Greenstar Jewellery

Closing Down My MADEIT Shop

2011-06-14T12:49:00.001+09:30

It really has been far too long since I blogged. When I look at the last post, I can't believe that it was in November last year. We all know that I am actually quite hopeless at blogging, and my new years resolution LAST year (2010) was to blog a bit more often. A resolution I promptly broke within the first few months. So here I am now, feeling guilty that my blog has remained unloved for so long.

But I haven't just been sitting around neglecting my blog. Quite the contrary! I been keeping myself busy with my jewellery making and experimenting with new techniques, which as always, has been a lot of fun. I've delved a bit into metal work now and even playing around with a little wirework too. Nothing official has been produced yet though, as I do stress they are all just experiments at this stage. I still love making chainmaille pieces and will quite often get the beads out too and see what I can concoct with them. I've also been playing around with iPhone photography and using Instagram as a means of posting these images. I do enjoy a bit of photography, so it has inspired me to use the old DSLR for more than just taking photos of my jewellery! I post most of the Instagram photos on a Tumblr blog, I'd love for you to check them out!

I have also placed some of my pieces into a local gallery and gift shop in my town called Urban Cow Studio which displays works from over 150 local artists and designers. I am very proud and honoured that my work is a part of this amazing establishment. I also intend to approach more local businesses in the warmer months.

My Etsy store is still up and running, but I do have to announce that I am to be closing my Madeit store within the next few days. I choose to close my Madeit store as I am wanting to take a new direction with my jewellery making, sales and promotions, and would like to focus on having just the one online venue, working on my website and getting my stock into the real 'bricks and mortar' stores. I'd also like to focus on more markets too. For now, I have simply transferred any remaining Madeit stock to my Etsy store, so if there was an item you may have had your eye on, it will still be available on Etsy. In the coming months you should hopefully start to see some different varieties of jewellery. So it is farewell to Madeit. I have done well on Madeit and met some lovely sellers through the website, but the time has come to call it a day. I hope to see you all over at Etsy, or you can find me on Facebook for frequent updates on what's going on.

All I Want For Christmas Sale!

2010-11-13T17:05:00.003+10:30

The All I Want For Christmas SALE

is now running in my Etsy and Madeit stores!

Saturday 13th November - Saturday 20th November

Get 10% OFF the final purchase price (excluding shipping)!

Just add "10% OFF" in the Message to Seller box on Checkout and I'll refund the 10%!

It's GIVEAWAY Time!

2010-09-27T16:19:00.001+09:30

Yes, it's Giveaway time again!

I've decided to have a giveaway on my new website, and up for grabs is this Set of 3 Scale Flower Magnets. These magnets are handcrafted using Anodized Aluminium Scales and Bright Aluminium Rings with a Ferrite (ceramic) magnet attached to the back. Although Ferrite magnets are not as strong as the Rare Earth magnets, they are frequently selected for their durability and their high resistance to demagnetisation. These little guys will hold up to 3 sheets of A4 paper.

So, come and check out my website for more details!

http://www.greenstarjewellery.com/giveaways.php

My New Website!

2010-09-16T14:30:00.000+09:30

www.greenstarjewellery.com

I had always toyed with the idea of starting a website. I've always been intrigued with web design, but have never had the drive to study and learn all that is involved. Many, many years ago, I got my hands on a copy of FrontPage Editor and created a cute little website that I uploaded onto Geocities (when they still existed... or do they still exist?) and a few years after that, I got a copy of Dreamweaver and also tinkered around with that, although I never came up with a finished product. Recently we got ourselves a new iMac that came with a copy of iWeb. I STILL haven't ventured into this program (I have evry intention of doing so though), but took a slight shortcut and decided to use Yola.com as a quicker and easier method of creating a website for myself. So last week, I decided to buy myself a domain name (through Yola) and Yola would host the website for me. I paid $20US for the domain name and Yola host it. You can also get a free website through them, or you can pay extra and get all the works! It was incredibly easy to design and within a few days I had a basic website that I could publish live to the web! It still needs A LOT of work done to it, but for now, I think I'm pretty pleased with the end result!

What do you think?

