Merry Christmas!!!

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Kreativ Blogger Award

I have been awarded the 'Kreativ Blogger Award' by Yvonne of Bluebonnet Jewelry Design. Thank you for thinking of me Yvonne, you're a super sweetheart! ;)

These are the rules:

1. The winner may put this award on their blog.

2. Please put a link to the person that presented you for this award.

3. Nominate 5 blogs.

4. Put links to all their blogs.

5. Leave a message for your nominees.

I nominate:

1. Susan of Perfectly Twisted Wire Jewelry
2. Susan's crazy critters and their blog 13CatTales
3. Bev of Bev's Jewelry
4. Mei of WireBliss
5. Elayne of ChezChani

There's a million blogs I want to nominate, but the rules say only 5! I could come up with 20 more...so if I didn't nominate you please remember that I was thinking of you! })i({

Which reindeer are you?

You Are Rudolph

Sweet and shy, you tend to be happiest when you're making someone else happy. Why You're Naughty: You sometimes stick that nose where it doesn't belong Why You're Nice: Christmas would be a sad affair without you!

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

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New relists and items for the day, don't forget about our eSMArts team shop!!!

5 items relisted and 1 new item listed in my shop this morning! What work at 6:30am!!!

Relisted:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=17172868 Pastel Crystal and Butterfly Chain $18
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=17151703 Swarovski Snowmen Earrings $12
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=17149932 Blueberry Quartz n Chips Necklace $18
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=17149475 Black Pearls n Chips Necklace $18
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=17149132 Black and White Spiral Rope $22

New item:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=18876123 Springtime Hoop Earrings $10 (Made to match Springtime Butterfly Necklace http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17176651 $26)

Thanks for looking! Vote for my CheapTweets at http://cheaptweet.com/search?q=creationsbyjae })i({

PS - Do not forget our team shop at http://esmarts.etsy.com for a great variety of items at incredible prices!!!

4 items relisted in my Etsy shop, and I made a sale!

I made a sale today! It's one of my favorite pairs of earrings, Pink Jade Star Earrings. Sad to see them go, but glad they have a new home!!! ;)

I also relisted 4 other items in my Etsy shop today. Please check them out!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17146497 Grape Leaves and Pearls Bracelet $25
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=17146147 Butterfly Tile Necklace $20
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=18043534 My Favorite Blue Jeans Earrings $25
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=17038243 Fluttery Butterfly Dangle Earrings $15

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I just LOVE the attention!!!

My friend Helene AKA glass0beads has been just wonderful to me the past couple days. I really enjoy talking with her, and helping her out with the technical aspects of this crazy internet marketing when she needs it. In return, she has mentioned me in a couple of her blog posts! (To the left, Helene's 'Hearts and Teardrops Earrings', just lovely, and available on Etsy!) Visit her store at Glass0Beads.etsy.com (#0, not letter)

We all love some publicity, don't we??? I'll take what I can get!

Her first post was titled 'Notes to Self - Footloose and Fancy Free' where she lists some great websites to visit, including mine!!!

Her latest post is 'A Great Christmas Season' and she gives kudos to some of our eSMArts members, myself too! She includes some really nice pictures of different items.

Please, please check out her blog at Glass0Beads.blogspot.com (#0, not the letter) and see what the wonderful woman has been up to! })i({

Goodies I personally selected from our eSMArts team members, YUmmY!

Etsy Buy Handmade esmarts

Christmas Gifts Abound!!!

I've been working like crazy to finish Christmas gifts for my family and friends. I'm ready for it to get here and be done with, I feel so stressed out about it!!!

I thought I'd show some of what I've made and maybe get some compliments! Shameless self promotion it is!!!

First up is my mom's gift, which I'm particularly proud of! I love it, and wish I could keep it for myself. I think every woman should have some pearls, and I combined some gorgeous white round freshwater pearls with her birthstone, sapphire. Sapphires were purchased from my favorite gemstone supplier, GaHooleTreeSupplies. Visit at http://gahooletreesupplies.etsy.com for all sorts of goodies!



Next is my stepdad's gift. He's one of those guys that actually wears jewelry, so I made him a masculine 1 into 4 spiral chainmaille bracelet in a golden color.



I also made my grandmother's gift, which was difficult because I've already made her a Mother's bracelet and Grandmother's bracelet. She isn't the type for a lot of fancy jewelry, so I wanted to make her something with significance. She had 11 siblings, and I came up with the idea of a 'Family' bracelet, with a crystal birthstone representing each sibling and her parents. What do you think?



