Hello, Is Anyone Out There?

Wow, it's been a long time! Just came over here to my blog to make sure that things are still up and running. A friend had informed me that the link I provided to my new website was not working...oops! Funny thing is that I don't even use that site anymore! I had bought my own domain name and planned to do it all from there, but after a while, I found that it's just easier to post on Facebook and Instagram, while continuing to sell my jewelry on Etsy.

So for now, here are the places where you can find me:

My Etsy shop

Facebook

Instagram

Moving!

Thanks for reading my blog on this host site.

Now it's time for me to move on to my OWN website!

I've purchased the domain artfulaccentsstudio.com and plan to do everything from this new site. There you can learn about the inspiration of my new collections, shop for jewelry, read my blog posts, and leave comments for me as well.

Join me in my new place.....click here to go over to my new website.

Snow Day Sale!

Greetings on this snowy day! We've got at least 10" of snow, and it's still coming down.

It's been awhile since I've posted on here. With so many social media networks, it's difficult to be fully present in all of them. But today I wanted to tell you about some exciting things happening with Artful Accents.

First of all, I've having a huge SALE! Everything in my shops and on my Facebook page is....

40% off

Follow the directions on my Facebook page for purchasing from there.
Use this coupon code when you check out at my Etsy or Square shops:
TAKE40. I can ship anywhere in the US or Canada. If you live somewhere else, please check with me about rates.

I hope to be updating more often on here, so watch for more news coming out of Artful Accents.
I've been designing several new collections, inspired by my favorite places. Enjoy the scenes from a couple below.

Aran Islands, Ireland

Fraser Valley, British Columbia

Long Summer Days

Long Summer Days

~ handcrafted earrings made with antiqued copper and aqua Czech glass ~

Like my Facebook page and 

look for directions there on how to enter your name to win these!

Birds of a Feather

In my opinion, springtime is the most wonderful time of the year. Summer is a close second. Sitting here in my sunroom studio right now, I'm listening to birds chirping. Their music inspired me a couple weeks ago to create Swooping Swallows.

All earrings are for sale. Contact me if interested. 

{Psst...Have you liked my Facebook page yet?}

** Update - Just now learned of Maya Angelou's passing today. In honor of her...

From August to March

Yes indeed, I was out of blog posting mode for the past half year. Life has moved right along, and has been mostly good. I continue to deal with chronic health issues, but TRY to keep a joyful attitude and be grateful for the many gifts I've been blessed with.

A new health issue that was added to my list this winter included some weakness on my left side. As a result, my left hand (dominant one) could not squeeze jewelry pliers hard enough to be adept at making jewelry. Sooo, I had to resort to plan B.

I decided that I wanted to learn how to knit…left-handed. I tried it using my right hand as the dominant hand, but I'm just not that coordinated! So I taught myself (through youtube videos) a basic understanding of how to knit left-handed. My mom gave me some guidance, although right-handed. Then I stumbled onto some videos on how to crochet. I tried this too and found that crocheting comes much easier to me, and it doesn't matter which hand is dominant!

So I've been busy crafting dishcloths for my family members and myself.

I found that the Clover soft touch crochet hooks work best for me, since they are ergonomically correct and feel soft in my hand. I really enjoy the process of crocheting; it's relaxing and allows me to be productive even when I don't feel well. 

I have recently been able to get back to using my jewelry pliers again. I'm thankful! And the ideas are overflowing! 

I was excited to open up the Jewelry Stringing Spring 2014 issue, knowing that my colorful bracelet cuff (#2) would be in the bracelet gallery. :-) This is my 6th piece to be published, and it's still just as exciting!

Hoping to try to keep this blog updated more often. We'll see how that goes. I'm headed off now to my jewelry table to make some pieces for spring. Sadly, spring is having a hard time coming to VA this year. Even my big sad pup is done with snow!

What's In A Name, Revisited

For several years now, I have named all of my jewelry designs. I wrote about it in a previous blog post. While I began the process with enthusiasm, now it has become somewhat of a burden. 

Many of you have told me how much you enjoy seeing the names that I give to designs. Despite that encouragement, I have decided to end the tradition. Shakespeare might have been been onto something!

I think you will like what happens when I can give up this process which actually has been stifling and not promoting my creativity. I gave myself the freedom to try it this week, and lo and behold, I cranked out 20 pieces of jewelry! I found that because I didn't have to interrupt my creative flow with the process of name brainstorming, I could keep creating and designing. 

I will leave you with a cute story about the "Olive Branch" earrings pictured at the beginning of the 3rd row on the left. One of my customers, Cheryl, wrote this note to me. 

It all started when my mom started texting and she tried to sign off "I love you" but it auto-corrected it to say "Olives". So now every time we sign off from each other we say Olives instead of I love you. So I thought getting her this piece of jewelry would be very special! 


I will miss hearing neat stories like that, but methinks this change will be a good thing! 

Blog Hop Challenge Reveal!

