Thank you, Jeannie. :c)

My sweet friend, Jeannie (otherwise known by me as Lovely Toad Girl, proprietor of the infamous Toad Flophouse), of Bead Stylin', has made this treasury with a theme dear to my heart: Birds -- or, "Boyds... of a feather." It features loads of various kinds of birdies, including our Adorable Little Birdies earrings, in silver.

Other featured shops are: yogagoat, redhotpottery, DwellinStyle, tyarkoni, ChristineDomanic, walldecors, leapinggazelle, ChrissyWatson, simplydoodles, kgraceart and norakaren.

Why not go take a look, click around and leave a comment for Jeannie and the list of artists?

Jeannie of Stylin' is a fellow member of The Etsy Treasury Team, or ETTEAM, of which AMJ is a member. We are a group of artists, crafters and artisans who love making and looking at Etsy Treasuries. Thanks for the inclusion, Jeannie. :c)

Please visit Adorn Me Jewelry at: www.adornmejewelry.esty.com

Rustique, our new line of Cowgirl Chic jewelry

Contrasts really appeal to me, whether it's color contrasts, texture contrasts (either physical tactile or optical eye-feel textures), size -- so many things. I think it's part of why I have such eclectic tastes. Or do I have eclectic tastes because I love contrast? No matter. A new line of jewelry is born: Rustique.

"Rustique" airs a mix of old and new, rustic and refined, smooth and rough. It's all about contrasts: like cowboy boots and pearls, rough tweed and soft satin, chocolate and hot chili powder. Take our Rustique - Cowgirl Chic, Vintage Etched Glass and Hand-wrought Copper Necklace, for instance.

This Refined Cowgirl necklace pairs 10mm Vintage 1950s creamy white West German etched glass beads with hand-hammered pure copper eggplant-colored rings. These rings have been oxidized to give them a mix of eggplant purple-to black, and reddish rosey copper colorings and a sort of visual texture. The rings are 20mm (approximately .8") in diameter.

The beads have a twisted, ridgey texture, and do show their age in a few little spots that you can see in the photos. I haven't tried removing the spots, but you might. I figured it wasn't up to me to try to erase their history. :)

The rings are held together, by vintage copper chain links that have a rough-hewn look. The clasp is hand made from pure copper wire, the jump rings are antiqued copper, and the headpins are ball-end eggplant copper. This necklace also has matching earrings. More photos and info here.

Rustique - Cowgirl Chic, Smooth Vintage Bisque and Hand-wrought Copper Earrings

From our new Rustique collection, which pairs a mix of old and new, rustic and refined, smooth and rough. It's all about contrasts. Color, too, in this case -- like, say, orange and blue.

Now, these earrings don't have a pure orange color in them. But the copper rings that hold these Vintage 1950s West German Deco style bisque drops aloft do have some lovely rosey-orange copper tones. That really sets off the blues of those drops.

The drops are 20mm (approximately .8") in diameter. They have a smooth, ridgey texture, and do show their age in a few little spots that you can see in the photos. I haven't tried removing the spots, but you might. I figured it wasn't up to me to try to erase their history. :)

Take a look at these gorgeous hand-forged rosey copper rings. You can see from the photos that they have beautifully rich and varied colorations (depending upon the light cast upon them) and some great eye-feel texture. The rings are about 23mm wide. The lever back ear wires are antiqued copper, as are the jump rings. For more photos and info, click here.

More pieces will be added very soon, just check Adorn Me Jewelry at Etsy.

Ring giveaway!

Starts today, Friday, March 27th and runs through Thursday, April 2nd! Friday is too late, so enter before then to win! Don't forget to post your email address so I can reach you if you win. :)

Adorn Me has participated in many giveaways, donating items for charity and other things. One of the teams I'm on has had a giveaway recently and AMj participated in that one, too. I kept meaning to do a giveaway here and decided now is the time. So....

From today through April 2nd I am holding a contest right here on this blog. The prize is one handcrafted Aqua Sakura adjustable ring. The ring is made using an aqua carved celluloid Sakura flower (Sakura is Japanese for Cherry Blossom). The ring portion itself is a very comfortable adjustable shank. I normally don't like adjustable rings, and I wore one of these comfortably all day. I wear a size 9.5-10 and it was perfect for me. It can go larger or smaller, too. You can see more photos and info right here. Another aqua Sakura ring like this one, only on a filigree, has been featured on the front page of Etsy.

What seems to be the standard method with blog giveaways is to ask you to go to the Adorn Me Jewelry at Etsy shop 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, as I will be mailing the ring to our winner from NY on April 4th.

