I've Added Stamped Metal Jewelry!

Hello!!

Ok I'm very excited... I can finally show you the piece I mentioned  last time!! I decided last fall to add stamped metal jewelry to my repertoire because I LOVE doing custom designs and adding this option gives me soooooo much more freedom to do that for you! You saw my Island Girl test piece which was the very first time I tried stamping:

Well, as is often the case, it's usually a custom order that gets me to find the time to do things :) I didn't want to ruin a surprise because it was a 1st Anniversary gift, but now I can show it to you!!

You might remember the Custom-designed Dolphin Wedding Jewelry Set I made last year for Julz:

Well, this was a 1st Anniversary gift from Julz to Joe to hang in his truck. 

~ ♥ ~ Happy Anniversary!! ~ ♥ ~

I'm VERY excited to be working with stamped metal designs so there will be more examples to come!! 

I'm working on another one now. I'll have photos soon :)

How about you? Do you like stamped metal jewelry? I'd love to know your thoughts because, after all, I do all this for you. If you're not happy, I'm not happy.... so lemme know!!

Exploring Handmade ~ Holiday Shopping Event ~ Day 1

Hello and Welcome to Day 1 of the

 Exploring Handmade Online Holiday Shopping Event!!

Are you ready to Occupy Wall Street (from the comfort of your home in your slippers)?

Are you ready to send a BOLD message to Congress, Corporate America and the 99%?

Are you ready to support Artisans and Small Businesses to send that message?

Excellent!!

So I guess that means you're also ready to find some really great gifts for yourself and your loved ones, huh?

Alright then let's go....

I'm very happy to see you here and hope you'll enjoy following along this 13 day event. I didn't have time to put out all my fancy decorations so please excuse the accommodations... I've been spending my time searching for handcrafts and artisans to introduce you to ;) Every day I'll show you a handcraft or two and some of the artisans that lovingly create items using that particular craft.

There are soooooo many benefits to buying handcrafted items direct from the artisans who make them. I discuss them in an article I wrote called "Why Buy Handmade Jewelry" ...... it ended up being about a whole lot more than jewelry ;) Artisans care about you and give a special touch to your items. We also give you custom one-on-one service and many ways to work with us. You'll notice most artisans are on facebook and twitter... we want to talk to you and share with you. Come join the fun and we'll show you just how amazing personalized service can be!

We're all pinching pennies and gift-giving budgets for sure aren't what they used to be. But the people you'll meet during this event make gorgeous things... truly special things... things that, even if they are the only gift you give or receive, will fill your holiday with meaning and love.... from our homes to yours.

So, take advantage of this opportunity... Do your shopping for your loved ones AND don't forget to use the Amazon Universal Wish List to help your loved ones shop for you! If you're not familiar with it, please read my previous post so you can use this useful tool.

I'd appreciate it if you would share this event with your family, friends and fans so they can enjoy it too :)

I wish you all a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous Holiday Season!

Thank you for coming by!

and

Thank you to everyone who is taking part in and promoting this event!

♥ Debi

Today I'd like to introduce you to Lampwork Glass Artists. These women take great pride in melting glass and making beads and other items, often one-of-a-kind items. It's a time-consuming, detail-oriented craft... and, of course, uing a torch means it's a bit dangerous too! These ladies are pros and they produce some of the most beautiful beads you'll find.

First let's meet Nikki from Bastille Bleu Lampwork...

My name is Kimberly Nicole (aka Nikki) and I'm a wife, mother, grandmother and full-time lampwork glass artist! I make all my glass beads in my studio in Milwaukee, WI. All my beads are made with great care, time, skill, and attention to detail. I take pride in my work so that you can take pride in designing and wearing it!

To put it bluntly.... I am addicted to melting glass and making glass beads. I can't imagine doing anything else! It's my BLISS!

I create colorful, wearable art glass, custom lampwork jewelry, and personalized stamped metal jewelry & charms for every style and budget! I'm also a registered member of Self Representing Artists (member SRA #R67), Self Representing Artist Jewelry Designers (SRAJD #2852), and a member of the International Society of Glass Beadmakers (ISGB #P7942), Lampwork Etc forum, and Etsy's Wisconsin Street Team (WIST Team).

Nikki makes beads...

and beautiful jewelry too...

Here are some of the places you can find Nikki and her work...

Website: http://www.BastilleBleu.com

Blog: http://bastillebleu.blogspot.com

Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BastilleBleu

Storenvy: http://bastillebleu.storenvy.com/

ArtfulExplorer: http://artfulexplorer.com/bastillebleu/

Zibbet: http://www.zibbet.com/BastilleBleu

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BastilleBleuLampworkBeads

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BastilleBleu

Nikki also offers a Newsletter you can sign up for to keep up with her work!

♥

Now let's meet Jere from Good Hope Creations...

My name is Jere Watson. I'm a lampwork glass artist and I specialize in big hole beads. I am starting to offer handmade beads for jewelry artists done on 1/16 mandrel. I also offer a fun line of "smashed trash" which is recycled fused glass.

Here are some of the places you can find Jere and her work...

Website: http://www.GoodHopeCreations.com

Blog: http://www.GoodHopeCreations.blogspot.com

Etsy: http://www.GoodHopeCreations.etsy.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GoodHopeCreations

♥

And we have Amber from That Bead Girl...

I am a lampworker of 12 years, and during the holidays I focus on creating glass bead functional artwork! Some of the gifts available during this season are glass topped wine stoppers, canape sets, serving ware, compact mirrors, purse hangers and more. I also create glass pendants and changeable rings.

