Time to start DREAMING BIG

WOW...Some things never change.
Reading over some older posts-like some of the Originals-where I was trying to find that balance between Work/Life...Yep, I am still searching for it.
Carving out a few minutes a day for DeAndreaDesigns is going to have to be a priority.
I have been posting more. Creating/Tempting my audience.
I have been creating a little more. Playing with NEW Designs.
I have been re-evaluating past Designs.
Even selling one or two of them. They were that good, but got lost in the shuffle.
Some just need finishing touches before they are ready to be seen...
SOME are JUST PLAIN bad, and will NEVER be seen. They are destined for a “Deconstruction Day”. Not a bad thing, sometimes the act of deconstructing something tells you more about how to properly construct it.
What I am learning, is that I will always be trying to find a balance between doing what I love, and the satisfaction of being able to pay the bills.
I am always going to be trying to be BETTER at the balance.
If my time away from DeAndreaDesigns has taught me anything...It is that I HAVE to find time for Myself.
Whether it is an hour at the gym.
OR
15 minutes outside with the dogs.

My baby Grendel

My baby Prudence

I have to take that time that I am just chilling
in the mornings/evenings and apply it to DeAndreaDesigns. If I don’t I will NEVER get out of Retail for someone else.
Like the caption on the Aqua Pendant says, “If you dream big enough, it can happen for you too”
Time to start DREAMING BIG!!!

LAPIS LAZULI...I know very little about You

I have ben having a very difficult time writing this one-Almost like I am trying to force something.

Although I LOVE this Beautiful Blue Stone and all of the little Gold flecks that abound within, I KNOW very little about the characteristics, properties of the Mineral, OR even how to gauge one that is better quality than another...

Why have I been so drawn to working with it lately?
Is it just because of  request for one? OR is the Universe telling me that I NEED to be working with it?

THAT being said, this is what I have found out...

Lapis TearDrop Pendant

Lapis is apparently a Stone of Self-Discovery.
Helping to bring about Peace and Serenity thru the release of stress.

“I am aligned with my deepest truth”

This “Stone of The Sky” has been used in Ornamentation/Decoration since approximately 4000 B.C. Whether it was as a dye in artwork, inlaid in mosaics, or used to cover King Tut’s sarcophagus, AND represented in the Bible as the 5th stone in the Breast Plate of the High Priest.

It has been valued for MANY MANY Years.

Oval Lapis Pendant

So what should You be looking for when purchasing Your own piece of serenity?
When You are purchasing Your own piece of Lapis, as always if YOU are drawn to it, IT is the RIGHT piece for You...BUT if You are purchasing for a gift, or just because it is pretty. You want the BEST quality.
Look for something that has a deeper, more intense hue of BLUE.
Look for something that is consistent with little white (Calcite) veining. Flecks of gold (Pyrite) are acceptable so long as they are not overpowering the blue.

Lapis is divided into categories based on where it is found. ALTHOUGH these names do not necessarily indicate WHERE it is mined-only the characteristics of these areas.
Afghani/Persian Lapis has a very intense medium dark hue with little Pyrite and no Calcite.
Siberian Lapis will come in a variety of Blues with more of the Pyrite and some Calcite inclusions.
Chilean Lapis may be spotted with Green hues and has obvious Calcite veining.