CAN YOU EVER HAVE ENOUGH???

Chocolate, Flowers, and Lace....of course! Well, then the Artisan Beaders have a GREAT sale ready for you now, just in time for ♥ Valentine's Day ♥.

All items in my "VALENTINES SALE" section of the SignatureSterling Etsy shop are available at 15% off original list prices (prices already adjusted for you for easy checkout!).

You can find more beautiful creations by other Artisan Beaders (the talented ABSTEAM!) by viewing the Artisan Beaders Gift Guide.

Be sure to start shopping now for best selection!

What a Game!

What can I say....yes, we lost. But, watching our Buckeye Seniors in the post-game, you couldn't help but be proud to be a part of "Buckeye Nation" and not be "totally" immersed in the loss. It was not the season we expected, but like a true scarlet and gray fan, I stand behind my OSU team, proud of the "to the last second" plays and as always, saying...."Just wait until next year!" :-)

~ BUCKEYE NATION JASPSER Necklace

~ SCARLET AND GRAY ELEGANCE Earrings

~ BUCKEYE NATION Bracelet

Monday GIVEAWAY!

It's Monday...must be ABSTEAM's Giveaway time again and yes, it's another beauty! This week's "gem" is from Jael of JaelsJewels - this gorgeous, cheery pendant to brighten even your grayest wintry day!

How to win this great item? Just follow the easy instructions at the Artisan Beaders site and there you go! Couldn't be simpler! And be sure to stop by Jael's shop to see more of her wonderful work.

FALL INTO COLORS ~ The Rest of the Story...

These gorgeous creations are worth the wait, I promise....here are more challenge pieces from the ABSTEAM's (Artisan Beaders Street Team) "Fall into Colors" October color palette challenge.

First, from Lee of AbeleesHandcrafted are these beautiful autumn earrings using a "Fall Orchard" palette.

And, I think you'll agree that the chainmaille handiwork on this necklace by Meri of Merigreenleaf is absolutely awesome!

Nicole, of Beadwright, shows her intricate artisan design skills and handiwork ~ amazingly beautiful ~ with this necklace, truly fit for a goddess!

Speaking of detail work, check out these "yummy" APPLE SPICE (what a great name!) earrings from Donna of Creative Treasures by Donna ~ hmm! One of my favorite parts of fall!

My other favorite part of fall? The changing leaves....captured here so perfectly by Brenda of The Jewelry Box (and with the lovely lampwork leaf by our own Deronda of DerondaDesigns)!

I am SO honored and thrilled to be a part of such a talented group of wonderful artisans (and great friends, too!) :-)

OCTOBER WEDDING

Back in September, the Artisan Beaders Street Team began a "color palette challenge" for the new season ~ "Fall into Colors." Each participating member was to design her own palette with the only requirement being that at least one of the colors being brown and then create a finished piece using the colors from the created palette.

It was wonderful to see the developing colors from the team and over the last few weeks, it has been especially exciting to see the incredible designs come forth.

My "October Wedding" palette was inspired by an upcoming wedding of a dear friend's son which was to be held in a beautiful outdoor setting ~ at the bride's family orchard, next to a small lake, late in the afternoon. The colors try to capture what I pictured would be autumn browns, reds, light rose for evening sunset.

The wedding itself was, of course, even more beautiful than anything I could have imagined, and I was thrilled to discover that the colors of my palette were actually "spot-on" (even the bride's dress was a rich, gorgeous deep burgundy!). Upon returning from "wedding road trip," I designed "October Wedding," a necklace with a crab fire agate diamond, surrounded by silver leaf jasper squares and rounds, fancy jasper ovals, rounds of rainbow jasper and green opal, Swarovski pearls in maroon, light-catching Swarovski crystals in silk, garnet, and light smoked topaz and sterling silver rounds.

So, can you find "October Wedding" in the shop? Well, it did reside there for a very short time, but I'm happy to say that it now is going to the perfect home....shh! That's all I can say. :-)

Tomorrow's post....a look at the incredible "Fall into Colors" creations from the Artisan Beaders Street Team!

Talented, Busy Beaders..."Must-See's!"

