A GiftbearerSupply Customer Helps The Sudan With Quartz Crystals and Jewelry Rich in Spirit

                                

Gentry Gorg from Hawaaii set out in search of just the right crystals for a special piece of jewelry he had in mind and got so inspired by all the possibilities he ordered several of these natural drilled beauties from my Etsy supply shop GiftbearerSupply and made two wonderful amulet necklaces with them! His style is a fusion between New Age and Tribal Boho, and is inspired by nature. If these pieces inspire you just imagine all the unique uses for these natural drilled Quartz crystals. There is just something enchanting about a piece of stone that comes out of the ground with such a pretty shape and clarity, and to be awed by the fact that man did not create it; nature did! This raw magnificence is a large part of these natural stones' appeal and why they are so sought-after by makers of jewelry who seek to tame them only in as much as they will fit into a piece of wearable art that honors and celebrates that either by chance or by grand design they appeared here on our wonderous planet serendipitously for us to find and enjoy.

 

Gentry built his own website Designs by Gentry where he sells the necklaces shown above and others, and is also donating some of the proceeds of his sales to a human service organization called Water for South Sudan 

 

It's great to know that supplies from my shop are being used to create such cool designer jewelry, and to know that the finished product is doing double-duty to help those in need.

 

I always find the backstory behind my customers and their creations interesting.

 

If you create something with supplies from my shop send me pictures and any other information you think might be of interest to readers and you might be the next to be featured on my blog. Send me the link to where you sell your work either on Etsy or a free-standing website and lets do some cross promotion in preparation for the upcoming holiday gift season.

Customer Feature; Terryfic Arts; Using Silver in Unexpected Ways

Terry Wilson of Ojai, California makes jewelry for an untapped niche market; musicians, especially oboe and bassoon players! An Oboist herself, and realizing that there was no fine jewelry made with these musicians in mind, she decided to fill this need with her own line of specialized Sterling and Fine Silver jewelry carved from wax and cast from her own mold. Most of these are reeds strung on satin cord, some wrapped in colored thread, or earrings on sterling silver earhooks.

Bassoon Reed Earrings, Sterling Silver

In addition to this line of jewelry, Terry has an assortment of other pieces in her Etsy shop, Terryfic Arts including this Bass Clef;



Fine Silver Bass Clef Pendant with Jewels

Terry recently bought some beads from my supply shop and sent me some pictures of her finished piece and the Peppercorn tree that was her inspiration. The likeness is quite close and I just had to share this with my readers!

 

If you have a shop on Etsy and you purchase supplies or jewelry from me, send me a picture of your finished product (or you wearing my finished jewelry if you bought that from me), and you just might get a feature here in my blog!



Carmella Comes Home!

 Carmella is home and feeling much better. Her leg is purple but the swelling is not near as bad as before. It looks as though the snake venom went all the way up her thigh to her stomach.

 She still has loose stools but is eating again and drinking plenty of water, and she has much more energy although actually seems calmer than she usually is, content to lounge around on my bed.  She has jumped up to listen to something outside the window once or twice but doesn't seem on pins and needles at every sound as she usually is.

 She spent some time in the kitchen earlier this evening chewing on a bone and I can tell that she knows the worst is over. The purple bandage on her right front leg is where they had the IV. That bandage can come off tomorrow.

I don't know how long it will take for all thr bruising to go away, but the vet wants to check her again in a week.

I noticed that a vein or artery is showing very dark through her skin on her inner thigh. It's visible in the picture above.

The company that was supposed to come out yesterday to look for the snakes is coming on Monday instead because the man who was assigned got tied up removing bats from a elderly woman's house on Thursday. I had hoped he could have the nesting areas identified before Carmella came home. So far I have not seen any when I've looked around myelf but they could be somewhere I can't see like the big burrow underneath the width of the back porch that some other animal made. Just in case, I am keeping a close eye on her and taking her out on the leash until the guy comes to inspect.

 Carmella will be on 4 medications every 12 hours for awhile;
* Prednisone (20mgs)

* Ciprofloxacin (250 mgs.; 1/2 tablet (125mg. every 12 hours)

* Cephalexin (500 mgs.; 2 Tablets every 12 hours)

*  Metronidazole (500 mgs. every 12 hours)

Eek! After the emergency visit Monday night and treatment overnight for 3 days at her regular vet's, the bill is somewhere around $1,500 already. I was just beginning to make a dent in her previous medical bills when this emergency happened.

