Much to be thankful for

For you, because they're beautiful.

It was a whirlwind Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend and I'm still recovering. I have the absolute best customers!

Darling husband and I will be traveling to California for the holidays. While there, we have all kinds of fun and exciting things to do. One of them is to attend my mother and father's wedding. Dad is, well, he's a dad, but they're finally getting married, at 83 and 87 years old. So I'm making matching earrings for my mother, sister and myself. I'll post them here when I'm done.

There is a lot to be grateful for, and I am. I've made the best of friends on the internet, many whom I have met IRL (some, multiple times). You really just never know what life will bring, because life is full of surprises, adventures and wonders.

Just a completely off topic entry on an evening that I'm feeling particularly warm and fuzzy, and fortunate. Happy Holidays, lovelies. :)

Etched Jet Romantic, kind of Goth Earrings

Fantastic darkly elegant holiday earrings! These lightweight vintage-look teardrop acrylic beads have the look of black lace when lit. They seem to have been painted black and then etched for almost an etched crystal look. They have a fantastic kind of depth to them that these photos just don't represent properly (one of the challenges of photographing jewelry).

They hang from sterling lever back ear wires, with twisted silver holding in place jet Czech glass flowers, with small 3mm clear AB Swarovski bicone crystals above and below. From there, the teardrop beads hang from more silver wire, and are stabilized by some lovely headpins. These headpins are sterling, but at the bottom, instead of being flat or having a silver ball end, they have a tiny, faceted jet crystal held in place with prongs. You can kind of see that in some of the photos, but we don't have any that truly focus on them. They are subtle, but a nice touch. The earrings are 2 5/8" long, in total, including the ear wires. Would be fabulously appropriate for holiday evenings out.

Your jewelry will arrive in a glossy black box with an Adorn Me jewelry label outside and a folded burgundy-colored note inside, written in silver metallic ink on nice card stock. If your purchase is a gift for someone, you can send us a message at Etsy and tell us what you would like hand-written on the card. This is then boxed and wrapped up in a sparkly silver ribbon, all ready for gift-giving! If you prefer we can leave the ribbon untied, so you can peek inside to see the gift you're giving and then tie the ribbon yourself, just include that in your message. :)

You can see larger photos of, and read more about, these earrings by going to Adorn Me jewelry's store at Etsy.

Snow Princess - Modern Simplicity - Huge faceted Rock Crystal Quartz Necklace

Just a note: This big rock is clear; the green/aqua you're seeing in it is some of the facets picking up the colors of the studio walls. :)

The size of this stone defies description. It is huge and showy, yet simple in its design, so that it defines elegant, Modern simplicity. It would be well at home with red velvet. It would be equally at home, and slightly surprising (which I like!) with jeans, a white t-shirt, boots and a leather jacket.

The lovely stone hangs from an sparkling Italian sterling silver Giotto Chain, with each round ring being 3.5 mm in diameter. It's about 18" long (as you know, I'm willing to make it larger, if needed, though this is pricey chain, so it will be an extra $1.25 for each extra inch), and the pendant width is a fantastic 2" from side to side. The exact measurements are 38x28x18mm (25mm = 1 inch). It is finished off at the end with a sterling silver sweetheart toggle and a smooth, tiny 10x5mm Vintage Czech glass teardrop wrapped in silver wire. This beautiful piece of quartz crystal has, as they often do, some lovely little inclusions and areas that show it's actually rock, and not a piece of glass. They're very small, though. Some, like me, love inclusions, others do not, so I figured I'd let you know they're there, and you can see them here and there when you expand the photos to their full size.

Your jewelry will arrive in a glossy black box with an Adorn Me jewelry label outside and a folded burgundy-colored note inside, written in silver metallic ink on nice card stock. If your purchase is a gift for someone, you can send us a Conversation and tell us what you would like hand-written on the card. This is then boxed and wrapped up in a sparkly silver ribbon, all ready for gift-giving! If you prefer we can leave the ribbon untied, so you can peek inside to see the gift you're giving and then tie the ribbon yourself, just message us with the info.

You can see more, and larger, photos of this necklace by going to Adorn Me jewelry's store at Etsy.

Lotus Rising - One of a Kind Exquisite Flowers For Your Ears - Vintage Elements

Those of you who love purple and green together should love these. And they are the only pair of their kind, at this point, because I cannot find any more of these gorgeous fire-polished beads!

