Blog - leilani handmade

100 Days of Creativity: Day 60

Posted on March 6, 2009July 28, 2017 by Leilani — 2 Comments

I could have made more jewelry today while this piece was in the tumbler but it was so dark I figured it wouldn’t be worth it since I couldn’t get a decent shot anyway. I started this one last night & finished it this morning:

It was hard to get a decent shot but it truly a fun, funky ring. It contains a 10x14mm faceted quartz bead wrapped in 20 guage sterling silver wire. I make these rings on a whim for fun so I don’t pay much attention to size. This one turned out to be quite small even for my fingers; size 4. According to a fellow jewelry maker, size 7 is the most common size for rings. Ooops. I have a size 5 ring finger myself. But, it’s made & hopefully it will appeal to someone with small fingers who has a hard time finding rings to fit. Great for a teen, as well.

Malachite Does Not Contain Arsenic

Posted on March 6, 2009November 20, 2013 by Leilani — 2 Comments

The other day, I got a convo from a fellow Etsian wondering if I was aware that Malachite contains arsenic, as I have several pieces containing Malachite in my Etsy Shop.

I’m not sure where this belief came from, but I have a couple of theories. Firstly, the chemical composition of the stone Malachite is Cu2CO3(OH)2 Copper Carbonate Hydroxide. As you can see, there is no arsenic contained in the chemical makeup. There is, however, copper. Due to the presence of copper, which is toxic if ingested or inhaled, Malachite should not be ingested or inhaled as well. It is theorized that perhaps while working with Malachite, cutting the stone in poor ventilated areas without a mask, dust is inhaled causing symptoms that may be mistaken for Arsenic poisoning.

The other theory that I have, is that people are confusing green malachite, a semi-precious gemstone, with the chemical malachite green, which gets its name from its colour and not because it contains the stone. In the past, malachite green has been diluted & used as an antiseptic in fish farms, but since has been determined as being very toxic to humans.

Of course I am no expert, but I am very confident that malachite is a safe gemstome. For more on this stone and others, check out Dave’s Down to Earth Rock Shop. I love this site for detailed information on different kinds of minerals. My DH also found this blog, as he is also a bit of a rockhound himself. The Rock Professor’s Blog has this good post that pretty much sums it up. He had the stone tested and confirmed there is no presence of Arsenic in Malachite.

This is a beautiful stone, & even though I am not partial to the colour dark green I am very much drawn to malachite. I hope this rumour does not deter others from enjoying it as well…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 59

Posted on March 5, 2009July 28, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

I felt compelled today to use up my sea green quartz beads today. Tada:

The necklace uses up these pretty faceted quartz beads in varying hues of green. They measure 10x14mm. Accented with 4mm green quartz beads. These are not naturally occuring colours; these are dyed, but oh so pretty.

With the leftover 4mm beads, I decided to make a cuff bracelet. These paler green colours go really well with silver; so I paired them up with 3mm corrugated sterling silver beads.

I’m not exactly sure how I got these two pieces done today; sitting is a bit of a challenge right now! All I can say is a thoroughly enjoy doing it… 🙂 You can take a closer look at these pieces in my Artfire Studio.

100 Days of Creativity: Day 58

Posted on March 4, 2009August 5, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

I am so impressed I actualy made a piece of jewelry today. Seriously…it feels like there is a bowling ball wedged in my pelvis! Sitting for long periods of time is definitely not going to happen so I put togther these cute & yummy earrings this morning:

I so want summer to come…can you tell with these colours? ‘So cheery & bright & yummy looking. 🙂

Anyway…I must get up or change positions or something…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 57

Posted on March 3, 2009August 5, 2017 by Leilani — 1 Comment

Well, I did it. By the skin of my teeth I did it…I now have 100 things in my Etsy Shop for sale. I am really tired & brain dead…it is hard to focus after being kept up last night with contractions. I will continue tomorrow with my 100 days provided that I feel up to doing it. Tonight I am just finding it hard to concentrate…

So here’s what rounded out the items available in my shop:

I’ve been doing a lot with the black carnelian beads lately, & really wanted to play with typical carnelian. So I cheated & dipped into the “premium” supplies, which I usually only use for custom orders, to make this pretty bracelet. Carnelian is the traditional birthstone for August. These 6mm faceted beads are accented by sterling silver.

