Spring Has Sprung in the AJE Earring Challenge and My Etsy Store

Butterfly Earrings by BayMoonDesign Available on Etsy

These earrings combine polymer clay beads that look like little branches. These little branch beads are by polymer clay artist Humblebeads. I love all of her intricate detailing on the beads. Below these beads are rings of copper. Copper earwires are used for a uniform look.

These earrings are inspired by nature. They remind me of a walk in the woods in the spring.

Bright Pink Earrings by BayMoonDesign are for sale in Etsy store
 

The artisan pink earrings have a beautiful bright pink patina and sealant added to raw brass earring dangles and suspended from gold colored earwires.  The filigree is approx 30mm tall and 25mm at the widest part and the patina was applied by SharylsJewelry.  I think you will agree that with a rich color like this and beautiful filigree nothing else need be added to these earrings. 

These earrings are inspired by the hyacinth starting to come up in my spring garden.

Christ of the Abyss in Key Largo, Florida

I am amazed that I am still on target with this blog hop especially with all of the distractions here in the beautiful Keys.   I love to snorkel and Christ of the Abyss is a gorgeous spot.  My trip was cut short when I spotted a 5 foot Caribbean reef shark not to far from this spot.  I made a quick exit to the boat.





A bonus for my readers!  I am offering a 10% discount in my Etsy store between now and April 7.  Just use the code FFAWEAW when you check out.  Happy Spring!

My Reveal for Lori Anderson's 7th Bead Soup Blog Hop

Special Packages sent to me from Jayne Capps for Bead Soup Blog Hop

  I was very excited about the packages that my partner Jayne Capps sent me for the Bead Soup Blog Hop 7.  When I opened the envelope,  I found a personal note from her and 3 cute little envelopes.  Inside each envelope she carefully wrapped different ingredients for the "soup".  She sent 2 focals, a clasp with hints of turquoise, turquoise beads, citrine, and African trade beads.  I couldn't wait to create with this mix, but I have to say it was a real challenge.

The necklace went through numerous redesigns.  I intended to use the African trade beads, turquoise, and beautiful citrine and ended up using none.  The reason being that the Irish waxed linen that I was determined to use wouldn't fit through them.  I even downsized from 6 ply thread that I originally  to 4 ply natural Irish waxed linen thread that I ended up using.  Since I only had to use 1 of the 2 focals  and the clasp, I could abandon those gorgeous beads and add them to my bead stash.

Love this cute monkey with a banana!

I then had to decide which focal to use.  I love both so I used both since they look like they belong together.  I also thought that these focals had the potential for a tribal look that is so popular this year.  I got that Irish waxed thread back out and tried and tried until I came up with a design that I was happy with.  I think that the Irish waxed linen is a perfect fit for those focals.  It gives them an earthy look.  I think you will agree that the monkey eating banana makes a unique and fun focal.

Monkey Necklace by BayMoonDesign Available on Etsy

Next,  I went through my bead stash looking for the perfect colors, textures, and hole size.  I love copper and I think that the copper brings out the colors in the focal and thread.  It also ties in with the copper in the clasp.  The wooden beads and shell chips in my bead stash also meet my color, texture, and hole size criteria.  If you look, you will see that I had to change the way I beaded with the thread from starting with 2 strands at the focal and through the wooden beads to 1 thread beginning with the first copper bead to the clasp. I had to figure out how to do this and where.

Has Popular Tribal Look

This was really a challenge but I am happy I stuck with it and thrilled with my monkey necklace.

Alligator in the Everglades, Florida

I visited the Everglades a few times while working on this necklace and I have to say that even though I didn't see any monkeys there, I could imagine them along with the alligators which were plentiful.  Seeing those alligators was a thrill and a bit scary.

Birdie Giveaway

  I won these 3 darling bird beads by Blueberribeads.  I have decided to share 2 of them.  I gave 1 to my BSBH partner Jayne.  Please stop by her blog to see what she did with it.  I am giving it away to a lucky person who wins a random drawing for it.  Anyone who comments on my blog can earn 1 entry.   Following my blog earns another entry.  A third entry can be made by liking my Etsy store.  Of course, I kept 1 for myself.

Like my store at: http//www.baymoondesign.etsy.com
or 

Like my Baymoondesign  facebook page.

The winner will be announced May 1, 2013 on my blog.

Another bonus for my readers!  I am offering a 10% discount in my Etsy store between now and April 7.  Just use the code FFAWEAW when you check out.  Happy Spring!


Please stop by the other participants' blogs on this hop.  Thank you Lori Anderson for organizing this!  A complete list of participants is available on Lori's website.

Nina Designs and Contests

Live Laugh Love Charm by Nina Designs

I won this Live, Laugh, Love charm along with 2 other charms from Nina Designs in a fun contest that they sponsored.  Basically, all you had to do is use their Pinterest site to pin love related products of theirs.  This contest was around Valentine's Day.  Thank you Nina Designs! 

