An Artists Way

Such a long time

2010-02-23T17:37:00.001-08:00

I really should make a goal for myself to blog at least once a week - to keep me motivated and inspired.

The past year has brought about a lot of changes in my life. Besides my recent marriage in 2008 (Okay, so not so recent) - my mother introduced me to her boyfriend Curtis, my old roommate from years ago moved in with my husband and I for one day then moved in with someone from the internet, created a second store on Etsy, been published, have a full time job outside of my home now, besides my on call work on the weekends, and now my husband and I have embarked on a life style change: losing weight.

We joined http://www.SparkPeople.com and have been logging our daily food, calories, exercise, etc. 7 weeks in, and 22 lbs down. Hubby's lost 16 lbs.

Being the foodie that I am - life style change in the kitchen scared me. I'm a cook. I am not happy unless I'm cooking. Creating master piece food presentations is what drives me. But, surprisingly, I've found that I am enjoying cooking more, now, then I was before. This change is challenging me, and my true abilities to cook. I'm no chef by any means, and would never claim to be. But food is the heart of my family - it's where people gather, and chat, and make memories.

So what's on the menu? Buffalo shrimp and chicken with grilled cherry tomatoes and pineapple. Holy hell, delicious!

Truman, one of our cats, is having ear surgery on Monday. He scratched his ear or did something that caused this blood bubble to form. The vet tried draining it, but it just keeps filling back up. So, next step is surgery. Makes me nervous. He's such a good boy, such a gentle cat. I'd be devastated if something ever happened to him.

Well, that's all for tonight. Off to watch Idol and put the buffalo flames out in my mouth! Enjoy my latest - Alien Slit Throat choker necklace!

And the winner is...

2009-02-02T07:41:00.001-08:00

And the winner is...

...www.minniemaes.etsy.com !!!!! You will be receiving the romantic valentines day heart bracelet featured on my blog!

And the runner up is... piccoladonna2006 - you will be receiving a romantic vintage style earring set!

I apologize in the delay for me posting. I am currently in NJ while my father is in the hospital, and will be here at least a week, possibly more. I will have your goodies in the mail for you as soon as possible, by the weekend.

Thank you all for participating in my give away!

Valentines Day Give Away!

2009-01-19T07:22:00.000-08:00

The most romantic Holiday quickly approaches! Valentines Day!

So in the spirit of the holiday - I am doing a romantic woven bracelet give away. The bracelet is comprised of cracked glass beads - round, oval, and diamond shaped - with three sterling silver wrapped red hearts. The piece is finished with a silver plated heart toggle. Such a romantic piece! The winner will be drawn on February 1st! Once I contact the winner, please let me know what size wrist you have as I will adjust the bracelet to fit you specifically!

Now, how this game works. Go to my shop here: Angel Heart Beads and view my shop - post here on my blog the link to your favorite item and why, with your email address (so I can contact you if you win!)

And that's it! Pretty simple!

And because I'm in the mood to share, I will be sending a runner up a free pair of romantic style earrings. So, in effect, there will be two winners!

Ready? Set? GO!

Wedding Photos

2008-12-09T13:15:00.000-08:00

Here they are! Photos from my Wedding on October 25, 2008!!!

The Holidays are coming!

2008-12-09T05:28:00.000-08:00

So you know what that means, right? TIME TO SHOP!!!

Today I am promoting some wonderful Etsy shops in hopes to help fellow artists make a few sales for the Holiday season.

First up is Sarah from the shop "Fancy" - her eye for color coordination, and whimsical style are perfect stocking stuffers for any jewelry buff out there. Take a look around, her prices are great, and her product is beautiful. Fancy's Shop

This artist is truly amazing. Her work is deep, and soulful - with just a touch of unnerving mystery. Aunia Kahn's pieces are both inspiring and beautiful. If you know someone who is as emotionally poetic as Aunia's pieces, these would make the perfect gift. Aunia Kahn's shop
You can also reach her at this URL www.auniakahn.com

All I can say about this artist is - OMG CUTE!!! Fairy Cute's store is such a pleasure to look at. I wish I had a little girl to buy for. This is PERFECT for your little princess for Christmas. Her prices are reasonable, and her product is GORGEOUS. Fairy Cute's shop

The Mint Conspiracy is sure to never disappoint. I, personally, own one of her Petunia creations and it is one of my most treasured plush stuffies I own. The quality of workmanship is amazing. The colors are vibrant, and lets face it - they are damn cute! Mint Conspiracy's Shop

