The Wire Competition by EJA – Your Chance to Vote and Win!

Here's your chance to vote for your favorite wire project by the artisans of Eclectic Jewelry Artisans (EJA) and your chance to win a free gift bag that will include hand made jewelry and other goodies!!

Just visit EEJA web site and fill out the form. On July 25th, we will draw a lucky e-mail address from those that have voted. One vote per person. Voting on an item will sign you up for our newsletter that will inform you of future sales and other prize drawings.

Thank you,
Team EJA

Big Guy, Sweet Guy - Phil Mickelson

I admire Tiger as a golfer but as a person, there is none other than Phil Mickelson. This is a man with a BIG HEART! Like Arnold Palmer, he enjoys his fans and knows not to neglect them. After his pro-am round today at the AT&T National he spent at least half an hour signing EVERYONE's memorabilia. Now that is class! More pictures loaded in my flickr page or or copy and paste to your browser: http://www.flickr.com/photos/beadjewelryshopgirl/ .

Today, I followed Tiger Woods Around

I'm a bead-addict, aikido-addict, golf-addict and Tiger Woods addict. My hubby, son and I spent the day following Tiger Woods today as he had his practice round in the golf event he is hosting this week in Washington, DC - AT&T Invitational at the historic Congressional Golf and Country Club. It was fun and exciting to watch him play in a relaxed mode. Here are a few shots. For more pictures, visit my flickr page or copy and paste to your browser: http://www.flickr.com/photos/beadjewelryshopgirl/.

Orange you glad to be on etsy?

Etsy Bloggers Street Team theme for the week is ORANGE! Orange is not a color I would usually wear or use but I do have a few pieces that are close to orange. This necklace is called "3 Sisters in Crime!"

Front Page

I, along with the talented artists in EJA (eeja.org) made it to the etsy front page! It's a first for me!

Bead Weavers Unite!

A fellow etsy beadweaver I admire, SandFibers, has created a Treasure List featuring gorgeous bead weave creations! Too bad the list will only be live for 2 days.

Trunk Show!

My Preciousssss!

Ooh, I got a new stash of beads from a new lampwork artist I just discovered! This picture does not capture half the secret behind this bead set - the curls and dots on the surface have blue and bronze metallic highlights on it that is so gorgeous. Works of art like this need only a simple display so here's the first bracelet I made from this set. Now, I'm not sure I want to part with this but keep an eye out in my etsy store just in case I get a guilty conscience about being so greedy!

I'm Reader of the Week!

This week on Wickedly Chic, I'm their Reader of the Week! As Reader, I get to mention a few of the indie designers I have grown to admire. It was a hard choice as I have a long list of indies I would have loved to mention but space would not allow. I just had to take the indie designers who stood out in my mind in terms of their devotion to their craft and high level of creativity they demonstrate in their art. So click on WickedlyChic.com and read on!!!! P. S. Thank you Liz N., you are great!

Parting is such sweet sorrow!

I had a show today and one of the things I sold is this favorite bracelet I made from the lampwork bead set I bought from artist, Linda James of Flame One Glass Studio! I will miss this but I'm glad she found a new home. And it fit perfectly on the lady who bought it, too!

EJA Summer Solstice Give-Away! 3 Lucky Winners! June 21st!

Don't miss this! Visit eeja.org before June 21, 2007!

And My Treasury Luck Continues!

So I've hit the jackpot again this weekend and gotten featured in 2 Treasury Lists at the same time. One was created by GirlieGirls and the other by DBrownDesigns. It's always great being picked by fellow indie designers.

A Treasure to be in a Treasury List!

Etsy has a section called Treasury List (TL) where members can create a list of items from the site based on a theme or concept. It's an honor to be featured in a TL -- kinda like a People's Choice awards since your colleague sellers and buyers are making the choices. I'm proud to be featured in 2 lists this weekend!

Lampwork Beads by THE ARTIST!

I am dazed by talented lampwork bead artists, especially those the come up with exciting and unbelievable designs in a bead that's barely an inch wide! I like beads that seem to draw me in, like I can jump right into the bead and spend days studying the swirls and patterns created by the artist. Such an artist is Linda James whose beads I covet but alas is always auctioned way out of my budget. By a miracle I was able to procure a set and I was in heaven when I got my beads in the mail. There wasn't much I had to do with them to make them pretty, just some simple thai beads, crystals, etc.

