Tuesday, March 31, 2009
My wabbit made it to the front page of Etsy today!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Craft Show in Austin, Tx...April 4th
Sunday, March 29, 2009
More than just a pretty face ...
All of my designs begin with a beautiful visual ... but the stones that I use to complete these visions are selected for more than just their aesthetic value. Each piece that I design has symbolic meaning as well. I'm not trying to design just a visual. My goal is to design a whole experience for the wearer. While I make no claims to the power of gemstones, I do tend to choose them based on the symbolic meanings as well as their physical beauty. Below is a list of some the gemstones that I use often in my jewelry and their symbolic meanings.
Amazonite is a semi-opaque stone that was used extensively by the Egyptians. It is called the stone of courage and is said to be named after the Amazon women warriors. It is considered a soothing stone that enhances creative expression, aligns astral bodies, and unity with life.
Citrine is a semi precious gem that symbolizes light-heartedness, joy and happiness. It is said to enhance creativity.
Coral is an organic substance and semiprecious stone from the ocean. It is one of the five sacred stones of the Tibetan Buddhists and symbolizes the energy of the life force. Coral is believed to bring success to the person who wears it.
Freshwater Pearls are said to promote sincerity, truth and loyalty.
Green Aventurine is an all-purpose healer, used to reduce stress, develop confidence, imagination and improve prosperity. Many believe that this semi precious stone has the capacity to calm a troubled spirit and bring about inner peace.
Jade is believed to produce serenity, wisdom, balance, moderation, prosperity and stability.
Turquoise has long been appreciated as a holy stone and a good-luck charm. It is believed to promote good fortune, happiness, and long life.
Quartz jewelry is said to bring about feelings of harmony, peace and bliss in the wearer.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Spring fever~!
What's your color?
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
One of a kind designer items without breaking the bank!
I even got turned on to a genre of jewelry that I have fallen head over heals for. I love sci fi. I love the idea of time travel. I love modern. And I had never heard of the Steampunk trend until I came across etsy seller CatherinetteRings. These rings are spectacular!
Another one of my fave designers and etsy seller is Texas Scum. These are one-of-a-kind, custom-made, silk-screened T-shirts, tank tops, hats and more by a true Texas Artist. I love all of their stuff, but I like the Texas Twister tshirt the best!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Just for fun quiz
I wouldn't put a lot of stock in it, but here's a fun, time wasting quiz about your creative style! I turned out to be a Hands On creative.
Monday, March 9, 2009
New charms are in!
brass crown charm + siam swarovski crystal + gold filled chain
brass crown charm + cobalt blue swarovski crystal + gold filled chain
brass crown charm + peruvian opal swarovski crystal + gold filled chain
More necklaces to come soon...with more new charms...and nature inspired themes!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Caring for your handmade jewelry
1-Jewelry should be the last thing you put on when you get ready in the morning. It should definitely come after hair spray, lotions, and/or perfume.
2-Store your jewelry individually to avoid scratches, reactions to other metals, etc. I use these storage bags that you can find at retail stores, and I love them. I can see everything. They have zippered closures. And my pieces are safe and secure from harm. Also, sterling silver, copper, and brass jewelry will actually tarnish slower if stored in sealed plastic bags.
3-Do not sleep, shower, swim, or clean with your jewelry on. Soaps, chlorine, perspiration, and cleaning products can all cause harm to your jewelry.
4-When caring for gold filled jewelry (which I use a lot), simply wipe it with a soft cloth. Never use a paper towel, tissue paper or kleenex though as they might scratch your jewelry.
5-Sterling silver will tarnish. You can slow down the process by storing it in sealed bags, but tarnish occurs when it is exposed to air so, at some point, it's going to happen. Use a commercial sterling cleaner when this happens, but be careful if your piece contains gemstones. I recommend researching the particular gemstone to be sure that what you do to one part of the piece, is okay for the entire piece. (Be especially careful not to put any of these in chemical cleaners: coral, jade, opal, pearls, or turquoise. There are other gemstones that won't tolerate chemicals...but these are ones that I use commonly and that I know for sure will be damaged by chemical cleaners.)
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Guide to metals
Gold filled is a much higher quality than gold plated. Gold filled jewelry is the next best thing to solid gold. It is made by forming a tube of solid gold that is then filled with a base metal. The gold is bonded to the base metal with heat and pressure, making it about 100 times stronger than something that is gold plated. Everything you see and touch on a gold-filled piece is actually gold. That’s why this piece will never tarnish or turn your skin green or flake off. For most people, a gold filled piece will last a lifetime. Gold filled jewelry is economical and durable. You get the look and feel of gold for a fraction of the cost!
Gold plated has a microscopic film of gold particles that have been adhered to a base metal through a dipping process. While it may have the same look as gold filled pieces initially, gold plated pieces are of far lesser quality and has the tendency to flake off, turn your skin green, and wear off over time.
Sterling silver consists of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. Because pure silver is relatively soft and easily damaged, sterling silver is most often used for jewelry. It is both beautiful and durable. Because it is such a high quality silver, it will develop a lovely patina over time. It requires polishing if you like the high luster look of pure silver. With proper care, your sterling silver pieces will last a lifetime. Sterling silver jewelry is both beautiful and affordable.
Pewter is a tin alloy consisting of tin with copper, antimony, or bismuth. Pewter has a slightly dull look, and can never be polished to the fine luster of sterling silver.
Base metal is a catchall term to describe any of the non-precious metals which can include steel, zinc, brass, tin and copper. These can be used as the core of gold filled/gold plated jewelry. They can also be used on their own. I love to incorporate raw brass pieces into my own designs as they develop a lovely patina over time and will go from a shiny goldish finish to a warm honey colored finish. I love these pieces in all their various stages!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Hot colors for Spring!!
As far as accessories go, I just posted up some super cute little hooty owl earrings that are right in line with spring trends. I also designed a charm necklace in this style/colors. I wear one of these myself and get complimented on it all the time!
I just ordered some new jewelry supplies, and I can't wait for them to come in...I have more cute charms coming and can't wait to incorporate more of these fun spring colors into my designs!