Beads For A Better World

Dragonfly anklet - $24.00
An anklet for larger women with large, sexy ankles.

Shannon Saylor has thought of everything. She makes jewelry using mostly glass beads and wire and chooses the road less traveled to make her creative statement. As shown in the thoughtful piece above, even big gals need to be pampered on Valentine's Day (or any other day of the year for that matter).

Shannon belongs to the street team Etsy for Animals and donates money to charity for such purposes. The Buckeye House Rabbit Society is January’s Charity of the Month. She is also a member of EtsyBloggers.

She uses an eclectic mix of different colors, types, shapes, and sizes of beads in her designs for that “boho” look.

On her Etsy site, Shannon offers to custom-make reasonably-priced sets;
Earrings and Necklace for $25.00
Necklace and Bracelet for $35.00
Earrings, Necklace and Bracelet for $40.00

Blue Glass Bead Bracelet or Anklet - $24.00
A mix of blue and green glass beads, measures 9 inches (16 cm) long. It has a heart toggle clasp.


Tri-colored pearlescent bracelet - $5.00
Green, pink, white and silver faux pearl beads, with a barrel clasp, 9 inches (20 cm) long, strung on beading wire.

See more of Shannon’s work at;
http://ShannonSaylor.etsy.com

Or learn more about her by reading her blog;
http://shannonsaylor-etsyshop.blogspot.com/

A Bunch of Fruit

Rhodonite Briolette Necklace - $10.00
Necklace made out of a Rhodonite briolette bead with a Rhodonite tumbled nugget.
The drop measures about 1 3/4 inches long, and the chain measures about 16 inches long.
(Be sure to look at the matching earrings in her Etsy store; great for Valentine’s Day)!

Scorpienna is an Engineering student from Rolla, Missouri, who loves parrots and has one for a pet. The look of her jewelry is consistent with this interest in that the colors she chooses are bold, bright, and dramatic. Her style is crisp and bright with a simplicity that is unencumbered, yet never boring, accentuated by a bright white background in most of her pictures.

These below remind me of balloons you would see at a street festival, bursting with fullness and billowing out in all directions. The artist has a number of designs that are reminiscent of balloons, candy, or fruit hanging, and she has more earrings than anything else. Whether this is intentional or whether it just ended up that way I am not sure, but it seems to be working because she has sold 125 items since October 17, 2006. Aptly names, these earrings really do look like hard candy sour balls, now that I think of it.

Candy Cluster Earrings - $18.00
Rainbow, candy-colored cat's eye glass beads with all silver plated findings. They measure a total of 1 1/2 inches long.

Curled like a snake, this necklace has a creamy blend of colors and is beautifully photographed. The length can be changed upon request.

Pink and Gray Swirl Necklace - $24.00

Made of round and rounded diamond/nugget-shaped pink and gray swirl Czech glass beads with black Czech glass spacer beads. The necklace attaches with a silver-plated lobster claw clasp. It measures about 21 1/2 inches long.

For those of you who love contrast and oxidation, these are definitely rich with depth. These large circles are really in right now and the pink really pops against the dark metal. Again we see a reoccurring theme of pink and black (or a very dark gray) for maximum impact, using contrasting dark and light colors.

Oxidized Pink Circle Earrings - $18.00
Earrings measure 1 1/4 inches long from the bottom of the ear wires, with fancy sparkly, spiral-cut, pink Czech glass beads on oxidized sterling silver circles and ear wires.

You will be happy to know that most of Scorpienna’s jewelry can be obtained for under $30.00.
She wants her customers to be satisfied and will do whatever she can so that you will be happy with your purchase.

Why not pick a pair today?

http://scorpienna.etsy.com

Read more on the artist and her activities on her blogs;

http://myspace.com/scorpienna

http://scorpienna.livejournal.com

Quenching Your Thirst For Color

Lemon cream BUTTON BRACELET - $5.00
made with 5 yellow and 4 white plastic buttons and measures about 7.25" with the clasp.

Amanda, owner of Ulixis and a Biology and Pharmacology Student at McMaster University is currently working on her thesis at Janssen lab doing video microscopy on smooth muscle cell-migration.

She has enjoyed art in a variety of forms all her life; drawing, wreaths, doll-making, and currently makes books and jewelry. Perhaps her interest in science on a cellular level is what spurred her to create these button bracelets which are her specialty. There is something very biological-looking about these components linked together in a long chain, but equally notable are the colors she chooses, reminiscent of juicy and luscious fruits and deserts. One can imagine while looking at these, bright and tangy lemon, tart lime, exquisitely sweet and mellow cataloup, crisp white coconut, and the deep succulent cherry.

Using both round and triangular buttons Amanda creates simple yet attractive geometric designs. The proportionally large metal jump rings really add interest to her pieces, standing up in contrast to the flat discs and making them more three dimensional.

Her prices are an excellent bargain; all button bracelets only $5.00 each!

Lime Sorbet BUTTON BRACELET - $5.00
Approx. 8" long. Made of 5 light green and 4 creamy yellow plastic buttons. The dangle consists of: various green glass seed beads; a faceted green bead; and a square faceted green bead flanked by creamy yellow seed beads.


