I've been busy lately with lots of stuff, most recently with a bracelet I created to donate for the end-of-year auction at my son's school.

  
I call it The Simple Life.  It's my first auction so stay tuned to see what happens.  Do you ever participate in fundraisers as a way of getting your name out there?  I'd be interested in hearing your experience.

Fun stuff ~ I'll be participating in my first honest-to-goodness GIVEAWAY in a few weeks. I'm so excited! It should really bring traffic to my blog and Etsy site. Plus I can help another blogger (the sponsor of the giveaway, if you will) hopefully increase her readership base as well. I will pass along more details soooooon!!! In the meantime, TTFN.

One of my muses (I'm not sure which one) guided me to create this Gotta Have Faith Charm Bracelet today:


"Faith."  It's as simple as that.  And as complicated as that, I guess.  It seems rather fitting that the bracelet arrived the day before Holy Thursday.  Sometimes we forget what Easter week is really all about.  Anyway, really, this is a COINCIDENCE, I swear, that I made this today.......


This silver-plated double tier bracelet is approximately 7 1'4" long with a lobster claw clasp.  The charms include a church, a dove, an angel (I know, I know) a fish and of course the letters spelling out "faith."  The beads include cracked quartz (which gives a nice sparkly effect) as well as brown and green acrylic bead charms.  I think I might just have to wear this one!

The week's been long in the sense that it's the second week of spring break in our house.  Yes, I said SECOND week.  Last week the girls were home for a week and this week my son is home for the week -- their schools have different spring breaks!  AAaaarrrgh!  Well, at least all are looking forward to Easter and what the Easter bunny might bring!  Next to Christmas, this is a great time to be a parent.

Normally we have a grand Easter Egg Hunt for about 100 people each year around now.  Only this year things were just too hectic to pull it off.  Hopefully we can reinstitute it again next year.  The kids do love it so.  Any Easter traditions at your house?  

OK, so where's Spring?  Not here, apparently.  Hopefully this bracelet will make you think of budding flowers and warmer days.  I think it's the pink that does it for me.


And of course, gray and black again ~ a combo I love together.  Plus the ubiquitous white pearl.  The 7 1/4" bracelet has about 35 beads and 9 charms.  There's a shamrock, a round locket, an antique brass heart locket, a fleur-de-lis, a regal crown with it's own bead dangle, a very cute envelope with a heart inside it and another one of my faves -- the angel :)


It's for sure another eclectic mix of whimsy and just-fancy-enough.  What do you think?

I've been thinking about taking the leap and designing earrings for a change....perhaps my next project will involve some type of catalog-inspired (I'm keeping it a secret) pair of dangle earrings.  

Tonight chickadee #3 is in a school play.  The camcorder is charged and ready to go!  Can't wait to see the little guy belt his lungs out (or so we're told).  Ciao till next time!

I got my "Divatude" bracelet finished!  Yay!  It was nice to actually finish something today...I also got my camera back from the service center and it's fixed ~ another yay~ so I could take a picture of it tonight.  Here it is:


As usual, this charm bracelet is chock full of charms and beads.  It's a real eclectic mess, just the way I like it.  Crowns, hearts, keys, lockets, beads, pearls and more.  Really fun to wear. 

So glad tomorrow is Friday ~  family outing planned for Saturday.  Can't wait.  Time to slow down and stop my wheels from spinning.  For now.  Ciao ~

I love getting packages in the mail (brown paper packages tied up with string......).  I love it even more when the package contains something special.  Today I received a package from a dear friend that blew me away.  She sent me some vintage jewelry pieces that I couldn't have chosen better for myself.  My absolute favorite is highlighted below. 




I'm not sure how old it is but I'm guessing it's in at least the 30 to 40-year-old range.  And the silver filigree ball charms are exactly like what I'm using today for my tassle necklaces!  Wish I could take a better picture so you could really see and appreciate the details.  There are silver wreaths, diamonds, and love bird charms.  I love this charm bracelet!

The rest of the stuff she sent me is chock-full-o' great charms and gems and ideas....we'll see what happens with it all.  I can't wait to find out.  Thanks, friend, for some fabulous finds. 

Comment and let me know what you think of what I'm going to call "Love Birds and Lace".  Ciao. 