If you would like to help her there are several ways to do that;

* Purchase one of the ad spots through Scratchback on my blog in the sidebar

* Use the Donate To Carmella button at the top; donate via Paypal

* Purchase Jewelry from Giftbearer

* Purchase jewelry supplies/craft supplies from  GiftbearerSupply

The holidays are coming up and I have lots of variety in both Etsy online shops to choose from be it a piece of finished jewelry or something to help you create finished jewelry or other crafts. I make a point of offering alot of one of a kind and limited stock items.

I found this video on YouTube that might be helpful to those of you who have animals. It is the season for these venomous snakes to be restless and with the weather changing these seem to be more on edge and more likely to bite.

The dog in the first video was bitten by a rattlesnake, not a copperhead, but the clip is interesting also because apparently someone has developed a vaccine to help protect dogs from these bites.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs79gprUiao

The dogs n these videos below were bitten by a copperheads;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XxKQpiY8VQ

http://www.youtube.com/user/AnimalMedicalHosp?blend=14&ob=5#p/u/0/oHw2FtVxGYg

There is a product I found out about that is supposed to repel snakes from your yard called Snake Away;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1kV6RY5HSw&feature=related

Here's another;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CDGhgkGSU4&feature=related

I don't know whether these work or not but they might.

Some people claim that moth balls repel snakes but I can't stand the smell of moth balls!

I found this video on snake repellents which says the strong smell in some of these confuses the snakes;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O9AU_fjpsg&feature=related

http://www.foxlabs.com/ makes one that is supposed to be eco-friendly and safe for humans and pets.


Carmella has been sleeping soundly tonight while I've been on the computer and researching on Youtube.

I'll continue to keep you posted on her recovery.

In Full Bloom



Are you ready for Spring? I know I am!

Here are some bright orange flowers to keep you warm while you wait for warmer weather.

I have some jewelry in the works in these colors which will incorporate some flowers, so be sure to stay tuned to my shop.

I'm adding things just about everyday, so to see/purchase my current work go to;

Giftbearer

For jewelry supplies, please go to;

GiftbearerSupply

Giftbearer Lining Up New Items and Waiting Out the Snow

The way things have been snowed in here since Sunday night you'd think we lived in Alaska but it's only Georgia which rarely gets this type of snow for more than 1 day at a time. Carmella loves it, but so much for "not wind, or snow, nor dark of night"... (or something like that; I can't fully remember that quote).

The city has been pretty much on lockdown with GA. Dept. Of Transportation issuing travel advisories because of icy road conditions. A pregnant pause seems to hang in the cold winter air here.

I've finished my recent custom ordered Early Budding Vine bracelet, Aurora Borealis as of Sunday night and was on the phone for 15 minutes just to find out that public transportation (even that disability service I take) is only taking Dialysis patients, so I guess my plan to get to the Post Office today was wishful thinking.  I usually ship promptly, so I hope my customers will understand and that nobody will miss a gift-giving deadline or anything. I was also expecting to receive an Aquamarine cab this past Monday coming from a state in the Northeast. I'm getting a little nervous because no mail has even been coming to the house.

I rescheduled my trip to the local Post Office once again for tomorrow and will hope for the best. Hopefully things in the city and surrounding suburbs will be back to their normal operations by then. I also need to get a few things at the grocery store while I'm there. The shopping center with Post Office where I go to mail my packages also has a Publix in it, so I usually kill two birds with one stone when I have orders that need to go out.

Here are some pictures I took of bracelet #5 in the series. The only silver lining in my not having a way to get to the Post office and the lack of mail service the past several days is that I have had the opportunity to have it awhile longer and take some better pictures. Each day the lighting has been a little brighter, so maybe that's a sign that this ice on the roads will melt soon.

Aurora Borealis-Early Budding Vine Bracelet #5

Last night after the 9 PM Promotional Frenzy I checked my e-mail and found that one of the PMC websites was having a competition. The site sells supplies and tools and prizes include gift certificates for items they sell to artists, and to all applicants who submit 5 entries of different metal clay pieces they are giving away a free metal clay calendar compiled by Holly Gage (while they last)! One of my bracelets was featured in a prevous issue and the past year or so I had forgotten the deadline to submit my items for that, but when I had the calender it was one of my favorites of any calender I've had on my wall. The variety of things people do with this medium is always inspiring and I never tire of looking at them.

