I Love Vintaj Brass!

There is something about the deep caramel color of Vintaj brand brass that draws me in. Their name is synonymous with "quality." As brass goes, it is definitely more expensive than your run of the mill, generic brass findings and materials. But worth it. Yes, it's brass, not fine silver, gold or platinum. I know that some turn their noses up at what they consider to be the 'lesser' metals. But let me tell you, you just don't find jewelry made with the old Arts & Crafts, Art Deco and Art Nouveau molds in those higher-priced metals. And when you do, well... better check your bank account, because you're going to pay dearly.

My friend, Karen, of Treasures by Karen at Etsy, carries Vintaj brand findings now. She also sells Tierra Cast findings, which are GORGEOUS, but another story for a different day. Karen sent me this Vintaj Peony filigree to work with, wanting to see what I would make with it. The photos in this entry are the result of that generous gift.

What you see is my newest necklace, "Lucid Dreams" for short. I entered it into Vintaj Blog's Design Challenge for July. Wish me luck, please. :)

The necklace was made using Vintaj's Peony filigree, which encases a massive inverted teardrop carnelian stone. The chain used is their Etched Cable chain and their Petite Etched Cable chain. The large faceted Czech glass topaz (purchased from Karen's store) is encased by two Vintaj filigrees. It hangs on a Vintaj headpin, along with a peacock freshwater pearl, and drops from a wire-wrapped 10mm Amazonite round. Those same Amazonite rounds alternate, wire-wrapped, with carnelian orange Czech glass melon beads, to form a chain on the right, along with a separate draping of the Vintaj Etched Cable Chain. To the left is more of the Etched Cable Chain and, separately, a strand of the Petite Cable Chain, which branches off from a 14mm deep red carnelian bead which is cupped by a filigree bead cap. Here, the chains divide and one chain attaches to the filigree while the other attaches to a Vintaj large reposee "Soaring Sparrow," which swings free on that chain, moving up and down with the movements of the person wearing the necklace. From her tail feathers hangs an amazonite briolette and a peacock freshwater pearl.

In the back, the necklace closes gracefully with a large Vintaj Leaf and Branch toggle set. Throughout, I used their Etched Jump Rings, and from one of those jump rings, near the toggle, hangs an amazonite round, a melon bead and a peacock freshwater pearl. They hang on non-Vintaj paddle headpins.

In my opinion, a necklace that makes this bold a statement requires simple earrings, so I took two of the 10mm Amazonite rounds, two of the melon beads, and two 8mm Amazonite rounds and wrapped them simply with patina'd brass wire, finishing the bottoms with the same antiqued brass paddle headpins that adorn the toggle on the necklace.

This necklace was sold before it was even listed, and it is a OOAK, but there will be more that will be somewhat similar, with different stones, but never one just like this one. I have faith that my wonderful customer will enjoy wearing this necklace. I tried it on for a minute and wanted to keep it, but as all jewelry designers know, we can't keep everything. In the end, I keep only a few items, because part of the joy of being a jewelry designer is knowing that someone else will wear it and feel special and beautifully adorned. That's what it's all about, really, feeling great wearing a piece of jewelry, and that is what my goal is for our customers. To those of you who have hung in their to read this long entry, thank you. As always, you are always welcome at our Adorn Me Jewelry store at Etsy. :)

I ♥ Handmade Summer

I like the I ♥ Handmade site and their projects and mission. From time to time I join their online virtual craft shows, and right now their "I ♥ Handmade Summer" show is going on from Jun 19th through July 11th.

As a vendor, it's a great place to get some exposure for your wares, and as a buyer, it's a wonderful collection of a huge variety of superior handmade goods, where you'll also find some great Sales & Specials that will save you some $$$. If you buy from Adorn Me during the show, and follow the instructions listed on our page at the following link, you'll receive 15% off of your entire order, plus free shipping. Here is the Adorn Me page at I ♥ Handmade Summer. Some vendors are also giving away free prizes that you can register for. Come on over and take a look at my page, and that of the other vendors.

A lot has been going on at Adorn Me Jewelry. Many new items, and many more that have been created and photographed but not yet listed. Here is just one of the new listings; it's a pair of earrings called Little Leaves. They are made of antiqued brass and feature lovely little luminous freshwater potato pearls.