Celebrating 100 Fans on Facebook GIVEAWAY!

2010-08-16T11:45:00.000+09:30

So we finally hit the 100 fan mark on Facebook and to celebrate, I'm giving away this cute little chainmaille keyring! It's my way of saying thank you to all you folks who love my fan page.

This little keyring sells for $20AUD and is handmade using Bright Aluminium and Rubber EPDM rings.

All you have to do to be a part of this giveaway is:

1. Go to my Etsy or Madeit shops and choose your favourite item.
2. Go to my Facebook Fan Page, become a fan and post your favourite item.

That's it!

The giveaway runs from Sunday 15th August until midnight Wednesday 18th August. The winner will be notified via a message on Facebook.

SO! Head on over, time is running out!

What I've been Doing Lately.

2010-07-01T13:43:00.001+09:30

I have been busy doing so much lately. I've probably over-committed myself but I'm enjoying it! My last post mentioned that I had signed up to a Tumblr blog, which I am still posting regularly on. I've also signed my self up to Maillers World Wide, a forum for chainmaillers and folks who work with metal. It's been great seeing how much fabulous maille there is, the amazing artists and the inspiration in incredible! I've also signed up to Facebook. I swore I would never do it, but decided that a fan page would be another cool way of promoting my stores. So apart from all the social networking, I have been creating a lot of jewellery, maille and beaded, and also working on making treasuries. They are so much fun. Blue Maille (above) is my most recent.

So, I know I've been neglecting this poor old blog, but I do like to pop in and keep things up to date as much as I can!

Feel free to stop in at either of the my Etsy or Madeit shops, check out my Treasuries or even become a fan of my new Facebook page. I'd love to see you there!

Tumblr

2010-05-26T12:00:00.003+09:30

So, I haven't been keeping up with my blogging on here. I generally have a bunch of things I want to blog about, but just haven't got the time to sit down and get it all out on here. You have no idea how many images are in my "Blog" folder on the computer, all waiting to be published on here. Time goes by, and the images become old news, so I don't bother anymore. I know you don't have to write loads of stuff on your blogs to keep your readers interested, you can keep it short and sweet, or you can write the equivalent of a thesis if you want to! I prefer to keep mine short now. I see something and want to be able to blog about it quickly, so that's why I've chosen to open a Tumblr account. I can quickly upload images to the new listings in my stores, plus post images and links to other things I might come across while I'm browsing on Etsy and Madeit. It's all done so quickly! I will still blog on here from time to time, but if you want to catch more frequent and to-the-point posts, then Tumblr is where you'll find me! If you have a Tumblr account, please let me know so I can check it out! You can find me here:

http://www.greenstarjewellery.tumblr.com/

Circle Of Friends Award!

2010-04-12T15:12:00.001+09:30

I have been awarded the Circle Of Friends Award! Many thanks goes to Michelle's Art and Photography for sending me this award. Thank you Michelle! I have been feeling guilty about not blogging for so long, now you have given me a reason to get off my backside and do it! (New Years Resolution number 6: BROKEN). Ok, some conditions come with the award, so I need to share with you 5 things that I love, and also send this award onto 5 other bloggers, so here we go...

1. My Family. This is the number one thing that I love. They give me all the love and support in the world.

2. Freshly cut grass. There is just something about the smell of freshly cut grass that I love.

3. Chocolate!! I am a self confessed chocloholic! I could happilly (and have been known to) eat chocolate on a daily basis.

4. Making Chainmaille. Since getting into making jewellery and trying the different mediums, I have discovered that my forte is in chainmaille. I find it relaxing and so rewarding when I have finished a piece.

5. Rainy Days. I'm very much a Winter person. Nothing makes me happier than being inside on a rainy day, where it's warm. I'm also happy to be outside on rainy days too, on the odd occasion!

So now I will pass this award onto 5 fellow bloggers:
1. Takapitcha
2. Eclectic Moi
3. Cinlynn Boutique
4. Dreambelle Designs
5. Shazzabeth Creations

I Joined The DUST Team!

