Foot Injury Forces Me to Get Craftier

During September I was very frustrated to have developed plantar fasciitis from all the walking and hiking I did (or overdid) since January; hence the sudden drop off from blogging about inspiring Irish scenery.  No pun intended with the cliff pic...well OK then, maybe a wee bit intended.

 

Lower cliff path, Howth

I was out nearly every weekend, walking for miles and feeling healthy, happy and full of creative ideas. Unfortunately, I ended up with this painful soul infliction. Yes, yes, I meant 'sole'  infliction but I'm leaving my Freudian spelling mistake as is. After all, it is soul destroying.

I am pretty hobbled and wonder if I have a heel spur too. I've managed a few short walks, though I've paid for it dearly afterwards. I can only look on the bright side though. Losing the motivation to spend entire days out in the wilds has meant I finally made time to work on my Christmas stock. (Um... is it too soon to use the 'C' word?)

Connemara marble Star ornament

I'm a little embarrassed to be posting about Christmas a few weeks before Halloween has had a chance to say Boo! 

 Connemara marble Christmas ornament

The reality is though, if my Irish ornaments are to find happy homes this side of the holidays they need to be in my store like yesterday. Looking at other shops on Etsy, I am indeed a  bit behind.

Pink crystal angel

I do tend to have one or two tree ornaments and beaded angels lurking at the back of my shop at any given time. It's surprising that I sold one or two in recent months and 4 of them in July. Seems Christmas is never entirely out of style.

Irish sea glass ornament (or pendant)

I spent a good portion of the weekend wiring up ornaments and new jewellery. They are photographed but waiting patiently to be edited and listed. But I have a huge list of goodies yet to make and I wonder will it happen? Where are Santa's elves when you need them? Time to put my best foot forward then. I guess that would be the one without the plantar fasciitis.

Easy To Fasten Jewelry

I'm a big fan of throw-on jewelry. I have oodles of patience and dexterity to wire wrap stones and seaglass or bead a long eyeglass chain. Oddly enough though, I can't stand messing about with finicky little clasps when it comes to blinging up.  And I'm not alone in that.

larger losbster clasp

handmade hook and eye clasp

In my case it's because I tend to fling on a necklace just before grabbing my coat. But my Mum has arthritic fingers, something I must bear in mind when making a piece for her. She prefers a larger lobster clasp or (my favourite,) a big hook and eye. Some of my customers have the same requirements and if the clasp is too dainty for them I will customise when possible.

rounder lobster clasp with extender chain

 

                  Connemara marble pendant with extender chain

An extender chain tends to have broad appeal, even with a standard sized trigger or lobster clasp. Not only does it allow for adjustable sizing, but it can be easier to latch onto at first go than a tag as the links tend to be wider.

Seaglass pendant on crochet chain 

 Recently, I began searching for something fresh and edgy to use for my seaglass pendants. I don't crochet - another thing I don't seem to have the fingers for, but maybe one day I'll come to grips with it....'scuse the pun. As an experiment, I commissioned some cotton crochet chains from the very talented Mo of Huggle Knits,  I've been using one of these chains myself now for a couple of months on my own personal seaglass and button pendants to see how it wears. I absolutely love it! Not only has it kept its shape and not gone all fluffy or dirty looking, but it has to be the easiest chain I've ever put on. And it's so light and comfortable, I forget I'm wearing it.

The crochet chain closes with a button. The hypoallergenic cotton is elastic enough to stretch the loop over it, without even looking in mirror. Just what you need as you rush out the door. Yet, the chain does not sag or stretch under the weight of my seaglass pendants. And if it does get make up or perfume on it, a quick wash with soapy water is all it requires.

First Communion bracelet

gemstone bracelet with sterling silver toggle clasp

When it comes to bracelets, an extender chain is always useful. Many find it much easier to latch the clasp onto it with one hand than onto a tag. However, Toggle clasps are generally easier again, once you get the hang of them, that is.

Asymmetrical, gemstone necklace, silver plate

Ease of use also comes into play in my necklace designs. Oftentimes, I will use a toggle clasp placed at the front or side instead of the back. This allows for a modern, asymmetrical style

asymmetrical necklace, sterling silver

Just as importantly, you can throw on the necklace without any help or a mirror.  Handy if you are on the run or up-styling your work outfit as you head off to the office night out.

                                        Adjustable slip knots                   Pendant on adjustable chord                                 

For a more casual look, an adjustable chord necklace can be really handy and easy to use, especially if you prefer to wear your necklaces long. Like any long necklace, just slip it over your head. Then if you want to wear it short, you just slide the knots away from each other. The soft suedette in the turquoise necklace above slides easily with just the right amount of traction. 