Vintage brass lotus blossom bead caps embrace the most beautiful fire-polished glass beads I've ever seen. And they are the biggest, too. Mottled shades of purple and violet swim inside a big, fat faceted rondelle that has a coating of purple-y bronze fire-polished here and there on the outside. They are simply stunning -- and large at about 15 x 11mm. Above are antiqued copper bead caps, and below, light spring green Czech glass flower bead caps.

They dangle from large brass kidney wires that are festooned, as I am wont to do, with large iridescent purple seed beads (you'll get a few extra with your order, just in case you lose one). They are a bit weighty in the sense that you can feel them swinging on your ears, but not overly heavy.

Your jewelry will arrive in a glossy black box with an Adorn Me jewelry label outside and a folded burgundy-colored note inside, written in silver metallic ink on nice card stock. If your purchase is a gift for someone, you can send us a Conversation and tell us what you would like hand-written on the card. This is then boxed and wrapped up in a sparkly silver ribbon, all ready for gift-giving! If you prefer we can leave the ribbon untied, so you can peek inside to see the gift you're giving and then tie the ribbon yourself, just message us with the info.

You can see more, and larger, photos of these earrings by going to Adorn Me jewelry's store at Etsy.

Ember - Captivating, Warmly colored Vintage Bead earrings

The firey warmth in these beautiful beads evoke the image of burning embers. You should know that those 'flames' were not Photoshopped in, but truly cast that firey glow onto the paper under the earrings.

The tortoise shell pattern infused within these vintage acrylic pinch beads make them captivating focal beads, particularly when lit from behind -- as you can plainly see. The design is simple, so these rich-looking 25mm round beads shine on center stage.

They hang from large sterling silver kidney wires, with sterling wire wrapped simply to give them stability. They are 3" long, including the ear wires, and easily dress up or down, according to your outfit. Their warm tones are perfect for winter evenings.

Your jewelry will arrive in a glossy black box with an Adorn Me jewelry label outside and a folded burgundy-colored note inside, written in silver metallic ink on nice card stock. If your purchase is a gift for someone, you can send us a Conversation and tell us what you would like hand-written on the card. This is then boxed and wrapped up in a sparkly silver ribbon, all ready for gift-giving! If you prefer we can leave the ribbon untied, so you can peek inside to see the gift you're giving and then tie the ribbon yourself, just message me. You can see more, and larger, photos in Adorn Me jewelry's store at Etsy.

Milliner Extraordinaire, Iris Lohninger

Iris is a new friend I met through the Etsy Treasury Street Team we both belong to. I was drawn to her first by her style. Not only are her hats unique and very hip yet timeless, but the way she displays them totally is consonant with her style, I think. You'll see what I mean when you see her work.

I've been thinking about occasnionally featuring other artists and designers here, as I sometimes get tired of talking only about Adorn Me products (much as I love making them!), and wanted to branch out a bit. Iris was the logical choice. A world traveler and very cosmopolitan, Iris is also very friendly and open -- very approachable and kind. I liked her from the start. In inviting her to let Adorn Me feature her, I requested an artist's statement, as well as how she got started in the business. Also, I was interested in what her vision and purpose is for her designs -- basically her process. So now I'll be quiet and let Iris speak for herself, from the unusually snowy climes of Berlin, Germany.

First, take a look at just a few of her designs from her BrownBunnybyIris store.

Etsy Buy Handmade brownbunnybyiris

Iris: I was always fascinated by hats - I remember paging through art and social history books - all these different cultures producing so many interesting designs combining function with lots of....magic! Yes, I really think hats are magical things. Think of the crowns of kings and queens, think of the designs religious ceremony masters came up with, indigenous tribes. Think of the military, or just think of baseball caps! Wearing hats makes oneself feel in a very special way - it's a great way to express oneself by choosing this or that design. Wearing the right hat really is the dot on the i ! In the end my love of designing hats simply comes from my love of wearing them. Graduating from a fashion design school in Vienna gave me the necessary technical know how and background.

I spent quite some time in South America, Spain, Italy, Scandinavia. I lived 2 years in France, 2 years in New Mexico, a full year in New York City and many years in California - all these different cultures have changed my lifestyle and way of thinking. I'm really grateful that I was able to enjoy so many different cultures.

I draw inspiration from everything that surrounds me and makes an impression on me. That can be colors, sounds, textures, music, you name it! Then there's the constant wish to change, to surprise, having fun! Of course finding new pieces of vintage fabric or ribbons inspires me a lot. And not to forget all the people who can't wait to see my next creation. That's a thrill for me!!!

