Too Much Snow.

Long time no check-in!  However, I wanted to write in today and do a little catching up and talk about what's been on my mind.

Anyone who's read any of the recent posts has probably picked up that my production has dropped incredibly due to new day-job (actual, perm, for realz, all the bells and whistles day-job, not just temp, we'll see day-job!) (YAY!! Very happy about that, by the way - still am!).  However, certain things haven't been helping - my silver supplier is ONLY open M-F 9-5, and has crazy expensive shipping rates if I can't physically go to the shop (which, I can't, because I work, M-F 8:30 - 5:30).  I know, I should probably try and find a new place to buy my silver, or just go back to ordering everything online and having it delivered (though I do prefer to see things in person whenever possible).  And, let's not forget - THE WEATHER.  It pretty much sucks - and has sucked, and apparently is going to continue to suck for quite a long time.  Not only is being outside difficult with all the slipping and falling and the air hurts my face, but my garden is now under so many feet of accumulated snow that I'm not sure I could find any herbs for more pendants.

(There have been **2** more snows since this picture!  The table very nearly disappeared at one point)

But, I get off track.  I have made two custom pieces for a coworker, and seeing them get excited and each one has kind of given me a new desire to get back into making Magic Vial Pendants.  So often, selling only online, you never really get to see people react emotionally to your work.  It's almost been 10 years since I first started making these vials, and it's understandable, I think, that would lead to getting a bit jaded sometimes.  But seeing an honest reaction, face to face, with someone getting exactly what they wanted.  It made me remember why I make these.  So, hopefully, I'll find a way to make some new ones soon.  Maybe nothing with herbs, just yet, but I have some cedar wood stored back, and those immortelle flowers I got almost a year ago haven't aged a bit, so they're about the only bright/sunny thing I have to work with right now.

(immortelle flowers thanks to pinterest)

The vials I've made with the little golden flowers haven't sold nearly as well as expected.  I'm not sure if it's just that people aren't always that fond of the yellow/orange color spectrum as colors to wear, or something else that makes them less attractive than lilacs and rosebuds.

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So, I did a quick search on etsy to see if anyone else is working with them.

There aren't a lot, only 19 results came up, and a lot of them (not surprising) are bath/body products.  However, my favorite is this resin necklace made by Resin Sun.

And if it is the color that's off-putting to some people, don't worry, she puts all sorts of colors of flowers in these pretty resin spheres.  All this snow and grey, I think we could all use an extra dose of color and sunlight.

You Asked for Snow.

Yes.  Yes, I did.  And I sure enough have it now, don't I?

I'm currently on the 43rd floor looking out over the southern tip of Manhattan, and it is NOT pretty.  The windows are all vibrating visibly, and the wind sounds like a chorus of screaming teapots.  They've sent out the company wide "get out now, while you can" email. . . but of course, that doesn't apply to me.

So I'm just going to sit here and blog, instead.

And don't forget, if you want to read more blogs about snow, and snowflakes, be sure to hit this jump link:



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Today's plug is from Heart Works by Lori.  She has this beautiful locket, showing off a beautiful piece of collaboration between herself and the photographer, Irene Suchocki.  The quote used in the listing for the description of the photographer's style is "little poems for the eyes," and I think that is dead-on!  She has more jewelry, and other lockets featuring more photographs from Irene, as well.  But this snowy piece, almost coming off with abstract dapples, is by far my favorite piece!

Go take a peek and wander around the shop and see what you find!

Red and White

That time of year and I always just love the way strong reds look against clean whites.  Maybe it's that strange Snow-White fixation that's so common with love of contrasts; the look of blood upon the snow.  Ah, and snow - we finally got a little of it this weekend here in NYC.  Not a lot, and it didn't last long, but my garden was tiny drifts of white for a couple of days.  I'm now left torn between wanting at least one more snow, a good one, with real deep pillowy dunes; and spring with budding little flowers breaking through thin frost and fleet feathery flurries.

Well, since my rubies finally came in for Valentines Day projects, I've made a couple of red and white themed vials.  Every year I make a couple of Lil Love mini vials pendants with rubies and pearls.  I love the symbolic mix of the passion and joy of the rough rubies with the purity and loyalty of the smooth pearls.  Topped off with some flecks of red rose petals and sterling silver wire.  It's one of my favorites to make.

And of course, a variant for the full-sized bulb-bottom vials is always a fan-favorite.  For this one, I have had a surplus of creamy opals, which with their little flecks of fire and versatility combined beautifully with the deep red rubies and a whole red rosebud and the classic silver swirl of wire.

Blood and snow, flowers and frost, it's still a little early yet, but I guess that's where my thoughts are turning.

