After a month long break following the Steveston Christmas Craft Fair, I have started working on some earrings again. The palette for my latest design was inspired by a lovely colorboard post at 100 Layer Cake and I picked peach moonstone, crystal quartz, and blue calcite as approximate matches for butter, sugar, and seafoam. I expect to have one or two more crystal quartzes in the design and hope to finish these earrings soon.
28 December 2009
10 December 2009
Last chance
There are still three weeks left in December, which means there is still plenty of time to have your name entered in the $50 gift certificate draw! How? Each purchase made at aileen.etsy.com in 2009 earns one entry for the draw, which will take place in the new year. Don't miss out!
29 November 2009
Lori and Emmanuelle
Here is Lori Dray wearing the Emmanuelle earrings, which she selected with the gift card she won from the draw at the Steveston Christmas Craft Fair:
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craft fair
28 November 2009
A very merry day!
A big thank you to everyone who made it out to the Steveston Christmas Craft Fair today! Many pairs of earrings were sold, as was the Danae necklace, which was brand new and not even posted in the shop yet! All of the unsold items have now been relisted so if you didn't have a chance to see the jewellery in person, you can always look online.
The winner of the $20 gift card draw is Lori Dray, who has her eye on the lovely Emmanuelle earrings. Congratulations Lori! There will be another gift card draw at the next craft fair (to be announced) so be sure to clear your schedule!
The coming days will be spent cleaning my work space and then posting several new pieces including four pairs of earrings and a necklace. Here are two of the earrings, the Mina and the Elena:
The winner of the $20 gift card draw is Lori Dray, who has her eye on the lovely Emmanuelle earrings. Congratulations Lori! There will be another gift card draw at the next craft fair (to be announced) so be sure to clear your schedule!
The coming days will be spent cleaning my work space and then posting several new pieces including four pairs of earrings and a necklace. Here are two of the earrings, the Mina and the Elena:
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christmas craft fair,
craft fair,
earrings,
elena,
goodies,
mina
21 November 2009
Just in time for the holidays
I love it when there is a custom order and the customer gives me some general guidelines and then lets me go wild with the design. My friend Voula liked the stones used in the custom James necklace that I made for another friend's wedding so I worked them into a different design. Here are the signature three rubies and single crystal quartz of the new Voula necklace:
Don't forget the Steveston Christmas Craft Fair is only a week away on the 28th and all of the items in the shop at aileen.etsy.com will be at the fair. It is inside the indoor tennis court behind Steveston Community Centre (4111 Moncton Road, Richmond) from 10am to 4pm and there will be goodies... The first eight customers receive a free gift, valued between $20-50, and all visitors can enter their names in a draw for a $20 gift card. I hope to see you there!
Don't forget the Steveston Christmas Craft Fair is only a week away on the 28th and all of the items in the shop at aileen.etsy.com will be at the fair. It is inside the indoor tennis court behind Steveston Community Centre (4111 Moncton Road, Richmond) from 10am to 4pm and there will be goodies... The first eight customers receive a free gift, valued between $20-50, and all visitors can enter their names in a draw for a $20 gift card. I hope to see you there!
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voula
16 November 2009
Leaf pendant
Although the Steveston Christmas Craft Fair is only two weekends away, I am still busy making a few more pieces of jewellery before I begin my show preparations. Here is one of my brand new pieces, the Norah, which has black onyx, obsidian, smoky quartz, and hematite.
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christmas craft fair,
necklaces,
norah
17 October 2009
Love affair
For the last three weeks or so, I have been obsessed with smoky quartz. I actually am always obsessed with smoky quartz, but I just could not stop touching it and pairing it with other stones during this time. My love affair has resulted in four new pieces - three pairs of earrings (Astrid, Nigella, and Emlyn) and one bracelet (Hillary) - and all of them have smoky quartz in some way. Here are the Emlyn earrings, which also have iolites in the design:
12 October 2009
Autumn hues
03 October 2009
Touch of pink
Eleven new items have been posted to the shop at aileen.etsy.com including two pairs of custom earrings (Ava and Sandrine) and the bracelet below. The Khairi bracelet has pink topazes, mystic pink quartzes, rose quartzes, and crystal quartzes, and it's very girly, no?
