Tree of Life Archives - Drakestail Jewellery

Maybe it’s just us but the leaves seem to be changing colour a couple weeks early this year. Fall is definitely here. It’s bittersweet to say goodbye to summer: the long, warm days, the fun vacations, lounging on the patio, there’s so much to love about summer. Now we’re trading it in for cool, cozy nights, snuggly sweaters, brilliant foliage, and pumpkin-flavoured everything. It’s not such a tough trade after all.

While we may have been quiet for the past little while, we’ve been keeping busy! Roxy’s had some great business travel, including a trip to Ottawa. It was fantastic to catch up and we are both counting the days until her next visit back. Robyn started training for the Ottawa Zombie Run for Humanity, a 5K-ish run in support of Habitat for Humanity. She may not be the fastest runner yet but we are sure being chased by zombies will add some good incentive.

On the Drakestail front, we’ve been planning lots, too! In Winnipeg, the Exchange Uporium was such a great success over the summer it’s been extended through to the end of the Christmas season! After a few short days to move out old vendors and move in new ones, Exchange Uporium re-opens on Friday October 3rd from 5:30-9 PM for Winnipeg’s exchange district First Fridays event. Our vintage inspired Swarovski crystal pearls can still be purchase at The Foxy Shoppe, also in the exchange district in Winnipeg.

In Ottawa, Robyn is gearing up for the Christmas craft fair season. Yes, we said the “C” word, but it takes a fair amount of planning to be ready, and with three shows coming up, she has a lot to do between now and November! Drakestail will be at the All Saints Christmas Craft Fair on November 1, at the Heart, Home, & Handmade Indie Craft Fair on November 22, and the MAC Fair Christmas Craft Fair on December 6th. You can find all the details for each show by clicking on these links, by clicking in the Event Calendar to the right, or visiting us on Facebook. The All Saints and MAC Fair are perennial favourites of mine, and the Heart, Home & Handmade show is completely new. It is an exciting mix of shows!

Elsewhere in Canada, for our Alberta friends, Rowena, in Edmonton’s trendy Whyte Ave neighbourhood, still carries our line of vintage inspired Swarovski crystal pearl jewellery. We highly recommend you visit their store if you’re in the area, and if not you can order online via their webstore Retroglam. Heaven Scent Flowers in Gimli, Manitoba carries our tree of life pendants. If you find yourself near Gimli, stop in and say hello to Lenore.

On Etsy, we’ve got some gorgeous fall colours for you, including our Autumn Maple Tree of Life pendant. Favourite autumn gemstones include carnelian, citrine, amber, and tiger’s eye, which all capture the fire of fall. Browse our shop sections, and watch for lots of new items coming. Check back often!
-Robyn & Roxy

Tree of Life - Autumn Maple — Tree of Life – Autumn Maple

Quartz Tree of Life pendant "Ice Storm" — Quartz Tree of Life pendant “Ice Storm”

The “Tree of Life” is a motif that has appeared in numerous cultures, religions and folklore. Typically, it appears as a leafy, healthy tree with a sturdy trunk and visible roots. It has represented a variety of concepts, including wisdom, healing, purity, and the threshold between life and death. In Norse mythology Yggdrasil, the world tree, supports the nine worlds and is the focus of numerous myths.

Around a year ago Drakestail started creating our own handmade Tree of Life pendants. Inspired by the depth of meaning and the soothing, earthy appearance, I decided to create a Tree of Life pendant for myself, initially using silver-plated wire and pale green jade chips. I love how it turned out, and wear it often. I got lots of positive comments about it, as well as requests! Since then I’ve created several permutations, using aventurine, carnelian, clear quartz and rose quartz to represent the Tree in different seasons. I’ve also worked some up with copper wire, to great effect. Using gemstone chips and twisting the trunks by hand, each pendant is unique.

Want to see more? We have some Tree of Life pendants in stock right now on Etsy!