snow vision

It's been pretty dern chilly around these parts for the last few days and my thoughts keep returning to one thing (besides Paris--two months to go!): how cozy things get when the snow starts falling. (As I live in Michigan, that should be happening any time now.) Keep in mind, I married a Canadian and that boy LOVES winter. Anyway, along those lines, I created a treasury the other day in winter white. I love how it turned out. And I guess someone in Admin did as well, since it appeared on the front page today. (Thanks to Noelle for the screen shot!)

But now, for the twist of irony, the sun is beaming outside and the temperatures are climbing. It seems we'll have to wait for winter after all.

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tweet!

Singing in the Rain! Bird Drawing and Encaustic on Wood
Originally uploaded by icklebird

I don't know what I'm thinking or how I'm going to keep up (it moves so quickly!), but the b-line is now atwittering (or I am, to be more precise). I've added a bar at the left so you can read about my recent activities. Follow me, so I can read about yours!

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this week's wants

With our big one-year anniversary coming up in December, the hubby and I were dreaming the other day about how we would celebrate. The traditional gift? Paper. Now, as a recovered card-making addict, I do have a fondness for paper, but it's not exactly an exciting anniversary present. Unless you have printed (on your paper) plane tickets to Paris! That's right, we are going back to Paris!

My first trip to Paris was our honeymoon, late last December. It was the trip of a lifetime, but we really didn't plan as well as we should have. Planning the wedding took presidence, of course! With no wedding to plan, we've got more time to organize the trip this time around, so I am happily reading travel guides and scouring my catalogs and favorite websites for the perfect travel gear. Here's what I've come up with so far....

First of all, we'll be spending New Year's Eve in the City of Lights, so I'll be needing something pretty lovely for our night on the town. I'm thinking this beautiful top by tortilla girl would have just the right amount of shimmer to bring in 2009.

I adore these "diamond" earrings by lunatic art. Though they look like diamonds, there is no stone at all--just a clever hole drilled into studs with a wonderful patina. Just enough drama to attraction a few admiring glances as we enjoy dinner in a lovely restaurant.

Museums can get chilly! I like to wrap up and keep warm with a bold scarf or a nice sweater (or both). This lumina sweater by Afton River would keep me toasty warm, look great, and travel well.

Now I know that the beret is the quintessential Parisian headwarmer, but I'll be sporting my fabulous Liza Rietz cloche. The temperatures here in Michigan have dipped low enough in the past week for me to wear it once and I love it!

Sure, those little zippered travel pouches keep your goods safe and out of sight, but then how would you show off your fabulous bag? Morelle's oyster bag in denim is just big enough to hold the maps and guides, a little lipstick, and trinkets we pick up along the way (Maison du Chocolat, anyone?).

Counting the days,

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counting down

I have this habit of counting. Counting down, to be precise. When I'm climbing stairs, I calculate how many I have left. When I'm on a jog, I figure out how many miles (or tenths of miles) there are to go. And when the holidays are coming? Well, I don't make big red "X"s on my calendar or anything, but I do keep a running tally in my head!

So, today, since there are just TWO MONTHS until Christmas, naturally, I'm thinking of how many days we have until one of my favorite days of the year (61). Last year this time, I had never heard of etsy, so any handmade gifts I gave to friends and family were handmade my yours truly. Now I have a much larger pool of handmade goodies to choose from. And as I got to thinking about Christmas and gift-making and gift-buying I realized it had been a while since I rummaged through the etsy gift guides. And boy, have they changed. It seems etsy is gearing up for some holiday shopping. There must be almost twice the number of categories as there were previously. No longer are we limited to categories like her, jewelry addicts, and under 20. Now there are several seasonal categories (stocking stuffers, seasonal fashion (in the mini above)) and a new "hot list". And it turns out that my new ruby bracelet makes, the cut, showing up in the berry colors hotlist. Yay!

So now, courtesy of the gift guides, I have plenty of new artists and itmes in my favorites and many decisions to make when it comes to holiday shopping. How are you planning for the holidays?

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i heart specials!

What? You too? Well, the b-line is currently running a special for all you faithful blog readers! Head on over here for more details!

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this week's wants

This week, I've been drawn to these warm and rich shades of rose and chocolate. Sounds romantic, doesn't it?

I'm really digging the combination of textures in this ring leader bracelet by blue moss. And that cute little bow just completes the piece perfectly.

Can you say gorgeous? This rose print (cross-processed) by Emmalynne has me speechless.

I can't remember when I first spotted Xenotee's clever tees, but I was smitten at once. I mean, who doesn't want to know that magpies travel in tidings? The grey collective names of animals tee is on my wishlist for sure!

It was hard to choose a favorite among the many handsome bags at The Leather Store. But I do absolutely adore this one (HB028). I just love that this beautiful bag could hold my laptop and still look fashionable and chic.

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ain't life grand?

Woot! Despite my hectic morning, I took a few seconds off from grading/lesson planning to hop on over to etsy. And wasn't I delighted to find my sophie ring gracing the front page as part of Cat's (polarity) arresting treasury "bruised".

Naturally, I was curious about how many people were clicking on sweet little sophie, so I headed over to majaba and was thrilled to find that my shop had topped 1000 hearts!

I'll let you in on a little secret: I was hoping for 100 sales and 1000 hearts by the end of the year. But I am tickled pink and tingling with excitement at having surpassed those goals in October (September for sales).

