Sunday Morning Coffee and Etsy 08/29/10

The weather is beginning to cool ever so slightly, and the anticipation of Fall is definitely in the air for me.  Fall has always been my favorite season.  Even though it’s been longer than I care to admit since my school days, I still get that ‘back to school’ feeling of a fresh start that  brings on  a  surge of creative energy.

So, freshly inspired by the cool breeze and the upcoming season, I actually made something new for the shop this week!  The design idea for this ring, which I have named Ice Whisper,  has been in my head ever since I made my Galadriel’s Dream cuff a couple of years ago.  I’ve always planned to take the concept into a whole series of pieces.  I particularly enjoy forging the organic '”torn” look  -  it gives me a chance to play with my wonderful Fretz hammers.      This ring is definitely my new favorite, and there will be more with colored stones – especially the gorgeous

apricot sapphires that my stone supplier just got in.  This color looks good enough to eat!!  

Speaking of gorgeous stones – I’ve had the Glimmering Gems Etsy shop in my favorites for quite a while, now.  I follow them on Twitter, too, so I always know when they get something new in.  Their shop carries truly inspiring and unusual rocks and gems from the mines of Uruguay and Brazil.   I discovered this breathtaking Amethyst Agate Geode Sphere the last time I was browsing through their shop.  What a  stunning specimen!!  It measures 86mm (about 3 inches in diameter).  I would so love to have this in my collection!  I’ve always been partial to amethyst in any form, and the wheels are turning in my mind on a way to use their beautiful stones in one of my designs.  This gorgeous stalactite slice is on its way to me as we speak.  I’m inspired already, and can’t wait to put hammer to metal for a setting that will hopefully do justice to it!

 

Something else that I always get excited about is Steampunk and Victorian inspired jewelry.  I found the most incredible shop this week  -  Aranwen’s Jewelry, created by Vicky from Athens, Greece.  There are so many beautiful designs in her shop, I didn’t know what to look at first!    I’ve always loved unique watches, though, so her cuff watches are something that I am definitely drooling over.  My favorite is the stunning  Silver Wings design – I’m in love with it!  Might have something to do with the cute little amethyst rhinestones will coordinate nicely with the colors in that yummy stone that is on its way in the mail.

Another cuff watch in her shop that I absolutely love is the beautiful brass Baroque Goddess design.  A more petite design, this one has a lovely romantic feel to it that is hard to resist.   Vicky creates each one of her pieces herself from a unique array of gorgeous components, and her talent for creating unique beauty is apparent in every piece in her shop. 

Well, coffee is done, and I’d better get the day started, so I’ll wish everyone a great week!  Talk to you soon……..

Sunday Morning Coffee and Etsy – 08/15/10

Good Morning!  Hope you are having a wonderful weekend wherever you are.   It’s still hot here, but I see that perhaps it won’t be in the mid 90’s every day for too much longer.  I can’t believe I’ve made it this far through a summer in the South with no air conditioning.  I’m considering it “character building” – never say I don’t suffer for my art!  But even this doesn’t make me consider going back to the corporate grind – I love what I do, and business is growing.  It will be fixed for next year, of that I am sure!

With keeping cool on my mind so much these days, I thought I’d do an Etsy search for “stay cool” and see what came up…….

First thing that caught my eye was this great photo of a vintage  fan from the Foot Candle Images shop.   What a treat to discover the work of the very talented Rhonda Peters.   Her shop has a lovely mixture of photographic styles from sharp and colorful to ethereal landscapes and

mesmerizing closeups.  I think my favorite of all is the tranquil beauty of this lily pad in Magnify – just looking at it  makes me feel cool and serene. 

Another search for “summer cool” brought me to the Soul Song Creations shop, and this really wonderful and unique serpentine and rustic brass necklace.  What a great mix of colors in a classic little necklace!  As I browsed through the other treasures in this shop, I fell in love – I have definitely saved in my favorite shops list!   Her work with texture and color is just inspired.  Another necklace that I loved is this painted brass disc that has been paired with dusty rose jasper.  Exactly my style, and I think I’m going to have to have this one!  It makes me want to go out and stroll in the garden right this minute in my white linen sundress…..  wait, let’s do a search now for “white linen sundress”.  Yep, I knew something good would turn up – here it is, from the Toccata shop:  White Orchid Linen Dress  and it can be customized in any size.  I can see either one of the Soul Song Creations necklaces adorning this lovely dress.   Toccata’s shop is  located in Manila, and is actually a bridal shop with some really fabulous custom made wedding dresses along with .  Check out the Rambling Rose You can see the complete wedding gown collection at her Michi Calica website.

