Busy, busy, busy

It's been a pretty frantic week, with orders pinging around from the US and the UK.  Love it, love the idea of people opening my jewellery on Christmas morning, and love the idea of people being able to sort their Christmas present shopping out early, so that it's not rushed or stressful, but just a pleasure to think about what everyone would like.  I'm trying to do the same, and have a couple of lovely purses from The Spotted Barn on Etsy this week which are going to be unusual and hopefully delightful presents for family members.

In the meantime, I've been featured in a couple of treasuries - thank you to MysticWynd and To love and to Cherish on Etsy who put these together. The BESTeam picks look fabulous, don't they, and I too want to dream of the same white Christmas! Click on any of the pictures or links to visit the lovely shops featured.

'New and Improved' by mysticwynd

Believe it or not, we're even better than we were before! We're the BEST (Boosting Etsy Shops Team) - and if you love blogging and promoting your fellow Etsians (and having some fun along the way), we're the team you want to join! Check us out...and then join in the fun!

Say Anything - CUSTOM W... LoveElycia $	NOVEMBER SALE 2T to 3T ... BabaMoon $20.40	Doggie Diva Parade Read... turquoiseangel... $16.00
Beyond bold large acryl... BlueForestJewe... $35.00	Pink Striped Scarf ParadisePurls $34.00	Purple Wood and Funky G... ellesbeads $12.00
PRE HOLIDAY SALE Waterc... ElizabethOHara $15.00	Espresso Yourself , vi... OffTheWallExpr... $14.00	Wink - Vintage Eye Brac... LeoAndJunie $22.00
Four Reversable Cat Fab... AllAboutCats $10.00	Darlingly Spiffy Neckla... ardentreverie $13.00	Not A Worry In the Worl... Danizabeth $15.00
Soap Popsicles sandyvern $4.95	Graffiti Personalized P... MyaBruceDesign... $15.00	Let it Be Painting wayfaringmagno... $16.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

'I'm dreaming of a white Christmas' by Toloveandtocherish

Country Day Trees Chris... Middleburg $	White Poinsettia Eco Fe... TheBrightSide1... $25.00	White felted wool acorn... CityCrochet $
WHITE DOVE HOLIDAY PEAC... LBPaintings $15.99	Set of 2 Felt Christmas... LowellandSon $19.00	Yule Faerie Votive Cand... whitemagic $16.95
Limited edition 2010 Co... MeadowTea $15.00	Joy Pears, white plush ... lapomme $38.00	Dancer Reindeer Decorat... realicoulchris... $11.00
Winter Wonder Land- Sno... casualelegant $	Felt Rainbow Dove - nat... Rumpelfeltskin $11.00	Howlite, malachite and ... BlueForestJewe... $20.00
Saiko Cabled Scarf - G... KnitsCrochetAn... $30.00	Handmade Gift Tags Merr... nolan3863 $4.25	Snowy White Sparkle Sno... holditcuter $12.50

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Folksy Friday: Poppies

As Rememberance Day approaches, it's also a good time to remember the beauty of this flower, which has such historical and modern significance. I like my poppies deep red and black, although I'm coming to terms with the orange ones now!

Check out these beautiful Folksy makes, some with the added bonus of a donation to the British Legion poppy appeal.








1. Tiny poppy pin by Wychbury - sold in aid of the British Legion.  I have one from last year - it's beautiful, everyone comments on it
2. Poppy decoupage earrings by Dream Beads - sweet!
3. A bit of a twist on the conventional poppy from Handmade by Bethany - so delicate in organza - also sold with a donation to the British Legion
4. Poppy in a field of poppies, by Oscar and Rose.  That's what I call a professional photo.  There a stunning tryptych version too - in fact, check out the whole shop, it's well worth a visit
5. A kit to make this lovely applique wall hanging by Quilt Routes
6. Another brooch, this time by Mushy...Makes, also with a donation to the British Legion.  Lovely modern bold style

BESTeam weekly feature: Mysticwynd on Etsy

It's a real pleasure to feature Mysticwynd this week, as I've had the honour of having items included in her fantastic blog a couple of times.  We'll come to the shop in a minute, but while on the subject of the blog, you need to know it's probably the busiest and more interesting space on the web you've ever seen!  There are links to post that contain recipes, to tutorials and treasuries, to doses of daily inspiration, and my favourite bit, to future features, including the colour wheel of fortune, where you can see a calender of forthcoming features and submit your item to be considered.  Some of the themes are particular colours, others are more specific themes, others are looking for features on particular types of shop.  Whenever I visit, I end up getting distracted!  And whenever I've had something on the blog, the increase in views for that item have been significant, so well worth checking out.

