Sunday Morning Coffee and Etsy - 03/29/09

Good morning all! It feels good to be back on schedule. It really is Sunday morning here in the Eastern Time Zone, and I really am drinking coffee and pondering what to write about while I am waiting to catch a treasury when it opens up in an hour or so. Eureka! One of the picks for my 'Clouds of White and Golden Honey' treasury has sparked the subject for this morning's post. Earlier this week, I received an email from Abby Horowitz that she had featured my Lush Pearl Dangles in her spotlight on the Found-Handmade website.


I never tire of looking at other artist's creations, so of course I took a peek at Abby's shop. There I found this amazing white turquoise Buddha pendant, along with many other treasures that reminded me of my love for Tibet, the Himalayan mountains and the teachings of the Dalai Lama. One of my favorite movies of all time is Seven Years in Tibet, which adds Brad Pitt to these wonderful things - does it get any better than that? (but I digress....) This movie is the true story of Heinrich Harrer, and his experiences as a tutor and friend to the young Dalai Lama in Lhasa, Tibet during WWII. Hans Harrar's books are on my 'short list' of books I want to read the minute I get a chance.



What fun I've had this morning searching for items related to the Dalai Lama and Tibet on Etsy. One of the most meaningful is the mixed media piece titled Tibetan Reliquery by Kage Harp of Rusted Wings Gallery. This piece is a poignant reminder of the sad situation of the Tibetan people.



I also did a search on 'Tibet' which brought me to the Silk Road Jewelry shop.I love the combination of white and gold (I guess you probably figured that out from my treasury choices!) and this gorgeous Chank shell pendant is a stunning example of these colors. (A Chank is a Conch from the Indian Ocean) In this pendant, the lovely shell is surrounded on all sides by heavily repoussee'd brass. It was handmade in Kathmandu, Nepal by a skilled artisan.

I love how the Silk Road shop supports small artisans from around the world. Here are Designer Anne Singer's own words about her art: "We gather unique handmade elements from artisans in Africa and Asia and combine them with genuine gemstones and a variety of metals to produce unique, one-of-a-kind wearable art. SRJ's purchase of their artisanal works helps to support many extended families living in difficult circumstances.

When you purchase a piece of Silk Road Jewelry, you are also helping to provide a livelihood for Tibetan Refugee/artisans in Nepal, as well as women and extended families in Afghanistan, Bali, Ghana, India, Israel, Morocco, Niger, Tibet, Turkey, Yemen....."

Another piece I love from Anne's shop is a stunning turquoise necklace with a focal pendant that was made in Adil Qazi’s shop in Kathmandu, Nepal. He and his brothers are Tibetan artisans living in Nepal since the Chinese Invasion, and the sale of their works provide a comfortable living for their large extended family.

All these gorgeous pieces have me inspired to go down to the studio and start creating, so I'll finish the last of my coffee and say goodbye for now. Hope to have pictures of some of my new work, as well as the custom pieces that I've been working on in the next few days. And maybe some more copper fusing...... and ..... and...