Thursday, January 27

Turqouise: The Real Deal

If you BUY Turquoise Read this Please
A little about turquoise: 

There is many forms and shades of turquoise out there today.  Some very beautiful solid pieces are coming from other countries.  But limited solid pieces are being mined in the USA - and a large portion of what is available is stabilized.
Stabilizing turquoise uses heat and polymers, small bits or dust from cutting or mining.
This picture is some my Turquoise stock, shows a collection of Genuine Turquoise from the Southwest except for the square bright blue, which is from China, BUT not Stabilized, dyed or altered by heat or chemicals in anyway. Colors run from a pale blue to forest green. Graining, streaks, or marbling are a way of identifying and grading the quality of turquoise.

The large white looking piece is the palest blue i have ever seen.
Here is a Fantastic link to Turquoise - with details of identifying, processing, and more.  Fabulous pictures.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turquoise
Does this look Familiar?  It should.  It's often called White Turquoise or Buffalo Stone.  But in truth it is Howlite, or, even inappropriately Magnesite.  It is the stone used to fake turquoise...

Today you will find dyed Howlite or also called Magnesite in a rainbow of colors, being marketed as turquoise.

These 2 links are from a supplier, that I adore, that show examples of what i am talking about.  These folks Always mark their products as what they are.  But, they are the exception.

Turquoise color
http://www.silverenchantments.com/Beads/Turquoise/BD3634_magnesite-beads.html


Pumpkin Orange Color
http://www.silverenchantments.com/Beads/Turquoise/BD1551_6mm-orange-magnesite-beads_round.html


I really love some of the fantastic colors out there today.  They offer a designer so many options, stimulate creativity.

Unfortunately the average buyer does not know the difference between Genuine Turquoise and Enhanced or Stabilized Turquoise.  The problem comes to light in pricing a piece.  1 artist's prices are drastically lower than another's for a very similar piece at 1st glance. 

The replicas, synthetics, enhanced stock are so wonderfully made, with attention to marbling as well as surface, weight that it is very easy to be fooled.

Sadly some artists, not just consumers, are fooled.  Home Craft Artists or a percentage Cottage Industry artists, thinking that they "got a Great Deal!" and will be able to be highly competitive on the Retail Market unwittingly buy the "enhanced" product, price it accordingly, market it as Real Turquoise, and invariably only the color is Turquoise

I can see my ancestor's faces now as they are unearthing a gorgeous streak of turquoise that suddenly turns Pumpkin Orange?

Howlite and/or Magnesite is the greatest Turquoise hoax today!  It is the predominate stone used to create fake or rather enhanced turquoise.  The texture, weight is so like natural turquoise from many regions.  With dyes, heat and other techniques any color Turquoise. 

This is from Wikipedia, clearly depicting and substantiating all of the above:

Howlite is commonly used to make decorative objects such as small carvings or jewelry components. Because of its porous texture, howlite can be easily dyed to imitate other minerals, especially turquoise because of the superficial similarity of the veining patterns. The dyed howlite (or magnesite) is marketed as turquenite.[8] Howlite is also sold in its natural state, sometimes under the misleading trade names of "white turquoise" or "white buffalo turquoise," or the derived name "white buffalo stone."



I hope this post will help both consumers and artists when working in the Turquoise Industry.  There is nothing wrong with using dyed stones - but there is a lot wrong with selling it as something it isn't and costing authentic artists sale

In the Southwest many native people's lively hoods stem from their work with Turquoise.  As the saying goes.... Buyer be Ware!  Seller be Fair!

When you see a $20 necklace next to a $200 necklace - Look Again.... Know what you are buying.
Walk In Beauty!
Howlite is Beautiful naturally.  I use it frequently in my pieces.  I use natural white Howlite.

Wednesday, January 19

Hens

Every little anecdote, saying, cliche about Hen House with regards to women is true.
sad but true.

i having living proof - 4 living proofs - today that it is all true
the alpha is too mean to cook and still laying so we shall build another run

it worse than a girls locker toom....

Tuesday, January 18

a note from the universe

 Persistence, is not about knocking on one door... until the dang thing finally opens.

It's about knocking on all of them.

Monday, January 17

The Little Brown Bag...

This is a Redwolf Original Design
Cute Bag - Its Quilted, Embroidered, and Hand Beaded. Comfortable to use.  the perfect shoulder bag to carry those few "absolutes" when shopping, at events even out dancing the night away - and your bag is with you. Never on the floor. Easy to conceal. Practical with Style -

 This is the 1st in a series of Designs I created to use to teach crafting.

There are 5 pieces, 2 shapes that are the base design.  Depending on how you put them together - your layout, and your technique - these 2 shapes can create any item in your home - from a shoulder bag to quilt - as ornate or refined as you wish.

The angles and heirloom stitches are what make this piece special.

Scheduled for Release in a month is my book with ideas and instructions, templates, techniques from Beginner to Advanced Crafters.  I will show you how to use today's mind bogglingly array of products to make gorgeuos items without a sewing machine - on a tight budget - or in a small space where a Studio is not practical
This bag is currently available here:
Created with my Pfaff Creative Vision

Sunday, January 16

Learning to Blog

Eventually i will learn how to post to the proper pages.... I hope!

The Coyote Post does not belong on the front page here.

Today I began a "Free Give Away".  I will be sending a Gift Box with a Food Item and other delightful surprises to all folks who Sign On to follow me and my efforts with Redwolf's Originals.