Raving Red BUTTON BRACELET - $5.00
About 7" long. Made with 3 large cherry red, 2 orange-red and 2 red triangle buttons. The dangle consists of: a bow-tie shaped red plastic bead; two pearls separated by a red seed bead; and various red and pearl seed beads.


Fruit Salad BUTTON BRACELET - $5.00
About 7" long. Made with 2 lemon yellow triangles, 2 lime green triangles, 2 cantaloupe orange large round and 1 red triangle buttons. The dangle consists of: a large yellow plastic bicone; a green plastic bicone with a green glass seed bead; and various red and orange seed beads.

Her bracelets can be re-sized if needed, and she is willing to do custom orders. She does not give refunds, but should a piece need repair she'll repair it at no charge.

The artist is also offering free Gift-wrapping for the holidays. If this is to be a gift just let her know. In addition to contacting her through Etsy, Amanda can also be reached at ulixis.crafts@gmail.com with questions or comments. Please let her know where you heard about her.

Check out the rest of her creations on Etsy:
http://Ulixis.etsy.com

And read her blog: http://ulixis.blogspot.com

A Little Piece of Paradise

Kareen Kjelstrom currently living in Paris, France, spent summers in Tahiti (where her mother is from) while growing up in LA. Many of her pieces of jewelry include blues and greens, influenced by the intensity of the ocean colors in that tropical paradise.

She creates her own beads with a high temperature propane/oxygen torch and fine Italian (Effetre) glass, then uses them in hand created sterling silver pieces. All her beads are made free-hand, without a mold and are kiln fired for strength and durability.

Kareen’s triangular SeaSide Swankier Earrings with rounded corners include hand-formed and hammered sterling wire, with chain dangling glass beads, Labradorite and Aquamarine accents, and a special by Kareen hallmark tag. They have a lovely modern shape.

Her Purple Haze Bracelet looks almost like hard candy; flat oval lentil beads with swirls of purple and creamy white streaks giving the piece depth and dimension.

Many of the bands of color used in her handmade beads swirl around and around, creating the effect of movement almost like the winding of cotton candy around the center in one direction, or like a subtle cyclone, soft and billowy, sometimes breaking up in wisps which stop and start, at other times in wide continuous patches.

Prior to leaving Santa Monica, Kareen’s jewelry was featured on HGTV's Crafters Coast to Coast.

Since moving to Paris she has also exhibited her work at the Louvre and is trying to break into the scene and make a name for herself there.

You will find these a delight to the senses. To see her full collection go to
http://kbykareen.etsy.com/
and if you’d like to know more check out her blog at:
http://kbykareen.blogspot.com/

Alilsumptinsumptin In Your Stocking This Season

Blue Rondo La Turk

Double Strand Turquoise and Lampwork Heart Bracelet; includes artisan lampwork heart focal by Janet Crosby, top quality Grade A Blue Chinese Turquoise wheels, and an assortment of all sterling silver components.

Over the past 9 months Eva Espiritu has raised a total $1085.00 through her Paws For A Good Cause campaign with 100% of proceeds of selected pieces donated to the Humane Society of the United States. The artist offers the added benefit of free US shipping to all who purchase these items. While you give a gift to someone you love, you also give a gift to needy and homeless animals with your purchase.

Her jewelry is made from high-quality, kiln annealed lampwork beads created by glass artists Janet Crosby, Kathrin Kneidl-Levi, Julia Lund, Dawn White, Becky Mason, (and Etsy’s own) Marcy Lamberson combined with sterling and Hill Tribes Silver (which is at least 97% pure), and sometimes also genuine gemstones. Her color choices and scale are usually big and bold; showing vitality and decisiveness that like her last name suggests spirit and spunk.

Eva’s designs range from the whimsical and funny, with names such as K-9 Cubed, Give The Dog A Bone, B-B-B-Bad To The Bone, and Bow 2 The Wow Wow, to the more serious cornucopia-like Cha-Cha style charm bracelets bursting with abundance, like the Southern California orange groves of her home. My personal favorites are the bracelets bursting with beads. Her layering of color and texture, often incorporating lampwork from several different artists in the same piece, creates exquisite and visually fulfilling designs. These are pieces you could look at for hours, and like a Where is Waldo picture, see something new among the numerous dangles every time.

Alilsumptinsumptin is a member of the following jewelry-trade-related groups:
ART JEWELRY COLLECTIVE (AJC)

etsyBEAD

ETSY FOR ANIMALS (EFA)

She is SRAJD #0983 (Self Representing Jewelry Artist), a mark of reliability in the trade. You can be assured you will be dealing directly with the artist herself; not merely an agent.

If you love animals, flowers, charm bracelets, silver, or lovely artisan lampwork with bright colors, be sure to put Alilsumptinsumptin on your list of places to buy your Holiday gifts this year!

Etsy Store:http://alilsumptinsumptin.etsy.com/
Blog:http://www.alilsumptinsumptin.com/