Your Christmas Orders!

Planning a very fun, busy day at the bench today, filling your Christmas orders! Here's some helpful info in case you're planning to place an order soon:

***DEADLINES for Christmas delivery***
Domestic (USA) order by Dec 17th; International order by Dec 8th.

Now, off to fire up the torch and swing some hammers!

See ya later!
A

CYBER MONDAY SALE

***CYBER MONDAY SALE***
10% off everything in my shop - today only - Nov 26, 2012.

Use code CYBER10 at checkout.

Visit my shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/AmyEstelleMetalworks?ref=seller_info_count

Just one of the many items on sale today. :)

Happy Shopping!

What's New?

What's New? Lots of new pretties in my shop, that's what! Here are a few of my newest pieces. I hope you like what you see! :)

Sterling Silver and Turquoise

Sterling Silver and Turquoise

Purple Charoite and Sterling Silver

Purple Charoite and Sterling Silver

SOLD -- Ocean Jasper and Sterling Silver

SOLD -- Ocean Jasper and Sterling Silver

SOLD -- # 8 Mine Turquoise - Spiderweb Turquoise and Sterling Silver

SOLD -- # 8 Mine Turquoise - Spiderweb Turquoise and Sterling Silver

SOLD -- Dalmatian Jasper and Sterling Silver

SOLD -- Dalmatian Jasper and Sterling Silver

Thanks for looking! :)

QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT

QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT: I have decided to cancel my spot in the Hallmarket Art Fair and the Crafty Chicks fair this year. So sorry, but I've just got too much going on right now, including some health issues. So it just seemed like the best way to eliminate some stress from my life at the moment.

But the good news is that eventually, all the new items that I'd made for Hallmarket will be added to my online shop instead. I'll let you know as I add new items to my shop in the weeks and months to come.

Thank you for your support! :)

Hot Off the Bench!

Time for another blog update and a quick peek at my new work hot off the bench! I'm trying to build up my inventory and make the shop more presentable, and hopefully these new pieces will go a long way toward reaching that goal. I'd love to hear your feedback, so please comment if you'd like.

Enjoy! :)

As always, thank you for looking! :)

New Metalwork!

I thought it was about time I let you see what I've been up to lately. So here are a few photos of my recent metalwork! I'm really having fun working with beautiful hand-cut cabs and gemstone beads. I love the splash of color they add, especially paired with the darkened silver. I hope you like what you see! :)

Thank you for looking! :)

A Special Treasury

Our Aspiring Metalsmiths team has a new "treasury challenge." This month it's to create an Etsy treasury for Mother's Day. Here's mine. In loving memory of my sweet Mommy for Mother's Day. Things she loves. Birds. Butterflies. Opals. The color blue.


I love and miss you Mommy.

Busy day!

Just running through with a quick update. I spent the whole day experimenting with my new light box. Who knew product photography could be so complicated?! Lighting, angles, ISO, white balance.....oh my. After hours of test shots, trying different backgrounds and a little editing, I did finally end up with some photos I really like.

Oh so much I need to learn! I can tell this is going to be a never-ending learning process!

Spring has sprung!

What a BEAUTIFUL day here in the midwest! Spring is officially here. It's a wonderful 74 degrees, the sun is shining, there is a nice breeze and the yummy smell of neighborhood-grilling filling the air. Birds are singing and flowers are blooming. We could get used to this!

Nothing quite gets the creative juices flowing better than Spring in all it's glory. Time to get busy getting some new ideas down in the sketchbook! Stay tuned!

Happy Spring everyone! :)

Check out what all my Aspiring Metalsmith teamies are thinking about Spring.

Steph Stargell http://stephstargell.com

Lilian http://girllovesglitter.blogspot.com
Pennee - All Wired Up Jewelry Designs http://allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com
nancycreations http://nancysjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com
SerpentsDanceDesigns http://dancetothedoor.blogspot.com
Autumn Bradley http://autumnbradley.blogspot.com
Contemporary Jewelry by Beatriz Fortes http://cjbf.blogspot.com
Jessica @ Abella Blue http://abellabluestudio.com/blog
Sylvia Anderson http://sylviaanderson.blogspot.com
Gloria http://gloria-hemlockhollow.blogspot.com
Esmeralda http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.se/2012/04/signs-of-spring.html  

Rock Candy!

Hello there! This blog post is a long time coming. It's actually a topic my Aspiring Metalsmith's team came up with last year. At the time, I wasn't able to participate in the blogroll, but now I thought, better late than never, right!?

So what's the team blogroll topic I'm talking about? Rocks. "Show us your rock collection!"

As with most folks, I had a rock collection as a kid. I'd line them up, in a certain order, on my little white bookcase and admire them. I'd dig in the backyard to find more to add to my collection. And I was convinced one of my rocks contained gold.  

Fast forward several decades and I've started collecting rocks again. After taking back up my love of metalsmithing, I have rediscovered my love of rocks and rock collecting! I'm amazed by all of the beauty in natural stones and gemstones. And I just love all of the endless possibilities that I have when incorporating stones and gemstones into my jewelry designs.

So, without further adieu, let's see the rock candy.....I mean rock collection!

Top, left to right: Landscape Jasper, Mexican Crazy Lace Agate, Rosetta Stone
Bottom, left to right: Mexican Crazy Lace Agate, Globe Hills Chrysocolla, Tree Malachite & Chalcedony,
Sonoran Sunset Chrysocolla

Globe Hills Chrysocolla

Sonoran Sunset Chrysocolla

Dalmatian Jasper, Green Aventurine, Rhodonite, Tree Moss Agate

Lepidolite In Quartz, Zebra Agate, Sleeping Beauty Turquoise

Turquoise

Clockwise from top: Dryhead Agate, Turquoise, Arroyo Picture Jasper, Sonoran Sunset Chrysocolla 

Clockwise from top: Polka Dot Agate, Brazilian Agate, Rocky Butte

Clockwise from top: Landscape Jasper, Sonoran Sunset Chrysocolla, Kingman Turquoise and Bronze

Some of the stash.

Well, that about covers my rock collection to date. I'm always on the look-out for new beauties to add to my stash. And I've enjoyed becoming friends with several wonderfully talented Lapidary artists. Their work amazes me! And what's better than having a beautiful, handcut stone blended with my handmade jewelry designs?!

If you have a few minutes, take some time and check out my Aspiring Metalsmith teamies' rock collections. Enjoy! (tip: look in their archives for "Feb 2011," to find their rock posts.)

Autumn Bradley - http://www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com/
Clarity @ Scrollwork Designs - http://thesquarepegnation.blogspot.com/
Stacy Low - http://www.formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com
Chrissi Lynn Designs - http://www.chrissilynn.blogspot.com
Sylvia Anderson - http://www.sylviaanderson.blogspot.com/
Jessica @ Abella Blue - http://www.abellablue.com/blog
Contemporary Jewelry by Beatriz Fortes - http://cjbf.blogspot.com/
Esmeralda - http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com/
Steph Stargell - http://www.stephstargell.com
Pennee - http://allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Silver Pearl Jewelry and Metalworks - http://silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/show-us-your-stones/#more-4
Claire - brightstar109.blogspot.com/
AristiKat- http://artistikat-scratchingpost.blogspot.com/