Devine Designs Jewelry

And boy, have I been busy! Running 2 Etsy shops, Artfire shop, looking for work, trying to find time to make jewelry: it seems like "running" is the correct word for how I'm feeling. So yesterday I hit the streets again. Trying to find some local shops to display and sell my jewelry. What to wear. Well I have to wear comfortable shoes if I'm going to be walking all over neighborhoods. And it is so hot, what do I wear while trying to stay cool and look businesslike, professional and in style. I decided on black walking shorts and a nice black and white top with empire waist with a leather band that ties in the back. I can manage this look. So I went to salons, stopped by one shop who carries my stuff, but she wasn't ready to buy yet. (Hey, it just felt good coming inside her store with the air conditioner!) And I went mid-day; well the mid-day sun and temperature here in Florida is a killer. I guess it was around 88 degrees F., in my car about 101. That is until th...

Why are June weddings so popular? Many believe it to be good luck to get married in June. Let's start with a little history and lore. The month of June was originally named after the Roman Goddess Juno. In Greek mythology she is called Hera. Hera was married to Zeus (the king of the Gods) and ruler of Mount Olympus and she was thus considered the Goddess of marriage and women. The climate, depending of where you live, is a determining factor for a June wedding. It is warm, generally sunny; great for an outdoor wedding. Many brides love the light, soft color palette that is available for bridesmaid's dresses and center piece options. It might be a good idea to pick flowers that are available in June. I found this list of what is in bloom then. The rose is the flower of June. You can find many beautiful colored roses for your liking. There is a great article about these floating rose centerpieces. I hope you enjoyed my brief look into June weddings. Much, much more can be found...

No, I'm not talking about a heavy metal or punk video! I finally, got to take photos of the latest things we made in class. Let me first show you the necklace that I've been working on (or should I say, that's been "working on my nerves") the past couple of weeks! It's a copper collar necklace with a "gifted pendant". Stacy taught us one week to wrap the pendant using sheet metal. It looks like a gift wrapped box! This wasn't the original bead that I took to class to work on, so I brought it home, disassembled it and remade it. Next week's class we worked with the heavy gauge wire in the choker and making the coils. The coils; not a problem for me, as I've made them before, but the collar was fun (not) working with. Takes some practice to get the shape right. Then the issue of oxidizing and polishing. The thing's too big to fit in my container that I use for oxidizing, so I had to do it by hand, sort of paint on method. And since it w...

I was thinking about posting this yesterday, as I was driving in my car, and as I almost always do, I tend to get ideas while driving. I felt like I was in a cluster of frustration. Why? Well, let's see.... So we finished our last class Friday, sorry it is over, I learned alot from Stacy and can't wait to make some new jewelry. But part of me gets frustrated with the "business" end of it. My sales are low, and I keep making great new items, but just can't seem to sell them on-line. I have read many books, studied, improved....anyway, stopped yesterday to pick something up and happened by a hair salon, where I did have jewelry set up with my hairdresser, who's new boss (shop owner) said everything had to be taken out, because she wasn't ready to have jewelry in her shop. She'd call if and when she was interested. I left my business card, called a couple of times, stopped by even, so I am persistent. Looked in the shop window yesterday; what do you think...

It's that time again folks, where we (Etsy Bloggers) feature a chosen shop of the month and this month it is "Createathought ". What a cute and innovative shop. What first got my attention was the number of different journals she has created. This art journal , being my favorite. Then I found a couple that really piqued my interest. Look at the buttons on these. A little bit of nostalgia. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13554974 http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10742881 Or maybe you're looking for a fun and funky gift. This shop also offers a variety of gift options. Check out this moon ring : What about these coffee magnets ? Coffee lover's unite! Now I'm thirsty! Gotta go!

I can't believe I let a whole week go by with blogging! Business does get in the way sometimes! Anyway, here's an update on what I've been doing. First of all, I got on another earring kick and made some new pairs for the Etsy shop. Something for everyone, as I like to say! I made a few pairs of brass earrings, some with that vintage flair. And some sterling silver. Whimsical balloons, funky red earrings, and classic squiggles of sterling. So I made a trip to Harbor Freight and picked up some new, inexpensive tools. New tools! Always fun. I got a couple of different hammers, a set of stamping letters, nice steel block and dapping set , protective eye wear, and a cheap micro-torch just to get started with. My instructor, Stacy Perry always recommends checking out Harbor Freight for tools. I know that I've neglected to show you the last couple of class projects that we've made. That's because I've been working on this collar/choker style necklace that has bec...

So far so good, even though it is only Monday, but mine has started off just fine. Except for the heat; already. I can't believe how hot and humid it is already here in Florida. I wanted to take some new photos today, and I'm glad I did this morning before noon. As it will only get hotter as the day progresses! Here's what we did in class last week. We made scarf pins! Now I know this is not timely, but I made a few and will put them away until fall before I list or start to sell them. The first 2 are made form pure copper, that has been oxidized, tumble polished and hand polished as well. I have a polishing cloth that I got once from a jeweler, which is similar to the "Sunshine" cloth that is popular right now. And of course we are working with coils. The second pin has a beautiful lampwork bead (from "Catalina Glass") that is various shades of green and gold glitter sparkles throughout it. I can't think of any other way to describe it, but it remin...