The sterling silver charm has "Live Laugh Love" on one side and shinny silver on the other. It comes with a soldered jump ring. This gave me a perfect excuse to open an account and buy some of their products.  I had to get a charm holder for it and a chain.  Their  charm sits in a sterling silver charm holder. The word love doubles as a removable charm holder. This unique design lets you to easily switch your charms to suit your changing moods. This gives me an opportunity to wear the other 2 charms that I won.

Namaste Necklace Available on Etsy by BayMoonDesign

I needed a chain for the charm and holder so I purchased 1 of Nina Designs chains.  I selected an18" scored sterling silver cable with finished chain which is oxidized. I love how the oxidation brings out the words on charm. The chain is composed of both oval and round links and finished with a 5 mm clasp. The scoring on this chain helps it to oxidize easily.  I put together this necklace for my Esty store with this chain and a Nina Designs Lotus charm holder.  The necklace and charm holder are a great investment because they are versatile. You can wear this gorgeous chain by itself, with the lotus holder, or with the lotus holder and namaste charm.  The namaste charm is not from the Nina Designs collection but they have a number that I love.  Since I practice Yoga I have a collection of Yoga charms that I have collected over the years and this gives me a perfect opportunity to share some of them in my Etsy store. 

Lotus Necklace available in Bay Moon Design Etsy Store

As I am getting deeper into Yoga, my Etsy store is reflecting this interest with more Yoga inspired jewelry like this aqua Lotus necklace.  This necklace has a large, gold colored bronze lotus flower focal and two infinity symbols that are paired with a aqua silk ribbon and beads.

I selected a lotus flower because it is one of the most delicate and beautiful flowers. Although lotus grows in muddy water, it grows beautiful and brings a smile on anyone's face who sees it. The Lotus has long been associated with purity, rebirth and beauty. I paired it with infinity symbols because of the shape is classic, fluid, and romantic all at the same time. Think love, for it is infinite, boundless, and everywhere. I think that this is a very romantic necklace.

Paisley Bracelet by BayMoonDesign Available in Etsy story

Nina Designs had an earring contest which I missed somehow.  Currently they are sponsoring a leather contest which I entered.  I purchased this gorgeous caramel 3 mm deer hide leather from them and combined it with this paisley ceramic as my entry in this contest.  To enter the contest all you needed to do was make leather bracelets, necklaces or earrings featuring leather.  The deadline to enter was March 18.  The contest is in the voting stage now until March 26.  Nina Designs will select one winner from 3 finalists.   Take a look at the great design and if you would like to vote, please do.  I certainly would love to have you vote for my bracelet so I could go crazy with $100 prize from Nina Designs.  By the way, if you open a wholesale account, please mention my name so that I can get $25 for a referral and you can get $5 off of your order.   By the way, I am a blog partner of Nina Designs but I did not receive anything from them for writing this.  I just love their contests and products.

Starfish bracelet by BayMoonDesign Available in Etsy Store

Here is another bracelet using that same leather.  The color of the leather accentuates the brown starfish on the ceramic.

I hope you will stop by next week and see what I came up with for Lori Anderson's 7th Bead Soup Blog Challenge.  All I will say is that it was a huge challenge for me.

 I will also be blogging about my 2 new pairs for earrings for the AJE Earring Challenge.  I still have 1 pair to create. 

AJE Earring Challenge Reveal 5

Pink Earrings can be found in my Etsy Store

These are pastel pink earrings made with artisan ceramics and black earwires and black chain.

I love how pink looks with black. The combination of black with a pastel is a hot fashion look for this spring.

The ceramics are made by D7 Studio. These are earrings that you won't find in a department store!

Red Earrings are available in my Etsy Store

These firey red earrings are made with handmade artisan beads and sparkling swarvoski crystals suspended from large contemporary silver earwires. Each crystal is meticulously wire wrapped and wired onto a sterling silver chain. I love the swarvoski crystals which have shades that range from yellow to orange to red. The earrings are 2 inches long.

This pair of earrings is made with a great pair of teardrop shaped beads enameled in red! These handmade beads are vintage copper and made by SueBeads.

White Ibes in the Everglades

 It is amazing I get any jewelry made with all of the distractions here in the Florida Keys.  I enjoy bird watching.  Here, there are lots of large and gorgeous birds like this White Ibes of Florida.  You can see that a lot of my jewelry in my shop features birds. 

Giveaway!

I won these 3 darling bird beads by Blueberribeads.  I have decided to share 2 of them.  I am giving it away to a lucky person who wins a random drawing for it.  Anyone who comments on my blog can earn 1 entry.   Following my blog earns another entry.  A third entry can be made by liking my Etsy store

Like my store at: http//www.baymoondesign.etsy.com
or 

Like my Baymoondesign  facebook page.

The winner will be announced May 1, 2013 on my blog.

The second bird went to Jayne Capps to be used as a focal for Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog 7.  I can't wait to see what she creates.  She only has to use the bird as a focal and the leaf clasp.

Where is the 3rd?  I kept it for myself of course!