New Items

Filed under: Uncategorized

I have been playing with FEATHERS!!! And, oh what fun they are, I must admit. Recently my Niece asked me to make her a feather hair clip. I had never made one but thought it would be fairly easy, and to be honest it was easier than I even imagined. I am going to put up a video tutorial of how I do it, as opposed to some of the others that I have seen on the Internet. But, before I do that, let me show you just a few of the things that I have made that are new to the store…

Native American Feather Barrette with Grade B genuine Turquoise accent stone. Each barrette is custom made to order. $12

This is the underside of the barrette. You can see how clean it looks as opposed to other handmade barrettes that use felt on which to glue the feathers.

Next is a new Rosary. I love making rosaries, although they are quite a bit of work, which is why they are so expensive. This particular rosary is made of corrugated carnelian beads that are flanked by 24K gold Vermeil bead caps. Each eye pin is 14K gold plated, and the Crucifix and center medal are also both Vermeil. I have one available for sale at this time. After this is sold each will be made on an order by order basis, so please allow 2 weeks for delivery.

Carnelian and Gold Rosary - $350

Vermeil center medal of the Sacred Heart.

Vermeil crucifix

More items will be added later today, like the feather hair clip and wine glass markers, but the pictures need to be redone before I can list them. And, I sold 5 sets of wine glass markers in two days, almost faster than I can make them! More to come soon, thanks for reading, and HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

Tags: barrettes, feathers, gold, Native American jewelry, rosaries, turquoise, vermeil, wine glass marker

Happy Easter! (and other Holidays)

Filed under: Glass Beads, Handmade Jewelry, Holiday Jewelry

Happy Easter! (and other Holidays too!)

It’s been a while since I have put out a blog. I have new items from my “Breakfast at Bella’s” collection that still need to be added, but I am finding that time is scarce since I had my second child. Once I photograph and re-size these items I will add them to the store for all to see (and buy!) Also I have been collaborating with Laurie from Mermaid Glass and our ideas are complete and the beads are being made for my next collection. I promise to have the breakfast pieces up first though.

I am obviously still trying to find myself as a jewelry designer among other things. There are so many beautiful mediums to use within a creation, I want to experiment with all of them before settling down into one specific area, which I swear to the almighty poker gods I will do one day.

To keep with my new tradition I would like to introduce you to my featured Guest Jeweler this month. She is award winning artist, Ann Marie Hodrick

Ann Marie Hodrick has been artistic from birth, developing her creativity in one medium or another all her life.

Ann Marie crafted as a young child, developing a keen sense of color and fine motor skills.  In high school she pursued the fine arts of painting, printmaking, ceramics and silversmithing.   She continued her exploration of these mediums while at Loyola University in New Orleans pursuing a degree in Liberal Arts. After earning her BA degree she went to work as a video editor choosing to voice her creativity on television while earning a regular income to help support her growing family, all the while never losing her artistic desire.  Her current foray into jewelry design is simply a part of her life-long dedication to artistic expression. She has won multiple national awards for her jewelry designs.

Ann Marie currently lives in Oakland, Ca. with her husband and two teenage sons. As for her philosophy, Ann Marie uses skills from all areas of her past art studies. She has synthesized a unique style, blending her romantic nature and experience in the arts with a fascination for the art of personal adornment. Nature and architectural design inspire much of Ann Marie’s work. It is because of this influence that she does not confine herself to one specific jewelry technique, allowing the materials and stones to inspire her final design.

This design is one of my favorites from Ann Marie because of its simplicity and richness. Please click on the photo to view the item in our store.

If any of you are interested in being a featured artist on my site, or you know anyone who might be interested, please contact me for details on how to get started!

Tags: Easter, gemstones, glass jewelry, gold, guest artist, guest jeweler, Necklaces, new collection