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khairi
25 September 2009
Treasury: Dana
Another pair of my earrings have been chosen for an Etsy treasury listing again! This time it is the Dana earrings, which has faceted round smoky quartz and red carnelian framed by upside down brushed sterling teardrops. This pretty listing was curated by ShimmeringSky, who is also from Vancouver:
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etsyland,
treasury
21 September 2009
Love and marriage
My dear friends James and Elisse got hitched on Saturday, September 19th and they had a lovely ceremony and fun reception. Elisse wore a crystal quartz and three-ruby necklace called James and bridesmaids Hannah, Pam, Sam, and Fumiko wore their specially designed custom earrings. Here is a shot of Elisse signing the register, with Hannah showing off her Mare earrings:
Until the end of September, three pairs of earrings using the wedding colours are being highlighted in the shop at aileen.etsy.com. The Lorna, Talula, and Demelza use spessartites, garnets, tourmalines, and beer quartzes, and earn double the entries toward the year-end gift certificate draw!
Until the end of September, three pairs of earrings using the wedding colours are being highlighted in the shop at aileen.etsy.com. The Lorna, Talula, and Demelza use spessartites, garnets, tourmalines, and beer quartzes, and earn double the entries toward the year-end gift certificate draw!
31 August 2009
Custom work coming
The plan is to post some new items this week, but as I will be working on several custom pieces for a bride and her bridesmaids, the posting may have to be pushed back until next week. But as it is, I have some beautiful earrings and necklaces that are ready to go. And if there is a little bit of time, I am going to use the freeform black garnets from my last purchase too. I have already decided to pair them with some textured hoops and call them Claudia so I hope there will be time soon!
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08 August 2009
New inspiration
I stopped by Country Beads, my favourite Vancouver bead store, on my way to seeing Macbeth last night and left with some beauties. There are smoky quartzes, chalcedonies, iolites, pearls, and a sugilite. There is also a pair of ruby zoisite, which has grey instead of the typical green mottled background. And a pair of freeform black garnets. I can't wait to turn them into earrings!
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supplies
24 July 2009
Treasury: Kirsten
One of my pieces has been featured in an Etsy treasury! What is a treasury listing? It is a member-curated gallery that is usually done with a theme or a colour scheme, and it has a very short lifespan. This treasury is called Innocence and was chosen by Crocheted4Kids. It expires on Sunday (July 26th) and here is a screenshot showing the Kirsten:
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etsyland,
kirsten,
treasury
22 July 2009
Batteries recharged
My self imposed break from jewellery making hasn't gone very well since I managed to complete another pair of earrings over the last ten days. Waiting to be posted to the shop are the Rochelle, which features prehnite briolettes from Seattle, and the new Tabitha earrings, which have pale pink chalcedony coins.
The next piece will be the amethyst, aquamarine, and peridot earrings I wrote about last time, but the style will likely be much shorter with the addition of iolites and maybe another stone. And then I have a cluster necklace in mind that should be very pretty. The stones I am thinking of using include iolite, spinel, aquamarine, kyanite, tanzanite, and grey topaz. It looks like my attempts at recharging during the break worked so watch for some new additions to the shop soon!
The next piece will be the amethyst, aquamarine, and peridot earrings I wrote about last time, but the style will likely be much shorter with the addition of iolites and maybe another stone. And then I have a cluster necklace in mind that should be very pretty. The stones I am thinking of using include iolite, spinel, aquamarine, kyanite, tanzanite, and grey topaz. It looks like my attempts at recharging during the break worked so watch for some new additions to the shop soon!
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rochelle,
tabitha
11 July 2009
Aquamarines and peridots
The Rochelle earrings are finished now and I am moving onto my next design. I have yet to decide whether to include an amethyst at the top, which would make it a little like the Kirsten earrings except the stones will not be clustered. There will be a lot of labour involved since all of the aquamarines and peridots are briolettes, but the end result should be fabulous (and fabulously expensive)!
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earrings,
valerie
09 July 2009
What's going on
Although I had planned to take a short break from making jewellery, I find there is a mysterious force drawing me back to my beads... I already have two earring designs in mind and an idea for a necklace that I will probably start working on this weekend. The earrings are temporarily called Valerie and Rochelle, but who knows if they will end up with a different name. So much for the break!
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rochelle
05 July 2009
EotW: Demelza
The new Earrings of the Week are the delicate Demelza earrings. Named after a character from the Harry Potter books (just like the Romilda), they feature tiny smoky quartzes and olive tourmalines above unusual kite-shaped beer quartzes:
In other news, the craft fair props and supplies are almost all packed away, which means it is time to refocus on the shop. I am working on two custom modifications and will be posting the Carissa, Jen, and Ulla soon.
Don't forget the free shipping deal during Celebration Week expires after tomorrow! The deal applies to shipping to anywhere in the world whether it is to Calgary or Stone Town.
