August Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Nancy, my Rosary Guild's August Giveaway winner. Nancy won the beautiful chrysocolla and lapis lazuli rosary with the Pardon crucifix and St. Benedict center. She was very happy to win and said her dad would love the rosary. Thank you for participating, Nancy! Please visit our shops again.

Lapis Lazuli Gemstones

Since I used lapis lazuli in this month's giveaway rosary, I thought I'd offer a bit of information about it. First, it is one of my favorite gemstones, as it is for many people. It's an easy stone to love because of its cobalt blue color, but also, good quality lapis has pyrite inclusions, giving it random gold shadings. In ancient times, sapphire was frequently translated as lapis lazuli.

The name lapis lazuli comes from the Persian word lazhward meaning blue, in allusion to its color. In ancient times, lapis lazuli was known as sapphirus, which is today's name for the blue corundum variety sapphire. Lapis lazuli has been highly valued for many thousands of years. The most famous locality for fine quality lapis lazuli is the same ancient deposit high in the mountains of Afghanistan where it was originally mined at least 6,000 years ago. It was used by the ancient Egyptians in many religious ceremonies, and was often used as an inscription stone for various passages from the Book of the Dead. Lapis lazuli was one of the stones in Aaron's Breastplate, described in the Bible (Exodus). Up until the 19th century, lapis lazuli was ground up and mixed with oil to produce the deep blue-green pigment known as ultramarine which meant literally beyond the sea, as the lapis lazuli was brought from far away by ship.

Rosary Guild Blog August Giveaway

I'm lucky the Guild scheduled me for this month's giveaway donation. I've donated a chrysocolla and lapis lazuli five decade rosary with a pardon crucifix and St. Benedict center. Please participate at the attached link. It's very easy. All you have to do per entry (and you can enter as many times as you like) is first visit my shop (http://www.15promises.etsy.com/), pick a favorite item, and return to the Guild's blog and post a comment. I encourage you to visit all the shops at the posted links and pick favorite items, too. Each comment is an entry. Random.org is the number generator that chooses the winner. The contest ends at midnight, 8/15. It is open to U.S. residents only and Guild members may not participate. There are numerous ways to enter. Full details are here: http://www.etsyrosaryguildteam.blogspot.com/ location.

Rosary Guild Blog July Giveaway

The Rosary Guild has begun its July giveaway. It's a beautiful five decade rosary from Julie Harrison in honor of Independence Day. How to Enter: Visit Julie’s shop(www.etsy.com/shop/julieharrison), pick your favorite item and leave a comment on the blog about it. That's it! (Scroll to bottom of post and click on Comments to make an entry) Here is the link: http://etsyrosaryguildteam.blogspot.com.


Everyone, please take a minute to check it out. (You must be a member of the Etsy handmade website at http://www.etsy.com/ to participate. Joining is free and grants access to hundreds of handmade artists and supplies.)

Good Work on the Oil Spill

I just wanted to quickly say how proud I am of my two sons. My oldest son has a 17' boat and is engaged by BP to work offshore of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. My youngest son is the deck hand. They are patroling with other boats watching for oil approaching the Coast and I think, sometimes in the bay and rivers. I ask for your prayers for them and this noble work, that they may stay safe, and will hopefully, NEVER see any oil. God bless our loved ones and friends and those whose lives are being deeply affected and will be for years to come. St. Joseph and St. Mark, please pray for Joe and Mark's endeavors that they may bring glory to our Father and accomplish great things in His name.

Rosary Guild Blog June Giveaway

Please visit my Rosary Guild's June Giveaway and enter to win a beautiful rosary bracelet by one of our talented team members!

http://www.etsyrosaryguildteam.blogspot.com/

Great Quote by C S Lewis

"If the solar system was brought about by an accidental collision, then the appearance of organic life on this planet was also an accident, and the whole evolution of Man was an accident too. If so, then all our present thoughts are mere accidents--the accidental by-product of the movement of atoms. And this holds for the thoughts of the materialists and astronomers as well as for anyone else's. But if their thoughts--i.e. of materialism and astronomy--are merely accidental by-products, why should we believe them to be true? I see no reason for believing that one accident should be able to give me a correct account of all the other accidents. It's like expecting that the accidental shape taken by the splash when you upset a milkjug should give you a correct account of how the jug was made and why it was upset."


... C.S. Lewis