What a delightful surprise it was to find out that I was one of the winners of a blog hop challenge giveaway! And the host of this blog hop is the talented Rebekah of Tree Wings Studio. She creates with polymer clay and makes the most adorable little forest creatures like the ones below. 

credit: Rebekah

The beads that Rebekah created for the giveaway are pictured below. They are just stunning, full of color and texture.

credit: Rebekah

I considered all the possibilities and had settled on designing a necklace. I had it all laid out and was ready to start wire-wrapping. But then for some reason, I changed my mind and made a bracelet. I am mostly pleased with the results. I think it still needs a little tweaking, but not quite sure yet how that will look. For now, this is the finished piece...

"Rebekah's Meadow"

I wanted to highlight the purples and yellows in the beads. I decided to go with some Czech glass beads that were simple so as not to detract from the beauty of the polymer clay focal beads. There were some copper colored undertones in the beads, so I knew that the metal had to be antiqued copper.

Rebekah, thank you so much for your generosity! I am honored to be part of your blog hop. 

If you would like to see what the other winners created, they are linked below.

Stephanie LaRosa - http://stringaholic.blogspot.com/

Kay Thomerson - http://kayzkreationz.blogspot.com/

Rebekah - http://www.treewingsstudio.com

Front Cover....Sort Of

I have had several designs published in the past, but this one...well, this one is the most exciting! 

If you look really closely, you can see that this bracelet is on the COVER of BeadStyle magazine! No, it's not the main cover design, but it is featured nonetheless!

This colorful bracelet has an entire page dedicated to it in this July 2013 issue!

Thank you, BeadStyle editors, for selecting my submission! 

Good Things Come In 3's

A friend of mine from high school days asked me if I would make a necklace for her using the same concept as the "Spirit" earrings pictured below.

She has 3 children, and said that she is always drawn to things in 3's for that reason. So I developed this design for her necklace. I'm really glad that she asked me to do this and like how it turned out.

Anna's Big Day

I have 2 sons. Fortunately, God knew that I needed some girls in my life too, so he blessed me with 2 lovely nieces! 

Liz, whom I featured here last fall, is currently studying abroad in the Middle East. I miss her so very much. :-(

Liz (photo by Daniel Martin)

My other niece, Anna, just recently had an exciting milestone which I was invited to witness. She got her ears pierced! It was so thoughtful of her mom to ask me to come along. 

My boys and I went with Anna, her brothers and her mom to the mall to the exact same place where I got my ears pierced about 25 years ago. 

Everyone was giving their opinion on which earrings to choose!

Here she is, looking brave and excited before the anticipated moment...

No turning back now!

Just as quickly as it started, it was over. 
Anna was all smiles...
Her mom and I were all tears! We looked at each other and both of us had no idea why we were crying! 
All of a sudden, I remembered waiting at the airport to meet the energetic little girl and her twin brother who flew across the world to join our extended family. My mind tucked today's memory into the picture. Then I started imagining prom pictures...graduation...wedding gowns...

Anna is growing up. 
And it's happening quickly. 

And it makes me sad and happy at the same time.

I'm so glad that God chose me to be your aunt!

I love you, Anna-banana!

Treasury of Talent

I enjoy creating treasury lists on Etsy. The process is a productive source of inspiration for my own designs. These colors are my favorites right now! 

The talent represented by artisans on Etsy is unbelievable, as shown in this treasury below. Enjoy browsing and feel free to click on the links to see more items from each artisan's shop. The green canning jars and aqua glass vases are from the "vintage" section on Etsy. All other items are handmade...beautifully, I might add.

 "Sentimental"

Elegant Vintage Stangl ... onceuponafiref... $12	Decorative Lumbar Pillo... couchdwellers $16	Spring Cardigan Dress T... ShopModAntoine... $32	Rare Light Blue/ Aqua S... FeliciaGraceDe... $200
Pottery Green Washer Be... CapturedMoment... $5.25	Cream Sweater Knit Infi... JANNYSGIRL $20	Brown/Aqua/Lime Green -... MagnoliaQuilts $100	Green pearl earrings. C... CreativityJewe... $35
Turquoise Stoneware Pla... virginiawyomin... $76.5	copper, teal decor, Oce... SeeLifeShine $28	1 Antique FRENCH CANNIN... FrenchKlimBim $18.5	Knitted Bag, NzLbags - ... NzLbags $155
Citrus Sunshine Yellow ... AlaiynaBSoaps $7.5	Striped Sheer Curtains ... lushlivings $74	Mosaic Tiles - AQuA FLo... katiedesigns4u $18	Shabby Chic Vintage Sof... RedEggBoutique $25

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

Grow Old Along With Me

Photo credit: RubySky Photography

Happy Valentine's Day to my husband...

my lover, my partner, my best friend.

Today is also a milestone birthday for me. While I'm not thrilled about this particular birthday, my husband has lifted my spirits by planning a very special (surprise!) trip for us. 

I'm blessed to be able to grow old with him. 

The best is yet to come!

 

Another Published Piece!

Nearly a year ago, I submitted a design to BeadStyle Magazine for publication. Excitedly, I opened the email which informed me that my design had been selected to appear in a magazine...but I would have to wait a whole year to see it published! The year has passed, and this week I finally got to see this magazine. It is a special edition published by BeadStyle, and has great earring ideas.

My earrings are on page 11 in the "Turquoise" section. 

"Arizona"

Stay tuned for another publication announcement in a couple months! :-)