Jewels of Saraswati Gifts Drew Barrymore!

Some of you may have heard the big news......I will be sending one of my newest designs to Drew Barrymore in association with The Artisan Group!

This is a wonderful opportunity for exposure for a small shop like mine and I was very excited to be chosen to create something unique for her. Although I am not big on celebrities, there is something sweet and fun about Drew to me. She appears a little more down to earth and I have heard several stories of her traveling to India and taking up Yoga. Drew's style seems to be boho chic, fun, and especially now with a new little soul on the way, I thought she would enjoy a necklace with calming and spiritual elements.

After some thought I created a necklace that may be used as a mala if desired. It is 54 beads of rudraksha with citrine spaced in between. I used beautiful honey to light colored citrine rondelles, faceted green aventurine briolettes and an extra large faceted nugget of amethyst.

It is packed in a beautiful Namaste mala pouch that is hand-sewn and hand-stamped by one of my favorite shops, The Blissful Turtle. I only recently sent it to its first location where it will be packed in a bag of items by other talented members of The Artisan Group and then delivered directly to Drew.

So make sure to keep your eyes peeled! Perhaps one day you will see a photo of Drew on the street wearing this! .....Or maybe her assistant. :) Either way I have had so much fun making this necklace and have been very much inspired by amethyst. Expect to see more similar items in the shop in the coming months.

After such a great response from this mala necklace, I created another with identical materials for the shop shown in the photo below. You can click here to learn more about this special necklace.

Hand Mala Giveaway with Blissful Turtle Mala Bags

Happy March! Although there is snow on the ground where I live, I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of Spring. It is a time where everything is born anew....where everything blossoms, emerges and color finally arrives.  In the meantime, I wanted to offer a special giveaway with the theme of Spring!

There will be two winners this time! Thanks to Sheri of Blissful Turtle, who makes beautiful mala and prayer bags that are hand-sewn and stamped.

The 1st winner will receive this knotted magnesite hand mala and Blissful Turtle Namaste bag. This mala has 27 beads of white and blue magnesite with a lovely carved wood guru bead and pewter bead caps. Magnesite is a wonderful creamy white stone with brown veining associated with stress release, calm and creativity. It is paired with a mala pouch made of soft cotton and has a muted red stamping of Namaste with two hands in Anjali mudra on each side.

The 2nd winner will receive this wonderful orange stamped pouch with the "Om" symbol on one side and "Shanti Shanti Shanti" on the other.

Entry is simple! Please make sure to do all the steps and have a way for me to contact you.

To Enter:


1. Tell me in a comment on this post what you love about Spring! It can be anything- the colors, the warmth, the fragrance....


2. Join me on my Facebook page and Blissful Turtle's page.


3. Share this giveaway on your facebook wall so your friends have a chance too!

*4. For extra entries (not required), tweet about this giveaway. Make sure to mention @saraswatijewels and include a link. One tweet per day please! Each tweet will count as an extra entry. :)

Giveaway ends March 20th. Good luck to all!

Seeds of Devotion - The Rudraksha

It is said that Lord Shiva meditated for hundreds of years for the welfare of all sentient beings. When he finally opened his eyes, before him was the suffering of humanity. His compassionate and loving tears fell to the earth and from them grew the rudraksha trees. This is said to be one of the beautiful legends of the rudraksha.

Rudraksha beads have been used for hundreds of years for japa meditation, to protect, to heal and to focus. I have worked with these beads often (one of my personal malas is rudraksha) and realized I knew very little about them. As questions kept arising both within myself and the inquires of others, I was inspired to post some interesting facts about these beautiful and sacred beads.

Did you know:

• Before rudraksha are dried they actually look blue and are sometimes referred to as blueberry beads.

• The rudraksha tree can grow to 200 feet tall. The tree blooms small sweet smelling flowers in the rainy season.
 

