Pastels for Spring

I've been seeing a lot of pastels at the trendy mall stores for the past couple of months. I'm not going to lie to you, this doesn't make me super happy. I just can't wear pastels! I guess I'll coast along on last year's fashions and buy a few new neutral pieces. But for those of you who look great in pale colors, I have a few items to add some sparkle to your Spring wardrobe!

Peachy Keen crystal earrings (shown above) feature white opal Swarovski crystals flanking vintage dusty peach faceted glass (or maybe crystal) beads. Can you believe that I salvaged these from a necklace that was otherwise made of bright orange beads? Crazy, right?

Peach Melon crystal bracelet is a good accompaniment for the brighter shades of coral and light peach. You can probably even match your lipstick to this bracelet, if you have the skin tone to pull it off!

Mint Blossom crystal bracelet is cool and clean and topped off with the prettiest clear flower-shaped vintage button. Oh mint. You're the one shade of green I can't wear! I'm seeing so many pretty little mint blouses in the store that would be really sweet with this bracelet.

If you're looking for other pastels, the Crystal Jewelry section of my shop is probably the right place to look. I've got crystal bracelets in baby pink, pale purple and more!

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.

Introducing... Feather Earrings!

You may have noticed some of these feather earrings in a few of the images from the photo shoot! It's true, I decided to jump in on this fashion trend. I have sensitive lobes, so I can't always wear a lot of big earrings, but feathers allow me to go big and bold without hurting myself. The pair on the left made with green feathers and silvered leaves was my initial prototype which I made for myself. They're really fun, in most instances.

Pro tip: Don't wear feather earrings to Biosphere 2. Part of the tour takes you through all of the ventilation stuff underneath, and there's a couple of spots where it's like being in a wind tunnel.

The other two pairs are available in my Etsy shop! Luck in the Wind Feather Earrings are turquoise and grey with Hamsa charms, and Om Feather Earrings are beautiful and earthy with brass charms and shells with Om symbols on them.

Twee Tweeter

The Woodland Jewelry section of my shop has been a little neglected lately, but I did recently add these adorable Nesting Time earrings. The charms are of course from Green Girl. How cute are they? They even inspired me to break my usual rule of not making matching earrings. Of course, they're close enough to matching.

So the truth is I have a ridiculous amount of Green Girl components. I mean, I use a lot of them, but I buy even more than I use. Each one is just so sweet, I have to have them all! The fantasy-themed ones are of course my favorite, but I like to throw a few sparrows and owls in for those of you who like your jewelry with a bird on it.

Allegory Gallery Late for June

 My new goal is to tackle all of my monthly obligations early, instead of putting them off until the end and then suddenly not have time for everything. There's really no good reason for me to be posting my June project more than a week into July, so expect to see my July project next week rather than rushed in at the end of the month.

These chandelier earrings feature three types of beautiful beads from Allegory Gallery. First, the yummy translucent green AB leaves, which have the most delightful luster. Next, some tiny fire polished beads in a nice metal-lined medium emerald green. Finally, the cutest little vintage Japanese beads, which came on a looooong loop of the original thread, with the original Made in Japan sticker. It was hard to cut that strand! They were just so adorable as-is! I wanted to wear the strand like a long necklace, but it probably would have snapped some time when I was out to dinner, sending tiny green beads rolling under tables, perhaps even causing a waitress to slip and spill a tray. Any plan that involves injuries and lost beads is not a good one.

Anyway, I took all these sweet beads and I dangled them from a really cool pair of Sterling Silver chandelier findings that I've had forever, to make a simply gorgeous pair of earrings. I have plenty of beads leftover (especially the vintage ones), so I think I'll have to make a matching necklace.

 Disclaimer: Some items in this blog post were provided for promotional consideration by Allegory Gallery.

Lots of new earrings!

 I'm on a quest to get my Etsy shop up to at least 100 items, and to keep it that way. I want my customers to have a great selection to choose from. To that end, I've been busy listing some new earrings in the shop. Above, Basalt Talisman, the latest in my line of Hamsa earrings.

 Tribal Bauble is made with some of the first Kashmiri beads I ever purchased. I've probably had these for about a decade now, maybe longer, and I've been jealously doling them out in small amounts. I think this is the last of them. A great accent to your favorite tribal necklace.

 Vampy Starlet goes perfectly with all of the red and black I've been featuring lately. The red beads are vintage! They're a really rich opaque red, like lipstick.

Since the hamsas have done so well, I decided to give these henna hand charms a try. Lovely Dancer Hands would be a great gift for a henna artist or belly dancer.

I really like using that little wooden box as a photo prop, by the way! It's so elegant and just the right size to display earrings, bracelets and anklets.

