Old Fossils!

I am nearing a 'certain' age which I used to consider to be on the ancient side, but now see things slightly differently. If you had asked me 20 years ago if I would be having a baby at 40, let alone it being my fourth, I would never have believed you! So with old age and ancient times being on my mind, I have decided to dedicate todays blog to ancient life (like me) ie fossils. I am fascinated by them and have had collections since a child. All types of life and signs of life have made stunning fossils, from large dinosaur bones, to shells, ammonites, leaves, sponges, jelly fish, insects and even tracks and footprints. Whole forests have been preserved in stone - there are many examples of which in this country, including a forest in Dorset, just outside of Lulworth. I have visited coral reefs, preserved in cliffs and cuttings in Shropshire, where all the sea life of the time has been captured in limestone. From very ancient rocks, found in Wales, there are Graptolites - a kind of early coral type creature which floated about in the sea. Later fossils include ammonites, belemnites and crinoids, or sea lillies which are found in the rocks of the Jurassic - plenty of these in Dorset too! Sponges and their tiny spines, called spicules, make up large proportions of flint which we see in the chalk beds of the South. The chalk been laid down in warm, clear, shallow seas in a tropical climate. Vast beds of tiny bones and plant material can be found in layers, called the Ludlow Bone Beds, again deposited in layers and outcropping in parts of England and Portland marble, being made of millions of tiny snail shells - highly prised for its beauty and used as a building material. Sorry - got a bit carried away - I could go on for hours! But I think you can see how rich our little islands are in pre-historic life. So in homage to their great age and them proving that age is no barrier to beauty, here are some examples from Folksy crafters, which include fossils of any kind. This lovely Fossil Coral has been cut, polished and set in sterling silver as a pendant. You can see the tiny polyps, or individual corals - they look like flowers! This can be found in my shop! This ammonite has been mounted on sterling silver vermeil fitments - the bail is an enhancer, so can be opened and worn over large beads. This can also be found on one of my shop shelves! A selection of beautiful Fossil keyrings or handbag charms from Natalie Ofkants There are only a few items on folksy that feature true fossils, so I am pleased to be able to feature those above on this blog. Please click on the pictures of the items to be taken to the item in the sellers shops. If you put in 'fossil' into the Folksy search, you will find more great items to look and buy. Jacqueline x

Cake! Cake! Yummy Cake!

Todays blog is all about another one of my passions - cake. I adore baking, oh, and eating it too! Any kind, shape, or flavour is all alright with me - so with this in mind and my baking for our local Eco Café this weekend, I thought a blog with cake as the theme would be just what the Dr ordered! For anyone who would like tips or recipes - just ask! The main tips I would give are: 1) Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before you start - including the butter! 2) Pre-heat the oven to the correct temperature before you start. I always put the oven on when I start to gather up the ingredients and bowls etc 3) Make sure you beat the sponge cake mix really well, so it is pale and fluffy 4) Don't open the oven door too soon! Once the cake is starting to smell good, it is well on the way to be cooked. 5) Time your cakes properly 6) To tell when your cake is cooked, it should spring back when touched gently in the middle, a skewer poked into the centre of the cake should come out clean and the cake should be pulling away from the sides of the tin slightly. 7) Always grease your tin well and line - if you have no liners or baking parchment, then flour the tin well after greasing, so it is well dusted. I could go on, but we could be here all day! on with the important part - the cakes! I have chosen some gorgeous cake themed, hand crafted items from Folksy Artisans for you to enjoy. These all have the plus point of no calories to boot! My idea of heaven..... This fantastic Money Belt by Sandra Taylor is scrummy! How about this great notebook by Edwina Kinch for all your recipe ideas? This super birthday card, by Leanne Oughton features the perfect birthday cakes - zero calories! I love this retro style girls birthday card by Armine Azizian - the cake looks gorgeous! This Wedding Cake themed Keepsake box by Susan Bonnar would make the perfect wedding gift for any cake lover. These are just a few examples of a vast array of wonderful creations by Folksy crafters with cakes as their main theme. Please click on the pictures to get direct links to the artisans shops for more tempting goodies for sale. Thanks so much for popping by - off to put the kettle on and get a slice of you know what! Jacqueline x

