Some New Baubles

New Jewelry November - free slideshow maker

I did a small craft show on Friday night and for the size of the show and the amount of people and the competition I had, I did very well.  I got so much positive feedback on my items and my set up.  I really do feel that I have SOMETHING for everyone.  I have pieces for the young and old, at all price points.  I am very proud of the quality of my pieces.  I use sterling silver and silver plated materials and I use wire guardians to prevent wear and tear at the clasps.  The pieces I create will last for many special occasions and beyond!

Thanks for taking a look!

Beadaholiqe Giveaway

Check out Andrew Thornton's blog and follow the directions. You could win this fantastic prize from Beadaholique.

Contest giveaway ends at midnight 11/1 EST.  Don't delay, enter today!

Holiday Ornaments

In preparation for the Phoenixville Farmer's Market Holiday Markets where I will be an artisan, I came up with some ornaments that I wanted to share with everyone. I have been working on lots of earrings, necklaces and bracelets which can all be viewed on the Hammi Jammi Jewelry Facebook Page. I will be there on December 4, 2010 and would love to see you there. Come meet me and other artisans and have a great time browsing the Holiday Markets, have some food, and celebrate the spirit of the holidays!

Holilday Ornaments - how to create a free slideshow

Etsybloggers Blog Carnival: What are your favorite scary movies???

The topic for discussion for this half of the month is "What are your top 3 horror movies and why do they scare you???"

Let me say that a horror movie is not on the top of my list to watch. Not because they scare me but because I find most of them gruesome with needless violence. I'm not into the Friday the Thirteenth movies or any in that type of genre. I prefer the scary movies that seem more "realistic" to me. So, I would have to say my top two are:

1) Blaire Witch Project
2) The Shining

I think these movies provoke real fear in a real world setting. The deaths are left more up to the imagination and scare the crap out of me.

The third movie that I would have to say scares me is "Dracula." When I was little and by little I want to say 12 or 13, I watched a version of Dracula called "Blackula" with the vampire being a black male. I watched it at my grandmother's house and for some reason I was too afraid to sleep alone for the next few weeks. I remember pulling a mattress into my little sister's room and sleeping on her floor (like she would be able to protect me....HA!).

So, what are your favorite scary movies?

Happy Halloween! and Happy Hauntings!

Splendid Little Stars and Sparkly Park: Featured Etsyblogger

Margaret is a very active member of the etsybloggers street team and she's been selected as this month's featured etsyblogger. Congrats to you.

She owns two different etsy shops:

Splendid Little Stars and Sparkly Park. Splendid Little Stars contains many hand dyed and painted items and Sparkly Park contains some of her jewelry creations. She also blogs about her crafts at http://www.SplendidLittleStars.blogspot.com.

She's been selling hand~dyed and hand~painted clothing for about 20 years now. She's been making jewlery for much longer than that. For about 4 years, at the turn of the century, She owned a gift shop along with other artisians. They made and sold their own creations along with some "ready-mades." She says that the most meaningful part of this was the relationships formed with the treasured customers. As an etsy seller myself, I can understand this. I create for the customers and really love when people fall in love with my creations. Customers are so appreciative of the crafts we as artisans can provide.

The North Coventry Food Pantry Needs Your Support

The North Coventry Food Pantry has been in existence for more than 20 years and assists over 70 families in the entire OJR School District Community.  They heavily rely on donations to supplement what they receive from the Department of Agriculture.  Donations are always needed. The Pantry needs canned foods, beverages, cleaning supplies, paper products and more.

I just received a very sad email from a friend who volunteers for the Pantry.  I thought I would share some of the message with you, in the hopes that you could spread the word if you live in the Pottstown area:

".... just finished packing our food for distribution for the month of October.   I have to tell you that in my 5 + years of volunteering for the food pantry I have never seen the shelves so bare.  We are currently serving approx. 70 families.  We continue to have 2 or 3 new families each month.  The food we receive each month from the department of agriculture (what we call our State food) has decreased in the past couple of months. It is supposed to be considered a 3 day supply of food for our clients.  Last month we only received peanut butter, apple sauce, cheddar cheese soup, juice, and a frozen meat. For the month of Oct. we received apple sauce, egg noodles, dried milk and peaches, orange juice and 1 meat.  We are relying more than ever on the donated food to supplement what the state is giving us.

...if we had to pack for our Nov. distribution with what I have on the shelves the boxes would be very light.  I would say we have about 2 months of vegetables and soups left.  We try to give 4 cans of each out.  We have a 1 month supply (each client only receiving 1 can or box) of the following: fruit, pasta, canned pasta, tuna, peanut butter, mac and cheese, beans, and Ramen noodles.  We are completely out of breakfast items, jelly, desserts, and sides dishes.  We have not had enough "luxury" items to hand out lately like toothpaste and soap.  We have been purchasing our toilet paper and paper towels products for the last few months.  We were fortunate to have a monterary donation from Grainger to help us with those items." 

 So I bet you are wondering what you can do to help out.  Here are a few suggestions:

 1) Make a food or monetary donation directly to the Pantry.  It is suggested that you contact Mrs. Gilligan for the current need suggestion list and for contribution drop off arrangements. You can also drop off at the Pantry (lower level, off Urner St.) on the first Tuesday of the month during monthly distribution between 9-10 a.m.

2) Participate in the "Make a Difference Day."  On Friday, October 1st (the unofficial kick-off) at the Owen J. Roberts High School Football game we will be collecting donations of non-perishable food, paper goods, personal care items as well as monetary donations to benefit the North Coventry Food Pantry.  Collection boxes will be located at each gate.  On Oct. 23rd is deemed "Make a Difference Day" in the OJR District.  The will be an event at the middle school to collect food to benefit the North Coventry Food Pantry. Please check the school district website for additional information. Each school will be hosting a collection during the month.

I know I will be heading out to the grocery store tomorrow to pick up a few bags that I can donate.  I will look for canned goods (you can sometimes get 10 for $10), and personal care items.  I just know how fortunate I am to have food on my table 3 meals a day...no questions asked...it's always there for me.  As a mother, I can't imagine putting my kids to bed at night without food in their bellies.

I hope you are able and willing to help out your community members with this effort and show some love and compassion for those in need.  

Working With Memory Wire

Memory wire is made from stainless steel and is used as a beading medium.  It's called "memory" because it is already formed in the shape of rings, like a spring, and it stays in this form for the most part, unless you really overwork it. Even then, it will still be like a spring, just larger because overworking it can make it stretch its shape a little. But generally speaking, this material is very easy to work with. It comes in bracelet, ring, and necklace size.   I think that it's the perfect way for beginners to start working with.  I am also thinking of teaching the campers how to make some memory wire bracelets for the Arrowhead Day Camp elective classes that I teach in July.

I have been making quite a few Memory Wire bracelets as of late.  I really like making these for two reasons:  They are pretty much one-size-fits all; They also are fairly inexpensive to create.  

I tend to use bead chips and then add some larger beads to add interest.  I also like to make bead dangles and add them to the loops on one side of the bracelet.  For the dangles I use beads and chips from the bracelet design and then I like to add a message tag (happiness, dream, laugh etc.)

 Here are two examples of pieces I've recently created:

For this bracelet, I used Carnelian nuggets and Turquoise chips.  

This bracelet is made using light Amethyst chips and handcrafted ceramic beads. 

For the dangle, I added a message tag and some Amethyst Swarovski crystals.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look!