1. Aquamarine is one of the wonders of the gem world due to its rarity, beauty, and unique properties. along side gems like ruby, emerald, & diamond. 

2. Calms & soothes hot flashes and anger. This gemstone is known to have calming, cooling and soothing energies which are great for relieving extreme emotions. Feeling heated? Grab  your aquamarine and meditate on it for a moment. 

3. Helps activate the throat chakra to assist with clear communication. Not sure what to say but need to speak on something? Aquamarine can help you find those perfect words to get your point across. Reflect with this stone, write it out, or keep it in your pocket during that conversation that has to be had. 

4. Water Element - Aquamarine keeps you in touch with your subconscious, deep emotions, and spirit. 

5. Helps dispel emotional numbness so you can clearly communicate your feelings. (especially for men)
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6. Helps people realize not all power comes from force. You can be cool, calm, collected and still get things done. 

7. Connects you with divine feminine. The divine feminine energies of life want you to be in tune with life energies so you nurture yourself through the waves. Tap in with Aquamarine. 

8. Helps you move through rapid change and removes resistance. Ready to let go of a grudge, the past, or change an old habit? Aquamarine can be your best friend in this process of release. 

9. Assists with fear of speaking - great for teachers and speakers. This is one of the main reasons I added aquamarine to my collection. The connection aquamarine has with the throat chakra assists anyone with fear of speaking to communicate fearlessly from the heart with courage. 

10. Aquamarine means 'Water of the Sea' in latin.

11. This gemstone boasts a high level of durability, thanks to its impressive hardness rating of 7.5 to 8, making it an excellent choice for use in jewelry.

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​12. Aquamarine gets its blue color from trace amounts of iron present in the crystal structure of the gemstone. Specifically, the iron atoms within the crystal lattice absorb light in the red and yellow portions of the spectrum, while reflecting blue and green light, resulting in the gemstone's characteristic blue-green hue.
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13. Valued as a stone of eternal youth & happiness. 

Of course there are many crystals to choose from. How could you possibly know your favorites? Over the last couple years I can say with confidence my favorites for personal  use, wear, and energetically are Citrine, Rhodochrosite, Prehnite, and Dravite. Why? Read below to find out more!

Citrine - Known for its golden tones is a stone that touched my heart and soul at an early age. The first memory I have of crystals is a Heated Citrine given to me in the mountains of North Carolina when my family had to evacuate for a tropical Storm. This exact crystal is what gave me the inspiration to start Citrine Tangerine and was my gateway into the energies of stones. Citrine is associated with the fire element and our first three chakras. It has the ability to assist us with our creativity, personal will, mental clarity, and manifestation. More about Citrine here:

Rhodochrosite - After learning about the inherent energies of crystals I was looking to heal aspects of myself from childhood that were troubling me through college into my 20's. The subject was touchy and the work I needed to do was deeply personal. This stone stood out to me because of its ability to assist us in healing from trauma. After working with the gentle healing properties of this stone it quickly became a crystal I wear daily. The pink tones and layers remind me of human flesh. This stone is known to assist us with emotional healing, recovery of lost memories & forgotten gifts, Self-love, and compassion. Learn more about this stone in the crystal reading below.

Prehnite - This stone just happened to catch my eye one day in a gemstone shop. I'd never heard of it before but after the vibrant green coloring and interesting inclusions caught my attention I looked into the section about Prehnite in 'The Book of Stones'. I immediately knew this stone was essential for everyone to have in their collection as well as wear on the daily!! Turns out the inclusions are Epidote, another amazing stone known to release negativity and uplift those who are feeling the lows of depression, which is a perfect combination with prehnite!

Dravite - This is a stone I recently discovered while reading about the birthstones for my jewelry collections. When October came around last year I was frankly overwhelmed by the amount of tourmaline varieties. It was not until this year that I read ALL of them and felt compelled to work with Dravite because of its encouragement to do shadow work. This stone seriously is a must have! We all have a shadow self. Those unconscious aspects of our lives need tending to if we are to have a healthy and thriving experience on this earthly plane. Without self reflection there is no forgiveness or accountability for our actions. There is no growth without accepting ourselves and our mistakes. You are in total denial if you think anyone gets out of there without making mistake or hurting some one! This stone is an excellent one to keep around for that reality check! Hear more about it in the crystal reading below!

Some other notable gemstones that are high up on my list are Garnets, Emerald, Moldavite, Smokey Quartz, and Ruby. Would you like to know more about these? Let me know in the comments and maybe I'll give you a bit of insight as to why I like these gems and why you should keep some near by!

Whew! Time does not wait for anyone!!! It's just flying on by. Turns out I did not finish my reading list. In fact I only read ONE book in completion. Summer reading fail aside, there's been a lot going on. When you’re out here on your own making your ambitions come true, no one sees the back breaking work, the endless efforts, or understands how much of your time goes into it. Some do. Very few!! People  maybe see the final product in a photo or video form online, possibly in person. Hopefully in person!! It’s wild.