You can make this type of adjustable, chord necklace yourself. To learn how, click HERE

30 Shades of Pale

There really seem to be several shades of pale when it comes to seaglass. Here is a glimpse at some of the lighter and whiter pieces I have been wire wrapping recently: I have not played with the colour in the photos.  All the specimens were found on Dublin beaches.

 Pale aqua and seafom seaglass pendants  

None of the above are exactly 'white seaglass' as they all boast aqua or seafoam undertones. The greenish, seafoam shade is caused by the iron content of the sand used to manufacture the original glass. Though I often see very pale shades like the one on the left being called seafoam, I wonder if 'white-washed' wouldn't be a bit more accurate.

The second from the left has more than a tinge of  bluey-green to it, which comes up even deeper and richer in low lighting.  

White seaglass ornaments or pendants

Above are examples of true white seaglass for comparison purposes. If you'll grant me one pun, the difference is clear.

To learn about shades of BLUE seaglass click: HERE

To learn about shades of GREEN seaglass click: HERE

Seaglass Pendants in Progress

I've finally had a chance to sit down and wire wrap some of the seaglass and beach pottery I found on the shore last month. Here are some of the pieces I have been working on.

Wire wrapped seaglass and sea pottery from Dublin

 When wrapping seaglass I rarely set out with a pre-determined pattern in mind. I prefer to let the nuances of each piece show the way. Sometimes I am surprised with the result. Some nuggets can present a real challenge and I may decide to study the curves and contours of the seaglass first and plan a way to go. Of course, it rarely goes exactly as planned as each bit of glass is unique.

Olive green, beer brown and dark teal seaglass pieces

 The real challenge is to capture the piece tightly without covering up too much of the glass.  It can be tricky to get the pendant to look light and airy and to keep the wrapping neat and attractive at the same time as secure. I confess that there are times that it doesn't work and I have to carefully cut the wire away so as not to mark or scrape the surface and then I have to start all over again.

There is little or no margin for error when it comes to wrapping beach-worn pottery, however. It is so easy to mark or damage sea-tumbled porcelain and tile as it can be relatively soft and even 'chalky'.  If I'm not 100% happy with the result I have to live with it rather than risk damaging the piece by starting all over. Tweaking and nudging the wire to tighten it can also be very tricky, like walking a tightrope. One wrong move and it looks wrong or worse, you've scraped the surface. It might look simple and easy but it takes a lot of patience and practice.

Watch this space for more seaglass and beach pottery pendants coming soon!

Christmas in July

Each July Etsy shops can take part in a 'Christmas in July' sale. 

(Sold yesterday)

The concept of Christmas in July struck me as a bit bizarre when I first heard of it. Now I understand that it is an actual, unofficial holiday celebrated by fun-loving people, perhaps a little miserable that there are no or few official holidays in the summer in some parts of the world. (I guess we are lucky in Ireland so as we at least have the August Bank Holiday.)

I don't always take part but this year I have a few Connemara marble ornaments already made up, some lurking in the back of my shop, so I decided to take it literally and offer them at a reduced price this month only. 

 Sage green, Connemara marble star ornament with silver plate wire work. Original price: €13 (app $16 on July 8th 2012). Reduced by a little over 15% to €11. 

 Unique Connemara marble icicle ornament with silver snowflake detail. Art ornament. Original price: €17 (appr $21 on July 8th 2012) Reduced by 20% to €13.60.

 'Snowflake' Connemara marble Christmas ornament. Usual price on Etsy: €12.50 (app $15 on 8th July 2012). Sale price: €10.50 (sold 10/07/12 similar designs will be listed for real Christmas)

 The Christmas in July sale on Etsy continues until 22nd of the month. I will be adding more items to the sale shortly, not all of them Christmas-themed.

What's in a Name

Lately I have been making tweaks and improvements to my online store. The most important one was to change my Etsy shop name and therefor, my user name, from byAMOR to Handmade by Amor, in line with my shop front.

  

A year ago, I wrote an article for the Etsy Ireland team blog about the delicate operation of choosing a shop name and my rookie folly of choosing byAMOR as my user name. Read about it HERE.  

The old URL will still work by redirecting to the new one

Since then, Etsy have made it possible to change your user name. I finally managed to streamline my user name to go with my branding and identity, Handmade by Amor . The new URL is http://www.etsy.com/shop/HandmadebyAmor but the old one will still redirect so no harm done there. I chose to do this as the term byAMOR just doesn't seem to stick in people's minds and according to my google stats, is never used to find me, where as Handmade by Amor is. I believe and hope I have made the right choice.

In The Pink

Those of you who know my more serious work will think I am away with the fairies these days. And you would be right:

Butterfly Fairy Ornament

I've gone all girlie lately. Yesterday I introduced my new line of angels and fairies and other pink ornaments into my Etsy shop, Handmade by Amo'r. Today the frivolity continues.