First let me comment on my Christmas charm bracelet I mentioned in yesterday's post.  You'll totally have to forgive the rudimentary (and that's being kind) style of the photos I've been posting.  Techniques for taking good web photos are a whole other can of worms I'll have to open up and suffer through some day soon.  But for now, it is what is it.  Ta da.



It's a vintage inspired silver plated bracelet and charms, along with some epoxy charms which really give it a vintage feel -- Santa and his pack, two little Victorian girls, holly and Santa's sleigh.  Besides the epoxy charms I really love the simple charm with "25" on it in red.  It's a simple design reminiscent of much simpler times.    

OK, now on to some great jewelry sites not only for their design ideas but for the pure fun of it! Janna Conner is a popular designer that I really like.  Her site,  www.Jannaconner.com, currently has four trendy bracelets that I love:  the Gold Plate Biba Bracelet, the Gold Plate Ribbon Bracelet, the Gold Dax bracelet and the Adina bracelet.  The Adina bracelet happens to be the only true charm bracelet in her collection. It's clear from her designs as well as many other artists' designs that multi-strand bracelets are very in right now.  The bracelets I've mentioned have either 3 or 5 strands.  It's a look I really love.  The bracelet prices ranged from $75.00 to $192.00.   A little steep for me, but maybe worth the splurge.  And you know I'll be trying to emulate her style very soon.

In contrast to Janna Conner's prices I stumbled upon a site, www.pinkice.com, which had amazingly reasonable prices for trendy costume jewely.  I loved the multi-layer chained link bracelet for $9.99, the Bold Statement Hang Gem necklace for $19.99 and the Lucky Shoot charm bracelet for $17.99.  Lucky Shoot is 9 inches long with 7 charms and a toggle clasp.  You need to check out these sites and let me know what you think of the designs.

Me, I'm on to more web research and hopefully some hands-on jewelry making before the night is through.  Ciao for now.

     

Well, two magazines at least.  I have to confess that I read Lucky magazine.  I first ran across it at the salon where I get my hair cut.  It was a nice indulgence to sit and read without small children interrupting my every thought.  It is quite the fashion trends magazine -- and I don't believe there would be fashion trends without corresponding jewelry trends.  So, yeah, I'm a subscriber now.  Lucky's September issue highlights Etsy.com on its "thewebpages" page.  I aspire to have an Etsy site once I get my act together.  Anyway, the Etsy designer site they give kudos to is www.Makepienotwar.Etsy.com.  I checked it out and LOVED it.  She had five bracelets for sale, three of which I really liked: "My cocktail bracelet", "Two hearts mixed" and (especially) "Edward called and he wants his bracelet back."  I love them for their names alone.  Just kidding, but you have to admit that the names are great.

The designer uses chain bracelets that are "fatter" than most.  Some would say "chunky."  I would say cool.  And the prices are very reasonable.  Check it out.

Another mag jewelry trend referral comes from September's Family Circle magazine.  Linda Moran, in "Linda's Closet," writes about a jewelry store in Eastport, New York called Island Bead and Jewelry (www.islandbeadandjewelry.com ) where you can go to get your old and/or broken jewelry "restyled."  She had charms from an old broken bracelet restyled into earrings -- very cool (and very cheap).  Another aspiration of mine is to be able to restyle old jewelry as well.  Anyone know of a similar store in the midwest, i.e., the Chicago area?  Would love to hear about it.

The days are getting shorter and it's nice to be home and warm.  Chicago winters can be (and usually are) brutal.  I'm looking forward to hanging out inside and making charm bracelets, among other things.  And, of course, reading magazines!  I'll keep you posted.         

I have to admit that one of my passions is making holiday-themed jewelry.  Halloween and Christmas are my favorite holidays.  So many decorations!  So much anticipation and so much fun!  Especially when you're viewing it all through your children's eyes.  I volunteer at my kids' schools and it's clear to me that kids love it when they see a mom wearing a Halloween charm bracelet or a light-up Christmas necklace or a bejeweled holiday t-shirt...I think you get my drift.  SO, my next question is, after putting in the time to create some cool holiday jewelry creations, will many (or any) moms actually shell out their hard-earned money for the chance to wear your fabulous creations for only a few months (tops) a year?  Personally I like knowing that I have a few special pieces of jewelry in my jewelry box that are there for me when I need them.  Like, say, on Halloween and Christmas!  Call me crazy.  (Not the last time you'll hear me say that.)  I made a Halloween charm bracelet that I love, and want to share with you.  But it's time to put the kids to bed.  So tune in tomorrow to see the bracelet and let me know what you think.       

