All Dressed Up... for a Decadently Fabulous New Year's Eve

Here's what I want to wear on New Year's Eve... all compliments of Etsy shopping. Follow the links to see the details of these fab pieces!

Bustier... by Armoursansanguish

Corset Skirt... by SistersoftheMoon

Golden Tulip Tights... by galstern

And you know I have to wear these Vintage Acme boots... by pistolpoppy
And for accessories...
This gorgeous ring... by aboutjewelry

And this beaded cuff by SandFibers

This oh-so-cool feathery hair clip by BeadazzledbySharon

This necklace by glitzglitter

Earrings by cherryandviolet

An artsy handbag by KathyKinsella

And over it all, so I can stay warm, this fabulous cloak by blackmarketbaby

So now all I need is some MONEY!

Holiday Giveaway: The gift of sharing

It's that time of year again... the holiday season! It's a time to think especially about our blessings, say a prayer of thanks for the goodness in our lives, and share wonderful times with family and friends over a table filled with bounty. But moreover, I hope that each one of us will think on those people among us whose lives are not as fortunate, who struggle physically, mentally, or financially, and I hope that we each find a way to somehow offer a ray of hope to them, whether it is through a charitable donation, hours spent in volunteer work, or simply a smile and a touch on the shoulder.

I am especially thankful for the color in my life, the colors of the woods, the birds, the mountains, the colors of the characters I meet online and in my daily life, of my friends and family, my local community. So, as a way to show my thankfulness and as a way of saying thank you to those who have supported my online and physical shops, who have become steadfast friends, either online or up close, I am offering this giveaway for this holiday season.

Here's all you need to do.
1) If you haven't yet become a blog follower, please do so, and IF you are on Facebook, please "like" my page there too.
2) Once you have done these things, simply post here a special thought or memory of your holiday season (what is special about it for you, how you will celebrate, a childhood memory, OR even how you will help make it better for someone else).
3) Then tell me which of the three necklaces offered you would like to have.
4) Be sure that I have your contact information... either Etsy shop or email info!!

Choose from:
Necklace #1
18 inches with the jasper oval drop adding approx 2 inches. In earthy colors with hematite hearts, cubes, and rounds, yellow and white quartz, serpentine jade, glass seed beads

Necklace #2
16 inches with lovely shades of mookaite, turquoise rounds, mother of pearl discs, Czech turquoise crystals, sterling silver, and glass seed beads

Necklace #3
18 inches of peach, rose, and browns with jasper pendant (appx 2 x 1/2 inch), unakite, shell, faceted cat's eye, and glass seed beads

The giveaway will be open until Thanksgiving Day, November 25. The winner will be randomly drawn and notified that weekend so that the package can be mailed by the first of December.

So share your holiday thoughts and let's all share a smile as we read them!

Mother's Day Giveaway... But It's Not Just for Moms!

A fabulous necklace for a fabulous woman in your life!! There's only two weeks left, but I'm holding this giveaway in time to ship out this necklace to the lucky winner for Mother's Day! "Golden Shimmer" is approximately 16 inches in length with a lampworked glass pendant that is an additional 1 1/2 inches long. It contains white agate, gold mother of pearl, unakite, and a variety of glass beads and crystals. It's unique, one of a kind (as are all my jewelry items), and quite lovely on the neck with an open blouse, a tee or tank, with dressy attire or with casual clothes.




To make this fair for all entrants, there is just one chance per person to win. All you have to do is follow my blog OR my Facebook fan page, leave a comment here OR on my FB fan page telling me which WOMAN in your life would receive this necklace and why. It could be your true mom, another relative, your wife, a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker, or even yourself, if you're feeling the need for a treat... you make the call! Happy entering, and good luck to all. Winner will be posted here and on FB next Monday, and I'll mail the necklace out as soon as I have shipping information! So make sure you leave your contact info so I can email you for shipping address.

Past Life...

A new pair of earrings just listed in the Etsy shop, these are some of my favorites. I am drawn to the earthy quality and the hidden memory in the beautiful sea coral and agates that are featured.

