I Curated a Front Page Last Night

Etsy Front Page 1/16/09 PoleStar

Originally uploaded by Etsy Front Pagers

A few sales resulted from this one and there were two brand new shops that were put right up there on the Front Page. Very exciting!

Christmas Shopping, for Family and Myself.

I have been doing a lot of shopping on Etsy lately.  I have a small extended family, so there aren’t many to shop for.  My brother has no children and I will probably make a necklace for his girlfriend.  My husband is an only child, my Mom doesn’t wear jewelry, so I have no opportunity to make anything for her, but I have found some really fantastic gifts for everyone on Etsy.  I haven’t bought anything for my two boys on Etsy, because a 2 and 4 year old just won’t appreciate “hand crafted.”  They want Fisher Price crafted.

My husband asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and I told him nothing but some more memory for my computer.  I have done quite a bit of shopping on Etsy for myself as is!

For my Mom and my Mohter-in-Law, I bought some ornaments from Thinkoutsidethebox.  They are adorable and so well crafted.  Ornaments for the tree are such a timeless gift, and they serve as a reminder of the memories of Christmas with family, year after year.

I also bought the cardinals in her shop for the respective mothers and just recently ordered a pair for my own tree.

My parents love to feed the deer who come around their house, and my Mom is an animal lover, especially of vulnerable baby animals, so I purchased this adorable print from SharonMontrose. The picture is so interesting because it almost looks like a water color.  James, my husband, is going to frame it for me.

I am growing out my bangs so I have been shopping for hair clips and there are so many cute ones to choose from on Etsy.  I found some hair poppies from inafrenzy and I love them.  I ordered a couple of pairs and I am including a couple of them in a gift box for a friend.

I also bought some cute Wee Bobbies from Accessoire.  They are such a beautiful deep red color and so well made.  She has some in white right now that I am trying my hardest not to snatch up.

I also loved these beaded vintage earrings turned hair bobbies from youaremysunshine.  They sparkle a little more than the photo captures.  The bobby pins are sturdy as well.  Okay yes, I obviously have a hair accessory problem, okay?

I haven’t taken this gorgeous necklace from organikx off since it arrived in the mail.  It is a perfect every day wear necklace and I just am in love with it.  The oxidization on the silver contrasting with the pearl is just stunning.

I was pouncing around Etsy and I saw jNicDesigns was having a 3 day sale and these pearl and oxidized  sterling silver earrings were a perfect accompaniment to the necklace!  It was fate that brought us together.  Fate and Pounce.  I also buy from jNicLoft for gemstone supplies, always such a stunning collection.

Handmade soap is always a wonderful and affordable option to treat yourself and others.  I bought a few soaps for others and myself.  Including some Peaches and Cream soap from dennisanderson

Now, again, we move on to jewelry.  I love jewelry, love making it and love wearing it especially when it is different from what I make and made by other skilled Etsians.

I ordered a “build your own” Pod Necklace from moxiedesigns.  I selected the dark teal yarn.  I love this necklace, it is so well made and so different from every other necklace out there.  My two boys love it as well, I think it is something about the texture.

I had my eye on these for a while in brookmarton ’s shop.  They are just a great winter earring, so pure and sparkly looking.  Finally, I caved and ordered them just a day ago, I can’t wait to receive them!

So obviously I have done a lot of shopping.  More for myself on Etsy, at least.    I will have to buy a few more things for friends and family to balance it out.

Monday Favorites

I am attempting to start some regular features on this blog to keep cobwebs from growing on it.  Here are a few favorites of mine that I do or would love to own.

JennyBunny Rings

Lately I have been into rings.  I don’t make rings, nor will I.  We all have our points of inspiration, and rings are not one of mine.  However I am inspired to wear other people’s creations.  Today I received a couple of these rings from JennyBunny along with a faboo bracelet.   They are even prettier than the pictures in that the pictures don’t really capture the constant sparkle that come along with these.  Talk about some fun holiday bling for very little green!  You can find Jenny’s shop at www.jennybunny.etsy.com.

Bline Goodness

Speaking of affordable ring bling, The Bline has some gorgeous rings!  I am all over purple this season and her rings have so much texture and depth.  Definitely on my “to buy” list this season.  The great thing about adjustable rings is that you can give them as gifts and not worry about sizing.  You can find Bline’s shop with many other lovely rings at www.thebline.etsy.com.

