Jennifer Cowgill

Grey Scoop Neck Tank, Sealmaiden

Olivine Hoop Earrings, Challenevi

Micro Bag, feralgirl

Moissanite and Recycled Sterling Silver Ring, mcfarlanddesigns

The Work of James Jean

2010-07-13T09:08:00.010-04:00

This morning I am checking out the work of James Jean which I discovered through the blog, accidental mysteries. Each piece is a feast.

His work is amazingly varied and I enjoyed looking at his themes and progression as an artist through the years. Some years were amazingly productive, others not. The creativity and realization of that has always fascinated me about artists. What in their lives causes them to have bursts of creativity and inspiration?

See more of his amazing work here: James Jean

2010-07-11T12:43:00.003-04:00

20% Off June 11-18. Click for details, HERE.

Terrariums

2010-06-20T08:23:00.006-04:00

My favorite necklace is back in the shop. Here are some lovely bits of forest to celebrate.

A few wonderful things...

2010-04-28T22:55:00.013-04:00

Early Morning Landing by talchen

Happy Fish by yalonetski

Amber Dobby Revival Dress by fcpcares

Fleur de Sel Sampler Box by calabasascandyco

Facet Ring by whitemetal

Fox Claw Necklace by Odettenewyork

Animal Tracks Necklace by Asymmetry

Thick Four in One Chainmail Necklace by redpanda

Midnight Tempest by webofcreation

2010-03-23T21:50:00.006-04:00

Antique Mother of Pearl Button Necklace by TheHouseThatCrowBuilt

I have been crazy in love with bezel set vintage buttons. So much so that I contacted Wendy of TheHouseThatCrowBuilt to make me a necklace out of a shell button which belonged to my grandmother! I actually never met my grandmother (either actually) because she died while my Mom was pregnant with me. But my Mom gave me a jar of buttons her mother had collected and there were so many little treasures. One in particular is a hand decorated mother of pearl button I have used as a prop a few times in my photos. I am pretty excited about it. Here are a few of my favorites, including my grandmother's button.

My button

Faceted Button Ring by Metamorph

Midnight Flower Necklace by KiraFerrer

Enkorn Necklace by idlehandesigns

Creepy Bunny

2010-03-12T14:53:00.008-05:00

Detour, by Frankenkitty

I was browsing bunnies on Etsy for whatever whim reason and I noticed a lot of "creepy bunnies." Thought I would gather them here for you, in honor of Easter of course.

Variations on Claustrophobia, by Frankenkitty

Night of the Living Dead Bunny by Hellray77

cuniculus (rabbit) by pamelaklaffke

History with Hilary by BrooklynHilary

Beautiful

2010-02-26T00:33:00.007-05:00

Here are a few beautiful things I am loving this week. I don't know if this will be a new series, but I just wanted to share these inspiring images.

Micheal Raedecker brilliant gloom, 2004

Zena Holloway Underwater Photography

All so ethereal, desolate and haunting.

My New Statement Piece from RosyRevolver

2010-01-26T16:29:00.008-05:00

I met Jess from RosyRevolver for coffee yesterday morning, and picked up a piece I have been eagerly anticipating.

I love getting together with Jess. With our busy lives, our meetings are few and far between, but when we do get together, we always have a lot to talk about, and many laughs. We met on Etsy, and I am so glad we did.

I have never worn a "statement" piece of jewelry before, but I knew when I saw Jess' jewelry, I wanted one. I picked out the stone in November, it reminds me of the colors of the sunset.

I already have another piece in the works with her, I am afraid this might become an addiction. I am already reconsidering how I feel about larger rings as well.

The first day I wore my new necklace, I had several people compliment it. I adore it. :)

RosyRevolver Giveaway!

2010-01-20T11:54:00.002-05:00

As you all know I so much admire Jess of RosyRevolver's work. She is having a giveaway that you should absolutely enter! Check out her blog here. Or don't, so I will have a better chance of nabbing this gorgeous necklace! :)

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-23T22:41:00.006-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Thank you to all my customers and friends for being so kind as to shop with me, I am endlessly grateful. The year 2009 was my first full year on Etsy. Our family went through a lot including a layoff and new beginning for my husband. Hopefully 2010 will bring more stability for us. Either way, we are comfortable, happy and healthy, and I hope all of you are too.

