Chirps from a Wee Sparrow

I'm moving! (UPDATED!)

2010-06-15T07:17:00.001+01:00

Hi everyone! Just to update you -- I'm in the process of moving my blog over to WordPress. It's here if you'd like to take a peek.

Sorry -- have corrected the link! :-)

It's time! The $7 sale is ON!

2010-06-13T15:40:00.001+01:00

I never thought I'd say this, but I have too much jewellery. And what's worse, it's not even jewellery that I wear! It's time to make room for some new designs in my Etsy shop, so the $7 sale is on!

I've reduced the prices on nearly 80 pairs of earrings -- some by 70%! Once these babies are gone, they're gone! But fear not -- I have loads of new lovelies to take their places! :-)

Earrings in this post: Trudy and Violetta

They like me, they really like me!

2010-06-12T08:53:00.002+01:00

After much faffing and deleting and hmpfing, I've finally managed to get a Facebook fan page set up correctly. Nothing has ever made me feel less technically competent.

Please swing by and LIKE my page -- I'll LIKE yours back!

I'm a FEATURED SELLER! :-)

2010-06-11T16:31:00.001+01:00

I'm absolutely thrilled to announce that I'm the first featured seller on Ugly Be Gone!

Click here to read the interview (and see my big ol' face!).

In this post: Cove earrings and Smoke necklace

SUNSHINE SALE!

2010-06-03T09:02:00.000+01:00

In honour of the GORGEOUS weather we're having in the UK, I thought it high time to run a little sale -- a sunshine sale!

So, for a limited time only, all items in my shop are buy two get one free!

I currently have 300 items listed and more are on the way, so you're bound to find something that takes your fancy.

Fingers crossed the sun keeps shining! :-)

Photoshop in Five Seconds (A Mini Tutorial)

2010-05-19T21:26:00.001+01:00

I've fallen a bit behind in my photography lately -- too many new beads to play with!

This morning, before work, I gathered together all of my new pieces and took some quick pics and have just finished editing them. I always enjoy other people's tutorials, so I thought I'd let y'all take a gander at my Photoshop process.

***Disclaimer***: I don't know nuthin' 'bout usin' no Photoshop. I don't have a Photoshop book, or a manual, or a handy help guide. Everything I know (and that's not much) is the result of trial and error. If you are a professional Photoshop user, go ahead and look away now -- I'm certain I'm doing something wrong and am not following the "rules", but I like the way my pictures look (sometimes). Please let me continue on in my blissful ignorance.

Ahem. Thank you.

So. These pictures were taken this morning at around 8 a.m. South-facing window. In my guest bedroom. On the windowsill. I was wearing a pink pyjama top with a dog printed on it. My hair looked like hell.

Here's the straight-out-of-camera shot:

It's alright, right? But it's kinda dark. And not an Etsy-friendly square. And it's sorta blah.

The first thing I always do is crop my pics. Here's this one cropped to something resembling a square (actually 395 pixels wide by 369 pixels high -- my pictures are always slightly bigger across than they are up and down...just like me. hmpf):

Look! The earrings look so much bigger! You can see what they look like now!

But, the picture is still sort of blah. Flat. Nothing's popping out. It's just not terribly interesting.

So, I employ the Levels too. That's CTRL + L for all y'all high-tech types.

A little box will pop up that looks like this:

Now, make sure the little Preview box is ticked. That will allow you to see the changes you're making as you're making them. Nifty!

To start, you're going to click the black arrow on the left side of the box (the TOP black arrow, not the bottom one) and drag it toward the grey arrow in the center. Very slowly. Small moves. You'll see your picture getting darker. This is what we want.

You're going to do the same thing with the white arrow on the right side of the box (again, the TOP white arrow, not the bottom one) and drag it toward the grey arrow in the center. Your picture will get lighter and brighter. This is what we want.

What you're doing here is increasing the way the light and dark elements of the picture play against one another. You're creating contrast. You're adding interest. (NOTE: This is what *I* say you're doing. I'm sure there's an actual definition of what's going on here, but you know, I don't know what it is, okay?)

And here's what the Levels box looks like after I've fiddled with it. See how the black and white arrows are closer together?

Here's the picture after the levels have been adjusted:

Don't things look brighter? If you scroll up and look at the previous picture, the colours aren't as bright -- it sort of looks as though you're viewing the picture through a sheer grey veil, right?

The last thing I want to do is brighten up the darkest area, which is the top of the earring in the foreground. You can't really see what's going on with those copper beads, can you?

So you're going to go up to the Image menu at the top of the screen and choose Adjustments > Shadow/Highlight. A little box will pop up. Your picture will also immediately become brighter as the shadows are removed (but only if the little Preview box is ticked!).

Now, what you want to do here is play with the slider in the Shadows part of the box. It's currently set to 50%. If you want your picture darker (with more shadows), you'll drag the slider to the left, resulting in a lower percentage -- think of this as the percentage by which the shadows are being reduced. If you want your picture lighter (fewer shadows), you'll drag the slider to the right, resulting in a higher percentage. Again, think of this as the percentage by which the shadows are being reduced.

I want this picture to have fewer shadows, so I'll move the slider to the right. 62% looks and feels about right for me, so that's where I've settled my slider:

And now my picture looks like this:

You can see a bit more detail around the tops of the earrings now, right? There's more texture to the copper bead and you can see the separate petals of the flat flower right below that bead.

And that's that! For the pictures I took this morning, I went through the process here. Some days, I don't need to adjust shadows, but as it was pretty grey and cloudy this morning, my pictures were dark. Some days the levels need a bit more tweaking before the picture more closely resembles what the jewellery looks like in real life.

If you're new to Photoshop, give these steps a go and see what you think. Obviously everyone's pictures will need different levels of editing, but cropping, adjusting the levels, and adjusting the shadows is something I do on more or less every picture I've taken (recently -- some of my older pics need to be reshot, so don't judge me!). ;-)

Oh, also, something I've discovered recently is that putting something green in the shot makes shooting blue beads soooo much easier. Without that leaf in the background, my camera would've turned this picture into something like this:

And no amount of tweaking would help that poor little picture!

Good luck, y'all!

The final countdown. . .

2010-05-14T22:32:00.007+01:00

So. Yesterday was my 32nd birthday. Yay! It was a lovely day.

And May 28th is my husband's 33rd birthday. Yay! It'll be a lovely day.

And May 29th?

Well, May 29th is gonna suck.

Why?

No white bread. That's why. No white sugar. That's why. No white potatoes. That's why.

THIS is coming back into my life:

That's right, friends, it's time for Lola to take a little trip to South Beach! Whoo. Feel the excitement.

Can you feel it yet?

Yeah, neither can I.

But I think that has something to do with the no white bread/white sugar/white potatoes thing.

If you don't know about the South Beach Diet -- it's basically just healthy eating. Lean meats, plenty of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, etc. Common sense eating (i.e., not low carb, not low fat, not a liquid diet, no calorie counting, no weird food combinations). You know, eating the way "normal" people eat.

But I ain't normal, y'all. (You can pretend like you didn't already know that. It'd be the polite thing to do.)

I like cake. And cheese. And butter. And bacon.

A lot.

And I have PCOS, which is a whole big mess that basically means that gaining weight is one of my special talents. Yay me!

But I think it's time to tame that talent. Plus, I'd quite like to get back to the States to see my family some point in the next year, and the mere thought of squeezing my currently larger-than-large arse into an economy class seat gives me the dry heaves.

So yep, I'm heading back to South Beach as soon as my husband's birthday (and its associated cake) is out of the way.

I've done it before (and lost 70 pounds), but then I fell off the wagon and ran straight into a bakery. Basically, I was losing weight (I can't say "getting thin" cause I ain't nor will I ever be "thin") for a friend's wedding and once the wedding was over I forgot to remember to continue to eat healthily.

So it's time to actually make this change and stick to it. I CAN do it and I WILL do it. But I needed to tell y'all about it -- I need to be accountable to someone and knowing that at least 78 people will be aware that I'm changing the way I eat will help me stick to it.

