Smu is Back! Sneak Peek at New Work

After a long break I am back at the jewelry bench and the computer! I was able to spend some time being creative this weekend while hubby and baby took a nap together :) I am quite pleased with the fruits of my creative labor and plan to list the matching set pictured above in my Etsy shop along with a newly-created copper and chyrosocolla ring.

Wish List Wednesday

Today's Wish-List Wednesday selections are of two of my recent Etsy favorites with a ocean-theme :) The play set is just adorable (not often that I run across Narwhal toys!) and if you've visited my shop you'll know I'm a sucker for fossils of any kind :) What's on your wish list this Wednesday?

Narwhal and Seal Play Set - Waldorf Wooden Toy- Polar Pals

Surf-Tumbled Fossil Rocks- Drilled

Wish List Wednesday - Beach Beauty

There are so many great things to look at on Etsy my favorites list has become a bit overwhelming :) It proved impossible to pick just one item for today's "Wish List Wednesday" post---I ended up with a collection of three beach-themed beauties that I would love to make my own. Be sure to follow the links below back to their creator's shops as these are from some of my perennial favs whose items pop up in my favs list again and again!

Sea Urchin Spine Earrings

Hollow Blown Shell Focal by Catalina Glass

upcycled aqua pelican pencil case

Smu's Friday Finds: Genus Hippocampus (aka SeaHorses)

For my fellow science-geeks, here is taxonomy of the SeaHorse:

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Actinopterygii
Order Syngnathiformes
Family Syngnathidae
Genus Hippocampus

Seahorse - Poofy Sleeve Top by stevester

Seahorse mug...in seafoam and aqua by vesselsandwares

The Nautical Wayfarer Purse in Deep Sea Blue Corduroy by peskycatdesigns

Seahorse -Tiny PebbleGlyph(c) Pendant by sjengraving

Smu's Friday Finds: Beachy Beauty

Seaside Dreams of the Beach - Sand, Shells and Planked Fish Necklace

Emerald Delights, Sea Glass Earrings

Sterling Silver Goddess Pendant

Beach Front - sand dollars and starfish 8pc crocheted entertaining set

Smu's Friday Finds - Ocean Creature Feature: Jellyfish!

Here is the first round of Smu's Friday Finds for today! First up, another ocean creature feature: Jellyfish!

Jellyfish Earrings

Jellyfish Jacket

4x6 Print - Jelly Romance Jellyfish Earrings

J is for Jellyfish Limited Edition Animal Alphabet Print

Found on the Beach--Shells and Such from the Outer Banks of NC

My husband and I just returned from a fantastic vacation to Outer Banks of North Carolina, and I had to share some of the treasures I found on the beach! I didn't have any luck finding seaglass this trip, but came away with some fantastic shells including several broken shell pieces sculpted by the sea into beautiful shapes--the purple and white striped piece with the holes in it (bottom right) is one of my favs and will make a beautiful pendant or focal point for a necklace.

My design ideas right now are focused on the small "V" shaped piece of driftwood I found on the beach near our rented condo in Nag's Head. I'm thinking of pairing it with a piece of aqua seaglass and wrapping both the wood and seaglass with sterling silver wire to create a unique sea-themed pendant or necklace.

In addition to the small piece of driftwood I found myself, I also purchased two larger driftwood pieces on Roanoke Island to use for jewelry display during photo shoots for item listings. If you love shells, seaglass and all things beachy, add the Outer Banks to your vacation list!

Smu's Friday Finds! Ocean

Here is today's first round of Friday Finds.  Check out the awesome ocean themed items below and be sure to visit the shops they came from for more fantastic handmade goods!

CrazyDaisyDesigns

Kellysbeads

MadameCupcake

GreenMeanies

Sailor's Valentine--Gorgeous Gift from Mermaid's Baubles!

I just received a fantastic gift in the mail from Mermaid's Baubles!  It is a Sailor's Valentine hairpin, made of seashells.  It came well packaged in a cute labeled box with an insert explaining the history of Sailor's Valentine.  If you're looking for a gift for someone who loves the ocean, make sure to check out this shop!

Friday Finds on Etsy!

I'm always amazed at the great variety of fantastic items on Etsy, and this week was no exception. In fact, I actually did a bit of shopping for myself (gasp!) purchasing one of the items from my favorites and placing a custom order with MadBird for items similar to a fav of mine she had sold.

Today's first round of Friday Finds will be Ocean-Themed, but I will be following up later today with some fantastic bird-themed finds!

Take a moment to click back to the listings for these items and check out the wonderful shops--there are many more great items where these came from!

Have an Ocean or Bird Themed item in your shop? Post a comment with a link so we can take a look!

Happy Surprise from DesertSoapStone!

Always on the lookout for new ocean-themed items, I had to heart this gorgeous "Oceanic" soap when I found it yesterday on Etsy :) Following this item back to the shop was a treat, as I discovered a new favorite in DesertSoapStone. Much to my happy surprise, I had a convo waiting this morning letting me know I had won a free soap sample for being the shop's 300th heart! If you're looking for vegan-friendly handmade bath and body items, this shop is for you!

Ocean-Themed Thursday Continues!

More Great Ocean-Themed Etsy items!

Wishing for the Sea.....

I'm always on the lookout for great handmade items with an Ocean, Sea or Beach theme :) Here are a few I found through Twitter today!



Be sure to click your way back to the fantastic Etsy shops these items are listed in!

I Love this Shop! MermaidsBaubles on Etsy

In today's travels through Etsyland, I came across MermaidsBaubles for the first time and absolutely fell in love with this "young" Etsy shop (only on Etsy since December'08). The designs in this shop are all ocean inspired and incorporate seaglass and shells into lovely jewelry and accessories. It was difficult to pick a favorite, but I'm leaning toward the pinkish seashell hairpin pictured here :)

Make sure to take a moment to check out this fantastic shop and explore!

Another Great Ocean-Themed find on Etsy: Laffinggull

I found another great shop on Etsy today full of ocean-themed items: Laffingull! Follow the link to see more great lampwork creations!

Ocean-Themed Friday: DreamWhimsy

Here's another great ocean-themed item from a great Etsy shop--DreamWhimsy! The Needle Felted Starfish Sea Star Echinoderm pictured here is another new favorite!

Ocean-Themed Friday: StudioMarcy

Glass is a fantastic medium for ocean-themed items! Here's another new favorite of mine from StudioMarcy on Etsy, Sally Found A Sea Shell!

Ocean-Themed Friday: Bellebeads

Here's another great ocean-themed find on Etsy! I've been in love with Bellebeads' beachy lampwork beads for awhile :) Periwinkle Tide (pictured here) is definately a new favorite!

Ocean-Themed Friday: Kimberquinn

I've been finding so many fantastic ocean and beach themed items on Etsy, I've decided to share them and the wonderful artists that created them!

First up, this fantastic Ocean Breeze Shea Butter Soap from kimberquinn on Etsy!

Do you have an ocean-themed item you'd like to share? Leave a comment with the link to your item and I'll take a look! Check back throughout the day as I'll be posting more of my favorite finds!

Anyone up for the Beach?

It's been getting warm and sunny outside, and I'm definately ready for a day at the beach! In the spirit of summer, I've been adding ocean-themed items to my shop. Here are a few photos of my favorite ocean-themed items :)

I've also found some great ocean-themed items from other artsists on Etsy. Here is a great steampunk piece from asphaltqueen

Do you have ocean-themed items in your shop? Post a comment and leave a link!