Jewelry By Jennifer Casady

New SALE Section

2012-01-31T08:09:00.002-05:00

Ok, so I'm going to try something new and see how well it goes. Typically, I send out newsletters each month with a coupon code with a nice discount for my newsletter subscribers and I also post the coupons on my Facebook page. Instead, I am going to try a SALE section in my shop and each week on Sunday or Monday (whichever day I have more time, LOL!) I will update the SALE section with new pieces that have been discounted up to 50%. Every week the SALE section will change, so just because you see a certain pair of earrings or a certain necklace in there now, does NOT mean it will be there the following week. I will also *NOT* be sending newsletters with coupon codes for several months so I can see how well this SALE section goes. I have had several favorable comments from my customers already who were excited about this new change.

So.....no newsletters, no coupon codes for several months. *grin* YES, I will take suggestions from customers as to what pieces they would like to see in the sale section. YES, there will be times when new items will be posted directly into the SALE section. Will I ever send out another newsletter? Of course! But I am not sure when that will be....could be quite a while, *grin*, so make sure you check out my shop every week to see what's new! YES, I will still post my new pieces to my Facebook page as soon as they are listed so ya'll see them first.

So....go check it out!!! ----> SALE SECTION

Let me know what ya'll think! I love hearing from my customers!!

And they all fall down....

2012-01-22T06:57:00.006-05:00

Yep. All three girlie girls are now sick. I suppose it is better they are all sick at the same time for 2 weeks than one at a time for 6 weeks of sickie time. Ah well. It'll be Spring soon enough...hopefully sooner rather than later. *grin* Though I do miss hubby once the season starts and he gets back into his insane schedule, I'd much rather have no sickies, open windows and play time OUTSIDE. hahaha

So I haven't had much time in the studio lately, but I was able to create the custom earrings for one of my brides and yippee! She loves them. While I was working on her earrings my fingers and pliers could NOT stop wrapping *grin* and I made several other pairs of earrings in a very simple, yet elegant style. So, here we go:

Tracey Earrings No. 1 ~ Champagne Citrine, Rhodolite Garnet and Sterling Silver

Tracey Earrings No. 2 ~ Peach Quartz, Aquamarine and Sterling Silver

Tracey Earrings No. 3 ~ Fuchsia Quartz, Chrome Diopside and Sterling Silver

Oops, I think I forgot to post several other pairs of earrings I posted this past week....I'll have to post those soon for ya'll.

Well, back to the land of sickies....Enjoy your Sunday, ya'll!

Sickie, Blech.

2012-01-19T09:31:00.007-05:00

Duets Necklace No. 63 (Moss Aquamarine, Peach Quartz, Fine and Sterling Silver (oooooo...my new favorite)

Soooo, the littlest cutie patootie is sick. Ugh. I really hate when she is sick...she gets sooo miserable at night as its so hard for her to breathe...thankfully she has such a happy heart and this is a cold that, praise the Lord, isn't hideous...just gross. She's happily pushing her handmade horsie around the rooms making her way around and around just a happy as a clam as I'm sitting here typing and watching her. She loves to see the tracks she makes in the carpet. Ahhh...the life of a 2 year old. *grin*

One of my beautiful brides and I have been collaborating on matching earrings for her wedding Captive Heart Necklace. She decided on one of my older styles of earrings, the Cascade Earrings. I haven't made these earrings in soooo long that now we've been discussing it and I have the pile of gemstones sparkling like mad here on my desk I'm dying to get my hands on my pliers and make several different pairs. The gems are sitting here mocking me....tempting me to wire wrap them into something purty. *gaaaaaah* Torture, I tell you...this is torture!! LOL Instead of wire wrapping, my hands are instead chasing after my over-exuberant almost-2-year-old wiping her dripping nose. Where do kids get all this energy from?!?!! Oh my word.

Anyhoo...I have been able to add a couple of new pretties to my Etsy shop, and I actually have several pairs of earrings waiting to be photographed. Three pairs of Chainmail Flower Earrings in Fushia Quartz, Swiss Blue Quartz, Crystal Quartz and then a goooooorgeous pair of long, smooth London Blue Quartz Minimalist Earrings. I want to make myself a charm necklace with one of those London Blue Quartz smooth brios....they are just gorgeous. Ok, yes, right...I'm getting distracted....here are the last two new necklaces...the first one is posted above.

My Heart Necklace No. 9 (Pink Opal, Fine and Sterling Silver)

Duets Necklace No. 64 (Pink Amethyst, Champagne Citrine, Fine and Sterling Silver)

Ok, now where did that tissue box go???

Spring Flowers and Valentine Hearts

2012-01-13T06:24:00.003-05:00

Brrrr....its COLD out there today! Yesterday was 60 degrees and we had a front move through yesterday and today is going to be miserable with wicked wind and harsh cold. Praise the Lord us girls will be nice and cozy warm inside working on normal-schmormal things like laundry and homeschooling. *grin* I love nice, boring days. I do have a few orders to process and get out today....and some new jewelry toys...uhn, I mean jewelry tools arrived yesterday so I will have fun daydreaming about what those are to be used for while I wait for the rest of what I ordered to arrive.

I have also added a few new pairs of earrings for ya'll to browse through. Teeny Tiny Flowers and Hearts and also larger versions of the same Flowers and Hearts. Some of my customers prefer the Teeny Tiny versions...I actually wore my pair of the Teeny Tiny Flowers yesterday and loved them....but some of my customers prefer just a slightly larger size. Here are two versions for ya'll to see (all of them are in my Etsy shop, of course):

Valentine Hearts Earrings with my Enchanted Garden texture

Teeny Tiny Spring Flowers Earrings also with my Enchanted Garden texture

Off to feed my hungry hoard of giggling girlie-girls. LOL

Heart, Music & Paisley

2012-01-11T07:31:00.005-05:00

I'm sitting here typing this while the two big girlie-girls are diligently working away on their daily math work. The little squirt is happily pretending to make something or other with her kitchen set, swirling a spoon into a cup and dancing around the room. What a cutie. HA. Now she just handed me one of her favorite books and roared at me. *grin* Her favorite book is the "If you're happy and you know it" book and each page has different activities, clapping, wagging your tail, roaring, etc. Nothing cuter than her shouting "hooray!!" as she flips to the last page. *grin*

Three new pieces have been posted this week. As you can see I'm starting to make sure I have plenty of Amethyst pieces for February birthdays.

Duets Necklace No. 61 - Sheet Music Pendant, Amethyst & Pink Opal

Duets Necklace No. 62 - Mehndi Paisley Pendant, Smoky Quartz & Peach Quartz

My Heart Necklace No. 8 - Amethyst and an Enchanted Garden Captive Heart

I am processing a pile of orders today, working on a custom pendant order for a lovely customer who has been sooo patient waiting for me to finish these pendants, and ew.....tackling a little more of the massive task which is my taxes. *groooooan* I'd rather hang from my toenails from the roof. Ah well. As soon as I get it done it won't be hanging over my head any longer. HA

Paperwork, Schmaperwork

2012-01-06T08:54:00.003-05:00

Blech. I hate paperwork. For as organized as I am, I have this horrible penchant for just piling up paperwork and then when the piles get too high, shoving them into a box and hiding the box in my studio instead of doing the responsible thing of FILING the silly paper. HA. (What, you don't do that too????) You'd think that after all this time I'd learn to just take 20 seconds to walk over to the file cabinet and PUT the piece of paper into its proper folder, or oh my word, THROW something away (seriously, do we really NEED 40,000 catalogs???) instead of just ignoring it. Hm. I betcha it would be waaaay easier to walk around in my studio if I didn't have all that paperwork laying all over the floor. *big cheesy grin*

*sigh* But I have this weird habit of ignoring things that I don't want to deal with. Boy I'm good at ignoring things instead of just dealing with them and putting them behind me. HA.

So, I'm spending the day moaning and groaning (*grin*) through our household paperwork and then I'll spend a few hours on putzing with my business taxes. The sooner I get that done the sooner I can get back into my studio to play. I'm supposed to be working on a custom request from a customer, who thankfully is such a sweetheart and is being HIGHLY patient with me as I putz around with her request. It is something that I was planning on doing anyway but I haven't had the chance to actually finish the necessary calculations. So I'll get to that this weekend as a reward for doing all this silly paperwork.

*pause for some oooing and ahhhing time over my darling not-quite-2-yo-yet's adorable new hair style as styled by my 8 yo* Oh how I love my girlie-girls....so cute.

Have I mentioned that I hate paperwork????

My Heart No. 7 Necklace and More...

2012-01-05T13:41:00.007-05:00

While I truly enjoyed and desperately needed a break from my studio during the holidays, oh boy does it feel good to get back into designing. One of my darling customers happens to be a bride and is planning her wedding jewelry and the jewelry of her bridal party. I had the distinct pleasure of custom creating her wedding necklace and those of her attendants. Her first order was a custom version of one of my Captive Heart Necklaces. It had been quite a while since I was able to create any of my Captive Heart Necklaces and I was so excited to sit down and get my hands dirty (so to speak, *grin*) with her first piece. I also took time to create three more versions, one of which I have listed in my shop today.

My Heart Necklace No. 7 (Peach Quartz, Fine and Sterling Silver)

I was able to zip into my studio this morning to photograph two more necklaces, which have both been listed in my Etsy Shop for sale.

Solo Necklace No. 35 (Green Quartz, Fine and Sterling Silver)

Duets Necklace No. 60 (Swiss Blue Quartz, Amethyst, Fine and Sterling Silver)

I have quite a few more new pieces to photograph....and yes, LOL, they are all necklaces. I am trying to focus on creating more earrings and have several new ideas drawn out. Now...when will I get a chance to get back into my studio to create them?!?! LOL

Seriously??!!

2012-01-04T08:11:00.004-05:00

Why does blog writing always take a back seat?! LOL Hey ya'll! I canNOT believe that 2011 is over and we are in a new year. How crazy. Though seriously, 2011 was a rough year for our family, yet filled with uncountable blessings nonetheless. We are very excited to see what the Lord brings us in this new year.

Last year my jewelry went into a new direction with the introduction of PMC (precious metal clay) to my work. Oh my goodness I have been having a BLAST with PMC. Here are a few of my favorite pieces from this past year.

This year I will be concentrating on expanding several different lines and introducing a few more lines to my ever expanding jewelry offerings. *grin* My highly popular Duets and Solos Necklaces will continue to be available with more color and gemstone combinations with a large variety of handmade charm shapes and sizes. I love the larger charm shapes with just a single dainty gemstone or a splash of color with two or three gems. Though there are days when the teeny, tiny gems and small charms are just as sweet. I will also be adding in more wire wrapping in the form of clusters and wire wrapped gemstones incorporated into the chains. I have several PMC and gemstone bracelets just sitting here waiting for me to finish, so keep your eyes peeled for those arriving soon!

My Unique Petites Collection has proven to be extremely popular, with my Music In My Soul pieces taking top spots as the most purchased pieces of the collection. Since music is so special to our family (I will NOT get sappy, I will NOT get sappy..... *grin*) I have been creating more and more pieces with music as its central theme. I will be adding to this collection with more shapes (hearts and flowers) and can't wait to start adding those to my shop!

One of my main focuses this year will be on chains. I desperately miss my hours weaving my chainmail and I will be creating many one of a kind pieces pairing my love of gemstones and maille together. But I will also be marrying my love of chainmail with the fun of PMC, so stay tuned for those new pieces.

Ok, my free time has ended. hahahaha Thus the life of a homeschooling Momma of three crazy girlie-girls. More soon..... *grin*

I am thoroughly embarrassed.

2011-07-13T07:46:00.003-04:00

Oh my word. I think I forgot that I have a blog! HA! Hi ya'll! It has been eons since my last post and I am truly embarrassed. *grin* What a crazy year it has been, obviously, from the lack of posts. Not that I have ever been a consistent poster. *grin* But I try. Ok, ok, ok, so I haven't tried so hard this past year.