In other news, the craft fair props and supplies are almost all packed away, which means it is time to refocus on the shop. I am working on two custom modifications and will be posting the Carissa, Jen, and Ulla soon.
Don't forget the free shipping deal during Celebration Week expires after tomorrow! The deal applies to shipping to anywhere in the world whether it is to Calgary or Stone Town.
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carissa,
demelza,
eotw,
name origins,
sale
01 July 2009
Celebration Week
The Salmon Festival Craft Fair was a success and some of the items that sold include the Monique, Jill, Shandra, and Anisette. The shop has already been restocked so it is running again...
... Which leads me to the special deal that began on Monday, June 29th. Since there are two national holidays being celebrated this week (Canada Day today and the Fourth of July on Saturday), there is free shipping on all items at the shop at aileen.etsy.com. The celebration week special lasts until the end of the day on July 6th!
... Which leads me to the special deal that began on Monday, June 29th. Since there are two national holidays being celebrated this week (Canada Day today and the Fourth of July on Saturday), there is free shipping on all items at the shop at aileen.etsy.com. The celebration week special lasts until the end of the day on July 6th!
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craft fair,
jill,
monique,
sale,
salmon festival,
shandra
26 June 2009
Local vs. international
Preparations for next week's Salmon Festival Craft Fair are well under way. All of the earring display cards have been cut, scored, pierced, and labeled - they only need to be folded before earrings are inserted and displayed properly. All of the bracelets and necklaces have also been tagged, which means I am almost ready for July 1st! Here is an in-progress picture of the earring display cards, two of the free-gift-with-purchase items for the first ten customers, bracelet and necklace tags, and bagged earnuts, along with three pairs of earrings that will make their debut at the craft fair (L-R: Carissa, Charla, Jill):
I also wanted to mention how wonderful Google Analytics is at tracking website traffic. I added it to the shop in February and it tracked visits from as far away as Tehran, Iran! As for this very blog, there have been visits from 39 countries and here is a map of the visitors' locations:
I also wanted to mention how wonderful Google Analytics is at tracking website traffic. I added it to the shop in February and it tracked visits from as far away as Tehran, Iran! As for this very blog, there have been visits from 39 countries and here is a map of the visitors' locations:
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carissa,
charla,
craft fair,
jill,
salmon festival
24 June 2009
Warm hearts, warm bellies
My workplace held a fundraiser for the local food bank last week and I donated these smoky quartz and iolite earrings to be sold:
The Orleya proved so popular that I had to make second pair, which was fantastic because it meant the food bank got even more than expected!
The Orleya proved so popular that I had to make second pair, which was fantastic because it meant the food bank got even more than expected!
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donations,
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orleya
18 June 2009
Bridesmaid colours
Here are some of the beads I picked up last weekend:
I was really happy with my finds so it's no wonder I used the rose quartz and vesuvianite to make the Carissa earrings last night... The pink topaz and smoky quartz were also recent purchases (from the Whole Bead Show in May).
I was really happy with my finds so it's no wonder I used the rose quartz and vesuvianite to make the Carissa earrings last night... The pink topaz and smoky quartz were also recent purchases (from the Whole Bead Show in May).
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supplies
14 June 2009
New supplies and Arleigh mock-up
I spent a good portion of the weekend shopping in the Seattle area and naturally, one of my stops was at a bead store. Located just minutes from the I-5, Alexander's Bead Bazaar has a large selection of beads including some of the nicest high end semiprecious stones available. I was only in the store for half an hour, but I left with strands of amethyst, smoky quartz, prehnite, rose quartz, white topaz, amazonite, and vesuvianite. Pretty mint green prehnite is new to my inventory and I can't wait to make some cluster earrings with them!
A recent customer in California liked the Arleigh bracelet but found that at 7.25", it was not long enough. Several convos later, we had agreed on a sale whereupon I modified it to her desired length. Below is a mock-up I created to show her the lengthening options:
A recent customer in California liked the Arleigh bracelet but found that at 7.25", it was not long enough. Several convos later, we had agreed on a sale whereupon I modified it to her desired length. Below is a mock-up I created to show her the lengthening options:
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bracelets,
custom,
supplies
09 June 2009
Mary Mary quite unordinary
Seven new items have been posted to the shop at aileen.etsy.com including the previously mentioned Esme and Shandra. One of the new pieces is the Mary, although its work-in-progress name was initially Eliza and then Sybilla. It has unusual amethyst octagons plus clusters of pretty pink topazes and mauve pearls:
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mary,
name origins
04 June 2009
Blushing bridal jewellery
Here is a look at the custom Lila earrings I have been working on since yesterday. Leverbacks have been chosen over regular shepherds hooks for security.
