Tired...

Tired after a busy day of beading!

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Smokin'Hot Deals! End of season clearance sale!

My end of season clearance sale continues in my Etsy shop. Everything is on sale up to 30% off. Take advantage of these great prices, to shop for wonderful handcrafted jewelry items for Valentines Day! All original and one of a kind jewelry pieces, created with precious metals, art glass beads, semi precious stones and Swarovski crystals.




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Olympic Torch Relay

On Wednesday I went with my sons school to see the Olympic Torch stop by in our area, on its way to Vancouver, B.C., for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, that are starting in 3 weeks. The kids were all pumped up with excitement, and we all waited patiently outside while we listened to speeches and were introduced to past and present Olympians living in our community. Here is a picture of the torch bearer for the next leg of the relay, waiting for the torch to arrive.

Suddenly, everyone starts to run towards the road...its coming!


We see the flame of the torch as the runner comes down the road and into the high school parking lot.


She makes her way through the crowd and up to the stage where the next runner is waiting.

There, they touch their torches together, to ignite the awaiting torch.


The new runner is off and running, with the torch now on its way to Banff, and then on to British Columbia! The torch relay started on Oct. 30, 2009, and by the time the torch reaches Vancouver in 3 weeks, it will have traveled 45,000 km across Canada,
( the equivalent of crossing across Canada 6 times) visited over 1000 communities in Canada, with 12,000 torch bearers....the longest torch relay in Olympic history!

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Hearts for Haiti

Yesterday, I found out about a great fundraiser for the earthquake victims of Haiti. After reading the post on Paiges' blog, Lenox Knits, I checked out the site on Etsy. Hundreds of Etsy shops have donated handcrafted items, to raise money to rebuild Haiti, after the recent devastating earthquake. All the listings can be seen here on Hearts for Haiti. 100% of the proceeds from the shop (minus Etsy fees and Paypal fees) go directly to Doctors Without Borders . Many sellers have included free shipping for the buyer. This is a great way to shop for your Valentine gifts, and support a very worthy cause! Hot Rocks has donated a Swarovski crystal heart pendant necklace, called "What about Love". You can find it here, in the Hearts for Haiti Etsy Shop.


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Sale Time!

Starting tomorrow, Tuesday January 19, I will be having a season end sale on selected items in my Etsy shop! This is advance notice for all my blog readers, and Facebook Fans, who may want to check out these hot savings! Discounts will be from 15 to 30 % off the original selling price! The prices will be reduced by tomorrow, each listing will show the regular price and the fantastic new sale price! I need to move some stock to make way for the new designs that I have been working on, so if you are looking for special, unique, one of a kind piece, now is the time to buy! I do not replicate any of my designs, so once it is gone, it is gone for good! Pin It

Fashion Trends for Jewelry Spring 2010

Now that you know about the hottest fashion colors for Spring, you need to know what is trendy and "now", in the world of jewelry for the upcoming season! You can easily update your Spring outfit with a new necklace or bracelet. From the runways of New York, Milan, London and Paris, I have gathered some key looks for your information and enjoyment! So whats hot? Bold, chunky, statement pieces, especially necklaces, continue to be a strong fashion statement for 2010. It seems like the more eclectic....the better! Dramatic necklaces in strong vibrant color combinations are in style and will definitely create impact.

Layering, multiple long necklaces, especially pearls and chains will also freshen your look for Spring.



. Ethnic and tribal influences abound, and materials such as wood, semi precious stones, brass and raffia will be seen in jewelry lines that will bring out your wild side!

Go edgy with bib necklaces, bold chains, big rings and pieces with studs.

. Ocean and sea influences will also be seen in this seasons jewelry in watery, shimmering colors, with items like shells, opals and pearls.


Bring out your femininity with soft, iridescent jewels featuring nature themes, such as flowers, and leaves in pastel shades.



The more eccentric, the more bold, the better! Pin It

Spring trends 2010

It is not too early to start thinking about Spring when it comes to Fashion. The Spring lines are already starting to arrive into the shops, and even though it is just a trickle at the moment, more and more will be arriving weekly, and usually by May, stores are fully stocked with their Spring and Summer lines. An easy way to update your wardrobe each year, is to buy some key accessories to give your outfits a fresh and current look. A new purse, new shoes and jewelery in the latest colors and designs will instantly add pizazz to clothes that you already own. According to Panatone, the colors for Spring are as follows:

Turquoise- is supposed to be a key color for this season...good news for all you jewelry designers out there!