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Along those lines, I found a new etsy shop that I'm loving - oddly off pinterest this time, and not through my regular grueling searching through page after page on etsy.

Gardens of Whimsy is right in there with my thoughts turning towards early flowers; and it doesn't hurt she's also a redheaded crafty Brooklyn-girl, too ;-)

The majority of her shop focuses around floral hair accessories, whether crowns, clips or pins.  While there is a definite nod to bridal customers, there are many pieces that would look more in place with cosplay or a ren faire than a wedding aisle.  The elfling in me also appreciates an entire section dedicated to more fae creations.  (I am also totally envious of her ability to style her hair so great - and take such awesome pics herself! I have a LOT of hair and I'm doing good when I can get it into a fishtail braid!)

She has a huge history of sales (this is definitely a "new to me" entry) so if nothing catches your eye immediately, you might want to give it a peek.  She does do custom orders, though I'd read her policies page first.

Me.  I think I need to go back on pinterest and see if I can find more step-by-step instructions on how to put my hair up in swanky ways while I try and make up my mind.

A Wish for Snow That Sticks

I admit, I'm not a cold weather person.  I prefer the blazing heat of summer to almost any season.  However, I do like having seasons.  And I do recognize that without properly balanced seasons, some very unpleasant things can accumulate.  For instance, I want snow.  I want snow, I want temperatures to get below the freezing mark and stay there for at least one week.  Wow.  That sounds arbitrary, doesn't it?  But no.  I'm a gardener.  And a good week (or two) of solid freeze means a whole lot less buggies in my garden come spring.  Plus, growing up largely without snow, I still get really excited about it!  So, I'd just like some snow, please.

But, NYC isn't wanting to cooperate.  :-(  January, and this weekend might see 60' F.  That's just not right.  This happened last year and I had an ungodly swarm of aphids, and I'd never had any at all before, nearly destroy my garden.  So I dream of a real winter.  I hope and wish and want for the snow.  And so I took up Aquariann's Blog-Hop Snowflake Challenge.  You'll find a link over on the sidebar, too.  Lots of blogs all talking about snowflakes and the wonderful snowflake items on etsy!

Sunny Skies Studios is the first etsy shop who's flurries caught my eye.  As a girl with not a single piercing, I always love finding places that do ear jewelry that doesn't require holes.  This snowflake ear cuff is a delicate and beautiful touch, I like how even how it's attached to the wire gives it this feel like it's been swept there by an icy wind.

This shop is 8 pages focused primarily on ear jewelry, both cuffs and piercings; though the other basic jewelry types are also represented in the same artful styles.

Enchanted Quills stood out as the snowflakes grew thicker in my search.  Handmade and painted feather quill pens are something I've only started being aware of in the past year-ish  (I did a trade on DeviantArt last Christmas to get one for a friend).  The more I look at them the more I like them.  Delicate and each unique in its own way, through nature and the styling of the artist.  Enchanting is a very good word for them.  Pictured here is Frostlight, with snowflakes both painted on the feather and a rhinestone ornament nestled at the top of the shaft.

The pens vary widely by not only painting and design, but color and shape - different types of feathers from different birds makes for a lot of choices!  You can also find ceremonial stick incense and even a few earrings floating through the drifts.

And as those drifts continue to get deeper, one last shop shone out through the torrent of snowflakes (that I really wish were outside my window and not just on my screen):  Alberto Cerriteño.  This artist handles a few different kinds of people and critters in his paintings, but his handling of birds are the pieces I like best.  Especially this Snowy Owl with snowflake backdrop.  In the case of this particular print, you can even request what character/symbol goes into the word bubble.  The detail and stylized touches of these prints make them exceedingly charming and personable.  And don't worry if birds aren't your thing, he's got plenty of other critter and color variations available!

Happy Holidays!! - Izile's Gone South

Well, I'm actually not heading South until the wee early hours of Wednesday, but I'm shutting Izile's Oddities down for holiday hiatus today (Tuesday) at about noon (EST) so I'll have time to get any last minute packages to the Post Office and still pack and get everything cleaned and in order for pre-flight checklist tonight.

So, thank you to everyone who shopped with Izile's Oddities this holiday season - being all jobless, it REALLY HELPED!

And thank you to everyone who chose to shop Etsy.com and any other small or local business or online retailer instead of some big-box mega-corp chain, even for some of your gifts.  Your purchases MATTER SO MUCH to all of us in the small business and crafting communities.  I know they all want to offer their thanks as well.

So, Happy Holidays, one and all, and I hope you all have a very Merry New Year!!  See you in 2013!