This bracelet was the challenge for the day: how to use up these 7mm lantern hematite beads. I paired it with 6mm tiger’s eye for a very earthy piece.

I figure you can’t go wrong with pearls. These 9mm freshwater pearls are very special to me since they are from the Philippines. A classy yet interesting pair of earrings mixing the dangle style with the hoop style.

For my final piece, I couldn’t help but get into those 10mm faceted black carnelian beads again. I really like how these earrings turned out coupled with the 7mm pewter beads. Tempting to keep for myself… 🙂

So, if it turns out I can keep up with the 100 Days of creativity, I will be putting any new work in my empty Artfire Studio. Don’t worry, regardless you’ll still be hearing from me…!

100 Days of Creativity: Day 56

Posted on March 2, 2009August 5, 2017 by Leilani — 3 Comments

I am happy to report that I was able to make another 3 pieces today…bringing me pretty close to my goal of 100 pieces in my Etsy Shop. Here’s what I came up with:

I only had a handful of these pretty jade beads left, & they are very special to me as they were purchased during a trip to India a good friend of mine took. So I came up with this bracelet, and then a matching pair of earrings with the final last two beads. These 9mm beads are really pretty, I hope these pieces go to a loving home. 🙂 Jade is also the mystical stone for those born in the month of March so it was very appropriate to make these pieces & list them this month.

The third piece, a bracelet, is comprised of 10mm denim fossil beads. I love these beads as they are a blue/black mottled colour that really do live up to their name. I wanted to make a versatile piece as usual, that will go with many outfits. I already had a pair of earrings listed, so a matching bracelet seemed like a natural choice.

I can;t wait for tomorrow & see if I can break the 100 item mark in my Etsy Shop! 🙂

100 Days of Creativity: Day 55

Posted on March 1, 2009August 5, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

Today I really wanted to work on something slightly more challenging than earrings. I am getting rather sick of making earrings. Well, that is harsh. More like, feeling uninspired to make earrings now. So I decided today was all about the cuff:

This hematite cuff was hard to photograph. In fact, I would like to try & get more shots of it if there is time & adequate lighting in the next few days. It is has such a nice, shiny lustre however that makes it hard to get a good photo without glare/blur. This angle seemed to come out okay. When I started out to make this piece, I really saw it as a earthy, wear it to dress up your jeans type of piece. But it really is shiny & bold, I think it would make a statement with whatever you wore it with…

These two are very similar, using the same materials. This was my way of using up these green tube fossil beads. I paired them with South Seashell beads. South Sea shell beads are man-made. Mollusk Shells are pulverized to a powder, an iridescent pigment added, and shaped into beads. I thought this was a clever way to transform discarded shells into beads. Fossil beads are formed from limestone, a sedimentary rock which is formed by the skeletons of tiny marine organisms (calcium carbonate). Since limestone is so porous, it is ideal for making into beads since it will easily take on dye. Get a closer look at these pieces on Etsy…

Well, that was fun. Now I have to think what to do tomorrow…I am sort of running out of creative steam since I have made so many things in the past little while. But tomorrow is a new day and a new set of thoughts. Until then…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 54

Posted on February 28, 2009August 5, 2017 by Leilani — 2 Comments

Another jewelry making blitz afternoon! Let’s get right to it, shall we:

This chunky fun red agate cuff was a cheat today: I actually made it last spring; and had unlisted it to get new photos of it. I just remembered it today & relisted it. It’s very bold & earthy. Fun!

This was my favourite piece today. I have had these 36mm onyx tubes for almost a decade! That’s right: one of those “these are neat” purchases and they never seemed to really work the few times I tried to incorporate them into a design. I realized today that simple is better, so I simply paired them with these 6mm stardust beads. The curved design of the pendants hug your wrist. I had six of these, so I made two identical bracelets, both available in my Etsy Shop…

I think as of today I am officially satisfied with exploring with Celtic influence! I have quite a few of these Celtic pewter beads so it’s easy to get many ideas for simply stated pieces. This is a remake of a pair of earrings that sold in this design with hematite. This time, I used faceted smoky quartz & added bead caps for accent.

