Vandiva Fashion Jewelry & Accessories

Do you Bonanzle yet?

2010-05-03T11:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a Jewelry on Etsy Team friend, I recently discovered bonanzle.com. It's similar to ebay, but offers more options to buyers and sellers alike, along with very low seller fees. I liked what I saw, so I signed up to sell my jewelry on bonanzle.

Unlike etsy, you can sell all sorts of things, not just handmade, craft, supply, or vintage items. It kind of broadens my horizon, I think. If you haven't bonanzled yet, give it a try!

An enormously talented Jewelry Designer: Little Brown Bird

2010-03-11T15:18:00.000-08:00

Meet one of the most talented artisans I know: Mary of Little Brown Bird on etsy.com.

Her incredible talents include designing and handcrafting gorgeous artisan jewelry. The gorgeous earrings to the right are just an example of her fabulous collections. Her sense of style in assembling materials and matching color combinations are unparalleled and never cease to amaze me. You just can't go wrong with her designs. When browsing her etsy shop it quickly becomes clear that she loves her work and takes great pride in the high quality of her pieces. If you are looking for some feminine jewelry that doesn't break the bank, be sure to check out Little Brown Bird on etsy.

But Mary is equally amazing at making the most adorable fabric flowers and hair accessories. They are so feminine and pretty, it's really hard not to covet all of them. Her attention to detail and design talent really jump out at you immediately when browsing her shop.

And if you thought this was awesome enough, think again, because Mary also sews fabulous and stylish clutch handbags utilizing wonderful fabrics.

But wait, I'm not done! You will also find some awesome vintage items in her shop, like this adorable Vintage Royal Stafford Cream and Sugar Set with Bluebell Time Pattern, or this set of four Vintage Pewter Beer Mugs.

You see what I mean? Little Brown Bird on etsy is a multi-talented artisan whom I adore. Please be sure to visit and thoroughly browse her shop.

Biology 101

2009-08-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

We settled our daughter Vanessa into her college dorm yesterday. It was sad and exciting all at the same time. We'll miss her a lot - the house seems so empty without her.

Vanessa had to disect a frog in biology class during her junior year in high school. Although difficult for me to fathom, she had enormous fun doing that. Until then, she had no idea what she wanted to do professionally. But after her biology class it was clear to her: she wants to become a doctor. This was completely settled in her mind when she got to disect all sorts of other dead things in her anatomy class as a senior.

So, Vanessa is going to major in biology (more specifically, life sciences) at Francis Marion University, and hopefully go on to medical school. I've been eyeballing this contraption available from http://www.CraftyHedgehog.etsy.com, called 'Knitting in Biology 101.' This would make such a wonderful gift for Vanessa to hang up in her dorm room. Oh, how I wished I could afford to buy it for her:

Here is Vanessa acting like she's working at her dorm room desk.

All settled into her dorm room with the help of her friend and her family.

Inspired by a gift of fabric

2009-08-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

Today I received three fat quarters of lovely fabric as a gift from my dear daughter. I'm sure she had ulterior motives in buying the fabrics for me and having the seller ship them directly to me - Valerie wants me to make something for her with it! Hahaha, girl - I wasn't born yesterday! :o)

Here is my gift:

It was a secret to me what the fabrics would look like. I have to say, I absolutely adore the modern feel of the fabrics, and I can't wait to get started making something pretty with them.

Thank you so much, Valerie! I love you!

If you're also into fabric, these came from http://www.rainbowfabrics.etsy.com

You should check them out, they have lots of droolworthy fabric available. I also love this:

So I'm going to get busy now. You all have a wonderful day!

New product in our shop: Coasters

2009-08-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

Introducing a new product in our mabellecherie.etsy.com shop: Coasters

I recently started making fabric coasters. They are such fun to make. I like using all kinds of vibrant fabrics. These coasters are perfect for your living room or outdoor setting. They can even be machine washed, if necessary. At $9.00 for a set of four coasters, they are also totally affordable. They make great gifts for everyone. Please stop by our shop for our current selection: http://www.mabellecherie.etsy.com/

Customer Feedback

2009-08-16T10:21:00.000-07:00

All sellers love their customers. Without them, we would be nothing.

A special treat, however, is a satisfied customer that takes his/her time to provide wonderful feedback. And a special order from a bride is such a wonderful thing. I am always so honored that my creations are to be part in a bride's very special day. I recently received such feedback from a bride who purchased three clutch purses as gifts for her bridesmaids. She wrote me that the clutch purses she ordered from me were perfect, and her bridesmaids loved them. She even included a photo of her "girls" and gave me permission to show the photo.