Finally, my best friend's gift. I hope she doesn't read this blog before Christmas LOL! For her, I wire-wrapped Iolite roundelles onto silver hoops and made a matching necklace with moonstone rounds. Didn't take a pic of the necklace, and it's already wrapped so I will take one later and post it. She has beautiful blue eyes, so I thought the Iolite would compliment them. Turned out fantastic!



Please, let me know what you think of these! I'm quite proud of myself for getting all this done and still having 9 days to spare! ;) })i({

My Christmas Present

My best friend is a true best friend. She's the type of person that will give you the shirt off her back or her last $5 if you need it. I've never met anyone as kind and caring as MaRanda. And, I'm lucky enough to have her as my very bestest friend!

I've been talking about getting new pliers for, well, a long time now. Sometimes I talk about it more than others. I was trying to decide what brand to get, and how I was going to afford them.

I know Lindstrom are supposed to be the 'best of the best' when it comes to pliers, but I was having a hard time justifying spending that much money on something when I'm not really making money consistently on my sales.

Then, I think I was reading some posts in the WWJ Yahoo Group and they were talking about pliers. A brand I had never heard of was mentioned: Wubbers. What a crazy name. I decided maybe I should check them out in my usual fashion, research a million websites and try to find the lowest price. Like I needed something else to research.

I went to the recommended website, the website of the creator of the Wubbers pliers at www.wiredupbeads.com. So what did I learn?

1. They have super-long handles! Fantastic! I hate short pliers that dig into the flesh of my palm! As a matter of fact, these babies are 6.5 inches long!
2. They are great working with all different gauges of wire, from 12 gauge to 28 gauge.
3. They have a nice matte finish to the jaws of the pliers to help hold the wire but not mar it, and the edges of the pliers come already filed and rounded.
4. Nice smooth lightly padded handles are great on the ol' tired hands, along with a sleek shape that fits to the palm of your hand.
5. They have nice leaf springs to pop the pliers open smoothly without effort on your part.
6. Best of all, they are nearly half the price of Lindstroms, and offer many fine qualities that more expensive pliers have.

I did some price comparasion shopping and found that FDJ Tool had Wubbers on sale! More great news! But, I didn't have the money for the 3 pliers I was looking at specifically; the round nose of course, bent nose, and chain nose. So where does my best friend fit into all this?

She had been standing in the background all this time, quietly watching, asking questions. She had secret conversations with my stepdad, whom I talk with all the time about tools. One night, she hands me some money and tells me to get the pliers.

I was shocked. This was quite a chunk of dough, and it wasn't even Christmas yet. It still isn't Christmas yet!!! She had that look in her blue eyes that said 'Don't even argue with me.' She waited right there for me to order what I wanted.

Some might say it's awful for you to have to order your own present, but I understand. That way she was sure I got what I wanted. Finding the correct item for a beader is a nightmare. We are very specific. I think she understands that.

In any case, I got them in the mail the other day. And man, they are beauties. I played around with some black coated craft wire to see how they work, and they feel smooth, and fit right into my hand. They don't mar the wire. I'm trying to practice not having that 'death grip' on pliers by pretending that my thumb is broken, a tip I read, but it's hard to get into the habit.

I love them! All in all, I can say this is the best Christmas present I've gotten so far! ;) And, I want the world to know MaRanda is the best friend I've ever had, and not just because of the pliers! })i({

(This post is simply an opinion on Wubbers pliers, not an endorsement of any particular pliers, or of any website. I am not being paid or compensated for this blog!)

2 NEW ITEMS in my Etsy shop! Shop Cyber Monday!

For Cyber Monday, I have listed 2 new pairs of earrings and renewed 10, yes 10, listings! But, sorry folks, one sold, so it's 9 renewed listings! Please check them all out and have a great time finding deals and shopping the 'net!

New Listings:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18043268 Pink Jade Star Earrings $22
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18043534 Blue Jeans Earrings $25

Renewed Listings:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17038243 $15
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16709316 $25
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=16708562 $45
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=16652050 $15
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=16651237 $9
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=16220730 $12
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=16170823 $30
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=16170479 $15
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=15619355 $13

I am continuing FREE SHIPPING to the US and Canada until December 15th on all items in my store! International customers enjoy one flat rate with no additional costs for multiple items!

Also, do not forget our eSMArts team store on Etsy for all your shopping needs! Get that browser open to http://esmarts.etsy.com and congrats to Lois of A Beaded Affair for making our second official team sale! })i({

Check out my Etsy shop and the eSMArts team shop!!!

