Devine Designs Jewelry

It's time for a blog carnival, from the Etsy Blogger's Street Team . The topic is, "What quarter of your life are you in, and what are your goals for this quarter? I hesitated to actually write on this topic, as I wonder just how personal I can get here without any negative effects on my life, job, or others that I know. BUT, (stepping out) here goes. I am in my second quarter, pushing up to those higher numbers that I'd rather not say, but I will say, "mid-life". My main goal, at this stage in my life is to build my jewelry business, so that it does turn into my full time job. And I can "retire" from my chosen profession as of now. (I work with animals) And this is something I don't see me able to be doing into my 60's. So I have some time, (many years in fact) before I really do need to think about getting out of the business (of veterinary medicine) and focus on what my heart's desires. Of course, inside I'm saying, "I want i...

It's been quite a slow week for me at work. When I am there, that is. Being the last week in August, with kids going back to school and all, where I work is very slow. I've had half days, sent home early or no days at all. I'm a veterinary technician by trade for those of you who don't already know that. Typically this is a slow week in this business, as people will cut back on their pet care, or put things off for awhile. "Into the Library" Of course this doesn't help pay the bills! They say, "you've got to invest money to make money". And this is true. I try to invest in myself, learn new jewelry making techniques, and provide top quality jewelry items for sale. This is becoming difficult to do, as right now I have no extra or free money to invest in my jewelry business. "Cocoa Sunrise" And of course, I'm out of about 5 different wires that I need in order to create new jewelry. I bagged up my scrap sterling last night, and se...

As I sit here in between laundry loads, while waiting for the dinner to finish cooking in the oven, and before I have to go back to work for evening treatments,(whew!) I have a few minutes to show off and talk about the last 2 new pieces of jewelry that have been added to my ETsy shop this week. The first is another pair of stamped and hammered disc earrings. Copper stamped disc earrings-twisted knots I take pure copper discs and hammer and texture them for this look. They also get domed, oxidized for a rich patina finish. I added twisted wire "knots" at the top. And pure copper ear wires. I made these ear wires slightly different than usual; I flattened the front part so it faces out, giving a thicker look in front of the ear than just the usual round ear wire. Copper cuff I think I mentioned this bracelet in a previous post. It's alot of work. It takes it's toll on my hands and wrists. It's basically a basket weave design, weaving wire in and out around the heav...

Red fish anklet One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. Do you remember that? That's my inspiration for this fun to wear anklet. A fish charm focal, followed by twisted wire rings gives it a "nautical" feel. Red Czech glass beads- almost look like stripes on a fish. I made the sterling silver "waves" by shaping and flattening wire. The green gemstones are jade and aventurine. Adjustable too. Large sterling silver coiled hoops A simple, everyday wear hoop with some ethnic flair! Don't be overwhelmed with these 2 inch diameter hoops. They are very light weight. The coils are very fine gauge wire coiled very tiny, not large or bulky. I've added tiny Hill Tribe silver patterned beads to the hoops and finished off wrapping them in a fine gauge copper, just for visual interest. You can find this pair in my shop under the "Simply Silver" section. Copper stamped disc earrings A new style of earring from me. I finally got to use some of the stamping to...

This is my view from the front patio window. It has been raining since 8:30 this morning. Not what you typically expect to see of "sunny" Florida! So, I didn't run my errands or do my usual Saturday morning running around routine. It's a good day to stay inside! A nap might be nice. I've updated my Supply shop ; so those of you would are interested; there are new sterling silver findings listed and more to follow. I hope to have my new jewelry pieces up and listed this weekend. I know, I know, I said this about a week ago, but since the recent Etsy site changes, (you know what I mean if you on Etsy at all) I've had to do some modifications on my Etsy shops. ~Always fun, not being in total control of your own business~ And this needs to be fixed sometime soon too. One more thing, if you are one of the Asian bloggers leaving comments on this blog, it might help to convert them to English for me, as I do not read Chinese, Japanese, or any others!

Well, the bead show last week was not that great. I think I'm coming to realize that I do better buying directly from my on-line distributors that I use. I did buy from my trusted silver and copper dealer, so I have stocked up on sterling findings and some copper. Some of these will show up for sale in my Etsy Supply shop later this week. I wanted to post this morning, but got frustrated trying to remember how to add an event calendar to the blog with my fall show dates on it. Never figured it out, so I had to move on to other projects. Right now I'm working on a new bracelet style of wire weaving. I'm almost finished, taking a small break, as my hands and wrists are hurting. This one will be pretty, but probably not cost effective, with all the hand work put into it. You will have to tell me what you think of it when it is finished and I post a photo. I have a few new pairs of earrings: hoops and stamped disc earrings, all waiting to be oxidized and tumbled, once I finish ...

I chose a familiar theme for my favorite picks today. Here's just a few that are participating in the Etsy Blogger's Anniversary Sale . Tapestry316 Patchfirstshop PatchSupplyShop Enjoy shopping!