This is NOT going to turn into a diet blog, so don't fear. As of right now, I don't plan for there to be any weigh-ins or before and after photos. I'll just mention how I'm doing...maybe once a month or so? And I'll quite happily answer any questions anyone has. And do feel free to ask -- I'll be honest and it'll help me with the whole accountability thing.

So there you have it. Roll on May 29th! In the meantime, if you need to find me, try a local bakery. ;-)

Ugly. . .

2010-05-07T18:59:00.003+01:00

Be Gone! I'm so thrilled to announce that Wee Sparrow Jewels are now available on the brand new Ugly Be Gone website!

Please have a peek at the site -- I think it's really lovely and fresh! And it's nice to have my prices listed in pounds (just divide by 1.5 for an approximate USD price)!

Over past few weeks I've put together an exclusive collection just for Ugly Be Gone. It's called the Elements collection and each piece is inspired by one of the classical elements -- earth, air, fire, or water.

Each piece is absolutely one-of-a-kind -- I won't be doing any duplicates from the Elements collection at all, so get them while the gettin's good! ;-)

Pictured above: The Spirit necklace. Antiqued brass butterfly accented by frosted glass and a solid brass and rhinestone bead.

Above: The Gaia necklace. Aventurine beads, Czech glass druk beads, and gold-plated filigree motifs.

Above: The Cove earrings. Handmade 10k gold-filled hoops with lavender Czech glass drops.

My lovely assistant...

2010-05-06T17:01:00.004+01:00

I have LOTS of new designs in the pipeline. More about that later.

In the meantime, I just wanted to pay tribute to Millie. She's been ever so helpful lately. I mean, who else would be willing to drool all over my laptop without even being asked to do so?

Thanks a lot Mill-Thrill. No, really. Thanks.

Ick.

Drumroll, please...

2010-05-01T23:19:00.007+01:00

Well I must admit that I can't quite believe it, but I actually reached my goal of 850 Twitter followers by 11:59 tonight (6:59 p.m. EST)! In fact, when I last checked, I had 851 followers (squee!), so the drawing is between numbers 1 to 851.

I was keeping my fingers crossed as it would've been a bit embarrassing to run a big contest and then NOT be able to draw a winner because no one entered.

So, without further ado, I'm pleased to announce that the winner of the $50 Wee Sparrow Jewels gift certificate is...
follower number 819! That's Lauren (@lapocketrocket) ! Congratulations, Lauren! Please visit Wee Sparrow Jewels at your leisure and choose whatever strikes your fancy! You can checkout in the normal way, but don't pay -- I'll send you a revised invoice if your total is more than $50!

******AND******

To say thank you to all of my followers, old and new, I'll offer a free pair of freshwater pearl earrings with any Wee Sparrow purchase of $15 or more placed before 11:59 p.m. BST (6:59 p.m. EST) Friday, 7 May! So mosey on by the shop, and if you see something you love, check out in the normal way, but remember to include TWITTER followed by SILVER, GOLD, or COPPER in the PayPal Notes to Seller field to let me know whether you'd prefer your earrings to be sterling silver, 10-karat gold-fill, or antiqued copper.

International shipping is FREE as always!

Thanks again to everyone who participated! Can't wait until the next giveaway! :-)

BIG NEWS!

2010-05-01T11:02:00.004+01:00

I'm thrilled to announce that Wee Sparrow jewelry is now available on the Punky Pins website!

One of the items available is my Flight necklace, which features wee copper butterflies and gorgeous teal Czech glass beads.

So excited!

Follow me (and win!)

2010-04-30T22:08:00.007+01:00

Help Wee Sparrow reach 850 Twitter followers (by 11:59 p.m. BST/6:59 p.m. EST Saturday) and one lucky follower will win a $50 Wee Sparrow gift certificate!

Wouldn't that be a nice Mother's Day gift? ;-)

Click here to follow me on Twitter, ya'll!

Necklace pictured in this post: Sparrow

Summer Fruits...

2010-04-28T10:14:00.003+01:00

There's a sweet new necklace is in the shop today! Say hello to the Orchard necklace.

The wee apple is stone and the orange is golden agate -- both with little peridot accents! I've added a little antiqued silver key charm as you'll need it to open the orchard gate. :-)

I think this little beauty is perfect for summer!

Friday 5 (on Saturday evening)

2010-04-24T22:45:00.003+01:00

1. In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Lysander says,

"Ay me! for aught that I could ever read,
Could ever hear by tale or history,
The course of true love never did run smooth..."

How has this proven (or not proven) to be the case in your life?

Goodness. I could write a book on this one! But I'll just say that yes, this has been the case in my life. The theme for the first, oh, 20 years of my life was pretty much "unrequited love". Lots of little stories to tell there, but I won't.

In terms of my love with Mr. Wee Sparrow, same thing -- not a smooth course at all. We did the long-distance thing (4042.641 miles of long distance, by the way) for four long years and it was so difficult. I cried a million tears and spent a million dollars on telephone calls.

And then, once we were married and I'd made the move to the UK, I went through about a year of culture shock and became the world's clingiest and neediest wife.

But, thankfully, for the past several years, things have settled down into a more or less quiet domestic bliss. Or at least I like to think so -- perhaps Mr. Wee Sparrow would tell you otherwise! ;-)

2. In Hamlet, the title character says, "Frailty, thy name is woman!" Who in your life has proven this not to be true? And if you're willing to share, who in your life has proven this to be completely true?

Strong women? My mom and my grandma, without a doubt. I guess really I'd say any woman who has raised children and raised them well has had to be strong.

Not-so-strong women? Well, I do know of a few, but I won't name names.

I also think that we (both men and women) are examples of both sides of this coin at times -- and at various points in our lives. I've been thinking about the women I knew in college recently and how it was just a "Hey, look! Let me show you how neurotic I am!" competition for a lot of the time. But that was just a period and now, so many years later, I think we've all outgrown those neuroses (with a few possible exceptions). They were just of that time.

3. In The Merry Wives of Windsor, Pistol says,

"Why then the world's mine oyster,
Which I with sword will open."

Ignoring the possible sexual meaning here, how do you feel about oysters?

Gag. Haven't eaten one. Won't eat one.

But, I do love the smell of oysters -- my grandpa will get a bushel or two and steam (roast? I dunno how you cook oysters) them out in my grandparents' back yard and everyone gathers round to shuck them. So that smell means that all the family is around, which is good. :-)

4. In The Merchant of Venice, Lorenzo says,

"The man that hath no music in himself,
Nor is not mov'd with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treason, stratagems, and spoils."

Do you agree, and have you known who seemed to be completely unmoved by any kind of music?

Yes, I agree 100%. I adore music. I adore noise, really. I love to sing (even though I can't).

I can't say I've ever known anyone to be completely unmoved by music. That's just weird.

5. Is Shakespeare overrated, or is he truly the Western world's greatest writer?

Well, it feels slightly wrong to admit this, but yes, I think Shakespeare is overrated. All of his stories are just everyone else's stories re-worked right? That doesn't mean I don't enjoy a bit of Shakespeare, though.

As for the greatest writer of the Western world? Eh, I dunno. Richard Yates? W. S. Maugham? Truman Capote? Harper Lee? F. Scott Fitzgerald? Jane Austen? Dostoevsky? Dickens? One of them. Yep. Or someone else I can't think of at the moment.

Earrings of the Month Memberships!

2010-04-18T12:13:00.007+01:00

I'm so pleased to announce that I'm adding something new to Wee Sparrow! They're my Earring of the Month memberships!

I've been doing these for a couple of years in real life and thought, hey, why not give it a go in the shop?

So, as of today, I'm offering 3, 6, 9, and 12-month memberships! You just pick out which pairs of earrings you want to send, and I'll do the rest!

