August Update!

1st of August seems as good as time as any to give an update.  All the sales from my previous blog post are still going on, they will end August 26th.  After that (not sure at what point) some of the items may go to take a spin at a brick and mortar shop in Manhattan that has carried some of my stuff in the past.  They get a real rush before Halloween, so some pieces that survive the sale may go there.  Also, the Custom Vial Pendant Sale currently has 3 slots left.  Then it's over, whenever they're filled.

I also have a giant crate full of tiles I'm still trying to figure out what to do with.  I have a lot of ideas, but the tiles are very varied, and most of them are glazed, though the terracotta and darker ones aren't.  We shall see. . we shall see. . .

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There's a huge amount of variety and supply when it comes to tile crafts already on etsy.  A lot of people are recycling old tiles, some are making their own from scratch (but, damn, the ones that look like the back of a surinam toad just creep/gross me out so bad.  I swear, I can't look at those things or anything that even resembles them without getting full body shuddering heeby-geeby creepy willies!!)

But for people who are making them from scratch, I like the decorative pieces of Earth Song Tiles.

 The Celtic knotwork and themes definitely give her an extra + in my book, to boot.  And while it was her cat tile that caught my attention, I think my favorite is this mermaid and seal combo (or is it a selkie? ah-ha!).  Her collection is small, but well varied with knot work pieces for borders, feature tiles and crowns with animals, fairies, and other Celtic symbols, like the Claddagh and the Thistle.

Stacking Sales Upon Sales

So, for a while now I've had a few pieces at Izile's Oddities on etsy manually marked down by up to 20% off.  Then last week, I noticed I was running low on bulb-bottom vials and sterling silver 20 gauge wire and decided I needed to raise funds by having another sale.  This time, it was a Custom Vial Sale (first time I've done one of those) and if you ordered a custom blended vial pendant in the straight small vial (of which I have plenty) and using any other wire besides the 20 gauge Sterling Silver (I do have some 28 ga), I would make one for a starting cost of $5.00 instead of the usual $8.00 (fancy gemstones like rubies, sapphires, emeralds, etc., still cost extra).  I decided to do this sale for the first 5 people to confirm a custom order.  I so far have 4 slots left.

So now, I've made an Etsy Coupon Code to go on top of all this!  Thing is, my birthday is coming up (Labor Day Weekend), and besides needing more supplies for my vials, if possible, I'd like to make a little extra to buy myself something small.  SO, the coupon code is "Elfbday12" and will get you 10% off your entire order - everything - even the new traditional gemstone and sterling silver pieces, the hand painted mask, prints, sculpture, everything is included in that 10% off, and it gets stacked on top of already marked down items.  So my most expensive Magic Vial Pendants, that were originally $20 are now $16.20!!  Like the one shown here, which is sapphires and rainbow moonstone!

Now is a great time to buy!  Get some great deals, get your own custom blended piece for less than ever, and you get to help lil Izile keep on going!

Oh, there will be more traditional jewelry coming, just some components seem to have gotten lost in the mail, and I can't finish necklaces without chain.  But hopefully, soon!

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Not a lot to tie-in to for a blog plug - but that's never stopped me before.

I was recently talking to a friend about green amber, so why not.

Low and behold, there is actually a shop called The Beauty of Amber.  And, it's basically 16 pages of Sterling Silver jewelry set with genuine Baltic Amber.  Some green, some not.  Well, that about hits the nail on the head!

I am a little unsure about exactly how "handmade" anything/everything is, as there's nothing anywhere on the shop that says "handmade," specifically.  There's very little information anywhere on the shop or in the listings, in general, except "real .925 sterling silver and genuine baltic amber."  OK.  Well. use your own discretion.  They do have 100% positive feedback, the pieces are nice, very affordable, and her shipping and handling is freakishly cheap.   Featured here is a nice sun design centered with green amber.  The pendant, even after shipping, is only $22!

New Shipment!

So, I got my refund and was able to buy a new lot of empty bottles for my Magic Vial Pendants. As an extra little bit of interest, I ordered 6 bottles in a different shape from my standard "potion" vials. My latest addition to the shop, "Desert Small," is made using one of these vials. The smaller vials take more wire to wrap, but hold less contents, so they're a little less expensive. This one is $12.00 for Sterling Silver and genuine Turquoise.

