The Beauty of Lampwork Beads

The photo above is the piece I antiqued in liver of sulphur.


I am excited about my latest piece featuring gorgeous lampwork beads in great shapes and delicious colors. I purchased these beauties at the Philadelphia bead show last summer and have been anxious to use them in an interesting design. The copper wire seems to really enhance the colors in the beads as well as blend beautifully with the bronze toggle. I can't decide now whether or not to oxidize the bracelet in liver of sulphur to give it an antiqued look. I know that the copper will oxidize over time naturally and I do not not wish to change to color of the toggle which is so beautiful just as is. Any suggestions? Please leave feedback and let me know what you think. I will also post a photo of a bracelet I did oxidize in liver of sulphur for comparison purposes.

Harvest Candles

I don't know about you, but this is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the exquisite fall colors, pumpkins, candy corn and especially Thanksgiving. Having my family close and celebrating with a wonderful turkey dinnerbrings me great joy. Part of this annual tradition in my home includes decorating with pumpkins from my garden, lovely fall candles and linens to match. I have just visited the wonderful shop of Donald Mckinnon.
His fall candle selection is absolutely beautiful and any of his candles would be a perfect addition to your tables, fireplace or just about anywhere in your home. The colors and scents of his candles are so appealing that you can almost smell them just by reading Donald's perfect descriptions. he also gives you tips for caring for the candle . Visit his wonderful shop today!

A Wonderful Street

Do you live on a wonderful street? If not , you can add this street to your home and feel wonderful whenever you look at it. Linda Williams ,the artist who painted this incredibly lovely and cheerful acrylic has many beautiful items in her etsy shops. She carries, watercolors, paintings, graphite, pastels and altered art in her Lindacaterpillar shop. The colorful magnet and greeting card you see here are located in her Lindabutterfly shop. You won't go wrong with a visit to either shop. Linda carries wonderful original works of art that will warm your heart and put a smile on your face!

Roman Glass Necklace

These photos are long overdo. I wrote about Roman glass in my last post and here is another lovely piece I made with this ancient glass. The iridescent quality of this glass makes it a perfect element to use in jewelry design.

A Love Affair with Roman Glass

I don't recall how or when it happened, but the very first time I put my eyes on a piece of jewelry made with this amazing glass, it was love at first sight. Perhaps it was at the Boston gift show where I visited the booth of some amazing Israeli jewelry designers who had incorporated Roman glass into their designs. I think it is the colors of the glass and its iridescent qualities that I find so appealing.

Here is a little information about this ancient glass:

The earliest man-made glass was first produced over 2000 years before the Roman Empire. Core formed and cast glass was produced, although in small quantities in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. It was often made to imitate semi-precious stones like lapis lazuli and turquoise.
Glass vessels were initially available only to the very wealthy and only in rather diminutive sizes. They were manufactured by core forming, casting, cutting and grinding, The invention of glass blowing around 50 BC brought glass vessels to the general public in vast numbers, mass produced in great variety of forms and hence brought ancient glass into the reach of the modern collector of even modest means. One can nowadays own a Roman glass bowl, or drink form a Roman glass beaker, or wear ancient jewellery where glass was used widely.

Recently I was able to purchase some lovely Roman glass beads and design a few new pieces with these ancient beads. Stay tuned for more photos of my new jewelry pieces.

Team Work

As you know, getting your items seen on the Internet is a labor intensive and complex endeavor. I have been working with a fellow teammate to feature our items together in the hopes that both items will become more visible on the Internet. Lindabutterfly and I are members of a wonderful team of artisans who work together to help promote our products and websites. Linda is and artist whose incredible work can be seen here and here. We have recently listed two of our items together on our etsy shops to be sold for a discounted price. We thought that these items complimented each other beautifully and would make a wonderful gift item. The listings for these items can be seen on our etsy shops. They can be purchased in either Linda's shop or at my shop. This experience has been a great deal of fun and we think you will be as pleased as we are with the results of our team work.

For Your Girly Girl

Those of you who have little girls that love girly, feminine accessories will enjoy the handmade items offered by Gayle of Whats Her Name, a wonderful Etsy shop. The items featured here are certain to put a smile on the face of your daughter, niece or any little girl you might know. Gayle also caries handbags, spa items, bookmarks,card and wall hangings in her eclectic shop. Pay her a visit today to find something special.

