Studs

I have a few piercings in my ears (8 to be exact) and I wear earrings all the time but would you believe I don't actually own any studs?  Really really.  I was wanting to wear some the other day, but not having any provides a problem for that.  So what did I do? Went searching on Etsy, naturally.

1) Rojo Button Earrings by babblingbrookes
2) Twisted Circle Earrings by Lana0Crystal
3) Tangerine Turquoise Speckled Stud Earrings by NaturalAmber
4) Yellow Rosebud Earrings by Nomsa
5) Button Earrings by amberike
6) Middle Eastern Muse Earrings by veryvintage
7) Light Blue Mushroom Earrings by Bijunea
8) Ship Wheel Earrings by CsCharms
9) Bullet Earrings by eazymode

Blackbird Jewelry

On our adventures in Asheville, NC last week, we went to go see my Uncle's studio which is part of the Cotton Mills Studios.

This space is shared by a number of artists including painters, potters and fiber artists.  Mixed in was a jewelry artist with some very intriguing pieces, Blackbird Jewelry.

I love her Back Beads and the silver earrings and necklaces, don't you?

More adventures were enjoyed and more photos and shops to share!

Miniature Painting Jewelry

I came across HeatherKent the other day on Twitter when she posted pictures of her new work (proof Twitter does work!).  I fell in love immediately and am >this< close to giving into my inner desires.

She does custom pieces, so you can get your very own, personalized piece of wearable artwork!

Which necklace is your favorite?  (I'm loving that green tree one, personally :) )

The Cutest Necklaces I've Ever Seen

I love animals, I love silver jewelry. marymaryhandmade puts the two together and she does it in such a cute way!

How can you not fall in love with these critters?  That baby sloth has been in my favorites for ages! 

I love the way she uses simple but colorful backgrounds, it really makes the pieces speak for themselves.  Not to mention, she also makes inanimate objects cute and smiley!

Lockets

Lately I've been crushing on all kinds of lockets.  I like the fact that a pretty pendant can be more than a pretty pendant, there's something on the inside.

I like the big ones with long chains, the small ones with short chains and everything in between, check out some of my faves from Etsy.

1. Rose Locket with Watch from amazingcollection4u
2. Turkish Treasure from Sparklepeach
3. Honey Bee from Cosmicfirefly
4. Bird, Moon, Swirl from MStevensonDesigns
5. Butterfly Vintage Pocketwatch from trinketsforkeeps

A Cute New-to-Me Jewelry Shop

I stumbled across redchuckstress yesterday while checking out my Twitter (don't follow me yet? you should ;) ).

I not only think the designs are cute, but I also really like the backgrounds!  They give the pieces in her shop some personality and make it stand out from other, similar jewelry shops.

Lovely Things from Helpful People

In case you don't know, the sellers on Etsy are some of the most helpful, generous people around and this post is to celebrate the wonderful things some of these people create :)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/42351013/lucite-glass-brass-necklace-margot

 'Margot' by Balanced

http://www.etsy.com/listing/42820595/handcrafted-sterling-silver-organic

Handcrafted Spiral Nest Ring by amyjoavnet

Musical Notes Necklace by ellesbeads

These lovely Etsians helped me to get my blog to post directly to my Facebook Fanpage and fix a little problem I was having last week.  Do you have any stories of Etsians helping Etsians?  I wanna hear 'em!

Wise Wednesday - An Earring Making Tutorial

This week's contribution to Wise Wednesdays is from kikibirdjewelry. She sells gorgeous trinkets in her Etsy shop and blogs about her shop and life over here. Read on to see her gorgeous pictures and learn how to make your own earrings!

Interview and Giveaway from silhouettejewel

Sorry this is a day late, but to make up for it, we have some extra ways for you to enter this giveaway! First, the interview with our sponsor, silhouettejewel.

Silhouettejewel is the creator behind a line of unique and totally chic jewelry. After being introduced to this hobby, she has never looked back! Using raw materials and a "sprinkle of creatitivity" Sue comes up with the designs you see in her shop :)

Read on to find where this talented woman finds her muse and learn what she wishes she knew when she started selling on Etsy.

How did I begin making jewelry? Well I must confess it is all my friends fault! She decided to give it a try and I went along for the ride. But to be fair we have both been avid 'consumers' of jewelry so this seemed like a natural transition for us.

Where do I find my muse? Colour, colour, colour! That has got to be my first focal point a lot of the time. Then technique. As you can see from my site a have trouble confining myself to one technique. My original friend and I used to meet with a few like minded 'addicts' and we would teach ourselves new techniques. Wire wrapping, chain maille and simple stringing are a few techniques that I have developed a preference for.

