Pretty Pretties

I've been a busy girl. In addition to obsessing about BlogHer, I've actually been making jewelry.

Today I actually listed some pieces:



Black Lace



Sunstone Circles

I also redid the pictures on these listings:



Pearl Clusters



Amethyst Circles

A Vacation State of Mind

Every year our family goes on vacation to the same place. We have our things that we do, the places that we can't miss. It is a nice ritual.

One of my things is to visit this little bead store. Generally I ban myself from going to bead stores because I have a huge stash that I need to use up (one of the perks/drawbacks to having worked at a bead store). But I can't resist this little shop, so every year I go back.

But I find myself drawn to things I would never buy at home, more ethinic, more eclectic. I always bring my tools with me and make pieces with those bead right away. Sometimes I don't bring any jewelry with me, I just create my vacation accessories on the spot.

This year I found some vintage glass beads with a 40's feel to them in aqua and green. They made the perfect pair of earrings. I've worn them almost everyday since being home.



I also found a vintage Ethiopian pendant which I had to buy. We are in the process of adopting a child from Ethiopia and I thought I would help to pass the time if I had something from his birth country. I added some vintage beads and a leather cord to make a great necklace. Normally I would not use leather cord but it fit the piece and my vacation mindset.





I also wanted to let all of you know that the fabulous Christy from A Lil' Welsh Rarebit is having a giveaway. She is giving away a necklace, decals and some eco-friendly cleaning products. You should check it out.

Day 21 - New Jewelry Up

I've been making jewelry for the past few days and thought it was time to finally add a few to my shop.

The first are a pair of earrings I made on Monday. I've made these before and have always loved the way they look. The flower stone is a ruby jade and the leaves are vintage glass.




Second I added some earrings I made yesterday. They are labordorite drops with small loops made of labordorite. I love how the twisted wire effect that makes the loops look like small leaves or petals.

I hope to be adding some more pieces to the shop in the coming days.

Day 19 - Back to Basics

Sometimes life gets a little crazy. You would rather spend your free time napping or zoning out in front of the TV than doing anything of substance.

I could have done this or I could have done that but I just couldn't bring myself to make the effort. I wanted ease and simplicity yesterday. Something that I could do without thinking but something that would yeild a beautiful result.

Yesterday I walked into my craft room and looked at everything I had there. The unused sewing machine, the paints, the canvas, the yarn none of it was appealing to me. I opened a box of beads and just knew what to do. So I decided to go back to basics, back to jewelry.

The easiest piece of jewlery for me to make is earrings. I can make a pair in 10 minutes. I can't tell you the number of times I've been getting ready to go out and thought I need some new earrings to go with this outfit. So I pull out my supplies and make a pair as easy as that.

I found some pretty beads, grabbed some wire and my tools and went to town. I first hung both beads from the same earwire. The effect was pretty but it was heavier than I was looking for so I separated them. Instead I got two pairs that I can wear anytime and I like that.