It always starts with vague abstract feelings and a desire to express these feelings and condense them into reality. I pick material that I think fits and surround me with them and then I start working on a kind of a prototype. I do sketches, I cut pieces of paper to make a pattern to get a handle on the 3d space. I stop and go and change and take it all apart again and so on. It's like composing music. I never give up on a new design. If it doesn't totally satisfy me I feel challenged and have to come up with new solutions, and in the end I'm always surprised about the final outcome! I have so many ideas in my head. I only need to see a few buttons and some
fabric and I get the idea!

I also work in the movies, on set, on location and get quite some inspiration from the drama of being there. I'm also selling the majority of my creations during a film shoot. I wear a different hat everyday and there's practically no film shoot where one or the other actress picks one of my designs. So I get paid twice ;-)

AdornMe: Iris, thank you for being so gracious in allowing Adorn Me to feature you. Your hats really stand out in the crowd as being original and timeless.

Now, go take a look at Iris's store... :)

iReport

There is a little story and some photos about Adorn Me on CNN's iReport site, Here.

Emily, a Romantic Necklace with Vintage elements

Well, this necklace was in the Adorn Me store for less than one minute. A fabulous customer snapped it up almost as soon as I uploaded it. However, if you, too, simply must have this necklace, drop me a line or message me at Etsy and I have the supplies to make another one just like it -- the only variation being the little antique luggage key, as they are authentic and not all exactly alike. I will put it on reserve for you so that no one snaps it up. :)

I've always loved the Victorian, feminine name of Emily. To me, this necklace looks like an Emily.

The focal point is a gorgeous, large lavender pink celluloid rose mounted on an antiqued brass filigree. Below is a faceted, round deep plum crystal chandelier piece and an antique luggage key. The chain is antiqued brass, and it is doubled half-way up, with evenly spaced beautiful 8mm lavender pink, white and gold Czech glass melon rounds. The chain is brass, and at the back it has a little hand charm, which says "handmade," and a little iridescent mauve Czech glass flower. The closure is a brass lobster claw clasp.

The necklace is about 22" in length at the shortest point, which is the chain with the glass beads, and can be made shorter or longer. In total, it hangs almost 33" long and sells for $58.00.

Your jewelry will arrive in a glossy black box with an Adorn Me jewelry label outside and a folded burgundy-colored note inside, written in silver metallic ink on nice card stock. If your purchase is a gift for someone, you can send us a Conversation and tell us what you would like hand-written on the card. This is then boxed and wrapped up in a sparkly silver ribbon, all ready for gift-giving! If you prefer we can leave the ribbon untied, so you can peek inside to see the gift you're giving and then tie the ribbon yourself, just include that in your Convo.

I'll be making another one soon, but if you want more info and photos, you view it in my items sold section in Adorn Me jewelry's store at Etsy.

Sunrise - Large Czech Glass Button Wire-Wrapped ring, size 8.5

The focus of this ring is a luminous crystal button. It was handcrafted from an original Vintage Art Deco mold and produced in what was formerly known as Czechoslovakia.

This button looks to me like a sunrise; hence, the name. It is clear but has a beautiful aurora borealis coating. The metal used is a silver-coated copper core jeweler's wire. This ring is a size 8.5 and is rather large at almost 2 1/8" wide.

Wire-wrapped jewelry can vary a little in look from piece to piece. Handcrafted, wrapped jewelry is, by and large, less sturdy than buying a ring from a jeweler that has been cast in wax. Wire-wrapped jewelry, and particularly that with glass elements, cannot stand up to rough treatment, so please treat your lovely ring kindly. :)

You can see more photos in Adorn Me jewelry's store at Etsy.

Berries In the Snow - Holiday Earrings with Vintage Elements

These lush, elegant holiday earrings are called Berries in the Snow.

I am pretty attached to these earrings. They feel so festive to me that they, more than anything else I've created recently, kind of define the season for me.

These festive earrings feature lovely gold-plated leaves made from a vintage mold, little crystal chandelier pieces and some lovely, unique, deepest red vintage Swarovski crystal rounds from the Art Deco period. The brass ear wires are decorated with little Czech glass beads, as I like to do. The photos make them look different lengths, but they are exactly the same length -- which is 2 3/8" long.

You can see more photos in Adorn Me jewelry's store at Etsy.

Essence of Sandalwood -- Earrings

The beads used in these earrings are acrylic, but they are deceptive -- they look very much like carved, antiqued wood. Sandalwood, really. They hang as inverted teardrops from gold fill ear wires, and gold fill findings. From each one them hangs a lustrous, creamy freshwater potato pearl. They're very lightweight, and have the ability to dress up or down. They are 2" long, including the ear wires.

