The Hype is winding down

Holidays are over, and my idea of making gift guides was nipped in the butt by my grandfather's surgery. Though things are still in full swing in relation to his surgery, no longer being sick myself and recouped from the Month long Novel Writing, I have created some nice pieces and will be slowly showing them in my Shop.

Truthfully, I was not prepared for this Christmas. I have very few wares and I'm still exploring the depths of my creativity. I have finally stretched out into a new Style as I knew I eventually would, but did not think I would touch on this specific style so soon.


Steampunk!

I have always been in love with fantasy, the mystical, the romance, and everything so far from reality. Steampunk may not be my favorite genre, but the 'idea' of it, of picturing myself in a world like those books, for a moment it can seem so real. For some reason it feels more down to earth than our world right now. Perhaps its the lack of 'electronics' and everything digital. Iron must be wrought and hammered over an anvil by honed human strength and out of the blood and sweat is something gorgeous. It takes more skill to create a Pocket Watch by the 'mundane' tools of hammers, forges and anvils than it does by machines who do our work for us.

Steampunk is a reminder of the intelligence, the creativity and the hard work of the men and women before the age of technology took that all away.

That's what Steampunk means to me. Of a time we shouldn't forget, yet Steampunk is much more than just an age of our history. It is touched with fantasy, and even magic.

What does Steampunk mean to you? (tell me in the comment section below)

With all that said, my first tinkering project has lead me to creating this wonderful piece which I have labeled a HUGE success!!

I then proceed to make another. Running low on brass gears to bring out color, so I added flat Col Topaz Swarovski Crystals to the piece. I acme up with this...

I am very proud of myself, but before I pat myself on the back I will get back to work, and begin to expand my Creativity with this new found love for crafting Steampunk!

Back with a Bang for the Holidays

I had disappeared for an entire month writing a Novel for National Novel Writing Month. With November now over, I am back just in time for the holidays. Perhaps I have missed most of the commotion or perhaps some of you are still pondering over what presents to buy your friends for the Holidays.

Over the next few days I'll be going over some Favorite Shops, New Shops and some well founded Shops for some great gift ideas for your children, your spouse, your grandparents, your teachers and more. Each few days will give new ideas for each one. I will select a variety of gift types including indulgent and budget friendly gift ideas. First and Foremost, I'll start with our lovely Mothers.

Coming Very Soon!!

Leave My Heart Beating For You!

Romance is in the air, but it doesn't have to be because of Valentines. Valentines is far away, but love still blooms. New Romances and old Romances are celebrating every day. The bonds that hold us together that ease us through the day. Sometimes it is the reason we live, sometimes we wait for that Love to come into our lives - the reason we exist.

So lets celebrate with these gorgeous Heart Throbs on Etsy from the Treasury "Leave My Heart Beating For You!" Inspired by the Non Team Challenge #2 and FlutterbyeNotes cards of all forms of Love.

FlutterbyeNotes won the Non Team Treasury Challenge #1 and selected this particular item for the second Challenge.Going with the flow, inspired by the tiny pink heart I chose love as my theme of choice.

Finding Romantic treasures on Etsy was not hard to come by, but the perfect fit for the Treasury was. Among the ones I selected was this gorgeous set of Hand Painted Wine Glasses painted with tiny flowers into interwining hearts by RaeSmith.

This beautiful Heart Necklace by Bijunea speaks for itself. 

Kreatus makes wonderful pottery, and this beautiful piece speaks volumes in the language of romance.

And what is romance without some delicious chocolates? Truffles to be exact. Every woman needs to indulge in chocolates, and there is nothing like a man delicately placing a truffle on our lips. LoveBirdChocolates provides just the right truffles for that special occasion!

Want to see more Heart Throb items to get your romance on? Check out this treasury!

Leave My Heart Beating For You!


And don't forget to check out the Non Team Treasury Challenge!!

Treasury Challenge Non Team

Cameos are in!

Cameos have survived the ages since they've been first created. Almost in every style you can find cameos. Here you can find a collection of cameos across Etsy in various styles. "Love Me a Cameo" Treasury displays a few of many crafty and imaginative Etsians using cameos in their artwork. A few of these great artisits you will find below. If you like their work, check out the Treasury and their Shops for more great designs.