My ideal creative setting - would have to include the internet - there are so many sources of inspiration there that you couldn't get in a single location. It would also include warm breezes, tropical beaches, pina coladas....... and someone to do the housework so I could focuse exclusively on my creative technique :)

One thing I wished I knew before starting Etsy - how to take better pictures. My pictures when I started really did not do my pieces justice. I was too impatient to wait until the pictures got better and forged ahead. I'm glad I did! I have learned a lot by running this business on the internet. The photography I still continue to work at and recently have felt like I am getting closer to where I would like to be with it.

Keep up with silhouettejewel on Twitter or over on her blog.

Silhouettejewel is offering up a pair of her Black Spinel Ear Threads to one of my lucky readers!

To Enter:

-First and foremost, you must visit silhouettejewel and leave a comment on which item is your favorite from the shop

-to gain another 2 entries, follow this blog and silhouettejewel's blog and leave separate comments saying you are!

-to gain another entry, tweet or blog about this giveaway and leave the link in a separate comment so we can all see

-if you make a purchase from either SillyLittleLady or silhouettejewel during the time frame of this giveaway, you will receive 5 extra entries! How cool is that?

with every comment, please leave a way for me to get a hold of you so I can notify the winner as soon as possible :)

That gives you 5 ways to enter this giveaway!

The giveaway will end at midnight on Sunday, December 13, a winner will be chosen by random number generator and notified on the 14th. Go ahead and start entering!

Interview and Giveaway with Seababe!

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, I know I did, and I wish it didn't have to end. But alas, it does. To make this week back a tad more bearable, we are hosting another giveaway! This week's giveaway is sponsored by seababe, creators of fine, casual, beachy jewelry :)

Kristin and David run both Seababe and Seababejewelry on Etsy and the two shops, although both offering jewelry, offer very different styles and price ranges. Between the two shops, you are sure to find something that fits your needs.

Read on to learn more about the amazing couple behind this fantastic shop:

What prompted you to start a second shop? How is this new one different than the other?

We were prompted to start a new shop when Kristin started working with new materials like leather and glass. The new style was a little more casual than our Sea Babe Jewelry shop, so we thought it was a good time to expand. The second shop has turned into a more casual and inexpensive shop, while the original shop has all our gold pieces, and some items that have a higher ticket price.

Who started the jewelry making, Kristen or David? How did it begin?

We started making jewelry together. It all began as a hobby and escalated to more.

Where do you find your inspiration for your pieces?

We are inspired for our pieces by the ocean, surf culture, history, traveling, current fashion trends, and even our customers! We get our inspiration from many different sources.

What is the most valuable advice you have ever been given? About the shop, life, whatever?

One piece of advice that sticks out in our minds is to "mind your business." Meaning that we need to be aware of what's going in in all aspects of your business.


Seababe has offered one of my lucky readers a chance to win a pair of their Pink Posie Earrings:

To Enter:

-First and foremost, you must visit seababe and leave a comment on which item is your favorite from the shop

-to gain another entry, follow this blog and leave a separate comment saying you are!

-to gain another entry, tweet or blog about this giveaway and leave the link in a separate comment so we can all see

with every comment, please leave a way for me to get a hold of you so I can notify the winner as soon as possible :)

That gives you 4 ways to enter this giveaway!

The giveaway will end at midnight on Sunday, December 6, a winner will be chosen by random number generator and notified on the 7th. What are you waiting for? Get started!

Interview and Giveaway from tartocstreasures

There is a new giveaway this week! This week's giveaway is from tartocstreasures, the maker of unique and colorful jewelry in between her nursing and her life :)

Read on to learn more about her design process, and where she finds her inspiration!

How would you describe your aesthetic? What kind of person do you see wearing your jewelry when you create it?

As far as aesthetic: I prefer to use natural stones and arrange them in color combination that is both eye catching and unique.

I see people wearing my items as someone who enjoys having a unique handmade item of their own to wear, either free spirits or more conservative of any age

Where do you find most of your inspiration for your pieces?

Whenever I get inspired and picture what I want to make in my head, I find time. If I dont it just ticks away at me and I can't wait to see how the finished product looks.

I get inspiration in many different ways, from a color combo someone is wearing to inspiration from the great outdoors, to inspiration from my love of animals and the sea. Every time I sell a piece it is like I am giving away a piece of myself as I put my heart and sole into each item I make.

tartocstreasure's is offering up her Patriotic at Heart Memory Wire Bracelet (shown above) to one of my lucky readers!

