Friday feature: random

Welcome to the May edition of my random feature!  Enjoy!

I'm also starting a Friday Feature Link Party.  All of the information is at the bottom of this post.  I know that at least a few people reading this also do regularly Friday features.  Add your links!  If it does well, I will make it a regular addition to my weekly feature posts.

I had to return to the mix tape theme here.
Wedding or Anniversary Card, Mixtape Love, black and pink single by elSage

This is such a creative idea!

Tape Measure Watch in Green by undoneclothing

Of course I had to include some beadweaving.  And these earrings are perfect for this time of year.

Spring Mood Lime Green Bead Woven Hoop Earrings by CallOfEarth

This stamp has been calling me ever since I found it a few weeks ago.  I'm sure that someone of you already saw me post this on Facebook and Twitter.  I could make the most awesome thank you cards for my Etsy shop with this!

Button Rubber Stamp by norajane
The one that I linked here sold out, but check out this other awesome button stamp that is still available.

I can't resist cloud/rain themed items.

Tiny Cloud Earrings by mxmjewelry

This cuff is too adorable.  Buttons + ocean + stripes + cuff = how can I not love this?

Button and Blue Seaside Cuff Hand Embroidery by Waterrose

I love this use of triangles.  She has a bunch of other triangle designs in her shop, too.

Triangular Bezelled Bracelet - Spring by catseyecrafts

olive green tubular triangles

Some of you may remember this new line that I started back in the fall.  I wasn't inspired to do much with it for a while because the response to the those first two pieces was pretty underwhelming.  The necklace finally got a couple hearts after I re-listed in January, but overall the views have been low.  I think that this is largely due to the pictures.  These minimalist chain link designs simply disappear against the music background.  The silver just doesn't stand out.  While I haven't been motivated to re-take the original purple pictures (which as we all know, is also just a difficult color to photograph well), I did shoot the new pieces against gray.  I also experimented a little more with the poses and angles.  I think that this is a neat design and is very original, even on Etsy.  I haven't seen anyone else use tubular triangles quite like this.  So I'm not ready to give up on it yet.

With all of that being said, here are my newest tubular triangle charms, this time in olive green.

The bracelet is available here, and the necklace is available here.  I'm pretty happy with the balance against the gray.  The silver stands out a lot more, but the green doesn't disappear.  I love these two shades of olive green together.  Olive is definitely another underrated color.  I know that charm bracelets/necklaces aren't designed to be elegant/dressy jewelry pieces, but I think that the olive color could coordinate with something pretty nice.

I don't have any other triangles in the works right now, which is shocking I know.  But as always, I'm open to suggestions and/or custom requests.

Also, Margaret (SplendidLittleStars) included my Beaded Cuff Bracelet - Dagger Fringed - Pink Garden in her Etsy Bloggers Team Spring green with blossoms treasury.  Thanks Margaret!

And Julia  (TreeBonsai) included my Beaded Cuff Bracelet - Monochromatic Explosion in her Monochromatic.. treasury.

back in stock continued

Over the weekend I updated the listings for a couple more pieces that I made new versions of during my time off over the holidays.

Since I started making earrings last year, a few of my designs have really done well so I've made multiple versions of them now.  These light green triangles are one of them.  They're available here.

I sold the original version of this design over the summer.  I'm not sure why it took me so long to make a second version.  It's so simple and classic.  And wasn't I just recently writing about how awesome red is?  This version includes a button clasp from Etsy's own Lisa Peters (lisapetersart).  This bracelet is available here.

jewelry Christmas presents

Happy New Year's Eve!  I hope that 2010 is wrapping up well for everyone.  As I waited to post the cork board coasters until I'd already given them out, I also waited to post pictures of the jewelry Christmas presents that I gave this year so I wouldn't ruin the surprise for anyone.

These earrings were for my mother-in-law.  I made her a tubular triangle pendant like this one (but without a chain) for her birthday in the fall so she has a little set now.  These earrings are available here.

These earrings were for my little sister-in-law.  I made her a bracelet like this one for her birthday in the summer so she also has a set now.  Until I sat down to write this post, I'd completely forgotten to add these earrings to my "add to Etsy" list even though I'd taken pictures of them.  So they're not up yet, but they will be at some point.  (Or you can request a pair now if you can't wait.)

I made this necklace for my brother's girlfriend.  My brother gave her this bracelet for her birthday in the summer and the coordinating earrings when she got back to the states this fall (she spent last year in Scotland getting her master's). I was undecided about what to make her for Christmas until I saw her at Thanksgiving.  She looked through all of my jewelry while she was here and was interested in the button jewelry more than anything else.  So I went ahead and completed the set.

I made a custom button necklace a while back but hadn't made one in the charm bracelet style before.  This next picture is more so that you can get a little glimpse at me (as opposed to the necklace) because I don't post a lot of pictures of myself.

And one more of the necklace by itself.

final Christmas item for 2010

I know that it's late to be listing another Christmas item (although that it hasn't slowed people down from looking at them!), but I got inspired to put these together before I put away my red and green delicas from another project.