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custom,
earrings,
lila
31 May 2009
A little bit of sparkle and shine for the big day
Etsy has a "convo" feature to enable buyers and sellers to contact each other and my favourite type of message is the kind where a completely stranger asks whether something can be custom made for them. I got one just tonight and although it is too early to know if anything will come of it, I am excited all the same.
This potential client is looking for earrings for her wedding and wanted something like the Paige earrings, only in light pink. I wrote back and included a photo of my rose quartzes and morganites, as well as crystal quartzes, snow quartzes, and smoky quartzes. I hope this works out because I would love to turn the rose quartz onions I bought two months ago into something worthy of a bride.
This potential client is looking for earrings for her wedding and wanted something like the Paige earrings, only in light pink. I wrote back and included a photo of my rose quartzes and morganites, as well as crystal quartzes, snow quartzes, and smoky quartzes. I hope this works out because I would love to turn the rose quartz onions I bought two months ago into something worthy of a bride.
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lila,
paige
27 May 2009
A green wedding
The lovely Rhonwyn earrings, as seen below, sold two days ago and will be worn by the maid-of-honour at a California wedding:
Prasiolite, also known as green amethyst, is one of my favourite stones to work with and can also be seen in the Ophelie earrings, Tiffany bracelet, and Mikaella necklace.
I have finished the earrings from last time and they are now a little shorter because I took away the two larger links at the top of the chain. They are super cute and pretty and I expect to post them to the shop some time in June!
Prasiolite, also known as green amethyst, is one of my favourite stones to work with and can also be seen in the Ophelie earrings, Tiffany bracelet, and Mikaella necklace.
I have finished the earrings from last time and they are now a little shorter because I took away the two larger links at the top of the chain. They are super cute and pretty and I expect to post them to the shop some time in June!
21 May 2009
In the tropics
Here's a quick peak at something I am currently working on... It's got a blue mystic topaz briolette topped by labradorites, apatites, peridots, and aquamarines. The little beads are connected to the large links of a short figure eight chain and I have yet to decide whether I will fill the top two links with beads, leave them the way they are, or even remove them.
In any case, the pastel blues and greens remind me of the tropics and make me want travel somewhere with a white sand beach:
In any case, the pastel blues and greens remind me of the tropics and make me want travel somewhere with a white sand beach:
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earrings
17 May 2009
Design evolution: Shandra
My newest design took a while to nail down, but I am quite happy with the final look. I knew as soon as I got the clover-like findings that I had to link them up somehow, but I faced the challenge of them collapsing downward until I added the horizontal bead to space out the upper clovers. From there, it was just a matter of using the right number of jumprings to connect all the parts together. However, my original design also had a large crystal quartz briolette hanging from the bottom (as pictured) but the proportions didn't look right so I went without. The Shandra earrings therefore have only three beads and three clovers.
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earrings,
shandra
14 May 2009
Goodies from aileen.etsy.com
After toying with the idea of setting up a supplies shop, I am one step closer to realizing that plan. That is, I have claimed the username ariasupplies.etsy.com and put up a banner:
There is still nothing in the shop, but that will gradually change. My plan is to post small quantities of some of my supplies to see if there is any interest. It isn't my intention to turn this into a full fledged business; rather, I often buy my beads in strands for the volume savings and because there is just no other way to get them, but don't need all of the individual pieces. This way I can unload some and hopefully use the earnings to buy more beads!
There is still nothing in the shop, but that will gradually change. My plan is to post small quantities of some of my supplies to see if there is any interest. It isn't my intention to turn this into a full fledged business; rather, I often buy my beads in strands for the volume savings and because there is just no other way to get them, but don't need all of the individual pieces. This way I can unload some and hopefully use the earnings to buy more beads!
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goodies
11 May 2009
It's a girl!
Seventeen new pieces have been added to aileen.etsy.com including the previously mentioned Juliette, Reina, Cherie, Tammy, Gloria, and Katerina.
Another one of the seventeen is a versatile piece that can be worn as a necklace or a lariat. The Monique features seven puffy mystic pink quartz briolettes plus a 20.6ct step-cut smoky quartz. It is the first piece that has been inspired by a name alone and my source was a baby girl born to my friend Margaret.
Another one of the seventeen is a versatile piece that can be worn as a necklace or a lariat. The Monique features seven puffy mystic pink quartz briolettes plus a 20.6ct step-cut smoky quartz. It is the first piece that has been inspired by a name alone and my source was a baby girl born to my friend Margaret.