Deb's shop is so fun and colorful. Her fishy bags are a total hoot. Her prices are great, and she is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet on Etsy. She is a forum regular, so stop by and say hi to her sometime. If you know of anyone who loves the movie "Finding Nemo" - they will LOVE owning one of Deb's fishy bags! Deb's shop

Do you know someone who loves to sew? If so, then this shop is a great place to buy a custom made pin cushion. These cushions are so colorful and cute. You can't go wrong for the seamstress in your life with one of these! The Blue Daisy's shop

~*~*~*~
In other news, BJ and I have been working our fingers to the bone the past few weeks! He has new puzzle piece jewelry up for sale, as well as new guitar pick jewelry. His creations just keep getting better and better. As for me, I've had a ton of custom orders, which is just fabulous! I love doing custom pieces for people, I think it's more personalized, and truly feels wonderful at the end of the day when they say "that is exactly what I imagined!". I love it. So of course, please stop by our shop from time to time and check out our newly listed!

Angel Heart Beads

New Etsy Mini!

2008-11-23T09:53:00.000-08:00

Lots of shopping going on here. Trying to get BJ to not buy anything for himself this time of year is like yanking teeth! The boy doesn't know when to stop shopping. hehe I have been busy buying Christmas presents with what little money we have (talk about massive bills) and doing trades on Etsy! I am definitely up for doing Trading for the Christmas season! This is my Trade Friendly section: Trade Friendly

My bunnies are almost 1 year old. Well, sort of. January 25th the little furry monsters will be 1 year old. Honey Bear and Sir Flopsalot (the parents) will be two years old this coming year. They are so much fun. The two boys Mischief and Peanut are *so attached* to me. We don't keep our rabbits outside in hutches - they are all indoor bunnies. We have to keep Peanut and Mischief separated from the other four because Sir Flopsalot has "domain" over the three girls and is very territorial - so the three boys would fight. The four bunnies stay in a large floor play pen that is probably 5ft x 4ft - while the two boys have a hutch. We bring Peanut and Mischief out daily to let them run around the house. They follow me like lost puppies. No matter where I am, they have to be with me. If I'm on the couch - they jump on the couch and stay there. If I'm in the kitchen, they are follow me into the kitchen. I've never met two rabbits that are so in love with their human owner. I guess a lot of that has to do with that they were hand raised (the four babies) by me and my husband. Female rabbits, I've found, are just naturally more independent - but all the boys have been extremely attached to us.

Here is a really cute picture of Mischief and J.C. (JC is a girl) at just a few months old. They are all so soft and fuzzy - lion head bunnies, dwarfs.

Other then bunnies, I finished a custom order this week for a lady in TN. She was such a pleasure to work with, and I am really happy with how the piece came out. It reminds me of winter, ice, and snow. Very magical and majestic piece.

Other then all that - BJ has been frantically working on the puzzle jewelry, I've been working on tile and glass pendants. I will end this entry with my Etsy mini and I hope that it posts!

Etsy
Buy Handmade
AngelHeartBeads

Vote for your favorite!

2008-11-07T10:38:00.000-08:00

It's that time, and yes, I'm hosting my very first blog contest! Please review the below lovely Etsy crafters and vote on your favorite. The winner will receive a lovely necklace made by moi, Angel Heart Beads!

The contest will end on Wednesday, November 12, 2008. Tell all your friends to come by and vote for their favorite pet!!! :)

Here are your choices!:

#1: www.CutthroatBodyArt.etsy.com Fur Baby Morgan

#2: www.weberphoto.etsy.com Nicole Worthley's fur babies

#3: www.nicherndesigns.etsy.com Bunny

#4: www.mommysyellinggirl.etsy.com Mommy's Yelling Girl fur babies

#5. www.getpalmd.etsy.com Miss Morrison

#6. www.recycledideas.etsy.com Recycled Ideas puppy

#7. www.weirdbuglady.etsy.com Ninja

#8. www.UglyGerbil.etsy.com Ash

#9. www.juliebcreative.etsy.com Zoey

#10. www.CanesGalactica.etsy.com Galaxy and Magellan

Have returned from my wedding / Honeymoon!

