Earring giveaway

Enter to win HOT ROCKS earring giveaway!
I am celebrating Fall and Canadian Thanksgiving, by giving you a chance to win a fabulous pair of earrings. All you have to do to enter is become a fan of HOT ROCKS, by going to the Hot Rocks page on Facebook and click on the "Become a Fan Button" at the top of the page, and leave a comment on which pair of earrings you would like if you are chosen the lucky winner! Or go to the right hand sidebar on my blog, and look for the Hot Rocks on Facebook widget, and click on the "Become a Fan" button. You will then be automatically entered for the draw. The draw will be made Canadian Thanksgiving Day, Monday Oct. 12, at 9:00pm MST. Draw will be selected by Random.org. I will contact the winner to get their mailing address after the draw. If you are already a fan of Hot Rocks, then just leave a comment on my Fan Page on the earrings you would choose if you are the winner.
Your choice of prizes are:
1. Contemporary sterling silver earrings with fabulous vintage sparkling Swarovski crystals.
OR
2. Sterling silver and faceted ruby earrings with gorgeous hammered earring tops. Both pairs retail at $30.00 each! . Please see the photos below for your choices.

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Exhausted...but recovering!

Well I survived the mad crazy week, all the company, the baking, the cooking, the housework and the big party for my husbands 50th on Saturday night. To say we had a blast is putting it mildly! I think everyone had a super time. Staying up till 2:30 am dancing, takes awhile to recover at our age...like a few days! I think I was somewhat worn out, as yesterday I came down with a bit of a flu bug, however I am feeling a lot better today. Today, I have listed a few new items in my Etsy shop, as I have been neglecting that lately. Most are designs from the last couple of months that I had made but not yet put into my shop. I am also currently working on some great new Fall pieces, that I hope to share with my readers later this week! I hope to get back into a routine now, and catch up with all my bloggy friends, as well as my Entrecard pals!

Newly listed items in my Etsy shop:
Desert Rose
Summer of '69
Adored
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

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Aquamarine

Sea goddesses were said to cleanse aquamarine in the ocean, at night by the light of the full moon. Aquamarine which means "water of the sea", is a transparent form of beryl, related to the gemstone emerald, and is the birthstone for the month of March.

It is a lucky stone for sailors, keeping them safe at sea and warding off sea sickness. Aquamarine is supposed to bring the wearer peace by helping one to deal with anxiety, restlessness and fear.

This gorgeous blue green stone is also the anniversary stone for the 19th year of marriage, and it is said that if you wear this stone you will have a happy marriage full of love and affection!. Pin It

Black Onyx

Lately, I have been using black onyx in some of my designs. I like using the deep, black smooth stone because of its classic simplicity and besides everyone needs to have some black jewels in their wardrobe...its just a basic color that works with so much. So I decided to do some research on this stone and read about the legend regarding black onyx.
Apparently,Aphrodite, the goddess of love, lay in a deep slumber on the banks of the river, when a playful Eros (Cupid) decided to give her an impromptu manicure with one of his trademark arrowheads! The freshly clipped fingernails rolled down the bank and into the Indus River, where they sank to the bottom. Here, they were magically transformed by Zeus' three daughters, The Fates, into splendid black quartz. Thus, 'onyx' (a word roughly translated as 'nail' or 'claw') was born.

Another similar version said it was Venus, who had her fingernails clipped by the naughty Eros, and they were scattered to the beaches of the earth. Anyhow, cupid clipped some goddesses' nails and apparently that is how black onyx came to be! I love mythology! Black onyx is said to be the most powerful protection stone, protecting from negative energy, as well as being a grounding stone which is helpful in difficult, stressful and confusing times in our lives. It is also helpful to those who are in the process of letting go, either in relationships, or in attatchments to places and things. Having a seventh anniversary? Well black onyx is the anniversary gemstone for the seventh year of marriage. But watch out...it is said to decrease sexual desire...oh no!
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Daisy Jane

Well it is finally done...the necklace that is! You know... the one that I have been working on and off for several weeks now. After all the stress and self doubt, I must say that I am happy with the results. Yes, it is somewhat unconventional, but it is meant to be a fun lighthearted piece. My inspiration were the tiny flowers in the larger lampwork bead created by Deb at Sweetwater Designs. I also used contemporary and vintage Swarovski crystals, in shades of turquoise, amethyst and purple, as well as sterling silver beads and chain. The big funky flower is also the clasp! The name for this one is "Daisy Jane". Now I may be dating myself a little bit here, but I used to really love this song by the band America, which was popular in the mid 1970s.I still have the old cassette tape with this song on it.

