My featured Etsy NJ artist for Team Tuesday is Melissa of Made By Melissa. I love the animals that she makes and she also does really pretty jewelry.
Team Tuesday Blog Hop!
Welcome to the EtsyNJ Team Tuesday blog hop! This is our very first edition. Here's how it works - write a feature about any EtsyNJ team member on your blog (as long or as short as you'd like it to be) and then add the blog hop code at the end of this post and check out all of the other great features - get to know the EtsyNJ street team!!
Link to EtsyNJ Street Team
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Team Tuesdays
Today I start my TEAM TUESDAY blog feature where I feature one member of our Etsy NJ Team. My first feature is Tracey Rediker of Traceyknits. I love her store, she has such unique items. Here is a mini of her shop, now go check out her whole store. You should also go to her website at http://www.traceyknits.com
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Snow Day
If you are like me you called in to work today and took a snow day, that is if your business wasn't closed. Snow days are a good time to catch up on all those things that you don't do on a regular basis, like cleaning your jewelry.
In my last post I promised you some recipes for cleaning your jewelry, so here goes.
Here are 4 different ways to clean your jewelry. Try the one you feel most comfortable with, or try them all and see which one works best for you. Just want to put a disclaimer here, don't try it if you feel that it will ruin your jewelry.
Aluminum Foil Method
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon dish detergent
1 cup water
1 piece aluminum foil
Heat the water in the microwave for 1 or 2 minutes.
Cut a piece of foil that covers he bottom of a cereal bowl.
Pour the hot water into the bowl. Add the salt, baking soda and dish washing liquid into the bowl and give it a stir.
Place the jewelry on top of the foil and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
Rinse jewelry in cool water and dry completely with soft cloth.
Discard the solution. Make a new batch for each cleaning.
Note: take the jewelry out of the soak before pouring the water out to avoid accidentally washing it down the pipes.
This works well for gold-filled, brass and sterling silver. I have heard it works for freshwater pearls, cameos and mother of pearl, however I would be cautious with these items and may try another method first.
Ammonia Recipe
DO NOT use this method on pearl.Place 8 ounces of ammonia in a bowl and add a drop of dish detergent. Add 1/3 cup of water and stir. Place jewellry in the bowl for 10 minutes. After soaking rinse under running water. You may need to use a baby toothbrush on tough stains after it has soaked.
Note: take the jewelry out of the soak before pouring the water out to avoid accidentally washing it down the pipes.
Toothpaste Method
This is the easiest method, and it works well. Wet an old toothbrush with a little water. It's best to use a soft one or a baby toothbrush. Spread alittle non abrasive toothpaste on the brush and scrub all sides of your jewelry. Rinse the jewelry and make sure it's clean. If it isn't, scrub it again with the toothbrush and rinse one final time. Dry with a clean soft cloth. Be careful with soft stones using this method, they may scratch.
Ketchup Method
Yes you read that right. Using ketchup as a jewelry cleaner on your sterling silver and gold is safe, inexpensive and very effective. You can also clean sterling flatware, coffee and tea sets or any sterling silver hollow ware this way. I wouldn't us this method on gold plated or silver plated pieces. Using ketchup is a lot less expensive than some jewelry cleaner products. This is primarily used when there is a light tarnish to be removed.
Pour some ketchup into a glass bowl and stir to remove any lumps that may have formed in the bottle. Let stand until it reaches room temperature. Place the jewelry in the bowl and let stand for a few minutes checking frequently to see if the tarnish is being removed. This is a fairly slow method and is best for jewelry that only needs a light cleanup. If there are stubborn spots put a little ketchup on a soft toothbrush and gently scrub.
Leave the ketchup on the jewelry only as long as necessary. Ketchup is an acid and can eat away too much of the surface if allowed to sit for too long. Check the pieces often.
Rinse the ketchup from the jewelry frequently with luke warm water to check the progress and repeat if necessary until you achieve the desired look.
Dry with a soft towel and buff with a terry cloth washcloth for a lustrous
shine.
If you have any other methods of cleaning jewelry at home post a comment here.
In my last post I promised you some recipes for cleaning your jewelry, so here goes.
Here are 4 different ways to clean your jewelry. Try the one you feel most comfortable with, or try them all and see which one works best for you. Just want to put a disclaimer here, don't try it if you feel that it will ruin your jewelry.
Aluminum Foil Method
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon dish detergent
1 cup water
1 piece aluminum foil
Heat the water in the microwave for 1 or 2 minutes.
Cut a piece of foil that covers he bottom of a cereal bowl.
Pour the hot water into the bowl. Add the salt, baking soda and dish washing liquid into the bowl and give it a stir.
Place the jewelry on top of the foil and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
Rinse jewelry in cool water and dry completely with soft cloth.
