feature, reworked item, new camera

Thank you to Theresa from Theresa's Treasures for featuring my summer stripes peyote cuff in her Favorites for Friday post yesterday! It means a lot to me to get featured anyway, and Theresa's blog is one of my favorite blogs to drop by regularly. :)

I reworked another existing design this week. I also finally started my Indian Summer EBW Challenge piece. Hopefully I will be able to finish that this weekend and start my green leafy bracelet order as well.

I ended up getting a Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS this week. Thank you much to everyone who gave me advice about digital cameras! I would not have been able to make a decision without it and all of the people who gave this camera good reviews on the Amazon and Best Buy sites. I haven't taken any pictures of jewelry with it yet. I did take some pictures of my students at school yesterday and was very pleased with the results. I'll post more feedback about the camera as I get to know it better.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

new listings, looking for digital camera advice

I listed the last two pieces from this summer over the weekend.



I did one remake of an existing design this week after I'd reworked the original for one of my summer orders. I took pictures, but I haven't edited the new ones yet.

I am considering getting a new digital camera sometime in the next 3 months. My husband and I recently received our cell phone rebates (we got new phones at the end of June), which turned out to be Visa Promotion Cards. I was planning to put the rebate money in the bank, but obviously we have to spend it instead. It looked like we needed to replace our dryer, but thankfully we don't so the money will not be going to that now. And I'm thinking about using it for a digital camera, which my husband is okay with.

I currently have a Nikon Coolpix 3200 which I got almost 5 years ago. I love Nikon and have been pleased with this model, but we all know how quickly digital cameras go obsolete. It's frustrating *sigh*, but what can you do? I know there are much better models out there now for about what my original digital camera cost. I am most likely going to get another Coolpix, but am looking for advice on what model to get. Any tips anyone can give would be much appreciated! :)

congrats and recent happenings

Congratulations to StudioAnnieVeillette who won the August EBW Challenge First Ladies of Style with her Royal Blue - Marie-Antoinette piece! I know that everyone probably gets tired of me saying this but all of the entries were gorgeous as always. The September entries are already coming in and have not disappointed yet. I haven't started mine yet, but hopefully I will get that done in time for the challenge.

I also encourage everyone to check out the winners of Use the Muse II. Use the Muse III is already underway. Information about that can be found on the same site if anyone is interested in entering.

I realized that I actually sold 16 pieces over my vacation if you count the piece that my grandma bought. I hadn't thought about that because I completed it sometime last month and actually never posted a picture of the larger version here until now.


I got a custom order this week from my co-worker who bought my turquoise leafy bracelet last month. Apparently her niece loves it and would like a green version. I am excited to use the large green leaves I have that match the large turquoise ones in Cindy's bracelet. I'm also just really happy that my leafy bracelets are continuing to do so well!

I'm back!

I got back to Iowa this evening. I sold 15 pieces off Etsy while I was out of town! As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was hoping to sell a few, but 15 was WAY more than I ever expected. Three of them were from the new leafy series, including this pink and purple one that I hadn't listed on Etsy yet.


I am still updating all of the sold listings on Etsy so that they are now made to order items. I am really glad that I bought so many leaf beads at Caravan. I thought that it was a little crazy at the time, but now I am thankful that I replenished my stash so I can create new leafy pieces. I only have 2 in stock currently!

I did do a little bead work while I was on the road. I am looking forward to getting back into a normal creative routine now that I'm back at home. Things will be crazy this next week with school starting up again, but when things settle down a little, there will be time for some jewelry making.

The deadline for both the next EBW Challenge and the Awesome Chicks of Etsy Midsummer Challenge is Sept. 5. I'm pretty committed to entering both so if nothing else, I will be working on both of those projects the remainder of August.

Thank you so much to everyone who continued to drop Entrecards and visit my Etsy site and blog while I was on vacation! I did approve new ads as I could while traveling and will be back in that regular routine now. I still have a few new items that I did not sell on my trip and will be listing over the next week or so.

August EBW Challenge

Due to some technical complications, voting for the August EBW Challenge First Ladies of Style is not being held at the usual location. Instead, you can go here: http://ebwteam.blogspot.com . The voting is up and running now so please go over there if you have a chance sometime between now and the 16th. The entries are amazing as always!

Caravan Beads and other current happenings

I have not been doing any beading since I've been in Chicago if you can believe that. I did restring a couple of stretchy bracelets that my grandma got me from the Lizzardo Museum of Lapidary Art in Elmhurst before I left Iowa. I actually got the bracelets for Christmas and am can finally wear them now. They were both a little big so I took some of the stones out of each one. I feel a little silly admitting that it took me that long to do that. Now I have some extra stones in mind that I can use for a new project.

I also spent quite a while putting together a handful of projects to work on while I'm on the road so I didn't have to bring all of my supplies with me. We'll see how much I actually get to, but I can always work on them later, too.

I did get a chance to go to Caravan Beads in the city since I've been here, which I've been wanting to do for a long time. I know that I said that I was done with major purchases for the summer, but I'm not in Chicago very often now. Even when I am there, it's rare that I have the time to go into the city for something like that. So I figured that I would take advantage of this opportunity. Caravan advertises in a lot of the major beading magazines and is the sister store of Briolette in Forest Park that I've mentioned before.