 

• Rudraksha are said to increase Shakti or divine energy to the wearer. This is why they are used often in creating malas.
•  Some claim that rudraksha have electro-magnetic properties that can aid in healing, anti-aging and curing ailments. 
• Rudraksha is said to help align chakras, aid in the quest for spiritual fulfillment and protection.

Whether you wear them for these properties or for their unique beauty, rudraksha can be worn by anyone at any time with joy!

Do you own any rudraksha jewelry or malas? I would love to hear how you utilize and enjoy them.

 

Rewrite Your Storyline - Inspiration from Wah!

Wah! the great spirited Yogini with the voice of honey gives a little meditation to help you rewrite your storyline for the new year.

Heal.

Re-examine.

Resolve. :)



If you are unfamiliar with Wah!'s beautiful music, get ready to be inspired here.

Get Fired Up - Mala Bracelet Giveaway

The response to the newest collection of mala bracelets has been wonderful, so I created a special little mala to give away this month!

It is created with 27 beads of mixed faceted fiery red agate and wood with a rudraksha guru bead and Om charm. Red agate is a stimulating stone that can enhance strength, vitality as well an induce calm. And who couldn't use a little of that for the new year? :)

 

To Enter (please complete all to be qualified and make sure there is a way I can reach you!):

1. Comment on this blog post. Tell me what gets you "fired up" to be your best self each day. Your dog? Your significant other? Your Guru? Your morning coffee?

2. Connect with me and like the Jewels Of Saraswati page. (And while you are there do say hello!)

3.  Click the social media icons on this blog and share the love so your friends can have a chance at winning too!

This giveaway ends 2/19/12.

Love and Light!
Lauren (Saraswati)

The Handmade Yogini - Yoga With Heart

February is almost here and although I believe love should be celebrated each and every day, I am surely not against a little extra on Valentine's Day!

Here are some lovingly handmade items to open, inspire and warm your heart.

Shop: DesertMoonlight, GoddessEarthJewels, Storeyshop, KarenFincannon, LycheeGrove, ktothebdotcom

In The Spirit of Collaboration

The beauty of living on this Earth is knowing that we are all connected, that with many minds and many hearts the are a plethora of paths to reach our goals. In my opinion, it is even more fun when you have friends to inspire you along the way! 

An idea was running through my mind for a while......Wouldn't it be wonderful to ask others to be involved with some of my mala or jewelry designs? Wouldn't it be beautiful to see where they found inspiration whether it was through color, through feel, or through material? And so I put the question out into the Twitterverse!

Yogini Christina Sell

I was lucky enough to have a quick response from the amazing yogini, Christina Sell. Christina is an extremely active and revered yogini based in Texas. She is the director and co-founder of the School of Yoga, presents workshops all over the nation, has two renowned books to her name, and is the 2012 Art of Asana columnist for Yoga International Magazine. I am honored she had the time to send me the emails she did about this little mala! 

This is the design we came up with. She mentioned the School of Yoga being sun-oriented and inspired by the Gayattri Mantra so sunny yellow calcite seemed perfect to use in this case. We added rudraksha guru and a copper Om charm and I strung it on stretch cord so that it will be versatile to fit most wrists. 

Christina recommended the Gayatri Mantra for this sun-inspired mala:

AUM BHOOR BHUWAH SWAHA,
TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM
BHARGO DEVASAYA DHEEMAHI
DHIYO YO NAHA PRACHODAYAT.

Summary of the Gayatri Mantra

Gayatri Mantra (the mother of the vedas), the foremost mantra in hinduism and hindu beliefs, inspires wisdom. Its meaning is that "May the Almighty God illuminate our intellect to lead us along the righteous path". The mantra is also a prayer to the "giver of light and life" - the sun (savitur).

Oh God! Thou art the Giver of Life,
Remover of pain and sorrow,
The Bestower of happiness,
Oh! Creator of the Universe,
May we receive thy supreme sin-destroying light,
May Thou guide our intellect in the right direction.

School of Yoga Mala Bracelet

I hope you enjoy it! 

What stones inspire you? If you were to create a mala, how would you design it?  And who knows? Maybe we will come up with a design together. :)

There are more collaborations to come.....

