More Murano glass beauty!

I just finished up necklace and earrings using some of the gorgeous Murano beads I got in Venice in February.  I just LOVE the cobalt blue in these!  I used both sterling and gold filled so you can wear it with silver or gold accessories.

Both are available in my Etsy studio - just click on the pictures!

Some Valentine's Day selections from cserpentDesigns

I'm adding new items to both my Etsy and Artfire shops and refreshing some others.  Here are a few design selections that would be perfect for you or your sweetie on Valentine's day!

Berry Blast! Earrings

Cranberry Petals Earrings

Chocolate Love Bracelet

Pink Tourmaline and Pearl Necklace

Another week of new things ....

I want to get back to designing but I'm going to diligently get ALL my existing designs listed before I make more. So I'll share a few more of the latest listings ...

Luscious reds ...



Gorgeous pearls!

And a few more ...

Some new things to start the new month ...

I can't believe it is already February! What happened to January? It flew by. I've got some ambitious plans for 2011. The most time consuming will be moving my entire inventory of beads/... from a spreadsheet into a database. I already started and so far every sale this year is logged in the database. I try to add in one new design a day. So far I'm keeping up the pace. But - since I design jewelry to sell I figure I better start taking pictures and listing all the beauties I made at the end of 2010 for the shows. I'm starting out with earrings and here are a few ...


I'm so excited to be going to Tucson for the gem show again this year. I've got my venues mapped out and can't wait to see all the beauties over there!

An Etsy memorial to Oscar

I've been trying to get an Etsy treasury for weeks. I finally got one and here it is:



It is also fun to find what unique items are available for sale on Etsy and especially when you're looking for a particular type of something.

Featured ETSY artist #43 - AdrienneN

AdrienneN is an Etsy store created by two - a mother (Charlotte)/daughter (Adrienne) team. They have a variety of embroidered items (bags, tshirts, onesies, tutus, ...) and jewelry. When I saw the tutus in their shop they brought me back to my kindergarten days when I was learning ballet which means recitals and tutus!! My mom has pics of me in my tutu - I look like I'm hamming it up for the camera and boy did my mom use a LOT of makeup. Now, back to the regular programming ... Isn't this pink and black one cute! And, of course, you can get it customized for your little princess! For the beachgoers out there here is a wonderful, customizable beach towel. I have to say I just LOVE to look at cute flip/flops! I don't know why - probably because they're just so cute! If you like geckos you can get a surfing gecko embroidered on the tool instead! It is so cute too! They even provide you with a choice of fonts so you can customize your towel to the Nth degree! You can see many other wonderful, and customizable, items in AdrienneN so go check out their shop! If you want to know more about what Adrienne and Charlotte have in mind for their designs then be sure to read their blog.

Featured ETSY artist #40 - Cryztalvisions

The first thing I love about Beth Alexander's store - Cryztalvisions - is the story behind the name. I loved school and liked all my teachers so I'm always happy when someone remembers a teacher in a positive way. According to Beth the "Z" in her shop name is "It's an homage to one of my wonderful teachers who pronounced crystals: 'creezzztals'". The next thing I like about her shop are these earrings. Amazonite is a gorgeous stone and she complemented it wonderfully with the sterling silver swirl earwires that she made. Beth has been making unique jewelry designs for 20 years and says she delights "in creating these pieces!" You can see her unique flair in these matchstick earrings. I love the simple, yet striking design. You can find many more unique and interesting designs in Beth's Etsy store. She also creates her own fine silver pendants and charms so be sure to check those out in her store. Want to know more about what she's up to? Then be sure to visit her blog (she creates fractal images too - using the same software I use - Apophysis!).

Blog Carnival - April Fool's !!!

I'm a member of the etsy bloggers street team and we do a blog topic every week. I slacked off on doing this for a while so I'm trying to get back to it. The topic for this weeks is April Fool's ...

Well I don't do April Fool's - no pranks, jokes, tricks, ... I think the last time I did anything was when I was in high school (back in the 1970's - yikes!!!!). My favorite math teacher was William W. Wible (aka W cubed to us math nerds at the time!). Weebles were popular back then so we got 3 weebles (cubed you know and the word weeble is kind of like Wible - at least to a high school kid) and put them on his chair when he was out of the room for a bit. He got a big kick out of that. Not too exciting - hmmm?

OK - so this April Fool's day just isn't my thing but I did go to http://www.ajokeaday.com and got a kick out of this joke:

"FIVE MINUTES
This is half an hour. It is equivalent to the five minutes that your football game is going to last before you take out the trash, so it's an even trade."

My hubby doesn't watch too much football and he doesn't take out the trash but he does know that when we're getting ready to leave from any family event (at least on my side of the family) our "5 minute goodbye" usually turns into a half hour more of visiting!

If this post doesn't leave you in stitches laughing I hope it at least brings a smile to your face! Remember that smiles exercise more face muscles (thus giving you a firmer, toner face) then frowns!

Enjoy your day!