To Enter:

-First and foremost, you must visit tartocstreasures and leave a comment on which item is your favorite from the shop

-to gain another entry, follow this blog and leave a separate comment saying you are!

-to gain another entry, tweet or blog about this giveaway and leave the link in a separate comment so we can all see

with every comment, please leave a way for me to get a hold of you so I can notify the winner as soon as possible :)

That gives you 4 ways to enter this giveaway!

The giveaway will end at midnight on Sunday, November 29, a winner will be chosen by random number generator and notified on the 30th. Don't delay, go visit her shop now!

Interview and Giveaway from hotpinkchick

Ready for this week’s giveaway?! I am :D Although I can’t win, I am excited to send off another great item from another fantabulous Etsy seller.

This week’s giveaway is sponsored by hotpinkchick. Bonnie, the woman behind the magic, is mother to both human and fur babies. While she loves bold color, she also favors clean lines and understated elegance. Read our interview to learn more about this amazingly talented woman:

Where did you first learn how to design jewelry?

At my dining room table with my daughter and her friends. I'm only half kidding there. I've always been creative and grew up in an artistic family, but jewelry making was a happy accident. My daughter loved to bead when she was very young and we had a beading party for her birthday one year. I liked it so much I eventually started making 'big girl' pieces for myself. Then friends, coworkers and ladies at the grocery store (seriously) wanted to buy them, so I began selling. Over time I continue to learn, grow and develop my own style and realized I had truly found my passion.
What motivates you most to continue with your craft when you are just having a down-day?

Creating is like therapy for me, so motivation is never a problem. I'm new to Etsy though, so it's easy to have down days when you're trying to find your footing in a new venue. It's alot of work getting your name out there, but instead of getting discouraged, I just get to work. Making new pieces that I'm proud of is my biggest motivator.

What is the best advice anyone has ever given you regarding your craft, your business or your life?

Love what you do and never give up. The two really go hand in hand for me. If you love what you do, you'll stick with it and the longer you stick with it, the more likely you are to succeed.

Don't forget to visit Bonnie at her Facebook page, or on Twitter!

And now for the Giveaway!

Bonnie is offering one of my readers their choice of color in these wonderful Christmas earrings! Frosted beads, antiqued brass, long dangles, what’s not to love?

Interested in learning how you can win a pair for yourself?

To Enter:

-First and foremost, you must visit hotpinkchick and leave a comment on which item is your favorite from the shop

-to gain another entry, follow this blog and leave a separate comment saying you are!

-to gain another entry, tweet or blog about this giveaway and leave the link in a separate comment so we can all see

with every comment, please leave a way for me to get a hold of you so I can notify the winner as soon as possible :)

That gives you 4 ways to enter this giveaway!

The giveaway will end at midnight on Sunday, November 22, a winner will be chosen by random number generator and notified on the 23rd. So what are you waiting for? Get started!

Winner!

No, not the winner for this week's giveaway, he or she will be announced next Monday, but I was the winner of a giveaway a while back! MusicalKitten held a giveaway on her blog and I was lucky enough to be the winner :)

My guitar pick earrings came in the mail last week and I've worn them so many times already since them, I even have them in my ears right now! They are so light, so funky and get so many compliments (not to mention, my boyfriend likes them because he plays the guitar ;)).

Hop on over to her shop and get yourself some!

Friday Feature - MyWayToSay

For this installment of my Friday Feature series I decided to go through the Pounce feature on Etsy and find someone who has yet to have had any sales, and whilst browsing, I found this little gem of a store! MyWayToSay offers some very cool wire-wrapped rings, chic earrings and the occasional necklace.


She wraps her jewelry in velvet gift boxes and she is happy to include a special note if the item purchased is a gift!

Head on over to her store and see what cool new jewelry you can find :) And, as always, if you click on one of the above pictures, it will take you directly to that listing in the shop

Mother's Day

So I couldn't post before about what I got my momma for Momma's Day, but I can post it now! She reads my blog *hi mom!* so I couldn't spoil her surprise. After my recent trip back home for the art show, I was wearing my favorite necklace which I got from MiaBeads on Etsy and she commented on it, so I knew that a necklace from the same shop would be perfect!

I decided to get her this locket:

I almost didn't get her the necklace because I didn't want to get her something cliche, but I just knew she would love it (and she does I think) so I went ahead and had it shipped to her with a little note from me :)

MiaBeads is a wonderful shop, run by a wonderful person, very conscientious of her customers, personable and is always very prompt with her communications, I recommend her!