Beaded Jewelry Blog for CrystalAllure.com

Custom Military Deployment Crystal Beaded Bracelet

2011-11-28T21:33:00.003-05:00

A returning customer, Melissa, requested a custom military deployment bracelet, in honor of her husband who was going to be deployed towards the end of the year.

All Melissa requested was that it have yellow in it, she gave me carte blanche to work my artisan magic and CrystalAllure-ize a beautiful and memorable design for this very special beaded bracelet. The final design was the third go at it. Although I was inspired by the first two ideas, it was the last that I actually had a dream about and that is the one I went with. This beautiful handmade awareness beaded bracelet was given even more meaning with a personalized, hand stamped initial charm.

The design was created to complement her Crystal Allure Beaded Jewelry Custom HPV Awareness Bracelet previously purchased. The feature and focal of this design is the beaded strand of yellow Swarovski Crystals, yellow agate and glass beads centered between two sterling silver American flag block beads. To keep the focus on the message of the bracelet, the remainder of the design was kept subdued and finished with three charms, an awareness ribbon charm, a custom hand stamped initial charm and our signature jewelry tag.

It was my pleasure and honor to have been selected by Melissa to create this beautiful keepsake treasure. I wish for Melissa a speedy return of her husband from active duty. And I personally thank her husband, Troy, and all the troops serving for their dedication in protecting us and our freedoms!

Personal Stories Inspire New Designs

2011-11-17T21:34:00.003-05:00

Everything happens for a reason.

Remember I've said this before? Well, tonight I spoke with a customer who had recently ordered our Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Bracelet (B166) -and I just had to share this conversation with you.

When this customer, Frances, placed her order, I received my typical receipts through PayPal. Except, her payment receipt came from a different email address than what was listed on the store web order. But, I didn't think anything of it because I have received those before. A lot of times, people use a different email for PayPal purchases than what they use for regular communications.

Ironically, tonight, I happened to ship Frances' order. I get home and had a message on voicemail. It was Frances. Her message said she was calling to check on the order she placed because she received a call from a stranger saying he had received an email receipt that he purchased something (but it showed her mailing address). So, I log onto both my online store and PayPal account -everything looks in order -except the fact that this other persons email is somehow associated with my customers' PayPal account.

I give Frances a call and check whether she logged into PayPal or just paid with a credit card. She clarifies that she had logged into her account, but what she proceeds to tell me next, is just too beautiful not to share. She reiterates that she received a call from this stranger, who identified himself and tells her he received an email that said he purchased this bracelet but showed her mailing address. France tells him she doesn't know why that is but that she will call the company (Crystal Allure Jewelry) and check things out.

She is about to say goodbye and this gentleman says, "The weather down here in Texas is...how's the weather up in New Jersey?"

This small inquiry begins a conversation between the two. Frances shares that she recently lost her mother (to Alzheimer's) and this gentleman replies that his wife is in the end stages of her life....and she too is dying of Alzheimer's. They converse for a short time longer and before hanging up, this gentleman tells her, "If for some reason this bracelet is charged to me but gets shipped to you -do not send me the money for it. You keep it as a gift from me."

At that point, there was a pause in our conversation and during the brief pause, I connected all the 'ironies' that have occurred with the simple act of Frances placing an order with Crystal Allure Beaded Jewelry Designs.

I was in awe. I was inspired. My heart was filled. I felt good and I felt connected to both these individuals. I then spoke and I told Frances, "From what I can tell, everything with your order is okay except for this email mixup. I can't explain why PayPal tied this email with your account but I can say, I believe everything happens for a reason and you two were meant to speak to each other."

It fills my heart to know a simple jewelry purchase has connected together these two people. Before we hang up, Frances tells me to 'pass it on' (this story). After speaking with Frances tonight, our conversation 're-framed' my perspective of the day and has even inspired a new handmade beaded bracelet design (stay tuned for the design announcement).

I hope after reading this, you will remember this story when the coming holidays get stressful; you're having to deal with hectic and hurried holiday shoppers; you're having a bad day at work; feeling a financial pinch or feeling a deep emotional loss. And believe -everything happens for a reason.

Aurora's Custom Oak Leaf Crystal Necklace

2011-11-06T08:00:00.003-05:00

Aurora, coming to us all the way from Mexico, contacted Crystal Allure Beaded Jewelry Designs because she fell in love with our original Swarovski Crystal Real Oak Leaf Pendant Necklace N034. She wanted to have the necklace re-created as a gift for her partner.

We were more than happy to create this custom handmade jewelry gift for Aurora!

Aurora's Custom Real Oak Leaf Pendant Swarovski Crystal Necklace N034-II
A real hand-dipped and electroformed 24kt gold oak leaf is accented by a crystal copper Swarovski Crystal bead which has been wire-wrapped to mimic "swirling autumn leaves along the pathway" makes this a truly unique handmade necklace. A center focal 14kt long and short feminine goldfill chain is "dropping" individual copper Swarovski Crystals. Necklace finished with 14kt cable chain.

Each leaf is unique and special, capturing a part of nature, resulting in a beautiful piece of wearable art.

Necklace measures 17-3/4"
Leaf Drop measures 2"
Oak Leaf measures 1-1/2"

NEW Fall Beaded Necklaces Added

2011-11-04T10:09:00.004-04:00

When autumn rolls around, it's time to start pulling out the heavier sweaters, coats and clothes. But, just because the cooler air causes a layering of clothes doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your style. Add one of our new bold Fall Beaded Jewelry Necklaces to stand out from the crowd.

Red Agate Smoky Quartz Crystal Beaded Necklace N115
A beautiful strand of glowing warm reddish-brown red agate gemstones and subtle, sensual smoky quartz gemstones, accented by jet black Swarovski Crystals, feature an asymmetrical twist style red agate gemstone pendant in this handcrafted beaded necklace. Sterling silver. Design finished with our signature jewelry tag. Beaded Necklace measures 18-3/4".

Chinese Unakite Wood Amber Gemstone Swarovski Crystal Beaded Necklace N119
A beautiful strand of scattered gemstones, wood beads and crystals are featured in this handcrafted beaded necklace. The chinese unakite gemstone circle pendant is a blend of greens and reds reminiscent of autumn's pleasures and complements beautifully with the autumn jasper's rich tones of fall.

Imagine pumpkins, red maple leaves, and leisurely walks in autumn. That's the earthy look and feel of the warm brick red and avocado green colors of autumn jasper. To add to this earthy fall design natural dark wood beads, amber gemstones, red aventurine gemstone and evergreen Swarovski Crystals are paired with sterling silver. Finished with our signature jewelry tag. Beaded Necklace measures 17-1/2" with a Gemstone Circle Pendant measuring 45mm.

Earthly Yellow Jade Wood Aventurine Gemstone Beaded Necklace N078
A beautiful earthly yellow jade gemstone teardrop pendant is host to natural wood beads, aventurine gemstone accent beads and 14k gold fill beads in this handcrafted beaded necklace. Finished with a 14k gold fill heart lobster clasp and our signature jewelry tag. Beaded Necklace measures 17-1/2".

Customer Makes Stylish Statement

2011-10-19T10:45:00.004-04:00

Crystal Allure Beaded Jewelry Designs participated in an annual jewelry show last week, in support of the United Way through Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics (Johnson & Johnson). One of our favorite customers, Liz, stopped down and purchased our Smoky Quartz Gemstone Bali Beaded Bracelet B147.

Liz was drawn to this beaded bracelet because of its' unique off-center design technique. She loved it so much that she wore it that day and is still wearing it. Liz works in a lab and was kind enough to send a picture of her wearing her beautiful handcrafted beaded bracelet.

It matters not where you work or what work you do -our unique handcrafted jewelry redefines your femininity.

Crystal Allure Jewelry -Beautiful. Feminine. Alluring.

Custom Addison's Disease Awareness Bracelet

2011-09-23T08:00:00.002-04:00

In mid-April Christina contacted me requesting a custom Addison's Disease Awareness Bracelet. She saw and loved our Caregiver Awareness Guardian Angel Bracelet but wanted to have it customized.

The nationally recognized ribbon color for Addison's Disease, a rare, chronic endocrine disorder, is light blue. Christina really loved our Caregiver beaded bracelet so we kept with that design and customized it with her awareness color using Swarovski Crystals. I replaced the guardian angel charm with a sterling awareness ribbon charm and added a Swarovski Crystal dangle charm for an added feminine touch.

What makes this beaded bracelet and design even more special is the fact that the Swarovski Pearls just happen to also be the birthstone of the gift recipient!

What Christina had to say about her bracelets:

Stephanie,
I just received my bracelets today and I wanted to let you know how much I loved them. I am keeping one of them for me and the other one I am giving to my niece who is 19 years old. She was diagnosed with Addisons Disease two years ago. We almost lost her. She was in the hospital for 3 weeks in an induce comma. Know one could figure out what was wrong. It was not until a doctor came in and asked my sister and brother in-law if Charlotte went to a tanning booth. They said no, and at that point he knew she had Addison. That is one of the symptoms that your skin is tan all over.

I am going to give this bracelet to Charlotte in June for her birthday. What makes it even more perfect is that her birthstone is pearl. Thank you for your time in making this a perfect gift.
Sincerely,
Christina

You are very welcome! It was my honor to design this special bracelet for Christina and her neice, Charlotte -enjoy!

Happy Pulmonary Fibrosis Customer Feedback

2011-09-20T16:35:00.000-04:00

In April 2011 Susan purchased seven pulmonary fibrosis bracelets and after she received them, she sent me this email:

Hi Stephanie-
I was away this weekend and came home last night to the bracelets!!! They are so beautiful!!

I'm seeing my family this weekend, so I can't wait to give them out! Thank you sooo much for making this a very memorable experience!! I will definitely log in later to your site to add a comment to let others know what great work you do and what fantastic service you provide!

I know I will be back for other purchases, particularly your awareness items! Thanks so much, Stephanie-you're a keeper!
Best Regards
Susan

Around the middle of July 2011, Susan did in fact come back to leave an additional comment. Here is what she wrote:

I can't tell you HOW MUCH we love our bracelets from Stephanie! She not only gives #1 customer service, but she has a great skill set that is being used for worthy causes. All the girls in my family each owns a Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness bracelet (from Crystal Allure Jewelry). It's such a pretty bracelet, and I get compliments often. When I tell people it's an awareness bracelet, they love it even more! Every morning when I put it on, it reminds me to give my Mom a shout out that I still think of her EVERY DAY! Thank you Stephanie for creating something that is pretty as well as instrumental in making sure we never forget the precious things in life.
-Susan

You are very welcome Susan! I am so glad you love your PF Awareness Bracelets and that you chose Crystal Allure Jewelry for your beaded awareness jewelry! Enjoy and I look forward to working with you again!

Custom Behcet's Disease Awareness Anklet

2011-09-19T09:18:00.007-04:00

Back in July, Matia, contacted me to design a custom behcet's disease awareness anklet. Her only request was to somehow include the word "hope".

I got to work, first, on learning about behcet's disease. I had not heard of it before and I feel the more I know about a particular disease the more it inspires my designs. It's also important to me to learn what and how these diseases affect those very special people who come to Crystal Allure Jewelry with a custom beaded jewelry request. Read more about behcet's disease below.

The design uses the nationally recognized light blue color for behcet's disease in Swarovski Crystals, accented with sterling silver beads, bali spacers, small awareness ribbon bead and pearl white seed beads. The feature of this beautiful, feminine design is the personalized hand stamped HOPE charm.

Here are just some of the comments Matia shared with me about her beaded awareness anklet:

The anklet is amazing! It is so much more beautiful in person. Thank you so much!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

I think it is gorgeous! I love the picture!! I can't wait to get it...thanks so much.

I'm going to tell the people on the Behcet's web group all about it.

I am blown away by how beautiful it is. Thank you so much for taking special time out to make this just for me! When one has a chronic illness, it is little things like this, little acts of kindness that keep ya going. I truly think it is absolutely beautiful. It suits me perfectly. Thanks Stephanie : )

--------------------------------
A little about Behcet's Disease
Behcet's disease is an autoimmune disease that results from damage to blood vessels throughout the body, particularly veins. Most symptoms of the disease are caused by vasculitis (an inflammation of the blood vessels).

Behcet's disease is not contagious; it is not spread from one person to another. Behcet's disease affects each person differently.

To learn more, visit the official Behcet's Disease website.

Welcome Autumn in Style: Jewelry Inspiration Board

2011-09-13T09:50:00.003-04:00

Everyone has a favorite season, mine happens to be autumn. There is everything to love about fall -the crisp air, changing leaves, falling leaves, richer colors, warm apple pie (Mmm-mm!), baking, pumpkin picking and, so much more.

Getting together with the girlfriends for a lunch out and then some fall shopping is exactly what I was thinking of when I created this Welcome Autumn in Style wardrobe board.

Welcome Autumn in Style! by crystalallure featuring Smokey Quartz Gemstone Earrings E244

The down-to-earth design of the Swarovski Crystal and gemstone beaded earrings is a perfect complement to the warmer browns, yellows and golds of this fall outfit with just a hit of sparkle to pair with the sequined top. An effortlessly chic autumn look!

What pair of Crystal Allure earrings would you add to your fall wardrobe to spice it up with a little autumn sparkle? I'd love to hear your choices, share with us using the comment feature below.

Custom Swarovski Crystal Bridesmaid Jewelry Set

2011-09-02T10:21:00.009-04:00

It does not matter whether a custom jewelry request is for a unique beaded jewelry design or a feminine and chic contemporary jewelry design, I always enjoy custom jewelry projects.

Even more enjoyable is when they are for someone's special day. In this case, the beautiful bride, Amanda, was referred to Crystal Allure Jewelry for her bridesmaids jewelry gift sets.

Amanda was having a late summer wedding and her color was purple (my personal fav!!). She had chosen a lovely lavender bridesmaid dress, from the Forever Yours Collection, for her six bridesmaids. With a swatch in hand, I went to work.

Swarovski offers a variety of purple colored crystals and to keep the shades from clashing, I went with a deep purple velvet crystal. The finished bridesmaids jewelry gift sets were a three-bead Swarovski Crystal pendant on an elegant sterling silver chain with coordinating crystal drop earrings.

Congratulations to both Amanda and Michael on their August 20, 2011 wedding! And thank you Amanda for choosing Crystal Allure Jewelry for your custom bridesmaids jewelry gift sets.

Enjoy some more lovely photos of this beautiful set:

Getting married or have a friend getting married? Let Crystal Allure Jewelry design your custom bridal jewelry or bridesmaid jewelry. Contact us for more details.

Custom Mother of Groom Swarovski Pearl Wedding Jewelry Set

2011-08-03T08:00:00.002-04:00

Earlier this year I was contacted by one of my best customers, Mary Kay, requesting a beaded wedding jewelry set for her upcoming son's wedding. I was honored to have been chosen to design this special wedding set for the Mother of the Groom.

The true feature of this beautiful set is the gorgeous filigree clasp that complements her shoes and handbag accessories perfectly, with that just right classic elegance.

While on a trip, Mary Kay had already found her perfect dress, a rich navy colored Patra designer dress (RN #65518). This dress is truly beautiful because of the beaded illusion mesh inset at the neck with a softly draped neckline.

Mary Kay had sent some photos of the dress but the color was not showing true, so she decided to come by the studio with her dress and accessories. Based on the color she said it was, I placed out a palette of Swarovski Crystals and Swarovski Pearls that were options to coordinate with her dress. Mary Kay brought her husband and between the three of us, we chose a light grey and night blue Swarovski Pearl with a montana Swarovski Crystal.

We discussed further the details of her look for the wedding day and with some notes jotted down, the ideas began to flow. I had a lot of time ahead of me, which was perfect, since the wedding was not until August.

Mary Kay's Custom Swarovski Crystal Pearl Mother of the Groom Wedding Jewelry Set includes a beaded 2-strand choker, bracelet, earrings and wire-wrapped ring. The choker style necklace is a great complement to a portrait/off the shoulder style dress. And Mary Kay will be in full fashion at this late summer wedding with her selected picks of elegant embellishments and an illusion neckline.

It was my pleasure to have designed this very special wedding jewelry set for Mary Kay! And a special thank you Mary Kay for selecting Crystal Allure for her custom beaded jewelry and for the bridal referral. I cannot wait to receive pictures of this beautiful wedding.

Prior to Mary Kay contacting me, she had referred her future daughter-in-law to Crystal Allure for her bridesmaids jewelry sets. These custom handcrafted designs will be featured soon -stay tuned.

Butterfly Garden 2011

2011-08-01T11:10:00.000-04:00

It's been a very dry summer, so far. It's been so dry that our grass looks like hay. As a result, we haven't had much activity in the butterfly garden this year. On one lucky Friday evening (July 22, 2011), I happened to catch the fluttering wings of this beautiful White Admiral butterfly in our garden.
It contently stayed put, eating away at the butterfly bush nectar, while I snapped numerous photos. Generally our first visitor to the butterfly garden is a monarch, but I really haven't seen many butterflies at all. Although, in fairness, I haven't been outside much either...too darn hot!

Just as I was finishing pictures of the butterfly, I heard this faint buzzing by my head. Figured it was a bee, so of course, I went ~~a little~~ crazy waving my hands around my head as I didn't want to get stung. When I finally got out of the garden and looked back, I kept hearing the buzzing but almost didn't catch this little guy fluttering around as well, on the other butterfly bush.

I've nicknamed him, George.

This is the second year I've spotted a hummingbird hawkmoth. When I first saw one I thought mother nature messed up on this thing. But, thinking logically, I knew it had to be something, so I did some searching and found out it was a hummingbird hawkmoth. It flies like a hummingbird but has the body of a moth, the coloring almost of a bee. Very strange indeed, but interesting as well.