Featured ETSY artist #35 of 90 - arosebyname

As I wander through Anna's shop I just ohhhh and ahhhh at the gorgeous beadwork designs she creates. I've tried it and just get REALLY tense trying to beadweave anything! LOL! However - I really want to be able to weave a tube for bracelets so I'm going to take a class and see if someone can teach me more so perhaps I can find it relaxing to bead. I have doubts about it since I've cross-stitched for years and never got relaxed doing it. OK - back to Anna's Etsy store, arosebyname ... As I said, she makes stunning designs with beads and here is a gorgeous bracelet in a wonderful, emerald green with gold accents - Golden Verdigris. Isn't it beautiful! Here's another beauty - Linked to the Sea. I can't even imagine the number of hours it took to hand bead each link and there are 7,040 beads in this necklace! Truly a labor of love and a steal at twice the price! I can guarantee I'll never have the patience for this level of beading. Anna my hat is off to you! Want to see more? Then quick, click and visit Anna's Etsy store arosebyname! Want to know more about what Anna is up to? Then be sure to check out her blog.

I finished my part of the charity collaboration!

I showed the beads that Jan (afibrejourney on Etsy) made for me to design with and here's the design I created with the pretties! I also took a picture of the beautiful fused glass pendant that Jan sent "just because". Isn't it beautiful! She got some tools so she can put holes through her fused glass and once she learns to use them I'm hoping she can make some fused glass "beads" I can use for bracelets. She creates such wonderful color combinations!

Featured ETSY artist #33 of 90 - ThatsHeadley

I found ALL sorts of fun and awesome jewelry designs in Ginny's ThatsHeadley Etsy store! It was a challenge to whittle the list down to just a couple of favorites but I managed - LOL! Here is a pair of "In the Garden" earrings that I just adore! Of course I'm a gardener and these are a natural design for a gardener to love. This is a wonderful combination of artisan lampwork hats and sterling silver charms. My hubbie says I always pick the most expensive items in a shop and I'll have to tell him that this time I didn't! The pendant focal is what I really liked about Gaia. It is a wonderful, one of a kind, handforged sterling setting for a wonderful rhyolite cabachon. I love the way the wire comes out and then forms a spiral around the necklace. Isn't it gorgeous?! If you want to see more lovelies then be sure to visit ThatsHeadley on Etsy. Want to know more about upcoming new creations? Then be sure to check out her blog too!

Featured ETSY artist #30 of 90 - Alilsumptinsumptin

Finally - I've reached my first Etsy Blogger target - 1/3 of the way through my 90 features! I'm not quite doing 1 a day, but I'm making progress. Today I'm featuring ALilsumptinsumptin aka Eva and she has DOG designs! She also lives in my part of the country - SoCal. How cool is that! You KNOW I can't resist dog designs - I love dogs! She's got some gorgeous designs with wonderful lampwork focals and in many cases 100% of the purchase price goes to an animal related charity! Here's a wonderful dog choker necklace with such a cute face and I love those floppy ears! Check out the listing for this choker to see the gorgeous wirewrapping on the pendant. Here is a gorgeous necklace with no paw in sight - LOL! The dangling sterling silver chain makes a great tassle which, combined with the chain will point all eyes to the gorgeous lampwork flower.Want to more of Eva's wonderful designs? Be sure to check out her Etsy store. Want to more about what she's up to? Be sure to read her blog!

Featured ETSY artist #29 of 90 - ElementsbyDawn

Oh - what's the first thing I see in Dawn Brandt's store??? Chainmaille designs!! I love it, I've done it (made a pair of earrings), I'm impressed by folks who can REALLY do it since it looks so cool! My hands get sweaty and flustered when I do it - so it's not my favorite thing! The first piece to draw my eye is this gorgeous chainmaille bracelet in sterling and gold filled - absolutely elegant! I'm starting to get into more metal work myself in my designs (it is just SO fun to hammer and pound on things - LOL!) so my next favorite in her shop is her In the Shadows necklace. I love the texture! She emphasized it beautifully by oxidizing the sterling and of course having a Swarovski crystal hanging there will add a nice bit of flash and glitter! Want to see more? Then be sure to check out her Etsy shop. Want to know more? Then be sure to check out her blog!

Featured ETSY artist #27 of 90 - StudioMarcy

OK - I admit it - I'm a lampwork hoarder! So, when I run into someone who makes wonderful beads I have to first spend time ohhing and ahhing over everything in their store. So, take a coffee break, ... watch the dust bunnies gather ... watch the rain fall or snow blow or sun shine (depending on your weather) ... have another cup of coffee ... OK - I've admired all the fun things in Marcy's store and now I'll share them with you... I just have to start by sharing all my favorite dog beads in her shop. Hey - I'm a dog person. Here are Fritzi (a Westie - and if you've read my blog you know Kirby the Westie is part of my pack!), Freddie (he's a pound puppy and so is my Oscar), and Max!


OK - now that I've shared some cute beads of MY favorite animal (yes Marcy does make cat beads, but you'll have to visit her Etsy store yourself to see them) I'll show you some other fun critters she created in glass. All her critters are adorable so be sure to check out her Etsy store. And, if you want to know more about what she has planned for glass or more about what she's up to in her life then check out her blog!