Still here

 Sometimes I am surprised by the things that don't sell. I mean, I fully expect that my most expensive items will take a while to move -- everyone loves them but no one can afford them. I make beadwoven jewelry because I enjoy making it and it's nice to have some WOW pieces to draw people into my shop. But when I have something that is awesome and affordable and then no one buys it, it confuses me.

Waiting for a Key is a good example of this... It's a nice, simple necklace. Adjustable length, pretty chain, art bead focal. Only $25. What's not to love?

 Gossiping Pixies are pretty much the cutest thing I've ever made, so I'm especially surprised that I still have them. Of course, people don't seem to really search for faerie jewelry very often, so I guess it may take a while for the right person to find them.

Disembodied Zombie Heads are only ten dollars. They feature bright green skulls. They are perfectly delightful in a punk-horror sort of way. I am honestly shocked that they did not sell within a week of being listed. If I was out shopping, and I saw these for only $10, I would totally buy them.

I guess this just goes to show that I am much better at making things than at predicting what people will like!

Already gone!

These hamsa earrings are already on their way to a new home! I never would have expected them to be so popular! I'm going to look for some more styles of hamsa charms and pendants to expand my line and offer a little more variety.

Are there any special symbols you'd like to see added to my line? I'm thinking of throwing in some "om"s and maybe some Buddhas. The belly dance and yoga communities overlap so much that those are really popular with my friends.

More hamsa earrings!

My hamsa earrings have been selling well so far, so I made a few pairs for the Desert Shakedown last month... where they did not sell at all. I am terrible at predicting trends! I listed the Crystal Hamsa Earrings in my Etsy shop, and the other pair (which also involves crystals) will be part of a special giveaway on another blog. I'll post more about that when the time comes. There's a third pair which I didn't photograph, and they'll be added to my selection of jewelry at Plaza de Anaya. I should also have some hamsa hairpins and sticks available, as well as other hair accessories and possibly other earrings. Did I mention that Plaza is still the only place to purchase my line of one of a kind hair accessories? It's true!

I love vintage beads

 One of my great joys as a jewelry designer is finding and using unusual vintage beads and components! I just listed these Absinthe Crystal Chandelier Earrings in my Gothic Jewelry section. They feature some of my favorite vintage beads -- those teardrops are hollow blown glass! How cool is that? I can't even remember where and when I got them, because I buy vintage beads from so many places.

However, I do remember where I got the vintage cabochon, teardrops, and bicones in Ghost Portal. They all came from this weird shop in NY that was tucked away in a warehouse-y/industrial-y district on Long Island. It was one of the must-stop-shops whenever my mother-in-law and I would go bead shopping. Sadly, the store has since been closed down and torn down, so there are no more fun afternoons of wandering around picking out weird vintage beads, but I do still have a pretty impressive stash from the few years that I did shop there.

New lower prices on Chandelier Earrings

I decided recently that some of my chandelier earrings were overpriced, so I've been working on repricing them. Today I lowered the prices on two pairs by $10, which means that you can now get Sunset Shimmer or Enchantment for $40.

I have the findings to make some more awesome crystal chandelier earrings, but right now I'm kind of focused on taming the mess that is my guest room, since there's talk of in-laws coming to visit next month and the bed is buried under beads and jewelry!

As requested...

So apparently when you show the internet a photo of several bags full of vintage costume jewelry, people want to know what's inside! Here's the first of what will probably be many photos.

There's a large abalone shell set into a custom-made silver ring. I suspect I will wear this one for a lot of dance gigs! Tribal girls love big rings and this one fits me and doesn't have any protrusions to snag my costumes!

There's a cameo set. The setting and the flip down pendant bail are very similar to the unusual cameo that my mother-in-law gave me, so I suspect they have similar origins as well! I love that I'll be able to wear the earrings with either pendant/brooch.

And there's also a pair of dolphin and flower earrings! These look like vermeil set with onyx. I'm offering them to my Mom because she and my Dad are SCUBA divers and they love dolphins. I suspect she'd wear these beautiful earrings more often than I will.

Told you I liked earrings!

 For the longest time, I couldn't really wear earrings, but my ears have gotten better. However, I never got into the habit of making earrings for myself, so even though I can wear them I only have one or two pairs that I've made for myself, and everything else was purchased. Well, it's time for that to change! Today I made myself this awesome pair of shoulder-dusters, with jewel beetle elytra and fern green Swarovski crystals.

What say you, customers... Is this a product that you'd like to see me offer at Handmade Jewelry by Erthe Fae Designs? Is it worthwhile for me to order more elytra? I would of course make sure to buy ones from a supplier that harvests them after the beetles have lived out a natural lifespan. I love insects too much to have them wantonly killed for my jewelry supplies!

Treasure Your Ears

Earrings! I just love them. Always have. So this week's treasury showcases the dizzying variety of earrings available from FAETeam.

Only one feature for me this week, but it's a really nice one... Swimming South by the ever-lovely Mermaiden. Thank you Julie!

