Sale Still Going Strong

My Etsy shop sale has been extended.  Yes.  This mama needs to fund some gifts for the holidays, so my need is your treat.  Prices are generously as marked.  Shop: emeraldcut.etsy.com

Halloween Is Calling

I've always loved the fall and this year is no exception, as I'm excited to share the changing of colors with baby A.  Above is my Etsy Autumn findings list which, after looking through it, has admittedly put me more in the festive autumn spirit.  As for my shop, I'm trying to move product for the holidays and have further marked down items in my sale section here.  I personally shop early to avoid the stress, so likeminded folks, here you go.  Happy shopping, and happy October!



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August's Birthstone: Peridot

August jewelry for sale in shop

Peridot is one of my favorite stones to wear and work with.  So much so that my first engagement ring was indeed peridot!  Ranging from a glassy lime color to an earthy olive green, the moody mystique of peridot is in its characteristic "glow," which is absolutely spellbinding.  Peridot is also August's traditional birthstone.

The peridot beauties shown above are available for purchase in shop.  Complimentary gift wrapping is always included.  On that note, have a wonderful week!
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New Etsy Favorites

Been loving what I've found on Etsy lately.  Lots of cozy, earthy clothing mixed in with spring finds.  If you're interested, follow along here.

Book Riot Feature

via Book Riot

As I was perusing my Etsy Stats yesterday, I noticed that my Literary Tall, Dark, and Brooding Card had received 20+ clicks.  Weird, I thought, because it was unusually high traffic for one little hand-stamped card.  Then I saw bookriot.com under my traffic sources.  A-ha! I said.  Visiting their site, I scrolled down the homepage and saw my simple card as an article's main image (see above).  What a nice surprise!

Clicking on the link, curiously titled "Book Fetish: Romance Edition," my interest was piqued.  Scrolling down the page, I find it.  There among other tongue-in-cheek book-inspired goods is my card, smack dab in the middle of it all:

via Book Riot

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This is an exciting event because it's the first time my work has been an article's main image.  It's also my second Book Riot feature--nearly two years ago, my origami hearts were included in a BR Valentine's Day article, which I documented here.  Thank you, Book Riot!  

Giveaway Winner!

The giveaway winner is Jan!  Congratulations.  I will ship your dainty 14k gold necklace with tourmaline cluster with your order this week.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated--such a grand start to my fifth year as an Etsy seller!  Who knew, five years ago, that I would still diligently be at it today: making jewelry, wedding goods, and offering writing services.  It's definitely been a creative (and growth) process, but I am so grateful for everything and everyone who has supported me along the way.  Thank you.

(If you're wondering, I had a graphic to post here, but Blogger has been acting up today, and not allowing me to upload images from my computer.  However, if you're interested, I was able to upload the image onto Instagram here.)

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Today is also Giving Tuesday.  The lovely Diana at Our City Lights wrote a beautiful post about this, which you can read here.  Ample food for thought this post-Black Friday and -Cyber Monday weekday.  My charity of choice is Feeding America--the proceeds from my donation items benefit this nationwide charity.  Now if only they would stop sending me junk mail.

Shop for Fall

Here are some of my own favorite fall-inspired creations available for purchase in my shop, some old and some new.  As you can tell by my Instagram feed, I have been looking forward to the next season since July (embarrassingly enough), so these creations are my ode to autumn leaves, crisp weather, and rainy days...

Custom Fall Wedding Favor Hang Tags

I designed the above raven fall wedding tags as an alternative to the harvest-style designs currently on the market.  My simple raven crow tags are little dark and moody, but unique and easily incorporated into wedding favors or decor.  This same designs, sans initials, can be purchased here.

Autumn Tourmaline Necklace

A favorite jewelry design, the above necklace includes a linear bar made of AA-quality, eye-clean tourmaline stones in gold and brown hues.  Dainty and sweet, the stones provide a touch of festive sparkle at the neckline.

Raven Crow Book Page Hang Tags

I love creating products using upcycled book pages, and these raven crow book page tags are no exception.  Delicate and just one book page thin, these versatile tags can be incorporated into Halloween party decor or as tags for favors--the spooky, bookish aesthetic is imaginatively reminiscent of bygone days.  Wrap the twine around place setting napkins for a lovely finishing touch: I left space at the bottom for you to write the guest's name (use a bold marker for visibility).

