Showing posts with label jewelry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jewelry. Show all posts

Friday, August 6, 2010

The wonderful people along the way

There have been some wonderful benefits from operating my own business on the Internet. One of these are the people you meet along the way.

Sometimes I am too focused with my own shop that I forget to take a look at what's around me. Morgan Moe of Morgan Chelsey Designs is one such example. She is the owner/operator of a lovely hand-made jewelry shop on Etsy.
It wasn't until recently did I really take notice to the gorgeous earrings and necklaces she makes. I was floored at the low cost of the items as well. She uses semi-precious gem stones, crystals and plated Sterling silver on all her goods.
I consider Morgan a friend of mine. Every time she visits our shop she brightens my day. I have never met such a courteous and ultra polite person as I have with her. She claims these attributes came from dealing with the public all her life. She reports that she refuses to be like some of the people that she has encountered in her life. For this I am greatly appreciative because most of us, if not all, have had our share of difficult patrons.

I bought this beautiful Chalcedony necklace from her shop just recently and can't wait to receive it. Maybe if you ask her she will make you one too! =]
LUCID - Chalcedony Necklace - SOLD
Pictured below are just a few pieces of the gorgeous work she does. Do visit her shop. It is an experience you wouldn't want to miss.





Thanks for dropping by. It is always a pleasure to serve you.
Anne & John

Saturday, September 5, 2009

It's All Goode - THG

This was a summer of making Good friends.

I met Jan via a convo through my Etsy shop. She is a huge follower, buyer and seller of the famed Hermes scarfs that have Wall Street bank execs. lining up on their lunch breaks waiting to buy.

Prior to getting an education on the fashion sect from Jan I had never heard of the Hermes line. *red faced*

Jan lives in New York city as well as operates her own website selling Hermes products which include jewelry, leather bags and scarves.

As the leader of a group called "THG" Jan wanted to design a tag that members could carry, on their person, as a quick representation of the following.

My Goode friend convo'd me with various ideas as to what she had in mind and after many ideas passing back and forth in emails this is what we came up with originally.

She already had the authentic Hermes name ribbon and was going to attach it to the tags I made which were made of thick leather and dyed in an acorn colour that closely represented the Hermes design.

A few weeks later Jan contacted me again and asked if I could incorporate a section of authentic Hermes crocodile leather into my tags. This is what I was able to do. She went with a natural dye instead of the acorn so as not to offset the crocodile leather.

Although this type of item is far removed from my daily life, Jan in her very gracious and unassuming manner, invited me as an honorary member of the "THG".

Do visit her website at It's all Goode.

Anne ^i^

P.S. I would like to ask for prayers for Jan's dear husband, Gus, as he has been battling cancer and could use all our prayers. God Bless!!

Friday, June 12, 2009

It's the Love That Comes With It

I was entirely prepared to write a blog about an award a group of 15 people received, myself included. The recipients were to pass on the award to 15 new blogger's, of their choosing. I was to discovered these new blogs and report what was learned about each one. Quite pleased about receiving this award I took on the challenge with enthusiasm. I did my research for countless hours and had written and re-written the blog until my head hurt. I said to myself, "Anne, writing a blog shouldn't be hard work. It should be spontaneous and fun".

I thought it curious that my situation was mimicking my daughters life at this very time. She is a highly intelligent and attractive young lady but recently she has been having a difficult time assimilating with her peers. At home she is quick witted and humorous but at school she is introverted and shy, thus having a difficult time fitting in. She has her usual classmate friends but now she is in a different setting - a stage production with new faces and unfamiliar personalities. As I spoke with her this morning I realized I was trying to do that very thing. I wanted to fit in with a certain group of people that share a common thread - a radio program they follow.

In the latter part of 2008 a group of them participated in a live show and because I couldn't access the live portion of it I felt left out. My business took off leaving me little time if any to follow the show, so again I was distancing myself from this group I wanted to be part of.
As I listened to the advice I gave to my daughter I could hear my inner voice say "take my own advice." So here you have it. I have decided to feature 3 individuals that I have come to appreciate and befriend from the Etsy community and blogging world.