Reminder to all to please visit my Etsy shop frequently! http://creationsbyjae.etsy.com

I've just listed 4 new items and will be listing new items every morning, so bookmark it and check back often! The new items are:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17948020
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=17948190
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=17948411
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=17948576

The free shipping offer continues in my shop until December 15th on all US and Canadian orders. International customers get one flat rate on all purchases, no additional charges for multiple items are added!!!

Our eSMArts team shop is growing by the minute with items to suit every taste! We have paintings, jewelry, supplies, needlework and whatever your heart may desire for this holiday season. Please Please visit http://esmarts.etsy.com for your Christmas (or insert your religious holiday) season! })i({

In case you haven't noticed...

I went all out this past weekend after seeing the gorgeous banners that 2 of my eSMArts team members (Jill of Jewelry Elegance, and Elayne of ChezChani) bought. I just HAD to have one!

They had their banners and matching avatars done by Nicole of Dustbaby on Etsy. She does fabulous work! She'll make you a hundred banners to choose from if you want her to. She'll fix every tiny detail to your utmost satisfaction. And all this for a very low rate.

I chose (finally) to go with a blue and white butterfly theme. I got not just one, but 2 Etsy avatars, one which announces a sale. I also got a completely custom picture for my website at www.creationsbyjae.com. This has me so tickled! :) And after seeing our nice lookin' shops, Theresa of Studio618 got her very own!

Please, please, if you are looking for a gorgeous, custom banner for your Etsy shop, website, blog, whatever, go to Dustbaby at dustbaby.etsy.com and shop your little heart out! If you want a completely custom one, convo her! She's fast, she's fabulous! So GOGOGO! })i({

My jewelry display featured in S&T Creations' hubpage!

A few weeks ago, my eSMArt teammate Teri of S&T Creations asked for some display ideas. I thought, well, mine is boring but I'll share it anyways. ;)

I was catching up on my blog reading when I saw that she had written a HubPage on jewelry displays and mine was on it! Woohoo! Read the hubpage article here.

My personal display for my jewelry is a large section of pegboard. My stepdad and I spray-painted it black. You could paint it white too, but I liked black because it seemed to make the jewelry stand out more. We also chose a matte finish so there wouldn't be any glare detracting from the jewelry.

After it was dry we hung it on my wall so I could get the goodies I've made out of the big tangle they were in. I purchased A LOT of pegboard hooks and starting hanging. I separated necklaces, bracelets, and earrings/rings. I then spaced the pegs so I could get maximum use out of the board. This is my own personal board so I didn't need them to be spaced out like for a show.

In the midst of hanging I realized there was not going to be nearly enough space for everything to have its own hook. I started combining sets: hanging the necklace, bracelets, and earrings on the same hook. I also put earrings in little zip bags because most of them wouldn't hang well on the pegboard hooks.

I like this display because it shows me everything I have at a glance. In the future, I'll be putting all the jewelry in zip bags to help prevent tarnish and keep them clean. })i({

Read Rena's Newsletter!

I had written an earlier post about Rena Klingenberg accepting and publishing my jewelry artist story on her website. Just this past week, when I checked my inbox and saw her latest newsletter, I skimmed through it like I always do. Then, I saw that my story and 3 others, 2 of whom are on my Etsy street team eSMArts with me (Wilma and Teri), were featured in her newsletter! What a great thing to happen! What great exposure!

So, please, read her latest newsletter. Click here to go to Rena's latest newsletter.

If you do not get them already, I highly suggest you subscribe. You will find them informative and very interesting. I learn all sorts of little hints and tips and tricks and display options and the like.

Plus, she's a super-friendly woman who takes time to answer her emails, and I know she has to get a whole lot every day! She even tracked down someone's email address for me because they commented on my story. I think that's top notch service and the sign of a professional businesswoman like she is!

Anyways, I will post again shortly, I had to reformat the computer last night and I'm still getting things up to speed. I am also feeling a big out-of-sorts and depressed, hopefully it will get better in the next day or 2. })i({

FREE SHIPPING Offer in my Etsy Shop!

Extra extra read all about it!!!

I am now offering FREE SHIPPING in my Etsy shop for all domestic and Canadian orders from now until December 15th! International customers will enjoy one flat shipping rate, no additional charges for multiple item purchases!

Hurry and shop now, in time for the holiday season! Tell all of your friends! Tell everyone!!!

Before you know it, this offer will be gone and you will be out of luck! ;)

Visit creationsbyjae.etsy.com for details and to shop your heart out! })i({

Rio Grande is the place to shop!