I wrapped up my orders until the New Year, and I am buttoning up and enjoying time with family. Like much of the East Coast we received a lot of snow where I am visiting family in Virginia. We dug out, wrapped up our Christmas shopping, and now we are ready to settle in to peace and family traditions.

I wish you all good luck and a rich life in the New Year. Take time to enjoy your friends and family and the small yet marvelous things that make life the wonder that it is. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!

A Fruitful Meeting

2009-11-12T22:25:00.006-05:00

I was so lucky to be able to meet up with Jess of RosyRevolver last weekend at Raleigh's semi-annual Handmade Market. Jess and I talked via convo a few times and she had the wonderful idea of meeting and going to look at handmade goodies together.

Jess of RosyRevolver

We met for coffee and then Jess was nice enough to show me a local bead store which was a fortunate event as I picked up some brass charms which inspired a new line of gemstone and brass charm necklaces in my shop, and here you will get a sneak peak!

I drool over Jess' gorgeous filigree work and she was kind enough to bring some stones for me to pick out for a custom necklace! She was also wearing such a gorgeous ring that I think my mind is almost changed about wearing large rings. Jess and I had a lot in common and much to chat about but only a limited amount of time to do everything as we both had kids to get back to. She knows a lot of people in the handmade scene as she usually sells at the Market. It was very interesting and educational to me, as I don't do shows, and I still don't know if I will! I really enjoy shopping them a lot more. This time I ended up with a few small post card art prints from Jaime Zollars and cup of homemade hot chocolate.

Jess also attended the extremely elite North Carolina State University School of Design and you can see her vision and beautiful aesthetic sense reflected in her work. All of her pieces have a gorgeous cohesiveness and each are so different from the other. The settings she designs around each stone perfectly complement the textures and tones of the stones they are set around.

ElenaMakesThings

There were several Etsy sellers at the Handmade Market including a few former featured sellers. I also met the lovely Elena of ElenaMakesThings whose shop and lovely Sweet Pea scarf I have long admired.

I will have several necklaces with hand patina brass charms over the next few weeks. Jess was kind enough to direct me to a company where I could obtain everything I needed for that, and I am grateful! The first necklace coming to my shop is the Aviatrix, which features a vintage brass airplane and a large Whiskey Quartz briolette on Oxidized Sterling Silver.

The Aviatrix

The second necklace I am introducing doesn' t have a name yet, but it features a hand patina brass owl charm with green Rutilated Quartz and a small Whiskey Quartz briolette on oxidized sterling silver.

Hooty

Fairy Tale in Crimson and Scarlet

2009-10-11T11:12:00.003-04:00

My latest Treasury West

Bow Chikka Bow Bead Porn

2009-10-08T16:59:00.008-04:00

I didn't do my usual gem show rounds this fall (well one round, one show, hehe) because my husband was laid off but I saved up some money and placed a bulk order. I have never ordered from India before, but I was quite pleased. Shipping took only a week via UPS but I paid quite a chunk for that shipping. I liked the security of having UPS ship though as I had never heard of the other company they offer. Okay prepare yourself.

The envelope arrived and I ripped it open to find this cloth covered box sealed with wax.

All of the gems are AA and AAA, micro faceted. So here we have some Labradorite, Rubilite Garnet, Mookaite Jasper and a little Fluorite pear peaking out over there in the right corner.

Beer Quartz, Zircon, Blue Topaz, Imperial Topaz and Vesuvianite carved leaves.

Rock Crystal Quartz

Fluorite Leaves, Garnet hearts and Garnet pears.

A better look at the Imperial Topaz pears and the leaves.

I can't wait to sit down with everything!

My Latest Bunneh Treasury

2009-10-04T11:18:00.002-04:00

Come check out these wonderful bunnies.

Earth and Sea Bracelet is New in my Shop

2009-09-28T20:22:00.003-04:00

Bracelets are fairly few and far between in my shop. Here is my latest, I have been thinking about making one with this color scheme for months but just came around to it the other night. I love the earthy combination of the glass beads with the sea green Fluorite. Earth and Sea Bracelet.

The Shining

2009-09-28T00:51:00.003-04:00

Fantastic book and movie, here is my latest treasury, with all 16.
Come see it here.