Back in November 2008 a lady by the name Amy of Brandi76662 added my shop to her "Hearts". As a courtesy I sent her back a thank you convo for doing so. Amy responded in kind and we began discussed things quite openly. A bond developed and now we are very good friends. I have never met any one person that has faced so many adversities as she has and remained optimistic and good hearted. Her cavalier approach to everything often lifted me to where I thought my dilemmas were inconsequential in comparison to hers. She has the most genuine an relaxed sense of humour that I can truly identify with. No holds barred and spoken from the heart.
This is one of the items that I like from her shop. If you send her a convo, tell her I said "Hi" :D




Pam, of Magdalenejewels is a lady that I have come to meet and like via the chat rooms and other blogs that I follow. She has a classy demeanour and always conveys herself as such. Very unassuming and eloquent are her convos to me. I recall her son opening a shop on Etsy and I "Hearted" it. He was featured in a previous blog (Hollywood Icons). Pam being passionate about her life and family sent me a thank you convo in which I could identified with and appreciated. To my great surprise she purchased two wristbands from my shop. I was thrilled. Thank you again, Pam. When I communicate with her I always feel as though I am chatting with an old friend, welcomed and understood as will any person who visits her shop. This is my favorite piece of jewelry from her shop and it depicts her beautifully.

Juliet - $48.00


The last of the ladies I am featuring is Delina of Glyptic, and yet another New Yorker. She has to be one of the sweetest young ladies I have ever had the privilege of conversing with. Her modesty is refreshing and she has the knack of making one feel important without effort. I made her a custom belt and bag and in appreciation of it (and payment) she sent me two gorgeous bracelets. Simply put she is a lovely and talented young lady and you really must visit her shop.


Please do check out these shops and let yourself experience the love that comes with it.
Anne ^i^

Thursday, May 7, 2009

The Ring is the Thing

It was about 2 weeks ago and I was working on a project when I looked down at the table and noticed a concho laying next to a strip of leather I had cut. *light bulb* The powers that be presented me with a very neat idea..., not an original one..., but a neat one non-the-less. I dug into my supply drawer and pulled out a ton of things. *big smile* I made my first ring. I showed it to my oldest daughter, whom I might add doesn't care for leather products AT all - *sigh*. She loved it. She put it on her finger said, "cool" and walked out of the room. I had to chase her to retrieve it or it would have disappeared into the abyss - her bedroom - never to be found again. 0_o!!

Wow, I thought! She liked something I made without coaching for a positive reaction. I was feeling pretty good about myself actually. I had stepped out of the box for a moment and was pleasantly surprised.

Well, needless to say I went ring crazy. I pulled out all my best fasteners, rivets and rhinestones and went to town. I was looking at everything thinking - this will work.... *whew*

I was on a roll. By the end of the day I had created four rings and....yes I was very pleased with myself. *pat on back* Amanda would walk through the room periodically and smirk at me...., "Very nice, mom", she said, patting me on the head like a well deserving child of praise. Yes, But I had succeeded in creating a teen "cool" item. ah-huh.. that's right!! You know it :D


The best idea came later from John. He said, "You how people sometimes tie a string on their finger to remind themself to do a task. Why don't you make a ring like that but with leather cord instead." I thought it was hilarious..., but perfect..., and so novel. Why "knot" ?
And that is how I started making leather rings. Funny though, I was never one to wear leather jewelry when I was younger ...., times have changed and so did I... sounds like a song. :D

If you have an idea you want me to try out for you, drop by my shop and leave me a convo.

Smiles,

Anne ^i^

Monday, April 27, 2009

Our One Year Anniversary Celebration with Etsy

John and I are thrilled to announce that we have crossed a major milestone as Internet sellers in the Etsy community.

Our road was a slow and unsure one but with perseverance and some wonderful buyers we did it. We want to share our good fortune with the community and listed many of our items for sale at greatly reduced prices.

Below are just a few of the items that are listed on sale.

John is very fussy about incomplete edges. So, as you can see from the passport folder he made below, it was finished, in what I now consider, his signature double laced edge.
This is one of my mini shoulder bag designs and very much my personal favourite. This style of bag was designed to be hands free and spacious enough to carry all your essentials without the clutter. I prefer the thicker leathers like this one for its durability.

John and I started out in this business handcrafting belts. The pattern on the belt pictured below has been our most popular selling designs for both men and women.
We invite you to visit our site and take advantage of the sales. Feel free to convo us with any questions you might have.
Our sister sites are:
We look forward to working with you for another great year.
Thank you so much for your support and a wonderful beginning!
Anne & John



Wednesday, January 28, 2009

For Your Eyes Only

It has been quite a ride for John and I since we joined the Etsy "handcrafters" community. We never imagined in our wildest dreams how well we would do. During the Christmas rush and again in the days approaching Valentine's Day orders came steadily. I lay awake at night processing the orders in my head...., sigh!!! Both John and I are perfectionists so if something doesn't look right...., back to the drawing board we go. There are so many talented artisan's out there coming up with some brilliant ideas that it keeps us on my toes. We are constantly striving for our "A" game and aspire to do better with each new item we create. That alone is a task in itself..., whew, I'm tired already. :)

My biggest hurdled, as of late, was finding a way to make leather jewelry more appealing to men. And I don't mean adding more spikes, rivets or studs to a thick piece of leather. I mean a piece of jewelry that a man would like to wear - something classy, something sexy.