     "Does she really love me 

          I think she does 

            Like the stars above me 

              I know because 

                 When the sky is bright 

                     Everything's alright "
                                     America

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How do you sell?

My online Etsy shop is only one way that I sell my jewelry. Of course I do several arts and crafts shows in my area and also my best friend actually sells a lot of my jewelry for me. By either by setting it up in the staff room in the school that she teaches at, or by arranging jewelry parties at some of her aquaintences homes she reaches people that I would not necessarily reach. It really expands my customer base, as she lives in the city and I live in the country. Of course she gets compensated for all her hard work and we both benefit in the end! If you sell something handmade, what are the different ways... other than selling online, do you do to market and sell your items? I would love to hear what you do!
here are a few of the items that she took away with her this weekend, that I hope she has success with.

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Last day to enter!

Today is the last day to enter my contest ,"Name that Necklace"! I have some super name suggestions so far ..and it seems we have a bit of a moon theme going on, but it doesn't have to be a moon song..so get your thinking caps on! Thank you to all that have entered already...your song title suggestions have been excellent! However, there is still have time to enter, and you can enter more than once...just submit the song title that you think this necklace should be named by leaving me a comment here in the original post.

Contest is open until 12:00 midnight MST tonight. I will select my favorite entry, and that lucky person will win these sterling silver earrings, made with these pretty vintage (never before used) sapphire Swarovski crystals! The person who places second, will get a feature post here on my blog in March. All rules are posted here.
I will announce the first and second place winners on Sunday Feb. 1.(tomorrow) Pin It

Faithfully

I have a new listing in my etsy shop...it is about time as I have not listed anything new for awhile! Just in time for Valentines Day, is a new bracelet titled Faithfully. You remember that song by Journey? It features gorgeous beads by USA artisan, JavaBead, handcrafted Bali beads, lots of sterling silver and Swarovski crystals.


Dont' forget to enter my giveaway for a pair of sterling silver and vintage Swarovski crystal earrings! Just make your song suggestion for naming my necklace ( see top of blog page on where to "click" for all the details) by midnight Jan 31!!
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A sparkling Christmas

We went out this past weekend and picked up our Christmas tree, a fabulous fresh balsam fir that stands a majestic 9 feet tall! It is lovely and fragrant and smells like Christmas should. Yesterday I finally got around to decorating it, and it turned out great, all sparkling in silver, white, red and gold, very festive. It snowed alot here on the weekend, about 30cm, so everything outside is covered in a thick blanket of snow and looking very Christmasy! I am also posting a photo of one of the bracelets in my Etsy shop, called "Montego Bay", which has similiar colors to my tree, and also is very sparkly, with 40 genuine Swarovski crystals, 6 of them being vintage ones. Also the dichroic glass heart in this bracelet is breathtaking, and the photos cannot capture how delicious this Venetian glass heart really is. Pin It

Ugandan Beads Silent Auction Project

Today Betty and I are doing a little modeling, to show you the project that I have been working on recently. If you have been following my blog, you will recall that a few weeks ago, I had posted about Ugandan beads, and the women that make them.These women live in terrible poverty, and used to work in rock quarries trying to support their children on less than a dollar a day. Making and selling these beads at fair trade prices, helps them to feed clothe and educate their children. So I decided to purchase some of these beads, from a bead supplier here in Canada, called Titan Beads, and create something for a silent auction that will be held during my Christmas craft show. Then 100% of the money paid to me by the winner of the auction, will be donated back to a charity to help the women of Uganda. I believe I may donate through Beads for Life , which puts the money towards community development and provides funding in the areas of health, vocational training and education, sustainable life skills, and affordable housing. So here is what I have made for the auction in November, a triple strand necklace that combines these unique recycled paper beads with Thai and Bali silver, Swarovski crystals, prehnite, silk cord and one funky lampwork glass bead. Check out the close up photo of these Ugandan beads, and you will see how they are made out of recycled paper, using such items as old magazines, calendars, and even cereal boxes.

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"Dream Weaver" necklace and earrings set

Though the dawn may be coming soon

There still may be some time

Fly me away to the bright side of the moon

And meet me on the other side

Dream weaver.... I believe you can get me through the night

Dream weaver.....I believe we can reach the morning light.

Gary Wright

Today, Lucy is modelling this dreamy, soft, feminine set. This is a pretty necklace that I made that features one of Rebecca Werners lampwork beads, which I feel represents the moon. Also lots of silver chain, faceted aquamarine nuggets, pale blue chalcedony briolettes, Thai silver and Swarovski crystals for a bit of sparkle, are "woven" together to create "Dream Weaver".

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Scorching Sale at Hot Rocks!

