Truley Blessed

I was starting to question if I was going to be able to really make a go of my Etsy business. I enjoy weaving a lot and find it so relaxing so I would keep doing it. I was becoming discouraged because I just wasn't making sales. Then all the sudden this last week I've made 4 sales. I feel truly blessed every time I get a heart, am featured in a treasury and make a sale. It's so gratifying. I'm really looking forward to my first show next month. I just really wanted to say thank you to everyone who has shown me love and appreciation for my craft. (((hugs)))

Front Page

I am so excited much like a school girl. Today I was on the front page of Etsy!!! For those of you who don't know what that means it's the ultimate honor. I would like to thank Sandfibers for not only telling me but for taking a screen shot, and posting a blog on the Etsy Beadweavers Street Team blog. Please visit her store to see all of her inspiring jewelry!!!My 70's Wacky Wood bracelet is the center photo in the second to last row.

Yart Sale

I'm participating in the First Annual Yart Sale on Etsy. A Yart Sale is a lot like a yard sale. If you purchase from my Etsy Shop between June 11-20 you will receive 20% off!! How fun! Check out Etsy for other Yart Sellers!

The things you take for granted.

Today I blog with a heavy heart. I live in Mason City, Iowa and we have had the worst flood hit us since 1993. The devastation and destruction here in heart breaking.
It all started Saturday afternoon. My husband, son, brother and I ran out to Target to get stuff for supper when the tornado warnings went off. The Target staff wanted everyone to go into their coolers but from working at Kum and Go I know that it's not as safe as they would want everyone to think. So we took off running for the car and headed to my parents' house 12 miles away in the next town over. We watched the storm roll in and before long the news was announcing that a tornado touched down at the airport which is less than 2 miles away from my parents' house. We were very lucky that it lost it's momentum. We made it back home safety before the down poor started. Sunday we woke up to a day of rain. We have a park here, East Park, that in down in the center of hills so you have to drive down in. This park has a normally beautiful river that runs through it called the Winnebago River. East Park flooding is really no surprise to us locals because it happens almost every summer. This year we broke a record from 1933 for the worst flood. At it's highest crest the river was 18.74 feet. The devastation the rivers, lakes and streams flooding has caused here really makes you want to sit down and just cry. All of our restaurants are on mandatory shut down until further notice, we haven't had water here since Sunday and the amount of homes damaged or destroyed is mind blowing. We don't have water because our water plant flooded. Ironic huh? Once we knew the water was going to be shut off I ran to Target to get water. There were hordes of people doing the same thing making the isle look like a tornado had hit it. I did manage to get some water but I didn't take in to consideration that we would need water to flush the toilet, cook and brush our teeth. So yesterday we had to go out of state to get water.
My parents' house had 2.5 feet of water in the basement after the sewer backed up. The worst part is that they are on vacation and have no idea what they will come home to. Their brand new washer, water heater, furnace, tons of clothes, keepsakes and dryer are probably a loss. My best friend's lower level apartment flooded ruining all of her living room items. Not to mention all the local people who have lost their homes. We are supposed to receive more rain today, tomorrow and Thursday.
It is in times like this that I realize just how much I take for granted. I encourage you all to really take a minute today to realized how truly blessed we all are. When you drink the water out of the faucet take the time to appreciate that it's there. Our town has lost a lot of it's historical homes and our ability to feel safe in our homes. The pictures below show some of the flooding damage. If you have the ability to help please contact The Red Cross. We have a lot of people in North Iowa that have no clothes, no home and every little bit really does help!! If you aren't able to donate please donate your prayers for all of us.

Carnival Flapper

Well the summer is upon us well kind of here. Some days it's 40 degrees other days it's 80 frickin fickle Iowa weather! Anyways I designed this bracelet as an omag to summer carnivals with a dash of flappers from the 20's. This fine little dandy is available in my Etsy Shop.

In other news it has been awhile since I've featured a fellow Etsian. Shame on me! I've been so busy lately that I just haven't had the time. I shall be featuring a great Etsian next week so be sure to check back!

Two New Pieces

I just listed two new pieces last night.












I'm really loving the combination of blue and brown right now. Blue and brown set the mood in this sky inspired chunky bracelet! The white swirls represent the clouds in the blue sky. Strong on elastic this bracelet will fit most wrists. You can find this bracelet in my Etsy shop.