Your jewelry will arrive in a glossy black box with an Adorn Me jewelry label outside and a folded burgundy-colored note inside, written in silver metallic ink on nice card stock. If your purchase is a gift for someone, you can send us a Conversation and tell us what you would like hand-written on the card. This is then boxed and wrapped up in a sparkly silver ribbon, all ready for gift-giving! If you prefer we can leave the ribbon untied, so you can peek inside to see the gift you're giving and then tie the ribbon yourself, just include that in your Convo. You can see more photos in Adorn Me jewelry's store at Etsy.

Annabelle Lee - A Romantic Necklace

I'm a huge Poe fan and have always loved the dark beauty of his poem, Annabelle Lee. So, it was with Poe and Annabelle in mind that I created this necklace.

The focal point is a gorgeous, large lucite rose mounted on an antiqued brass filigree. Below is a faceted, square early 1940's Czech crystal chandelier piece from an old chandelier warehouse (it has a few scratches, but it would be pretty unusual for something like this to be flawless, since it's well over 60 years old. From it hangs an antique luggage key and a wire-wrapped jet picasso Czech flower bead. The chain is antiqued brass, with a gunmetal accent chain. Along one side, two very pretty acrylic crystal and jet carved rounds lend asymmetrical interest. In the back, are three jump rings, with more little jet Czech flowers hanging from them, at approximately one-inch intervals. This makes the necklace adjustable. At it's shortest point, because of the gunmetal chain, it is just over 21 inches. All told, though, its length is 23 inches. It closes with a lobster claw clasp, and has a little "hand made" charm at the closure. You can find it at the Adorn Me jewelry store at Etsy.

Annabelle Lee
by Edgar Allan Poe

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than love -
I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.
And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulcher
In this kingdom by the sea.
The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me
Yes! that was the reason
(as all men know, In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we
Of many far wiser than we
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.
For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride,
In the sepulcher there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Tip Junkie blog's Mom-prenuer Holiday Shop-a-thon!
The shop-a-thon is all about supporting WAHome moms in their artistic endeavours when shopping for Christmas presents. Check it out and support work-at-home moms this holiday season.

The Lolishop Guild

I have been accepted by The Lolishop guild -- a fantastic group of female artists and artisans who make creations with a decidedly feminine look. They're not quite open yet, but look for my store there soon. :) It's a juried guild, and if you are an artist who wants to apply, please tell them Adorn Me jewelry sent you. :)


Lolli Shops

The Adorn Me store at Etsy is Live...

Just a post to announce the opening of Adorn Me jewelry at Etsy. Stop by to see many of the designs that have been listed here, and some that haven't.

We now offer niobium ear wire replacements for those who have metal allergies. Come see! :)

http://www.adornmejewelry.etsy.com

Custom Design - Masai Mara

This piece is named " Masai Mara," because the gorgeous Picture Rhodonite focal bead has a scenic landscape that reminds me of the beautiful Masai Mara reserve in Africa.

Our client wanted a double necklace, with a pendant on the lower strand, using pink and brown. When I found this spectacular bead I knew it was for her, and I knew it would be the perfect foundation upon which her beautiful one of a kind necklace would be crafted.

The stones used in the creation of Masai Mara are rose quartz nuggets, tiger's eye nuggets, smoky topaz glass, rhodonite rondelles, a few rhodonite nuggets, and a whole lot of tiny sterling silver round beads. It features a beautiful antiqued silver toggle and a drop made from a rose quartz nugget, a rhodonite nugget and a stamped silver tag that reads "hope.'

If you are interested in something like it, drop us a line using the contact form at: www.adornmejewelry.net. I'll never be able to find another focal bead just like it, but the other elements can be used, along with a different rhodonite focal bead.

Custom Design - An Abundant Goddess.

Our client fell in love with the Abundant Goddes Venus series necklaces and wanted one of her own, so Adorn Me happily obliged, and made a matching pair of earrings, as well.

The goddess focal bead hangs from a hand-crafted sterling silver bail. It is a black agate, with a few striations in white, gray and brown. She wears a sterling silver wire belly bracelet adorned with hematite seed beads and small laboradite rondelles.

The necklace itself is made of black glass coin disk beads, clear glass diamond-shaped beads, poppy jasper round stones, and more of the laboradite and hematite beads interspersed throughout.

The earrings include all of the elements of the necklace but the pendant, and complete the set nicely.

If you are interested in something like it, drop us a line using the contact form at: www.adornmejewelry.net.

