A Wonderful, Relaxing Vacay!

It took me awhile but i've finally loaded my pics from vacation in Jamaica.  Such a wonderful time.  So here goes with the pics:

We were in room 1209 this year and I must say it was really nice.  It has a large window in the room in addition to the lanai doors.  So lots of light if you want it.


The pic below is on our first full day and I decided to buy one of those huge shells this time.  The guy cleaned it up a lot so not slimy--yuck!  Anyway a great reminder of our time there.  The drink was a "frozen" daquiri.  Things melt so quickly there and dry so slowly.  Hence wet hair  most of the time.

Below is a pic of hubs doing his first dive  in the pool.  Fool!  He is a diving fanatic.  He did about 14 dives while we were there.

Sorry these are out of order.  This is actually the day we left.  Sorry it's so dark.  But that's hubs relaxing in the lobby waiting for the van to take us to the airport.

Here is the ginger bread house they have in the lobby every year.

Hubs again diving on a very cool morning.

Below is a pic of the main lobby and pool deck area. On the left that doorway is one of the gourmet restaurants--Otaheite.  Very good food!  Have to dress kind of fancy.  If you walk straight into the picture to the large opening you would be in another restaurant  where during the day they serve breakfast and lunch.  But at night it serves dinner.  It's very open and airy and birds fly in and out sometimes.  You can see and hear the ocean.  Very dark with candlelights.  Very romantic.  At the top straight ahead is an area that you can sit on hanging swing chairs and view the resort and the ocean.  Really pretty.

An incredible sunset.  Looks like a painting doesn't it?

One of the people on the beach who make their living singing in front of the resorts.  He sings and you can give him money.  Nice man.

This is me and hubs on our 2009 trip to Couples Negril.  And those are not my cigs.  I know nobody believes me.

Again, sorry they are out of order. But this is just another little Christmas corner of the resort.

This is blurry but I just took it because it's our room this year.  It's the 2nd floor door on the right in the corner.  As I said I really like it.

So that's it for now.  And if you'd like to check out the Couples Resort web site Here.  I have some new pieces finally.  When I get the pics taken i'll post them here.  Stay tuned!

SOOOOO~! I'm Back!!!!

I am just back from my looooooong vacay.  My hubby and I decided to not do much over the last year to save and take a long vacay to one of our fav places--Jamaica!  We love, love, love Couples Negril which is a small resort.  We've been there quite a few times over the years and always said--"boy I wish we would have stayed longer".  

Well this time we stayed there for 10 whole days.  It was spectacular to have nothing on your agenda but pleasure for that long.  And by pleasure I mean no schedule, no time limit, no rushing off everywhere--just deciding spur of the moment to do nothing but sit on the beach all day. Or sleeping until 9 am or staying up past our bed time 11 o' clock.  Woo hoo!  We are animals!   Or putting up your flag on the beach for the attendant to take your order and bring it to you.  It's a slice of heaven for a short while.

So anyway I feel energized for work.  I feel energized to create.  It's a wonderful feeling and I hope it can last me for a while.  I took lots of pics this time which we usually don't because we've been there so much.  I want to share the pics so i'm working on getting them in my computer and then to my blog today and tomorrow.


My etsy store sadiejewelrydesign.etsy.com has been closed until vacay was over but I will certainly be opening it back up today.

Then I plan on making jewelry until i'm passed out somewhere.  That's how I feel now and I hope and pray  it lasts for awhile.  So i'm going to go and get busy with my pics and hopefully will post pics of my wonderful vacation today or tomorrow.

A Little Something to Say

For anyone who has read my very newly sprung blog i'm not gone just a little stuck.  I was supposed to participate in a craft show recently but I choked.  I decided that I wouldn't do it for various reasons.  As of right now i'm glad I made that decision.  But I started re-thinking everything.  From my low creativity level to my low interest level in general.  Don't know what came over me but I just was not feeling anything.

Well just like a spark something hit me and all I wanted to do was create jewelry.  It's weird.  So i'm thinking and mulling things over and now that I feel like creating again i'll come back later today and post some of the new items i've made.

