After Cyber Monday Sale!

Here is a code to use at my Etsy store for all my blog readers and followers!

AFTERCYBERMONDSALE

Use this up to Jan 1st 2011 for any item(s) in my store at a 20% discount!

Enjoy the holidays and enjoy discount shopping on my handmade rosaries and jewelry.

Do you Steampunk??

Here is my first attempt at anything Steampunk. I’m enamored with the whole concept of Steampunk. Check this piece out in my Etsy shop.

What is Steampunk you say?? Well, in a nutshell :“Steampunk is a fashion, design, and popular-culture phenomenon that combines romance and technology. Among its many influences are futurism, time travel, and the Victorian age.” This is quoted from “Steampunk Style Jewelry by Jean Campbell. If you have an opportunity to pick up this book it is worth the experience….. great photos and info!

What more Steampunk take a look here:

How cool are these rings by Catherinette Rings. Check out their blog and etsy store. They are running a give a way promo be sure to visit and enter.

Check out Barnes and Noble for this great book.... just click on it to visit B&N

Enjoy!!

Iolite Gemstone Earrings & A New Beading Project

Thank you to my dear friend Anna Lee for these wonderful iolite gemstones that look amazing wrapped in silver. The color blue is very much like periwinkle with flashes of violet. They sparkle and shine thanks to the exceptional faceting.

Ancient mariners used iolite as a compass to guide their way to sea. They noted that it would show different hues of blue-violet when held to the northern and southern skies. Ancients believed that it could unlock creativity in an artist.

Iolite clears the third eye chakra. It is a stone of vision and creative expression. Iolite is especially compatible with amethyst and lapis.

This is my first attempt with beading the ladder stitch. I’ve chosen a lovely purple glass pearl along with a traditional white glass pearl and Aurora Borealis or "AB" Swarovski crystal bicones. The AB coating is iridescent, & gives a pale rainbow effect with blue and pink highlights. The colors work wonderfully together.

These new pieces will be added to Etsy and ArtFire in the very near future!

Here is the newest addition to my Bonanzle store. I really love this piece and have worn it as a pendant. It almost could be a flower or a snowflake…. just a wonderful brooch.

June Giveaway, Vintaj! and a much deserved Vacation

Congratulations Liz of Mad Bush Farm ! You will have these lovely pink earrings in the mail to you shortly. Although, not sure how long it will take to get to you in New Zealand! Enjoy them.

My eSMArt friend and teammate, Teri, is a Vintaj representative. These lovely brass pieces mixed with raw copper look fantastic together.

Teri is a great friend and designer. Besides her jewelry on Etsy she authors a blog, Hubpage, and is on Twitter- follow her!

A bit more about Teri: She has a jewelry design business with her best friend and business partner Saundra. They incorporated as a business in 2003 and have been slowly growing their inventory AND their skill sets ever since. In 2008 they began their online webpage and Etsy storefront, and are working on promotions with the eSMarts Etsy Team and a local Louisville group. They have in home shows, hostess jewelry parties, have a booth at fairs and festivals, and offer jewelry trunk shows.

Don’t forget if you see something on Vintaj – Teri is the person to contact to get a great deal for you!

I am on vacation this week! Yaaa! My last week off was a year ago… we usually take a winter holiday but because of Fred’s health issues we skipped Florida this year. Boy, has that caught up to me. We are doing absolutely nothing this week…. it is great to have no plans. Here is what I managed to do with some of my time so far:

Clear faceted quartz, chalcedony, garnet and opalite in silver

Amethyst rounds with opalite and silver

Fluorite, pink candy jade, amethyst done in silver

MyGemStoneBox new Etsy store additions; Blog Award and more!

On the left is a new commissioned piece that I have listed in Etsy tonight. It is a family birthstone family pendant wire sculpted in Sterling Silver. Kristina found me on iCraft.ca and contacted me to make this for her.

The small pendant to the right is for my niece, Jahazala, using a gift from a friend in Greece, Ariadne. She is a teacher of English and an avid sea glass collector. She loves the sea, the beach and making things with her hands. I made contact with her on Ning, at a group called sea glass artists. You can visit my page here: http://seaglassartists.ning.com/profile/Diane

Ariadne and I decided to do an exchange of sea glass I found here in RI for pieces she found at her home in Greece. The necklace is a piece of sea-pottery that I wire-sculpted in sterling silver and used the little star fish charm Ariadne used to adorn my package with! It is sweet for my little sweetie!! We are starting her off young… when she comes to visit she goes right for the jewelry…. girl after my heart!

One of my most favorite artists and jewelry friends, Theresa of Studio618 has presented my blog with this lovely award! Thanks so much Stu!! You can see Theresa’s beautiful creations on ArtFire and on Etsy.

