You may or may not know by now…
But I have a little bit of a rock obsession.
I asked a contractor working at our house the other day if his daughter liked rocks.
He said, no she likes pop more.
I said, no, not rock as in rock and roll.
I mean, rocks, as in rocks.
He looked at me like I was loony.
If he had said yes, I would have sent him home with one of these.
🙂
My favorite classes at university were geo-sciences classes.
Can you believe it?
I couldn’t, but they were.
I aced them and loved them.
I studied river beds and memorized all sorts of rock information.
I do love jewelry as well.
I have been making jewelry since 1992, but only started offering it online here last year.
I don’t know what it is, but I am just obsessed with stones of all kinds.
You should see me at the gem show.
I used to bring a rolling suitcase to fill with loot.
Body weight worth of turquoise and crystals and metals too.
Nowadays I stuff my glass cabinet with rock treasures.
And some of our favorite and beloved old pieces of turquoise jewelry as well.
Once I became friends with a real estate client.
(yes, I was in real estate in my former life and am still affiliated, I know shocker, haha)
Anyhow, this client started visiting me at my city house all the time.
We would laugh and chat.
One day I went to change, and I guess she went through the drawers in this sculpture I have that has lots of little drawers for a body.
Because, at dinner she starts telling people…
“no van a creer lo que tenia Vanessa en sus cajones!!”
Translation –
“You will never guess what Vanessa had in her drawers!!”
Then she exclaims…
PIEDRAS!
Which means…
ROCKS!
That always makes me burst out laughing.
Hahahaa!
She was hilarious.
She said, some people have socks and underwear in their drawers.
But Vanessa has rocks in hers.
Truth be told.
They weren’t just any rocks.
They were crystals I had gotten at a rock and gem seminar at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum.
And still, today…
I am in the rocks.
Obsession duly continuing.
I just love them.
I have others, although these shelves are full.
I think I need a bigger cabinet.
Since I am coming clean on my rock fixation.
I’ll tell you another big secret.
You know Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?
I always was obsessed with being one of the seven dwarfs and going to work in a mine.
Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work I go…
With my little pick and all, oh I did dream of it so.
Whenever we went to Disneyland as kids, I would get overflowingly excited seeing the big trunks of loot in the Pirate’s of the Caribbean ride.
That was my kid dream.
Being a miner with a giant trunk of treasure like those pirates had.
Haha!
One thing I LOVE to date, is cracking open geodes.
Of course, the difficult part of this post is…
Photos can not capture the sparkle of any crystals.
And the golden jewelers light casts an orange tone in photos as well.
But the sparkle of these is incredible in person.
The yellow below is sulfur.
It’s very sparkly in person and sort of chalky too.
Have you ever cracked open a geode?
It’s sooooo exciting!
You just pop it into a sock and whack it a couple times with a hammer.
Sometimes you don’t get a major cavern, but beautiful all the same.
So, guess what????
I have an extra geode that I have decided to gift away.
Who knows what is inside.
But it could be uber sparkly.
Isn’t that fun??!
I’ll let you crack it open and find out.
Then you have to let me know 🙂
Hopefully you think it’s fun too.
So I have one unopened geode to send to one of you.
Just leave a hello in comments to enter.
Ooooo, cracking geodes is sooooo fun!
Maybe it could be your lucky geode?
And the winner is….
Heidi Anderson!!!
Oh please email me your snail mail address, yay, hooray for geode fun!
Rock love abound!!
😉
I love rocks too, as a kid I had a rock polishers and made jewellery too. Love your blog.
I collect rocks to but I’ve never found anything like what you have. I collect all kinds of crystals, too. Store bought. 🙂 Oh and I love the alligator head. Way cool!
love & blessings
~*~
ps…hugs & kisses to Matty and Miles!
OH my gosh! This is the best give-away in the history of all give-aways! I want to win so bad. I feel a little giddy at the thought of whacking that geode and finding sparkles. When we lived in Northwest Arkansas, I would search for crystals and fossils and all sorts of treasures.
xoxo
Kim
Gerushia’s New World
I love your stories…I wish I could sit at your table to listen to you all day long. 🙂 I have never cracked one myself but did get my grand one…but it was very very small. I love all your rocks.