Like most jewelry artists, I have a massive collection of jewelry/bead/tool/component catalogs. Some free, some not. Some old, some new. I think I just like to have a collection of actual print and paper catalogs because it gives me something to admire but not actually look at.

Lately, as part of my 'winter cleaning', I have been sorting through my catalogs and getting rid of the old ones and the ones I don't like, etc. I found a magnificent treasure. 2 Rio Grande catalogs that I had ordered almost exactly a year ago. I can tell I must have looked at them cuz some of the pages are dog-eared. OK, a lot of the pages are dog-eared.

Anyways, still inside is the $20 gift certificate that you get when you pay $20 for the catalogs, a system that doesn't quite make sense to me, but I digress. I had never set up the account with Rio Grande as is required after you get the catalogs, and this suddenly caused me a great deal of distress. I had spent $20 on 2 catalogs from a year ago and I had a nice $20 gift certificate and I NEVER BOTHERED TO USE IT??? What if it was too late? What if they said I had to buy 2 more because it had been too long? What if I couldn't use my well-deserved $20 gift certificate???

Me, being a shy person and not into phone discussions, tried to set up my account through the internet since I had my customer number and all. After clicking the link 'Forgot your password or username' or whatever it is, I was able to kinda bypass the system and put in new fresh information. Success, I thought. Then I go to log in, and it gives me a message along the lines of 'forget it we're setting up your account supposedly and will hopefully email you the information you need to log in.' More distress. And it's the weekend! No way to reach anyone!!!

Don't ask me why this bothered me so much, but I wanted to go shopping dammit. Even if I didn't have any money. Everyone talks about how great Rio Grande is. *CRY*

After trying again a few times, I gave up. Yeah, great. And I don't have another $20 to spend on catalogs. &$%#

Today, I get the bright idea to talk to their live help. This is a wonderful thing, great for phone-phobics like myself who don't want to wait around listening to funeral music for 2 hours waiting for a real live person who probably speaks broken English anyways. (No offense intended to those who are not English-speaking or who aren't completely proficient, I simply have a hard time understanding as I don't hear very well on the phone anyways. I also don't understand southern drawls or those weird New York enunciations.) In any case, I speak with, well type with, a nice guy named Mitch or something. I forget his name, but I'm sure it started with an M.

He tells me that my account is in fact still open, and all is good in the world. Now why can't I log in then? Not that I had tried today, but it never occurred to me to try again. He says YES! I should be able to log in now. So where's my email? is the next question I want to ask, but I decide not to get into that. Matt also tells me my coupon is still good but I will have to call the phone number to use it. Ok, I can deal with that. I thank Mike and tell him that everything I have heard about their customer service is true, which I think really made his day cuz he typed back Thank you! Have a good evening!.

Another productive day for Jamie. And the moral of the lesson is - Rio Grande is the place to shop! })i({

So I Saw Snowflakes Today...

I went to let the dogs out this evening and to my surprise, there were tiny white flakes falling from the darkened sky. I knew it was cold, kind of. I don't think I've really been outside at all today. For the past few days, I've been staying inside, in my pajamas and sweatshirts and slippers, doing some 'winter cleaning'.

My winter cleaning is an obsessive neat-freak straightening of strange things in my room. Like the bookmarks on my computer. While I have them separated into nice little categories already, I figured that since I had about 100 websites of places to purchase supplies, I should divide them up a bit. So now there's a folder for rosary supplies (which I rarely even make), one for tools, one for soldering information (another area that I haven't ventured into yet), and finally a nice folder for my forums I follow. And that was just in the 'Jewelry/Beads' folder.

I also have folders for 'Jewelry Components', 'Jewelry Design', and a 'Jewelry Wish List'. Within those folders I have to have it nice and neat as well, so in the 'Jewelry Design' folder there are subfolders containing 'Chain Maille', 'Inspiration', and 'Projects/Tutorials'. All are alphabetically arranged and the titles shortened to the simple name of the store/project/inspiration/component/blahblahblah.

I am beginning to believe that maybe I should have some more medication for this issue. It's not really an issue to me but it sure bugs my family. But, I figure I am perfectly happy so they will just have to live with the quirks if they want to remain my family. LOL.

My next cleaning project is the binder of projects, tips, instructions, charts that I have gathered for 4 years. I am going to arrange them by section. With little tabs dividing them. Maybe they will even be alphabetical. })i({

My Story Published on Rena Klingenberg's Site

I decided to write my personal jewelry story and submit it to Rena last night. It was a hard story to write, very personal and involved. So much I wanted to mention, and just not enough time or space to do it in!

