Inspired by Tracy Arm Fjord

Of all the things we saw and did on our cruise along Alaska's Inside Passage this month - to celebrate my parents' 40th anniversay - I think cruising up the Tracy Arm Fjord topped my list. Yes, I did yank the boys out of bed at 5:30am; yes, we were the only people on deck for several hours while it was drizzling; and yes, it was a loop that we could have seen everything on the way back down. But, you know me...I'm all about the adventure - and being an early bird!

From the vibrant Caribbean blue of the bergy bits to the steely blue-grey waters and the glassy emerald hues around Sawyer Island, the colors along Tracy Arm Fjord were truly amazing and inspiring. And, as usual, that translates to jewelry for me. I created this 'Tracy Arm Fjord' set for myself. I don't buy trinkets on trips, but I do make pieces that I wear to remember great vacations.

This piece is handwired with faceted London blue topaz rondelles, rough neon blue apatite nuggets, a smooth aqua chalcedony nugget, and some rescued sterling silver chain and clasp.

I do have more beads like this, so if you're interested in something similar, let me know. constantmotioncamilla [at] gmail [dot] com.

The Color of Bergy Bits

When we listened to the naturalist on our ship talk about glaciers and icebergs, I think I laughed when he started talking about "growlers" and "bergy bits." Turns out those are technical terms that he did not make up. Whoops.










Growlers are very small chunks of floating ice that rise about 3 feet out of the water.When trapped air escapes as the iceberb melts, it sometimes makes a sound like the growl of an animal.

Bergy bits are small icebergs, rising 3-13 feet out of the water. These may be small icebergs in the latter stages of melting, iceberg fragments, or pieces of floebergs or hummocked ice.

A cruise up the Tracy Arm Fjord, past the growlers and bergy bit, around Sawyer Island all the way to Sawyer Glacier, inspired these beauties - for myself and for my EcoChic Designs Earrings-of-the-Month club members. They'll be in the mail at the end of this week.

Faceted London blue topaz, rough neon blue apatite, milky aquamarine, faceted aquamarine, and crazy blue lace agate all make up the hues of blue that I saw on that trip. I hope the gals enjoy these as much as I enjoyed making them!

Alaskan Forget-Me-Not Necklaces

It used to be a struggle to find souvenirs during our adventures for the boys' friends. Riley and Dylan always wanted to bring home books. Books are great - don't get me wrong - but cumbersome and arduous when your bags are already packed to max capacity.

So, we've resolved that (1) their friends will get postcards while we're away. (2) We will pick up a couple of books - for close friends who are boys - and beads - for close friends who are girls. And, then, (3) I will create something with the beads when we get home. All agreed.

So, while we were in Alaska this month, they bought a couple of books and found these forget-me-not beads in one of the ports. The Forget-Me-Not is Alaska's state flower. I just finished the necklaces last night...

Left: forget-me-not clay bead handwired with glass beads hangs from a trio of green cords
Center: forget-me-not clay bead handwired with an amazonite round hangs from a trio of blue cords
Right: forget-me-not clay bead handwired with a recycled yellow glass bead hangs from a trio of yellow cords

Glaciers, Berries, and Gorgeous Seascapes

I found inspiration for next month's earrings-of-the-month collection during our family vacation to Alaska's Inside Passage. I'm having a blast creating a dozen one-of-a-kind pieces for my earrings-of-the-month club members. Ladies, look for these in your mailboxes in about a week and a half.