SparkCon

2009-09-20T18:27:00.002-04:00

Every year for the past couple of years we take the kids down to SparkCon, a celebration of creativity. The city shuts down a few streets for a few days, galleries open some shows, people gather to draw gorgeous pastel chalk drawings, and artisans sell gorgeous jewelry, pottery and fine art. Next year I may head down one day with out the kids because there was so much I didn't get a chance to peruse. We packed a lunch and went down. Usually we head down on Sunday, when the chalk art is complete, but this year we went on Saturday and we were able to see the creation in action. There were a lot more people this year signed up to draw as well.

Bottle Cap Car

Here is a "Barrel Monster" that a local NC State University design school student creates. He was actually charged with larceny for past creations and had to perform community service for making the monsters, which are pretty cool. Renegade art I suppose.

An old former hardware store downtown.

This was my 4 year old's favorite chalk art. He loved the "rainbow petals"

The boys saw some children getting their faces painted and for the first time showed some interest. My 4 year old chose a tiger, and my 2 year old followed suit.

It tickles!

So ferocious!

His brother wasn't so patient and the face painter did a wonderful job of making it quick.

Then he ran down the street growling at strangers.

A Beautiful Gift from a Kind, Talented and Friendly Designer

2009-07-04T12:40:00.009-04:00

Marla of Fairchild Designs wrote me when we were both fairly new to Etsy and we talked some Etsy shop and admired each other's work. She does quite a bit of business off of Etsy though her Etsy shop is GORGEOUS. I have included her in several treasuries over time and admired her work. She has a way of intertwining the simple and complex into her designs to make even her most ornate pieces look like perfect simplicity.

Marla was kind enough to write me when I was approaching 800 sales to congratulate me. I was a bit down in the dumps for other reasons and her kind words really helped pick me up. She offered to send me something in the mail as a congratulations and a cheer up, and never did I imagine how gorgeous this gift would be!

Here are some of my own photos of the stunning necklace Marla sent me.

Everything about this necklace is perfect. The oxidization of the sterling silver is such a perfect gray rusty brown to complement the stones she used. The wire wrap with the gem stones is intricate and adds so much visual interest. I actually have some tactile interest as well because I can't keep my hands off of it while I am wearing it! The necklace features smoky quartz, copper rutilated quartz, multi colored spinel and champagne zircon.

Here are some other favorites in her shop. She also offers a wide variety of price points to have a little luxury for any budget. Here are some other pretties from Marla's shop.

Bronze Rendition Earrings $48

Old Hollywood Necklace $168

Plum Royale Bracelet $298

Gem Lust

2009-06-13T21:58:00.005-04:00

I was going to name this blog entry something else but I didn't want to mess up my "adult content" rating because of one word. I went to a bead/gem show today and I wasn't expecting much. After going to the Intergem shows not much else can compare to the experience. However this show had quite a few dealers who were really nice and had a gorgeous selection! So I am a lot lighter in the wallet.

I am going to let these gemstones marinate a bit on my mind and then we will see what I come up with. I will be offering one of the popular Cubist Necklaces in the Green Amethyst cubes you see in an unoxidized sterling silver. Gorgeous! The Prehnite chunky briolettes will go towards my Rivendell necklaces. There is one rather large on in the middle of the strand that I don't know what I am going to do with yet.

Here we go!

In this pictures there is some Citrine, Prehnite (soft green) briolettes, some Moss Amethyst Brios peaking through there and some of the Green Amethyst faceted cubes.

Here we have some sizable Whisky Quartz brios on the left and the sparkling Citrine is center. Gorgeous lemon yellow, best I have purchased yet.

Some pink and green Amethyst cubes.

The Whiskey Quartz and some pink Amethyst "dolphin" cut faceted brios and the Prehnite.

I left a few strands out in my haste. Good haul, no?

Etsy Summer Shopping

2009-06-11T09:54:00.003-04:00

From left to right:

Zipper Pouch with Clip from charmdesign
Green Turquoise and Jade on Copper Hoops from lavalleygirly
Flowers and Disco Lights Earrings from intrigued
Bifold Pocket Wallet from THIENTHANH
Bamboo with Rosewood Soap from Savor

I have been doing some summer shopping on Etsy. I wanted a smaller and more lightweight handbag now that I am not carting around little baby essentials and I took the plunge and went really small (for me!) and bought the adorable clutch from charmdesign. Of course I needed a small wallet to fit into my small purse so I ordered the adorable wallet from THIENTHANH. They are both very nice quality and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the hook on the clutch as well as the magnetic snap closure in the wallet. The wallet is sturdy and also has plenty of pockets for your plastic, grocery discount cards, IDs and cash.

