Breath of fresh art

Garnet is the  birthstone  for January.  The warm, bright  Garnet is mined in a rainbow of colours. From the fiery orange of Spessartite or Mandarin Garnet through to the rich green of Tsavorite Garnet,  yellow  Grossular  and black  Melanite  and finally to the most widely recognized colour of Pyrope  Garnet, it is considered a great gift to symbolize friendship and trust .  The January birthstone is said to symbolize peace and happiness, as well as, deep and enduring friendships. Garnet is a very popular gemstone, and is the most well-known dark red gemstone. Red Garnet gemstones ( Almandine  and  Pyrope ) are very affordable and faceted into all types of jewellery. Round  cabochon s of red Garnet are also popular and are set into rings, pendants and bracelets. The variety  Rhodolite  has become a very important jewellery gemstone, and the rare green  Tsavorite  and...

For those who were born in the month of December the Turquoise is the traditional birthstone. Turquoise, a copper aluminium phosphate is found, crystallized in veins and nodules in weathered igneous rock, that contain copper minerals. "The colour of the sky" blue associated with the turquoise was a favoured gem in Victorian jewellery. Social, religious and biblical symbolism was reflected in the turquoise which is found in various shades of blue-green through to green and yellowish gray, depending on the iron content. It is considered by some to bring good fortune and success, a symbol of prosperity to its wearer. A relatively soft gemstone, turquoise can be easily scratched and broken. The porous opacity is easily discoloured by oils and the stone changes colour when it dehydrates. Some varieties are impregnated with substances to stabilise the stone and give it good polish.  The name is said to originate from "pierre turquoise", French for ...

                                             November Birthstones - Topaz and Citrine I love working with gemstones. The beads have such a lustrous quality and when you've created a piece of jewellery, you have something timeless and beautiful to wear. November's primary birthstone is Topaz. Often confused with Citrine, the secondary November birthstone, because they are both a beautiful golden colour. Topaz does however come in other colours, from the rare oranges, reds and pinks to the light greens, blues and colourless. Topaz is said to bring health and wealth and protect the wearer against danger. The stone symbolizes fidelity and is the Zodiac gem for Sagittarius. Citrine is said to stimulate mental focus and endurance. It aids in manifestation work and abundance. Pictured here are examples of some beaded jewellery found at The Crystal Cave. Bl...

I was considering why I start projects before ones I’m busy with are completed. My brain seems to switch tasks like a mental juggler. There’s usually a painting or two, or three on the go and then I’ll notice the wool that’s been lying around for a while. A scarf would look great, you know, those Mobius ones. I don’t have a pattern but how difficult can it be?.... A gorgeous Amethyst pendant will attract my attention and give me ideas of how I can string some beads together and make myself a purple necklace. Some decorative balls that need a make-over are in the process of being mosaic-ed.   A plaster cast of a head has been half covered in pewter until I decide how I’m going to finish it. How I’m going to finish….. it kind of echoed in my head and I remembered an article I read about  the useful art of procrastination- Frank Partnoy. It went on to say “You're not procrastinating, you're managing delay.” I have decided that I no longer procrastinate, I manage...

I was inspired by a beautiful photograph in a local magazine which captured the spectacular scenery near Scarborough.  http://goo.gl/maps/BgFE The picture lay in my "inspiration" file for a while until I decided, a few weeks ago, to give it a whirl. It's a pretty simple palette and I used loose brush strokes to depict the forms of clouds, rocks and foliage. I painted with acrylics on a canvas covered board of 14" x 18" (about 35x45cm)

Re-use and up-cycle ideas for decorating a warm and cosy bedroom. Bedrooms are important spaces as we spend most of our time in them. They need to be relaxing and welcoming, a sort of retreat from the stress of every day realities. Interior décor need not cost an arm and a leg. With a bit of imagination you can create great solutions to enhance your living environment. A pair of old wooden speaker boxes, some calico and gold metallic fabric paint will make really nice tall side tables. Unclip the speaker covers and cover each with the calico which has been trimmed to size and painted with the silhouette of a side table. I needed to make a headboard too. Some planks from a dismantled wooden crate will do for the legs. The backing of some old shelves came loose. I cut this piece of hardboard to the required size, attached the planks and glued a piece of foam to it. Some inexpensive rich looking fabric was chosen for the headboard cover. Make some cushions with an...

My latest interior design project has been completed. The townhouse needed an update. Take a look by clicking  the slideshare link and see how I did it. http://www.slideshare.net/Nicolezing/connie-before-and-after