Transformation

 Original Artwork by: bluecicada 

I am a believer that transformation can happen at any place in time, not just at the beginning of each year. We are filled with infinite potential......unlimited........always.

So as one who appears staunchly against "resolutions", I seem to have a good many intentions whirling through my mind for the coming year!  All of you have been so awesome to share with me your plans for the future in the latest giveaway post and I am now very inspired to share with you some of mine. This year already feels quite significant to me in terms of transformation and I am wholeheartedly working towards these small, but important goals. I am not worried about being successful or not. I am endeavoring to be kind to myself and do the very best I can. I know with each intention, if offered with sincerity and an open heart, will move me forward.

My intentions:

1. More lovingkindess. I am going to look more strangers in the eye when I am interacting with them. I am going to find beauty and humanity in each person I come across. It is easy to overlook people at the checkout, on the street, at the bank, in so many daily situations.

2. Journal writing. I used to write profusely in a journal everyday for many years. It has been some time since then, but having the goal of writing everyday, or at least a few times a week will give me needed time to reflect and to articulate my goals both physical and spiritual.

3. Simplify. Simplify every aspect of my life. If I have it and don't need it -give it away. (If I think I need it- remind myself I don't!) Organize. See what is truly essential and surround myself with the uplifting and inspiring. Endeavor to do one task at a time and give it my fullest attention.

4. Use my words carefully. Understanding that each word can manifest. Each word sends an energy into the world whether positive or negative. I would like to cultivate more awareness for this and see how many things will change!

5. One spiritual reading a day. Anything for the soul, once a day. It can be as brief as a poem by Rumi or as full as a book about the Saints of India. I want to keep inspiring myself to remain on a joyful and loving path even for a few minutes each day.

What are your intentions for the new year?

Beautiful Intentions - Zafu Giveaway

This is my favorite time of year! We consciously make an effort to take more time for reflection, to spend more time with loved ones and create positive intentions for the upcoming year. To start it off with a little inspiration towards our goals, I thought it would be lovely to have a giveaway!

It all started with an elephant.... 

My dear facebook yogini friend Angela of Inner Space Yoga had inquired about creating a custom elephant necklace recently, which then sparked the idea to ask her if she would like to participate in a giveaway. I was thrilled when she agreed that she would! You see, I have been adoring her zafus, eye pillows and bolsters for many many months now.  So with elephants on the brain, she diligently went to work to create this gorgeous handmade zafu just for this event. If you missed the last blog post all about Angela and Inner Space Yoga, you can read it here.

For those who are not familiar with what a zafu is, it is a cushion designed specifically for seated meditation. Angela told me a bit about the fabric (called "Karavan") and design. It was created by a designer named Valori Wells, for Free Spirit Fabrics.  Angela tells me she chose this fabric because it reminded her of the brightly decorated buses, delivery trucks, and autorickshaws in India.  And they sometimes decorate elephants there, as well.  It's a very happy fabric!  The base fabric is a very soft deep navy blue brushed twill. The zafu is filled with buckwheat hulls, and there's a zipper under the carrying strap so the buckwheat hulls can be emptied out to adjust the height for sitting.

To enter to win this unique zafu (make sure to do all three!):

1. Head over to Inner Space Yoga on Facebook and click like. Angela is a beautiful and colorful yogini with so much to share!

2. If you aren't connected with me on facebook, I would love to meet you! Click like on the Jewels Of Saraswati page.

3. Leave a comment on this blog post about what your beautiful intentions (or resolutions) are for the coming year. It can be to sit for more formal meditation or simply to practice more lovingkindess.....no intention is too big or too small. Just make sure to leave an email or info so that I can contact you.

*The winner will be announced on the Jewels Of Saraswati facebook page and will be contacted via email. If there is no response within three days, then another winner will be chosen. This giveaway will end 1/16/12. (Sorry, this giveaway is only for those residing in the U.S.!)

Good luck everyone!