Your mom, friend, sister, girlfriend, wife, grandma, or Auntie Gertrude (or you!) will receive a nicely wrapped pair of earrings each month along with a little card including a message from you!
Full details are here:

3 month membership
6 month membership
9 month membership
12 month membership

(This) Friday Five

2010-04-16T16:28:00.003+01:00

And away we go! This week's Friday5.

1. How's your poker face?

Pretty dang good, y'all.

2. When were you last red-faced?

I honestly don't know. Red-faced as in embarrassed? I dunno. Red-faced as in angry? Probably very recently, but I couldn't say when or what it was about. I'm always het up about something or other!

3. When will it be time for you to face the music?

On May 13. That's my 32nd birthday and I've made a promise to myself that I'm going to spend my 32nd year (or is it technically my 33rd year?) working on getting my squishy butt into shape. I'm not getting any younger, y'all, and me and the hubs want to make a big-headed baby in the near future, so I need to be getting myself in shape! So yeah, in about a month it'll be time for me to face the music health/diet/exercise-wise.

4. What's an issue about which you've done an about-face?

I'm so stubborn. I don't change my mind about anything. Seriously, it's a personal fault.

STRIKE THAT -- just thought of something -- the Sophie Dahl cooking show. The first episode made me want to slap her across the face. Now it's grown on me and I find it quite relaxing (though she still seems infuriatingly perfect). :-)

5. Who's overdue for some face-time with you?

Errbody. My whole family is on the other side of the ocean and I haven't seen any of them in a little over two years. It's time to be gettin' back on a plane and go see my relations, man.

(Last) Friday Five

2010-04-15T17:52:00.003+01:00

I always enjoy the Friday 5 questions, so I'm going to try to post my answers here each week. As is my way, I'd like to start bass ackwards, so here are the Friday 5 questions for last week. Hehe.

I'll be back tomorrow with the new ones! Feel free to participate in the comments (or just make fun of my answers!). ;-)

1. What Rolling Stones song best summarises the week you just had?

Hmm. I'm going to have to go with "Sittin' on a Fence". Not so much for the lyrics, but for the title. This week I've had a lot on my to-do list, but I haven't accomplished much of it. Not because I've been too busy or because other things have gotten in the way....just that I've been lollygaggin'. So yeah, if I had to draw a picture of what I'd accomplished this week, it would have to be a picture of me sittin' on a fence, hence the song choice.

2. What movie reminds you most of your childhood?

Tootsie.

Now, I don't think I was actually *watching* Tootsie as a child, but over the past 15 years or so it's definitely become my favourite film because it feels so 80s. The soundtrack is so 80s. The clothes are SO 80s -- and so reminiscent of what my mom and grandmother were wearing at the time. I spent a sizeable portion of my childhood stomping around in my grandma's Aigner boots (the height of glamour to my 7-year-old self!) and reeking of my mom's Halston perfume.

3. What part of the newspaper do you never (or almost never) read?

I never read the travel section or the sports section. Just don't care about either.

4. What television show is a lot better than you thought it would be?

The Big Bang Theory. The first time I saw it, I thought it was going to be really silly and twee, but it's actually pretty darn clever. I have such a nerd-crush on Sheldon, by the way. Bazinga!

5. What station is the radio nearest you set on at the moment?

BBC Newcastle, baby.

What's in a name?

2010-04-13T13:14:00.006+01:00

I've been creating *a lot* of new jewellery lately. And that's so much fun!

BUT.

Sometimes I have a really difficult time naming my pieces. I mean really difficult. Like, sometimes it takes me longer to decide on a name for a piece than it took me to make it.

So, I thought I'd let y'all have a go! Head on over to Twitter (@WeeSparrow) and let me know what you'd name these earrings based on the "feeling" give you. You can tweet as many name ideas as you'd like, but please use a separate tweet for each name.

I'll randomly select one name and that'll be the name of the earrings. Even better, the earrings will be yours!

So, put on your thinking caps! I'll accept entries until 11:59 p.m. EST Thursday and the winner will be announced on Friday.

Details about the earrings: 10k gold filled earwires, vintage white glass oval beads with a yin/yang-type design, and turquoise beads

Goin' to the chapel. . .

2010-04-06T15:44:00.004+01:00

I've just finished up a custom order -- Bubble Borealis earrings for five lovely bridesmaids!

I absolutely adore these beads. They look like glass, but they're vintage lucite, which is a good thing as they'd be too heavy to use as earrings if they were glass. They have the prettiest aurora borealis finish!

As always, each pair comes ready to give as a gift in its own little blue velveteen pouch. Kind of an extra "something blue" for the wedding party! :-)

Best wishes to Sarah and her intended! I'm so pleased to have my jewellery play a small part in such a special day!

SALE!

2010-03-26T16:22:00.005Z

I'm currently running a SPRING SALE! :-)

15% off everything until 5 p.m. EST Sunday!

I need to make some room for new additions, so time to wave farewell to some of my inventory.

Earrings in this post: Elisabeth apatite and glass 10k gold-filled earrings

Houseproud

2010-03-23T15:16:00.000Z

We went to the garden centre! Can you tell?! ;-)

Mr. Wee Sparrow and I have been thoroughly productive of late. Last weekend we (I) painted our front door and gate and we (Mr. Wee Sparrow) trimmed all of the hedges round the front of the house. (Which, quite frankly, nearly needed to be done for legal reasons as they were sticking out so far people could barely walk on the sidewalks anymore!)

I love leaving and coming home because I get to see our handiwork in action. If only the *inside* of the house looked as neat and tidy as the front entrance! But that's another problem for another day, right?

The next project is the back garden. When we moved in in July, the previous owners had just put down lovely new grass. But it's a walled garden and there's just not enough sun to keep everything dry, so the grass got all manky and gooey and blech, so it had to go. Mr. WS started turning over the turf last weekend and we're going to put little pebbles down. Maybe I'll do some before/after pics of that project once it's well under way.

Trying something new...

2010-03-07T17:06:00.000Z

So I think necklaces are going to be a permanent part of my repertoire! I really enjoy making them, which is strange as I pretty much never wear them. In fact, I don't even try them on when I'm making them -- they go directly onto Florence's neck. Have I introduced you to Florence? She's my new model. A bit quiet and she has the same facial expression in every photo, but hey, she works cheap!

Anyway, my point is that I never actually see my necklaces on a human neck. This week, I took my beads into work because one of my colleagues wanted to pick some out for a pair of earrings. In my bead box, I had a few prototype lariat necklaces, and one of my other colleagues put one on. And, quite frankly, I was so thrilled to see it on an actual person's neck that I gave it to her then and there. We've also agreed that she'll be my "neck model" if I ever decide to fire Florence. :-)

So yep, I'm adding some lariat necklaces to my shop! There are two listed now, and there are two more to come. I'd love to know what you think about them!

Necklace in this entry: Arden

Please allow me to introduce...

2010-02-28T21:00:00.000Z

Please say hello to the lovely Lynn from Tialys! Lynn's little shop is absolutely adorable and I'm sure you'll agree with me that it's full of the most gorgeous little creations! Like, for example, her adorable Colourful Cotton Reels Etui Box, as seen here:

Once you've taken a peek at her shop, I'm certain you'll want to know more about Lynn, so continue reading to gain an insight into the behind-the-scenes workings of one of Etsy's cutest shops!

Tell us a little about your shop -- how did you choose a name? How long have you been open? What do you sell?

My shop’s name is Tialys,( http://www.tialys.etsy.com/) and it is named after a character in The Northern Lights trilogy by Philip Pullman. I opened the shop last February (2009) so I’ve been going almost exactly a year now. I sell handmade etui boxes and other goodies.

Describe your shop in three words.

Inventive.
Fun.
Full.

How did you discover Etsy?

I can’t really remember a time ‘before Etsy’ any more but I think it came up when I was searching for something on Google and I had a look and was hooked.

Where do you find your inspiration?

Mostly in fabric shops.

Describe your creative process.

