Signs of the Times: Woolen Mills, Blarney Castle, and Metapolies!

I took this photo in Ireland, 

and wish I could add one more sign pointing to MY store!  

Metapolies™ SALE!  

Come celebrate!

 Get 17% OFF  

with code:  IRISH.   

Good on all items through 3/17/17.

 Come celebrate a bit of Ireland with us!

(From garden at Blarney Castle)

*****

All photos by Sharyl McMillian-Nelson

******

The Colors of "Almost Spring"

1) Nature's Spring Colors:

It's getting to that "almost Spring" time of year!   I have tulips and day lilies pushing up through the ground and the trees in the back yard are beginning to bud!

It's not bright, but still a pretty color combination--
inspiration for jewelry of some type!

* * * * * 

2) The Green Days of March!

And now that it's March, I feel that annual urge to celebrate all things Celtic and green!

You'll find these these new components and more 

in my Metapolies™  store on Etsy!

* * * * * 

3) The new shades of Spring:

And I've just made a new batch of components in lovely new Spring patina colors from Ranger/Vintaj!  Loving the colors!   I'm also testing this new matte finish sealant to see how it measures up to what I currently use.  

(Has anyone else tried it?)   

I'll keep you posted on my findings!   

* * * * * 

What are YOU up to this Spring?!   Please share your news!  

~Sharyl

* * * * * 

The Gift of Blarney

And now... on to County Cork, home of ...

That's it, one of the most famous landmarks in Ireland, the Blarney Castle!  (Of course it has quite a history!)

I admit, I wasn't so keen to go to this site, thinking I had read all about it and there would be more interesting sites to see.   WHAT WAS I THINKING?!

There were quaint cafes (which I didn't stop in, but enjoyed from outside)...

The best gift shops we saw the entire time in Europe...

Irish musicians,...

Beautiful grounds with creeks and streams...

The most amazing gardens and trails...

(I think I'll have to do a separate post of the flowers at Blarney!   They were so gorgeous, I took too many to include here!)

And finally, yes, the Blarney Castle itself,... which was MUCH more imposing and impressive than I had ever imagined!

(One of us kissed the Blarney Stone, but it wasn't me!)  

Every step taken leads to another scenic view! 

(Maybe I'll show you some of the fabulous nooks and crannies with the garden photos next time!) 

We all agreed.  There couldn't have been a better way to spend the day!    So glad we went!

Go raibh maith agaibh!  (Thank you!)  Sláinte mhaith! (Good health) 

~Sharyl

**************
All photos by Sharyl, c. 2014.  

**************

Sale on all-things-Celtic 

ends Sun, 6/29/14!

Sale prices already marked.  

No coupon code needed!

Click here for Sharyl's Jewelry 

(and components) 

Celtic collection!

Thanks!

************

For the love of Ireland!

Posting a few photos taken in Dublin, Ireland today!  

This is the city we believe my father's family came from, 

so I was especially eager to arrive here.

How eager?

My phone:  4:22am, June 1.
Well, lets just say that before the sun rose,
I awoke to find us pulling into port!
I was so excited,
it was hard to go back to sleep
and wait for the sun to rise!

But once it did, what a lovely day!
Much like France, Scotland, and England,
Ireland has some fabulous bridge architecture!

We toured around the city 

and I soaked in the sites,

until we arrived 

at one of our feature attractions for the day:

Trinity College.

Books in the Old Library at Trinity College, Dublin.
(With 2 librarians in the family, we had to take a photo of this!)

Can you guess what we waited in line there to see? 

 (Hint:  I wasn't allowed to take a photo of it!)

Yep,...  The Book of Kells! 
(Click link above to see digital images from the Book of Kells!)

Then back in the tour bus and on to more adventures.

Admittedly, this is a poor photo
taken through a moving bus window as we scurried through Dublin.
And, it's of a not-very-interesting looking building.
However, I'm including it for the Joyceans among us.
(Read more here!)

Then, on to Dublin Castle...

This tower was the oldest remaining part remaining of this castle.
(I won't show you the dungeon--dark and smelly!)

In a newer section is the James Connelly Room...

...and another room has a throne where Queen Victoria once sat.

Oh, there is more,...

So much, much more!

It's so challenging to capture the entire view of a room
when all the walls, the ceiling,
and even the carpets are so notable!
So I took my photos in bits and pieces,
capturing what I could as best I could.
This link shows an illustration of the room as a whole,
but though I tried to photograph the 3 ceiling panels,
none turned out well.
You see a bit of the ceiling paintings in the upper right of the photo above.

I will stop with this lovely piece,
a macro shot above a doorway.

Now some of you know I've been celebrating my Celtic roots for years, in the form of music-appreciation, literature, and art.   Celtic designs have inspired me in my jewelry-making and will do so even more in the future, I'm sure!  

