Fall Home Decor

 It's that time of year again when the temps start to cool off and it's time to start thinking about pumpkins.  I still love these pumpkins I found at Wal-Mart last year.

 This is new this year.  I found the wheat and the carafe at Hobby Lobby.  Nothing says Fall like wheat.

 I put my twig/vine balls out again this year with some decorative garland thrown in the bottom of this wire bowl I still love.

 I took this old Gold Canyon Candle jar and threw some assorted pearls inside.  Found the pearls at Michael's for cheap. 

 I found these mung beans at Michael's as well.  The bowl was a gift.  I like the colors together.  It says Fall to me.

And last but not least, I took my white pitcher from Michael's and put some brown eucalyptus inside.  My birthday was this week so I decided to decorate my house as a gift to myself.  My sister got me a fun gift that will be another blog post.  Happy Fall Y'all!

Salt Lake City Gem Faire

Here is the first pair of earrings I designed and created all on my own.  I attended the Gem Faire at the South Towne Expo Center in Sandy, Utah.  They have this event a couple of times a year here in Utah and they also have the same event in San Diego, CA; Portland, OR; San Rafael, CA; Lynden, WA; Eugene, OR; Hillsboro, OR; Sacramento, CA; Costa Mesa, CA and a few other locations.

The Gem Faire is one of the largest gem and jewelry shows in the United States.  They have about 50 shows a year along the west coast and some areas of the Midwest.  I was overwhelmed at how many beads were in one place.  Talk about sensory overload.  But I was like a little kid in a candy store.  I had so much fun going through every type of bead and finding you could ever imagine.  They had some really good deals on jewelry tools too.  They offer quality merchandise at manufacturer's prices because you are buying from the source.  Here is their website for any of you who might be interested in attending. The next one in Utah will be September 21,22, and 23.  The hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m.  If you don't get a free ticket through their website, the price of admission for the weekend pass is $7. It was so much FUN!

Learning the art of Jewelry Making

My grandfather was a master at jewelry design and creation. I've decided to take up this hobby as well. This is a simple watch necklace I came up with.
To give me some basic instruction I bought this little book from Michael's. My sister-in-law gave me some jewelry making tools for my birthday so I already had those.
This is a bead board where I have started about 4 different necklaces or bracelets. I still need to get some more supplies but the design part of this new hobby has been so much fun. I would love any advice from any jewelry designers out there.

Some projects I've been working on

One reason I've been slacking off on my blog is because I've been working on all of these lightbulb necklaces and earrings. I have had so much fun picking colorful beads and then assembling these necklaces and earrings. These will definitely be showing up in my Etsy shop soon. Happy crafting everyone.

The "lightbulb" just went on...in the form of necklaces

I just got an interesting email from Etsy. They sent me a link to a conversation about how to put some heart and soul into your Etsy shop. Soul is that quality that tells a buyer your product was lovingly made by a real person who loves his or her art. The link talks about how to convey that soul into every aspect of your Etsy shop. Check it out here. I've been putting some "soul" into a new product line that will be going into my Etsy shop soon. Above is a little sample. Any advice on pricing, color suggestions, etc.? I would love to hear from you.

The most fascinating glass beads

I discovered this Etsy artist about a year ago. Her work simply astounds me. How can such a little bead hold my attention for so long? I've recently started thinking about making jewelry. My grandfather created jewelry and I think I'm starting to get the bug. Beads, rocks, marbles, and stones have always fascinated me. Jewelry making would be a nice creative outlet for my immense love of beads. I'll keep you posted.