Happy Birthday Discount! And Some New Pendants :)

Today is my birthday! To celebrate, I want to share some birthday fun by giving you a coupon code for 25% off of anything in my Etsy shop for the rest of this month (good through midnight, Sun. Sept. 30.)

Use Code:  happybday

I have already enjoyed some birthday bead shopping and am looking forward to a nice dinner out and some dessert from my favorite pizza place in town (Silvio's Organic Pizza, if you are ever in Ann Arbor. They do a fantastic dessert pizza with nutella and sweet marscapone cheese on their thin crust. It's addictive!!)

I also wanted to give you some details on the new pendants I have been creating. You may have seen these popping up in the shop as I add them. I created a number of new pendants for the BookFest and sold several of them (yeah!) I was really pleased at the response to my local stones - particularly the Kona Dolomite pendants.

I have some terrific stones on hand again and am looking forward to creating more!

Petoskey Stone

I received a shipment of some more beautiful, large Petoskey stone nuggets and have 3 pendants made so far. One of them is listed in the shop. The Hexagonaria fossil pattern is just gorgeous on these:

 

Dogtooth Amethyst

I found this fantastic variation of amethyst with angled bands of calcite, giving it a chevron pattern. It is, in fact, also known as chevron amethyst. I sold one pendant with this stone on a purple cord at BookFest. This pendant is on a black, waxed cotton cord and is currently listed in the shop. I have some more stones, so look for more of these soon!

Kona Dolomite (oval and rectangle)

I received a sample of these Michigan Kona dolomite ovals and rectangles with another package of beads from one of my favorite shops, Nawbin Beads, in Traverse City, MI. I created two pendants and sold both of them at my booth. I'll be creating more variations with this great, local stone soon!

These photos are not the best as I took them quickly the night before BookFest to have some record of what I made.

However, the rectangle Kona pendant is on the far left. There is an epidote pendant second from the right. That is another local stone. This particular pendant sold at BookFest, also.

The oval Kona pendant is on the far left of this photo and the two dogtooth amethyst are next to it. The dogtooth on the far right is on a medium purple waxed cotton cord, a nice combination.

It was really interesting to see what people responded to and were interested in. It definitely gives me some great feedback and ideas on what to do moving forward.





Brecciated Jasper

This fantastic deep red stone with some dark pink variations is perfect for fall. I made one of these for myself and wear it all the time! I added this one to the shop yesterday:

Which stone of these is your favorite? Why? I would love to hear your feedback. Have a great day!

New Bookmarks and Saline Farmer's Market!

I have been happily plugging away at some new bookmarks for my Etsy shop. I have a few listed there:

 Midnight Sodalite Macrame Bookmark.

 Rhyolite Macrame Bookmark.

Pietersite Macrame Bookmark.

Golden Sunflower with Botswana Agate Macrame Bookmark.

And have created some new ones (with more on the way!) Here's a sneak peek:

Green Enamel Leaf Macrame Bookmark.










 

Black and White Sardonyx Macrame Bookmark.

I am trying to get some extras done this week since I will have the opportunity to sell my wares at the Saline Farmer's Market this Saturday, June 9. An artist friend of mine had an extra spot in her booth and kindly invited me to join her. I am very excited! If you are local, stop by and see us! We will be there from 8:00 a.m. - noon.

Busy with Bracelets!

Happy Spring, everyone!

Are you enjoying the weather lately? We have had unseasonably warm temperatures here in southeast Michigan with a couple of gorgeous weeks in the 70s and 80s. It's back to closer-to-normal today with some rain and temps in the 60s. Very pleasant, actually, especially now that it is officially SPRING!

I absolutely love spring. It is my favorite season. All of the new growth of plants and the world waking up after winter (what there was of it this year, anyway!) Obviously, with an interest in botanical art and illustration, I love seeing the trees bud and flowers bloom. So much material and inspiration!

I am working on the second trillium drawing - the one with the open bud - but just barely started, so no photos yet. 

However, I have been working on more bracelets for my Etsy shop and have completed quite a few. I am also excited to report that I have had 3 more sales! Thanks to all of my customers who have purchased so far. I hope that some of my new items will catch some attention now that we are heading into the short-sleeve time of year!

Some of my most recent creations are listed below. If you want to see more photos, click on the item to get to my Etsy shop and further details!

Dumortierite Single Wrap

 
With a gorgeous silver-colored leaf motif 
button closure.

Dumortierite Macrame

 

Simple and elegant in dark navy s-lon thread. 

Safari Jasper Double Wrap

More great earth tones in this beautifully patterned jasper.

Red Flake Jasper Single Wrap

 

This deep, fiery stone paired wonderfully with dark red leather and an antiqued gold button.

 Rhodonite Triple Wrap

This one was just posted today and uses one of the new buttons I just acquired in my stash. I have many more interesting buttons, so stay tuned for new bracelets!