These arrived today from the lovely Tanya of TanyaMac.etsy.com . A fellow member of the Crafty Ireland Team!

I adore them so! They are extremely well made and came beautifully packaged.  I intend to put them up in my craft room, but she also sent me an extra bauble which looks gorgeous on my tree! Love them!

Go check out her shop for more beautifully handmade items. You can also find her here:

Blog :: http://etsyireland.blogspot.com
site :: www.arabella-invites.com
Flickr :: www.flickr.com/photos/cheekyurchin/

December 15th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

These are some of the new ornaments I was happy to acquire this year. I adore them all!

Crochet Snowflake Ornament from small packages

Full Moon Ornament from minouette

Fly Agaric Mushroom Ornaments from minouette

Set of 5 Miniature Mushrooms with wire stems from craftsty

Herbie the Hedgehog ornament from BeeLoveLee

I would have loved to have  photos of them on the tree for this post, but it’s 4pm already and completely dark. I can assure you though, they look fantastic on my tree!

December 14th, 2009 | No Comments »

The Crafty Ireland Team, of which I am apart of, is hosting a BIG BIG giveaway over on the team blog. http://etsyireland.blogspot.com

The prize is essentially a mystery box -containing an assortment of handmade items made by various members of the Crafty Ireland team! All you have to do to enter is head over to the original post and leave a comment. The winner will be drawn on Monday, November 16th!

Good luck!

November 12th, 2009 | No Comments »

1. Guests For Tea Locket Necklace from Locket2You

2. Adaline Brown Flower Strap Sandal from Alternative Outfitters

3. Tara Checks Wrap Dress from Matta

4. Woven Beige Satchel from Engage Green

August 24th, 2009 | No Comments »

I’ve been looking for a new desk and I will, more than likely,  go with this simple Ikea one as it ticks all my boxes. Plain, cheap, white, basically a table with a lot of surface area. And now that we finally have an Ikea here I can have it delivered.

But, if I really had the money I would love this Antique Mahogany Secretary Desk and Chair by Vintage Chic Furniture.

It’s just darling!

August 19th, 2009 | No Comments »

This gorgeous Hammered Sterling Silver Stacking Ring from MissesBird. I got the oxidized Silver version and I think I will get some more. Right now I’m stacking it with my wedding rings. They’ve become a little loose since losing a bit of weight and it’s keeping them nice and tight.

I also got these cute little magnets from button empire.  I couldn’t resist them, it was like they were made for us! Though, based on the many sales of these, it seems this dynamic within couples is quite common. Who knew?

And then this gorgeous Small Ceramic Tray – “Cornus Florida in Olive” from Blue Green Designs.  I wanted a small tray specifically for these tiny cacti plants we got. It worked out perfectly. I’ll try to get some pics of them together.

August 12th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

1. Rose Cut Garnet Ring by Elizabeth Scott Designs
2. Love is Maroon Dress by Cocoricooo
3. Danse Du Ventre Necklace Set from ModCloth
4. Pavana Sandals by Matta

August 12th, 2009 | No Comments »

{please excuse my lack of posts the last few days. Had some personal, family stuff going on}

And now I bring you… Works in Progress!

Worksinprogress is a jewelry designer/photographer from North Carolina. She makes lovely, vintage inspired, feminine jewelry. She says she started as a photographer and slowly moved into jewelry making. She is talented in both these mediums. You can find her photography under the name KingdomByTheSea.

You can also find her at:

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August 5th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Today I was delighted to see one of my Lattice Ribbon Bracelets featured in this lovely, calming treasury created by MissesBird. Aka Inbloomfinds. Aka Inbloomdesign. She’s a multitasker.

{you can click the pic to show it some love while it is still active}

I love Grey and I think Mrs. Bird did a beautiful job here.

Not too surprisingly as she does beautiful work in general. You can see for yourself in her handmade pieces.

These are all available at MissesBird. You should also check her beautiful blog Nest Blossoms. She really does have an eye for the lovely.

July 30th, 2009 | 2 Comments »

I have this post I want to write, but words never come easily to me. I’ve never been one who’s good with words. Give me something to make.

Ok. I have always, or for as long as I can remember, had this dream of being successful using my creative talents. I started selling my jewelry online in December. I have worked and worked and everyday I feel like I’m making progress in that my product photos are better than when I first started, my items are better than when I first started, my descriptions, my marketing, etc. Of course, there is a lot of room for improvement still, but I work at it everyday so I try not to be too hard on myself when things aren’t going how I would like.

I’ve had many a day when I just wanted to throw my hands up and be done with it all, believe me. But, I would never actually do that. I want this and I believe in myself and my product. When the sales don’t come in , you ask yourself a million questions. ” Am I in denial? Is my stuff just not as good as I think it is?”, “Are my prices too high?, are my pictures not good?, Are people afraid to buy from Ireland?” and a hundred other questions.

I’ve had sales and I am grateful for every single one of them. It’s consistency that I am after. I go weeks sometimes without a sale and I rack my brain looking for reasons. I know the economy is bad, but people are still buying. I know that jewelry is a very over saturated market, but people are still selling it consistently everyday. I don’t want to make or find excuses, I want to be successful.

Gosh, this is turning into a bit of a rant – wasn’t intended that way, lol.

The point of this post? My hard work is paying off. My pictures and product were “good enough” to make it into an Etsy weekend deals gift guide. This is something I have strived for, for a long time, but it always eluded me. I know how important it is to be seen, but getting seen, on Etsy, amongst the million other jewelry sellers, is hard, to say the least.

See down there in the corner? That’s me!! I have proof. haha

So… I am just very happy. Very proud of myself. I know this was just one weekend, and I hope that it wasn’t a one time thing. No, I know that it wasn’t a one time thing because I will continue to work my arse off. It’s just a really, really great feeling  to know that your hard work is paying off, not just monetarily.

It was a very successful weekend for me and I’m still a little bit in shock I think. Success  can be scary, at least for me. That’s another hurdle I must conquer.

I just want to thank every single person who has ever supported me or believed in me with sincerity. Or bought my stuff.

It really was amazing and I am just so, so grateful.

Thank you.

July 27th, 2009 | 1 Comment »