If anybody reads this please feel free to make comments.  On anything! I'm desperate for feedback on my items and feedback on life in general.  I would love to hear from some other jewelry designers and other creators about their process, their failures, their successes and everything in between. 

Black Friday to Cyber Monday Sale!

I am having a special holiday sale in my Etsy store from Thanksgiving day through Cyber Monday!  Please check my shop here and you can use code holiday2012sale for 20% off at checkout. 

This sale is only for regular priced items not sale items.
I have some really cute jewelry right now in my etsy store so check it out and maybe pick up a gift  or 2 for yourself,  a loved one or a friend.

Post for Items I love That Are in My Shop

I thought i'd post some of the items in my Etsy shop that don't seem to be getting any love.  I really like some of them but seems i'm the only one.  So i'd just like to post several of these unloved items.  Maybe someone here will take an interest.

 For instance, this little asymetrical necklace above.  I love it and am very proud of it.  It's made of green freshwater pearls, prehnite briolettes and peach colored coral.  The pendant is unakite which is a beautiful green and peach color.  What's not to love?  It needs a good home! Check it out here.

The bracelet above is very modern yet romantic.  The color reminds me of the deep blue of the ocean and the turquoise sea just off of a Jamaican beach.  I don't get it.  I think it's lovely and very unique.  You can see it here.

The beachy bracelet above is a stunner and the colors mimic the coral of the seas.  It's very dainty yet makes a statement.  It's double stranded with freshwater pearls and a strand of coral discs.  Then we have the pewter charms which are ocean inspired.  See it here.

And finally this purple and red necklace that is so colorful and fun.  The pendant has reds, oranges, purples and the purple jade beads are a beautiful purple.  Help it find a home.  You can see it here.




So i've decided to see if giving a discount off of these items might spur someone here to take a look and fall in love with an item.  If anyone is interested in purchasing any of these beauties you can go to my Etsy shop and purchase away!  Enter code Fall2012 for a 15% discount off of any of the above items.  Just enter the code for the discount upon checkout. You can go to my Etsy store here.



And by the way if anyone passes through please feel free to post any comments.  Even if you aren't in the market to buy anything.

Doing Your Best And Not Giving Up

I was perusing the Internet today and came across something that an author named Ira Glass wrote.  It's about creativity and it gives me a little hope that I can continue on my quest to be more creative.  We are our own worst critics and I am definitely my own.  Anyway, I made a copy and then decided that I'd put it here too.  Here goes:




Nobody tells this to people who are beginners.  I wish someone had told me.  All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste.  But there is this gap.  For the first couple of years you make stuff, it's just not that good.  It's trying to be good, it has potential, but it's not.  But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer.  And your taste is why your work disappoints you. 

 A lot of people never get past this phase; they quit.  Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this.  We know our work doesn't have this special thing that we want it to have.  We all go through this.  And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know that it's normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. 

 Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you finish one piece.  It's only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions.  And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I've ever met.  It's gonna take a while.  It's normal to take awhile.  You just gotta fight your way through.       --Ira Glass



I really needed that today.  And he's right it sure would be nice if "they" told you that.  I really hope these words will find somebody else who needs to read them.

Until next time.

So----I'm Back Today

I was thinking today about what to say--if anything--and I had the idea of talking about my evolving style.  I've really noticed from the jewelry blogs i've been pouring over that a lot of jewelry designers evolve over time into their own style.  I don't feel so bad now because I was beginning to think that  I was just a wanderer among jewelry processes.  I have dipped my hands into wire wrapping and stringing .  Now i'm playing with colors and inks and stamps.  There is so much that you can learn in the process of making jewelry.

Anyway I thought i'd show some early designs and some recent ones to see if i've changed at all.  I've gotten a lot of inspiration from other bloggers.   Some of these are  available  Here


                               So take a look and see if my"style" is changing.  Here they are.

                  Please pardon the draping on the necklace above.  Hideous!  Never meant to be seen.

                                 The necklace above is so colorful which is not always me.