Sooooo...life has just been insane. I'm trying to think of the highlights, but, I think I'll just keep it narrowed down to my business for now so I don't bore ya'll. *grin*

Since my last post was on my Gems shop, I'll start there. Uhm. I have NOT been updating my Gems shop. I'm actually tempted to close it for a while because it just sits there and gathers dust. I truly had good intentions of selling off a TON of old stock, but, life just gets in the way and I haven't had time to post the hundreds of gemstone beads that I have for sale. Some day I'd love to sell it off. Truly, I would.

Jewelry. Wow. Talk about a new direction with my jewelry. I started planning for this new direction last year and the first of this year I started teaching myself a new medium - PMC (Precious Metal Clay). I will go into more detail about what PMC is later, but, needless to say I am having a BLAST working with it. I am still very much a beginner, and am in awe of those artists who have taken this medium to levels previously unimagined.

Ok, the girlie-girls are clamoring for my attention, which means this post gets cut short. HA!

Here are just a couple of my favorite PMC pieces:

And did I mention that I am having a 25% off shop wide Christmas In July sale? Head on over to my Etsy Shop to pick up some new jewelry!

To be continued, of course.... *grin*

Gems Shop is Now Reopened!

2010-09-06T09:29:00.004-04:00

Yippee!!! My Etsy Gems shop is now reopen! I am so excited about this and have been hard at work in most of my spare time photographing, counting, editing, pricing, etc. I have oodles and oodles of gemstone overstock that desperately need new homes. As much as I love to hoard and collect gemstones, there are a lot of beads that are just sitting there neglected and sad because they are not being used. Why should I hoard them all?! Can't I share?!!! So, I want YOU to go look at my overstock and please, help the pretties to find new homes!!

One thing that is utterly hilarious about this process is that I have noticed my photography skills have come a LONG way! Oh my. I won't even bother to post some comparison pictures, but, if you want a laugh, head over to the first page of my Gems sold items here and crack yourself up at how horrid my pictures used to be! HA You don't even WANT to see the old jewelry pics!!! *grin* Ok, but first, here are some teaser pictures of what you will find for sale:

~ Rhodonite Cylinders ~

~ Green Aventurine Nuggets ~

~ Denim Lapis Lazuli ~

~ Charoite Ovals ~

I can't even begin to tell you how much more I have to list...its going to take forever, but, as I said, I am trying to do as much work as I can in my miniscule spare time. Boy I totally forgot how much time babies take!! *grin* Speaking of which....I'd better go give her some cuddles.

Pretty Major News

2010-08-19T08:14:00.003-04:00

Ok, pretty major to *me* that is. *grin* I have been selling jewelry since January 2006 and loving every minute of it. During that time Jewelry By Jennifer Casady has gone through some pretty drastic changes. Well, another change is underfoot and I am vastly relieved. This decision has been pondered, analyzed and discussed to death and I'm excited to say that I've *finally* come to the conclusion to sell exclusively through my Etsy Shop.

Why? Mainly because since the birth of our third daughter time has been in VERY short supply. Updating my website actually takes quite a bit of time and I am trying to eliminate time-suckers. hahaha Also, when I took so much time off last year after Christmas and until after #3 was born, honestly, my website traffic dwindled into NOTHING. So why take all that extra time to try to build it back up? Google's changes over the last year has been driving me batty and I just don't feel like wasting my energy on changing things constantly. Etsy has been happily busy for me and I've been enjoying spending more time with my family.

Will I ever reopen my website to selling? Oh definitely. But probably not for a couple of years until #3 is a bit more independent. Honestly, I totally forgot how much time babies require and it has been an adjustment to me going from being able to spend hours and hours a day to playing with jewelry to having almost no time. Ack! LOL Not an easy adjustment for me. Most of my time is now broken up during the day into little tiny tidbits and as you can see by my designs over the last year, they are much simpler than my signature designs. I can't wait for the day when I am able to spend more time creating chainmail and broadening my metalsmithing skills, etc. Some day. *grin* This is only a season and each season of life has its own delights. Mainly chubby cheeks and baby giggles right now. LOL And I am enjoying each precious second of my girlie-girls.

Soooo....come by my Etsy shop and browse. *grin* I am still adding new pieces and creating fairly regularly and post everything new on my Facebook page.

She's ruined me.....

2010-07-09T12:41:00.002-04:00

Yep, I've found an AMAZING coffee shop on Etsy and she has utterly ruined me for any other coffee. Ok, let me preface the rest of my post with, I'm not a coffee snob and have no clue of high notes (uh, except that I'm a soprano, so I sing those! LOLOL) nor of low notes (ha, after all these years I can finally hit some of those too), of nutty tones (hmm...I'm definitely in the nutty category) or whatever. All I know is that I enjoy coffee every morning. (Ha, I know, utterly sophisticated, eh? *grin*)

Digression: Yes, I know, I know, if you follow my facebook page, you would know that I was *supposed* to be switching over to just Green Tea in the morning to attempt to cut out some excess calories but I found Kath's shop right as I was switching over and as soon as I tasted the coffee I found that I could NOT cut out coffee. *grin*

Would you just get to the point Jennifer?! LOL So, my new favorite shop to buy coffee is: Great Smoky Mountains Coffee & Tea Company. Katheryn is the woman behind the company and she is a second generation roaster. Her shop on Etsy is: KatherynMD Please go show her some Etsy lovin'!!!

So, anyhoo. When I received my first order from her, I was stunned at how professional her packaging is. And delighted at how good the box smelled even before I opened it. *cheesy grin* I truly felt like I was opening a gift and pampering myself. As a business owner who has her own packaging/branding/etc. I was very impressed at how nice her catalog is. I don't even *have* a print catalog, and hers is fabulous. I just received my second order from her and can't wait to dive into the Bleu Moon French Roast tomorrow morning. Even Jocelyn perked up and enjoyed smelling one of the samples Kath generously adds to each order. As I browsed through her catalog I discovered that she also offers loose leaf tea. *happy sigh* I can't wait to order more from Kath.

Thank you Kath for such delicious coffee!!! You have a *very* satisfied customer here!!!

sigh Computers, arg.

2010-07-03T07:10:00.004-04:00

Ok, so we're STILL dealing with computer schtuff. Long story short, HP can't fix our computer because it doesn't have the parts. What?! Really?? Seriously?? We bought the computer a year ago and you DON"T have the PARTS to fix it??? Is it really that much of a game just to get us to spend money with you? Oye. Sorry. ha. So anyhoo, because we were still under warranty they gave us a new computer, PTL. So we've been trying to reinstall all our necessary programs, set up the wi-fi, etc. Except we have run into problems with each program we've needed to install. *headbang* Its driving us batty. My poor hubby has been up late working his tail off on this computer each night and we're still having issues. arg. Makes us want to just throw our computers out the window and go live in a cave somewhere. HAHAHA. *sigh* Hopefully today I can install my photo editing software and by next week after the holiday get ahold of the software developer for my jewelry manager software and get that reinstalled. Until all that is installed I can't really list new pieces. We'll see how this goes....HA. Pray for us. *grin*

Crazy Couple of Days

2010-06-30T11:01:00.003-04:00

Boy am I glad to have my internet BACK!!!! In the middle of Monday we had some storms roll through the area and we must of had some lightening hit the house or our cable line or *something* because all of the sudden I saw a ball of what looked like lightening come out from under our desk from our power strip. No joke. Scared me sooo badly I actually screamed, which of course scared all three of our girly-girls which of course made them scream, and...well...you get the picture. Anyhoo, at the same time the ball of whatever-came-out-of-our-power-strip there was a fantastic boom from the thunder and a horrendous popping noise from my computer. That whatever-it-was fried our modem, router and CPU. *headbang* Of course we have a surge protector, etc., but, it totally got fried. I've never seen whatever-it-was in my life and I doubt I'll ever see it again. I hope not because we're not a happy Casady-camper-family without our main computer. HA. What a crazy few days it has been. Long story short, our main computer was, thank the Lord, still under warranty (for less than a month more! ha) and so Best Buy is sending it off to HP-land to get fixed. And, hopefully for free. *cheesy grin* So we're stuck on the laptop which we have had for ages and never finished fixing up to our liking. Soooo, hubby spent an amazing amount of time last night getting us up to speed on this thing so we can do our work, etc. Unfortunately we won't get our main computer back for about a month. *bawling* A month?! Insane. But free, I remind myself. Not sure if that makes a difference right now. I'm trying to figure out how to remember all my important bookmarks, etc. and I need to send a newsletter out but must copy and download a bunch of pictures from my website because of course I can't access the originals. HAHAHA. *sigh* What a zoo. I can't wait to get our puter back.

But, a plus today....we have a FABULOUS weather front from our friends in Canada swooping down over our area and its almost CHILLY!!!! We are loving this weather and have almost every single window open in our house to fully take advantage. *cheesy grin* It has been sooo hot for sooo long we forget what nice weather feels like. hee, hee.

So...maybe a newsletter with a good coupon code coming soon....or maybe not. Depends on whether I get distracted by the gorgeous weather or not. HA. Have no fear, a sale in July will be coming because I am taking advantage of Etsy's Christmas in July extravaganza to throw a site wide sale. Woohoo!

Ok, let's see what craziness the rest of the day holds....

Two More Contrast Earring Pairs

2010-06-26T18:05:00.003-04:00

Finally I was able to get a chance to finish these two pairs of earrings which have been waiting on my kitchen counter for me to steel wool off the excess oxidation for quite a while. (*pause to pop the pacifier back into #3's mouth* LOL) I looove these domed gemstone pieces and always have a few "in process" sitting 1/2 done somewhere in my studio (uh, strewn throughout the house I mean, haha).

Dark Blue Contrast Earrings ~ Kyanite and Textured Sterling Silver

Orange Contrast Earrings ~ Carnelian and Textured Sterling Silver

Of course, after I named the above pair I realized, Doah!! they match my Burn Necklace perfectly (shown below). I do still need to add the Orange Contrast Earrings to my website/etsy shop and will conceivably get to that either tonight or tomorrow morning.

Ok, #3 girly-girl is sitting there pulling her pacifier out of her mouth to smile at me while she's supposed to be sleeping in her swing. HA!! Can't help but laugh right back at that cute little mug!!!

I'm sitting here thinking of my hubby working. Yes, he works weekends every other weekend. He's a golf course superintendent and wow. What a stressful job. But, it is how God is providing for our family, so I just thank Him above that John is working. So anyhoo...its 90 degrees outside with full sunshine (though thankfully the sun is on its way down) and I just can't get the image of my hubby out there in his chemical suit spraying disease on the course in this heat. Ugh. What a man. Love him to pieces.

Hmm....a certain little munchkin with little tiny pink bows on her socks is not a happy camper. Off to hug and love on her....

OOAK Moss Aquamarine Captive Necklace

2010-06-22T08:28:00.003-04:00

You ever have Just. A. Day.? Ugh. Yep, yesterday was one of those days. Not the worst, but, not the most glorifying to God either. Praise the Lord He gives us new mercies every morning because oh boy...I needed them this morning. Hopefully my 'tude will be better today because it was purely sinful yesterday.

So, here's a new piece that totally cheers me up. A One of a Kind Moss Aquamarine Captive Necklace. I love, love, love making these. It is so much fun to whack my hammers into sterling and create something beautiful. *grin*

Today is another one of those "crazy days" where I'm running around so I'm not sure if I will have the chance to actually sit down and create. I hope so...I need the peace in my head that comes from meditating in scripture while I work.

Woops. Gotta go check #1 daughter's math work.....ENJOY!!! Oh, and psst....btw....I have updated my entire Etsy shop to include free worldwide shipping!!! Woohoo!!! Not sure how long I'll have that last so take advantage while you can! *grin*

Interwoven and Storm Cloud II

2010-06-15T09:27:00.004-04:00

I am in love with Karen Hill Tribe pendants and charms!! They are so much fun to design with and add just a little extra to each piece.

Without a doubt my favorite of the KHT pendants would have to be the woven pendant that I use in my Interwoven Necklace below. I love, love, LOVE baskets and weaving and think that this pendant is just awesome. I have one set aside for my personal collection and I have not yet figured out what gemstones to wire wrap with it. I'm thinking blues and greens but I can't decide! *grin* Anyhoo....the piece below is the first of many Interwoven Necklaces that will be introduced over the next month or so.

