Fall is in the air ...

I'm seeing more fall inspired creations in the shops on ArtFire and a collection of these which includes my rainbow agate and copper bracelet made it to ArtFire's front page! Here it is:

Fall Is Coming

Curated By: Beadsme

ArtFire.com

Handmade Gifts

It was created by one of my fellow Jewelry at ArtFire Guild members Mandy (aka beadsme) and 2 other guild members designs are in the collection. Check out the beautiful pincone and shell wreath and lovely tiger iron and picture jasper necklace!

Enjoy this wonderful gathering of fall colors!

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!

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 #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 #22 of 90 - QuirkynBerkley

QuirkynBerkley (aka Carol) is a fellow Californian selling wonderful handcrafted paper goods. She has designed and sold handmade cards for several years around her neighborhood and now has her cards (and other paper items) for sale in her Etsy store. She has some great cards like these for Valentine's Day. And even cuter are these wonderful teeny, tiny Valentine envelopes! You can use these to lead the love of your life on a wonderful treasure hunt through the house or through the neighborhood or through his or her office. Wouldn't that be a fun thing to do? And at the end of the hunt (and maybe during the hunt) you can leave lots of fun and love filled surprises! So get started planning that love hunt and get some of these wonderful envelopes! Carol has many other wonderful, fun paper designs in her store so be sure to check it out! Want to know more about what she's up? Then be sure to check out her blog. And while you're reading her blog be sure to check out all the CCCOE (California Crafters Club on Etsy) entries for our January Science challenge. Vote for your favorite and you might win a prize!

HAPPY NEW YEAR and ... Featured ETSY artist #8 of 90 - alternatebliss

I'm a sucker for somewhat random paintings and here's a beautiful one from Alternate Bliss Boutique:



You'll find a variety of art pieces in her boutique including earrings and necklaces. And, do you like charms? then check out her charm shop at http://www.popblossom.etsy.com

Here are a few more favorites from her boutique:



and another favorite of mine - red poppies!



Want to see more? Then go directly to her shop and do not pass GO! Want to know more about her creations? Check out her blog

Enjoy!