Bridal Styles Part 2

Written by Laura Stamper

In this issue, 

we will talk about the "Hippie" or "New Age" bride.

This is more than just a look, it is an attitude.

This bride is unconventional and follows her heart.
This bride loves nature and open spaces.

She is apt to incorporate light and flowers and
color in her bridal accessories. Think crystals,
think nature, think out of the box.

This style favors flowing lines, negative space
and the asymmetry found in nature.

This is a bride that does not shy away from color:

Real Butterfly Jewelry

Beautiful jewelry featuring
genuine butterfly wings!

Morpho Sulkowski Necklace -
Pearl Morpho Butterfly

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Seashell Pendant Necklace

Pearls, Dark Red Mookaite, Jasper Gemstone Leaves & Swarovski Crystals Copper

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Shaped like a teardrop, looking like a snow flake and surrounded by white freshwater pearls to provide a mysterious treasure ... fit for a princess.

The Russian Princess Necklace

Large Swarovski Crystal With Freshwater Pearls

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Peacock Pearl and Lampwork Focal
Wire Wrapped Sterling Silver Necklace

Beautiful peacock freshwater pearls are wire wrapped with sterling silver wire accenting a beautiful lampwork focal piece.

This necklace is so pretty and sparkling!

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Crystal Rock Necklace

This piece is STUNNING with its splash of raw crystal points fanning out from one side. Every other bead in this sterling silver necklace is fascinating as well.

A one-of-a-kind piece!

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 Long earrings with movement are the perfect accessory
for this bride who will likely wear her hair loose and free.

These are so feminine. A crystal flower earring post is the focal point for the matte gold 2" chain with crystals and vermeil accents. Pretty with long hair or short.

Long Chain Earrings with Swarovski Crystal Lavender and Purple Flowers

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Long White Lace Earrings with Gold Accent

These beautiful lace flowers were found in a small shop in Kobe, Japan. Their beautiful texture and length make them a great accessory to spice up your outfit. Only one pair made!








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 For bridesmaids, think in terms playful and free spirited.

Earthy Bridal Earrings in Matte Gold
with Freshwater Coin Pearl -

Spring Fashion Accessory, Beachy Chic Style

Natural and earthy earrings in matte gold with a freshwater coin pearl. A little over an inch round, these are sweet and unique and bound for compliments.

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For the mother of the bride (or groom)
whimsical and spirited is the way to go.

Lace Print Pink and Gold Fused Necklace

This necklace is perfect for the tender, flower loving girl in all women.

Simply delicious eye candy!

The focal point of the pendant is the twig of apple blossoms. 

A gorgeous color!

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Tiger Lily Art Necklace

In Porcelain with Semi-precious Stones

This beautiful art necklace
heralds the coming of summer!

Genuine gemstone beads and handmade porcelain Tiger Lily focal piece

Truly one of a kind - unique!

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Lavender Biwa Pearl Necklace
with Sterling Silver Orchid

The focal piece of this necklace
is a beautiful, handmade solid
Thai silver Orchid.





The necklace features 36
Lavender Biwa stick pearls
and 24 deep plum top-drilled
oval Freshwater Pearls.

The clasp is a Bali sterling silver S-hook.

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 And for the flower girl, think cherubs or fairies
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Childrens Sunflower Bracelet

Yellow Seed Bead Girls Flower Bracelet

Cute beaded sunflower bracelet that'll look adorable on your little girl!

The bracelet has been made using high quality Czech seed beads with bold colours that don't fade. The dainty flowers are perfectly sized for small wrists.

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Sky Blue Flower Hair Accessory
Bobby Pins with Crystals

Elegant and Feminine!
A set of two ... 


Perfect for the Flower Girl!

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Delicate Little Dragonfly Pendant Necklace

Hand Engraved Sterling Pendant -
with 18 inch chain included

Engraved completely by hand - from an original drawing by the artisan!

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Next time, we will take a look at jewelry for the Hollywood bride.

Written by Laura Stamper Let's talk about different bride styles. There are five basic categories; traditional, hippie (or new age) princess, Hollywood and Goth. This issue will cover everything for the traditional bride's wedding.