My Storm Cloud II Necklace is a variation on a customer's request. A Labradorite briolette within one of my textured and domed circles. These smooth Labs are just incredible and are so striking cocooned within the dome. I will be creating more of these necklaces as each one sells.
What am I working on today? Hmm...I haven't decided....I might create more earrings like I've been promising, hahaha, but I really want to make another Interwoven Necklace. Hm. We'll just have to wait and see what today brings! *grin*

Solid Gold Confection and Catherine Necklaces

2010-06-14T14:09:00.003-04:00

Two of my popular pieces are now available in Solid 14 Karat Gold:

my Confection Necklace, which includes Prehnite, Labradorite and Blue Topaz

and my Catherine Necklace, which includes Vesuvianite, Rhodolite Garnet and London Blue Topaz.

Both necklaces are now available on my website and Etsy shop.

What am I working on next? I have a couple additional Solid 14 Karat gold necklaces that are just awaiting photos, etc., and then I also have three additional sterling necklaces in the tumbler polishing away as I type this. After those come out I want to sit down and create a bunch of earrings...I tend to get lost in creating necklaces and neglect making earrings. Depending upon how crazy tomorrow is, I hope to be able to get a few listed by tomorrow or Wed. at the latest.

A Fresh Take on my Minimalist Necklace Design

2010-06-12T12:59:00.004-04:00

Last fall I added a bit of fun to my Minimalist Necklace design with the addition of a trio of rondelles to one side of the wrapped briolette and I had two different color combinations:

The Kelsey Necklace which features a Green Mystic Quartz briolette and brown Andalusite rondelles.

The Lauren Necklace which features a sunshine Champagne Citrine coin briolette and dark blue Kyanite rondelles.

Both of those necklaces have proven to be fairly popular with my customers so I have finally been able to sit down and create several additional color combos. I have had a BLAST creating these and hope you enjoy them also!

The Melissa Necklace: Smoky Quartz and Pink Topaz

The Cassandra Necklace: Hunter Green Hydrothermal Quartz and Karen Hill Tribe Silver

The Lily Necklace: OOAK Amethyst and Lemon Quartz

My favorite, which I'm actually wearing now as I type this..., the Elizabeth Necklace: Blue Topaz and Vesuvianite

The Darby Necklace: OOAK Champagne Citrine and Karen Hill Tribe Silver

My next variation of this style will, of course, be in 14K Gold Fill. Feel free to suggest some color combinations that you would love to see! *grin*

I am also currently working on several Solid 14 Karat Gold pieces which will be out of the tumbler in a bit and I am weaving a Flip Flop Chainmail Bracelet for a customer. Once that is out of the tumbler I will reshoot pictures and update my listings with updated pictures. I can't wait!

Brides are on my mind

2010-06-09T10:25:00.003-04:00

Just recently we welcomed a new member into our extensive extended family and seeing all the pictures from their beautiful wedding inspired me to create the Alyssa Necklace which is perfect for a new, blushing bride.

I combined a gorgeous white Moonstone rondelles with soft blue Aquamarine rondelles into a sparkling mix atop a fabulous smooth white Moonstone briolette. There is wonderful movement with the mix of rondelles which are wire wrapped to a textured 14k Gold Fill circle showing off the sparkle of the gemstones.

While the Alyssa Necklace is One of a Kind, I can create similar pieces upon request. This piece is now available in both my Etsy shop and my Website.

Stay tuned for the matching earrings which I am right in the middle of creating! *grin*

Indulgence, Apples & Oranges and Hessonite Garnet Delight

2009-09-20T07:10:00.004-04:00

Three new pieces have been updated to my Etsy shop and Website:

Indulgence Necklace

Apples and Oranges Necklace

Hessonite Garnet Delight Earrings

Whew! Yep, I still have more to add also!! *grin* So let me get back to my studio...Enjoy!

Forest and Tropical Breeze Necklaces

2009-09-12T12:49:00.002-04:00

I have been having soooo much fun diving back into my true love of gemstones and wire. Spending time searching online for the perfect gemstones, receiving them and drooling all over the place, LOL, and then my fav....just laying everything out and putting combinations together and creating the designs that have been in my head since I spied the gems. *happy sigh* Bliss. True bliss. There are times when inspiration is gone, but, this is NOT one of them. I have designs out the wazoo in my head just waiting for the time to sit down and create to my heart's content.

Anyhoo....LOL, yes, I'm in a blabbing mood this morning (afternoon?? LOL), though I'm sure you'd much prefer I just get to the pretties, eh? Ok, here ya go:

Forest Necklace

Green Hydrothermal Quartz and 14K Gold Fill

Tropical Breeze Necklace

Amethyst, Mystic Blue Quartz and Peridot

Both necklaces are available! Enjoy your weekend!! I hope you have weather as lovely as we're having!

Muted Spring, Barest Hint, Simplicity and Plum Clusters

2009-09-08T13:44:00.003-04:00

Nope, I'm not done with new pieces for Fall quite yet. Ok, some of the following pieces have spring-like colors, but, thankfully, they can be worn year-round. Sometimes my creative streak just cannot be constrained by "fall" or "spring"....I just have to let my fingers create what they will.

Muted Spring Earrings

Barest Hint Necklace

Simplicity Necklace

Plum Cluster Earrings

I still have more new pieces to take pictures of and post! I also have so many potential pieces laid out in my studio just waiting for me to wire em up. Can't WAIT!! I'm having so much fun creating these new pieces lately! Though I promise...I'm tryyyying to get more earrings for all you earring-lovers. *grin* Oh, and more solid gold pieces will be coming soon. I'm working as fast as I can lately in between homeschooling, etc.

All pieces have been listed on both my sites and are available for sale. The gemstone pieces are one of a kind.

Golden Treasure and Lightly Falling Necklaces

2009-09-02T15:29:00.003-04:00

Two new necklaces are available and I truly enjoyed creating these pieces. Obviously, I'm having a blast wire wrapping various briolettes and creating mixed pendants with them. And with my never-ending stash of gemstones, I'll be making these for quite a while. *cheesy grin*

Golden Treasure Necklace

Grade AAA Champagne Citrine, Iolite, Textured 14K Gold Fill

Lightly Falling Necklace

Moss Aquamarine, Amethyst, Grade AAA Champagne Citrine

Aurora Necklace

2009-09-01T13:36:00.003-04:00

I'd have more new pieces to show today, but, of course my camera battery died juuuuust as I was sitting down to a nice long photo shoot. hahaha I only had enough juice in my battery to shoot enough pictures for one piece, so ya'll are just going to have to wait for more in the next few days. *grin*

Aurora Necklace

Moss Aquamarine and 14k Gold Fill. I looove these Moss Aquamarine briolettes! I have a fabulous strand of graduated brios and each one is a different size and slightly different shape. Tons of opportunities for different pendants, just not enough matched brios for earrings. Hopefully I'll find another strand of closely matched brios soon as I looooove this color, especially paired with gold.

This piece has already been listed on both my Etsy shop and Website for sale.

Clear Winged Hummingbird Moth

2009-08-27T07:04:00.003-04:00

So yesterday my eldest daughter spotted a really interesting *thing* (LOL!) flying around our flowers in the front of our house. At first I had nooo clue what it was....was it one of those huge bees?? A large wasp??? Wait..wait...is it a hummingbird?!?! I was soo excited that it could possibly be a hummingbird, as my MIL loooooves hummingbirds and of course, so does my husband. I knew I wouldn't be able to get close enough with my little Canon Power Shot, so I grabbed hubby's big ole Canon DSLR. Ran outside and started clicking away. I stayed far enough away until I could figure out if it would either sting me (haha!) or be scared of me and fly away. I just kept clicking away and creeping closer and closer. Than, woops, I ended up by taking so many pictures I filled up the rest of hubby's memory card! ROFL!! So I ran back inside to grab my smaller Pentax DSLR and started shooting away again. I ended up by being able to get about 2 feet away from this flying thing. *grin* I still couldn't figure out what it was. Once I downloaded the pictures, one of my best friends thankfully started on the research trail and we discovered that it was a Clear Winged Hummingbird Moth and NOT a hummingbird. Still....VERY cool. So, here are a few pictures of this wild looking insect! *grin* (Please bear in mind that I had nooo clue what I was doing with the DSLR cameras, LOLOL!!! I was just pointing and shooting. This is a great incentive to me to learn how to actually USE my DSLR!! *grin*)

Petite Rose, First Harvest, Deep Ocean, etc.

2009-08-18T10:34:00.006-04:00

What do all of those have in common? ha. New pieces of course! Finally. *grin* I actually have a ton of new pieces sitting here, but, have been only slowly taking pictures, editing, etc. The biggest thing I discovered the other day sitting down at my little workspace here in the living room area with my girls, is that I have MISSED working with my gemstones, wire and chainmail!! Oh my goodness have I missed creating!

The first batch of these pieces are delicate pieces suitable for layering with other chains or perfect all by themselves. I have several extensive chainmail pieces planned, but, those will take me quite a while to actually bring into fruition because I have so many other pieces I would like to finish first. Speaking of which....LOL...here are a few that have been listed on my Etsy shop and added to my website:

~ Petite Rose Necklace ~

~ Deep Ocean ~

~ First Harvest ~

~ Warmth ~

Enjoy! Hopefully I'll have several more to update soon.

Major news about my hand stamped Expressions Collection Jewelry

2009-08-15T09:24:00.002-04:00

I have pretty important news about one of my jewelry collections, my hand stamped Expressions Collection. I wanted to let ya'll know that I am no longer able to sell my hand stamped items. While it might seem quite sudden to you, it is a contingency plan that has been waiting in the wings for quite a while based on my experience with my previous pregnancies. Unfortunately, due to my health with this pregnancy and for the safety of both myself and our baby, I can not continue with the stress from the high production volume that results from the popularity of my hand stamped pieces. One of my best friends and fellow jewelry designers, Rhonda Reagan of Prolifique Jewelry will now be creating my custom line of hand stamped pieces. The transition of the transfer of this portion of my business is just about completed. Her Etsy shop is: http://www.prolifiquejewelry.etsy.com and she is very convo friendly and is looking forward to working with my fabulous customers. Please just send her a conversation of exactly what you need and she will take care of you!

If you would like to know more about Rhonda, Etsy just recently published a fabulous story about her and her business journey, and you can read about it here: Storque Article

What about the rest of my jewelry you ask? I will absolutely still be creating my non-hand-stamped pieces, just at a more sedate and non-stressful rate. The majority of my new pieces will be one of a kind pieces and I will be adding them to my website and Etsy shop one at a time when they are created.

Thank you so much for your patience during this time!! Ya'll are the BEST customers in the world and I hope and pray you will bless Rhonda with your patronage as mightily as ya'll have blessed me over the years!

Stay tuned for new pieces! I should start listing them very soon!!!

Where have I been? LOL

2009-07-29T06:44:00.003-04:00

Hi ya'll! Yep, I've disappeared again, LOL. But it was for a very good reason. We are pregnant with our third child and I have been soooo sick with the first few months of the pregnancy. So sick I had to close down all of my shops and website so I could concentrate on staying healthy and taking care of my family. Thankfully the illness part of the pregnancy is almost over and I'm starting to feel like I can handle reopening my shops again. Soooo, that's what I've been doing this past week. My Etsy Gems shop has been reopened, my website has been restocked (uh, except for my cuff bracelets...my main supplier for those is out of my silver stock that I use for the cuffs. grrr...) and I should open my main Etsy Jewelry shop within the next few days. I have a LOT of editing to do there.

Anyhoo...in the meantime I've been able to take pictures of some recent pieces and get them listing on my website for ya'll. Here's a preview:

Whisper Necklace

Teal Smoke Necklace

Petite Dancing Flames Necklace

Monet's Garden Necklace - Solid 14 Karat Gold, Tourmaline and Chainmail

2009-05-18T18:03:00.003-04:00

I indulged myself while on vacation/break and created this incredible, one of a kind piece. I love to weave chainmail and wire wrap gemstones, and this was such a pleasure to weave!!