Woohoo! The end of the amethyst chips. Simple yet fun earrings and that stash is officially used up! 🙂

These 25mm Celtic braid charms work well as a pendant, too! With 4mm onyx beads and sterling silver fine cable chain this piece is great for someone who wants a simple, dainty necklace that still makes a statement. I also made the piece full adjustable to a maximum of 20 inches so that it could be worn at variable lengths for variable neck sizes.

With that, I have broken the 90 item mark! So in a couple of days, I should make my goal of 100 pieces.

100 Days of Creativity: Day 53

Posted on February 27, 2009August 5, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

Holy crick in the neck!!! This was a lot of listing…I got in the zone this afternoon and made these 5 pairs of earrings today:

For the sake of my neck I will try to be brief…I was inspired again by the up-coming St. Patrick’s Day…actually, I was happy to have an opportunity to work with malachite again! I have quite a bit of it and no opportunity to play with it lately. 🙂

I am putting the push on to get my 100 things. I am so close, so I am motivated to just get it done! I do enjoy making earrings when I need volume. It’s like a gratifying creative snack! Once the energy gets flowing I can usually churn out several pars in such a short period of time. They are also easy to photograph so there is not a lot of time editing pictures. Hence, 5 pairs in one afternoon…and afternoon for me with a toddler doesn’t mean the full 4 hours!

A very productive day. For more on malachite & these pieces please visit heavenly flower on Etsy…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 52

Posted on February 26, 2009August 5, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

I wasn’t home much today, so I just was able to make this simple yet pretty pair of lapis lazuli hoops:

I have been hanging on to this hanful of lapis chips forever! I was happy to finally use them up in these earrings. These chips have many pyrite inclusions giving them pretty gold flecks throughout. Did you know lapis lazuli is the planetary stone for Capricorn? Learn more about the metaphysical properties of this stone by checking out the Etsy listing for this piece…

I am happy to say that two of the four Celtic earrings I listed last night sold almost instantly. I have an idea for a necklace I was hoping to get to today but I was just too busy. I am officially at 36 weeks today so I am giving myself another week of creating…then it’s all fair game when it comes to birth…anything that gets done after that will be bonus.

100 Days of Creativity: Day 51

Posted on February 25, 2009August 5, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

Whew, I think my eyes are bloodshot tonight! Another busy day & I am still amazed at how much energy I have. Still, I also feel myself quickly fading…so on to the shiny happy things created today…

I was struck with the luck o’ the Irish today! 4 pairs of earrings in anticipation for St. Patrick’s Day:

I am really happy with how these turned out! Sometimes themed items can look a bit tacky but I think these are lovely if I don’t say so myself. The first pair I entitled “Celtic Wedding” as I think they would make a lovely bridal pair as well. I am happy to work in malachite with the other three pieces. I haven’t had the opportunity to work in this rich green stone for a very long time!

What I am not happy with, is my descriptions of the pieces in my Etsy listings. They were rather…blah…because I am feeling rather brain dead tonight. So tomorrow I want to rework the wording & also add a bit of information on the history of the Celtic knot symbol. But, that is for another day. I also have ideas for a Celtic themed necklace & bracelet. I have to run into the city tomorrow to the Naturopathic Doctor to pick up my herbs for birth preparation, so I’m not sure if I’ll get to that tomorrow or not…we shall see what my head comes up with tomorrow…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 50

Posted on February 24, 2009August 5, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

Wow – I can’t believe I am half way through! Where did the last 50 days go? Time really does fly when you are having fun as they say…

I really wish I had something spectacular for the halfway mark, but it has been a busy day & I am lucky to even get one thing made, photographed & listed.

