Black Mauve and Grey Bracelet With Lampwork Glass by SassyDLite on Etsy

Mauve is my pick for accessorizing black & grey this season. Grunge, Goth or Glam... the mauves have my vote!!

Moss Amethyst Faceted Nugget Necklace by SassyDLite on Etsy

So many shades of grey.
Another fashion forward design from the Fall 2009 SassyDLite handmade jewelry collection

Lavish Labradorite Drops by SassyDLite on Etsy

Grunge, Goth or Glam... another fashion forward design from the SassyDLite Fall 2009 handmade jewelry collection!

Larvikite Double Strand Bracelet by SassyDLite on Etsy

Grunge, Goth or Glam... another fashion forward piece from the Fall 2009 SassyDLite handmade jewelry collection

ONLY $29!!!!!

Amazing Larvikite Healing Necklace by SassyDLite on Etsy

Fall 2009 must have.
larvikite aids weight loss and improves brain function

TCM Widget

Kate will be so pleased to see that I finally made time to grab the TCM widget. But I'm gonna have to change my layout template for this gadget to fit perfectly because the narrowest version I could find was 300 pixels wide.

Maybe I've done something wrong! LOL because I added this gadget to my Gahooltree blog and it fit perfectly even though that blog has a 3 column layout.

Please Vote for a Winner of the eSMArts August Challenge

Our etsy street team called eSMArts participated in a fun design challenge last month. The design theme was Nature/Natural.

Above is a studio pic of my Design Challenge entry: black leather fronds embellished with Thai hilltribe silver and featuring prehnite, brown quartz and moss aquamarine gemstone accents suspended beneath my long slimline sterling silver hand forged ear wires.

In our team competition you'll see a picture of this earring sitting atop a knarly piece of bluish green soapstone.

Overall, group involvement in this activity was low :( but please take a look at the entries and cast a vote to help us determine a winner! Here's the voting link:

Poll: (revised 9-7-09) Who Should Win the eSMArts August Challenge? The theme is Nature/Natural

I didn't intend to list this item for sale on etsy right away... but last night Anna, jewelry designer and owner of BellaDonnasJoy of Nova Scotia (a fellow eSMArts team member and etsy seller) brought to my attention that etsy sellers can now rearrange their shops in a variety of new ways to achieve visual appeal... SO, you'll find this creation called Warm Earth Black Leather Earring with Aquamarine, Prehnite, Quartz and Thai Silver now duly nestled within our selection of 'greenish' pieces :)

VivaLaModa Handmade Fashion Magazine

We were featured in the first issue of VivaLaModa! Viva La Moda is an online fashion magazine whose mandate is to demonstrate how quality handmade and vintage items are truly fashionable.



One of my men's items (Ammonite pendant and leather cord) was chosen for a Father's Day feature on page 31 of VivaLaModa's premier issue. Thank you so much Ainhoa for your careful consideration. Keep up the great work with VivaLaModa!

Glass Menagerie Cupola Blossoms

Inspired by the lovely blossoms that are at last putting on an awesome display of beauty here in Southern Ontario, I'm pleased to announce a handful of limited creations along the "Glass Menagerie Cupola Blossoms" theme.

Shown here is Coral Bells, a whimsical floral earring composed of copper earwires, base metal, austrian crystals and pretty Czech glass.

My ArtFire studio is located at:
http://www.artfire.com/users/AnnaLee


If you're a lover of handmade jewelry, please stop by my ArtFire shop and tell me what you'd like to see added. What colours? what gems? what theme? materials? or components?. We carry a vast array of materials and we'd love to hear your feedback or if possible, present info & pricing on custom creations.





Some of these earrings are shown with sterling silver earwires. Some however, are the modern base metals and patinas.

But because I cannot wear base metal earwires (they irritate my skin considerably) all our base metal earwires may be swapped for sterling at NO upcharge!

Glass Menagerie Cupola Blossoms pieces are part of my new Vintage Metalworx line - a stunning spring/summer collection with all the value and precision craftsmanship that you've come to expect from Oracle Gem Designs.

Blue Bells from our NEW Glass Menagerie Cupola Blossoms collection on ArtFire

Originally uploaded by cdnallie

This item is NOW available in my Artfire studio for $9 USD!!

As part of our NEW Vintage Metalworx line we're releasing a handful of limited creations along the "Glass Menagerie Cupola Blossoms" theme.

Shown here is "Blue Bells", a whimsical floral earring composed of copper earwires, base metal, austrian crystals and pretty Czech glass.