Some of the best multi-colored tourmaline I have ever seen, each sitting on their own hand-coiled solid 14 karat gold wire headpin and then wire wrapped within the solid 14 karat gold Shaggy Loops chainmail section. Solid gold chain finishes off the OOAK necklace.

Monet's Garden Necklace

This piece is available on my website for sale, and will be listed in my Etsy shop when I reopen in a couple of days. Shipping is on me via USPS Priority mail and will be insured.

I have several additional pieces (nope, no more solid gold yet....soon though! *grin*) I created while on my break and will try to add them to my website soon. Let me know if you have any requests for solid gold pieces! I'd love to hear from ya'll!!

Summer Afternoon and Gentle Expressions Earrings

2009-05-08T08:05:00.004-04:00

I know that I'm supposed to be on a break/vacation, but, I can't seem to step away from everything right now. I'm having a hard time just turning my back and forcing myself to relax. One of the reasons is that I'm still processing orders from the surge of orders right before I put my shops on vacation mode. But, Lord willing, hopefully by tomorrow the last of these will be completed and in the mailbox. I also have a gazillion designs racing around in my head and since I'm very familiar with the desert times where inspiration is far from me, I'm trying to get these designs out of my head, off the paper and into fruition. I was able to create two new pairs of earrings. I absolutely tend to create more necklaces (obviously, LOL!!) but I know my customers have been itching for new earrings, so here's a small start! *grin*

Summer Afternoon Earrings

Smoky Quartz, Apatite, Lemon Quartz, Peridot, Sterling Silver

Gentle Expressions Earrings

Amethyst, Green Amethyst, Pink Topaz, Lavender Amethyst and Sterling Silver

These will be posted to my website at some point today after the typical zooishness of Friday mornings dissipates later today. LOL

A Glimpse of Heaven - Solid 14 Karat Gold and Grade AAA Blue Topaz

2009-05-05T06:16:00.003-04:00

I like to imagine that when God created the Heavens and the Earth, before sin entered the world, when Adam and Eve walked among the Garden of Eden and talked with God, that they would look up at the neverending expanse of sky and it would be this same brilliant, deep shade of blue. A shade of blue so dazzling in its intensity, yet warm and inviting, drawing you in and giving you peace.

A Glimpse of Heaven

My first non-stamped solid 14 karat gold piece! Woohooo!!!! And oh boy...its going to be the first of MANY! I have had so many fabulous comments and requests for variations of the Blue Lagoon necklace ever since I created it, I have decided to create an entire line based on variations of that first piece. I have quite a few pieces drawn and planned out in my head, and Lord willing once my break/vacation is over I can get crackin' on creating them!!! Some of them I will need to find gemstones for, but, that's the fun part! *cheesy grin*

Speaking of getting crackin', LOL, I'd better get a move on and start working!! Ya'll have me so busy before I start my break my head is spinning! LOLOL

Spring Cleaning!

2009-05-01T19:41:00.003-04:00

*cheesy grin* Yep, its that time of the year again folks, when I realize that my website has gotten overwhelming and I start reorganizing and editing things! LOL If you see one of your favorite pieces you haven't gotten around to purchasing yet has disappeared, just send me an email to custom order it. My Flickr account has most of my recent pieces from the last couple of years and is one of my ways of keeping track of how my work has progressed over time. I have also updated my Clearance section, and once those pieces are gone...they're gone! LOL Quite a few of them are one of a kinds that I CAN"T reproduce, so if you have been eyeballing one for a while, grab it quick because once I send out my next newsletter, those babies will be gone quick! *grin*

I will be taking a break/vacation starting Wednesday, May 6 and will be closing down my Etsy shops for 2 weeks and I will not be processing orders from my website until I come back from my break. I will be back from my break/vacation Wednesday, May 20th...or thereabouts. *cheesy grin* I find that I need to take these breaks every once in a while or I just get too burned out. Its been months since I've had some "putzin'" time with my jewelry and my girls (the last couple of times I've had to close my shop it was because we were all sick! LOL Nooot exactly the break I was looking for. *grin*) and I really want to have some time where I can dive into some things that have been on my to do list for a looong time. Anyhooo...enough gabbing from me. Time to get back to updating my Clearance section!!! *grin*

Very Cool! Front Page of Etsy Again!

2009-04-29T15:36:00.004-04:00

Woohoo!!! Just found out (thank you Cathleen!!! XOXOXO) that I made it to the front page of Etsy again today with my Mother Daughter Sister Friend Necklace. Yippee!! Here's a screenshot:

Also, I was able to start posting a few of my 14K Gold Fill Small Name Pendant Necklaces today. I was able to get them up on my Etsy shop, but, have not posted them to my website yet. The last several days have been a zoo...requests out the wazoo, orders, tons of new pieces.....my head is absolutely swirling with information and things to do!! My eyeballs are in a permanent "popping out of my head" state right now. *cheesy grin* Anyhoo, enough about me...how about the jewelry! hee, hee!!!

14K Gold Fill Single Name Pendant Necklace

14K Gold Fill Triple Name Pendant Necklace

Here is a view of both of my fonts on the pendants (ugh, HORRID picture!!! sorry!):

Of course there is a double version, but, I did not want to bore ya'll! LOL The above pendants are of course available in either my Elegant Small font or my Casual Small font. I truly prefer the small fonts for these smaller 1/2 inch pendants. I'll play around with both my small and large fonts for the 5/8 inch versions in a few days and see what can fit for both sizes.

Some of you might be wondering how I pick my names for all these pendants, LOL. Well, you'll have to thank all my friends for that inspiration!!! *cheesy grin* I tend to borrow the children's names more frequently than the adults names. Mainly because I love to pray over all their cutie patooties while I"m stamping.

Ok, more tomorrowish, LOL....I must remember to add the potatoes and carrots to the pot roast in a bit!! ack! LOL

Due to Popular Demand....

2009-04-28T20:50:00.002-04:00

.....I have started listing temporary listings for my solid 14 Karat Gold hand stamped pieces in my Etsy shop. Once things slow down a bit from this crazy rush of Mother's Day and Graduation orders I can shoot proper pictures and replace the pictures that are listed. I have the supplies, just have NOT had a chance (goodNESS ya'll have me swamped!!!) to get any of the solid gold pieces properly photographed and listed.

14 Karat Gold rings are not orderable at this time but will be coming eventually. *grin* I haven't even had a chance to make my own set yet! LOL

Hopefully tomorrow I can finish pricing out more of the solid 14 Karat Gold items for you and get additional temporary listings up for all ya'll who have been clammoring for information! *cheesy grin* Thank you so much for your patience ya'll!!!

By the way...I *will* be needing a break hereabouts for a week or so soon to catch up on...well...uh, everything non-jewelry related. *cheesy grin* I'm thinking mid-week next week is a targeted start date for my break. I'll keep ya'll posted!!!

Rose Quartz Starburst Necklace

2009-04-24T19:19:00.002-04:00

Just a quickie post today....customers are starting to gear up for Mother's Day and whew! Ya'll have me BUUUUSYY! LOL

Here is a custom piece a customer requested today:

Dark Amethyst, Amethyst, Light Amethyst, Spinel, Pink Topaz, Pink Sapphire and Rose Quartz rondelles are all wire wrapped on handmade fine silver headpins to one of my handwoven Shaggy Loops Necklaces.

And another one of my favorite Starburst necklaces:

I LOVE this piece!!! These will be made in very limited editions as I only have a small amount of these large Rose Quartz brios. I might have to keep this one for myself though...hmm...am thinking about it! *grin*

Have a fabulous weekend ya'll!!!

14K Gold Fill Custom Chainmail Flower Initial Pendant Necklaces are ready!!

2009-04-23T12:59:00.002-04:00

Wow, 3 posts in one day? LOL!! Must be a record for me! *cheesy grin* But, I know ya'll want to know that my 14K Gold Fill Chainmail Flower Necklaces are ready! I've had so many requests for these in gold and mixed metals that I'm thrilled to finally be able to offer them.

Enjoy!

14K Gold Fill Teeny Tinies Initial Pendant Necklaces are ready!

2009-04-23T12:57:00.002-04:00

Woohoo! My new 14K Gold Fill Teeny Tiny Initial Pendant Necklaces are ready and up for sale on Etsy! (Yep, I promise, I'll update my website with them in a few minutes! LOL!)

Here are some pictures for you to see:

Just a Hint Necklace and more.....

2009-04-23T08:46:00.003-04:00

The other day a customer requested I create a Labradorite version of my Blue Lagoon Necklace, and I happily obliged her. I have been wanting to make more versions of of that necklace and this was the perfect time.

Here is the custom request piece:

And here is one of the other pieces, Just a Hint Necklace, that is for sale:

I have one more with a Mystic Pink Topaz, but that is nooot quite ready yet. Soon! OH! And another new piece, while inspired by Mother's Day which is just around the corner, is perfect for all the special Moms in your life year round:
I will be posting again later with more news!! *grin*

Woops, has it been that long???

2009-04-20T15:00:00.003-04:00

*blush* Has it REALLY been that long since I've update?!?! Ugh!!!! Please forgive me folks!!! I'm not the best at updating my blog. *sheepish grin*

There are sooo many new and exciting things to tell you that I don't think I can remember them all!! LOL

I now have four full sets of Custom made steel stamps for hand stamping. Elegant Large, Elegant Small, Casual Large and now Casual Small. I just received the Casual Small the other day and am going to update all my listings on Etsy and my website soon. Feel free to place orders requesting the Casual Small font. It is the same size as my Elegant Small font. Perfect for the Guitar picks and for adding more text to my larger pieces.

One of my most exciting pieces of news is the fact that I just received my first shipment of solid 14 Karat Gold. Yippee!!!! Yep, SOLID gold folks! Not gold fill! I can't wait to start offering pieces in the solid gold! As an economical version, I will be offering 14K Gold Fill stamped pieces soon! I'm awaiting my shipment of supplies to produce those, and as soon as I have em, I'll be listing and posting away!! So many of you have asked for gold versions of my pieces and I am so excited to be able to offer both solid gold and an economical version for everyone. I *hope* to be able to start playing with the solid gold soon...the first pieces I'll be creating will be my stacking rings. I'll post pictures here when I have them completed!

Ok, I KNOW I had more news, but, time is short and my brain does NOT want to cooperate!!! LOL Feel free to email me and ask away if you have any questions!

And, woohoo! I made Etsy's front page today with my Custom Sterling Silver Hand Stamped Guitar Pick! Thanks Admin!!!!!!

Dark Seafoam Earrings

2008-10-29T13:24:00.003-04:00

Well, I think we're finally out of the woods with the fevers, etc., and everyone is pretty much back to normal. We *thought* we were finished with the fevers a couple days ago, only to realize that they were still happening. Anyhooo.....its almost back to normal now in the Casady household. *grin*

Soooo.....here's a new pair of earrings for ya'll.... Aquamarine, Apatite, Green Amethyst, Swiss Blue Topaz, and Green Tourmaline gemstones wire wrapped to a pair of my twisted wire ovals. These are the same stones that are in my Seafoam Shaggy Loops Necklace, just oxidized for a different look.

Dark Seafoam Earrings

Sickie house is allllmost well.

2008-10-27T14:43:00.002-04:00

To those of you who have asked, thank you so much for your concerns and prayers about my family! My youngest daughter started a high fever last wed. and we found out on Friday that it was strep. We got her on antibiotics as soon as we heard, but, its taken three days for things to mostly settle down to a dull roar here. We thought we had the high fever beat yesterday, but, then in the afternoon/evening she started spiking again, so I'm not sure when we're going to be completely confident we're in the clear....Lord willing within the next day or so. Thankfully hubby is conveniently on vacation this week, so its been wonderful having a bit of help, especially having someone to go get things from the store when needed, and to help with our eldest daughter.

I hope to have my Etsy shops open again within the next couple of days and cranking away on orders, etc., soon. Thanks again for all the prayers!!! They have been very appreciated!

In a Cascade Type of Mood grin

2008-10-03T07:52:00.003-04:00

*happy sigh* What a great way to be renewed and refreshed this morning....the Lord blessed me with the verse Isaiah 12:2 during my quiet time this morning.

"Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation."

Thank you Lord for renewing my heart and blessing me with this verse!