My neice was fascinated to be able to see both these lovely garden visitors. In fact, this past weekend she also was able to see a hummingbird and at least a dozen tiny monarch butterflies feeding on the butterfly bush. It was quite impressive how they flew around in a tangled weaving type pattern, yet never bumped into each other.

I've got some baby robin photos to share as well. I didn't know there was a nest under our deck but once I figured it out (in truth...it was my dog, Lucy, who figured it out), I started snapping pictures to see how long it would be before they flew away. But the last few pictures have been, well...life threatening. :-) Mama Robin is NOT happy for me to be around her babes and she's pulled in some backup. So, I haven't been able to get daily pictures but will share soon the ones I did get.

Custom Crystal Transplant Awareness Earrings

2011-07-22T09:16:00.003-04:00

One of my sweet customers, Beverly, contacted me to see if she could get a coordinating pair of earrings designed for the Transplant Awareness BREATHE Bracelet B195 that she was planning on purchasing.

While on the phone she asked if it was possible to also have a pair of beaded earrings designed to go with the bracelet she had already purchased, the Transplant Awareness Ribbons Bracelet B105. Of course, I was more than happy to custom design these crystal awareness beaded earrings for her!

On the day we spoke, I just happened to be having a not so great day (you know how it goes..murphy's law..). Well, I sent her a photo showing four sample pairs of earring design options and in her reply she said, "I would have never known that you were having a bad day, you were so pleasant and kind to talk to." A few other kind comments she made included: "you are very good to your customers", "you are just as beautiful as your jewelry is..", "I love your jewelry and will wear them with much pride..", "I am so happy thanks to you!", "you are an awesome person and so very very kind" and, "the meaning behind your awareness jewelry is so beautiful and so true!".

I am sharing all these comments with you because I am always so very grateful for each and every comment a customer sends me. Your comments guide me on how well (or maybe not so well) I am conducting business, as well as, how well received and meaningful my designs are.

As my gift to Beverly, I added a sterling silver butterfly charm to her BREATHE bracelet and here is what Beverly had to say after she received her much anticipated package of sparkling awareness jewelry:

Hello Stephanie,
I received my awesome jewelry in the mail yesterday afternoon and I just absolutely love them all! You truly did a super job on coming up with the idea of your jewelry. It's all so gorgeous and the charms on the bracelet are so adorable. I love the meaning of the butterfly, what a beautiful way to express the new lungs taking their first breath.

Well, thank you again Stephanie and thank you for keeping in touch with me. Thank you for the pen, the beautiful card you wrote and the beautiful jewelry. Obviously...the beautiful jewelry comes from a beautiful person!!! :)

Hugs and kisses to you and may God Bless you always!

Thank you ever so kindly,
Bev

You are very welcome Beverly! And thank you for your continued business. Enjoy your new designer jewelry!

I WANT ONE! Kelly Moore Bag

2011-07-11T15:42:00.003-04:00

This was not the planned blog post for today, but once I read about a contest to win one, I simply couldn't resist sharing.

What girl does not have a personal (ok, border-line, downright, freaky) attachment to her purse/bag?! Come on now, admit it...you know you do! Today, I was introduced to Kelly Moore Bags through the SITS blog and fell in love with the purple classic bag design (it's SO mine!). Kelly Moore bags are perfect for carrying your camera and accessories -but with a Kelly Moore bag, you do it in style!

I've had my Canon Rebel camera, oh, 3 years? And have yet to get a bag to carry it in, mainly because all the bags available looked so...well...blah. What I also think is so fab about a Kelly Moore classic bag, are the two front pockets which I'm sure will fit my new IPhone (when I get it...yes, the official count down to "I can finally upgrade my phone to an IPhone" has begun...only 39 more days).

on a side note: all this hype for getting an IPhone leaves little room for disappointment, right?!

So, I will now add a Kelly Moore purple classic bag to my wishlist (Christmas in July, did you say?!). But first, I think I'll try to win it by entering the contest over at the SITS Girls Blog. Head on over for your chance to win one FREE! If you win, come back and let me know what bag you chose. Good luck!

NEW Godmother Godchild Crystal Beaded Bracelets

2011-06-15T16:45:00.001-04:00

Is it just my blog? I realize it's been "awhile" since I last posted (although that shouldn't have affected anything) and blogger did announce there were some problems recently with an update install. But, it was my understanding they rolled the system back, yet my fabulous blog followers are still missing (sorry peeps!).

Today, I tried to delete and reinstall my followers gadget and it's still not working -boo! That being said, I think it's time for a blog change. I'll just add that to the endless and ever growing list of things I want/need to do for my business. :-)

But first and foremost, recently I was able to get in the studio and get some long awaited designs completed.
After numerous requests for Crystal Allure original Godmother-Godchild bracelets, they have finally arrived! It's been a long time coming and there are still several more designs yet to be completed.

While picturing these last night, I realized there is a whole bin of newly designed beaded jewelry to picture and get posted. Hmmm....I think I'm a little behind. But, I have a good reason. I have been taking some time to enjoy the sunshine (which we get very little of here). How about you? How has your summer been going so far?

NEW Cystic Fibrosis Diabetes Awareness Bracelet

2011-05-11T12:48:00.000-04:00

May is National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month.

I am always happy to raise awareness of cystic fibrosis since it does run in my family. In fact, my brother was born with cystic fibrosis. Regardless of whether a disease affects 2,000 or 10,000 people, when you are personally touched by a particular disease, you want to fight harder to bring attention to it in hopes a cure will be found.

For some, not only are they affected by cystic fibrosis, they are also faced with related diabetes issues. Cystic Fibrosis Related Diabetes (CFRD) is extremely common in people with CF. This unique type of diabetes remains the inspiration for our selection of designer beaded CFRD awareness bracelets.

The latest cystic fibrosis diabetes bracelet available was designed with sparkling purple Swarovski Austrian Crystals, gray Swarovski Pearls accented with sterling silver beads. Finished with a sterling silver awareness ribbon charm and our signature jewelry tag.

Purple is the nationally recognized awareness support color for cystic fibrosis, which is often referred to as 'sixty five roses' by young children. Gray is the awareness support color for diabetes.

Check out our other beautiful handmade beaded bracelets raising awareness of cystic fibrosis.

Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Bracelet B166

Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Bracelet B151

So what are you doing this May to raise awareness of cystic fibrosis? I'd love to hear what your awareness activities are, please feel free to leave a comment.

View All Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Bracelets

Custom Live Life Give Life Awareness Bracelet & Butterflies Abound

2011-05-10T08:00:00.002-04:00

A past customer, Charlene, was so happy with her Transplant Survivor Red Heart Bracelet that when she saw our exclusive Life Life Give Life Transplant Awareness Cuff Bracelet she wanted to customize it -in red.

Working with Charlene, I re-created the two strands of sparkling sterling silver, mixed with 14k gold fill beads and .925 Bali accented by red Swarovski Crystals, bearing the message "Life Life Give Life" in sterling silver alphabet beads. To finish her custom design we added a red Swarovski Crystal heart charm and our signature jewelry tag.

The idea to use red crystals, gold beads and a red heart charm were all Charlene's and it was my pleasure to be able to create her vision from our original design. I had some wonderful email exchanges with Charlene and I consider it a blessing to have "met" her and worked with her.

The Live Life Give Life Crystal Transplant Awareness Bracelet is an Exclusive design to Crystal Allure Jewelry. Any bracelet not bearing our signature jewelry tag is a fake.

Customer Comments:
Dear Stephanie,
All I can say is "WOW"!! Its absolutely stunning!! We were getting ready to go out the door to leave for Vanderbilt (5 hr trip) and the mail came. My husband went out to pick it up and the package was in it. I tore into it with the enthusiasm of a child at christmas. I can't quit looking at it. Thanks so much for the matching bag and getting it to me prior to clinic. This was just a routine visit (if anything is ever routine with them, I think they think of ways to torture us, extra testing, lab sticks, etc). LOL. You would think I was used to it after 8 yrs, but it seems I start getting panic attacks just thinking of going. I looked at that beautiful bracelet and just chilled out. I even had a lady ask to look at it while I had my sleeve rolled up to wash my hands in ladies room. I explained to her what it represented, and she vowed to me to sign up to be an organ donor; is that not fabulous.

Thank you so much for making my day and helping me get through this clinic visit even if it was just routine. I lost my dad March 1, 2011 and my mom Oct. 5, 2010. I can barely stand to step inside a hospital. This beautiful piece brought some much needed comfort into my life. I look at it and my survivor bracelet and just think everything is going to be alright. May you be richly blessed...

Blessings,
Charlene
------------------------
With Charlene's custom LLGL bracelet request, she placed an order for one of our past designs from the Butterfly Fields Collection. She said her grand-daughter fell in love with it and she wanted to give it to her for her birthday.

I learned our youngest fan is 7 years old!

Since creating the original design, I implemented new techniques learned and Charlene's custom design features a beautiful array of various sized fuchsia Swarovski Crystal butterflies that adorn an elegant 14K goldfilled loop chain. Each crystal butterfly has been individually wire wrapped to a delicate chain for a truly feminine and charming design. Finished with our signature goldtone jewelry tag.

Customer Comments:
Hi Stephanie,
Received the bracelet today, absolutely fabulous. My Katie is going to love it!!!! She has never forgot seeing it. She is going to be over the moon when she sees the matching earrings. Stephanie that was so sweet of you. They are absolutely beautiful. You will make a little girl very happy when she opens her birthday present next month (May). Again thanks so much for the beautiful creations. I absolutely love my bracelet.

Warmest regards,
Charlene

>> Charlene's Custom Live Life Give Life Crystal Transplant Awareness Cuff Bracelet

>> Charlene's Custom Swarovski Butterfly Charm Bracelet

Butterfly Notecards Support Transplant Awareness

2011-05-08T09:00:00.003-04:00

You may remember my good friend and fellow artisan, Barb, over at Bronson Hill Arts. She created the beautiful set of butterfly notecards for a giveaway this past December.

Barb informed me, some time ago (yes, I'm still trying to catch up on things! lol), that she will be designating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of these notecards to the Lungs for Life Foundation.

She has named this set of notecards the Flights of Life Collection and each notecard showcases the unique beauty of butterflies, which remain a symbol of newly transplanted lungs as they take their first breath of air.

To order your set of butterfly notecards, simply visit the Bronson Hill Arts Blog and click on "ordering" at the top of the site. Not only are the butterfly notecards beautiful pieces of artwork, each set sold will help further the mission of the Lungs for Life Foundation. Thank you in advance for your support!

And thank you to Barb for her support of the Lungs for Life Foundation.

Custom Mothers Bracelet with Hygroma Awareness

2011-05-06T09:57:00.008-04:00

Back in February (wow! am I behind in sharing this!!), Elizabeth contacted me to design a custom mothers bracelet incorporating the hygroma awareness color.

Burgundy is the support color of hygroma awareness.

Elizabeth wanted to give this custom awareness-mothers bracelet as a gift to her friend who had lost her baby boy to hygroma. She requested the design also incorporate the baby's name.

Working with the design elements of our original Designed by You Swarovski Crystal Pearl Mommy Bracelet, I incorporated burgundy Swarovski Crystals and personalized the name to GRANT in memory of her friends' son. A final custom touch included a sterling silver cross charm.

What really made Elizabeth's Custom Mothers Hygroma Awareness Bracelet a touching and beautiful gift were the sterling silver eternity knot rings that encircle the pearls. Grant's mother will love him for eternity and he will always be with her and in her heart.

This special and unique beaded bracelet design not only raises hygroma awareness, it also celebrates motherhood and the loss of a child. It was my honor to have designed this very special treasured keepsake bracelet for Elizabeth and her friend. I hope in some small way this beautiful keepsake bracelet will help heal her heart and give her comfort.

Does Your Easter Egg Sparkle?

2011-04-20T14:45:00.005-04:00

Dear Friends and Readers,
I'm still here -really I am. Please don't write me off just yet. Life has been crazy busy (to put it nicely) and well, sometimes, life just throws ya a curve ball -or two, or three, or -well, you get the picture. As a result, I have not had much ~~free~~ time to dedicate to Crystal Allure. But, I have been working behind the scenes on a few things -quite a few custom orders too. So, do stay tuned (and let's hope I and life can finally get back on some kinda schedule).

On a non-business related adventure, recently, we took my neice to a local easter egg hunt. She was super excited and when we gave her a choice of baskets, she chose a lovely purple basket with two strands of beads surrounding it. So, I thought, 'yeah...she went for the sparkly basket' (my kinda girl). But, when I asked her why she chose that one, she said, ever so seriously, "Because it was the biggest". Ah, yes, that does make sense. LOL.

While there, we also decorated some eggs. TA-DA!!!

Now, I'm sure you could've figured out, without my labels, whose egg was who's. Notice hubby's (football), neice's (well, I dunno exactly what that is...but cute) and mine (sweet, girly, hearts, love and flowers). But, wait. It's missing something.

Indeed, my egg does not sparkle. Sparkle is my signature!! Yet, when an easter egg hunt is hosted by seniors and the library...not so much sparkle going on there. Oh well. What's a girl to do?! Although I went with the flow, I just might have to "doctor" it up a bit at home with some kinda sparkles.

At the end of the day, it was all good fun. But, as it would go we have a contest going on amongst us. So, I'll ask all of you -which egg do you like best?

NEW Crystal Awareness Bracelets

2011-03-25T08:00:00.003-04:00

One design. Three beautiful causes.

Just listed are three sparkling Swarovski Crystal awareness bracelets in support of organ transplant awareness, spay/neuter awareness and cystic fibrosis awareness.

Choose from emerald green (Organ Donation Transplantation), light blue (Spay/Neuter Pets) or amethyst purple (Cystic Fibrosis).

For the most part, I don't always use the same design across causes. But, it was different for this style. It began with the completion of the organ transplant bracelet. I stood back to look at it and it just clicked that it would look equally great with other awareness colors.

The Organ Transplant Awareness bracelet comes with a sterling silver butterfly charm and the Spay/Neuter Awareness bracelet comes with a sterling silver paw charm.

Shop Crystal Allure Jewelry

Wanda's Custom Crystal Auntie Bracelet

2011-03-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

Cristy contacted me about designing a custom aunt bracelet for her to give as a gift to her sister, Wanda. She wanted to celebrate her sister for having such a big heart and for making a difference in the lives of both her niece and nephew.

Being an aunt myself, I felt a personal connection to this design. I know I am proud to be an aunt (and I'm a darn good one too, if I don't say so myself! *smiles*) and I wanted Wanda to feel the say way, every time she wore this bracelet. More importantly, this symbolic bracelet will be a keepsake Wanda could treasure for a lifetime.

So, I decided to make an irresistably, elegant and eye-catching crystal beaded bracelet. Wanda's custom auntie bracelet featured a full strand of sparkling Swarovski Crystals, Pearls, sterling silver beads, Bali with sterling silver letter beads that spelled out 'Auntie', centered in the design. I finished it off with our sterling silver signature jewelry tag.

Here's what the customer had to say about her beautiful bracelet:
Stephanie - It looks wonderful. I love the "Auntie" in the front. Thank you & thanks to all of the special aunts in the world!!
Cristy

You are very welcome Cristy! It was my pleasure to design this special bracelet for you.

NEW Beaded Jewelry Collection

2011-03-23T11:24:00.005-04:00

Our very first personalized bracelet design was a birthstone bracelet, topaz for November, if I remember correctly. We then designed an elegant MOM beaded bracelet, of sterling and Bali, and a customer requested to have it customized. She wanted it to be an AUNT bracelet that she was giving as a gift. Since then, our personalized bracelets collection has grown.

Over the years, Crystal Allure has designed and personalized timeless keepsake bracelets that include, Sweet 16 bracelets, Auntie bracelets, Name bracelets, Mothers Bracelets and more. The possibilities are endless when it comes to personalizing crystal bracelets.

We love to design and offer these personalized bracelets because, well, they're handmade, unique, elegant, feminine and the perfect keepsake to celebrate mom, grandma, sisters, friends, aunts, even pet parents. These bracelets are designed by you, which makes them even more special!

So we've compiled them into our newest jewelry collection, Designed by You, timeless keepsake bracelets by Crystal Allure Jewelry.

In this collection, we offer a variety of designer beaded bracelets you can customize with crystal colors, the number of strands, any personalized names. We've added a few new categories and have begun restocking the bracelets offered under this collection. If you don't see what you are looking for, please feel free to contact me for a custom design.

In the coming days/weeks, we'll introduce each bracelet currently offered in this collection along with our recent sparkling custom, designed by you, designs.

Luck o' the Irish SALE!

2011-03-17T09:28:00.003-04:00

You don't have to be Irish to love the color green. And how can you not love the color green? The color green can mean so many things.

Green is the color of nature, fertility, life. It is a restful color and symbolizes self-respect. Green is the color of balance and also means learning, growth and harmony.

I see green as a "neutral" color. One that can be used anywhere and can even replace your classic blacks, browns and beige colors in your wardrobe. It's also a very chic color. And for all you brown-eye girls out there, like me, the color green looks great on your eyes! When I want a pop of color and to make my brown eyes brighter, I simply slip on a beautiful Crystal Allure necklace design in green.

Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day, stay safe and feel free to take advantage of our 4 day sale on select green beaded jewelry!

Shop CrystalAllure.com

NEW: Guardian Angel Caregiver Awareness Bracelet

2011-03-16T10:15:00.004-04:00

When I first started a design concept for Caregiver Awareness and Appreciation, I hadn't truly realized, or thought about, how many caregivers we encounter each day. The reality is, just about everyone is a caregiver these days. From aging parents to babysitters, pet caretakers to even families who take in children that are not their own.