I've been adjusting my descriptions today on these to freshen up the content for Google and Etsy searches, then Tweeting, as I want to continue to sell these while the iron is hot!

If I can sell one or two more (the last earnings had to go toward bills) just maybe then I will have enough money to buy the kiln I've been wanting! I have big plans for all kinds of cool hollowforms with fire-in-place settings that I can't do on my gas stove. I just love all things 3D, and I have new designs just waiting for the right equipment to make them manifest.

If you love the Early Budding Vine bracelets you haven't seen anything yet!

Right now I've got some beadwoven pieces in the works and need to finish those up while I'm stuck inside. With the holiday preparations and the custom order I had to put several of those on the back burner for awhile.

I've also got some soldered mealwork pieces in-progress that need to be completed, photographed and listed, and more soldered ones planned, especially big bezeled ones that I have in short supply at the present time.

There are a few new supplies to photograph and list too.

The Monday BNR Treasury has kept me very busy, especially the roll-out for the new Specialty BNR format. We are alternating one week a regular general medium BNR, then the other week, a specialty one. Next week's will be featuring 2D art, focusing on Fine Art; drawing, painting, and photography.

After the holidays it seems that everybody under the sun on Etsy has started doing BNR Treasuries on the same day as ours, and that has impacted Promotional Frenzy's number of sales, but considering that handicap I thnk the increased buy-in price (increased from $3.50 to $8.00 for the general BNR, and increased from $3.50 - $15.00 for the Specialty BNR) has been successful and most buyers are adapting well. I look forward to seeing what thread members reap from this in the future as we continue to break new ground and challenge long-held BNR stereotypes. Can higher-priced things sell in a BNR setting? I believe they can! We are only limited by the parameters of our own imagination, and my recent custom order is evidence that higher-priced things can and are selling on Etsy! One can have fun without sacrificing profit and making a living wage. The two need not be mutually exclusive. I am really intrigued and excited about this prospect and the opportunity to test out this theory.

Valentine's Day is Coming Sooner Than You Think!

Be Ready for that special day

You never know what unique goodies you're going to find in the Promotional Frenzy BNR Treasury!

This coming Monday, January 10th from 4:00 PM - 1:00 AM EST we have some special treats for you!

I got it made a few days early during our thread's Treasury Day and now all you shoppers have 2 1/2 days to go window shopping in some fascinating Etsy shops to pick out something at your liesure in advance of our opening.

I have left the link visible rather than just putting a list of links in my blog as I have done in the past.

The above bowl of anatomical hearts is brought to you by bubblegenius, a bath and body shop with some avante garde products you would never imagine.

Here's the link to the upcoming BNR;

Feel The Love;

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d27d19b36b86d91fe50bc7e/closed-until-monday-400-pm-est-feel-the#4d27ffd0a9fb8eef0569b607

Please click, comment, and take some time looking at all the exciting things offered. Then bring your shopping list on Monday and jump right in. Your sweety will appreciate that you went out of your way to get her something she'll love, or if you are the one to receive a gift this Valentine's day be sure to send your hubby or significant other over there and let them know what you like from these sellers.

If you're a buyer only and don't have an Etsy shop you can play too! Just let us know and if you would like to pick a replacement shop from your favorites that can fill the spot of the person you're buying from.

Last week's jewelry specific BNR went well. Almost all the featured jewelry sellers got bought out and because this was the first of it's kind we didn't see high volume sales like has been typical in most of our BNRs but I believe it's only a matter of time before the buying public gets used to buying higher priced things through BNRs.

We will alternate from week to week; doing a regular BNR with a mix of different categories, and then do a specialty one. There are more categories I want to work on and we will eventually do these more than once to build up a market for each over time.

You never know, this might become the next shopping craze of the future!

New Goals for a New Year!