2008-11-02T07:53:00.000-08:00

Well, the wedding was positively fantastic. It went a thousand times better then I had anticipated. I'm officially Mrs. Armstrong and I couldn't be happier. People really weren't kidding when they said the day would go by in a blur. I just remember feeling so incredibly relieved that the stress was finally over, that we're now married, and I can breathe again!

The dress was beautiful. A lovely lady on Etsy made me a bell sleeved bolero to go with my dress: ( http://www.clkeerins.etsy.com )

My mom had made the floral arrangements for myself, my bridesmaids, and for the ceremony. Those came out beautiful as well. The bird cage center pieces were beautiful with tiny white lights, they just made the table twinkle and sparkle. Once my photographer sends me the proofs I will be able to post pictures of the ceremony.

My mom did my hair that morning in hot curlers, and I used her head piece from when she got married in 1979. The veil was a cathedral train and the head piece was a wide band with tiny white flowers. I added my own touch with a crown that fit well under the band.

Lets not forget the beautiful sparkle that the earrings that www.kerrihale.etsy.com made for me, added such a wonderful touch to my dress, hair, and bolero.

I must say that my photographer Rich Alborn was amazing, funny, personable, and reliable. He drive out to PA all the way from New Jersey to join in my special day. He is highly recommended and does a wonderful job. His site is here: http://www.heirloombridal.com/

So, the day went off without a hitch! I was happy with most everything - but must say - glad it's over! I never imagined getting married would be so much stress.

Upon our three tiered cake sat our lovely custom made by www.cbarjcrafts.etsy.com bunny cake topper. The cake was beautiful, and the bunnies truly added a personal touch:

After the honey moon we stayed at a BEAUTIFUL bed and breakfast in Wilkes-Barre, PA - The Sign of the Rose b&b. www.signoftherose.com The room we stayed in was the blue velvet room. Gorgeous, comfortable, and so completely what we needed after so much stress. The bed is to die for comfortable - and lets not even forget to give props to the two person walk in shower! Vesta and Terry are great people, and so welcoming. The next morning they cooked us a fabulous breakfast of pancakes with banana's foster, tea, coffee, and sausage. $85.00 a night for this wonderful charming place. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to get away for a weekend!

The Blue Velvet room.

So, while away on our honeymoon to Salem, MA - we visited the Salem village, and took many tours. While I'm really glad for the experience I must admit, I was slightly disappointed with how commercialized it had become, and hardly any of the buildings remained in original condition - and NONE of the buildings were you allowed to go in. Pretty much it was all just spooky fun houses and really bad food. lol But, aside from that, we did take a candle lit tour at night thru the town - the person leading the tour I felt did a crappy job but we did manage to catch orbs on camera in the grave yard. That was really the highlight of the trip. I'm happy I went but I don't think I'd ever really go again.

Salem's most visited museum.

After our trip to Massachusetts - I came home to a surprise. In my email was a letter waiting from Bead Trends magazine - our Tropical Puzzle Piece necklace has been accepted for publication in their April 2009 edition! I will be mailing out the piece this week for them to photograph. I am near speechless on this great honor. I will definitely keep everyone posted on what all happens after they receive my piece!

Please check out this site!

2008-10-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

Just wanted to share this link for a site that was posted on Etsy today - the host is offering free advertising space, and I sent her my graphic banner with URL to my shop! Check out her site!

Wedding update

2008-10-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

The count down is at 10 days! This whole experience has been one wild roller coaster ride. First it was on, then it was off, then on again, then off again. And here we are, only days away from "the big day" and I'm finally finding some peace and less stress. A lot of that I owe to my mom who has taken most of the stress upon herself to help make all this happen. And to show off her awesome floral talents, my mom has made my bouquet, along with my brides maids bouquets for the wedding:

Mine:

Brides Maids:

Other then that - we did end up losing the house we were planning on buying. I will never

in my life ever recommend the company Lend America to any person looking to buy a home.

BJ has really taken off with this puzzle piece jewelry. He's made a few more pieces and they are amazing. I've been working on wooden tile pendants. As soon as I get my bails in, I'll be able to complete them and post them up for show and tell. :)

We're rearranged our apartment now that we won't be moving any time soon - and all the bunnies are now located in my craft room so I can be with them while I'm crafting. I think they are happy there. They are just the most adorable things.

These are my babies Peanut and Mischief - they are the sweetest out of all the bunnies, and love to be with people. Infact, they have spent the last three hours running around my living room. :)

Well, that's really all the updates I have right now! I will be sure to post more after the wedding.

