Mesclun went into the garden.  These seeds were started in early March. Happy to say the first harvest will be this week for fresh greens from the garden.  Welcome to home grown in April.  The best thing when making a meal is to have fresh from your own backyard garden. 

Why would you want a garden you may ask?  

• Flavor
• Convenience
• Pride / satisfaction of success
• Control of the process
• Non-GMO crops 
• Fragrance
• Beneficial guests in the garden

We welcome input from our readers.  The best way to know exactly what people are looking for is to have them request it. We do our best to accommodate customer requests.  Copper teardrops are one answer to  -  more copper pieces please.  These are a new earring design that is proving to be popular.  Shown in all natural copper, teardrops catch the light as they move & are very lightweight.  They are available in both large and small sizes.  

Happy dance for this design and a few others recently in copper.  More on the new copper pieces in a future blog post.  

Custom cut gemstone cabochons are one of our passions. This plume agate showcases the beauty Mother Nature puts into her work.  We take pride in discovering the beauty inside each stone and showing it to you.  These gemstones are available to be set into a special piece for your gift giving pleasure.  

Another way we share the gems is to sell wholesale to other jewelry designers in the area and worldwide.  

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Note:  Website prices are retail.  Please send PM for wholesale inquiry along with your business credentials.  

Vacation days

Often I am asked where do your designs come from? What inspire you?   Here is a peak at some of my inspiration last month.



 Long weekend, vacation days, time off, relax & rejuvenate.  Everyone has a name for it and we all need to realize the value of this.
We spent the day hiking and communing with nature. Here are pics from the wonderful day off.  Was there a better way to spend this day? He & I truly enjoyed the long weekend spent together -  hiking and enjoying nature.

The tranquil foam on the pool of water (above) made me want to be able to touch it.   

One of the walls (right) in the Grand Canyon of the East.  Beautiful layers in this rock showing the age of the wall, the mineral inside all made possible by the water moving thru this area. Being a lapidary, this is a treasure to see. 


This last photo (below) is my favorite part of the hike, after we crossed the bridge.  All you could hear was nature- zero people, cars, technology. 


Where?  Letchworth State Park on the 4th of July weekend.

 My shops:  Panda Wear Website
                   Cabochons and Beads

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Enjoy the moment, like we did.  Take a walk down the road, go for a short drive, spend time outdoors and enjoy how you feel when you are there.  

Welcome to May

Welcome to May starting off cool and wet here in Rochester, NY. Busy working on a wedding order and Mother's day gifts here in the studio.


Happy to have the spring greens in the ground & they are enjoying all the rain we have had.  Rain, rain go away is often overheard around here.  We have had way too much rain recently after a sever drought last fall.  A rough start to the growing season here.

What are you plans for the upcoming Mother's Day weekend?

I am proud to be participating in the Second annual Right to Run 19K / 5K  in Seneca Falls NY Saturday.  It was fabulous last year and I know it will be amazing this year.  join us and see for yourself.

Join us  Right To Run & bring you Mom or kids.

My shops:  Panda Wear Website
                   Cabochons and Beads

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Enjoy the rest if this week and celebrate your family in a special way.

Hello SPRING 2017

Hello and welcome to Spring 2017.  It is the 3rd day of this beautiful season

We see the signs of the season.   Robins are here, Crocus are up, & temperatures are warming.  Yes the snow is still melting from Blizzard Stella that dropped about 24" snow here a week ago.  Here in Rochester, NY we are so ready for spring. 



 

Summer plans ans our Garden?  Seeds are planted, design is done,& seedlings are up.  I had the first of the Mustard in an Omelet several days ago.  Stop back for the detail on the garden Vegetable progress thru the rest of the spring.  pics as soon as they go outside.  Panda Wear jewelry update - there are new designs in process.  Please comment or message to be added to the class schedule newsletter.

Happy growing and designing. 

Below you may find my work and follow me  
My shops:  Panda Wear Website
                   Cabochons and Beads

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Twitter:  Panda Wear Gems  
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