Tag: jewelry making

My Fellow Canadians…

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I am honoured to be able to sell jewelry on Etsy & most of my sales have been to our American cousins south of the border. Canadian sales so far have come mostly from pre-existing customers who I have sold pieces off-line or through custom work.

It wasn’t too long ago, that we enjoyed for the first time in many, many years the Canadian Dollar & US Dollar being matched exchange wise almost dollar for dollar. Now we are back to that ever fluctuating market game of dollar up & down…now, shopping in the US is not so attractive for us Canadians, eh? 🙂

Since Etsy lists in US dollars, I want to give my fellow Canadians a break & offer at par pricing on my work. Therefore, if you buy a bracelet for $29 USD, and the item is going to a Canadian address, you may have the piece for $29 CAD. Simply include a message with your purchase & I will either send you a new PayPal or Alert Pay invoice to the current exchange rate that day, or advise you the amount to make your cheque, money order or email money transfer out for.

More details on my Shop Policies page. As always, shipping is always free world wide.

100 Days of Creativity: Day 38

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Day38

Um yeah…so I was doing the math today as today is exactly 34 weeks …there is no way I will make 100 days consecutively. I hope that I can at least get 100 pieces in my Etsy Shop before this baby arrives! We shall see…I’m over half way there now!

Today’s creation: I was feeling like adding more to my “eye candy” section. I just love these hematite donuts & think they look awesome with these peacock blue dyed fossil beads:

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I added quartz to the piece to amplify some good energy!

I find fossil beads really interesting. They 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.  A very affordable way to add colour to my pieces.

Check out more about this piece in my shop…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 37

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I”m tired tonight. Between running after my toddler I decided it was time to clean up my email. I am about ready to go cross-eyed!

I did sneak this piece in however:

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I was in a quartz mood today. Quartz is so amplifying…I think because the weather has been so mild & sunny for February in Québec I wanted to capture that good energy within the quartz. I am also partial to clear quartz (AKA rock crystal) since it is a birthstone alternative for April, my birth month. Let’s face it, we can’t always afford diamonds! 🙂

The blue quartz is formed by a process called reclaiming. That’s where they take pices of quartz and fuse it into glass to make beads. I’m all for waste not want not so I think that’s a great idea. The clear quartz is the real deal, through & through.

Check out more on this piece as well as other birthstone pieces in my Etsy Shop…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 36

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I have all these fun, brightly coloured beads: dyed quartz, fossil beads, etc. When I look at the bead case, they really remind me of candy. With the sun shining coupled with unseasonably warm temperatures for this time of year, I have been motivated to make something with these yummy colours. I have started a new section in my Etsy Shop called “eye candy“.  This is the first piece I have created today. Simple yet very fun!

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The pink is a bit deeper than what you see in the photo; more like a hot pink. Find out more about today’s creation in my Etsy Shop.

The Jewelry Thief…

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I happen to live with 4 jewelry “thieves”. One comes in the form of a pint-sized little girl with chubby little fingers; the other are the 4-legged furry variety. I don’t get what the temptation is for babies & cats to touch exactly what it is you are working on at the moment. It doesn’t matter what I give them as a distraction; as soon as the jewelry gets laid out for that perfect shot, a cat lays across it, bats it across the floor, walks into the shot or my 16-month old picks it up just as I am pushing down on the shutter. It is so nice to have so many admirers of my work under one roof. 😉

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Mind you…sometimes cute little feet in the photo works!

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100 Days of Creativity: Day 35

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Quartzearrings

I had a rather hectic Monday as Mondays usually are. I ran out to mail my jewelry orders this morning…I wonder what the woman at the post office thinks, all these little packages from me lately…

This is what I put together today. I was very happy to be able to get something made earlier in the day to take advantage of the great sunlight for photos. What mild weather we are having! It certainly makes February more bareable.

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These earrings remind me of the sea. In fact, I have a whole section in my Etsy Shop dedicated to pieces that remind me of the Ocean: still waters run deep.  Growing up in Nova Scotia I have always been pulled to the Sea. Even now we live in a community outside Montréal that is right on the St. Lawrence so there are lots of boats & Yachts around.

I used 10x14mm faceted quartz rectangles (dyed), 4mm quartz beads (dyed), 4mm lead-free pewter bead caps, & 8mm sterling silver bali spacers. Sterling silver wire & earwires. The length is approx. 5cm (2in). Get a closer look including more photos in my Etsy Shop.

100 days of Creativity: Day 34

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I started this blog a little late into my 100 Days of Creativity…which honestly I will never reach before this baby arrives! So I am aiming for 100pieces in my Etsy shop. I’m half way there. This is today’s piece that I made:

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I used 5x5mm square glass beads that are an earthy red tone with gold accents. I decided on a magnetic clasp as the chain was rather lost in all the beads; a lobster or spring ring clasp would have been a challenge.

This piece is currently for sale in my Etsy shop. Please visit for more information on this bracelet and to see many other creations from my creative journey…

Donations Kick Start the 2009 Year…Could I help you with your fundraiser?

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Fundraiser

So far this year, I am pleased to have donated to two causes by donating jewelry for silent auctions. I always love to donate my talents to worthy causes that help people at the personal, or at the grass roots/community level. Both donations were for fellow jewelry makers from the Starving Artists Team on Etsy.

I made three pairs of earrings for a silent auction in North Carolina. Proceeds go to an elementary school which has a high percentage of children with special needs and non-English speaking children attending. Since their funds have been drastically cut, the school has no money to purchase much needed equipment, ESL materials, etc. Upon talking to Jenni I decided to make three pairs of earrings as they are lower end items and (hopefully) easy sales. They already had lots of higher end items donated.

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The second fundraiser is for a man fighting brain cancer. I decided to make a brain cancer awareness bracelet. As the silent auction was in conjunction with a golf tournament, something a little higher priced seemed fitting. Plus since this was a fundraiser for an individual, I wanted the piece to be more personal & inspirational. You can read about Chris here at Caly’s Day at the Beach Blog.

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If you think my talents could help you with your community level fundraiser, please do not hesitate to contact me. I would love to hear about your cause & see if it is something that I can help you with.