Autumn Blessings

I have been so grateful lately for many things... for this gorgeous weather we have had the past three days, for my wonderful husband, for the old folks at the nursing home where I sing, for my two fabulous and patient bandmates, for my great kids... each so different yet so special, for the trees and the woods and the birds which fill my daily life with beauty, and for my health and the chance to create and share art and music.

And so today I created a new necklace which I have named Autumn Blessings.

It's full of the lovely shades of fall in its gemstones of unakite, orange jade (dyed), carnelian, mahogany obsidian, petrified jasper, and millefiori goldstone, as well as a few pearls, Czech glass crystals, carved soapstone, and seed beads. It closes with a silver-plated filigree clasp. It's earthy and somewhat organic, easily dressed up or down, and I'll be listing it on Etsy this week.

Tuesday's Treasures... Five Fabulous Finds

I woke up this morning and found an email from a fellow artist, Jackie Schmitt aka plainspirit on Etsy, who has featured one of my paintings in her latest treasury. I followed the link, and boy howdy... it's a beautiful, vibrant collection of fantastic art and goodies! Check it out here.

Since I didn't know this artist, I took a look at her shop... beautiful work in stones and silver and beach rocks! So I'm featuring her this morning in my weekly Treasures collection.

You can follow the links to other treasuries that I am currently in, or have curated...
Sweet Embrace by theBeadAerie... filled with gorgeous reds!
Meet Me in the Meadow by Humblebea
Etsy Project Embrace by tmariepenrose... in a lovely mix of blues
Knee Deep in Zombie Fun... by moi!
A treasury I curated that just expired this morning had five sales for the featured sellers!!! I was pretty thrilled with that! Woo hoo!

Okay, now on to the good stuff... my five fabulous finds for this week!

Our Bond, a sharing pendant, by plainspirit... carnelian, moonstone, and sterling silver


A fine art photograph, The Last Leaves, by bomobob ...


A red felted poppy brooch, perfect for the upcoming holidays, by BigFrozenMelon ...


Arm warmers, and other really cool accessories and clothes, by treehouse28...


And finally, Secret Rendezvous, by one of my favorite Etsy graphic artists who features birds in unusual settings, PragyaK...


Until next week, remember... BUY HANDMADE, SHOP ETSY!!

New Necklaces and Upcoming Show

Yesterday I spent the day beading, beading, beading. It was very relaxing... such a nice change of pace. The autumn sun shone through the windows, the doors were flung open, a wonderful breeze blew through, and I finished four new necklaces and two pair of earrings. My husband and I have a show this weekend at a regional winery, so I wanted to get a few new pieces done for that. Now I need to go through my inventory and choose what I will display for the fall and winter seasons, make sure everything is priced, labeled, and tagged, and then start packing up!

But before I show you the new jewelry, let me show you the gorgeous sky I got to enjoy this morning, although briefly...


The Dance... using an upcycled enameled pendant with black glass, brown coral, and more...



Sweet Innocence... with a beautiful lace agate and amethyst pendant, grey cat's eye beads, lilac pearls, amethyst Swarovski crystals, faceted lilac glass rondelles, and more...



The Autism Puzzle necklace and earring set... with a silver colored puzzle pendant (text reading words such as family, kindness, love, trust, unity, charity, hope, etc) and beaded with jasper rounds, African opal, mother of pearl circles, serpentine and more... with extendable silver-plated clasp...



Black Beauty... a very dramatic, short choker beaded with lampworked glass beads and millefiori glass...



And finally, Millefiori earrings which would be so pretty with Black Beauty... on platinum-plated earwires and hanging 2 inches from the top of the earwire...

New Bracelets!

I have completed the photos for these new bracelets, the first that I will list on Etsy. Most are gemstones, a couple are glass... so there's a variety of pricing which is important in Etsy shops.

My personal favorite... Winter Roses... a bracelet and earring set featuring carved agate roses, petrified jasper, pearls, sterling silver, and more:






Presenting Harvest Song, featuring a lovely fossil coral focal bead... very chunky and eye-catching!


Twilight... with Picasso Jasper, Onyx, and Sesame Jasper... for the larger sized wrist...


Another of my favorites... in the rich, warm, earthy colors of fall... November Woods:


And two bracelets with only glass beads... lampworked, cat's eye, seed beads, and more... First, Spring Waters, second, Blue Stars...