Are you a Rock Star?

2008-10-08T12:55:00.000-07:00

Hey, if we can't all be rock stars, we can accessorize like them, right?

A friend of mine from New Jersey has a daughter that is a country singer. Her name is Nikki Britt. Nikki released her first CD "Cowboy" in September. Her mother has been purchasing jewelry from my for years, and I was given good news the other day that her daughter was wearing all the pieces I had made for her during her photo shoot, some of which ended up on her CD album cover pictures! Visit her myspace with three of her album songs posted: http://www.myspace.com/nikkibrittrri

To celebrate I've made a fabulous new Rock star necklace, that I'd like to promote today! This fabulous piece is made from foiled silver stars, on a multi strand glass seed bead weave. The piece is finished off by a sterling silver clasp.

http://www.AngelHeartBeads.etsy.com

Also, my wonderful husband to be (in just 18 days!!!) has started a new gorgeous line of jewelry - made completely of puzzle pieces!

http://www.AngelHeartBeads.etsy.com

This weeks featured Artists

2008-09-24T20:41:00.001-07:00

This week I'm featuring some very talented artists that deserve some spotlight. Please take a moment to check out these fabulous people and their shops.

Sheltered - smoky quartz and gold leaf earrings: $17.00

http://www.bunnyroca.etsy.com

These are beautiful and perfect for fall. Sparkly, dangly, and feminine.

Jack O Lantern Bracelet: $15.00

http://www.AllegroArt.etsy.com

Add a little spunk to your wardrobe this Halloween with this cute and fun pumpkin bracelet. Cute little Jack O Lantern faces will make your holiday attire special!

Autumn Warmth (SOLD)

http://www.alkdesigns.etsy.com

A lovingly hand crafted autumn inspired quilt by Alk Designs. This piece is currently sold, but such a magnificent piece I had to share this with everyone.

Keep the Pride

2008-09-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

My wonderful fiance BJ has been making jewelry with me for the past three years - I'm sure I've mentioned this in the past - and he has made some incredibly beautiful pieces lately that I just have to share. This is our new "Pride" selection - which will be added to.

Rainbow Crystal Choker: $28.00

I especially love this piece because of how creative he was with the use of Swarovski crystals and the black glass spacer bars - he alternated the use of large and small to give it a more interesting look. The piece measures approximately 16"

Over the Rainbow Watch: $45.00

Love this piece - beautiful watch with rainbow swarovski crystals and hematite. The piece is made on a firm flex stretch line that allows give for larger wrists.

Dragonfly Rainbow Quartz necklace: $22.00

Beautiful rainbow shades of dyed quartz crystal chips, hung together and separated by swarovski crystal gems. The sweet little dragon fly adds such a nice appeal to this piece.

Additional Rainbow / Pride items will be added to the site, so please keep checking back for more listings! We try to list a few new items daily, to give a nice selection. We are also upgrading some of the existing listings with better photos.

~*~*~* CONTEST *~*~*~

I will be holding a contest next week which I will be posting more details on later. I will be offering up one of my fabulous bracelets for free to a lucky winner. Pictures of the chosen bracelet will be posted next week. The requirements to participate will be to view my shop, and post a comment on my blog under the designated posting which will be posted next week, with your favorite item. Names will be placed inside a container and a lucky name will be drawn and posted on Friday the 26th.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Favorite recently posted item in my shop of the week is:

Emerald river necklace and bracelet set: $42.00

Moving forward in all things great!

2008-09-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

Well, our house inspection is complete! Everything pretty much came back A-Ok on the house, with the exception of the Radon test. The sellers will have to install a Mitigation system from the basement to filter out the ground gases. There are just some minor "house repairs" that we will handle on our own (reconnect a down spout, install a cover plate for an outlet, etc). So, we are still on schedule for moving into the new house by the end of the month! Yay! I'm so excited to finally have a HUGE work area for all my crafting habits!

BJ and I were supposed to do a show in Brielle NJ this month. However, due to Hurricane Hanna it was cancelled. :( No rain date, and no refund. A little upset about that. However, we do have tons of new stock for our web store! Here are a few beauties that we were bringing to the show, but have now listed on line instead!