In summer I can't resist a pop of color here and there and when I saw some long time favorites of mine had gone on sale at intrigued I just had to have them! They are coming all the way from Singapore.

lavalleygirly was very kind to me when I started on Etsy, sending me a sweet note and she predicted I would be successful. I never forgot that and have also always loved all her simple wire wrapped hoops. Hoops are such a classic summer earring and the pop of green on those particular hoops was my que to finally buy something I loved from her shop.

I pretty much exclusively use savor's soaps on Etsy. I love the exotic scents she weaves together and I also own a few of her body sprays. This Bamboo and Rosewood soap is a fragrant treat every morning in the shower. I don't know about you, but in summer I sometimes shower twice a day, and I always look forward to it when I have some savor soap.

Back! One More Sale Day

2009-05-30T15:22:00.012-04:00

Here are some pictures of our blissful trip to the beach. My sons, 2 and 4, their cousin who is 3. My Dad reading to the kids and my Mom astounded at my crazy Skeeball skills. I am sure my Mom would like me to add that she didn't bother with her hair, etc while at the beach. :D

Just a reminder too that my Beach Week Sale ends tonight. Thank you to all my wonderful customers who took advantage of it. I will be shipping your jewelry this week!

Time for a Sale and Some Relaxation

2009-05-22T13:19:00.005-04:00

Sea of Tranquility by irenesuchocki

Sea Shore Earrings by rockfern

Morning Rain by cserdan

This year seems to be going by so fast. I have two young boys and they make time move at light speed. We had a recent bout of illnesses including tummy bugs and some ear infections one on top of the other and most of May was spent feeling under the weather by our whole family. Now we are healthy and on to our much anticipated annual beach vacation. My parents generously get a house at the beach every year and invite the entire extended family and we gather for a lot of lounging, laughs, drinks and delicious food.

Since I will be gone I am running a SALE in my shop and you can see the announcement there for details.

Have a wonderful holiday everyone!

Secret Sale for Certain Fans

2009-05-21T12:37:00.005-04:00

Photo courtesy of doublecappuccino on Flickr

What's up Chickadee?

2009-05-16T23:50:00.004-04:00

a. Chickadee Pillow Blue Green by TrackandFieldDesigns
b. On a Twig No. 2 by aor2
c. Tiny Chickadee on a Stump by bubbletime
d. Little Chickadee Earrings by lulubugjewelry
e. Cold by MNHPhotography
d. Chickadee by badbird

My favorite bird as of late is the Black Capped Chickadee. I love to watch the birds at my feeder out back, and I find the Chickadee and its little helmet-head the most charming of all the birds. He always seems to go about his business and not bother anyone else. He just wants to have his fair share and move along about his day. Enjoy some of my favorite Chickadee finds on Etsy.

My Visit with Sara of Shy Siren

2009-05-03T21:11:00.008-04:00

I was fortunate enough to meet Sara of ShySiren last weekend when I went down to a bead show and was invited to stay overnight in her lovely home! It was so fantastic to meet her and her wonderful husband. Her jewelry studio is so awesome and it was fascinating to see everything that goes into running her shop. We talked shop and enjoyed shopping for beads together, had a lot of laughs, some good food and a wonderful time.

Sara is definitely a lover and supporter of handmade, having stunning original art all over her house along with many lovely Etsy pieces. It was really neat to see all of her jewelry up close and all the beads I see incorporated into her designs. She was also kind enough to give me for my birthday a pair of earrings I have been not so subtly gushing over.

Sara and her husband have transformed their back yard into a little vacation spot with a large koi pond and trickeling waterfalls. After sleeping for 9.5 hours and waking up to a delish homemade caramel latte from Sara's husband, I was actually sad to leave and felt like I was ending a mini vacation! Anyway, on to the pictures:

The lovely Sara!

Sara could open up a tool store.

These are only the "small beads"

Part of the beautiful koi pond

The Midnight Sky Earrings I so openly coveted on my blog. NOW MINE!

