EtsyMetal Blog Carnival ~ Favorite Things Pictorial
May 31, 2015
It’s time once again for the monthly EtsyMetal Team Blog Carnival! This month we are showing a pictorial article of just a few of our favorite things. A great way to get to know our members! Please click on other members blog links at the bottom of this article!
Vintage Painted Porcelain Buttons
The Horses
Willow Creek Jasper Large Cabochon
My favs! Vibram FiveFingers!!
Best Big Dog Ever!
The Birds
The Mountain Bike
Best Little Dog Ever!
EtsyMetal Team Blog Carnival ~ My Jewelry Box
March 5, 2015
The EtsyMetal Team Blog Carnival theme this month is “What’s In Your Jewelry Box?”.
Well, just so happens I love this subject! My jewelry box is an ever-changing thing. I’ll show you some of what I am currently wearing along with a bit of meaning behind it. Of course this is not everything in my jewel collection, but just a few things that have made it to the front of the box at this moment.
These are a few things made by my dear and extremely talented friends Letitia Hill of Raven Hill Designs and David Lloyd Stewart. The three of us are all born on the 12th day of our birthday months. We are known as Club-12. !!
This colorful necklace was made and given to my by my sister-in-law. It contains silver charms which were part of a charm bracelet belonging to my late mother-in-law. Each and every charm represents a special event in her life. This has a ton of meaning to me and will be passed to my children when I am gone.
Around ten years ago I found jewelry made by Kim Wheeling, an artist in Utah. I fell in love with his Edwardian reproductions and bought as many as I could afford at the time. He has since passed away. These are 18K gold settings with super high quality stones. I LOVE these!
When I was a girl my mother would buy me rings with black onyx and small diamonds. Those rings I lost in my irresponsibly as a youth. I have a very special place in my heart for these old rings. They are usually set in 10K gold, sometimes 14K. I have a small collection and keep adding to it each year. This is one of my absolute favorite styles of jewelry!
I have several pieces that were left to my by relatives, some I have owned since I was a girl and some I have purchased over the years. These pieces fall into one of those categories. I wear these often and love them dearly.
See what other EtsyMetal Team members have to say:
EtsyMetal Team Blog Carnival ~ Jewelry Industry Changes
February 2, 2015
The Blog subject of the month is a discussion on what changes have occurred in the time we have been in the jewelry business. Even in the short time I have been selling my wearables I have seen some changes. I’ll bullet point a few:
* From the Brick-And-Morter to the World-Wide-Web. I do remember when there were a lot more shops around town selling jewelry and, for that matter, everything else. So many of them closing the doors in recent years. Buying and selling on the web has become more convenient for both buyers and sellers. The internet has changed so much about our lives and relationships.
* Digital Photography. It has become much more affordable to own a decent digital macro camera. Thus, better ability to see the nitty gritty detail of the jewelry (this goes hand in hand with selling online). People are more likely to shop online when they can see the very close details of the product. That having been said, there are still a lot of people who like to touch and feel a piece of jewelry before making a purchase.
* Art/Craft Shows. One upon a time you could throw down your tapestry, lay out your jewelry and accept cash or check. The show was a place to mingle with old friends, meet some new ones, leave with a pocket full of dollar bills, happy customers and a few new friends. Today there is a lot of red-tape and high cost of booth space. We can be much more productive in accepting credit cards with the smart phones, better lighting and display methods. Generally (not all) the shows have become larger.
In summary a lot has changed but many jewelers use traditional, old fashioned techniques in their designs. Perhaps there in lies that special thing that we call handmade.
I do like change. However ,I am drawn to things of the past. The good ole days, really were.
Enjoy reading what other EtsyMetal Team members have to say:
The CrossFit Lifestyle (some may say “cult”)
September 29, 2014
CrossFit has been a huge part of my life over the past few years. I’m sure I’ll be doing it for a very long time. It just works for me. I can get a super workout without having to spend several hours each day on the work. I use wrist-wraps, which protect my wrists from injury, when doing weight lifting and certain gymnastics. I learned the hard way while not using them and got a nasty tendon injury some months ago. There are a ton of wraps on the market of various quality. I decided to make a pair specifically to fit my needs. I like wraps that have sewn seams, not serged edges. Also I like the strings to be longer than most so that I can get a really good wrist support. Well, I got sort of addicted to all of the magnificent fabrics out there and ended up making bunches and bunches of wraps. People at my CrossFit started to ask if I could make them some wraps… one thing has led to another and I have now opened a new etsy shop to sell them to other fitness enthusiasts. I have plenty more that are not yet photographed along with tons more fabric to make more interesting and fabulous designs. here are a few in the shop now. Please be on the lookout for many, many more:
New Work ~ Carved Ivory Rose Necklace
June 25, 2013
Working at the bench in the last few days. I have been using carved ivory roses in my designs. These are so feminine and lovely! Here is my latest pendant, currently available in my Etsy-Shop handmade with fine and sterling silver. Oxidized (darkened) to bring out the creamy color of the ivory. A super high quality fresh water pearl adorns the end of the chain:
Brooch A Week #23 ~ sea Glass and Ivory
June 11, 2013
Brooch # 23! Yay… Feels so good to be past the half-way point.
The pale colors in this one are accentuated by the oxidized sterling silver! This one wears very comfortably.
A one of a kind pin featuring pale blue sea glass and a vintage carved bone rose. Nestled in a hand fabricated textured sterling silver bezel setting.
EtsyMetal Team Blog Carnival ~ Summer Plans!
June 3, 2013
Please enjoy reading Blog articles by members of the EtsyMetal Team!
This month the EtsyMetal Team is writing about our summer plans.
Summer marks the start of the concert season here in New Mexico. Concerts are something we do as a family. I usually grab tickets as soon as they go on sale. So far I have tickets to see Rob Zombie with Five Finger Death Punch and Alice Cooper with Marilyn Manson. I look forward to seeing these bands as they do not come to NM very often. We like a wide variety of music to include heavy-Metal, country, hip hop and old-school Rock.
I’ll be working on improving my chicken coop with protective fencing so that they can stay in one area safely. We have preditors such as coyotes, hawks, owls and raccoons (they eat eggs and baby chicks). The horse pen needs some re-vamping as well. Oh so much to do!
And… of course I will be making new jewelry which I so look forward to!
Read on…
Brooch A Week #22 ~ Ivory Rose
May 31, 2013
My true calling in the art of making jewelry is to find ways to make old things new and wearable. This pin features a pre-ban (1960s) carved ivory rose (just like grandma used to wear). I’ve made an oxidized sterling silver setting to create a complete rose. The darkened silver accentuates the pale ivory where old meets new in a heavy-metal sense! A “Heavy-Metal Rose” (that is what I will call this one). Just listed in my Adobe Sol Designs Shop.
Heavy Metal Rose
Brooch A Week #21 ~ Fisher-Body Badge Pin
May 30, 2013
I think this one may be my favorites so far.
I found a few of these vintage employee badges from Fisher Body. They were an automobile coach builder founded in 1908 in Detroit. These badges were made by Superior Seal & Stamp Co. This badge is in really great condition and built super strong. Fisher Body (no longer in business) punched a hole in this badge. I have read that after they closed the plant, they punched holes in the badges. I made a sterling silver grommet for the hole and added a beautiful vintage crystal button set in a handmade sterling silver bezel setting.
Fisher Body has got quite a history. This particular badge is from the Hamilton/Fairfield, Ohio plant which was closed in 1988.
Adobe Sol Designs ~ The Blog 