GIVEAWAY!!!

It's Valentine's Day and I thought what better time than to start my giveaway today! 

Necklace Details

This labradorite has a stunning deep blue color that dances along the surface...not always visible, but as you can tell when the light hits it just right the color is as if you're looking into the depths of the ocean. I've accented it with a deep vibrant blue Chalcedony and a sterling silver tag that's stamped with the word "Dance" on one side and "As if no one is watching" on the other side.

Metal: Oxidized Sterling Silver
Pendant: 1 7/8" (48mm) in length from the top of the bail
Chain: 18"
Value: $82
***The pendant is very substantial and quite weighty.

GiveAway Details

  

Feb. 14th -21st

The drawing will be held on Sunday the 21st and the winner of the necklace will be announced here on my blog and on my Facebook fanpage. You can enter up to 3 times by doing each of the following:

1. Go to my Etsy shop and tell me what your favorite piece of jewelry is or tell me what you'd like to see more of.
2. Blog about my giveaway
3. Facebook about my giveway

You MUST come back here and post your answers to #1, and if you blog or Facebook about it; you must include the link to be entered. Again, you can have up to 3 entries if you do each of the above!

***Don't forget to include your name and email address so I can contact you if you're the winner!!!

Working with different metals

My favorite metal to work with is Sterling, but I have a lot of 14kt gold filled wire that I bought to make wire wrapped rings that I no longer carry in my store, and I've been wondering what I'm going to do with it. So for the heck of it I wanted to make a pair of hoops. The metal is a lot more pliable and softer than sterling but after some hammering to give it texture and strength, I have to say that I'm was pretty pleased with the way they turned out.


I listed this pair in my shop today and sent a pair to a return customer as a thank you gift. I'm hoping that I'll have time this week to make more in varying sizes like I carry in my Rustic Hoops line. I'm really excited at the prospect of incorporating this metal into some of my jewelry designs.

On a side note, I should be receiving my very large order of fine silver so I can try my hand at fusing. I'll be sure to post my creations...I can't wait!!

Sleeping in...what's that??

I was so looking forward to sleeping in today and like clockwork I was up after 6 hours of sleep...uuuggghhh! What happened to the days when I could sleep for 12 hours, oh how I wish I could do that again.

I don't have a lot planned for the day. My boys are clam digging with some friends and I'm still in my pajamas sipping on a much needed cup of coffee. Oh, I received the check today to get my roof done..woohoo! If you don't remember, the roof over the deck collapsed from the heavy snowfall. It ruined the BBQ, my deck furniture and the air conditioner, so I'll be replacing those items too. I loved my deck furniture and am hoping that I can replace it easily.

I've added more stock to my Shophandmade store at http://shijewels.shophandmade.com/ I've only listed my custom made items there...these are things that I constantly make so yes I have them in my Etsy store as well. I do really love Shophandmade but the traffic there is slow. I checked out http://artfire.com but they are almost as over filled with jewelry as Etsy is, but it's still a venue that I may consider.

So here's a question to my readers...where do you sell your wares and what are your experiences with them?

Well I'm off to get ready for the day and to get out of the pajamas....have a good one!

New Packaging

Yay...I finally got my new gift boxes!! It was a really tough choice personally to change from handmade gift boxes to these kraft boxes because I loved that little extra personal touch. BUT...economically speaking this was a much better way to go. The handmade gift boxes cost $2 each to make not including ribbon, organza bag, plastic storage baggy, tags, etc. These boxes work out to be .17 cents per box again not including the extras but it works out to be more financially feasible. Plus...these can be sent in a bubble mailer first class. With my previous handmade boxes I shipped Priority Mail, but then again this is something that I can consistantly do during the year that won't hurt the bottom line.

For the holidays though, I will be doing a shipping special that will consist of free Priority Mail shipping. I will also be doing SNS's (Saturday Night Sales/Specials) for discounts during this time as well. Once I've got the details I will post it here!