happyment

Raspberry sorbet

2012-04-26T16:00:00.000+03:00

I wanted to create something simple. Speckled raspberry pink enamel on copper. Faceted teal green and milky pink glass beads. Sterling silver. Inspired by raspberry sorbet. Already listed.

Funny thing is that I'm so used to photograph my jewelry in the overcast and dark Latvian winter that I suddenly feel helpless when the light conditions are so much better. There's too much light! You don't hear that often on and around Etsy, don't you :)

Crocuses

2012-04-10T15:06:00.000+03:00

I took these photos in my garden today. It feels truly springy at last.

Happy Easter!

2012-04-08T13:30:00.000+03:00

This year I decided to be very traditional and dyed eggs in onion skins (here are a couple of older posts from my blog about dying of Easter eggs - in coffee and in onion skins).

Wishing you nice holidays if you celebrate them!

Turquoise and frosted glass

2012-03-25T15:51:00.002+03:00

The spring has just begun over here. And I'm into all things pastel and flowers. Warm turquoise blue enamel on copper discs, frosted clear glass flowers and shiny sterling silver findings.

Listed in my shop today.

Happy Sunday!

Matching earrings

2012-03-17T14:00:00.000+02:00

The necklace from the last week has matching earrings now. I love their simple minimalistic shape. Like yellow grains of wheat ready to sprout. Just copper and glass enamel. Uncomplicated.

Already listed in my shop.

Wishing you a sunny Saturday!

Evidence

2012-03-12T13:50:00.000+02:00

The spring is here! Two weeks ago these snowdrops looked like this.

Time to grow

2012-03-11T18:40:00.000+02:00

Spring.
Sunshine.
Seeds and grains ready to sprout.
It's time to grow!

Small pierced copper oval.
My new buttercup yellow enamel.
It's time for a new necklace!

Happy Sunday evening!

Tulips everywhere

2012-03-07T10:00:00.000+02:00

Tomorrow is International Women's Day. It was widely celebrated in the Soviet Union and one would think that after Latvia regained its independence this tradition as one of the symbols of the Soviet regime should fall into obscurity. For some time it did, but now you can see more and more men giving flowers mainly tulips to women on this day. I believe for some people it has to do with nostalgy about the time they were younger, but there are many young people who do this too. So maybe it's just about feeling a little festive and springy after the long winter.

And for me it's a great reason to roam Etsy and look for some tulip inspired jewelry. Here we go! Happy window shopping!

Tulip copper cuff by brokentreasures:

'Tulips between pink corals' necklace by eried:

Tulip brooch by mamaslittlebabies:

Fresh tulip earrings by evelynjewelry:

Not long now

2012-02-27T16:28:00.000+02:00

New

2012-02-25T21:08:00.000+02:00

I've lost the count of days. Is it already Saturday? There's still something I wanted to show you this week. While I'm currently working on several jewelry projects (and perhaps investing a bit too much time and attention) this was like a small sidekick again.

Wanted to make something with rectangles. But they can be bulky. They aren't as elegant as triangles or smoothly shaped as circles and ovals. Rounded corners? Not this time. How about some playful pierced dots? That's it!

The rest happened by itself. Robin's egg blue enamel which is one of my favourites lately. And a little of red just for fun. And handmade sterling silver earwires. The result is not as bold as might appear in the pictures. They are big enough to get noticed, yet small enough for everyday wear.

Just listed in my shop.

Moonday moodboard - flowers

2012-02-20T11:14:00.001+02:00

Hello new week!

It just felt like I needed a bouquet of happy flowers from all over the Europe this morning. Monday moodboard is a collection of beauties made by European Street Team members - Mokkafiveoclock, GiftsandStars, felttess and etherealflowers.

To see more moodboards and to play along hop over to Star of the East.

Happy Monday!

Monday moodboard - arctic air

2012-01-30T12:35:00.002+02:00

Hello new week! Feels like winter now.

Monday moodboard is a collection of beauties made by European Street Team members - JKphotography, PAPAstore, afra and rodica.

To see more moodboards and to play along hop over to Star of the East.

Wishing you a warm and nice week!

My creative space

2012-01-26T13:57:00.000+02:00

This is a sneak peek. I've been trying out new enameling technique this week. It's called champlevé.

At first the metal gets etched. This was a great opportunity to get down to electrolytic etching at last. I wanted to try it out for a while now and I can assure you it can be addictive. Looking forward to more etching soon!

Then after the metal has been prepared the enamel gets inlayed into recessed areas. This is when you can begin to see how the finished piece will look like. One of the last steps involved leveling the enamel with alundum stone and this was when I managed to level my fingerprints too. Ouch!

Instead of making just a sample I decided to turn it into something wearable. I'm going to keep this one for myself, but while working on it I literally saw how the necklace I'm going to make for my shop should look like. You know one of those moments when creative process sparks an idea. Can't wait to start working on it!

For more creative spaces hop over to Our Creative Spaces blog.

Monday moodboard - hearts, hearts, hearts

2012-01-16T10:56:00.001+02:00

Hello Monday!