I love rocks, too! How I’ve longed for my own geode to crack. Never had one yet though!
Two weeks ago, while gardening, I found what I thought was a geode. I was so so excited….the first geode of my 57 years. I took a picture (before) and took a hammer to it…..WHACK!!! And on the inside was the most (not) amazing, not crystal…but just plain old rock. Oh well….it was the geode that almost was…but wasn’t!!! But that’s ok, because I have another treasure that I get just as excited about! Morel mushrooms growing at the base of an old half-dead witchy apple tree. Not quite the sparkle of finding a geode….but just as exciting!!!
magical! it would be so exciting to crack open that geode and find the treasure within. thank you for such a whimsical offering.
I have never even heard of a geode (not that I remember, anyway). I’d have a go at it and let you know if there’s a cavern in it, if you pick me.
I was going to leave a comment after reading your post here today, to tell you that when I was a young girl…our family would spend our summer weekends “at the lake”. We spent many an hour at our private little beach of sand and tons of small, smooth rocks of all different colors. When we weren’t swimming, my friends and I would collect wet rocks and scrape them on the slate retaining wall to see if we could write with them. If I remember correctly..the white ones were only pretty to look at…the gray ones did write a gray color, but my favorite ones were the rust colored ones. And I’d feel giddy if the rust colored ones wrote smoothly, without much effort…almost like a chalk. Ahhhh…those were the days. Thanks for bringing back that memory. Today, I have one rock. It has two googly eyes stuck to it, and a few strands of short red yarn (hair)still glued to it after 30 years…it was a Mother’s Day gift from my son who was in kindergarten at the time. He’s 35 years old today :)Anywho…that’s my ancient rock story.
I’ve never cracked one open … mine were already cracked LOL 🙂 so please add me to the list and see if that number hits my name 🙂
oh oh… the picture is absolutely perfect in my home and I will treasure it forever (if I can keep my dil’s hands off) 🙂 Thank you so much Vanessa!
xoxo,
Deb
back in cro magnon days when i was in 4th grade, we went on a short field trip. we got to glean rocks & minerals from ward’s rock pile. i was in heaven! all the sparkly bits of quartz, the speckly red jaspers, the midnight sparkle of galena,and the (very poisonous!) pulling apart of (gasp!) asbestos.
but i have never in my life cracked a geode.
I love the individual voices they all have. I have slowly been collecting over the years. It is still a small collection, but I have been learning bits here and there about them and slowly learning to make jewelry too. 😀
Oh! Oh! Oh! Geodes are beautiful!
I had a great rock collection as a child, most of it’s still in my old room at my parent’s house. We would always stop by the Nut Tree gift shop during summer family trips and I could pick out one thing each time.
I’ve never thought about getting an uncracked geode and opening it myself, what a marvelous idea!
How exciting! My daughter has a rock collection. Not extensive like yours, but a box filled.
Hello! I’d just love to crack open that baby! My family and I once went to Iowa, to place known or their geodes. We found a dry riverbed and filled our pockets with rocks that we hoped had the awesome crystals inside of them. It was very late by the time we arrived home that night, so we left our treasures outside on our porch, in a plastic tub. Woke up the next morning to find that our son and his friends decided to crack them open for us, by throwing them into the street. All of them. Then they decided to throw whatever pieces they could find, into a creek behind our house. I still do not know what possessed them to do such a thing? AH!
Oooooo, I know what you mean ! I love rocks, crystals, gemstones in jewelry, loose gemstones…earth magic…right ? Geodes are always a surprise and so much fun to crack open to see if you come up with a sparkly treasure !
I’m so obsessed I can’t get enough, so much so I have studied with the GIA and it truly is my passion.
You ROCK Vanessa !
I collect heart shaped rocks, beach stones, and fossil rocks. how can you not love a geode??? The excitement cracking one open would be awesome!
I love it!!! Another peek into your rock collection! 🙂 ooo I have some
Beauties, but the search is life long… Such a treasure, to think how old it may be? And from where? And seen by whom?…
I also believe in their healing powers and cleanse mine, do you? If so, is it helpful?
<3 xoxo!!
I’ve always said that if I had a do over in life I would’ve been a geologist. I’m happy to see someone else is as obsessed with them as I am.