Aren't these ladies all lovely with their cute matching clutch purses made by me? I adore this photo. It's a wonderful testimonial by a happy customer. What more could I wish for as a seller? Thank you so much!

PS: This clutch purse is available in my etsy shop: http://www.mabellecherie.etsy.com/

See you there!

Not Enough Time In A Day

2008-12-17T09:33:00.000-08:00

Do you ever feel like that? I do all the time. Of course, running three businesses (I am a freelance translator by profession, working from home, a jewelry artist running several online shops, and running a gemstone supply shop on etsy as well), having to care for a husband and two children, running errands, household chores, is all not helping. I know multi-tasking is a must for busy women these days. But how are we coping, really?

I for one love to work. I think I've turned into a workaholic. Of course, this is only possible by neglecting my family, friends and the household chores to a large degree. What am I doing? This is crazy. This holiday season I plan to sit back and reflect on the many blessings in my life and how I'm going to divide my time better so that nobody and nothing gets neglected any longer. Sounds more like a New Year's resolution? Yeah, but there's no time like the present to make positive changes.

Photo courtesy of http://www.alinajolie.etsy.com/

A new gemstone cluster ring in blue

2008-11-28T14:30:00.001-08:00

Finally! Vanessa finally took the time to finish another gemstone cluster ring. She made this one for her boyfriend's mom for her Birthday. She is a lucky lady. Take a look, isn't it gorgeous?

Vanessa made this one using all gold filled wire. The center piece is a Blue Lace Agate nugget, which she surrounded with a host of other gemstones in blue and white color hues, such as opalite, blue goldstone, sodalite, blueberry quartz, chalcedony, and clear Swarovski crystals. Below are some alternate views of the ring:

Another one of Vanessa's masterpieces!!!! Let us know what you think!

New gemstone cluster ring design in our etsy shop

2008-11-16T15:44:00.000-08:00

We recently decided to expand our wire wrapping skills and tried our hand at a gemstone cluster ring. Vanessa did a first awesome practice ring that she let me have. I wore it to a friend's Birthday party and it was admired by several of the guests.

So today, my design partner Vanessa made another one, and I just love how it turned out (see photo above). She used an Amethyst nugget and enveloped it with clusters of fluorite, quartz, anhydrite, amethyst, and copper beads. The result is an asymmetrical, one-of-a-kind design.

This ring is available for purchase in our etsy shop. Here is a direct link: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17409788

We purchased the tutorial from a very talented jewelry designer, Cristina Amador Peters. Please check out her etsy shop: http://cabisuteria.etsy.com. If you purchase one of her tutorials, Cristina graciously grants permission to use her tutorial for making items for sale, as long as you don't make any exact copies, and give her some credit. Also check out her beautiful blog: http://cristinasjewelry.blogspot.com/. Thank you Cristina for making our creative juices flow!

A Treasure Hunt!

2008-02-27T17:10:00.000-08:00

The Jewelry on Etsy Street Team (JET) is getting ready for their next fabulous Treasure Hunt.
...you just follow the clues leading through 17 of our member's shops until you find our...

POT 'O GOLD
The contest begins Friday, March 14th at noon. (EST)So, mark the date and get ready for a fun-filled hunt.
What's in the pot you ask????
How about we let our friend the leprechaun
tell you...
"Hey there etsy lovers...how about I make a big POT of corned beef and cabbage???? Heh Heh...don't think many of you would search for that in our contest. The truth is...maybe I will brew a batch of green beer in the POT. No...you won't search for that either.
For now I can tell you this......all the "Lucky" etsians who correctly complete the hunt will be winners. And, you don't even have to be Irish!
I'll tell you a little secret, (don't tell anyone), the team is also going to have "Instant Winners" throughout the hunt. But, you have to keep checking the hunt promo thread to win!! So...I'll see you at the hunt."
Take a look in the JET TEAM Shop and you will see examples of the beautiful artisan treasures created by our members.
Keep your eyes open for our contest thread in the Etsy Forums on March 14th at noon. It will be in the Promotions section. All the hunt rules will be posted there.
Don't forget.....Contest begins at noon on March 14, 2008. (etsy time)
Links:
Jet Team Shop: http://JetTeam.etsy.com
Etsy Forums: http://www.etsy.com/forums_main.php
Promotion Section: http://www.etsy.com/forums_board.php?forum_id=6

Our first blog ever!

2008-02-27T14:06:00.000-08:00

We're new to the blog world. But we're excited about it. As we learn our way around, we'll share information about our jewelry business - Vandiva Fashion Jewelry - and other subjects that are probably going to be completely meaningless to anyone but us. :o)

First we'll take one baby step at a time. So, that's it for today!!!