My creative process usually starts with the fabric. Or, I might have the stirrings of an idea, like the Japanese house étui box which was inspired by a friend of mine who sells kimono and loves all things Japanese. I sort through my extensive fabric stash until I find something that I can imagine transformed into the finished article that I already have in my imagination. The étui boxes and houses take around 4 or 5 hours to make, not including drying time, which is why I only make one of each because I need to be enthusiastic at the beginning and I couldn't be if I was to make the same one over and over again. I am very influenced by my background in patchwork and quilting and I think any skill I might have with finding just the right fabric colours and patterns is due to that training. I have tried almost every craft going - some are abandoned immediately, some only after I've bought all the equipment(!) but I usually know by now what sort of thing I enjoy making so, although I make a little diversion every now and again, for instance I'm experimenting with needle felting at the moment, I usually come back to fabrics.

The Easter Chicks Fabric Tubby:

How much time do you spend on your shop each week?

Between the creative process, networking, promoting and buying materials, I spend far too much time on my shop and not enough time on the housework (some might say!) but I do finish around 6 in the evening so that I can spend time with my daughters and hear about their day at school and college. However, I sometimes sneak back in the workroom after they've gone to bed and put a few finishing touches to something.

If you could offer one piece of advice to Etsy newbies, what would it be?

Take brilliant photographs – keep practising until you get it right. No matter how great the product, it will be let down with dark, fuzzy, badly staged photographs. I think of it as learning another skill.

Describe your typical customer -- who are you marketing to?

Hopefully, my etui boxes and other items have an appeal across all age groups and I try to vary the fabric that I use to suit most tastes although I won’t use anything that I don’t like myself.

Where else can we find your items? Where else can we find you?

I have a blog on http://www.thetialys.wordpress.com/
I am on Twitter www.twitter.com/thetialys
Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/tialys

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/lynn.hutton2

What do you do when you're not creating or Etsy-ing?

Dog, cat and chicken whispering. Teen and housework avoidance. Shopping. Talking.

The Fairy Tale Little Housekeeper Etui Box:

I do hope you'll visit Tialys today -- Easter and Mother's Day are approaching quickly and Lynn has some gorgeous little goodies that would make perfect gifts!

A learning experience. . .

2010-02-28T11:55:00.000Z

I've been having some trouble with my little girl lately.

Recently, she's been going through a bit of a phase. Lazy? Yep. Grumbling all the time? Uh huh. Playing her father and me against each another? You know it. Rolling her eyes when I ask her to do something? For sure.

And there's just no reasoning with her. None. It's as if we speak two different languages.

Yesterday morning, she was the epitome of lazy. I mean, it was nearly 11 a.m. and she was still in bed! I asked her to get up. You know, be productive. DO SOMETHING with her life.

And I was greeted with the ice-cold stare of doom.

Well, I wasn't having that! So I repeated my request that she remove her lazy arse from the bed. Go for a walk or something! Get some fresh air!

And I got the dreaded eye-roll.

If you want to make me mad, you'll roll your eyes at me. And she knows this. But she just kept pressing my buttons. Words were exchanged. I said some things I later came to regret. I called her a few names. Not acceptable, I know.

I hurt her feelings. She went into full-on pout mode.

I decided to walk away. I needed to cool off. You know, put some distance between us before things got really ugly.

After a few minutes, I went back in. I apologised. Gave her a cuddle. Looked her in the eye and told her she's my best girl and I'm proud to be her mom, no matter how lazy she is.

And she gave me a nose-poke. The ultimate in forgiveness.

And today, well, I think she learned her lesson from yesterday's altercation. She only stayed in bed until 10:30.

Before getting up and retiring to the guest room for a snooze.

This week, I've . .

2010-02-25T22:58:00.000Z

reupholstered 8 dining room chairs
eaten an entire bag of Doritos
cursed violently after spilling an entire tray of mixed beads all over the bedroom floor
had a nice conversation about the Starsky & Hutch car with my lovely neighbour
sat through seven hours of "Windows 7 and You" training
realised how much I enjoy making bulleted lists
coloured my hair a too-dark shade -- must remember it's colour 116, not 118!
actively encouraged the dog to sleep on Mr. Wee Sparrow's pillows
missed my family
wished for Spring -- repeatedly
bought enough yoghurt to feed an army simply because it was 15p a container
spent too much time thinking about copyright law
had an insatiable craving for a proper slice of cheesecake

Just thought you'd like to know. :-)

Earrings in this post: Viola

In search of . . . propriety

2010-02-14T18:52:00.001Z

So I stumbled upon this random word generator and I thought it would be fun to have it choose a word for me and post whatever lovely Etsy finds come up in a search for that word. I'm pretty happy with the results and have definitely discovered some new favourites today!

Today's word is . . . PROPER!***

Today's most proper choices are:

1. PatternPeddlar's 1952 Prim and Proper 2 Piece Suit - Peplum Fitted Jacket and Special Skirt pattern

2. Studio1212's Proper I a Poodle in the Dog Series Art Print

3. lindainred's Prim and Proper Brooch

4. Perch52's Proper Folk Bird Cake Topper

5. VintageNecessities' Prim and Proper Boy and Girl Postcards circa 1915

6. robbridges' A Proper Fellow Limited Edition ACEO

7. CleopatraKerckhof's Prim Proper and Prasiolite earrings

8. hippiechicboutique's Retro Sixties Mom Glass Tile Pendant w/ Necklace

9. craftycowvintage's 1950's Rhinestone Roses Prim and Proper Wedding Hat

I do hope you'll have a click round these shops to see if there's something you'd like -- it was a pleasure to discover all of them and I can't wait to do another random word pounce

***In the interests of full disclosure, I must admit that the first word generated was "bitten", but that resulted in a load of Twilight-themed nonsense and well, I'm just not into that, so I let the generator generate another random word.

Feature: The Eclectic Element

2010-02-06T04:06:00.000Z

Please allow me to introduce you to the lovely Kayla, owner of The Eclectic Element.

You'll remember I showed you a GORGEOUS necklace of hers in a previous post, but alas, you've missed out on that lovely treasure as someone had the good sense to buy it! Still, fear not, as Kayla has plenty of other pretty things that just might catch your eye.

But first, a bit about Kayla -- she's 20 (ohhhh, to be 20 again!) and lives in Illinois. The Eclectic Element is her full-time job at the moment, though she's hoping to head back to school in the near future.

In 2004, Kayla contracted Lyme Disease and one of her teachers (who knew what it was like to be chronically ill) took her to a support group, where the activity of the day was making jewelry. It was there that Kayla made her first piece, a bracelet, and instantly fell in love with the craft.

Kayla has continued with jewelry-making through the years and, as is so common among crafters, finds it difficult to restrict her creativity to one medium, so she aslo dabbles in scrapbooking, knitting, painting and drawing, and sewing.

Kayla loves scouring antique and thrift shops for inspiration and loves working with found objects. There's nothing like giving new life to an old piece, is there!

For example, take a look at this fabulous vintage bracelet on offer in her The Eclectic Element 2 shop. How fantastically shabby-chic is this piece?! I know next to nothing about vintage jewellery, but even I know that this is a great find! I love how it shows its age and am certain it would only look better with wear.

And then, with Valentine's Day quickly approaching, we've got to take a look at this sweet pair of earrings! Perfect pale pink rose quartz hearts are accented by raspberry crystals and dangled from sterling earwires. I think these are great because they can be worn any time of year -- definitely not just for Valentine's Day!

Do pay Kayla's shops a visit as you're bound to fall in love with a piece or two!

You can also catch up with Kayla on her blog, The Eclectic Element and via Twitter.

It's a dog's life...

2010-02-05T14:12:00.001Z

Poor Millie.

Imagine having nothing to do except snooze. Imagine being so spoiled that you're allowed to snooze on your owners' bed. On their pillows, in fact.

And imagine having a nose so flexible that it can be smooshed over to one side without causing the least bit of discomfort.

Spare a thought for Millie today. It just ain't easy bein' her.

May I have your attention please?

2010-01-29T17:04:00.001Z

So it's time for my very special announcement!

No, I'm not pregnant.

No, I didn't win the lottery.