They're available in my Etsy shop here.  They'll be on sale through Christmas.  I'm going to mark everything in the sale section down again the week between Christmas and New Year's so if you're not in a hurry, you can jump on that amazing price next week. :)

Since I got into making earrings this year, I haven't really looked back.  I have lots of bracelet ideas that have been burning a hole in the back of my mind, though.  My earring stash is plenty large now so I'm going to concentrate more on bracelets/cuffs again as we start 2011.

classic in black

I re-listed one of my favorite earring designs earlier this week (with brand new pictures): Beaded Dangle Earrings - Peyote Tubular Triangles - Black.

You can't go wrong with black!  So classic and versatile.  I'd actually like to make some more tubular triangles for my triangle charm bracelet and necklace designs before I make any more earrings.  I've only done purple for those thus far so there are so many colors/color combinations to use.  As always, I'm open to suggestions for any and all future peyote triangles.

new listing, October Top Droppers

I listed one of my newest pairs of earrings last night.  Whenever I poll people about color requests for new items, purple comes up frequently.  So here it is. :) Beaded Dangle Earrings - Peyote Triangles - Purple Striped

As always, purple is very hard to photograph, but the different shades of purple blend together beautifully in person.  I'm planning to make another purple version that matches this bracelet.  After that, I'd like to work on a few more tubular triangles for more earrings, chain links bracelets, and chain links necklaces.

The start of a new month means that it's time to thank my Top 10 Droppers on Entrecard again!  As always, I really appreciate everyone who visits my blog regularly, especially those of you who comment.  Here are the Top 10 for October:
1) The Twitterer
2) Sparkle
3) Moonangelnay on Etsy
4) BeadedTail
5) The Sewing Mom
6) Learn Affiliate Marketing
7) the crazy suburban mom
8) Dave Lucas
9) Three Fates Design
10) Patsy's Words of Wisdom

And as always, anyone on this list who is an Etsy seller and would like an item of theirs featured here, please leave a comment.  I'll feature the item of your choice in an upcoming post.  I'm choosing Sharla's (BeadedTail) for her this month.  I love her new paw print earrings! Furiends - Pawprint Polymer Clay and Black Onyx Beaded Sterling Silver Earrings

I hope that November gets off to a great start for everyone!

BLOG GIVEAWAY and FREE SHIPPING for my 2nd Etsy anniversary

My second Etsy anniversary is coming up on Halloween.  In honor of it, I am hosting my first blog giveaway!  I'll also be offering free shipping on everything in my Etsy shop all day on October 30th and October 31st.

The giveaway is for one pair of peyote triangle earrings ($13-$15 range) or one peyote triangle pendant ($15).  You get to pick the colors.  Here are just a few of my existing designs.  (Click on the pictures to go to the Etsy listings.)

To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is a leave a comment on this entry.  You don't have to comment about anything specific.  You are welcome to promote the giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc., but there are no multiple entries for promo.  I like to keep it simple. :)

You have until 11:59PM EST Sunday October 31st to get your entry in here.  I'll use a random number generator to pick the winner sometime on Monday.  Please leave your e-mail address, blog link, and/or Etsy shop address so that I have a way to contact you.

Free shipping will start at 12AM EST on Saturday, October 30 and end at 11:59PM EST on Sunday, October 31.  All refunds will be issued through PayPal.

treasury feature, quick update

Patch (patchfirstshop) included my Beadwoven Earrings - Peyote Triangles - Cream, Caramel, and Chocolate Layers in her EtsyBloggers Team: Autumn Celebrations treasury. :) Thanks Patch!

I finished my custom pearl bracelet tonight.  It feels so good to have that finished.  It was a lot of work, but I'm really pleased with the result.  I'm planning to take pictures of it tomorrow.  I'm still waiting for the wire that I need for the coordinating earrings so I'm going to work on a couple of my own projects again until it arrives.

new listing, treasury feature

I listed a new pair of tubular triangle earrings earlier this week: Beadwoven Earrings - Tubular Peyote Triangles - Aqua.

No matter how many colors I experiment with, this shade of aqua/turquoise is still one of my favorites.  I never get tired of returning to it.  As I mentioned in my last post, I have some purple items in the works now.  I'd like to make another pair of pink earrings like this shade at some point, too.  As always, I'm open to other suggestions as well.

Edi (memoriesforlifesb) included my Peyote Cuff Bracelet - Autumn Explosion in her Happy Fall Y'all-EtsyBloggers Style treasury.  Thanks Edi!

I hope that everyone is enjoying the long weekend!

triangles and a reworked design

I sold a pair of peyote triangle earrings on Etsy tonight!  Since they've continued to be so popular, I went ahead and relisted two of my designs.

green striped peyote triangle earrings

raspberry filled peyote triangle earrings

I am so happy that these continue to be so popular.  The only problem is that the current designs have done so well that I haven't branched out very much.  I will in time, though!

I also revisited a different old design this week and updated the listing tonight.  My skinny raspberry square stitch bracelet is now back in stock.  It's 15% off this month for the Christmas in July sale.

