I love a great design

I recently had a bit of a dry spell when it comes to new and interesting jewelry designs. I spent a good two weeks sitting at my beading table, staring blankly at trays and trays of beautiful beads. I have too many beads, I must admit. It has become quite daunting, and I feel that I have so many I don't know where to start. So I spent my days organizing the beads by color, then by style, then by size; hoping that a new and interesting design would somehow appear right before my eyes. I then picked up a rather cluttered basket of various freshwater, stick, and keishi pearls that I picked up at a bead show in Santa Fe earlier in the year. I have rarely touched them and I was somehow hoarding them for some great design that I just knew would come about at some point. Then it hits me. I need something black and white. I need a pretty piece that will appeal to ladies such as myself who have way too many black tops in their closet. I laid out some petite, white keishi pearls, a faceted teardrop onyx briolette, and a few jet black Swarovski crystals. I love the combination of crystals and pearls. What I put together was a very classy piece that reminded me of a feminine tuxedo. I love it when a great design comes together out of nowhere. This piece is so pretty, so classic, and hopefully one of your favorites as it is definitely one of mine!

Of course, it's HAND-MADE!

I have found a new addiction. ETSY. It is everything hand-made. What's the big deal about buying hand-made? It's a big deal because of the people behind the product. The artists on ETSY, including myself, are hardworking, passionate, and talented. They have learned how to pay attention to their creativity. The same creativity that inspires them to get up in the morning. The same creativity that is inspired by the beautiful things that God has put before us everyday. Look around, pay attention to the birdnest under your front porch, the peaches on the neighbor's tree, and the beautiful New Mexico sunsets that we are blessed to witness each and every evening. The deep orange, purple, blues, and pinks are what inspires me to look through my bead collection and create a beautiful work of art; made with my own two hands. These creations help me deal with the daily stresses of life and all the junk that comes at me on a daily basis. All the things that truly don't matter all that much in the end.

The people on Etsy are not only using their creativity to create a living for themselves, they are using their creativity to make people happy. The greatest enjoyment comes from someone wearing a piece of my jewelry and seeing the smile on their face. People buy jewelry for all sorts of reasons: to complete an outfit, to express their own individual personality, to feel pretty on their wedding day...imagine that someone just bought your earrings to wear on the most important day of their life!

My hand-made jewelry is made with love and passion, and it is unique. It is not mass produced for Walmart or department stores all over the country. There will not be hundreds of people wearing the same necklace. It's almost always a one-of-a-kind. It is a direct expression of my personality and sometimes my mood. I put a lot of time and energy into each piece and sometimes I create pieces with certain people and personalities in mind. There is nothing more special than that!

So I encourage you to check out the ETSY site and pay attention to the creativity!

Etsy Showcases: Learn as you go

I am fairly new to Etsy. I love, love, love it. I recently purchased a few showcase spots. I received a ton of hits on the ring showcase. No sale that day though.

Note to self: don't waste your money in the "Gift Guide" category. Very few hits. NO sales.

A Place to Vent?

Okay, I have been putting off starting a blog. It's a cool idea, but I'm not sure just what the point is. I am constantly shocked at how many people LIVE on the computer these days! I always have a lot to say, but who would stop by and read what I have to say? Is it really that important or relevent? Well anyway...here I am. I've done it, I've started a place to vent. A place to talk about what I'm doing, and what I plan to do. The question is, WHO reads this stuff!!??