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Pretty little soldiers

After several intense weeks of searching for a new job while working extra hours at my current job, I finally found myself back at the beading table last weekend.  It was a much needed break, and it felt wonderful to explore my creative side once again!  Though I admit, I did feel a bit guilty about playing with beads when I should have been cleaning the house or digging through the paper blob or working on one of a million other things on my to do list.  I think I’m this close to a complete meltdown at any moment.

Lampwork glass, Swarovski crystal, and sterling silver earrings

But the beads were calling to me!  How could I resist?  This lovely set of pink / purple lampwork beads had been patiently waiting for me since February.  They were handmade by Barbara Steffen of Fire Spirit Beads in northern California.  I snapped them up almost as soon as she posted them for sale!  I knew that I wanted to accent them with Swarovski crystals and sterling silver, but I couldn’t decide which crystal color looked best with the deep, rich hues of the glass.  Indecision finally resulted in a different crystal color for each pair!  When I lined them up partially finished, they looked like pretty little soldiers to me.  Hence, the title of this post :)

Lampwork glass, Swarovski crystal, and sterling silver earrings

Rather than the standard sterling silver fishhook earwires that I use in most of my designs, I selected smooth, flat sterling earwires here because I wanted these earrings to be extra special.  The sleek curves of the earwires beautifully complement the saucer shapes of the lampwork beads.

Lampwork glass, Swarovski crystal, and sterling silver earrings

Check out the closeup shots of each finished pair below.  I’ll post all of my new earrings in my Etsy shop as soon as I have a chance to photograph them with the fancy camera.  In the meantime, please feel free to contact me if you’d like to order any of these earrings today.  Cheers!

Lampwork glass, Swarovski crystal, and sterling silver earrings

Lampwork glass, Swarovski crystal, and sterling silver earrings

Lampwork glass, Swarovski crystal, and sterling silver earrings

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Crystal sun earrings

Check out the new items I added to my Etsy shop on Friday!  These two pairs of earrings are perfect for the confident and modern woman.  The large Swarovski crystal sun pendants glitter beautifully in rich shades of blue and green or purple and blue.  I love the simple shape of the sun pendants because it doesn’t distract from the saturated colors and serious sparkle that will catch everyone’s eye!  The pendants are attached to sterling silver fishhook earwires using antiqued sterling silver ice pick bails.  Visit my Etsy shop today to learn more about these lovely earrings!

Bermuda blue crystal sun earrings

Heliotrope crystal sun earrings

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Brand spanking new!

Over the past two months, I’ve spent countless hours working on my Etsy shop.  It’s exhausting!  From adding photos to freshening up descriptions to tweaking tags and titles for better search placement, my head spins from it all!  I’m crossing my fingers that this enormous effort will lead to greater visibility for my shop, especially in the super saturated jewelry category.  It’s just so hard to be found in a sea of other pieces!!  I also listed several new products recently that I thought you might like to see.

Blue green crystal earrings

Volcano crystal earrings

These super sleek dangle earrings are perfect for the modern woman.  The slender Swarovski crystal pendants sparkle beautifully in a rainbow of rich colors.  They are attached to sterling silver fishhook earwires using antiqued sterling silver ice pick bails.  I love the minimalist design of these earrings!  They would be a lovely addition to any wardrobe.

I’ve also branched out into other handmade categories so as not to have all of my eggs in one basket :)  These super cozy hooded wool scarves are my latest creations.

Navy blue and gray hooded wool scarf

I invented them because I hate wearing hats, but you do need something to cover your head in the middle of a blizzard.  They are excellent alternatives to the dreaded hat because they don’t squeeze your brain or crush your hair, but they do keep your head sheltered and dry.

Each hooded scarf is fully reversible with a different color of wool on each side.  Flip the scarf back and forth to match the color of your coat, gloves, or other clothing as you like.

Red and black hooded wool scarf

The two layers of all natural, premium wool are soft to the touch and provide medium weight warmth.  I like to wear my own hooded scarf while clearing snow off the car because it keeps the blustery winds from going down my neck and giving me a chill.

I chose to use wool in these scarves because wool is much less prone to static than artificial fibers, so your hair won’t be (too) crazy after wearing it! I designed the shape of the hood to be deep enough to wear over a ponytail or bun and still cover your head but not so deep as to fall over your face when your hair is down.

Red and gray hooded wool scarf

I hope that you’ve enjoyed seeing my latest work!  Please comment below or visit my Etsy shop to learn more.

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Jewelry of the day

My jewelry of the day – a purple leather double wrap bracelet from Holmes Custom Leather and a sterling silver ring made by Native Americans in New Mexico.

Holmes Custom Leather purple leather double wrap bracelet

Holmes Custom Leather purple leather double wrap bracelet

Holmes Custom Leather purple leather double wrap bracelet

Native American sterling silver ring

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Amethyst cosmic crystal earrings

Amethyst cosmic crystal earrings

These dramatic earrings feature 12 mm Swarovski cosmic crystals, 11 mm sterling silver flower links, and sterling silver ball end headpins.  They hang from sterling silver fishhook earwires and are available for sale in my Etsy shop.

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Springtime splendor

This pendant just says springtime to me.  I love the incredible sparkle of the vitrail light crystal hearts – they reflect so many different colors at the same time.  I was planning to post three of these pendants for sale in my Etsy shop, but I could not resist keeping one for myself!

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Circle earrings

Two new items added to my Etsy shop this week …

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Amethyst romance earrings

Amethyst romance earrings

I used leftover beads from a necklace project to make these fabulous matching earrings.  I love how they turned out!  They are available for sale in my Etsy shop.

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Amethyst romance choker necklace

Amethyst romance choker necklace

Another finished project!  Now available for sale in my Etsy shop.

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Blue / purple crystal heart earrings