So I am very excited to present the Guardian Angel Caregiver Awareness Bracelet because I too, fall into one of the groups listed above. And I wouldn't have it any other way! Indeed it takes someone special to be a caregiver, or so I'm told. But I don't look at it that way. I have a big heart with lots of love and I'm only too happy to share that love with someone else who may need a little of it.

I was so thrilled with this design, that in my excitement I just realized I forgot the awareness ribbon charm. Will have to go back and add that on. :-) What was so great about having completed this beaded bracelet, is that it inspired an idea that could span just about any awareness cause! (you'll have to stay tuned to the blog for a future post on that inspired idea).

This lovely bracelet features lavender Swarovski Crystals, pearls, Bali and sterling silver. Finished with a sterling silver guardian angel charm and our signature jewelry tag.

Now you can show your appreciation for that special caregiver in your life and in turn, they will be raising awareness each time they wear their sparkling, feminine caregiver bracelet.

NEW: Winds of Hope Transplant Awareness Bracelet

2011-03-08T08:49:00.004-05:00

To date, I have not had a transplant and do not need one. But, that has never been a road block in understanding how those who need, or have had, a transplant might feel.

All I have to do is close my eyes and imagine, for even just a second, how life altering (and awe inspiring) transplant can be. Of course, I'll always wonder how life would have been had my oldest brother received his transplant.

So, I tend to get excited and attached to every transplant design I create. Yet, each time I create a new transplant awareness bracelet, I am taken aback at how personally attached I am to it.

The Exclusive Transplant Awareness Winds of Hope Bracelet represents the many twists and turns one faces in their road to transplant and how it can leave you feeling a little "breathless". The bracelet encircles the wearer with hope and strength to ride the winds of hope, no matter where they take you, on your journey to and through transplant.

Our unique handmade awareness bracelet features a "whirlwind" of emerald green Swarovski Crystals on a "swirling" path of sterling silver links flanked by Swarovski Pearls and sterling silver. Finished with a sterling silver awareness ribbon charm and our signature jewelry tag.

Custom HPV Awareness Bracelet

2011-03-07T08:00:00.002-05:00

Melissa contacted me in early February to create a custom HPV Awareness Bracelet for her. She wrote, "I really thought it would be easy to find one, but it wasn't."

Melissa liked the style of our Transplant Awareness Bracelet B159. She especially liked the Bali beads and palace green opal Swarovski Crystals in the design.

This provided a great starting point for her custom design. As most custom designs go, I generally have almost an instantaneous design idea, or specific component I would like to use, soon after I speak with the customer. That held true in Melissa's case as I knew I wanted to incorporate the light green peridot Swarovski Crystal pendant bicone.

Melissa gave me artistic freedom to develop the design and although it took a little time to incorporate her preferences with my vision, I think the end result is simply beautiful!

This is the first request we've had for a custom Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Awareness Bracelet. Even though Melissa may not have initially found the bracelet that represents her cause, that is exactly what Crystal Allure specializes in -creating custom beaded crystal awareness bracelets, just for you!

Enjoy your bracelet Melissa and thank you for shopping Crystal Allure!

Swarovski Elements Innovations Fall/Winter 2011-2012

2011-02-24T11:53:00.002-05:00

Swarovski has introduced some fabulous new colors and shapes to their line of crystal beads. Who could possibly resist them?

Now, I admit, I (personally) am not a huge fan of wearing yellow, I must say I'm still draw to the new Sunflower color. For the simple reason yellow reminds me of summertime and sunshine. It makes me feel good. So there is definately a design coming using this new color!

Other shapes you can expect to see coming to Crystal Allure Jewelry include the Lucerna, Mini Pear, Helios and Wild Heart beads and pendants. The Lucerna crystal is a reflection of a chinese lantern and I had used a lantern shaped gemstone in a past design, so I'm really looking forward to testing out this new shape. There are already some new designs ready to be pictured using the Mini Pear and Wild Heart pendants. As well, the Helios will make for a fantastic shimmering contemporary jewelry design.

Swarovski also introduced large hole crystals and two new colored protective coatings for the starfish crystal. With all these new innovations here and the existing irresistible shapes and colors already available from Swarovski -I'm in heaven!!

Don't forget to sign up for the Crystal Allure Studio Blog RSS feed to receive notification when these new designs roll out.

Art-ful Gift Giving. Oh! And a Contest!

2011-02-22T14:03:00.006-05:00

Last year I introduced you to a close friend and artisan who I had ~~pushed~~ encouraged to venture into the great world of blogs and blogging to showcase her art. Well, she held a contest and to my surprise, I won. Wahoo! The prize was my choice of one of, her husband, Mike's nature photographs. It was a tough one because they were all so fabulous. Normally, I would have jumped at the birds in their nest but I had just redecorated and was kinda drawn to the sunflower.

I am told that it was actually "mother nature's gift surprise" because it had grown in their backyard all on its own.

Fate. It was meant to be there.

Equally so, it was fate that it was meant to be on my entry way table! My table is black and I had recently acquired a barn red 'welcome' sign from the local Goodwill. So I decided that although a black frame would have looked great with the yellow of the sunflower, it wouldn't have looked very well on the table. I spent a little time this past weekend looking for the perfect frame and struck gold with a deep toned wood frame that showcased areas of black and it even had 'distress' markings on the frame. It was perfect.

I also inherited an old jar from my husband's grandpa who had passed away recently. Thank you Grandpa. And I have plans to fill it with decorative speckled eggs and a few smaller artificial sunflowers for a casual country look in our entry way. But enough about that. I've got some good news to share!

Barb, over at Bronson Hill Arts, is having another giveaway! Hooray!

This giveaway is for a customized gift tag. Just take a look at the beautiful handmade artisan gift tag she created for me to use on my niece's birthday gift. It is gorgeous! (sign-song) and it was customized PINK (of course!).

So take a moment and stop by the Bronson Hill Arts blog and enter for your chance to win your own customized gift tag! But, don't delay. The contest ends February 28, 2011. Good luck!

More International Shipping Options

2011-02-07T11:09:00.008-05:00

Over the years, Crystal Allure Jewelry has been shipped worldwide. Although in the last few years, we had scaled back our shipping options in response to website host changes.

Well, today, I'm happy to announce we have re-opened shipping options to Australia and New Zealand!

We're slowly opening back up our expanded international shipping options. And now you can have Designer Handcrafted Beaded Jewelry by Crystal Allure shipped to anywhere in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom -and now Australia and New Zealand!

If you're interested in having Crystal Allure Jewelry shipped to you but don't see your country listed, simply contact us prior to checking out.

Valentine's Day Offer on all Heart Jewelry

2011-01-27T09:53:00.004-05:00

Is it just me, or do you love (pun intended) heart jewelry too?!

The heart is a symbol of many things including love, romance, desire, passion, affection and more. No wonder it's irresistible!

Whether you prefer the muted tones and colors of a heart-shaped gemstone or the dazzling sparkle of a Swarovski Crystal Heart, there's no denying that a heart adds a certain feminine touch to all Crystal Allure Jewelry designs.

Every year I tell myself, I'm not going to do any heart beaded jewelry. But, that never lasts long. I simply cannot resist the urge to create designs using hearts.

So, this year, I want to share a little love with you. From now until February 5, 2011, shop select Heart Jewelry at CrystalAllure.com and receive 20% off! Simply enter coupon code, sparkleheart*, at checkout to receive your discount.

*Coupon discount applies to select available heart jewelry only. It does not apply to any other available jewelry, custom jewelry, or past heart jewelry purchases.

SHOP HEART JEWELRY > >

Custom Swarovski Crystal Earrings

2011-01-21T22:00:00.003-05:00

Joyce had visited the CrystalAllure.com website and found a pair of earrings that would coordinate with a crystal necklace her brother-in-law purchased for her sister. She contacted me to create a custom pair of emerald Swarovski Crystal earrings to complement this necklace and she also requested a custom pair in sapphire too.

We took an existing handcrafted beaded earring design and customized it a little more to fit her needs and desires. The results were simply stunning. A minimalist look in a purely feminine style with a hint of sparkling presence.

One of the things I love most about Swarovski Crystal is there are endless possibilities when it comes to color and cut options. I find I could make the same earrings 20 times over and never get bored with the brilliance of Swarovski Crystals. Their quality is unmatched which is why they are the hallmarks of my designs.

Enjoy your earrings Joyce!

An Information Desk is for 'Information' Right?!

2011-01-19T09:43:00.004-05:00

Correct me if I'm wrong. But, isn't an "Information Desk" a place to well...get information?

Sadly, I had the unfortunate task of visiting our local Human Services building yesterday, without a clue as to what I had to do to file some necessary paperwork. But, the good news was that as soon as I walked in I saw the "Information Desk". Great.

Well, not so much.

There were two people behind the desk. One on a computer another seemed like a "floater". He kept calling out that if you were there dropping off paperwork, you could go see him. Hmmm. Well, I was technically just dropping off paperwork but did have a few questions too. So after a few people jump ahead of me, I get my chance. I start walking toward him and open up the paperwork in my hand. With almost a disgusted look on his face, he sternly tells me (almost shouting), "That's an application. You have to wait in line". Well, geeze, okay then. Back in line I go.

Now the office closes at 4pm, it's now 3:45. I'm next in line and get called up. The woman quickly starts scanning my paperwork, stamps it but then tells me pages X through X need to be completed (education level, income, etc). I tell her that the application is not for myself but for someone in my household. Long story short, she "advises" me to complete the application so it doesn't get returned for being incomplete (even though she tells me they won't need this information to process the application) and to come back at 7:45 AM any morning and wait to see someone. That way, I can ask any questions I might have at that time.

I persist about why I need to supply my personal information and she tells me, "We're the state. We have all that information and much more about you. All we have to do is press a button (on the computer) and it's all right there." So, I think, well, thank for your that most accurate vision of what feels like an invasion of my privacy. BUT, I ask, "If you have all this information, then why do I need to fill it in?".

She decides that she doesn't like my logical question. So she proceeds to "shoo" my off by telling me again to complete the application, come back, and "I'm sorry I need to take the next person" (as she pushes my paperwork towards me and motions for the next person in line to come up). OH! I'm so sorry, did my time at the "Information Desk" expire?! Oh, my apologies. I didn't realize I only had 3 minutes of your time. I'm beside myself for having taken so much of your precious time in trying to understand things I haven't a clue about.

Thanks "Information Desk".

Have you ever had this or something similar, happen to you?

Colors of Fall: Are You Traditional or Trendy?

2011-01-16T21:29:00.010-05:00

I know. I know. Fall...really?! I can't avoid admitting I'm a tad late in presenting these wonderful beauties, created with some tools I received back in September through the Artbeads.com blog program. (sorry artbeads!)

Our challenge: the "colors of fall" -choose traditional colors or current fashion colors from the PANTONE Fashion Color Report Fall 2010. I knew I'd never be able to choose between the two color groups so I knew from the beginning I wanted to do two separate designs.

The first design would use traditional seasonal colors in Swarovski Crystal with a seasonal flair. The second design would use colors chosen from the PANTONE Fall color palette. The two colors I chose, which are also my favs, were green (Woodbine) and purple (Purple Orchid).

So why are my designs so late? Well, in my initial design indeas, I had decided to give handstamping a whirl. Although, in honesty I didn't quite know how I was going to incorporate this into the fall theme. Then after having received my supplies, it was one interruption after another that began with needing yet another tool and (don't laugh) a fear of handstamping. At first, I figured it was no big deal, but, when it came right down to actually stamping the charms...I chickened out. Once I finally started the design process (for the necklace), you guessed it, the design changed. That caused the need for some new crystals, that I didn't have in stock (of course). So I got those and guess what? Never used them. sigh. I had begun to wonder if I changed the crystal colors as a stall to my fear of handstamping.

I finally decided to just jump in and switched gears to start the bracelet, which was to compliment the Fernwood Forest Green Garnet Hill Tribe Leaf Pendant Necklace. For the bracelet, I wanted to keep with my signature technique of beading. But, as the design progressed, it just didn't give me that "fuzzy" feeling, so I added to the design some chain and wire-wrapping in a three strand style. Then it was time for the metal stamping.

You can see at left, attempt #1 resulted in a double stamp of the fern leaf. In my very first shot at handstamping, I stamped the metal, but the image wasn't very good. So I thought the stamp was in the exact same spot and I tried again -Oops! No good. Attempt #2 turned out much better. I did end up stamping it again but this time, I got the metal stamp positioned correctly in the image impression.

Attempt #3 shows the last step of the fern leaf metal handstamped charm. The stamped image is further improved upon after having darkened it and buffed it with a pro polish pad.

The necklace, as well, evolved from a single strand where the handstamped charm was going to be the "main" charm with the acorn charm right next to it. But that seemed too simple, lacked personality and that feminine touch! So, I decided to do two strands to really showcase the beautiful handstamped tag. It took forever to come up with a 4-5 letter word that would fit on the stamping blank and be tied with the autumn season. But, as I thought about the fall time and how beautiful it is, the first thought that came to mind was a renewal of body, mind and spirit.

The dangling autumn colored Swarovski Crystals are remininscent of falling leaves (a theme in all my fall jewelry) with an acorn charm that one might find that has fallen from the tree and landed in the pathway. The sterling silver blank stamping tags at Artbeads pair perfectly with both the starter metal alphabet stamps set and fern leaf stamp.

Though my designs are late, I am very much pleased with the outcome. Thank you Artbeads!

Disclosure: As a Design Partner of Artbeads.com, I periodically receive products, beads and/or components free of charge. I have been asked to review these products and give my honest opinion of the products...positive or negative. I have in no way been compensated by Artbeads.com for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received and reviewed.

New Awareness Bracelet: Ovarian Cancer Survivor

2011-01-14T12:56:00.005-05:00

The Transplant Awareness Survivor Heart Bracelet has been so popular that I customized it in red for a customer in celebration of her daughter's heart transplant anniversary. I love every design I produce and especially love this design so I have begun expanding the design for other awareness causes and colors.

Now available at Crystal Allure is our teal Ovarian Cancer Awareness Survivor Heart Bracelet. A sparkling beaded strand of Swarovski Crystals, sterling silver beads and letter heart beads, finished with our signature jewelry tag.

Call me unaware but I was completely surprised to learn PAP smears do not detect ovarian cancer. Then what the heck do I do them for? I know. Precaution. But still, my whole focus of doing them was because I had thought (up to today) that they detected ovarian cancer, if it existed.

How about you? Did you believe PAP smears detected ovarian cancer?

-----------------------
About Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer has long been called “The Silent Killer”, because it usually isn’t discovered until its advanced stages. However, early-stage ovarian cancer does produce the following symptoms:

-Abdominal bloating, pressure or discomfort
-Frequent urination or gas
-Persistent nausea, indigestion, constipation or diarrhea
-Unexplained weight gain or loss
-Fatigue or backaches
-Abnormal bleeding or pain with intercourse

Listen to your body and if in doubt, see your doctor. YOU are your best advocate.

Help spread the word: Ovarian Cancer -"It Whispers -So Listen!"

Other Facts:
September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

Teal is the nationally recognized ribbon color for ovarian cancer awareness and support

A Celebration of Life: Kristen's Breathe Tattoo

2011-01-07T10:59:00.006-05:00

A short time back I introduced Andrea and the Just Breathe wall quote from Word Decor n' More. Kristen B. left the following comment:

"I love the breathe quote. I have the word breathe tattooed on my back. Im 6 months post transplant and loving life."

At one time I too wanted to get a tattoo but since I couldn't figure out what I wanted, I never went through with it. Kristen was kind enough to share her personal Breathe tattoo with me via email. I thought it was amazing and asked her if I could highlight it on my blogs. With her blessing, I'm sharing it with you, today.

Isn't it fantastic!! I've always found tattooing to be a unique art form and find myself watching shows such as, LA Ink, with Kat Von D. I'm always drawn to the story of why an individual chose a particular tattoo. I have so many things that I'm passionate about or are special to me or that symbolize something for me, that I doubt there's enough room for all of them. :-)

Thank you to Kristen for sharing your personal tattoo with me and my readers and if you catch this post -can you share why the crown above it? What does that symbolize?

And HAPPY 6 MONTHS POST TRANSPLANT ANNIVERSARY to Kristen!!

A Great Start to 2011

2011-01-04T12:08:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year!!! I hope everyone had a safe and fantastic New Year!

As a great start to 2011, I have some good news to share with you. Back in November 2010, I introduced Word Décor 'n More and the fantastic Just Breathe vinyl wall quote contest.

Today I'm excited to announce Andrea of Word Décor 'n More has generously offered to donate a portion of the net proceeds from the sale of this wall quote to the Lungs for Life Foundation!

It's a perfect collaboration of the Lungs for Life brand and this inspirational product. I am most grateful to Andrea for her generosity and look forward to a long and successful relationship.

Some of you might recall, I founded the Lungs for Life Foundation, in 2000, in memory of my oldest brother, who had cystic fibrosis and was on the waiting list for a double lung transplant. As a way to help support the mission of the Foundation and because, at the time, nothing existed like it, I began designing cystic fibrosis awareness bracelets and organ lung transplant awareness bracelets. The bracelets quickly became very popular, sold worldwide and soon after Crystal Allure Jewelry was born.

How You Can Help
You can help make this collaboration a success simply by sharing this good news with your friends, family and social network connections. And don't forget to pick up your own Just Breathe wall quote!

The Just Breathe vinyl wall quote is perfect for adorning your walls and raising awareness of organ donation and transplant to all your visitors. You can choose your preferred size and colors over at the Word Décor 'n More website.

Live every moment to its fullest!

Just Breathe...
You'll never live this moment again

Bronson Hill Arts: Butterfly Notecard Winner

2010-12-29T09:49:00.004-05:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed the day with friends and/or family. New Years' Eve/Day is just around the corner and with the holidays nearly over, it's back to business!