Cascade Collection: Confetti Orange and Yellow Pendant

This "confetti" pendant design was not made with autumn in mind, but the vibrant colors in the piece evoke the rustic beauty of East Coast leaves in fall.  An eye-catching pendant made with careful attention to detail, I attached each stone to a short vertical chain and included four types of gemstones for a gorgeous, abstract visual.

Maple Leaf Fall Punch-Out Tags

Country chic-meets-botanical, the above small maple leaf punch-out tags can be utilized year-round for all your gift wrap and wedding decor needs.  Initially, I designed them to be used as gift tags, but they can also function as pretty wedding name cards--or even as favor or napkin tags.


Have an idea of your own?  I love custom orders, so please convo me here to ask (username: EmeraldCut).

New in Shop: Labradorite Pendants and a Ring

Delicate Large Labradorite Pear Focal Pendant

Simple Delicate Thin Copper Ring Pendant

Faceted Labradorite Teardrop Pendant

Handmade Wedding Bookmarks

I just completed an order of handmade classic bookmarks for a bridal shower, and love the way they turned out.  What makes these so unique is that each bookmark is quite a labor-intensive work of love, as the quality materials include: scissors, hand-cut quality cardstock, archival black ink, individual letter/number small rubber stamps, and baker's twine--as well as good old-fashioned time, energy, and a good eye for word placement.  Printers are not used in my shop offerings.

I thought I'd give you a little peek into the handmade process of these bookmarks.  First, I cut the cardstock into bookmark-sized strips.  Then each bookmark is hole punched and strung through with baker's twine that I cut and tied into simple tassels.  The next step is stamping the bookmarks with individual letters/numbers to form words using archival, permanent black ink--since the words are stamped letter-by-letter, letter placement and ink saturation varies per word on each bookmark.  The unique lettering placement seen in my hand-stamped items contrasts with the streamlined aesthetic of commercial printing: I like to describe my work as a little bit of handmade in a computerized world.  Bookmarks dry for a few days before being securely packed and shipped out.

Handmade Classic Bookmarks

To be honest, some people would likely be driven mad by this lengthy handmade process for such a small item: the precision in cutting straight lines to form bookmarks, in saturating each rubber-stamp letter with ink every time it is used, in cutting and tying knots and then stringing them through individual bookmarks--and especially, in stamping letter-by-letter words that a printer could print out in a mere few seconds.  For me though, this creative act of sitting down and completing orders such as these is, interestingly enough, rather calming and nearly meditative.  And the fact that these handmade bookmarks will be mementos for a celebratory event of a lifetime?  Amazing!

A Few of My Favorite Things

paperiaarre

Letters to You Matchbox Art

I lovingly refer to this post as my glad-to-have-met-you one because I'm glad to have met (over the Internet) these highly talented, truly phenomenal artists, who also happen to create the most inspiring handmade goods.

Lauren Meredith
Rose Cut Garnet Stud Earrings

GoHeyJudy
Boho Chic Little Rag Doll

Emmy Bean
Sunstone Sterling Silver Ring

Rumpelfeltskin
Woodland Autumn Gnome

I'm not trying to push the whole shop handmade thing, but heck, isn't it more interesting (and fun) than what happens on Black Friday?

I sure think so!

So carry on and buy handmade this holiday season.  

And also, a Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Cozy Gift Guide

January Sun Yarnworks

Cadron Creations

the Yarn Kitchen

Dear Pony 

Let's Backtrack

Ellaina Boutique

Aren't they cozy and gorgeous?

Autumn Etsy Finds

StudioByTheForest

UrsulaJewelry

PurrAnders

arch190

kimberlyblok

STCHandmade

Cool Packaging: Nature's Muse Lip Balms

Nature's Muse Lip Balm

Made entirely of heavy-duty paper, the biodegradable push-up tube applicator is a very unique, eco-friendly idea.  Not to mention, the shop owner is one of the kindest ladies I've corresponded with.  And the balm itself is the epitome of decadence--thick yet wearable, long-lasting and luxurious on the lips.  

Ingredients:
Sweet almond oil, Cocoa butter, Beeswax, Shea butter, Vitamin E, Essential and/or Flavor oils. 
(I would not recommend this lip balm for those with peanut allergies.)