A thousand thanks to all of you who have contributed!

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this week's wants

Autumn has ushered in such gorgeous, soft light. It has me thinking of other soft and pretty things, especially lace. So today's edition of this week's wants, while having no lace, is inspired with all things woven and tatted!

Maggie Weldon, Inc. has such a beautiful line of lace-patterned pottery. I adore the soft colors and the intricate detail in each piece. Here, the Day Radiance Lace large pottery bowl.

I've been a fan of Amie Plante's work for some time. She has an amazing aesthetic and designs pieces that are equal parts unique and prepossessing. These double seafan earrings are my current favorite!

I love it when the temperatures dip low enough to don a cute hat in the chilly mornings! This lacey wool hat by Captain Crochet would look fantastic with a couple of my winter coats!

Can you believe the timeless simplicity of this sterling silver and leather bracelet by eninaj? This piece is clean and classic, and it bears the artist's distinctive style and brilliant leather work. I'd have a hard time finding something in my closet that wouldn't look better along side this delightful bracelet!

Happy shopping!

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tagged?!

Tagging items for sale with prices = not much fun
Playing blog tag? Okay, I'm in (thanks a bunch, lillyella)

Let's start with the rules:

Link to your tagger and list the rules

List 7 random facts about yourself

Tag 7 people

If you're tagged, play along and pass it on!

Ready? Here's my random seven:

• I'm taking a class in metalsmithing (and I love it!).
• I'm afraid of the creepy opossum that leers over our back yard at night (my weimie is obsessed with it). Ick.
• I love the water but I don't like to swim.
• I play the flute (or at least I think I do--it's been a while).
• There must always be at least some milk, coffee, butter, bread, and chocolate in my house.
• I was born with two partially collapsed lungs.
• I'm always looking forward to the next season.

And now, you're it:
The Peach Tree
Mrs. French
Heather Knitz
Chakra Pennywhistle
Poppy Talk
Art Addict
eNVe

Can't wait to read all of your random tidbits!

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party report

Yikes! Here it is, Thursday, and I still haven't told you about that party last weekend! What can I say? Well, in a word: midterms! My "real" job has me running circles right now, so the b-line has had to take a back seat. Thanks for your patience!

As I mentioned in a previous post, this was a combined OSU game-watching party and jewelry show. Sounds like a weird combination, I know! But, since I can be a little shy and I hadn't done a party before (or had live people looking over and trying on my stuff!), I was aiming for something that would allow many people to see my jewelry while still not having 100% of the focus on me! This worked out as planned. Lots of women (and their husbands) spent time trying things on for size and admiring my work. It was quite the confidence booster!

What about sales, you ask? Well, they were pretty good. Afterall, as far as attention was concerned, I did have strong competition from the game, numerous children running around, and a most delicious buffet of barbeque. With that in mind, the show was a huge success!

Now that I've had a little practice showing my jewelry off, I have another show this weekend. This one will be a more traditional home party, with a smaller group of women gathered and no game for distractions. I'm curious to see how the two parties will compare. I also hope I remember to take photos DURING the party. You may have noticed a distinct lack of party photos here--I got busy and forgot! Oops!

Til next time,

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this week's wants

The dropping temperatures have got me thinking of things that are warm and fuzzy, cozy and comfy. I'm also a little obsessed with needle crafts at the moment, so you'll find a ton of beautiful and fun embroidery in this edition of this week's wants.

Let's start with a brew! Or at least an eco-friendly coffee collar that will keep your hand from getting scorched. These hand-embroidered coffee cup sleeves by pillowhead are so cute and even better, YOU get to choose what yours says and the color scheme. Make one yours this fall!

Simple, refined, and so sweet! The understated embroidery on the i miss you deer frame purse by emedemarta is just stunning. I love it! This one'll do all year round.

Fall is a perfect time for an open house. Give your guests something lovely and autumnal to set their drinks upon. These embroidered coasters by copabananas will keep your table safe and impress your friends.

Couldn't your fall coat use a little sprucing up? Scooter the hedgehog brooch promises plenty of personality and charm. Head on over to smeeta's shop to find yours!

Feeling inspired to pick up a needle and thread yourself? Don't forget your supplies! Store your pins and needles with these clever little bottle cap pincushions by schmaltzy craftsy. Neat, right?

I love the pale blues in this adorable upcycled wool octopus sweater by bornagainclothing. And that little cephalopod is just too cute! Don't you just want to snatch this up for your little man?

Oh, what a little needle and thread can do!

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showtime

This weekend is a monumental one for the b-line. I'm having my first home party (actually at my sister's place, not mine)! The party's in Buckeye country, so we decided to do a combination party: jewelry and the OSU game. Here's a little glimpse of the display.

This is the first of what I hope will be many home parties and craft shows in the b-line's future. It's been a lot of work to get ready, but I'm excited to finally get my feet wet.

Wish me luck! I'll report on the show later this week!

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etsy video!

I spend an awful lot of time on etsy, but sometimes I want to "branch out" a bit. Besides checking out my favorite blogs, I love to check out etsy videos on you tube in my spare time. Check out videos of other etsians as they describe their process and their inspiration. And several how-to videos as well!

To get you started:
Here, Metalnat makes a ziptie ring.


How to make a knitted postcard by knitknit.


Handmade portrait of Maryink.


Happy browsing!

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