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monique,
necklaces
09 May 2009
Red, red rubies
My dear friend Elisse was over last night and we picked out the stones for her bridesmaids' earrings. She is going for a fall palette and we ended up with citrine, carnelian, brown and golden tourmaline, garnet, and beer quartz. She also took a look at the pieces that I will be posting to my online shop soon and fell in love with the Katerina earrings:
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katerina,
wedding
06 May 2009
Silver and orange
Here's another preview of an upcoming piece aside from the Juliette as seen in this post... This is the Gloria and is made of large citrines purchased just this past weekend:
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gloria
Just one more
I have been on a crazy jewellery making bender lately and it must be because the new supplies have been so inspiring. The current plan is to post all of my new pieces by the 15th and there are going to be more than fifteen additions! It's going to take some time to photograph everything and write their descriptions so it just might take me until next Friday to finish!
I am currently working on one last pair of earrings before I prepare the pieces for posting. The Tammy has amethyst, pink topaz, and tanzanite, which gives it a pretty pastel colour range. In fact, the colours are similar to those in the assymetrical Charlotte necklace:
I am currently working on one last pair of earrings before I prepare the pieces for posting. The Tammy has amethyst, pink topaz, and tanzanite, which gives it a pretty pastel colour range. In fact, the colours are similar to those in the assymetrical Charlotte necklace:
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necklaces,
tammy
04 May 2009
New stock
The Whole Bead Show was in town this past weekend and I stocked up on gemstones and sterling silver findings on the first day. Some of my favourite purchases include peridot briolettes, tanzanite rondelles, large ruby briolettes, even larger citrine briolettes, ultra-saturated green amethyst onions, teeny tiny aquamarine briolettes, and rosy pink topaz rondelles. I have already made earrings using the peridots (Dallas) and pink topazes (Cherie), and plan to work on the citrines next. They are a rich orange colour and will definitely turn heads!
On a side note, the Dallas earrings are a special gift for a very sweet lady by the same name. She is my good friend Jessie's mother and has been very supportive of my jewellery. I know she loves the colour green and I have been looking for some pretty peridots for her for a long time. On another side note, Jessie loves hot pink and these raspberry quartz and pink tourmaline earrings were named after her:
On a side note, the Dallas earrings are a special gift for a very sweet lady by the same name. She is my good friend Jessie's mother and has been very supportive of my jewellery. I know she loves the colour green and I have been looking for some pretty peridots for her for a long time. On another side note, Jessie loves hot pink and these raspberry quartz and pink tourmaline earrings were named after her:
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cherie,
dallas,
jessie,
supplies
03 May 2009
EotW: Ursula
Last week's Earrings of the Week featured the Nola and this week the special is for the Ursula. It has a cluster of peach aventurine, pink and yellow tourmaline, and jade in between garnet and ruby fuschite at the top and purple jade at the bottom. Now that is an unstoppable combination!
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eotw,
ursula
30 April 2009
Multitasking
I have been a busy bee over the past week and have made several pieces while I watched movies including Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Baker (quite fun!), and Gone With the Wind. See, I like to watch movies (and a few select TV shows) and I feel less guilty if I am doing something productive at the same time. This is where the jewellery comes in...
After the Juliette, of which I showed an in-progress picture in my previous post, I made several pairs of earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet. I admit I am quite in love with the bracelet, called Reina. It has a large wooden bead flanked by two oval peach moonstones plus smoky quartz and small beige pearls. It is feminine yet a little chunky, and is perfect for the summer.
After the Juliette, of which I showed an in-progress picture in my previous post, I made several pairs of earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet. I admit I am quite in love with the bracelet, called Reina. It has a large wooden bead flanked by two oval peach moonstones plus smoky quartz and small beige pearls. It is feminine yet a little chunky, and is perfect for the summer.
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reina
26 April 2009
Simple chandeliers
I finished a lariat/necklace last night and will write more about it later because I'm very excited about a pair of earrings. The stones are peridot, amethyst, spessartite, and lemon topaz, and although the earrings are not finished, this is a representation of what they will look like:
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earrings,
juliette
25 April 2009
In preparation
Seeing as how I will be doing a craft fair again this summer, I checked my stock of earring display cards and was dismayed to discover that there weren't many left. So off I went to order some more! I have always found the products from Overnight Prints to be of high quality and can't wait to receive my latest order. For those who have not seen my table at previous craft fairs, this is how I display my earrings:
Lariat: Kat.
Top row L-R: Nadira, Francie, Hyacinth, Laurie, Thora, Martine, and Patience.