The Beaded Bead

Q&A: What is a beaded bead? You basically decorate a bead with other beads or create a bead using a cluster of beads.
How does one bead a bead? Very obsessively!
I made my first group of beaded beads and showcased them in this necklace. Kinda a modern and old world feel to the design.

Eclectic Jewelry Artisan BOGO Sale

Beading Challenges

UPDATE: The verdict is in! This necklace was selected as Special Mention:
**Most Likely to Start a Conversation:
BeadJewelryShopgirl's "Winter Medley" Necklace.
It's stunning, dramatic, and incredible in every detail.
Art, geometry, and fashion work together exceptionally well here.

--Rena Klingenberg of Home Jewelry Business Success Tips.com

Last fall I participated and won "Best in Show" in the Bead4You Fall Beading Challenge, judged by Tamara of CraftRevolution.com. Another challenge has been launched for winter, this time to be judged by Rena Klingenberg of Home Jewelry Business Success Tips.com. Do you think it can happen a second time? Who knows. It's fun to enter these challenges. This time I have 2 necklaces representing the challenge concept of "Winter at Dusk" -- one has a lot of wire-wrapping and the other necklace is all beadwork.

Bead Jewelry by Shopgirl Featured in Wickedly Chic!

I just got featured as Indie of the Week in Wickedly Chic! Read on......

Regina Jiron is a self-admitted obsessive compulsive beader. That’s quite a title for this DC area mom but it doesn’t seem too bad if you have to called a compulsive something. Bead Jewelry Shop Girl is the name of her Etsy shop and she creates jewels that Wickedly Chic readers will want to take note of. Click here for more...

Eclecticness!

Talk about an eclectic group of jewelry artisans! Gorgeous jewelry made by members of the Etsy Eclectic Jewelry Artisans featured in a Treasury List in Etsy. For more on this group of talent, visit their web site EEJA.

Painted Desert

I'm celebrating my birthday today by listing this new necklace in my etsy store, titled "Desert Queen." This is a beadwoven necklace in Ndebele stitch aka Herringbone stitch.

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

My son was born in the year of the Pig so I'm celebrating the coming of this Chinese New Year. The jade pig pictured in this necklace is one that was given to me by a Chinese friend for good luck when my son was born. I made it into a necklace with other jade stone chips.

Showcase for February 10, 2007

I have a spot in Etsy Showcase for Valentine! Pardon the poor picture. Can't get why it's not coming out right :(

Newest Gallery Piece

This is one of my freeform pieces available in The Way Goose Gallery in Maryland.

Freeform Beaded Pendants

My beadweaving continues. I can't stop creating my freeform peyote beaded jewelry. From my bracelets, to rings and now pendants.

And some exciting news - Bead Jewelry by Shopgirl jewelry are now available at The Waygoose, a Fine American Crafts gallery in Bethesda, Maryland! Woo-hoo!

Such a Cutie!

It pays to have a good model for your product shot and even better when the product itself is well made that customers just flock to your store in droves. Such is the case with The Portland Beanie Company. Since they opened their etsy shop last October 2006, they have sold 400 of these cutie beanies (adult sizes also available). Check them out!

Scarfguy Extraordinaire

Surfing through the stores in etsy one day, my jaw dropped when I landed into Scarfguy's shop. Handweaver, Fred Ullom of Ohio, weaves unbelievably beautiful scarves and shawls using luxurious natual fibers like superfine merino wool, mongolian cashmere, fine chinese silk, quviut and even yak! Each scarf is his own design and can take him 2 1/2 to 3 days to make. I am in awe.

A Trail of Hearts!

I found a novel idea for Valentine's Day! Dottyral of Dyed in the Wool Designs has these adorable crocheted hearts to romance your love on Valentine's Day:

"Here's [Dotty's] idea...On the night before Valentine's Day, hide these hearts everywhere...next to the coffee-maker, on the bathroom counter, in a pocket, in the car, in a briefcase. Your guy or girl will be finding them throughout the day. How about if you snail mail a heart to the office so they open it up on V day? Then, when your loved one comes home, the trail of hearts begins. Place a trail leading to a romantic dinner, a special gift, or straight to you."