No, neither Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, nor Liam Neeson have (finally!) come to their senses and declared their love to me.

Yes, I am aware that the grammar in the previous sentence is probably all over the place. I've never understood how you use plural possessives in a sentence...is it "their senses" or "his senses"? Should neither and nor be used in the same sentence? Eh, I dunno.

So yeah, the big news is...

Wait for it...

Alert the press...

There are now necklaces in my shop! This is a big deal! I don't DO necklaces!

But now I do! I have decided to di-ver-si-fy! Can't you just feel my influence on the global jewellery business getting bigger by the second?

Heh.

So, there are five new girls in the shop --

Lily of the Valley (pictured above -- aventurine and vintage glass)
Wildwood (pictured below -- glass, fluorite, freshwater pearl, and crystal quartz)
Temptation (red stone and peridot)
Charlotte (to match the earrings a couple of posts down -- white stone and turquoise)
Adore (berry pink glass)

So we'll see how they do. If they're popular, I shall dabble in necklaces more often!

A Giveaway!

2010-01-27T16:21:00.000Z

I'm running a little giveaway at the moment!

All you need to do is tweet "earrings" @ WeeSparrow! You can enter as many times as you like and each tweet will be one entry into my drawing for a $20 Wee Sparrow gift certificate!

Tweet away -- giveaway ends noon GMT/7am EST Friday!

Coming (very!) soon -- a feature on The Eclectic Element and a special announcement! :-)

What I've been up to. . .

2010-01-23T20:05:00.000Z

I fear I've been neglecting my wee blog lately. What have I been doing instead of blogging?

Working. It's time to plan the 2010/11 training, so I've been researching and budgeting and presenting and meeting. Big job, but I do love it! I'm so grateful for my job and I adore my colleagues so very much. I literally have to hold myself back from hugging at least one of them every day. :-)

Wholesaling. I had a big order to finish up, so the last few evenings have consisted of me holing myself up in my "creation room". The order was for a new shop within a salon within a gym over in Massachusetts and was a great pleasure to do. I'm hoping that the shop really takes off as the woman who runs it sounds like such a great person -- she had the best Massachusetts accent!

Dieting. So yeah, time to get back on track. I'm low-fatting and calorie-counting, which is always a pleasure, right? Ergh. But hey, so far its working -- my trousers are an eensy bit loose, so that's good motivation for me! Bought a new scale today, so I can finally keep track of my progress (our old scale gave weights that were up to 60 pounds out, so yeah, uh, not exactly conducive to keeping track of things!).

Creating. Woke up early today and immediately went to work at my desk. Got all of those creations listed today, which is a great relief as I felt like my shop was starting to feel a bit sparse.

Will be posting a feature on Kayla from The Eclectic Element tomorrow, so stay tuned! :-)

Earrings in this post: Charlotte

Wee Sparrow is featured!

2010-01-14T07:21:00.000Z

I woke up to a lovely surprise today -- a blog feature! Please stop by Kayla's The Eclectic Element blog and check it out!

I'll be running a feature on her shop in the future, but for now, here's one of her items to whet your appetite! The Elegant Gold Heart Locket Necklace and Earring Set is beautiful, no? PERFECT for Valentine's Day!

Well, ain't you (semi) precious?

2010-01-10T09:43:00.000Z

I've been spending a lot of time with my semi-precious gems lately. These are two recent additions to the shop. Up top, the Verbena Garden earrings -- deep, dark purple amethyst and bright jade-green aventurine. On 10-karat gold-filled earwires. I'm in love with these!

And here we have the Wildflower Bouquet earrings. I love these so much that I had to make a pair for myself! A soft pastel rainbow of fluorite beads clustered around a frosted glass briolette. On 10-karat gold-filled earwires. To me, these are so beautiful -- I can definitely see getting a lot of wear out of them in the spring and summer!

Currently working on Valentine's Day designs . . . my goal is to stay away from "themed" earrings, though, so I think whatever I come up with will just be pretty and feminine rather than BIG RED HEARTS. I hope. :-)

Front Page!

2010-01-03T13:04:00.000Z

I was on the FP for the third time! ***Happy Dance***

AND it was an Etsy-picked FP! I NEVER thought I'd be included in an Etsy-curated FP!

My new Sandcastle earrings were featured, which is a surprise as I wasn't so sure about them. Looks like someone thought they were pretty! Yay! :-)

Tips for Staying Slim Over the Holiday Season

2009-12-26T18:32:00.001Z

Erm, I have no tips. Because I've eaten them all in the last three days. Please see above for photographic evidence of the only sentient being in my house who has managed to maintain a streamlined figure over the course of the holiday season.

If she shares any diet tips with me, I'll let you know.

***wobbles off to pick at some more ham***

Look at what I did!

2009-12-22T08:05:00.001Z

My first gingerbread house!

Festively decorated while watching The Shining with Mr. Wee Sparrow. How's THAT for Christmas spirit?!

(This post has been brought to you by Costco's £7.99 gingerbread house kit -- for people who like the candy and icing part but don't like the baking and cutting out perfect gingerbread shapes part.)

NOOOBIES

2009-12-14T20:04:00.000Z

Been busy gettin' my bead on lately (much to the detriment of the household chores...oh well!). Here's a pair of new faves, the Dauphine earrings -- micro-faceted Sleeping Beauty turquoise coupled with vintage cranberry lucite. Theres something about the colour combination that's so great -- I think the brightness of the turquoise is a great foil for the deep cranberry colour.

I've ordered a HUGE load of supplies recently and I can't wait for them to arrive! I suspect I'm going to be spending a lot of time at my beading desk over the holidays! Squeeeeee!

Pics of my Christmas trees (and a surprise from Millie) to come! :)

Just between you and me. . .

2009-12-11T19:30:00.000Z

Mr. Wee Sparrow bought me a Slanket.

And I am not ashamed.

I'm wearing it right now.

It's navy blue.

Please, I beg of you, tell no one.

Me = M.I.A.

2009-12-06T15:13:00.000Z

Busy busy busy lately!

Loads going on at work and loads going on at home.

Main highlight of the past week -- having a new washer and dryer delivered to my mom for her birthday! Weee! She's needed a new set for *years*. . . every time we're on the phone she has to put the phone down to go fix the off-balance washer. Nothing quite like hearing the BANG BOOM WOOGA WOOGA BANG of an off-balance washing machine in the background while trying to have a transatlantic conversation. :-)

She was so happy. And that made me happy!

Other than that, I've just been working (at work) and working (on my shop). I'm in the middle of discussing two wholesale orders, which is just the best.thing.ever. :-)

I'm at 90 sales today! I really can't believe there are 90 pairs of my earrings floating around in the world!

To celebrate, I'm offering FREE SHIPPING on sales 91 through 99. And then there's a very special gift for sale 100. I just can't wait to see who that person is!

Pictured above: Love Lotus earrings -- my most popular sellers . . . and only one pair left!

Christmas shopping? Let me help!

2009-11-27T08:12:00.001Z

Just dropping by to announce that I'm participating in the Etsy Holiday Sale!

That means 20% off everything in my shop through Monday, 30 November. I ship worldwide and all of my earrings arrive in wee velveteen bags -- perfect for giving as gifts!

Please drop by and see if anything takes your fancy: http://www.weesparrow.co.cuk/

Happy Shopping!

Earrings in this post: Orbit, Princess, and Spaceship.

Thanksgiving. . .and Christmas. . .and a SALE!

2009-11-26T08:49:00.000Z

Not doing much in the way of celebrating Thanksgiving today. Kinda difficult to get in the spirit when you don't live in the US. I'll be having the marathon talk-to-every-member-of-the-family phone call this evening, though, which is always nice. :-)
Mr. Wee Sparrow and I are taking Monday and Tuesday off, so perhaps we'll celebrate Thanksgiving then. Planning to taking him to buy his Christmas present and we're getting a new Christmas tree. Soooooooo excited as this will be the first year we'll have two trees -- one in the dining room (blue and silver theme) and one in the living room (gold and red theme). I've already spent far too much on baubles and I'm sure I'll spend more before the weekend is out!

