Christmas in July!

Paisley Sheets - Christmas in July

It's the Annual Christmas in July sale on Etsy - there are deals all over the site. just search for "christmasinjuly" of "CIJ".  I am offering free shipping throughout the shop and a few special deals like $10 this very cool lampwork bracelet - I named it "Vanessa" after my niece who loves lavender. For her wedding, she custom ordered bows for her Bichons from Etsy.com to match the groomsmen :). The bracelet is made up of set of seven beautiful handmade lampwork beads that I picked up a few years ago, loaded with Swarvoski crystals, pewter beads, and some pretty pressed glass beads to finish it all off.

I've got a load of new beads I picked up today, my favorite store, Ben Franklin Crafts had all of their semi-precious stones and Czech Crystals 40% off, so I was able to get some great deals! Stay tuned for what comes out next!

Etsy Front Page!

Very exciting day on Monday - I put together a treasury on Etsy (like Everything Etsy told me), and it was picked for the front page! I was so excited, a built another one called Oh Mexico, it's based on a couple of neat pillows I found while searching. So far it has 29 views and 22 clicks, that must be a pretty good ratio, huh? The Etsy treasury that was on the front page is to the right there (thanks craftcult.com for the widget). Here is a screenshot:

June in the studio

Well, the sun has finally come out here in the Great Pacific Northwest. We usually don't get good weather until after July 4, so we really appreciate the beautiful days of spring. But, the rain makes all the green around here, so who can complain? Leaves lots of time to create!!

Because I split my time right now between the jewelry making and working on the farm (and the search for a day job), sometimes the blog gets neglected. June is a busy time on the farm, the tomatoes are getting started and need to be strung, beans, cucumbers and squash planted. Then there are the ducklings and the chickens to tend. How did I work and get all of this done? Hmmm.

Jewelry wise, I am having a great month.
My friends and family have been so supportive and receptive of my designs. It is so encouraging! I sold a piece to my Mom's friend, who sent me a note about two days later with a custom order for her friend, and then our old family friends the Witts came over and loved everything! They chose many pieces, necklaces, earrings and bracelets.

They were nice enough to model some of my new designs as well. These are crochet necklaces, they are really great. Two are mixes with chain and seed beads, and the other is three strands of gold colored wire with garnets. It looks like it is floating. Now that I have some modeled photos, I hope to get it up on the Etsy site soon.











I sold my first item to a "stranger" on Etsy - a pair of earrings. Really exciting!! I've always been particular to this pair too....

Wire knitted bracelets

I have a number of wire knitted bracelets in my Etsy store, I thought it would be fun to show some construction photos of one being made. In writing the blog, I now realize how very complicated the process is. Maybe I'm not charging enough?

It all starts with a bead mixture, I am usually inspired by a single bead strand or color and work from there. The bracelet in the construction photos was inspired by these turquoise seed beads I had in a vial on my worktable. I put all the beads in a dish and add beads from the collection until I am satisfied with the look and it feels right. the bead choices can be tricky because they cannot be much larger than 4mm or it is really difficult to knit. It's a balance of large and small beads to get the right texture and look in the finished product.

I have a collection of 28-32 gauge copper wire in different colors, so then the wire color decision must be made. I usually like copper or silver, but sometimes a color calls out (gut instinct). All of the beads in the bracelet then are strung out on the wire. I use permanently colored copper wire, it seems to hold up the best to the knitting process. There is a lot of strain on the wire while knitting, to keep the tension, and I have had other types of wire break. Also, there are between 45-75 feet of wire in each bracelet, sterling silver 30G wire can get pricey.

Then the knitting begins, I choose the width that I want and cast on that number of stitches. I knit in garter stitch back and forth, only adding beads on one side until it is the desired length, then bind off. The knitting needles are metal, about a size 000 (that's really fine). I also use them to knit beaded bags, which is another post. Those take months, literally.

This is a shot of the beginning of a bracelet. once the bracelet body is finished, I use crimp ends to finish the ends and add a clasp.

testin g the new blog

I wasn't happy with the features on the Wordpress blog (being able to post to my facebook page and etsy account) lets try this one!