Pantone Colors for Spring 2011

It's definitely a wild winter morning here in Maine. A blizzard is going on outside and I'm huddled up with a cup of hot chocolate/coffee mix. A perfect time to update my Etsy shop and browse the internet.

I'm offering a 20% year-end sale at my shop. Please use coupon code Ladybug20 to take advantage of this sale. It is 20% off your entire purchase, not counting shipping costs. I appreciate your business!

Drum roll inserted here ..... The Pantone colors for Spring 2011 are:

1. HONEYSUCKLE PANTONE 18-2120

2. REGATTA PANTONE 18-4039

3. CORAL ROSE PANTONE 16-1349

4. BEESWAX PANTONE 14-0941

5. PEAPOD PANTONE 14-6324

6. BLUE CURACAO PANTONE 15-4825

7. RUSSET PANTONE 18-1235

8. SILVER PEONY PANTONE 12-1206

9. LAVENDER PANTONE 15-3817

10. SILVER CLOUD PANTONE 15-4502

That is quite the color palette. You can check this out at many websites or the official Pantone website at pantone.com.

When I first heard Honeysuckle was the color I immediately thought of a soft yellow. That's what the honeysuckle blossoms looked like growing on the vine on the back porch of my childhood home. Then I looked up the Pantone color, silly me, it is PINK tone. Hmmm, who knew?

It will be interesting to see the clothing and jewelry designs using these colors.

Happy Day! Happy Creating!

My husband is an artist, graphic designer, website designer and all around creative guy. Anyway the purpose of that was to say he found out that the site that hosts my website along with several of his had a major glitch and took all of our websites down. Surprise, surprise! I fixed mine this morning and it is now back up in business. Please take some time to have a look. It is much appreciated!

Despite all the ads telling you it is fall and back to school time, hold on to summer as long as you can. Now is the perfect time to get all the bargains and end of the season sell-outs. Throw a party, add to your wardrobe, get those too cute shoes and sandals you've had your eye on ... and don't forget to accessorize! Check out my shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/maineladybug. I think you'll find a few pieces that will fit right in.

Happy Day! Happy Creating!

I'm excited to report that my Etsy shop will be critiqued on a fellow bloggers blog. I am so looking forward to what everyone will say. You can join in by going to auntkarenscreations.blogspot.com and reading the posts. Please give us your honest comments to my shop and my jewelry. Thanks Karen!

I have a Facebook fan page. You can find it at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/wwwetsycomshopmaineladybug/315091011566

My website is: www.ladedadesigns.com

Even though summer is only half over I'm starting to think about fall. I love the traditional fall colors but I'm going to do some research to find out what the new trends are. Please check back to see what info I have found.

Happy Day! Happy Creating!

Happy 4th all! I hope you have a wonderful and safe day with friends and family.

I'm posting pictures of what I have made with the bone beads so far. The necklace is all eco friendly made out of sustainable materials, bone, wood and bamboo. The bracelet I strung on stretch cord for ease of wear & adjustable sizing. I'm very pleased with the results and hope you like them as well.

Happy Day! Happy creating!

It's Monday again! Looking forward to a productive week at work and at home. We had some terrific news today. We have been looking to move and today we signed a lease on a condo. I'm so excited. Only 2 blocks from the beach!

I am enthralled with the Moss Agate stones I bought. Although I am not a "green" person (as in the color green) I think these little nuggets are wonderful in their color patterns and the inclusions. They just look like water in a mossy brook. This time I made earrings. I had fun making these and am very pleased with the results. I hope you think so too.

My husband requested that I make him some new bracelets. I bought some terrific patterned bone beads and am formulating a design idea for them. I'll post pictures when I'm done. He suggested that I do a men's line of jewelry. I just might take him up on that thought.

Happy day! Happy creating!