Do you Love to Crochet?

I am a knitter and have just learned some basic crochet stitches. I know I am always looking for new and exciting patterns for my knitted items. Sandy of Sandy's Cape Cod Originals is one very talented lady. Not only does she crochet the most darling items , but she designs patterns as well. Her shop features some very unique and adorable crochet patterns, like the ones you see here. She also sells items that she has crocheted, should you decide the that your crocheting skills are lacking. Be sure to visit Sandy's shops and stock up on wonderful patterns for your children or grandchildren.
Put a smile on the face of a friend or family member when you present them with a lovely handmade crocheted gift.

Sugar N' Spice

Sugar and Spice and everything nice, that is what little girls are made of... Pay a visit to Olivia Reyes delightful etsy shop to find the most delightful little girls' dresses and bows. These darling dresses would be perfect for a special occasion like a wedding. The bodice of the dresses is made with silk duponi and lined with bridal taffeta. The floral designs of the skirt bottom are soft and feminine. So take a look and treat that special little girl with one of Olivia's beautiful dresses or bows. Shipping is free.

Jewelry from the Heart

These are a few of the beautiful pieces found in Debi Levine's etsy shop. Debi's jewelry is unique and well designed. Her shop not only features pearls, but semi-precious stones and swarovski crystals as well. She also carries some Baha'i pieces that are quite beautiful. Visit

Debi's One Heart Jewelry shop here and you won't be disappointed.

A Professional Look

I have been wanting to have a banner made for my tent to achieve a more professional look and to draw customers to my booth at craft shows. I was fortunate enough to stumble across the etsy shop of Paul Wilson at Wilson Graphics a few weeks ago and worked closely with Paul to achieve the beautiful banner you see here. Not only was he patient and creative, he gave me information about how to send large files through email. Paul sent me a number of proofs before we agreed on the final look for the banner. If you need a banner, promo item, decals or wall graphic do not miss this shop. I am thrilled with my purchase!

Original Art for the Home and Garden

I have just had the pleasure of visiting Rachael's Garden , a wonderful shop on etsy. Karen, the shop's proprietor, has some wonderful original art for your home and garden. Folk art has always appealed to me. I love the bright colors and primitive designs. Karen's shop carries these items as well as adiitional folk art and original paintings for the home. Her birdhouses are so creative and the detail is amazing. Just perfect for your garden. Karen is happy to do custom designs for you. Just send her an email (convo) when you visit her shop.

Pirate's Booty

Are looking for some fun and a great game to play ? Go to http:// etsy.com and then click on community. Find this thread which I have copied for you below. Have fun and good luck!

PromoPixie says:

