Etsy Weekends: Blue Sapphire Dreams

 My engagement ring is a Yogo Sapphire, found in Montana, and I have a huge soft spot for sapphires in rings. Well, I have a soft spot for sapphires set in anything...but rings especially. The shop that creates this ring does enrapturing work, and this has got to be my favorite item of theirs. 

Blue Sapphire Ring from Nangijala Jewelry

Snowy Weather

 Hello!

It's been a while. My weekends have been full of Japanese homework, knitting, garden cleanup, and flower bed creation. Now the ground is covered in a foot (at least!) of snow, we have a weekend off from homework, and I am between knitting projects as of right this moment!

I pulled out the leather working supplies and started making my leather tags for the knitting - they are pretty cool! But it was a day full of learning lessons about all the little intricacies - how wet should the leather be? How far apart should the stamps be? Should they go the same direction or upside down? Which of my scraps work for the stamping? Should I buy the heat gun so I can burn the suede style leathers since they won't stamp?? There were also lessons learned on how large the holes need to be in the leather so that I can actually get the needle through, (bigger than I expect they should be) and how to keep the label straight on the knitting while I stitch it (lesson still being learned...) But, overall, I'm pleased with the project. It has been years in the making, and finally seeing the labels on my hats and scarves is very satisfying. 

The knitting projects always come in waves for me - I wanted to work on my colorwork mittens, so I have yarn set aside to make about four different pairs. Of course I didn't swatch my new yarn, assuming it would work since it is sport weight, and while the mittens will fit a variety of hands, they look very silly - long and thin. So...now I have to decide how to proceed - do I rework the pattern to fit my yarn or do I find yarn to fit my pattern? I also have two different colorwork patterns that I want to test out, and one is quite a bit smaller than the other - so that raises even more questions. What it really means though, is that I am doing a lot of thinking about knitting and a lot of charting, and a lot of math, but not actually a lot of knitting. 

With the holidays coming up, I have several custom order malas to be working on, so I'll need to get my thoughts and materials gathered for that. Yesterday I worked on my Etsy listings for the jewelry shop, I have jars of jewelry sitting on the coffee table staring at me: earrings and bracelets and necklaces that have yet to be photographed or listed. 

We shoveled three times yesterday and once on Thursday - so we are fully into snow season! Matt and I are hoping to get out in it today, put on our long johns and go enjoy the sunshine and the blinding white snow. Hope you all have a lovely week!

Etsy Weekends: Pearls!

 Matt bought me coin pearl earrings and a matching necklace a few years ago, and since then I've been really intrigued by all kinds of pearls. This shop has many beautiful examples, but this pair in particular caught my eye....

Dainty Pearl Earrings from Crystal Glow Design

Etsy Weekends: You Got to be Seen Gold

How quickly fashion goes down the drain.

Last week when you all was wearin' pink

Already for me red was old.

The ultimate brick is gold.

That's the new color, children

-The Wiz

These earrings are gorgeous! I would love to have them :)

Agate and Gold Earrings from Gypsy Jade Soul

Etsy Weekends: Bamboo Earrings

I think you all know that I like earrings. A lot. Especially if they have scrollwork, or are lightweight, with a simple and elegant ear attachment. These fit that bill to a T! Is Christmas coming up soon or what??

Tribal Rec Bamboo Earrings from Kinetik Soul

Slow Weekend Tidbits

Hello!

It's been a slow week here - taking each day in stride, trying to focus on our health and Matt's surgery recovery. We've been going for walks and riding the Peloton regularly, and adding in some strength training workouts that hurt for days (for me anyway!). It's also been computer heavy on the creative side - with me working on adding all of our jewelry listings. We are up to 44 active listings on the Hide and Hair Gems Etsy account!

Yesterday I went outside to clean up a mess I made two weekends ago, and ended up weeding the raspberry patch/flower patch next to the deck for roughly three hours. It was my first sunburn of the season...and wasn't nearly as bad as they have been in the past. But my raspberry patch looks better than it has in a long time!!

I also worked on a commissioned Mala this week. The beads I used were gorgeous Labradorite 8 and 10 mm round beads. The flash in some of those beads were unbelievable. 

                                               

In addition to spending a ton of time on my phone/the computer for the Etsy listings, I've also still been working on uploading our photos and organizing them into folders in Google Photos. We are trying to consolidate our Japanese honeymoon photos and our wedding photos into one place so we can pick out a couple of pictures to hang on our walls. It's going to be a tough decision I fear. 

Hope you all have a lovely week coming up!

Etsy Weekends - For the Neck that has Everything

I know I only just recently shared my love of opals (see my post from June 6th...) but gosh I can't help myself. Just look at these necklaces!!! They are fantastic. Seriously.

Dainty Raw Opal Necklace from Catching Wildflowers

Happy Father's Day!

Hello everyone, and Happy Father's Day!

It's going to be a pretty quiet day around here I think, at the very least it has started off that way :) I missed posting last week, but the day got away from me, and we hadn't done much of any note for the week. I've been working on starting an Etsy shop for the Jewelry, and that has taken up most of my evening time. 

Creatively, I've been working on bracelets and bookmarks. My bag full of partially crocheted cat toy balls have been staring at me...but I should really wash another fleece for stuffing...so they will just have to stare a little longer. 

I'm still working on my photo transfer project as well. I've uploaded all of our photos into google photos so that I have access to all of our pre-cell phone photos that have just been hanging out on the computer upstairs. Matt and I also never compiled our Japan photo albums, so that is another of my long term goals. There are a few walls in this apartment that could use some Matt and Kirsten photography, so hopefully I find gold in my searches. :)

Have a wonderful week and a lovely lazy Sunday. :)

Etsy Weekends - Oh Opal!