Karen, based in Scottsdale, AZ,  advises you to pull up a chair for her blog, but I think you really need skates!  She clearly gets her energy from her belief and interest in the arts, and spiritual things, and her talents, as well as jewellery making, include poetry and not least of all, coordinating the BESTeam!

When she's not using her energy helping to promote others, Karen makes beautiful jewellery.  Each piece is one of a kind, and every one tells a story. Do click on the pics below to read the fascinating symbolism and associations for each item.

A couple of festive items first - those Christmas trees are so sweet.  And the jangling wine charms will keep you awake if you've overindulged at the yuletide table!







Next, a burst of complementary tropical colors with these lively shell earrings, then blue with rainbow colors in this chakra necklace.  Blue's such a versatile color!







This eyeglass holder is an unusual item, and I love the way it's displayed here in a heart - inspired! And lastly, this stunning 'Spirit of the Sonoran Desert' necklace - perfect with the season's tribal geometric trend.








Check out more at the links below:

http://etsy.com/shop/mysticwynd
on Twitter ( http://twitter.com/mysticwynd )
on Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/mysticwynd )
on my blog ( http://mysticwynd.blogspot.com )
on Handmade Spark ( http://www.handmadespark.com/myspark/MysticWynd )
on Creating The Hive ( http://creatingthehive.com/?referring_user=mysticwynd )


and visit Karen's other Etsy shops:

TheCraftersCabinet - destash and supplies
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheCraftersCabinet

MWElegance - Bridal & Special Occasion Jewelry and Accessories
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MWElegance

Shop and save: A Dreamaid collaboration for Christmas

Chrissys and Blue Forest Jewellery are taking part in a Dreamaid Christmas collaboration, so it's the perfect time to sort out your Christmas cards and tags, and your jewellery gifts at the same time!

These eco friendly gift tags are so classy!

Every time there is a purchase in my UK online stores, I'll be enclosing a business card from Chrissys which entitles the holder to a discount on her beatiful handmade cards and gift tags on Dreamaid.   Similarly, if you make a purchase from Chrissys, you'll receive a unique 10% discount code for Blue Forest Jewellery.


Don't forget that all purchases from Dreamaid benefit projects in the developing world, so you can buy both charity cards and tags and charity presents this Christmas. 

Single cards and multi packs available

The easiest way to claim your discount is to let the seller know what you wish to purchase, quoting your discount code before buying, so that a special listing can be created and reserved for you at the discount price.  Alternatively, you can quote the code as you go through the Paypal payment process and the discount will then be credited to you as a partial refund through Paypal.

Robins and holly - what's not to like?

It may be the first time that there's been this sort of online joint promotion, so for those of you who are shopkeepers yourselves, Chris and I will keep you up to date with whether this venture increases views and sales in our shops on our blogs. 

A little jewellery sample...

Here's hoping!

Look out for a Dreamaid Christmas special compilation soon on this blog.

Handmade and the high street: get ready for the party season

Today, I'm launching a new fashion feature on the blog. It's to highlight how well handmade and the high street (in this case, the virtual high street) sit together.


 I've chosen to start with my new
'gothic revival' necklace and earrings.  I think they are real party or occassion pieces, and a bit different to my usual creations, so I've picked some stunning fashion pieces from major retailers to feature alongside.

Both the necklace and the earrings using deep red Czech glass diamond shaped beads and smokey grey bicone crystals.  The necklace also has dark grey hematite semi precious cubes and teardrop crystals.  I think the necklace has a bit of a Gothic look to it, and also reminds me of the sort of style popular in Edwardian times.




Maybe one of you is looking for a real statement outfit for the Christmas celebrations - you couldn't do better than to keep up with the season's trends.  Grey (or gray, if you prefer!) is the new black, and a splash of red just adds to the mix nicely.  Of course, grey is nearly silver, so that's perfect to go with this jewellery set, available in both Folksy and Etsy shops this week.

This satin crepe evening dress in grey from John Lewis has just the right dramatic cowl neckline to support a statement necklace like Gothic Revivial.

You'll need some 'knock-their-socks-off shoes' too. These pewter sandals from Monsoon are just right. Maybe if it's snowing, you take them in a bag to change into!

And taking a purse, mobile and keys is no problem with this stunning ruffle bag from Ben de Lisi at Debenhams. How red is that?

Put them all together and you have a real statement outfit!

Let me know what you think of this feature, won't you?

Many thanks to John Lewis, Monsoon and Debenhams for granting permission to use their images in this post.