Lusts

2009-04-09T14:06:00.009-04:00

Midnight Sky Earrings from Shy Siren

Promenade Tunic from tortillagirl

Necklace from Bijou Graphique

Sandals from Clarks

Hempcel Wristlet in Olive from Infusion

Wall Sconce from Bella Luz Designs

Modern Love Necklace Featured on Bliss Blog

2009-04-09T13:58:00.002-04:00

My Modern Love Necklace was featured on Bliss Blog I Heart Monday feature. I had no idea until a kind customer let me know about it. I love the blog, I can find so so so much to love there. Check it out!

Jen

Water Drop Necklace was Featured on Stuff Under Twenty

2009-03-26T14:07:00.002-04:00

My Water Drop Necklace was featured on a fabulous blog called Stuff Under Twenty. They call it a "new blog for recessionistas." It is really amazing all the finds they have for $20 and under and it is possible to be highly stylish on a tight budget. Check it out!

Tending Towards the Bohemian/Romantic

2009-03-22T16:32:00.007-04:00

I notice the past year my fashion is leaning more towards the bohemian romantic type of look. I could just eat up Etsy's Nostalgic Whimsy Gift Guide. Granted, I will probably never abandon my daily jean wearing. With two kids and running all over the place even my neglected skirts are not an option. So I have really been interested in focussing on accessories and tops. I have been purchasing a lot of fun things from Etsy as far as affordable accessories go. I have always worn pins in my hair but lately I have really liked them dressed up with hair flowers and vintage hair combs. My bangs are in that "in between" stage where they drive me nuts if they aren't pinned back. I am also loving my new sandals! I wore them all day today and they don't even need any breaking in.

Yesterday I wore a black shirt with a small pleat ruffle down the front and 3/4 length sleeves with jeans. I accesoriezed it with a Refashioned flower brooch.

I also wore a vintage cloisonne hair comb which I purchased from BJandLillsVintage.

Today I am wearing jeans, my new sandals and the Alina scoop neck which I procured from Anthropolgie on sale months ago.

I accessories with a We Dream in Color Necklace, on of my first purchases on Etsy years ago.

Some gorgeous and light weight earrings thebline.

In my hair I have some hair flowers from ThreadAndPetal.

Okay so it is obvious I like to mix up some botanicals too!

Sneak Peak, Bracelets are Back

2009-03-19T17:41:00.007-04:00

Woe to the bracelet section of my shop. Thou art perpetually neglected. No longer! I am going to be making and listing some oxidized sterling silver and oxidized copper glass pearl bead and vintage lucite bead bracelets and necklaces over the next couple of weeks. The bracelets will have handmade hook and eye clasps which I find supremely satisfying to make. This is the Labyrinthine Garden Bracelet in oxidized sterling silver, glass pearl beads and a vintage ornate carved lucite quadrifoil bead.

Front Page Last Night

2009-03-19T09:44:00.003-04:00

Before I went to bed last night I had the pleasure and thrill of seeing some of my earrings on the Front Page of Etsy in this gorgeous and deliciously girly treasury curated by the talented elde. Congrats to all!

I Chose the Shoes

2009-03-19T09:40:00.002-04:00

Well I mixed up a little bit of everyone's advice and bought my favorite style in a more versatile color. I still love the orange-y red accents on the buckles and stitching. I am hoping to get them sometime today with Zappos free overnight shipping! The nice thing about the Clarks brand is they last for YEARS.

Which Shoes?

2009-03-18T22:30:00.004-04:00

I need some new sandals for Spring. I will say that I am a Mom of two active boys and we go to parks, etc during the Spring and Summer and I need comfort over anything else. But I also have always liked something a little different beyond the normal black and brown (I once wore only red shoes for about a year but it limited my wardrobe so much I eventually canned that fashion statement :D ) So I found the above on Zappos and I need some help deciding. Though I must say, I am really leaning to the Clarks in the middle. Click the pics for the actual links to the shoes. I wear mostly capris pants, skirts and casual dresses in warm weather.

So, what do you think?