And since I'm reopening Commissions, I thought it might be a good idea to recap available elements, including new additions.

Wire choices:

*20 gauge craft silver-toned wire (included in base cost)
*24 gauge copper wire ($1.00 additional)
*20 gauge brass wire ($1.00 additional) *NEW*
*20 or 22 gauge sterling silver wire ($2.00-$3.00 additional)
*22 gauge 14K gold-filled wire ($5.00 additional)

Gemstone choices:

I still have too extensive a gemstone collection to really list all possibilities. Plus, I can acquire a lot of gemstones that I cannot keep in my general stock. However, this is a list of limited quantity options.

*One shot of Yellow Sapphire (last of my fancy sapphires)
* One shot of Peacock Ore
* One tiny genuine Emerald
* Getting low on Pink Tourmaline, and
* Roughly 2 shots of iridescent Opal

All other gemstones supplies are in sufficient enough supply to not be worth noting.

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Now, the thing that I've heard, is that when times are tough, people still like to treat themselves, but they like to do it in a small, affordable manner. I have to admit, this is definitely what I'm hoping for, as even my most expensive pendant has never exceeded $30.00. So, I decided to look for other affordable, economy friendly treats.

One thing I always have a weakness for is pendants (obviously). :-)

Tia 02 has a lot of cute Asian inspired pendants, in the $4.00 - $9.00 range. These pendants are polymer clay shapes with floral Asian print paper baked onto the tops and then finished with glazes. They are fairly simple, but with the oriental themes and patterns, it seems very sharp and clean.

Custom Orders

I just finished up a custom order of vials. Very unique, one "Storm" themed, and one "Dance" themed. The vial pictured to the right is "Dance." It's kind of an abstract concept, but I think it worked out very well! The one over to the left and below is "Storm," and I'm very pleased with it. I particular like the kyanite blades, reminds me a bit of lightning.

And I was thinking, probably about half of my sales are custom blends I do on request.

In a lot of ways, I actually prefer filling custom orders, because then I have a clear idea and path. It's a bit like Jeopardy, in that someone's given you the answer, and you've got to figure out the question that would go with it. Plus, it's nice to know that it's going to have a home and someone to love it when it's done. I actually *feel bad* a bit for my "Mojave" and "Archangel" pendants, because they've been hanging on the shelf so long. But, if I can get enough put back and stored up, I might look into a craft fair this summer, maybe I can split the rent on a table with someone.

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Anyway, where I was going with this was Custom Orders. Lots of Etsians are more than happy to do custom work. Heck, if you can't find it, you can always try putting an advert up on Alchemy. Something I've recently suggested to a couple of friends of mine who'd be interested in very particular concepts (like a steampunk mad scientists lab coat - hint hint, anyone out there?)

So what's out there in Custom Order land, besides logos, business cards and wedding dresses?

At the high end of the price range (though not nearly as high as it goes!) I found this GORGEOUS custom made-to-order "Venetian Inspired Jacket" by Bonzie of Ireland. The little thumbnail of a picture I can fit here on my blog hardly shows you the details that go into this beautiful tailoring job. And for this kind of workmanship, it's worth the extra $10.00 for International S&H.

The rest of her shop has equally beautiful garments, and even a variation on this jacket that lets you customize the design even more.

Another $100 down, and I couldn't help myself but to include this entry for custom "wooliture." RoseThistleArtworks lists an adorable large felted unicorn for custom creation (allow 3-6 weeks). Bonus perks for life-time guarantee for any repairs or whathaveyou, and free S&H on the initial purchase.

Her shop contains other felted animals, as well as a medium sized custom request for a little bit less than half the cost of a large custom unicorn.

I really bit off more than I can chew with this topic. I may have to make it a 2. . or even 5 parter. But I've got space for one more tonight; and I'll skip on down in the "under $100.00" category.

This absolutely blew my mind. I used to have a titanium ring, and remember the talk about its indistructability, how each one had to be custom made because you can't resize titanium. So, to find custom titanium rings on Etsy. I'm quite surprised!

This is one of the least expensive available at Shade Jewelry. Though, for just $10-$20 more, there are some gorgeous colors and styles available in the same titanium base. I do highly suggest checking out the rest of his shop, because it is nothing short of impressive.