Pink heart ornament

Baby girl angel charm, ornament or sun catcher

 And I have more to come! All this magic and cutesiness is making me dizzy. I blame it on my charming young niece. Click HERE to see how it all started.

I think I best list a few Irish seaglass and Connemara marble items and restore some order......

Craft in the Crypt

Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin

Last Monday, 4 June, I took part in the bank holiday craft market at Christ Church Cathedral in the heart of medieval Dublin. 

ByAmo'r in Christ Church Cathedral crypt

 The market took place inside the atmospheric crypt, which is an amazing place to visit in itself. Built in the late 12th century, the crypt is the oldest surviving structure in the city. It is also the largest crypt in Britain and Ireland (63.4m long).

Heli is wearing one of her fabulous tufted lambs wool scarves

I shared a stall with Heli of HeliMG and Heli Creations. Above her head is one of her beautifully hand crocheted lanterns with led lighting. She tells me there are only two left in this limited addition so get em while you can!

We also shared our nook with King Charles I and King Charles II, who looked over our shoulders. (apologies for these awful photos...I only know how to photo jewellery up close!) These are the oldest known secular statues in Ireland. They took pride of place outside the old Tholsel (medieval town hall) which stood across the road until the early 1800s. According to a friendly tour guide (whom we listened in on) the statues were at that time, stoned and defaced by locals rebelling against the British seat. 

 .

Many of the tourists passing through commented that it was an unusual place to hold a craft market, but interestingly, there was a market held there in medieval times. So perhaps it's not so strange. What I do find strange though, is that centuries ago there were also 2 taverns in the crypt selling beer and wine! One was called Paradise and the other Hell! We joked with the visitors as to which one we were in! 

Irish seaglass pendant (SOLD)

Though slow to start, as tourists don't tend to shop until the end of their day) the market went well for me.  My Irish seaglass pendants and bookmarks won the day in the end.

OOAK Irish seaglass fairy (SOLD)

My new line of fairy ornaments, charms, pendants, and/or sun catchers also proved a winner. From one market day to another you can never tell what is going to be popular.  I will be introducing my fairies and angels to my Etsy shop very shortly. 

 

crystal angel, Handmade by Amo'r (more coming soon)

 I currently have one seaglass fairy listed in the form of this bookmark. More exciting designs to come. Watch this space....

Sneak Preview

Here's a sneak preview of new items I've been making lately. Don't forget to pop into Christ Church Cathedral craft market tomorrow, June bank holiday Monday and see them for yourself if you can!

Inspired, by fairytale sessions with my 5 year old niece, I've been experimenting with different designs for pretty fairy and angel ornaments, hanging decorations and charms.

Irish seaglass angel - suncatcher or wishdoll

Irish seaglass bookmark

Come see more of my beaded hook bookmarks at the market . This one is made with Irish seaglass.

Connemara marble ornament

I've also been wiring up new, unique, Connemara marble ornaments. I am even going to bring just one or two of the more festive ones too for those who shop for Christmas all year round. Get em while you can!

And of course, you can see some of my usual jewellery and gifts from my Etsy store!

Doors open 12-5pm. See this post for more info

New Designs in Connemara Marble Earrings

Here's a little glimpse at new, exciting designs in Connemara marble coming to my Etsy shop this month.

Today I listed the tear drops in the centre:

 Connemara marble earrings with Swarovski crystals 'Emerald Isle'

Want to know more about this rare, Irish gemstone? Click HERE for a little info on Connemara marble.

Update, 16/05/2012: just listed the Silver Celtic earrings: 'Mists of Time'

Is May The Start of the Irish Summer or Not?

Teal seaglass pendant with flower detail (sold)

 Here's a real Irish conundrum for you. May is here, and in this corner of the world it is officially the start of Summer...right?? Well, according to Met Eireann, our national meteorological service, in line with the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, the summer months are June, July and August. Yet according to the Irish calendar (and popular, local understanding it would seem,) Summer is indeed May, June and July.

Celtic, Connemara marble keychain

 I don't believe we're just being awkward or trying to confuse the rest of the world. Nor are we exercising our very Irish sense of individuality...hmmm, well, maybe there is a bit of that.... But the Gaelic calendar dates back to the Celtic system of time keeping.

Butterfly button pendant

Click here for: the full story from good ol' Wiki but in  simple terms, in pre-Christian Ireland, the solstices (longest and shortest days of the year,)  fell bang in the middle of Summer and Winter, not at the start. Likewise the two days of the year where we have 12 hours of daylight and 12 of night, the equinoxes, fell in the middle of Spring and Autumn. Hence, from a cultural stance, with the Summer solstice falling on 20th or 21st June each year, the month of May heralds the beginning of Summer.

So be it. Summer is here! In fact the sun even came out today to prove it.