I will then have my husband pick a name out of the hat, so that way there isn't anyone who cannot participate, and I will have nothing to do with the process of who wins except to write the names down on bits of paper. I will mail anywhere in the world, though there are some places that are problematic as far as lost mail goes, so I cannot guarantee delivery; the only thing I can guarantee is my effort in making sure it gets to the post office properly addressed and sent off via the guy or gal behind the counter. Good luck!! :c)

Adorn Me now offers Bridal and Special Occasion jewelry

For your day to remember -- be it a wedding, prom, important first date, or just because you love it. :)

It's your special day and you want your jewelry to be perfect. It's been in the plans to have a Wedding & Bridal section for a while, but one can only squeeze so many hours out of a day. Starting small but building, we will also be offering bride's maids gift jewelry, as well.

Please visit our Wedding and Bridal section and also check out the many eclectic new pieces of jewelry recently uploaded as well, to Adorn Me Jewelry at Etsy shop.

i *heart* Handmade

I'm signed up for the American Craft Guide's "i heart handmade" virtual arts and crafts show. This mini-show will be open from Jan. 24 - Feb. 8, 2009. For more information, click here.

Not only will I be donating Adorn Me's Disco Ball ring as one of the prizes, but I will be giving a special 20% discount to customers who buy from my shop using the code that will be on the ACG's "i heart handmade" promotion beginning January 19th. Go take a look. :)

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.

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.

iReport

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

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.

Cherry Blossom Hoops

They're like a little bit of Spring dangling from your ears.

These cheery little iridescent Czech glass cherry blossoms, and mixed-color Czech glass leaves, are fashioned using gunmetal wire, and suspended from, 3/4" gunmetal hoops for a total length of 1.5 inches.

These sweet little charmers sell for $16.00, plus a reasonable shipping fee, and can be purchased by using the contact form at www.adornmejewelry.net.

Victorianna

This pendant is made from opalite, basically a very pretty faux opal-like substance used in more and more jewelry these days, as opals become more rare and more expensive. The opalite in this pendant changes colors, depending upon the kind of light that is hitting it and where, so it really does have a lovely and changing glow.

It is in a sterling silver setting, and from it drops five soft pink glass cabochon briolettes decorated with light pink iridescent glass seed beads, iridescent mauve seed beads, and very pale lavender larger czech glass beads.


The photo with my hand is to give a bit of an idea of the scale of the pendant. It also shows, more than the other photos (because, as I mention below, it doesn't always show), the little flaw at the bottom of the 'stone.'

The total length of the pendant from top of bail to the bottom of the longest drop is 3". It comes with a simple black faux suede cord that I will cut to size for whomever orders it, up to 36." It is finished with a lobster claw clasp. All metal used on the necklace is sterling silver.

You can see from a couple of the photos that it has a little flaw in the back on the bottom, but also as you can see, it doesn't always show up. But because it's there, I'm taking $10 off the price of the pendant; therefore, the price for this piece is $35.00.

The Birth of the Abundant Venus Goddess Collection.

Yeah, I know, bad art pun. Can't help it.

This collection has been a good while in the making. I found these marvelous sugar druzy agates and instantly knew I must have them to make jewelry from. The Venus of Willendorf has long spoken to me -- from the first Art History class I attended many years ago.

She is also a kind of a mascot for feminism in some ways, and definitely for size acceptance, both of which I think are important. As women, we are taught that our bodies are to look a certain way and to deviate from the norm is to be an undesirable pariah. I reject this out of hand, but it took me decades to do it, having grown up a fat baby, child, adolescent, teen and adult. I used to buy into the mantra that women must be thin, and I, therefore, hated my fat body.

As I grew older, I started seeing the brainwashing we all receive about how unattractive we are unless we lose weight, wear this kind of makeup, diet for bikini season, and on and on ad nauseam. All of this is mostly for the purpose of amassing vast fortunes by diet companies, plastic surgeons, makeup companies -- basically the 'Health & Beauty' industry, and their lapdogs: advertising agencies.

We are not all meant to look alike or to have similar bodies. There is variety in every single organic thing on the planet; why should we human beings be any different? We are meant to be different heights, colors, sizes, and with differing personalities. It's part of our beauty, really, and just because some cannot see that beauty, it is not negated.

Part of the purpose here at Adorn Me jewelry is to include fat women in the process of having jewelry that actually fits. I don't know how many times I fell in love with a watch or a bracelet or a ring, only to find it didn't fit me. It wasn't for me. That will not happen here. I make jewelry in standard sizing, but also in larger sizing. And if you see something here that you like and I can re-create it larger for you, I will do so. I will also be making custom necklace extenders so that necklaces that aren't large enough can be made large enough almost seamlessly. I don't exclude any size, but it is important to me to pay special attention to the needs of my fat sisters.

