Purrfectly Devine? Must Have a Cat Somewhere?

"My full-time job is a special education teacher and I work in a grocery store deli part-time. My husband and I have one daughter who is pretty much on her own and planning to get married in 2009. We share our smoke-free home with 3 cats and one grandpuppy who are banned from the bead room," says the York, PA owner of Etsy shop, Purrfectlydevine.

Yes! There was a cat somewhere. I just knew it.

While the cats are in the other room, look what's happening (above). It's a beautiful necklace called Purple and Teal Sensation.

Reading her blog entitled Life As I Experience It, I gather it's been an awful winter in Pennsylvania this year. Now that it's March, soon the snow will end. That's the way it's written anyway. March is the threshold to Spring.


Shown on the right are the Jadite Earrings which have a matching bracelet in her shop.

Attention to the left ,where you will find the Victorian Inspired Necklace and Bracelet ebtw Spring Bouquet. Says the owner, "The lampwork beads with the flower design serve as the focal for both pieces. There are rose Sworovski crystal in 2 sizes, small green pearls, and larger mauve pearls. All metal is sterling silver." This piece is a part of the EtsyBead collection which is done to theme.

Be sure to look up Purrfectly Devine at these locations:

http://purrfectlydevine.etsy.com/
http://purrfectlydevine.blogspot.com/

Lucky Girl Trading Company - Make Every Day Your Lucky Day!

From Morrisville, North Carolina, to you comes Lucky Girl Trading Company. There are bounteous choices in this Etsy Shop. At left you see the Streaky Blue Gold Flower Pendant.

This pretty streaky blue fused glass pendant features a bright 22K gold flower fused onto the glass. But, should this one not catch your eye, there are 84 other Art Glass pendants in the shop!!!! And then, there are the Dichroic Glass pendants, of which there are 112 to choose from.

Shown on the right is Lucky Girl's Celery and Aqua Patchwork Pendant, an example of Dichroic Glass Pendants.

But should you fear buying a pendant and not knowing what to do with it, there are also 63 chains offered in different metals and leathers, etc., such as this one, the Sterling Silver Twisted Serpentine Chain of the 24 inch variety shown below.

Besides all of these things, one also has the ability to join the Jewelry of the Month Club for a period of six to twelve months and receive a piece of jewelry each month from Lucky Girl.

You can find Lucky Girl Trading Company at these locations:

http://luckygirltrading.etsy.com/

http://luckygirltrading.blogspot.com/

Autumn Leah Re-invented, Finds Better Way of Keeping Baby's Legs Warm

Autumn Leah, a jewelry maker on Etsy, lives in Dallas, Texas, and has opened a second Etsy shop which has now become her main focus. She is now clearing out her jewelry inventory in the Autumn Leah shop, and offering Free Shipping on purchases of any two items over $15.

Says Autumn, "I still love making jewelry, but with soooo many jewelry sellers on etsy, I needed another outlet for my creativity:) Wangly Legs has definitely been that for me and I am excited to see where it goes!"

Enter, Felicity's Boutique

As the mom of an active baby girl, Autumn has found creating things for her is not only special, but also gives her creative insight to what other items are needed in baby wear. She says, "When my little girl started crawling, I got her a couple pairs of leg warmers to protect her knees when she was wearing onesies. I loved them!" She discovered, however, the price tag of ready mades was high, and the handmade leg warmers all had big seams on the inside that rubbed her daughters legs. So after searching unsuccessfully online for a pattern with no seams she created her own pattern!

Autumn says, "The cuff along the bottom allows the seams to be hidden away without rubbing baby or leaving nasty marks and they look SUPER CUTE too! Next, I needed a name. My husband and I sat down and he came up with "Wangly Legs" and I knew right away that it was perfect! I don't know why I just knew. I remember being a little girl and my parents telling me that I had "wangly legs" so I decided it would be the name of my new cozy leg warmers."

She says that since Felicity's Boutique has opened, the Wangly Legs are selling quite well. Great thinking! Find a need and fill that need: Always the recipe for success.

Visit Autumn at these sites:
http://autumnleah.etsy.com/

http://felicitysboutique.etsy.com/

http://autumnleahdesigns.blogspot.com/

Cats Paw Artifacts

Judy Richards the owner of Cats Paw Artifacts, aka Catldy99 , says her shop is named after what else? Her cats. Does she have 99 cats? (To be disclosed later.)

