Amazing Treasury...Shameless Self Promotion!

I found this evening that one of my items has been featured in an Etsy Treasury, which isn't unusual, but get a load of this one! It's entitled "Insaneley Iredescent" [sic] and just look at all of those incredible images. I admit that I am easy when it comes to shiny things, but I love the colors and choices. It was curated by Grace Raines of Reinterpreted Rainbow on Etsy. She has a great eye for color - go check out her shop for some lovely designs.

Those cat's eyes are truly spellbinding, aren't they?

Seller Spotlight...Eckohaus

My new house slippers! I ordered then from Eckohaus and love the musical notes on the 100% wool pumpkin orange base. I have been looking for lightweight house slippers that I could wear over thick socks, that were also quiet, as I live in an apartment. I wanted soft slippers that felt more like socks...and these are perfect! There is no sole other than a rubber coating, so if you want slippers with support, I would look elsewhere, though she can add colorful rubber soles on request. The slippers come from Lithuania and take about 2 weeks to get to the US. Dovile is incredibly friendly and willing to customize, and can make them in many colors. I hope that you will check out her shop, which offers other fun felted accessories .

Happy Hanukkah!

It's the last night of Hanukkah, and I hope that all who observe enjoyed a beautiful holiday. It's a windy night where I live and the candles have been flickering wildly. I am still using the candles my father received after making donations to Jewish charities...if you are of the tribe, then you know the ones I mean. They're twisted and come in blue boxes, and sometimes the colors are quite vivid, and at other times, the box you received is kind of a dud, with grays and beiges and faint colors that are only for lovers of the monochrome. I have grown up with these candles, and have the equivalent of few years' worth of them in stock.

Tonight I decided to end the holiday with a medley of red, orange and pink, and you'll notice that some of the candles have warped over the summer, but I like it. The menorah is vintage, from Israel, not that you can see any of it. I also have a vintage electric menorah, and it's here as well, reflected in a window that has rain pounding against it. In my apartment building, the wind is blowing through the building and it sounds like the Yorkshire moors up here on the top floor - most atmospheric.

"The Hobbit" Trailer is UP!!!

Some visitors to this page know that I am a fan of Richard Armitage, the luscious actor from across the pond. I first became a fan after watching the BBC miniseries "North & South" in the last decade - I highly recommend it, and you can stream it on Netflix. Richard's star has been in ascension and he has made a name for himself in various UK TV shows - he was the villain you can't stop loving, Guy of Gisborne, in the recent "Robin Hood", starred in "Spooks", and made his US feature film debut in "Captain America", albeit briefly. My favorite role of his, as Guy of Gisborne, is totally understandable. See pictures below.

A friend of mine runs a fabulous website about Richard, which you ought to visit if you'd like to find out more about him. It's here. Well, Richard has been cast as Thorin Oakenshield in Peter Jackson's "the Hobbit", and the trailer was released a little while ago. Richard is 6'-2" but plays the lead dwarf, and damn, he even looks tall in this video. He sings, too, which is a thrill, but we have to wait another year to see him onscreen!

If you click twice on this video, it will expand. You can also find the video at Youtube here.

Holiday Reds!

I made the necklace today as a companion to the bracelet I made a few years ago. The red jewels are vintage scarf slides - one wove the ends of silk scarves through these buckles to hold them in place. Aren't they alluring? There's still time to have them by Christmas. In the shops, links at left.

Purple Majesty

New pieces in gemstones - don't you love the cool, smooth feel of these stones? I used jade in many colors, pink crazy lace agate, amazonite and turquoise, enhanced by brass and copper. I'm thinking of keeping the grape jade necklace for myself!

I am late making new holiday pieces as I am running around getting things done before taking some time off next week, right at the peak of the holiday retail season. I will not be able to ship until the following week, so if you want your pretties by the holiday, please buy now! Here are some shiny new things available...hot color for the holidays and the ice of winter!

New cabochons and pendants waiting to be made into necklaces! Some are already done and available.....

New Sterling Silver Pieces

Most of my customers come to my shop looking for color, but I do also make pieces that are more restrained and even minimalist. I made a few new pieces using sterling silver and some lovely labradorite gemstone beads and sterling charms one rainy afternoon.

I own a few labradorite baubles and just love angling the pieces every which way in order to see how the colors vary from gray to blue to green. It's a stone that was first discovered on St. Paul Island, Labrador, Canada, in 1770. Its mystical properties supposedly provide relief from anxiety, hopelessness and depression and will dispel negativity. Valuable in times of change, it helps encourage clarity of thought and compatibility with others.