With all of the aforementioned in mind, I introduce to you the first two pieces from what will be the Abundant Venus Collection.
First, Auburn Venus. Ms. Auburn is not a result of just simple pendant-making and bead-stringing, but aside from that also involves layers of wire-wrapping in the four inch length that holds the pendant. The last photo is a closeup of her lovely, crystal-filled yoni (as a friend termed it -- perfect, really).

This piece uses lots of Autumn colors. The stones included are bronze freshwater pearls, copper freeform pearls, agate, citrine and quartz nuggets, as well as copper and pink iridescent seed beads, a swarovski dangling from the figaro chain used as a belly chain around her waist and a tibetian silver butterfly. This necklace has a large 'S' clasp closure. It is about 20 1/4" in length and sells for $98.00. Auburn Venus is, however not for sale, as she sold before I could even put her up here. I can, however, make another necklace something like it, if you're in love with the stones and colors, though I do not have another Venus her exact color, but somewhat close. This last photo places more of a focus on the little tibetian silver butterfly that you can kind of see in the image of the whole necklace.

Next is Ebony. Ebony is made from a black agate with a nice sugar druzy. This necklace is perfect for evening and sparkles nicely in low lights. The coin disc beads are a perfect compliment to her round belly, and a great foil for the angular diamond-shaped beads.

She hangs from a wrapped silver pendant on a necklace made from black glass disc coin beads, leopard skin jasper (which didn't photograph as clearly as I would have liked), diamond-shaped glass beads and little hematite seed beads. All metal used is sterling silver. The necklace has an 'S' hook closure, and from it is a nice little drop of glass beads and a round 'disco ball' swarovski crystal. It is about 23" long and sells for $56.00.

In the closeups on the left you can get a slightly better look at the leopard skin jasper, and then a closeup of the sugar druzy, which is really the collection of quartz crystals that often form inside of a geode.

Note: Ebony Venus is now sold and will have a new home. :)

A Whole New Batch of Crazy.

Guess I'm on an earrings kick.


This batch is dominated by an agate called Crazy Lace. You can see why just looking at the photos.

This pair of earrings are all about texture and complimentary colors. Their focal stones are made of 18mm coin disc beads. They are very swingy, which I love. Note the little blue area that appears to have depth; it actually does. It has what looks like little pool of blue water in it. The little danglies are made of little 4mm celestial larimar rounds, carnelian disc beads, light orange agate chips, copper glass seed beads and 4mm swarovski bicone crystals in aqua, teal and aurora borealis. All metal is sterling silver. They measure 1 3/4" at the drop and are $26.

A bit about Crazy Lace Agate.

Crazy Lace Agate: Crazy lace agate, also known as Mexican agate, is an attractive, white, opaque stone, patterned like a beautiful, multicolored paisley cloth. It is a cryptocrystalline quartz, found in Mexico.

In ancient times, this agate was worn to placate the gods, and to give courage. It will sharpen your sight, help the eyes, illuminate your mind, allow you to be more eloquent and give vitality. It keeps the wearer well-balanced and serious. Lace agate strengthens the Sun in its wearer, and improves the ego and self-esteem. It gives you a feeling of consolation despite the hardships of life. It has been considered symbolical of the third eye, and the symbol of the spiritual love of good. It helps to banish fear. It is a good general healing stone. (Source: Truth about Crystal Healing, by Phyllis Galde)

I'm not sure how much I believe in the healing power of crystals and stones, but I always find the history interesting and figure it can't hurt. One of the things I love about this stone is its variety of pattern, and the paisley of which Galde speaks.

This next set is also crazy lace agate, but they are purple and are 18x13mm rectangles. They have been paired with 14mm turquoise ovals, little silver rounds and turquoise glass seed beads. Beneath them swing amethyst nuggets, 4mm lavendar opal bicone swarovski crystals, as well as aqua and aurora borealis bicone swarovskis, and little seed beads of various colors. All metal is sterling silver. These are about 2 1/4" from the top of the drop to the bottom and are also very swingy. They cost $29.00.

Here is another pair that is somewhat similar in look to the aforementioned. Again, purple crazy lace agate, but this time with turquoise rondelles of a more blue turquoise than the previous pair. These are also adorned with little silver beads, various colors of seed beads, and various 4mm bicone swarovskis in aqua, lavendar opal, aqua, aurora borealis (AB) and tanzanite. These, too, have amethyst nuggets, but they are more spikey and are striped. They have great swing and really pick up and reflect, and refract, the light. These are reserved for a special someone, as is the matching pendant.

