New Year resolutions (and how to get out of them)

By heavenlyhandbag on Etsy

Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and has found time to relax and refresh in the post Christmas lull. Funny time of the year, isn't it, this week between the two events. I can get a bit maudlin at this time, so I thought I'd occupy myself with New Year resolutions. And because each year I try really hard but somehow fail, this year I've made them a bit more realistic. Call them SMART targets if you like a bit of business speak!

by erin on Folksy

1) Go on a diet. As often as possible. Try to diet for whole days at a time. Tell as many people as possible that I'm dieting as often as possible, as this will make me feel thinner and more virtuous.

Likely to last until ... first encounter with chocolate machine on first day back in the office.

By sophiaedesigns on Etsy

2) Don't buy (m)any more handbags.

Only buy ones I really need or really want very much. OH says we need to move to a bigger house if I buy any more. Have included a selection I'm currently drooling over so that you can help me out and buy them before I can.

Likely to last until ... the next email offer for bags comes through.


3) Spend less time on the computer.

Likely to last until ... Oops, broken that one already!

Share your resolutions here, and your get-out clauses :-)

Happy New Year!
Alison

BESTeam weekly feature: LoveElycia on Etsy

LoveElycia on Etsy, based in Hamilton, Ontario,  Canada, is the perfect place to shop if you need a post Christmas disguise.  Perhaps you're popping into town to return an unwanted gift to the store and don't want any friends and relatives to recognise you.  A simple moustache headband is just the ticket then. 



By now, you've probably guessed that this week's BESTeam feature is a shop that is a little bit quirky in a fun and funky way.  LoveElycia, or ♥elycia, provides fun headbands for fun people and a selection of vintage clothes and prints as well.

The prints all come with a story attached to the character.  I like Derby, here, who loves to crochet but can't commit to a full Afghan. 

Just recognise myself there - short attention span, low boredom threshold, love to make cute things!

Here's my pick from the vintage section - Frills and Lines - I think you need to supply the skates yourself!

Elycia trained as an engineer, but is now pursuing her dream of making cute things full time.  I think she's getting close there - a popular shop, a great fun blog and lots of new ideas - watch this space!


You can keep up with Elycia from these links:


http://www.etsy.com/shop/LoveElycia


http://www.loveelycia.com
(some super cute cat pics here for those like me who enjoy blogs with added animals)


http://www.twitter.com/loveelycia


http://www.facebook.com/loveelycia

Happy Holidays everyone

I hope 2010 has been good for you?

I've had plenty of sales in the shops this year, in fact, I'm close to a 100 sales across the net and at work in 14 months of selling.  And I've enjoyed blogging and meeting more fellow crafters.  It's been a particular pleasure to connect with Chris from Chrissys for cards and Cathy from Headpinwear on Etsy - I count both of them as great and supportive virtual friends. 



Chris sent me these beautiful cards and gift tags for Christmas - she is so talented!  And Cathy managed to span the miles from California to Coventry by getting me these fantastic beads sent from a supplier we've both used and love - Mintdestash on Etsy. 

Will be blogging soon about the power of luck in online selling soon - please look out for that if you're an online sellers - I would really love to hear your views.

There's still a couple of days to enter the Lonely Jewelers December giveaway - you could be adopting a pair of my snowpeople earrings if you win! Visit the blog here for details of how to enter.

Happy holidays to everyone celebrating this week and to all my lovely blog followers, and here's to a happy and successful 2011!

BESTeam weekly feature: MyaBruceDesigns on Etsy

Leah from Arizona formed MyaBruceDesigns to offer a great personalised service for those of us who want customised cards, invitations or announcements but don't want to spend hours on the computer getting frustrated with photo manipulation software! I guess that's most people then ;-) The shop is named from Leah's children middle names.
Leah offers pre-set designs and all you need to do is convo your photo. She's also happy to work with you if you have a particular theme in mind for your creation. When you're happy with the look, Leah emails the finished article to you so that you can print out as many copies as you wish. What a neat idea!





I like this butterfly invitation - flutterbys are so sweet!




















This photo collage has a western theme but can be customised to suit your needs.
















And this elephant baby birth announcement card - suitable for boys as well, I think









You can catch up with Leah here too:
http://twitter.com/MyaBruceDesigns
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mya-Bruce-Designs/113429518702303#!/pages/Mya-Bruce-Designs/113429518702303?v=wall

Snow exciting!

This snow can be a bit blue!

