Made for Me...

I sometimes think it's funny that I am always making things, but rarely do I ever get a chance to just make something for myself.  I'm usually just too busy.  I'm not complaining though.  It's a blessing that my creative efforts are being appreciated and finding homes with others.

I did make a little time for myself and whipped up this amber necklace.  It's composed of natural Baltic amber that I picked up a few years ago in Tucson.  My necklace is pretty simple.  It's mostly the raw amber.  I did space it out with little sandalwood beads and used a bronze toggle from my family.  I've been working with amber a lot lately and thought that I'd make something that I could wear.  I love the vibrant colors of this fossilized tree resin and appreciate all the tiny inclusions and variations in the stones.  I'm happy with it and am even happier that I could sit down and create something just for me.

A friend sent me an interesting article about how the amber supposedly repels ticks.  While I don't get a chance to hike as much these days and am not exposed to ticks all that often, any little extra benefit is an added bonus, right?

And amber is supposed to have loads of benefits.  Babies are often given necklaces made of amber to help relieve teething pains.  Metaphysically it is said to turn bad energy around into good energy and that it is powerful stone for healing and making things manifest.  It's said that the stone has associations with both the sun and the earth and embodies vitality.  Sounds good to me!