I racked my brain searching for a unique concept. Our personalized word bands seemed to be working for us so I started there. Most of our buyers are woman and bought according to a woman's perspective. I know my husband isn't too fond of wearing wordy wristbands expressing sentiments of love but he and my son do like the more masculine, dark brown or black rugged look of our personalized leather key chains that we made over Christmas. They were very successful and we were quite pleased, however I now wanted create something more, something better. As they say, if you put it out there the universe will deliver.

Well the universe delivered!!

On January 21st a fellow Etsyian, Laura of Lovely Lolli convo'd me and asked if could create a wristband that her husband would wear. She claimed he was a manly man. She drew my attention to one of our personalized wristbands listed on my site. A dark brown word wristband with high lighted text and contrasting tan topstitching along the edges. Laura advised me that her husband wouldn't wear a wristband with sentimental words on it. Was there a way I could stamp text on the inside of the band.., was that possible? She wanted the text inscribed on the inside and hidden from his buddies attention. I thought about it for a minute and accepted the challenge. What a brilliant idea she had. Of course!!!

I tossed the idea around with John and he agreed it was doable.

I made the first one for Laura (pictured below) and sent her a picture of it. She loved it!!! Thoughts become things and I had my classy new product. From a simple idea came the secret message wristband, or as I like to call it "For your eyes only" leather wristband for men.

Now us ladies came pour out our hearts to our men and they can wear a stylin' piece of jewelry without being heckled by there buddies. A win win situation ;=)

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Saturday, January 17, 2009

From the Realm of Dreams

For about ten years I have developed an ability. I have the ability to recall items, faces and conversations that I receive with exact clarity, in my dreams.

Below are two such examples of the products of these dreams. Now that people, generally speaking, have accepted that dreams can play an integral part in our day-to-day lives, I would like to share this part of me with you about the dreams in which these items came to fruition. I am not unique.

When my husband, John, and I decided to put an end to our police careers some 7 years ago we wanted to concentrate more fully on our leather business. There are some very talented crafters out there and although our products were starting to sell rather slowly on our Etsy site in early May 2008, I wanted to create something that was unique enough to call my own. I have to say though, I do believe that every idea, design or product, in its rawest form was created, even in a simpler form, somewhere, some time by someone else. Saying that, by simply adding a rivet, grommet or adorment to a project does not make it original. It makes it unique.

As a spiritualist I like to meditate to balance and align my chakras. While in meditation I go to a place that I loved as a child - my swing that over looks the water at my parent's cottage. While there I await or call upon my spiritual guides for advice and direction.

In one particular meditation, which carried over into my dreams, my spirit guide, named Claire, came forth. We chatted, in this dream, about wants. I wanted to create something unique to me. I have always felt that there is a native side to me and freedom was a driving force attached to it. Claire presented to me a white leather wristband that had flowing fringes and turqouise rivets to adorn it. As she presented this beautiful wristband, the fringes danced in the wind. It was perfect!!! It was me in an inanimate nature.

In the morning I told John about it. Now my only obstacle was to create it. I have made three of these styled wristbands since, the one below, a red one and a distressed brown one.

To my great pleasure I sold the wristband shown below to a beautiful, tanned aboriginal woman. I later saw her wearing it. She was leaning against a railing and the fringes appeared as they did in my dream, flowing and free.



This next dream experience involved another piece of leather jewelry.

I find in my dreams that if I am intended to recall something important, the powers that be will bring it up close and personal to me and a gentle voice tells me to take note of this. My dream will remain suspended until I acknowledge the item or wake up and write it down. I have had many a dream where my spirit guides would not allow me to sleep until I made notes of the aspects of a certain dream only later to be found very important and real.

The details of the choker above were shown to me at one of these times.

I started on the choker right away. I was in a quandry thinking that I didn't have that particular suede at hand. A nagging feeling in my head drove me to go look at our leather supplies. Low and behold tucked in a corner with my delicate deerskin bolt was a small piece of brown suede. To me it was a message to follow though and create it.

So as you can see..., from dreams do come beautiful things.

Anne ^i^