Creative Meditation

Peace Be With You

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti

May Beauty Surround You...

Lately i have been drawn to making prayer beads...
(this rosary is SOLD)

For me, this has always been a form of sacred art, and a prayerful and meditative process

And with all the turmoil in the World these last few weeks and months,

i have found peace in the simple repetitive act of bending the wire around the beads and medals that go into making each one

Ever since i was a young girl, i have had a fascination with all kinds of prayer beads

They are simple little tools to help keep you focused on your prayers and meditations
focused on the positive and not the negative
and when you feel hopeless, they remind you that you can always make a difference thru prayer and positive thought and action

and with each use, the prayerful energy builds up in the beads, and makes it a personal sacred tool in itself

These are just a few of the rosaries (and malas) i have available in my Etsy shop

And my pocket rosaries are on sale now...Just in time for Easter

Christmas Chaplets

I made these little Chaplets for two of my Loved Ones this Christmas. For those who are not familiar with these prayer beads, chaplets are little rosaries specifically dedicated to a favorite Saint or cause.
This one i made for our friend Pat. It is called The Chaplet of Our Lady, The Star of the Sea. The prayer that is said with this Chaplet is said to protect Loved Ones at Sea. Pat's grandson Danny is in the Navy, and is on his way to dangerous waters. I hope when Pat holds this little rosary, she finds peace of mind...

And this one i made for my best friend, my Mother. It is The Chaplet of Saint Patrick. My Mom has always been very connected to her Irish heritage, and has had many hard losses in her close and loving family lately. I hope she likes it.

Ever since i was a child, i have been fascinated with prayers beads of all kinds. It gives me pleasure to make them and give them as special gifts to those i love.

New Rosaries

Every since i was a little girl i've had a fascination with rosaries and any kind of prayer beads

i used to go to religious education and i loved the nuns in their habits and gowns
and the big rosaries they wore at their waist

i loved the sounds the rosaries made when they would walk by me

And now i love to pray and meditate with my own rosaries and malas

and i totally enjoy making them...

It feels to me like all the while i am bending the wire and selecting the beads

that action is a form of prayer too...

I'll be making more rosaries in the next few days and putting them in my Etsy shop

(The green rosary is SOLD and proceeds sent to Haiti Relief! Thank You!)
The proceeds from the sale of the pocket rosaries will be donated to the Haiti Disaster Relief Fund thru ChildFund International

If you'd like a rosary in a certain color, please write and let me know and i may be able to make one especially for you or a loved one...

More Jewelry and Crafts

I've been super busy getting some more jewelry and onesies ready for my daughter's shop, The Paper Sparrow. The first onesie i made was my own design of a bumblebee, and here are the next two. I draw all my own designs and then stencil the main parts on the onesie, and embellish with paint pens. This is so much fun. I don't take enough time to paint, so this gets my crafting and painting urges out all at once!

Here is a closeup of the Ladybug. Next, i have a request for an "aquatic" theme....

I finished another mala and now need to give my fingers time to rest, working so intensely with the wire. This one is made of clear quartz crystal beads and rudruksha beads. The center bead is a clear quartz crystal nugget.

This is a little baby's rosary i made of small moonstone beads. I thought it would be nice as a birth or christening gift... This one is just a prototype, but i like the way it turned out and will go ahead and make some more...

The rosary on the left is made on flexible wire. I also make rosaries (on the right) using the hand made chain too. The rosary on the left is made with chrysocholla and agate. The one on the right is made of turquoise.

And because we got a lot of compliments on the aquamarine mala, i made this strand of aquamarine beads with matching earrings to be worn as jewelry. Now it is time to put the paint brushes down and put the metal smith tools away and clean my house!

New Malas

A green Jade mala

I managed to bring my little travel case with my wire, beads and tools to Boston with me and while there i managed to make a few new malas . For those who don't already know, a mala is a string of prayer beads worn or carried by the owner, used to count the repetition of prayers, much like a rosary. As i would complete a new mala i would place it around my neck, and wear it for a bit to check to make sure there were no problems with the piece. I was approached a few times by people who wanted to buy them from me right off my neck there at the conference center!

Aquamarine mala with Quartz crystal center bead

Soft pink Rose Quartz mala

This is my own personal mala i wear all the time. I could have sold this one a few times! It is made of Amethyst tumbled beads with a Lemon Quartz center bead. I have always had a fascination with malas and rosaries and love to make them too. I thought i would share the new bead projects with you...

In the Works

I finally put the dolls down and decided to get busy with my jewelry projects. I need some pieces ready for The Paper Sparrow, and for a fundraiser for my sister Sandy in the next few weeks. So, here are a few of the pieces i have finished...

A bronze shell pearl necklace

A faceted Olive jade necklace with a carved new jade centerpiece

An agate cuff bracelet

a chunky turquoise necklace

A handmade rosary with rhyolite
and agate

Black shell pearls strung on a handmade chain

And an amethyst nugget mala (hand chained, 54 beads)
with a lemon quarts nugget guru bead.

Now all i have to do is work on my photography skills!