Bottom row L-R: Isabelle, Tracy, Jacinda, Tina, and Beatrix.
Lariat: Kat.
Top row L-R: Nadira, Francie, Hyacinth, Laurie, Thora, Martine, and Patience.
Bottom row L-R: Isabelle, Tracy, Jacinda, Tina, and Beatrix.
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displays
22 April 2009
Upcoming craft fair!
I am very excited to report that I will be at the Steveston Salmon Festival again this year with my jewellery! It will take place on Wednesday, July 1st inside the gymnasium at Steveston Community Centre in Richmond, BC. More information will be announced soon!
Meanwhile, below is a picture of some of the items I bought recently. The large garnet briolette will be used for my friend Elisse's wedding jewellery, but the blue topaz, amethyst, and golden tourmaline are not reserved. The colours are a lot of fun and I can't wait to turn them into something wearable!
Meanwhile, below is a picture of some of the items I bought recently. The large garnet briolette will be used for my friend Elisse's wedding jewellery, but the blue topaz, amethyst, and golden tourmaline are not reserved. The colours are a lot of fun and I can't wait to turn them into something wearable!
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craft fair,
salmon festival,
supplies
19 April 2009
EotW: Kirsten
The latest EotW is an intricate pair of earrings with seed pearls, petal pearls, round pearls, rose quartz, morganite, and chalcedony. The clustered beads are connected with ball-end headpins to add a shiny silver look. Perfect for a wedding or a fancy evening out! Here is the Kirsten:
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eotw,
kirsten
18 April 2009
Zadie last dance...
Five pieces have been added to the shop: Ceili, Shefali, April, Celeste, and Nala.
I also made the Antonia last night, but it will not be added until the next time I add pieces to the shop. It uses materials that have never appeared in Aria Industries pieces including shiny brushed oval hoops and large CZ rondelles. It is simply stunning and a preview will be posted soon.
Meanwhile, I had previously written about a pair of earrings I was making for my friend, Ying Ying. The Zadie earrings feature iolite, hematite, smoky quartz, and rough diamonds, and tonight, Ying Ying is celebrating her birthday with drinks, dinner, and dancing!
I also made the Antonia last night, but it will not be added until the next time I add pieces to the shop. It uses materials that have never appeared in Aria Industries pieces including shiny brushed oval hoops and large CZ rondelles. It is simply stunning and a preview will be posted soon.
Meanwhile, I had previously written about a pair of earrings I was making for my friend, Ying Ying. The Zadie earrings feature iolite, hematite, smoky quartz, and rough diamonds, and tonight, Ying Ying is celebrating her birthday with drinks, dinner, and dancing!
17 April 2009
Bead show shopping
The Whole Bead Show is returning to Vancouver during the first weekend in May and it is only two weeks away. I went for the first time a year ago with my good friend Margaret and left with some gorgeous step-cut grey topazes, which can be seen in the Christine necklace/bracelet and the Trista earrings. My favourite thing about going to the show is that while local vendors like Country Beads (love love love) and Kimdoly attend, there are also many vendors from far away places. Of the travelling ones, my favourites were Bedrock Supply from Edmonton, Stones and Findings from Toronto, and Rocky's Design from New York. Hopefully I will be able to find some more beautiful things this year!
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supplies
16 April 2009
Shades of white
One of the styles that will be posted in the next week or two is the Shefali. It has tiny faceted crystal quartzes and morganite plus two types of rainbow moonstones. The overall colour is white, but there are some beautiful blue and yellow flashes when light hits the rainbow moonstones at the right angle.
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shefali
13 April 2009
Triple threat
Today is the last day of the necklace sale so don't miss out!
Here is a special preview of three upcoming pieces... From left to right is the Ceili (pronounced KAY-lee), the Nala, and the April:
Here is a special preview of three upcoming pieces... From left to right is the Ceili (pronounced KAY-lee), the Nala, and the April:
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april,
ceili,
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nala
12 April 2009
EotW: Lorna
It's Sunday, which means a new pair of earrings is being featured for the EotW promotion. This week's special is the Lorna and it has beautiful colours inspired by fall foliage. The stones are spessartite, a variety of garnet, and graduated shades of brown tourmaline.
I have been busy in the workshop lately and have several creations finished. One of them is a pair of earrings for a friend's birthday - the Zadie has a small cluster of iolite, hematite, smoky quartz, and champagne diamonds dangling on a fancy chain. The other creations will be posted in the shop in the next few weeks and include the April (pink topaz, peridot, amethyst, and smoky quartz) and the Celeste (aquamarine and pearls). I had plans to make something with my mystic pink quartzes, to be named Monique after my friend's baby daughter, but got sidetracked by some green tourmalines yesterday.
