Rose Looking Glass

January 27, 2010

Rose Looking Glass



Yay, I actually got a bracelet finished today (tonight)!  Sometimes nothing can make you feel as happy as when you see your ideas come to fruition right before your eyes.....I know I sound like a sap but oh, well.  It really does feel good.

This one is another one of my mash-up bracelets ~ old and new meld together seamlessly to impart a days- gone-by sensibility.  Nostalgic is a word that comes to mind.  And again, that darn angel.  I swear it keeps following me....

It's too late to put it on etsy right now, that's for tomorrow (even though I want to keep it!).  Now it's time to get the kids' lunches ready and get to bed because 6:30 a.m. comes around pretty quick.  It's cold, windy and snowing.  Happy to be home.  Ciao.

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
~ Winston Churchill    

Black Tie Affair

January 26, 2010

Black Tie Affair


I made another tassle, or lariat, necklace since my first one was already purchased from my etsy store.  This one has a 24" silver chain and toggle clasp.  There are five strands to the lariat ~ pearls, glass beads and a silver filigree ball  all dangle playfully from it.  I am in the process of making one more that's just a little different, both chain and bead-wise.  I'll probably put that one on etsy, too.  Which means that I'll actually have to make a fourth one so I can wear it myself ~ I LOVE it! 

I'm also working on a charm bracelet, although my time has been spread thin lately.  What with maintaining the etsy store and this blog, and trying to educate myself about social networks, art-related and otherwise, I could be swallowed whole by this computer and not come back out for about a billion light years.  It's both exciting and frustrating at the same time.  On the one hand it's amazing to be learning so much, while on the other hand I really want to be just making jewelry.  Hopefully I will eventually find a happy medium.

 



Time to put the kids to bed and then (hopefully) create a precious treasure I can share with you soon.  Ciao.

 "It is not what he has, or even what he does which expresses the worth of a man, but what he is."
~ Henri Frederic Amiel

Pemberley Revisited

January 21, 2010

Pemberley



I just finished this antique-inspired necklace with gemmed bead caps and pink glass pearls.  I like the look of two totally different chains coming together to make one necklace, hence the antique bronze and antique silver chains.  I named it Pemberley after the name of Fitzwilliam Darcy's estate in Pride and Prejudice.  I can almost see Elizaberth Barret wearing it as she feigns disinterest in him.



It's more delicate than I usually go for, but I  like it.  You can find it at www.LoveYouMoreDesigns.etsy.com.

The girls have an Irish dance competition coming up.  Curly wigs and poodle socks, here we come.  Ciao.

 Life's most persistent and urgent question is "What are you doing for others?"
~ Martin Luther King






















January Magazines' Jewelry Picks

January 17, 2010

It's slim pickins out there.  Unimpressed with what I saw in my usual fashion magazines, I added a few others and still came up with only a few picks that I'd promote.  

In Style magazine had the few picks I liked.  One of them is www.skinnystyle.com.  Their two hot items in my book are:
  • "Floating" Double Finger Rings for $38.00 (as worn by Rihanna in In Style's photo).
  • Large domed beaded "Finger Candy" rings with pearls for $60.00.   
The next pick is www.archivejewelry.com.  Beautiful vintage-inspired brass jewelry that I loved.  My favorites are:
  •  Bird Tag Necklace for $107.00.
  • Vintage Watch and Charms for $136.00.
  • Love Knot Bracelet for $99.00.
The last pick I liked was www.waxingpoetic.com. They do initials, lots of initials.  Which I love.  My faves are:
  • Miniature Crest Insignia charm in sterling for $25.00.
  • Square Charm Bracelet (LOVE THIS!) for $130.00.
  • Miniature Crest Ring in sterling for $38.00. 
Hopefully next month's glam update will have a bit more to choose from.  Ciao.

"I can live for two months on a good compliment."
~ Mark Twain


Precious Heirlooms

January 13, 2010


I made this necklace quite some time ago.  I glazed the initial into the pendant and then added the chain.  As simple as that.  I've gotten many compliments on it -- people even ask me if it's a  family heirloom.  I thought that was kind of neat, since I love all things vintage.




I really want to add these to my Etsy shop, but I'm having trouble finding a source for the pendants.  The one pictured is "Patera Jewelry" by Nunn Designs.  I got their catalog and they have SO many pendants and bracelets that can be glazed, etc.  Problem is, they only accept orders of $100.00 or more.  Do I really need $100.00 worth of pendants right now?   No.  So now I'm just trying to find another place to buy them.  If anyone has any answers, please comment and let me know.  I really can't wait to get started on more precious heirlooms.

Check out my site to find out if I succeed at www.loveyoumoredesigns.etsy.com.

