New Items!

Some have been posted to my etsy...working on posting all of them to my bwsilver.com too!

Virtual Booth!

I've been browsing the new revolution of "virtual craft shows" and came across this cool site called Cafe Handmade! They also have a directory of handmade artists on their sister site Find it Handmade. It's a great website and networking tool for other handmade crafters...and shoppers!

After much browsing I decided to join the community and sing up for a virtual booth (running for the next 12 weeks!) on their Virtual Craft Show page!

Plus, you get to vote for your fave artist to win BEST IS SHOW! And by fave artist I mean...ME! Just click on the heart beneath the booth you like to vote, that's it!

Here's my booth and you can leave comments, link to your Facebook or Twitter about me.

Visit Cafe Handmade Community

Check out the community and browse the awesome handmadery!

ETSY BLOGGERS BLOG CARNIVAL!

Welcome to the August 2nd, 2010 edition of the rockin EtsyBloggers blog carnival!

julie marriott presents Blog Carnival for July posted at Welcome To My World.

Liz Howell presents Summer Fashions at LizsWares! posted at Liz's Wares.

cindy devine presents They're back! posted at Devine Designs Jewelry.

Missie presents EtsyBloggers Carnival Post posted at Sykin's One Stop Etsy Shopping Guide.

Deirdre presents Catching up on the Handmade Faire posted at Blackbird's Learning To Fly.

theashgrove presents Blog Carnival: Summer Inspiration posted at Notes from the Ash Grove.

Betty Mathers presents Summer Flowers posted at The ReFORMatory.

BeadedTail presents Friday Features posted at beadedtail.

MagdaleneJewels presents Carnival Blog: My Summer Designs posted at MagdaleneJewels's Blogs.

Sandi Myers presents Blog Carnival – Who taught me to crochet? posted at The T-Shirt Lady.

Linda Pruitt presents Who started me crafting? posted at Pruitt Handcrafts.

TREASURY! :)

picked for an etsy.com treasury by Tayloreclectic!


http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c5189e011178eef8d7a87f5/tabby-and-friends#4c5189f5bb2d6d91ea33876b

Thanks!!

Faber Una!

I've been featured on Faberuna.com....check it out...even though they spelled my name wrong and put the wrong promo info, it's still a feature!

http://www.faberuna.com/

Website OPEN!

http://www.bwsilver.com/

It's here!

Go!

Enjoy 10% OFF your next purchase from now until 9/30/2010

(*excludes Sale items and custom orders)

ENTER CODE: SS2010 during Checkout

bwsilver.com?!!?!!?!

It's true!

A "handmade" Bw*SiLvEr website is in the works! I'm muy excited!

Still working on it of course, but a post will happen once it's complete and up in the interweb. I am doing it all myself so it's taking a bit longer than expected...this code stuff is kinda tricky...but never the less, it will be great and I hope you customers like it.

I love etsy, but I felt it was time to branch away and be my own craftsman with more personalization, info about me, custom orders, cleaning supplies, jewelry ideas, web specials, promos and more! Sounds good, right? I'd love suggestions and feedback on it when it's up, I want to make it easy to use and pleasing to look around on. Let me make it easy to order custom & handmade jewelry!

Another note, I WILL be accepting credit cards & paypal on the new website! Woohoo! So, if you do not have a paypal account, you can just key in your card info and be on your way! You will be able to create a Bw*SiLvEr account to sing in/out and purchase things, or not...it's up to you. The site will be secured and encrypted so not to worry about your info getting stolen or hacked! I'm using only the best services for the purchasing process to be secured and easy!

And for all of you previous Bw*SiLvEr customers...be on the look out for a Summer PROMO COUPON in the mail! No purchase big or small, custom or not, you WILL be getting a special "website launching/customer appriciation/because you like jewelry" card in the mail soon!! I think you will like what you see...

As always, the http://www.bwsilver.etsy.com/ will remain up, but I am ENCOURAGING future purchases and custom orders on my new site...

http://www.bwsilver.com/ (that feels good to type!)

More soon ---Now, back to the website!

:)

Fianlly in TEXAS!

We're home!!! Back in the Lone Star State! We moved into our new place on June 1st, and we are closing on our house on Monday! Super excited about that! I'm currently working on setting up my shop again, my wonderful husband made me a custom sized worktable to fit in a 'L" shaped nook in our garage. So I have an awesome new table to work on, and it's got custom shelves! YAY!

I'm hoping to get a few things started by Monday, and I have two orders to work on from some awesome customers so far! Gotta love summer time, it's when I get a good wave of business.

