Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

 see the silver metal clay pendant at the end of this post  I have to confess that I am not a mushroom lover.   I also must confess that I am intrigued with their appearance and have taken a great many photos of them from the east coast to the west; from forests to mountains and in my brother’s front yard in Missouri.   Many of the books I read (you know- the romance novels about Ireland and Scotland) often talk about the importance of fungi in medical treatment and in witch’s brews!   So I thought October would be a great month to share some of those pictures as well as share some of their history. The ancient Egyptians (about 4600 years ago according to hieroglyphics) thought the mushroom was the plant of immortality.   Mushrooms were declared to be the food for only royalty; no commoners could touch them much less eat them.   Other civilizations thought the mushroom could provide superhuman strength and could lead the souls of men to the land of the gods.   Louis XIV is thoug

I have several pieces and parts of old jewelry and I’m always on the lookout for more.   The thrift shops, second hand stores and interesting boutiques are places I tend to seek out.   I also am very fortunate to have had a mother who loved jewelry and old things.   I’ve had a wonderful time going through her jewelry and remembering the best of times with her.   Going through the jewelry box, I found this beautifully painted porcelain cabochon of two lovers set in a brass triangle.   It had been a brooch at one time and the clasp was broken.   Of course, I used it in a necklace.   Vintage brass and pearl chain combine with pearls and crystals to make quite a charming necklace! Another day, I attended a trunk show at Bead-It in Prescott and purchased a vintage belt buckle with rhinestones.   I used half the buckle; wire wrapped a vintage rhinestone button on the bar and made a sparkling pendant with matching earrings for the holidays!   I found this piece of decorated square silver

Let me introduce you to Willie and Mario, our pet Bearded Dragons!   They are about 2 ½ years old and ‘supposedly’ came from the same family.   I say supposedly because they have different colors and patterns and are so different in temperament.   They were about 1 ½ inches long when we adopted them and are now about 20 inches long.   Bearded Dragons are originally from Australia and live in the arid, rocky, semi-desert regions and dry open woodlands of Australia .   We’ve built a similar aquarium environment with sand, rocks and a water dish.   I also made a long picture of the Australian desert and wrapped it around their aquariums so they would have something resembling "home" to look at!   Peter (my significant other who introduced me to lizards) is designing and building new homes for them.   I’ll post a picture when they are finished!       Mario in his desert aquarium  Willie and his black beard  Willie is usually a relaxed, ‘let come w