Here are some of the places you can find Amber and her work...

Website: http://www.ThatBeadGirl.com

Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThatBeadGirl

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/that-bead-girl/44230106472

Twitter: http:www.twitter.com/thatbeadgirl

Amber also offers a Newsletter you can sign up for to keep up with her work!

♥

We also have Gillian from Brilliant Beads...

My name is Gillian Soskin. I am a dentist by day...a lampwork glass bead maker and jewelry artist by night, and evenings, and weekends, and well yes, very early in the mornings too! I love glass beads! I just love working with glass and am primarily inspired by the natural world around me. All my lampwork glass beads are lovingly handmade by me, Gillian Soskin, in my home glass studio in London, Ontario, Canada.

I also make glass beads to design my own hand made jewelry and some of it can be seen on my website www.brilliantbeads.net; custom orders are welcome! I am a self-representing glass artist (SRA # S107) which means that my beads are individually made, by me, and not mass produced.

Gillian also makes both beads and jewelry...

Here are some of the places you can find Gillian and her work...

Website: http://www.BrilliantBeads.net

Etsy: http://www.gillianbeads.etsy.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BrilliantBeads

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/brilliantbeads

♥

And last but not least, Karen of Fire n Sand Glass Art...

I'm Karen Klomparens. I'm a self representing artist, which means I design, create, and market my glass art. I'm a member of Glass Artists of West Michigan, Etsy Glass Artists, Bead Art Originals, Fire Divas, and Dipwads. I sell handmade lampwork glass beads, charm beads, fused glass art, dichroic jewelry and oak bead displays.

Here are some of the places you can find Karen and her work...

Etsy: http://www.giapet.etsy.com

Blog: http://www.fire-n-sand.blogspot.com

ArtFire: http://www.Fire-n-Sand.artfire.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fire-n-Sand-Glass-Art/163583837011756

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/FirenSand

Karen also offers a Newsletter you can sign up for to keep up with her work!

And, as an added bonus... If you look in Karen's Etsy Shop, you'll also find these awesome ski hats she makes!

  

♥

I hope you enjoyed the first day of our journey. I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow!

Follow Me As I Create a Custom Jewelry Set for a Maui Wedding ~ Part 4

Today is their wedding so, to celebrate, I'm unveiling the finished pieces!! Ready?

 

 

I'm happy to say that Julz was thrilled with her jewelry. I was honored to be the one she selected to make her wedding jewelry and had quite alot of fun doing it! And, in the process of emailing back and forth about her jewelry, Hawaii and a host of other things, we found out we have alot in common and have become friends!

Congratulations to Julz & Joe on this very special day! I wish you a lifetime of love and happiness ♥Aloha♥

And I hope you've all enjoyed following this project. I wanted to show you how easy it is to have jewelry custom designed for you ...whether you live around the corner from me or around the world. I hope I've succeeded and next time you want something  special I'd love to hear from you!

♥ Debi

Follow Me As I Create a Custom Jewelry Set for a Maui Wedding ~ Part 3

Ready to see photos? There were 2 steps of approvals for this project. The first included a photo of 4 possible earring designs and one of a section showing how I was planning to string the bracelet and necklace...

 

The next round of approvals came when the jewelry was almost finished to be sure she was pleased with everything and didn't want to make any changes.

the bracelet...



the necklace...

close-up of necklace center...

and the earrings finished in the design she selected...

She was thrilled with everything and gave me the ok to finish them up. So next time I'll have the photos of the finished pieces. And I think I'll reveal those in celebration of her wedding day... this Wednesday ♥ So be sure to check back :)

♥ Debi

Follow Me As I Create a Custom Jewelry Set for a Maui Wedding ~ Part 2

Hello!

Ready to see the spec sheets for the wedding jewelry? In addition to a lengthy email explaining my ideas, I sent these spec sheets with photos to make it easier for Julz to visualize her options and make her selections.

The first page shows the original bracelet and earrings that she saw labelled with my ideas for hers:

The second page has photos of some of her options for adding white beads into the design, each strung with four different colors of seed beads: 

The third page shows more seed bead choices, natural shells, clasp choices, earring style choices and a dolphin charm: 

The last page is a copy of the necklace design I sketched labelled and showing different design elements I thought of using:

We continued discussions by email to fine tune the design, more photos were sent when I found beads I thought she would like to use and once all was agreed on, I ordered the parts I didn't have in stock and started stringing the designs on temp wire to get her approval before starting the final product.

Next time I'll be showing you the photos that were sent for Julz's approval...

Hope you're enjoying following the process. Thanx for reading :)

♥ Debi

Follow Me As I Create a Custom Jewelry Set for a Maui Wedding

Hi!

Since I specialize in custom orders, I thought you might find it interesting and helpful to follow me through a custom design project and see how easy it is to have me design jewelry for you. I just completed a wonderful project... a necklace, bracelet and earrings set for a wedding.

It all started when the bride-to-be... looking for dolphin jewelry for her upcoming wedding on Maui... found my "Dolphins Roaming the Ocean" bracelet and matching earrings and sent me an email.

We chatted by email about colors, beads and design elements... gathering all the info I needed to begin. I was excited about the project and ideas just flowed. Before I knew it I was sketching, stringing together samples and putting spec sheets together for her.

In my next post, I'll be showing you the spec sheets I put together..............

I hope you enjoy following this project :)

~ Debi