My second freshly listed item is my Ring Tailed Lemur bracelet. I had some left over beads from another project so I thought what the hay.

My husband said that this bracelet reminded him of a Ring Tailed Lemur because of the beaded beads. Each beaded bead is hand woven using fireline and galvanized tangerine, galvanized hot pink and galvanized light teal delica beads. I used elastic to couple the beaded beads with silver spacers. You can find this bracelet in my Etsy Shop.

I've been neglecting my blog

Happy Memorial Day Weekend all! I've been neglecting my blog because I've been so busy! I've had a really great last two weeks! I was featured in a couple really well put together treasuries. I was also featured on Talent Database's Craft Portal. My biggest accomplishment this week was having Fire Mountain Gems add me to their Notable Artist page. I also completed two and half bracelets; one for my mom's birthday which was made out of size 15/0 emerald Toho beads. I also finally finish my Mardi Gras bracelet which has left me with a sad feeling. I made my Mardi Gras bracelet out of size 11/0 Galvanized Tangerine, Galvanized Hot Pink and Galvanized Light Teal Delicas. I was so excited about this bracelet from the planning to the first bead strung to the final bead.
I just finished Mardi Gras bracelet yesterday. This is the bracelet that I made my mom for her birthday.
Fire Mountain Gem featured me and my Stain Glass Cuff.

Talent Database's Craft Portal Featured my Coal Shimmer Bracelet
Treasury 5-11-08 featured my Roman Elegance Bracelet

Treasury 5-15-08 featured my Spring Love Cuff Treasury 5-22-08 featured my Oil Spill Cuff.
I'd love to hear what you think of my new piece!

Treasury Feature

I was very excited to wake up to a treasury feature today! Check out the treasury at http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=44039 to see all the other very talented Jet Team Members who were also featured!

Coming Soon

Monkey Announcement:
Coming soon I will be starting a couple of series on my blog. The first series will be my challenge series. In this challenge it's all about taking my fellow Etsians out of their element. The second series will be about Going Green. Stay tuned for more!

Etsy Child

As a mom to a toddler I think one of the best categories at Etsy is the items available for children. If you search children on Etsy you will find 134685 items! Those 134685 items include everything from hats, toys, clothes, books, plushies and many more. What a great place to find a perfect birthday present! Each item is hand made with love!
I have chose some of the find Etsy sellers who dedicate their shops to little people to feature this week.
Lookmamamadeit joined the Etsy community on February 29th of this year. Her shop features felt food items for children. She is inspired by her 5 year old. Silvia has been thinking about making children's toys since she was a child! She has her Masters in Art History.
While browsing Silvia's shop I saw this lovely Cake and Ice-Cream Summer Party. The set comes with a strawberry and chocolate cake (2.2"diameter x 1.8"tall), two cookies with pink liners, a strawberry ice-cream cone (3.9"long), a chocolate ice-cream cone (3.9"long), and a lemon lollipop. Each item is made out of rich wool blend felt except for the ice cream cones which are made out of thicker acrylic felt. You can find this
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10862611
for $32.00. Silvia also offers fruit, vegetables, and other assorted goodies.

Crackersart is another great Etsy seller who joined the community on August 8th of 2007. Sarah used to be a graphic designer but found it didn't give her enough of a creative outlet. In 1998 Sarah started Crackersart to achieve the creative outlet she desired. Her two little boys are her inspiration for her great digital illustrations.
Quackers the Duck is a great example of her digital illustrations. He is printed on smooth acid free 100% cotton rag fine art paper using archival inks. This print is 8" x 10" with a white boarder making it easy to frame. Each print is signed and date on the back. You can find this print at
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11030504 for $18.00.

If you are looking for a great wall mural then look no further than Loribiebel's shop. She joined the Etsy community on November 11th of 2007. She started doing children's murals in 1991. She realized that making murals that could be move able and not permanent was the way to go. This would be a great way to decorate your little one's room without having to paint over it as they grow!
My favorite mural from her shop is Farm by Storytime Walls. It comes with a barn (21 1/2"x16 1/2"), cow (16"x15"), horse
(17"x14"), pigs(15 1/2"x9"), lambs(16"x11"), tree(9"x14 1/2"), and clouds (17"x11") You can find this great mural at
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7974725
$138.00. Loribiebel's shop also offers a circus mural, bug mural and individual pieces.


