Boo!

Historical home in Carson City, Nevada

Happy Halloween! 

I hope you are finding fun things to do and delighting in the spookiness of the season :)

I've been enjoying some scary activities around Reno the last couple weeks that I wanted to share. One of my most memorable experiences was going on the Carson City Ghost Walk.

A combination of historical tour, theatrical re-enactments, and a peek inside old Victorian homes, the Carson City Ghost Walk was a great way to connect with the stories of the Wild West and how Nevada became a state on October 31, 1864.

Guardian of the Bates Motel, Carson City, Nevada

I also got a chance to check out the theatrical version of Dracula playing at an innovative downtown theater in Reno called Good Luck Macbeth. An intimate and ghoulish experience with lots of people dying at your feet, screaming vampires, and a live piano player setting the mood with eerie music.

I've posted a picture of one of the historic homes we passed by on the Carson City Ghost Tour that housed a former governor back in the 19th century. The current owners created this amazing rendition of a mini Bates motel complete with a cat guarding the gate. Isn't she wonderfully spooky?

What scary things have you been up to this Halloween?

New Charms

Bear, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver bear charm

I just added some new sterling silver charm designs in Hint Jewelry's shop for Fall. A couple charms are old favorites and two are new. This little bear pictured above was hard to photograph, but he is incredibly cute and could be polar, black, brown, or grizzly. You decide!

Sun Kissed, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver sun charm

I figured since I will be enjoying more sunshine in my life while living in Reno, Nevada, I ought to celebrate by getting my sun kissed charm cast in sterling silver.

Yoga (Sun & Moon), Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver sun and crescent moon charm

Over the past year, I've dedicated a lot of time to my Bikram yoga practice and have been delighting in unexpected results.  In particular, I have noticed a balancing of feminine and masculine energies in me: passive and active, introverted and extroverted, and relaxing and strengthening. It's quite amazing how this feels in my body because this harmonizing of opposites seeps in almost unconsciously through the process of doing yoga. The word yoga means union and the symbol is a sun (masculine) and moon (feminine). This sterling silver sun and crescent moon charm are my new favorite.

Valiant Milagro, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver cross charm

Lastly, I've been longing for this tiny cross back in my shop. It holds so my memories for me in one simple symbol. It's perfect for every day wear as a profession of faith in the divine or in remembrance of someone lost.

Kyler Martz

Kyler Martz

I stopped by Blossoming Lotus in Portland, Oregon for a yummy raw food dessert just before I left town and caught a show of Seattle artist Kyler Martz' drawings.

 

Kyler Martz

Kyler Martz' drawings are the type of artwork that you might glance at and then do a double take and say, "wait a second...what did I just see?" Some make you laugh or scratch your head, but mostly they ask you to go deeper and think a little longer, and that's definitely the kind of artwork that keeps me excited about the craft.

 

Kyler Martz

This drawing is my favorite one. Not only because I've been feeling deeply connected to spiders over the last couple months, but also because there is something special about crossing this particular insect with motifs that are Native American. I get the message of the piece, but for the life of me I can't put it into words. That puzzle in itself is quite appealing to me! Thanks Kyler for stretching my heart and mind.

To see more of Kyler Martz' artwork check out his Flickr site and to purchase a piece contact him at kylernmartz@gmail.com

New Canvas New Beginnings

With any new start in life it's a good idea to begin with a blank canvas... preferably the blank canvas of your mind :)

To start anew, I have relocated to sunny Reno, Nevada to be near the Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe -- places that are extremely dear to my heart. It may take some time for me to settle into my new digs, but my shop is back up and running, and I'm preparing for a beautiful holiday season with charm designs to unveil in the coming months.

If you are starting from scratch in some small way, may you feel the infinite love of your blank canvas and follow it wherever it leads you.