The last week or so has been delightfully insanely busy (LOL) with custom orders. I absolutely love to interact with my customers and to get to know them better through custom requests. One of my favorite recent custom requests was to remake my Blue Topaz Teardrops Necklace & Earrings for a bride. These are horrid pictures, LOL, but, the pieces turned out better than I imagined them, and I'm thrilled that the bride is sooo happy with her set:

I have also been able to create several new pieces and I discovered that my fingers have been in a cascade mood. *grin* Here are a couple of the new pieces:

These new pieces (uh, not the custom pieces, LOL) are up on my Etsy site and will be up on my website soon!! I'm in the process of updating my website with all the new pieces and uncluttering the site with the sold pieces, so stay tuned!!! More new pieces will be added. I have a feeling that cluster type earrings are going to be next! *grin*

Two New Wide Band Rings

2008-09-23T17:08:00.003-04:00

I've been slammed with orders and custom requests lately and have not had much time whatsoever to create many new pieces...believe me, I'm not complaining! LOL, but, I do know there are several of you that have been asking when I'm going to get more new stuff up. *grin* And I have a ton of pieces rolling around in my head just waiting for me to sit down and CREATE!!

I just received some new toys...uh, I mean new tools, LOL, and I was able to take a little time to create a couple of wide band rings that I've been dying to get to!!

Birch Wide Ring

Fern Wide Ring

The Birch Ring many of you are already familiar with, as I offer the slimmer Birch Stacking Rings for sale, but, I really wanted to make a wider band of utilizing the same texture and I also had a request to create a wide Birch band for a gentleman's wedding ring. The Fern Ring has delicious fern-like fronds within the textured dimples. I loooove this effect and the fronds give the hammered texture a different look altogether. Both rings are available at my Etsy Shop and should be up on my website soon!

Lord willing within the next few weeks I can get some new pieces created and posted for ya'll! I have quite a few new gemstones I recieved recently that I'm sooooo ready to play with! *grin*

My back is feeling better, though still a little twingy from when I put it out on Sunday morning, thank you to those who have asked!! But I woke up this morning discovering that I'm getting a delightful sinus infection, so I'm quite froggy and am trying to get my orders completed as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience!! I appreciate it!

Melody of My Heart Hand Stamped Necklace

2008-08-23T10:18:00.003-04:00

"The melody of my heart sings forever of your love." ~ Jennifer Casady

*happy sigh* I love this piece as it has a LOT of meaning for me. I have two men in my life, *grin* my awesome husband, and my precious Jesus. This necklace is a lovely reminder of the love that I carry in my heart for both of them. This one is mine, *grin* when you purchase yours, I will hand stamp one just for you.

Two blog mentions in one day! WOOHOO!

2008-08-20T10:45:00.002-04:00

I am so excited! I've just received word that two of my pieces have been mentioned in two separate blogs today! How cool is that?!?!

The first mention includes my Shine Like Stars Necklace and was mentioned in One Charming Blog here.

The second mention that I was just told about includes my Dark Twist of Fate Bangles - Set of 3 and they were mentioned in the Daily Outfitting blog here.

Very cool!!! THANK YOU so much to the bloggers who have made my day today! *grin*

Last Days of Summer Necklace

2008-08-19T14:45:00.002-04:00

The description that I just wrote on my website for this necklace says it all. I was literally sitting down to make a Hessonite version of my teardrops bracelet when my eyes spied some gemstones sitting together and my hands just reached for them with a mind of their own to put them together into a gorgeous necklace that reminds me of the last days of summer. *grin* Prehnite, Swiss Blue Topaz, and Apatite are wire wrapped together with 14K Gold Fill, and are all gently suspended from a 16 inch 14K Gold Fill chain.

Hmmm.....I wonder if I have enough time this afternoon to work on that Hessonite Teardrops bracelet!! LOL

Wild Rose Nugget Pieces

2008-08-18T12:42:00.003-04:00

This mini collection of pieces which include my popular Woodlands and Grasslands pieces has a new color addition, Wild Rose. There is only one of each necklace and one pair of earrings. I also have a purple set which I will post as soon as I get the pictures taken.

A delicate, yet deep shade of pink with darker pinks and a little bit of peach swirled in. All are available on my website and also in my Etsy shop.

New Bangles, Twisted Rings & Stamped Jewelry

2008-08-13T12:44:00.004-04:00

I've been having so much fun the last few days working on more new pieces. I'm trying to get things posted at my Etsy shop and on my website as soon as I can, but I know I'm behind on the updating. LOL They'll get listed soon! *grin*

Twisted bangles:

Twisted stacking rings:

Several new styles of stamped jewelry:
I am so excited about the stamped jewelry!!! I had an uppercase, lowercase and numbers set made from this font, and I have been having a blast creating new pieces. Tomorrow I have a big silver order arriving with quite a few different shapes and sizes and I already have a list of pieces I want to create! *grin* Woohoo!!! Feel free to email me with custom requests. *Jen dashes off to go play with more jewelry....*

Birch and Evergreen Stacking Rings

2008-08-07T09:05:00.003-04:00

I have been wanting to make stack rings for a looong time now and am finally getting around to creating them. I am so excited to unveil the first two sets in my new Ring Collection, Birch and Evergreen Stacking Rings. These rings are created from 14 gauge Argentium Sterling Silver which is a low tarnishing silver. Yes, it will tarnish, but, at a muuuch slower rate than Sterling Silver and the tarnish is sooo easy to remove!! With soap and water!!! Isn't that cool? No more harsh chemicals to remove tarnish. Such a relief!

Anyhoo....my stacking rings. *grin* The Birch rings are named as such because the texture reminds me of the graceful beauty of Birch trees. Evergreen rings remind me of the smooth lengths of pine needles, and together these rings contrast and compliment each other perfectly! Without further ado, LOL, here they are:

These rings are available in stacks of 3 and 5, and I'm working on creating the oxidized versions as I type this and they should be available soon. *grin* I have more stack ring ideas in my sketch pad and I should be able to create them this weekend, Lord willing! *grin* So, what do you think? Let me know!!!

The Midnight Collection

2008-08-06T15:31:00.002-04:00

My favorite time of the year is slowly drawing nearer, and what better time than to unveil my new collection, the Midnight Collection?! Here is a smalllllll, tiny taste of what the collection will be about:

Dark and Light Layers Earrings

Dark and Light Layers Necklace

I'm frantically working on the rest of the collection, as I have so many ideas and not nearly enough time in the day to work to create them! LOLOL But, ooooh, what fun I'm having! *grin* I can't wait to share the next part of this collection! I hope you enjoyed the tiny little glimpse of what's in store for you!

Had to say goodbye!!

2008-08-06T15:17:00.002-04:00

Several months ago I started an exciting new chapter in my jewelry business. I began selling some of my handmade jewelry components in addition to my Tutorials and Kits on Etsy in my Gems shop. Within days of starting to sell my components back in March, the business quickly gathered steam. Within a month I was absolutely boggled by how huge the business grew. Unfortunately, it pretty much steamrolled me. LOL Everything else in my life was cast by the wayside as I concentrated on filling components orders. I loved it! Truly I did! My favorite part was talking to my components customers and watching their new jewelry with my components in them SELL!!!! While the business was such an overwhelming success, it gave me absolutely NO time for anything else. My husband and girls were awesome and greatly supportive, but, in my own mind...something had to change. Especially with the start of homeschooling my eldest daughter coming closer and closer. I had to make the decision to stop selling my components. But I did not want to leave my loyal and huge customer base without their new favorite components!! So I asked the girls at Prolifique (great friends of mine! *grin*) if they would be able to add my components to their already successful components line. They are thrilled to take on my loyal customers and will continue to make the same components that I offered in my Gems shop. Don't worry, I'm not going to stop making my Tutorials and Kits available. *grin* As a matter of fact, I plan on expanding my Tutorials and Kits with several other weaves soon.

So while I'm very sad to see that part of my business go, I'm thrilled with the extra time it will give me to concentrate not only on my main priorities of my awesome hubby and cutie patootie girls, but, it will allow me the time I need to actually create the tons of new designs flying around in my head. *grin*

And cleaning the house?? Uh..hm. Well, those of you who know me well know that that is low on my list. *cheesy grin* Buuuut, I suppose I need to get to that sooner or later. *grin* A huge THANK YOU to all of the awesome customers who have blessed me mightily these past few months!! The girls at Prolifique will take great care of you!!! Feel free to convo them with all of your special requests and questions. They will have a blast working with ya'll!!!

Hoops!!

2008-08-06T15:14:00.002-04:00

I have been planning on making these hoops for months, and have finally been able to take the time to actually teach myself how to solder posts onto the hoop shape. (Thank you Jeanne & Rhonda for all the tips! *grin*) I have several more hoop shapes to make, I just need to find the time to make them! LOL

Shiny Textured Hoop Earrings

Oxidized Textured Hoop Earrings

Cosmopolitan Fine Silver Fused Link Bracelet

2008-07-16T13:47:00.002-04:00

Ok, this bracelet is going to stay on my wrist a loooong time! *grin* Its going to have to compete with my Beez to Butterflies bracelet I wear all the time! LOL What a fun bracelet to make! I had a ball creating this piece.

Handforged fine silver circles are fused and linked together to make a bold statement with this elegant Cosmopolitan Bracelet. Each link was lovingly crafted, wound around a mandrel, cut, tumbled, fused together, hammered and tumbled again for a breathtaking shine while it lays around your wrist. A handmade fine silver clasp finishes the bracelet to perfection.

Short Break from my Gems Shop

2008-07-16T09:58:00.002-04:00

I will be taking a short break from my Etsy Gems shop 7/21 through 7/29. During this time, you can place orders, but, I will not be processing ANY orders until 7/30, and I will then process orders in the order they were placed. I can list custom RESERVED listings if need be, but, I will not begin to process custom orders until 7/30. It will probably take me a couple of days to get caught up on orders, so patience is much appreciated!!

I have been slammed with orders from my Gems shop, and while it is an awesome blessing, and I love making components for other jewelry designers, I do need to take a break every once in a while. I have several projects I'll be doing in the meantime, and I want to give myself plenty of designing and playing time with my own silver and gemstones. *grin* I have quite a few designs sitting in my head that I want to create and this will give me the perfect opportunity. I will post any new designs here as I create them. So stay tuned!!! *grin*

Clearance Sale and Changes Again!

2008-06-25T07:41:00.003-04:00

I have been on a tear updating my website and making things easier to navigate. While I have been doing this, I have also been updating my Clearance section. All sold and no longer available pieces have been cleared out, and a ton of pieces have been added. You will definitely want to take advantage of my "housecleaning" per se and grab up all those pieces you have been admiring for so long but hesitant to take the plunge on!! I know these pieces won't last very long at this price! I am also listing them (and a few other pieces not on my website) at my Etsy Jewelry shop.

Have fun shopping! And check back frequently, because you never know what I'm going to decide to put into clearance!!!

Flat Queen's Link Bracelet

2008-06-24T15:41:00.003-04:00

Oh, yea, LOLOL, and I added a new bracelet today, the Flat Queen's Link Bracelet. This is actually an updated version of one I made two years ago and sold. I LOVE this bracelet and will be keeping one just for moi!!!

Available on my website of course for sale!

Entire Ring Collection is on Clearance!!!!

2008-06-24T15:38:00.003-04:00

Okeydokie everyone....my entire Ring Collection is on Clearance!!! Only one of each ring is available, with the size listed, and all are 50% off!!!! I will no longer be making these wire wrapped rings, as my metalsmithing skills are sloooowly improving, and I plan on updating the entire Ring Collection at some point in the future with new pieces! Woohoo!!!

Yeaaaa...ok, it might be a long wait, LOLOL, but, I'll get there. *grin*

Layers Necklace and Earrings

2008-06-14T15:01:00.004-04:00

Yes, yes, I can hear you now...this must be a miracle...I'm posting three days in a row!!! *cheesy grin* I'd have more pieces to show you, but my camera battery died on me! arg. So, I only have the following two pieces, called Layers.