Here it is…still milking those 10mm faceted black carnelian beads I love so much! I decided I don’t have enough gold in my shop, so I put this pair together today:

Check out my shop for more info on this piece. I am thinking tomorrow I will make a few celtic themed pieces in honour of St. Patrick’s Day! That is the plan anyway…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 49

Posted on February 23, 2009August 5, 2017 by Leilani — 1 Comment

Despite being really tired today because my little was awake at the crack of dawn, I got quite a bit accomplished. This has to do with the fact I had my morning cleared as an appointment in the city has been postponed until tomorrow morning. So I was free to play amongst the beads. 🙂

First off I am happy to say my customer loved the baby birthstone bracelet I made yesterday, & bought it plus my tiny bubbles bracelet; which as I mentioned in previous posts I adore. It’s going to a good home, though. A milestone has been reached. I set a couple goals for myself at the beginning of the year. One was to have 20 things sold in my Etsy Shop by the time I have baby #2. As of last night this goal has been reached. It has been a really good month for me, considering how much time I can dedicate per day to jewelry making. Besides the Etsy sales I have had some off-line custom work as well. I am quite blissful with part time jewelry making & it is nice to see money in the bank again.

The second goal, was to have 100 things in my shop before baby arrives. Tonight I am pleased to say, I am 75% of the way there. Here are the three pieces I made today:

I am hard pressed to choose a favourite today. I so adore tiger eye & its metaphysical properties; yet pearls are always so classic & these are a light shade of violet; plus fluroite, another powerful stone…well, the cuff I am definitely proud of because of the tedious nature of this kind of work. No sore wrists today! Horray! 🙂

Anyway, I am very tired and probably incoherently babbling…so I bid you adieu for the evening…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 48

Posted on February 22, 2009August 6, 2017 by Leilani — 1 Comment

Ow, my wrist. Today’s creation was rather fun & used up a whole lotta agate chip beads. I bought a huge lot of chip beads about 8 years ago from a dude in Newfoundland with a rock hounding shop who was selling them out cheap. And, I have been trying to use them up ever since! I’m a lefty, so my left wrist hurts from holding 5 strands of wire steady while I added the beads…and then finishing it off is a very tedious task. The outer strands are easy to tie off; the inner ones are so tight together it takes a lot of patience & skill to get the wire wrapped.

I made this one 7 inches so it would be a nice snug cuff for most women’s wrists. It’s about 2 inches high, and priced really cheap considering how much tedious work I put into it this morning…

The second thing made today, was a custom order request for a baby’s bracelet. I was really excited to make this since it was yet another bloodstone request (who knew how popular that stone would turn out to be!) and it’s for a baby expected to be arriving in the world around the same time my next little one will. This was my first Alchemy request on Etsy, so I was very pleased to give this a shot. Even though she has not approved the request yet, I went ahead & made it and listed it as a reserved listing. If she decides she doesn’t want it then it counts as one of 100 pieces I want to get showcased in my shop. I also want an example of a bracelet that can be customized for babies for when my website will be up and running, so it’s all win-win for me. I have made a handful of baby bracelets over the years but never got one photographed! Go figure…

So this is a smaller version of my fully adjustable delicate bloodstone bracelet. I have two delicate bracelets in bloodstone currently for sale but I think something fully adjustable would make the most sense for a growing baby…

I can also customize this piece with a variety of different stones; I bought 4mm beads just for this purpose, and of course never got around to making any. My own baby goes jewelry-less…everyone says, “when are you going to make her something?” You know that old saying, how the cobbler’s children has no shoes…. 😉

100 Days of Creativity: Day 47

Posted on February 21, 2009August 6, 2017 by Leilani — 1 Comment

I had a pretty good day today: three things designed, made, photographed & listed.

I have a lot of pieces made out of hematite in my shop. A few years ago, I had a lot of requests for hematite pieces. It is a pretty, shiny, weighty stone that appealed to both men & women. Since it is an ore which is melted and molded into beads & pendants, it is also very affordable. So I stocked up…because of this, I have a lot of hematite odds & ends: 20 beads in this size, 10 beads in another size, 50 beads in this shape…I thought of starting a destah site & just selling them but really, the effort to photograph these & put them up for sale, well, I’d rather be making jewelry…

So I decided to challenge myself to make some pieces out of the smaller lots of odds & ends using up as many of the beads per piece as possible. These three creations emerged:

Piece #1: hematite & pink jade bracelet

Piece #2: hematite & moonstone bracelet

Piece #3: hematite & peridot anklet

Ah, pink jade. The controversy. I bought these pink jade beads several years ago from a distributor in China; before I knew that pink jade is awfully rare. I question whether or not this is the real deal, or simply dyed. No guarantees here folks, & that is reflected in the price. Either way, it is a pretty stone & makes for a great addition to jewelry making.