Our ArtFire studio is located at:
http://www.artfire.com/users/AnnaLee

If you're a lover of handmade jewelry, please stop by our ArtFire shop and tell us what you'd like to see us add. What colours? what gems? what theme? materials? or components?. We carry a vast array of materials and we'd love to hear your feedback or if possible, present info & pricing on custom creations.

Because I cannot wear base metal earwires (they irritate my skin considerably) all our base metal earwires may be swapped for sterling at NO upcharge!

Age is just a Number Bracelet

Age is just a Number Bracelet
Originally uploaded by cdnallie

This is my third solid copper bracelet. I want to keep this piece for myself, but it just might get cloned and offered online at some point.

Featured on the tage is a stamped quote from my friend who is always quick to point out that chronological age has no bearing on either a youthful (or conversely ancient) body, spirit or mind.

I'm particularly pleased with the stamp set that I got at Princess Auto for $7.99 CAD and how well it worked here. btw, the text was intended to roam from a straight path! :)

The stamped tag was polished using blue compound/rouge which also came from Princess Auto and works exceedingly well on this copper. I love Princess Auto. They carry inexpensive rotary tool attachments too (which is a good thing considering I broke a few drill bits before I realized I needed to reverse direction! LOL)

In future, I'll try our floor model drill press if I need to drill holes of this size in any heavy gauge metal sheeting. Achieving these four holes took all the patience and skill that I could muster..

Over the past few weeks I've had the pleasure of meeting up a few times with fellow eSMArts member and new friend Beth Ann Russell (Duchess of Wire/Wire Dutchess). We live a few dozen miles from one another but we meet each week in Port Perry at Tim Horton's to hang out, chat about jewelry and discuss our marketing ideas.

Beth Ann (who hales from the states) is teaching me all about HarborFreight, PepeeTools and weird stuff like Renaissance Wax, which apparently might make a good coating for this copper.

Most of you likely aren't bothered by the aroma of oxidising copper, but I have a nose like a bloodhound, and for my purposes, the Renaissance Wax might just do the trick to squelch that irritating odour.

Beth Ann and I plan to take a field trip in early June to MetalsPlus (was The Metals Supermarket) located on McEwen Drive in Whitby to source more metal sheeting. And when I figure out how to rig my hydraulic system up to a punch (for churning out dogtag type pendants) I'll do a blog feature on it. In the meantime, happy creating everybody!
~Anna Lee

My second solid copper bracelet

I'm still playing with 2mm solid copper sheeting and here's my hammered solid copper ladies bracelet (shown below Van's mens wrist wrap).

I really get a kick out of working with new materials and this piece (designed for myself) was sheer heaven to forge. I went with another timeless styling and am enjoying this adornment as a staple addition to my jewelry collection. It looks great worn alone but also (surprisingly) stacks well to make a fashion statement when combined with other sparklies. Yep, I love wearing lots of bracelets!

Look for a few solid copper pieces in my SassyDLite shop soon (TBA). Tomorrow I'll blog about my third copper creation. I like it even better than these two. This copper stuff is addictive :)
~Anna Lee

spotlights on By Hand.Me

On www.ByHand.me you can create spotlights of your favorite items. They can be your favorites, or your own creations - or any combination of items already existing on many commonly used handmade sales venues.

Once your spotlight is saved, you can view it the dropdown under "My Stuff" in your ByHand.Me account. Beside each saved spotlight is an world/globe icon that allows you to invoke several spotlight layouts (like the mini shown here) and their corresponding html for pasting into various web applications.

Create Your Own Free Spotlight on www.ByHand.Me

"Spring is in the Air!"
I just had a wee bit of fun creating my first free spotlight on http://www.byhand.me/ When I get more time I'll create themed spotlights for mens/unisex, bridal, luxe gemstone supplies etc. These mini showcases can be used to highlight a team too and apparently if the final result is outstanding or noteworthy it might get noticed and perhaps be 'picked up' and promoted by other users. So what are you waiting for? Get going and spotlight something!

I haven't figured out yet how to capture an image of the spotlight so you'll just have to click the title of this article or click here to view it.

BTW, eSMArts now has its own "Clubhouse" on this venue too so please join! http://www.byhand.me/index.php?option=com_groupjive&action=gj.core.groups.showgroup&groupid=91

Jannadu - artwork of Jann Alexander-McCullough

Jannadu: new online boutique!

My friend Jann Alexander-McCullough of Glendale Arizona is the talented artisan behind Jannadu and Phoenix Rising Glass Art studio on etsy. Jann has been an artist all her life and has been trained in most all of the traditional mediums but watercolors is her favorite.