Tribal Earrings

Whoops! I was unexpectedly away from the computer almost all day today. Please enjoy this photo of the earrings that I made for myself as part of the Muffin Tin Challenge! If only they weren't too heavy for my wussy ears.

Greenman Earrings

I'm always looking to add to the variety of faeries, creatures, and mythological figures in my jewelry. I bought these Greenman charms from Earthenwood Studios some time ago and finally got around to turning them into a pair of earrings, and thus this leafy guardian spirit joins my cast of characters! The Greenman Earrings are available in my Etsy shop.

Are there any fantasy creatures that you'd like to see available in my shop that aren't already there? I do plan to make a new Medusa necklace, since I sold the two I already had. I'd love to get my hands on a Naga focal, too, maybe a centaur, maybe another weird Garuda/tengu (I'm wearing mine right now!). How about a Kitsune? Or maybe a Griffin, I can't believe I've never done that before. And since the Sphinx bracelet sold, I should probably make something with the vintage glass Sphinx cab that I have hidden in my stash. Hmmm...

Muffin Tin Challenge -- Completed!

Despite being too busy to bead this weekend, I completed the Muffin Tin Challenge today! My project tally: 5 necklaces, 4 pairs of earrings, 2 hair sticks, and a bracelet. And by the way, do you know how hard it is to fit a dozen pieces of jewelry (some of them quite large) into one photo?

I didn't quite stick perfectly to what I put in my muffin tin. For the big pair of earrings, I had picked out some malachite tear drops, but they didn't fit on the copper headpins! For the olive dragon necklace, I didn't have quite enough beads to make it long enough, so I added some bronze pearls to what I had picked out, and I also changed my mind on what style of clasp to use. And for the big dzi bead necklace, the focal was more red than I thought when I looked more closely, so in addition to the tiger's eye I had planned to use, I also used some red tiger's eye, which was actually in my tin because I used it for the key hairstick.

This was a great challenge. Picking out the beads for a dozen projects in one afternoon allowed me to sit down and create lots of jewelry at once without constantly interrupting myself to dig around in my collection for just the right beads. And it also took a way a lot of wasted time on decision making. Instead of wondering what I should make, I knew that I had to make something that was already in the tin, so I just sat down and did it. I'm pretty sure I'll do this again, even without a contest to urge me on. Thank you Art Bead Scene for turning me on to this idea.

Stripey Beads!

Yesterday I mentioned that I had used the last of those striped beads to make a pair of earrings. Here they are! Stripey ovals, Swarovski crystals, and brass keys come together to create The Key to My Armoire Full of Striped Bloomers. Steampunk jewelry just lends itself well to ridiculous names, don't you think?

I really do have way too many different key charms and pendants right now. Pretty much any time I find a new one that I don't already have, I have to buy it. And I'll usually buy it in silver, gold, and maybe even copper if available. These particular keys came from Ace Handicrafts, the one bead shop that I always visit every time I go to NY. I like how ornate they are, and that unlike some brass stampings, they have a design on the back as well.

New Things

 I've had so many fun and exciting things going on lately that I haven't quite kept up with blogging about new jewelry! I listed the Smug Hipster Owl necklace and earrings set on Etsy last week. Between the set and a pair of not-yet-listed earrings, I managed to use the entire strand of brown and grey oval beads, which I just bought at the Rings & Things show last week.

These hamsa earrings, called Thrice because they have three different elements believed to ward off the evil eye, are brand new today, although I made them at the same time as the owl set. Since the first set of hamsa earrings sold before I could list them, I figured I needed to make another pair.

By the way, I'm not ready to make any announcements yet, but I'm working on various business opportunities. Although Handmade Jewelry by Erthe Fae Designs will remain the primary source for my one-of-a-kind jewelry, I'm looking into some vending and some consignment, to get my work out there and connect with new customers.

Such a tease!

Do you like these Hamsa earrings? Well, you can't have them! I did create them with the intention of listing them in my shop, Handmade Jewelry by Erthe Fae Designs, but I tweeted about them while I was making them and one of my dance classmates saw and called dibs! I call that proof that social networking really is good for business.

Anyway, over the weekend I worked on my new crystal bracelet variant (with metal seed beads!), and I completed two of them, but I don't really feel like setting up my photography stuff just to take pictures of two bracelets. I have the beads picked out for a third bracelet to make while I'm watching DVDs tonight. I could have made it last night after finished the second bracelet, but honestly the thread that I have to use with the metal seed beads is hard on my hands, so I don't like to work with it for too long at a sitting.

So tomorrow afternoon I will have three bracelets to photograph and whatever I buy at the Rings & Things show in Mesa tomorrow. Yep, I'm going to drive almost 2 hours to buy beads again, even though I keep saying I have too many of them. Guess I should go use up some more tonight.