There are many designs; this is just one!

So I'm currently running a sale on all things Celtic-inspired in my store.  I've already marked the prices down so no coupon-code is needed.  
Just follow this link to see jewelry and components with a Celtic theme!  

Hope you've enjoyed seeing more about my trip!

Best wishes!

Sharyl


*****
Images:

Celtic Shamrock:
http://www.wpclipart.com/holiday/Saint_Patricks_Day/shamrock/shamrock_2/celtic_shamrock.jpg

All photos by Sharyl, June 2014.
*****

Are you wearing green?

Happy St. Pat's to all who celebrate!  Are you wearing your green?

I'm wearing this pendant with lampwork beads ~ 

from Crazy Lady Glass (small polka-dot bead on left) and 

Mike Flint from Bagomag (center and far right beads) ~

with a matching green Batik ribbon today!

(Pinch me and you'll be sorry!)  ;-)

For me, I'm a little less about St. Patrick's Day in particular and more about celebrating Celtic culture all year around!  But I do find this holiday the perfect time to celebrate my Irish heritage with others by creating Celtic-inspired jewelry,... 

Find these in "Necklaces" section!

There are many items in "Earrings" section in green too!

...and this year, beads too!   

Top Right:  SOLD!

Find these in "Polymer Clay Beads and Buttons" section

Today is the last day of my holiday sale!  Don't miss out!  Use code:  CELTIC20 to get 20% off everything in store!

See "Altered Metal Components" section!

Enjoy yourselves, and have a great day!  ~Sharyl

P.S.  All 3 prize winners from the "Clean-up, Fix-up Blog Hop" have sent me their addresses already!  Thanks for the prompt replies!  

Please Note:  "Crazy Lady Glass" is currently closed.   "Bagomag" is a new store, opening soon!  More details when the opening occurs!

************

"Clean-up, Fix-up" Wrap-up and Giveaway Winners!

See Sharyl juggle...

Go, Sharyl, go!  

You see what happens when I juggle?  And the next thing you know, balls are all over the ground!   ...Thank goodness I was more timely in getting the blog hop page posted 2 weeks ago than I have been about blogging since then!

I want to SINCERELY THANK all who participated in the "Clean-up, Fix-up Your Workspace Challenge and Blog Hop!"   I'm glad that the idea resonated with you and you took the time and effort to join in!    Thanks to those who cheered us on with comments too!   Every bit helped!  You saw those tidy, creative work spaces re-emerge, and hopefully all found some new, inspiring ideas!  

GIVE-AWAY ANNOUNCEMENT:

  

I promised give-aways of some of the goodies unearthed during my clean-up!   While tidying my tables, I unearthed single beads, packets of beads, components I had made, and more!   I've divided those into 3 groups and added ribbons and something made by a bead artist to make sure you each had something special in your packet.  

Everyone who posted for the blog hop was eligible for the random drawing.   The following 3 people have won a package:

Heidi Kingman

Helen Simon

Natalie Pappas

Please get back in touch with me by Friday to claim your prize.  You can just leave me a message here with your mailing address and I'll ship you your winnings.  I WON'T post your address on the blog!   I'll draw again if the prizes are not claimed.  

Below are photos of prizes, but I'm not telling which one goes to which person, so there's still an  element of surprise!  ;-)

I hope the winners will have fun with their bits of this and that!

BONUS: 

Items will be packed in a small plastic storage container, so the beads don't scatter all over clean work spaces!  ;-)

Thank you again!   Best wishes to all!

~Sharyl

**********

Sharyl's Jewelry

20% off everything in store through March 17th!

Use code:   CELTIC20

A few of these are Easter-themed and I'm in the process of listing.
Coming Soon!

*******

Happy Samhain & a Sale!

Happy Halloween, Happy Day of the Dead, Happy All Hallows Eve, and Happy Samhain to all!   

Giant pumpkin on my front doorstep! 

Photo by Sharyl.

For those wondering about Samhain, it's a Celtic harvest festival celebrated during these days we tend to call Halloween, and since I have a good Irish name, I'm going with that one as the code for my sale for the next few days!   

Visit my

Sharyl's Jewelry Artfire online store

through Sat. Nov. 2 

to get 20% off 

all jewelry and components!   

Use the code:  SAMHAIN at checkout

 and get the reduced price!    

* * * * * *

For more Halloween fun today, please visit Tanya Goodwin's blog,  A Work in Progress, to see her delightful Halloween/Day of the Dead jewelry, a few pieces made with my metal components.  Each and every piece she makes is so very creative!

Hand beaded earrings by Tanya Goodwin.

Photo by Tanya Goodwin.

Thanks, and a happy, safe holiday to you and your families!  ~Sharyl

A new, yet very old, edition to my work room!

Details in a future post!

Photo by Sharyl.

* * * * * *