Monday, September 28, 2009

Another Etsy Artist



I just had to share these adorable pictures of my granddaughter, Addison Ternes, falling in love with a little handmade doll I found for her on Etsy. They're made by a very talented artist known as Greenie from Wisconsin. She makes Indie art dolls that celebrate non traditional forms. She doesn't use patterns and every item in her Etsy shop is hand sewn and constructed. They are adorable dolls that are sprinkled with pink fluff, slight pouts and big dreamy eyes. The dolls are of collector quality and designed for the kid at heart. But, as you can see, they are loved by all.

Please check out her Etsy shop by CLICKING HERE. She also makes whimsical animals, here's my favorite.



Thank you Greenie, for making such an adorable dollie that warmed my heart and delighted my granddaughter!

Kerri

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Interview with an Etsy Seller and Friend


I've been buying jewelry supplies from Sherry Spring of springbeads.etsy.com almost since I first joined the Etsy community. I've always gotten the best service so I wanted to let everyone know a little more about her through an interview.

Question 1: How did you get your start selling jewelry supplies?

Sherry: Actually, I didn't. I started selling jewelry, then quickly discovered that my "creations" were not selling at all. So, I decided to start selling beads on a different "E store". I made a few sales, but nothing to speak of. My younger sister was visiting from Iowa and she asked me if I had tried selling on "Etsy". I said,"What the heck is an Etsy?" She promptly went to my computer and brought up Etsy. It was love at first "site". Here we are 8 months and over 700 sales later!!

Question 2: What are your favorite beads?

Sherry: The Czech glass beads are my most favorite of all of the beads. The colors and different cuts are beautiful. I just love aurora borealis coated Czech glass beads and my other favorite of the Czech beads are the capri blue, because they sell so well.

Question 3: What does the future hold for Springbeads?

Sherry: If it's anything like the past 8 months, the future looks good. I am always cruising my supply catalogues looking for incredible beads at a reasonable price so I can pass these beauties on to my customers. I have been testing the waters on semi precious stones and found that there is a great demand. Then, finally to take it one step further and start selling precious stones and metals.

Question 4: Is there anything you would like to add before we finish this interview?

Sherry: I want to be known as the shop for customer service from start to finish. The finest quality product that I can find, fair prices and honest rates for shipping. I believe a good transaction is when both parties leave happy. Also, I would like to thank all of my customers, old and new.

You can CLICK HERE to visit Sherry's Etsy shop and you can CLICK HERE to check out her blog.

Thank you Sherry, for being such a great Etsy vendor and for your friendship along life's journey.

Check out her beautiful jewelry supplies, you'll be glad you did!!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Autumn Goddesses





There's a chill in the morning air and cool evenings have come our way. Looks like fall will hit us early this year. I'm all for it because fall is my favorite season. I love the fall colors in the leaves and nice fresh feeling air. Here are a couple of necklaces that remind me of Thanksgiving dinner with fun loving relatives. You can almost smell the pumpkin pie baking in the oven!! The pendants in these necklaces are 100% handcrafted. The poly face was crafted by a local artisan and good friend of mine, Kristie Lou Brigham of Sculpted Windows Jewelry. The beadweaving was done by me. All in all about 5 hours worth of work went into making each of these special necklaces that bring back happy childhood memories.




For more information on the necklaces or to view other designs, please CLICK HERE to go to my Etsy shop.

Thank you!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Same Stone, Different Look



The idea behind this blog post first began when I decided to break up a matching pair of gemstones and make pendants with them rather than earrings. Each stone needed to look unique, but the coloring in the stone gave light to another idea. Why not use the same beads for each stone but with different stylings to show everyone just how different the exact same stone can look. It's actually why there can be so much jewelry on the market, yet most of it (at least the handmade pieces) looking so different. All a matter of the artist's interpretation, imagination, and of course, sense of color.

The first piece uses more of the light green seed beads and has a more earthy look to it. The light brown beads go quite nicely with the light green for a subtle look.

The second piece uses the same seed beads but has a more angelic look. In fact, when I realized it was taking on that look and feel, I decided to only add the light green beads around the top. Sort of like a halo effect.

So, each pendant started out using the same focal bead, which is travertine. For those of you not familiar with it, travertine is a terrestrial sedimentary rock, formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals from geothermally heated hot-springs.

I welcome any and all comments.....

If you'd like to view more of my creations, please click here to visit my Etsy shop.