I'm In a Treasury - Twice!

Both of my shops made it into the same Treasury on Etsy. Yippie! Thank you to BlueForestJewellery for making such a great Treasury. If you get a chance, stop by and check it out.

We All Need A Splash of Color

It is snowing here. Oh, ugh... already? It's not sticking to the ground at least. I know it is in lots of places. I'm not looking forward to Winter. I'll be stuck inside with no place to go and no income. Not a pleasant thought.

New Etsy Team - New Treasury

Autumn Bobbles

I finally got sick and tired of never getting a reply when I applied for membership in an Etsy group and started my own. If a group is full, or you don't meet their criteria, you'd think they would at least send you a "sorry". Nope,zilch, zip, nodda.... Oh well, it got me off my butt, or onto it in front of the computer. Depends on how you look at it I guess.

There were plenty of jewelry sellers who were having the same problem, so we banded together and I got the ball rolling. This morning I got up wayyyyy to early to get our first Treasury listed. Have a look at all the great items. There is a lot of talent hidden on Etsy. I plan to feature some of it here in future posts.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Newest Hummingbird Necklace

Ruby Throated Hummingbird Necklace

It took me a while, but as promised, here is another Ruby Throated Hummingbird. It is slightly different than the first one I made in color. I didn't like the speckled chest, so I made this one solid red. All the findings are Sterling with the exception of the crimp beads, and those are covered with Sterling covers so it really doesn't matter to the finished piece.

This is the 4th bird I've made this year. I just love watching each one turn from a pile of tiny little beads into a sculpture that really resembles a Hummingbird. If I had the right color beads I would try some of the other patterns Dragon has. That will have to wait until I am rich and famous. Oh, like that's ever going to happen!

Have you started your Christmas list yet? I'm on a campaign to get more people making or buying hand made gifts this year. (See yesterday's post). I'm thinking knit hats for the entire family. Great idea. Just where do I get the time though? Oh, I remember. Stop sleeping!

Hope you all have a great day.

Let's Have An Old Fashioned Christmas

Forbesfarm





Handmade Christmas

Don't start screaming "IT'S TOO EARLY TO THINK ABOUT CHRISTMAS". It isn't really. Not if you want a really great one. I don't mean a ton of gifts. I mean well though out personal gifts. What better way to give something great than to make it yourself?

IF you start now, you MIGHT have enough time to make something for everyone on your list. Too many people run out at the last minute and grab those horrible pre-packaged gift sets. I've been guilty of it myself in the past. It's usually for someone I really didn't want to give a gift to in the first place. Most of them contain junk that probably never gets used anyway. So, why waste the money? Your gift doesn't have to be expensive or complicated. Just find a time now, as the seasons start to change and sit down for a few quite moments of thought. Take each person on your list and really think about what they like. What are their hobbies, causes, favorite foods, scents, etc. Then think about your talents and what you can create to please them. It's not really all that hard. I can almost guarantee the recipients of your gifts will enjoy them much more than a snatch and grab gift from the discount store.

No crafting talent you say? I think just about everyone has some sort of talent they can pull from. If you insist you don't have the flare for handmade, or you don't have the time, check out ArtFire or Etsy online. There are TONS of wonderful handmade gifts available in both places. Who knows, maybe just looking at what other's have made will inspire you to get out the work apron and get crafting yourself!

Google Search Found Me!

Don't you just love it when you find yourself on the web? Well, maybe not so much if it's the local police blotter, but if it's something wonderful it is so great! I was searching the web for more grape patterns. Living in wine country, they are very popular in my shop. I put in "beaded grapes" and about 3 pages into the search there was the picture above - MY beaded grape necklace! Well, really Sandra Halpenny's beaded necklace. I just used her pattern.

I don't know why I was so surprised. I spend a lot of time trying to get my titles and descriptions to meet the criteria for uploading to Google Base. That's were you can load your web pages so it is picked up faster than if you did nothing. I'm a neophyte at it and it does take some work. Finding my necklace so close to the top of the search lets me know that all that work paid off.

It's funny in a way because yesterday I spent the entire day making another grape necklace. That is when I wasn't cooking, baking and cleaning. They are such a waste of time. Where's the maid?

This and That - Catch Up With Us

I have been neglecting my blog. I admit it. My hubby says my motto should be "Too many projects, not enough time". There certainly do not seem to be enough hours in a day. Maybe if I gave up sleeping? If only the housework would do itself! Oh- and the lawn. Those beautiful colored leaves of Fall all seem to land up in MY yard! I hate being away from my studio.

This first picture is one of some neat new earrings I made this past week. Since polymer clay and I do not get along, I purchased the cane on Etsy from ArtmakersWorldsAlpha. She has some lovely canes and I've already ordered a second one. I love the color combination on these leaves. The earrings look great done up, if I do say so myself.

Colorful Feather Earrings



The next picture is of some rather simple earrings I put together using Rose Gold findings and Swarovski Crystal. Once in a while I need a brainless project that I can just piece together. I was thrilled when I found the Rose Gold pieces. They remind me of out trip to South Dakota and the Black Hills Gold there. There are 3 other styles. All are petite and simply elegant.

Delicate Butterfly Earrings

The last picture for today is of my latest Treasury on Etsy. It is so hard to get one these days. The competition is fierce! I had to get up, be awake and online early this morning to catch a spot. If you have the time, stop by and check it out. Yellow and Magenta are my new favorite color combinations. If I can find the right beads - look out!

On the Yellow Side of Magenta

Artisans and Crafters on ArtFire

Do you sell online? Have a look at ArtFire. The traffic isn't as high there, but it is growing daily. They have a neat new tool that allows you to import all or some of your Etsy items ,. I use it yesterday and put all of my earrings on. Now they will be seen in 3 venues and hopefully increase the chances of them selling.

Don't miss seeing my Cardinal necklace posted below. I am thrilled with the way it turned out. I didn't get any beading done yesterday with all the work I did on ArtFire. I'm hoping to get started on another Hummingbird today. Somewhere I have to squeeze in making more Halloween earrings too! I'm starting to feel the holiday pressure already and it's just the beginning of October. This year I was hoping to make all my Christmas presents. Where will I find the time? I wonder if I can make stuff from the Dollar store look expensive? Might have to give it a try!

Have a look at the work I did yesterday here: Forbes Farm on ArtFire

Wishing you all a good day.