Kalaya Steede

We saw many things in Oaxaca but the most exciting thing to me was a bug call ed Cochineal (coach-in-EEL). Just 14 miles south of Oaxaca in the village of San Bartolo de Coyotepec you will find the Cochineal Farm.  The official name of this farm is Centro de Difusion de Conocimiento la Grana Cochineal Tlapanochestli .   A lot of the textiles are dyed with the blood (actually carminic acid not really blood) of the Cochineal.  Including the robes of Cardinals in Europe.  Listen to Señor Vicente telling us about the Cochineal.   Did you get that?  Don't you just LOVE his voice? Basically the bugs have this thing for the Nopal cactus (prickly pear) that is abundant in much of Mexico.  They raise the bugs on this cactus (which looks like fungus), dry them out in the sun to make them muerte (that's dead), and then harvest them.   Grind the dead bugs up for the red pigment. Nopal cactus (pri...

Tonight I am getting Night Star ready for her journey home.  As I'm polishing her to make her all beautiful, I can't help but to feel a little sadness to see her go.   Night Star was designed in the fall of 2010 as part of the Amulets of the Goddess Series.  I had loads of fun designing the pieces. There were three in the set and now all three are with their Goddess.   Night Star was the last to go. Night Star Being, Knowing, and Becoming I Bring You Strength and Growth I'm all for letting go but sometimes it's just so hard.   Hold onto Night Star while looking up into the night sky and make a wish.  Namaste Kalaya

I have BIG plans for this weekend.   It's going to be three days of studio time!  Well...at least that's the plan.  Someone might convince me to go shopping or something.  In the meantime let me share the newest things that I have made. A friend of mine wanted to venture out and get herself some dangle earrings but they couldn't be over 1 inch long.  While I was making the set my muse came in the room!  She told me to put some notches in the hoops.  So I obeyed and left the two other pairs alone.  You never know when she is going to pop her head in the studio.   Notched hoop earrings.  SOLD Shinny Dangles.  BTW...that's not me. The silver hoops are 3/4 of an inch in diameter and were made using 16 gauge round wire.  I made three pairs.  Notches were created in one pair and patinated with liver of sulfur.  The other two pair were left alone and tumbled for that shinny look.   I feel like the other ...