Christmas 2009 “Time Off”

 

View Full Album

I had some time off this week for the Christmas holiday and I surprised myself with a blast of creativity! These will be added to Etsy today.

  My dad is still doing better than expected and was able to share a relatively painless time with family and friends. Given the news of “we will be lucky to have him with this for the holidays” we were blessed that he could be here and enjoy the time as well.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and here is to a Blessed New Year!!

Almost forgot!! Got my first sale on Bonanzle today!!

Cheers!

D

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!!

Check out Gemaliciousbeads giveaway!!

“Contemporary Copper Jewelry” inspiration!

I just finished reading “Contemporary Copper Jewelry” by Sharilyn Miller and I couldn’t help but raid my copper stash!! Watch for my review of this book on BellaOnline this week. The pieces pictured here were inspired by Sharilyn’s book. I really enjoyed her book and came away with these jewelry ideas. These pieces will be added to my Etsy and ArtFire stores this week.

Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving- have a safe and happy holiday.

View Full Album

Hidden Santa Slideshow

Hidden Santa Treasure Hunt

Contest Update: eSMArts team is sharing the love with a handmade bundle to warm your holidays!


Enter our Hidden Santa Treasure Hunt to WIN a Christmas Gift Bundle of unique handmade creations.

The complete prize package, item photos and detailed descriptions will be announced on the Esmarts Blog shortly.

Our contest begins November 14th so check the Esmarts Blog for the full list of Sponsor Shops.

Sponsor Shop banners will be displayed at the top of the Esmarts blog (both left and right sidebar).

Simply click the banners to visit each of our Sponsor Shops.

How to Play:

Check the Esmarts blog for contest details and a list of participating eSMArts Sponsor Shops.

• Visit each participating shop to find images of our santa.



• Make note of the url where you find our santa pictured!



• HINT: santa images are not embedded yet. They won't be online until the contest start date of November 14, 2009.

Here's how to complete each entry:

1. find 3 Santa images that you haven't previously submitted.



2. Email the urls along with your name & address to esmartspromos [at] yahoo.ca to be entered.
   



3. Find new/unsubmitted Santa image urls and enter as many times as you like!



4. Entries will be validated to ensure that contestants are submitting fresh Santa spottings.



5. Remember that 3 new Santa image urls equals ONE additional contest entry.

• Contest runs November 14-28, 2009 (close is November 28/09 at midnight eastern).



• Drawing takes place November 29th



• Winner will be announced here November 30th



• Prize package ships December 1st, 2009.

check back for hunting hints and tips!
and Happy Hunting :)

Special awards, A question to ponder and our Hidden Santa Event

 

View Full Album

Thank you Mary Anne!!

 

View Full Album

What items of interest spark your desire to collect and create jewelry?

I am an eclectic Aquarian.... let’s start right there!  I love the “odd and unusual”, but take comfort in the “tried and true”. My collection of jewelry and gemstones began with the former. As a little girl, I can recall having a shoebox at my Nana's house that accommodated all my "treasures". A wonderful golden topaz stone is an item that stands out in my memory. Of course it was a rhinestone, but to me it was a thing of wonder. How it sparkled in the sunlight. I never did outgrow the amazement derived from the glitter of light through a faceted gem that breaks into a wonderful rainbow across the room! I now have a studio instead of a shoebox that houses all my treasures, including those that I create.

Items from Ireland and religious symbols resonate with me due to my heritage. My great grandmother hailed from Ireland. I grew up directly across the street from the Catholic Church I attended as a child, St. James, so all those things play into my “tried and true” category.  One of my favorite items to make is a Keepsake Rosary. I love the link this makes between family and religion. Birthstone colors from all family members are employed in creating this one of a kind family heirloom piece. I take custom orders for these on my website, at Etsy and on ArtFire.  The Irish in me loves Celtic knots, Trees of life, spirals and weaves, in addition to chainmaille- again, all can be found on my website, at Etsy and on ArtFire.

As of late, my focus is on that of mixed metals. I have begun fashioning my own copper pieces using different hammers for textures, letter stamping, hole punching and lots of filing. I have incorporated patinas using liver of sulfur giving the pieces an old or antique feel to them. Speaking of antique I do collect and sell vintage rhinestone and costume jewelry. You can find those here at Bonanzle.

As with any of my designs, gemstones are an integral part. A sprinkle here and there, while others have a bold focal piece. So many gemstones…..so little time!

Join me at BellaOnline to discuss your take on my question:

What items of interest spark your desire to collect and create jewelry??

 

Coming soon!!!

Keep up to date on this event at our team blog!

eSMArts Christmas Gift Bundle could be yours!!

eSMArts is spreading the love with a bundle of unique, handmade delights to warm your

holiday! One lucky winner will receive a bagful of hand made
artisan items donated by members of eSMArts Team~!

For details visit:
http://www.esmarts.blogspot.com/

and join in the fun~!

Slide MyGemStoneBox

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.

Artefact from the Staffordshire Hoard

Artefact from the Staffordshire Hoard
Originally uploaded by Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

I have been following the story from Staffordshire very closely as it is completely fascinating! One of the largest caches of gold, silver and gemstone treasures is in the process of being unearthed

For Terry Herbert, the unemployed metal-detecting enthusiast who made the discovery on July 5 while scouring a friend's farm in the western region of Staffordshire, it was "more fun than winning the lottery."
IBN LIVE

From the Birmingham museum, the Staffordshire treasure, much of it still encrusted with dirt will go to the British Museum in London, where the artifacts will undergo months, possibly years, of study by archaeologists and historians. A court ruling this week declared the finds to be treasure, meaning that they belong to the British crown, which is expected to offer them for sale.
NY TIMES


Take a look here at the Flicker photos(click the photo above)…… some pieces are still covered with dirt! Amazing!!