Will post pics of trees once they're up and decorated.

Anyhoo....just dropping by to announce that I'm hosting a 24-hour sale in honour of Thanksgiving! This is a biggun, y'all! BUY ONE GET ONE FREE on my entire shop until midnight Pacific/8 a.m. UK time 27 November!

Take a peek around the shop and see if there's something you fancy! This is the perfect opportunity to pick up some Christmas gifts for the ladies in your life.

Earrings in this post: Heirloom, Bubble Borealis Bronze, Ophelia

Easy Like Sunday Morning

2009-11-15T09:01:00.000Z

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I love me some Sunday morning. Don't you? Presently, I'm very busy. It's 9:02 a.m. and I've washed the car, painted the front door, made a batch of blueberry muffins, given the dog a bath, done 3 loads of laundry, and polished a pair of shoes.

Or. Well. Okay. Maybe not.

So far I've managed to brush my teeth, smile at the hubs, and send an Etsy convo. But hey, at least I look good doing it, right? (If looking good = wearing a paint splattered t-shirt with a sheep on it while sporting bedhead.)

Only two things on my agenda today -- grocery shopping and BEADS! Recieved some new ones in the post last week and bought a few strands yesterday and I'm itching to use them.

I haven't had a lot of time to create new things this week as I've been too busy taking pictures! Overall, I'm happy with the look in my shop, but there are a few pics I need to tweak a bit, so will do that over the next few days.

I did list a few new pairs of earrings, but I must admit that I have a favourite out of the group -- the Absinthe earrings. I really love these -- vintage beads with a cloudy swirl to them and antiqued copper findings. I think the dark metal against the soft green is so pretty!

I'm running my free-pearl-earrings-with -purchase promo again as people really seemed to enjoy it last time. So yep, free freshwater pearl earrings with each purchase up to number 79. I'm on 75 now, so (hopefully!) the promo won't be around for too long!

Quick gift ideas -- via POUNCE!

2009-11-12T21:57:00.000Z

Just doing a pounce around Etsy, as I'm want to do from time to time. Stumbled upon several nice things and thought I'd share.

New bebe in the family? How about a pretty handmade baby blanket? This one from OohAahBaby is lovely -- and only $33! Purdy!

Newlyweds in the family? I really like these personalised signs from LostRiverFarmDecor. Thirty bucks, too, which I think is a steal!
And there's just something about this crazy little goat drawing that tickles my fancy. From Cwfarrugia, $25, and bound to bring a smile to anyone's face.

How about these Amelia Earheart magnets for your fabulously independent younger sister? From EdgeOfMIRCIR, $9 for a set of 4. I think these are neat-o.

Why not swing by these shops and see if you find something you like. Wouldn't it be great to be someone's first customer tonight? :-)

A new toy!

2009-11-08T17:40:00.000Z

So I mentioned that my camera went kaput the other day. Which of course meant that I needed to get a new camera IMMEDIATELY (I have issues with delayed gratification).

So I did my research and decided I wanted a Canon something-or-other. Then had a really hard time finding one.

Mr. Wee Sparrow and I were going to Costco as I wanted him to look at TVs, so we looked at the cameras while we were there. And they had a Nikon something-or-other that I really liked. And wanted to buy IMMEDIATELY (did I mention I have a problem with delayed gratification?).

But it was £425.

Which, well, would be fine if I was going to actually do something with photography. But really, I'm going to be taking pictures of earrings, my hair (more about that another day), and the dog. So truly, did I need to spend £425 on a camera?

Of course I did (erm, issues. delayed. gratification.).

But I didn't. We headed over to the MetroCentre just to have a peek at the cameras in Currys. Now, I know that no professional photographer would go into Currys to look at cameras, but hey, I'm not a professional photographer, right?

So we looked. Mostly at the ones in the special case that had four-digit prices. Then a salesman (hi Mark!) asked if he could help and I said, "Yes, of course. I need something with a great macro setting, but please don't try to sell me anything in the four-digit-pricetag case".

And wonderful Mark showed me his recommendation -- the Sony DSC-T90. He let me use it and I learned two things:

1. The macro setting is stupendous. The macro setting actually has a macro setting -- there's an automatic macro setting and then a macro-close setting for extreme closeups.

2. I really (and I mean really) need to clean my engagement ring

Boy oh boy oh boy. With this macro setting I can get RIGHT ALL UP IN AN EARRING'S BUSINESS. With our old camera (spit!), the closest I could get was about 6 inches. I didn't know how bad I had it.

I couldn't sleep last night, knowing I could get up this morning and reshoot all of the pics in my shop. But, alas, it was all rainy and gray today (I know, in England! Who'da thunk it?), so I think I'll wait until the light is better.

TGI (almost) F

2009-11-05T20:38:00.000Z

Boy, oh, boy, has it been a long week. And it ain't even Friday yet, babies! Le sigh.

This afternoon at work, I spent 2 hours working on a spreadsheet only to have the power blink. Lost all of my work. Blergh.

Came home and went to download pics from my camera...and there's a big crack in the digital preview screen thingie on the back! (Yes, my technical description skills are lacking.) Still, the upside is that I was looking to get a new camera anyway, so now I have a good excuse!

Very inconvenient that every time something electronic breaks in our house, I'm the last one to have touched it. Pretty soon Mr. Wee Sparrow is going to ban me from touching anything that plugs into the wall. Actually, that might not be too bad, since that means not having to touch the washing machine, oven, or vacuum cleaner! :-)

Been a busy week in my shop, which is lovely! I think people are Christmas shopping and I suppose I should join them! We've bought a handful of things, but need to finish up if we're goint to get them posted to the US in time. I DO have my Christmas cards, however -- I always buy those in August or September for some reason!

I have a few new pairs of earrings up this week AND a promo -- free freshwater pearl earrings to sales 70 through 79!

Up above are a few of the new listings in the shop: Cloud, Goddess, and Sugar Snow.

Happy HalloWEEn! (see what I did there?)

2009-10-31T13:19:00.000Z

Today's the final day of my October Sale, dear readers! This month I offered selected gemstone earrings at special prices. Just thought I'd highlight a few of them before returning them to their regular price tomorrow morning.

Sooo, we have the Citron earrings -- gorgeous, if I do say so myself! 10 karat gold-filled earwires (made by yours truly!), yellow fluorite, and ickle chips of citrine. Currently $20, but they'll be $24 tomorrow morning!

And then there are the Water Nymph earrings. I adore these (made a pair for myself, actually!). The palest green fluorite beads, pale blue topaz rondelles, and handmade silver-filled earwires. Ultra delicate and ultra feminine. Currently $19, will be $23.

These two are the most expensive pairs of earrings in the October sale, so if you're interested in spending a little less, head over to my shop and see what you can find. :-)

As previously mentioned, my November sale will feature the earrings that have the most hearts, so if you'd like to see a particular pair on sale, get to heartin!

%^£$%. (Or why I should've married a pro photographer.)

2009-10-30T13:05:00.000Z

Hmm. Today I took some new pics. In a new style. With some faux greenery. And I thought they were alright, but I wasn't so sure.

So I asked on the Etsy forum.

And the overwhelming response was, "Lola! What were you thinking? Those new pictures are crap! And yes, those jeans do make your butt look big".

Well, alright, not quite along those lines (Etsy people are nice, after all!), but the overwhelming vote was NO against my new photo setup.

So I need to find something else. Or I need to stick to my old faithful (i.e., the rock I found in our garden). But I'm BORED with the old faithful rock.

Woe is me.

Anyhoo, for a limited (?) time only, here are some new additions, in my new photo style. Whaddya think? Anyone have any suggestions on a setup for my photos? I so desperately want to get a cohesive look going in my shop.

Fifty is Nifty!

2009-10-24T22:16:00.000+01:00

Reached a bit of a milestone tonight -- fifty sales since opening on 10 August! I'm so pleased! I've had such a great time creating my earrings and have had the most wonderful customers!

