A Wonderful Gift, I won!

Look at what I won!

What a great Christmas gift!

A few weeks ago Cyndi Lavin of Beading Arts.com hosted a giveaway, the prize was this book by Carles Codina. You can read her review of the book on her blog posting, it sounds like a terrific book.

I am so excited, can't wait to receive it. 

I am taking my first metalsmithing class in January and looking forward to embarking in new directions!

Thank you, Cyndi!

Merry Christmas!

Artists Helping Artists Auction

Frosted Berries, anyone?

If you have been blog hopping these last few days you would have read about how some artisans have got together and are having an auction in order to help a fellow artisan and her family who have literally  had the rug pulled from under their feet.

Many of you visited my blog during the Challenge of Color Blog Hop and commented on how much you liked my Frosted Berries bracelet. Now you have a chance to bid to own it for yourself and also help a family in need. Check it out at Treasures-Found blogspot. The auction lasts all weekend and ends midnight on Sunday.

Please visit the following blogs to check out the items being auctioned and how you can be of help.

Heidi Post http://expostfactojewelry.blogspot.com/

Marie Cramp & Lori Anderson http://skyejewels.blogspot.com/

Barbara Bechtel http://secondsurf.com/

Erin Fickert-Rowland http://elysianstudiosart.com/

Keirsten Giles http://www.cerebraldilettante.blogspot.com/

Andrew Thornton http://andrew-thornton.blogspot.com/

Karen Totten http://starryroadstudio.blogspot.com/

Kristi Bowman-Gruel http://dreamsomedesigns.blogspot.com/

Nan Emmett http://spiritrattles.blogspot.com/

Maire Dodd http://mairedodd.blogspot.com/

Amanda Cargill Austin http://www.seashoreglassgirl.com/

Janice Everett http://jlynnjewels.blogspot.com/

Rebecca Anderson http://songbeads.blogspot.com/

Shannon Iko Chomanczuk http://formysweetdaughter.blogspot.com/

Jennifer Justman http://mysoulsfire.blogspot.com/

Erin Prais-Hintz http://treasures-found.blogspot.com/ Go here for Frosted Berries
Kerry Bogert http://kabsconcepts.blogspot.com

Erin Seigel http://erinsiegeljewelry.blogspot.com/ 
Courtney Breul http://beadsbybreul.blogspot.com/

Have a great weekend!

Holiday Shop Hop!

Shel of Mishel Designs is hosting her first Holiday Shop Hop this year. The event will take place all day Saturday (Dec. 3rd) and Sunday (Dec. 4th). Many talented artisans have opened their shops for this shopping blog hop, including myself.

Shel has done an awesome job, gathering us all together and getting us organized. Thank you, Shel!

I am going to take this opportunity to introduce you to Sundancegems on RubyLane! You are all so familier with Etsy and Artfire, and today I invite you to come walk with me down RubyLane. 

I opened my shop on RubyLane in November of 2004. Considering that I work at my jewelry business part time in addition to my day job at banking, I think I have done well. Could I do better? You bet! That's my goal for 2012. 

To date I have had 499, yes 499 web sales via Ruby Lane. That's averaging 71 sales for each of the 7 years, that's almost 6 sales per month... I am happy about it. I can also proudly say that each of these sales has been a very pleasant experience, I have had only one return during this period, that was an Amber necklace and the buyer returned it because the yellow Amber was very pale against her skin and really did not do anything for her. Every other sale has been a delight!

Coincidentally, RubyLane is also hosting a site wide Red Tag Sale this weekend. Shop owners submit 15% of their inventory, that is reduced 30%, 40% and 50%. 

Some of my items are on sale too, please, check it out. If you are interested in any item, let me know. 

In addition, mention the code HSH15 and you can have 15% off any item that has not already been reduced for the Red Tag Sale. The site will not automatically take this 15% off, so please wait for an invoice from me.

If you are interested in opening a shop on Ruby Lane send me an email, I would be happy to help.

Visit my online shop
Sundancegems
at Ruby Lane

Here is a list of the other shops that will have their doors wide open for the
Holiday Shop Hop 2011

A Bead A Day

Blackbeary Mountain

Blue Pearls Handcrafted Goods

Chic and Frog 

Crafty Hope 

Dragonfly Dreamers 

Etania Gems 

ExPostFacto Jewelry 

Fangdangles 

GreenBead Designs 

Handcrafted Serenity Jewelry Designs 

Happy and Healthy Magnetic Jewelry  

Holly Westfall / Silver Rose Designs 

Just A Tish 

Just Mare Pottery 

Keefer Style Creations 

Kabs Creative Concepts 

Klassy Joolz  

Kristi Bowman Design  
Lilly Rose Jewelry Designs

Little Rocks 

MiShel Designs 

Melinda Orr Designs 

My Life Under the Bus 

Olive Branch Organics 

Pine Ridge Treasures 

Pink Poppy Studio 

Rosebud’s Lampwork Beads 

Sand & Sea Designs 

SCJ Jewelry Design 

Sew Stacy 

SongBeads 

Studio Waterstone 

Suzanne Stevens 

Sweet Creek Herbs 

Sweet Water Designs 

Wire Worked Handcrafted Jewelry

Have a wonderful Holiday Shop Hop weekend!

Ancient Coin!

Not too long ago, Jane Perala of Jane Perala Designs had this gorgeous set of beads for sale. The luscious red centerpiece caught my eye and I had to have it. 

Photograph from Jane Perala Designs

They truly are beautiful beads, and I want to share what I made with them...

I have added to her lampwork beads - two large jet black Swarovski rondelles, gold-filled wafers as spacers, and red velvet glass rondelles. The necklace and the smaller black spacer beads are natural jet rondelles. I was looking for a substantial opulent clasp and used the gold-plated Tierra-Cast Pewter Radiant toggle.

I thought natural jet was an appropriate choice to accompany this magnificent Ancient Coin, because it was black and it too is ancient. Natural Jet is actually the product of high pressure decomposition of wood from millions of years ago. It is lightweight, of course like wood, and easily carved and polished. Historians and archaeologists have traced jewelry from Jet back to ancient times. More recently, Queen Victoria made it popular by incorporating it into her mourning clothes and jewelry, when she was mourning the death of her husband, Prince Albert. It was also popular for making into rosaries for European monks. In the USA it became popular during the roaring 20s, for use in the familiar long flapper necklaces.

I attached the main bead to the necklace with black leather, and more black and red rondelles dangling from the pendant. 

I so love how it turned out, I ordered more ancient coins from the talented Miss Jane Perala...