Month of the Amethyst

I keep thinking February is over, and I'm not sure why. But I'm glad it's not, because I almost forgot to do its birthstone post! :) February's birthstone is amethyst, which I can never spell correctly, but happens to be one of my favorite stones. :) I love its deep purple color and how amethyst crystals can be so many different shades of purple at once. :) Amethyst is actually a form of purple quartz. In ancient times they used to make drinking glasses out of it because they thought amethyst prevented drunkenness! If only it were that simple. ;)

Being that purple is one of my favorite colors and amethyst is one of my favorite stones, this was a hard treasury to make! There are just far too many beautiful amethyst pieces on Etsy! I hope you like the ones I finally picked. :) Happy birthday to all my friends and family born in February! Enjoy! :)

Kaleidoscope of Paper Butterflies by paperNplastic	Amethyst Oxidized Sterling Silver Earrings by GlitzGlitter
Amethyst Heart Felt Ornaments by SewnNatural	Purple Balcony 8x10 Fine Art Photo by rebeccaplotnick
Delphinium - Print of Watercolor by amberalexander	Amethyst Crystal Soap by amethystsoap

And here are even more beautiful pieces in the full sized treasury! :)

Have a great Friday and a beautiful weekend!

The Month of the Garnet

Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone had a great and festive December! Anyone make any New Year's resolutions? I did. I finally decided to steal my friend Bill's resolution and resolve not to make any more resolutions! He's stuck to it for about ten years now, so I think it's my best bet for actually following through with one. :)

The snow around here is about half way gone. It's been over 40 degrees for the last three days or so. If it keeps up I figure we'll be back to just grass again by the weekend. New Jersey weather is really weird...

Anyway, now it's January. And January's birthstone is garnet! I love garnet. :) Red is one of my favorite colors and while rubies are very nice, I love the deep red color of garnets. Because of it's deep red color people in ancient times thought garnet had the ability to stop bleeding and cure disorders of the blood. It was also given as gifts between friends to ensure they would meet again. :) So to all my friends and followers born in January, Happy Birthday! Hope you enjoy this garnet mini treasury and that you have a happy and blessed birth month! :)

Red Flyer Bicycle 8x8 Fine Art Print by Raceytay	Vintage 70s Deep Merlot Velvet Dress from Lolavintage
Garnet Sunset Owl with Log Perch by HandworkNaturals	Garnet Hard Candy Gems Pomegranate by VintageConfections
Cable Knit Lotus Purse in Burgundy by efran	Modern Numbers Clock Poppy Red by uncommon

Here's the link to the matching treasury if you'd like to see more! :)

Oh, I almost forgot! I added some more quotes and a new section to my Quotes Page if you'd like to check it out. :)

Have a great day! :)

The Month of Turquoise

See I told you I'd be back! ;) I have been a busy little bee lately. I had two birthday parties, a cookie swap and a craft show last weekend. This week I have to clean the whole house and decorate (cause I have nothing up yet), because this weekend I have a Christmas party at my house and cookie party for my kids! December is nuts this year! :) Oh and I haven't started Christmas shopping yet! :o

So I'm sure at this point your asking yourself why I'm blogging at all. Well, partly because I'm crazy, and partly because this is way more fun then cleaning my house! :) And in the spirit of procrastination I've not only taken the time to do a blog post, but I've also done a December birthstone mini treasury. Hope you enjoy this collection of turquoise treasures! :)

Good Luck - Binary Code Bracelet by adotelise	White Tree 8x10 Print by suchprettycolors
Simply Stunning Turquoise Banana Silk Shawl by VioletStarCreations	Teal Leather Engraved Book with Suede Tie by AwakenJournaling
Pale Blue Chocolate Box - 1/12 Miniature by PetitPlat	3D Beveled Glass Snowflake Ornament by snlcreations

And here's a big treasury to match it! :)

Have a great week and Happy Birthday to all my friends and family born in December! :D

The Month of the Topaz

Good morning everyone! I've been busy as a bee getting ready for a craft show I'm going to next Saturday. But I wanted to do this treasury before it got too late in the month. Last month I totally forgot to post the birthstone treasury until, well, this month! So even though this is a treasury of the November birthstone of Topaz, I'm also going to take this opportunity to say happy birthday to everyone born in October as well!

Pure topaz is actually colorless, it is the other chemicals found with it that give it its many colors. The kind know as orange (or yellow) topaz, which is the color we most think of when we hear the word topaz is the birthstone for November. It is a symbol of friendship, and its name comes from the Sanskrit word and meaning fire. So to all my friends and family who's birthdays are in November (and October) hope you have a very Happy Birthday! Enjoy! :)

Vintage Topaz Heart Rhinestone Brass Locket Necklace by brideblu	Sunflower Silk Scarf Hand Painted by Palettepassion
Landscape with Barn 30x40 Fine Art Photograph by eyeful	Chocolate Amber Cold Process Soap Bar by LippincottSoapCo
Hand Blown Glass Ornament in Topaz by luminita	Vintage 1970's Gold Crushed Velvet Coat by bytheway

And make sure you check out the big treasury for even more beautiful topaz pieces!