Judy, a magna cum laude graduate who obtained her BA in Technical Theatre from the University of Minnesota, has also taken coursework in Graphic Design as well as in lampworking. She has bead weaving for about 10 years and making beads for about 5, and is a member of the International Society of Glass Beadmakers. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

Exceptional Funny Valentine Vessel Necklace (above)




Beautiful lampwork bracelet (at left)

Judy says she is also is also a member of the Portland Bead Society and the ORBS (Oregon Regional Beadmakers Society).

Judy makes lampwork beads and designs jewelry - unique and hopefully artful jewelry. She is always striving for new ideas, new shapes in glass.

She says that she is inspired by nature (flowers, birds) depicted in glass. She loves abstract lampwork most of all with layers of glass and complexity, and that she is always striving to that goal.

"She has done the work of reasonably exact glass beads - but yearns to break out of that toward something more complex and deep in an artistic sense. She also has a sense of humor and doesn't take herself too seriously - she is the owner of 2 cats, hence the cat beads. Judy likes to laugh and make others smile with her work."


Lovely necklace with lampwork pendant

Cats Paw Artifacts can be found at:

http://catldy99.etsy.com/


http://www.catldy99.wordpress.com/

Alilsumptinsumptin

Today we are visiting Eva of Alilsumptinsumptin. She says that the name for her shop came as "a result of a humerous exchange between friends" (in other words, I guess, you had to be there). Too bad! Sounds like it coulda mighta made a good story.

I selected this beautiful bracelet to feature. I'll let Eva describe it herself, "The focal of this bracelet is a gorgeous heart bead torched by favorite Lampwork Artist, Janet Crosby. The bead is a turquoise blue decorated with cream swirls and dots. This special bead has been etched for a matte finish that is velvety soft to the touch.I embellished Janet's lovely heart with a double strand of top quality Grade A Blue Chinese Turquoise wheels and an assortment of all sterling silver components. It is signed with one of my sterling silver tags wire wrapped to the bracelet with a tiny Swarovski crystal. "

Two of Eva's passions in life are flower gardens and dogs. She's a pretty good photographer too. One segment of her blog showed photos of hummingbirds, which are not the easiest little birds to capture. Eva's also trained as a fashion designer, which I would imagine gives her a leg up when designing and selecting jewelry that she knows will look wonderful and have impact. The PAWS section of her shop features 100% of the proceeds being donated to the worthy cause named in the individual listing. The current pieces benefit The Humane Society of the United States and to Ferrets Unlimited.
"This Y style necklace features a lovely heart bead by favorite Lampwork Glass Artist, Janet Crosby. The heart is made of opaque black glass with white paw prints and is etched for a matte finish and a soft velvety feel.

White etched Lampwork beads by Sarah Friskey were added and enhanced with a modified herringbone weave. Other embellishments include Hill Tribe silver beads and Swarovski Crystals." Description by Eva.


Check out Alilsumptinsumptin at:

http://alilsumptinsumptin.etsy.com
http://www.alilsumptinsumptin/

SparklyStrandz

Today's Etsy featured shop is SparklyStrandz.

When asking how SparklyStrandz was named, Jamie responded, "One of my most favorite movies when I was little was an old animated movie called The Secret of Nimh. The funny bird called the "ruby-thingy" that everyone wanted, we called, "The Sparkly", and growing up my sister and I would call anything that we liked a "sparkly". When I started my business, I put "sparkly" together with "strandz" (b/c beads come on strands usually) and there it was!! (I just had to put the Z to be different). "

Babies are fascinated with their mom's hair, their earrings, their glasses, anything that is within reach. So Sparkly Strandz has come up with the "nursing necklace." It's an OK thing for baby to grab onto. Jamie says, "The pendant is made into a loop style that baby can grasp, and tied in a continuous piece of organza ribbon to prevent the beads from being able to fall off. These necklaces are not meant to be a replacement for a teether toy. Even though babies are small, they can bite down rather hard and accidents can happen, so please supervise when wearing."

Jamie earned her master's degree in Occupational Therapy, and she has sometimes been able to incorporate crafts and beads into therapy with her patients. She is mother to two small children (13 months, and 2 1/2). She is enjoying staying at home with them while they are young. This gives her some time to continue with her jewelry business that she loves.