I have been busy in the workshop lately and have several creations finished. One of them is a pair of earrings for a friend's birthday - the Zadie has a small cluster of iolite, hematite, smoky quartz, and champagne diamonds dangling on a fancy chain. The other creations will be posted in the shop in the next few weeks and include the April (pink topaz, peridot, amethyst, and smoky quartz) and the Celeste (aquamarine and pearls). I had plans to make something with my mystic pink quartzes, to be named Monique after my friend's baby daughter, but got sidetracked by some green tourmalines yesterday.
10 April 2009
Easter sale and EotW: Ivana
There is a surprise Easter sale at the shop and it is only from Friday (today) until Monday. All of the necklaces are $10 off for a short amount of time so if you have had your eye on something for a while, now is the time to get it! All necklaces purchased during this period will earn two entries in the gift certificate draw at the end of the year so why not check out the Dagmara, the Heather, or one of the others?
Meanwhile, it is almost the end of the week, which means a new pair of earrings will be announced as the EotW in two days. Before that happens, the currently featured pair, the Ivana, will also earn double the entries in the gift certificate draw:
Meanwhile, it is almost the end of the week, which means a new pair of earrings will be announced as the EotW in two days. Before that happens, the currently featured pair, the Ivana, will also earn double the entries in the gift certificate draw:
07 April 2009
Hard at work
Although nine items were posted just two days ago, I am very happy to report that the workshop is already busy again! One earring has been finished for the Shefali design, which has rainbow moonstone, crystal quartz, and morganite for a translucent white look. Next in line will be the Ceili earrings, which I briefly wrote about on April 2nd.
After that, I am uncertain what pieces I will work on despite having several design ideas in my head. There may be a simple lariat (stones to be determined) and/or a necklace of andalusite, garnet, iolite, and smoky quartz.
After that, I am uncertain what pieces I will work on despite having several design ideas in my head. There may be a simple lariat (stones to be determined) and/or a necklace of andalusite, garnet, iolite, and smoky quartz.
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shefali
05 April 2009
Icicle jewellery
A selection of earrings, plus a necklace and a bracelet, have been added to the shop just this afternoon. These are the Isis earrings, which were inspired by icicles.
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name origins
04 April 2009
Colours: blues, greens, and greys
The Lenya earrings are finally finished and will probably be posted in the shop at aileen.etsy.com this weekend along with all the other pieces. The actual act of posting isn't that easy however since it involves taking countless photos (and picking three good ones), writing the description, and then posting. But I don't have a lot of activities planned for this weekend aside from picking up the Ikea jansjö lamp for my new beading space so there is a good chance I might get this done.
In other news, I find this combination of blue topaz, kyanite, labradorite, and green garnet absolutely stunning and can't wait to put it together. There is a possibility I will skip the green and use a large labradorite briolette I have been saving for a while.
In other news, I find this combination of blue topaz, kyanite, labradorite, and green garnet absolutely stunning and can't wait to put it together. There is a possibility I will skip the green and use a large labradorite briolette I have been saving for a while.
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lenya
02 April 2009
Something blue
I was rifling through my box of small beads last night and came across several possible bead combinations for future pieces. My favourite is the pairing of apatite with turquoise since both are the same blue, but one is opaque while the other is clear. I even have briolettes in matching sizes to pull off the design, which I will likely start working on in the next day or two.
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ceili,
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01 April 2009
Vanessa is Lenya
The name Lenya has been rolling around my brain for the last two days and I have decided the earrings I had temporarily named Vanessa will actually be called Lenya now. I'm not sure where the name came from, but it sounds a lot like Enya and is the actual lastname of Lotte Lenya, the woman who played SMERSH operative Rosa Klebb in From Russia With Love.
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name origins
New supplies
I am super excited to report that a new shipment of beads will be arriving at my doorstep in the next few weeks. Among my purchases include some faceted blue topaz coins, a long narrow chrysoprase briolette, and a marquise beer quartz bead. I already have plans to use the beer quartz with garnet and smoky quartz marquises in a simple drop necklace and can't wait to put it together!
