My Etsy shop is in three treasuries!

Treasury East on Etsy now keeps treasuries indefinitely, and this week two people let me know that they had incorporated my earrings into their treasuries. I'm very flattered that my creations are gaining some attention!

Check out these treasuries. There are lots of great artists featured!

http://http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4bec757f58976d919aede4d3/no-two-people-are-not-on-fire-awww

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c0c955a68f48eeff8d3f021/recouping-lost-time

This one is my own that I created for fun last month:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4bf2291015706d912bd6d9c7/candlelight-and-roses

Sunset from the Mountains

When I was in Denver with Chris last week, we sought out a sushi restaurant because he said he hasn't found one comparable to Kanpai, our favorite restaurant in Jackson. We're some of Kanpai's favorite customers, and he hasn't had good sushi since he left for Colorado in January. We finally found one that was ALMOST as good -- definitely not Kanpai, but it was tasty.


As we were driving back to the apartment, we saw the most gorgeous sunset over the mountains. Neither of us had our cameras, but we were together, and it was beautiful. When I came home, I made a pair of earrings designed to capture the colors and the romance of the sunset Chris and I shared.


Here it is, our fiery sunset:

April 23 - Creations

These are some of my new designs this week. My Etsy link is at the bottom of the page if you would like to see my entire collection.

Made It Mondays - Color Change Bracelet and Earrings

I'm trying something new today! Apparently while I was on my blogging break, Jules over at The Persimmon Perch (http://thepersimmonperch.blogspot.com/) invited me to join her for "Made It Mondays." I just found her invite last Thursday, so this will be my first submission!

Green/Gray - Natural light/Incandescent

Pink - Fluorescent light

Last week I made the above bracelet and earring set from Swarovski color change crystals and glass pearls. Swarovski color change crystals are amazing because they appear a different color in every type of light. Incandescent light makes them appear green; fluorescent brings out a lovely pink/peach; and natural outdoor light, they're a grey green.

What I did is a relatively simple, loose beading pattern. All you need are the following:

1) a length of clear beading wire (cut to be the length you want AFTER it is doubled). Leave enough extra for knotting the end.
2) a box clasp
3) glass pearls
4) crystals -- I chose color change because of the dramatic way light effects it
5) metal butterfly beads or other "spacers" of your choice
6) earwires if you want to make earrings also
7) 1 small silver crimp bead for the bracelet, 2 additional ones for earrings
8) pair of small needle nose pliers

Thread your beading wire through one end of the box clasp. Making sure your wire is even, add beads: place one pearl on each end of the wire, bring wire together and add a single crystal, add two pearls, bring wire together and add a spacer bead. Repeat until bracelet is desired length (mine is 8.5").

This is a box clasp.

Once it will fit comfortably around your wrist, add a crimp bead. Thread your wire through the free end of the box clasp and bring it back through the crimp bead. Tighten your wire until there is no undesirable space between your beads. Flatten your crimp bead with the pliers until it is secure. Tie a knot or two in your wire close to the final bead and thread it back through a bead or two for extra security.

For earrings, use a piece of clear beading wire that is approximately 4 inches long. String one crystal, flank it with a pearl on either side, bring the wire together and thread your spacer (or butterfly) bead, and add your crimp bead. Bring ends of the wire through the loop of the earwire, and thread ends back through the crimp bead. Flatten the bead with your pliers, and thread wire through top spacer bead for security. Repeat for second earring.

What I've Been Doing

These are a few of my Etsy listings. I've made them over the course of the past month. I love sparklies; I can't help it. If it's shiny and pretty, I'm compelled to make something out of it.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ChristabelleGlimmers

Indian Summer

Frost

Awake

Ocean Waters

Pretty Pink

Elegance

I'm Baaaack!

I didn't mean to abandon my blog for so long, but I just got busy. I didn't even make jewelry for about four months! I'm not sure what happened.



Thanks to the prompting of some good friends and family, I started an Etsy site: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ChristabelleGlimmershop/ChristabelleGlimmers. I made my first sale last night after eleven listings and being a member less than a month. I'm really excited to finally be getting my jewelry seen by the public. If somebody in New York state wants to buy a watch from a little jewelry-maker in Tennessee, then things are moving in the right direction! Maybe I'll have enough inventory to do a craft fair this fall. Two of my friends asked if I'd be interested in doing a few fairs last year, but I was so far behind with crafting there was no way to create enough pieces.



When I wasn't blogging, I even bookmarked a few sites I wanted to write about. I'll have to go back and see if any are still relavent. Perhaps it was my brief stint as a substitute teacher that zapped my brain. Getting up at 6 a.m. and waiting for the phone to ring isn't the greatest way to start the day. If I know I have to be somewhere, I'm up and ready to go, but if there's a 50/50 chance that I'm wasting wonderful sleeping time, I'm not happy. I'm afraid I didn't answer the phone with a smile on my face, and the "school board lady" and I tended to butt heads. I liked most of the kids, and I liked the teachers I worked with, but subbing isn't my forte. I'll stick to making jewelry thank you very much.

All That Glitters -- Part 2

I've made some more jewelry designs recently, and I wanted to post them here for all to see. Several have been spoken for already, but I'm happy to create specialty pieces or sets in just about any color or style my dear readers would like.

Copper "Dream" charm on emerald glass and crystal beaded bracelet

Amethyst glass bead and silver bracelet

Purple, black, and silver watch and earring set (per request from Beth)

Turquoise, silver, and pearl necklace and post earring set (per request BWM)

Presenting: All That Glitters...

Watch in blue and metallic

Emerald crystal and Czech glass bead watch

Golden amber bracelet and earring set

Abalone pendant with earth colors necklace and earring set

I have been making jewelry for years, but I've finally decided to allow my creations their public debut. These are some of my most recent works. I love the process of jewelry-making, and I hope a bit of self-publicity will allow me to make and sell my jewelry if anyone is interested.