Very busy week

The past week or so has been pretty busy. I've had a lot of orders go out (a big thank you to everyone who has bought something from me recently) and I've also made five or six new items. I just finished listing them in my store yesterday, with the exception of one that I will post pics of here. I'll probably add pics of some of the new items here tomorrow, as there are a couple I'm excited about sharing, but I'm too sleepy to do much tonight.

The item I want to share with you tonight is a copper bracelet that I just made this afternoon. As with many other things I create, this bracelet ended up looking much different than originally planned. It was supposed to have a butterfly design but in the end I decided it would look much better like this, and I'm saving the butterfly I cut out for a later date. Instead, I decided to go with hand stamped flowers, and the phrase "Bloom where you are planted" is the centerpiece. I used my new bird stamps, of course - I absolutely love these two designs and I've been using them whenever possible. I glued a Swarovski crystal to the center of the main flower, and the dark blue bead really pops with color against the copper, pulling the whole piece together nicely. The edges are hammered and darkened for an antique look, and overall I think this bracelet turned out quite nicely, especially considering it's the first cuff bracelet I've ever made. The bracelet is 2" wide, 20g thick, and is currently sized to fit my small 5" wrist but is adjustable.

It was rather hard to get a good pic of this bracelet because of its larger size (and I hate how closeup photos always show tiny dings and scratches that are barely noticeable otherwise) but I managed to get a few that were fairly decent. So, without further ado, here is my limited edition "Bloom where you are planted" copper cuff bracelet:

On Etsy's front page...twice in one week!

Yep, that's right! I made it on Etsy's front page twice in six days. The first item, featured on Tuesday 05/11, was my set of two children's art magnets. They're perfect for displaying art or for showing off a perfect grade on the big test. Here's a pic of my own magnets, and another set which were made for a customer:

This afternoon, I was suddenly swamped with convos (short for Conversations, the messaging system on Etsy) and checked to see if I was featured again. My "Class of 2010" hand stamped pendant had been chosen as an alternate on a featured Treasury, and when the first item sold, mine took its place on the front page. The pendant instantly sold, and I got a few other sales as well. I've relisted the items, but if you're interested in the graduation pendant, I suggest buying it ASAP as I'm almost out of star charms.

I'm not sure how often a person gets the chance to be featured on Etsy's front page, but this seems almost too good to be true. I'm definitely honored that people like my items, and I'm so happy to finally get my store a little bit of publicity. Hopefully I can continue to make items that people are interested in, and make a decent living while I'm at it, lol!

Gone To The Birds

I bought a few new stamps this week, and I've been having a lot of fun with them. One is a bird, another is a tear shape, and the third is a flame stamp. The flame stamp is being used for a wedding ring that I am making for my brother in law. I haven't had the chance to use it elsewhere yet. But I have been having a lot of fun with the bird and tear stamps. I've been using the tear stamp to make flower petals, and I've added some new nature pendants to my store. They are very modern looking, and very cute! I also have a new bird stamp being delivered at the end of the week, so I will be able to vary the scenes a bit more. Here are the pictures I promised:

You can find these pendants and more for sale in my store. I also have a new ring for sale. This is a ring that I have been wanting to make for a while, and I finally managed to get it finished. I made one for myself, and I listed a second one for sale in my store. I custom ordered the flower in a dark red color, and it has a lovely satin finish. The dark red looks great next to the shiny sterling silver, and I really like the simplicity and beauty of the finished ring. I made myself a matching necklace, but I forgot to take pictures of it. I needed something to wear with my new black dress, and this ring & necklace set are just perfect. I will try to take a picture of the necklace tomorrow and post it here in this entry.

That's all for now, but I will be adding new bird necklaces soon so keep an eye out for those. They are all one of a kind, so if you see something you like, be sure to grab it quick before it's gone!

New items coming soon!

I have some exciting new items on the way...a new ring for sale, and a new pendant design that I'm excited about. Stay tuned, I will be updating my blog within the next day or two, as soon as I can upload the pics!

Hidden Message Jewelry

A few days ago I had a conversation with a wonderful lady named Karin Castens who is one of my biggest inspirations. She writes a great blog under the name of Phantasteria, and her jewelry is just amazing. Like me, she has a love of creating hidden secrets in her jewelry. As I'm still new at the whole metalworking thing, I haven't made nearly as many wonderful creations as she has, but as we were talking about this very subject of jewelry secrets, I got the idea for my latest pendant.

Although I did not make the copper chain, I did make the clasp hook and the little double rings that are holding it onto the necklace. So that was fun, as I usually use store bought jump rings. I made the pendant out of two 1" copper discs. The pendant can be worn with either disc in front; it looks lovely both ways. The first disc is filled with what seems like a random stamping of letters, but by placing the second disc on top, a hidden message is revealed.

This is the type of pendant I really love making. It's unique, unusual, contains an element of mystery & surprise, and has an antique hammered finish that gives it a nice bit of personality. I'm a little surprised that it has received quite a bit of compliments, however, because while I like this sort of piece, I wasn't aware that it was something that others would like also. But, as it has been pretty well received, I will probably add a few versions of this in my store in the next week or so.

Here are the pics of my hidden message pendant (I still haven't thought of a good name yet...if you have a suggestion, please let me know):