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And, my last plug for the year is a good one!  A bit of a review, too.  I'm not a huge tea drinker, it's more an occasional drink for me (excluding sweet iced tea, which is ubiquitous in my home) than anything, and I can be very picky about anything I eat/drink.

Dryad Tea (also DryadTea at FB) makes hand-blended, loose leaf teas with a strong fantasy influence from the band Pandora Celtica, a five-person "... dark faerie Celtic acappella band from the land of dreams and myth." of which the owner is also a member.  I love the depth and personality of the descriptions of the teas, and the tastes do not leave you disappointed!  I was very much won over by her blends with my first cup!

For my part, I have tried 2 different blends of tea of which I got the smaller sample baggies (about .3 oz) so I could try some while waiting for my fella to open his gift of 3 other blends.

I tried Persephone: "Pomegranate mixed with black tea and laced with vanilla to create a loose leaf tea worthy of Persephone herself."  The ingredients list also includes rose hips and sunflower petals.  I normally don't like a lot of vanilla flavored teas, because they leave a kind of strange aftertaste in my mouth I don't care for.  However, this tea was lovely!  The vanilla was very mild and did not overpower the other notes or the tea itself, but gave it just a hint of a creamy smell that made it pair very well with just a touch of milk (and I normally do not put milk in my teas).  It had a nice fruity sharp but sweet note to it that balanced well before and after the addition of some local apple blossom honey I horde for my rare cup of hot tea.  Overall, very lovely!

I also tried Rubiee: "Mistress of the Keys, Keeper of Pandora's Box and Glitter Bomber Extraordinaire. This tea is a spectacular blend of Elderberry, Plum and Pink Peppercorns with a tiny splash of anise, cinnamon and clove."  It is a really beautiful looking tea, as you can see above.  Plus, I love plum-everything and I think I might be a little obsessed with pink peppercorns as of late.  Again, I had a moment of worry the first moment I saw "anise" in the ingredients list - I loathe everything licorice-like.  I honestly never even noticed the anise, and I'm also not sure I ever really tasted the pink peppercorns much either - there definitely wasn't any kind of "pepper-like heat" but as pink peppercorns aren't really peppercorns at all, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.  The flavor was a lot sharper and more tart than the Persephone and I found it called for a bit of honey and no milk.  The plum reminded me much more of a sour Asian type of plum than the uber-sweet and juicy black plums I'm used to back home.  However, with a little honey to balance out the fruity acidity, I might prefer it even over Persephone!

There are many other flavors available, including rooibos, herbal and green tea blends as well as black.  I'd definitely suggest taking the time and reading through her descriptions, they're very evocative of a wonderful fantasy world and the realms of Faerie.

Mistletoe & Magic

Yule is looming on the horizon, and Christmas right on its heels.  You've still got a little time left for some last minute magical gifts for friends and family, so why not check out FAEs Solstice inspired Exhibition:

$25 Gift Certificate Give Away!

Yup! We have a contest going on at Izile's Oddities.  One lucky winner will win a $25 gift certificate to spend as they see fit at my etsy shop!

The contest is being run over on Aquariann's Blog, where she is doing a series of contests and give aways!

So go on over, enter to win!  You get extra entries for watching my blog, or following my facebook fan page, or a number of other ways, as well!

Also, I thought this might be a good time to go ahead and put up the holiday deadlines.  I just updated my etsy shop to reflect these dates, but I'll put it here, too.

The last day for shipping for Izile's Oddities this holiday season is December 18th.  No packages will be mailed after December 18th until after January 2nd. (Because I will be out of state with family).  That means all items must be bought and paid for by December 17th.  The deadline for CUSTOM ORDERS is Friday, December 14th.  That means all CUSTOM ORDERS have to be discussed, agreed on and paid in full, by December 14th to guarantee completion and shipping prior to December 18th.  

Especially if you were thinking of ordering a one of a kind custom piece for someone this holiday season, I would ask you contact me sooner than later about what you're looking for.  Even if you need a couple of weeks before you can pay for the piece, contacting me and us working out a formula or design well ahead of time gives me more time to get any extra components in will better ensure my ability to make you exactly what you want before the cut off date.  (If you contact me Friday the 14th night and you want rubies, and I'm sold out of rubies, then you aren't getting rubies.  If you contact me in the next couple of weeks about something, and I don't have it, I have plenty of time to go get it or order it if it's a hard to find component.)

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Well, you already need to go read Aquariann's blog in order to go see the giveaway she's hosting for me, so, you might as well take a little extra time and get to know who she is and what she does.  She is one of the leaders of Fantasy Artists of Etsy (FAE) - and, as ever, all FAE member goods can be found on etsy by searching "faeteam."  

