Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. FEATURED NECKLACE SEPT. 16-22

In Honor of Ganesha's birthday and the huge 10 day celebration in India (which I wrote about here), called Ganesh Chaturthi, we are featuring at 40% off, our 20k gold Ganesha pendant.

this week: $171
regular: $285 (SOLD OUT)

buy it here

Ganesha. Remover of obstacles

19mm X 19mm, 20k gold pendant, oxidized silver adjustable chain 16"-18"

Ganesha the elephant God is the son of Shiva and he removes those nasty obstacles from our lives and makes sure we succeed in our efforts. He is very revered throughout India!

Wear Ganesha to help you plow on through and keep going. He will guide you as you are challenged with all the twists and turns in your life.

Everyone loves Ganesha!

new jewels on Etsy!!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. It was absolutely beautiful here in Seattle... Happy belated Mother's Day to all you Momma's... Thanks for being so awesome.

Thanks to everyone who came to our Trunk Show on Saturday, great fun was had by all!

After way too long, I finally posted 4 new items in my etsy store, with descriptions... check them out here. I hope you enjoy browsing!

Happy Monday to you...

my first moments in India... journal excerpt 09.24.1999

Many years later, I now realize how completely auspicious my first day in India was 11 year ago.






09.24.1999

MY FIRST DAY IN INDIA.
I made it safely woo hoo!! I inhaled and felt something familiar.. The smells, the sights, wow! I'm on sensory overload. The men wear these drab tan and gray clothes and then a woman will walk by with the most beautiful sari. Really the colors are so fantastic, they glow on their beautiful dark skin.

Arrived at the airport everything went extremely smoothly. I shared a taxi with some other travellers. The 30 minute ride to Colaba was full of sights... My first observations were the poverty, the pollution, dirt, and these beautiful women.

I took a nap at the YWCA (my guesthouse for the first few nights) and went out to get some food. The first thing I ate in India was a masala dosa...I met some other travellers and wandered around with them trying to look for the market with clothing. So, we walked and walked. Finally, we made it to where we wanted to be and all the shops were closed. Oh well. So we walked some more and came across these people splattered with hot pink powder and the streets were covered with it as well. We followed the trail of pink and eventually came upon a celebration for Ganesha (the elephant looking God) There was a huge parade and people were dancing and singing and playing the drums. The procession lead down to the Sea where they put thelarge statues of Ganesh. I HAVE NEVER SEEN SO MANY PEOPLE IN MY LIFE!! Today was the last day of a 10 day festival celebrating Ganesh and it was amazing.

It was a spectacular first day in India. I made it back to my hotel room. Life is good, it's time to sleep.




It turned out to be Ganesh Chaturthi, the Hindu festival for Ganesha, the elephant God of new beginnings, he removes obstacles and is worshiped at the start of many things. For instance, at the beginning of your work day or the beginning of a new business. For me, I did not know any of this at the time. I actually knew almost nothing about India, but somehow I landed in Mumbai on that auspicious day. The day that changed my life forever, my first day in India. The last day of the festival and the most festive of them all, the large statue of Ganesha is paraded through the streets along with dancing and singing. It is then submerged in the sea symbolizing a ritual see-off of the Lord in his journey towards his home in Kailash while taking with him the misfortunes of his devotees.

golden goodies

Phew.. I made it back in one piece. Although for a while I didn't know if I would, I had a bad case of Delhi belly and it wasn't much fun.

I've been home now a few days and have been working almost non-stop trying to get all my new pieces ready to sell and also I've been preparing for a 3 day show I have starting Friday. It is a fundraiser for the YWCA and should be fun.

RAGS
When:
Friday-Saturday, March 12-13: 10 AM - 6 PM
Sunday, March 14: 10 AM - 4 PM

Where:
Mercedes-Benz of Tacoma
4001 E. 20th, Fife, Washington (just off I-5 at Port of Tacoma exit)

I am so excited to show you some of my new pieces. This is work Kumar and I did in Mysore. If you are interested in any of these please email me I only have 15 pieces (5 of each)





Ganesha. Remover of obstacles

Ganesha the elephant God is the son of Shiva and he removes those nasty obstacles from our lives and makes sure we succeed in our efforts. He is very revered throughout India!

Wear Ganesha to help you plow on through and keep going. He will guide you as you are challenged with all the twists and turns in your life.

$285: 100% recycled 20k gold, 19mm circle pendant, with adjustable (16"-18") oxidized silver chain.



Shiva. the auspicious one, the destroyer..

But wait, he is a good destroyer. He shakes things up so we don’t get stuck in one place, suffering. He provides the opportunity for us to shift our perspective and create a new way, a new life, a new thought. Without ‘destroying’ our old way of being we would not be able to make room for the new way of being. Just as we need night to have day and we need winter to have spring. He guides us to enlightenment. He is the king of all yogi’s.

Shiva rocks and you can wear him around your neck to remind yourself change is possible.

$285: 100% recycled 20k gold, 19mm circle pendant, with adjustable (16"-18") oxidized silver chain.



Lakshmi: Goddess of prosperity.

Lakshmi helps us achieve prosperity in our lives, not only material prosperity, also spiritual prosperity. She is our guide to internal and external wealth.

Wearing Lakshmi can help you reach your goals and keep your motivations in balance as you move forward in your life.

$285: 100% recycled 20k gold, 20mm by 11mm rectangle pendant, with adjustable (16"-18") oxidized silver chain.



golden goodies.. more to come soon.. stay tuned.

time warp

I looked down at my phone 15 missed calls. Hmmm….My phone had been on silent for only one hour. I called Kumar back and he said, “ Samia, please come urgently.”

My first thought, of course, is that something happened, but Kumar said, “no no no, not like that, you come, you see, you go.”

I had plans for the evening, but had to remind myself, as I was postponing them (until further notice), that I am here for two things. Yoga and jewelry all other things can wait. So, I hopped in a rickshaw, and rode across town to Kumar’s new shop. He was glowing with excitement.

“Samia, please come. Sit” He had two clients in his shop they were all talking and laughing. I sat for a few minutes and soon they left. Kumar slowly took out a small small package wrapped in newspaper. He opened it and inside were the jewels. Our work! Our beautiful shining pendants, rings and earrings! All of it organically perfect. Handmade, shiny golden ornaments.

He wanted me to see them finished… Urgently, in case we had to make any changes before my departure on Sunday.


I can’t believe today is my last full day in Mysore. I’m off to Jaipur, Rajasthan, tomorrow, for the last week of my journey before returning home. I keep reminding myself to take it all in, breathe in all the millions of smells, observe all the beautiful chaos. And do not resist the flow or get used to it either. I want India’s magic to stay alive while I am in it and while I am home.

new golden pendants:

shiva: the destroyer
lakshmi: Goddess of prosperity
ganesha: the remover of obstacles

prices to come. let me know if you are interested!