                                                                    Statement!

                        I was into making all of my own clasps.  Love to hammer and sand wire.

                                I love the assymetry of this piece and I LUUUUUUUV bling!

Bohemian anyone?  I'm really loving the longer length necklaces.  Trying to find different way of connecting.  All of the links in the above necklace were hand made by me.  And I used handmade jump rings to connect everything.  I;m proud of that.

I love religious icons and decided to use one on this cute little colorful bracelet.  I used an acrylic "crystal" to hang in back of the little angel.

Well, that was an interesting trip down memory lane.  I think i've gotten brave enough to try using mixed metals and more colors and I really like the look of more casual jewelry such as the boho style. Think i'll stick here for awhile.


Here are some blogs that I like:


livewirejewelry.blogspot.com

abeadaday.blogspot.com

blog.beaducation.com

sewmanyways.blogspot.com    This lady is a whiz at organization.  Found on pinterest.com



Well, until next time.

I Forgot Something

Since I knew i'd be out of commission for awhile I made this bracelet last week.  I've never cared for acrylic but I bought some awhile ago to experiment with.  This hot pink color just caught my eye.  I used another light shade of pink and a bright blue faceted agate bead with it as complementary colors.  I really like religious icons so I used that and an acrylic "crystal" bead as the charms.  I wired the beads together with steel wire and used brass for the jump rings and the clasp.    I really like it.  So here it is----ta daaaaaaaa!

Well, this left handed, one-finger typing is getting old so until we meet again.

So--Surgery Completed

Had trigger finger release on my right pinky yesterday.  It is painful but not as bad as I thought.  Unfortunately could not go to work cause have to take a pain med to stay on top of the pain. (typing going really slowly. Wish I had someone to type for me).  anyway, since I can't make jewelry just thought thought i'd put up what i'm working on and then when it's finished i'll show what the completed piece looks like.  So here goes!

So the pic above is how far I got on stringing this bracelet.  I used pink vintage beads that are a little worse for wear but that is why I like using vintage beads.  They are not perfect.  Just like us.  They little beatings from life while they are here.  It builds character. (So they say)   I am really into the verdegris patina and i'm trying to use it more in my designs.  I really like the 2 briolettes I used to give it some more color.  One is called calcedony(the blue one) and the other is a brown glass briolette.  Between each bead is a bronze colored seed bead.  Let's see if there will be any changes.

I love that little crystal studded owl.  He is a bronze color and looks very wise.  That leaf is a copper/bronze color and I'm trying to figure out how I want to use it in this piece.  We shall see!

My Mojo Came Back--Somewhat


Busy this weekend making some new pieces.  Am having a little hand surgery next Thursday so I want to get all the things made that I can for the upcoming craft show in November.  Check them out and see what you think.  I know i'm talking to myself but it's kind of cathartic!

The first Necklace is 42 inches long!  And very Bohemian.  I am very inspired these days by a book that I bought written by one of my fav jewelry bloggers Lorilei Eurto and her partner Erin Siegel.  Fab book for those who really like boho style.  There are several jewelry artists in the book and they are all fabulous.  Using leather, sari silk, waxed linen cord and so on.  Check it out if you like making jewelry.

I think the necklace above has a very romantic look and it's unusual.  I don't know if I would wear the necklace and the earrings together but I love the look of each of them.

All of these items are listed in my etsy shop here  sadiejewelrydesign.etsy.com

I'm thinking of having a necklace give away sometime soon but i have to figure out all the details to make sure everything is on the up and up.  Hopefully I can reach more of you.  We'll see.

This green necklace is another boho necklace and it's also 42 inches long.  All the wire is antique brass and I love the little star connectors.  I couldn't even get it all in one shot!  I'll have to figure that out.

  Here's the very bottom of the necklace.  I hand forged the steel wire bail that the bead pendant hangs from.    This steel thing is really cool.  It's so easy to work with and for some reason I love doing the sanding and the waxing of the steel.  it takes on a wonderful silver color when done right.  I was inspired to us steel by a wonderful jewelry artist named Brenda Schweder.  She also wrote a book about using steel wire.  I just love this necklace and can think of a million things to wear it with.