OK, so I'm a child again when it snows - I just love it!  And I know it's an inconvenience to lots of folks, and I really wish it wasn't, but it is so beautiful. 

Not snow, a heavy frost!

Here are some picks from our recent frosts and snows, with Lucca as usual modelling a little in most of the shots.  It's hard to get a good photo of him in the snow, because he gets more excited than I do, and eats it (I don't go that far!), hence the snowy nose :-)

Very cold, but at least it keeps the golfers away

Look how handsome I look in the frost!

BESTeam weekly feature: Steufel on Etsy

Today I'm featuring a relatively new Etsy shop: Steufel.  Steufel is run by Stephanie, from Cologne in Germany, and is a great shop if, like me, you love colour in your jewellery.  Her pieces are bold and chunky and often combine upcycled elements in them, along with sari silk, to create a kind of fusion of colour and steampunk.  I like the steampunk pieces, but as always, I was most drawn to the blue items!

You can find out more about Stephanie on her blog, where she confesses to being a nail polish-aholic, and loving mystery novels and cooking. 

My favourite items is this beautiful ring.

It's made of keishi pearls in shades of cobalt and denim blue, Czech glass leaves with AB coatings and a faceted glass bead, sari ribbon, all mounted on a button with the shank created from turquoise blue wire.

Stephanie describes this as a cocktail ring and I agree that this would be stunning with a really dressed up outfit, maybe a little black dress, or equally at home with jeans and a T shirt.  Just stunning!



A couple of other beautiful items caught my eye too!

Turquoise ribbon and beads bracelet

A fabric ring on an adjustable copper band

Be sure to check out this great shop!

BESTeam weekly feature: TurquoiseAngels on Etsy

TuquoiseAngels on Etsy specialises in tutus and hair accessories for little girls.  Their strapline is 'Thank Heaven for Little Girls'. This lovely colourful shop is run by a mother and daughter design team out of Purcellville, Virginia.  Their creations are sure to be a help to any moms struggling to keep up with the need for outfits and accessories for beauty pageants and dancing classes.  What's more, TurquoiseAngels will also custom make items if you see something you like but need it in a different size or shape - just ask!

Here are my top festive picks from the shop, guaranteed to help your little one stand out from the crowd at the Christmas show!  Click on any of the pictures to go directly to the shop. 











And there are also tutus for your pooch as well!  I couldn't resist including these too!







Catch up with TurquoiseAngels at these links:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/turquoiseangels
http://turquoise-angels.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/TurquoiseAngelsBoutique
http://twitter.com/TurquoiseAngels

November Sparks on Folksy

Can't believe it's the last day of the November Sparks listing club on Folksy today.  It's been great fun, as always, and I think the first month I've managed to list or relist every day.  Amazing sales tally too!  Thanks to everyone who's featured me on their blogs or retweeted my listings - really much appreciated.

Here are some pink and red picks from the last few days.  Click on any of the pictures to go directly to the shops.







1. Lovely coin purse by Moody Cow Designs
2. The sweetest brooch by Made by Lolly x
3. Silver and pink combo by Jessicas Jotters
4. Wear your heart in your hair with this clip by Astrid's Garden
5. Pink Lucite handbag charms by Blue Forest Jewellery (me!)
6. The cutest pink dice earrings by SP Jewellery

See you all in the December Elves!

BESTeam weekly feature: flutteringflowers on Etsy

What a fantastic shop Fluttering Flowers is - you can indulge all your whimsical fantasies here - own your own octopus, village or fuss-free bonsai, furnish your dolls house or make your house plants look way more funky!  Everything is beautifully modelled out of polymer clay for you by Deborah from Guthrie, OK.  She has been modelling with clay since childhood, and only a little break when life got busy intervened.  I imagine that some of these little sculptures must take ages to fashion out of the clay.  They are not intended as toys, but they would surely charm the little ones as well as adults who appreciate the whimsical and playful.

Here are my top picks.  Click on any of the pictures to go directly to the shop.





Yummy chocolate cake - but no calories!  Excellent ;-)
Two little octopussys seeking a forever home together...





Lovely labybugs and strawberries for scrapbooking or card embellishments
Little forest collection - amazingly intricate little sculptures!





A bonsai - no pruning or watering required - perfect gift!
Your own little village - you know you want one.

Catch up with Deborah and her craft at these links:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/FlutteringFlowers
http://polymerplaytime.blogspot.com/

(and yes, another fellow dog owner, and you can see pictures of the very handsome Foxy Brown on this blog!)

