And even more chalcedony . . . . .

Is there really more to say since I believe I've already outted myself as a Chalcedony Addict and who can blame me?

Swingy. Simple. Modern.

Glowing. Juicy.

Artitudes Art Show and Sale

For the sixth straight year, our Lincoln-based artist group "Artitudes" is hosting an art show and sale and we've chosen a Lincoln-based charity as our partner group. Thanks to our wonderful artists, a portion of all sales will be donated drectly to The Foodbank of Lincoln BackPack Program. And an incredible group of artists we have this time - 35 of them!

If you're in the Lincoln/Omaha area, we'd love to see you there! The show will open for the First Friday Gallery Walk and will be at 8th and Q in The Haymarket at the former site of The Tool House. Dates are December 4-6, Friday 4:00-9:00, Saturday 10:00-5:00 and Sunday 11:00-4:00.

Stop in if you can - there is some incredible artwork for sale here and shopping local from your neighbors to support a local charity is a wonderful thing to do.

Custom Tiger Eye ring . . .

This piece of Tiger Eye was one of the last stones left when a friend's father purged his lapidary equipment and his rough material last summer. Sad to see things come to an end but Nancy wanted to take this one tumbled stone and turn it into something for her dad which is where I come in.

Truly a big ol' chunk of tumbled Tiger Eye, I flattened the back to create a cabochon and refined the edges so it would bezel-set. Since it was a pretty big stone to begin with, I wanted this to have a wide band with some echoes of the chatoyance in the stone's banding - hence, the layered ring shank. And I really like the way the band turned out.

I prefer a bit of oxidation and I tried that with this ring but it really cried out for high polish so there you go. Gotta listen sometimes and in spite of what my brain wants, this works better. Too, it will oxidize in the crevices over time so why rush it?

More chalcedony . . .

This time, daggers!

Here are some sweet stones that really lend themselves to this 'hinge thing' I've got going on. Such great movement in these little guys with the hinge, the swingy legs and all.

Off to The Lux Gallery . . .

Chalcedony addiction . . .

Hi. My name is Lynn and I'm a chalcedony addict.

The translucency of this material, no matter the color, is something I cannot resist. It has a warm, waxy, soft feel in your hand and is generally creamy to brown in color - the sweet colors like aqua, pink, blue and green are dyed, but who cares? They're gorgeous.

While I'm not nearly educated enough to understand the geological makeup of chalcedony, I do know that agate is a form of chalcedony as well as carnelian and chrysoprase. Purists, paleontologists and real lapidarists will debate the fine points until our eyes roll back in our heads so I don't even go there. I just love the stuff and do what little I can to make it pretty.

This itty bitty collection is what I whipped out last night. Had so much fun that I'm considering a trip back to the bead store today to see what's come in since my last expensive trip. I wish this was the sort of material I could buy online but, sadly - no. Gotta hold the beads in my hand and feel the weight and warmth.

Love the stuff. It's a wonderful problem to have.

And now for something complete different . . .

. . . a few of my drawings.

I have a 'thing' for drawing reflections and shiny metal not to mention a love affair with old cars. When we hit the car shows and cruise nights, I am constantly on the lookout for interesting shots. I take my own photos and crop and manipulate them until I come up with something 'pencil-worthy'. I use Prismacolor colored pencils on Arches paper.

These are a '55 Chevrolet BelAir and a '60 Ford Thunderbird. I sometimes get requests to draw the entire car but that's not my 'thang'. I prefer to get the angle that I think tells the most about the car. All the better if there is a reflection of another car!

Look closely - I also make sure when I take a picture that my own reflection is in each car somewhere. A nice contrast to the hard metals I usually work with.

What I like to wake up to . . .

Two sales! Just when I start to lament that I haven't had an etsy sale in October, I get two in one day. However it comes, I like it.

I love this piece of pale cream Willow Creek Jasper and it polished beautifully. Like a pencil line drawing on a creamy paper with a tiny sun rising in the upper corner, or maybe a little coffee spill from the artist's cup, this will be gorgeous on a warm, winter wool coat, maybe a jacket, and I've loved it for a long time. Bye . . . sniff . . . I miss 'em all.

The other little necklace is one of the first pieces of apple green Prehnite that I cut and polished earlier this summer. It glows, I swear. It has its own life. On the back I've punched a pattern of a little constellation from a galaxy far, far away. Another simple setting, it will be perfect hanging in the hollow of your throat.

Bon chance, little pieces!

Enjoy your new home! Write!