You'll also find many new rings and earrings, with many more to come soon. As always, you are always welcome at our Adorn Me Jewelry store at Etsy. :)

New Statement Necklace: A Fashion Forward Vintage Daffodil with Mixed Coal Black Chains

Statement necklaces are definitely very fashion forward right now, and this one mixes Vintage and Modern to make a visually strong statement with a very Summery feel that is perfect for Summertime outfits and sultry weather.


A single, very large (almost 3") rare Vintage daffodil is strung asymmetrically on four different types and sizes of black metal chain. The necklace is simple, but very trending and beautiful, with the ability to go with jeans or a black dress. It's held together with gunmetal jump rings and lobster clasp. You can find this bold, beautiful statement piec at our Adorn Me Jewelry store at Etsy.

We have a winner!

Ms. moushka's name was pulled out of the hat by my husband, Eric tonight, so she may choose anything from the Adorn Adorn Me Jewelry store at Etsy to use it towards.

Congratulations, moushka!! Your gift cert is in the (e-)mail, so we'll get this going for you!

A little Thank You graphic made from a photo taken when my husband and I went to the Botanical Garden and Butterfly show at the Insectarium in Montreal. The most beautiful butterflies I've ever seen where there, flying all around us. I want to thank you all so very, very much for participating, and many thanks for your kind words about our jewelry!

Until next time. :)

Gift Certificate Giveaway!

Today is the start of our Gift Certificate Giveaway, wherein our winner will receive a $15.00 gift cert good for any purchase in our store. All you pay is shipping. This giveaway will end on Wednesday, May 20th, when the entrants' names will be put in a hat and Mr. Adorn Me will pull it out, as last time. In order to enter you must go to our Adorn Me Jewelry at Etsy store and and look through our items. Come back here and in the comments section of this post let me know which item is your favorite and why. But don't forget to leave me your email address, so I can contact you for your snail mail address if you win. Please be sure to do this before Midnight, Eastern time, on Wednesday, May 20th, or you'll be too late! Good luck!!

Meet Adorn Me jewelry's Mascot, Buddy!

Introducing our little toddler Shih Tzu puppy, Buddy. He's been making life even more fun and interesting around here with his sweet cuddles, playful nature, googly eyes, sweet smile and adorable face. Ha! No bias here!

Buddy is just over 3 months old and as sweet as could be. Aside from his adorableness, Shih Tzus are known for their almost non-shedding, low-allergenic coat -- which is important to me, since I have had animal allergies since childhood. No problems with Buddy, thankfully. But for those of you who do have allergies and are concerned, first, he doesn't seem to shed, but also, I use a very good foaming hand sanitizer before making and packing each piece of jewelry we sell.

Now, onto the earrings! We have a cute new design in the store: Birdie in a Basket - Whimsical Birds in Nest Baskets Earrings.

I'm a total bird person when it comes to art and design, and these little simply-designed birdies in nest baskets caught my eye immediately. The findings are a very nice quality tarnish resistant silver plate over brass. Above them, on silver plated jump rings, are little green and red glass beads that kind of look like berries. They hang from silver plated ear wires, and an extra pair of wires comes with them, since plating can wear off over time. You can wear them with the birdies facing you, or away from you, as they do not face the same direction, which is how I prefer it, myself. You can find them here.

You may find other new designs, not shown here, at our Adorn Me Jewelry at Etsy store. Come see. :)

Vicki Diane's famous (at Etsy anyway) personality treasuries.

So, the fabulous Vicki Diane, an artist friend and Etsy Treasury Team teammate, makes these great Artists of Etsy Exposed treasuries. Her aim is to give each seller a face, because often our customers never see who we are or what we look like. It personalizes things more, I think. She's this very vibrant, beautiful minx who just seems to enjoy life in ways one rarely sees. Vicki has included me in her latestArtists Exposed treasury, which you can see below. My fellow teammate, Nubahar, from BaharCollection, is in there, too, looking beautiful.

In other news, right now, we're having a sale for mailing list members only -- 25% off and free shipping any place in the U.S. In order to participate, you'll need to sign up for our mailing list. You can do so right here. As always, we invite you to visit our Adorn Me Jewelry at Etsy store.