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Ups and downs of life

Chevron seems to be everywhere these days.  Fabric, notebook covers, magnets, you never know where it might appear.  I’m always drawn to this pattern myself.  My latest Etsy treasury features some amazing handmade items that showcase this dynamic shape.

Etsy treasury: Ups and downs of life

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Prestige black & white earrings

Prestige black & white earrings

Bold, glamorous, sophisticated, timeless.  All perfect words to describe these beautiful black and white earrings.  I especially love the Swarovski crystal chessboard beads.  They look like miniature disco balls!  I should work up some new designs to showcase more chessboard beads, they are just so much fun.  These earrings are made with all sterling silver components and are available for sale in my Etsy shop.

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Featured Friday – JuLVa

JuLVa

This week’s featured Etsy shop is JuLVa in Riga, Latvia.  Shop owner Julija Vareiko creates handmade hair accessories inspired by the Japanese art of tsumami kanzashi.  Before this week, I had never even heard of kanzashi.  Now, I am enthralled by it.  Meaning ‘folded fabric hair ornaments’ according to Wikipedia, tsumami kanzashi are traditionally made from tiny squares of silk that are folded into petals using origami techniques.  In this shop, Julija uses primarily grosgrain ribbon.  I find myself looking very closely at the full size photos of her items just to see the intricate details.  I can only imagine the kind of patience that she has to have to create such beautiful work!

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Swarovski color carousel

I love the Swarovski color carousel for viewing coordinating and contrasting colors of Swarovski crystals and crystal pearls.  I tend to work with pink and purple shades at this time of year, so it’s nice to spin the wheel to something different and see what interesting combinations are revealed.  I particularly like indicolite as the main color.  It is complemented by turquoise, caribbean blue opal, and blue zircon.  Or choose indian pink and padparadscha for contrast.  Give the carousel a spin and choose a favorite of your own!

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Springtime splendor

This pendant just says springtime to me.  I love the incredible sparkle of the vitrail light crystal hearts – they reflect so many different colors at the same time.  I was planning to post three of these pendants for sale in my Etsy shop, but I could not resist keeping one for myself!