I love geodes too, and fossils. I have a small collection, but would love to win this. My main collection is necklaces, I have over an hundred all made from unpolished gem stones. My husband thinks I’m crazy. I probably am! Blessings
A Geode from a Fanciful Twist – Swoon!
XxxLaurie
Oh Miss Vanessa, I love rocks and minerals too. I would love to have your geode. I love crystals (and I wear one all the time) The closest I get to a rock show is going to the Farmers Market and there is a vender there who I buy from. I love turquoise, and I have a few bracelets.. Sure wish we had a rock show here. I guess that Grand Rapids Michigan isn’t big enough.
Thank you for sharing your collection and I would love to have the geode.
These are so pretty, Vanessa! I never collected myself, but always stop to look at the displays. Even today when walking with my granddaughter we just look at regular everyday rocks to see the colors and shapes. Reading your post has brought back memories of when my son wanted to be a geologist. He was about 10 and I remember getting him a rock hammer and some other tool, a cabinet for him to keep his rock finds in and a book on rocks. He had a really good time with this interest. Of course, now he is almost 24 and just got his Masters in Athletic Training, but he will always be the boy who loved rocks to me!
I always wanted to find a geode and crack it open to discover what was in inside. What a cool give away you are having!. Love seeing all your photos-but I have one question not rock related–is that an alligator head I see amongst your rocks–with sharp teeth? Maybe guarding all of them???
What a fun (and unique) giveaway! I love pretty rocks, but have never opened up a geode. Wow.
My daughter would love on of those! She just bought a little kit where she had to chip away at a big block to find the little semi-precious stones inside. She’s 12 and this is right up her alley! I’d love to win for her.
I’m a rock person myself but I collect mostly beach rocks and things like labradorite and moss agate. We don’t have any geodes.
Thanks for the offer Vanessa.
Cheers
Dana
I love magical surprises! I would love to crack one open and set it on my shelf as a reminder that beauty can often be found in the most unlikely places. =)
YOu should see my curio cabinet….. though not as fabulous as yours……..it is loaded with rocks and crystals etc…. alabaster, amber, salt crystal…… but BUT i do not have a geode! They look like plain old ordinary rocks….. how do you know or begin to suspect that its a geode and not just a rock?? Hugs!deb
FABULOUS !
You introduced me to a new subject – geodes. They are absolutely beautiful. Thanks for offering a giveaway.
aww sick with a terrible viral flu..as usual you and your brightness has cheered me up.
i am a huge rock fan. my mother accidently through out my garage rock collection when i was a child.
oh the pangs of lost love that I felt for those thrown away rocks. starting 4 weeks out before christmas every year I decorate a table wreath with 1st week stones, bones, shells, minerals, 2nd week plant kingdom dried flowers, live flowers moss, fruits 3rd week animal kingdom..miniatures of animals and 4th week lil humans. each week I add another candle and last weeek giant candle in the middle. The first week with all the stones and crystals is beautiful.
sending wishes of light and love on theses breezes of spring oh great Rock Goddess and Spring Queen. XO
Nature’s sweet beauty. You rock!
That is a treat indeed! We have an assortment of rocks scattered all over the house because we love the sparkle!
What a fun treasure! I have some polished rocks that my husband’s grandparents collected when they lived in Arizona many years ago.
Yes yes, it is, Mister Lovee brought it to me from New Orleans a few years
back 😉
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 5/14/2014 5:13:24 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
I am not sure how you know, but if you are in an area where they are
common. One thing I have noticed is that they look like a rock but are
light as a feather 🙂
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 5/14/2014 7:05:08 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
I love rocks and chrystals, too! I now share this obses.. ahem…”interest” with my grand-daughter, who could identify and tell you the magickal properties of twenty stones by the time she was five. Geodes are so exciting… Like the box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get!
OOh I LOVE rocks! I actually have a small collection on my desk. Mostly river rock that is either really flat or round like a ball, even a heart shaped one! But no Geodes. Thanks for sharing your beautiful collection!
Take Care,
Tracy M.
I remember a Girl Scout lock in at the city’s science museum. In the middle of the night this “rock hound” helped us to break open geodes. Such a beautiful memory. Even though I am 40 I still love rocks, too!
Your rocks are beautiful, Vanessa! Where can you find geodes? I would love to be in the drawing for one. Thank you!