 "To trust yourself to test your limits.  That is the courage to succeed."
~ Bernard Edmonds








Angel on My Shoulder

January 9, 2010



I just finished this one tonight....I find that angels are becoming a recurring theme with my bracelets as of late.  It wasn't planned, but I like the idea nonetheless.  I do believe that we all have a guardian angel of some sort, following us around day in and day out.  Most of the time they're probably at a total loss as to why we do the things we do.  But they hang in there with us anyway.  It's their job.  Lucky for us.

The bracelet is a mash-up of old and new.  There are faceted beads, glass pearls, hammered brass coins, a silver filigree bead and charm and, of course, an angel.  The toggle is super pretty -- it's encrusted with faux diamonds.  If you're interested you can buy it on my Etsy site at www.LoveYouMoreDesigns.etsy.com

Today was filled with working on the kids' school projects, due this week.  Tomorrow will be filled with Sunday school and mass, then MORE school project-related stuff.  Can't wait till it's all done.  That is, until the next wave of projects come roaring through the house....heaven help us.  Ciao.

"No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted."  
~ Aesop 

Etsy at Last!

January 7, 2010

Well, I finally did it.  After a few years of THINKING about it, tonight I officially opened up my Etsy shop.  For those of you saying "Etsy?  What the ---k is ETSY?" let me explain.  Etsy.com is a virtual marketplace for all things handmade.  And vintage.  Or both.

It's a place where artists can showcase their wares and hopefully land an audience that wants to buy their handmade goods.  Tonight I started my shop with three items -- all three of which you've seen already on this blog.  It's slow starting on Etsy, just as it's SLOW when you set out to create a successful blog.  Right now I'm working on both and whatever happens, happens.  Bottom line is I'm happy doing it and that's enough for me.  Although it WOULD be nice if my Etsy site became popular and lucrative -- not! lol!  

We're in the midst of a wicked snowstorm here in Chicagoland and we're just waiting to see what happens next.  Perhaps no school tomorrow?  Gotta love that 6:00 am wake-up call from the principal telling you school is closed for the day.  Yay! say the kids.  Not so much, says the mom.....we're already over 20 inches and counting for the season so far.  Who knew I'd end up living in glacierland?

I haven't figured out how to add an Etsy sign onto my sidebar yet so until I do I'll end all my posts with my Etsy site address: please go to www.LoveYouMoreDesigns.etsy.com and check it out.  Visit often to see what's been added and what's to come.  Way late and time to go for now. Ciao. 

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures."
~ Thornton Wilder

Charm Bracelet Diva's Jewelry-Making Book Review

January 2, 2010

I'm loving a book I got for Christmas entitled "Bead & Button, Ribbon & Felt Jewelry (35 sewing-box treasures to make & give)" by Deborah Schneebeli-Morrell. I know I keep mentioning that I love today's style of jewelry that involves ribbbons -- and that I might just actually make something along those lines.....well, I no longer have any excuses to procrastinate.  There are so many projects in this book I love that I can't even decide where to begin.  My absolute favorites are:

  • Multi-strand Chiffon Ribbon Necklace
  • Charm Bracelet with Woven Silk Ribbons
  • Copper and Metallic Organdy Bracelet
  • Chiffon Ribbon and Glass Bead Necklace
Even if you don't like the particular designs (there are 35 of them) you can still learn quite a few techniques as to how to work with ribbon, etc. in your every-day jewelry-making.  My jewelry challenge is going to be the Chiffon Ribbon and Glass Bead Necklace.  I might tweak the design a bit, but I think I can do it justice.

Now I just have to get all the Christmas decorations put away (including the ornaments!) and organize my (former) scrapbook room into what will now be known as the Charm Bracelet Diva's "Studio"!  Sounds pretty impressive, right? lol!  Well, it's already past the kids' bedtime.  Come Monday all goes back to normal around here.  Maybe I'll even get the time to make that bracelet.  Ciao.

"Gratitude is the memory of the heart."
~ French proverb

Sweet Charity Vintage Charm Bracelet

January 1, 2010



Sweet Charity took me twice as long to make as my usual charm bracelets because I double-charmed/beaded/pearled (is "pearled" a word?) it.  I love the look of a really full bracelet.  So I beaded one side of the links.  Then I went back and added charms to the other side of the links.  I also added some vintage treasures inherited from a friend.  Just perfect.



So, how awesome are these photos?  As close to professional-looking as I've come thus far, no?  The light box is too cool for words as far as how it lights the object just right for a great close-up photo.  Also, it's amazing what your camera can do when you actually set the functions properly (I finally read the manual!).  So from now on I should be able to capture the essence of the jewelry as I'd hoped I would.    


I know I said I'd talk about a jewelry-making book I was reading but that will have to wait until next time since I couldn't wait to share this charm bracelet with you.  And, oh yeah, I changed the template for my blog background.  Again.  I think this one's the winner but there's always room for improvement........and how could I forget to say "HaPpY nEW yEaR!"  Seriously.  Ciao for now.

"Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist does, the better."
~ Andre Gide
Related Posts with Thumbnails