Bounty of Beads-Selection, Selection, Selection!

Brass Link Chain 6x3 14 Feet Length

If you make jewelry and you're looking for a vast selection and great prices http://BountyofBeads.etsy.com probably has some things you need.

In this Etsy store you'll find everything from acrylic to sterling silver!

I lucked out this past Monday and noticed that she just happened to have something I've had on my list to get that one of my regular suppliers was out of stock on; some copper washers in several different sizes. I bought every last lot she had for only around $15.00 and that will keep me stocked up on those for quite some time! I can hardly wait to get them and see what unique things I can make! I love copper.

As in the picture above she also carries brass for you brass die-hards who make the Vintaj style pieces of jewelry using filligree components and ephemeral and/or victorian type parts.

She carries Trinity Brass findings; (Click below to see her whole selection).

Trinity Brass Vintage Patina Lily Bracelet Link

One of her specialties is her hand-wrapped Dangle Charm Drops

(Click on the picture below to see her whole selection of those).

6 Piece Emerald Green Dangle Drops

The crisp color contrast between the gold-plated beadcaps and the faceted crystal in this particular lot really pops!

What she is selling in a nut-shell is convenience. When your time = money that is very important! With these pre-made handcrafted dangles jewelry artists can cut down on production time and spend more of that time on the overall design and less on such tedious things as wrapping hundreds of links!

I don't make designs with tons of dangles very often because my fingers will ache to the bone afterwards. I don't know how she does so many of these without killing her hands, so my hat is off to her that she does this to save time for other artists!

If you check her shop periodically you will find some great values such as these good-sized 12mm x 8mm x 5mm Faceted Oval Smokey Topaz Beads

10 Pc Oval Faceted Smokey Topaz Beads

10 of these are only $5.80 and the quality is quite fine; no inclusions that I can see with the naked eye, and nice precise facets.

I addition to the above items, she has some very cute glass seahorses in a variety of colors, pearls, a sterling Aligator charm, and other things (I don't want to tell you everything or it will ruin the surprises).

More Love For Carmella

Jennifer of BrownBag Studio has generously donated for Carmella's vet bill this lovely necklace made with Swarovski crystal set in brass in a hot Vintage Victorian style. Flaming orange Carnelian faceted ovals dangle at the bottom and the necklace is draped with several layers of antiqued chain. This will make an elegant gift for that special someone on your list!

The Coronation Gift - Necklace in Swarovski Crystal, Filigree and Stone

(To purchase click on the link below)

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14982942

Thanks, Jennifer and I hope this is only the beginning of a great season of sales for you!

Carmella's fur is starting to grow back on her neck and it looks like peach fuzz, a light cream color, and is very soft.

I am keeping her active, as this will help her to create the necessary pathways in the brain for new myelin to form and build her coordination. The brain needs challenges in order to stay nimble just as the body needs regular exercise. Many studies on disorders such as stroke and Alzheimers have shown that keeping the brain stimulated can slow the effects of aging, increase overal function, and create new neurons.

Carmella has fallen a few times in the kitchen today, and there is a possibility that over the next 3 weeks she could have some minor setbacks, but then it should level out.

I will probably contact Dr. Norwood about starting her on an anticonvulsant soon. That should help her jerking until the brain heals and takes care of it on its own, and also calm down the nervous need to chew on people.

Even so she let me hold her several times today without trying to eat my hand, so that may be progress!

http://Giftbearer.etsy.com/

Starting To Catch Up

Today was relatively uneventful. I called the vet in Perry again to see if he'd read my e-mail and it turned out he never got it. It had not come back undeliverable, so either their spam blocker intercepted it or maybe someone printed it out the day I sent it and misfiled it. I re-sent it and the receptionist told me he'd either call me after hours tonight or in the morning. I didn't hear from him tonight so I guess that means tomorrow will be the day I will have some news one way or the other. I am praying that this one will do it.

No response yet from the news reporter so I may have to do some calling tomorrow about that.

I'm now working on the logistics for a new line of jewelry. Since my PMC seems to be what's most popular and most everything else has just been sitting in my shop it occurred to me that I should go back to that and develop some new and exciting designs in that medium. I have had it planned to make some interesting molds for quite awhile but other things kept getting in the way. Now that the silver market is going down again it looks as if I may be able to pick up where I left off. Next I will be developing some pieces made from my artwork. If I can get Carmella's treatment all squared away then I may be back on schedule with my business plan. The original Budding Vine bracelets are unique but recently even they are starting to be copied in one sneaky way or another (and they are trademarked and published which affords them more protection than a copyright). I'm not in the suing mood right now, as I've got enough on my plate with Carmella's situation, but that is not an open invitation to encourage anybody to go on doing this. I probably need to zag in another direction for awhile and give these people a run for their money. If they are following my work trying to come up with cheaper versions of my most popular pieces I'm about to make it alot harder to pull off. I will be incorporating some things into my next line that are not at all easy to copy, and anyone who tries will spend so much time it will eat up whatever profit they hope to make on it.

