rainy days by marqos, on Flickr

Regardless I was looking forward to the rain, because rainy days remind me of…

Cloudy Day Queens – 8×12 Fine Art Photograph by judemcconkey on Etsy

cloudy skies…

Let Love be Your Umbrella Necklace by EmilinaBallerina on Etsy

umbrellas…

Puddle Play by Pe11e, on Flickr

puddles…

Gourmet Amaretto Hot Chocolate Mix (Large) by tetoncocoacompany on Etsy

hot chocolate…

Untitled by A Pretty Rock, on Flickr

and of course… labradorite. And if I had some time to work on some new pieces this week, I would definitely pull some of these stones out!

What do rainy days remind you of?

This post is part of the 52 Weeks of Blogging Your Passion {affiliate link} series by Tara Gentile of Scoutie Girl. If you’re interested in participating in the group, pick up her e-book today! {affiliate link} You can start at any time.

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For the 12 Days of Holiday Deals, I’m offering one item on my site at a discount of 30% – 50% off the original price of the item. You only have until midnight EST to make your purchase on my limited edition pieces the day I post them on my blog. So if you want this item, don’t delay. Tomorrow, this deal will be gone!

And as a little extra to everyone who stops by during my 12 Days of Holiday Deals, for each item purchased or each comment left (1 each a day), you’ll get entered to win a $50 gift certificate to my shop! That’s 24 chances to win over the course of 12 days!

The Labradorite, Peruvian Opal and Swarovski Crystal Chandelier Wrap Earrings…Flashy faceted labradorite teardrops are paired with smooth Peruvian opal and Swarovski crystals to create these eye-catching chandelier earrings. The silver has been oxidized for an antique finish.

The earrings are 2″ (5.08cm) long from the top of the earwire. The circle of the chandelier is 3/4″ (1.91cm) wide from one side to the other. All silver is sterling.

These are one-of-a-kind. Once they are sold, I cannot remake this pair of earrings!

$51.00 – $25.50

Sorry! The day has passed and this Holiday Deal is done. Go check out the latest Holiday Deal in the series!

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On the 10th Day of Holiday Deals 2009...On the 2nd Day of Holiday Deals...On the 6th Day of Holiday Deals...

I was disheartened to find that I only had one response. No one seemed to have stories to share. That thought made me sad.

However, with only one person responding, that meant that they were the winner of my little gift:

Christine, send me your mailing address so I can get these little baubles in your hands! (And sorry I am soooo late following up…seems to be my M.O. these days…) ;)

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That is, I closed my jewelry shop on Etsy. My supply shop is still open.

Spending this holiday season reviewing the past year made me realize that I was spreading myself thin. With so many people on Etsy now (way more than when I started 3 years ago), it’s almost a requirement to post on a daily or multi-daily basis to maintain visibility, to-do lists for team eligibility, maintaining a presence in the forums…all these things are now the neccessity to be successful.

That’s all fine and good, because those who are successful adapt with the changes. However, this has really morphed my jewelry from something I truly enjoyed making and displaying to just another list of tasks to be done for the day. Not to mention the competitiveness of watching store sales/numbers and the jealousy it pulled out of me…especially towards people I would never wish to be that way with. It was all too much.

So with much sadness (and a little tinge of defeat), I’ve removed myself from all the Etsy Teams I belonged to (and have even passed up applying to join a team I admire a ton.) And as much as I hate to say good bye to all the team members who I’ve really come to know and love, I hope you understand my decision.

Thanks to Etsy’s vacation mode, though, I still have the opportunity to come back if I ever change my mind. (A girl’s gotta reserve her rights!) I will also still be selling through my site here…so don’t think I’m going to stop all together. ;)

Aquamarine Coins on Etsy

Labradorite Marquis on Etsy

Having said that, I did get the chance to post a few new items in the supply shop. I hope you’ll stop by and browse.

Don’t be a stranger, my friends. :)

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For the 12 Days of Holiday Deals, I’m offering one item on my site at a discount of 30% – 50% off the original price of the item. You only have until midnight EST to make your purchase on my limited edition pieces the day I post them on my blog. So if you want this item, don’t delay. Tomorrow, this deal will be gone!

And as a little extra to everyone who stops by during my 12 Days of Holiday Deals, for each item purchased or each comment left (1 each a day), you’ll get entered to win a $25 gift certificate to my shop! That’s 24 chances to win over the course of 12 days!

The Bubbles & Labradorite Bracelet…Light and trendy, this bracelet has a unique style all its own. Made with a vermeil bubble component and chain that is decorated with labradorite stones, fun is all you will think of while wearing this bracelet.

The bracelet fits up to 9″ (22.86 cm) and can be adjusted to less. All metal is 14kt gold-filled or vermeil (24kt gold heavily plated over a sterling silver core.)

