A Welcoming Place - Our Home to Yours ~A BESTeam Feature

Our Home to Yours is a welcoming and inviting Etsy shop run by the mother/daughter team of Debbi and Amanda.  Each of these ladies bring special talents to their arts and crafts.  They both like to try different crafts, and hence have sold different types of items.  All of their crafts are one of a kind designs.

I enjoyed looking through the things for sale at this shop, and also looking at the things that have been sold in the past.  They are happy to recreate something that they sold in the past, if possible, should you like one of those items.  I noticed that they made some lovely crocheted items that they sold, but now they are focusing on jewelry.  So please look at both the sold and for sale items in their shop to get the full picture of their talents.

A number of the pieces of jewelry stood out to me.  Debbi created this lovely Orange and Pewter necklace.  It is so appealing with its cool pewter pendant and the warm orange beads.  There is something so engaging about placing cool colors with warm colors like Debbi did here.

Have some fun with these Funky Fuzzy Lime Green Fun Fur Flip Flops.  Very affordable!  Kick up your heels with these!

It's wedding season, and we all enjoy watching the child who is the ring bearer coming down the aisle.  The pillow on which the ring is laid will have even more significance if it is a hand crafted Crocheted Ring Bearer Pillow.

If you explore Debbi and Amanda's sites further, you will find on their blog page, All About Us, that their faith and relationship with God is extremely important to them.  One of their creations that expresses that is this Beautiful Blue and Gold Cross Necklace.  This lovely large blue cross features gold detail on a blue background.  The beads in the rest of the necklace are a perfect match to the blue and gold in the cross.

Amanda and Debbi are members of the BESTeam (Boosting Etsy Shops Team ) on Etsy.  This is a team that mentors one another and promotes one another to help us be successful with our Etsy shops.  If you have an Etsy shop, please drop by and see our team on Etsy.

 You may also catch up with Amanda and Debbi at their following websites.

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Sparkly Bedazzling Crystals

For many years I have been designing jewelry, and often include a bit of sparkle in the design because I think it perks up the jewelry and adds a bit of drama. Do you ever use Chinese crystals when you make jewelry?   For most of my pieces of jewelry, I used Swarovski crystals.  However, recently I have seen a vast improvement in the quality of Chinese crystals.

Swarovski crystals are known to be just about the finest crystal to use in jewelry. The crystals are leaded glass that are precision cut. The facets of these crystals catch the light and sparkle with a gorgeous fire.

I continue to use Swarovski crystals in my fine quality jewelry usually in conjunction with sterling silver and other fine gemstones and pearls.  This necklace features Swarovski crystals.

But what about Chinese crystals?  Are they inferior and unacceptable to use in our beaded creations.  I say resoundingly that they are wonderful to use in our jewelry.  Due to the improvement in quality and the affordable price, I use them frequently, and the sparkle is bedazzling.

The green and yellow Chinese crystals in this strand add lovely sparkle.  The blue Chinese crystals are a little softer, not so much sparkle.

Fabulous rich red Chinese crystals add beauty to this Dragonfly Necklace.

There are many lovely strands of Chinese crystals available for purchase on Etsy.  I created a treasury with some of those crystals on it.  Please leave your comments below.  Do you prefer to use Swarovski crystals or Chinese crystals?

Majesty of the Mountains - Inspiration for Creativity

Have you ever heard of the San Juan Skyway in Colorado?  It is one of America's scenic byways.  I had the pleasure of driving the San Juan Skyway on Sunday and Monday last week.  It is breathtaking and beautiful.  If you ever have a chance to do this, please take the opportunity.

This drive through the San Juan mountains refreshes the soul and allows us to put the world into perspective.  The loop winds through towns that are quaint and historic.  We drove through Durango, Colorado, a thriving western town, at the south end of the loop.  As we headed north out of Durango on Hwy. 550 we went through Silverton, an historic Victorian mining town, and then up the "Million Dollar Highway" to Ouray, a quaint town called the Switzerland of America.

I posted some of the pictures we took.  However, I have no pictures of the "Million Dollar Highway".  That's because I was driving the car on a two lane road with lots of switchbacks.  Driving north I was fortunate to have the mountain side to my right, which was rock cliffs going straight up.  I know not how high because I dared not remove my eyes from the road.  The traffic heading south had the excitement of hugging the edge of the road with no shoulder and no guardrails and a drop down into a canyon of I do not know how many feet.  This 23 mile drive was through a beautiful rock canyon.  But no pictures!  Nowhere to stop to take them.

