My New Stars and Stones Patterns for Chic Home Decor

Stars and Stones by Carly J. Cais repeating crystal and star patterns

Hello friends!

I’ve been hard at work adding more full-repeat patterns to my Spoonflower, Roostery, and Society6 shops. As many of you may know already I absolutely love astrophotgraphy (shooting stars…and by that I mean shooting stars with a camera…as in a photographic shoot…and if there happen to be “shooting stars” captured in the photo…well, all the better!)

Sparkle Dark Star Field Galaxy by stars + stones on Spoonflower

Sparkle Star Field Dark Galaxy Fabric (Spoonflower)

Many of my fabric patterns available at Spoonflower are photos taken by the NASA Hubble Telescope – where I’ve digitally altered the star fields to make them full-on repeats so that you could make an entire set of curtains, jumpsuit, or even SHEETS with these fabrics…with never-ending fields of stars, nebulas, and space dust. Though my own attempts at Milky Way and star photography don’t quite rival those of the Hubble Telescope…I do offer some of my star photography as art prints, tote bags, phone cases, and more!

Purple Milky Way Print by CarlyJCais on Society6

Deep Purple Milky Way Stars Canvas Print (Society6)

I shot the above photo in the middle of the night in Arco, Idaho when I took my family on an RV trip from our home in Oregon – having NEVER driven an RV before and somehow managing to drive 14.5 hours in one day to get there!

Carly J. Cais' rock and crystal collection

But in the past year or so I’ve started to get back into collecting rocks – I had a massive collection as a child but really had very little technical knowledge of minerals – and as an adult I’ve rediscovered it and started to take collecting and identifying rocks and minerals more seriously. If it’s even possible, I love taking macro photos of crystals even more than I do taking photos of stars! Because then making those photos into full crystal repeats is immensely challenging…and I LOVE a challenge.

So far, I’ve produced full repeating patterns of:

Gray Hematite Crystal Fabric by Carly J. Cais thumbnail

Grey Hematite Quartz

Sadly this is not actual hematite – but quartz that is fumed with silver titanium so it fuses to the outside of the quartz crystal. Purchase Grey Hematite Crystal fabrics, wallpaper, and wrapping paper on Spoonflower here.

Aqua Aurora Crystal Fabric by Carly J. Cais thumbnail

Aqua Aura Quartz

Another GOTCHA! crystal – this is also quartz, fumed with gold to create an aqua tint, resulting in an aurora borealis rainbow-like coating. Purchase Aqua Aura Crystal fabrics, wallpaper, and wrapping paper on Spoonflower here.

Light Blue Celestite Crystal Fabric by Carly J. Cais thumbnail

Light Blue Celestite Crystal

This is a true found-in-nature crystal – a beautiful pale blue with tiny crystalline structure throughout. It’s very brittle and I have to handle my specimen carefully! Purchase Light Blue Celestite Crystal fabrics, wallpaper, and wrapping paper on Spoonflower here.

I’m currently working on repeats of Apophyllite (white large crystals, like snow), Pyrite (brassy gold), Kyanite (blue and grey columnar crystals), and Mariposite (a rare veined green marble). Sign up for blog updates to see new patterns, or follow my shop on Spoonflower or follow me as an artist on Society6!

xo
Carly

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DIY Free People Wrapped Quartz Bangle

0.diyquartzwrapbangle_introphotoHello again, friends! I just couldn’t wait to share this chic and easy bangle bracelet project with all of you.

diyquartzwrapbangle_inspirationI am always drawn to rough, organic crystals and gemstones rather than perfectly-faceted pieces, and much of the jewelry available at Free People satisfies that sparkle-lust. I fell in love with this Crystal Flame Cuff by Vega Jewelry, but the $258 price tag was much more than I could afford. I realized I could easily make the same kind of look for a steal – hence this project. (And it’s so, so quick to whip up!!) Here’s how I made my newest FAVORITE bracelet:

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DIY Gold-Dipped Wire-Wrapped Quartz Necklace

0.diyquartzgolddippednecklace_introSo, in case you missed being able to attend the Free People Portland x Chic Steals DIY Event over the weekend, here is the tutorial for these pretty wire-wrapped quartz pendant necklaces!  Inspired by the Banjara Wishbox Pendant Necklace http://www.shopstyle.com/action/loadRetailerProductPage?exit=ProductDetails-Image&id=404915087 available at Free People this Spring, this quartz necklace is fairly quick and easy to make – and looks lovely layered with other necklaces, or all on its own as a standout piece.  Here’s how…z.diyquartzgolddippednecklace_done2

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DIY Sparkly Geode Earrings

I finally finished a pair of earrings this weekend that I’ve been working on for so long…I had attempted making them numerous times before but just couldn’t seem to get them exactly right.

I’ve always been drawn to the rough imperfections in natural stones and crystals, far more so than anything ever cut or polished by humans.  Geodes are the perfect example of this: the jagged, rough crystals inside that are at once both perfectly symmetrical and so perfectly without order.

I surrounded two halves of a split geode crystal (technically a thunderegg, I guess) with black epoxy resin; then hand-set hematite-colored Swarovski crystals around the perimeters.  Pewter French hooks finish off the earrings.

Given their sparkliness, contours, and depth I found they were incredibly hard to photograph late in the day and on my own, in the mirror.  I’ll have to try when it’s nice and bright outside!

I’m also going to experiment with another pair, this time with Silver Shade Swarovskis around the geodes.  I just couldn’t decide whether the dark hematite gray or crystal-like Silver would look better!  There’s something I like about the smoky gray color glinting against the black resin, though.

Hope you guys had a great weekend!

xoxox
Carly

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