Have a great day! :)

The Month of the Sapphire

Moving away from fall colors today, with a post feature September's birthstone: the Sapphire! :) I've always loved sapphires. It's my favorite stone after emerald (my birthstone) and my favorite color after purple. :) Sapphires actually come in every color (though red sapphires are called rubies), but the most prized color is the deep blue that the color sapphire gets it's name from. In the past sapphires were thought to protect against poison, and when given as gifts, represented sincerity and faithfulness. Deep and mysterious, this stone is the perfect fit to those born in September! :) Happy Birthday to all of you born this month! :)

Original Tree Painting - Twilight Evening by BestArtStudios2	Electric Blue Crab Lollipops - Set of Three by VintageConfections
Hand Embroidered Wall art Cobalt and Copper by HAREandDRUM	Two Rice or Noodles Bowls with Chopsticks by dbabcock
Sapphire Color Midnight Blue Czech Glass & Sterling Silver Earrings by PoleStar	Real Sapphire Blue Rhetus Periander Butterfly by REALBUTTERFLYGIFTS

Make sure you check out my full sized treasury, for more sapphire goodies! Have a beautiful day! :)

I'm loosing my marbles...

Okay that's not exactly accurate, I'm selling my marbles. Is that better? I'm not sure. :) But seriously I got a WHOLE bunch of vintage stuff posted this week, including a bunch of really cool vintage marbles! You can check them out in my Vintage Marbles section of my shop if you like. :) I also posted some vintage tea cups and nutcrackers in my main Vintage Collectibles section. But mostly I've been tweaking my shop and catching up on Etsy news. If you haven't been to Etsy for a while you should check it out, all the shops now have a new wide format! You can see mine here! :)

And of course the other thing I've been up to is my treasury making. :) Today's mini treasury is based on half of the Plants & Edibles category. I figured since they are two different things I'd give them two different treasuries. Enjoy! :)

Grassy Blades of Beeswax Pot Candle by kokocandles	Green Leaves Silver Wire Earrings by KUKLAstudio
Topiaries Watercolor No. 2 Print by mossylanestudio	Last Leaf Handspun 2-ply Yarn by travelingrhinos
24 Edible Sugar Leaves by andiespecialtysweets	Tall Grass King Sized Pillow by pillowhappy

You can check out the big treasury that matches it here! Have a great day! :)

Okay I admit it...

...I've run out of ideas for blog posts. Well, that was until I was thinking about how I normally make up a post after I have a theme in mind. :) Normally what I do when I make up a blog post, is take the theme of the day, like peridot, and I go to Etsy and put the theme into the search on the main page. Then I start at the bottom category on the list and see if there is anything that would match my theme in each category. This way, I get a good mix of types of items, instead of getting a lot of the same thing.

So I decided that it might be fun to use each category's title as the main word in a search and then check out all the other categories and see what I come up with. :) So far it's been a lot of fun! :) I started with the bottom category on the main page, and I'm working my way up. The categories on the Etsy homepage are in alphabetical order, so the first one I did was Woodworking. And if you have been reading my blog you'll notice that my Woodworking treasury made it to the Front Page! :D

Today I made up the second treasury in the series. Its them is Weddings! Enjoy! :)

2 Hand Engraved Wine Glasses by daydreemdesigns	Dollhouse Mini Meringue Tower by miniaturepatisserie
White Rose Photograph by chickenandcustard	Sterling Silver Guitar Pick by jcjewelrydesign
Gown and Tuxedo Heart Cookies by LindasEdibleArt	Large Dogwood Ceramic Cake Stand by whitneysmith

You can see the full sized treasury here! Have a great day! :)

The Month of the Peridot

This month's birthstone is peridot. Peridot is unusual in the gem world because it really only comes in one color: olive green. However that color does vary based on how much iron is in the stone, and it can range from yellow-green to brownish green. Peridot is associated with dignity and success, and because of its green color has also been linked to nature in many ancient cultures. In olden times miners would search for the stone at night, believing that the light of the moon made it easier to find. A unique stone perfect for people born in this unique month! Happy birthday to all of you born in August! :)

Vintage 1940s Van Dell Peridot Brooch by laurenrosedesign	Chartreuse Chandeliers Letterpress Coasters by missive
Bright Green Aloe Patterns 8x10 Print by amefaust	Herb the Garden Bunny Faux Fur Plushie by Zygopsyche
Key Lime Cathedral Window Pillow Cover by warmnfuzzies	Cinnamon Pine Shea Butter Soap by BLSoaps

You can also check out the full sized Etsy treasury here! Have a great day! :)

The Month of the Ruby

This month's birthstone is the ruby. Rubies can come in different colors from a brownish red to pink, but the most highly prized are the deep red (or pigeon blood-red) rubies. Since red is the color of love, rubies have long been associated with everlasting love and in ancient times rubies were also thought to have magical powers that brought good luck and good health. Rubies, because of their specific red coloring, were also used to make the first lasers! Love and lasers, what else could you ask for in a birthstone? So to all my friends and followers with birthdays in July, I dedicate this mini treasury to you! Happy Birthday! :)

Rubylicious Red Quartz Necklace by AThousandJoys	4" Ruby Red Sparkler Star Ornament by kissadesign
Ruby Red Vase with Lines and Dots by marymeestudio	A Love Like This Fine Art Print by photoatelier
5 Felted Wool Ruby Red Cherries by BumblecatSoapCo	Scarlet Blossoming Flower Coasters by rubypress

I have also recreated one of my favorite treasuries to go with this post. You can check it out here! Have a great day everyone! :)