Okay...now don't fall out of your chair but....

I finally made something other than earrings :D It's a bracelet...I almost didn't post it on Etsy because I kinda wanted it for myself, but I went ahead and posted it anyways. I've named it Freeform. I know...funky name...but that's exactly what it is, a bunch of Sterling Silver that I've freeformed to create the bracelet. The stones are Spiderweb Turquoise, the varying patterns in these stones are beautiful. I think the reason why I like them so much is because their not the normal color that you find with Turquoise...you know...the bright blue (which I've never been a huge fan of), it's just a deeper green/blue with black, perfect for winter.

Pictures say it all...

Isn't that the truth when your trying to sell your wares online. All the buyer has is your photos to refer to and if they don't look good, you may have just lost a sale. After months of fighting with the lighting, shells and sand, I've decided it's time for a change. I picked up some more cardstock for my origami gift boxes and business cards last night and decided to take some pictures of my jewelry with it. Voila...I took 4 photos and used those 4 pictures in an Etsy listing...all I had to do was crop it. I didn't have to adjust the contrast, focus or anything else. It was so nice. I then proceeded to take pictures of 2 other pairs of earrings...and again...first 4 pictures of each were great....sheesh what took me so long to figure this out?? So now comes the task of going through each of my listings and changing the pictures out. Tedious, repetitive work...but it needs to be done. Below are 2 of my newest listings in the Petite Line using the cardstock. Now I'm off to finish making jewelry for my coworkers.

Petite Earring Line

This is my new line of earrings for those of us who love to adorn our ears with beautiful jewelry but don't necessarily want alot of length or weight. Here are a few samples above, the longest pair in this line measure only 1" and the shortest is 3/4" from the top of the earwires. I've listed a couple in my Etsy store.

Look what I got in the mail....

I recently did a trade with recycledideas , a fellow seller on Etsy. I can't say enough about everything I received. Everything that you see in the picture above is Eco-Friendly which is so awesome. In the upper left hand corner is a beautifully colored pencil holder which I'm going to use for my rulers and extra jewelry tools. The upper right hand corner is a handmade box with a picture window top filled with varying colors of mini handmade cards. In the bottom of the picture there are 3 handmade cards embossed with various types of leaves along with envelopes. Oh my...I was so excited to see what she had sent me, and you can ask my family about all the ooo's and awww's that I kept saying over and over again. I think it was driving them nuts...but it truly felt like Christmas when I opened the box filled with such wonderful handmade items. On another note recycledideas is going to be my December Featured Artist so check back for that. If you get a chance check out her store, if you have a friend or family member who loves Eco-Friendly products...this is your one stop shop! You will thoroughly be impressed with her craftsmanship and her eye for detail.

It didn't take long...

before I made another pair of earrings. Actually I've made a few more, but I haven't taken photos of them yet. So here are the pair that I have photographed, they will be available in my Etsy Store Saturday afternoon. I haven't figured out a title/name for them yet, but am pleased with the simplicity of the design. I have to admit that I've really had a lot of fun making my own earwires and findings. I have yet to use my new torch, I have to buy some pickling to use on the sterling silver. I'm also going to purchase some solder to use with ss as well, then the fun is going to begin!

Just Wanted To Wish Everyone A.....

Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with the beauty of the season and the joy of sharing it with your loved ones!

Okay...I finally made....

Something other than earrings! Well okay, I'll be honest...the heart charm started out as a pair of earrings but I didn't like how one of them turned out...so voila...you have a necklace. These are a pretty almost steel colored pearls with a hint of lilac. I've strung the heart and pearls on an 18" sterling silver curved link chain with a lobster claw clasp. If your interested this will be available in my Etsy Store Tuesday afternoon. I just thought I would post something different than earrings tonight.

I've been spending entirely too much time on the internet. I'm in need of some beauty sleep, and my house has been neglected. Between, etsy, blogging, youcraft.org, talentdatabase, flickr, indiepublic and etsylove, I'm worn out. One thing that I won't get tired of is making new pieces, and between all of the self advertising I'm also coming up with new ideas for new pieces.

This is the face of Raven my Great Dane, who at the moment is feeling neglected as well, so I'm off to give her alot of love before she paws me to death or mushes me while I sleep. I never thought that a King bed would be too small....but she is a bed hog! Ohh and just so you know, I have two Danes....Kula sleeps with Brandon because there's not enough room on my bed with Raven :D One of these days I'll have to post pics of all the animals I have, two Danes, and 3 cats, I know, I must be crazy!

Earrings...earrings and more earrings

I'm not sure what my facination is here lately with earrings, but that seems to be what I keep making. So here are my newest listings. The first pair is named Abyss. It's made with Spiderweb Turquoise, Onyx and sterling silver.

The second pair is named Flowing. The design reminds me of the ebb and flow of the oceans tide. I've hammered the design for a brushed finish. The earrwires on both earrings are also handforged by me.

Maybe I'll work on some pendants to post. I've got some great Blue Lace Agate that would look nice wire wrapped....hmmm....yup that's what's next then.

My week so far....

It's been a couple of days since I've posted anything. The grove of trees in front of my house is no longer there, torn down to build houses. It has been horribly sad around here. I can't hardly stand to look out my window let alone walk outside. What once felt protected and secluded now feels exposed and unsafe.

Onto a brighter subject...It's been a busy week planning for the Thanksgiving get together. Two dinners this year because of everyones work schedule. I can feel a turkey burn-out coming on!

The pictures in this post are the newest items in my store. I've sold two more pieces and one of them was because a very nice fellow Etsian featured me in her blog. She is going to be my Decembers Featured Artist of the Month, so be sure and check back for that. Business has been good, and I'm definately looking forward to the upcoming holidays. Ohh and I've also been accepted into SRAJD (Self-Representing Artist Jewelry Designer), I can't wait until it's posted so I can start using the logo.

My mom is very excited about a gift she bought me...she wants to tell me, but I keep stopping her and that is sooo unlike me. I always want to know what my gifts are! I'm just excited to buy gifts for my niece, Abi. She'll be 6 months old and should be alittle more active....I love the baby stage!

Here's my two newest listings...

The first is a pair of Funky Geometrix Earrings and the second is the Wave of Love Ruby gemstone pendant and chain. I really enjoyed making both of these because of the design work with the silver. I hope you enjoy them too.