It's sale time at Hot Rocks! Check out the Scorching Sales section in my Etsy store for reductions on selected hot summer styles!!

On sale now:

Like a Virgin- necklace

Tenderness- Necklace

Endless Summer-bracelet

Ice Cream Man- necklace

Modern Love- bracelet

I Wanna be Sedated- bracelet

Holiday-bracelet

Another Day in Paradise-bracelet

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Rapture

"Rapture", named after the classic Blondie song, is a necklace that I made awhile back, that is currently for sale in my Etsy shop. If you are a lover of vintage beads, as I am, this one is for you! I am passionate about vintage beads, and absolutely adore vintage Swarovski crystals! You can read more about vintage Swarovski crystals from one of my posts back in May.The sparkle, that they give off is incredible and certainly cannot be captured in these photos. The focal of this pretty necklace, is a sapphire and topaz colored flower combining two spectacular vintage Swarovski crystals from the 1950's. The remainder of the piece is made up of a combination of vintage ivory glass pearl leaves, more stunning Swarovski crystals, again from the 50's, contemporary Swarovski glass pearls in a soft buttery yellow, and gold beads. Portions of this necklace have gold wire coils running throughout the beads..hence the title "Rapture". I always picture Marilyn Monroe wearing this!!

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Bead organizing

Today I have the daunting task of cleaning and organizing my beading studio. It seems that every few weeks I have to clean the growing clutter of beads and supplies off my desk. I always vow that when I am done that it will stay organized...but it NEVER lasts! I try putting off this chore for as long as I can, but eventually I go crazy as it becomes impossible to design anything due to the fact that I cannot FIND anything. I am trying to come up with some better bead storage solutions, but keep running into a brick wall. I have tried the plastic boxes with dividers for my semi precious stones, but find that they end up constantly open on my desk so that I can see what it is that I actually have. I end up with 3 or 4 of these boxes on my desk and then have no room to move! I also have my crystals into tiny plastic tubes, which sit on a flimsy wire shelf, which constantly fall down with the slightest movement of the table. I have supplies in boxes, baskets and drawers, but then I have to go looking to see what I have, because I forget when I cannot see everything. I am a very visual person, and I would love to have all my supplies and beads in glass jars on shelves..like in a candy store, so that I would be able to see everything easily. I would love to hear how other jewelry designers and crafters cope with this dilemma and what works for you.

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Blushing Brides-Brandee

Back in April, I featured the first of my Blushing Brides, the lovely Erin. Today I am introducing my second bride in my series, Brandee. Brandee is a natural beauty, with a gorgeous smile and a unique style all her own! Check out those blue shoes! Brandee, found one of my bracelets online, and after a series of conversations, together we came up with ideas for a matching necklace and earrings, designed just for her, on her special day. Brandee was a delight to work with. She looks like she had a fantastic wedding day! Here is what she had to say:

"When looking for the right jewelry for my wedding day, I became frustrated. Nothing I could find matched my person style, my colours or my theme. I came across the PERFECT piece, a bracelet I found online at etsy.com and I had to have it. The piece was by HotRocksGlassJewels and it screamed my name. I contacted the seller and after a few short conversations, she had designed a set for me – complete with earrings and a necklace to match the bracelet! The price was extremely reasonable, and the items were EXACTLY what I was looking for. It was a pleasure to work with Susan on this design. She is full of great ideas, and really took what I wanted and needed and delivered an elegant, funky and perfectly me set! From start to finish the transaction was fun, easy and fast! I highly recommend her to anyone looking to add personal style to their wedding day. I got so many compliments on my jewelry and have worn it several times since! "

Brandee

*You can see a close up of the custom designed "True Colors "bracelet and necklace, that I designed for Brandee on this page.

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New Hot Rocks Jewelry Designs

While I was on vacation, at a local farmers market,I was lucky enough to meet two wonderful talented, lampwork artists who made some the most fabulous beads I have ever seen. Needless to say I purchased some of their artwork, and have incorporated these beads into my latest designs. This week I am featuring the pieces that I created using the lampwork beads of Canadian glass artist, Jane Perala.Among her designs, she creates the most spectacular beach themed beads, with tiny starfish and miniature sealife all made out of glass and incorporateed into the bead design. Also her shell beads are simply stunning, as you can see here on the pink necklace, where I have featured one of her beads. At the present time,my Etsy store is pretty much empty as my friend has taken all of my jewelry to her family reunion hoping to make some sales for me! I should have my shop restocked again in about a week, once I get my jewelry back from her. I will feature the second great lampwork artists' beads in a future post.... so stay tuned! I hope you enjoy these pieces, and if I should have them available for sale in my Etsy store soon!

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