Pink champagne- is a very pale pinky peach tone, almost a neutral, which I have already seen in the stores.
Coral -is another color that I have seen starting to emerge in the shops, this color gives a lovely glow to your face!


Dried Herb- is the name for this green shade, which I have yet to see in the stores.

Violet- a lighter shade of the purples and plums that were so popular in Fall 2009 ...this is one of my favorites, and I think this again will be a popular color with a lot of people this season.

Eucalyptus- a soft pretty green, a lovely neutral.

Tuscany- actually a variation on beige... again a nice basic neutral color for cotton pants, skirts & shorts.

Amparo blue- I also predict this color will be huge this season. I have already seen a lot of this in the stores, in everything from T- shirts to strappy shoes! I believe many people love blue, and can wear this eye catching shade.


Tomato Puree- I love this exciting, bold color! Not for everyone, but great in shoes and accesories to add a punch of color to those neutrals!


Aurora- A bright yellow, again great for punching up those neutral shades. I am not a big fan of yellow myself, and it is a difficult color for some people to wear. I think this will be one of those colors you will see in the sale rack at the end of the season....just my opinion but who knows!


Next post I will bring you all up to speed on the fashion trends and hot styles, in jewelry for Spring 2010! Pin It

Swapna, from Crafts and Cooking, has brightened my January by bestowing the Kreative Blogger Award upon my little blog! Thank you Swapna! Please visit her blog, she has unique recipes, and interesting information and pictures about her life and family in India!

Rules for accepting this award are as follows ....

1) thank the person giving the award

2)Copy award to your blog

3)Place a link to their blog

4)Name 7 things people don't know about you...

5)Nominate 7 bloggers

6)Place a link to those bloggers

7) Leave a comment on the blog letting them know about the awards.

7 things people don't know about me

1. I have been raising children for almost 33 years! My eldest child is almost 33, my youngest is almost 12! ( Yes I started early at 18, and I am now 51!)
2. I am a self taught jewelry designer. I have learned by reading books, and trial and error.
3.I worked in retail ( womens fashion) for 12 years
4.I have had the same 6 friends (3 couples), for the last 30 years!
5.I love to travel, and I could easily do it full time
6.I also love to paint, although my jewelry takes up most of my free time now.
7. I love to collect handmade pottery on my travels, and have a small collection of pottery with dragonfly motifs.
I picked a selection of old faves and new reads to nominate for this award.


1.Musings - fabulous jewelry by Laura Staley

2.Corner of Cats Mind-wonderful photos (lots of eye candy on her blog!), posts on her family, her cat and life in Saskatchewan, Canada.

3.Bei Mondi- Visit USA jewelry designer, Leslies blog where she posts on her world and her unique copper designs.

4.Narrative Jewelry- From France, with more fabulous jewelry created with polymer clay, and copper. Her blog also features other wonderful artists as well.

5.Nfall2art design studio- Nancys blog is full of amazing art! This talented lady knits, paints and makes lovely note cards
.
6.NanjoDogz- This Nancy makes adorable hand sculpted polymer clay dogs!


7.Backyard Beads- Doreen, is a California artist, who designs jewelry which features her own polymer clay beads.

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January blues

I don't like January. January is after Christmas and New Years, when everything is wonderful, colorful, happy and full of good cheer. January to me is cold, dark, depressing and boring. Every year I feel the same, and I cannot wait to see the back end of January 31st! To me, January represents the depths of winter where everything is hidden and dead beneath the snow and ice. My calendar is always empty in January...nothing penciled in, in those little squares. The rush and excitement of Christmas craft sales, and custom orders are over, the days seem empty and time seems to move much more slowly. Summer seems so far away.......

My plans for this month are to start my Spring line of jewelry. I have had ideas and inspirations swirling in my head over the past several weeks. Visions of fresh pretty colors, vibrant hues and seaside dreams have danced in my head! I have been ordering new supplies, and the packages of sparkly beads, gems and silver have started to arrive. I am looking forward to getting back in the studio and creating some new designs!
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