The butterfly notecard contest, from our Bronson Hill Arts guest post, has ended and it's time to announce the winner. (drum roll....) congratulations to Heather from Azure Island Designs!! I'm so in love with these notecards, you'll simply have to come back and comment once you receive them.

Note: Although there were 5 comments made, only 4 were counted since the creative designer of the cards cannot enter into the contest. :-)

In other good news, I also was finally able to connect with the true 'Valerie' winner from the 'Just Breathe' wall decal contest. She will be getting her prize soon and I look forward to hearing back from her.

Guest Post: Bronson Hill Arts

2010-12-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

It's the Christmas season of giving! Today I have a fantastic artisan and friend to introduce you to (and a great giveaway too!). I have known Barb Deuel, owner/artisan of Bronson Hill Arts, for, oh, around 18 years. During our friendship, we've supported each other through marriage, divorce, marriage again, life's happy moments as well as sad times. For me, Barb is my go-to, always there for me, no-matter-what, true blue friend!

Being creative myself, our friendship was a natural fit. I had never met an artisan such as Barb and was quite intriqued by her creativeness. Today, I have quite a few pieces of Barb's art in my home and will continue to have more over the years. In fact, there is one that I use every time I enjoy a glass of white wine! A few years back, Barb created four individual wine glasses for each of the friends in our small group. I absolutely lurve my wine glass and the interpretation of who is am was right on target! I'll let Barb tell you more about them and herself...

A few years ago, I was inspired by one of Stephanie’s wine parties to make some portraiture wine glasses for our friends. The response was overwhelming. There were a lot of time constraints at that point in my life that stopped me from pursuing any marketing of the idea. The last few months, I’ve had a good amount of free time come about, and with a hardy push from Stephanie, I’m finally doing it. I’ve developed a personalized art service.

I’m excited to have been brought into the world of blogging. It’s been such a positive experience for me. I’ve gotten past a lot of my fears and frustrations about computers. Thank you, Stephanie! And, oddly enough, this technological wonder, combined with a renewal of my first “arty” friendship, has reintroduced me to my creative side again.

I’m enjoying writing and have received tremendous support for the pieces that have been posted. I’m looking forward to being challenged to create some of these customized paintings, drawings, glasses, etc., for other people, too. The beauty of these art forms is that it can be applied to any event or loved one you want to celebrate any time. It’s not just for Christmas!

I hope you like the butterfly postcards I’ve painted for this give-away. I used Stephanie’s idea of butterflies, including green ones, to support her fantastic efforts on behalf of organ transplant awareness. They are done on Strathmore 140# paper with General’s Kimberly watercolor pencils.

A special thank you to Barb for her generous and most beautiful, handmade art giveaway! I, for one, look forward to seeing more stunning art created by Barb. Remember, you can stay current on what's happening at the studio up on Bronson Hill by following Barb's blog.

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Flights of Life Butterfly Notecard Giveaway

Prize: Six (6) Handcrafted 4x6 Butterfly Notecards

The butterfly notecards pictured above are exactly the butterflies you will receive.

Open To: U.S. only

Ends: December 21, 2010!

To Enter: Visit the Bronson Hill Arts Blog (http://bronsonhillarts.blogspot.com) and leave a comment below noting at least one of your favorite art pieces from the shop gallery.

Extra:
+1 if you follow this blog (leave a NEW comment please)
+1 if you post this giveaway somewhere (leave a NEW comment please)
+1 if you follow Crystal Allure on Facebook (leave a NEW comment please)

+2 if you visit the Bronson Hill Arts blog and leave a comment on one of Barb's blog posts (no need to leave a new comment back here, I'll coordinate with Barb to get your name put in the chances "hat" twice -BUT, in your comment, you must say you are visiting from the Crystal Allure giveaway)
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Flights of Life Butterfly Notecard Finishing Touch
Included with this giveaway:

As a lovely finish to your wonderful new gift, Barb will be sending the winner their butterfly notecards in a lovely hand-created envelope package!

Word Décor 'n More: "Just Breathe" Winner

2010-12-08T15:27:00.009-05:00

We have a winner! It's (drum roll please...) VALERIE!! Congratulations Valerie! I tried contacting you through your profile but wasn't successful, so hopefully you will get this RSS feed. I look forward to hearing back from you. Please contact me by Friday, December 10, 2010 to claim your prize.

I was truly humbled by some of the comments and was really taken by Sylvia's comment. She commented, "Thank you for the chance to win the "Breathe" quote. Having that grace my wall would enable me to easily talk about organ donation to anyone who comes by!". What a fantastic idea! It really gives a whole new concept to word wall decor.

Okay, confession. I've always watched those tattoo shows and wondered what I'd get if I had it done, but always chicken out. Then I read that Kristen had the word "breathe" tattooed on her back. Wow! Good for you Kristen! And what a fabulous tat to show off! I'm jealous.

This particular guest post was just so special to me and I'm honored to have featured Andrea with Word Décor 'n More. I'll also have some more exciting news to share with you in the coming days, regarding the JUST BREATHE wall decal. Stay tuned..

Thank you to each and every one of you who stopped by, participated and/or became a fan/follower of Crystal Allure and shared with us your personal transplant stories. It was so touching to hear your stories of hope, strength and second chances.

A very special thank you to Andrea for offering such an inspirational gift for our giveaway!

Swarovski Elements Holiday Giveaway

2010-12-07T13:00:00.004-05:00

Let the sparkle of the holidays begin!! I was contacted about sharing a fabulous contest that Swarovski Elements is hosting and I've already put in my entries.

To enter, visit the Swarovski Elements Facebook page and click on the image under the "US Holiday.." tab. The directions are pretty simple, although I did find the application was a little "clunky".

By entering you could possibly win one of 50 Swarovski Crystallized items a day for the next 5 days (although I believe today is day 5) and then enter to win one of three product packages from the US Holiday Collection starting on December 8, 2010.

Thanks for sharing this info Allison!

Guest Post: Word Décor 'n More

2010-11-30T11:03:00.006-05:00

Today I have a fantastic business to tell you about. I was introduced to Word Décor 'n More when I shifted my jewelry business web hosting over to Shoppe Pro in 2008. In my own home, I love that my guests can "read" my walls. I'm a huge fan of word wall decor and especially liked the idea of a "welcome" quote on the front door of my house (and I'm still going to get that...just as soon as my door gets its' second coat of paint!).

What I really love about the Word Décor 'n More website is they offer a photo gallery of inspiration. Just take a peek through the gallery and you're sure to find some ideas you'd love to put in your own home. Another great offering at Word Décor 'n More are their car decals. In fact, I had an idea for my car and that's when I personally "met" the owner, Andrea. She is super nice and provides some fantastic customer service!

Many women can relate to Andrea's desire to own their own business and enjoy going to work everyday. Here's what she had to say about her journey:

After many years of working in the corporate world, I decided to branch out on my own, and follow my lifelong dream of owning my own business. With a love for decorating, it was only natural to start a business that allowed me to express my creative side. After much research, I discovered vinyl lettering, and knew I had found my niche. With the loving support of my husband and family, Word Décor 'n More was launched.

Vinyl lettering is economical, easy to apply, and yet, looks like many hours and much money was spent to achieve a personal, custom look. I am a firm believer of DREAMING BIG, then working hard to make those dreams come true! To that end, I find myself drawn to motivational quotes such as "WISH, HOPE, DREAM... then make it happen!".

Personally, I'm a sucker for true love stories and I get to live one everyday with my husband. So when I saw this quote, "Always Kiss Me Goodnight", I just know I have to have it! From the beginning of my relationship with my husband, he would always say, no matter how mad, angry, tired or frustrated we might be at bedtime -'always kiss me goodnight'. Nearly, eleven years later, we always kiss goodnight. Well, that is, unless the dog decides she wants to kiss him goodnight first!

I am very tied to the transplant community and what has been so great about meeting Andrea and being introduced to Word Décor 'n More is that, Andrea has offered a beautiful "Just Breathe..." quote for our guest post giveaway.

I was immediately and personally touched by this quote. For that person who needs a lung transplant, they live every day with hope. Then when their day arrives and they receive their new lungs, it is truly a miracle. I believe when they wake up and take their first conscious breath of life, it must be so awe inspiring a feeling to "Just Breathe" -because you'll never live this moment again.

Prize: JUST BREATHE vinyl wall quote

Open To: International

Ends: December 7, 2010!

To Enter: Visit the Word Décor 'n More (http://www.worddecor-n-more.com/) website and leave a comment below noting at least one of your favorite quotes from the shop.

Extra:
+1 if you follow this blog (leave a NEW comment please)
+1 if you post this giveaway somewhere (leave a NEW comment please)
+1 if you follow Crystal Allure on Facebook (leave a NEW comment please)

****************************************************

Thank you to Andrea for a giving us a glimpse into her business and for offering such a fantastic, inspirational quote for the blog contest.

Gift Idea: Pretty is a Pendant

2010-11-24T07:00:00.001-05:00

You know the old saying "the best things come in small packages"? I, for one, believe that to be very true! And just in time for the holidays, a perfect stocking stuffer is a Crystal Allure Beaded Pendant or better still a Pendant Gift Set.

Each pendant arrives on a sterling silver chain and gift packaged in our lovely signature organza bag.

Already have one, two or more of our beaded pendants and just need the pendant, without a chain? No problem! Simply email me prior to placing your order and I'll adjust the item for you.

A single pretty pendant drop necklace lends a demure touch to your femininity. Pair with the matching earrings and OH-LA-LA!

Shop Crystal Allure Beaded Pendants and Pendant Gift Sets

Vacation-Schmacation!

2010-11-23T10:08:00.003-05:00

For me, vacation started yesterday. Yet I literally spent the entire day, since 7:30 am!, catching up on business paperwork. Yea, as a small business owner, you don't ever want to get behind in your paperwork. ugh. nightmare.

BUT, I did successfully get it all entered and cleared off my ever growing "to-do" list. And boy, what a stress relief that was. I did feel it weighing on me...since...oh...July. I work with numbers all day so it was very daunting to think of getting home and doing more numbers. So I made that a goal during "vacation".

Today, so far, I've spent the morning catching up on some blogs, blogging myself, working on the jewelry boutique, organizing some upcoming sales/offers, sending/reading emails and I still have to address my Content is King task; and get to stores, shopping, gift buying...the list never ends.

So as I sit here (still in my jammies), sipping coffee, writing all about what I still have to do my sweet little girl (Lucy) is snorting. Yes, snorting. She's in such a deep, relaxed sleep that she is snorting. I think my "assistant" is on her union break? Oh wait, we just got a streeeeetch -a long sigh...a quick glance, through sleepy eyes, that I am still in the room...aaaannnd...back to sleep.

Makes it really hard to get motivated. :-)

Are you on vacation this week? What are your plans?

Have a Holi-Latte!! Starbucks Promo

2010-11-18T12:20:00.004-05:00

Be still my heart!! Last night I caught the tail end of a commercial about a buy-one-get-one-free latte promo at Starbucks. Could it be true?!?! It is true!!

I'm SO there!! Get your double-shot (no pun intended) starting today (November 18, 2010) through Sunday (November 21, 2010), between 2 and 5 pm, at your local Starbucks.

The only drinks offered in the deal are: Caramel Brulee Latte, Peppermint Mocha, Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha, Peppermint Hot Chocolate, Gingerbread Latte, Eggnog Latte, Caramel Brulee Frappuccino blended beverage and Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino blended beverage.

I'm definately interested in trying the Peppermint Mocha. Which are you gonna try?

My Sweet Little 'Baby Girl'

2010-11-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

Awwww! She looks terrified! Well, in reality, she is -poor lil' thing. This is one of the rare pictures of our little Lucy. A rescue from Rochester Animal Services.

In case you haven't figured it out. She HATES (yes...a strong word...but trust me..) her picture being taken. We obviously don't know why so we try not to stress her out. I wish she didn't mind because she has such a cute face and expressive eyes.

Two weekends ago we had a gathering and as always, she stuck to me like glue. She couldn't get close enough to me and literally was on top of my leg whenever I moved around. I don't mind though and love her as much as she loves me. A friend of mine snapped this picture of her and it must have been when she was getting tired of trying to hide from all the pictures being taken; the people walking around and louder than normal noise of our guests.

I feel sad we upset her but at the same time, glad we have some pictures of her. We have one good picture of her in the grass (she clearly didn't hear the camera!) and now this one which is "fair". Unless you count the ones where she's not even looking and doesn't know because she's peeing or doing her duty (I'll spare you the graphics and just show her on one of her daily walks).

Needless to say, after the picture above, it didn't take long for me to know she just needed her quite space. So I put her upstairs and baby-gated her into ~~our~~ her bedroom.

And, yeaaah, the flooring. Nine years and counting. Another project yet to be completed. Someday. Someday. Well, the theory is when the kitchen is remodeled the flooring will be replaced. OH, I know...

My Christmas List
-NEW KITCHEN! :-)

What I Love About Fall

2010-11-13T11:33:00.007-05:00

I recently joined The Secret's In the Sauce group and love it! Once I hopped around the site a bit, I jumped right in and joined the Content is King group and took on the challenge of writing better blog posts.

Under tip #2, Nuture Your Voice, it says:
Words on a page are just words on a page unless you can find a way to breathe life into them. (amen! I wholeheartedly agree!) Allow people to relate. Make yourself vulnerable. (yikes!! open up? ahhh...no?! darn!)

Okay, okay. I get it. And I do know this. It's just...well...alright, I'll stop whining. Indeed my lack of blogging regularly has alot (did I say, ALOT) to do with being a very private person. Everytime I think to blog something, I think, hmmm..TMI. Although, I think I've done a pretty darn good job in the last year or so of sharing -beyond my jewelry business. My other ish is I am a very visual person. I like to "see" things so I'm always wanting to add some pictures or visuals. Which leads to other issues (remembering your camera where ever you go...remembering to pull out your camera to even take pictures!...having the time to download the pictures, crop them, fix them, etc, etc.)

The whole concept of my blog was to give a Behind the Designs look at life, when I'm not handcrafting jewelry designs (or dreaming of designs). Of course, this doesn't exclude sharing my designs or the inspirations behind them, rather to breathe life into them.

So, today I wanted to share with you what I love most about fall/autumn (activity #2). Here in Rochester, NY, autumn arrived right on schedule -the craft show schedule that is. I love to shop/look around craft shows in the fall. I scheduled with two good friends to check out the Letchworth Craft Show the first weekend of October. It was the perfect day. Sunny. Slight crisp to the air. BEAUTIFUL trees with all the red, gold, green and rust colored leaves. And of course, great conversation with a couple of dear friends!

The trip wasn't so much about the craft show. It was about getting together with girlfriends (bonding time here, ladies) -laughing -having fun -escaping the daily grind, etc. We arrived at the park only to spend approximately 20 minutes or so in the car, just to reach parking (lots of traffic!). But this time, sitting and doing nothing really didn't bother me. It fact, it was quite enjoyable. Relaxing.

Of course, both me and one friend remembered our cameras so we took the opportunity to snap some pictures along the way.

I think I may have gone a tad beyond the "list" function of my activity, but it is true; once you just sit down and start "writing" the words just flow. Thanks Jade for the kick in the butt! And to stay true to the list, here's my autumn loves (in no particular order):

-the colorful trees
-the crisp air
-the feeling of a renew of the self
-the feeling life has slowed down a bit (remember to stop and smell the acorns)
-oh yes, acorns..and pinecones...and colorful leaves (oh yeah, said that)
-pumpkins
-warm crumbly top apple pie (Mmmmmm!)
-thanksgiving dinner
-cozy sweaters

In closing, I will not admit (no -never!) this blog post took more than 10 minutes to write. :-)

How about you? What do you love most about the autumn/fall season?

The Great Beaded Pumpkin

2010-11-03T09:49:00.006-04:00

A dear friend recently started her own blog to showcase her art and share it with the world (since I told her to stop keeping it all to herself!). In fact, I have quite a few of her pieces and love each one for its' uniqueness, handcrafted nature and beautiful design. So it comes as no surprise that I fell in love with her hand-drawn pumpkin! (for those of you catching up on my obsessions..I love pumpkins!)

After seeing her sketch I was inspired to create some pumpkin themed jewelry and/or beaded gifts. So, this past weekend I pulled out my stash of beads and got to creating. If you can picture Edward scissor hands cutting through bushes with the pieces flying all over...yeah, that was me in the studio this past weekend. No lie.

What emerged were the beginnings of a new gift selection at Crystal Allure, Beaded Zipper Pulls. Now, expand your mind a little and you will find, our zipper pulls are not just for zippers. Add them to purses, handbags, book bags, tote bags, luggage, jean belt loops, you can even clip them on shoelaces! The possibilities are endless.

Of course, I am a little late for some of the designs as Halloween is over, but the pumpkin is something that is in style straight through Thanksgiving. And our beaded zipper pull bag charms are perfect for kids, stocking stuffers and grab bag gifts.

With the holidays right around the corner (ugh), there are many surprises and new designs coming to the Crystal Allure Jewelry Boutique (yea!) so check back often.

Unlock Your Style: Beaded Keychains by Crystal Allure

2010-11-01T12:09:00.002-04:00

It's November 1st and do you know what you are getting friends and family as gifts? I hear ya...Christmas is next month. But as we all know, gift buying creeps up on us and then we are rushing around, last minute, for that perfect gift.

My best intentions in the studio were halted this weekend when I finished a Fall Jewelry design and realized I still needed one more element. So, with that on hold, I spent some time organizing my finished pieces, only to realize, I had quite a few beaded gifts completed that were not pictured or posted yet. (you know what's coming next...)

(drum roll please..)NEW to the boutique, today, are two beautiful beaded keychains. I'm most especially excited about the Personally Yours^TM Purple Heart Charm Beaded Keychain because you can personalize it with your own family, friend or pet photo!

