Do you have a hobby such as knitting or sewing? Are you really good at it? Sign up with Artfire by clicking the link below and turn your handmade treasures into cash..
Artfire is a great place to sell online because..
1. Its a newer venue that is dedicated to its shop owners
2. Its SO easy to list and sell..there are numerous help guides available
3. Artfire really cares about its sellers..and asks for public opinions on many things and you can speak freely!
4. Run into a problem with your shop or confused about something? You can as a Fire Mentor..they're shop owners who have been on AF for awhile and can help you.
5. AF keeps up with the hottest trends and ideas.. They're blazing a trail in the online selling community
http://www.artfire.com/users/BellaSweet/sell-crafts
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Joplin, MO Pets
I just received an email concerning all the displaced tornado pets from Joplin, MO. If you want to donate to the cause, there is a list of supplies/items needed also included in the link.
Obviously with so many lives lost, there will be numerous animals without families now. Check out the link below to find out about adopting one of those pets.
Help Joplin Pets
Also, the volunteers/workers who have been working endlessly on the incoming, traumatized animals need supplies such as water and snacks.
Its so easy to focus on the human lives lost and the horrible devestation..Lets not forget the furry victims as well!
Obviously with so many lives lost, there will be numerous animals without families now. Check out the link below to find out about adopting one of those pets.
Help Joplin Pets
Also, the volunteers/workers who have been working endlessly on the incoming, traumatized animals need supplies such as water and snacks.
Its so easy to focus on the human lives lost and the horrible devestation..Lets not forget the furry victims as well!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Recent Obsessions
If you know me, you know that I love to shop. I don't even have to buy anything..I just like looking at things and dreaming! Thought I would share a couple of my recent finds and obsessions from my all-time favorite place to shop:
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Borage
Borage is an interesting herb. It is one of the only blue edible flowers available..and the blue is so brilliant!! Check out this Artfire Borage inspired collection:
Armed Forces Day 2011
Today is Armed Forces Day and I went to a wonderful event, honoring our dedicated military. There was Apache helicopters, Chinooks, tanks, all kinds of trucks and the children could get inside them! It was honestly such an honor and awesome day.. The men and women of the military were so happy to talk and enjoy the kids.
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| My cousin Preston and myself in a 2011 Apache Helicopter |
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| Preston in a desert tank with one of our brave fellas |
I heart Artfire
Wondering why I have a shop through Artfire and not one of the other handmade venues? Here's my top 5 reasons:
1. The Staff of AF..always there to help
2. The price! Free to list, free to sell. Just a low monthly flat fee for Pro Studios or have a Basic Studio for free
3. Love the features AF offers such as shipping profiles and on site blogs
4. They run awesome contests which shows they appreciate their shop owners
5. I enjoy being part of a growing community that I can actually have a voice in.
Check out Artfire if you want to sell handcrafted items as well as vintage and art/craft supplies!
http://www.artfire.com/users/BellaSweet/sell-crafts
1. The Staff of AF..always there to help
2. The price! Free to list, free to sell. Just a low monthly flat fee for Pro Studios or have a Basic Studio for free
3. Love the features AF offers such as shipping profiles and on site blogs
4. They run awesome contests which shows they appreciate their shop owners
5. I enjoy being part of a growing community that I can actually have a voice in.
Check out Artfire if you want to sell handcrafted items as well as vintage and art/craft supplies!
http://www.artfire.com/users/BellaSweet/sell-crafts
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Basil
In keeping with the spring/summer spirit..I decided to do a series of collections called "Herbs" over the next couple days. I always have a rather large herb garden and just love how versatile(and beautiful!) herbs can be.
First up.. Basil
First up.. Basil
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
A Lesson on Drusy
What is Drusy Quartz?
I use a lot of Drusy in my designs and many times, customers don't understand what it is. Here's some info:
Drusy(or Druzy) Quartz are gemstones with a natural surface texture much like fine sugar crystals that formed millions of years ago. They are found on materials like agate or other minerals. Drusy has many different appearances. Some are tiny crystals, which gives it a soft and luminous appearance. It can have a sugar-like appearance with medium crystals, or it can have large, distinctly formed crystals.
As for color, Drusy is often dyed for brilliant hues. A process called vapor deposition adds a thin coating of titanium, which gives the Drusy a bright purple, royal blue or rainbow appearance.
A raw, uncut Drusy Quartz straight out of the mine relatively inexpensive. Once a Drusy is cut(like those used in jewelry designs), it jumps in price drastically due to the fact the cutting has to be done very carefully. The small crystals can be destroyed very easily.
Once you purchase a piece of jewelry featuring this awesome stone, it needs to be cleaned properly every once in awhile. A soft brush and a bit of warm soapy water should do the trick. Make sure to be gentle but don't worry, Drusy is 7 on the Moh's Scale of Hardness(which measures a stone's durability and hardness) which makes it pretty durable. A diamond, the worlds hardest natural stone is a 10.
Definitely check out my Artfire store for my Drusy offerings, I fell in love with this unique stone and have started making many designs around them.
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| Rainbow Drusy Necklace by BellaSweet Jewelry Features Iolite, Prasiolite and Amethyst Sorry, this necklace has been sold |
What is Drusy Quartz?