There's lots to read about the Metaphysical properties of labradorite on the internet, if you're curious. I feel more settled when I am wearing one of my pieces, and think it's enhanced by oxidized sterling silver, which provides a nice contrast to the shimmering colors.

HOLIDAY SALE!!!

25% off in my jewelry shops on Artfire and Etsy! See links at left. I also have a clearance sale at my vintage and supply shop, Overthetop Overstock, and will add more items every couple of days to that list.

SALE through December 10 only; the shop will close for a week or so after that for some vacation time, so buy now for the season.

For the Writer

I have had a collection of pen nibs sitting idle for awhile, and they were calling to me from their storage box sections, so, in honor of writers everywhere, here are a few new pieces using their pointy goodness.

Veteran's Day

To all veterans, thank you for all that you risk to keep us safe.

Many men in my family served in the military, but today I want to thank Dad, who served at Fort Bragg, North Carolina from 1943-1945. He was injured in training, tearing the arches of his feet landing badly after a jump (YIKES - OUCH), so he never went overseas to fight. Instead, he acted as a morale-booster as a sergeant, performing and arranging entertainment for the camp. He was very disappointed to have not been able to go overseas to entertain the troops, and greatly resented that his commanding officer prevented him when the chance arrived. He wrote for the camp paper, the Observation Post, and also conducted High Holiday Services for other Jewish soldiers. He contributed to the War from training camp, and afterward took advantage of the G.I. Bill to study at the American Theatre Wing.

Dad, you made the lives of the men at Fort Bragg easier via your musical and entertainment skills, and I salute you on this day!

October Sale!

I just love October, and am so relieved that cooler weather is here at last, so I am having a sale to clear out my shops - all of them on Artfire and Etsy.

15% off on everything! The Coupon Code is OCTOBERSALE11, so if you want your discount, enter it at checkout. Don't forget that part!

You can get a head start on your holiday shopping....just look to the left for links to my shops. :)

Thank You, Steve Jobs

I bought my first Apple computer in 1999, a Bondi Blue G3 desktop - what a beauty it was. It had a matching blue keyboard and tower, and I was so proud and happy to have it. It was my first computer, ever, and while there was a learning curve, I enjoyed it and have been a Mac girl ever since. I'm on my third mac now, a 24" iMac, and have a backup laptop, iPod classic, and an iPad for travel. Next year, when my Droid contract is up, I'll have an iPhone as well. My mac is my business partner in every sense, and without Steve, my life would be very different. He changed everything.

56 is way too young to die, and it looked as if he suffered for much of his medical journey. Steve Jobs lived an exciting and some might say, full life, in his 56 years - he created a revolution in technology, married, and was a father, but he deserved, as do all of us, to reach four score and ten. I wish that you could have beaten this terrible disease, Steve Jobs. I will miss you, and Apple and the world will never be the same without you.

I don't know who to credit for the portrait photo, for which I thank the New York City Apple resource, Tekserve, who has bailed me out of a difficulty more than once. Check them out here.

My pictures of the shrine outside the Fifth Avenue Apple Store, 10/6/11 are here.

Happy Autumn!

Sorry I have been AWOL from my blog, but it has been a very busy time with a little too much Real Life lately. The weather around these parts has been a bit cooler, and as tomorrow is *officially* the First Day of Fall for 2011, I am celebrating by posting some pictures of some pieces from my shop that celebrate my favorite season. Subtle, eh?








There are more fall orange lovelies available at my shops on Artfire and Etsy. in my neighborhood, the trees are still quite green - it's awhile before they will turn, but I will share some pictures of how it usually looks here in October and November, taken over the years.

New Scarab Necklaces

I've had these for ages, and took advantage of yesterday's steady rainy weather to stay inside and make some necklaces. I should try some earrings, though they may be too heavy.

Each necklace is usually different, depending on what chain and coordinating beads I have on hand. I love those tiny teal iridescent glass rondelles and hand-wrapped a rosary style chain for that necklace.

The bright blue is a new color variation that one of my suppliers had in stock. It doesn't have the vitrail finish, but its iridescence, hard to capture in pictures, is so mystical! I am also working on a few more - a new ultramarine blue with a different filigree, which isn't quite ready yet.

These blue beauties will all be in the shop very soon, keeping the others company!