Crochet socks for dogs.....

I've just been checking Google Analytics for my Etsy shop. How on earth did someone find their way to my shop or anything in it using a search term like "crochet socks for dogs"?

"Bali jewellery charm bracelet" I can understand; similarly "blue sapphire bangle" but "cast iron owl hook"? I am stumped.

What on earth is an "ex boyfriend necklace"? And what, exactly, are jaterwunky beads?

It would appear that "cast iron owl hook" lead straight to this necklace:

Oxidized copper and Mother of Pearl Necklace

It would also appear that Google Analytics has it's own wormhole into an entire other universe. What I wouldn't give to see that!

Charity Auction!

This Saturday, 26th January, there is an online auction on Facebook in aid of Galgos Del Sol, an organization  set up to help abandoned dogs in Spain. Here is the link to their Facebook page.

Many people have donated items to be auctioned, myself among them. I have donated this necklace:

I hope it raises a few euros! If you want to see more of my jewellery, have a look at my Bluetina website.

Here are some examples of the sort of thing I make:

Oxidized Copper & MOP necklace

Blue Goldstone & Oxidized Copper Bracelet

Sterling Double Spiral Earrings

Black Friday, Cyber Monday Weekend Deal

Just popping in to give you the heads up. I have set up free shipping on all items in my Etsy Shop until the end of Monday, 26th November. Well, Tuesday morning on my end of things!

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are a very American institution, stemming as they do from the US Thanksgiving Celebrations. However, when in Rome....or when on Etsy, in this case....do as the Etsians do!

Cascade Earrings Pink Pearl

Evidently, an awful lot of on line shopping is done on Cyber Monday, hence the name. Perhaps some of it will get done in Bluetina's shop! Here are some of the over eighty items you can buy and have shipped anywhere in the world for free:

Mixed Metal Bracelet Silver & Copper

Kyanite Necklace with Sterling Silver Spikes

There's lots more where they came from and, if you order now, they should be with you in plenty of time for Christmas!

Featuring 3 Cedars Jewelry!

I belong to a lovely team of ladies (and gents!) on Etsy and we call ourselves "The Tarts". Don't ask - if I told you I'd have to kill you.

We are all very supportive of each other and regularly promote each others shops on Facebook, Pinterest, Wanelo and Twitter. Every week we concentrate specifically on just one of our members so I thought a feature each week would help keep my blog from shrivelling up from disuse and help somebody else into the bargain! This week it's the turn of the lovely Lyn from 3 Cedars Jewelry.

Lyn is a bit like me in the fact that she displays many different styles of jewellery in her Etsy shop.  She has managed to build up an awe inspiring inventory of 153 items so I have plenty to choose from!

This is one of my favourites:

Natural Agate Hearts Bracelet

Lyn is also into wire wrapping:

Grey Agate & Quartz Pendant

I think this bracelet is beautiful, and it has matching earrings!

Turquoise & Sterling Silver Bracelet & Earrings

Lyn also makes a mean pair of earrings! I love these:

Purple Ruby Sterling Silver Earrings

I hope you enjoyed that little meander through Lyn's Etsy shop. Next week, I'll be featuring someone else - I wonder who it will be?

Saga with a twist - update

Necklace delivered today and approved! I related some of the "saga" and made Ingeborg laugh!

On a serendipitous note, I thought I had made the necklace slightly too long but it turns out that Ingeborg was going to ask me to do just that and forgot to phone me!

In other news, I sold this necklace and bracelet to a neighbour of ours, out here on holiday.

I made the bracelet specially to go with the necklace for her. I also made this bracelet:

to go with this necklace:

but the lady liked the silver and purple ones best. I'm not sure whether to list these in my Etsy shop or the new Bluetina website. Both places urgently need more inventory but the new website has not been fully indexed by Google yet, so I'm not getting a lot of hits there. I'll think about it!

Painting the Forth Bridge....

I think I might have used that title before. How apt. This blog post is all about having to do things again and again and again. Like photography.

As you may know, I have recently launched my own website!  I have been adding pieces to it when they fall off the end of Etsy after four months. It's amazing how many photographs there are that I loved to bits four months ago and now I feel I have to pick them up wearing latex gloves, figuratively speaking.

So then, another round with the ancient digital camera and even more ancient version of Photoshop. I don't think these have turned out too bad. Who knows - I might even still like them in four months time?

Copper Hoops Silver Flowers

Sodalite & Olive Jade Necklace

Seafoam & Silver Bracelet

A photographer's lot....

is not a happy one.

As a little follow up to my last post, I thought I would share with you my recent, very mixed attempts at capturing the glorious allure of my latest jewellery pieces. I was so pleased with myself at managing to reproduce the hidden heart in my Rainbow Obsidian necklace, as seen here:

The other day, I had a lovely session with the camera and produced these:

Not bad, eh? Then, towards the end of the session, things started tailing off:

They don't look too bad on here but they are definitely not in the same league.

