Month: May 2025

Gemstone Bracelets Update

Over the last year and a half, I have spent a lot of time and money to learn about, design and make gemstone bead bracelets. This hobby was perfect to satisfy my need to learn something new and provided the motivation to work toward a goal of selling the bracelets at a mid-summer arts festival. This festival was held in mid-July at Way’s Fruit Farm outside of State College. Last year I was able to make and sell $60 bracelets for $10 each. I also came home with a healthy respect for all the vendors who attend multiple festivals and fairs during the year. Sitting, standing and interacting with hundreds of people during three hot days last July was quite a challenge for me! I’m already thinking about which shirt and hat I can wear this year to protect me from the sun!

This year so far, I have about 130 bracelets in three sizes ready for sale. Each bracelet has a tag that identifies the stones in the bracelet and a brief phrase that describes the stone and how it could be used.

Additions for This Year

This year I’ve been learning more about how the various gemstones are used to help folks with specific health issues. I am aware that wearing a bracelet is not a medical device! I’m certainly not promising that certain stones can help ease medical symptoms. I see them as serving a purpose like the native American dream catchers. If they ease a person’s mind by wearing, holding or having a stone nearby, why not! And most of the stones/beads I use are pretty too!

I decided to add a statement to the back of my business cards that will be available with each purchase:

So, my next focus for research was how the stones I use have been used in history for various ailments. I did a search on “Best crystals for…” and typed in the ailment. Many different stones are recommended and described why they could help…of course if you believe they will help ease your worry about something, they might help! I now have a new way to design bracelets.

I’m now putting together bracelets that have a specific intention, not necessarily by color. That makes some interesting combinations! I have bracelets that could ease arthritis symptoms, ease inflammatory combinations and support better food choices which might help with weight loss. I’m hoping to offer a few of them at the Festival this summer just to see if folks might be interested.

I do not plan to sell these bracelets through this website…ever. You can come to the festival (Art in the Orchard July 11-13, 2025 at Way’s Fruit Farm near Stormstown, PA). If you have questions about the bracelets, please email me directly instead of leaving a comment on my blog…I now get over 100 spam comments a day from automatic servers. It takes me time to make sure I don’t miss a real comment. Use email…it’s quicker! maryjkisner@gmail.com

If you’d like to read about how I started this hobby last year, please see:

https://marykisner.com/gemstone-bracelets-good-vibrations-for-the-whole-family/

If you’d like to read about how the festival went last year, please see:

https://marykisner.com/coming-soon-art-in-the-orchard-festival/ and

https://marykisner.com/follow-up-of-the-art-in-the-orchard-festival/

Enjoy!

Garden Update May 1, 2025

It seems awfully early in the spring to be talking about planting the garden. We’ve had hard frosts and even snow in May so we’re careful to protect the tender plants for a few more weeks. However, the grass is very green and Bert has had to cut it twice already! After the forsythia blooms, the next color I notice is the blooms on the Redbud trees. They are such a pretty pink but they don’t last long…just trying to get a decent picture is hard. But they do make me smile!

Here’s a close up of the flowers:

The Japanese Dogwood trees in the front yard are budding out. I’m looking forward to when this whole row of trees is in bloom!

Of course, the huge batch of onions in planters by the patio are doing well. They look crowded, but we’ll eat them as we thin them.

We saw our first hummingbird so we quickly bought our favorite begonia plants. The red flowers match the feeders and help attract the birds.

Kathy and Ben came to visit last weekend and brought us a bunch of asparagus roots from their property. The roots had spears that looked ready to eat…but we’ll leave them alone this year and give the roots time to get established. Since they are pretty vigorous roots, we may be able to get a meal or two out of them next year.

Bert set up the rain barrels last week and they are now full! It takes about 1/4″ of rain on the roof of the shop to fill the barrels. See the set up at https://marykisner.com/setting-up-the-rain-barrels/

Here is the big barrel up by the garden. If we plan it right, we can use rainwater all summer to water the garden. You can read about how Bert pumps the water from the rain barrels up to the large tank at https://marykisner.com/pumping-the-rain-barrels/

Our tomato plants are doing well under grow lights in the shop. Each day that isn’t too windy Bert sets the plants outside to harden them up. If it’s hot and sunny, he puts them in the shade by the shop so they don’t get sunburned.

Amazingly, Bert has been babying a tiny oak tree that sprouted from an acorn from the tree in our yard. That tree was also sprouted from an acorn that came from the Kisner hunting camp, so he’s pretty protective of the plant!

Up in the garden, I finally see the new growth in the row of lavender plants. I should have a nice crop of lavender to dry this year.

Here’s a close up of the new growth:

And of course, the Echinacea bed is going to town with new growth. The flowers really make me smile and make the bees happy!

So, that’s what’s happening on the first of May, 2025. Next week I hope to plant lettuce and radishes in the raised planters on the patio. In the meantime, we’ll be careful to protect the tomato plants…in the past, due to a late freeze in May, we’ve had to totally replace all the tomato plants because we planted too early. Live and learn! Mother Nature has an agenda of her own!