Fabulous handmade gifts from Dreamaid

Magnolia bud print by Clevedon

Shopping for gifts that give a little extra to charity doesn't mean compromising on style.  Check out these delightful one of a kind, handmade items from Dreamaid sellers. Click on any of the images to go directly to the shops.

Beautiful vintage style bracelet by Josephines

Mini notebook by Jolqa

BESTeam weekly feature: RaeoLight on Etsy

Raeolight from Joplin, MO, is a shop dedicated to fine photography, converted into prints, cards and magnets, calendars and jigsaws and other great gift ideas.  There are some great photos, all taken by Rachel, who despite having no formal training, uses the power of photography to really offer some really stunning images.

I'm going for a spring, summer, autumn and winter collection to show how all the seasons of the year are captured by this talented young photographer.  Click on any of the pictures to go directly to the shop.

Spring and Summer





Fall and Winter







There are some seasonal items too, and a special section of gifts under $20 - perfect for this time of year.

You can catch up with Rachel and see more of her work here:
www.facebook.com/raeoflightphotos
or
www.raeoflightphotos.blogspot.com

Cutting edge modern or downright retro?

These earrings I was quite proud of.  They're not listed yet, but I was all ready to write the blurb about how they are cutting-edge modern, in line with the current 'tribal' trend, mixing geometric with organic shapes, bold and eye-catching, a contemporary and subversive use of pearls etc, etc.  (I tend to ramble on a bit when I really like something...)

Showed them to the OH, who to give him his due, is usually pretty much on the money when I ask his advice on my makes.  He smiles and says, 'Are they your tribute to Downton Abbey?'

(For my US followers, I should explain that Downton is a Sunday night TV serial that's been gripping the nation recently, set just before the first World War.  The dresses have been spectacular.)

Hubby and I have a short, friendly discussion about this.  We've been married a long time, so agreeing to differ is by now relatively painless.  But I'm left undecided.  What do you think?  Modern or retro?  Trendy or vintage?  Or a mix of both?  Your opinions, please, lovely blog followers.

Children in Need: crafting for charity

Blue Forest Jewellery is having its first charity auction this week.  These items are open to bids from my work colleagues - hopefully they will bid generously because they really want the jewellery, as well as to show their support for charity. So far, after 1 day, the combined bids amount to £42, which I think is a great start!

I'm delighted to be able to contribute in this way.  I'm not one for sports, or dyeing my hair green, or sponsored silences, so I usually end up just sending a cash donation.  This seems like a lot more fun, if a bit more stressful (I don't find it easy blowing my own trumpet, even for charity!) and I'm giving more generously by donating the items too.

Let's hope Friday is a good night and lots of money is raised.  Here's the link if you want to make a direct donation.

BESTeam weekly feature: Gilliauna on Etsy

Gilliauna on Etsy is a shop absolutely bursting with items and color - what a great find!  It's probably the best stocked shop I've come across, and it takes beading and bling to a new dimension, with everything you could want in bookmarks, rosaries, lanyards, eyeglass chains, zipper pulls, purse charms and so on, as well as earrings, bracelets, rings and necklaces. The shop motto, like mine, is all about adding a bit of color to your life, and helping to recycle at the same time, as many of the vintage items on offer use parts from charity shop purchases where the profits go back to the community.


Gilliauna is a US citizen, but lives and works in British Columbia.  She has over 20 years experience in making jewelry (and you can see this from the designs) and sells on Artfire and from her blog as well as from her Etsy shops.

Definitely visit the blog - it's updated most days and there are Etsy picks, giveaways, shop features and of course, lots more information about Gilliauna makes.

With so many items to choose from, and the emphasis being on color, I decided to pick a rainbow from Gilliauna's shop.  Click on any of the pictures to visit the store. You may have to move fast, though, if you want any of these items, as not only is there a huge inventory, this shop is also very popular with Etsy buyers, with over 250 sales since opening just over a year ago, and fantastic positive feedback too - a real Etsy success story!


You can find out more about Gilliauna by following these links:

Facebook - http://facebook.com/BitsnBeadsbyGilliauna
Blog - http://www.colorfulartisanjewelry.com
Twitter - http://twitter.com/gilliauna
Flickr - http://flickr.com/photos/gilliauna
deviantArt - http://gilliauna.deviantart.com
Tumblr - http://gilliauna.tumblr.com
The Meandering Musings Blog - http://www.handmadeshoppingguide.com