Does this look like something a little cupid would be wearing for Valentine's Day? "This is a darling handmade crochet onesie that will fit 0-3 month size (depending on if you have an itty-bitty or a chub cub). It is meant to be worn over a plain little cotton onesie as a "dress-up" diaper cover. It has a back flap that buttons for diaper access-you just slip it on over baby's head like a regular onesie. This looks so beautiful in pictures, and is a wonderful keepsake item that can be passed along," says Jamie.

Be sure and visit Jamie at SparklyStrandz here at the links below:

http://sparklystrandz.etsy.com/
http://sparklystrandz.blogspot.com/

Anne Dundas

Anne Dundas is an Aussie from Sydney who has been crafting handmade jewelry since 2004.




On Etsy she is a member of Member of the Etsy Glass Artists Street Team, http://www.etsyglass.com/ and the Down Under Street Team (DUST).

Anne says about this piece titled Flutterby,"The chain is completely handcrafted by myself in the half persian chainmaille style. There is a section at the front that has twisted rings incorporated in it to give some texture and contrast.The pendant is sterling silver and shaped to appear like a butterfly and set with faceted amethyst gemstones. Length: 415mm (approx. 16 1/4 inches)"



Forest Dweller
This is a Sterling silver and Swarovski crystal pendant with a handmade lampwork bead made by Anne.

AnneDundas can be found at:
http://annedundas.etsy.com/
http://annedundas.com/blog/

Announcing The Entyqua Collection

Entyqua is my featured Etsy shop today, and its owner Becki Rasmussen makes pretty jewels with a flavor of yesteryear. She describes this pink faux pearl and Heishi bead necklace (right)as edgy,trendy,elegant and classy. Becki states that she has been creating jewelry for the last five years or so, beginning with earrings and moving eventually into making all kinds of jewelry, cards, jewelry boxes, hair accessories and now a line of clothing. She will be selling the jewelry boxes and cards in a new Etsy shop called delightfuldeceits .

Shown at above left are some wire wrapped cobalt blue glass flower bells made into a pair of earrings called Dresden Bells.



This is a beautiful and elegant Faceted Copper Beaded Necklace It is three stranded with a beautiful Vintage Button as the focal point! With a very dainty bracelet to match!

Entyqua can be found at:

http://entyqua.etsy.com/
http://beckisdesigns.blogspot.com/

Phyllis Mufson, A Personal Treasure

On the blog today, I am featuring Phyllis Mufson of Personal Treasures who is a jewelry artisan and a creative career and small business coach. One of the things I discovered about Phyllis is that she pays careful attention to how her jewelry drapes. This is because earlier in her life, she worked as a textile designer and knew that the way clothing hung or draped on a figure could make or break a garment.

I recently received a very attractive necklace for a gift which probably will need to be re-strung because it doesn't hang right. As a buyer one should really appreciate this attention to detail that is found in Phyllis' jewelry.

The example shown above, her Red Coral and Gold Necklace, as you can see drapes elegantly. The following description is from Personal Treasures. "Four softly draping strands of polished coin-shaped red coral beads are punctuated by tiny glass beads coated with 24 carat gold. The necklace's focal point is a vermeil (sterling silver coated with 22k gold) ring with a woven pattern that slides easily on the necklace. The necklace is finished with vermeil cones and hook clasp. The vermeil accents are all handmade in Bali." Just lovely! A very powerful piece.

Switching to a far more delicate mood, these rare Phrenite beads speak much more softly. Phyllis' interesting background in career development as director of Career Services at Moore College of Art and Design, and as a marketing and public relations executive might just show through into her jewelry. The same person who would wear the dynamic red coral necklace might be too bold to wear the soft, watery phrenite earrings. That has to be smart marketing: appealing to different buyers. Everything in this shop radiates a quality of success.

Phyllis also is a certified Life Coach with the Coach Training Institute and a graduate of their Co-Active Leadership program, and serves on the U.S. board of the Association of Career Professionals International. Her life-coaching business helps people find out how to see what potential they have and guides them into developing it. Phyllis says, "How about you? How might your life be different if you had faith in your creativity, in your ability to venture into the unknown and persist until you reached success? What would you begin if you had that confidence?"

This lovely pink morganite necklace has a soft, feminine color but still to me speaks of strength.