Whimbrella joined the Etsy community on August 12th 2007. She learned
to sew from watching her mother as a little girl. She still enjoys sewing with her mother. One of my favorite items from her shop are her Ready to Go Coloring Totes. Each tote comes with 8 standard crayons and a coloring book! What a great way to help your children pass the time in a car or at a doctor's appointment. The tote measures 6"x6" and is machine washable. You can find this tote at
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8664477 for $12.50.




Etsy is a great place to find the perfect gift for any little one in your life!

Check out all these great Etsy shops at
http://lookmamamadeit.etsy.com
http://crackersart.etsy.com
http://loribiebel.etsy.com
http://whimbrella.etsy.com

Featured Seller- Barflybling

If you are looking for a great pair of earrings then stop in at Barflybling. The first thing you will notice is her great banner featuring a pin up lady drinking a martini that sets the tone for her shop. Barflybling got her BFA in drawing and painting and has 20 years experience creating jewelry. You can see how materials inspire her when you look at her exquisite jewelry. She likes to work with sterling silver wire, gemstones and lampwork beads.
Barflybling enjoys taking apart vintage items to make them into contemporary pieces. She has done this beautifully with these Silver Seed Pods. The beads are vintage silver Lucite beads that hang from a handmade round sterling silver ear wires. These earrings are one of a kind! You can get them at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7480173
for $12.00.







Blue Tornado is a great example of Barflybling's use of lampwork beads. Made of 18mm blue twisted glass with purple swirls accented with glass blue beads make these earrings stunning! The earrings measure 1 3/4" long. You can find these beautiful earrings at
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5843511 for $9.00!


Barflybling isn't limited to just earrings! Silver Swirl Necklace is a stunning necklace featuring a Silver tone swirl charm on a 18" sterling silver chain. You can find this gorgeous necklace at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8891815 for $12.00. You can get the making earrings for $12.00.

These are just a few examples of the fine jewelry Barflybling makes. Check out her other items at http://barflybling.etsy.com

Etsy Friends

Etsy has a community like no other! There are so many people who are willing to selflessly help others that it never fails to amaze me.
I thought I would feature some of these fine ladies who took the time to blog about me.

I love this print from Arabbitgirl's shop. It is a great example of Asian art! Arabbitgirl's is from one of my favorite places in the states Boston. She has been making collages for twenty years. A great example is Wind. Wind is a 7"x7" digital collage reproduction print. Arabbitgirl's prints each of her prints on Epson Professional Enhanced matte paper. You can find this print at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10848537 for $20.00! While you're there check out her other works of art!

Odannysgirl has a patten pending on this Lace Certified Organic Cotton Dining Out Travel Bib Set. This is an item that I wish I had when my son was a baby. How great is this not only does it fold up for traveling convenience but it's also organic and comes with a great wood spoon! You can find this great bib set at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10943618 for $44.95. It won't be long before this is the gift to give to new moms and dads.

Beautifully Brown

Beautifully Brown? you might say. How can brown be beautiful? Usually when you ask people their favorite color you will very rarely hear brown. I'm am on of those rare people who find brown beautiful. All you have to do is take a wander around Etsy to find some really great examples of why brown is beautiful.
This first piece is a fine example of why brown is beautiful. Jessica Doyle is the artist behind this piece in titled Spring 8x8 Fine Print Art. There are three other prints in this series representing all the seasons. This fine print was created using Faber Castell Pitt artist pens, Micron Pens, Windsor and Newton watercolor on Arches cold press watercolor paper. Each print is titled and signed on the back. You can find this great piece at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10758899 for $18.00.While you're there check out Jessica's other prints!






Early Budding Vine Bracelet from Giftbearer's Budding Vine (TM) Line is one of most original pieces of brown I found on Etsy. The process of making this wonderful bracelet takes two weeks! Giftbearer uses fine silver slip layered onto a real vine then burned out. A bronezey-gunmetal color is then added to give the bracelet texture before the stones are set. This bracelet will fit a 5" wrist. You can find this excellent bracelet at
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10838889 for $600.00. While you're there check out Giftbearer's Budding Vine Line!