8 1/4" - 8 1/2" Heavy Gauge Sterling Bracelet

http://www.etsy.com/listing/64768559/heavy-gauge-sterling-silver-bracelet

To Do List:

1) Spend More Time Making Jewelry

2) Source Stones for Copper Flower Line

3) Create Several Elaborate Copper Flower Necklaces and Matching Earrings like this one; http://www.etsy.com/transaction/31044258

4) Create More Metal Clay Pieces

5) Source Some Interesting New Items To Sell in My Supply Shop

6) Steadily Increase Sales in Both Jewelry and Supply Shops
http://Giftbearer.etsy.com/

http://Giftbearersupply.etsy.com/

7) Save Up for a Kiln

8) Look for a Southwestern/Native American Gallery/Store Through Which to Sell my Rainstick Necklace Line.

Seeds of Inspiration

Seed pods from my backyard with their wonderful spikey geometric shape offer interesting design possibilities to artists.

Last night I noted that several people in the Promotional Frenzy thread in the Etsy forum http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6652194


were talking about the need for refueling their inspiration and motivation, so I slept on it and woke up to the idea today to take pictures of all kinds of textures, lighting, shapes, perspectives, and colors that might jump-start creativity for my own and others' future works.

I found more than enough subject matter just within my front, back, and side yards!

This little wasp's nest was attatched to my screened porch and I placed it on a yellow leaf so that it would stand out better.

There is alot one can do based on this design (and I've seen some fascinating ceramics and jewelry created with this in mind).

For those of you who do steampink styles this drainpipe with its accordian design could pur some new, innovative work!

I've provided several different perspectives that could be incorporated into jewelry, papercraft, ceamic, sculpture, etc.

This folded puppy pen would also offer a unique subject for one's work;

It would make an interesting background for screen printing, as would this screen

Shadows can also offer numerous ideas to artists looking for effects to use in their work.

This is one I captured on my wooden security fence.

Shadows can be really lovely and can be used in all mediums from jewelry to sculpture, to watercolor, to mixed media art.

Here I captured myself taking the picture in the driveway scattered with acorns! Now how about that for perspective!

Jewelry artists and sculptors might especially like this chain link fence cap;

and this hinge might inspire hinges on jewelry or handmade boxes, for instance;

And my favorites are almost always patterns from nature like these!

I love the perspective you get when looking up a tree!

This tree in my backyard has an owl hole near the top where it broke off a few months ago during a storm.

For those of you who love leaves these photos should give you alot to think about!

And for you dog-lovers I've got these;

This dog recently moved into the house behind mine;

 I had to lean over the fence for this first one! Just look at that black tongue on this dog. He must have Chow in him!

And a regal headshot from behind the fence!

I haven't forgotten about all you Carmella fans!

So get out there and see all the beauty this world has to offer, then come back with a headfull of ideas...and create!

Latest BNR Treasury; Like Chocolate for the Soul

This BNR Treasury's only been open a few hours and already has 5 sales and counting!
You can buy in for just a $3.00 minimum purchase of anything fron the stores of these 16 featured sellers!

Some of the featured sellers are running special deals for today only so don't miss it!

And you can buy in more than once!

Come click, comment and shop!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cb60d8f740f6d91a9042b89/open-fun-games-bnr-44-sales-total-round?page=6#comments

Update: Closed at 7:00 PM EST

New Treasury will carry over everyone left next week!

Stay tuned!

My supply shop is featured and I haven't been bought out yet, hint, hint... I have some excellent buys everyday! No need for a special day to offer deals!

I've got my eye on these delicious treats by Michellesthisandthat;

Which item are you drooling over?

Eye Candy Interlude - Sneak Preview!

Silver and Gold and Sugarplums!

Glow from a Distant Fire (bracelet)

7 1/4" (with additional ring to expand to 7 3/4")

9mm faceted black Onyx rondelles, wine freshwater pearls, black frosted glass rondelles, flat Moukaite pebbles, facetted Brecciated Jasper rondelles, and red garnet with sterling silver beads and findings.

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I made the two bracelets while watching Obama's speech on TV last night and realized only later that I was using some beads I had bought from a vendor at a bead show who was from Afghanistan. He had some of the most gorgeous Lapis, but also some material of other stones in shapes I'd never seen before. The brown (what is referred to as Blonde Onyx) came in alternating slender tubes, tiny rondelles, and flat round disks drilled through very thin pieces! The man told me all the strands were hand-made by the Afghani people. He also had all kinds of unusual natural jade that came in shades of green more like Peridot than what one usually sees. I'm not sure if it's in the category of Jadeite or Nephrite, but I find it much prettier than the Chinese material the industry is saturated with. I bought several strands of the most beautiful spring green tubes!