Discard the solution. Make a new batch for each cleaning.
Note: take the jewelry out of the soak before pouring the water out to avoid accidentally washing it down the pipes.
This works well for gold-filled, brass and sterling silver. I have heard it works for freshwater pearls, cameos and mother of pearl, however I would be cautious with these items and may try another method first.
Ammonia Recipe
DO NOT use this method on pearl.Place 8 ounces of ammonia in a bowl and add a drop of dish detergent. Add 1/3 cup of water and stir. Place jewellry in the bowl for 10 minutes. After soaking rinse under running water. You may need to use a baby toothbrush on tough stains after it has soaked.
Note: take the jewelry out of the soak before pouring the water out to avoid accidentally washing it down the pipes.
Toothpaste Method
This is the easiest method, and it works well. Wet an old toothbrush with a little water. It's best to use a soft one or a baby toothbrush. Spread alittle non abrasive toothpaste on the brush and scrub all sides of your jewelry. Rinse the jewelry and make sure it's clean. If it isn't, scrub it again with the toothbrush and rinse one final time. Dry with a clean soft cloth. Be careful with soft stones using this method, they may scratch.
Ketchup Method
Yes you read that right. Using ketchup as a jewelry cleaner on your sterling silver and gold is safe, inexpensive and very effective. You can also clean sterling flatware, coffee and tea sets or any sterling silver hollow ware this way. I wouldn't us this method on gold plated or silver plated pieces. Using ketchup is a lot less expensive than some jewelry cleaner products. This is primarily used when there is a light tarnish to be removed.
Pour some ketchup into a glass bowl and stir to remove any lumps that may have formed in the bottle. Let stand until it reaches room temperature. Place the jewelry in the bowl and let stand for a few minutes checking frequently to see if the tarnish is being removed. This is a fairly slow method and is best for jewelry that only needs a light cleanup. If there are stubborn spots put a little ketchup on a soft toothbrush and gently scrub.
Leave the ketchup on the jewelry only as long as necessary. Ketchup is an acid and can eat away too much of the surface if allowed to sit for too long. Check the pieces often.
Rinse the ketchup from the jewelry frequently with luke warm water to check the progress and repeat if necessary until you achieve the desired look.
Dry with a soft towel and buff with a terry cloth washcloth for a lustrous
shine.
If you have any other methods of cleaning jewelry at home post a comment here.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Looking Forward to Valentines Day?
Make your old jewelry look new by cleaning it. Having your jewelry cleaned professionally can be quite expensive, so you might consider cleaning the jewelry yourself. All you need is a few good recipes and "a little elbow grease" (to use my Mom's expression).
Care
Before I talk about cleaning I want to mention care. One of the most important things to do to care for your jewelry is to take it off before you shower or wash your hands or the dishes. Keep a ring dish next to your sink. Soap leaves a film that becomes noticeable after a while and water exposure can loosen stone settings over time, especially pearls. Store your jewelry in your jewelry box, or an air-tight box if not wearing it every day. Hang necklaces and bracelets so they do not become tangled, there is nothing worse than trying to untangle a chain.
Gold jewelry doesn't actually tarnish, but sometimes it can appear that way because of the other metals mixed in with it. Because gold is soft it is often mixed with other metals, called an aloy, so it will retain it's shape. The silver and copper in the alloy may react to the oxygen, sulphur and moisture in the air and eventually turn the gold jewelry dark. That is why it is important to keep your jewelry, gold or silver, in an air tight container when not being worn on a regular basis.
In my next blog I'll give you 4 different ways to clean your jewelry.
Have a great day!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Happy Holidays!
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and if you are celebrating any other holiday I hope you are enjoying them. This has been the most hectic holiday season, for me, that I can remember.
2009 was my first year in the jewelry business and my first craft fairs were all done in November and December. Whew, I had fun but I'm happy to get a rest. My next scheduled event is the Englishtown Street Fair in May 2010, which was rescheduled from October due to bad weather.
For 2010 I'll be adding more sterling silver bracelets accented with gold and I'll also be adding a line necklaces and rings to my collection. My main selections have been bracelets, earrings and my big seller eyeglass/badge holders.
Also planned for 2010 is a blog contest with a give away of one of my new necklaces. Watch for the announcement.
Wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
Blessings!
Denise
2009 was my first year in the jewelry business and my first craft fairs were all done in November and December. Whew, I had fun but I'm happy to get a rest. My next scheduled event is the Englishtown Street Fair in May 2010, which was rescheduled from October due to bad weather.
For 2010 I'll be adding more sterling silver bracelets accented with gold and I'll also be adding a line necklaces and rings to my collection. My main selections have been bracelets, earrings and my big seller eyeglass/badge holders.
Also planned for 2010 is a blog contest with a give away of one of my new necklaces. Watch for the announcement.
Wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
Blessings!
Denise
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Winter is Here
For all of my followers that are not in NJ, winter has arrived. We had our first snowfall on Saturday, the 5th. It was rainy and then turned to big wet snowflakes. Having moved here not too long ago from Florida, my blood is still thin and I can't tolerate the cold as well as people that have been here all of their lives and driving in the snow is not very fun for me.
I would have loved to be home, curled up with a book that day, but I was at a craft fair at Bridgewater Middleschool.
The weather kept a lot of the customers away from the craft fair and there were a lot of great crafters there that put in a lot of hard work to prepare for the show. The upside was that the craft fair was run very well, the band parents ran it and I was impressed with how organized they were. Anyone who has done a craft fair will appreciate this. When I pulled up to the front of the school, they told me what my table number was, helped me unload my car and held my boxes on the side while I parked my car. They had a lunch menu in the packet that they gave us and came around to pick up our lunch orders around 11am, then delivered our lunchs to us so we didn't have to leave our tables. Any problems, they had people walking around to help and they had students walking around selling water, so we didn't have to leave our tables. It was a very pleasant experience. And, even with a less than robust amount of buyers and an over abundance of jewelry sellers, I still made a profit. Hopefully they will have a craft fair again next year, if they do, I'm in.
My next craft fair is this Saturday, the 12th, at Hope Hose Humane Company #1 in Bordentown and I am looking forward to it. There will be several Etsy NJ sellers there, who I am looking forward to meeting, and promises to be a good show. I hope to see you there, and remember to tell me you are a reader of my blog so I can give you a 10% discount on your purchases.
If you can't get out to the craft shows you can shop at my Etsy store at http://www.demdesigns.etsy.com/. Remember that I can custom make jewelry to fit your needs. If you don't see it on Etsy please let me know and I will make it for you.
The 12th will be my last craft show for the season, then I'll be able to start my baking and wrapping and all the other holiday preparations. I am really looking forward to Christmas.
I hope you are enjoying the season, keeping the stress low and getting to spend time with your families.
I would have loved to be home, curled up with a book that day, but I was at a craft fair at Bridgewater Middleschool.
The weather kept a lot of the customers away from the craft fair and there were a lot of great crafters there that put in a lot of hard work to prepare for the show. The upside was that the craft fair was run very well, the band parents ran it and I was impressed with how organized they were. Anyone who has done a craft fair will appreciate this. When I pulled up to the front of the school, they told me what my table number was, helped me unload my car and held my boxes on the side while I parked my car. They had a lunch menu in the packet that they gave us and came around to pick up our lunch orders around 11am, then delivered our lunchs to us so we didn't have to leave our tables. Any problems, they had people walking around to help and they had students walking around selling water, so we didn't have to leave our tables. It was a very pleasant experience. And, even with a less than robust amount of buyers and an over abundance of jewelry sellers, I still made a profit. Hopefully they will have a craft fair again next year, if they do, I'm in.
My next craft fair is this Saturday, the 12th, at Hope Hose Humane Company #1 in Bordentown and I am looking forward to it. There will be several Etsy NJ sellers there, who I am looking forward to meeting, and promises to be a good show. I hope to see you there, and remember to tell me you are a reader of my blog so I can give you a 10% discount on your purchases.
If you can't get out to the craft shows you can shop at my Etsy store at http://www.demdesigns.etsy.com/. Remember that I can custom make jewelry to fit your needs. If you don't see it on Etsy please let me know and I will make it for you.
The 12th will be my last craft show for the season, then I'll be able to start my baking and wrapping and all the other holiday preparations. I am really looking forward to Christmas.
I hope you are enjoying the season, keeping the stress low and getting to spend time with your families.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving to all. I hope you had a safe, healthy and relaxing Thanksgiving.Our Etsy NJ sale has been in full swing since Wednesday and will continue on until tomorrow, November 30th. I have decided to extend my sale until December 1st. Most items in my shop are 10% off, one item is 20% off, so hurry before anyone else gets it. Also, any item that costs $45 or more has free shipping. You can visit my shop at www.demdesigns.etsy.com and the Etsy NJ Team link is www.EtsyNJ.com
I have 2 craft fairs coming up, the first is on December 5th at the Middle School in Bridgewater. The address is in the bottom right corner of my blog.
The second is December 12th at the Hope Hose Humane Fire Company in Bordentown. Again, the address is in the botom right corner of my blog.
I hope you will come out to either or both. Tell me you saw the announcement for the craft fairs on my blog and I will give you 10% off your entire purchase. I have some great pieces; earrings and bracelets made with Swarovski crystals, chain maille bracelets, and other great items. I know you will find something for yourself or as a gift.
Enjoy what is left if the weekend and come back to read my blog often. You are welcome to leave comments too.
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