Origin of the Name Dragonfly

Many of us are fascinated by dragonflies. I thought it might be interesting to discover the origin of the name of this delicate insect. The name came from a Romanian folktale about a St. George's horse that was turned into a giant fly by the devil. Apparently the Romanians referred to this horse as Devil's Horse or Devil's Fly. The Romanian translation for devil is "drac" which also means dragon. The theory is that when translated to English the word evolved to dragonfly.

Nonetheless, this much beloved insect is a favorite of many people. Jonquil of Thumelinacreations has created some lovely jewelry pieces with dragonflies. as you can see. Pay a visit to her store and her blog for some lovely jewelry pieces.

Thumbelina Creations

Please stop by to visit the charming shop of Thumbelina Creations. You can read her bio below:

"Jonquil Thiessen is a stay-at-home mom of three boys who loves to be creative in many different ways. She loves to sing, knit, crochet, draw, scrapbook, write music, and make jewelry. She would feel lost if she wasn't able to be creative.She started young, singing in church and at weddings at three years old. Music and art have always been her passion. She took art classes and music lessons all through school and college. During college, she met her husband, Keith. They have been married for almost ten years. He also enjoys music and encourages her to further her interests. (Or maybe he justs puts up with it.)He does say sometimes that she has too many hobbies.Jonquil's favorite medium is ... well ... It's hard to pick a favorite. She likes jewelry, but is considering opening a knitting store as well.She has tried to pass on her passion to her boys, but as you may know, little boys do not have a long attention span. Some of the boys are off to school know, so she has a little more time to focus on her art.Her main priority is her family. Etsy has become a valuable method of continuing with her art and still being able to love and take care of her family."

March is Aquamarine

March's birthstone is one of my favorites. Aquamarine derived its name from the Roman words Aqua and Mare , water and sea. When you look at the beautiful blue green color of aquamarine stones, you can understand why they chose this name. The Romans felt that the aquamarine stone when mixed with water had great healing qualities and used it to treat illnesses of the heart,mouth ,throat and liver. It was said that this was the stone of Neptune, God of the sea, and was worn by the ancient sailors for protection. It is easy to understand why this stone is still worn as a symbol of beauty and protection today. Here are some aqua pieces that the Romans truly admire.

Coming Soon!

I am very excited to share these photos of the gorgeous gemstones I recently purchased. I have been admiring green amethyst and appetite for quite some time now and I am thrilled with the new stones in my collection. I will be making necklaces,bracelets and earrings with these stones very soon so stay tuned for some one-of-a-kind artisan pieces in gold and silver that will knock your socks off!

Love and Roses

What better way is there to say " I Love You" than a gift of roses? Belladio has a collection of rose jewelry in her etsy shop that just may be the perfect way to say I love you to that special person in your life. Please take a look at Belledio's art of roses series and the other lovely pieces in her shop. Don't forget to take a peek at Belladio's blog too.

Bella Dio

Today I am featuring the shop of Belladio who does jewelry design. This is what she has to say about her work:

"I am a SAHM and I started making jewelry years ago. My friend and I would get together and bead, while our little ones napped. Two years ago, I started playing with polymer clay and I really enjoy the opportunities this opened up to me. I slowly started adding in twisted, bent and curled wire to my designs. I am always looking to expand beyond where I am. I have been messing around with resin, soldering and vintage pieces."

Treat Yourself On Valentine's Day

Now is your chance to treat yourself on Valentine's Day. The etsy shop of A Little Brown Bird has some lovely pieces for you to consider. The two show here happen to be my personal favorites, but the shop has many items that are sure to please.