And so my Etsy travels end for today.  We started with a vintage fan and ended up with bridal gowns.  You just never know what direction you’ll travel when you start browsing through Etsy. 

So, the cool of the morning fades, and I’m turning on the 2nd fan.  Time to retire to the basement studio.  Have a great week everyone!

Monday Morning Inspiration 08/09/10

The world is filled with inspiration if you take just a moment  out of your day to look.  My friends and I often talk about how none of us has any time for the things we used to take for granted like a spur-of-the-moment weekend getaway, simple shopping trips, taking in a movie, basically just taking the time to enjoy one another’s company.  We are all just so Busy. All. The. Time.    Busy as Bees.

I don’t even have an excuse – I work for myself at home, and I STILL don’t have any free time.  So I have decided to simply start taking the time to enjoy the things that make me happy, and sharing them here on my blog.

One of the things that has always made me happiest is music – all kinds of music.  To say that my taste in music is ‘eclectic’ is an understatement -  chaotic might be a better word, lol.  Anyway, much of what inspires me is related to music, and although I don’t have the money that I used to have for purchasing new music, I am still able to find plenty of it on the internet, both old favorites and new discoveries. 

I’ve been a fan of Vangelis since the early 80’s and have just about every one of his album releases.  I’d never looked him up on You Tube, though, silly me!  My all time favorite Vangelis composition is “Message” from his "Direct" album, and I thought it would be perfect for this week’s Monday Morning Inspiration.  You can’t help but be pumped for the week after listening to this!

Sunday Morning Coffee and Etsy 8/8/10

I hope everyone is enjoying this warm August morning.  I must admit it’s been a bit toooo “warm” here in East TN this summer – hope it’s better where you are!  For me, the good news is that fall is in sight, only weeks to go now….. Meanwhile, I am spending quality time with my fan, and trying not to melt, ha ha.

 

Now, on to the Etsy treasures that inspired me this morning.  First is a pottery (yes, I’m still addicted to pottery, can’t get enough!)  shop that I recently discovered – Village Clayworks, which showcases the whimsical work of Catherine Reece.  Soft cool pastels and charming birds and bugs adorn her pieces, and you can’t help but smile when you look at them.   I love every one of her pieces, even the cockroach cereal bowl (not so sure I could eat cereal from it, though!)  My favorites are her bird pieces, though, especially this Bowl with Birds Around.    This smaller Bird Bowl is on my wish list, too – in fact, I think a whole set of dishes in this pattern would be great fun!

And if you are looking for an unusual gift, perhaps one of her mugs like the Dung Beetle Mug or the Praying Manis Mug will be just the thing.  These little gems even include a helpful little inscription about their subjects.  Cute!

I have always loved birds – both in art and in life, and when I saw this  gorgeous seagull photo, titled Icarus,  in an Etsy treasury, I immediately marked it, and ArtoCard’s shop, as favorites.   Another of my favorite photos from her shop is titled Hover.  The perfect focus and the way the light reflects off the wings is amazing.  Makes me want to concentrate on getting better at my photography.  I have so many wonderful opportunities for great bird photos in my own back yard, but alas, I am the world’s worst wildlife photographer!   Definitely take a browse through the ArtoCard shop to check out other amazing photos of birds and other wildlife.  She is able to capture movement like very few photographers I’ve seen.

Since I had birds on my mind this morning, and I have been looking for a new handbag since the zipper on my favorite bag is now broken, I thought I’d do a search for bird handbags and see what I could find.  I was delighted to find this brand new Etsy shop, Artistic Accessories, that specializes in hand painted bags.   This little bird bag especially caught my eye since the leaves on the branch match the new copper pendant design that I put in my shop this week (and no zipper to break, either).  I love making those heart shaped leaves, and it’s great to find accessories that also use a similar shape.  

I think I’ve inspired myself to go down and create something new today while I am working on getting a good start to the coming week’s orders.  I’ve had some new leaf designs in my head for a while that need to be brought to life in time for fall.  So, time to get to work!  Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!