Desert Shakedown!

Well, I am all about the vending this week, but you don't have to wait until March for this one! I am returning to the Desert Shakedown for my third year of vending. This year the vendor marketplace is entirely indoors which makes me quite happy... No more worrying about my displays blowing over, no shifting my chair from one shady spot to another.

Not only will I have my usual selection of jewelry and some new work that won't be added to Etsy until after the show, but I will also be sharing the booth with my friend Sandarita who will have various accessories and some gently loved belly dance costuming. You should come see us. Two redheads in one booth? Fun times are sure to ensue.

Time for more steampunkery!

Guildmistress is one of only 7 steampunk items currently in my shop. Well, it's time to do something about that because my brother and I just got accepted to share a booth at WILD WILD WEST CON!!!! Woohoo! I can't even tell you how excited I am at the thought of spending a long weekend hanging out at Old Tucson Studios in steampunk garb, selling my jewelry to awesome people. It's also an excuse to buy new boots! Tee hee! And of course, shop for more vintage beads, keys, and other cool items to use in my steampunk designs. After all, this is going to be a convention full of other vendors in the genre, so I am going to have to stand out!

Luckily the convention isn't until March, which means I have plenty of time to design and create some gorgeous things, plus gem show is between now and then, so I can really stock up!

What to make? What to wear? How will we decorate our booth? This is going to be awesome!

Desert Raindrops -- BFAC Project

Here's my project for next year's Layne's Legacy -- Beading for a Cure auctions. I didn't add any beads to the kit this year, just a Muscovite cabochon that someone had sent to me as part of a birthday package, some coppery chain, and the supplies necessary for bead embroidery.

It's hard to tell in this picture, but included in the kit was a tube of those new-ish peanut beads. They were a challenge to figure out how to use, but I actually really like how they look laid out in a line for embroidery, so I might have to buy more for further experimentation.

Little shop update

Hello out there! I made a change to my Etsy shop this week -- change for the better, I hope! Now in addition to accepting PayPal, I also accept Etsy's new direct checkout feature. So if you'd prefer not to use PayPal, you now have that option. This also allows me to accept Etsy gift certificates! I'm pretty excited about that, because I'd been considering adding gift certificates to my shop but I wasn't sure how I wanted to do it. Now Etsy has done the work for me!

(I'm also excited because maybe people will give ME Etsy certificates for the holidays and I can go shopping! A lot of my favorite shops are now accepting them)

If you'd like to try out the new checkout feature, feel free to go shopping at Handmade Jewelry by Erthe Fae Designs.

And now, earrings!

Now that I'm caught up on listing crystal bracelets (other than two stubborn ones that refuse to photograph well), it's time to catch up with earrings! These Clear Waters Beaded Earrings feature color-treated quartz and Swarovski crystals. They have a lovely, translucent quality like chalcedony.

These basic drop earrings have always been a best-seller for me. They're a great way to treat yourself to an affordable piece of one of a kind jewelry, plus I make them in enough color combinations that everyone can find something they like. Oftentimes I use beads leftover from necklace projects, so they coordinate with each other. I think I'm about due to make some new ones to get ready for my Autumn vending and the holiday rush.