COME TREASURE HUNTING! WIN SOME LOOT! Win ye some LOOT from Collaborartors In CAHOOTS! THERE BE TREASURES HERE!!! Aaaarrrgh.... In each of the shops listed below, ye will find TREASURE, well hid ya know.... For no treasure worth its weight in gold Is easily plundered and pillaged I'm told! So search these shops well, leave no stone unturned Or ye will miss finding that which ye long yurn It may be loose coin or full treasure chest Hark lad! Look closely..tis your best bet ;-) Take note of thee findings, make thee a full list Then convo it ONLY to yer host, me Pix!! DO NOT Post your findings within this live thread Or Pirates will find ye, and that ye would dread! "Whats in it for me?" You stand there and ask? Just wait and see...The Prizes be VAST! Does EVERYONE win?? Nay, I reget Here be the rules, in stone they are set! RULES: 1- search all shops on the list to find the 'hidden treasure' icons-they are all different, so keep a sharp eye! 2- compile a list containing the page links of where you've found the treasures (I suggest using the notepad feature or word) 3- convo ONE FULL LIST ONLY (all 21 treasures) to PromoPixe.etsy.com DO NOT send seperate convoes for each finding or your contest entry WILL NOT be considered. 4- Game will run until JUly 6th 5- At game end, all CORRECT/COMPLETE entries will be placed in a random drawing to win great prizes!! THERE ARE 12 PRIZES TO BE WON! (viewed here: www.pixienook.blogspot.com) 6- One entry per complete/correct list ----------------------------------------------------- HIDDEN TREASURE LOCATIONS: 1. PromoPixie.etsy.com 2. LindaCaterpillar.etsy.com 3. AprilsOriginals.etsy.com 4. Ginabee.etsy.com 5. ValerieEssentials.etsy.com 6. WhatsHerName.etsy.com 7. RachaelsGarden.etsy.com 8. CapeCodConsignments.etsy.com 9. ShadesOfVictoria.etsy.com 10. GoodeGear.etsy.com 11. MarysMaids.etsy.com 12. Tinkerick.etsy.com 13. CandleGuy821.etsy.com 14. Krishenka.etsy.com 15. OneHeartJewelry.etsy.com 16. 2Kute.etsy.com 17. AdornYourself.etsy.com 18. ElektraJewelry.etsy.com 19. BijouxBoutique.etsy.com 20. KawaiiBuddies.etsy.com 21. Tias.etsy.com --------------------------------------------------- *~*GRAND PRIZE!!!*~* WIN ALL 4 Bonus Treasures found in DAVEY JONES' LOCKER!!! Make any purchases from any of these 21 shops during your hunt, include your transaction link(s) to your complete list and get BONUS ENTRIES for the Grand Prize of Davey Jones' Locker! ( Seen here www.pixienook.blogspot.com ) EVERY PURCHASE from any of these shops will each count as seperate entries! EX: purchase 1 item from "shop A" and 2 items from "Shop B" = Get THREE seperate entries into the Grand Drawing!

The Power of Promotion

All of us who have online shops or services are aware of how important it is to promote ourselves on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, but that is only one part of what you can do to make your goods or services stand out from the crowd. Promo Pixie on etsy.com is a shop that can help you get your name out there. Melissa , the shop's owner has come up with some wonderful ways to help promote your items. She offers banner, avatars, business cards, note cards, buttons ,tags, bags and many other interesting items to show YOU off to the world. Here you see some items that I think are wonderful promotional tools.

Bag It!

Today I am featuring the lovely etsy shop of April Vinson. Her shop aprilsoriginals features bags and tissue holders in glorious colors and styles. A lady can never have too many shoes or bags and Aprils Originals certainly provides wonderful selections. If you need a clutch for evening, a laptop bag, makeup bag or zipper bag to hold anything your heart desires, you can find it in April's etsy shop. Here are some that caught my eye.

Wine and Roses

Some of my favorite things are wine, roses and strawberry shortcake. In fact, whenever I am enjoying any of these items, my only regret is that they are so short lived.

Valerie of Valerie Essentials can provide these items and more in a longer lasting product that you will enjoy again and again. Her charming etsy shop has a collection of wonderful candles handmade by Valerie. You can ask her to make a custom candle or choose from the many selections in her shop. Here you see my favorites.

Posh Period Pieces with Pizzaz

If you say that too quickly your tongue will be tied! You will be more than tongue tied when you take a look at the stunning offerings of Posh Adornment. This etsy shop carries one-of-a-kind antique, vintage and estate jewelry and other accessories. The items are from about 1840 to 1945 and include Edwardian, Victorian , Art Noveau , Art Deco and many other period pieces.

I have posted a few of my favorite posh pieces here and urge you to visit this lovely shop today!

Fresh Look for Banners and Avatars

Have you wanting to add a new look to your online shop? If so, take a peek at the bold graphic designs of Quaydesigns, who is a newcomer to etsy. He recently opened a new shop on ETSY and offers bright and interesting designs such as the banners you see here to anyone who wants a new banner or avatar for their shop. He will be happy to do a custom design for you . Just contact him through his etsy email.

The Perfect Wedding Location St. John- Part 2

I recently spent 5 glorious days in St. John at Caneel bay in the US Virgin Islands. While we were visiting, three or four weddings took place at the the farthest end of the property,Turtle Bay Point. While exploring the 7 incredible beaches at Caneel Bay , I happened upon the pre-wedding preparations at the estate house on Turtle Bay. The photos can't do justice to the beauty of this spot.. I have been married for 30 years, but if I could do it again , I would choose this location, even if I had to save up for 10 years to afford it.