While in Ohio I went to my favorite craft Store, Pat Catan's, and bought a lovely string of Moss Agate polished nuggets. To me they look like you reached into a stream or the Atlantic ocean with a melon baller and took out a scoop of water. They have wonderful shades of green and blue with thready inclusions of brown, grey and black that look like moss, hence the name.

I also found this beading chain, it is called round cable. It is thin enough to string beads on so I thought I would do bead stations every 2 inches around the necklace. I'm very pleased at how the piece turned out. I don't think this first set of pictures I took do the stones justice so I'm going to reshoot them.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Weekend. Please remember our veterans in your thoughts. We owe them a huge debit of gratitude.

Happy week! Happy creating!

Hello All ~

I'm traveling this upcoming week to the Cleveland, Ohio area to visit with my mother, friends & family. It will be a long drive but worth it. Hope everyone has a great week and a wonderful & safe Memorial Day weekend. See you when I get back.

Happy day, Happy creating!

Hi All ~ I made a sale yesterday and couldn't be happier. Someone out there likes it ... they really do! :-)

It would be nice to turn my "hobby" in to a full time job but since I don't see that happening in the near future I'm still out there looking for a 9-5 or a 10 -2 ... well anyway a job.

Happy day! Happy creating!

After a brief hiatus from the jewelry making biz I'm back at it. I've added 4 new items for sale in my shop using stabilized turquoise. What's that you say? Well this is what it is: Stabilized turquoise is created by adding a clear resin to soft turquoise to help enhance the color and well as increase the hardness of the stone. Since turquoise is a very porous substance, the resin fills in the tiny holes and crevices to form a firm stabilized turquoise stone.

The harder variety of turquoise is more expensive. For the pieces I have just created I chose to use the stabilized turquoise so that it gives me the color I want and keeps the cost lower so that I can offer good quality jewelry at affordable prices.

Some very fine, high quality turquoise is from the Sleeping Beauty Mine in Globe, Arizona. I have seen some of these stones polished and set into beautiful gold jewelry with diamonds surrounding them. The finer quality of Sleeping Beauty Turquoise has very little to none of the black matrix that you will find in most turquoise stones you see. Some people prefer the matrix in the stones. Turquoise comes in a variety of shades from green blue right through to the beautiful blue of the prized Sleeping Beauty.

Having a December birthday turquoise is my birthstone. I have a number of pieces with the different shades of turquoise. The Native American artists make amazing turquoise and silver jewelry pieces. If you travel to the southwest don't pass by the chance to see their work and if possible watch them create it.

Have a wonderful day! Happy creating!

Hello All ~

I'm pursuing the goal of making and putting up for sale a new item in my Etsy shop everyday. That was the challenge for the Maine Team on Etsy. I'm not doing as well as I had hoped to but I am getting new pieces made so that is half the battle! :-) Here is what I've been working on. To see the rest of my work please go to www.etsy.com/shop/maineladybug

It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood today! Finished another piece this morning, photographed it and put it on Etsy for sale. A pair of earrings this time that reminds me of a cool drink on a summer day. I especially like the frosted glass beads I bought the other day. I'm in the process of creating a bracelet with some of the others.

You can check out the earrings and all the other pieces I have for sale at: http://www.etsy.com/listing/45470699

Happy rest of the weekend!

Today I put my first new piece in my shop to begin the challenge. You can view it in the side bar of this blog or here at: http://www.etsy.com/listing/45293323/crop-circle-bracelet-in-silver-and

I think earrings next. :-)

Hello All! I love Spring, the longer daylight hours, the warmer temps and the profusion of flowers. All very uplifting and inspiring to me. I made the eyeglass lanyard pictured above as my little homage to the colors of spring.

I belong to the Maine Team on Etsy and we have been challenged to create and put up for sale each day in our shop a new item beginning tomorrow April 21st through May 8th. That is quite the challenge. I agreed to do it! Hopefully this is the kick in the pants I need to get back to creating.

Happy Day! Happy Spring!