Milestone Giveaway

2009-03-18T10:37:00.004-04:00

Free to 500th Sale - Cubist Necklace

It has been a busy 7 months and I am so grateful for all my wonderful customers who are so friendly and fun to work with. I have become close friends with a few of them treasure those relationships. To celebrate my 500th sale I am giving away a free Cubist Necklace with purchase. So keep an eye out! I am only 3 sales away from 500. :)

Beware the Ides of March

2009-03-14T09:11:00.002-04:00

Treasury by Brightnewthings

Tomorrow, March 15th is the Ides of March. So beware this day, as you never know what might happen. It is much more powerful than Friday the 13th. And woe is the superstitious person who has a Friday the 13th and March 15 in one month! But it happened this month, so if you experienced an inordinate amount of bad luck or you had an itch and turned around only to discover a dagger in your back, then you know what to blame.

From Wiki:

In Roman times, the Ides of March was a festive day dedicated to the god Mars and a military parade was usually held. In modern times, the term Ides of March is best known as the date that Julius Caesar was assassinated, in 44 BC, the story of which was famously dramatized in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar.

Brightnewthings curated such a creative and lovely treasury in honor of the event, click on the picture to see it up close.

2009-03-05T12:29:00.003-05:00

Win a fabulous ring from chocolateandsteel on her blog.

Reverse Lens Mount Macro Photoghraphs

2009-03-05T09:34:00.002-05:00

Reverse lens mount macro technique

I was researching macro photographs on Flickr and I found a really neat technique called reverse lens mount macro. It is when you take another of your lenses from your SLR camera and reverse it against the main lens. People use a lot of methods to do this. Some I have seen on Flickr and the safest way is using a reverse lens attachment. You can find them on Amazon and Ebay. Others simply used duct tape and other people used exention tubes.

It takes a lot of experimentation to find a good combo and it is a lot of fun experimenting with different lenses. The above picture was taken with my 18-55 lens with my 50mm lense reversed against it. The use of a tripod is also essential, as any slight movement at this level of macro can leave you with a very blurry image.

I used natural light in my photo but if you search "reverse lens mount macro" on Flickr you will come up with various pictures of homemade diffusers ingenuitive people came up with including the use of ping pong balls over a flash and white paper boxed around a flash.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-04T14:41:00.002-05:00

Vintage Spring Garden Party

2009-02-28T13:55:00.000-05:00

Vintage Anchor Hocking Milk Glass Pedestal Goblets from calloocalay
Peach Cut Glass Serving Dish from MollyMooVintage
Vintage Silvertone Elephant Hair Comb from theturniptruck
Vintage Sundress from soymilkcafe
Vintage T-Strap Mary Janes in nude from brownbagvintage

Two Treasuries

2009-02-26T13:48:00.000-05:00

Come check out the artists in the two treasuries I have going. Just click on the pic to jump to the treasury.

Come to Me Pretties...

2009-02-24T23:30:00.000-05:00

Bud to Bloom Dress - Anthropologie

I am so ready for Spring, and in North Carolina we have that tease type weather in February where it will be 60 one day and 32 the next. That doesn't stop me from shopping around in a Springy mood though! I love Anthropologie but when I order it is from the sale section. I am loving this dress and I will be keeping an eye on it to move on sale. I love the light and airy yet structured look it has.

phyllida necklace - thebline

I love thebline's Corsage collection and I am really wanting her Phyllida Necklace. I really am quite torn between ordering some earrings or a necklace. Everything is so cute and she has some lovely colors offered in all of her Corsage collection.

White/Gray Bunny Gurumi- LuvlyGurumi

Now if you had asked me what amigurumi was 2 weeks ago I wouldn't have known what you were talking about, and that perhaps you were asking me to meet you for a Japanese lunch. However now I know the adorableness that is amigurumi as a result of pouncing around Etsy and finding this adorable bunny from LuvlyGurumi.

Dachshund in Paris - k9artgallery/David J. Rogers

Finally I find myself looking at this watercolor quite a bit. We had to put our dachshund to sleep a couple of months ago and I really miss having a dachshund. I think they are the breed which will always have the biggest place in my heart. One day I want another one, but this little print by David J. Rogers of k9artgallery is the sweetest thing to look at when I am thinking of Chloe. The artist really captures animals and the breed personalities very nicely so have a look.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T09:19:00.000-05:00

Here are a few of my favorites, appropriate for Valentine's Day from some talented fellow Etsians.