"Morganite (Pink Aquamarine) Necklace - Substantial Morganite beads in lovely shades of soft pink are simply strung with faceted vermeil beads as spacers and a gold-filled toggle clasp. Morganite is a member of the Beryl family. "

All of the items in Personal Treasures are one of a kind and handmade by Phyllis. You must go and see for yourself.
http://personaltreasures.etsy.com/ http://personaltreasures.blogspot.com/

W.O.W. WyredOnWire

Alicia Weeks is the owner of Wyred on Wyre . She is from St. Stephen, New Brunswick in Canada. Alicia was given a beading kit at age 8, and in that moment, she began discovering her passion. She was born in April, and traditionally the birthstone for April has always been diamonds, but on her blog, I got the impression she decided that she didn't like that so much and liked more color. I know the feeling; the birthstone for my November birthday is topaz, and I always thought it was the ugliest one. Then smoky topaz and blue topaz started showing up. Those, I think, are much more attractive.

Shown above is the pendant for a necklace called "My Crazy, Kaotic Life" which is made of sterling silver and rose quartz, kiwi, purple jasper, cherry quartz, and some other pink and purple stones in the 20-inch chain.

Here's pretty one called "Blue Twisted Love." (Hmmm, wonder if there's a movie by that title. Doesn't sound probable they would rate it a PG movie. But then I jumped the track. )Back on course, the necklace is made with green and blue beads and has a large faceted glass heart.

Now this is different! It's a bracelet called "Uncolored Bracelet." (Don't let the kids see anything called uncolored. You'd be amazed just how quickly those crayolas would get used here!) This bracelet is made with sterling silver, Swarovski crystal, and handmade paper beads coated for durability.

Each piece designed in her shop is unique and original. Alicia, who is a mother of two, is a member of Etsy Moms Street Team and Etsy Bags.

You can find Alicia's shop and blog at these links:





http://wyredonwire.etsy.com/
http://wyredonwire.blogspot.com/

StaciRose Unique Jewelry

Staci Rose is an artist who is lucky to live in the San Francisco Bay area, a metropolitan area abounding in creativity. You can find her things in galleries and boutiques there. I saw something in her shop that I fully believe in. It was "support living artists."

(Me, stepping up on my soapbox) I bought an artists' apron with the slogan "Support Living Artists, The Dead Ones Don't Care!" It doesn't benefit Pablo Picasso or Renoir or Degas or Salvador Dali or even Vincent Van Gogh one whit to buy a print of their work, or if you're on higher plane than most of us, to buy an original. Why? Elvis has left the building, the continent and the planet, and so have these guys! (OK, I'm down now, off the soapbox.)

This beautiful pair of earrings is made from Crazy Horse stone and Jasper. Says Staci, "All pieces are original, hand-made, and one of a kind! I search high and low for unique gemstone beads for wearable works of art. I make jewelry to look good and feel good while you wear it."

< On the right is a butterfly mirror, another StaciRose original, entitled

"Butterfly Garden." And by the way, she uses no stickers which fall off down the road anyway. Materials used in this creative project are pine wood, acrylic paint, glass and mixed media.

Look at the versatility here in Fruit Salad (left). These very cute original wine charms are made from glass and plastic!

She also does many lovely Judaica items and also oil paintings of nudes.

Staci is a member of Worldwide Women Artists, (WWAO) an international collective of women artists showing and selling their work online and a certified Member of EBSQ Self-Representing Artists. All of Staci's work is original and one of a kind.

Be sure to visit stacirose at Etsy and on her blog at:

http://stacirose.etsy.com/

http://stacirose.blogspot.com/

SweetIrie 90-Day Challenge Feature

Today's Etsy shop is SweetIrie which has been in business since 2005. SweetIrie, the shop is named for the owner's kitten, Irie, who brings her owner much joy.

Super cute
1 3/4 inch dangle earrings made with genuine Swarovski Caribbean blue opal crystals with light blue shell disc beads on all gun metal parts. Very nice! Available in SweetIrie for just $20.


Merlot
necklace $35

This one of a kind necklace is stunning and sophisticated! Would be a great addition to wear with jeans during the week or that cute dress going out on the weekends!

All For Me Bookmark $25

20 inch Wire bead bookmark. Made with Toho teal glass beads, floral encased lampwork, purple mother of pearl hearts, Czech amethyst picasso glass, and silver plated parts.