Check out these pieces, & my other hematite creations, in the “down to earth” section of my etsy shop…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 46

Posted on February 20, 2009August 6, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

Moving right along…I decided to try & double up on my item per day idea. I really would like to have 100 items featured in my Etsy Shop before I depart to new baby land. It’s going to be cutting it close…but I am going to try & do two pieces a day if possible. Here are today’s offerings; item 68 & 69 in my Etsy Shop:

I absolutely love the cute turquoise hoop earrings. Turquoise is a stone I am partial to; I think it’s all the spiritual energy connected to it. However, I bought these chip beads ages ago & cannot guarantee 100% these are not howlite, so I have priced them accordingly. I know I would never buy howlite personally, but the colour of these chip is really blue rather than green-blue; I would hate to misrepresent something. Either way. they are a pretty pair of earrings.

The necklace actually started out as a ring, but I wasn’t feeling it. I started wire wrapping the focal bead, which is a 18×24 oval coffe brown cat’s eye bead. When it wasn’t working out I removed some of the wire & it became this pendant…and I fashioned a necklace out of coffee brown & olive cat’s eye beads.

Happy Friday everyone!

100 Days of Creativity: Day 45

Posted on February 19, 2009August 6, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

I’ve been noticing this trend the past few days where I am just exhausted in the evening…so I am trying to stay ahead of the game & post to Etsy & here on my blog earlier in the day.

So today my focus is on these pretty black carnelian beads. I obtained them oh, ages ago and am just getting around to using them in designs. I don’t have very many, so I treat them like a rare gem. 🙂 They are 10mm and faceted…

I decided to pair them up with these crystal quartz rondelle beads, which I think I have almost used up. I bought them some years back for a custom project & over estimated how many I would need. I am delighted to breathe new life into them as new pieces; for many years I have not been sure what to do with them. 8mm Bali (AKA daisy) sterling silver spacers finish this bracelet, making a nice piece of bling if I don’t say so myself. Check it out closer in my Etsy shop…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 44

Posted on February 18, 2009August 6, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

…tiny bubbles…in the wine…make me happy…make me feel fine…

Today was a “no-brainer” (I hate that term) as far as my creation of the day goes. Inspired by yesterday’s “pearly shells” necklace:

I thought the freshwater pearls looked like bubbles, and I had the song “Tiny Bubbles” stuck in my head from designing the “Pearly Shells” necklace yesterday. This bracelet looks good on my wrist if I don’t say so myself. It almost made its way to my jewelry box instead of stored in the inventory binder! Check it out…

Sometime ago I also designed “Pearly Shells” earrings…but I haven’t been inspired to make any other pieces around that theme until now.

…so here’s to the ginger lei…I give to you today…and here’s a kiss…that will not fade away…

More Work In Bloodstone…

Posted on February 17, 2009August 6, 2017 by Leilani — 1 Comment

As I wrote earlier, a customer on Etsy gobbled up my bloodstone dangle earrings shortly after I posted them. They then requested a bracelet to go along with it. At this stage in my pregnancy I am only taking custom orders that I can fill immediately, & rather than making the client obligated to purchase, it is easier for me to make a few pieces & list them on Etsy for the customer’s approval. If they like what they see, they purchase. If not, then no harm as I can always use more pieces in my Etsy Shop.

So the bloodstone beads I have are quite small, so this is what I came up with:

The piece directly above, is what sold. It contains 4mm & 6mm bloodstone, sterling silver & pewter accents. The other two, are now off reserve & available for purchase in my Etsy Shop…

You can also read the post on the original bloodstone pieces that inspired these by checking out 100 Days of Creativity: Day 41.

