Inspiritu Jewelry

Create beautiful jewelry for better wellbeing Discover the power of creating unique pieces of adornment with the intention to heal. Inside Inspiritu you will turn pages borrowed from a dusty "prescriptions book" revealing restorative secrets of a legendary curandera—a woman healer—and will become inspired to create your own unique jewelry pieces to share with others. From creating your own clasps and jump rings to incorporating keepsakes with new elements there is much to discover here. You'll also: • Master a variety of metalworking jewelry techniques such as forging, stamping, sawing, wirework and more. • Learn the qualities instilled in specific colors and gemstones to truly target the needs of those you create jewelry for. • See how easy it is to turn new objects into ones that appear aged and where to go to find vintage treasures to use in your works. • Combine vintage elements with new materials to create striking pieces with both form and function. • Pamper yourself or others using the plentiful suggestions for restorative teas and other healing treatments. Whether you enjoy making earrings, bracelets or necklaces, start creating beautiful jewelry for the betterment of your mind, body and soul.

As our world has become increasingly dependent on technology, and our Western societies have become woefully “Crackberried”— to use the title of a recent documentary on the emotional and social pitfalls of our too-wired ways—an intriguing phenomenon is occurring: There is an increasing amount of interest in returning to some of the simpler arts that were neglected or left behind with the onslaught of technology. Artisans and everyday crafters are finding a renewed satisfaction in making something with their own hands; some are even communicating about the inherent physical- and mental-health benefits found in handwork—and, even more than that, they are framing their handwork as meditation or spiritual practice. In today’s sophisticated and pluralistic society, people are more aware than ever that spiritual practice can be defined more expansively—and the popularity of books focusing on alternative spiritual practices demonstrate that readers are hungry for new (or ancient) ways of enhancing their inner lives. In Crafting Calm the author will explore these new forms of creative spiritual practice and the benefits they provide. The format of With Shannon's book will itself be creative, a rich “potpourri approach” that weaves together interviews, historical facts, projects for readers to do themselves, quotations, and suggested resources. Crafting Calm will serve as an inspirational resource guide to a broad assortment of spiritual practices gathered from the global arts-and-crafts communities, as well as from people who don’t consider themselves artists but who have adopted creatively expressive forms of spiritual practice. While there have been a few books published focusing on a particular form of creative spiritual practice (Skylight Paths, for example, has published books on beading as a spiritual practice; painting as a spiritual practice; and using clay as a spiritual practice), no one has yet explored the breadth of possibilities for creative spiritual practices contained in Crafting Calm.

We live in a fast-paced world where we are pestered from all sides with siren calls to constantly strive for something more, something better, something new, rather than find ways to stay grateful for the abundance and blessings already present in our own lives. In Crafting Gratitude, Rev. Maggie Oman Shannon believes that crafting for us and those we love can be used as a meditative practice to appreciate the incredible, overflowing richness of life. Each meditative craft, from novice to expert, is infused with stories like how Gratitude Bundles can represent prosperity and physical health, Spirit Houses from Southeast Asia can be a symbol of a happy home, a Values Bracelet can help you reinforce your best professional traits, or Flower Mandalas can be an affirmation of nature. With other crafts involving aromatherapy, journaling, dream catchers, and a variety of household items, anyone can invigorate their own lives with Crafting Gratitude for family, health, prosperity, the Divine, and much more. Accompanied by a carefully curated list of recommended reading, helpful websites, and how-to guides, these forty practices will resonate with and prompt you to begin, or continue, exploring gratitude.

You'll be as proud as a peacock to make these enchanting projects! Freedom, grace, happiness, simplicity--all are traits associated with the humble bird, a subject favored by artists and crafters everywhere. Crafty Birds celebrates those fine feathered friends with a captivating collection of mixed-media projects. From jewelry to collage to soldering and more--and from all your favorite North Light authors, including Kelly Rae Roberts, Josie Cirincione and Stephanie Lee--you'll enjoy feathering your nest with: • Jewelry projects, including necklaces, earrings and bracelets. • Collage projects, including paper, fabric and digital media. • Mixed-media projects, including assemblage, soldering and art journaling. And you'll learn expert techniques for working with resin, wire, plaster, encaustic, Adobe Photoshop, and more! So spread your wings and get started--Crafty Birds will leave you soaring!

Have you wondered, "How do I integrate my heartfelt beliefs into my daily life?" Nearly 40 contributors address this creative dilemma and share their discoveries. Creating a home altar, practicing martial arts, fasting, quilting -- these are just some of the ways they've found to make every day more meaningful and satisfying.

Wearing jewelry is essential to helping women developed their own style. For women wishing to create a look that's unique, the last thing they'll want to invest money in is mass produced pieces of jewelry. It's for this reason alone, learning the skills needed for making silver jewelry could prove extremely beneficial. When it comes to making such pieces you need to know where to purchase the right kinds of supplies. In this book not only do we discuss what's needed to start your own silver jewelry making venture but also provide several projects you may want to try out. We also recommend you attend a silver jewelry-making course if you can as well. If you're having problems finding courses we highly recommend you look online for what you need. You may even find an online course that enables you to learn in the comfort of your own home. As a beginner, the kind of course you should be looking for is one, which covers the basics. The kinds of skills this course should be teaching you relate to soldering cutting, shaping and texturing the silver plus polishing it. Also look for courses that teach you skills such as making jump rings, hooks and clasps for earrings. Finally what you should be looking for in a course is one that'll allow you to make a number of different pieces of jewelry from silver. The actual process of turning a piece of silver into a piece of jewelry is not only very technical, but also allows your artistic side to flourish. Once you've finished making silver jewelry either for yourself or for someone else, can prove extremely satisfying, especially as you watch the piece develop and grow.

This magnificent book showcases more than 250 of the finest examples of traditional jewelry from the Pacific. Myriad designs and materials, including jade, whale teeth and bone, shark teeth, tapa, shells, and plant fibers, are woven together in a skillful combination of color and craftsmanship. Apart from their beauty, these personal items also convey information about power, status, and community. Their significance, the ceremonies in which they are worn, and the messages they convey are explored in an illuminating introductory essay. Drawing on the extensive collections of the Auckland Museum, the jewelry shown here represents a vast geographical area: Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Hawaii, Niue, the Marquesas, the Cook Islands, and New Zealand. The amazing variety of styles and materials reflects the lifestyles, preoccupations, and imperatives of a people surrounded by the largest ocean on the planet.