A little break..

It's going to be a crazy few days of family visits! 

Blue Gnome's shop on Etsy will be closed until May 27th, when things will (hopefully) be back to a milder state of insanity around here  But fear not! You can always contact me here or on my Facebook page!

Thanks so much for your patience. 

xo Blue Gnome

Lightness Of Being

A happiness amulet created just for you.

May this bring you clarity, happiness and lightness of being.

Made entirely of sterling, clear quartz and watermelon tourmaline.

xo Blue Gnome

Friday Flash Sale

In an effort to move some of the pieces created last year, I'm introducing the Flash Sale event - where every few days, there will be one randomly selected item from my store that goes on sale for one day only...

So without any further delay, today's item is this:

The Danaus necklace, handcrafted entirely of sterling and a gorgeous turquoise cab.

Spring's finally arrived and I can't wait to see these guys up at Five Maples again soon!

Have a lovely Friday, all you lovely people!

xo Blue Gnome

Sea-Fever

Sea-Fever

I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over” 

"Sea-Fever" by John Masefield

Leo's Treasures

 ..and this.

xo Blue Gnome

Emerald Isle

Oh my..it's been over a month since my last post!  You'll have to forgive me, it's been an insane whirlwind of events around these parts, a flood of custom orders in the first weeks of March and an overseas wedding near the end.  You'll hear no complaints from me..business has picked up with the warming weather and as busy as it keeps me, it's funny how the busier your days become the more you seem to be able to fit into them.  Being away from the studio for just over a week for a beautiful family wedding in Ireland at the end of March was such an amazing way to cap off the month and officially welcome spring.  Though everyone we met on the emerald isle kept telling us that our visit was missing spring over there by a couple of weeks, the hills were rolling and green, tiny snowdrops and golden daffodils lined the narrow and winding roads of the lovely seaside town of Anney, Donegal.  Gorgeous.  My short visit there fulfilled everything I had envisioned Ireland to be..and more.  Now we're planning our next trip over, if the summers there are supposed to even more beautiful..I may never come back.

Now we're back to a slow snail's pace here back at the shop, the longer I stay away the harder it often is to get back into the swing of things.  My head and sketchbook filled with fragments of ideas for new pieces, I'm also eager to fire up that kiln and get casting.  Wee bean was very busy collecting seashells during our trip there and I've been eyeing a few of them to mould and cast in sterling.  Amazing to glimpse the world through such young eyes - to view his collection through a mind where conformity hasn't stained them with what society views as "perfect".  The shells Leo collected in his chubby little hands are a treasury of whole and fragmented pieces, every one of them perfect and beautiful in their own way.  Some are his favorites because they have a soft warm hue, others because he likes to run his fingertips over the rounded edges and smooth concave undersides..polished to a high gloss from its journey in the rolling seas.  I'm also excited about capturing the delicate mossy greens there in enamel..the kiln will be busy in the next few weeks to come!

Though today is overcast with a threat of possible freezing rain later in the day (gasp!) the last few days have been sunny and warm.  Wiggling my pale toes in the bright afternoon sun last weekend, I couldn't get the image out of my head of them blinking and squinting in the warm sunshine and had to stop myself from giggling out loud.  The garden is slowly thawing, rhubarb already peeking out and up from the still frozen earth, fighters every year.  We even saw a lone bumble bee a few days ago..a sure sign spring has finally arrived.

Love and hugs wherever you are.  The weekend is almost here!  

xo Blue Gnome

Caretaker

I believe that some of us are born caretakers.  Though our roles within society may differ greatly from one another, those of us born to take care of others will always be drawn to those who need taking care of.  There are no boundaries of age or status, I believe it's simply mother nature's way of making sure that none of us slip through the cracks.  

Because let's face it, life can be pretty tough.  Sometimes it can be a downright jerk.  

So while tens and thousands of others around the world are being handed lemons on the same day as you, it must get pretty hairy trying to keep everyone's spirits afloat.  

And that's where these caretakers come in.  

They are the people in your life who are always there, the person who knows to pick up the phone and call, to give you that bone-crushing hug when you don't even know that you need it..the person who comes to pick up the pieces and put you together again when you've broken apart.

I'd like to think that everyone has someone like this in their life.  Some of us are pretty darn lucky and have more than one.  My grandma Jones, who passed away almost 5 years ago, had my grandpa.  At the age of 88, he's still the 6'3" daddy-long-legs he's always been and his shoes still look like gigantic boats to me as they did when I was 5 years old.   His wicked sense of humor still intact, grandpa is sharp as a tack and these days standing almost as tall as his original frame.  

He would come in for lunch at their weekend cottage in Bancroft, his hands dirty from working outside and as he saw me standing by the door would playfully scowl and growl under his breath, "I'm old and rough and dirty and tough!" and squealing, I'd run to find my grandma.  It became a 'grandpa saying' over the years,  while we were teenagers and thought ourselves too cool to find that funny, my brother and I would roll our eyes and try not to crack a smile.

Although he's getting on with life after grandma's passing, I know that we also lost a part of grandpa on that day she left us.  He doesn't believe in angels but in recent years has expressed a hope to see grandma again.  Hope.  And that's all we really need isn't it?  

Hope.

I saw grandpa just last month while I was home in B.C.   One day as I helped him reach for his walker, he turned to me and with a tired wink he said, 

"Well kiddo, I'm old and rough and dirty and..well, not so tough anymore".  

It broke my heart.  

But looking on the brighter side, as a caretaker, what a life he's had.  

He's raised two sons and was able to take care of grandma until her very last breath.  And as his older sister's health began to decline, he was able to be her constant companion by telephone since his own health no longer allowed him to fly to be with her in Toronto.  

So for my caretaker grandpa, who will always be tough to me - and for all the other caretakers out there, thank you.  

Thank you for picking up the pieces that no one else sees, for helping people like me get through the toughest of days.  

A simple pendant, designed loosely with an angel in mind.  

Two power house stones - a healing amethyst and a prehnite, the stone of unconditional love.

To help point us in the forward direction when we lose our way.

xo Blue Gnome