Autumn Leaves Necklace: $45.00

This piece my fiance made with a beautiful carved stone leave, and matched it with carnelian stone, goldstone, unakite, swarovski crystals, and glass. The piece is finished with a leaf toggle clasp. I think this piece is just stunningly beautiful. He truly has an eye for color combination, and is really proud of this piece.

Fancy Girl Necklace: $55.00

This piece is so fun and funky. I took grey and orange blister pearls (dyed), and combined them with orange and purple glass brios, smokey quartz crystal, coral nuggets, and swarovski crystals. I LOVE how this came out. It reminds me of late fall when the leaves are scattered all over the ground, and the air is cool, and crisp.

Oh Josephine bracelet: $30.00

This piece was also made by my fiance. He's used beautiful glass dagger beads, foil lined pink seed beads, and dangled two facet cut heart Chalcedony stones to dangle from the wire ends. Bracelet is made from memory wire for easy wear. This piece is so flirty and fun, what girl wouldn't love it?

Aside from making jewelry - I've also been working on some decorative art. I painted this on a paper craft bag for some lucky trick or treater! Hand painted decorative Halloween bag: $6.00

Hand Painted pumpkin photo album (leather): $12.00

Now, as always, there are MANY Etsian artists that I just absolutely adore. Here are some items that I've come across that I feel need a little spot light!

Lotus Tomato pincushion by www.sushipie.etsy.com - this pin cusion is just *too cute*. Such great hand made quality, and I just love the colors:

Pretty Girl Rose Blossom necklace by www.theluckyrose.etsy.com - this is absolutely stunning. This has been formed from clay, and mounted to hang from a chain. The artist of these beautiful roses truly has a gift - they look like once live roses that have been cast in glass.

These earrings I purchased from www.kerrihale.etsy.com and she is an AMAZING artist. These earrings are so gorgeous, the picture does not do them justice. I asked Kerri for a pair of earrings for my up coming wedding - and she accommodated and made me these beauties. If you are in the market for high quality sterling and gemstone, fancy and sophisticated jewelry - Kerri will amaze you with her talents!

Wow! Long time no blog. My bad!

2008-08-29T07:11:00.000-07:00

Wow, I've been a bad blog-mommy.

Some personal updates before we get to the goods! My fiance and I are a little over a month away from "the big day". Stress doesn't even begin to describe. We still have a majority of the wedding to pay off, so that's a big factor right now in our stress. I did, however, have to go buy a new dress from David's Bridal. The dress is very beautiful and pretty conservative.

ANNNDDD.... we have bought a house. Well, not "officially" yet - but we sign the papers for the house today. A beautiful 3 bed room home, with a fire place, pool, and a dining area that I can only describe as the perfect french cafe.

Now, onto what's new in the craft world! I do an annual show in Brielle, NJ every fall. The show happens to be next weekend (September 6th) and I am *so excited*. We have so many new beautiful creations, new styles, and if I may say so myself, our technician has dramatically improved from last year's show - that I'm quite positive that the show will be a huge hit.

Recently I have found an attraction and love for Lampwork glass - and have started a Kidney Bean line - a single lamp work glass Kidney Bean on a sterling silver cable line. These necklaces are so dainty and feminine - I'm having a hard time parting with them! The line has not officially made it's way to my Etsy store as of yet, but hoping by November I will have my line completed with all the beans finished, in all colors imaginable.

My lampwork obsession has not ended there. I have found a love for taking truly gorgeously hand made lampwork beads in all assorted shapes, designs, and colors, and turning them into OOAK bracelets.

This piece, I just love... I love the texture of the bumpy lamp work beads, and the contrast of the lavender swarovski crystals. I call this piece, Fall Festival:

http://www.AngelHeartBeads.etsy.com

For those of us clinging to the remains of summer, this piece reminds me of a late summer carnival, with the sky blue and contrasting sunshine yellow. I call this Carnival Sky:

http://www.AngelHeartBeads.etsy.com

I love beads, and love creating jewelry. I even keep the pieces that I deem as "ugly jewelry". Just because it's not necessarily my style - doesn't mean that there isn't a person in the world who wouldn't think that they've found a treasure.

Aside from my new creations - I have been doing quite a bit of shopping on Etsy (as always). Here are some of the fabulous pieces that I have recently purchased and highly recommend these shops for superior product, fantastic customer service, and prompt shipping:

Devan Carol's shop: http://www.devancarol.etsy.com

I received this fabulous wool felted ring yesterday. I positively love it. The ring is a fun accessory and the color combination could fair well for both summer, or fall fashions. Devan is extremely accommodating, responds fast to all convo's, and has exceptional shipping time.