100 Days of Creativity: Day 43

Posted on February 17, 2009August 6, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

Pearly Shells, from the ocean…shining in the sun, covering up the shore…

Today’s creation, came together in no time, & I am really happy with the results. It is inspired by all the vacation photos I have been viewing on Facebook…lucky friends I have. The sun was shining today and despite the winter temperatures outside, inside it felt very tropical to me. 🙂

The great things about this piece, is that you get 4 pieces of jewelry in one! Wear it as a full-length necklace, a choker, a lariat, or wrap it around your wrist as a funky chunky bracelet…

It is fashioned completely out of shells: the circles and the pearly type beads, which are South Sea Shell beads. I came across these beads as a cheaper alternative to pearls many years ago. Mollusk Shells are pulverized to a powder, then an iridescent pigment added, and shaped into beads. I thought this was a great way to recycle discarded shells. I have since grown to prefer to use pearls in my work, butI have a few of these leftover from past projects. Voila, there you have it. A fun, versatile piece that will go with many outfits. You can check it out in my shop as usual, as well as other pieces inspired by the sea in my “still waters run deep” section on Etsy…

…When I see them my heart tells me that I love you…more than all the little pearly shells… (I grew up with this song. Used to know the actions that went along with it, as well as “Tiny Bubbles”. Happy times!)

100 Days of Creativity: Day 42

Posted on February 16, 2009August 6, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

I feel myself running out of steam. Although people remark that I “don’t look very pregnant” I can assure you when I sit for long periods of time the pressure on my back reminds me that there is pretty much a full term baby in there ready to come out in the coming weeks. So I can only sit for a few minutes at a time. So the designs have to come to me tout de suite from here on in. Today, no problem…

I must have been in an elegant, indulgent mood. I always like to make my pieces versatile so that they will go with pretty much anything you wear. At first glance this looks very dressy/elegant, but I think that it could really add to casual wear as well.

It contains 10x10mm faceted hematite squares & 9x4mm quartz rondelles. The 8mm & 4mm daisy (bali) spacers are sterling silver. Find out more about this piece in my Etsy Shop…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 41

Posted on February 15, 2009August 6, 2017 by Leilani — 3 Comments

There are three offerings in today’s creative challenge. I had a request to make some March birthstone pieces. Aquamarine is a pricey stone so I don’t stock it. Actually, I consider bloodstone the birthstone for March as it is the traditional choice, & also recognized as such still in many other parts of the world. So I came up with these three bloodstone pieces:

The dangle earrings (above) sold out in record time. I am now about to embark on a custom bracelet request for the same customer. Because of my limited time these days, I am handling custom orders by seeing what I can come up with, preferable more than one piece, for the customer to choose from, with no obligation on them to buy. I find this is working well, as there is limited expectation & I do not have to be tied into a certain price point. Besides I can always use more pieces in my Etsy shop.

Bloodstone is a very hard stone to come by. It is used in India as a medicine so it is definitely a commodity. Therefore I only have 4mm and a few 6mm in stock at the moment, so the pieces are very delicate & dainty. Still, the earthy & mystical properties of this stone make a bold statement without having to be physically large itself.

Find out more about these pieces in my “birthstone & lore” section of my Etsy Shop. There you will also find some background information on bloodstone, also known as green chalcedony.

100 Days of Creativity: Day 40

Posted on February 15, 2009August 6, 2017 by Leilani — 1 Comment

I’m feeling very introspective today. I think my body is starting to mentally prepare myself for birth…so I used this energy to make a more complicated piece this morning. The sun was shining so I wanted it to be bright & happy. This is the outcome. I describe it as fun, flirty & funky!

That’s 20 gauge sterling silver wire accenting the fiber optic cat’s eye beads. The aqua sqaures measure 14mm; the white rounds are 8mm. This is the newest piece in my ‘eye candy” section of my Etsy Shop. It was a lot of fun to make & photograph!

A Gesture that Made my Day: I Won a Lemonade Award!

Posted on February 14, 2009 by Leilani — Leave a comment

Dawn, fellow jewelry maker & blogger, nominated me today for a lemonade award, in recognition for great gratitude/attitude. It may seem like a small gesture, but to me it means so much! Dawn is also a talented jewelry artist & a great source of inspiration for me. I am honoured to be a source of motivation & inspiration for her as well. Big hugs to you, Dawn!! Check out her Etsy Shop…