First I bring you a sweet Valentine made by my 4 year old at preschool.

shixie -Recycled Tin Heart Necklace

karenfaulknerart - Blooming Heart

atwhim - Love Struck

Treasury Time!

2009-02-09T22:08:00.001-05:00

I have a Spring Treasury right now, come check out all the talented artists! After a rather bleak Winter we have had some Spring temperatures around here lately and the boys and I have been out enjoying it every day! We have been to a few parks and tomorrow we are headed to a favorite, the airport observation area.

Art on Etsy

2009-02-05T14:28:00.000-05:00

berkelyillustration, Red Fox

Obviously we all feel differently about art. No two people have the same taste in art. My husband is a painter, so we have his fine art paintings all over the house. He just doesn't have the time in his life to get them into the gallery scene, as lacking as it is here in Raleigh anyways. So, until I get a ton more wall space, there isn't going to be any fine art buying going on in this house. Not that fine art can't be small, but we really need to sell my husband's work before we could justify the expense on any new fine art.

I like to buy whimsical small pieces of art and especially like illustration and digital collage and interesting porcelain pieces. Here are a few pieces I have purchased for me and as gifts. I purchased Canada Goose from berkleyillustration, and have been enjoying him for a while and when I showed my Mom she really liked him and asked if there was a fox. At the time there wasn't, but much to my pleasure I checked back last week and there was, so I ordered him for her.

SharonMontrose, Baby Deer

I also bought this baby deer print from SharonMontrose for my Mom for Christmas. My parents live in a very woodsy area and so they see this wildlife quite often. It is so nice to have a reflection of it in their home. My Mom of course thinks this is an adorable photograph. All of Sharon's prints are so hard to resist.

Winterlong I, by artandghosts

I LOVE this print. I am still looking for the perfect vintage/vintage style oval frame for it. It is slightly magical and I love her pink blushed cheeks. I think I will hang it near my computer.

Lucy in grass green by therunnybunny

I was eyeballing therunnybunny's shop for a while and saw there was a sale and snatched this little guy up! Fresh from Asheville, NC too, where I have spent quite a few hours on weekends when I was in college out there, shopping and enjoying the gorgeous sceneary and yummy restaurants. Lucy has a spot right above my computer.

Front Page Treasury

2009-01-31T09:46:00.001-05:00

I had a treasury selected for the Front Page! Very exciting, especially for the new artists on Etsy who were included. Come check out the original treasury!

Red Light Sale!!!

2009-01-29T21:35:00.001-05:00

I caught the tail end of a yellow light today and according to the officer who happened to be right behind me, I caught the tail end of a red light. So who needs a good excuse to have a sale?

Jen

Treasury

2009-01-29T21:33:00.000-05:00

This is a little late so I wanted to let you know I have a treasury expiring early Friday morning. Come check out all the talented artists! You can find it here.

Not Your Grandmama's Pearls

2009-01-27T11:44:00.000-05:00

For years, I have had a serious aversion to pearls. Pearls just screamed old-fashioned and stuffy to me. I received a strand of pearls as gift years ago, and I never felt like myself wearing it. Lately I have found a new love for pearls, and I have a designs that incorporate them in the works, and I have one that has several on it in my shop. I also have made a few purchases on Etsy from some shops I adore.

There are a lot of modern pearl options for anyone who likes pearls but wants an edgier twist to a piece of jewelry which incorporates pearls. Above is a necklace I adore from Organikx on Etsy. I own her Cottonwood Necklace as well and wear it quite frequently. In this article I am going to concentrate on the classic white pearl and all the lovely ways you can wear it and not feel like you picked up a piece of jewelry out of your grandmother's jewelry box. (if that isn't your thing).

Here you see a simple and modern option from JNicDesigns on Etsy. Beautiful depth with the oxidized and polished sterling silver.

I love this ultramodern design from sonyarasi on Etsy. This is also an example of a non oxidized piece and the bright silver finish on the silver and pearl are just stunning.

These lovelies are a dainty and modern option from ameami on Etsy.

I love these goregous earrings from stacieflorer on Esty. The oxidized wire wrap highlights the luminescent pearl perched in the middle. Gorgeous!

With a little exploring there are so many gorgeous and modern pearl options in jewelry, and I for one have a new appreciation for the beautiful little orb.

