Gift Certificates Now Available in my Etsy Shop!

Stumped for the perfect holiday gift? Girlfriend, wife, sister way too picky and you don't want to choose for her? An easy solution, and so pretty too! I'm offering gift certificates fpr $75, $100 and $200 in my etsy shop. They arrive by email as a 4 x 6 inch .pdf file that you simply print out at home or work, pop in an envelope and you're done! They will soon be arriving in my main online store as well. If you want a gift certificate in another amount, I can create a custom listing for you, just contact me through my etsy shop or wendy [at] fussjewelry dot com.


Happy Shopping!

Redesigning my Workspace

Right now it's an absolute mess and that's a problem because my workroom is incredibly visible. I work in our "formal" living room adjoining the dining room and adjacent to the front foyer so I'd really like it to look every bit as nice as the rest of the house and that would make working that much more enjoyable.

Currently, I have an old ugly table that I made an okay skirt for from Marimekko fabric and simply covered the top with contact paper (yuck!). There is a couch and chair, Simon Pierce lamp and a gorgeous armoire with filing drawers from Crate & Barrel. The walls are painted a periwinkle blue.

My first step began a month ago. I ordered simple tins for storing my gemstones, tools and wire for the desktop--nothing fancy, but attractively utilitarian. I like to have everything out on the table in front of me so while I'm designing and creating I can just grab. If stones are stored in drawers or cabinets they just aren't accessible enough. I've had these wood vases which are great for the tools and I'll keep those.



My dream work table is here:
Big Sur Small dining table from Crate and Barrel.

Look at the grain detail!


It is ideal as it is GORGEOUS, large and a rough look solid wood (no veneer!) so if I bang it up the dents will blend right in.

Chair choices have become a big concern for me. Sitting for so many hours a day is taking a toll. I am looking into a few ergonomic choices, and if anyone has suggestions here I'd really appreciate it. I'm considering a saddle style and kneeling chairs. Ideally I'd alternate sitting positions during the day. Doesn't seem healthy to me to be in the same position for so long...

As for artwork, I'd think I will purchase a slew of etsy prints and frame them all in silvery painted wood frames and maybe a few of these frames from wonderful etsy artist Plyhouse.



I currently have this mirror where I tuck etsy biz cards from sellers I've ordered from, and this cork/inspiration board where I just tack up any old item that I love.


The rug I currently have does well for flying bits of wire and topaz beads. The pile is very short but feels good underfoot and I love the subtle pattern.

Time to work out the budget for the table and chairs...

Here's a wee bit of a new piece:


And, my current favorite new item in the shop:

Ice Baby ring bling!

A nice Sunday...

I hope yours was great--here's how I spent part of mine:

I woke up and sprinkled some flowers in my etsy shop...

Single Blossom: Autumn Explosion

...looks like a glass of cabernet don't you think?

And then I took a walk in the woods.

leaf matter at the water's edge

ashley, my fluffy sidekick

she imagines herself to be quite the bad a__ hunter when she captures DEAD leaves from the lake.

evidence of hard work by furry, swimming critters

a connecticut rockscape--i love our rocks so much!

and here's one more rock I found with a flower growing out of a crack...

in my etsy shop, that is.

Enjoy your day of rest--ha!

...After Long Last--I come back for a post!

I've been neglecting this blog since its inception, but lately the ideas have been swirling and I may just give it a more vigorous go.

A bit of news...

My first thanks goes out to Southern Weddings Bridal Magazine for hosting an inspiration board contest with my Prehnite Garland Necklace as the prize. This is a piece I've created in VERY limited edition (one left!).

Their readers submitted some gorgeous inspiration boards here. It's a gorgeous site in general, covering some elaborate, beautifully creative weddings.

The winner was Anne Sage of The City Sage--she's a recent bride herself and delightful blogger who loves to write and find pretty objects--check out her winning board--Chocolate Blackberry--delish! I've really enjoyed my brief exchanges with her and I'm thrilled this piece went out to such a delightful person--thanks, Anne! And thanks to all the lovely inspiration board contributors and Southern Weddings Magazine!

Heather Earrings featured in Bridal Guide Magazine

My Heather Earrings are featured in the Sept/Oct issue of Bridal Guide Magazine. They are featuring jewelry with silver/gray pearls. A clipping of the magazine page is below:


The earrings are composed of white topaz, silver freshwater pearls and either gold fill or 14K gold wire. They are available on my newly renovated website here or on my etsy site as well.

Please checkout the new layout and design of my site. I switched to a web design vehicle that is MUCH easier for me to keep updated and current.

...and that is my goal for this blog as well--more frequent posts! I plan to start a series of posts that pair my jewelry with gorgeous designer clothes--"dream pairings "if you will!

new materials to work with

a package chock full of gems arrived from India today and I shopped in the city yesterday...

time to get busy!