Aquariann is the etsy shop of her fantasy art.  She primarily works with classic illustration with pencils and inks.  Transferring her designs to a variety of products such as bookmarks, buttons, magnets, pendants and even standard prints.  Bright colors and whimsical fantasy themes make for fun and distinctive pieces.  The piece pictured here, and one of my favorites, I think is a great example and shows a stylistic kinship to other fantasy artists like Amy Brown and Molly Harrison.

While fairies are a staple with Kristin, expect to see plenty of witches, mermaids, dragons, unicorns and other fantastic creatures brought to life with vibrant colors and beautiful detailing.

February. . .

and more snow. *headdesk*

So, it's starting: February madness. We have Groundhog's Day tomorrow, in which regardless of whether or not he sees his shadow, I feel confident that we will have at least 6 more weeks of winter. In fact, I would be overjoyed if we ONLY had 6 more weeks of winter, if by Vernal Equinox we could actually have even a little spring - I would be DELIGHTED. It's also the same day for Candlemas and Imbolc. Day after is Chinese New Year, which I've already covered in abundance, I feel. And of course, the week following is Valentine's Day. And a couple of weeks after that, even atheists will start contemplating the sacrificing of goats to bring about an end to winter.

I tried to clear off my stairs before the most recent storm hit us (or is going to hit us, I think only the early edge has hit so far and we're supposed to get more tonight). I'm posting a

picture to give you an idea of my frustration, I rely so heavily on my herb garden, even in winter, how vexing this is. I cleaned off the stairs, and when I got to the top. . . well, tell me. . . now what am I supposed to do?

I admit, I've skipped the whole V-day post in the past, because frankly, I feel like I don't know what I'm doing. I remember I always loved the giant "I ♥ U" made out of chocolate my Mom would always give me as soon as I came home from school, because she knew I'd never get anything there. (Nobody loves you like your Mama!) I also remember the strange, creepy, stalker-ish guy at college who was always trying to convert me to his own very special brand of Christianity sending yellow-orange lilies (see earlier post on flower meanings) to my dorm room with a tag that said "Happy friendship day! Jesus loves you!" My last b/f, some 3 years ago, did send a homemade card that I thought was pretty nice as it was filled with tiny, life sized, paper ladybugs he'd made (because ladybugs bring me sanity). Either way, point is, it always seemed like something for everyone else, I don't guess I ever "got it."

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Anyway.

Everywhere you go, everyone's advertising for Valentine's Day, I even saw little hearts stuck to the inside of the bullet proof glass at a subway attendant's kiosk.

I would not recommend trying to search "valentine" on etsy as you get over 250,000 page hits, and while some people have taken great care to make thematic items for their shop, a lot of people have just tagged everything in their shop with the word with no regard to any thematic relationship at all. Vexing.

So, we'll just skip all this and I'll look for something that reminds me of that giant amount of chocolate Mom would give me as soon as I came home from school. It would take me DAYS to eat that thing, and I loved ever moment of it.

Calabasas Candy Company actually had one of the best looking sets. They have a good variety of truffles, caramels and marshmallows, but I think their sampler box is probably the best for this blog topic. Beautiful 24 piece set of 6 flavors: Lavender Honey, Pecan Milk Chocolate, Maraschino Cherry, Rose Water, Dark Chocolate Fleur de Sel, and Champagne.

If their candies taste even half as good as their pictures look and description reads, then these would definitely be a good way to go! But also be sure to peek around at the various flavors of caramels and marshmallows as well, there are some very interesting options!

And Even MORE Snow!

OK, I admit, I'm a little frustrated. I haven't been able to get to my herb garden in so long, I'm wondering if it's even still alive under all that snow. I've uploaded a picture from last week - it's worse now! See those tiny little sprigs over by the fence on the right? That's the tops of my 4 year old rosemary busy.

Makes it hard to make more vials when a lot of my component options are out in that. I did, after the first snow go out and attempt to take a shovel to a snow bank to get to my thyme - and failed.

So, in the

meantime, I look at what can be done with what I have. I have added two more, reformulated (yet again) Lollipop Hair Sticks (seen left). These are a bit bigger/thicker than the last few I made, but they also should be able to stand up to more. Of course, this also means that they're a bit heavier than the last ones, which means they would be best for thicker/longer hair. They still aren't as big as the one I made for myself (these are roughly 2" round), but they aren't the tiny delicate things I tried last time, either.

I continue to work on the "From Faerie" line of bath products, though, as they require curing time, the snow could possibly melt before I've got another one through testing and curing and ready to go on etsy.