Labor Day Festivities

 

My aunt’s and uncle came to visit for a small Labor Day party for my Dad. His brother and three sisters spent the afternoon in the yard just exchanging banter and re-living their childhood. I had invited my Aunt’s to bring with them any jewelry they wanted to share with us (mom and I) any “treasures they might have tucked away”. It was such fun to listen to the tales and enjoy the food!! My Aunt Claire presented us with this Wedgwood Demi….I was floored! I had never seen a Wedgwood set before!! I was so excited!!

We enjoyed the food and conversation and when the men departed to to look at and talk boat motors that was our time to break out the goods!!

My Aunt Lucille brought this…. it belonged to my Memere, her mother. I don’t know who made it for her, but it was constructed of safety pins, pearls and beads!!! Nothing like I had seen before!! We were all intrigued!! 

 

My aunt’s gave me this piece among many others (more than I could have hoped for!!) to add to my ever growing collection. This weekend  was a special time, my dad was feeling good and his family was all around. A big thank you to my wonderful husband, Fred, for all the cooking and on-going support!!

http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=18808353

Sold this today!!

http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=18808353

Shared via AddThis

Vintage Costume Jewelry Additions, Jewels of Passion & Feeling more like myself today!

I spent some time antiquing today. Here are my finds! I’m pleased with new additions to my vintage collection and this wonderful beaded (perfect condition!) purse to boot!

These lovely Vintage West German clip on earrings were a steal! Wonderful filigree and AB blue stones really caught my eye.

A large Florenza Vintage brooch and pendant was calling my name! What a wonderful emerald green foiled center stone! Surrounded by chatons of green and yellow this piece has a wonderful Victorian feel to it as Florenza is known for.

This antique amber bracelet is unmarked but has such wonderful amber pieces I could not leave without it! What a find!!

While I was recouping I had the pleasure of receiving Jewels of Passion authored by Sherri Duncan. Look for my review of this wonderful book in the very near future at Bella.

I’m happy to say I’m feeling much better and thank you so much to all my friends and family for their loving care.

Moonglow Demi

010
Originally uploaded by mygemstonebox

I adore my new find! The color is spectacular, I guess I would call this periwinkle blue. I can't wait to wear them!!

Happy 4th Everyone!

Here is what I managed to do on my vacation!!



My other "Major accomplishment" this week is my first tutorial.... be on the look out for it!!


Copper Coiled Cache Bracelet!

Tutorial is available via pdf file for only $5 USD!!

Simply drop an email requesting it to:

mygemstonebox@yahoo.com

I'll be posting it to my Etsy store too!!

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

Starlight Blog: Thank you to Diane at My Gemstone Box

Starlight Blog: Thank you to Diane at My Gemstone Box

Mary Anne did such a lovely job with this post I have to share it with all my readers!!

New and interesting items from MyGemStoneBox by Diane

Aren’t these great??!! My husband made these for me and I painted them “gemstone” colors. Just another way to display my jewelry. These should work out well at shows too! In the process of working on the studio, we had extra “cat proof” screen and I asked Fred if he could put something like this together. We had been antiquing a few months ago and in one of the shops a lady displayed her jewelry on the wall in this manor. I feel in love with it!

Speaking about falling in love….. I ADORE these new earrings I wrapped yesterday. After reading Dale “Cougar” Armstrong’s new book- WireWork An Illustrated Guide to the art of wire wrapping, I decided to challenge myself. I’m pleased with the way these Neptune Blue earrings came out! They are listed on Etsy.

Next, I’d like to give a nod to those contributing to my Flickr group: Jewelry Collector Showcase. I love looking through the lovely pieces. I thought I’d share a few:

SHOP
additionsstyle.etsy.com
additionsstyle.1000markets.com
BLOG
additionsstyle.blogspot.com
TWITTER
twitter.com/additionsstyle

Visit BeansThings at my main shop: http://www.beansthings.etsy.com/

Visit me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Beans-Things/71636766627?ref=mf
Twitter: www.twitter.com/beansthings

Marjorie's Cracked Plate Jewelry
Wall, NJ, USA

Please be sure to check out my blog:
http://www.nancywallisdesigns.blogspot.com/
my Etsy shop:
http://www.nancywallisdesigns.etsy.com/
and my website:
http://www.nancywallisdesigns.com/

One last item of interest is my Bonanzle site- here are a few new additions:

Pastel Brooch

I haven’t added this bracelet yet…. I’m not sure if I’m going to keep it or sell it!!

This bracelet is so unique! It is from the 1960’s and made from Lucite. The roses are carved on the inside of the bracelet and packed with some blue color that makes the roses appear 3D!! It’s really amazing looking.

Express Night Out | Styles | The Pin Crowd: Vintage Brooches

Express Night Out Styles The Pin Crowd: Vintage Brooches & Contemporary Sparklers Are Haute

Posted using ShareThis

I thought this article was interesting as I have a LOVE for vintage brooches. Makes my Vintage! MyGemStoneBox look like a real bargan....check out some of those prices!!

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.

#links

#links

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.