There's nothing like an order to renew your spirits.  My weekend starts tomorrow, and I'm heading into it feeling great!

newsletter at last, new listing, July special, June Top Droppers

Happy July everyone!   Where did June go?!  Summer always go so fast...

I finally sent out my first newsletter today!  We'll see what happens.  If you're interested in joining the mailing list, please convo me on Etsy by clicking here. :)

I listed another new pair of earrings today: blue tubular triangle earrings.

I've had an overwhelming response for more purple earrings so my next pair of tubular earrings will most likely be some shade or combination of purple(s)!  I haven't decided exactly what yet.  Let me know if you have any more thoughts or other color ideas.

I got my shop updated for the Christmas in July sale today.  All of my items tagged "Christmas" are 25% off.  Many other items tagged "red" or "green" are 15% off.  I have updated all listings that apply with sale information and sale prices.  You can view all of my sale items by clicking here.  All custom Christmas, red, or green items this month will also apply to sale prices.  Please let me know if you need any more information about this.

And finally, a new month means that it's time to acknowledge my Entrecard Top Droppers again!  Thank you so much to everyone who continues to support me through Entrecard.  As always, if you are on the Top 10 list, have an Etsy shop, and would like an item featured here, please let me a comment with a link.  I will feature your item in a post in the near future.  Here are the Top 10 for June.

1) Dave Lucas
2) Moonangelnay on Etsy
3) Go Las Vegas Baby!
4) Alterity Art
5) The Sewing Mom
6) BeadedTail
7) English Wilderness: Nature Photography
8) Three Fates Design
9) Paperkraft.net
10) Hugz Before You Go

gift certificate, back in stock, more pictures

I picked up my beads from the Flame class today.  As I'd hoped, there were a couple that I really like and a small handful that will make neat irregular focal pieces.  I'll take pictures of them tomorrow.

I won a $25 gift certificate for artisanclay a couple weeks ago.  You probably already know that I'm a big fan of Kristie's work.  I won one of her ceramic clay donuts a while back, and I also have a set of her ceramic buttons (that I haven't used yet...a tragedy, I know).  I waited until Jake and I got back from the Dells to spend my gift certificate.  My goodies arrived today!  I got the Small Blue recycled glass pendant or charm and the Stoneware clay bead set in Vivid Blue.  I will most likely keep the pendant for myself and wear it on a simple ribbon or chain.  I have a couple ideas for the clay bead set.  More details on that as it comes together.  Thanks Kristie!

I updated the listing for my raspberry and gold right angle bracelet today.  It's officially back in stock!

For those who love my peyote triangle earrings, my purple pearl peyote triangle earrings are also back in stock.

It's interesting going back and taking pictures of older pieces.  Some pieces are really hard to photograph well either, typically because of their shape (my normal "poses" don't work very well) or color.  In those cases, my new photos don't always look that different from the old ones.  But some photos significantly improve.  I'm really happy with the new photos for my blue, turquoise, and white fringed peyote cuff.

new listing, June EtsyBloggers feature

I listed my newest pair of peyote triangle earrings today, this time in blue!

blue striped peyote triangle earrings

I am going to relist the green version of these earrings and remake a couple of existing designs that I sold at the Iowa Arts Festival before I make any more striped peyote triangle earrings.  I am always open to suggestions for those when their time comes, though!

And now, on to the other topic for this post: The June EtsyBloggers featured seller is Sharla (BeadedTail)!  I'm sure by now that you already know that I'm a big fan of Sharla's Etsy shop and her blog of course as well as her lovely pets Isabella, Angel, and Sadie.  Please check out her shop and blog if you haven't already!

I feature Sharla's items here on a fairly regular basis, but here are a just a couple fabulous pieces that I haven't already featured.

Ocean Dreams - Tanzanite Swarovski Crystals and Blue and White Striped Lampwork Glass Beaded Sterling Silver Earrings

Natural Elements - Aqua and Brown Stone Beaded Sterling Silver Earrings

award, new listing

Duni (Lovely Purses) and her cat Sammy were so kind to give me and Angel the Happy Cat award.

As part of accepting the award, I'm supposed to list five things that make Angel happy.
1) eating almost any kind of cheese
2) eating almost any kind of ice cream
3) sitting with/working her non-existent front claws on plastic laundry baskets
4) watching me work on counted cross-stitch
5) sitting with her tank water bowl
Thanks again Duni and Sammy! :)

My inventory is still kind of a mess after the Arts Festival.  I did take pictures of everything that I brought with me.  I just didn't edit all of the pictures or write much down about most of them yet.  I will slowly edit the pictures and post listings for the items that I didn't sell at the festival.

I listed the first new one tonight: spring green tubular triangle earrings.

I was a little disappointed that not one of the three pairs of tubular triangle earrings that I had sold at the Arts Festival, but they still got a lot of compliments.

I don't know what color combination I'll be using for my next tubular triangles.  Any suggestions?  I'd still like to work one into a bracelet/cuff sometime.

I received confirmation last night that I'll have a booth at the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church Arts & Crafts Show in Urbandale, IA (Des Moines area) in October.  It's really nice to have another show to look forward to already!