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Frankly, I'm about ready for January to DIAF. So, that's the theme today, I'm searching for FIRE.

The first thing I found today that caught my attention is "Fire Mountain Cocoa" from Good 4 You, a provider of "herb love." The Fire Mountain Cocoa is all organic and fair trade blended hot chocolate with guarana, sweet cinnamon, vanilla bean and cayenne pepper. Sounds like a good way to fight off the cold and snow to me! The rest of the shop is a 5 page plethora of herbal teas, salves, baths, balms and syrups.

And, if you're snowed in and are fond of crochet or knitting, there's always keeping your hands warm with some lovely, fire colored, handspun, and hand painted, merino wool yarn from Chimera Fibers. There's plenty of other color options available at her shop, and if you aren't much for doing the yarn works yourself, there's also a good bit of needle felted sculpture.

Chinese New Year!

OK, so I already -kinda- had a post about Chinese New Year, but it wasn't really about it and Chinese New Year is now just over a week away! (Thursday, February 3rd, day after Groundhogs Day - oh please may that fuzzy little bastard not see his shadow.)

So, 2011 on the Chinese lunar calendar marks the beginning of the year of the White Metal Rabbit. So, the Rabbit is the 4th sign of the Chinese zodiac and is considered very lucky. You would be a Rabbit if your birthday falls during the lunar years of 1999 (earth), 1987 (fire), 1975 (wood), 1963 (water), 1951 (metal), 1940 (earth), and so on, subtracting 12 years each time. I admit, I understand the 12 year cycle of the zodiac animals, and I understand the cycles of the 5 Eastern element, but why the rabbit is white, specifically, I have no idea. Would love to hear from anyone who has that information!

Me, I'm really looking forward to going to my first Chinatown celebration and see the parades and maybe go eat some dumplings and such. It's my 4th year here in NYC, and I just never seemed to get there; but this time, I'm planning ahead!

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Now, I'm not sure how much new there will be under "white metal rabbit" on etsy, as I did that search just at the beginning of January, and it tends to come up with a lot of Alice in Wonderland jewelry, mostly. So, I think I'll do a more generic "Chinese zodiac" search.

And wow, right off the bat I found a beautiful print for any of you out there who might be "rabbits" in this sense. Nicole Kristiana Studios has some very unique, beautiful and colorful prints, not the least of which is her 2011 "Year of the Rabbit." It's a lovely 13"x19" print of her mixed media original.

Her prints and originals make up a 5 page shop full of bright colors, swirling patterns, playful lines and shapes, and a lovely sense of whimsy. As I looked through all 5 pages, I even noticed an option to get select prints on tote bags, and that this particular bunny comes in a few colors choices, even black and white.

Snow!

So we had our first real snow last night here in NYC. A light but constant flurry that seemed to persist for hours and did eventually stick enough for a light coating of white. It always makes the city so beautiful when the snow is fresh. It was a great way to finish a great night.

Also, little note, It is Tuesday the 14th, and I believe I will be putting Izile's Oddities on seasonal hiatus starting Thursday the 16th. So if there is anything any of you might have been wanting to buy from my etsy shop for Christmas, best to do so soon. The SALES listed a couple of posts down are still in effect until the shop goes on seasonal hiatus. I will be back January 3rd, 2011, and will probably have the shop open no later than Jan 4th.

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SNOW! I basically grew up without snow. Maybe we'd get a little snow that would stick once every

4-5 years back in Mississippi, but even then, it

was almost never enough to play with. No, we more got ice, if we got anything at all. So, yes, I still get excited about snow as an adult, because it's something I didn't get to play with or experience much as a child. Here is a photo from

"Snowmageddon" last year that my roommate took of me while I made a pitiful attempt to build a tiny snowman out in our back yard. I will say I have two things working against me when it comes to snowmen, 1) lack of experience, 2) Reynaud's Phenomenon. I won't go into details about #2, but feel free to google.

Now, back to snow on etsy!

So, "snow" results in more pages than I can shake a stick at. So, one of my favorite themes in snow are angry bluebirds. My grandmother did some birdwatching before she passed, and I remember books with lots of photos of puffed up "mad" looking bluebirds in the snow. Well, Makaio's Fotos has a couple of Eastern Bluebird photo prints. They don't necessarily look as ticked off as the ones I remember, but they are truly puffed up! There's also a great variety of other nature based shots to browse through.

And of course, when the results are too overwhelming, I know I can always check in and see what my fellow members at FAE (Fantasy Artists of Etsy) are doing. (You can always check out the items for FAE members by searching "faeteam" on etsy.) I try never to promote the same shop twice, and I've got a lot of the FAE artists covered, but Rainwater Studios has a great piece and is new enough that I've never had the opportunity to feature them before. At right is there Winter Fae Necklace. They've only had a very few sales and have 4 pages full of wonderful things to look at. Lots of great wire wrapping and fantasy themed creations!