Delish

Satisfy all your beading purple needs by stocking up on some purple supplies.  Everywhere you look this season, in fashion magazines and stores you will find all shades of purple.  Look at these gorgeous carved beads from MKSupplies.  Oh the fun things I could do with these!  You can find them at www.mksupplies.etsy.com.

My love of purple led to a front page on Etsy curated by me, contrats to all for that.

Front Page 11/10/08

Favorites on Etsy: polpetteclay

 

Carrot Cube Peapod Magnet by polpetteclay

I ordered these little guys after I was Pouncing around on Etsy and discovered polpetteclay’s shop.  They are even cuter in person, and the magnet is a good size.  I love it because it makes me smile. I like it even more because my 4 year old also loves it.  He asks to hold it and he will look at it and discuss the smile of the carrot and how many teeth it has.  Then he looks at the top pea, points to it and says, “This is me.”   Anything that can warm my heart so much is a good thing, and that is why I love these little guys.  Polepetteclay also makes some really adorable alphabet magnets.  A friend of mine discovered the shop through me and bought her pastor the Peas on Earth magnet after he gave a talk about world peace in her child’s Sunday School class.  Anything that can make us smile these days is a good thing.  We smile a lot around my household, but there is always room for more.  I also am keeping these in mind for the holidays, they would make such cute stocking stuffers and gifts for teachers.

Jewelry Crafters, What is Your “Perfect”?

The “diamond” standard.  One sees that phrase frequently when people or companies want to impress upon us that their product is the best.  Of course, with the world diamond industry, it is hard to argue that a large number of people consider these the “perfect” and most beautiful gem.  However when you are small business jewelry crafter or hobbiest, you find inspiration to create beautiful things out of any number of precious, semi-precious, and non-precious materials.  

I find all manners of materials inspirational. I love beads and gems.  Gems inspire me, and I am enjoying exploring new creative ideas with them.   They are fascinating and captivating in all their varieties.  The Earth yields to us so much beauty for our own interpretation and creation.  Most people have their favorite gems, the pieces that speak to their heart, whether they are making jewelry or wearing it.  Imperfect to me is beauty.  I have always thought of slightly crooked teeth as beautiful.  Something just not quite “perfect” is pleasing to my eye.  This gives me a lot of opportunity in using gems, because inclusions can add to a gem’s appeal and character.  My latest favorites; tourmalinated and rutilated quartz are an example of this.  No stone is alike, each is distinct and beautiful.  Tourmalinated quartz have inclusions of dark tourmaline darting through the crystal clear stone in higher quality gems.  These lovelies are brought to you by JewelsBeadSupply.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rutilated quartz contains needles of titanium dioxide darting through the stone, an it is a little more subtle and is known as “Venus’ Hair Stone” likely due to the thin golden strands running through the stone.  This gorgeous gem is brought to us by kstudiogems.

 

 

 

 

Labradorite, a variety of feldspar, is another of my favorites, though I have yet to work with it, I will be ordering some soon.  The inner growths in the stone combined with the molecular structure results in a gorgeous flashy gem . These stunning gems are courtesy of luxurygems.

What inspires you?  A crystal clear top quality diamond?  A man-made gem?  A perfectly round lucite bead?  Lamp work?  Metal work?  We all have our own idea of beauty and its perfection.

You’ve Seen These Lovelies, No Doubt…

Pink Drops

Vintage is definitely in.  Vintage offers a feminine, affordable, stylish options in jewelry.  If you make jewelry and buy on Etsy no doubt you have seen these lovelies in various supply shops.  They are inexpensive and really fun and come in a wide variety of colors.  My favorite are the pink and gold varieties.  Very fun and a nice pop of color.  The beads featured in this photo can be found from the following suppliers on Etsy, starting at top left and around clockwise:  yummytreasures, TammysTreasures, mksupplies and again, mksupplies (these last two are larger beads.)

I made a pair of vintage style earrings from these and I just love them.  They are soft, feminine and affordable.

Pink Vintage Dangles

White Chalcedony faceted rounds suspended above gorgeous pink and gold engraved drops. I feel like these earrings make a style statement, they are so pretty and colorful. Gold plated findings.

