Happy Valentine’s Day!

I just received the nicest of surprises in the mail, from my dear friend Sirpa. She had asked me earlier in the week if I had received anything yet, so when I knew something was coming, I rushed to the mail box every day, but ... nothing. Until yesterday. And what a lovely box full of pretties it was. Everything was so carefully wrapped, even my girls ooohed and aaahed over each little bag and bow. Each little gift—with ties to Finland—was carefully selected for me. Most precious was probably the letter she wrote, telling me about each company and its history, and more importantly, about Sirpa herself.

Thank you so much, Sirpa!


Each gift was so nicely wrapped, and the two gold bags were tied in a way I had never seen before. The girls and I marveled at each little goodie.


The aftermath of reluctantly tearing through all the pretty bags.


All the pretties revealed. Earrings by Aarikka, a bracelet by Sirpa herself, a reindeer from Pentik, magnet, tags and note cards by Minna L. Immonen of MinnaKortti, a bag by Marimekko, and chocolate and salmiakki by Fazer.


Wearing the lovely earrings from Aarikka.

A Bracelet and A Necklace

That’s what I made this weekend, and I feel very good about that. I had not created anything in a looooong time (Did I say long time?) and was feeling quite … not-so-good about anything! So, I decided to tackle some instant gratification: a simple chain necklace with an antique Tibetan pendant. And something more complicated: a very gemmy bracelet featuring smooth prasiolite nuggets, London blue topaz, Oregon sunstone (see previous post about my new love!), moonstone, dark citrine and phrenite.

In case there’s any question

I do actually make stuff with the gems I buy, I promise! Just to prove myself, here are three of the pieces I made last weekend. And in case anyone recognizes the style in the last one, yes, I do have Magdalena’s blessing to show it and to sell it on Etsy. She’s a sweetheart, and such an encouragement and source of inspiration. She has opened my eyes to the possibilities of beaded jewelry design. I doubt I will ever do the kind of work she does, but I definitely liked making this bracelet. Lots of headpins used, that’s for sure! The second bracelet is made pretty much the same way, but it's got more of my own flavor to it, I think.

And in case you haven’t had a chance yet, go check out the updated photos I have started uploading on Etsy (you can actually see some of them right here to the right). I believe they look a lot better now. A little brighter and ... “happier!”

And brighter and happier is what I hope to be after a good night’s sleep, so ... Good night!

A little bit of pretty

I’ve managed to tap into a little bit of creativity during the holidays. Nothing major, but at least a few new pieces. Earrings with amethyst, pink rutile and sapphire, and a pair with gorgeous aquamarine drops. Also, a double-strand bracelet with pearls and pink chalcedony, and one with really smooth nuggets of labradorite.

A little bit of creativity

I had envisioned lots of beading for this weekend, but my beading session started out with me just staring at all my new beads and finding myself completely out of ideas!! Figures! When I finally took the pressure off myself to just sit down and make even just one pair of earrings, the creative juices sort of came back—and then I ran out of time. Ha, ha! Well, despite my lack of time, I did manage to finish these two bracelets; one with kyanite—my favorite—and oxidized silver, the other with gorgeous chunks of citrine—appropriate for November and my personal birthstone.

And please, no comments on the amount of wrinkles on my hands and arms, OK? OK! Thank you!

Going, Going, Gone

So, I sold another one of my favorites on my Etsy site. It’s exciting! Funny thing is, I miss some of the pieces I sell ... and some I forget I ever made. Not because I don’t like them, but because for the longest time I didn’t keep track of what I made. Etsy sort of forces me to take pictures of everything from every angle, so there’s always a reminder of what I’ve made. That’s probably not a bad thing, seeing that I’m starting to be forgetful in my old age ... ha-ha! I can only imagine what another ten years will do to my poor mind ...

Finally Mine!

I pondered and ogled for a long time ... and ogled and pondered some more ... and finally made the decision a couple of weeks ago to go ahead and order my very own Eni Oken bracelet. Eni is such a wonderful and talented artist, and she was really open to working with me and my particular taste. I wanted it just so, at the same time as I needed to leave her room to use her own creativity. We worked out all the details (mainly the color scheme) and here is the result. Isn’t it just a gorgeous piece of jewelry?