There has finally been progress with the Vanessa earrings - one of them is finished, in fact. Hopefully there will be a little time to work on the other one over the next two days since there aren't going to be new episodes of Ugly Betty or Grey's Anatomy this week =)
There has finally been progress with the Vanessa earrings - one of them is finished, in fact. Hopefully there will be a little time to work on the other one over the next two days since there aren't going to be new episodes of Ugly Betty or Grey's Anatomy this week =)
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30 March 2009
EotW: Bobbie
The three items featured at my Etsy shop at aileen.etsy.com tend to be colour coordinated and this week's selection is no different. Chosen for their beautiful blue colour are the Wellesley earrings, the Rhiannon necklace, and the Bobbie earrings, which also happens to be the Earrings of the Week. The design has three faceted blue agate beads plus several short lengths of chain. Check out the earrings:
28 March 2009
Home renovations
Among the many pieces that will be posted in the next week or so will be a pair of pretty cluster earrings. I have started wiring stones to the cable chain, but had to put the project on hold due to a major home renovation - the gungy grey carpet is being replaced by laminate flooring! I am super excited about the change, but as I have stuff up the wazoo, it is taking a lot of time to clear the rooms so the installers can put in the new floor. Most of the work is done now so I just have to put things back to where they belong and weed out stuff I no longer want, and there really is no better time for this spring cleaning!
Meanwhile, I hope to work on the earrings again soon. There will be some green amethyst and andalusite briolettes plus teeny tiny labradorites and rose quartzes. The work-in-progress name for these earrings is Vanessa, but I won't make my final decision until they are finished.
Meanwhile, I hope to work on the earrings again soon. There will be some green amethyst and andalusite briolettes plus teeny tiny labradorites and rose quartzes. The work-in-progress name for these earrings is Vanessa, but I won't make my final decision until they are finished.
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lenya
23 March 2009
Red, white, and pink
My box of supplies is a little fuller courtesy of a mini shopping stop on Sunday. I picked up some gorgeous giant crystal quartz briolettes because I might be able to use them in a custom necklace. My dear friend Elisse is getting married in September and I'm making the jewellery for her special day (except for THE piece of course!).
She has asked for something clear and burgundy and cut out photos to show me the necklace styles she likes. We have settled on having it very simple in the front with a single clear briolette, while the back would have three hanging briolettes similar to the way an extender chain dangles. I'm in love with the idea already and just had to find the right stones!
Although I already had some long skinny deep red cubic zirconias (as seen in the Lavinia earrings) and some teeny tiny rhodolite garnet briolettes, I suspected they would not be the right size or shape. My shopping trip did not yield any burgundy stones, but I did find the crystal quartzes, which would look wonderful with my pink mystic quartzes:
I also spotted some solar quartz beads and got one, which I turned into a necklace called Kylie as soon as I got home! Here it is with morganite, vesuvianite, and golden rutile quartz:
She has asked for something clear and burgundy and cut out photos to show me the necklace styles she likes. We have settled on having it very simple in the front with a single clear briolette, while the back would have three hanging briolettes similar to the way an extender chain dangles. I'm in love with the idea already and just had to find the right stones!
Although I already had some long skinny deep red cubic zirconias (as seen in the Lavinia earrings) and some teeny tiny rhodolite garnet briolettes, I suspected they would not be the right size or shape. My shopping trip did not yield any burgundy stones, but I did find the crystal quartzes, which would look wonderful with my pink mystic quartzes:
I also spotted some solar quartz beads and got one, which I turned into a necklace called Kylie as soon as I got home! Here it is with morganite, vesuvianite, and golden rutile quartz:
21 March 2009
Got the blues
This is the bracelet I am working on... It is still in the early stages and I have yet to decide whether to add little dangling stones to the sterling spacers à la the Eugenie bracelet. My favourite part is definitely the giant aquamarine, which has some unexpected rainbow sparkles, but the blue flashes in the rainbow moonstones are pretty too.
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eugenie,
jessica
20 March 2009
New bracelet soon
There are two pieces to report about today: the Drina earrings and a to-be-named bracelet. The Drina is a very simple design with white, peach, and orange courtesy of magnesite and aventurine. These are a pair of what I sometimes call "every day earrings" as opposed to the fancier clustered styles like the Kerenna (snow quartz, champagne diamond, hematite, and rutile quartz):
I began a bracelet two nights ago and am in the process of attaching a gorgeous freeform aquamarine to rainbow moonstones, separated by the same spacers found in the Edwina earrings. Although it is tempting to leave the bracelet that way, I may try to dangle some tiny moss aquamarine and rose quartz beads for a little movement.
I began a bracelet two nights ago and am in the process of attaching a gorgeous freeform aquamarine to rainbow moonstones, separated by the same spacers found in the Edwina earrings. Although it is tempting to leave the bracelet that way, I may try to dangle some tiny moss aquamarine and rose quartz beads for a little movement.