Winter Woods

December is here, Happy Chanukah to those who celebrate it!

Just put up one new Magic Vial pendant - "Guardian Heart" and was splintering off some red cedar wood to finish it up. The rest is a blend of Obsidian glass and a single chunk of genuine Rub.

The garden has already started dying off, leaving me without basil or mint. The verbena is none too happy, either, and while the sage will be fine, it has stopped putting out fresh growths, which is where I find the

leaves small enough to fit in my bottles.

I need to go for a long walk through the "wilds" of the park and see about foraging winter woods from the ground debris. Maybe

while I'm home in Mississippi for Christmas, I can go wandering through a real old forest and maybe find some things there.

But, despite the cold and recent wet and wind, I feel the need to be amongst trees.

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That's an easy enough segue, isn't it?

I thought I'd start more specifically about cedar, because it's in the vial, and it was always a favorite back home. I remember when Mom was refinishing grandpa's old steamer trunks, she'd always redo the inside in red cedar. I still love going home in the winter, digging through the trunks that hold a wild variety of forgotten treasures and the warm smell of those old trunks.

Unfortunately, that scent is rather hard to synthesize, and I just ended up being a little frustrated and branching out more into the overwhelming general search of "trees." (Yes, Virginia, Izile spent many hours on this one little blog post, didn't she?)

The first thing I came across is a leather iPhone case. Now, I don't have an iPhone, but like everyone else does, right? (heh) Anyway, this is a beautiful piece of leather workmanship and a gorgeous peach tree. Tovicorrie's "Beautiful Skin" has a gorgeous selection of all leather iPhone, iPod and iPad cases as well as a few non-tech-centered leather items. The selections and designs are definitely worth looking through if you have any of those

tech pieces.

Slightly more abstract as how I got from "tree" to this is next plug is PetalMix who is self described as a maker of "hair accessories and brooch pins are a modern twist on the Japanese art of tsumami kanzashi." The "Wood Elf" piece is how I assume I stumbled across her shop (and is pictured at left), but there's a wide selection of colors, styles and fabrics, ranging from $17 to $40. Definitely worth the time to browse the options!

Holiday SALES & Schedule

First off is the Holiday Schedule for Izile's Oddities.

My etsy shop will be on hiatus from December 15/16 - January 5(?)

My last Post Office drop before I go back to the South will be early Sat., Dec 18th. In order to guarantee timely shipping, all purchases made before 15/16 must be paid in full by no later than Friday the 17th by 5pm, EST.

So, now, for the SALE BIT!

Starting tonight (11/28) until the time of hiatus, I will be offering 3 different holiday sales.

To participate in any of the sales, just enter the "code" and any other pertinent information into the "Message to Seller" field. Depending on which sale you choose, you may have to wait for an adjusted paypal invoice before you pay. Please, if you do not enter any code or information, I will assume you are opting out of the sale and charge you normally!

SALE 1) - Get your choice of any MINI-Print free with any purchase (while supplies last) - CODE: "Free Mini" + which mini you want

SALE 2) - 1/2 OFF all full-sized prints! CODE: 50 Off. First print purchase will get their choice of a free bonus surprise in either Japan theme or NYC theme. Second print purchase will get whichever bonus was not chosen by first purchaser.

SALE 3) - BOGO 1/2 OFF MAGIC VIAL PENDANTS! - Yup, bringing it back just for these couple of weeks. Buy any Magic Vial Pendant and get any other (of equal or lesser value) for HALF OFF! The 1/2 off magic vial MUST be a premade vial already available in shop, but the original purchase vial can be a pre-made or a custom order. CODE: BOGO

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I was a bit scattered in my searching today. I wasn't really sure in what direction I wanted to look for a fellow etsy-er to plug. I admit, I even tried being a little more abstract and doing searches of song lyrics. I guess it just gets daunting, sometimes, when you do a search and it gives you over 34,000 hits. (but you can get overly particular, there's a great lack in the "murano glass hair clip" results.)

In the end, I came back to the one theme that repeats itself so heavily this time of year: "Baby, it's cold outside!"

OK. It's not my sort of thing, and it's above the normal price cap I put on items I blog about, but Obey My Brain Creations MUST be obeyed and must be plugged! After pages and pages of etsy, to have something pop up, smack you in the face and grab your attention by the short hairs, wow. Yes, this must be shown to all.Now, I wasn't sure how to talk about this product though. I really think it's something that needs to be seen first, and I can only imagine the impact of seeing one of these in person, and then poor attempts at verbalizing should follow.