2010-02-18T11:29:00.003+10:30

After deliberating for almost a year as to whether I should join or not, I finally did it! I joined the Down Under Street Team! I'm really looking forward to getting to know the artists involved in the team and being part of a team. Now I don't know why I waited so long to do it! If you're an Australian artist, with a store on etsy, then I encourage you to take the time to check out the DUST Team!

So, I broke a New Years Resolution Already...

2010-01-27T10:20:00.014+10:30

BUT! I have kept with the rest of my resolutions! My poor blog has taken the backburner AGAIN, however, I have created something everyday, and sometimes I have created several things everyday! Not all of it has been to my liking, many things have been prototypes for better ideas, but most of the stuff I've made will end up being listed over the next few weeks. I hope!

Since the beginning of the year, however, I was lucky enough to be featured in some great treasuries AND I even managed to snag my own treasury too! I sat soooo patiently waiting for a spot to open and on my very first try, I got one! I'd like to thank the lovely people who included me in their beautiful treasuries.
Lunarbelle
CinLynnBoutique
DreambelleDesigns
All very beautiful stores I encourage you to go and have a look at. I also managed to get a few more photos on Craftgawker too, which has been a bonus. I aim to get a few more on there (as soon as they start accepting submissions again!)

I have been working on some new ideas lately. A few purse charms and keyrings of all shapes and kind. I've included a photo of just SOME of the ones you'll find in both my Etsy and Madeit shops. I have also been working on a few chainmaille pieces and would really like to focus a lot more on chainmaille this year. I really hope you'll love the new stuff I will be listing soon. I'm beginning to rearrange my stores a little too. Not quite sure exactly what I'm doing just yet, just toying with a few ideas, but you will see some changes during the course of the year.

Right, I'm off to photograph some of this new stuff!

My Vintaj Surprise.

2010-01-03T22:06:00.004+10:30

Imagine my surprise when I was checking out my Google Analytics stats the other day to discover that there had been 41 referals from Vintaj.com to my Etsy shop. I clicked the link and searched around their website to see why I had so many referrals and found my Topaz Bag Dangle had been featured as one of their Cool Finds! Very exciting indeedy! I just love using Vintaj Brass and I feel very honoured to be considered a "cool find" for their website. I have a few other items in my Etsy and Madeit shops with Vintaj Brass components in them, so pop in and have a look sometime!

Happy New Year 2010!

2010-01-02T21:13:00.007+10:30

Well, Happy New Year to you all! I trust you all enjoyed the Christmas and New Year festivities, and are geared up for a productive 2010, as I am. I have decided to really put 200% into my online selling this year. I began selling online last year, Etsy in March and Madeit in June. Since then I have discovered just how effective technology is these days, as far as selling, marketing and promoting goes. As a result, I have become quite the computer junkie! I'm hoping this year proves to be as fruitful as last year.

So I have decided to try and put a few New Years Resolutions into effect. In previous years, I have usually broken most resolutions within the first few days, and sometimes even forgotten them (on purpose), but perhaps if I actually write them down this year, I will be reminded of such things and endevour to try harder! Hmmmm, let's see.... This year I plan to:

1. Create something every day. Some might say that's a little ambitious, but I believe it can be done. So far this year (all 2 days of it!) I have made a bracelet and a pair of earrings.
2. Put 200% into my online selling.
3. Not be afraid to try as many new techniques in jewellery making as possible.
4. Perhaps place "other" items in my stores (that aren't jewellery!)
5. BUY THAT LAPTOP I'VE BEEN WANTING FOR OVER A YEAR NOW!
6. Not to neglect my blog!

Ok, I'll go with 6 resolutions for now. I think these goals are completely within my capabilities, so if I work on those, who knows what they may lead to further down the track? I hope my readers have also come up with some creative resolutions for themselves too and I also wish all of my lovely readers a very creative and prosperous 2010.

Craftgawker!

2009-12-19T23:03:00.003+10:30

I have to say I'm rather pleased with myself for getting onto Craftgawker. I'd always heard about it, and since I've started Tweeting, I've seen many of my followers tweet about being on Craftgawker. So after checking out the Craftgawker site, I signed up and decided to submit a photo. I didn't think that my very first submission would be accepted! So here is a screen shot (the best I could get) of my little Honey Drop Earrings, available in my Etsy shop! So now, I'll submit more photos and see what happens. What great exposure!

