1000th POST !

I just realized that I posted my 1000th post.  Yeah for me.  Hope you have been liking my blog and have received some inspiration from it.  I'd like to hear from you.

Earrings In Shop

My sweet model, Taylor, with a Vintage Drop

Vintage Crystals, Gemstones and Glass

Vintage Rhinestones on Brass with Brass Birds

Czech Glass Flowers 

Green Glass Clips

Yellow Glass and Pink Crystals

As you see, I've been putting earrings in my Etsy shop and I have more to post.  I've been trying to post an average of one item a day since about 2 1/2 weeks ago when I reopened my shop.  There is so much jewelry on Etsy that mine is probably getting stomped on but I'm trying.  I have my shop on Facebook and if you are there, stop by and "Like" my shop: SallyLSmith.etsy.com.  Then when I remember to post my contribution of that day, you will be sent a little blurb about it on FB.  I'm not into marketing myself, never have been.  My Mom bought all my Girl Scout cookies and not because she was a cookie hound--because I was too shy to go door-to-door and so was she.  Nobody's going to sell my wares but me so, again, we'll see.  Lydia was a seller of "purple," the fine cloth of the day and I'll bet she had to market her wares by herself and that was then.  It's been an uphill battle for women in business since then.  Of course, nothing worth while is easy.

Back In Business

Sold

New packaging

Jewelry for Auction

Yay!  I'm back in business. I sold my first item, the cameo bookmark, in my Etsy shop since last December and it feels good.  I even had someone else interested enough in this item to ask questions about it as well.  So, I'm back to my stash to find another cameo in hopes of making another sale.  I'm including new packaging for my items that I sell on Etsy--white box, sheer ribbon, paper flocked flower and vintage button.  I love how it looks.

I've been busy making jewelry for a youth auction that's coming up this Sunday.  We have a "kid bid" during the auction and the items go anywhere from 25 cents to five dollars and only the children can bid.  The church donates baked goods, handmade items and donated tickets for area events and the money goes to help individual youth who cannot afford to go on the mission trips our church offers in the summer.

I'm also busy packing.  We are planning a move in the near future and I've started in earnest to pack the things I won't be using in the next few months.  You know those items: Christmas stuff, books, stemmed glassware, Grandma's china, wok, craft stuff (oh, boy, I hate to decide what I won't use in that category.)  It feels good to get things in boxes.  More on the move later.

Robin's Egg Blue Necklace and Bracelet Set

I bought this gorgeous robin's egg blue Amazonite a couple of weeks ago and have looked at it on my table since, imagining what to do with it and these are the results.  Amazonite is a gem variety of feldspar and has layers of different colors--from green and cream to light browns.  I love pastels and the blending of these colors makes me smile.  I've used mostly vintage beads, pearls and mother-of-pearl rings to accompany it.  There's also one surprise ring mixed in.  I like to do that, too.  I'm always ready for a little surprise at times, aren't you?

Book Marks

Vintage Cameo

Vintage Button

She Asked For Blue

I made a couple of bookmarks the other day and will be putting them in my Etsy shop soon.
I've been saving cameos for a long time now and decided on this one--a very vintage one with a great old patina.
The button is a beautiful polished, antiqued bronze with a silver layer under it.  Of course, I doubt that it is truly bronze and silver but it looks like it and it's definite that it's been around a while.

My friend made an afghan for me, just because, and I thanked her with this bracelet--free--that she had ordered from me.  I put it together one night when I couldn't sleep, which are many lately.  I might as well do something productive in my waking hours.


Words are very important as seen many times in scripture.  Here is one example:

"Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments."
Exodus 34:28

Statement Wedding Necklace

I made this fiber/fabric and beads necklace to sell in the wedding section of the shop in which I've been selling for the past three and a half years but the shop closed, leaving me with this little lovely.

It's so beautiful and I would love it to grace the neck of a bride.  All the details are in my Etsy listing if you are interested.  Not getting married but want something unusual and OOAK, then have fun planning where you could wear this.  

Inspirational scripture:

Song of Songs 4:8

"Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me."

Silver Leaves on Black

Silver leaves and gray pearls will surround your neck or wrist when you wear this crocheted-on-waxed-linen-thread piece.  This is an extremely long necklace--70"--so it will wrap forever, well, maybe not forever but you get my drift.  It's light weight and easy to wear.  I try all my jewelry for endurance and then make sure it's cleaned before it's sent to the buyer.  
Exodus 31:4 extols the artisans to "make artistic designs in...silver"-- so I did just that.

Old and New

I've been experimenting with photography by setting up a light box (I think that's what it's called.)  It's just a large opaque plastic container that I've set by my window.  I've lined it with white paper and I'm liking the results on some of my photos.  What do you think?

This piece was fun to set up and make and I used both vintage and new beads.  Since I like making old things new, this is a perfect example.  There are over 125 beads, some buttons, and handmade dangles, spacers and rings.  More than one-third are vintage.  The four stacked layers measure about 1 1/2" high.  Since it's on memory wire that doesn't lose its shape, it's like four stack bracelets in one.

My inspiration came from one of my favorite Bible verses:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here." 

2 Corinthians 5:16

Lime and Black

She wore a lime and black jacket.  It was so pretty but she wore her favorite pink rose, black and crystal necklace and earrings with it.  Not that it looked bad, I just thought, "She needs a lime and black necklace and earrings set."  Yep, she has one now.

God provided the lovely crab apple flower, one of the last that the wind blew down today.  Love it!

"Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come...."

Song of Solomon 2:12

In the Red

The little bracelet and earrings were made for my friend to match her red necklace.  She loves wearing the memory-wired bracelets and is my best customer.  She wore a pretty lime and black jacket to church today and I want to make her a matching necklace, just because.  I love you, M.  Thanks for being my friend.

The necklace was put in my Etsy shop to match a bracelet I put there this week.  I'm giving Etsy another try.

Song of Songs 2:12 (NIV)

"Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land."

Newly Designed Bracelet

Strands shown separately

Woven around main beads

Twisted around itself and reattached to starting ring

Looks like two bracelets

This design came to me about 4:30 a.m. the night before last and I was so excited that I couldn't sleep.  I've been too busy to make it until this morning early, another early morning rising.  I believe God answered my request to use scripture as I create and this is the result.  I've put it in my Etsy shop.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5


I used glass leaves, glass and metal beads and crystals.  It's fun to play with and versatile in appearance.  I hope someone likes it as much as I do because I don't think I can wait four months to make it mine.  I'm going to have to make another one but a little different--maybe a little easier to wear but with the same appearance.

Original attachment of "The Vine"

Back on Etsy

On Etsy

I've decided to put some of the jewelry left over from my sale of last week on Etsy.  Though I did pretty well, I have many items left over with no where to sell them, so....
I've asked $22.50--less than I offered it at the sale.  What do you think of the price?  Does it sound fair?  I love making jewelry and want it to sell, but I must make enough to purchase beads and findings and pay for my time.  This necklace took about one hour to make, only since it was my third or fourth of this style.  The first ones I make take longer since, being self-taught, it takes me a while to figure things out.  I'm hoping to stick with the shop and see if posting new items every other day will help sell them.  There are so many people on Etsy now that one MUST market aggressively and I'm not one to shout out my wares, so to speak.

Adding More Jewelry

A Few More Earrings

A Reworked Bracelet

A New Necklace

I've been working the last couple of days on more additions to the grouping of jewelry to be shown tomorrow.  Now I have to get everything together and establish prices--not a pleasant job.  I want to be fair but I also want to make a good profit so I can make more jewelry.  Wish me well.