I'm even giving this shop the rare two picture feature, because he does have a hat option under $50. It, too, is of the sort that if seen in public, must be envied, applauded, and then the camera phones must come out, because there's no way you're describing this in a text message.

Rock on, Mr. Freeman! We're glad you're out there.

Blizzard?

That's what the man said. I can't say I've ever been in anything even remotely called a "blizzard" before; but the man on the news did use that term tonight. "All of New York City will be under blizzard alert until 6am tomorrow morning." Really now? Granted, I haven't stepped outside today, but the view from my window hardly seems "blizzard" like. Yes, there's lots of snow, and yes, I don't think it's stopped since I woke up, but I don't think the accumulation in my backyard is even a foot deep. In my mind, blizzards are things you get lost in while running, yelling, looking for your runaway horse, Wildfire.

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Onto the thematic etsy plugging. So, let's see what we find when we search "blizzard" on etsy, anyway.

I can't even say exactly what it is about this piece that made me stop. Simplicity, when done well, can be amazingly elegant. That would be my best guess. This piece is simple, but beautifully so, maybe like that sheet of white outside. This piece is by Faerie Glass, and is made of stained glass and lead-free silver solder.

She has a few other pendants in the exact same design but with different colored pieces of stained glass, as well as many other designs of stained glass jewelry. Very much worth the browse!

Snow!

It's everywhere, it's everywhere! Been contemplating making another Snow themed Pendant (here's the last one for those who missed it).

I am out of lavender, however, so I'd have to do a variant. I should go through my winter supply box, of woods I gathered last winter, like oak, hawthorn, ash and cedar.

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Speaking of, I thought "trees" would be a good search word to find my etsy feature for today's post.

Also, this would be a good time to mention that the FAE (Fantasy Artists of Etsy) street team Exhibition is currently "Through Glittering Trees"


Probably my favorite item from this Exhibition is the Yggdrasil Medallion by SplendedFish. Yggdrasil is the World Tree from Norse mythology, and is thoughtfully wrought here in 18 gauge brass. I would also highly recommend flipping through the rest of their Etsy store, as many of their pieces of jewelry are strange and beautiful, and wonderfully unique.

The other thing I found (as "trees" was a bit expansive a search, I narrowed it to "trees winter") that really popped out and caught my eye was ParAmourDesign's clear bangle bracelet with winter panorama scenery. The black silhouettes against the crisp transparency gives this piece a quiet elegance and beauty. There's honestly not much else at the shop right now, but we hope to see it stocked, soon, with more such lovely pieces!

Between the Holidays

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, and had a good Black Friday, or as I call it sometimes, "Stay-Inside-If-You-Know-What's-Good-For-You day" Not very capitalist of me, I know, but I just wouldn't leave the house for that mess unless I absolutely had to.

Now, that doesn't mean I didn't do any ON-LINE Black Friday shopping. Mua-ha! It's a lot less of a headache to fight for bandwidth in your bathrobe and fuzzy slippers for 50% off deals.

I've made the point on my other, more personal blogs (like on my DeviantArt profile) that I'm going to actually shut down Izile's Oddities during my holiday vacation this year. I will be temporary putting my shop on hold starting December 13th, and it won't reopen until probably right around New Years, 2010.

Just keep that in mind if you've been wanting to get anything for Christmas, or especially if you wanted to request any custom Magic Vial Pendants, sooner is better than later. I haven't put an exact date on when I'll stop taking custom orders for the holidays, but obviously, if you contact me on December 12th wanting a custom order, it's probably not going to happen.

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To start getting into the mood of the upcoming season, I decided I wanted to feature this piece by Stephanie Thomas Berry. It's entitled "The Jewels of Winter Shimmering" and is a print of her original pastel painting.

In particular, I like the pallet of this piece, but most of her works express a very vibrant array of color, and a saturation of hue that really appeals to the imagination. At 8.5 x 11, this is one of her smaller prints, and there are larger options available in other paintings at her etsy shop. Beautiful work!

Snow Sale!

So there's a lot of snow all over the place. And to (celebrate?) I'm having a bit of a "snow sale." All my Magic Vial Pendants made during this winter have been reduced by $1.00 - $3.00!

The pictured vial is Winter Greens, with aventurine and a cactus bud, and is down to $10.00.

There will be a batch of new vials up soon, just having some computer problems I'm trying to get straightened out.

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So, the theme for featuring this week is obviously snow. Now there's too many "snow" themed items on etsy to just touch on one artist. So I've just picked a few of my favorites.