What I've Been Up To (Whilst Neglecting My Blog)

2009-12-07T10:41:00.009+10:30

My poor blog has been so neglected recently. But rest assured, I have actually been busy doing all sorts of things in preparation for Christmas. My Glass Tile Pendants have proved to be rather popular so I have been busy making those.

While waiting for some supplies to arrive from the US, I also seemed to get my beading mojo back and came up with these little assortments. I also have a really cute pair of Christmas Bauble Earrings, but at this point, Blogger keeps uploading the image the wrong way around, so once I've figured that little issue out, I'll pop that on here too.

This selection is available only in my Etsy store at the moment, but I have a new selection of Glass Tile Pendants available in both my Etsy and Madeit shops, so please pop in and have a look!

So there is quite a unique collection of pieces here. Some new techniques for me too. It's great to feel inspired! I am also working on some new projects too, which hopefully you will see early in the New Year 2010, but I'll try and pop a sneak peak in here for you before then, so stay tuned!

Kreative Blogger Award!

2009-11-08T14:57:00.007+10:30

Wow, the surprises just keep coming today and I have just been awarded a Kreative Blogger Award from Michelle's Art and Photography! Thank you Michelle! I've never won an award like this, so it's truly an honour!

There are some rules that need to be followed now to keep this award alive so here I go:

1. Copy the picture (above) and post it on your blog. DONE!
2. Thank the person who gave it to you and link to their blog. DONE!
3. Write 7 things about yourself we don't know.
1* I love listening to heavy metal!
2* I hate it when people rub their eyebrows the wrong way. It makes my stomach lurch.
3* I have a tattoo.
4* I used to design and make gift cards.
5* I only started to drive when I was 34, after having my license for 14 years prior!
6* I'm 36 now!
7* I love/hate watching reality TV!
4. Choose 7 other bloggers to pass the award to. OK, DOING NOW...
5. Link to those 7 other bloggers,
Eclectic Me
Takapitcha
Haffina Creations
My Craft Experience
Jules Artwear
The Lost Earring
Brooklyne Chaos
6. Notify your 7 bloggers. OK, DOING NOW.

My First Treasury!

2009-11-08T14:38:00.003+10:30

That's me in the top left hand corner!

I was so excited when I woke up this morning to find I was in a treasury! My very first one! I was beginning to think that I would never be in one. I seem to have enough trouble just making one. I always miss the treasury openings. So I would like to thank Movezerb for including me in this wonderfully rich treasury. I absolutely adore this colour.

Gearing Up For Christmas

2009-11-05T12:29:00.003+10:30

Just a quick post today to let you see some of the new Glass Tile Pendants I have listed in my Etsy and Madeit shops. With Christmas just around the corner, I have been working my arse off to get as much stuff listed in the shops as I can. There are about 20 different glass tile pendant designs at the moment, with more in production. Each store has different stock, so be sure to check out both shops! I am currently also working on some gorgeous new chainmaille pieces and will hopefully be listing them in the shops soon!

TRICK OR TREAT!

2009-10-31T09:21:00.009+10:30

1: Halloween Spooktacular 4 Pack - Creative Chics

2: Traditionally Terrifying Halloween Favour Boxes - Little Cyan

3: NEW Halloween Trick or Treat Bag - Lulu Stiles

4: Halloween Trick or Treat Candy Bucket (Flying Witches on Brooms) - Baffinbags

Happy Halloween!

This blog post marks the end of my Halloween Month. What better way to end the month with some gorgeous little Trick of Treat bags that I found on Etsy. Hopefully some very lucky kids will be Trick or Treating with these fabulous bags, buckets and favour boxes tonight!

And The Winner Is..........!

2009-10-22T10:55:00.005+10:30

Drumroll please..........

Christina of Akane Designs!

Congratulations Christina, you are the winner of my very first Blog Giveaway! I will contact you shortly to grab your details so I can send these little earrings out to you. I would like to thank everyone for entering. It was a lot of fun and I will definately be having another blog giveaway in the near future!