Visit SweetIrie soon.







http://sweetirie.etsy.com/
http://www.sweetirieoriginals.blogspot.com/

Capture the Essence of Brazil

http://contasbrasil.etsy.com/
http://contascoeln.etsy.com/
http://contaskoeln.blogspot.com/

Brazilian sisters now living in Germany, Suzy Wortberg and Bebê de Soares, are the owners of ContasBrasil and ContasKoeln.
The ContasKoeln Etsy shop offers beautiful beads and supplies, and ContasBrasil is the source for their luscious jewelry. Suzy’s best friend Ana Paula Vilas Boas who lives in Brazil, adds an additional pair of jewelrymaking hands to the enterprise, and just recently Sandra Fukelmann has added her unique doll bags. In 2007 they opened a shop in Cologne which became the only place in Germany to sell ContasBrasil jewelry and Sandra's doll bags.

The following statement in their Etsy storefront gives the viewer a feel for the mood produced by their products. "To be BrazilianLiving in a tropical paradise surrounded by stimulating colors and brightness. Keeping alive the joy and spontaneity of a child. CONTASBRASIL wants to bring the unique feeling of living in Brazil to every corner of the world.Exotic, joyful and irresistible. Impossible not to be enchanted by the colors and shapes of Brazil." Makes me want to see what Brazil is all about! Love the jewelry! Go and visit their shops.

About Earthcharms

http://earthcharms.etsy.com/
http://www.earth-charms.blogspot.com/

The goal of Earthcharms is to make macrame fashionable. She seeks out natural stones to combine them into jewelry in combinations that are intended to bring luck, health, and prosperity into your life. There is an emphasis on the metaphysical properties of each stone.

In the Smoky Quartz and Carnelian Choker ( left) the qualities imparted by smoky quartz are unblocking the subconscious, repelling negativity, giving ground and focus, while the carnelian promotes success. Each stone has corresponding chakras and significance in numerology.


Go on over to Earthcharms on Etsy to read about the significance of the stones in this pair of Insight earrings (left) and the sleep charm (below).

Earthcharms is in the process of coming out with a new line of necklaces using silver and silver plated chain.

You will find all the descriptions very informative and quite interesting.

Enter The World of Celtic Goddess Andee Harston

Celtic Goddess Jewelry began in early 2001. From the photographs, it would appear that the time has been well spent: she knows her art. The details of her silver are well-crafted in pieces such as the Tree of Life necklace and the Butterfly Fairy earrings.

African Turquoise Celtic Drop Y Necklace

Upon looking through her shop, you will discover that her artwork is a reflection of her lifestyle, where themes of her Celtic heritage are interwoven with concepts of paganism and Buddhism, healing and divination. Andee says, "Art has always been prevalent in my life. I love to draw, paint, sculpt, make jewelry, and most recently, photography. I am influenced by spiritual learning, nature and goddess and celtic imagery." Celtic Goddess is featuring Astrology sets, of which the first three (Aquarius, Pisces and Taurus)are now shown at Celtic Goddess. These include jewelry, soap with essential oils specifically for each zodiac sign and a vial of personal oils.

The Celtic goddess is alive and living in Orlando creating beautiful jewelry.

http://celticgoddessjewelry.etsy.com
http://buyindie.blogspot.com/

Monday Feature: Alternate Bliss

A Social Worker/Kindergarten Teacher by day and . . . Alternate Bliss the rest of the time, sounds pretty wonderful, and it shows in her work which seems to just emit a joy of life.

Above: Lotus Blossom Fine Silver Necklace, an original design

Below: Pink Jellies, Original Watercolor

Bottom: Rilo the Fox necklace, sculpted and hand-carved
Tanya, owner of Alternate Bliss, is also finishing up her Masters in Education. She says that her passion is directed towards her husband and children (always and forever), teaching, fine silver and just creating stuff in general. A former closet creator, Tanya says, "I was tormented because I felt so creative but never dared to explore it! So my advice is ... go for it...what have you got to lose!"
She is a Mixed Media Artist. In her shop you will find original art including watercolor art, ACEO's, art prints, and hand made silver jewelry.
Below are links to Tanya's shop and blog, Alternate Bliss!

http://alternatebliss.etsy.com/
http://www.alternatebliss.blogspot.com/