Homelab is responsible for this next piece, Beige and Brown Collar with Wood Buttons. I saw it awhile back and thought it was off a runway. This collar can be worn as a wrap, a scarf or a half turtle neck. You can find this great piece at
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9662105 for $45.00 While you are there check out Homelab's other pieces!







Dawn Lewis created this ACEO, Heritage Gee Gee, Limited Edition Photo Card. The story behind this card is what fascinated me the most. The little girl butterfly is actually Dawn's mum as a little girl. She photoed the photo to create this card. What was more fascinating was that the cards are printed on playing cards. You can choose which ever card you want! It is the first out of twenty four in her Fairy Series. You can find this card at
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10702089 for $4.00. Check out Dawn's other ACEO while you're visiting her shop.

The final piece in my beautiful browns is this hoodie by Binarywinter. I found that Binarywinter's description was way better than my description would ever be.
In Victorian times, a woman's treasured charm was most often a cameo carved with her own likeness. A portrait of great artistry would typically be carved on shell or stone, and framed by a floral motif that reflected the Victorians' love of gardening.
Adorned with graceful gears and delicate blossoms, our Cameo Mecanique is a modern take on a timeless charm. The cameo is nestled on the back of the hoodie, with two sets of elegant gears on both sides of the hood. Silk-screened by hand using creamy bronze ink onto a brown American Apparel women's fleece zip hoodie. 100% cotton, lusciously soft and cozy, perfect for spring nights!
You can find this hoodie at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10755250 for $45.00. When you visit Binarywinter's shop you will find a list of sizes so you can pick the best fit for you or a friend!

Perhaps brown isn't the prettiest or most popular color in spectrum but I challenge anyone to say that brown can't be beautiful! These pieces from great artist show case my point exactly.

Etsy Shops:
http://jessicadoyle.etsy.com
http://dawnlewisimagery.etsy.com
http://giftbearer.etsy.com
http://homelab.etsy.com
http://binarywinter.etsy.com

Featured Seller- Andy's Rascals

When you enter Andy's Rascals shop (http://andysrascals.etsy.com) you know that you have found a little treasury trove. I discovered Andy's shop a couple of weeks ago and fell in love with her little figurines. Andy started her passion after realizing that her kids were not represented anywhere so her and a friend took a ceramics class. That one class got her hooked and Andy started making her great figurines. Her first sales came from a local gift shop where she received five dollars for each figurine. If I had ran across them at the gift shop I would have bought everyone! Andy spent the next eleven years doing the Victorian Country Christmas craft show before landing at Etsy on January 26 of this year. In the few months she has been at Etsy she has enjoyed twenty sales!!

Each of Andy's figurines has a personality all it's own. This little Donkey is pouting just like your little one does! He is $14.95 like most of her single figurines. You can find him at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_
9675489.





How cute is this little booger?
This little guys is also $14.95 and well worth the conversations he'll start at your next dinner party! Every time I see him I have to smile. You can find him at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing.









This two some is quit the pair! I think the frog just found out that he isn't a prince! This fun pair is $34.95. You can find it at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9558931




I hope you have enjoyed learning about Andy's Rascals! Please take the time to see all the other great pieces she has in her shop!!!!

New Pieces

These two peices were listed last week. I just couldn’t figure out how to get pictures in my blog. Thanks to Bendawndavis (http://bendawndavis.etsy.com) I finally figured it out! Please visit her shop she has beautiful things!


Okay here are a couple of my new pieces:

Stain Glass Cuff







Stain Glass Cuff is a combination of 11/0 Toho Beads and 11/0 Mill Hill beads. This is my first design and I’m very excited to see what else I’ll make from it!

My other new piece is Wacky Wood.




Wacky Wood is just a great natural braclet that compliments every outfit. This is the first bracelet that I’ve made that I have attachment to lol.

Let me know what you think!

What's been going on

Recently Macnider Art Museum asked me if I would be interested in selling some of my jewelry in their gift shop. This is a great honor for me and I dug in right away to make pieces for the shop. In June I will be in their art festival. I have a great deal of work a head of me.
I have completed some new pieces too.
I call this one Coal Shimmer. It was hand woven out of 3mm black cube beads and black Nymo. It is on sale at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10520741








When I started to create the bracelet to the right it reminded me of my mother in law, Wendy. It is my take on RAW. I loved this bracelet so much that I did one in blue too. You can find this bracelet on sale at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10520171

http://monkeybun.etsy.com