Enjoy the beauty of these mountains in my pictures below.

San Juan Skyway Heading North on Rte. 550

Molas Pass

Heading North Again on Rte. 550

We're Almost in the Clouds - Rt 550 headed north

Oh Gee!  We're Driving in the Clouds!

MAJESTY!!!

Oh Lord, Oh Lord, How Majestic Is Your Name in All the Earth!

Indigo Objects - A Fabulous Marketplace - A BESTeam Feature

The owner, collector and creative mind of Indigo Objects has created her own marketplace on Etsy.  This artist's favorite color is ultraviolet indigo, hence the name of her shop. Indigo Objects, Fine Art Jewelry and Metaphysical Objects has many interests that are reflected in her items displayed at her shop.  She creates handmade gemstone jewelry and also carries antiques and vintage clothing.

As I spent time perusing Indigo Objects offerings, I found an amazing variety.  Let me share some of those that really caught my attention.

I always appreciate beautiful colors, and this anklet has a wealth of colorful beads.  It is five luscious strands of bold, wild, colorful semi-precious stones to wear around your ankle this summer.  Enjoy!

Another bold colored item from Indigo Objects is the red windchime.  Beautiful red cinnabar disk beads are combined with carved wood beads, mother of pearl, and jingle bells to create this windchime that will delight your senses as it blows in the breeze.

Of course, as a person who likes jewelry, I am drawn back to the handmade jewelry in Indigo Objects shop, and find that this purple flower jasper pendant is quite lovely.  This would be a fabulous addition to a warm sweater in the winter, or a soft peasant blouse in the summer.

Finally, I have to share with you the most magnificent antique.  I admire antique pie safes, and this one is a beauty.  It dates pre 1850 and has 12 Gothic Punched Tins in Church Cross Caduceus design.  My knowledge of these is not great enough to explain this design, but it is beautiful, and obviously of great value after all these years.  Take a look at this, and read all the information that Indigo Objects shares about this unique piece.

I have shared some of my favorites from Indigo Objects, but please take time to visit her shop and wander through her offerings.  You will surely find something there of interest to you.  Indigo Objects is online in a number of places.  Please visit those sites also.

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Indigo Objects is a member of BESTeam on Etsy.  We are bloggers who have shops on Etsy.  Please take a look at our team on Etsy if you also blog and have a shop on Etsy.  We promote one another and educate each other on online marketing.  Stop by the BESTeam on the ProBoards Forum or our Team Page on Etsy. We look forward to meeting you!

Elizabeth M. Duquette has a broad range of interests and she shows it in her jewelry designs in her Elizabeth MD Etsy shop.  Elizabeth is a member of the Etsy team, BESTeam, plus a number of other Etsy teams.

One of my favorite pieces of jewelry that is in Elizabeth's shop is her  Silver Butterfly Heart Earrings.  $2.00 from the sale of these earrings will be donated to Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support..

In addition to the earrings, Elizabeth has a matching necklace.

Have fun wearing this red pinky ring.  Lots of color, yet casual and fun!

Look for ElizabethMD on her blog, 

Fascinating Ms Formaldehyde - a BESTeam Feature

Ms Formaldehyde says "I can make anything you want just ask". She lives up to her word. Take a look at her bright colorful shop full of flowers, feathers, tikis, skulls and so many other things. Kelly Formaldehyde is the artist behind all of this, and she is a member of the BESTeam on Etsy. The BESTeam is all about Boosting Etsy Shops.

When you enter Kelly's shop you will notice lots of beautiful colors, many of them used in hair accessories. Look at this fabulous fascinator made with gold feathers, rustic orange feathers, hand dyed rooster feathers and a pretty white flower with rhinestones. This is a Wedding Fascinator and offers lots of drama.

Another favorite design for me is the Orange Zinni Flower Barrette.  It has beautiful colors in it, perfect for summer.

Are you ready to have some fun and start some great conversations?  Get these Purple Tiki Earrings and wear them.  Someone is sure to comment, and you can have some fun with it.  These are nicely detailed.

For many more choices, go to MsFormaldehyde's shop.  Also see her at her blog and her Facebook page. 

Fanciful Bugs

This treasury is aptly named "Are you bugged by this?  Once again one of my pieces of jewelry is featured in an Etsy treasury.  It's getting to be a habit.  I had decided to post everytime I am in a treasury, but it is getting to be a lot.  Maybe I should create a new page just for treasuries and collections.  Anyhow, here is this one for today. Enjoy.  My red dragonfly necklace is included.

DDVintage pulled this treasury together.  Very creative!