Not so much a key carrying person? No worries! The Crystal Allure collection of handmade beaded keychains are versatile enough that you could even stylize your handbag, purse, computer bag, or well, any bag by simply slipping the ring onto the handle. So go ahead -Unlock Your Style with a beautiful beaded keychain by Crystal Allure!

Pssst. I also realized the pictures of the other keychains available weren't as great as I'd like so new, updated pictures for those will be coming soon. But rest assured, all Crystal Allure Jewelry and Beaded Gifts are more beautiful in person than any camera can catch on its' lens! That's a guarantee!

Swarovski Pink Hope Collection

2010-10-22T16:45:00.001-04:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the motto is, Think Pink!

There is no shortage of companies offering pink-related products in support of charitable organizations and breast cancer awareness. New to the movement is the Swarovski Crystal Group. They have designed a pink ribbon pin (retails for $55), a pink ribbon charm (retails for $55), a pink ribbon heart pendant (retails for $80) and a pink crystalline pen (retails for $24). During this month 10% of the proceeds from the sale of Swarovski's breast cancer awareness collection will be donated to The Libby Ross Foundation.

All of the products will be available at Swarovski's 230 boutiques nationwide and through authorized Swarovski retailers in the USA.

Photo Source: Swarovski Crystal Group

Jewelry Artisans Beware: Success is Self-Made!

2010-10-20T11:45:00.000-04:00

Today I came across an online company that offers (of course, for a fee...which is not small by any means) to connect handmade artisans with retailers looking for wholesale accounts. Intriqued, I read more on their site. What I found was a clearly presented (well, marketed) site, providing all the information one would need to evaluate if they wanted to join or not and lots of artisan testimonials.

What I didn't find -testimonials from the retailers. I found that odd since, well, as a potential "customer" of this site, not only am I interested in what other artists' experiences have been, but also what experiences/successes retailers have had in finding the right products for their stores/boutiques.

Additionally, for jewelry artists to "qualify" to join, they must already have 5 wholesale accounts that they could provide references for when they apply.

So, I ask this. If, I, (the artisan) already have 5 wholesale accounts (clearly showing that I've been successful with wholesaling my products to the right retailers) -why do I need XYZ wholesale company???? And to pay them $395.00 a year??

Obviously, I don't plan to list the company that I am referring to because I don't plan on giving them any additional advertisement -but, to me, as a jewelry artisan -this seems like a scam! Okay, maybe not a SCAM, SCAM, but they certainly wouldn't mine taking your hard earned money! :-)

Please Excuse The Dust Bunnies...

2010-10-08T15:08:00.005-04:00

Just a quick note to please excuse the "dust bunnies" as I freshen up the studio blog. I've been wanting to reorganize it for a while now and since I haven't had time to design jewelry, I chose to work on the studio blog. :-)

Most functions are working. Still a few to fix/correct but if you should run into any problems (commenting, recommending, etc) please, please feel free to contact me.

By switching around the formatting, I was able to add a few new features, two of which are the "tweet" and "recommend" buttons at the top of every post. There are still two functions that don't seem to be showing but I'm actively working on it.

I know I probably sound like a broken record but there are some fall designs coming soon -really! I promise! Since the beginning of fall I've been in a seasonal decorating kinda mood and of course, baking! Plus, for whatever crazy reason, I decided to repaint many rooms in the house (really, what was I thinking?!).

How's your autumn been so far? Have you gone leaf peeping?

Autumn's Bounty -Keuka Lake Wine Trail Tour

2010-10-06T09:23:00.016-04:00

A few weeks ago, my husband and I took a break from daily life with a few friends and went on a Sunday wine tour. We purchased some tickets for the Keuka Lake Wine Trail that included eight wineries, but, we only got to five of them. We started out at Heron Hill Winery and not only tasted some good wines but some good food too.

Pictured to the right is a view from the pathway leading up into the winery. And if you like pumpkin, their Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake is to die for!

They had a beautiful garden of which they clipped some flowers for the tables. We loved this pink flower but cannot figure out what it is.

Do you know what this flower is? Please leave a comment -I'd love to plant it in my garden!

Personally, I'm a white wine girl. I can tolerate some reds and have found a handful I really like that I keep in my personal stock. In fact, a few years back I happened to taste a port wine while in Pennsylvania and LOVED IT!!!

So when I discovered Heron Hill had both a red and white wine labeled "Eclipse", I simply had to share it with you. I (of course) like the white more than the red, but I pictured the bottles for all you Twilight fans out there. Come on now...how more ironic can you get...red wine...vampires...twilight?! You see it right?

The next stop was Dr. Frank's
Vinifera Wine Cellars. I'm pretty sure we picked up at least one bottle of wine from each winery but most memorable at Dr. Frank's winery was the view from the deck. Simply breathtaking. This same view could be seen to the left and right with miles upon miles of grape vines.

The day may have started out hazy but it was the perfect setting for the beginning of fall and the harvesting of wine season.

Our third stop was Stever Hill Vineyards. Here we were able to get up close to the grapes and snap a few delicious pictures.

Don't these look so delicious that you just want to pick one off the vine and taste it?! With the vineyard located just behind the house and barn, the black and white cat sitting next to the vines, was picture perfect..but I didn't get that picture. :-)

The tasting took place inside the barn and while we sampled some good homemade cooking, I spied three different colors of grapes in their containers off to the side.

The colors were so lush and seasonally perfect that I had my husband assemble them into a "group picture" for you. Whether purposely placed there or not, they definately added some ambiance to the tour!

The last two stops were Hunt Country Vineyards and Keuka Spring Vineyards. At Hunt Country, everyone was so very friendly and they even had a mascot -Gus. He was a little shy but a beautiful dog! In fact, the vineyard creates a wine named "Gus" (which of course we purchased) and donates a portion of the proceeds to an animal organization. BTW -the "Gus" wine was delicious!

The last stop for the day was Keuka Spring. Now, I don't know if it was the end of the tour, or if the servers had a long day -but ya know, wasn't so great. It seemed everytime the server started coming our way, he would serve someone along the way. It almost felt like he was ignoring us. At one point, I asked him if they had a paper copy of the wine selection list. He stood staring at me with this blank look for a few moments and then asked, "yes, do you want one?". Well, ah, yeah? Duh. Isn't that why I asked for one? So, sadly, not so great an experience for the last stop.

All in all, it was a relaxing, great day with some friends. Tasted some new wines, picked up some new ones for our personal stock and enjoyed the beginning of the fall season.

Happy Autumn!!

Heart Transplants: Inspiring Customer Feedback

2010-09-22T09:09:00.004-04:00

A few months back I posted about custom and customizing awareness jewelry in which I showcased a heart transplant survivor awareness bracelet I had customized for a customer. This customer (Barbara) asked to have our Transplant Awareness Survivor Heart Bracelet crystals changed to red. She wanted to give the bracelet to her daugher for her birthday and in celebration of her heart transplant.

Shown at right is a picture of the recipient (Jeannette) opening her gift.

This is what my customer said about her beautiful bracelet:
Dear Stephanie,
After attending my daughter's (Jeannette) birthday party, I just had to tell you how much everyone was stunned at the bracelet that I gave to her. My daughter, as well as everyone else, were amazed at how beautiful and appropriate my gift was. This made me feel great. My daughter will cherish it forever! Of course, I told everyone about you and where I found my gift.

Thank you so much. It was a pleasure doing business with you.
Barbara

--------------
Not more than a month later, another customer, currently on the heart transplant waiting list, requested this design as well. In her email request, she wrote, "Some days it is hard to keep a positive attitude when one is feeling so tired and weak. I think wearing this bracelet and looking at it would remind me one day at a time that you can do this, you are a survivor. Thanks for what you do making items like this to give individuals like me hope and encouragement".

When I emailed her to tell her the bracelet shipped, she wrote back, "Thanks again and may you be richly blessed for helping individuals like me to have something beautiful to look at for inspiration along their journey".

But, I was completely blown away when I opened my email the other day. My customer had sat down and written a most thoughtful email about how much she loved her awareness bracelet and how it gave her comfort and hope. If I have not said it a thousand times before, I'll say it again: THIS IS WHY I LOVE TO DESIGN AWARENESS JEWELRY! To touch peoples lives in this way is just beyond words. It fills my heart...

Here is my customers' email to me:

Dear Stephanie,
I just wanted to let you know I received my bracelet Monday. I absolutely "love it". I had to go to Transplant clinic last Friday and was feeling so down. They think I have some issues going on with my lungs now. The week-end was really stressful, because they had sceduled me for a bunch of testing Tuesday. I put that beautiful bracelet on and everytime I felt myself feeling down, I looked at it and my spirits would lift. I wore it through the testing and it helped "so" much. I am claustrophobic and the pulmonary function test requires getting closed up in a glass
cage. I would just glance at my bracelet when I tensed up, and did the same for the
CT scans. I am sorry to ramble on, but I just had to let you know what a blessing
the bracelet has been to me. Even though I am a yellow-gold girl, I love it.

I don't want to take it off, but will it hurt it to wear it showering or to bed. I do not want to damage it. Thank you again so much for what you do, and thank you for the beautiful card that you enclosed and the pen. I look forward to doing business again.
Hope you have a great day,
Charlene

Thank you, thank you, thank you to ALL my wonderful customers for providing me the feedback that helps inspire me and my designs. I'm so overjoyed you love your designs and that they offer you comfort and hope.

In response to Charlene's question on the proper care of her handmade beaded bracelet, there is a jewelry article on the website detailing the proper storage and care of beaded jewelry.

Back in Stock: Transplant Awareness Ribbon Bracelet

2010-09-21T08:32:00.005-04:00

Where does the time go?? It seems like just yesterday that I posted about my delicious desserts.

Yes, it is true. I have been MIA. But, I have been working like crazy in the studio between a backlog in paperwork, new fall jewelry designs, an upcoming show and well...you get the idea. :-)

Although the good news is our most popular Transplant Awareness Ribbons Bracelet is now back in stock! Don't wait to get yours -this bracelet sells out very quickly and sometimes it can take months to get it back in stock.

More good news: there are some new awareness bracelets coming AND new awareness categories!

Creative Desserts: Berry Pudding Cake

2010-08-28T09:00:00.003-04:00

For a recent invitiation we received to a friends' summer cookout, I decided to bring a dessert (since well, I love to make desserts). Most of the time, I try to find someone different and unique or at least something I haven't seen brought to other gatherings. I am a die-hard Betty Crocker fan but this time, I checked out Better Homes and Gardens online to search their recipes.

I came across their (notice how great their picture looks...) Berry Pudding Cake, loaded with various fruits (summer friendly) and light enough that it was actually heart healthy. Perfect. Go to the store, gather all the ingredients. I have a plan. Of course, as life would happen, "the plan", slightly changed the day I was to make them. Had all this running around to do and still had to get more of the individual tart dishes. sigh...

Rush home, start preparations. Cut up fruit, arrange in dishes (easy enough). Make the "cake" batter (hmm..didn't get fat-free milk..oh just use what I have). Fill the dishes and bake (cooking time is short -good). Out of the oven they emerge. Mmmmm..looks tasty...might be a little short on the berries....and probably should have made another batch of batter since the recipe served 6 and I needed 8 dishes. Lesson learned.

End result. They were a little "flat" because of the lack of berries and batter, but overall, pretty tasty and the perfect summer dessert! Will definately try these again.

Want to try them yourself? Here's the recipe link:

http://www.diabeticlivingonline.com/recipe/cakes/berry-pudding-cake/

Island Treasures Wedding: Jewelry Inspiration Board

2010-08-26T09:30:00.000-04:00

It should come as no surprise that I'm completely mesmerized by our new Island Treasures Summer Jewelry Collection featuring Crystallized^TM Swarovski Elements Starfish.

Although originally designed for everyday summer fashions, I quickly realized that all three crystal colors would also pair perfectly with a summer wedding. So I got to work building a jewelry inspiration board that would make any bride weep with joy.

Island Treasures Wedding by crystalallure featuring Cocobelle sandals

Although I was a winter bride and loved my winter wedding (held just three days before Christmas). Just about a month before our wedding we took a trip to Sanibel Island. IF for some reason, my winter wedding was not doable, I definately would have considered a beach wedding, right on Sanibel Island.

The layers of the wedding dress featured, by Brides.com, reminded me of waves on the ocean, rolling towards the beach. Ironically, just a few weeks ago, I purchased a pair of bronze jewel encrusted sandals from Dress Barn (love 'em!). After wearing them I thought, 'gee...these would be perfect for a beach wedding' (in white of course!). So if you're having a beach wedding or destination wedding, why bother with the formality of a wedding shoe -wear a wedding sandal! Featured in the set above are a pair of women's starfish beaded sandals by Cocobelle.

Summertime Fun Summer Design Partner Gallery

2010-08-13T09:10:00.002-04:00

I'm a little late in announcing this, but I'm still super excited!! My Summertime Designs and photo were the featured album cover for Artbeads' Summertime Design Partners Gallery II on Facebook!! Thanks Artbeads!

At the time I clipped the picture to the right, there were only 69 beautiful designer pieces in the album. Now there are over 110+!! Some of the pieces carried over the spring theme of butterflies and flowers, with tons of techniques used from beaded jewelry, wire wrap to bead weaving. I loved looking over the colors used and the unique vision each designer produced. Even the photo interpretations were stunning. You simply have to check them for yourself!

New Awareness Bracelets: Pulmonary Fibrosis

2010-08-11T09:14:00.005-04:00

Crystal Allure presents a new line of beaded awareness bracelets added to their Awareness Collection in support of Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF).

Back in 2006, I had been in communication with Jennifer Bulandr about creating a one-of-a-kind beaded awareness bracelet in support of pulmonary fibrosis. From out of the studio came a beautiful, sparkling red and blue Swarovski Crystal bracelet complete with awareness ribbon charm. It quickly sold out.

With all the changes going on here, it has been a banner year for Crystal Allure. To celebrate, I have re-introduced the original Pulmonary Fibrosis awareness bracelet only this time the design reflects a more feminine flair for a look that is both beautiful and chic!

As with all our other awareness bracelet designs, we incorporate the colors of the cause -NOT the colors of the charity that represents/supports the cause. This is a key feature of our designs -your purchase supports the cause. And Crystal Allure will donate a portion of the net proceeds to programs that support pulmonary fibrosis research and awareness.

The support colors for raising awareness of Pulmonary Fibrosis is red and blue. Why red and blue? Because these colors symbolize the oxygenated and unoxygenated blood going to the lungs.

Shop All Pulmonary Fibrosis Bracelets

New Swarovski Crystal Transplant Awareness Bracelet

2010-08-02T08:54:00.003-04:00

Available now is a brand new sparkling Swarovski Crystal Transplant Awareness Floating Ring Bracelet.

This unique organ transplant awareness bracelet features a centered emerald green Swarovski Crystal flanked by sterling silver awareness ribbon block beads and accented in a beaded style of sterling silver, Swarovski Crystals, pearls and silver floating twisted rings. Finished with a sterling silver butterfly charm and our signature jewelry tag.

This may sound silly, since I am the designer, but I am always amazed at how beautiful the transplant awareness bracelets are. No matter what mix of crystals, beads, gemstones or sterling silver I use, the result is always a chic bracelet I'd be proud to wear. And the fact that it raises awareness of an important cause makes it all the more beautiful!

I have a few more organ transplant awareness bracelet styles to get pictured and posted and just last night (before falling asleep) I came up with another fabulous design that, I promise, will make the perfect holiday gift! (yes...I know, it's August...what am I thinking about the holidays for....it's just a thing I do. *smiles*)

Celebrate Summer: New Beaded Anklets!

2010-07-28T10:15:00.005-04:00

Summer is not over yet! In fact, I think today it is suppose to reach a muggy 90 degrees. Ugh. But, hot or not, don't neglect adding a feminine touch to your ankles. A new (long awaited) Collection of Beaded Anklets have arrived at Crystal Allure!

Celebrate summer with one of our handmade sterling silver and Swarovski Crystal anklets. And from today until July 31, 2010, save 15% off your favorite anklet. Use coupon code celebratesummer at checkout.

Don't forget to check out the latest beaded jewelry added to the Summer Collection. You just might find a starfish or two!

What's your favorite beaded anklet design? Leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you!

Mmmmm..Cupcakes!

2010-07-16T13:03:00.006-04:00

On July 16, 2010, the Wall Street Journal reported New Yorkers' obsession with cupcakes is a driver of the city's economy. The article by Sumathi Reddy referred to them as "little morsels of impossibly cute frosted sweetness" and called the latest rage for cupcakes, "buttercream economics".

Hmmm, well... cupcakes are delicious there's no lie there and no disputing it either (okay, maybe the pickle cupcake is going a little too far and I doubt it's very tasty!). And, cupcakes are in essence, little cakes with little prices. But, for me, it's about the design. Cupcakes are good, yes, that's the point of them but they are also an opportunity to showcase creativeness.

Okay, confession. I LOVE CUPCAKES. I love cupcakes about as much as I love Swarovski Crystals. In fact, on occasion you might find me searching the google images for these petite delicious cakes -the pictures alone are a treat. In preparing this blog post, I came across so many tasty looking cupcakes that I honestly think I was drooling and there were waayyy to many to share.

I'm a huge fan of Cake Boss on TLC and watch it whenever I can. I guess I watch it and dream of what could be my own bakery. Although I quickly snap out of it realizing, as I tell my husband, that I could never work in a bakery. I'm quite positive my doctor wouldn't want me to either -the sweets...oh the sweets!

The good news (for me anyway...sorry readers) is, just earlier this month I was delighted to hear a new cupcakery, Dollop Gourmet Cupcake Creations, opened up within driving distance for me. Interestingly, I even learned there are two other cupcakeries in my area (Sugar Mountain Bake Shoppe and Dolce Cupcakery) that I never even knew existed (hmmm...might be time for some advertising?).

