New items and today's sale item

For the last couple of weeks, I have been trying to be consistent with posting a sale item each day in the hopes of clearing out some items from my studio.  I hoped this would start a domino effect that would go something like this....  sale items will sell, making room for new creations waiting to be listed for sale in my Etsy Shop and this would lead to a jump start in creativity to create more items.  

Lately creativity seems to be stagnant for me.  I have periods of time where ideas are hard to muster and creativity seems to be playing a clever game of hide 'n' seek.  A game which I am losing because creativity has found a REALLY good hiding spot.  Hopefully I will find her soon.  Until then here are some new items I have posted in my Etsy Shop and Today's Sale item.

If you have a custom order you would like me to create for you, send me a message at whimsicaljewels@rocketmail.com  That would help me win this game of hide 'n' seek  ;)

Click on the links to see the items in my etsy shop

* New items *

you are beautiful healing message box

$5.00

Birdhouse in My Soul

$5

Pinwheel upcycled bottle cap earrings

$12

Live Out Loud magnet

$8

Heart upcycled bottle cap earrings

$12

Spiral upcycled bottle cap earrings

$12

Empower Others, Practice Peace

(Slight imperfections so the price is lower)

$8

Today's SALE items in my Etsy Shop

Cowry Shell Ring

Original Price $8, Today's sale price $6

Sunflower Girl double sided pendant

Original Price $18  Today's sale price $15

Side A

Side B of pendant

Today's SALE - 2 items!

Today's etsy sale features not one item but TWO!  Click on the word sale to be taken to the sale section of my etsy shop.  Click on the words etsy shop to see all the items in my shop that are handcrafted by me.  

Please contact me for custom orders, parties, creative gatherings, healing art activities, girls night out, etc at whimsicaljewels@rocketmail.com

ENJOY!

Black and pink button wire ring.  Size 6.75 

Today's price $8.00

 Black and Red falling star dangling earrings.

Today's price $18.00

Today's sale item

Each day in my etsy shop I will have an item on sale.  Today's sale item is a necklace comprised of leopard skin jasper, coral, and fluorite.  In between each of the stones is sterling silver chain.  ENJOY!

Here's the link:  https://www.etsy.com/listing/45923680/leopard-skin-jasper-and-coral-necklace?ref=shop_home_active_1

March to your drum

My "March to your drum" pendant was featured in the lovely treasury below by one of my etsy team members, Tina Cauthorn.  As I was looking through the items I fell in love with several of the items.  The lilac photography reminded me of home in upstate NY and I was instantly taken there in my mind.  Lilacs remind me of my childhood and sitting under the lilac trees cherishing the sweet smell of these fragrant flowers.  Some of my fondest memories were of the lilac trees in my yard.

The featured seller for the spotlight is LeeAnn Cisneros.  I love several of her items!  Please look at her shop when you have a chance:  http://www.etsy.com/people/LeeAnnsHeavenScents

There are so many talented artists on etsy and I'm honored to be featured in a treasury with some of them.  To be quite honest there are many times that I am still surprised that people like my stuff.  I continue to create, marching to my drum, knowing that someone out there will identify with it and they will love it as much as me.  I'm grateful for the opportunity to create and to be "treasured".  I hope you know that you are treasured too.  Continue to march to your drum...

I've been treasured...

Blue.  Circles.  Handmade.  Art.  It's a great feeling to be treasured.

My etsy team member, Tina Cauthorn, placed my blue window flower in this lovely treasury.  When you have a chance check out these amazing shops on Etsy.

Please be sure to stop in to her shop too.  She creates wonderful frames out of buttons along with other fabulous button creations.  Here's the link to her etsy shop:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/allbuttonedupbytina

Facebook fans are awesome...

My march to your drum soldered pendant was featured today in a treasury by one of my etsy team members.  There are many different art forms featured so please take a look when you get a moment.  Remember to click and comment it.  As always, THANKS for supporting handmade art.

a little of everything or a.l.o.e.

Have you ever stepped into a store and felt like you were home?  It's a feeling I can't describe completely but I love when it happens.  It's comforting.  I want to sit down, have a cup of coffee and soak in my surroundings.  I have found a few places in the community that are like this and I really enjoy visiting and shopping there.  When I have the opportunity to sell my handmade goods at such a store it's even better.   It's better because I'm part of something I feel so wonderful about.  What's the store name you ask?  a.l.o.e.   It's a great little place located in the center of Lewisville, NC in a cozy house and it really does have a little bit of everything.

They support local art and have a beautiful blend of different artists selling their work in the store.  Their products grow weekly and are changed out regularly so it's always fresh.  They have jewelry, hand-blown glass, fused glass pendants, soldered pendants, paintings, wind chimes, glass/bead mobiles, stained glass, window art, knitted products, refurbished furniture, painted signs, baby items, gifts for teens, and much more.  Basically, you name it and they have it.

Besides local art and refurbished furniture they also offer spa services- manicures/pedicures and massages.  And if that's not what you are looking for they also have yoga, social gatherings, kids night out events, host birthday parties and they are planning to offer art camps this summer.

So if you need to get out of your house for a breath of fresh air and want to be around good people or products that will inspire you, a.l.o.e. is where you need to go.  I promise you won't be disappointed.