Layers Necklace

Layers Earrings

I haven't even posted the earrings on my website yet because I couldn't finish taking the pictures to show how the earrings hang, so you get a sneak peak here. *grin*

This necklace has swiftly become my most current favorite piece. LOL I've actually been wearing this necklace practically every day since I made it because it goes perfectly with my laid back favorite wardrobe of jeans and polos. *grin*

Dark Galaxies Chainmail and Lampwork Necklace

2008-06-13T09:42:00.003-04:00

Nothing states elegance more clearly to me than the painstaking beauty of chainmail. The joy I receive from sitting down and going through the entire process of creating a chainmail piece is almost unparalleled. Ok, chocolate might bring a wee bit more enjoyment *grin* and certainly my family smashes to the top of that list every time. But when it comes down to tasks that I truly delight in accomplishing, it is the coiling of the wire, the slicing of the blade through silver, the hum of the tumbler polishing the newly cut rings, the completeness my hands feel as they come in contact with the pliers, the joy in placing rings in a mathmatical pattern and weaving for hours. *happy sigh* I'm in heaven. Chocolate, of course, is in a sphere all by itself, but, thankfully weaving maille does not add calories, so there are times when maille must take precedence over the delights of savoring chocolate. *cheesy grin*

Anyhoo....LOL....I bring you my newest piece in my Decadence Collection, the Dark Galaxies Necklace. The focal bead is a rectangular square boro bead by an exceedingly talented lampwork artist. A deep, dark chocolate background (HA! I can't stay away from the stuff! *grin*) is a perfect setting for exploding starburts of colors including all colors of the rainbow which is remeniscent of the glorious galaxies which our heavenly Father created. While the pictures make the bead look huge, the bead itself is very delicate...smaller than the tip of my littlest finger.

Dark Galaxies Necklace

I have two other rectangular/cube boro beads that will be showcased on the Jen's Pind chainmail necklace in this same style of the Dark Galaxies and the Waterlilies pieces. I merely need to take the pictures. I will post them soon.

New Double Twist Necklace Colors

2008-06-12T16:19:00.003-04:00

I finally finished 5 more color combinations for my newest and hottest design, the Double Twist Necklace. I've already shown ya'll the Blue Topaz version, and here are the other versions:

Citrine Double Twist Necklace

Peridot Double Twist Necklace

Amethyst Double Twist Necklace

Smoky Quartz Double Twist Necklace

Pink Topaz Double Twist Necklace

I wish I could pick a favorite, but, truly, I can't! LOL I'll have to ask my hubby when he gets home which one he likes the best. *grin* All of these are of course available on my website. Which one is YOUR favorite??? I'd love to know!!

Coming soon....new versions of the "Waterlilies" Chainmail Necklace! I can't WAIT to show ya'll these!!! *grin* I just need to get the pictures taken.

Blue Topaz Double Twist, Grasslands Necklace and more!

2008-05-15T12:53:00.003-04:00

Finally, I have a chance to post some of the matching necklaces of the pieces I shared in my last post. I have been feeling very discombobulated lately with a weird cold and cough and just lots of "schtuff" going on that has been taking a lot of time.

Blue Topaz Double Twist Necklace

Grasslands Necklace

Green Amethyst Twist Necklace

Woodlands Necklace II

All of these new pieces will be up on my website soon. I will try to add them this afternoon after my next task. *grin* Off to finish lunch and put together a new table for the hallway. *grin* Fun, fun!!! Wonder how long it'll take me?!?! LOL

Grasslands and Pink Amethyst Earrings

2008-05-05T19:05:00.004-04:00

Wow, the last week has been crazy! Not only with a sick daughter, tons of work, lots of neglected housework and laundry (LOL, stiiiillll being neglected, I can tell you that! LOL), but also an internet connection that was spotty at best! ARG!!! The tech finally left about an hour ago and everything is fixed. Woohoo!!!! I've been pretty cranky without internet access! LOL

Anyhoo...I did have a chance to make about a dozen pieces this weekend and here's a tiny teaser to whet your appetite! hee, hee.

Grasslands Earrings

Pink Amethyst Earrings

None of the pieces are even up on my website yet! LOL But, they'll get there within the next day or so. I still need to finish taking artsy-fartsy pictures of the necklaces, but the four pair of earrings are done. Wait you say...you only posted two pairs! Well, *cheesy grin* you're just going to have to check again in a day or two, eh? *grin* All of the pieces feature one or more of some of my components that I sell on my Etsy Gems Store. And, they are all oxidized. I know, I know...I almost NEVER oxidize my pieces. LOL...welll....I LOS'ed all my newest. *grin* It was fun, but messy...and I have a feeling I will be doing a lot more LOSing soon. I specifically wanted to be able to emphasize the details on my new components, and while I love shiny silver the best, some details can only be seen with the LOS.

Let me know what you think! *grin* And more will be posted within the next day or so.

Waterlillies Chainmail Necklace

2008-04-22T17:03:00.003-04:00

I am sooo in love with this necklace!!! The focal point of this gorgeous necklace is an artisan crafted cube boro bead, streaked in such a way with blues and greens that it remind me of Claude Monet's "Waterlillies" painting. I did not want to detract from the utter beauty of this boro bead, so I paired it with a delicate 20g handwoven sterling silver Jen's Pind chainmail necklace. Each of the 450 jumprings from which the necklace is comprised was handcoiled, cut, tumbled, and then woven into the maille pattern.

The Waterlillies Chainmail Necklace is of course for sale on my website.

Where have I been??

2008-04-18T12:41:00.004-04:00

LOL Yep, I've been missing in action again working behind the scenes plugging away at various aspects of my business. I figured it was time to surface and say hello and show you some of what I've been working on.

I mentioned that I am now selling my Teardrops Tutorial and Kits on my Etsy Gemstone store, but, what I haven't shared is that in my Etsy Gemstone store I am now offering various components such as fine silver headpins, twisted sterling silver soldered rings and ovals, fine silver fused links, various shapes, etc. This past month since I've started selling the components has been absolutely crazy!! LOL Praise the Lord!!! *cheesy grin* I have been blessed beyond measure this past month as my components sales have gone through the roof and have kept me busy and out of trouble (Bwaaaa!) and quiet. Kinda. *cheesy grin* On the out of trouble part that is. hee, hee.

So, not only am I selling the headpins and components out of my Etsy Gemstone store, I am also offering them for sale on my website. My website is sloooowly being updated with them, so please have patience! *grin* I'll get to it! LOL I have been working on a ton of different stuff, and with my family as my focus, I only have so much time in a day. *grin*

Yesterday I had a chance to work on some jewelry for myself...oh, yea, and my website, LOLOL. But this first set is ALL MINE!!! *cheesy grin* I LOVE IT!!! Though, don't worry, it IS for sale on my website! LOL I'm so excited to have made it and I"m looking forward to diving into more fusing. I know you're impatient to see what I'm talking about, so here ya go:

These pieces were created by fusing fine silver into circles, hammering, tumbling, and adding the 14k Gold Fill jumprings. I had so much fun with this set and I can't wait to start working on another fused chain set. *grin* Buuut, I have quite a few things to do first before I can complete that! LOL *grin*

Also, I have added a Clearance section to my website with older pieces, samples, and other goodies. All of these pieces are marked 50% off!!!! *grin* And don't forget to sign up for my newsletter to hear about sales, etc. *grin* Mother's Day is coming up soon and I'll be sending out a special coupon code in my next newsletter SOON!!!!!

Gold Fill Kits for my new Tutorial are now available!!!

2008-04-01T09:21:00.002-04:00

Wow, what an awesome week it has been!!! I've been selling a ton of my Pearl Teardrops Tutorial and Kits and I love what a big hit it is! Thank you so much folks for your comments and feedback on how easy the tutorial is!!

I am thrilled to announce that I now offer Gold Fill kits for my tutorial! WOOHOOO!!! You'll receive everything that the Sterling Silver kits contain, just in Gold Fill. Here are pictures of what the kits look like:

Full Kit

Jump Ring Only Kit

These kits are available for sale in my Gems Etsy Shop.

Two Kits Now Available for Teardrops Tutorial

2008-03-22T15:07:00.003-04:00

Woohooo!!! This is sooo much fun! Yesterday I posted that I am finally offering my Teardrops Bracelet Tutorial for sale on my Etsy Gemstone site. I have completed two kits to help out with the Tutorial in case you don't have the available supplies laying around.

The first kit is a Full Kit, which includes absolutely everything you need (except tools!) to create one Pearl Teardrop Bracelet and the tutorial.

The second kit is a Jump Ring Only Kit and it only contains the sterling silver jump rings necessary to create an (up to) 8.75 inch bracelet.

I have had great feedback already from those of you who have seen the kits and I can't wait to start working on more tutorials and kits for different chainmail weaves! Let me know if you have any weaves you REALLY want to see tuts and kits for and I'll see what I can do!

Teardrops Bracelet Tutorial Available and for Sale!!!

2008-03-21T19:11:00.002-04:00

Woohoo!!! I'm so excited! My signature piece, the Pearl Teardrops Bracelet is now available in a tutorial. This tutorial is for sale in my Etsy Gemstone destash store. (Click HERE for the tutorial listing.) I should have a kit ready by the end of this weekend also which will include the tutorial, plus all the necessary materials for making one Pearl Teardrops Bracelet.

Here is a picture of the bracelet:

I have had so many questions about whether I have tutorials available and I am excited to officially roll out my first one for sale! *grin* In the next couple of months I will be working on several more weaves that people have requested. So stay tuned all you lovers of chainmaille weaving!!! *grin* More tutorials and kits will arrive!!!

Is that Sagebrush?? or a Mess of Headpins???

2008-03-21T06:26:00.005-04:00

What in the world are you talking about?? I can hear you asking this if you are not a jewelry designer. LOL I just recently started selling a few components on one of my etsy stores and someone just asked me a question about my prices. The question was "why is the price for 1.5 inch headpins the same as 2 inch headpins when I'd be receiving less silver"? The answer is simply that it is the same amount of work whether I make short or longer headpins.

The process of making headpins, while extremely simple, is highly boring and repetitious. I know quite a few long time jewelry designers whom even know how to do a little metalsmithing who will purchase premade fine silver headpins, even though they have the capability of doing it themselves. Why would they do that?? Because it can be a very tedious process, and these women don't have the time nor desire to make them themselves.

Headpin making is so easy. If you are a beginner jewelry designer, or even a long-time, established jewelry designer, and you utilize a lot of headpins in your designs, you REALLY want to teach yourself how to make headpins. Its quite simple, and a money saver in the long run. Even if you only use a handful of headpins a month. Truly!!

Ok, I hear some of you non-jewelry designers asking...uh, what is a headpin? *grin* These are headpins:
And this is a visual as to how we use them:
We add gemstones/beads/lampwork/anything with a little hole to the headpin and use the pin to wire wrap those same gemstones/beads/etc., to our designs. It adds a whole other dimension to your designs in addition to stringing. Learning how to wire wrap a headpin (or eyepin) is one of the first skills a budding jewelry designer learns.

Anyhooo....so, back to the original question and first pictures. *grin* The process of headpin creation, as stated several times, is quite easy. You take your spool/coil of fine silver wire, cut it about 1/2 inch longer than the length you finally want the headpin (give or take a quarter inch depending upon how large/small you want the little ball to be), put the end of that little piece of wire in to the fire at the end of your torch, wait a moment as you watch it ball up, plop it into your container of water at hand to quench, and voila! You have a headpin.

Normally, at this point, after I have a huge pile of finished headpins, I dry them off and use them in my designs. But, as I am selling headpins now, I actually take my headpin creation a wee bit further. What? you're asking. What else do you do to those headpins?? I tumble them. Refer back to the first two pictures in this post. That is what the headpins look like after I tumble them. WHAT??? Are you kidding me?, you ask after you stop laughing. Yes, I tumble them. Sure, I could probably tumble a few less at a time instead of several hundred, and they will probably come out a bit straighter, LOL. But, I don't have that kind of time to stand and wait and change batches every 15 minutes allll day long. Soooo, I just plop em all in there together.