It rained today for a good bit of the afternoon and Carmella began to get increasingly antsy as time went on. She still cannot be trusted wandering around the house by herself because she'll chew up vital things like electrical cords and clothing, blankets, and other items, but she has been whining to get out of the kitchen alot more often than she needs to go out in the yard to go to the bathroom and she does not want me to leave the room after I go in there to snuggle and pet her. She tugs on my pants leg and even tries to hold on with her front paws.

Tonight when I let her outside her front right leg gave way and she fell down. She got right back up, but I am getting worried about this falling because at first it was mainly stumbling but now she actually ends up on the ground. This is not good and probably means that the demyelination is still getting worse. This could be also why she's so restless and clingy today. She seems to sense when there is disease-progression.

I was pleasantly surprised today when I checked my e-mail and found several donations and another person had bought an ad space on my blog! Thank you! Thank you! Keep it up, everybody. Each bit helps.

Also in the mail I received a Hill Tribes leaf from April of ALJ designs from a blog contest that I won. I will make something very special with it. Check out her shop here: http://aljdesigns.etsy.com/

Slowly but surely I think I'm catching up on my sleep as well.

I spent some time today researching brass and what I found out was very interesting. Apparently there are many different alloys that are considered brass. Brass has mostly Copper and Zinc in it, but it can also have a number of other metals included, and some Brass alloys even have small trace amounts of arsenic or lead in them. One site I was reading on listed 11 different types of brass but they said that this was just the tip of the ice burgh. There are many more. I guess that's why there's no "standard" way to preserve the patina or the shine on brass, because depending on the proportions of metals in it it may respond better to one method and another brass might respond better to another. It seems to me that some standards for manufacturing should be made as they are for copper, silver, and gold as to the composition and purity of the component metals in it. To have such a broad category called brass seems to cheapen it. I've never been a big fan of brass myself, but I must admit I am temped to try some of those lacy antiqued beadcaps and components that dress up a single bead or other focal piece to look really fancy, and I do like the dragonflies that wrap around things. I love Copper but have been unable to find such detailed components in it as I see in the antiqued brass.

Tonight Carmella's jerking is particularly bad. It is making her ears and entire head jerk from the sheer force of it. I hope tomorrow a vet will have mercy on her and go ahead and make a committment.

If you would like to help please go to the donation link on the right, buy a $5.00 ad on my blog, and/or buy some art jewelry from my shop. Thanks to all of you who have been contributing in one way or another to help Carmella get well! With Love and Action All things are possible! http://Giftbearer.etsy.com/

Offerings to the Gods

Dina Cuomo of Elektrajewelry has worked with stones for over 10 years and loves working with 18 or 24 Kt. gold vermeil because of her Greek heritage and her travels to that country which have made a strong impression upon her. She also works with sterling silver, and recently brought back some Murano glass beads from Greece over the summer. She will be making more of these designs available in the near future.

One of my favorites of hers is Multicolored Tourmaline Bracelet with colors ranging from a rootbeer brown to a yellow-green, bali sterling silver clasp, and nugget spacer beads with facets that reflect the light and mimic the faceting on the gemstones used.

Her Sunstone and Turquoise necklace similarly gives off a warm glow, but in this one, the Turquoise adds contrast between cool and warm, lending another layer of interest.

Purple Passion has big, smooth organic chunks of tumbled Amethyst, a bali focal bead, and lemon opalite. This piece reminds me of fruit juice with its rich, velvety colors.

Pictured at top is Dina’s Carnelian Candy necklace. I first thought the metal was vermeil but then read in the description that it uses brass chain. It has a very elegant design, and the Carnelian rectangles have such a glow from inside. Note the luxurious length!

Until recently, being a fulltime teacher and mother prevented her from pursuing this full-time, but Dina has now launched her business full-force. She currently lives in Goldens Bridge, New York. To see her whole collection go to her Etsy store at:
http://Elektrajewelry.etsy.com

and to learn more about the artist, read her blog at:
http://elektrajewelry.blogspot.com/