May Blossoms - All things floral

With the start of May and this gorgeous weather (for a change) what better topic than blossoms and flowers to remind us of the wonders of spring. By coincidence, the monthly Folksy Listing club this month is also called May Blossoms, so my blog will be featuring gorgeous floral themed crafts from this talented group of Artisans today. First of all, I will start off with a couple of mine! These pretty little Tigers Eye Sterling silver wire wrapped earrings. Or this Amethyst and Rose Quartz sterling silver wire wrapped pendant. Now for some beautiful floral handmade items from fellow folksy crafters.... What better way to keep your electrical gadgets protected - by Natalie Ofkants? This is a stunning ink art original painting by Maxine Veronica. I adore this beautiful Kimono Silk covered notebook by Ann Chandler I can not think of a more beautiful way to say thank you, than with this card by Helen Green. This beautiful brooch is by Helen Wild. I adore this fabulous handbag by Leanne de Lima Araujo and these beautiful earrings by Maria Palmer Well, I do hope you feel inspired to look at these gorgeous items in the sellers shops, by clicking on the pictures in this blog, for a direct link to the item and the artisans shops. Thanks so much for looking! Jacqueline x

Rose Quartz - Pretty in Pink!

Rose Quartz is a super stunning gem, with its gorgeous pale pink loveliness. Perfectly flattering against all skin tones, Rose quartz is one of those gemstones that goes with everything! Rose quartz is a macrocrystaline variety of quartz, forming large masses and more rarely, well formed crystals. Usually milky and translucent, it can be clear with a good pink saturation of colour - this is highly prized and commands a good price as a gemstone. It is usually cut en cabochon, but is also cut and faceted with beautiful effect. The stone is also prized for carving and making stunning pieces of sculpture. Rose Quartz can be found in various locations in Germany as well as Brazil. I love Rose quartz - I hope you will enjoy the following examples from Folksy. Starting with some of my designs.......... This design features large nuggets of quartz teamed with labradorite. This design is all about the colour of the stone and the cut of the gems - all closed neatly with a sterling magnetic clasp. How about these fun earrings, with dancing charms od Tourmaline? Now for some beautiful creations from other crafters on Folksy. A stunning Rose Quartz Heart by Faith Bowman This feminine Flower necklace by Helen Murphy Or this stunning necklace and earring set by Maria Palmer Please just click on each of these pictures to take you to the items in the artisans shops. From there, you can browse and shop to your hearts content! There are so many more stunning Rose Quartz creations for sale now on Folksy. Please just put Rose Quartz into the search box and sit back and enjoy.... Jacqueline x

Emeralds - The May Birthstone

Emeralds are one of my favourite gemstones and I love them! I am a May birthday, so I seem naturally drawn to them. Prized for Millennia, Emeralds were coveted by the Ancient Egyptians and were mined there to satisfy the need of them by the most noble. Emeralds can be found all over the world, but the most notable and highly prized come from South America (Columbia) and more recently from Zambia. Emerald is the precious green variety of Beryl. Other colours include: Blue (aquamarine) yellow (Heliodor) Pink Morganite and colourless (goshenite)The colours are produced by inclusions of minerals within the the crystal structure during formation. Green is produced by trace amounts of the metal, Chromium. Emeralds have a hexagonal columnar structure and can be found in large sizes, though gem quality stones of any large size and colour is rare indeed. Emeralds are graded a little like fine diamonds, by their cut, clarity, carat and colour. The best have a eye clean clarity with few surface fissures, a good saturation of colour and tone. The cut is most often a cabochon, but the better stones are cut as faceted gems. It is normal for the stones to have inclusions of carbon, known as the garden and for the stones to be oiled to improve their clarity. Emeralds can now be grown under laboratory conditions and have uses in industry too. I have selected a number of Emerald goodies form the selection on Folksy - I hope you will enjoy them. Please click on the pictures to link back to the item in the sellers shop. Thanks so much everyone! Jacqueline x To start, one or two of my own for you.... This Emerald, Onyx and Aventurine Necklace or perhaps this pendant? Both the necklace and pendant have been designed and created using natural gemstones and sterling silver. These stunning Earrings, by Faith Bowman are just beautuful. The simple design of this ring, by asterlingidea, is so appealing to me How about this stunning Emerald Heart specimen from Geocraft Gems and Minerals? There are many more items to find on Folksy featuring emeralds - just put 'emerald' or 'emeralds' into the search box and see what you can find! Jacqueline x