So, what do you do at this point? Well, I straighten them. And this is the fun part. Not!!! LOL *grin* I take my blob of headpins to a comfy chair, grab my Nylon jawed pliers and go to town on straightening those headpins. And, uh, its not fun. Grabbing those tiny little balls and pulling with the pliers is HARD on your fingers. Go try it yourself and see how your fingers appreciate it after about 20 of them! *grin* I guarantee you will NOT like it unless your fingers are work-calloused like mine are.

As I said before, when I make my own, personal headpins I typically do not tumble them, I use them directly in my designs. But, then once the jewelry piece is complete, I will tumble the finished jewelry, which polishes the headpins (and entire piece) nicely. I tumble my headpins now because I'm selling them, and it is just an extra perk that my headpin buyers receive when they purchase from me. The tumbling polishes, slightly hardens them, and the straightening hardens the fine silver even more. If you've ever made fine silver headpins yourself, you immediately notice the difference between sterling and fine silver as you're wrapping. Fine silver is muuuuch softer.

Anyhoooo.....soooo, quite a loooong drawn out answer to the original question, eh? *cheesy grin*

Free Pair of Earrings with Purchase

2008-03-19T06:55:00.001-04:00

I am having a special promotion this week only 3/17 - 3/21: every purchase over $75.00 will receive a free pair of Freshwater Pearl Mini-Cascade Earrings (pictured below).

Happy shopping everyone!!

Flat Queen's Link Chainmail Set

2008-03-07T07:57:00.003-05:00

I have several favorite chainmaille weaves, but, Flat Queen's Link has to be among the top few all time fav weaves. This weave is also known as Flat Box, which is just as the name suggests -- a flattened version of the Box or Queen's Link maille weave. The weave is absolutely gorgeous in its simplicity, and it is a true joy to wear. Below is a pendant necklace, and a pair of matching earrings. I have woven matching bracelet, but need to finish constructing the clasp. hmm...that seems to be a theme with me lately. I have several pieces in which I need to add a clasp. *grin* Anyhoo...without further babbling from moi.....

Flat Queen's Link Chainmail Pendant Necklace

Flat Queen's Link Chainmail Earrings

Both pieces are available for sale on my website.

Violet Romance, Fusion Mini-Delight, and more!

2008-02-28T19:50:00.002-05:00

oooooo....the sweet blush of love in these gorgeous earrings, Violet Romance. Amethyst, Lavender Amethyst, Moonstone and Charoite.

I'm in love with the green and blue color combinations of my Fusion pieces, so, lo and behold, the Fusion Mini-Delight Necklace (with Green Onyx, Apatite, Swiss Blue Topaz, Peridot and Prehnite):

Simple Knot Necklace & Bracelet. Oh I just looooove this necklace. The three Pheasable knots are just striking sitting at the base of one's neck...perfect for peeping out from a collared shirt.

Oh, yes, and did I mention that ALL of my new pieces are ON SALE! Woohooo!!!! 15% off my Spring/Summer 2008 collection until 3/12/08. And don't forget to keep checking back, as I have almost a dozen additional pieces STILL to add to my website!!!

The Flu Attacks....again!!!

2008-02-23T15:00:00.002-05:00

Ugh. Has anyone else gotten this horrid flu? I'm sure many of you have...you know...the fever, coughing, congestion, achy, blowing your nose a gazillion times and feeling like you're going to die for days on end?? Well, this is now officially the second time I caught the flu. When we returned from our trip to Orlando earlier this month, I brought the dreaded flu home with me, and promptly ended up by heading to the emergency room because I had a very difficult time breathing. Within days both of our girls started with extremely high fevers and not only was I battling my own flu, then I was concentrating on their poor sick selves! I still don't really remember much about those two weeks as much of the time was a hazy blur. Just this past week I realized that I started feeling better, PTL, and then, wham, Thursday I started in with the flu again. *headbang* I am NOT thrilled, but, what can I do?

Weeeeellllll.....*cheesy grin* The Lord has certainly given me a flurry of ideas for new pieces and I have slowly been whipping them out the last few days. Sure, the house is a wreck, dust bunnies galore, mountains of laundry abounding, dishes stacked and teetering to the sky, but, at least I've been able to accomplish SOMETHING instead of just sitting here moaning, whining and complaining about how sick I am. *cheesy grin* And thankfully the Lord has blessed me with a hubby who knows better than to complain about dust bunnies, wrinkly clothes and no dishes to eat off of. *cheesy grin* hmmm.....maybe I'll have the energy to take pictures of all these new pieces in the next few days. I'm sure I won't have the energy to dust though! *cheesy grin*

First Monthly Drawing a Success!

2008-02-16T11:42:00.003-05:00

Woohoo!!! I recently held my first monthly drawing for a free pair of earrings, and it was a fab success! I gave away one of my best-selling pairs -- the Flip Flop Earrings.

I love the fact that February is a short month, because now it is even closer to my next drawing!! This was such a fun thing for me to do that I am super excited to see who is going to be my next winner! I also have no idea which pair of earrings I'm going to give away next....will it be a new pair or another customer favorite? I have no clue! *cheesy grin* I guess you're just going to have to tune in later to see! *grin*

Online Boutique Closed 1/26 - 2/3

2008-01-26T12:57:00.000-05:00

The Jewelry By Jennifer Casady online boutique is closed 1/26 through 2/3. Orders may be placed, but, I will NOT PROCESS NOR SHIP any orders until 2/4. Orders will be processed in the order in which they are received. I will not be accessible via email during this time...all emails will be replied to on 2/4.

Woohoo! Its about time I get some much needed time off!!! *cheesy grin* When I reopen my online boutique, I will fill you in on some very cool events that are happening. *grin* Yep, I'm going to leave you guessing. Also, I will pick my first monthly giveaway winner on 2/4, so don't forget to sign up for my newsletter to be added to the entries!

New Spring/Summer 2008 Collection Arriving!

2008-01-17T14:58:00.000-05:00

Woohoo!!!!! My new Spring/Summer 2008 Collection pieces are slowing arriving and making their presence known on my website. Here is a taste of what has been added:

Fusion Gemstone and Lampwork Necklace

Wildflower Delight Earrings

Prehnite Tassel Necklace

Pink Topaz Teardrops Necklace

I have one more bracelet that will soon be added to the site, and quite a few more ideas that I need to create before I can finish adding them to the website.

Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter to be entered into my new monthly drawings! Details forthcoming.... *grin*

Passion Necklace

2007-12-08T15:37:00.000-05:00

I have been mulling this color scheme in my head for quite a while now, and yesterday I was finally able to get the idea out of my head and into reality. *grin* Rhodolite Garnets, Tanzanite, Iolite, Citrine, Cubic Zirconia and Lavender Amethyst bring out the wide spectrum of colors shimmering in this beautiful bead by Melissa Rediger of Sea of Glass.

Introducing the Passion Necklace:

Our family had a wonderful day today visiting friends, which we were able to do because hubby didn't have to work! Woohoo!!! LOL The girls were fantastic, praise the Lord! And each of us had a delightful time at the brunch. I am so grateful that the girls were so good as I was actually able to gab to my heart's content with my friends!! Our family needed the fellowship time with our good friends and we were able to catch up with some friends that we haven't seen in years! I hope those of you reading this are able to enjoy today and spend it doing something fun and refreshing!!

Three More Rings For You This Morning

2007-12-04T09:39:00.000-05:00

Wow, based on the comments, emails and traffic, ya'll love my rings!!! Thank you so much for your comments, etc.!!! Keep em coming! *cheesy grin* Because you love my rings so much I was able to make three more this morning. Here they are:

Charoite Oval Ring

Leopardskin Jasper Ring (this stone has a ton of variations)

Smoky Quartz Barrel Ring (not for the timid!!! *grin* A big, bold, beautiful ring!)

Yesterday I was also able to add two more collections to my website, the Solely Silver Collection and my Little Luxuries Collection. Based upon traffic to these pages, you are ready and waiting for me to continue adding pieces to these collections! *grin* Be patient just a little while longer please. In the next couple of days I should be able to add more pieces as time permits.

Right now its off to get ready to head to the store with my cutie patooties! We're in desperate need of kitty litter and cat food! LOLOL Keep those comments and emails coming everyone!!! Thank you so much for the feedback!

New for the Store - Rings!!

2007-12-03T19:32:00.000-05:00

I am very excited to introduce my newest pieces to you: A new Ring Collection! My first six rings are finished and are available to purchase on my website. Each ring is custom made to order, so they are truly unique pieces of art. Here they are:

Fancy Jasper Dark Green Ring (the Fancy Jasper comes in a wide array of colors, so I will be listing them separately)

Denim Lapis Lazuli Ring

Carnelian Ring

Botswana Agate Ring

Pink Lampwork Ring

Jasper Chita Ring (this stone has several variations, from a dark hunter green to light sage green, and sometimes spotted with the two colors)

Stay tuned for more rings soon. I am planning on offering many different colors and styles from Ryolite, Onyx, Kyanite (light and dark), Muscovite, Silver Leaf Jasper, the list goes on!!

Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter to receive special discounts that are made available solely to my newsletter subscribers!

Christmas Orders

2007-11-29T08:57:00.000-05:00

Holiday shopping can be a hectic chore when one is hideously busy with everything that has to be done at this time of the year. Take some of that stress off your plate by ordering your gifts early from Jewelry By Jennifer Casady. All year long, every order is gift boxed, no matter the occasion, in my signature hunter green boxes finished off with a gorgeous white ribbon. Every woman will feel special and cherished opening her gift of beautiful jewelry from one of my collections.

Make sure you order by December 15th to guarantee Christmas delivery. For orders placed after December 15th, I will try to ship them out as quickly as possible, but, as every item is lovingly handmade to order, I cannot guarantee that it will arrive by Christmas.

Exclusive Shopping Discounts for Black Friday

2007-11-20T08:21:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving, is almost upon us. What a wonderful time of the year! Filled with plenty of opportunities to be with family and friends and to enjoy the many reasons why our family and friends are so important to us. This can also be a stressful time of the year...filled with tons of errands and shopping and racing around! Let me create some extra time for rest and relaxation by helping with some of your holiday shopping: Below is an awesome list of exclusive Black Friday discounts just for you from fantastic independently owned shops with tons of gift ideas good through 11/26/07!

And of course, I offer a 20% off storewide coupon code for your own purchases at Jewelry By Jennifer Casady (expires 11/26/07). Follow this link to have the discount automatically applied to your cart and begin shopping: http://www.jennifercasady.com/?code=JCStore20 Or, enter the coupon code JCStore20 into the Coupon Code Box on the left hand side of my website to apply the 20% off discount.

I hope and pray your holidays are restful and enjoyable!! (Don't forget to check below for more awesome discounts!!)

~ Jennifer Casady

Stunning Details - www.stunningdetails.com: Unique sterling silver and 14k gold filled designer jewelry created by Rhonda Reagan. I will offer 20% off everything through the 26th using coupon code 'posh', and as always, free shipping on all orders over $50.

Hawaii Heather - http://www.hawaiiheather.etsy.com Fine silver and semiprecious stones. I would like to offer a 15% discount on all purchases. Free shipping on all orders over $50. This is valid with the blackfridaysale code and is only good through Monday November 26th.

Jaminga- www.jaminga.com, the COOLEST baby store on earth...offers all posh mamas a 5% discount every day with promotion code: POSH5.

Tuni and G- www.tuniandg.com offers 10% discount for Posh Mamas with coupon code: HotMoms and if you sign up for our newsletter you'll have a chance to win a $75 Gift Certificate.

A Mother's Gift (www.amothersgift.net) is your breastfeeding and natural parenting resource. To kick off the holiday shopping season, EVERYTHING will be on sale, with NO DISCOUNT CODE NEEDED! 25% off all nursing covers, 10% off cloth diapers, and 15% off everything else in the store. Discounts apply only to items in stock. There is still the free shipping for orders totaling $75 or more, no code needed.

At Vintage Body Spa (www.vintagebodyspa), we encourage you to take time to Indulge Your Body (TM) Take 20% off your entire order during the promotional period with no discount code needed Stock up on our natural, luxurious and paraben-free spa products for yourself or someone special!

ericalyn designs - www.eldesigns.net Handmade gifts and accessories for babies and tots. Free shipping!