Cameos represent the Victorian Era, so it is no surprise that it can be found in the ever growing trend of Steampunk, such as MizzDraconia's "The Scientist Choker".

Cameos often signify romance in their presentation of beuatiful and elegant women. There has always been a touch of romance (however tragic) in the gothic style and therefore cameos are very popular among goths, especially those depicting skulls and skeletons, such as FaerieDustDesigns's "Danse Macabre Vintage Escutcheon Cuff".

As macabre and grim as these can be, cameos also represent femininity. Not all cameos are presented in such a dark fashion. The above pieces are dynamic and beautiful but it reaches out only to those who enjoy Steampunk and Gothic Fashion or lifestyle. What about us more lady like women? We haven't been left out. AmazingDesign has created a very feminine, vintage style piece. This "Gold Victorian Lady Cameo" would easily suit a woman who likes to express her feminine side.

Cameos don't need to be about women however. A cameo can depict just about anything. LovedtoDeath has taken the idea of a cameo and ran away with it. In her piece, she has used preserved Prairie Dog Paw and sealed it in resin on a cameo. This "Prairie Dog Paw Silver Cameo Necklace" is not for everyone, but for the sake of wearing original jewelry, you will certainly get some attention.

Infinitales has gone ahead and used modern cartoon characters in her "Ephemeral Dancer" in a vintage style cameo in the shape of a butterfly.

Check out "Love Me a Cameo" for more great Cameos in various styles and methods of design.

ONE DAY ONLY!! Thanksgiving SALE!

I am having a 20% off Thanksgiving Sale for all items above 10 dollars in my SHOP! Get it while it's hot, it ends at midnight!

Send me the following code at the time of purchase to receive the discount.

Code: Turkey

Enjoy your holidays!
Melissa,

A New Team that isn't a Team

A Treasury mania is what it is. A fun, and inspiring idea benefiting everyone who joins. Dottyral had come up with an amazing idea that she had shared with us here on the Business Forum on how to utilize the Treasury with a group of people in order to display and advertise each others work as well as their own in a fun and competitive manner.

This idea has excited dozens of Etsians, and it is sure to take off with a hoot!

Dottyral has gone and made a Blog for this specific on-going event, called "Treasury Challenge NonTeam". Here fellow Etsians have the chance to read more about this fantastic ideas and how to participate. This week is the very first week, so expect some more ideas and rules to be tweaked as we see how it works out.

Inspired by this idea, FabricFascination had gone ahead and created a Treasury called "Plum and Gold" of all the Etsians that were currently excited about this NonTeam and had signed up.

The Idea of these Treasuries is to showcase other NonTeam members in Treasuries, and tagging these Treasuries specifically for this on-going event. The Etsian who had created the best Treasury has an item selected from their own shop that will then be showcased in every Treasury of the upcoming week challenge.


So what are you waiting for? Join up and get started!!!

Grace me with Leaves and Trees from the Ocean of Life

Fall has come rather fast, and our gorgeous trees are turning all shades of reds, oranges and yellows. It will be a long cold season before we see the buds of new life spring again, so here's a Treasury dedicated to nature's natural air purifiers: Grace me with Leaves and Trees...

Honorable Mentions from the Treasury!

daydreemdesigns has created these beautiful hand engraved wine glasses. I cannot imagine the immense detail and time that went into each individual glass. These are truly remarkable!

RaceTay always takes great photos. She knows exactly what she is doing, and captures rich and crisp scenes. Here is a beautiful print of Cherry Blossoms.

mythunderstood creates amazing jewelry and neck pieces. This here is one of her most captivating pieces. A great piece for Halloween or as a statement.

 Rossawanlight creates amazing light fixtures with intense, dynamic colors of various floral and leaf designs. It is hard to pass one of these great fixtures by without taking a closer look.

These few items featured in the Leaf and Tree Treasury is only a taste of what you'll see.

Have a close look at the Treasury and see for yourself the wonderful talents on Etsy!

Grace me with Leaves and Trees from the Ocean of Life Treasury!