I have also signed up to be a seller at The Peddler Show, they have we wait listed as of now since they have lots of jewelry vendors (they don't want to crowd their shows with jewelry) but it's an organization that travels around Texas to different cities (large and small) to sell/show artists' handmade items! I'm kinda excited about this...even if I am on the waiting list for different cities. Hopefully it will turn out to be a good thing...if so, I will probably be showing in Lubbock, Amarillo, Arlington, and New Braunfels, TX...we'll see about the others...

John, James & H.Stern

This month's Blog Carnival topic: Show me your all time favorite piece of art and why you find it inspiring?

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As hosted by the lovely Sweet Sally Soaps!

Check out her blog: http://sweetsallyssoaps.blogspot.com/

So I don't exactly have a single most favorite artist. Yes, I'm one of those people who cant commit to ONE. But I do love a few, and I chose to focus of Jewelry Artists that I most favor, as it is I have many other artist I love, so I figure since I am a jeweler by craft, these people are heavy on the creative spark in my mind. Each artist has a different flavor to savor, their creativity runs wild and their styles are varied with each collection. I like that.

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H.Stern has a funky and edgy style which can't be missed. His pieces are wild, and push the bounds of "just jewelry" into wearable art. His style is eccentric, but he also has some simplistic pieces for the un-bold. I love that he pushes the limits of what you can wear and what you can't. It is amazing to see such structured craftsmanship and sculptural designs. A true artist turns jeweler. It's a wonderful thing. His works are muy expensive though! So don't expect to see these pieces just anywhere. Neiman's carries them, and of course his website. The price point is definitely designer, so get your store credit cards ready!

Nazareth Ring, 14k Gold, $2,000

Celtic Cuff, $1,800

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Another favorite, and Texas native artist, is James Avery. His work is timeless, simplistic and has impeccable craftsmanship. He originally started off handmaking silver crosses in his garage in Kerville, TX, and the last 50 years his company has blossomed. If you ask anyone is Texas if they've heard of James Avery, they will say YES! I love mostly that his designs are clean, unique and intuitive. He has pieces for all occasions at all price points. The handcrafter of handcrafters, and someone I definitely am inspired by. I've grown up with many pieces of his, charm bracelets, rings, earrings and necklaces. He also makes key chains! All his metals are mainly Silver & Gold, but he uses bronze and brass too. Each piece comes impeccably shined and is available is either silver or 14k gold. This jewelry will truly last a lifetime, and carry many fond memories.

Spanish Tracery Ring, Sterling Silver, $79

Savannah Crescent Earrings, Silver & 14k gold, $249

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Of course I cannot forget about John Hardy and his detailed, detailed, detailings in his work. A master at his craft, with the most intricate and complex designs. His eye for design is phenomenal! His work is so detailed and so expensive, but you get what you pay for, and it's definitely a lasting wearable piece. The designs are unique, yet they are really something you could wear for years and stay in style. The complexity of his work is astounding and when it meets the eye, you can't help but stare at is for a while to notice each detail. I personally don't own a true John Hardy, but I have a few imitations. You can also find his work at Neiman's in a very designer price point, but is work and wearable artistry will last for years. It's a timeless investment.

Double Coil Ring, $395

Dragon Bracelet, $1295

Back to NC, but not long Texas...

SO we're finally back...well, I say "finally" in a non enthused way...unfortunately we are back in North Carolina. We're almost out of here though! 2 more weeks to go! We just returned from a lovely two week vay-cay in Texas covering our grounds from Houston, San Antonio (for my sister-in-law's wedding) and of course Amarillo for a house hunting trip!

We've found it alright, the home where we will be living for the next 3 years in the panhandle plains of Texas. It's super cute, has a large open floor plan and more than enough room for us to grow! It's perfect, and has potential for updates, as we have already planned these out....you know we're all into that kind of thing. We watch a tad too much HGTV I think, but it's great and we're excited! James and I are both from TX so it will be so nice to be back for a while. Although I've only been to Amarillo once, while house hunting, it's a lot nicer than I thought and seems like a wonderful town. I'm SOOOOO ready!

Here are a few pics of the house in Amarillo!

As for the jewelry, I've packed all the tools and supplies away until we move, as I mentioned previously we're staying at our friends place until the move on May 28th! June 1st is our ETA there, so I'll begin setting up shop as soon as I can. The garage has a perfect little nook for me to have a shop table, light and equipment for jewelry making. Hopefully I can start back up again soon. I'm really starting to miss it!

As for other news I've recently updated my selection of jewelry in the Just Joolz gallery in Canandaigua, NY. The owner, Francie, asked for new pieces to refresh my stock. June, and summer in general, are the busiest times for them, so fingers crossed on some sales!!!