Check out the photo at the bottom to see both of these close-up.

Oxidized Twist Pattern Sterling Stacker Ring $20.00

Size 7 1/2

This ring is another very reasonably priced piece with a lovely twist pattern; simple but elegant.

Smoke The Peacepipe (bracelet)

7 1/4", Gold-filled, vermeil, 22 Kt. lined glass beads, frosted Blonde Onyx and Jade from Afghanistan, pale peach Moonstone, 22Kt. Delica beads, faceted Brecciated Jasper rondelles, Moukaite, and Aventurine.

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As I worked on the bracelets and watched the Presidential speech I was really disappointed in what was about to happen right before the holidays. The old, tired arguments of the Bush era were revived and paraded for all to see, meant to convince us that we are not safe unless millions more are pumped into a war that never seems to end. I wasn't convinced. If the past year hasn't moved us closer to a resolution than I doubt that another 6 months will, and meanwhile that money could be spent on jobs and assistance for the people here.

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The lives lost chasing the elusive Al Kaida spread out into too many countries to keep track of should be saved instead, and as much as he tried to pretend that all this would achieve a positive outcome I really don't see how anything good could come of it; our people dying, their people dying (and not just military people, civilians. Perhaps even some of those who made the very beads I was using to make my bracelets).
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Injecting ourselves into the war in the middle-east which has been ongoing since the beginning of history and being naaiive enough to believe that we can do something to stop it by being a part of it can only further entangle us further and earn us more enemies, some we probably never anticipated and never intended.

The other night I went online to look for resources for someone whose husband has been unemployed for a year and found websites on which people were posting their stories, desperate for help; people without healthcare, people whose utilities were about to be cut off, and people in foreclosure. People with several school-age children who literally didn't know how much longer their little bit of assets saved would hold out and then not be able to feed them.
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The dispair and level of hopelessness and malaise out there is deafening, and NOW we're sending more troops to Afghanistan (talk about living above our means), now THAT gives new meaning to the term!
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If the American people become so depleted and so impoverished that they cannot function then I ask the President how does that in any way strengthen our nation?
Now should be the time for peace, not war. Americans have in many respects lost their soft place to fall, and before we should even think about solving problems "out there" we need to solve the ones we have here at home.
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An over-stressed, under-funded country is fertile ground for the very elements feared, so I believe Obama's decision is a big mistake.
*
Perhaps we just don't have that kind of power to achieve peace in the middle-east and that may be something that has to be worked out between the various factions there.
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What we do have the power to do is to take care of our own, build them up, and fix some of the problems that have been put off for far too long in our own country. Only when our own people are properly provided for can we expect to have any real impact on others outside our borders.

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Not to engage in war is often the strongest example of all.

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Peace!

Eye Candy Interlude-Sneak Preview!

Design Featured in Step-by Step Beads

Peace and Love, and all that Jazz
$190
18" long (not including 2" leaf pendant)
4-strand necklace including, Carnelian, Faceted Amethyst, green Freshwater Pearls, Aventurine, brass beads, copper beads, seedbeads, artisan-made Raku ceramic leaf pendant, and hand-crafted clasp made with copper wire and chain links.

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This necklace made the top 10 in the Colorworks Tertiary Colors Challenge sponsored by Interweave Press's Step by Step Beads in which participants were asked to create a piece of jewelry including primarily green, purple, and orange together.

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It took me several attempts to come up with something I was happy with, and finally I had a design that I felt brought these colors together in a subtle enough way so that they wouldn't clash, while still maintaining enough of an edge to be fresh and exciting.

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This design reminds me of those "psychadelic" color schemes that were popular during the late 60s and early 70s, and with the revitalization of that era in this years' clothing styles, it seems it's right on time.

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Be sure to pick up a copy of the November/December issue of Step By Step Beads and take a look at the gallery section for the featured top 10 designs. The magazine issue is on news stands as of October 20th.

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Here's your chance to own it. Convo me on Etsy and I can reserve it in your name when I list it on Etsy tomorrow (well, technically later today). If you're purchasing it as a gift please let me know in "notes to seller" if you'd like it gift-wrapped. Those of you reading my blog are getting earlybird notice before it shows up in the category pages!

http://Giftbearer.etsy.com/