Redo, Redo, Redo

Sometimes it is a bit frustrating redoing my shop on Etsy. I learn things in the Virtual Labs that have a "hmmm" factor which makes me go back and look at my pictures ... could I crop that different, do I need to change the settings on my camera, does it need to be lightened or darkened. Then I look at the title of the piece... descriptive enough? Will Google find it? Then I re-examine the tags am I using all 14 ... I do have trouble using them all. It seems like it is a never ending loop of tweaking. Ah well, if I had a shop in the physical world I suppose I would be there tweaking every day too!

Happy Day! Happy Creating!

Etsy Virtual Labs

I'm in-between Virtual Labs at the moment. Just attend a Newbie Lab next will be Shop Critiques. I find them interesting and informative. Although I have yet to get a question answered or a critique done. LOL It is great to read what others have done or how they work their business. Everyone is so helpful. The Admins are great too.

I'm hoping to learn that 1 tip or trick that will help boost my views and sales. :-)

Off to my next class!

Happy Spring!

Went to the arts & crafts store today to buy 2 things to aid in the photography of my jewelry. Yeah right!!! Too many bright and shiny things for this magpie to pass by. The bead boxes were 30% off, so 1 of those went in the cart. A whole display of strings of beads, buy one get one ... 4 strings went in the cart. Larger size split rings that I had been looking for to do a project, in the cart. 50% off Swarovski crystal beads and pearls, 2 small packages of those into the cart. Finally after an hour of perusing I got the 2 items I came for. LOL It was a good shopping trip!

Does it Work?

I want to clarify my previous post ... the break-away lanyard is not my original idea ... far from it ... while I was doing research I saw the idea and when I was at the hospital the other day an employee was wearing that type of design which she allowed me to examine. So it was the "aha" moment for me. :-)

I completed my version of the ID Badge Lanyard using aqua blue round beads and AB finish square crystal beads. I like the over all look. I'm concerned about the weight of the piece although the one I checked out at the hospital was a weighty piece. I think the next one I do I will add a few improvements. I am happy with this piece and will take pictures of it tomorrow to post here and to place it for sale at my Etsy shop.

www.etsy.com/shop/maineladybug

While searching for new ways to expand my business appeal and I came across the idea of the "break-away" ID lanyard. "WOW that is a great idea," I said to myself. If you work in a place where safety is an issue then the magnetic clasp releases if the lanyard is yanked on. I'm almost done with my first one and will post a picture of it soon. It will be for sale along with my other creations at my shop on Etsy. www.etsy.com/shop/maineladybug.

Happy up your day with something that makes you smile!

It's a beautiful day here in Southern Maine! Not yet 11 a.m. and already 60 degrees F. Wahoo!It will not be an indoor day nor will I think about the making of jewelry .... although I am going to take my camera and see what nature inspires. I did see some crocus coming up the other day. Maybe I can find other signs of spring as well. Have a wonderful day in your neighborhood! :-)

I've been questioning if I am going in the right direction for my jewelry designs. My target customer is one that likes jewelry with color and some flash but wants it affordable so if they would like they can have a pair of earrings to match every outfit they own without breaking the bank. I want to offer a variety of colors, textures, styles and sizes. I'm definitely looking for feedback. Please check out my work at www.etsy.com/shop/maineladybug or at my website, www.myladedadesigns.com. Thanks!

Hi! My name is Gini. I create jewelry and sell it on Etsy, at craft shows and to friends & family. My shop name is the maineladybug. I have a website, www.myladedadesigns.com, where you can see samples of my work.

It might be a little confusing as I originally started up my little hobby as La De Da Designs. That domain was taken so I put the "my" in front of it. When I joined Etsy, I couldn't use ladedadesigns as a shop name as it was taken, so that is why I'm the maineladybug. Poor planning on my part, I know. Who knew in 2007 where I would be today, creatively speaking. :-)

I make by hand the pieces I have for sale. While I don't create the beads or the findings I do strive to be creative in putting the components together for a pleasing design.

Please take a few minutes to check out my work. Thanks!