All Hallows Eve

Happy Halloween everyone! This has to be one of my favorite Holidays--not because of the skeletons and goblins and spiderwebs, but because of the beautiful time of year it falls on and the excuse to get dressed up in costumes! And of course--candy!

In the spirit of All Hallows Eve, I've brewed up a little Treasury over at Treasury West featuring an assortment of frighteningly talented Etsy Artists:

This Treasury features the work of (from top left of first row):

AmeliaMae, HarlequinFeltWorks, PapercutDieCut, 51Greenwich, TillyBloom, MaryInk, LilyPickford, Zombuki, UntamedMenagerie, Rebecca3030, SoapyLove and MelissasTajda.

To see the work up close, click this Link--but hurry, this Treasury will expire soon!

And you can see that in my studio, I have been obsessed with the graphic contrast of Black and White in my own work. Some new arrivals at the Shop:

Coco Earrings

Coco Bracelet

Coco Sautoir

Briar Bracelet

I am loving the Victorian, Flapper, SteamPunk feel of black beadwork on black crochet and have been using up an assortment of vintage jet and glass beads that I've been stockpiling for years. The embroidery on the Coco Parure (from the French:to adorn; a matched set of jewelry) is also a departure for me, giving me the freedom to apply the beads in a pattern after the crocheted base has been completed, instead of incorporating them into the crochet work as I go.

And....

(Ofelia really isn't a Vampire Kitty...I just caught her in mid-yawn!)

Tag!

I've been noticing a little phenomenon going around the  Blogosphere of late: tagging! 

The rules:

- Link to your tagger and list these rules

-Share 7 facts about yourself (random or unusual)

-Tag 7 other people at the end of your post by leaving their names and links to their blogs

- Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

The lovely Kerin Rose, creator of gorgeous, eco-friendly silver jewelry--Talismans for a modern age-- has tagged me!

So, here are my 7 Random and Unusual Facts:

1. I am a lefty.

2. My middle name is Azure. 

3. My hair is really long--down to my waist. I haven't really cut it (except for a trim) for about 10 years now and I sometimes have nightmares that I've cut it really short and hate it! (It's all that time invested, I guess!)

4. I have an embarassing fondness for Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals (um...I know most of the words to Evita and when I was really little I wouldn't leave the house unless my mom drew cat whiskers on me with her eyeliner pencil, so I could look like a member of Cats.)

5. I am distantly related to the actor Joe Pesci (he really is My Cousin Vinny!)

6. I am a vegetarian.

7. I am a complete history nut-- I go through phases of being obsessed with different time periods. No surprise here, but I am fascinated most by what people wore back then and I love old portrait paintings, especially from the Renaissance, and old photographs from the 1800's.

And now, I am going to tag:

Michelle-Renee, who makes beautiful corsets and romantic accessories made from vintage finds.

Mountain Ash Design, who creates lovely aprons, quilts and potholders from recycled vintage materials.

Bonzie, who creates gorgeous "conscious couture creations" --corsets, shrugs, accessories, from vintage lace, fabrics and trims.

Lake Lampshades, who creates beautiful and unique lampshades.

Black-Eyed Suzie, who creates the most beautiful and haunting art dolls.

And FairySteps, who creates the most adorable hand-crafted leather footwear, fit for a fairy queen.

I know I am supposed to tag 7, but two people I was going to tag have already been tagged recently, so I am doing 6 instead!

Parisienne

***UPDATE: I just found out that this Treasury made the Front Page of Etsy. Congrats everyone! ***

I just wanted to share with you a romantic little Treasury that I put together this morning, inspired by the colors pink, black and white, and the wealth of talented artists on Etsy...

If you click this link it will take you to the real Treasury on Etsy...but hurry! It is set to expire on Saturday. This group includes (from left to right, starting at the top row):

MichelleRenee, Rebecca3030, Rochelle31, WhichGoose, BlackeyedSuzie, LilygraceOriginals, BohemianWhimsey, Littlesparrowsnest, Bonzie, Tamar, UntamedMenagerie, and Silvia66.

And here is a little something from my Etsy shop, that might fit in just perfectly with this grouping:

The Genevieve Earrings, which feature delicate, snowflake-like lace medallions and gorgeous quartz crystal drops. For more romantic, hand-crafted creations, 

be sure to check out the site www.Lollishops.com, which is set to launch at the end of November!

Hera

I'm in love with the colors of peacock feathers lately: iridescent blues and green with flashes of gold and purple keep showing up in my work...

So when I was lucky enough to snag an elusive Treasury spot on Etsy, I knew exactly what the theme would be:

 

I named this collection Hera, after the Greek Goddess, whose symbol was the peacock. I love the Art Nouveau feel that runs through all of these designs.  To see the work of the talented Etsy artists featured (papercutsbyjoe,TomBanwell, goldfish123, famousblue, ringaroundarosie, silikia,emilybalivet, capturedimagination,jonteglassstudio,mvegan5, jewelryvine and MichelleGonella), follow this link!

Autumn Adornment...

The mountains here in Vermont are adorning themselves with the most beautiful colors right now....intense shades of yellow and red and orange, with touches of summer green still visible.

And here is another sort of autumn adornment--a little butterfly, with wings that blend perfectly with the petals of these mum flowers, and the colors of fall leaves.

Right now I am seeing lots of red and black "woolie-bear" caterpillars on the roads, crossing them with determination as they do every fall. When I take a walk, I rescue them from the road and put them in the grass. I am not certain what they look like in their butterfly state, but perhaps they look like this pin...

It features wings made of silk threads of various shades of gold and pumpkin, sparkling throughout with semi-precious stones: carnelian, garnet, citrine and freshwater pearls, and vintage bronze seed beads. 

The Autumn Butterfly pin is available exclusively on my Glitter and Grunge page.

Etsy Spotlight

I've been hard at work this past week on new designs for my Etsy shop and my forthcoming Lollishops storefront. Still putting the finishing touches on the new jewelry, but they will be listed soon! I have also been working on a pair of earrings commissioned through Etsy, a variation on the Paisley Earring:

 Here is a picture of the custom earrings as a work in progress...I have also started another pair to list in my Etsy shop since they seem to be very popular. Each pair is one-of-a-kind, with different color threads and bead combinations....

Despite all this activity, I did have some time to list some new items in my store for my First Ever $50 Off Sale.  Select items in my shop are now $50 off their original price. Here is a sampling of some of the goodies on sale:

Fiona Butterfly Pin

Titania Earrings

Coming Soon! I will be using my Weekly Etsy Spotlight post to not only talk about items in my Etsy shop, but will also be featuring a sampling of work from other talented Etsy artists. Check back soon for the first installment!