The traditional bride is classic and timeless. This style favors simple classic lines and time honored tradition. The key here is simple elegance. Ivory white is often favored by this style, and what goes better with ivory white than pearls?

Maybe you have your grandmothers pearls, but if you don't what better time to start your new life with a new heirloom piece of jewelry! This hand knotted pearl necklace will be something that is cherished for generations to come.

Soft White Large Freshwater Pearl Necklace

Simple earrings with an elegant updo to frame a pretty face can be found in a post or a dangle:

White Pearl Stud Earrings in Sterling Silver White Freshwater Pearl Dangle Earrings in Sterling Silver

For bridesmaids, again think in terms of "less is more".

White Pearl Hoop Dangles for Non-Pierced Ears

For the mother of the bride (or groom) a little color may be called for:

Lampwork Glass, Pearl and Crystal Earrings

Perhaps one of these fabulous necklaces! Fine Silver and Blue Pearl Crystal Flower Necklace

Dark Mauve and Dusty Rose Twisted Necklace

And don't forget the flower girl!

Crystal Cluster with Gunmetal Bobby Pins

White Pearl Jewelry Set for Children

Next time, we will take a look at jewelry for the hippie, or new age bride.

Memorial Day Treats

By JET Member BeadzNBling

This Memorial Day celebrate with delicious food and delicious jewels!

This salsa is to die for! You won't be able to stop eating it. It's healthy, low fat, and veggie packed. Once you get in the habit of making this you will see it has a flexible and forgiving balance that allows you to put your own twist on the flavor profile.

Texas Caviar Salsa

• 1/4 C balsamic vinegar
• 1 T sugar
• 1/3 C olive oil
• 1 t salt
• 1 (15oz) can black eyed peas drained and rinsed
• 4 scallion/green onions thinly sliced
• 4 ripe tomatoes seeded and finely chopped
• 1 large garlic cloves, minced (I use 4)
• 1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 jalapeno chilies seeded and finely chopped
• Tortilla chips or toasted bagel chips for serving

Whisk together the vinegar, sugar, oil and salt in a mixing bowl until blended well. Stir in black eyed peas, scallions, tomatoes, garlic, cilantro and jalapenos. Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day before serving. Remove from cooler 20 min before serving. Get ready for yum!

As you can see, this is very flexible and you can substitute black beans for the black eyed peas, you can add drained corn, sweet onions, sweet peppers... the sky is the limit!

Makes 8 servings / Per serving 165 Cals, 9g Fat, 3g Fiber, 572 Sodium, 18g Carbs, 21mg Calcium

Remember to accessorize appropriately at your Memorial Day picnic. Sometimes you can't help but equate certain ingredients with beads, of course!

Don't these pretties remind you a bit of delicious, healthy beans?

This just oozes crisp, sweet beauty like cherry tomatoes.

Isn't this bracelet just delish and perfect for a hot and spicy, outdoor celebration?

Happy Memorial Day!

The color of 2012 - Tangerine Orange

By JET Member BeadzNBling

Color - is it in your mind, do you see the same color I see?
Color can help define an object but when combined with
creative names, will help the imagination process what
a person is thinking out a color in their mind.

This is part 5 in a series of blog posts at
www.beadznbling.blogspot.com on how to creatively
express color when listing your items for sale on websites
like etsy.com, zibbet.com, artfire.com and so on. I know I
get in a real creative funk when trying to come up with new
and exciting names so I started a never ending master color
list and have decided to share it with my fellow artisans.

Keep in mind as you go through these colors there is a
possibility not all keywords will fit within Etsy's character limits
so you may have to modify them. Also note that Google.com
does not like some words - for example, cabernet whiskey -
so you may wish to read their SEO (search engine optimization) hints.

As you all know, SEO is why we do these tasks in great detail.
Search engines send spiders out to find similar names or terms
to what you may have entered in the toolbar search box. This series of
blog posts should help you with your color entries when doing listings
on Etsy.com, zibbet.com, artfire.com etc.