Okay, so I know I told you I'm not really a "beader" per se, but more of a "charmer" if you will.  Still, a large percentage of the jewelry sites out there speak to beaders.  Some of them have charms as well, and some of them don't.  One site I checked out today is www.Vicalla.com.

Vicalla sells at least 18 categories of beads, one of which is (yay!) pearls.  They had no less than 66 different colors and varieties of pearls, although I have to admit that I'm a sucker for the traditional white round ones.They also sell tools and wire and findings. Even watchfaces.  But no tutorials.  And NO CHARMS! 

I did stumble upon a site with unique sterling silver and silver plated charms.  Go to www.charms4you.etsy.com.  I was psyched to find them and can't wait to shop for some really cool and different charms.  When you stop by the site let them know that I sent you!

Enough for now.  I've got some charm shopping to do. 
  
   

If you're a novice charm bracelet-making diva like me, I'm sure you can't  help but be somewhat overwhelmed by the results of a simple Google search: Jewelry making.  The results are astounding. Where to begin?  I'm hoping to lead you to some good sites that fit your jewelry-making needs.  To do this I need to scour the net and report back.  By the same token, you, my readers, need to read what I've written, make your own decision, and comment!

Today I'd like to introduce you to http://www.fusionbeads.com/.  First off, they have FREE SHIPPING!  Something I absolutely look for in a jewelry-making supply company.  They also have a nice inventory of beading reference information as well as more than 100 "beading techniques."  I use the term "beading" loosely again here because their techniques run the gamut from working with wire to knotting, coiling, twisting, stamping, bead weaving and more.  They also just scored a new style of beads, charms and pendants from Earthenwood Studios -- check it out if you're into Steampunk!  I know I will.

Question of the day, and it's a loaded one:  What should someone charge for their handmade piece of jewelry online (not including shipping, of course)?  I saw someone from a jewelry website say that you should double the cost of materials and then add in labor costs, deciding how much per hour you believe your work is worth.  When I do this, the price seems really disproportionate to the actual cost.  Let me know what you think and if you have any guidelines to live by in this instance.  I sure could use some advice.

 

In my last post I promised some beading resource tips.  I should clarify here that I use the term "beading" loosely.  I am interested in beading, but my main interest is in creating charm bracelets with beads as well as charms.  Love 'em both.  So you'll learn about both!


For starters, go to www.jewelrymakingprofessor.com.  You'll find some great video clips for various jewelry-making techniques.  As a beginner I found them quite helpful.  I stumbled upon this website and it's pretty funny because the website's creator lives in my old home town of Ambler, PA.  Small world for real. 


Another book I like is "beadsimple, essential techniques for making jewelry just the way you want it" by Susan Beal.  Great info on tools, materials, design, color and various jewelry making techniques including earrings, necklaces, pendants and bracelets. 


Right now I'm listening to www.pandoraradio.com and it is awesome!  You can actually create your own "radio station" online and it plays only music you love!  I find it's essential for blogging, jewelry making and scrapbooking.  At least in my house, that is.  Once the kiddos are in bed it's mom's time to chill and be creative. 


Next post I'll fill you in on a few jewelry supply websites I've found where maybe you can find some good prices on beads, charms, tools and other supplies --  at least better than the local craft store....lastly, I've got a new fall bracelet design I've named "Golden Acorns."  Can't wait to put it all together.  And I swear one of these days I'll actually learn how to put pictures on my blog so you can see I'm not just making up these charm bracelets I keep talking about!  Seriously.      

 No disrespect intended -- I count myself to be in the aforementioned group.  SO, I've been trying to find out as much as I can about how to start a blog and I've come up with the name Darren Rowse and the website http://www.problogger.net/.  He's a well-respected authority on blogging and his site is something worth checking out.  I'm thoroughly immersed in his "Blogging Tips for Beginners" which will take me quite some time to digest.

In the meantime, I've been dreaming of beautiful jewelry designs-- I even designed and created my first freelance charm bracelet.  It's named Bauble Jar.  Pearls, pearls, pearls are the bead of the day. I have a feeling that they will be pervasive in my work as they are what I love.  Pearls and vintage ephemera.  My next post will share with you some great resources for beading, with and without pearls.  Happy blogging.