To celebrate, I'm offering a free pair of freshwater pearl earrings with every purchase made before 9 a.m. UK time (4 a.m. EST) Sunday morning!

Please swing by my shop and see if something catches your eye!

Queen of Hearts

2009-10-23T14:18:00.000+01:00

Here's a little secret -- my November sale will feature earrings from my shop that have been "hearted" the most. Sooo, if you have your eye on a pair and would like to see them go on sale, swing by and heart those babies! :-)

Oh, and there might also be a PIF or two hanging around from 1 November! (If you're an Etsy newbie, a PIF is a "pay it forward" -- an item offered at an extremely low price as a gesture of good will and general loveliness. Mine are usually 20 cents plus shipping. That's right! A pair of handmade earrings for 20 cents! I know!)

Now for a look at my current listings with the most hearts. First up are the Titanic earrings -- vintage teal beads with antiqued copper and brass findings. Purdy!
And then, Fire! Gorgeous Czech glass beads simply strung on copper-plated brass kidney earwires. I think these are soooooooooooo lovely.

What's new, pussycat?

2009-10-08T07:49:00.000+01:00

I've finally had some free time, so of course I used it to organise my bills, clean out my cupboards, and plan dinner menus for the next three weeks.

Er, or maybe not. Maybe I used the time to create and list some new lovelies in my shop. Yep, that's more like it!

I'm experimenting with a plain white background and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Thoughts?

Here are three of my new faves:

First, the Orchid earrings. There's something quite sassy about these, I think! Three round flourite beads in graduated shades of lavender. They're just simply strung on sterling silver filled earwires. That's all -- and I think they look great! I love the inclusions in these beads . . . I think they look far more interesting than perfectly clear stones.
And then we have the Nightshade earrings. These are really dramatic -- and long! I think these would look great with an updo and they just scream evening to me. Definitely a pair to wear in the moonlight.

And finally, the Sonoma earrings. I think these are going to be very popular! Wee peridot and amethyst beads set atop brass leaves. So perfect for autumn!

Hello, October!

2009-10-01T19:13:00.001+01:00

It's been a lovely, chilly, crisp, clear day here! The leaves are changing, there's Halloween candy in the shops, and I'm itching to buy a new pair of boots. Must mean it's October, then!

To celebrate, I've selected some special gemstone earrings to feature in my shop -- for this month only! Most have been reduced by at least 10% and a pair or two have seen a 25% discount.

Here are a few little lovelies available as my October Specials:

The Water Nymph blue topaz and green flourite earrings.

The Elizabeth amethyst and faceted glass earrings.The Grass Green freshwater pearl and crackled glass earrings.The Garnet pressed glass and garnet earrings

The final countdown . . .

2009-09-27T10:47:00.000+01:00

Only three days remain in my September $7 sale. Have a wee click and see if you find something you love! Better be quick because they'll all go back to their original price on Thursday morning. :-)

I just want to thank everyone who has strolled through my little shop. I've not even been open quite 2 months yet and I've been far more successful that I'd anticipated. I'm really enjoying Etsy and have had some really fantastic customers!

Here are a few of the earrings on offer in my current sale:

Don't forget . . .

2009-09-26T21:46:00.001+01:00

Please take my poll -- just down over there to the right.

Pretty please with cream cheese icing on top.

Mmmm.

Just gorgeous

2009-09-26T16:57:00.000+01:00

StudioSerra was kind enough to feature my Fire earrings in his latest treasury. Check this baby out -- it's beautiful! Wonderful theme and wonderful colours. Thank you, StudioSerra!

Whatchu want, baybee?

2009-09-23T17:04:00.000+01:00

Surely only showing pics of my earrings and my dog can't be that interesting to anyone other than, well, me. So I want to di-ver-si-fy! I want to start adding some extras to my wee little blog here.

So what would you like to see? I was thinking maybe recipes (with photos, obviously)? Tutorials? More features of Etsy shops?

I'd like to turn this into a little community -- y'all give me so much in the way of encouragement, so I want to give something back in return!

Take my little poll over to the right of the page or just leave me a comment here letting me know what you'd like to see on my blog.

Who da best? You da best!

Newbies

2009-09-23T08:58:00.000+01:00

Listed quite a few new pairs of earrings last night. (Got those new beads at the weekend and just HAD to do something with them!) Here are my particular favourites:

I a.d.o.r.e. these Delft earrings. Anything blue and white always calls The Netherlands to mind for me, hence their name. I really love these beads. They aren't really like anything else I tend to use as I don't tend to go for patterned beads, but I think these are so sweet. I think they would look great with jeans and a crisp white top.

Then we have the Gold Rush earrings. I picked up a strand of these glowing golden cubes at the weekend and couldn't wait to work with them. There's something very sexy about their colour, don't you think? You know the magic hour, when everything is bathed in that golden yellow glow? That's exactly what these feel like. Really simple, but stunning!

And finally, the Meadow earrings. I'd never heard of unichite before and there's not actually much about it on the web. Apparently it's supposed to enhance memory and the ability to think clearly. Anyhoo, I just thought the combo of soft moss green and coral pink was really lovely, so I combined it with a frosted "dew drop". I'm really happy with the way these turned out.

I've been trying to take new pics of all of the earrings in the shop using the original deeds to our house -- they're just peeking through on the background of the pics above. I keep finding myself drawn back to my same old sandstone, though! I like the shop to have a uniform look and am worried that having squiggly little writing all over the place might make it bit busy. Have to have a think about it. I do love the deeds though -- they're HUGE and all handwritten. Dame Caroline Sarah James leased the house to Cuthbert Mullen back in 1881. Don't they sound like terribly Victorian people? :-)

My shadow

2009-09-21T17:23:00.000+01:00

Home sick today. Ick. Haven't done much of anything except read and sleep. Fortunately I wasn't alone. Millie is always more than happy to spend a little extra time in bed. In fact, I do believe that she would sleep 23.8 hours per day if we let her.

Sorry these are poopy pics -- will post better ones another time. MillMoo will be livid to find out that I've not used her professional headshots! :-)

Hot damn!

2009-09-19T22:07:00.001+01:00

I received a parcel from beadsnsupplies today.

And I went out and bought some beads today.

And I'm expecting four more parcels of beads to arrive in the upcoming week.

If my husband asks you where I am, tell him to dig through the pile of beads in the guest room.

In the meantime, check out these babies. I lurve them. But is it wrong that the little coral-coloured beads remind me of Nerds? :-)

I need to share a secret. . .

2009-09-16T08:35:00.000+01:00

Hi. My name is Lola. And I'm addicted. To beads.

I'm not even trying to kick this habit. I'm in it for the long haul. And I'm not hurting anyone but mysel...er, my pocketbook.

I know some of my lovely readers have the same addiction. So I'm gonna do you a favour. I'm gonna introduce you to one of my dealers.

Say hello to beadsnsupplies. If you need it, she's got it. Especially if what you need is 14 aqua Czech glass faceted rondelles for a last-minute custom order. ;-)

There are currently 534 reasons why you should pay a visit to this little shop. Here are my top 5.

Number 1: Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. There's no denying I have a weakness for all beads blue, teal, and green, so these babies satisfy me on all fronts. 10 beads for $2.05. Think of the damage you could do with these.

Number 2: Oh boy. Look at the glow on these! Look at those little swirls of colour! Picture these paired with creamy white pearls. Picture these with antiqued brass findings. Swoooooooon.
Number 3: Beeyooteeful. I haven't worked with these before, but oh boy, am I itching to! Look at those little silver flashes! Just flat out pretty, I say.
Number 4: Uh huh. There's something vintagey with these, right? I think it's safe to say that autumn is upon us here in the northern hemisphere, and these are just so perfect for right now.
Number 5: If Christmas were a bead, this is the bead it would be. Stunning ruby red glass with a light brushing of bronze. So opulent!

And there are still 529 other listings in the shop! I know what I'll be doing for the rest of the day. How about you?!

