Twisted Ribbon

Here is another contribution to my collection of posts about artbeads.com.  They have given me some great Swarovski beads and asked me to blog about them.  Here are a pair of earrings I made with a crystal from the “twist” series.  The crystals reflect the light so beautifully.  I thought it would be a great pair of earrings to wear to a holiday party.
Click on this to see all the fabulous crystals artbeads.com has to offer.
Note: I do not get paid by artbeads.com to blog about these jewelry components, nor do I pay for the items they send me.  This is just my honest review of their products.

Pierrot

When I showed my sister these earrings, she instantly said they reminded her of a gift I had given her a few years back that had an illustration of a French mime with big buttons running down the front of his costume.

The gorgeous “green opal” swarovski beads are some of the crystals that were given to me by Artbeads.com as a part of their blogger program.

Golden Shadow earrings

These are the first pair of earrings I made with my free faceted “golden shadow” briolette  from artbeads.com. More to come.

Inspiration at last!

I was asked by Artbeads.com to be a part of their great blogging program. Basically, they choose jewelry artists to sample their wares for free and blog about it.

I’m so excited and inspired to make some great jewelry with the Swarovski crystals I chose. As I post my pieces, I’ll also have links to the crystals that I used for that particular item. Maybe you will find some inspiration and create your own masterpiece!

Back to my roots

I’ve been feeling very frustrated with my jewelry designs lately, so I thought I would try beading again.  When I was pregnant with my daughter,  I developed horrific carpal tunnel.  I couldn’t even feel my fingertips!  The most difficult thing in the world to do was to hold a thin beading needle between my numb fingers so I just stopped, cold turkey.  I hadn’t  tried to bead until now, two years after Delilah’s birth. 

I reconnected with why I had loved it in the first place.  Beading takes me to my happy place.  It’s incredibly therapeutic and calming for me. 

Hopefully this is a sign of greater works to come.  Stay tuned…..

Qui Qui, I’ve been stalked!

Beatrice and Violet of Etsy Stalker fame have chosen my Eiffel Tower beaded bracelet as a featured item on their website.

Here is a link to the article  “Bead weaving: Labor of Love”.

Check out their site, It’s full of great Etsy finds.

Rest in Peace, my sweet companion

My beautiful cat, Abigail passed away yesterday at the ripe old age of 14. 

I wasn’t going to write about this because I didn’t want to see her picture every time I updated my blog, but I owe it to her. 

We had just come back from visiting my in-laws for a few days and when we entered the house I knew something was wrong.  Only her sister,  Lily came out to greet us.  Usually it would be Abby standing on the couch waiting to get her much needed pets and kisses.  Earlier, I had spoken to my mom, who was taking care of the cats while we were away, and she said she couldn’t find Abigail anywhere, but I just thought it was just Abby being a cat and hiding.  I thought nothing of it.

I looked around the house for her and couldn’t hear her little bell.  I went into my studio and found her lying on the ground.  Her head was tucked away behind my sewing machine table and all I saw was her body, lifeless.  I immediately broke down. 

Abigail was my constant companion.  She slept with me every night, much to my husband’s chagrin, because I chose to spoon her rather that him.  When I sat down to make jewelry, she would come and sit on my lap, digging her claws into me and purring to tell me how content she was.  She would let me kiss her face and had so much patience with my two year old daughter.  She was with me since before my ten year old son was born.  She has been with me through thick and thin and now I have to live without her. 

Abby, thank you for the 14 beautiful years you have given us.  We love you and will always miss you.

Lulu and the Peacock

 

My beaded Lulu bracelet has found it’s way onto the “Around Town/Fashion” section of the NBC Bay Area website!  Thanks to Marie C. Baca.

I had a great time making this bracelet.  The colors are just amazing and I fell more and more in love with it as it progressed.  I also loved creating the copper clasp.  Finding the right Deco pattern for it was the best part.  I looked at      a lot of 1920’s architecture and found so much inspiration.

I hope I did Louise Brooks justice because she was absolutely stunning!

No one has purchased Lulu yet, I’m assuming it’s because of the price.  Unfortunately I have to price the bracelets that high because of the time that went into it.  Each bracelet takes about 30-40 hours of work.  And each is totally one of a kind.    I have a few more that I need to put clasps on and hopefully soon, I can get them onto Etsy!

