Christmas in May!!!!

Actually, my birthday (on Saturday). My fabulous husband came up with a great idea: he decided that we could take the kids to Grandma's for a while, and he and I could go to a new bead shop that I have recently discovered. Woohoo! What could be better? So, coffee in hand, we dropped off the kids and were on our way. I did ask Brett if we could stop at Books A Million on the way so I could look at a beading magazine on the way for inspiration. I was almost done with the magazine and was reading the "local events" section when what did I discover, but that there was a mineral and bead show 2 towns away THIS WEEKEND!! And we happened to be driving right through that town as I read it! So we quickly changed plans and exited off the interstate to attend my first-ever bead and jewelry show.

I really didn't know what to expect, but it was definitely a great way to spend a morning. There were several vendors who were selling minerals and rocks that were not drilled, and TONS of people selling finished jewelry (although most of it paled in comparison to anything you could find on Etsy :-), but of course I zeroed in on the vendors who were selling strands. I got some really great deals!! Take a look at what I got:




Maple turquoise, lime green turquoise, smoky quartz, pearls...











FABULOUS labradorite, pink coral, silver spacers...

So many beads!! My brain is spinning!

Salvation

Sometimes when I'm making jewelry, I know exactly how I want it to look. I sit down with all the supplies ready to go and it turns out just like it looked in my head.

Sometimes the beads and components take on a life of their own and turn into something entirely different than I had imagined. That's what happened to me today. I had some labradorites left over from a custom project, and some coin pearls that I had several of. I decided that since they were the same shape and size, I would try them together. I decided to wire-wrap them together, "rosary style", because that's my favorite technique (currently). When I was done, I liked it, but it seemed a little...blah. Like it was missing something. I got a garnet briolette and decided to add that as a dangle, but still wanted more. Looking through my materials, I found a marcasite-type cross that was rescued from an old necklace of mine that had fallen apart. As soon as I laid it beside the bracelet, I knew how it belonged. As I said in the listing description, the labradorites are the gray of sin; the pearls are the creamy white of an infant's soul; the croos represents our Higher Power, and the garnet represents everlasting love. Here is the finished piece:

One of those days, I guess....

No pretty pictures to post today. I really feel the need to vent, so please skip this post if you don't feel the need to read someone's complaints. :-(

To begin the day, my DEAR hubby (most of the time he's dear, anyway) was in a ROTTEN mood and informed me that all of our financial troubles are because of me. Now mind you, we do have financial troubles coming out of our ears lately, but we have both agreed over the course of our marriage that I am the responsible one and he is the one who needs to be more, shall we say, in tune with the balance of his checking account. We ironed that out eventually throughout the courseof the day, but to add to the stress, he starts a sort-of new job and a VERY new shift tonight: 11 PM to 9 AM, 4 days a week. Yuck. That means rearranging eating schedules and keeping 2 young kids quiet all day this summer.

Sooo...then I went to school. I teach 2nd grade. Things were ok until about lunchtime, when I discovered that someone had dragged a crayon stub all the way across the floor and back with their shoe, leaving a long, red, loopy skid mark. Of course, no one would admit to doing it. That alone is not a HUGE deal, but my class is very destructive and they have ruined sooo many things this year. They just don't care much about other people's posessions. Sigh. Only 16 more days left - there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Yes, I know, unethical....

If you've ever visited my Etsy shop and read my profile, you already know this: I started making my own jewelry because I couldn't afford to buy all the lovely jewelry that I saw in Sundance catalog. You might say that I fell in love with the jewelry, but not with the prices. Well, putting that info in there has turned out to be a good thing: I have a customer who read that and asked me if I could make her a pair of earrings similar to these in Sundance:

So pretty...faceted labradorite coins dangling from sterling wires, under limb-shaped beads...$215 - OUCH! It took a few weeks of convo-ing back and forth and browsing for just the right beads and earwires. And I couldn't have done it without Laura Staley, who made the limb beads for me out of Precious Metal Clay (I hope to learn that skill this summer...). Here is the final product:


I think they turned out pretty darn good, especially considering that the final price for the customer was $25!!! Just about 90% less than what the originals cost!!

And the best part (for me, anyway) is that even though she hasn't even received the earrings yet, she has already commissioned me to copy another pair...

Moss aquamarine, citrine, pearl, sterling silver...$88...stay tuned for the outcome!!!

New Stuff!

Here are the 2 latest additions to my shop. What do you think?

Amethyst Drops















and... Cheerful Earrings

Treasure Hunt!!!!!!!!!

Hoot Hoot Hooty Hooty Hoot! It's a Treasure Hunt!!!!

My shop is part of a treasure hunt. Here's how it works: one of my listings has a picture of a treasure chest mixed in with the additional pictures. If you find it, and BUY that item with a convo to me that says "treasure chest", you can take an additional item that is worth $20 or less FOR FREE, OR you can take $20 off the cost of a more expensive item. Isn't that exciting????

And, here is a link to the forum thread with a listing of all the other shops participating in the hunt:

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6152055

Good Luck!!!!

I'm back!

I haven't been around for a while...getting ready for the end of the school year, trying to keep up with Etsy, not to mention 3 kids...you know how it goes.


One of the joys of Etsy is the ability to trade with other artisans. It's exciting to sell your creations for money, but I personally think it's more fun to trade for other cool stuff. I have traded for an afghan and a bowl, and then a few weeks ago, another jewelry artist contacted me about trading. My first thought was, "Why would I want to trade jewelry for jewelry? I could just make it myself!" But I quickly changed my mind when I saw her shop! Ositarose makes the most gorgeous earrings. And they're all under $20! She has a very romantic style- colorful, sparkly, and feminine.

Take a look at the beauties I got:

These are the "Pixie Garden" earrings. Aren't they great?








And these are "Turquoise Vintage Petite". Pretty, right??

She even sent me another free pair as a gift. I thought that was so sweet of her! They all came in dainty little organza bags, and all of them are very well-made. If you get a chance, please visit her shop!