It's the most wonderful time of the . . . WHAT?!

2009-09-13T19:40:00.000+01:00

Yes, that's right. Christmas.

Except it's September.

Hubs and I went out for lunch today. Trashtastic buffet place.

There was a man dressed as Santa handing out their Christmas lunch leaflets.

There was a Christmas tree.

There was Christmas music.

No. No. No.

I will NOT be force-fed Christmas in September, people!

Doing early Christmas shopping, fine. Buying Christmas cards now? A-okay by me.

But hearing the Beach Boys sing "Merry Christmas, Baby" (or whatever it's called) at 1 p.m. on Sunday, 13 September? No, thank you. It's unnatural.

Happy Houswife

2009-09-13T08:53:00.000+01:00

My mom collects vintage aprons, but isn't fully aware of the whole etsy thing yet (psst -- mom, there are 125 PAGES of vintage aprons on etsy!), so I thought I'd do a little shopping for her! Here are some real cuties!

Finickyfindsmore's Vintage Mint Green apron is very sweet. And, at $16, I think it's a great buy -- it's hand-stitched!
And I'm in love with rubysrumor's FANciful Apron. Love the wee pocket and just adore the pleating detail. So gorgeous.

And finally, CrabAppleVintage's Folk Art Hostess Apron. There's just something so familiar about the print on this -- maybe my mom had a tea towel with this design? It absolutely screams late 70s to me!

FRONT PAGE!

2009-09-10T12:51:00.000+01:00

Well, wonder of wonders! I just popped in to check my etsy views and noticed a load of activity this morning. Looked to see which item drew so much attention. Noticed said item was in a beautiful treasury and few days ago.

I was on the FRONT PAGE! :-) Exactly one month to the day of opening, WeeSparrow was on the FRONT PAGE!

I'm going to pee my pants.

One million thanks to AMIDesigns for including my Wedding Cake earrings in her treasury.

Le sigh.

(Squeeeeeeeeeeeeee!)

Random find . . .

2009-09-09T09:08:00.002+01:00

Just doing a quick scan of etsy before heading off to work and ran across this weird and wonderful shop -- SteamedGlass. Little terrariums inside lightbulbs! C-L-E-V-E-R! I think these are fantastic!

Waiting. . .

2009-09-08T08:31:00.000+01:00

At home today. Waiting for my new clothes to be delivered. Which could be any time between now and nine hours from now. :-) So I guess I'm housebound, which is great as it means I have the perfect excuse to work on my etsy shop!

The theme for this entry is time since I'm waiting around today. Let's start with circlelinestudio's Time Vinyl Wall Decal. I'm in love with these decals but, alas, as our house was built in the 19th century there isn't a straight line or smooth wall to be found, so I can only admire these decals from afar!

Here's a little treasure -- TrashandTrinkets' Five O'clock Somewhere Pendant. I think this is just so sweet! And boy, oh boy, am I in love with five o'clock!

And we've go to have a working clock in here, right? Arts & Crafts style is always a favourite with me and RMWoodCreations' Quarter Sawn White Oak Mission Style Arts and Crafts Mantel/Shelf Clock is right up my alley. I really love the thought of buying a handmade clock in these days when everything is plastic and mass-produced.

Time for a POUNCE!

2009-09-07T21:55:00.000+01:00

Etsy has a Pounce feature -- you can choose to check out shops that are waiting for their first sale or shops that have just had a sale. So, tonight's pounced-upon etsian is . . . ForbiddenBoudoir!

Talk about sexy -- check out ForbiddenBoudoir's The Gypsy hair clip. Fantastic photos on this listing (which is SO important in getting etsy views)!

Sunshine

2009-09-07T14:00:00.000+01:00

Well, today is a gorgeous day here in ole' blighty! In honour of the sunshine, I thought I'd feature some lovely sunny finds. All are currently available on etsy!

How about this cute little wallet from TheFigLeaf?

Or how about some Early Morning Sunshine from AmyGiacomelli?

Or, finally, how about this Sunshine Yellow Pettiskirt? How I would have LOVED to have one of these when I was a little girl! (Or now, even. Any chance these come in plus sizes, lexissmile?) :-)

Giving it a swirl . . .

2009-09-06T17:16:00.000+01:00

I'm trying out a new line in the etsy shop. I'm going to offer hammered hoops in silver, gold, and bronze/copper AND individual earring charms you can mix and match as you please. At first, I'm offering the hoops with one or two pairs of charms, but ideally I'd like to sell the charms separately so you can pick and choose.

This seems like a great idea to me, but then it's my idea, so of course I think it's great! :-) What do you think? Do people prefer to buy "finished" earrings, or would they go for the mix and match idea?

The example above are currently listed in my shop. What do you think? I'd LOVE some input!

The Lotus Position

2009-09-06T16:18:00.001+01:00

Here's my first "collection" of sorts. (And by collection I mean two pairs of similar earrings. Ha.)

The Autumn Lotus earring -- these are vintage beads and I have looooads of them. :-)

And the companion Winter Lotus earrings (going up on etsy later). These are genuine turquoise beads.

I kinda like these as a matching set. I hope they're popular as I think they're really pretty!

Carolina on my mind. . .

2009-09-05T19:25:00.001+01:00

I've been missing my family today. I often think I'd quite like it if North Carolina moved next to England. Any chance of that happening? Didn't think so. :-)

So I took a little etsy tour of North Carolina. Here are some Carolina-inspired items:

Eyeful's Seagrass TTVFine Art Photograph reminds me of trips to the beach -- my mom would take me and my brother to Emerald Isle pretty much every weekend when we were kids.

And PeachBlossomHill's North Carolina River in Thread. I lived in the mountains for seven years before moving to the UK and scenes like this are why I'd move right back there if we ever end up back in NC!

And finally, jeanskipper's Bless Your Heart Copper Necklace. If you've heard someone say, "Bless your/her/his/their heart(s)" today, you're probably in the South. And if you're really lucky, you're in North Carolina. :-)

That time of year . . .

2009-09-05T09:05:00.000+01:00

I do believe that summer is gone for good. When I woke up today, the light had that fall feeling to it. Do you know what I mean? Everything's suddenly gone all yellow and crisp around here -- and the leaves haven't even changed.

I guess it's put me in a mind to do some autumn/winter shopping. Last night I ordered LOADS of cozy jumpers and a couple of pairs of new boots. I can't wait for them to arrive!

I also ordered a nice teal coat. Teal is definitely my colour this year

And, with a teal coat, I'm going to need a matching scarf, right?

Check out these lovelies currently available on etsy--

Here we have bossybootsdesign's Le Jardin de Letece Market (II) Scarf. I just adore the mix of colours here. And it's a great length -- 79 inches!

Or how about the Oceanus scarf from phydeaux? Really lovely yarn and I love the chunky knit!

And finally, take a peek at KnittedPurls' Teal Alpaca/Wool Cable Knit Scarf. Ilove the cable-work on this one as it reminds me of a trip I took to Ireland when I was 21.

Oooh, I can't wait until I get my coat -- I have some scarf shopping to do! :-)

Eleanor

2009-09-04T23:41:00.000+01:00

I rush home for lunch every day. Mostly because I need to let Millie run around in the garden for a while, but also because I have an etsy date. Some days, I take pics. Some days, I check out the forums. Some days, like today, I sit down at my desk and play with my beads. :-)

Today, I made the Eleanor earrings. I. Love. These. Seriously, I'm having to hide them from myself . . . otherwise I'll end up keeping them for myself.

I only have one pair of those gorgeous emerald green beads, which means I can't make a pair of these for myself. They need to sell double quick, or I have a sneaking suspicion they might find their way into my jewellery box. Which would be no bad thing. Hmm.

Thank you, Val!

2009-09-04T23:04:00.000+01:00

Just a quick note to say thank you to Val for featuring me on her new blog. Totally made my day!

Check out her blog here: www.discerningchichi.blogspot.com

And her shop is here: www.blackrose1.etsy.com