Monday moodboard is a collection of beauties made by European Street Team members - cherrytime, magalerie, Vangloria and WoolenClogs.

To see more moodboards and to play along hop over to Star of the East.

Wishing you a lovely week!

Tiny white heart

2012-01-11T18:31:00.000+02:00

Tiny pierced copper heart and white enamel are the best friends. They both are friends with black enamel which is a little shy and is hiding on the back side of the heart.

Simple, delicate and lightweight. Already listed in my shop.

Monday moodboard - peaceful

2012-01-09T11:38:00.000+02:00

Hello new week! It's time to get back to regular blogging.

Monday moodboard is a collection of beauties made by European Street Team members - EvgeniyaMaslakova, QueenAndEye, janeyclothing and cartonBois.

To see more moodboards and to play along hop over to Star of the East.

Have a great week!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-02T16:00:00.000+02:00

The last day of the old year looked hopeless - the grass seemed getting greener and greener and the first spring flowers were impudently peaking from the ground. And then (it was already getting dark) it happened! The air was full with huge and lacy snowflakes. By midnight the ground was covered with fluffy white layer.

The first day of 2012 was perfect.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T15:10:00.002+02:00

Wishing you lots of joy, love and happiness! Priecīgus Ziemassvētkus!

Petals

2011-12-16T19:47:00.000+02:00

Just finished these Flora earrings with enamel in the lovely pink shade of petals. Lately I'm drawn to light and springly colours. Maybe because the days are so gloomy and grey. It's the darkest time of the year.

They are a little bigger than other Flora earrings, but still quite small and not heavy. I pay much attention to the weight of earrings since I prefer lighter ones myself. Frosted glass bell flowers have a touch of aurora borealis coating on one side which adds a little luminosity. Shiny sterling silver findings. The overall impression is very feminine and romantic.

Wishing you a cozy and peaceful weekend!

Monday moodboard - lovely

2011-12-12T11:19:00.001+02:00

Hello Monday!

Cool bear with cool hat by SilkHome
Red heart by ZenzPhotography
Ceramic white Christmas tree and star decorations by EsmeDodsworthDesign
Black asymmetric beaded necklace by zdrop

Monday moodboard is a collection of beauties made by European Street Team members. To see more moodboards and to play along hop over to Star of the East.

Wishing you a lovely week!

Turquoise heart

2011-12-09T14:38:00.001+02:00

Before I sign off for the weekend let me show you my newest creation. Small pierced dots that have lined up in the shape of a heart. Domed 1 inch (2.5cm) copper disc and layers of opaque and transparent enamels that have fused to a smooth warm turquoise glass coating.

Delicate antiqued copper chain. Simple and romantic. I can imagine this layered with other necklaces or chains.

Listing in a short while.

Happy weekend!

The first snow

2011-12-07T15:31:00.001+02:00

Unusually late this year.

Monday moodboard - December

2011-12-05T10:24:00.001+02:00

Hello new week!

Earrings by KalliasWonderland
Snowflake ornaments by LaNiqueHOME
Winter photo by EvgeniyaMaslakova
White linen felt bracelet by soroka

Monday moodboard is a collection of beauties made by European Street Team members. To see more moodboards and to play along hop over to Star of the East.

Have a great week!

Musings on my third etsyversary

2011-12-01T11:18:00.001+02:00

I've decided to make it a tradition and look back at the year that has passed. Just like I did on my second etsyversary. Time flies, doesn't it?

This has been the first year I've focused only on enameled jewelry. Like for many people who have been involved in arts and crafts for the most of their lives it was a little difficult for me at first to find that one particular area to put my creative energies into. Now I've found my creative outlet and it has become more and more rewarding in many ways.

Having an Etsy shop has never been just about selling. I love the creative journey and stories to be told and heard. Like The Pink Cloud Necklace which was inspired by one rainy summer morning in the old town of Rīga. The finished piece turned out almost too lovely for my taste, but it has become my best selling item. It has been featured in numerous treasuries and has received more than 1000 hearts on Etsy. The number is pretty exciting, isn't it? And I love the stories my customers have shared with me about the meaning of clouds or one particular cloud in their lives. This has also made me think a lot about the boundaries. It does make sense to be too lovely sometimes. Or too cute. Or too crazy. Or too... (insert any word here).

As for the plans I mentioned last year:

focus on marketing (yeap, done that; some things worked better, some not),
write in Latvian (yeap, but I'm having a huge writers block at the moment),
try to make my enamel look more Latvian (working on that, it's a long term goal actually),
and create, create, create (it's an evergoing process, isn't it?)

What's up next?

My plans involve trying out new techniques. Etching is the first on the list. I've invested quite a lot in new tools and studio equipment lately, so the playground is set up and most likely will lead to new designs. I intend to enjoy crafting. A lot. And that means both - a lot of fun and a lot of crafting.

Thank you for being arround and spending time with me! I'm honoured to be in your company on this journey!

Cheers!

Giveaway winner

2011-11-28T17:42:00.001+02:00

It's time to announce the winner of my giveaway. I used Random.org to draw the lucky number. And now the drumroll, please - I'm going to send the necklace to Lauren! Congratulations!