Pretty Pearls

Two new pearl necklaces have been added to the shop! The first features a handmade clay pendant, by Humble Beads, of a bird's nest and eggs, Swarovski crystals and beautiful pearls in brown, green and gold tones. The second necklace is created with purple iris pearls and purple Czech glass. It features an upcycled, beautiful antique key. Stop by the Etsy shop and grab a one-of-a-kind pearl necklace for the perfect holiday gift!

Something a little different

I have been feeling very crafty lately and with the season change I decided to create some home-decor for Fall. Here are the projects I've been working on:

Painting acorns. These looked so cute in an old mason jar until they started sprouting and growing mold. Apparently, you should bake them before painting.. Whoops!

I found this wooden jack-o-lantern in the basement of my mom's house. I took him home, gave him a paint make over, and added a candle. Viola!

I just love typography, so I knew I wanted a sign. I used scrap wood and letter stickers to create this cute "Fall in love" sign.

Top of the entertainment center, all decorated. This cost me $0!

Painting mason jars. These candle holders were made by my friend Beth and I. They aren't as easy as some tutorials would lead you to believe, but we had such a fun craft day!

Clay mini pumpkins! I haven't touched polymer clay in years, but these turned out so cute that I will explore this medium more.

What fun DIY projects have you tried lately? Did you have any mistakes like my moldy acorns? I'd love to hear your story!

A stay-cation in Mystic, CT

Welcome to my reveal for the 2nd Annual Challenge of Travel blog hop! Erin has challenged us to stay-cation, where we experience the local attractions close to home.

Today I'll be taking you on a trip to the famous Mystic, CT. This shoreline town is not only full of beautiful scenery but it's also rich in history, making it a popular tourist destination in the summer months. You may have already heard of my small town because of a popular movie called Mystic Pizza, staring Julia Roberts. The Mystic Pizza restaurant is right in the heart of downtown, where you can grab a slice and do some great shopping!

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This store is owned by a woman who shares my name! It's such a cool boutique.

Running through downtown Mystic is a river, and if you want to cross by car or foot, at 40 minutes past the hour, you will have to stop and wait for the drawbridge to rise. Built in 1920, this bascule style swing bridge is one of the oldest of its type still in operation and is quite a sight to see!

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I look forward to the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival every year. It's the largest around and runs all weekend long! This year the weather was just beautiful and the amazingly talented artists were plentiful. We also enjoyed some tasty New England summer foods.

Clam Fritters!

There are so many other great attractions in Mystic too. At the Seaport, you can learn about the old sailing ships and experience what maritime life was like!

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If you're a regular reader, you may remember that my high school reunion was held at the Mystic Aquarium. Who doesn't love sea lions and penguins? :)

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Now, let's get to the jewelry! I created a necklace for this challenge that was inspired by the tall sailing ships. I had a vintage brass stamping that I hung from brass chain. I then created a sort of "ocean" with multiple strands of seed beads in shades of blue and turquoise.

I hope I have peaked your interest about my area of the world, and just maybe I'll see ya around!

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Getting back to normal

I seem to have been in a blogging slump lately, it's taken me two days to write this post. I blame the weather. As most of you heard, the North East was hit hard by a blizzard last week. I happen to live in the area that was hit hardest, with just under three feet of snow! Luckily I was prepared, as I have lived here all my life, I knew to run out Friday morning, not only for groceries but also for beads! Two and a half days of being stuck in the house, with or without power, can make you crazy if you don't have enough projects to stay busy.

I got these lampwork beauties at a local bead shop and while this was happening outside...

I made these colorful and fun earrings!

Focus on Life: Create Art!

Our prompt for this week was 'Create Art'. How very appropriate! I had originally wanted to create something other than jewelry. It's not often that I get the time to experiment with other art types, and this week was not that time.
At the least, I pushed myself to use a different technique and materials for this necklace... A button and loop made out of seed beads for the clasp, as well as some black cotton ribbon. The photo I took shows a sketch of the design and a mostly completed necklace, I just need to find my sewing kit to attach the button to the ribbon :)

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Summer Starfish Necklace

Above is a picture of my sketch book in which I used one of Design Seeds awesome color palettes to put together this bright and summery necklace.

Made with Serpentine and dyed Quartz gemstones, blue vintage lucite and two handmade orange lampwork beads. Plated pendant and lobster claw clasp.

Thrift Store Blog Hop

Sarah, over at Pookledo, is hosting a blog hop today! You all know how much I love participating in these, but this one just seemed like it was meant for me. Her challenge to the participants was to purchase an item from a thrift shop worth less than $1.50 and to create a piece of jewelry using that object. I do that ALL the time!

I purchased a necklace from Goodwill for $1.99. I went a little over budget, but this is Connecticut people. They don't sell anything for a buck, everything is overpriced here. What I really liked about this necklace was the dark teal color. The gold irregular shaped beads are okay, but it's the round beads I was really drooling over.

The bracelet I made uses these teal beads, as well as, Serpentine and lucite coral colored beads. The focal bead is handmade, however I do not have the information on who created it. (please help me give credit if you know!) The bracelet is finished with a large lobster claw clasp.

Don't forget to visit the rest of the participants in the blog hop!

Sarah - www.pookledo.blogspot.co.uk
Deb - http://greenshoot.blogspot.co.uk/
Kimberley - http://goddessesandbeads.blogspot.co.uk/
Skye - http://skyescreativechaos.blogspot.co.uk/
Ambra - http://chicandfrog.wordpress.com/
Beti - http://stringingfool.blogspot.com/
Emma - www.apolymerpenchant.com
Shelley - www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com
Tammie -  http://ttedesigns.blogspot.co.uk/
Leah - http://beadyeyedbunny.blogspot.co.uk/
Denielle - www.somebeadsandotherthings.com
Keri Lee - http://www.pinklemonade.typepad.com 
Rochelle - www.acreativechelle.blogspot.com
Pam - http://pamelas-studio.blogspot.com/
Ingetraud - http://ingetraud.wordpress.com/
Audrey - http://esperianterra.blogspot.com/
Julie Anne - www.thepeacefulbead.com
Sharyl - http://www.sharylsjewelry.blogspot.com
Micheladas - http://micheladasmusings.blogspot.com 
? -   http://thecreativeklutz.blogspot.co.uk/
Kala - http://maybejustperhaps.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Success!

The Art on Groton Bank show was a success!! I could not have wished for a better day weather wise and I just love the location of this show! We enjoyed the cool breeze coming from the sound, while under the shadow of New England's oldest standing obelisk at Fort Griswold.

On Sunday, I went to a local flea market to stock up on some more vintage keys. They make such awesome pendants!

I was really enjoying a perfect summer weekend, so I decided the best way to end it would be some delicious fried seafood for dinner and watching the sunset at the marina.

 

Photo credits:  1 | 2 | 3