Here are the rules for this “One Lovely Blog Award”:

Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

1 Tashina of Dragonflykey

2 Maryanne of Middle Earth Jewels

3 Mads of Maddies Original Designs

4 Klayfriends, Collectible Jewelry AND Clay

5 Liz of Mad Bush Farm in Australia

6 Jane of Handmade-Jewelry-club

7 The Beading Gems Journal

8 Jamie of Creations by JAE

9 Kim of Creative Eye Studio

10 Ken and Barb of Magpiedreams

11 Mei of Wire Bliss Jewelry

12 Kristie-Lou of Sculpted Windows Jewelry

13 Paulette Mixed Media Artist and Mom

14 Sharon of Magnolia Blossom Art

15 Mary Anne of Starlight Blog

I hope you enjoy taking a look at these wonderful blogs and let the artists know what you think!

Don’t forget to post a comment here as that enters you to win my June giveaway

I've just gotten word that I have been accepted to receive and review Wirework: An Illustrated Guide to the Art of Wire Wrapping by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong!! I'm excited to be able to obtain a copy of her new book hot off the press!! If you are interested in taking a look feel free to follow the link.

Vintage Jewelry Finds and new Celtic Carnelian Necklace!

I am so taken with these lovely vintage earrings! They are the perfect aqua color and one single clear rhinestone in each. These are from the 1940’s and are in pristine condition! I’ve already worn them myself!! They will be added to my Bonanzle site so look for them there. They are screw back earrings so anyone can wear them!! I’m calling them “Aqua Elegance”.

This lovely little pin is from the Victorian Era roughly circa 1860 and was known as “Mourning Jewelry”. Made popular by Queen Victoria after her loss of Prince Albert. You can read more about it on BellaOnline -Romanticism – Mourning Jewelry and Tiffany & Co.

This is my newest necklace – Celtic Carnelian. I purchased some lovely Carnelian beads from a bulk bead buy. Keep an eye out for this on in my Etsy store.

Don’t forget to post a comment as that enters you to win my June giveaway

I've just gotten word that I have been accepted to receive and review Wirework: An Illustrated Guide to the Art of Wire Wrapping by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong!! I'm excited to be able to obtain a copy of her new book hot off the press!! If you are interested in taking a look feel free to follow the link.

Vintage! MyGemStoneBox new additions!! MyGemStoneBox on Etsy a new piece and Full Editor Status on Bella!

I adore these new pieces that I found today! They are all listed on Bonanzle.... stop by and check them out!

The first and second pieces are unsigned, but lovely vintage pieces.

The third piece is an older Avon vintage snowflake brooch.

The last, but certainly not the least, is my favorite~ a Weiss vintage brooch with beautiful raspberry and emerald rhinestones.

We had a lovely day looking for my new treasures and enjoyed the summer like weather.

Don't forget to leave a comment and enter to win my April drawing!

I listed a new piece at Etsy this week.... This is one I am very proud of and I think I can say it is technically my best piece. I take great pride in this one, my design and my technique have greatly improved. See what you think:

And last on the list for tonight, I have been promoted to Full Editor Status on BellaOnline. I completed all the requirements and now have full access to the site!

Sold this on Etsy this week:

It's been a good week!!

Featured artists from my Flickr group Jewelry Collectors Showcase and introducing MyGemStoneBox Vintage! on Bonanzle

I have choosen to feature two very unique individuals~ they both have contributed greatly to the wonderful photo pool we have going. First is Susan from My Sassy Glass here is a bit about her: “I started fusing glass almost three years ago and fell in love with this medium. I specialize in making one-of-a-kind pendants. I really love to experiment with glass and putting pieces of glass together in ways that I have never seen done before. Working with glass is like photography in that it's like Christmas when you open the kiln to see what you have... just like when you develop a roll of film. I love it!"

Next is Tashina, she is 17 and focusing on her jewelry business, Dragonfly Key, before going to college. She is also writing two books and makes sim clothing in her free time. Great to see someone at that age have so much passion and drive! Good luck to you my dear!!

Keep an eye out for my next update on the studio.... it's looking good!! I can't wait until it is finished.

I am experimenting with a new venue~ Bonanzle

I'm thinking that this site will be for MyGemStoneBox Vintage! All my handmade items will stay with Etsy and all my new collector pieces of vintage costume jewelry I will offer on Bonanzle. Here are some of the types of items that I will be featuring (Trifari, Coro, AJC, Renoir just as a starting point!)

Don't forget to leave a comment as that will enter you automatically into the drawing for a pair of MyGemStoneBox's one-of-a-kind earrings!!

eSMArts Showcase

Best of the best stars on eSMArts Team

All about eSMArts

The eSMArts team encompasses a band of talented artisans. I'd like to invite you to visit our team store on Etsy. Here you will find an array of items that are made and donated by our gifted team members- proceeds to go to charity. Check out unique and one-of-a-kind items from necklaces to earrings to raw materials used for creating jewelry among other exceptional items! The spotlight listed above is a taste of the items you will find!

