Caught My Eye 13 Reservoir Run-Off.

It's been a while since I did a post in the Caught My Eye series, where I share my (amateur) shots of something unusual, bizarre or of natural beauty. That's mainly because I haven't been out and about with my camera much due to a sore foot. However, I was looking through some photos from my walks last year and found I've got quite a few photos to include in this series.

Here's another scene from my walk around Bothernabreena lakes last summer. This is a shot of the brownish water being channelled down from the reservoir.  The colour of mountain water in the East and Midlands of Ireland is due to the boggy peat in the soil.

It's hard to believe this beautiful place is a stones throw away from the busy suburb of Tallaght, in Dublin, isn't it? You can get close enough to it by taking the 49 bus from the city centre. It's only about an hour.

Featured in ETSY Treasuries, March.

Here are a few more recent treasuries to share and say  

A BIG THANK YOU 

for.

I am always grateful and honoured to be included.

 

Like every March, Etsy has gone very green in the run up to St Patrick's Day. It's so wonderful to see so many crafty people around the world acknowledging our tiny green isle. Thank you so much!

 A big thank you Amy of Buy Me For You Uk   for this lovely Irish-themed treasury 'St Patrick's Day - My Way'. I'm very happy to see my Sea glass pendant featured. 

Thank you, fellow Irish crafter, Mo of Huggle Knits for 'A Taste of Irish Style', a beautifully put together collection of quality, Irish crafts. Delighted to see my Connemara marble heart pendant included. Wishing Mo every success with the relaunch of her second Etsy store 'An Siopa Beag'. Drop in for knitting supplies and crafty bits n bobs....

..and then Mo included me in another treasury. Take a closer look at 'Old New Irish and Blue' and  see how cleverly it was done...vintage, handmade, Irish and then blue. Thanks Mo for including my Connemara marble earrings.

 

Thank you Laura of  Beadsnbrooches for including my copper & sea pottery pendant in 'Ireland Through My Eyes.'  What a pretty vision of Ireland this treasury is.  

'What Inspires Us? ' by susanbrodie

www.etsy.com/ teams/10036/promoting-creative-friendsCome join our team!

Miniature Globe pencil ... SandrasCornerS... $10	Tote Bag Fabric Handmad... RidgeTopEmbroi... $22	Mini Pineapple Rose Doi... amydscrochet $5
Retro Striped Bag - Can... shusha64 $40	Vintage Cognac Baltic A... YummeDesigns $32.75	Two Woman - giclee prin... WhiteFlowerPai... $145
Jasper and Agate Cross Windychimes $33	Huge - 48" x 30&q... JagodaModernAr... $630	Artisan Blued Spoon Fis... nevastarr $32.95
Sweet Red Doxie: I Love... ArtByJulene $15	Stained Glass Yellow & ... BlueFishStudio... $65	Copper & Sea Pottery Pe... HandmadebyAmor $18.5
Hand Painted Glass Vase ASplashofColou... $32	Mosaic Mirror Bottle glassmagic $129	Abstract Metal Mantle C... dennisboyddesi... $89

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

 

And the same sea pottery pendant just got featured in this stunning treasury by  Susan of Art Once Again. As one of the items from the treasury is gone already, it would  have been lopsided now, and I'm getting a bit ocd about such things :-) but I decided to try out this new treasury app, which allowed me to display in 3 collumns. Also, you can click directly into the items if you wish. Beautiful colours Susan. Thanks so much!

More February Features. Etsy Treasuries

Etsy has gone all green again with St Patrick's Day looming ahead!

Here are a few more recent treasuries to share and say  

A BIG THANK YOU 

for.

I am always grateful and honoured to be included.

 

Lynn of Lynn's Creative Crochet is the uncrowned Queen of Treasuries.  Week after week she puts together beautiful lists of hand picked items to promote fellow Etsians. Thank you Lynn as ever, for featuring my Celtic pendant in 'Spring In Ireland.'  You are a gem!

This beautifully fresh treasury titled 'It's Just around the Corner!' was put together by Linda owner of Blue Jacaranda. You can sense the excitement about Paddy's Day in the title itself and I'm so grateful to have my lime sea pottery pendant included. Thank you Linda.

 
And here is a tonne of love from Ireland, 'Ireland's Beating Heart' by Barney Ra Ra. Thanks for including my  onyx earrings in this romantic collection.

February Features. Etsy Treasuries

A few more recent treasuries to share and say  

A BIG THANK YOU 

for.