The matching pendant features a 40mm purple crazy lace agate (which is slightly more pink than the earrings, but it's hard to get these things to match perfectly). It will hang on a silk cord with sterling silver connectors.
Hanging from the focal bead, which is treated just as the earrings are, with turquoise-colored glass beads and little silver rounds, are a cluster of 4mm lavendar opal, aqua, AB and tanzanite swarovskis, seed beads, an amethyst spike that isn't showing up very well and an 3mm top-drilled AB swarovski crystal drop.

This pendant, like the matching earrings, are NFS -- BUT, unless a piece is intentionally one of a kind, I am happy to accept special orders duplicating past pieces that have been purchased by clients. Just drop me a line.

Ruby Zoisite

Also known as anyolite, ruby zoisite is the natural combination of ruby and zoisite crystals in a single specimen. Zoisite, the same mineral as tanzanite, provides an earthy green and black color while ruby lends pink and red highlights. Ruby-zoisite is usually shaped as cabochons or carved into decorative shapes, including animals and religious icons.

Ruby-zoisite was first discovered in 1954 in Tanzania. The name anyolite goes back to the word for green" in the native language of the Massai.

Ruby-zoisite achieves only hardness 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale, and is thus not very resistant. Therefore it should be worn with care, never be cleaned by ultrasonic method and never come into contact with acids. The green zoisite rock carries black hornblende inclusions and large, but mostly opaque rubies. Cut and polished ruby-zoisite appears in an earthy green and black color with exiting pink and red highlights, due to the presence of ruby. (courtesy of GemSelect)

I really love these little triangular stone beads. I'm a huge fan of complimentary colors and these stones do it so well. They are paired with tiny little luminous pink seed beads, AAA white freshwater pearls, and dangling below are light-catching swarovski crystal hearts. They hang about 1 7/8" at the drop and are $22 before discount.

. . .

About Rose Quartz

Rose Quartz: Rose quartz is a gentle, pale to medium pink translucent form of quartz. It comes from Brazil. This stone has a soft and useful frequency, and does not conflict with any other stones. It is an important stone for the heart chakra, and for giving and receiving love. It helps to dissolve all burdens and traumas that have burdened the heart. Rose quartz assists in understanding and dissolving problems so the heart is better able to know love. As its presence is felt by the body, sorrows, fears, and resentments are replaced by a sense of personal fulfillment and peace. (Source: Truth about Crystal Healing, by Phyllis Galde)

This stone promotes the vibrations of universal love and inner serenity. It teaches that the many negative childhood experiences enable the self to learn how to love and nurture itself. It also enlivens the imagination to be able to create beautiful forms.

The last pair have a very simple design and made from 11x7mm grade A Russian Rhodonite chicklets beads and 6x11mm faceted grade AA rose quartz rondelles. They are subtly set off by little iridescent pink glass seed beads. As with most of my jewelry, unless otherwise stated, all metal is sterling silver. They hang about 1 3/8" from the drop to the bottom and sell for $15.00. This pair has been sold, so NFS.

More coming soon. And look for the opening of my Etsy store soon, as well.

Two new pair of earrings.

Of course people have varying preferences when it comes to earring length and weight, so I try to satisfy that by making a variety. Lately I've had a long-earring-jones, so I made two pair that are quite substantial, being a bit over 2" long.

"Springtime" is the name of the first pair.

This last Winter was a pretty severe one. Spring comes and it's like waking up from a slumber. These earrings express some of that joy of color and vibrant awakening.

These earrings are are about 2 1/8" long, from where the ear wire ends and the drop begins. They are made from two lampwork barrel beads with flower designs in shades of reds and pinks, white and aqua embedded in green apple glass. The beads are nestled between two silver accent beads and little turquoise seed beads.

Dangling from them are silver-wrapped 4mm garnet coin beads, peridot nuggets, white freshwater pearls and more seed beads. The ear wire is sterling silver.

These next earrings are called "Still Waters."

I tell you, these were the hardest darned earrings to shoot and try to represent accurately. They are made of large pieces of faceted quartz in the most delicate, watery aqua color, and they just kind of washed out under the lens of the camera.

These earrings are 2 1/4" long from the beginning of the drop to the bottom-most beads.

There is a hole in the upper third of the beads, from which dangle varying lengths of delicate sterling silver figaro chains.

At the end of each chain are silver-wrapped freshwater pearls, copper seed beads, peridot nuggets, turquoise seed beads, as well as 4mm aurora borealis and aqua bi-cone swarovski crystals. They're great on someone with short hair, and feel very swaggy. Not for sale, as these are sold.