My First Blog Giveaway!

2009-10-13T11:10:00.007+10:30

This is it! My first ever blog giveaway! Frankly, I wasn't sure if this was something I should be doing. Who knows, it could be my last blog giveaway! We shall just have to see how all this pans out. But, what the heck, I'm gonna give this thing a try.

This is my 13th blog post, it is also the 13th of October today. I think this is all quite fitting for my Halloween them don't you think? And, in the spirit of Halloween, I thought I would giveaway a little pair of pumpkin inspired earrings, made with bright orange lamp beads, olive green crackle glass beads and some Bali sterling silver spacers. The earwires are sterling silver. So, if you think you'd like to be in the draw to win these little beauties, then all you have to do is visit my Madeit or Etsy shop and tell me which is your favourite item. Leave an email address in your comment (or if you have an Etsy or Madeit account, leave that address and I can contact you through that if you're a winner). All entries will go into a hat. The draw is open until midnight Wednesday 21st October with the winner being announced on Thursday 22nd October.

I wish you all the best of luck!

Creeeeeepy.....

2009-10-06T20:35:00.021+10:30

The Batbarn - Moxy

So, my dedication to Halloween Month continues! Last week was nice with the cute pumpkin jewellery, but this week I'm going to turn it up a notch and bring you some of the creepiest things I could find on Etsy. Being a lover of horror movies, I wanted to find some of the imagery I like to see in a horror movie (without going too far!), and this is what I came up with. Moxy's Batbarn, is top of the list, oozing the true essence of CREEEEEPY.....

Needle Felted Creepy Art Doll - Annabelle Arts

Twisty Stem Flat Jack o Lantern -
Pumpkin Hollow

Haunted Tree Photo Pendant - Imaginative Intention

Verdi - LaGrotesquerie

Zombiedude - The Shadow Farm

I hope you all sleep well tonight!

BWAHAhahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaa..............

(Dont forget, next week is my first Blog Giveaway!)

Halloween Month Begins! ♥Pumpkin Love♥

2009-10-01T14:34:00.011+09:30

Mini Pumpkins - Brown Eye Blue

It has always been my firm belief that Halloween should be recognised and celebrated more here in Australia, so I have decided that for the month of October, I am going to dedicate my blog posts to Halloween. Ever since I watched E.T. as a kid and saw all these kids dressing up in fabulous costumes and going Trick or Treating, I wondered how it was that Australians missed out on all this fun! So I decided that in some way or another, I would celebrate Halloween in my own way each year.

So, this year, I went on a little hunt through Etsy to find all the wonderful pumpkin jewellery I could find. I came across an incredible amount of pumpkin earrings, but also some fabulous necklaces too! Listed below are some of the most beautiful pumpkin jewels I could find.

The Great Pumpkin Earrings LIMITED - DK Jewels

Cinderella's Pumpkin - Bling Faktory

The Great Pumpkin Orange Howlite Earrings - Just The Thing 4 U

Pumpkin Harvest Earrings - Shy Siren

Aren't they just the most gorgeous things ever? Make sure you pop into all of these shops because they all have the most exquisite jewellery and items for sale. All of the artists above have given me permission to use their images and promote their stores.

Stay tuned for more Halloween blog posts this month AND, AND, I will also be having my first ever blog giveaway!! It's an item that is not listed in my Etsy or Madeit shops, so you'll be in for a little surprise!

Japanese 12 in 2 Chainmaille Bracelet

2009-09-18T19:15:00.004+09:30

This is my newest listing on Etsy and Madeit, the Japanese 12 in 2 bracelet, handcrafted with 3 & 5mmID Sterling Silver 18g rings in. It has a lovely little slide clasp too. I have wanted to get started on this weave for so long and one thing led to another and I just never got around to it. I have a few other projects on the go at the moment, but I finally finished this one and listed it in the shops today, so drop in and have a look as there are other images to see too. I also plan on making a pair of earrings to match.