Blue Pop Necklace Featured in Tuscon Newspaper

2009-01-24T09:04:00.000-05:00

My Blue Pop Necklace is featured in an article about affordable style in The Tuscon Morning Star. There are several great suggestions in the article for affordable accessorizing with the hottest styles of the moment! Check it out!

Bracelet Preview

2009-01-22T15:28:00.000-05:00

I love the look of natural earthy colored stones with brushed oxidized sterling silver combined with the texture of brushed and oxidized sterling silver hammered chain. I have several of these types of bracelets coming to my shop, first and foremost the Moss Bracelet above. Other colors coming are white and a beautiful light aqua. The Moss Bracelet includes jade rounds, sterling silver wire and chain.

Front Page Treasury

2009-01-20T16:54:00.001-05:00

My Treasury made it to the front page today! So exciting and congratulations artists! You can check out the treasury here.

My Tumbler

2009-01-20T00:35:00.001-05:00

Acquiring a tumbler was one of the best things I ever did in my business. I have the Grobet Two Barrel Tumbler and I use 2 lbs of stainless steel shot and a health squirt of Dawn Dish Liquid, with some water over the shot. A tumbler gives your pieces a high shine finish. It also saves so much time from hand polishing a piece. Now, nothing will ever replace a good brush over with fine steel wool or a polishing cloth as a finishing touch, but the tumbler really takes the "elbow grease" out of polishing.

I am still learning at what point to put a piece in the tumbler during its construction. It is worth the learning curve though, as the pieces are stunning once complete.

Here are some recent pieces which benefited from the Tumbler love. :)

The Crystal Amulet necklace with a stunning silvery quartz faceted marquise cut gem and silvery quartz rondelles positioned around the oxidized and tumbled sterling silver chain.

The Dew Drops Necklace features AAA Grade sky blue Topaz faceted tear drop briolettes around an oxidized and tumbled to a shine sterling silver chain.

Etsy Favorites: Painted Metal

2009-01-19T02:04:00.000-05:00

These lovely earrings are one of my latest purchases from Painted Metal on Etsy. I love them! All of her jewelry has so much personality and you can tell a lot of time goes into each piece. People ask me after seeing pictures of the earrings if they are heavy, but they are NOT heavy at all, very light weight! Which is what I love about them. They look kind of industrial yet they are light and feminine.

I am drooling over her Twisted Turquoise Earrings and also her,

Lost and Found Bracelet. Definitely give her shop a look, I definitely will be again.

Snow White Treasury

2009-01-18T17:03:00.000-05:00

I have a Snow White themed Treasury West, come check out all the great artists!

Front Page

2009-01-17T22:48:00.001-05:00

Etsy Front Page 1/16/09 PoleStar
Originally uploaded by Etsy Front Pagers

I curated a treasury that appeared on the front page last night. There were two brand new shops on the Front page as well, tamaragarvey and Toxicink, so congratulations to all!

Big News and a Preview!

2009-01-17T22:07:00.000-05:00

Preview: Monochrome Transition Necklace

I will be listing this necklace later tonight. I am really very into modern design lampwork beads right now. I also have some plans for some more organic looking lampwork bead necklaces as soon as I can locate the proper artisan crafted bead caps. Anyway, I spied these lovely beads at HMBStudios on Etsy. I also have a nice moddish brown and caramel transition necklace. I oxidized and tumbled the sterling silver chain so it has a nice bright gun metal color to it.

The BIG NEWS is that my husband and I are drilling holes in my vintage mannequin's ears tonight, so I will have a nice easy ear shot to take of my earrings! No more white mugs!

Hello!

2009-01-17T21:51:00.000-05:00

This is my premiere post for PoleStar Jewelry on Blogger! I had a WordPress blog you can find here. Do check it out as I have some wonderful shopping finds and gemstone discussion there. I am not going to move it over as I am just going for a fresh start here on Blogger. I am accustomed to Blogger and I found Wordpress pretty cumbersome. I was using the free version so perhaps the paid version is more user friendly.

Anyway, I plan to use this blog to preview my own work, showcase other Etsy sellers whom I respect and admire, Etsy sellers who I have purchased from and even purchases off Etsy I make. Who knows what else might pop up?

I have been on Etsy for almost 5 months now, and it has been quite a whirlwind and a very fun time. Talk to you soon!