DIY

Design Sponge had this great DIY wednesdays... last wednesday ( or maybe it was 2 weeks ag0) they had this DIY trivet from a knot... which i thought was so cool.

I started playing around with different materials I had laying around such as leather cord and silk cord.
I made them much smaller than a trivet... more like notions... so I was left trying figuring out what to do with my new little creations....
Of course I made some jewelry from the little leather knots but i also made a cute hair clip with the small silk orange knot which I'm wearing right now.
YAY!

I'm still brainstorming on the other silk knots.
I think they would look great on a blouse or dress.. a purse perhaps... or what about a closure for a wedding invitation? We'll see...

Try out the DIY trivet from a knot... yourself and see what you come up with. It's fun!

About Goldfill Jewlery

I use both sterling silver and gold filled for my jewelry designs. A lot of times people ask me what gold fill is and whether it will wear off... The answer:
No it doesn't wear off, it doesn't really tarnish...and looks great with the summer tan. ;)

Okay... maybe a little more information is needed-

Gold filled looks and usually wears as well as karat gold. Often referred to as rolled gold,. Gold Fill jewelry is very hard wearing and should last a lifetime under normal wear conditions. Heres a little more info on this fabulous material along with some of my newest designs using gold fill chain and wire.

(Via Wikipedia)

Gold-filled items are 50 to 100,000 times thicker than regular gold plating, and 17 to 25,000 times thicker than heavy gold electroplate. By definition, the minimum layer of karat gold in an item stamped GF must equal at least 1/20 the weight of the total item.

Feedback

Feedback, originally uploaded by blugrn.

I love reading the feedback I get from my Etsy sales.
Sometimes I forget to check regularly... but it's always pleasant surprise when i do... it makes my day.

Chesapeake Bay, MD

Living in D.C. the closest beach I can visit is on the Chesapeake. I go there several times a year not only to enjoy the coastal breezes and get some sun but also to collect sharks teeth for my jewelry.

These shark's teeth are miocene era fossils that erode from the cliffs. I spend a couple of hours collecting these tiny little beauties sifting through the shore.

On a sad note, the Chesapeake is also one of the more contaminated waterways and has seen a decline not only in the water's cleanliness but in the natural wildlife. The Washington Post just did a really interesting photo journal of the Chesapeake watershed sharing some of its history and current physical state that i think is worth a read.

(Also worth a look is a great slide show featuring aerial shots of the watershed.)

This summer I'm donating a portion of the proceeds from the sales of my shark teeth jewelry to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation...


Every little bit helps. Considering it's the only beach I have I'd like to continue enjoying my visits there for some time to come.

I'll be making new designs all summer so be sure to check in often ;) Here are some of the classic designs i'll be keeping in stock as well:

You can also see my whole collection of chesapeake bay shark teeth jewelry HERE

Great Event

The Handmade Mart was amazing this past Sunday. It was so great to see everyone that came by my booth...as well as seeing all the other vendors. We had a great turn out and a super busy day with perfect weather....we did have a bit of wind issues towards the end of the day... i need to figure out a display that won't blow away!

Anyways to those that came out to support your local artists... THANK YOU!
I hope you found a lot of cool gifts and crafts.

As for me I'm back to making more for the Ballston craft market on June 13th in Wellburn Square.

I'm thinking of hold a small raffle for some gift notes or perhaps some jewelry.
I'm open to ideas... so if anyone has something in mind ... pipe in and let me know! ;)

Cheers!
~lucia