Glass Tile Pendants

2009-09-10T20:49:00.006+09:30

I have been playing around with this technique for a few weeks now after there was a challenge on the Beading Forum to make something related to Chiyogami. I never actually entered the challenge but after seeing some of the entries, I decided that I wanted to learn how to make Glass Tile Pendants. I found it rather difficult to track down the glass tiles required to make these in Australia, but I found SunAndMoonCraftKits on Etsy and was able to get started. So I had to import, but after finally finding an Australian supplier, it ended up cheaper importing them anyway! I tracked down a lovely Chiyogami paper supplier, grabbed some other essentials from my other beady suppliers and got started!

And this is how it all turned out! After several failed attempts, I quickly discovered that I could just rinse my failures in warm water and start again. I hate to waste supplies! These ones will probably end up as gifts until I master the technique, but so far I'm quite pleased with how it's all turned out. I do plan to start these as a new line in my Etsy and Madeit shops, so hopefully round Christmas time, you'll start to see them listed in my shop. I'd love some feedback from you on these, so feel free to drop a comment on here!

Featured Artist: Annabelle Arts

2009-08-23T15:44:00.006+09:30

Bunny & Poof

Well, many of you may know that this is predominantly a jewellery blog, but this week, I couldn't help myself and decided to feature a very unique artist and fellow Etsian, Annabelle Arts.

Based in Orion, USA, Annabelle Arts creates whimsical creatures and beautiful art dolls from needle felting. Annabelle's little creatures range from fruit flies, bees, aliens, teddy bears, to my particular favourite art doll, Bunny & Poof (pictured above). She also creates fabulous needle felted pin cushions in vintage vessels, such as tea cups and planters, and has a range of bright and colourful handbags.

Please take a moment to take a look at Annabelle Arts and enter a world of whimsy and fun!

China Teacup Pin Cushion

Newest Etsy & Madeit Listings

2009-08-18T19:10:00.006+09:30

These are a couple of the listings I put on Etsy and Madeit today. There was another pair of earrings too, but for some reason the picture kept being uploaded upside down!

Mobius Chainmaille Earrings

Byzantine Chainmaille Bracelet

Drop into either one of the shops and take a look!

Featured Artist: Eclectic Moi

2009-08-16T19:02:00.007+09:30

'Happiness' Hair Pins

This week I would like to feature another extremely talented Australian artist, Gillian Hamilton. I first came across Gillian's exquisite jewellery when I first joined Madeit. Gillian comes from a very talented background and has been influenced by the talented women in her family. With her beautiful vintage inspired brass jewellery, Gillian creates from the things she finds, recreating old and unwanted jewellery to give it new life. Also a talented mixed media artist, Gillian has been published in many PaperCraft Magazines in Australia and overseas. I urge you to take the time to have a look at her online shops on Madeit and Etsy. Gillian also has a blog, http://www.gillianhamilton.blogspot.com/ .

'Unlocked' Earrings

♥ 101 Hearts on Etsy! ♥

2009-08-10T20:09:00.004+09:30

Yay! I opened my Etsy shop in March 2009 (even though I signed up in Jan 2009) and I have just made 101 hearts! Just had to share!

♥♥♥

Paper Beads.....Plus A Tutorial!

2009-08-09T11:25:00.023+09:30

I decided that I wanted to make paper beads after hearing about (unfortunatley not seeing) a feature on a recent tv show on how to make them. Being a crafty sort, I went on my quest to find out how to make them and ended up finding a few tutorials, but not very many. After a few dedicated hours of fiddling and glueing, VOILA! I came up with these! AND, I thought it would be a bit of fun to show you how to make them!

You Will Need:

* A skewer, a knitting needle, or even toothpicks.
* Scissors or a craft knife.
* Craft glue, PVA glue or a glue stick.
* Water based varnish
* Paper of any kind. You can use scrapbooking paper, chiyogami paper, construction paper, wrapping paper, old sheets of music, magazine pages, the possibilities are endless!

Step One:

You can make your beads and size you want. There's no limit to what you can do. For my beads, I used a sheet of scrapbooking paper. I measured 2.5cm / 1" for the width and used the entire length of paper for the height. I the cut the strip into a long triangle, starting at about 3cm down the length.