I had high hopes going in and was not disappointed. I was planning to get a lot of delicas, but I ended up getting a handful of cube beads and a ton of Czech glass beads. I was blown away by their selection of Czech glass. I really had to limit what types of beads I was looking for because my mind kept going in so many different directions. I could have gotten lots of new colors and shapes without buying anything that I buy on a regular basis and I still would have come away with a great selection and tons of new ideas. As it was, I got a lot of beads to supplement current ideas/interests (like leaves), supplemented a couple newer interests (like flowers), and only picked up a couple brand new items (like flat disc beads).

My goal now is to work through a lot of the projects that I already have ideas and supplies for before purchasing anything new. When I do make new purchases, it will be primarily to purchase single items that I need to complete a project that I already have the rest of the materials for.

No sales on the road yet. I'm hopeful that I'll make at least one. I still won't be dropping any Entrecards or listing any new items until I'm back in Iowa. Thanks for your patience!

final new listings before my trip

To follow up on my last post, I did get the nymo thread that I needed in Iowa City yesterday. While I was at the bead store, I only bought one other thing which was a pack of size 8 pink Toho beads. I'm proud of my self-control haha.

Here are my newest items from the last couple days. These are the last new items I'll be listing until I get back from my trip.



I am heading to Chicago tomorrow. I will be there for a week and will then be traveling to Ohio for a college friend's wedding. I'll be back in Iowa on August 17th.

I'm leaving my Etsy shop open while I'm gone. I'll continue to relist items as I can while I'm traveling. I will have my entire inventory with me and will be able to ship regularly. If anyone is interested in ordering anything while I'm gone, please convo me after you complete your purchase so I can give you an accurate estimate of when your item will ship. Thanks!

I will not be dropping Entrecard cards while I'm out of town. Please don't think that I am abandoning any of your sites! I love all of my regular droppers and will resume dropping when I return. :)

Finally, I want to thank everyone who has supported my most recent treasury: orange accented jewelry. I have received nearly almost 40 comments on it, have had over 150 item clicks already, and have had nearly 100 views on it, and it still has another day until it expires! I have never had a treasury do so well, and I have all of you to thank for it.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful couple of weeks. :)

a new treasury and a new listing

You know it's summer when I managed to snag two treasuries within a two week time period tonight. I just got this one tonight.


You can view it live by CLICKING HERE until Thursday August 6 at 4:38 PM EST. Orange is not usually my favorite color, but for some reason it has inspired me lately.

I listed another new piece today. I'm going to keep listing one new piece each day until I head to Chicago.


This is the cousin to my original blue square stitch bracelet that I sold so quickly. I was thinking about making a purple or red one next, but I'm almost definitely going to make another blue one first. I really love the look of the blue one and want to have another one on hand. I also don't have enough embellishments for a different colored one at this point. I can slowly work on building those embellishments, but I'm done with major bead purchases for the summer. I always have new projects in mind, and it will be fun to look for embellishments in other colors now over the next year.

I do need to buy some more white Nymo thread before I head to Chicago, but hopefully I'll be able to resist buying anything besides that when I head to the bead store in Iowa City tomorrow. :)

new leafy listing

I listed the winter leafy piece in my series today. I made this one right after the turquoise piece that sold earlier this week.


I have also finished a dark blue one and a pink/purple one that I will be listing later this week. I actually made two versions of the pink/purple, one to sell and one to keep. I now have three leafy bracelets in my personal collection.

I am thinking about making a leafy bracelet for the September EBW Challenge Indian Summer Dream. I also have plans for a Christmas one, another fall one that's very orange, and a multicolored one. Yeah, I'm definitely not over my leaf bead obsession yet. :)

July Top Droppers

It's time once again to thank my regular Entrecard droppers! I really appreciate all of your support. :) Here are the top 10 for July.

1) My gypsygoods
2) Split Rock Ranch
3) My Reflections and Impressions
4) BeadedTail
5) A Rose By Name
6) English Wilderness: Nature Photography
7) Silver Sachet
8) Melissa's Jewelry and Gem Blog
9) Theresa's Treasures
10) WillOak Studios

8 out of my 10 Top Droppers this month (as well as many others who regular drop by) are fellow Etsy sellers! Here are some items from their shops.

ABEO -(10)-MAGNET-Art Buttons...Mini Artist Canvas 1.5 inch buttons by gypsygoods

Bronzed Burgundy HandDyed Soft Pure Alpaca Roving to Spin, Felt, or Fiber Art by Split Rock Ranch

Calico Kitty - Fancy Jasper and Cat Face Beaded Bracelet by beadedtail

Iris Washed Black Bangle Bracelet by A Rose By Name

Cyan Blue Crackle Glass Bead Bracelet by silversachet

New SS Malachite Pendant with fancy scalloped edges by missy69

Silver and Lampwork Bead Bangle by tstreasures
Sophisticated Pink Flowers with Tender Accents earrings by WillOaksStudio

treasury feature

DebiDesigns featured my orange button charm bracelet in her Comment and Click in Shops treasury.


You can visit this treasury live by CLICKING HERE until Monday August 3 5:23PM EST.