-Chalcedony rounds are 7mm
-Acrylic pink and gold engraved drops are 17×10mm

PoleStar

Favorite Supplier: CharmedbyHelena

Tourmalinated Quartz

Look at these gorgeous gems!  My favorite gem at the moment is Troumalinated Quartz.  These briolettes are stunning!  I love these gems because each one is different and they have so much depth.  The black marks darting through the clear quartz is almost dynamic, as if you are looking at atomic particles leaving a trail through mist.  These gems were worth a little bit higher expense, and the shipping was fast and they look just as beautiful in person.  She sells gemstones and stunning jewelry.  www.charmbedbyhelena.etsy.com.

Tourmalinated Quartz Dangles

I made these earrings out of two of them for a friend of mine for a formal event.  I am so inspired by them I want to make a few more designs with them for my shop and perhaps a couple things for myself.

Favorite Sellers: prettyoriginals

I ordered some marble magnets from www.prettyoriginals.etsy.com. I plan to make these one day for fun, but in the meantime I wanted to see some well-made marble magnets up close, and also to have them to adorn my fridge and all the various preschool calendars, kid pictures and other things a fridge collects. These little magnets are so cute and the magnets sticks well and holds even the thickest paper to the fridge. I know some people are minimalist and prefer not to have a fridge covered in papers and clutter, but we are not that house. And these magnets are perfect. Fast shipping as well, almost immediate gratification. She also makes jewelry, gift tins and other assorted fun little beauties.

My Favorites So Far – Denial Necklace

Denial Necklace

Originally uploaded by polestarjewelry

The Denial Necklace. That sound so mysterious and intriguing. However apart from any romantic implications that can be gleaned from that name, and the necklace itself, I mean a denial of Autumn beginning for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. I do like designing jewelry for the season, but I couldn’t resist these gems, and of course, the pendant just screams Springtime! I suppose you could garner some romantic notions about this necklace, because it hangs right below the bust line.

I am very energized and de-energized by the seasons. Fall is so inspirational, so crisp, and so romantic in so many ways. It is a wonderful season because it makes you want to go outside, but it also sends you indoors, staying warm, snuggling up.

Spring on the other hand is so hopeful. It is the awakening of the year ahead, and I do find lusty feelings are inspired by the explosion of nature and all the procreating of plants and animals. This necklace reminds me of Spring, fresh, bright, fun.

Okay, enough of the hoo ha. This necklace has 9 beautiful Prehnite faceted pear briolettes floating over a stunning hot pink Chalcedony faceted briolette. The pendant has a very satisfying weight to it, and it hangs on a 29 inch delicate sterling silver chain and the pendant is 2.5 inches, so it will hang 17 inches from the nape of your neck. Gorgeous, Springy, swingy.

PoleStar’s Blog

My name is Jennifer and I make jewelry. It is a creative outlet for me and I love it because I can use all my daydreaming time to think of new designs in my head and I also can have pretty fast tangible results! Not only that, I love when people see something they really like and enjoy the creation as well. I don’t see it as a matter of ego, but just creating lovely things in this world, and a little bit of that never hurt anything I suppose. Mush mush.

I have always had a creative streak, whether it was casually drawing or working in Photoshop or making little gifts for friends. Learning to sew is one thing I would like to do eventually, and I would also like to learn to play the violin. I have 2 boys and I hope to eventually take lessons in violin with one of them. Maybe. We’ll see.

I also haven’t had any formal training, I have a B.S. in something NOT very creative, I was on a path and followed it, though I do wish I could go back and major in Philosophy. Perhaps one day I will get a Master’s in something or another, though I have received advice to not just get an advanced degree for the sake of having one, but to pursue a passion and know pretty much exactly what you want to do.

I decided to try out WordPress as opposed to Blogger which I am very used too. WordPress is going to take some time to get to know!   By starting this blog, I wanted to bring to you some of the creative process I use when making my jewelry, where I find supplies that I love, and showcase other jewelry makers whom I admire on Etsy, and also showcase sellers who have caught my eye, or money from my wallet!

Comments are welcome, and so are questions, and if you are reading this, I appreciate you taking the time to do so.