So what do you think -are cupcakes and cupcake cafes' a fad or not?

Cupcake Photo Source: unknown

Custom and Customizing Awareness Bracelets

2010-07-15T09:17:00.006-04:00

A customer contacted me about the Transplant Awareness Survivor Heart Bracelet because she wanted to give it as a gift to her daughter, Jeannette. She called me Wednesday morning and needed it no later than Friday. The family was having a get together and she wanted to present the bracelet to her daugther for both her birthday and for her Heart Transplant anniversary.

I set her up with a custom ticket on the website with express shipping, which would provide enough time to get the bracelet to her by the deadline. We also discussed customizing the beaded awareness bracelet in red to represent heart disease and because the designer style is from the transplant collection, it was a perfect combination.

I wanted to share this with you because not only does Crystal Allure provide designer beaded crystal awareness bracelets and jewelry, but also custom awareness jewelry. You can have a unique design custom made for the cause closest to your heart, or you can choose one of our existing designs and we'll change up the crystals to represent your cause.

For a list of awareness causes and colors, please see our Awareness Colors and Meanings Resoure Jewelry Article.

Summertime Fun & Sparkling Designs

2010-07-12T09:53:00.008-04:00

Yeah! It cooled off just enough this past weekend that I was finally able to get some pictures taken.

In partnership with the Artbeads Design Partner Blog Program, I received my beads back in May. The theme was Summertime Fun and I immediately thought of incorporating Swarovski Crystal Elements. I also decided on a Lillypilly Shell Pendant that I've had my eye on.

My Inspiration: Ocean blues, sandy beaches and natural materials. I chose Swarovski crystal shapes in bicone, cosmic rings, starfish, pearls and a lovely hammershell teardrop pendant. My first thought was to incorporate these bead materials into one or two designs and then I had a dream...yes, I literally had a dream about using these crystal beads in a particular way.

One of the other great opportunities of being a Design Partner is my ability to review products. I had not yet gotten into stock any of the "new" Swarovski Crystal Xilion cut crystals -until now. You can see from the picture at left, that the new Xilion cut showcases more facets, more color and more light. Just look at the mirrored image of each crystal bead, the crystal bead on the left (Xilion) shows more points of light than the traditional bicone crystal. Isn't it just fabulous?!

So far I have not used the Lillypilly shell pendant in a design yet, but did want to provide a review of it. I was very pleasantly surprised at how beautiful and dainty the pendant was. It will definately work perfectly in a beautiful summer design. My only criticism is that the drilled hole was not exactly centered on the pendant.

The goal of my Summertime Fun idea was to really highlight the luminosity and beauty of Swarovski Crystals by showcasing each one in its own design. To do that I pulled out some of my personal stash of beads and materials and fashioned the beginnings of a beautiful summer jewelry collection.

I also just had to get the new jewelry pieces pictured with a few of my personally collected shells, right from the beaches of Sanibel Island, Florida! When we vacationed years back, I spent just about the entire time on the beach (loved it!) and I'd walk the beach and collect shells. I even brought back some sand!

This collection also begins a fresh new start of the crystal jewelry offered at CrystalAllure.com by going back to its' roots. I'm very happy with the end result because in the summer, I don't like to wear bold jewelry and I personally think by showcasing the crystals on their own, it really makes the crystal stand out.

Of course, I did run out of materials (again) and still have some of the crystal beads left. But those new designs will be forthcoming.

Disclosure: As a Design Partner of Artbeads.com, I periodically receive products, beads and/or components free of charge. I have been asked to review these products and give my honest opinion of the products...positive or negative. I have in no way been compensated by Artbeads.com for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received and reviewed.

Dog Days of Summer

2010-07-08T16:27:00.007-04:00

HEY MOM! WHERE'S MY POOL?

Just before the 4th of July, I was on a roll with new designs, finishing up the summer designs and finally got some beaded anklets done as well. BUT, as the weather here goes, now that the holiday is over, it's been in the low 90's all week. The last two nights it has only gone down to 70 degrees...baaaaad sleeping weather!

Don't get me wrong. Sun is good. But us Rochestarians, well, it's our job to complain about the weather. It's what we're about. *smiles* My ish. I still don't have central air and I have been unable to get any pictures for a while now (1. because it's been too hot and 2. because I have to wait for the sun to go down). You see, I perfected (or at least I'd like to think so) my picture taking to where I can get pictures regardless of the weather we're having here. But, with the heat, it's just been too unbearable to work in the studio and I'm seriously overdue for posting the results of my summer bead partner designs/review. ugh.

The claim by forecasters is that we'll get a break tomorrow and so it is my plan to try and get some pictures then. I'm crossing my fingers. Until then, I thought you might enjoy the cute photo of a black and tan miniature pinscher. IF my little Lucy didn't mind her picture taken, I would have loved to share her with you. But, she's not a fan of the camera. See for yourself (indicated by the white arrows):
Photo 1: happy Lucy in the driveway enjoying an evening outside; Photo 2: Lucy NOT so happy after seeing me pull out the camera. Oh well, I tried.

Hopefully, I'll have summer jewelry design pictures for you by the weekend.

Jewelry Tools (of the trade)

2010-07-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

Remember the Freshwater Pearl Dragonfly Necklace.

In that post I (briefly) talked about the tools I used on that design and today, I'd like to expand on them a little more.

The first tool is a steel bench block. It's quite heavy but the perfect base for flattening, laying out or chasing.

The chasing hammer is used to manipulate metal to make it smooth or give it texture. Chasing is a method of decorating metal objects by making indentations with a chasing hammer.

The last tool used in this design was a wig jig. An acrylic square with tiny holes drilled into it. You then stick small pegs into the holes and then twist wire around the pegs to form the shape you desire. There are different wig jig's for different gauges of wire. In my case, I picked this wig jig up at the local store probably around the beginning of when I started jewelry design. I just don't remember having used it, until now. The wire "popped" off the pegs a few times and the pegs popped out of the holes a few times too, but it's really an inexpensive jig.

As I progressed along in the wire-wrapped necklace, I decided the best finishing touch was to create a lariat style hammered loop using these tools. The end result was exactly what I was hoping for and made me want to use these tools on other designs.

In fact, I'm working out a design (in my head) as I type this...hmmm...I'm on to something here. Stay tuned...

So tell me -have you used any of these tools before? If so, how did you like them?

New Jewelry Displays

2010-06-30T08:00:00.001-04:00

A few weeks back, I happened to go into the Hallmark store down the street -for thank you cards. Found out they were closing up shop and they were selling everything.

Did I get the thank you cards -no. Did I snag a good deal on some displays -oh yeah!

Picked up two white wire displays, perfect for petite earrings and keychains. I find creating petite earrings is addictive. As a result, I tend to make (and have in stock) quite a few pairs. But on the rare occasion I do a show, there is never enough table space to really put them all out. Now, I can pop them into some small zip lock bags and hang them on the display.

The three-tier bracelet display -finally! I've been wanting one of these for a while now. From research I do know I saved a few bucks (and shipping), so it's all good.

In the last few days, I've been (mentally) cataloging my unfinished projects both in the house and for Crystal Allure. And as if my project list isn't long enough, I can now add these:

The wooden platforms with the metal heart -well, it was unique and I know I can figure something out for it. Although, I will have to paint the wood -most especially since the "precious moments" logo is still on them. :-)

Of course since I use black tablecloths I was thinking of white paint, but hey, you never know. Will try to remember to post the 'newly painted' pictures of this project once it gets finished. I'm sure if this project could talk, it would be asking where is the end of the line....it's no where in sight.

Emma's Custom Crystal Prom Earrings

2010-06-28T13:28:00.008-04:00

Back in May a woman emailed me and said that one of her co-workers told her about Crystal Allure. She said, "he told me by order of marriage he was obligated to mention his wife's jewelry business, Crystal Allure". Yes, that was my husband. He's a funny guy. :-)

Amy contacted me about designing a custom pair of crystal earrings for her daughter's prom. We communicated the whole custom order through email. I provided her some direction on earring styles based on the style of the dress and asked her to send me some pictures of the dress.

Her daughter, Emma, had chosen a lovely mermaid style dress in a pinkish-salmon color with a silver and gold overlay. It was definately a beautiful dress!

Since the dress was patterned, I suggested a simple crystal earring style, possibly a drop of some sort. So I sent off to Amy a sample picture of crystal colors and four possible earring styles. Although it would be difficult to match the pinkish-salmon color in the dress, I did show a light rose crystal style, for comparison purposes.

I offered my thoughts on the design and suggested since the dress was so beautiful and elegant, I would chose Style #1 for the style but I would choose Style #2 for the color. What you can't see in the pictures are the many gold-toned beads on the straps of the dress. By going with the golden shadow crystal, it also would not compete with the dress for attention.

Emma did choose exactly this design option and the earrings turned out stunning! Emma was kind enough to send some pictures after her prom and you can see the lovely Emma Custom Crystal Prom Earrings and her handsome date below.

Emma had this to say about her custom earrings:

Hey Stephanie,
This is a little late, but I wanted to thank you SO MUCH for my prom
earrings! I've just sent a card along with my mom, so hopefully that gets
to you soon. Again, I loved them so so much and I cannot thank you enough.
Hopefully I'll have some more Crystal Allure earrings in my future :)
Emma

Awww! You're very welcome Emma! So glad you loved your earrings and it was my pleasure to design them just for you! Enjoy!

PS: Don't forget, crystal earrings are very versatile and can be worn for more than just special occasions! Pair them with a beaded top, jeans and viola' -instant style!

Happy Customer Shares Her Thoughts

2010-06-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

Our daily lives can be so busy sometimes. But when a customer takes the time to write a thank you email or letter, it gives me great pride to share it with all of you.

Hello,
Just wanted to let you know that I received my order today in the mail and I
just love the bracelet and matching earrings. I like the story behind the
bracelet about a butterfly and taking a new breath. I am on a list for a
double-lung transplant and I am going to wear this jewelry proudly!

Thank you so much for thinking of us transplant individuals.

Beverly (Iowa)

You are very welcome Beverly! It is my pleasure to design beautiful awareness jewelry for such beautiful people! And good wishes are sent your way on your journey to transplant.

Sparkling Garden Friends

2010-06-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

It is true, I love all things sparkly. And so why shouldn't my garden sparkle too? Right?!

I found both the frog and snail at a local store and just recently purchased the mushroom from an artisan at a local craft show (Fairport Canal Days). She had some fabulous items and it was hard to decide. But I knew the colors would go perfectly in our butterfly garden.Of course, I took the pictures at night...so they don't really sparkle in the pictures like they do during the day. But I just had to share with you.

When I'm not beading, I'm in the garden. In fact, we recently cut down the tree next to our porch so that will be the next garden challenge..to landscape there so that it shows off our wrap around porch. I figure by the time I get around to finishing it and liking how it looks, it'll be fall. :-)

There are some fabulous new summer jewelry designs coming, I just need to get better pictures and get some complementary pieces finished before I do the official announcement. So, gotta run...busy, busy, busy...

Lampwork Bead Winner

2010-06-23T09:55:00.001-04:00

A special thank you to Dawn (Lavender Dawn Handmade Lampwork Beads) for offering such beautiful beads for the contest. The lucky winner is ROBIN!! I've made contact with her and she should get her beads any day now. Can't wait to hear back from her.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by, read the introduction and left a comment. I love giveaways and I'm happy to see so many fellow artisans participate.

Don't forget to sign up to Behind the Designs Studio Blog, by either feed or email (located in the upper, far right column). That way, you'll never miss a post or a giveaway!

Thank you everyone!

Guest Post: Lavender Dawn Handmade Lampwork Beads

2010-06-09T15:07:00.011-04:00

I had the unique opportunity to be introduced to Dawn M. Lombard of Lavender Dawn Handmade Lampwork Beads. I've always been fascinated by the artistic craft of blown glass and lampwork bead making. In fact, I took a class myself and let me tell you, it's not easy. I'm sure, as with anything, over time you get used to the technique and the need to keep turning the bead while it's in the flame. But for now, I think I'll continue to admire the works of art of other designers.

Read below for a fantastic interview with Dawn and at the end of the interview, you'll find a contest to win a beautiful set of handmade lampwork beads, made exclusively by Dawn, for you!

How did you get started in lampworking?
I love telling this story. My sister Sara begged me to go with her and my mom to an introductory lampwork class. First off, I had never even heard of lampworking and second, I have no patience whatsoever – so the thought of me sitting at a torch and melting glass had absolutely NO appeal to me. But I reluctantly agree. Within the first hour, my life changed.

Prior to this class, did you have an artistic or craft history?
Ironically, I wanted to be a graphic designer when I started college and majored in studio art. At that time, hand-rendered graphics were still being done. My dad gave me the best tip in the world and explained that computers would take over the entire process. I trusted his judgment and changed my major to business administration (Marketing). My artistic side went dormant for many, many years.

What has surprised you most about working with glass?
I never expected the process to be so meditative. I find molten glass extremely soothing and, after a long week of crunching the corporate numbers, I easily get lost in the fluidity of the glass. I also am fascinated by the chemical reactions that occur when you blend certain colors and use metal with the glass.

What sort of set up do you have for making beads? (Type of torch, gas, kiln, etc.)
At my studio, I use a Carlisle Mini CC with tanked O2 and propane. My boyfriend build me a kiln out of a large metal mailbox (it works fabulously and we love it – heats up very quick and was easy to make). At my boyfriend’s studio, we use a Hellcat and a Bluebird annealer. I don’t care for the Bluebird so much since it really takes a long time to get those firebricks up to temperature. I actually travel to his house with my homemade mailbox kiln.

What type of glass do you use?
I use both Moretti and Borosiliciate. I am very comfortable with soft glass and am still struggling with the boroscilicate -they both work very differently.

Do you have any favorite colors or combinations of glass rod to work with?
I absolutely love dark ivory soft glass with silver leaf overlay. The chemical reaction produces the most amazing blues and greens – very unique and organic looking.

Do you have a favorite product? (i.e., bead release, glass, etc.)
I am a die-hard fan of Fusion bead release. There is something very different about their mixture – it has more of a sand-like quality and I have never had it break on my while working a bead and all of my beads slide effortlessly off the mandrel.

Do you have a favorite technique?
The quickest way to make a dazzling bead that looks like it took a long time to make – simply buy a jar of Raku frit. The color it produces is amazing and applied over light opaque colors is just stunning. Just don’t cook it too long or it will burn.

Are you a “sets” person or a “focal bead” person?
Totally a focal person – I like to let the glass take over when I am at the torch. To make matching spacer beads is a mundane, repetitive chore to me – I do it but I sure don’t like it. It is a necessary evil if you want to make a stunning piece of jewelry though.

Have you developed a “signature” bead, a unique type of bead that is recognizably yours?
Yes, it is the ‘Volcano’ bead – a cone-shaped bead with wisps of color. I just love making them.

What was your biggest obstacle to overcome?
I am still struggling with shaping borosilicate – you really need to ensure your footprint of glass evenly placed before you encase it in clear or it looks wobbly – I have a lot of those in my reject jar.

What remains a challenge for you in hot glass bead making?
Hard center-lined bicones are truly a challenge for me – it is the edge that I cannot get crisp – there must be a secret to getting that fine line.

Do you still have the first beads you made? What do you think of them now?
Of course I do – I still wear the very first one I made in that intro class 4 years ago. It is the ugliest bead I have ever seen but I wired it up and slipped it on a chain and wear it very proudly. I really helps to put things into perspective when I am especially hard of myself when I don’t have a ‘perfect’ beading session.

How have your beads changed? Since you started or over the years?
Absolutely, I have moved away from bright color contrasts and moved to more subdued colors – I feel that provides me with a better expression of my vision of the beads – I love an organic, earthy feel and color creates that feeling.

What was your scariest beadmaking experience?
When I didn’t understand the ‘tempering’ step of glass – warm the glass slowly or it shatters. Well, on a cold December night a rod of glass shattered and a piece stuck to my face. Very terrifying and so thankful it didn’t leave a scar.

Do you have a humorous beadmaking experience or moment to share with us?
During a live demonstration at one of my art shows, I could not stop the rod from shattering. It was a windy and cold October outdoor show and I was chasing the flame. Every time I caught the flame, the glass would shatter. It was so embarrassing and the folks who were watching didn’t believe I actually MADE the beads (because I couldn’t show them). Quite funny in hindsight.

Have you had any “glass epiphanies” while working?
Patience – I recently came to understand that working further away from the flame will let you work metals longer without burning. I was always going for that quick result (working too hot) and getting mud in the end. Stringer control is also all about heat control – it has gotten so much easier now that I work cooler.

Do you have a technique, method or tip to share?
Really clean those beads – even the smallest amount of bead release left on a bead can be seen and can leave ‘chalk’ marks on some necklace materials.

Another tip: an oil paint spatula is great for creating a flat end on beads!

Do you have any advice or encouraging words for someone who is just starting out in glass?
Patience!!!!!!!!! Don’t give up on the glass – PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE – one day it will all just come together. No great artist was a great artist from day one. It takes time and if you want it from deep down in your soul, it will come together.

****************************************************
WIN THESE BEAUTIFUL LAMPWORK BEADS!

How to enter: Just leave a comment below noting one of your favorite beads from the Lavender Dawn shop.

1 winner will be chosen randomly June 21st and notified by email. Good luck!

About the contest beads: The two end beads are 11mm wide, the three middle are 12mm wide, all five are approximately 1mm tall.

The beads were made with Italian Moretti glass (otherwise known as 'soft glass' or 'soda lime' glass). Dawn used a light ivory on the 2 smaller beads and ivory on the three others. Once the beads were shaped, she decorated them with a frit (broken pieces of glass) called Raku. Raku produces pretty shades of blue, brown and specs of red.