I recently made a large order from an internet bead company that I just learned about.  It's called Bead Trust and you can find them here if you want to take a look--beadtrust.com.  Take a look at some of my haul below.  For whatever reason that little face just "spoke" to me.  I have no idea what to do with him but i'm sure I eventually will. 

I absolutely love the "seek solitude" acrylic bead.  I haven't used much acrylic but i'm kind of into it now.  We'll see what I think of to use it.

 Well back to work.  Hopefully I can keep these fingers working for the rest of the weekend to get some more jewelry made.   And my little brain can come up with some more creations.                    Until next time!

Nothing Much To say Today--Working

It's a funny thing about creativity.  Sometimes it's all around you and ideas just seem to come.  But for me sometimes it seems nothing's there.  I've put together then taken apart then back together.  It's so frustrating sometimes.

I made this really cute earring and necklace set but for the life of me I can't bring myself to put it up yet.    maybe will get up the courage and do it tomorrow.  We'll see.

Sunday Morning

Woke up early today.  Meant to go to church but didn't.   Instead hubby and I had a long talk about some interesting topics.  Then went grocery shopping.  One of my least fav things to do lately.  I know it's not just me cause everyone looks so pensive at the grocery story.  I suppose like me they are busy thinking how to stretch their dollars.  It amazes me that when I think i've done well with being careful what I buy and using a list (which i've never done before)  the register is never what I think it will be!!  Everything is so expensive.  Anyway enough of that.

Sat down at my studio table and made a couple of things after shopping.  Making jewelry is something that relaxes me.  This cutie is what came out this morning as I sat beading.  I really like it because it's simple and easy to wear.  I'm really loving orange lately.  So is everyone else.  I love the mix of colors in this bracelet.  The button closure is a really pretty button that I got in a jar of buttons from a thrift store.  I love using vintage items.  It add's interest for me.    The pic is really shadowy for some reason.  I have already listed it in my etsy store.  Check it out if you like it.  My store address is sadiejewelrydesign.etsy.com.

I love the unusual look of this necklace.  I used a microfiber piece to add a little more interest instead of my usual bail to hang the pendant from.  Unfortunately you can't really see the pendant.  My pics in iphoto don't come out on this blog like they do in iphoto.  maybe i'll figure it out at tome point but for not let's just say the "korean jade" pendant is a really lovely color and it has several little ocean inspired charms hanging from it.  Wish it could be seen here.  But i have already listed it in my store so if you're interested check it out there.  I love the little peach colored coral discs.  I think it's feminine but still bold and noteworthy.

The necklace above is a very elegant piece.  The grey glass pearls and the glass crystal pendant are a perfect match. I love the asymmetry of this piece with those large beads on one side.    This is listed in my shop now too.


That's it for now.  I'm going to go and make some gumbo for dinner and maybe sit down to create some more this evening.

Feeling better about blogging

Feel a lot better today.  Took me awhile to figure how to get back to my blog.  Busy today making some new items.  I am really into steel.  Love the look of it and working with it.  This is blackened annealed steel so it's very soft and easy on the hands.  When it's sanded and polished with crystalline wax it brings out this really pretty silver color.  Love it!!  These earrings are really pretty to me.  The fab blue color (my fav) is gorgeous.

And the babies above are snazzy.  They are made with faceted blue agate beads and of course steel ear wires.  The little shell charms on the ends are apparently a fav of mine right now.  Really nice.  I guess that's all for today to post.  I may be getting the hang of this after all.  That's saying a lot for me!

My first blog!

Okay, so I decided to start a blog about my jewelry store on etsy.com.
I'm excited and totally lost.  Hope this goes better than I think it will.  I guess we shall see!  Today is a very non-productive day in my little jewelry world.  I'm trying to set this up according to another blogger I have been following.  Bought her e-course on setting up a blog and i'm still lost.  I really need to keep working on this and not get too frustrated.