I use a lot of Drusy in my designs and many times, customers don't understand what it is. Here's some info:
Drusy(or Druzy) Quartz are gemstones with a natural surface texture much like fine sugar crystals that formed millions of years ago. They are found on materials like agate or other minerals. Drusy has many different appearances. Some are tiny crystals, which gives it a soft and luminous appearance. It can have a sugar-like appearance with medium crystals, or it can have large, distinctly formed crystals.
As for color, Drusy is often dyed for brilliant hues. A process called vapor deposition adds a thin coating of titanium, which gives the Drusy a bright purple, royal blue or rainbow appearance.
A raw, uncut Drusy Quartz straight out of the mine relatively inexpensive. Once a Drusy is cut(like those used in jewelry designs), it jumps in price drastically due to the fact the cutting has to be done very carefully. The small crystals can be destroyed very easily.
Once you purchase a piece of jewelry featuring this awesome stone, it needs to be cleaned properly every once in awhile. A soft brush and a bit of warm soapy water should do the trick. Make sure to be gentle but don't worry, Drusy is 7 on the Moh's Scale of Hardness(which measures a stone's durability and hardness) which makes it pretty durable. A diamond, the worlds hardest natural stone is a 10.
Definitely check out my Artfire store for my Drusy offerings, I fell in love with this unique stone and have started making many designs around them.
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| Drusy Necklace by BellaSweet Jewelry Features Amethyst and Citrine Briolettes |
Monday, May 16, 2011
A Lesson on Pearls
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| Gray Freshwater Pearl Necklace by BellaSweet Jewelry |
The first known source of pearls was the Persian Gulf and the ancients of the area believed that pearls were a symbol of the moon and had magical powers. The stories of pearls were widely known, some fact..some fiction. But there was one fact that is simply undeniable, pearls are the oldest known gem and was considered the most precious for centuries.
A pearl is formed when a tiny foreign object(a parasite or organic matter) is embedded in the tissue of mollusk. The mollusk will begin to secrete a calcium carbonate substance called nacre to cover the irritant and protect the soft tissue. After a few years, the nacre builds up to form the pearl.
A natural pearl is simply an accident of nature and is extremely rare. Most pearls today are cultured. While a cultured pearl undergoes the same process of nacre building up to form the pearl, the inital foreign object(typically a small bead called the nucleus) is introduced by a pearl farmer.
Freshwater pearls are grown in freshwater mollusks. They are generally formed around a bead nucleus. Freshwater mollusks are nucleated by creating a small incision in the fleshy tissue of a 6 to 12 month old freshwater mussel. A 3mm square piece of mantle tissue taken from a donor mussel is then inserted. Soon, the mussel will begin its natural process of forming nacre over the inserted tissue. The mussel gets put back into its natural freshwater enviroment and are taken care of for 2-6 years. The pearl is solid nacre but can be irregularly shaped because it wasn't formed around a perfect nucleus bead. Freshwater pearls are not as round as saltwater pearls and lack a bit of luster. But the postives outshine the negatives! Freshwater pearls are available in a wide variety of shapes and natural colors. Price-wise, they're more inexpensive that pricey saltwater varieties. They are also quite durable due to the solid nacre, resisting wear and chips. I exclusively use freshwater pearls in my designs because of this.
Pearls need a little extra care once you choose your jewelry piece. Since they are an organic gemstone, they are more delicate than an emerald or topaz. Perfume, hairspray, lotions can dull the pearls natural sheen so its a good idea to apply these before putting your pearls on. You can wipe them down every once in awhile with a slightly damp soft cloth and store them away from hard jewelry items. I like to put my pearl pieces in small velvet bags inside my jewelry box.
Please take a look at all of my pearl pieces as you can tell, I genuinely love and respect the process that goes into making them. Even though I know they've had a little help from a farmer's hand, to me..they're little moondrops sent from above :)
Sunday, May 15, 2011
What A Melon
I love fuchsia and lime green..I think its such a fun combo and it looks bright.. Here's a brand-new collection of amazing Artfire items:
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Who wants to win $100?
I know I do! Artfire is now running this amazing contest..Sign up to receive Artfire Daily Collection emails and you could win $100!
Here's the deal.. Artfire has this amazing feature called collections. Its basically awesome handmade items that are for sale on AF, put together..usually in a theme or color. You might have noticed a few of mine in my blog posts.
If you sign up for the emails, you'll be sent a code that is yours and yours alone. Then every day, you'll be emailed a collection with a code at the bottom. If your code matches the email code, you win $100 to spend at any Pro Artfire store.
And I promise, you will not get tons of spam from AF..just the collection email every day. I know, I always hesitate before signing up for anything..my inbox already gets enough bizarre spam!
Click the sign up button below today and check out all the unique, fabulous items that make up Artfire
Here's the deal.. Artfire has this amazing feature called collections. Its basically awesome handmade items that are for sale on AF, put together..usually in a theme or color. You might have noticed a few of mine in my blog posts.
If you sign up for the emails, you'll be sent a code that is yours and yours alone. Then every day, you'll be emailed a collection with a code at the bottom. If your code matches the email code, you win $100 to spend at any Pro Artfire store.
And I promise, you will not get tons of spam from AF..just the collection email every day. I know, I always hesitate before signing up for anything..my inbox already gets enough bizarre spam!
Click the sign up button below today and check out all the unique, fabulous items that make up Artfire
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