A Favorite Blog, and a Giveaway!

Photo: Sande Chase

In celebration of her 100th blog post, Sande Chase (one of my favorite bloggers), is having a giveaway at "A Gift Wrapped Life". Sande is a former interior designer, who in 2007 launched her current ecommerce website "Oooh la la Cadeau" that ships fabulous gift ensembles to women across North America. Her lovely and inspiring blog has been a peerless supply of ideas on the art of gift wrapping. She does this by wrapping boxes in paper and ribbon combinations that delight the senses in mixes of color, pattern, and texture in the most perfectly enchanting way. Always a surprise, she offers several options in each theme, and happily explains her design evolution as she moves from idea to idea. It is fun to read, and beautiful to see.

Photo: Sande Chase

The giveaway is simple. Just comment on her giveaway post to enter, or become a follower, and you get two chances. Blog about her giveaway (like I have *blush*) and get four chances. Of these entries, Sande will draw three winners who will receive a wonderful selection of gift wrap and ribbons from the Wrap Room section of her new gift website to open in 10 days. The pictures above are examples of how the gift wrap ensembles are shipped! They are just exquisite, don't you agree?

If you choose to follow her blog, you won't be disappointed. It is a thing of beauty.

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jbEbert jewelry on Etsy

Rose Petals Drying in the Sun

Potpourri [poh-poo-ree] – noun; Origin: French
A mixture of dried petals of roses or other flowers with spices, kept in a jar for their fragrance

The Potpourri necklace

A golden mélange of lustrous pearls, sparkly gems, and precious vermeil are combined in this incomparable adornment for your neck. The mellow pink button pearls lie smoothly around the back. The front is a wild riot of texture, color, shine and shape in the warm golden tones of summer rose petals. Perched among the pearls and gems is a full blown 24K gold vermeil rose blossom handmade by the Hill Tribe silversmiths. Between the two is a pair of pale yellow faceted nugget citrines set between vermeil spacers and one vermeil half-opened rose. The clasp is an ornate vermeil box set with a faceted carnelian and adorned with a tassel made with a large faceted AAAA eye-clean citrine onion briolette and a cluster of spessartine and carnelian rondels. This necklace is simply extreme luxury. It is overstuffed with citrine, hot spessartine garnet, shimmery sunstone, peach moonstone, bright carnelian, warm hearted fire opal, peach keshi pearls, and spicy pink biwa pearls. This one is a treasure and a treat.





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jbEbert jewelry on Etsy

Today's Favorite Color

I heard this fall, Purple is the New Black

Purple perfection: from flickr by Melody

Purple mushrooms: from flickr by yewenyi

Blue and purple flowers: from flickr by Tom Raven



Reflections: from flickr by Steve took it

Purple heron: from flickr by santosh

Purple Tranquility: House of Six Cats

Purple Heart: from flickr by patries71

Afternoon light: from flickr by paul+photos=moody

Waterlily rider: from flick by MrClean1982

Purple pollen: from flickr by Micky

Purple tree: from flickr by kopfjager

Purple sea urchins: from flickr by jurvetson

Purple snail: from flickr by Ian Hsu(iandoh)

Beautiful foliage: from flickr by cmefish

Face to face: from flickr by aussiegall

Purple water drop: from flickr by icomei

Tropical leaf: from flickr by Amymillerphotos

Dinner: from flickr by Cris Pierry

Purple poppy center: from flickr by aussiegall

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jbEbert jewelry on Etsy

Amusements - Clever Whimseys

Claw Pot FeetMygardengoddess

Monster Feet (for boys - would she make them for me?)MoreThanItSeams

Sex PotsJMNPottery

Red Teapot with Green Pantsnatalyasots

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The Cabernet Bracelet

While making the Cabernet necklace (posted yesterday), I decided to create a coordinating bracelet. Luscious, like fruit on the vine, is this shaded strand of sparkly gems. The bracelet of vermeil and deepest purple amethyst softens toward the central gemstone with clusters of gems from yellow-green golden rainbow fluorite, keshi pearls and ametrine, to aqua flourite.
The largest gems are hung on fancy berry-headpins. That central gem is a huge eye-clean polished nugget, faceted from a citrine the color of a peeled green grape. The clasp is a fabulous vermeil repousse box set with an amethyst cabochon and is adorned with a charm of ametrine and a tiny golden tourmaline heart. Not shown in the photo is the included super-fine security chain. I hope you like it!