Custom Design - Beach Baby

This necklace/bracelet set is named Beach Baby, because it so evokes the sea and all things beach, from the colors to the stones, from the silver dolphin beads, to the pearls, which come from the ocean. It was commissioned by a client who loves the beach, who loves dolphins, and who wanted a bit of that feel to wear as jewelry.

The necklace and bracelet use basically the same findings: nuggets of apatite (the teal-colored stones) and amazonite (all the rest; amazonite naturally has a color range of blues, greens, whites and browns), sky blue and silver Czech beads, rice fresh water pearls, nautical-themed Bali silver toggles, and three types of dolphins in sterling silver. The neckace has a larger, curled dolphin and two tiny jumping dolphins, as in the detail photo.

The bracelet has a sterling dolphin puff focal bead, and they each have little drops made of the tiny jumping dolphins and Czech glass beads.

What a pleasure it was to create this set -- both the creation and the interaction with our client.

If you are interested in something like it, drop us a line using the contact form at: www.adornmejewelry.net.

Love Notes

I call these earrings "Love Notes," because that's what they are.
These 'post cards' were made from vintage tooling, stamped in brass, then plated in antiqued silver. The post cards themselves measure 1" X 3/4" and are adorned with tiny, multi-color Czech glass flowers and tiny 3mm clear AB swarovski crystals. They hang from brass lever back ear wires.

Our Love Notes earrings would make a very sweet gift for someone you love.

These sweet declarations of love and adoration are 1 7/8" in length and fetch $15.00, plus a reasonable shipping fee, and can be purchased by using the contact form at www.adornmejewelry.net.

Vintage Brass Calla Lillies

These simple yet elegantly beautiful vintage brass calla lily findings meld perfectly with the Czech glass lily beads also found in the post below. Here, not only do the colors glow all on their own, but light from them refract and reflect off of the brass lilies. Within each glass lily is a small, similarly-colored Czech glass flower; within that, a clear, tiny little 3mm AB Swarovski crystal. They are held together with brass ball-end head pins and are on brass lever back ear wires, and designed to face forward and not hang down.

They are elegant, glowing bits of vintage beauty, and a steal at $19.00, plus a reasonable shipping fee. You can purchase them by using the contact form at www.adornmejewelry.net.

Surreal Garden

When it comes to color, these earrings have it all. They are made using the same design as our Bluebells earrings, but the Czech glass flowers are of a different style and colors.

These use the same large brass kidney ear wires, the same brass head pins, but these glass lily beads have a different sort of a look. Their color is hard to define, and it totally depends upon the light, and whether they're back-lit or not. In any case, they are definitely luminescent. You'll find red, green, blue, purple, pink, gold -- most colors of the spectrum -- in there. Because of that, they will compliment pretty much any outfit. They are finished off with sparkly little 4mm violet Swarovski crystals.

These glowing, iridescent earrings are 2" in length and fetch $16.50, plus a reasonable shipping fee, and can be purchased by using the contact form at www.adornmejewelry.net.

Garden Earrings

These Garden earrings are made using lovely little frosted Czech glass flowers, hanging above dual-tone Czech glass leaves, and below little Czech glass beads hanging on the ear wire.

Pleasantly swingy, they are not at all heavy earrings -- quite light, actually, and can be made in any of the colors shown. Just let me know which one/s you like.

At 3" long on the large kidney wires, they are nice and long, but for those of you who prefer shorter earrings, they can be put on lever back wires, if you like, which would shorten them by just over an inch.
The photo of them with a quarter gives a sense of scale (Canadian quarters are the same size as American quarters). They are just over 1 1/4" long, including the ear wires, and they sell for $17.00, plus a reasonable shipping fee. They can be purchased by using the contact form at www.adornmejewelry.net.

Mod Flowers

These cute, kicky little flower earrings bring out the girl in me and are a total (and temporary) departure from Adorn Me's usual style. They're about fun, flirting, youth, and holding on to the last days of summer.

They are made of vibrant plastic, using brass findings, and Czech glass beads, both above the flowers and also right on the ear wires themselves (a few extra beads will be included with your order, just in case you need replacements.

The earrings on lever back wires measure 1 3/4" and the ones on large kidney wires are 2 1/2", and you can choose which kind of wires you like, as they can easily be changed out for you.

Buy them to celebrate the girl in your life, even if it's you!

Included is a photo of them with a quarter, for a sense of scale(Canadian quarters are the same size as American quarters). Each pair sells for $14.00, plus a reasonable shipping fee. They can be purchased by using the contact form at www.adornmejewelry.net.