Here are a few of my items you can find at a.l.o.e:

(all of the handmade products pictured above are handmade by me and can be found at a.l.o.e in Lewisville, NC.  I have more products at a.l.o.e. than what I have included in this blog post.  Learn more about a.l.o.e at http://www.aloeoflewisville.com/http://www.aloeoflewisville.com or visit their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/aloeoflewisville)

Etsy Front page

You might say I'm a late bloomer or maybe I just have too much on my plate. who knows. It's a statement I ponder from time to time but don't waste too much time on it. If you ask my husband he would say I take on too much. I suspect he worries that I do too much and then my body will fail me. I know his concern is genuine and I'm sure it's hard to watch the person you love so much be in pain because they bit off more than they could chew. I know for myself it's frustrating to be limited and have a body that fails me from time to time. I'm still young and it can be frustrating to feel like I'm much older because my body fails me every now and then. Usually it's me that has abused my body and not the other way around. I guess in my mind I'm doing things that a "normal" 35 year old would do and don't want to succumb to the limitations that my body has given me. Just last night, as we were enjoying our evening out, (it was our anniversary) I was telling him that I wanted to take guitar lessons. As soon as the words came out of my mouth and traveled through the air to his ears he said.... really? You have so much that you are doing already. When do you think you will be able to do that, when will you have the time???? I sighed and simply stated I'd find a way and I'm determined to. I miss playing music. I miss the therapeutic effects it has had on my life and I'm convinced I would have never made it through adolescence without it.

Anyway...back to the title. Due to all of the things I have going on days seem to slip by turning into weeks...turning into months....so on and so forth. I kept meaning to post this great news but failed to do so...time didn't stop...days have turned to weeks but my excitement is still the same. I had the distinct honor to be featured in a treasury on etsy with some very talented artists. For those of you that don't know what a treasury is...an individual chooses items that they like and then make a treasury list. Anyone that has an account on etsy can make a treasury list and be a curator of art. Luckily the management at ETSY also liked the list and placed it on the front page. Our list was featured on the front page of Etsy on July 24, 2010. Very exciting!


Enjoy looking at the list... My art is the midnight sky wired art card.

Happy SPRING!

I have been creating a lot over the last few weeks. Spring always gets my creative juices flowing! I love the scents in the air, the new growth on the trees and ground, all of the flowers and flowering trees, the birds singing....what can I say I LOVE SPRING! I was recently in an Easter Festival and wanted to share some of the new pieces of jewelry I created that sold in the festival. Over the next few weeks I will be listing some new items in my ETSY store (http://www.whimsicaljewels.etsy.com/)

If you would like a custom order, want to book a house party, have a girls night out making jewelry or have a beaded birthday party for your child please contact me at whimsicaljewels@rocketmail.com

ENJOY~

Necklace and Earring Set:

Aqua Millifiorie glass with coral chips and blue seed beads

Purple glass earrings

MOP Black Shell Earrings with cubed dark pink glass

Tribal Leaf Bone bead with black and white bone beads on leather

Hurricane Wired Earrings with Rosaline faceted bead inside

Wired Star Earrings

Light Green Foiled glass with grey glass pearls and aventurine stone chips

If you have been inspired by someone else's work or have an artist you would like to recommend to be featured on my blog please email me at: whimsicaljewels@rocketmail.com

Featuring Sea Glass Artist: Amy McDonald!!!!

I am very excited to introduce, Amy McDonald, a talented Sea Glass Jewelry artist. Along with enjoying my own personal piece of jewelry made by Amy, I had the opportunity to interview Amy regarding her life and art to find out a little more about what inspires her.

Amy lives in Maine where there is a lot of snow and plenty of availability for inspiration. Besides being a jewelry artist, Amy is a full time mother of 3 and a hair stylist. Her husband is a BIG hunter and total outdoors man and her kids are 16, 12, and 1.

Amy's beautiful work can be found on Etsy, which features handcrafted artists around the globe. Her Etsy shop called, Sea Treasures by Amylee, can be found @ http://www.amylee34.etsy.com. Amy's pieces are made of Sea Glass found from the beaches in Maine. She absolutely loves making Sea Glass Jewelry and has spent a lot of time locating each piece of glass for her jewelry.

In Amy's words, "Up here in Maine we have lots of beaches, so my whole life I have beach combed and collected sea glass. My fondest memories are of being with my grandparents as a little girl and walking the beaches every weekend picking up sea glass. Well, I'm 34 now with LOTS of SEA GLASS. Being a stay at home mom I have found my creative outlet. I wanted to have a lot of jewelry but didn't want to pay their prices. Everywhere I went I found pieces I didn't care for and they were expensive, so I started my own line! I think I have always had a passion for this, in high school I took a pottery class and instead of making bowls and cups, etc. I made a beaded necklace. I think I get inspired easily, there are a lot of things that are so beautiful it gets me thinking, weather it's my catchy names for my pieces, or wonderful colors on a bird. My favorite color is purple and I love browns and aquas together. I have a work shop down in our finished basement with a drill press, (it's my husbands that I took over) but my creating happens in our dining room, it has much better light. My absolute favorite thing to work with is the glass. Holding it up to the light and finding just the right beads. It's a great thing. I was very nervous to have a shop on Etsy, I thought what if I don't sell anything or what if people don't like my items, but the experience has been wonderful, everyone has been so nice, and supportive of one another. Lots of helpful tips to be shared. The thing that I find to have helped me a lot are my pictures of the items, you really need to use props that really make your item stand out. When I did that I started to get more views and hearts and even SALES. "

Amy feels it is very important to buy handmade to support other artists and their talents, knowing every item is made with love and that the artist is sharing this with everyone. Amy says, "I hope everyone who purchases an item from me loves it as much as I did making it."

Besides being found on Etsy, Amy can be found at one of the largest craft fairs in Augusta Maine, located at the Augusta Civic Center November 28-29, 2009. If you live close by please stop by and see her beautiful work. If not please be sure to check out her lovely Etsy shop, I know you won't be sorry.