I'm intrigued by Jann's pencil drawings. Her pet portraits are wonderfully lifelike and affordable. Contact Jann for your custom pet portrait! Jann's paintings and artwork have received acclaim but lately her passion has turned to glassmaking.

Jann recently opened an online boutique which features a few of her fine arts pieces as well as unique handmade jewelry designs for the Rubenesque & Lovely Women of the World. Her big, beautiful women's bracelets will be adjusted to 9" and up per your specs prior to shipping.

The term "Rubenesque" refers to the pear-shaped woman of ample bust, plump cheeks, soft-full lips, and a healthy profile of alluring curves and crevasses. The full bodied female form was popularized by the works of renowned oil artist Peter Paul Rubens. Today the popular acronym BBW (big, beautiful woman) has a similar meaning.

Jann is currently exploring a variety of jewelry making techniques and materials including precious metals and gemstones to showcase her unique handmade glass creations. Rich color, wonderful texture combinations and unique materials are the hallmark of Jannadu handmade artisan jewelry.

Check out the Jannadu shop on etsy: http://Jannadu.etsy.com and there's more information on Jann's blog: Art & Artists - Me and My Friends. This artist loves custom commissions, so feel free to contact Jann today to get your personalized jewelry adornment project underway!

Nest and Gemstone "Egg" Family Pendant

I wish I had managed to grab decent photos of this nifty little nest pendant and necklace before it shipped but these pics will have to suffice. The gemstone "eggs" (peridot, citrine and white topaz) represent the birthstones of children. Here the "eggs" are nesting atop a gem encrusted base of black garnet, green tourmaline and african amethyst in this sterling silver handmade nest pendant.

The customer felt his wife would like bright silver wire in this family pendant so the nest base was encrusted for contrast and effect.

This particular pendant and necklace would have been stunning if finished in an oxidized silver patina (for even more contrast and dazzle).

I hand form each nest to customer specs. Copper, sterling or 14k yellow gold fill wire form the nest. In this case, I added a woven bail.

The foundation of the creation is the birthstone "eggs". At Oracle Gem Designs / Gahooletree we always incorporate genuine gemstones not crystals. But these cute pendants look fabulous with freshwater pearl "eggs" too.

Matching chains in copper, antique copper, antique brass, sterling (bright or oxidized) and 14k yellow gold fill are available and I often like to add mom and dad birthstones (near the clasp) to round out the "family" theme.

Whatever gemstone "eggs", nest wire and chain you choose, these family pendants make adorable and thoughtful gifts that will be cherished always. This particular item is sold, but please contact me for a prompt free quote. Wire nests are also available in brooche, ring, earring and bracelet versions.

One World One Heart Contest Winner!

The 2009 One World One Heart blog participation event has at last come to an official close. I used a random number generator to pick from the 237 comments left here and the winner of these handmade copper earrings is:

Elizabeth from New England, USA who maintains Thoughts from an Evil Overlord blog. Elizabeth is an avid blogger and #211 on the One World One Heart donor list!

Check out Elizabeth's interesting blog which is crammed full of rich content for more information about her life and passions.

I'll be contacting Elizabeth by email with this news later today!

Thank you so much to all who entered my giveaway.
Until next year....
hugs,
~Anna Lee H. in Toronto

One World One Heart Giveaway Contest

The 2009 One World One Heart blog giveaway event is a chance for bloggers from all over the world to meet, mix, and mingle. It also gives us the opportunity to win prizes from each other!!! If you love prizes, and would like to be entered in my giveaway please leave a comment here!

Very last minute (oh if I could only clone myself) I've decided to offer these unique handmade earrings as the SassyDLite entry in the 2009 One World One Heart blogging event. Next year, I promise I'll be ready for this event with amazing entries.

I'm also offering a different giveaway item on my other jewelry blog, so visit Gahooletree Designs blog http://gahooletreedesigns.blogspot.com/ to enter that contest too!

To be entered into the giveaway for these earrings, leave me a comment, being sure to give me a link to your blog or your email address in the comment so I can contact you if you're my winner! You have until Thursday, February 12th at 11:59 CST to leave a comment here with the requested info in order to enter the drawing. I will then use a random number generator to choose the winner!

My entry this year is a funky pair of oxidized copper dangly hoops with gem grade citrine, australian sapphire and moonstone treasures. They measure 2 inches in length and the earwire is antique copper. Good luck and I look forward to meeting tons of new bloggers!
hugs,
~Anna Lee H. in Toronto