In Style Moms- www.InStyleMoms.com, hip maternity and baby wear offers 10% off with coupon code PM10

Michabella Creations- www.michabellacreations.com, Handcrafted Jewelry at Affordable Prices Enjoy 10% off with coupon code is Posh Mama10 and is valid on purchases of $20 and over. Always free shipping.

Gigi Belts- www.gigibelts.com, free shipping as long as they send me a note with coupon code PMShip

Your Healthy Lifestyle- http://yourhealthylifestyle.wordpress.com/ will offer 35% OFF EVERYTHING!! Enter Posh Mama in subject line of email for your discount. Must email me directly with your order. pmickelson@verizon.net Some of my FAVORITES are ABC Baby Care, Awaken Sea Salt Scrub, and SPF 30 Sunscreen.

New Digital SLR Camera

2007-11-19T07:03:00.000-05:00

The most frustrating issue of almost every jewelry designer who sells on the internet would be taking quality pictures of our creations. We can spend delightful hours filled with designing and creating the perfect piece of jewelry, but, then it comes time to take a picture of that piece, and the stress and frustration begins. Many of us jewelry designers are not professional photographers, so not only do we continue to improve our skills as artisans, we also have to improve our skills at photography. Who knew? LOL My first pictures two years ago were horrid. Only through two years of unwavering determination, and a handful of amazingly patient and giving friends and aquantences have I been able to achieve (what I think) are decent pictures of some of my pieces. But, due to limitations in my Canon Powershot model, I could not take completely clear and in focus pictures of my large chainmail pieces. As I discovered what my camera could do, I realized that there were a few things I would not be able to do and that I would ultimately need a DSLR camera. I never realized that the opportunity to buy my DSLR would come so quickly! I thought I had another year before that would happen! *grin* But, praise the Lord, the opportunity arose to buy one and I grabbed it!! After much research I decided on the Pentax K10D. Woohooo!!! I received the camera on Friday and have had very little time to play with it. But the few pictures I have been able to take...oooo...I'm already in loove with this camera. I know it can be a very frustrating process of learning how to properly use this camera, but, I am up for the challenge!! After the holiday rush is over I look forward to continuing to explore the vast abilities of this Pentax and I can't wait to capture better pictures of my pieces!

New Pieces Galore

2007-11-15T06:58:00.000-05:00

The last several weeks have been crazy busy as I have been preparing for the holiday buying season and making several dozen new pieces.

I absolutely adore my Raspberry Delight set and I have created two more versions of this luscious set, Blackberry Delight (Black Spinel gemstone rondelles) and Snowberry Delight (Freshwater Pearl nuggets).
My Fireglow Necklace has been very popular, so I created two additional pieces with the same color combinations for variety. The Fireglow Earrings and Carnelian & Citrine Shaggy Loops Necklace.

I fell in love with these gorgeous Pink Amethyst faceted gemstone briolettes and they were begging to be paired in a spring combination, and I just could not resist adding a bit of springtime in with the rest of my new pieces.

One of my most popular sets, the Flip Flop earrings and matching bracelet needed an understated necklace to be paired with.
Enjoy!

I'm in another Etsy Treasury!

2007-09-28T12:47:00.000-04:00

Woohoo!!!! One of my girlfriends from the Cagey Crafters forum has featured me in another Etsy Treasury with 11 other awesome designers! Fun, fun!!!

New Twisted Circles and Cascade Pieces

2007-09-24T11:35:00.000-04:00

Here are two of my newest sets of pieces:

Green Amethyst Twisted Circles Necklace & Earrings

and Iolite Phrenite Cascade Necklace & Earrings

The Green Amethyst Twisted Circles set features some of my favorite things, green gemstone beads (can I ever have enough green gemstones?? *grin*) and twisted jumprings. I love making twisted jumprings and enjoy using them in my pieces as they lend a delicate flair to a simple piece giving it an entirely new look.

The Iolite Phrenite Cascade set is very special to me for the simple reason that one of my good friends and fellow designers, Rhonda Reagan of Stunning Details inspired these Cascades. Rhonda is a dear friend and a fantastic designer.

Both sets are, of course, for sale on my website.

Thank you Crystal!!

2007-09-24T11:31:00.001-04:00

I am so excited about a recent blog post by one of my friends, Crystal of 2 Belles & a Bead. In her Blog Post she talks about our recent Art Piece Swap from the Cagey Crafters forum of which we both belong. Crystal was my Art Swap person to whom I mailed 2 lengths each of Jen's Pind and Flat Queen's Link chainmail. As you can read from her Blog Post, she is absolutely thrilled about the pieces. Thank you so much Crystal for such an awesome write-up!

Stepping Stones Collection

2007-09-22T08:56:00.000-04:00

I recently worked on a series of pieces entitled "Stepping Stones." The pendants consist of short lengths of a chainmail weave called "staggered corduroy." Three large handmade sterling silver rings intersected by smaller silver rings stepping upon each other with various selections of gemstones woven into the larger rings.

This first piece feature Grade AAA Garnet rondelles:

This pendant contains Iolite and Freshwater Pearls:

And this third piece pairs Smoky Quartz and Pink Topaz:

I also created two additional color combinations that are on my website, www.jennifercasady.com Shaded Hessonite Garnets and Freshwater Pearls. Several of the pendants have delicate earrings to match, an example is seen here:

Additional color combinations are available of course. Feel free to email me for custom work.

Surprise Sale!

2007-09-17T10:59:00.000-04:00

Raspberry Delight Necklace

Berry Kaleidoscope Necklace

Queen's Link with Lampwork Bracelet

These are just a few of the myriad of pieces that are on sale in my Decadence Collection on my website. The sale runs this week, 9/17 - 9/22, and the majority of my Decadence Collection is 15% off, with a deeper discount on a couple of pieces.

My first magazine press!

2007-09-14T07:54:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, September 11, 2007, one of my pieces made it into Quick & Simple magazine which is published by Good Housekeeping.

Here is the cover:

And here is the page with my Sapphire Teardrops Necklace :

I was listed on an Etsy Treasury!!

2007-09-12T17:28:00.000-04:00

Woohoo! How fun! Yesterday I found out that I was listed on an Etsy Treasury. Here is a picture:

Yes, I know, its a bit small, but, look in the upper right hand side and that's my Fireglow Necklace.

Royal Decree and Verde Flores Bracelets

2006-11-02T08:16:00.000-05:00

Royal Decree Bracelet

Here is a close-up picture of the clasp which was handmade by Jennifer Kramer of The Blue Dress (www.thebluedress.com):
and Verde Flores Bracelet

And here's a close-up picture of the clasp (handmade by me):

Both of these bracelets are examples of the Romanov chain maille weave. Essentially, the Romanov weave consists of two sections of Byzantine weave connected by larger jumprings. The bracelets have several different components which make each piece unique. The Royal Decree Bracelet was made with larger sterling silver wire and rings, 16g/4.5mm, and the Verde Flores was made with slightly smaller stelring silver wire and rings, 18g/3.5mm.

I learned several new skills during the creation of these pieces. Each jumpring has been hand-coiled and hand-sawn by me. I was able to figure out how to make the coils using my electric drill, which cut down trememdously on the winding time. Up until this point I have painstakenly wound the coils by hand, taking lots of time and creating tons of blisters and cuts on my hands. But I'm thrilled to be able to wind the coils with my drill until I purchase a jumpringer system. After I coiled the wire (I had so much fun, I used several ozs of wire and ended up with a couple of feet of coils!!!) its time to cut the rings, which I do by using a jeweler's saw and hand cutting each ring from the coil. This is another time consuming process, but, very satisfying, and results in much nicer jumprings than if I cut them with flush cutters. After cutting the rings I put them in my tumbler with mixed steel shot, give them a good tumble for about 20-30 minutes, seperate the rings from the shot and let them dry, and they're ready to go to be woven into whatever I please.

Another skill I learned was to make twisted-wire jumprings. The process is essentially the same as cutting regular jumprings, but, one starts with twisted wire. Twisted wire can be purchased pre-made, but, I wanted to make the wire myself. To do this I cut a several foot length of wire, double it, put the ends into my drill, and hold the other end out taught with my pliers, turn the drill on and let it twist until the length breaks at the chuck, and voila! A length of twisted wire. Once the wire is twisted, it needs to be annealled, or, in other words, the wire needs to be heated until soft again. Every time one handles wire it causes the wire to harded, ultimately resulting in the wire becoming so hard and brittle that it can break. So, to continue working with the wire one anneals it. I anneal the wire by heating it with a torch until it glows a dull red. Then I let it cool, make my jumprings and pickle them to remove any firescale. I tumble the rings to remove any burrs and to shine up that beautiful silver.

The last skill that I learned during creating these pieces is how to apply patina to the piece. Patina is the oxidation, or, the tarnish that naturally occurs to silver (and other metals). One can speed up this process by applying a patina. I chose the fun route of oxidizing my pieces using hard-boiled eggs. Hard-boiled eggs you ask?? Yes. Hard boil your eggs, while they are still warm place them in a quart size ziploc bag with your piece (which should be cleaned and placed on a crumpled paper towel), then close the bag and smash the eggs. Make sure not to get any egg on your piece or that portion won't oxidize. Leave the piece for 10-15 minutes, checking the darkening process to achieve the level of darkness you prefer. Take the piece out, wash and dry and then its time to remove portions of the patina. One can remove patina many different ways, and I chose to use one of my manicure buffing blocks to gently buff away the patina. After the piece looks the way I want it, I plop it in the tumbler to shine and harden the silver.

These two bracelets were immensely satisfying to make and I look forward to creating more pieces with the new skills I learned. Huge thank yous go to Jennifer Kramer of The Blue Dress for all the tips and guidance she gave me during this process.

The bracelets, of course, are for sale on my website, www.jennifercasady.com

I am a Co-Finalist in Eni Oken's B&B Challenge

2006-10-24T13:40:00.000-04:00

Wow!!! What an honor!!! I was chosen as one of the two co-finalists in Eni Oken's Progression Challenge on the Bead & Button forum. This was one of the first challenges/contests that I have ever entered and I am thrilled to be picked with Denise as one of the two co-finalists by Eni Oken.

The purpose of Eni's challenge was to create a piece using one of her tutorials. Then you create progressions from that piece, i.e., you continue making the same piece, but, change one element each time to see if you can come up with an entirely new style. This is an awesome challenge as it helps you to think outside of the box and come up with new ideas that you can incoroprate into your future designs.

Here are my progression pieces with explanations:

My first piece, the Mosaic Pendant (mixture of Botswana Agate, Silver Leaf Jasper, Autumn Leaf Jasper, Scapolite, Leopardskin Jasper and Karen Hill Tribe Silver beads:

For my second piece, I changed the shape from teardrop to rectangle (a mix of different shaped Peridot beads and Karen Hill Tribe Silver):

With my third piece, I seperated the rectangle into two square sections (A mix of Amethyst, Fluorite, Lepidolite, Purple Jasper and Karen Hill Tribe Silver beads:

For my fourth piece, I added a third square section (three different colors of Sapphire rondelles and Karen Hill Tribe Silver beads):

And for my final piece, I added square sections and created a bracelet (Rhodonite, Rhodocrosite, Strawberry Jasper, Pink Tourmaline, Rose Quartz and Karen Hill Tribe Silver beads):

You can see the rest of the participants pieces and read Eni's comments, here: http://www.beadandbutton.com/bnb/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=31007

This challenge was an amazing opportunity for me and I am so grateful to Eni for the change to be able to participate. The rest of the participants and I all had such fun learning with each other and encouraging each other throughout the entire process.

And, yes, there were prizes awarded in this challenge, in case you were wondering! LOL Originally Eni offered one of her pieces of jewelry for the prize, which, if you've ever seen any of her jewelry, you know that that is a pretty amazing prize!!! Since Eni declared both of us finalists she offered copies of all her tutorials as prizes instead. I am absolutely thrilled because I consider her tutorials priceless when I think about how they have helped me to expand and refine my wire-working skills.

The bracelet is available for sale on my website www.jennifercasady.com. The remaining pieces will be available for sale on my website soon. If you are interested immediately in one of the pendants, please email me at info@jennifercasady.com.