Field Notebook Necklace

Today I worked on two new ideas I've had for a bit now. They are both related to the natural sciences. I wanted to recreate a Botanist's notebook with a specimen sample within one of the glass vials. So, I did some miniature sketches, collected soem lichen, and came up with this:

Field Notebook Necklace $35

The other idea I had is a continuation of my fascination with the galaxy. I've made a galaxy orb as well as a Magellanic Cloud necklace in the past. So, I chose to represent a nebula this time. I also made some new terrarium earrings. 

Nebula Stardust Necklace $35

Terrarium Earrings $40

Shop Makeover

My shop has been in need of a makeover for a while now and I've finally finished! While photographing my new bone necklaces I was inspired to re-photograph all the items in the shop using a new background from a page of my favorite notebook. The Rite in the Rain notebooks are field guides with waterproof pages. I'll be adding four new necklaces tomorrow!

The Conservatory

One of my all time favorite places in Seattle is The Conservatory. It's amazing how many different plants are able to thrive inside the gigantic greenhouse. There is a huge collection of plants from all over the world. Each room has a unique theme representing a different part of the globe: Palm House, Cactus House, Fern House, Bromeliad House. I particularly enjoyed their large collection of Tillandsia (part of the bromeliad family) and all of the succulents and cacti. 

The Volunteer Park Conservatory is modeled after London's Crystal Palace and was built in 1912! It was designed by architects John Olmsted and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. It such a pretty place to visit anytime of the year. It can really cheer you up in the winter or fall on a gloomy Seattle day. On my last visit, the sun was out and it was beautiful! I even picked up some unique plants in the gift shop.

Natural Sciences: Botany

What I've been reading lately:

Image Source

If you haven't read or browsed through the pages of one of Amy Stewart's books, I highly recommend that you get your hands on one of them. They are all very detailed and extremely fascinating. Her latest book, The Drunken Botanist is a particular favorite of mine. It discusses plants in relation to alcohol with history, drink recipes, illustrations, and more!

My carnivorous plant terrarium

I've also taken a keen interest in carnivorous plants over the past few months. They are known for being very difficult to maintain by gardeners and often aren't found in plant shops because of it. So far, with much attention, I've been able to properly care for my Venus Flytrap (Dionaea Muscipula) and Pitcher plant (Sarracenia).  I recently visited an oddities shop in Pioneer Square called The Belfrey. They have tons of beautiful carnivorous plant terrariums in addition to many other interesting antiques. If you are ever in the Seattle area, it's definitely worth checking out. Here are some picture I snapped of their plant collection. 

1. Drosera capensis 2. Sarracenia rubra hybrid 3. Sarracenia rubra hybrid 4. Drosera adelae

While attempting to identify the carnivorous plant species above, I came across this awesome chart. I can't find a source for it but it's been making its way around Tumblr for quite some time. If anyone knows where it comes from, please let me know. 

Bone Necklaces

I am very excited to announce the release of some new vial necklaces I've been working on! They are desert and science themed and contain animal bones as well as stones, pebbles, mosses and lichens. Lately, I've been fascinated with the natural sciences, in particular, botany and the decay process of plants and animals. I also love the idea of being able to wear items one would normally find in a natural history museum. Here, I've attempted to mimic specimen showcases boxes in a vial form.

Mammal Incisor Necklace $35

Large Mammal Incisor Necklace $40

Snake Ribs Micro Necklace $35 

New Necklaces Out!

I'm bringing back some older, popular styles as well as a few new ones. Some of the newer elements include blue and turquoise glass, Oregon sunstone, and antique watchmakers vials. 

1. Clear Blue Stone

2. Antique Vial

3. Miniature

4. Large Oregon Sunstones

New Plants and Terrariums

This week I was lucky enough to acquire some new plants! One of them, the Venus Flytrap, is known for being extremely difficult to keep alive. I've been doing lots of research so I'm anxious to see it grow. I will probably have to invest in a light for it since we don't get much sun in the Northwest during the winter months. I also picked up some tiny animals bones which will be showing up in desert style terrarium necklaces soon! Today I've been working hard on completing some new necklaces as well as photographing them for Etsy. It's been fun though because I've had a little gnome to keep me company :)