Everything here is hand made. Every component is thoroughly sourced, looking for what I think are the highest quality materials. If I can make it, I will. If I don't know how to, odds are if it's part of my process, I'm going to learn how eventually. At this point in my journey as an artist and small business I’m very proud of what I produce. While I’m not making as much money or custom work as I want right now and I’m not where I thought I’d be at this point in my life… but I am here and VERY grateful. Thanks for any support, kind words, and feed back. Everything helps when you’re in a solution based mindset which is just ONE of the many things this journey has taught me. THAT BEING SAID! Here is an attempt to explain the amount of time & detail that goes into one of my custom works. 

The most recent work of wearable art I've had to opportunity to create is a wrap dress for one very special person. I decided to hand sew it using a back stitch with embroidery floss. Using a thick needle and thread is ideal in my opinion. It feels stronger to me. We'll see how the dress fits and wears over time though. It's being shipped out this week and my nerves are eating at me!! The fabric was carefully selected from my favorite local fabric shop Discount Fabric in Clawson. Then screen printed with yellow ink. The screens I had made with my original art work at Ocelot Print Shop in Cass Corridor of Detroit. This screen was originally intended/used to print on recycled paper cards but I later knew they'd make fantastic fabrics or interesting tiled shirts! I decided to use the color yellow on the dress because while designing a couple custom necklaces for the same client, she told me her husband is color blind and can only see yellow. The gray color fabric goes perfect with the yellow floral collage screen print and fits her neutral wardrobe.

After screen printing the fabric I scavenged the internet for interesting wrap dress patterns. There are SO MANY cute designs but ultimately this dress was based on a pattern called ZOE from Dressmaking Amore. I did not buy the pattern but created my own pattern, fit to my clients measurements, from the tutorial video on this website. I really like how minimal the idea is and how simple it would be to add sleeves to the pattern. After deciding on the design I bought patterning paper from JOANN Fabrics, sketched and measured the pieces out and just... went for it. The whole process took about a month. Now that I have one made, I know the time to make it could be cut down significantly. Thinking of making one for myself honestly! Who knows what I'll make next! Would love to make another so please reach out for more details if you're interested. 

The most challenging aspect of the process was the edge lining. Some of the folded pieces of fabric I wrapped around the edge of the dress moved. I spent a ton of time ironing them to get a crease but those buggers still moved out of place!!!! A few times this happened and I did not notice while sewing. I then had to go back and comb through every seem to make sure the edges would not come unfolded when wearing, over time, or after washing. I'd be more thorough on my next one as far as pinning these little details to the dresses edge. After a hand wash and drying, the dress is folded into a box and ready to ship!

While in the process of creating this dress it dawned on me that this is how EVERY piece of clothing was made before sewing machines were invented and popularized. This kind of realization makes me feel a deep connection with humanity and history. This is one reason why making things by hand is part of my lifestyle. We have been completely removed from the making process in many ways or people don't have any idea what really goes into the process of making things. People talk about slow fashion, hand sewing your own garments is a whole concept! Not a new one but it does seem kind of novel... 

Last week we announced our latest addition to Citrine Tangerine - Our Signature Fragrance Peridot Crystal Candles. They smell sweet & floral with a hint of citrus like Peony and Lemongrass. How were these candles made? Let us tell you! Our candles are made in partnership with Leslie - owner of True 2 You Candles! Her business is just extravagant and her candles are the best! 

During the lockdowns of 2020 I'd accumulated a significant amount of these adorable glass yogurt containers that I just HAD to make into candles. ​After my first attempts at making candles, I knew my process had to be wrong. Leslie was the answer! We scheduled a fragrance consultation to find my signature blend. After sampling a couple fragrance combinations, Leslie made the Citrine Tangerine Peridot Crystal candles in no time at all. 

While the candles cured, I made sequin filled recycled paper for dust covers. Each candle has a little green stone in the bottom. This is a gemstone called Peridot. These particular Peridot are sourced from Arizona. I did not know you could find Peridot in Arizona until sourcing for the August birthstone collection this year. This crystal was included so your space not only smells good but is infused with the crystal energies of Peridot which bring you well being, increase, prosperity, and warmth. The fragrance is blended to remind you of a warm day perhaps drinking tea in a flower filled garden.  A perfect 5 oz. candle with Cotton wicks and organic coconut soy wax in up-cycled yogurt containers. 

When we opened our studio in The Village Arts Factory, Leslie was the first studio-mate we met. She's so warm and friendly! When going to the Village Arts Factory it's likely that you're headed to a lively party with your friends making candles at True 2 You Studios! It's such a blessing to have met her and if you ever do meet Leslie, you'll certainly feel the same way.