If you have any color suggestions you think should be added to the master,
please sign in below and leave a comment. We would LOVE to hear
from you. Please 'follow us' for the remainder of the series of color keywords.

Today we are featuring the color TANGERINE or ORANGE:

orange	bittersweet	tomato soup
burnt orange	pomegranate fruit	nutmeg spice
tangerine	tangelo	tabasco sauce
vermilion	sunset	salmon
apricot	santa fe	sunrise
mandarin	safety orange	pumpkin
peach	orange peel	persimmon red
papaya	mango	Kenyan copper
coral	flame	champagne
mimosa	carrot juice	macaroni cheese
cinnamon stick	copper penny	blush

Summer Wedding Survival Guide - Part One

Written by Laura Stamper Whether you are the bride, bridesmaid, mother (of the groom or bride) or a guest, you will want to look and feel your best.  What better way to do that than to accessorize with your own distinct style.     Let’s talk about rings.  Diamonds from Tiffany are nice, but ... out of your price range??  Never fear! Having financial parameters to work within does not mean you have to sacrifice style or originality. There are many talented artisans that offer fine handcrafted options for every taste and budget.  *********************************************************

This contemporary solitaire is edgy and urban, and there is no need to worry about where and how the diamond was mined: Modern Rock Engagement Ring by Metalicious *********************************************

Gold bands are a classic.  This handcrafted set for the bride and groom is simple yet contemporary. 14K Gold Distressed Squares Wedding Ring Set by SilverSmack ****************************************

Looking for traditional with some serious sparkle? Check out this Moissanite and gold ring! 14K Gold Ring with Moissanite by bMichelleDesigns

Or this pretty yellow sapphire solitaire: Sterling Silver with Fancy Yellow Sapphire by bMichelleDesigns ********************************************

Perhaps you like this classic design with white topaz! Sterling Silver and White Topaz Band by ResaArtDesign ********************************************

Looking for more color?  The designs below might be more to your liking: Fine Silver and Gilson Opal Band by Jewelry24Seven ********************************************  Here's a natural Mexican opal ring:

Fire Opal in the Rough Sterling Ring by LoveStoneArts ****************************************** Maybe a vintage design?

Vintage Ruby, Diamond and Sapphire Ring from BlancheB **********************************************

There really are no rules when looking for rings. Thinking outside of the box opens the door for endless possibilities.  Next time we will look at accessories for the bride!

Seasons

Spring

If I had to pick a favorite season, Spring would probably be it -- new Life and new Beginnings are all around. From the sweet, faint sound of a nest of newborn birds chirping, to the thunder and pouring rain of a powerful Spring thunderstorm, the world outside is changing from a drab blend of boring to a bursting rainbow of color.
The color that first comes to mind when I think of Spring is green, and I tend to create a few extra green items this time of year.
The green items you can currently find listed in my shop include my hand-painted butterfly necklace, the teacher's gift apple locket, as well as the poppy necklace.
	To me, green signifies life and new beginnings, and tends to  encourage people to start something new. One of the new techniques I'm using this spring is painting original art on a transparent glass locket.
Summer / Fall My next favorite season is a close battle between Summer and Fall. When I think of Summer I think of hot sunny days at the beach, spending time with my family while the kids are on break from school, and the soothing sounds of nature harmoniously saturating the outdoor world around us. When I think of Fall I think of warm days and cool nights. Sleeping by an open window, feeling the cool breeze gently blowing across my face reminds me of being a child. And I don't believe I've ever heard anyone say that they don't enjoy nature's fireworks as the leaves change from life-giving green to a  myriad of beautiful, earthy colors each Fall. Winter
	And last but not least we have Winter. Although Winter is at the bottom of my list of favorite seasons, there are still many things about Winter that I appreciate and enjoy, including visiting distant family members and old friends during the holidays, and snuggling under a blanket with my husband by a snap-crackling fire on a cold Winter's night. I hope you've enjoyed learning a little more about me as a person, and I hope the things I've shared might help you to understand a little more about why you create some of the things that you create. Have a Happy and Creative Day!  Tammy -    ArtMadeByTammy www.madebytammy.com