Lois of “A beaded Affair” deserves a nod here. She has the duty of maintaining our team shop and has done a superb job of it!! Lois, we really appreciate your dedication to this project!!

Unlike most other Esty teams, we are a unique lot. We are spread all over the globe using the internet and social marketing venues to connect and sell our wares. We support each other in an assortment of ways; sharing marketing and sales education and information- for both on line and in person selling, blogging support and propagation, shop banners and photography hints and tricks… right down to our weekly chats on Etsy which really build a sense of camaraderie and friendship. We aren’t able to meet face-to-face but we have quite a global network that continues to grow.

We promote each other on a one-to-one level by the institution of a “Blog Buddy Feature” that changes each month. This allows each teammate to focus on one other member and actually get to know that person by featuring a blog post dedicated to that artisan. It is strictly up to the author to decide what items they feature but an artist “Bio” is a must. This helps to promote the art and the artist. The beauty is that it is reciprocated- the author is featured on the artist’s blog! What a fun way to get to know one another!

We have The eSMArts Team Blog that is dedicated to featuring members and their art and accomplishments. I’d like to invite you to visit and learn more about the team.

One last item of importance is our Team Leader, Anna Lee Husband. She is the exceptional artist behind GaHooleTree Jewelry, director, manager and friend. Without her we would not have this wonderful association of trans-global artists finding friendship, solidarity and unity in both learning and teaching each other social marketing of our art and God given talents. Thank you Anna Lee for all you do!! You are a VIP!!

I'm ready for St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day was always special when I was growing up. My grandfather would always bring green carnations to his ladies: Nana, Mom, my sister and I. We would all enjoy a traditional Irish meal of corned-beef and cabbage and the sounds of Irish music could be heard from one end of the house to the other. I do miss those days~ and my grandparents. They blessed me with wonderful memories to share with my son Rich.
We always wore "something green" and a shamrock on St. Patty's. I think my Nana would have liked this piece. I've already sold one the first day I listed it on Etsy. I plan to wear mine on St. Patrick's day as I cook corned beef and cabbage for my clan and remember back to those days~just how LUCKY I am.

Meet my friend Theresa of Studio618- eSMArts Team!

I'd like you to meet my friend "Stu" or Theresa, of Studio618 specializing in handcrafted jewelry & Judaica Gifts. Her style and designs resounds peace, love, friendship and blessings. I love her clean lines and tasteful creations. I would consider her work and designs "simple yet elegant jewelry" which is a tag line that is near and dear to my heart! Here is more about the great artist in her own words:

"For the past 20+ years, I’ve been working as an architect. My projects range from small residential remodeling to multi-million dollar corporate headquarters and public institutions. After years of being on the more technical side of architecture, watching my designs being built by the construction trades, I longed to use my own hands to create. This gratification comes in the form of jewelry-making. Now I have the best of both worlds, from macro to micro scales, offering design and technical challenges that keep me up at night.

I joined the Etsy artisan community in the mid 2008, and it opened a whole new experience to me. The benefits of buying from independent handmade artists are tremendous. Since marketing is not my strength, I joined one of the Etsy teams - Etsy Social Marketing Arts Guild. The goal of this team is “further understanding and applying eCommerce advertising and promotion techniques.” Our members consist of artisans across the globe, working with all art medium.

My jewelry is available through the team shop (http://esmarts.etsy.com/), at local art shows and through my online store (http://studio618.etsy.com/) under the name Studio 618. My blog (http://studio618.blogspot.com/) reflects my creations, my various interests, issues important to me, and much more. So come on by, say hello, and let me know what you think."

Stop in and say hello to "Stu" and tell her I sent you!! Enjoy this truly talented artist.

Something old, something new~ antique jewelry and writing for Bella

I'm finding that I really love to write and I think BellaOnline is a great outlet for this facet of "me". Deep down, I've always been a "teacher".... I love to help others learn. The focus at Bella aligns with this completely and compliments the jewelry designing perfectly; looks like this is a great match. During the time I spend preparing for articles I find I have to research (another love!).

I am becoming familiar with jewelry history and learning about antique and costume jewelry. I'm fascinated with the fact that Providence was once the "jewelry capitol of the world"! From where I work, I can walk to the jewelry district down city.....but those days of glory are over. If you are interested in reading more about Providence's jewelry hayday check out this hub I wrote. Lucky for us the jewelry of that era still remains. I'm tossing around the idea of creating a few pieces based on some antique pieces.....we'll see how that goes.

If there are any articles that you would love to read about please contact me! I'd love to hear from you and I can always use ideas on new collections to write about.

I've listed a few more items in my Etsy shop...stop by and take a look!