Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Year and New Layout!

Happy New Year, everybody! I hope 2010 is wonderful for everybody; certainly much better than 2009 was. While it wasn't the worst year of my life, it definitely wasn't the best. Well, here's to a great 2010 for everybody!

I'd really like to have a custom template done, but I can't afford to pay anybody to do it until the end of January. I like this one though; it's very pretty and suits my personality.

Next week is back to school week! I start my fifth quarter, and I've only got two classes I have to attend which means more hours I can work. My other two classes and lab are online. I don't suppose anybody really cares, but I have Spanish 202 and Effective Public Speaking twice a week on campus. Online I have The History of Southeast Asia, Survey of Astronomy, and the lab that goes with it.

I'll be busy, but I hope that this schedule will leave me more time to devout to jewelry making. I suppose that really just depends on how many hours I get once tutoring starts.

Be careful tonight! Don't forget to use a designated driver if you're drinking!

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Best of the Year

Since I have some time now while I wait for Team Fortress 2 to finish installing on my computer, I thought I would go back and post some of my favorite pieces from this year. I've been into beading/jewelry making for about three years, but it's just during the last few months (since August) that I've really started to devote myself to it and earn a decent amount of money. My wonderful friends have been very supportive and I'm glad they have my back and are willing to boost my ego from time to time. I see many other artists who are way better than I am; sometimes it's an inspiration, sometimes it's disheartening. But my friends have been there for me to tell me when I suck and when I don't suck, to become addicted to my jewelry, and general just to be amazing. One friend went so far as to pierce his ears just to wear a pair of me earrings; that was quite the ego boost!

So here are some of my favorite pieces from the last year. Many of these are still for sale in my shop, Eclipsical Jewelry.



Luckily for my absolutely terrible wire-wrapping skills, these beads came the way they are. This was a pretty easy piece to make, but it's one of my favorites to look at. The beads are connected via small silver jump rings.



My loop-making skills got a lot of practice during the three or so hours I spent on this bracelet. The beads are just glass pearls I got from Walmart a few months ago after hunting for them for almost a year before and not being able to find any simple black beads I really liked. The charm is gold-plated pewter, and I bought from a site I can't seem to find again. My hands were aching and locked up after working on this piece, but it's really one of my favorites.



This is a more recent piece. I have fallen in love with gunmetal lately, and when my friends in Scotland sent over that beautiful bead mix featured in the picture, I just new the two would go well together. It was fun to make, and I really love the box clasp and the chain.



These stars are hands-down my favorite beads ever. Unfortunately for me, they are near impossible to find in Ohio, so my friend in Canada has to send them to me, or I have to order them via Ebay. If I could have anything in the new year, it would be a steady supply of these in colors other than white/gray, white/red, and white/purple. I love how colorful this bracelet is! The colors are eye-catching and it gets a lot of compliments when I wear it. I intended it to be a gay pride bracelet, but anybody could wear it. It's a very comfortable bracelet, and I love anything to do with stars, so of course this is one of my favorites!



While bracelets are my favorite thing to make, I do love a good pair of earrings! These recently sold, but that won't diminish my love for them. I used simple loops connect the beads together and dangled a pewter snowflake charm off the end. There was not a lot too them, I'll admit, but I think this is the single prettiest item I have ever put up for sale.

You can see many more items at my shop, and take advantage of the 30% off sale going on now! Many people are saving at least $5 off their orders and if you're in the US, shipping is free! Check it out now!

Monday, December 28, 2009

Hello!

This is the new blog for Eclipsical Jewelry, a jewelry store on Etsy (just click on the title to check it out). I specialize in making handmade jewelry, and I prefer astronomy-themed designs. The study of Astronomy is one of my favorite things, and something I have always been passionate about.

I will be using this blog to post about new items, new sales, and posting product reviews (and likely comparisons). If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Generally, I am an approachable and friendly person and don't mind helping anybody out.

Right now there is a sale happening! Until December 31 at 11:59pm (EST) all orders will receive an additional 30% off! Frequent Buyers (anybody who has spent over $75) will receive an extra 10% off instead of the usual 5%! You may use any coupons you have at this time, however, I must limit this to no more than one coupon per order please!

I will not be shipping any orders until Wednesday, December 30, as it is a bit dangerous to walking around in the snow and ice and wind right now.