New Designs Are In The Works!!!

2011 has been a year of self discovery. A year where I've had to turn inward and really explore the different facets of myself and what truly resonates with my heart. My newest designs are highly reflective of that journey and what I've been creating is finally an honest representation of who I am. 

My new designs will be launched on my Etsy site between January 1st and January 5th. As usual, I will be incorporating sparkle into my jewelry designs. These pieces are versatile and are elegant, but can also be worn with your favorite jeans. My offerings will be narrowed down to one style of bracelet, two styles of necklaces and two styles of earrings.

The earring wires are shaped by hand.  There are no pre-fab structures at work here.
Here's a few shots of the earrings to come.

The bracelets will be Chan Luu style wrap bracelets with my own sparkly twist on the design.  Bracelet size will range from 1x wrap to 5x wrap. Custom orders are always welcome.  Here's a preview.

Necklaces will be the surprise.  Versatile, fun and beautiful.  I hope you like what's in store.

OH, by the way, I'm having a SLASH & BURN SALE in my Etsy shop to clear out the old designs to make room for the new.  Go to the sale bin in my shop and scoop up great products at unbelievably low prices.
Have a wonderful holiday and a fabulous New Year!!!

Thanks for reading.

Kristen

I'm Baaaaaaaack!!!!

After a VERY long bit of time off, I have returned with some fresh, new, handmade items for sale. While going through my yoga teacher training, I was captivated by a particular style of bracelet that so many people were wearing.......and get this; they were spending upwards of $300 on one of these bracelets!!! The very frugal shopper in me said that was ridiculous and swore that I would learn how to make this type of bracelet or just find it really inexpensively elsewhere.


The type of bracelet I'm talking about are the leather wrap bracelets that essentially weave beads into the design. They are very cool looking and super comfortable to wear......a perfect yoga accessory! Here's an example of what I'm referring to.

I just love the look of these bracelets, but seriously, how much money does it really cost to make one of these to justify a price tag of $300???!!!! Well, I decided to find out.

I marched myself to the craft store, picked up some leather cord, hemp thread/cord, silk cord, beads and buttons. All of which maybe cost me about $20. I got to work trying to figure out how to marry the components together and make it look like all those fabulous bracelets I'd already seen. My first few attempts were pretty good, but I wasn't satisfied.....the weave wasn't tight enough! As I continued to toy with my latest crafting endeavor I realized the justification for the steep price tag.........these bracelets take FOREVER to make. A bracelet that wraps around twice, can take as long as 3 hours to make! I have made only two bracelets that wrap around 5 times and they took me about 2 days to complete. Next time I'll log exactly how many hours the really long ones take, but it takes a long time! And as we've all been told, time is money.

Here are some examples of my latest creations that you can purchase on Etsy.

Not bad, but I need to figure out how to use the silk cord I picked up instead of the hemp. It lays flatter and doesn't fuzz with wear. I'm sure there is a trick that makes the silk cord easier to use, but I'm not sure what it is yet. I'm sure I'll figure it out......I figured out how to make these bracelets all by myself, didn't I? Yes, I did! In time, the answer will come and maybe one of my fellow Etsian's will clue me in.



Until next time......


Thanks for reading!


Kristen

Hiatus

As I'm sure anyone can tell from my lack of posting that I've pretty much taken some time off to focus my attention on other things. I'm currently getting 200 hour certified in yoga and simply have no time to create much of anything or even update my shop. Sorry.

I did create a bunch of new inventory prior to the start of my training, however between the amount of time it takes to get decent photos, uploading and resizing and then composing something catchy about my products......a whole day is spent. Mind you, it's always time well spent and I look forward to diving back in once I've completed my studies.

For the time being, here are some previews of what I've been working on. They won't be posted to Etsy for a while, but at least you know what's going to be available.


Until next time.....

Thanks for reading!

Kristen

Addicted to Beading

I told myself a LONG time ago that no matter what, I would NEVER become addicted to beading. I thought it was really strange that there were actually people who liked to sit there and bead.....for HOURS.....and they had massive collections of beads and findings and all the things that go along with the hobby of beading.

Nope....it wouldn't be me.....not a chance. I'm not going to be sucked in by a bead or two.

Then it happened. I was in the craft store one day looking for ribbons and charms for my bookmarks and was caught off guard by some silver doughnut beads. I pictured something crystaline suspended in the center of those beads and thought it might look nice. I refused to buy beading wire and crimp tubes, because they require tools. Nope, I went for clear elastic cord and found some clear pink glass cubes to be suspended. I bought my stash and took it home. The rest is history.

I still create the same basic bracelet I started with, just with different beads in the center. It's always been a big hit with those who come across the bracelets. As far as my bead stash, I have two HUGE bead organizers; each with 5 boxes FULL of beads.....and the collection keeps growing.

Ebay and Etsy have been my best friends for supplies. Oh what I wouldn't be able to do without them!!!! And to think that I never pictured myself a beadaholic. Crazy.

Until next time......

Thanks for reading!!!

Kristen