I have never heard of a geode before, Vanessa. Honestly, you have the neatest things!
I collect stones too!
I have drawers full of them, and they are placed around the house here and there. I have both beautiful geodes and polished stones, but I also never ever come home from a walk in the forest or from the river/beach without my pockets filled with stones I`v found 😀
I`ve never found or cracked a geode myself so I hope I win *crossing fingers*
Hello Miss V,
I do love a good bit of rock myself. I took a geology course when I went to college in New Mexico and I loved it! I wish I knew more about rocks though I’m learning a little more all of the time. It amuses me to think of all of the amazing treasures lying just under our feet.
The idea of cracking open a geode is exciting. I hope I win!
I hope you are doing well.
Vicki
I definitely had a rock collection when I was a kid! I still have a lot of it around somewhere I think, but it was mostly small rocks, nothing large and beautiful like yours. Truth be told, I liked it, but I didn’t love it like my bone collection. Yes, I was way more into bones than rocks (wanted to be a paleontologist when I was like 3). I would pick up any old bone that I found on walks and keep it for my collection! I was going to say I was a weird kid, but I think I am still weird because I still love bones!
I especially love surprises though, so getting to crack open a geode sounds exciting!
What a beautiful collection! I inherited my Dad’s amethyst and crystal collection and I love it so much. Would love to add a geode!
I have a sock and a hammer — bring on the geode!! 🙂
Vanessa, I also have an obsession with rocks and stones, as well as seashells. I have thousands, crazy huh? I would love the chance to crack open a geode.
My Dad was a rock hound and I grew up with my head down looking at the ground for all kinds of rocks. My Dad is gone now but I still look for rocks….especially heart shaped rocks that my husband and I collect for each other! I have quite a few geodes from my Dad…..such good memories going to Gem and Mineral Shows all over Texas.
How fun! I have a huge geode that was given to me by my Madre. It’s a heavy sucker, too. Every time I move, I think “Maybe I’m a little bit nutty for holding onto this thing?” but of course, I can’t bear to get rid of it because it’s awesome and sentimental. 🙂
What a great post, and an amazing collection! Chris x
Oooh…rocks! My dad and stepmother do a lot of archaeological stuff, so their rock collection is awesome.
LOL you sound like my two boys … Owen would go around with rocks in in trouser pocket ( I’m going to tell you how many time I’ve had to stop the washing machine to get them out )
and it’s like magic when you open a geode and find all that wonderful sparkly goodness
I too love rocks!!! 🙂 Your giveaways are so generous.!
Vanessa, you bring back sweet memories hanging out with my Gramps and his gem shows in CA, in my younger days. I’ve been lucky to see many a collectable gems like
petrified whale bone and shark teeth that I dug and sifted myself and watching Gramps in his shed polishing and cutting many a wondrous rock. You have a fine and lovely display. Happy thankful Thursday V!;)
I love your rock collection! I have loved rock collecting since the fourth grade when my most favorite school teacher, Mrs. Sorenson, introduced the entire class to rock collecting. She had lapidary equipment and would share her beautiful polished stones with the entire classroom. I always wanted to go to the desert and find geodes but just never found any…I guess I didn’t know where to find them.
So….I would love the chance to be the one to receive this geode! I have been to a few trade shows, Gem and Rock shows and was always fascinated by the beauty of gems and rocks. Your collection is fabulous!
I have DVD’s in most of my drawers! Ha!
wink, wink 😉 😉
Miss Teresa
Oh magical! I’m a crystal collector too. I just posted about some of my giant crystal specimens on my blog. I find it so amazing that the earth makes these things. Just adds a little sparkle to everyday life!
Hello Vanessa!
I so look forward to magical mystery tours with you
Your rock collection is amazing. I can imagine how beautiful the energy is from all the rocks together. Like they are vibrating pure light.
I know absolutely nothing about rocks, how in the world would I ever know which rocks can be opened to find those beautiful crystals inside. Your post taught me to study rocks and maybe I can find some like you have, but that might be hard because I live in the city 🙂 Love all your posts!
Oh, I missed this beautiful post! I’m happy for Heidi….and happy that I get to visit you and see something this lovely! Sweet hugs, Diane