That and more ideas on how to celebrate Valentine's Day. So visit Dyed in the Wool Designs etsy store for more heart ideas!

Rings!

I just had to share that I've started to make freeform peyote rings and this is the first one I've listed on my store called Mermaid Ring. Each ring will be one of a kind due to the nature of how these are made -- freeform, improvisational with no pattern. Even I don't know how these rings will end up. Where the beads, needle and thread take me, I will go!

Eclectic Jewelry Artisans

I've joined an incredible group of jewelry artisans --Eclectic Jewelry Artisans (eeja.org) who create just about the most fabulous pieces of wearable art you can find! Take for example this Chaos Ring with Rhodolite Garnet handcrafted by Ahna of Shattered Glass. Ahna's bold and original designs are not for the faint-hearted!

Pamper Yourself - Victorian Style

After a hectic rat race day, there's nothing like relaxing in a nice warm bath infused with bath salts like this Lavender Violet Bath Salts from Mishutka Design Studio, another inventive etsy artist. Their slogan "Vintage elegance. Modern comfort." says it all.

Starry Designs and Birds Nests

Another top Etsy store is Starry Designs from Singapore. Talented jewelry designer, Cindy, creates bold yet simple contemporary designs. My favorite is her signature piece, Birds Nest Rings. Clean, expert and uncluttered wire wrapping I so envy!

Etsy is the Place To Be!

My second home is Etsy - an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade. It's a great community of artists and crafters featuring all their awesome work and craft. I'll be featuring interesting pieces as often as I can starting with one of my favorite sellers, Art by TR.

Art by TR features an awesome collection of home decor pieces made from metal. This Brass Light Switch Cover Plate is embossed with a colorful leaf and flower design. Light switch covers comprise the majority of their collection but also includes picture frames, garden stakes, night lights, welcome signs and gift boxes. The craftsmanship is just first rate!

Happy New Year!

Just wanted to say Happy New Year! So it's another one but I'd like to say it always a good feeling to start fresh so here's to new beginning!

You can purchase this slinky bracelet directly from my Etsy store!

Estate Treasures!

Till I started selling my jewelry I could care less for going to estate sales, craft shows or bazaars. Now I go like I'm on a treasure hunt. I recently went to an estate sale and found a valuable loot! I've taken the metal components from these treasure finds and re-made them into interesting pieces, like the necklace above, which you can find in my etsy store.

They like me! They really like me!

I'm thrilled and excited! I participated in a jewelry design challenge at CraftRevolution.com and came out the winner in 2 categories: Best in Show and Best Product Photography. Each jewelry designer was given the same set of beads (2 colors to choose from and I chose the seafoam set) to create their own designs for the challenge. I almost choked on my coffee this morning when I checked out the CraftRevolution web site and there was the necklace I submitted. Not just winning in the overall level but with the additional photography award to boot! Check out the article on the Fall Beading Challenge in CraftRevolution.com web site for the winners.

Success!

Well, I had a craft show today selling my paper goods including the Angel Christmas Card below. All the Angel cards sold out! Even sweeter is that my son, the origami artist, joined me in my table and sold his origami stuff! So we both had a good day. Tomorrow, I need to list more stuff at my etsy store and prepare for the holiday spending spree! Are you ready for the holidays?

She's An Angel in the Sky

The one lesson I have learned now that I've started to sell my wares is I need to think one season ahead. I'm hitting myself in the head for not planning way ahead enough for this season. As it is, I should line up more craft shows and thought of more seasonal promotions, etc. Also, I got into another line - paper craft. And to take advantage of the holiday season, what better way to launch but with a line of Christmas cards. Of course, my jewelry skills spilled over into my paper crafting as you can see with the holiday cards above. Wire work angels that design this card AND serves as a christmas ornament, too!

Confession!

Drat! I need to post more often. My only excuse is preparations for craft shows have kept me busy. It's a wonderful experience to face your customers and talk directly to them. I've attached a picture of my very very first craft show set up. Still has room for improvement in terms of display but I'm getting there. See you around town!

Fully loaded!

Fully loaded is the best description I can give to these 2 fringe bracelets. Loaded with pearls or an assortment of beads. It took me hours to load up these fun, fun bracelets butit was worth the effort. Now more stuff to load into my etsy store!