If you're looking for cute, and original tags - shop is fabulous, and the seller is very sweet, helpful, and cheery. You know how you sometimes get a seller who you purchase from then you hear hide nor hare from them? This seller, cornerstore, is a polar opposite of that. They are professional, and prompt. http://www.cornerstore.etsy.com

This seller is near and dear to my heart. If you're looking for rainbows and sunshine - this shop is definitely a place to visit. I have made multiple purchases from this seller, and even purchased a bulk order or friendship bracelets that have their shop information on the packaging that I am now including in purchases made via Etsy as well as the shows I will be attending as a "thank you" gift. I believe that working together with hand made artists not only helps boost sales for both parties involved, but also gives a greater sense of community. http://www.Makepeacebutrebel.etsy.com

This piece from Make Peace But Rebel, is not a purchase of mine (yet, note the yet, it is hearted and I plan on purchasing!) but it's so well done, I had to share the quality workmanship this shop offers to customers:

And, my final promotion of the day, I recently purchased this beautiful, fluffy, fuzzy friend from a fabulously artistic, talented, and Etsy famous plush creator: Mint Conspiracy. The plushies are so professionally made with care, and are so truly unique - how can you resist this furry little face? http://www.mintconspiracy.etsy.com

As always, buy hand made! Visit Etsy often, and help support this fabulous hand made community of talented artists, and quality product! http://www.etsy.com

Helping to promote other artists

2008-06-07T07:39:00.000-07:00

I have compiled a list of some of my absolute favorite shops - come check them out and help to support the hand made community!

http://www.Pixxistix.etsy.com

http://www.Sinister.etsy.com

http://www.JoBearCreations.etsy.com

http://www.LittleElfsToyshop.etsy.com

http://www.peacoxcreations.etsy.com

http://www.mailled.etsy.com

http://www.johnif.etsy.com

http://www.jenngee.etsy.com

http://www.nonasnote.etsy.com

http://www.PandaLoves.etsy.com

http://www.quiltnut60.etsy.com

http://www.fairydreams67124.etsy.com

http://www.Strawberryhill.etsy.com

Meanwhile, enjoy a picture of my baby Eeyore, a dwarf lop that was born on January 25, 2008 to my other two rabbits Honey Bear and Sir Flopsalot. She has one other sister, J.C., and two brothers - Mischief, and peanut. Isn't she too sweet?

Long time no blog!

2008-06-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the long over due blog! My life has been a bit crazy. A little insight on recent events that have had me so busy!

- Wedding planning. Oh, my gosh! I never thought that planning a wedding would be so time consuming and tiring! My fiance and I have set the date for October 25, 2008 - and have started the long process of deposits to vendors and setting things up for that date.

- My Nissan Sentra was totaled. Among my very busy schedule, I have unfortunately had the added stress of being temporarily carless. My brother in law was driving my Nissan on Mother's day weekend to see his mother in NJ, and hit a deer. The impact was so forceful, that the entire front end of my car was destroyed along with the computer, and all the wiring. Alas, things are starting to work themselves out, and I am in the process of buying a Jeep Wrangler for cash. This works out in a positive sense, no more loan to pay off!

- Complete store over haul. Photographing, posting, revising, retaking photos, reposting, revising... it is such a long process! I think I have finally figured out how to work my camera, and have a nice set up that allows for very attractive photos.

- New lines of jewelry and an introduction into my decorative painting works. My fiance has established a nice line of jewelry with guitar picks, while I have been making pretties with glass bubble beads, and cha cha bracelets.

My new line of bracelets have been especially fun to make. The color combinations are virtually endless. Plus, they are really relaxing to make. So many of my friends have exclaimed "How in the world did you make that! It looks so complicated!" when infact, it is so simple. Shh, don't tell! :)

As for my hand painted deco art bags - those are especially inspiring for me. I have been painting for as long as I can remember, and while jewelry design my be my most favored passion, I can't deny my painters roots. These mysterious tree paintings have been stuck in my head for months, and I'm not sure why this image came to me. But, it is all I've been able to paint as of late. I believe that my next painted project will be painted Raven's on tote bags. We'll see what happens!

