Two Weeks... Just Two Weeks

Am I the only one going just a little crazy getting ready for back to school?  Sometimes it feels like that.

From the sports physicals to shots, to finding the best back to school supply deals, to figuring out when the heck my high-schooler gets on the bus, I am like WHOA!  Stop the world, I want off!

But seriously, it's pretty hairy.  And the bummer is, normally at this time of year there is a late August jewelry show up here in Tacoma or Seattle -- sometimes both.  But this year, it's neither, so I can't even spend a day forgetting about it all.  Of course I would use the excuse with the family:  But, I need to do this for the shop.  Seriously, they buy it every-single-time.

But this year I must wait until November.  So I catch myself often looking longingly at bead shops on Etsy.  Wow -- beautiful small quantities on there.  It's like Christmas whenever I find myself looking. I am just in awe of the perfectly faceted gemstones, and the wire.  There is this one shop in New Orleans that makes fabulous wire -- my mother got me some Rose Gold wire from there, so I have been having a little fun.

You did hear Rose Gold is super big this year? Like amazingly big.  Like, how do I get noticed for having it in my shop big.

These are Emerald Green Onyx (Color of the Year) finished in 14k Rose Gold Filled.

Stunning Mozambique Garnet with a pinkish hue finished in 14k Rose Gold Filled.  My mother adores these.

So you know those "Alina Jolie" Earrings?  The Emerald ones no one can get enough of? These are fashioned after those -- The are  perfect Emerald Quartz finished in 14k Rose Gold Filled.  Oh Wow -- two birds, one stone.

And don't forget there are only a few days left of the wonderful Birthstone "Peridot" -- it's a lovely green, and there are many items in the shop.

Up next month is the amazingly versatile Sapphire.  Ohh La La.

But for now -- it's time to start pulling my hair out again on the couponing blogs to find the best back to school deals.  You know that's right.  I've heard it both ways.

Yeah, I love Psych.  By the Way -- anyone watching "The White Queen?"  Lovely Jewelry ideas.  It's on Starz -- but the books are better.

~Maggie~

Oh Gosh, Not the Creativity Slump!

I am sometimes pretty markedly creative, like so creative I get that wisp of a thought that "This Rainbow Necklace will change the world!"  Then several people favorite it -- and my ego rises. I get happy, go-lucky and so excited that people think the same of that rainbow necklace I thought.

Then I wake up to a dreary Seattle morning with no desire to even edit the photos I took the day before for the shop.

I am not a psych major, so I can't tell you in all honesty where this sudden slump comes from.  It's like: OMGosh, this can not be happening -- just after this massive surge.

I woke up like this on Monday -- after having a fabulous surge of creativity that lasted quite a while actually. Most of those new items are similar in nature however -- so maybe it wasn't as big of a surge as I thought.

When I get here -- to this out of creativity place, I write a lot.  I tool around the interwebs.  I look at other items by other creative people and I try to get sparks of imagination. 

Or, I set everything aside and I take the kids to the pool, or out to a park, or something, and just take the day off from the shop.  (Not really as still throughout the day I edited a few photos here and there to post, and watched my shop so I could ship orders quickly).

It's like lightening really -- so fast and furious. But worth the ebb and flow that it works in.

Maybe I should look at my gemstones once more and see if something "sparks" -- or maybe, just maybe I should walk for a while with the kids, after all -- even though they are older now -- they do still see the world in a very different way from me.

Rainbow Necklace

Tender Shoots -- ahhh spring

Following the previous post, my next color is tender shoots.

A lovely Spring green -- it really is divine for spring, isn't it?  Here are a few items in Tender Shoots...

 Peridot inherantly lends itself to the title "Tender Shoots".  These are a smaller hoop -- 30mm or about 1.25 inches -- wire wrapped with a rustic cut roundelle.  These are smaller hoops -- but still a statement with the rich tender shoots peridot.  Check them out here.

 These beauties -- though you can see the most stark contrast with the preidot (tender shoots) also have a slightly pink "Linen" which is also included in the 2013 colors. These modern cluster earrings are just fabulous, feminine and fun.  Check them out here.

 This is a chunky lime green candy jade necklace that also holds the wonderful title of tender shoots in the sunlight.  The roundelels are 14mm by 6mm making this a statement piece, gemstone and not too heavy.  This is hand knotted on matching silk thread and currently finished in Sterling Silver.  If you want it finished in 14k gold filled instead, you can convo me about any changes.  See more pictures here.

 Ahh, peridot, I have loved you since the moment I started making jewelry.  In fact, the first jewelry set I ever made was peridot chips and rose quartz -- all about the feminine nature of gemstones when I started. These are high end peridot faceted roundelles, perfectly sized and wire wrapped around 45mm sterling silver hoops.  If I could pull off large hoops -- a pair of these would be in my jewelry box already.  Just Lovely.

These Quartz Earrings are one of my favorite so far in the shop.  Elegant, huge, and they have that hint of medieval jewelry appearance with the large facets still bringing out the super shiny.  I love these so much and would rock them all the time if I had a reason too.  But, dont fret, I bought myself some light pinks to make a similar pair to wear.  Must be the love of "Pretty in Pink" and Molly Ringwald's Red hair that rivals my own. These lovelies are here.


You can also search the colors in my shop to find what I have tagged with these colors -- there is a lot more variety than these for extra pop.  Think of these pieces as a way to be trendy -- but not having to sell out a ton of money for a new wardrobe.