I wrote about my lifelong, very difficult and continuing battle with depression. I think making jewelry has helped to save me. That and lots of therapy. My therapist loves that I do something to keep me busy and give me an outlet for my anxiety.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm high-strung, a perfectionist, obsessive-compulsive. These qualities are not always negative however, as they drive me to make great-quality jewelry. But, they do bring me a great deal of anxiety as well.

I chose not to mention my Etsy eSMArts team in it for the simple reason that the story was about my personal struggle with depression. I hope I did not offend or anger anyone by doing that. They are a great group and very supportive of me, and I wish to thank them for that. I'm a new member in the group, and they took me in with open arms, just as they do everyone who joins. I think this group will be a fundamental part of my recovery with depression.

So while I toot my own horn here as they like to say, I also toot the horn of my group. You can read my article at http://www.home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com/how-making-jewelry-saved-me.html. You may read about our group at our blog at http://esmarts.blogspot.com and see our wonderful, growing store at http://esmarts.etsy.com.

Other members of eSMArts have submitted their personal stories as well. Please read theirs, as everyone has a story and everyone has struggles, not any worse than mine necessarily but a struggle all their own. })i({

Wilma (Wilma's Whimseys) - http://www.home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com/finally-found-what-i-wanted-to-do.html
Teri (S&T Creations) - http://www.home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com/teri-b-partner-in-s-t-creations.html
Helene (Glass0Beads) - http://www.home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com/a-jewelry-story-lose-weight-save-money-and-travel-to-spain.html

Tutorial - How to Make Right Angle Weave (RAW) Stars

I've decided that my second post here is going to be something fun and useful, instead of me just blabbering about random stuff. I did this tutorial on eHow, and I thought it would be interesting to put on my blog, and maybe some people don't know how to make these!

Materials needed: 10 top drilled bicones (all the same size and the smaller the bicone to begin with the smaller the star will end up), clear thread (I use Fireline), 2 big eye beading needles (optional, I am personally too lazy to mess with them so I don't use them), scissors, lighter or thread burner or glue (I glue em cuz fire scares me), and knowledge of Right Angle Weave is helpful but not mandatory!

Step 1 - Cut a 12-15 inch length of your chosen thread.









Step 2 (Optional) - Thread one big eye needle on each end of the cut thread.









Step 3 - Thread 4 bicones onto the thread.









Step 4 - Go through the first bicone on the left with the thread on the right, threading from left to right through the first bicone only. Pull tight, and you will have a diamond shape with a bicone at each point.






Step 5 - Add one bicone to each end of the thread. Add a second bicone to the thread on the left.









Step 6 - Go through the second bicone you added in step 5 with the right thread, threading from left to right.









Step 7 - Repeat step 6. You will have a strip of RAW that is 3 units long.









Step 8 -Go through the very first bicone in the strip with the left thread going from left to right and the right thread going right to left.








Step 9 - Pull tight to make a ball.









Step 10 - Square knot the ends together. Carefully burn the ends of the thread to seal the knot or use a dab of glue like Hypo Cement. Snip thread ends when glue dries.

Step 11 - Allow to cool or dry, then use in your next design! They can be threaded on headpins, eyepins, wire, thread, etc. just like a bead.


DISCLAIMERS: I am not responsible for someone getting poked, cut, burned, etc! This is not a project for children as many dangerous supplies are used (fire, hot...needle and scissors, sharp...bicones, tiny). And as always, please supervise your little ones (both children and furry friends) around your workspace to prevent accidents, injuries, and/or a big ol mess! })i({

My Very First Blog Post

Hello to everyone! My name is Jamie, and I'm brand new to this whole blogging thing. We will have to see how it goes!

My passion is making jewelry. Beadwork. Whatever you may call it, it's been a lifelong obsession for me, since I was 10 I've been stringing tiny beads. Well, there were a few years I didn't really make anything, because I was more boy-crazy than bead-crazy. But then I figured out that beads are so much more fun and so much less trouble than boys! And you can make money with them! Woohoo!!!

I have a sales site at Etsy. Visit creationsbyjae.etsy.com to see the goodies I've got up for grabs. I will be adding many more things in the near future, so bookmark it and check back frequently! I also have a website where I show different things I've made over the years, so check out www.creationsbyjae.com to see what I've made.

I want to welcome all my new friends, and please be patient with me while I figure this whole thing out! })i({