Instructions and links can be found here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Redwolfs-Den/184660864878601?v=app_2344061033#!/event.php?eid=174398219268879&index=1

or

www.facebook.com/pages/Redwolfs-Den and read the wall or click on events for New Followers Event!

Thank You!

Coyotes!!

originally published April 7, 2010

Being Coyote Clan you would think I would be ecstatic about the 70 odd Coyotes living here.  I am not. 

As man must have it the balance in the eco-system is out of line and the Coyotes are running in huge populations unchecked.  Most people do not like them. Most ranchers shoot them. There is not enough money or manpower to relocate them. Not that we should – after all – this IS their home.  This IS their original and natural habitat.  It is us and our animals that are threatened because we eliminated their natural predators and the race to adapt is on.

 We have identified 3 individual packs north, east, and  south of our property boundaries.  But, their paths do run through our land.  Most have taken to skirting us, along our fence line mainly because of the dogs.  You can believe our dogs give chase at astonishing speeds.  The 4 strand barbed wire slows the dogs down just enough to give the Coyotes extra advantage of time that they certainly don’t need.  Most of the Coyotes know that it will slow them too – giving our dogs the advantage so they chose to skirt the fence line.

Except for that one…. that one that just has to be a taunter, a pest.  The one who strolls by slower never looking this way directly, stops to sniff at nothingness, causally glances about taking note of the dogs and their positions – if they do not respond he will in fact jump clearly, smoothly between two wires without touching either and stroll towards the back gate, a 14′ pole gate.  Dogs give chase for sure then.

One of the Coyote games we have come to know so well is the Bait Game.  A lone Coyote, usually one that is on the smaller slender side, will sit either inside or right immediately off our fence and woefully call to our dogs.  The objective is to get the dogs over to her/him where the pack is laying in wait.  It’s an effective game.  The Coyotes have it honed well, and “steal away” with our pets for pure fun, or dominance or food.  To eat them.   If you can catch site of the entire pack you may see dogs running with them. 

For the most part now though, the dogs splinter off and form their own wild dog packs.  Late last fall we had a visit from such a pack.  There were bolder and definitely more aggressive than the Coyotes.  The pack was very close, about 100 ft off the house.  The problem lay in that they were between my husband and our kennel where 3 of 4 of our girls were going crazy to give chase.  The 4th was loose and she is feeble, older unable to protect herself from a pack.  One. she would try to hold her own abut more would not be in her favor at all. 

We probably would have ignored the wild dog pack if they had not charged at my husband.  When he yelled at them in his deep booming voice all but one turned to leave the other sat down.  He called for me to bring his rifle and again at the dog – the dog charged fully with intent even after the warning shots that flew past his head.  He was promptly and effectively dispatched.  He will not threaten the life of another man or dog or child for that matter.  Even knowing that does not comfort my husband who cherishes every life form on this desert.  To this day he still feels sad and as if he may be part of the problem not the solution. 

You have the Divine Right to Protect yourself and your family.  In this environment you must be prepared to take a life if yours is at stake or that of your family or livestock.   It is the hierarchy or the way of the food chain here in the Southeastern Desert Country.

Tonight the Coyotes Songs are in the air as they have been all week following the moon.  The dogs sleep in the house lighter than normal.  They are always on duty.  Now I carry a hand gun for personal protection whenever outside.
 
And, recently my husband bought be amazing Snake proof boots.  After I killed the only Western Diamond Back Rattlesnake i have seen here,
 
It was at 2 in the monring and the dogs had it pinned beneath my truck, nosed close to the back door.  
 
I did try to scare it off with the garden hose no to avail.  On reflection the icy water may have hindered his ability to flee.  when it moved under the jeep i ran over him a few times - our drive is of stone so that too was in vain.  When he moved another 5 feet under my husbands very large truck i ran over him 12 times with the 3/4 ton truck.  No Luck.  
 
At last I used a hoe.  Striking hard enough to raise sparks before i severed his head. 
 
We really don't have snakes here.  It was strange.
 
I did not want to kill it.  But, my husband is disabled.  He has endured 17 surgeries, 8 admissions,  numerous partial amputations and finally a complete amputation of his left leg.  he is restricted to a wheel-chair and/or a walker and is unable to protect himself from a surprise snake attack.  Nor, would he survive a bite.
 
It is the way of the land here. 

Auto & 4-WD Trails in the Desert Southwest


Cool Site – We have been almost everywhere on this site too…. amazing!  The Southwest Desert is an amazing place.  There is so much life and history.  This link will teach you things to know when in the desert and show you places you could never imagine.

Their store is a great shopping place too

Being Successful - On-Line

i had a wordpress blog page for the barn a bout 10 years ago - no one ever read it. and a few in between - then this Very Exciting thing with the Store is happening and i knew i did not know enough to create online what i saw in my head - as usual i researched it - and fried my brain - but i can go sleep now because i have an awesome web presence on which i can share all my secrets, recipes, photos, travels and refer you to thinks you may never have thought of - and it directs you with a click you can purchase some great things without leaving and signing in ETC ETC - and for the 1st time ever as i get them posted you will have access to the thousands of photos i taken - i am excited about it too -
ok i will be running a new contest that you will love to get referrals - please wait to share the sites til then so you get a gift -
hugs and love
walk in beauty everyone

k redwolf

Thank YOU!  to all that have sent me Great materials and added encouragement answered my questions - Thank you!