****************************************************

Thank you to Dawn for a fantastic interview, glimpse into lampwork glass bead making and for offering such lovely lampwork beads for the blog contest.

Contests & Giveaways

2010-06-08T16:00:00.005-04:00

We're just weeks away from summer officially starting, so let the fun begin! I'm just getting back from vacation and trying to get back into the swing of things...what better way than with a contest AND a giveaway?!

For the first time eva, Crystal Allure is offering its most popular Transplant Awareness Ribbon Bracelet in a contest being held by Lauren over at Shooting Stars Mag Blog. Wrap yourself in HOPE with this sparkling crystal organ transplant bracelet finished with a beautiful butterfly charm!

Thank you to Lauren for hosting the giveaway, the write up and kind comments!

And, to keep true to the awareness and cause jewelry theme, receive a free pair of matching Swarovski Crystal earrings with every Awareness Jewelry purchase, made at Crystal Allure, during the month of June!

The free pair of earrings will be sterling silver and will be designed to complement the awareness bracelet you purchase.

Good luck to everyone and although today is overcast and rainy (where I am) I hope you're having a funshine day!

Crystal Allure Jewelry: In Bloom

2010-05-24T10:54:00.004-04:00

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! If you're anything like me, it's a constant battle to decide to go outside and enjoy the sun or get cracking on all my house projects and continued spring cleaning list. Unfortunately, spring cleaning won out this past weekend. As we get nearer and nearer summer, not having central air weighs heavily on me. :-)

Although, I DID spend some time on the porch reading a magazine and enjoying the soft breeze on Saturday. I've set up a little charming nook on our side porch gazebo with wicker furniture and it's quite cozy.

No new designs created this past weekend, but the ideas are flowing. I've also received all my bead orders with the components I want to use in the Summer Jewelry Collection, but that's for later. It's still Spring and a beautiful one at that!

The Crystal Allure Spring Jewelry Collection are pieces that reflect soft feminine hues inspired by beautiful flowers, gardens and butterflies. Infused with a combination of both tranquil and vibrant airy tones in beautiful Pantone inspired shades of Violet (purple), Aurora (yellow) and Dried Herb (green).

All our pieces will definately carry over into summer, but there are less than 8 days left to take advantage of the grand re-opening discount of 20%. And many pieces are one of a kind, so don't delay -once they're gone, they're gone for good.

Guest Post: Galleria di Luce

2010-05-20T10:42:00.001-04:00

A few months back, I started working with Maria from Galleria di Luce (Bella Business Branding). I had contacted her to help re-design / re-brand my online jewelry boutique, Crystal Allure. Prior to finding her site, I had done the typical searches to try and find that unique designer who would help bring Crystal Allure to life on the web.

And as always, I kept coming across template designers who were producing, simply put, cookie-cutter templates. Color changes here, font changes there, but in the end it was the same template. What's more, you could never customize it to suit your business -to make your business stand out amongst the rest. And for those of you out there that are jewelry designers...you KNOW you need to have your brand stand-out or else you just fall into the black hole of the competitive business of jewelry design.

But Galleria di Luce was different. Galleria di Luce offered an identity as oppose to just a boutique template.

Finding Maria was like finding a hidden treasure -it was perfect! I wanted something unique -unique to my business -my own brand. I wanted to embrace that uniqueness that is infused into each of my jewelry designs and express that into my brand. That uniqueness began as a simple swan logo -the symbol of quality Crystal Jewelry.

Maria saw my vision and today so many elements are now tied in, from the swan to Swarovski Crystals, the elegant colors used, the sophisticated layout and more. If there is any designer I would absolutely put full-on, unrestricted trust, faith and respect into -it would be Maria from Galleria di Luce. Maria has done so much more than just re-brand Crystal Allure Jewelry, I couldn't even begin to start a list. Maria is just fabulous!!! And her template designs are unforgettable!

Through her hard work, patience and understanding, we got through the design phases and she produced a spot-on re-brand for Crystal Allure Jewelry. Every aspect, every element now speaks of the jewelry I produce and the quality of my jewelry.

Quality designs that are Beautiful, Feminine, Alluring.
Crystal Allure -Redefine Your Femininity!

To Maria -thank you, thank you, thank you for everything you did for Crystal Allure Jewelry. I think the site is absolutely beautiful and is the perfect representation of my jewelry designs.

Check out Galleria di Luce for elegant business and boutique branding and when you do tell Maria I said "HI".

NEW Secret Garden Swarovski Pearl Charm Bracelet

2010-05-14T10:00:00.008-04:00

New to Crystal Allure is the Secret Garden Swarovski Pearl Charm Bracelet featuring a lovely strand of Swarovski Pearls accented by Swarovski crystals and sterling rose beads. Finishing this beautiful design is an orchid quartz gemstone teardrop and green czech pressed glass leaf.

I only have to look to my own gardens for inspiration. Enjoy below some fab pictures taken of my bleeding heart bush in April 2010. We were only weeks into spring and these bushes, one each of the sides of our steps leading to our front door, were just sprouting faster than I could enjoy them. So I snapped some photos to show how beautiful they are and in return for admiring my beautiful garden I was inspired to create a secret garden bracelet! Enjoy!

My bleeding heart bushes love the spot they are in and have since taken over half of our steps leading to our front door. They don't have as many blooms anymore, but they are still as beautiful as they were in these pictures.

Shop All Beaded Bracelets by Crystal Allure > >

Why Buy When You Can Borrow Jewelry?

2010-05-13T11:17:00.007-04:00

While doing some researching I came across the website for Adorn. The business concept is that you can rent fine diamond jewelry (yes, genuine diamond jewelry) for your wedding or special occasion.

You simply shop for jewlery you love, add them to your bag, checkout with your credit card, wear your amazing jewelry and then simply send it back via UPS (using the pre-paid label they provide you). How much easier can it get?!

Not sure what style jewelry to complement your gown? Take advantage of their style consultation services for worry free advice on the best jewelry for your outfit.

Another added benefit of renting dazzling genuine diamond jewelry....it's green.

Subtle Ways to Update Moms Style

2010-05-10T09:16:00.011-04:00

I hope everyone had a FABULOUS mother's day, and a belated Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there!

Mothers day might be behind us, but it's never too late to update your style. In fact, the most popular times to update ones style is during the season changes. We're still in spring but closing in on summer -fast!

An article by Bobbie Thomas, TODAY style editor, suggested adding a bit of Feminine Flair to your outfit (which is what Crystal Allure is all about!). This is the perfect option for the lady who can't stand the idea of putting on a skirt, but still wants to feel feminine. The easiest way to to do is with a notice-me-now necklace.

Bold Feminine Flair
If you love to wear black, try this black Onyx and Indian Agate Gemstone Necklace. It's a bold style that will add a burst of festive color.

The unique "watermelon slice" black onyx pendant is the focal of this stunning beaded necklace and because it is handmade, it makes the necklace even more special.

Delicate Feminine Flair
Looking for a lighter style that still offers that same notice-me-now look but with a little shimmer? Slip on this Crystallized Swarovski Elements Necklace in delicate colors of pink and pale gold that mimic the sparkling crystals on sundrenched beaches.

A 14 karat gold fill circle link chain allows for a front closing clasp in this beautiful Y style necklace.

Haven't quite found that you piece of jewelry at Crystal Allure? Contact me to have a custom design created, just for you!

The Art of Electroforming Leaves

2010-05-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

The art of electroforming a real leaf is a delicate process. First, a real leaf is pressed flat and dried. Once it has dried, the leaf’s pulp is removed in a light acid bath which produces the result of a leaf "skeleton". This skeleton is very fragile as it only has the veins of the leaf holding it together. The leaf is then dried once more and then hand painted with a copper based paint (which allows it to be electroformed). The leaf is next submerged in an electrolytic solution and with the magic of the positive/negative charges from electricity, metal deposits onto the copper based surface. This process takes place over a period of three days.

Logically so, if the leaf has fine veining then a "filigree" leaf will result; if a leaf has little veining then the electroformed surface will be solid. Tip: Prolonged electroforming will also result in a more solid form. Taking the extra time during the electroforming process insures the metal deposits are uniform.

The final metallic leaf finish is dependent on the electrolytic solution used. The leaf jewelry Crystal Allure offers have been electroformed in 24kt gold but other variations exist that include sterling silver or iridescent rose gold (which is a combination of 24kt and copper).

How To Care For Your Leaf Jewelry
Leaves should be cleaned carefully with a warm cloth and not with abrasives to maintain its longevity. Each leaf is unique and special, capturing a part of nature, resulting in a beautiful piece of wearable art. Over a period of time, our 14kt gold electroformed leaf jewelry will age to a deep brown-red.

If you wish to use this article on your website, you may do so, with a source reference at the end of the article (as shown below) and a link back to our website. Thank you.

Article Source: Designer Handcrafted Beaded Jewelry by Crystal Allure (http://www.crystalallure.com)

Grand Re-Opening Discount Extended

2010-05-03T16:00:00.000-04:00

So, it's summer...and the days are longer (right?)...and yet, there just is never enough time in the day to do what one has to do!

The last few months have been extremely busy and I am still in the middle of getting all facets of the grand re-opening in place at Crystal Allure. Soooo, because of this delay and that I have been unable to focus immediately on incoming orders (my apologies to those who have had to wait), I'm extending the 20% storewide grand re-opening discount until May 31, 2010!!

To take advantage of this fab offer, just enter grandopen2010 in the coupon box at checkout.

SHOP CRYSTALALLURE.COM > >

Happy Shopping!

Crystal Allure Jewelry: Grand Re-Opening

2010-04-16T08:00:00.003-04:00

It's finally here! A new look for Crystal Allure that better fits our brand of handmade beaded jewelry. Isn't it just fabulous!! I am so excited to announce our grand re-opening of the online jewelry boutique and with it comes some fantastic offers -just for you!

A HUGE (did I mention HUGE) thank you to Maria from Galleria de luce (Bella Business Branding) for all her hard work, design expertise and overall patience and guidance throughout this process. The whole redesign process went rather smoothly and I'm sure alot of that had to do with Maria. It all started one day when I looked at the Crystal Allure website and saw it for the first time in a different light. I guess you could say, I had a "gee...." moment. So off I went searching the internet for either some kind of inspiration or a designer who I felt was the right fit for Crystal Allure. I found Maria's website, saw one of her available logo's -it happened to be a swan and as Emeril would say, "BAM". I was able to picture her swan logo, with my jewelry, my brand of designs, what I wanted to convey and more. So I contacted her and well, as they say, the rest is history.

The Swarovski label is the quintessential symbol of quality, elegance, style and beauty. That is why nearly every one of my jewelry designs uses Swarovski Crystals as accents (not to mention I'm koo-koo for crystals! I love anything that sparkles!). It is my hope that Crystal Allure Jewelry will debunk the myth that crystal jewelry is only appropriate for formal affairs.

The swan logo was perfect because it mirrors the Swarovski label and because a swan has always reminded me of the ugly duckling story. I design my jewelry so that you can wear it everyday and instantly feel transformed when you put it on.

Crystal Allure Jewelry, Redefine Your Femininity!

I'm so glad you found Crystal Allure and I'd love to have you celebrate the grand re-opening with me. From today through April 30, 2010, use coupon code grandopen2010 for 20% off your order. Hold on, I'm not finished yet. Not only is there no minimum order requirement, you can use this discount as many times as you want until April 30th. AND, for each order you place from now until April 30th, your name will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a $50 jewelry gift certificate towards anything at CrystalAllure.com!!

Happy Shopping and good luck to everyone entered for a chance to win the $50 jewelry gift certificate.

I Can See Clearly Now...

2010-03-26T07:00:00.001-04:00

It'll happen to everyone at some age right? The need for assistance with reading -a tad of magnification -glasses. I found myself in this position recently because of my desk set up at work. The screen is just too far away and rather than lean in (a very uncomfortable position I must say), I chose to go the fashionable route.

I knew my good friend, Barb, would set me up with some fabulously stylish glasses. Barb and I actually worked together "many moons" ago at an opticians office. That was my first 'career' and I loved it. Now that I think about it, not sure why I left it...probably the pay scale -hey a single woman has to make the dough so she can survive!

Anyhow, part of my job at that time was frame stylist. I was always brutally honest and that is what all my customers loved about me. They would always say they had never worked with anyone who was so honest and I simply told them, for the money they were investing in frames, they should look good! AND, they should really consider glasses like any other accessory. They're not just glasses. They're an accessory that speaks volumes to the onlooker -are you bold, shy, vibrant, classic? Glasses should fit your personality -your style and make you want to wear them. I don't recall anyone ever coming back unhappy.

Although I was in the optical field, I have never worn glasses. Until now. So I turned to my good friend to help me narrow down the choices -and be brutally honest with what really looked good on me. And as I already knew I would be, I'm extremely happy with both pairs!

Both are JLo frames, one is black metal with stars engraved into the sides. I call these the professional glasses. Very classic but chic. The other pair are my funky studio glasses. A mix of turquoise and burgundy. I know. It looks brown but it's really not. It's more of a very deep burgundy with a touch of brown.

Since they are just readers, the big question is -do I wear them regularly? Well, yes and no. The professional ones, I do at work -or else I'll be leaning over the keyboard tray! The funky ones, since they are the only ones I have at home, I do tend to leave them either in the living room or my studio. So, those are not always used like they should be, mainly because they are never where I need them to be. Hmmm...maybe I need meself another pair! Oh Barb....

Another confession. I know I said I was going to have some new brand designs up around the beginning of April, but...I've had a problem with tendonitis and it just doesn't seem to be going away. The good news is, I already have anywhere from 40-50 pieces that I just have to get pictured and posted. So, new jewelry is still going to be posted. It just might not be the new brand designs I was hoping to get done.

The Beauty of Spring Design Partner Gallery

2010-03-24T12:30:00.001-04:00

Remember my interpretation of spring in my Freshwater Pearl Handmade Necklace design through the Artbead's blogging program? Well, they created a Beauty of Spring design gallery on Facebook to showcase the many fabulous designs from other blogging partners. At last count there was 129 inspiring photos and I was flattered to have my jewelry design showcased as the album cover! Thanks Artbeads!

The various interpretations were quite fascinating and if you click on the individual photos, you'll be shown a link to the artisan's original blog post about their design. As you might suspect, the theme of spring produced elements of butterflies, birds, flowers and more mixed with various techniques that included, beading, wire-work and beadweaving.

And the NEW Winner is....

2010-03-22T09:20:00.003-04:00

It has been slightly over a month now since the guest post for Jewelry by Jackie and almost a month since the first winner was chosen. Sadly, this person never contacted me but I suppose that's good news for....ReBecca!! As chosen by random.org, a big congratulations to ReBecca for winning the Tracy Iolite Earrings.

It is my understanding that ReBecca's earrings have been shipped and I asked her to stop back by the Crystal Allure Studio Blog and leave a comment on her wonderful new pair of handmade earrings. Hope to hear from you ReBecca!

So why so long before a new winner was chosen? Well, first I tried to give the first name chosen a little more time than initially given to contact me. Second, after consultation with Maria from Bella Business Branding, I found myself in the middle of a full-on rebranding project. You probably noticed some of the changes as soon as you visited the Studio Blog. No worries though, an official announcemnet will be given in the first few days of April -pssst, with a great offer too!

Plus, if the truth be told...I've been trying to enjoy some of the scarce sunshine we rarely seem to get here in Western New York. Happy Spring!!

Spring brings forth a New Brand for Crystal Allure

2010-03-07T13:45:00.006-05:00

What started out as a "freshening up" of the Crystal Allure brand, has turned into a full-on website, logo and brand restyling project! Before the end of March I'll be introducing a new brand for Crystal Allure. Since this past friday, I have been working with a fabulous designer and I'm super excited to introduce her when the project is finalized.

As many of you know, the concept of Crystal Allure came about because of my love for Swarovski crystal. My goal with Crystal Allure was to offer luxury handmade jewelry at affordable prices, with a variety of styles to choose from that ranged between beaded to wire-wrapped. I can't even count the number of times I've changed the website look, but over the years, as we all do, we learn something new everyday. While I sat looking at the website this past week, I had a "gee...." moment and decided Crystal Allure is ready to take the next step to further the success of the brand and company. I hope you will be as excited as I am and rest assured, the brand may look different but you will continue to receive beautiful, quality handmade jewelry and personalized customer service.

Reflecting my love for Swarovski, I happened to stop in the local Swarovski retail store this past weekend and picked up the pen pictured above. I was told it has over 500 crystals in the top of the pen! Now that makes for a stylish writing instrument! Hmmmm....I wonder if it could write in sparkling ink?!

Crystal Allure Jewelry now accepts Google Checkout!

2010-03-05T14:38:00.006-05:00

I'm very happy to announce we now accept Google Checkout. As with everything it seems, it has been a long time coming but it's finally here! When you are ready to checkout you now have the option to "Go To Payments" and pay by credit card or PayPal or choose "Google Checkout" to checkout with well...Google!

I should probably warn you too that I have been tinkering (once again) with the website. In fact, I've changed it slightly twice in the last three days and now I'm looking at possibly re-branding. As I sat looking at the site today, a light bulb went off and I realized I didn't think the site look was conveying what I wanted. So, I've begun exploring new options and quite possibly you'll see something new coming down the road.

In light of these changes, I'd LOVE to hear from you. I'm looking to hear your thoughts on what you think, feel, "see" when you think of "Crystal Allure Jewelry"? Feel free to contact me directly or leave a comment below. Any thoughts on the current look is greatly appreciated too.

Enter the $1,000 Shopping Spree! -Ends March 4, 2010

2010-03-03T14:56:00.003-05:00

Artbeads 10th Anniversary Sweepstakes for the $1,000 Shopping Spree will be ending at Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 11:59pm (PST). The contest is open to United States and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) over the age of 18.