The brilliant flash of opals have always fascinated me, and now that my Grandmother Opal is gone, they also remind me of her every time they flash and dazzle my eyes. (Garnets remind me of Grandma too - but we're here for the opals today.) This ring made me audibly sigh when I came across it recently, prompting a "What's up sweetie?" from my incredible husband, who wanted to immediately buy it for me, until I reminded him that we have no money to spend on frivolities at the moment. It's the thought that counts right? And it's probably not my size anyway....

Vintage Opal Ring from NY Fine Jewelry

Etsy Weekends - Green with Emeralds

I love anklets. There is something about a piece of unassuming jewelry wrapped around an ankle - mostly invisible in colder climates - that just hits me. It's evocative, and makes me feel differently when I wear one. This one struck me recently, and I can't get it out of my mind.

Raw Emerald Anklet from Crystal Minded

Etsy Weekends - For the Hair

I'm not much for playing with my hair. But, as I get farther into the professional world, it has come to my attention that I should at least attempt to work on my look. These hairpieces are simple, understated, and something I think I could get behind wearing.

Hand Carved Cherry Burl Barrette from Pete Rockenhauser

 

Tri-Layer Wooden Hair Pin from Village House VH

Etsy Weekends - Little Earrings

A few years back, I lost my everyday earrings. Well, I lost one of my everyday earrings. It was somewhere in the house, so for several weeks, I had to carefully consider my earring choices, until Matt bought me a new pair of everyday earrings. The new ones were perfect and beautiful, and within a week I found the original pair - which had been my everyday earrings for 13 years or more. I love both of my easy choices, but now I keep my eyes open for other everyday earrings so that I can have even more options! Here are a couple that might fit the bill for me.

Petal Teardrop Earrings from Crystal Glow Design

Slim Rose Gold Bar Earrings from Green Peridot

Etsy Weekends - Animal Necklaces

As far as necklaces are concerned, I am usually a fan of petite, understated necklaces. But if you are going to go big, you may as well go big with an animal around your neck. Here are two necklaces I came across recently that I like an awful lot.  

Glass Fox Necklace from The Crafty Cow Shed 

 Silver Frog Necklace from Link Wachler Designs

I'm trying to post weekly again, wish me luck and come back next week to see if I win the game! ;)

Etsy Weekends - For the (Wedding) Hair

As I am planning a wedding (and have been for nearly two years) I tend to linger over the wedding ideas. Things I would never normally be attracted to, like fiddly things for your hair. I am generally terribly boring about my hair. I wash it. Brush it. Cut it once a year if it needs it, and pull it back with plain black hair ties to keep it out of my face. But a wedding...well, there's all kinds of nifty things you can do to your hair then. Here are two that I am contemplating currently:

V Headband from danani 

Flowercomb from We Are Flower Girls

Come visit soon to see what other goodies we have found on Etsy!

Etsy Weekends - Elegant Earrings

I love these earrings. Simple, elegant, dangly. Everything I could want for a nice fancy pair of earrings for a night on the town!

Gold Pear Drops from Xena Style

Diamond Pendulum Earrings from UpScale Hare 

Come back soon to see what else we have found!

Etsy Weekends - Natural Earrings

As you should all know by now, I have a real affinity for earrings. When I get around to it, I'll share pictures of the jewelry organizer I built for myself this winter - I made sure to have spots for lots and lots of earrings! Today, however, I will be sharing some of my Etsy earring finds - earrings I would love to own. Hint Hint. ;)
 

Copper Prairie Grass Earrings from Kit and Caboodle Shop

Moss Globe Earrings from Ural Nature   

Blood Orange Earrings from Real Fruit Jewelry  

Real Butterfly Wing Earrings from Neile  

Stop by next week, we'll most likely be here to share our new Etsy finds :)

Etsy Weekends - Round Jewelry

I love these jewelry items made in circular shapes. They make me happy just to look at them :) I hope they do the same for you!  

 Reversible Blue Necklace from Firepan Jewellery

 Green Bangles from ReVetro

 Leather Earrings from Katrin Shine

 Orange Pendant from Good Medicine Gemstone

Swing by next week to see what else we've got for you!

Etsy Weekends - Earrings

It's been a while since I posted any earrings, but I've certainly been finding and favoriting them on Etsy! If you follow us, you know I have a problem with earrings. If I had more discretionary funding it would probably be split between yarn/fiber and earrings. I can't help it - they are usually cheap-ish, they don't take up much room, and the more you have the more diverse you can dress yourself (with jewelry anyway!)

Anyway, here are a few pairs I would love to own!!  

River Stone Earrings from Authentic Stone

Maple Earrings from Luminous Creation

 Labrodite Hoops from Elfi Roose

Come on by next week, we'll be here!

Etsy Weekends - Drop Earrings

Although I still only wear the same two or three pairs of earrings every day, I dream of owning more. Someday I will have a wardrobe where I can coordinate my earrings to match every day of the week, like a certain professor I had the opportunity of learning from last semester. Here are some of my recent finds!   

Teal Drops from Rootie Birds

 White Pearl Dangles from The Bead Aerie

Blue Beaded Dangles from Florence JewelShop

Black Sea Glass Earrings from Bevmar Designs

Come on back next time and see what else we've curated for you!

Etsy Weekends - Cuffs

I love bracelets, and especially love the look of cuffs. You;d almost never know it though, since even when I do wear jewelry it's usually rings and a watch on my hands and wrists. I have one gorgeous bracelet that is locked in the vault at Mom and Dad's house. Someday I'll have my jewelry in my house...but for now I have to drool over what I could buy from Etsy.  

Copper Cuff from Kim Forrer Designs

Brass Cuff from Febra Rose

Silver Cuff from Revonav

Clay Cuff from The Shag Bag

That's it this time, come back again next week!