I am always grateful and honoured to be included

 

A huge thank you as always for Lynn Corrigan of Lynn's Creative Crochet. who includes one of my items in a treasury just about every month.  Thanks Lynn for featuring my garnet pendant in this sweet Valentine treasury titled 'There's Still Time'. 

....And then Lynn only goes and features me in another one!!!

 Thanks so much for including my sea pottery and copper pendant in 'Peaches and Cream'.  Please do take a moment to pop over to Lynn's Etsy shop, Lynn's Creative Crochet.

A big Irish hello goes to Mil, Vam and Pam of Three Sisters Create. Thank you so much for including my Conneamara marble earrings in this timely treasury, titled 'Irish Luck.'

  This refreshing green treasury aptly titled 'Botanical' is by Dori of Hunkii Dorri. Thanks for Dori for including my green and black necklace 'Betwitched.' (Clever shop name btw!)

Another fresh list! Joanna of Gems Gallery has cleverly balanced this treasury titled 'A Little Bit of Green,  A Little Bit off Chocolate.' Thanks for including my citrine earrings!

Thanks too to Bimi of TriyaandNora for including my guardian angel charm (or pendant) in 'Mother's Day Gift ideas - What can we buy from Ireland'. Thanks for the reminder too - in Ireland Mothering Sunday falls on sunday 10th March this year.

Spring Greens. Work in Progress

After the Christmas break, I've mainly been working on custom pieces for people I know. Yesterday evening I finally got down to a crafty session to replenish diminished stock in my Etsy shop. I realised I was almost out of Connemara marble pendants so knuckled down to make a couple of pieces with St Patrick's Day in mind. Naturally, green has got to be the colour of the moment!

 My Celtic heart pendants are always popular. This is a beautiful piece of Connemara marble. 

This stunning specimen of Connemara marble is a once-off piece. I was inspired to make this Celtic Pub Ornament by one of my best and (am I allowed to say?) favourite customers. ;-) You know who you are...

 I will shortly be listing this zesty pendant made from sea pottery that I found on a Dublin beach. It is a fresh, lime colour that will look fabulous with a white T-shirt, or a summer dress. It will also stand out against that LBD, making a simple, chic statement.

And just to prove there really are 40 shades of green, this OOAK Connemara marble pendant falls at the other end of the verdant spectrum. It is a very cool shade with typical, grayish marbling. The dark, February weather here in Dublin makes it a challenge to photograph, but I've done my best to capture it.  I hope to list this special Sterling silver Claddagh and Connemara marble pendant this week. This is very much, one of a kind and will not be repeated. The stone was cut specially for me by a Galway mason. The solid silver charm is vintage from the 80s and the only one I have.

You might like.....
(from this blog:)
A little about Connemara Marble
A little about Sea Pottery
Shades of Green Seaglass

(from my Etsy shop:)
Connemara marble jewellery section
Sea pottery jewellery

Inspirations from the Sea

Though I started out making gemstone jewellery, including pieces in rare, Irish marble, over the last couple of years, I've become a little obsessed with the amazing treasures you can find on the shore. Finding good quality, usable seaglass or sea pottery can be back -breaking work, but all the more rewarding for it. 

However, no matter what materials I am using, I find the ocean itself to be truly inspiring. I often draw on the motion of the waves when designing a piece.

 

'Waves' chrysocolla jasper pendant depicts rolling 'white horses' just before the break on the shore.

 

I wire wrapped 'Still waters' seaglass pendant to reflect the gentle sway of the water on a calmer day. The soft seafoam shade of this piece is not a colour you might often associate with the cold and dark Irish Sea or the wild Atlantic Ocean. However, our shores do see still moments and blue skies, especially in the East and South East.

 

 The photos above were taken in Killiney and in Skerries, on the East coast, towards the end of last summer. The beauty of the sea is in its ever-changing nature. It has infinite power to generate creativity. No wonder that artists and poets have always found it inspiring.

Click here to learn how to clean seaglass

Click here to learn how to care for seaglass jewellery

Latest Features in Etsy Treasuries

A few more recent treasuries to share and say  

A BIG THANK YOU 

for.

I am always grateful and honoured to be included:

Thank you Catherine of  Crochettine  for including my pink heart ornament in this really cute Valentine treasury, 'Coeurs et fleurs'. 

A huge thank you as always to Lynn of Lynn's Creative Crochet for this refreshing treasury 'Colour me Greenish Blue.' Delighted to see my turquoise jasper pendant in the mix. Your'e a gem Lynn!

 And thanks again to Margarite of Linen Artisan for this wonderfully fresh treasury titled 'Blue Ireland Seaside.'  I appreciate you including my sodalite gemstone earrings with all these gorgeous items from the Crafty Ireland Team.