Featured ETSY artist #26 of 90 - SilverDragon

Ah - another bead artist to make me jealous!! The first thing I noticed when looking through SilverDragon's Etsy store is the gorgeous bead weaving that she does! I've made a few feeble attempts at beadweaving and did OK with some of the projects but got majorly stressed hands at the end of each! A lot of beadweaver's I know say they find it very relaxing to bead - I find it incredibly stressful! But, enough about me, let me show you some beautiful creations from Patricia. Here's is a wonderful, flashy pair of earrings created in my favorite color - PURPLE! I love the way the beads stick out all over kind of like your hair might if you stuck your finger in a socket (at least that's what they show in all cartoons - LOL! This wonderful necklace jumps out at you not only because of the color but also because of the movement you see in all those beaded dangles! It's simply amazing what Patricia can do with seed beads! If bead woven designs aren't what you're looking for you can also find more traditional glass and lampwork bead designs in her store.Want to know more about her day-to-day happenings? If you do then be sure to check out her blog.

Featured ETSY artist #25 of 90 - Giftbearer

I'm now rolling back to the beginning participants in the 90-day blog challenge (I think mine is going to be more like a 365 day blog challenge - LOL) and am starting with #1 - the woman who initiated this challenge - Pippit Carlington aka Giftbearer. Pippit creates art of many kinds - paintings, drawings, clay sculpture and of course jewelry! Jewelry is the primary focus of her Giftbearer Etsy store. She has another store, GiftbearerSupply where she sells various jewelry making and art supplies. Now ... back to her jewelry ... As I perused Pippit's shop I was drawn to several pieces. These Haiku earrings are absolutely wonderful! I happen to be a chocolate fan so you can always get my attention, initially, by making some mention of chocolate - LOL! Another passion of mine is purple and, since the violets in my garden are purple, I had to check out these Leafhearted-Fine Silver Violet Leaf Earrings. The process she uses to create them is quite cool (coating actually leaves in a fine silver slip and then firing). If you want to have some of these one-of-a-kind, unique from nature designs be sure to check out her Etsy store!. If you want to see the other art she creates and find out what else she is up to be sure to check out her blog.

Featured ETSY artist #24 of 90 - deabusamor

Today my featured artist is deabusamor aka Sheika Lugtu. Sheika lives in Victorville which is just up the road, about 3 hours, from my house. It's a small world in Etsy-land! In her own words Sheika is "a self-taught dabbler in various mediums". In her Etsy store you can find a variety of objects made from polymer clay - pendants, jewelry and cellphone charms. I thought this bracelet, Smooth Criminal is quite cool! Sheika also has some prints available. My favorite is Winter Solace a wonderful black and white print of dripping icicles. If you want to see more of her art dabbles you'll have to visit her Etsy store. Want to know more about her daily musings? Then check out her blog. She also has a website deviantArt! where she shares more of her thoughts and musings and instructions on how to make your own Xena duct tape dress form - it's an intersting read!

Featured ETSY artist #21 of 90 - GeorgeMcKim

George is having a sale today! I'm not featuring him for that reason - but I just noticed it in his shop information. If you like graphic arts then be sure to check out George's Etsy store. I happen to really like abstract drawings and George has been making abstracts for about 2 years now. Here's my favorite abstract that is currently in his store - titled "Vacation". The fact that it has some purple in it had no bearing on whether I like it or not - you do believe me? Don't you? LOL! Hmmm - and there just happens to be a purple sunflower linoleum print available in his shop. You can also get this sunflower created for you in your favorite color - but for now you'll have to enjoy it in my favorite color! If you can't afford an original right now he also sells note cards with prints of his originals. You can even get notecards made with any picture from his website - http://www.george-mckim.com. So check out his Etsy store and website for items he has for sale. If you want to know more about what he's up to and what's the latest and greatest art plan that he has then be sure to check out his blog.

Featured ETSY artist #15 of 90 - Ulixis

Button, button, who's got the button? Well Ulixis (aka Amanda) must have lots of buttons considering all the fun jewelry she makes with them. Now you all know I love purple (if you don't you haven't been reading my blog!) and I'm a lizard at heart - I like to sit on a hot rock in the sun and stay warm!! so I just have to show Amanda's "Heather - A Ray of Sunshine on a Winter Day BUTTON BRACELET" since it combines my favorite color with a ray of sunshine! Now she also creates designs that don't include buttons so don't stop reading just because you're not a button lover! Amanda also makes notebooks. Now the engineer in my finds her notebooks more interesting than most since she include pages of GRAPH PAPER! What can I say - once an engineer who writes in engineering notebooks (all graph paper) always an engineer! If you want to see more then visit Amanda's Etsy shop. If you want to hear more about her designs and day-to-day life then read her blog She has some great links to help out kids and shares her PIF experience.

See a design in progress!

Want to see a design in progress? Well here it is! It will show up in my Etsy shop in the next day or so.
And here's a shot of most of my beads and my little helpers Oscar and Kirby

They're mostly snoozers when I'm working on jewelry, but they do wake up on occasion to bug me for belly rubs or chew toys or maybe dinner!