Calendar Girl

Marjorie Oxman has created a fabulous 2010 calendar filled with amazing jewelry from talented artists and I am honored that she chose to include my Rosebud earrings! 

To order a calendar go to lulu.com.  I will be ordering my copy this week!  Thanks Marjorie!

Merci!

My Louise XVI Bracelet has been featured in a wonderful Etsy Treasury by Kitty Kent.  Take a look at her store, she makes a wonderful variety of handmade items.  Also check out her treasury, she has selected a great group of artists and put them together for a French theme.  Treasuries are only online for a short while, I hope you get a chance to see it.

I’ve been featured in a treasury!

Thank you to a wonderful Etsy customer for putting together a great treasury and adding my “Casablanca” earrings.  The treasury is named “Bedouin Wedding”.  Take a look.

Pay it forward

I have received these wonderful “One Lovely Blog” awards and now it is my turn to pay it forward. I have passed this award on to the following bloggers:

Creative With Clay

Happy Shack Photo and Art

Studio 618

Bijoux Boutique

Starry Blue Sky

Tuscan Road Designs

Simply Willow

The Path Unwinding

Jesse Jane’s

We’ve Got Paper

While Tangerine Dreams

Linda B’s Jewelry Designs

TK Designs For You – Nature Inspired

Bags and Buds

Please check out all of these wonderful blogs!

One Lovely Blog …

I feel so honored, Lori Dean Dyment of  Dean Dyment  Studios has awarded me the “One Lovely Blog Award”!  Lori is a very talented artist.  Her Etsy shop is filled with amazing artwork and prints.  My favorite piece is called “Pleasant Daydream”.  Thanks so much Lori!

I'd like to thank the acadamy...

I've been awarded the "One Lovely Blog Award" by Judy, an amazing jewelry artist!
She is a fellow Etsian, check out her shop here, she has a great selection of beautiful pieces. She also has a blog, here is the link.

Thank you so much Judy!

Now it's my turn to pass it on. I will be sending this award to other talented Etsy artists, stay tuned.

Jen Kiaba Photography

I absolutely adore Jen Kiaba's art. That's the only way to describe it, it goes beyond photography. Each image tells a story and capture's a moment in time so beautifully.

Her work has a nostalgic gothic quality to it. You almost expect to hear a wonderful old
Victrola, with all it's scratches and pops, playing a haunting melody in the background.

To see Jen's talent for yourself visit her etsy shop
http://www.Jenkiabaphotography.etsy.com

She also has a blog where you can find some helpful photography tips
http://jenkiaba.com

Mistakes can be good!

Here is a fine example of how I made the best of a frustrating situation. I had carefully designed and planned out these great hoop earrings. After making the matching pair and trying them on, I realized that they were HUGE! I was pretty sure no one in their right mind would attempt to make a fashion statement with them.

I was so irked that I had spent a huge chunk of time on these and I tossed them into the reject box. A few days later I took another look at them and figured I had nothing to lose by trying to tweek my design a little bit so I could actually sell it.

I decided something this big would only work as a centerpiece for a necklace. When I found a great sterling silver acorn charm for the end of the clasp that sealed the deal! I proceeded with my new design and to my surprise it came out great! I figured it was Etsy worthy so I put it up for sale.













Here is the link: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25158456

Welcome to my blog!

I'm creating this blog to share my designs and the things that inspire me to create.

I am a handmade jewelry designer and I sell my unique wares on Etsy. I love to design one of a kind pieces that you won't see anywhere else, almost like little pieces of art.

I am a mom of two kids (20 months and 10 years) and I struggle to find time to make my jewelry everyday, it's hard to do but it's a necessity, a drug. If I don't create, I feel empty and unaccomplished. I'll be posting my musings and frustrations about family life and the sometimes isolation I feel as a stay at home mom. So bear with me as I rant and rave about mundane things.

I'll be sharing random sites and blogs that I think are amazing and inspiring as well as info about my own art. I'm a big history buff so maybe I'll throw a little of that in too.

I am an Etsy Secrets member and I will be writing about my fellow talented group members, so keep an eye out for that!

Hopefully, you will enjoy my little blog. I'm really looking forward to your comments, so please don't hesitate post them!

Roia