Some of you know that along with my association with Etsy, I've been fortunate to be a part of some incredible "street teams" ~ groups (some large, some small) of artisans who come together in a common mission for creative, marketing, and support purposes. One of my newest, smallest (and therefore, most intimate and friendliest!) and most talented (IMHO!) teams has been the Artisan Beaders Street Team which formed earlier this summer. We are a juried group and keeping our membership limited (small) has allowed us to develop close bonds of friendship and support across not only the country, but the world - we are an international group!

The mission statement of ABST (Artisan Beaders Street Team) is "Begin with a passion for beads. Combine with creativity. Mix with encouragement. The result is Artisan Beaders; a charismatic group committed to providing the knowledge, resources and support to help members succeed in their entrepreneurial dreams." I know that I feel so blessed to be a part of such a talented group of women, willing to share freely their art and journeys. Each of these artisans has her own shop on Etsy so be sure to check out their beautiful work:

Abelee's Handcrafted
Beadwright
Broken Teepee Designs
Catie's Blue
Creative Treasures by Donna
Crysallis creations
Crystal Impressions
Deronda designs
Elbit Enterprises
Jael's ArtJewels
Kaskaad Handmade Jewellery
M. Augusta Woodland
Orion Designs
Shiny Adornments
SignatureSterling
Studio Marcy
The Jewelry Box

Two other special ABST "must-see" sites are the Artisan Beaders blog where you'll see regular updates on "Color of the Week" and featured items, and MORE importantly ~ NOW through the holidays....a weekly GIVEAWAY!! Whatta Deal!

And, if you want one-stop shopping for the holidays, be sure to "bookmark" the Artisan Beaders Holiday Guide where all of the ABST shops are listed, linked and highlighted with wonderful pics of some beautiful creations from each shop. It's a great holiday shopping resource to keep in your "internet favorites."

August Afternoons

The August afternoons are quickly slipping away, but that doesn't mean they're not yet to be enjoyed ~ this stretch of warm, sunny weather has been perfect for afternoons on the dock and floating in the pond. Who knows how many more days or weeks I'll have left of such sweetness!? I think the water has been on my mind again as I go to the "designing board"...

~ SETTING SAIL Necklace


~DIVING IN Earrings

English Gardens and Beautiful Sunsets!

Well, proof that beautiful sunsets can happen anywhere! :-)

And...some new pieces inspired by the beautiful artisan lampwork beads of DerondaDesigns which made me think of rich, wonderful English gardens...a matching set if you like! Check out the new listings in the shop.

ENGLISH GARDEN Necklace

ENGLISH GARDEN Bracelet

ENGLISH GARDEN Earrings

Last Day to SAVE!

Today's the FINAL day of the Artisan Beaders' "No Fuel Required" SALE! Members of the team are offering discounts and/or free shipping.

Through MIDNIGHT (EDT) tonight, all items in SignatureSterling, are 20% off (except for custom orders and gift certificates). Simply check out as usual, put "NO FUEL" in "Notes to Seller" and WAIT for a revised invoice before making payment.

You can find ALL of the ABS Team items by searching tags on Etsy using ABSTEAM.

Etsy Artisan Beaders Street Team "No Fuel Required" Sale!!!!

With fuel prices higher than ever, what could be easier than forgoing your trip to the mall and shopping from home? The Artisan Beaders Street Team is holding a “No Fuel Required Sale”.

Members of the team will be offering discounts and/or free shipping from Sunday, July 13th through Saturday, July 19th. All items in SignatureSterling, will be 20% off (except for custom orders and gift certificates) if purchased during the sale. Simply check out as usual, put "NO FUEL" in "Notes to Seller" and WAIT for a revised invoice before making payment.

You can find ALL of the ABS Team items by searching tags on Etsy using ABSTEAM. Happy Shopping!

Whatever Happened To?

Remember early this past spring when I was working with Laurie of Glassbead on the etsyBEAD and Creative Glass Guild of Etsy (CGGE) creative collaboration challenge? So, whatever happened to "Spring Reflections," the necklace I created using Laurie's gorgeous lampwork beads? Well, it is available for sale in the HOST (Helping Others Street Team) shop on Etsy - wish I could afford it :-)) but hey, would LOVE to see it go to a "good home" :-)). You can check it out, along with some other wonderful listings at the HOST shop - all proceeds are used to help Etsy sellers in need, a terrific mission.

While you're surfing, be sure to stop by and check out Laurie's shop, Glassbead - beautiful artisan beads - what talent!