Step Two:

Spread your glue on the plain side of the paper, starting at the widest end, and then tightly wrap your paper around the skewer, taking your time. When you have finished wrapping, carefully slide your bead off the skewer and place it aside to dry. Wipe your skewer with a damp cloth to remove any glue so your next bead doesn't stick to it.

Repeat Steps 1 and 2 until you have as many beads as you want.

Step Three:

When your beads are dry, pop them back onto the skewer and varnish them. Experiment with different kinds of paper and making different sizes. I wouldn't recommend using cardboard or cardstock as it is too thick and your beads may pop apart or unravel.

This is a fun craft that anyone can do, and you can even get the kids involved in this one too. I hope you have fun with it!

Featured Artist: Peruzi

2009-08-03T09:32:00.009+09:30

Celadon Crackle Earrings

This week I thought I would feature an artist that I have come across on the bead forum that I frequent. Peruzi is a very talented Australian artist who was originally a hobby potter, but has since found a new passion in making beads. By using clay types such as earthenware and terracotta, and a range of different glazes, Peruzi had produced many beads in glorious colours. Also, by incorporating environmental inspiration, from nature to household items, Peruzi is able to create some very unique textures in her beads. The earrings pictured above are made with earthenware clay and have been soaked in coffee for an antiquing effect. Peruzi has been featured in Beads Etc Magazine (one of Australias leading bead magazines) Issue 18 July 2008 and you can find more of her beautiful creations on her Madeit and Artfire sites. She also has her own website http://www.peruzi.net/ . I highly recommend you take a look!

Newest Listing on Etsy & Madeit

2009-08-01T14:13:00.008+09:30

This is my Parallel Helm Chainmaille Bracelet. I finished this little beauty the other day. It's made from Sterling Silver and 14K Gold Filled jumprings. For such a simple weave, I find it so pretty. It really is such a delicate little bracelet and now that I've listed it for sale on Etsy AND on Madeit, I think I want one for myself now!

Well.... Here we are.... Day One.

2009-07-27T14:15:00.006+09:30

Ok, after much deliberation, I have decided to start a blog. I always thought blogs were for writers, storytellers, and people who generally had much to say. I, for one, am not a writer, nor a storyteller. I make jewellery.

So, I'll give you a little background. About 4 years ago, my sister in law came to visit us from Canada and brought with her a large supply of beads. I too, being a rather crafty sort, also had a large supply of beads but had never really put much use to them. Well, she showed me a couple of techniques and I was hooked. It started off as a little hobby and quickly escalated into a full blown passion for making jewellery. I started browsing online bead stores and discovered there were so many beautiful beads, and findings and techniques! It wasn't just a case of stringing a few beads onto some wire or thread, there was so much more to it and I was eager to learn. For a while I thought I was becoming obsessed. THEN, I found a forum. A beading forum, http://www.beadingforum.com.au/ where I could talk to people as like minded as myself and found a wealth of inspiration and amazing talent from all who participated there. I noticed in some of the signatures links to their websites where they also sold their wares and came across Etsy, a website that sold handmade items. By this stage, I had created so many things and gained the confidence to think I could also try my hand at selling online. I decided to check this Etsy place out!

I was very impressed by what I saw. So many talented artisans, so many different crafts! I began to research more and decided that I was going to give it a try. What did I have to lose? So in March, I opened up my very first online shop, http://www.greenstar9.etsy.com/

Many of my friends and family had asked why I didn't choose an Australian site to sell on, and quite frankly, I didn't know there was one, until recently. Again, on the beading forum, it was mentioned that a website called Madeit existed and was available to Australian residents to sell their handmade wares. So after a couple of successful sales on Etsy, I decided that I would also give Madeit a try. Afterall, I'm all for supporting Aussie made! Last week, I opened up my second online shop, http://www.madeit.com.au/Greenstar

My purpose for this blog is to promote my two shops and the websites they are on. I will try to regularly post on here and keep you updated on the new listings in the shops and also some of my favourite finds on them. Both Etsy and Madeit have some incredibly talented people and I believe they should be recognised for their talents.

So, I hope you have enjoyed my very first blog post. Stay tuned for more! Next time with pictures!