Today, I tried again:

Still not wonderful.

Why can't I keep them consistent? The studio set up is exactly as I left it. Background, lights, mirrors and assorted reflective surfaces have not been meddled with. The camera settings have not changed. White balance correct, flash off, macro on, etc, etc.

It must be me. Oh well, big sigh......     I'll keep trying.

I Sold Something!

This morning, I woke up to a sale in my Artfire studio. This necklace:

and these earrings:

will be off to the USA on Monday morning!

Now I have a decision to make. I was in the process of moving everything over to my Etsy shop and my soon to be launched Bluetina website. Should I stay or should I go?

Will there be more sales or is this just a blip?

Decisions, decisions......

I'm all behind, like a cow's tale.....

My Mum used to say that and it's very apt. I'm so, so busy that I'm having dreadful trouble keeping up with this blogging lark. So much for posting every day! That went the way of all my resolutions.

I think I told you that I have some copper pieces displayed at C.A.T. Services in La Alfoquia. I remembered to take pictures last time I popped in.

Then I received an email from Karen to say they had sold three items! Hooray! The copper coils bracelet and the double coil pendant went, along with a pair of my pointy heart earrings. I popped down there this morning to replace them with these:

I seem to be on an earring binge lately. I must make some bracelets and necklaces. When I get the time......

More later!

One thing leads to another...

It's blog post time for Jewelry Creators Unite in Numbers! I have terrible trouble thinking up themes. I decided to try the stepping stone method...

I have just listed this oxidized copper link necklace in my Bluetina studio on Artfire.

It has a pretty lavender pearl on it. So I went to StregaJewellry's studio and found something with pearls in it! You get the picture!

Black Ribbon and Pearls Necklace

Obviously, the theme continues with black and white! Here are some pretty earrings from Strungnature:

Black Shell Earrings

Something else with circles? Found them in Katyanne's studio!

Gaelic Earring Drops

Something green next, I think. Aha! Personaloasis has just the right piece!

3 Strand Green & Silver Necklace

And I knew just where to go for something multi stranded! This is from Sage's Cupboard.

Royal Gold and Black Necklace

One thing leads to another! I think I'll stop there - I could get carried away with this!

Sunday, 21st August...

Quite a lot has happened since I last blogged. Well, it feels like it anyway! Now that I'm trying to think what to write here, it doesn't seem much at all.

I took some pieces down to C.A.T. Services in La Alfoquia and displayed them nicely in their jewellery cabinet. I should have taken the camera with me and then I could have posted a photo. I'll do that next time. As well as the five pairs of earrings I showed you a post or two ago, I took these three items:

The bracelet and necklace I deactivated from my Artfire studio as they had not been getting much attention and I thought they were eminently suitable for a copper collection in C.A.T. Services' shop.  We shall see whether anything sells!

I recently heard tell of a new outdoor weekend market opening a few miles away, near Albox, so I drove up there to check it out. I was impressed with the set up. Most of the pitches are covered, they have a creche, children's playground, a bar and restaurant, public loos and toilet/shower rooms for the traders! It's quite expensive at nearly €18 a day for a pitch but, with some of us sharing, it could be cost effective. I have booked for Saturday, 10th September. My friend Pam and I will be setting up together. Pam makes knitwear so that will be a nice contrast to my jewellery. If it goes well, we'll book for the run up to Christmas and perhaps see if some of our other crafty friends want to join us. I'll let you know how it pans out!

I finished Ingebourg's shipping order and delivered it. I now have another necklace to make for her. She's certainly been keeping me busy lately!

I can now start making things for stock - I'll post pictures as I do them.

See you later!

Tuesday, 16th August....

It's catching up time again!

Life has been quite hectic lately. Bryn's son Gareth came to visit for a few days.  Bryn took him out quadding several times and he loved it. I would have had some good photos to show you but Bryn forgot to change the settings on the camera when he took it out. The last thing I photographed was close ups of jewellery so the macro was still on. The pics he took were very atmospheric, shall we say, but you couldn't tell what they were! I had to dump them. Shame.

I spent the whole day yesterday getting ready for the night market down at Vera Playa. I arrived at 7:30 p.m., set up and waited. And waited, and waited, and waited....

My friend Jen bought two pairs of earrings but the Madrilenos ignored my wares for the most part. One woman did go through most of my earring collection, physically trying each one in her ear, then walked away with nothing. Not very hygienic - I had to clean them all! I didn't get home until 2 a.m. I was overheated, exhausted and a bit depressed. Never mind! Onwards and upwards! It was very nice of Jen to let me try it out for free. I know these events can vary a lot from night to night but I'm afraid I can't afford the diesel to find out!

Still have a few things to make for C.A.T. Services. Here are some I've done so far:

I also have another shipping order from Ingebourg - at least five necklaces to make from her own beads - so I'd better get cracking!

See you later!