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Friday, August 31, 2012

A Victorian Romance

This month I decided to make my Jewelry Creators Unite In Numbers (JCUIN) collection on Artfire with a Victorian Romance theme.  I'm not an expert on styles.  I don't know exactly what makes them Victorian or Romantic, other than I think they are.  So here is a closer look at some of them.  If anyone wants to share their expertise on whether or not they're actually Victorian style or not, feel free to enlighten me!


Dusky Pink Lucite Filigree Cocktail Flower Cha Cha Ring adjustable

I love this cha-cha ring with a dusky pink rose.  Actually I love the rose all by itself because it looks so real you just want to smell it!  But it looks even better with all those leaf and filigree layers that Sally of Crystal Bazaar has added to it in the process of making it into a ring.   I did not know this, but apparently a cha-cha ring is a ring that is made by attaching beads to it.  When I think of Victorian, I think of flowers and filigree, so this cha-cha ring fits the bill in my opinion.


  

This one, called "Bling in the Holidays" by Holly of Au Naturale Jewelry, might be a little more modern spin on the romantic Victorian look.  I think the fact the filigree is flat looks a little more modern, but what do I know?  It still has filigree, and it has crystal dangles as well!  This would make some great bling for a holiday party.



Here's a stunning pair of earrings that is in the collection along with the matching necklace by Strega Jewellry.  It is very ornate, which I think is another feature of the Victorian era.  She has added a very nice verdigris patina with a little accent of merlot wine.  I love the combination of the green patina with the shiny pearl-like glass beads.

Prehenite Earrings
   

I picked these earrings because of the embellished little hearts with dangles.  That makes it Victorian Romantic inspired in my book.  These prehenite and sterling silver earrings were made by Jill of Jill's Jewelry.  The round beads are prehenite, and the little bicones up top are Swarovski Crystal.  An interesting fact I learned about Jill by looking at her Artfire Bio page is that she is actually a practicing attorney. 



These sterling silver and cultured freshwater pearl earrings are made by me and you can find them at Shanghai Tai.  I had these sterling silver components for awhile and finally decided to make something out of them.  Each Swarovski crystal and each pearl is close wire-wrapped onto the intricate sterling chandelier component.  Certainly romantic, are they Victorian?  I don't know, maybe if I had used black pearls and crystals they would be Goth!




Lastly, this chain maille bracelet and earring set by Moxie Gem Designs isn't actually Victorian at all.  It's use dates back to a much earlier era.  But this jewelry, in my opinion, gives an illusion of having that intricate detail like that romantic Victorian jewelry has.  The intricate design itself is made from many individual jump rings all put together.  This bracelet and earrings is a little mini work of art in itself.

I hope you enjoyed my pretend romantic jewelry journey though the Victorian era.  If you'd like to see the rest of the "A Victorian Romance" collection, you can find it here:

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=collections&op=details&cid=37229

Thanks for looking!

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Lottie's Trinkets - On Fire For Handmade Artisan of the Week

Quality Original Artisan Jewelry


This weeks Featured Artisan is Lise Spence-Parsons,  Lottie's Trinkets. You will find original Artisan Jewelry handmade by Lise in her shop. Quality craftmanship and beautiful designs. Truly unique OOAK pieces!

You can find Lotties Trinkets on:


Grab the code for your blog HERE

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Blue Highways - On Fire For Handmade Featured Artist


Share the Love... Blogger's Unite

Wonderful creations by Andrea - Blue Highways
You can find Blue Highways On:

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Featured Artist: The Handmaden Soap Co.

Featured Artsian - Share the Love, Blogger's Unite

This weeks Featured Artisan is Tracy Cornell - The Handmade Soap Company (formerly Braggin' Rights Bath) Indulge yourself in luxury with these wonderful bath and body products!

You can find the Handmade Soap Company on:


See her Full Feature on the On Fire for Handmade Site! Grab the Code for your Blog HERE

Friday, August 10, 2012

Blog Hop - Red Hot Fire!


It's a Handmade World (Hopes and Dreams Studio) is having a blog hop. The theme for this blog hop is Red Hot Fire! If you have a handmade item with a fire theme, you can post a link to it here by clicking on the "click here to enter: below. Also it you have a blog, please feel free to share this on your blog by getting the html by clicking on "get the code here" link below. And don't forget to BUY HANDMADE! Thanks to Hopes and Dreams Studio for hosting this blog hop.


Wednesday, August 1, 2012

A Walk in the Enchanted Forest








With the hot weather, I decided to do a collection that would make me feel nice and refreshed.  So here are some pieces from my "Enchanted Forest" collection on Artfire.  These are all pieces made by the talented members of the JCUIN guild, and I will highlight a few here.

Take a walk though the Enchanted Forest with me:

The first piece was really the inspiration for the collection, because it looks so nice and cool, and just a little magical:

Handmade Earrings Green Prehnite Hematite Gemstone Beaded Jewelry OOAK

These earrings are made with Green Prehnite beads and Hematite roundels.  Don't you just love the look of the green prehnite?  It's just luminous, like something you might find glowing after dark in an enchanted forest.  These "Forest Medley" earrings are made by Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs and she also has a matching necklace!

Imagine walking through the enchanted forest; do you think you might see a butterfly on a rock?

Just a Fairy Princess

This butterfly has a small fairy in the middle!  But that shouldn't really be a surprise in the enchanted forest!  It has a green patina and is on a brass chain with asymmetrical accents.  This necklace, called "Just a Fairy Princess" was made by AuNaturale Jewelry.

The forest is full of deep greens, but I couldn't forget that there are also lots of browns.  Here is a beautiful pair of brown earrings that look right at home in the forest:

Golden Turquoise and Antiqued Brass Leaf Earrings


These earrings were made by Daly Craft Works.  They almost look like copper hammered disks to me, but they are actually golden turquoise disks paired with some brass leaves.

Sometimes, when you're walking through some very dense, dark forest, you can see rays of light streaming thought the trees, making little patches of bright green:

Luscious Lime Delight N048

This necklace is called "Luscious Lime Delight" (but I think it looks like sun-dappled forest green.)  It was made with gorgeous 20mm black and lime swirled lampwork beads by Cathy of Caty Ann's Creations.

While walking through the forest, sometimes you find little vines (or big vines) or accidently run into little spider webs.  That's what these earrings remind me of:

Wire Knitted Earrings Featuring Green Glass and Copper Discs - BNC


Like little tiny vines growing all tangled up together, these earrings are made from knitted copper wire by Kath's Elegant Accessories.

Lastly, sometimes when you are walking in the forest, you are lucky enough to find a pond or a stream.  Maybe you will throw in a stone and make a splash:

Spiral green fused pendant reversible copper wire wrapped 1x1 Any Age Unisex

This spiral design fused pendant looks like ripples on the water deep in the forest.  The handmade pendant is reversible and you can find it at Shanghai Tai.

To see the rest, you can view the collection in it's entirety here:  Enchanted Forest Collection

Thanks for walking through the Enchanted Forest with me!