Sorry! The day has passed and this Holiday Deal is done. Go check out the latest Holiday Deal in the series!

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On the 12th Day of Holiday Deals 2009...On the 11th Day of Holiday Deals 2009...On the 10th Day of Holiday Deals...

1st picture: cloisonne beads
2nd picture: crystal, rutilated quartz, mixed stone rondelles, fire cherry quartz

1st picture: moss agate, lemon quartz, green dyed chalcedony
2nd picture: keishe pearls, crystal quartz, tourmaline, hessonite, labradorite

1st picture: pink dyed chalcedony, amethyst, labradorite, prasiolite
2st picture: aquamarine, tourmalinated quartz, green tourmalinated quartz, rutilated quartz

quartz

Keep an eye out for new jewelry using these lovelies!

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If you’ve been visiting my site for the past month (and wondering why I hadn’t posted in such a long time), you can attribute part of the delay in news to these beautiful earrings shown above. Back in May, I was contacted by SheFinds to participate in a promotion to help raise money for Count Me In, the leading national not-for-profit provider of business resources and education for women entrepreneurs.

During September, SheFinds will feature original accessories created by independent designers that incorporate either the Count Me In motto “Believe In You”, their logo or program logos, and/or the official colors into the design. The designers are all pledging to donate a portion of the proceeds from all sales of these items made from September 1st to December 31st to Count Me In. Once the promotion starts, you can keep up on the designers by clicking through to the SheFinds site or through the image at the right.

The Count Me In mission of promoting economic independence and the growth of women-owned businesses really hits home for me. As a woman entrepreneur who has not one (jewelry), but two (web development) businesses, I understand the necessity for programs to help women in all aspects of business.

My hope is that by donating 25% of the proceeds made from the sale of these earrings, which will be a limited edition series, Count Me In will get one step closer to their organization’s goals. The great thing about this is that I’m not the only one who feels like this and I’ve heard that plenty other designers are stepping up to the plate.

If you know anyone who can benefit from this organization or who would be willing to make a purchase knowing that it was for a good cause, please take the time to forward this information to them. Help yourself or someone else grow their business!

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A gift for a friend, by a friendInspiring Me Colorful - Catie's BlueBuying Stones

If you ever get the chance to do so and live in the local area, stop by Colorbeads of Roswell. Not only do they have a great selection of mineral stones, they have lovely higher end gemstones. As a matter of fact, they also happen to be doing a 50% off sale right now and of course I couldn’t just walk away empty-handed:

From top to bottom: Carnelian faceted twist ovals, Prehnite diamond kites, Iolite faceted coins, Quartz faceted heart briollettes, Moonstone faceted rice, Citrine faceted square pendants

From top to bottom: Quartz faceted rectangle, Labradorite heart pendant, Smoky Quartz faceted rectangle

I’ve hardly broken into the strands from my previous purchasing spree. So that’s it! I’m doing a self enforced moratorium on non-necessary purchases until the end of the year! Hah…let’s see how long that lasts…

One of the things I’m very guilty of is jumping right into a project and using my precious stash of sterling silver and gold-filled components. If you’ve been following the market, you know that the metal prices have more than doubled in a span of less than 2 years without any real relief in sight. Working on something new without creating a sample first is really an irresponsible use of wire and findings. Considering that the cuffs take a large amount of wire to make, I thought it best to create a sample first. In a moment you’ll see why I’m glad I did!

This is the first cuff ring I made. It is made up of freshwater peacock pearls and Swarovski crystals. I measured it out for a size 10 ¼ and used a total of 75″ in wire. As it turns out, once I had finished the ring, it only fit a size 7 3/4! I’m very glad I didn’t use my precious metals. (Crafting wire was used, so I don’t think I’m putting it up for sale. However, if you are interested in it, just drop me an email.)

With this second ring, I decided to go ahead and venture into using the sterling silver wire. This one is made with faceted labradorite rounds and Israeli faceted iolite rondelles. With this one, I measured out the frame for a 12 ½ ring. Once all the stones were wrapped on it, it measured to fit a 10 to 10 ½ comfortably.

Now, neither one of these is the custom order that I was asked to make, but I wanted to make sure that I could make the ring as requested and that my measurements wouldn’t waste any valuable supplies. I’ll post the custom order ring when I’m done with it, because I’m really looking forward to making it. In my head it just looks fabulous!

So all in all, I really like these rings. They have substance yet can be molded to fit without fear of breakage. Oh, and you can wear them in two ways, with the locking swirl on top or on the bottom to get a full band of flashy gems and pearls! Definitely lovely rings!

BTW, today is my birthday! Happy Birthday me! :)

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