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jbEbert jewelry on Etsy

How Wine Influenced the Jewelry Designer

The Cabernet Necklace

I began this design knowing that I wanted a longer chain with a pendant that took it's cue from some of the intensely colored amethysts I have collected. My normal way of working is to lift a pinch of "this" and a pinch of "that" from my gem drawers that follow a foundational colorway. As I selected the deep purple stones, I also took a few pale amethysts, some pretty ametrines that transitioned into the yellow range, and fluorite. It was the fluorite rondelles sitting among the purples that pricked my muse into wakefulness. A few of the fluorites carried a hint of aqua as well. Normally, I don't jump right into a monochromatic theme that reaches so far around the color wheel, but this just looked fresh. I began wiring the gem drops. In handling them, they seemed to me like ripe berries, and the color reminded me of the vinyards of our travels. The rich ripe purple globes, the frosty bluish bloom on the fruit, and the transluscent yellow green of peeled grapes was unmistakable.

Luscious, like fruit on the vine, this shaded chain of sparkly gems ends in a beautifully crafted pendant. The opera length 14kgf rolo chain holds charms of vermeil and deepest purple amethyst. Toward the central pendant, clusters of gems shade from golden rainbow fluorite and ametrine, to aqua flourite. The pendant is a cluster of intricately carved fluorite leaves, golden tourmaline hearts, smooth fluorite rondelles, and green-gold keshi pearls hung on fancy berry-headpins. Suspended beneath is a huge polished nugget, faceted from a citrine the color of a peeled green grape. Hinged below the citrine is an intricate tassel composed of amethysts, carved blue fluorite leaves, and a beautifully colored golden rainbow fluorite teardrop. The pendant section is hinged in two places for durability and comfort. The clasp is a plain vermeil toggle adorned with a charm of fluorite and a tiny golden tourmaline heart.



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jbEbert jewelry on Etsy

Architecture as Jewelry

My friends know how much I appreciate remarkable work by other jewelry designers. Today, I am featuring the designs of a very special artist. Theresa Kwong of Studio618 is a practicing licensed architect, a fact which becomes quite evident when you look through her offerings on Etsy and ArtFire. Based in California, Theresa takes a clean, modern approach to her metal pieces, which include rings, earrings, pendants, bookmarks, bracelets, business card cases, and Judaica gifts; and she welcomes custom designs. I am including a wide selection of my very favorite pieces:

Bangle
“Doubt thou the stars are fire;
Doubt that the sun doth move;
Doubt truth to be a liar;
But never doubt I love.” – Shakespeare

Simple Leaf Necklace

Bubbles Necklace - mixed metals

Scroll Ring

Gumdrop Earrings

Fringe Necklace

Kelp Earrings

Celebration Necklace - this could be an "Oh so clever" feature!

Jasper Bracelet

And Theresa blogs! You can follow her HERE!


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Today's Mini Mention - It's not your Mama's Tatting!

I had an aunt who tatted (a way to work thread, similar to crochet or knitting but finer, that sometimes uses a bobbin-like object wound with thread called a "shuttle" and sometimes a needle). Traditionally, it is used to make lace, doilies, dresser scarves. Believe me, auntie never turned out tatting like this! Please enjoy the lovely work of Totus Mel Tats

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Visual Perception Test

Escher or Hogworts?

photo: the Duomo, Milan - flickr by {auro}

This was sent to me via email, and I found it fascinating! Can you read it? Maybe this is why proofreading copy is a real skill. Give it a try:

Only great minds can read this
fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too
Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed i t whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

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Oh So Clever! Artisan Finds

Purple Tranquility - 8 x 10 print

I've found an inventive photographer who understands that we all have limited wall space. So, in addition to photographs as wall decor, he's also developed some functional ways to display his art. He is Bill Fantini of House of Six Cats (I love that name!), on Etsy. Bill is currently headquartered in Oregon, and if you are in that area, look for him at the up-coming Newberg Craft-In on August 8th and in permanent display in the new Portland gallery, Love Art. A proud member of the Interior Design/Home Decor Team and co-leader on the POE (Photographers of Etsy) Street Team, Bill is very active in the Etsy marketplace. A veteran of the custom photo lab business, he rediscovered his creativity through the viewfinder with the birth of his daughter (who serves as his avatar).

Here are a few of my favorites that link to his Etsy shop:

Fall Half Pipe - Night Light

In Memory - Single Light Switchplate Cover

Dandylion - Ceramic Coaster Set

Acid Mermaid Rose - Scrabble Tile Necklace

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jbEbert jewelry on Etsy