On the high end of the scale, I may have found a new shop to drool over in my daydreams. Made By Elves is based out of London and has this gorgeous snow themed necklace: Snow Blossom. The pendant is made of sterling silver, rainbow moonstone drops and pure silver leaves. It's close to $500, but a truly original and beautiful peice!

I realize, however, that most of us can't be parting with that kind of cash, particularly in the current economy! So, I've selected a secondary high end feature (over $100, but not by much) for today's posting.

Fantasy World Heroes "Snow Skirt" is much more practical, but an ingenius idea! I, myself, has issues with Reynaud's, so I'm always cold in the winter, and anything to help keep the cold away is a good thing! Her Snow Skirts are outerwear items meant to be worn over your clothes, like a wrap-around jacket from the waist down. They have a good selection of sizes and colors, all quilted and lined with contrasting fabric. The only thing I'd like to see is an option without the faux fur. I am not a fan of faux fur, as it's made from petro-chemicals, isn't recyclable and doesn't biodegrade. But aside from that, it's a brilliant idea!

But fear not, ye small of budget! Etsy is a wonderful place to shop whether you have quantities of disposable cash or only a small stipends!

So, let's skip on down to the $50 area. Couvert has the most darling pair of sheepskin slippers! Creme de la creme Highland slippers at that!

I've had generic sheepskin slippers for years, and they are the most lucious things to keep on your feet and nothing can keep them warmer; but I've never seen a pair so cute! Not to mention that frequently, the plain brown kind can run $60 or more, and these are only $45! That makes them *quite* the bargin! The rest of Couvert's shop is filled with all sorts of wonderful handmade items in a wide variety of styles and purposes. I also highly recommend you check out her arm warmers!

Lastly, but certainly not the least, I bring you to the $20 and under range. I love this range, and hey, most of the items in my shop are always in this range! They say, that in a bad economy, it is the tiny treats that the public goes for as small, affordable indulgences become more common than extravagent splurges.

The Black Apple caught my attention with a much over-looked fairytale. Amongst her prints there was one called "Snow, Rose and Bear." From the fairytale "Snow White and Rose Red." If you don't know the story, you should look it up, it's a beautiful little yarn. And no, the Snow White here is in no relation to the Snow White who later finds dwarves.

She has a pretty large gallery of very interesting prints, even if you're not as into this specific story as I am.

Buzzing

Because, you know, I've been busy, like a bee, get it?

OK, enough of that. I just popped in after laundry and before some ebay listing (just some of my old crap, nothing Izile's Oddities related) to give a short update.

Sale went well, a couple of the pendants that didn't go in the BOGO got reduced a bit more, on their own, and I've started putting up a few new pieces in between custom orders for the holidays!

I now have a thinner gauge Sterling Silver wire, as well as my standard 20 gauge, that's allowing me to do some of the fancy style wrappings (like I've been doing in the 24 gauge copper) in Sterling! I really like this one, called Moonlight. It's Labradorite and black Tourmaline. VERY schnazzy looking in person!

And I'm already making plans for a holiday break back home to Mississippi, so if you want anything before then, better hurry! Only a couple of more weeks and I'll be back with the family. I probably won't quit making my stuff, but it'll slow down and my supplies will change.

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And since it's the time for holiday shopping, how about a plug for what I bought off Etsy? I have two little nieces, 3 and 5, and I wanted to get them something fairy-esque. Now, it's surprisingly hard to find child-friendly fairy dolls on etsy. Most of them say for teenagers are older, not even 5, or 8, but TEENAGERS or older. Tsk. I've got nieces! I don't want to go to Wal-Mart and buy them a Barbie fairy!!

So, I bought these from Hues of Nature, who says "For ages 3 to 103"
Tiny little Holly Berry Fairy with a little jingle bell on her hand,

and Jingle Bell Pixie, also with a jingle bell on her hand.

She has a bunch more at her shop, and other little cutesy creatures as well! Definitely worth the look, and very affordable as well!

Put a Penny in the Old Man's Hat

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!!

Get it done early! ALL PREMADE MAGIC VIAL PENDANTS ARE BUY 1 GET ONE HALF-OFF!!

http://izile.etsy.com Put codeword: BOGO in the "message to seller" and I'll send you an updated invoice with the discounted total!

Get them while my surplus stock lasts! Custom orders are already coming in for the Holidays, and things may get very busy!

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As for other people having sales, I found this adorable little thing!

CrumpetCake has this adorable solid brass charm type-writer with cute little typed up paper already in it.
It's on sale, and adorable as can be!

She has a bunch of other tiny curiosities as well, so definitely give her shop a peek and flip through all the little charms!