Amazing Aquamarine - March Birthstone

Amazing Aquamarine is one of the most stunning gemstones and one of the most highly prized.

It is the birthstone for March and also the Zodiac Gem for the star sign Scorpio.

As I have not completed a blog for a while, I thought I would show case this wonderful gemstone and many of the wonderful items I have found on Folksy that feature it. Many of the items featured have been created by members of our monthly listing club on Folksy - please click on the photos for a link to the items and to their shops for more wonderful creations...




Aquamarine is one of our most popular gems with its colours ranging from the palest pastel blue through to light green. The name Aquamarine is derived from Latin, meaning 'Water of the Sea' It is a member of the Beryl family of gemstones. Some of which you may recognise... Emerald (green) Morganite (pink) Heliodor (yellow) Bixbite (red) and there are more too! The blue colour in Aquamarine is formed by trace amounts of iron in its crystal structure.

Aquamarine is mined in Brazil, Nigeria, Mozambique, Zambia and Madagascar. The best gems are often referred to as "Santa Maria" after the deposits mined in the Santa Maria de Itabira Mines in Brazil.

I was very fortunate to have sourced a sizable Santa Maria Blue Aquamarine gemstone and set it in 14K white gold. I was even more fortunate to have sold it on Folksy last year!



Aquamarine was believed to be able to imbue great vision on the wearer. It was often set into the eyes of statues to symbolise wisdom and power. The gemstone is believed to capture organic energies. A calming and purifying gemstone, it is also said to eradicate fears, phobias, ward off sea sickness and to protect the wearer from drowning. It is often worn by those who meditate to calm the mind.

Just what I need!

Thank you so much for reading!

Love Jacqueline x

Glorious Amethyst - February Birthstone.

Amethyst has long been one of my favourite gemstones. I thought I would pay homage to it by writing a short blog all about it and featuring some stunning Amethyst items from fellow Folksters.

It is said that St Valentine himself, wore a ring featuring an Amethyst stone, carved with the image of Cupid. Amethyst would make the perfect Valentines gift!

Amethyst is often said to prevent drunkenness! It has been worn as a talisman for centuries. It has been found, set as polished cabochons, in rings from Greece circa 2500BC and has remained popular since. It has adorned Kings, Pharaohs and Religious leaders as symbols of their power and their wealth. Catholic Bishops still wear Amethyst rings as it used to be considered the gem encouraged celibacy.

The Greek God of Wine, Dyonysis is said to have become angry with the people after several large goblets of wine. He decided to take revenge on the next person he saw. A young woman, called Amethyst, was the next person to walk by him. Dionysis set two tigers on to her. She prayed to Diana the Goddess of the moon, for help. The goddess saw what was about to happen to Amethyst and turned her into a white quartz statue, so the tigers could not harm her. Dionysis was overcome with sadness at what he was about to do and cried tears of wine into his goblet. He collapsed, spilling the wine over the statue which soaked up the purple wine and created the gemstone Amethyst that we all know and love today.

The gemstone itself gets its colour from iron. It ranges from the palest lilac to deep purple in colour. Amethyst is mined all over the world. Superb specimens from Siberia command the highest prices. The main areas of mining today are in Brazil, but Amethyst is also mined in Africa, Madagascar, Uruguay and Australia.

It is such a gorgeous member of the quartz family. Please take a moment to have a little look through the pictures below to see hand made items featuring Amethyst. Please click on the photos to be taken to the item in the sellers shops.





Here are a few items from my shop, that feature Amethyst....




Thanks so much for taking the time to have a little look at my blog.

Love Jacqueline x