Now, without further ado, here are some recent photos for your enjoyment! Please do stop by my shop to check out the new pieces we have listed. All proceeds are currently going to the Rainbow Bridge Rabbit Rescue fund which will help in the support and cost of spaying and neutering rescued rabbits in the NEPA region. http://www.AngelHeartBeads.etsy.com

Jewelry for the Food Network Stars?

2008-02-21T06:30:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love food? Or in fact, who doesn't love the Food Network for at least one of it's stars? I find inspiration in the strangest places. I have to admit, I'm a total Food Network junkie - and am a super huge fan of Rachel Ray.

While making jewelry, I try to find things that inspire me from the interests that I have. Namely, making "food" from Polymer clay. I have designed a Tomato necklace and earring set for Rachel Ray, which will be promptly mailed out to her this week.

Meanwhile, I have also designed a Cherry pie necklace and earring set for Paula Deen. These two ladies are my cooking inspirations.

Sometimes it's easier to become inspired then one might think. It doesn't have to always be "jewelry related" to make jewelry.

Destashing your habit

2008-02-13T11:59:00.000-08:00

Do you ever find yourself sitting in your sanctuary, among piles and mountains of projects, over whelmed by the ever growing stock pile of supplies you have accumulated over the year?

Maybe what we all need is a little reorganizing, and, in the words of T.V. Host Niecy Nash - take a big girl pill and unload the chaos! I have decided to unload beads from my stash that I will not be using. Slowly over the course of the next week or so I will be pulling out my stock, sorting, reorganizing, and selling what I do not need. Fraction of the retail cost, major savings for those in the market for destashes of beads!

I know that I am unable to work in a disorganized studio, so I'm sure there are others out there that feel the same way. Lets make this month the "lets get organized and out of the rut" month so that we all start producing our magnificent creations for all the world to see.

Meanwhile, let me supply your habit. Stop by Angel Heart Beads and grab up some great bead lots. Have a look around, and let me know what you all think of my ever growing store!

Valentines Day is around the corner!

2008-02-11T12:09:00.000-08:00

Ahh the month of Love. Valentines Day is just around the corner. Have you picked out the perfect gift for your sweetie yet? I feel that if you're going to buy your lady something for the most romantic day of the year a piece of jewelry - buy it hand made! It says "I was thinking outside of the box" and not just grabbing something mass produced from a chain store. Or, get your hands dirty! Have a piece custom made for your love. Ask a designer if they can accommodate your ladies favorite gem stones with her preferred metal (sterling silver, 14k gold, surgical steel, etc...) and then you can not only reap the benefits from having an original one of a kind of for your Valentine, it will mean so much to her that you used your creativity to make something especially for her!

Never underestimate the power of self creativity. Women, at lease those I have encountered personally, have preferred a thoughtful hand made gift over a gift card, or a store bought mass produced piece of jewelry, or stuffed animal... If you go stuffed animal - buy it hand made! There are hundreds of talented artists all over the web who are more then happy to accommodate your needs for the "Perfect Gift".

Valentines Day shouldn't be the only day you say "I love you"... Pick a random day out of the year, and make that day YOUR special day with your better half!

Polymer Clay

2008-01-28T10:27:00.001-08:00

Rob and I have been working with polymer clay as of recent. We've only been making polymer pieces for about 3 weeks. He is focusing on making bears, while I have been working on the food side - polymer cakes, donuts, cupcakes, pies, etc... I'm truly addicted to making "food jewelry". I think they are unique, and they are a treat you don't have to regret on the scale.

When firsting starting with polymer clay we had also purchased the recommended sealer. This stuff was aweful. It destroyed our brushes, and left the beads sticky. That simply did not work. So, we tried a more uncommon avenue... nail polish top coat. This works like a dream! We have also used top coat with glitter in it already, and that gives the beads a nice glimmer.

Attached is a photo of a pair of chocolate cake slice earrings I recently finished. I'm very attracted to "food related" jewelry - must be because I'm a Food Network addict.

A new beginning

2008-01-15T10:22:00.000-08:00

Thank you for stopping by my little corner of the web. My name is Tracy, I live in the north east region of Pennsylvania with my fiance, two cats, and two bunnies. My fiance and I found a common interest together in jewelry design, and ceramic painting. We share so much love for creation that we decided to take it a step further and try our hand at a jewelry business. Here I will be updating our progress on new ideas, creations, photographs of finished work, and of course, of our family. I hope you enjoy your visit, and please do come back often.