The Beauty of Spring -Freshwater Pearl Handmade Necklace

2010-02-28T20:28:00.006-05:00

At the beginning of February I was invited to join the Artbeads Design Partner Blog Program. All I would have to do is blog about the bead products I receive. It was difficult to choose which products I wanted to try out and after a few days of pondering design ideas, I decided to go with some lovely Freshwater Pearls. Of course, I couldn't help but to also get some Swarovski Crystal accents to use in the design.

February was themed as The Beauty of Spring and I was given free reign to interpret this theme in my own creative way. No restrictions (love it!). So my interpretation included a sterling silver dragonfly charm I already had in stock. I chose three distinct freshwater pearl colors: olive, light blue and peacock with a light sapphire crystal for accent. I was especially interested in seeing the luster of the pearls as my idea to include a dragonfly charm in my design, represented to me that irridescent shimmer of the dragonfly.

Using these beautiful pearls and crystals, I wire wrapped them along with some sterling silver rings. The focal dragonfly charm is made even more beautiful as it slips through a hand wrought and hammered sterling silver teardrop loop for a lovely lariat style Handmade Freshwater Pearl Necklace.

Overall, I was extremely pleased with the products I received. I rarely work with freshwater pearls and the size, shape and luster were right on target for my delicate design.

Disclosure: As a Design Partner of Artbeads.com, I periodically receive products, beads and/or components free of charge. I have been asked to review these products and give my honest opinion of the products...positive or negative. I have in no way been compensated by Artbeads.com for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received and reviewed.

And the Winner is......

2010-02-24T08:26:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to LADYPIE for winning the Tracy Iolite Earrings from Jewelry by Jackie!! The winner was chosen by random.org and I didn't find anyway to contact this person, so hopefully, she is following the blog. LADYPIE please contact me no later than February 28th to claim your prize (use the "contact us" link at the top of the page). Should I not hear from LADYPIE by the 28th, another random winner will be chosen.

Thank you to everyone who participated and left comments on Jackie's Jewelry and a big thank you to Jackie for offering her lovely earrings as a giveaway.

NEW Jewelry: Beaded Chain Gemstone Necklace

2010-02-22T10:22:00.004-05:00

As it was, I had intended on blogging about this new beaded necklace on Friday. But, Studio Friday consisted of spending just about the entire day trying to figure out computer problems and why I couldn't connect to the internet. Very frustrating to say the least.

It's still pretty cold here in Rochester, New York but with the sun coming out more I was recently inspired to design some jewelry with a lighter feel to it. I've had these Golden Strawberry Quartz gemstones for a while now and I am absolutely thrilled with the end result.

This necklace is the first in a series of beaded chain necklaces that will be designed for the upcoming Spring and Summer months. I had been looking over past designs and have always liked the style of the Peas in a Pod Nephrite Jade Beaded Chain Necklace because it incorporates a little of everything I like: beading, chain and wire wrapping.

What is so unique about the Golden Strawberry Quartz Gemstone Beaded Chain Necklace are the gemstones! In beautiful shades of brown, pink and cream, you can see a mix of bright yellow and orange in the brown gemstone beads. Adding to its' unqiueness is the fact, that no two gemstones are exactly alike.

The Golden Strawberry Quartz handcrafted beaded necklace is accented with an elegant sterling silver chain and circle links (another favorite of mine!) for a touch of modern allure.

Guest Post: Jewelry by Jackie

2010-02-16T08:00:00.002-05:00

I was first introduced to Jewelry by Jackie in December 2009. We were both vendors at a local art show and although I am partial to Crystal Allure Jewelry (which shouldn't come as a surprise!), I was immediately drawn to Jackie's collection of fine wire jewelry. I am a beader, make no mistake, but I have also done some wire wrapping. I absolutely love wire wrapping and think it lends a special uniqueness to jewelry design, which is why Jackie's jewelry caught my eye. I especially love the leaf work, which can be seen in the featured earrings on the right. Here is what Jackie's had to say about them:

The Kathy Iolite earrings are one of my favorite new designs. I originally designed them as a birthday gift for one of my best friends. The earrings were such a hit, I decided to post them on my website for sale and name them after her!

As I talked more with Jackie, at the show, I learned she handcrafts each leaf, earwire and head pin using sterling silver wire. Every piece is truly unique and can never be duplicated. Jackie's jewelry has a distinctive look to it, very delicate and modern. My personal fav is the Sterling Silver Leaf Sprig Necklace.

After learning about her unique designs, I wanted to know more about the designer, Jackie Baxter. Here is what she had to say:

I have always been a creative person. My philosophy has been that if I can make it or do it myself, I will. That is why I think I decided to pursue an artistic passion such as jewelry making. I attended SUNY Brockport and majored in Studio Art, concentrating in Jewelry Design. Before that, I would dabble with things found at my local craft store to make interesting jewelry designs. I have been making jewelry for over 10 years now. I love to design unique jewelry for myself to wear, and after enough complements and encouragement from family, friends and just acquaintances, I decided to sell my creations.

She went on to say: One of the things I like the most about designing jewelry is that I can create a completely personal piece of art for a very special individual and they can wear that piece of art. Whether the piece is for a family member, a best friend, or is a sale on my website, I make each piece with the highest quality and intimate attention to detail.

Today, I am very happy to announce that Jackie Baxter of Jewelry by Jackie has personally made a pair of her Tracy Iolite Earrings just for you! (shown at left) To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment below (feel free to list the item you love best from her online store).

The giveaway closes at 8:00am EST on Tuesday February 23, 2010. The winner will be chosen using random.org and the winner will be announced in a blog post. Feel free to follow Behind the Designs Studio Blog or sign up by email so that you are sure to receive notification of the winner. It just might be you! Good luck!

Sacred Heart Beaded Necklace -NEW

2010-02-14T12:02:00.003-05:00

Fourteen Days of Hearts & Love
Part 14 of 14

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Today is a special day for couples all over the world, as many will wed today. So as the old saying goes, "Here comes the bride, all dressed in -Red?!" That's right, red. The red wedding dress is becoming increasingly common in North America. Although it may seem an absolute fashion rebellion, the choice to wear a red wedding dress varies for each bride who takes the plunge.

For some brides, it is mostly cosmetic; they feel they look good in red and want to stand out in the warm, vibrant color that only red can deliver. Some brides will wear red for its' symbolic meaning of love and commitment, or of marriage and motherhood, or for religious beliefs. And still others choose the red wedding dress for traditional reasons relating to their cultural background.

Whatever the reason, there are a variety of ways to incorporate red into your wedding day. As previously mentioned, you could choose to wear a red wedding gown or you could create a red and white theme for your wedding through favors, neckties, flowers, bridesmaids dresses or red accented beaded jewelry.

The warm contrast between red and white is both sensual and feminine. Whether you are getting married or simply want to get your sweetheart something beautiful, you won't want to miss the Sacred Heart Freshwater Pearl Crystal Heart Beaded Necklace Set. Embrace your unique side this beautiful beaded necklace and earrings set.

Designed with a combination of feminine Freshwater Pearls and sensual red Swarovski Austrian Crystals, wire wrapped Crystal Heart Pendant (approx. 1/2" in size) finished with Sterling Silver components.

This handcrafted beaded necklace set is new at CrystalAllure.com.

Hill Tribe Heart Leaf Pendant Beaded Necklace

2010-02-13T11:57:00.004-05:00

Fourteen Days of Hearts & Love
Part 13 of 14

I've decided to showcase the newest heart necklace tomorrow, on Valentine's Day. But the Crystal Allure Jewelry collection is not without other heart jewelry! When I first started these blog posts I thought I wouldn't have enough heart jewelry, but silly ole' me, what was I thinking! And of course, a hand full of other jewelry was designed as I sat in my studio preparing each of these articles. In fact, I even found a necklace I had designed weeks ago, meant to get a picture of it and just happened to uncover it on my studio table as I was "cleaning". Where in my case, in my studio, "cleaning" means shuffling things from one corner to another. Yup, my studio is the only room that looks like a hurricane hit it. Based on the type of person I am, I certainly don't understand it but I just go with it. I have always been a firm believer (and my mother will confirm this) that everything has a place and every place has a thing for it. Organize, organize, organize. Yet, in my bead studio....that rule just doesn't seem to work. An empty table, for me, seems to stiffle my creativity. Strange I know. But, I just go with it (which is probably why you'll never see pictures of my studio). :-)

But, alas I digressed. Heart Jewelry. Got it. Back on track.

On this thirteenth day of Hearts & Love, I wanted to highlight the Fernwood Forest Heart Leaf Pendant Gemstone Beaded Necklace. Just as every element of nature comes together, so too did the elements of this necklace. The green garnet gemstone is simply beautiful, beyond words and complements perfectly with the wood beads for a truly nature inspired beaded necklace.

And as ironically as my confession above about a messy studio....well, I just spend a half-hour looking for the remaining green garnet gemstones to get a close up picture of them so that you could truly appreciate what I'm trying to convey in their beauty. But, as suspected I just can't find them. Note to self: clean table. (right).

The heart shaped leaf pendant was handmade by the Karen Hill Tribe in northern Thailand. Using techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation and a higher silver content allows them to easily shape their metal into very different styles. As a result, no two pieces are exactly alike. So even if I ever decided to make a similar style necklace, the heart leaf pendant will be uniquely different than the one shown here.

You simply can't go wrong with this beaded necklace because green and brown are the new "black" of the fashion world!

Unchain My Heart & NEW Beaded Pearl Earrings

2010-02-12T11:19:00.006-05:00

Fourteen Days of Hearts & Love
Part 12 of 14

Okay, okay, I have to admit, I did have a whole other new piece of jewelry to introduce today. BUT, as these things go sometimes, the pictures just were not up to my standards. So I've had to postpone that introduction until either tomorrow or Sunday (the last day of these Valentine Hearts & Love postings).

Indeed, I had already introduced these lovely heart earrings in January, but of all the heart earrings, I find these are my favorite. They have a little sass, a little sweetness and they are oh so beautiful! Although available in both Rose Quartz and Jade, the Unchain My Heart Gemstone Heart Beaded Earrings are even more unique because there is only one pair available in each gemstone.

If you're anything like me, somedays you feel a little sexy, other days a little sweet. I definately like a variety of jewelry to choose from each day. Most women dress based on how they are feeling that particular day.

New to CrystalAllure.com are two very different but very beautiful pairs of beaded earrings. Both showcase the beauty and elegance of pearls.

For those days when you're feeling a little sexy there are the Freshwater Pearl Berryvine Beaded Earrings featuring a rich cranberry pearl. Feeling a little sweet and angelic? Pick yourself up a pair of the Swarovski Pearl Bali Stack Beaded Earrings. I have always found my stack earrings to be particularly versatile and perfect for a day at the office, carting the kids around or a romantic dinner out.

The Heart of a Survivor

2010-02-11T10:03:00.005-05:00

Fourteen Days of Hearts & Love
Part 11 of 14

Whether you have had a lung transplant, heart transplant, or any organ transplant, your body, mind and spirit endure more than some can imagine. It can be physically and emotionally draining leading up to -through -and post transplant. But you do it because you have the will to live and transplant is a gift of life -a second chance.

For these reasons and many more, I designed the Transplant Awareness Survivor Heart Beaded Bracelet as a symbol of the strength and will to be a SURVIVOR. What makes this bracelet even more unique is not only does it support transplant awareness but it's also the perfect gift for that special transplant person on Valentine's Day.

Designed with emerald Swarovski Austiran Crystals, .925 Bali, accented by pearlized white seed beads and sterling silver heart beads that spell, SURVIVOR. This beautiful beaded awareness bracelet is finished with a sterling silver lobster clasp and custom Crystal Allure Jewelry tag.

This beaded bracelet is new to the online store.

Window Heart Earrings Grounded in Tradition

2010-02-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

Fourteen Days of Hearts & Love
Part 10 of 14

While preparing today's post, I had wondered what does the old wedding custom of "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" really mean/represent? So I did some research. It turns out the old saying in full reads:

Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.

Each item represents a good-luck token, that if given to the bride and carried/worn on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy. "Something old" represents a bride's connection with her family and the past; "Something new" symbolizes optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead; "Something borrowed" is usually an item from a happily married family member or friend, whose good fortune in marriage is suppose to carry over to the bride's new marriage; and a sixpense in the bride's shoe represents wealth and financial security.

It is the "something blue" that carries a bit of history with it. The color blue has been connected to weddings for centuries. The brides of ancient Rome wore blue to symbolize love, modesty and fidelity. In the Christian faith, the Virgin Mary was dressed in blue, associating the color with purity. And although it would be hard to believe now, with all the choices a bride has for wedding gowns, before the late 19th century, blue was the most popular color for wedding gowns (hence, the proverb, "Marry in blue, lover be true").

When I saw these beads, three words came to mind: princess, castle, wedding. I pictured them designed with some soft blue Swarovski Crystals and immediately thought of a princess -we all want to be a princess on our wedding day (and everyday if the truth be told!); and the beautiful frosted window heart beads reminded me of regal castle style windows -you know the ones told in fairy tales...where only princesses' and queens live.

The finished design of the Frosted Heart Crystal Beaded Earrings reminds me of a beautiful bride with a classic wedding style -fit for a princess!

Designed using Sterling silver earwires, they are an enchanting pair of earrings for the Bride-to-be, an anniversary gift or just because. A coordinating necklace can be designed for a complete 2-piece jewelry set.

Does Your Heart Belong To Your Pet?

2010-02-09T12:22:00.005-05:00

Fourteen Days of Hearts & Love
Part 9 of 14

According to a recent poll by Reuters/Ipsos, 1 in 5 adults prefer to spend Valentine's Day with their pet, than with their partner. Who could blame them right? Pets give us unconditional love, they're faithful, snuggly, lovable and oh so adorable.

Would I trade Valentine's Day with my husband for my pet...eh...maybe not? If I was single, I think I would definately be one of those "1 in 5" people. But, I'm blessed because I can be with both. You can definately see I am an animal lover and supporter. Which is evident in the Blue Heart Beaded Lanyard.

Designed with two beautiful satin blue Lampwork Glass Heart Beads, Swarovski Crystals, Bali beads and an adorable Sterling Silver Paw Charm.

This lanyard is not only chic enough for work but the colors are neutral and go with everything. AND the light blue color is also the support color for spaying/neutering your pet! You can attach your work keys to the keyring or to the hook. Most badges can easily slip onto the hook, but if you need a converter, they are available also.

Pearl Heart Dangle Beaded Earrings

2010-02-08T10:29:00.003-05:00

Fourteen Days of Hearts & Love
Part 8 of 14

Every year on Valentine's Day, February 14th, thousands of couples walk down the aisle to say, "I Do". Some couples plan their special wedding day a year in advance, others simply decide to get married just days before Valentine's Day. Whether you get married on the sweetest day of the year or not, the universal symbol of love is the heart and pearls have always been a timeless accessory for brides to wear. Pearls are smooth, lustrous, highly regarded for their beauty and are a symbol of femininity. What bride doesn't feel like royalty or a princess in pearls?

Marry together the symbol of love (the heart) with the symbol of feminine beauty (the pearl) and you have a look that is classic, timeless and will never go out of style. For example, have you ever seen wedding photos from the 80's? We all have. Those mile high poof-shoulder dresses, hair permed and/or teased to the sky with cans of hairspray holding it in place. At that time, that was the style of weddings, but to look at those pictures now, aside from a small chuckle or two, they are clearly outdated.

I wore pearls for my wedding and looking back at my wedding pictures, now 8 years ago, I'm so happy I choose a timeless, classic accessory. I, personally, have always thought of pearls as wishes. Seems strange, I know. But when I designed the Pearl Heart Dangle Beaded Earrings, I thought they'd make the perfect accessory to either a Bride, as a Valentine Gift or even as an Anniversary Gift.

I'm also no poet, but I did dabble a little when I was in high school. While pulling together this blog post, I also pulled together this wonderful little poem that seemed quite appropriate for these pearl earrings.

If pearls were wishes,
I'd wish for you,
a heart full of love,
with love times two!

Take Your Heart (and Love) Where Ever You Go....

2010-02-07T11:39:00.004-05:00

Fourteen Days of Hearts & Love
Part 7 of 14

Sometimes love is as simple and sweet as a heart fluttering beneath blue skies and sparkling stars.

Your love is with her always with the Blue Heart Cell Phone Charm designed with a dainty Sterling Silver Heart Charm, Sterling Silver Pave Style beads and a single faceted vibrant blue glass bead.

Everyone has cell phones these days and what makes this little Valentine's Gift so fabulous is you can even attach the charm to jeans, purses, MP3 players and even iPods -the ideas are endless.

For those of you who are football fans -good luck to your favorite team. Don't eat too many munchies and drink responsibly!

Love You Conversation Heart Charm Beaded Bracelet

2010-02-06T12:50:00.003-05:00

Fourteen Days of Hearts & Love
Part 6 of 14

Sometimes it's the little things -those small acts that show how much you love someone. Every now and then you hear a story about a grand expression of love, that it almost became an "event" in itself. For example, those men who go way above and beyond to show how much they love their sweetheart, say by having the electronic billboard at a football game changed (during half time of course!) with perfectly chosen words to express his eternal love. Hmmmm, well I'm guessing that probably cost as much as the diamond ring he is considering buying her.

A sweet gesture -yes! Expensive -oh yes! So why not just show her you love her with a beautiful bracelet, say, with a timeless conversation heart -charm. The best part of her gift? She'll love this tasteful expression of love because it's also zero calories!!

The LOVE YOU Heart charm Beaded Bracelet Set features a love-ly conversation heart charm that reads "Love You", surrounded by Swarovski pearls and deep red crystals with complementary sterling silver earrings. Better still, get both this bracelet and the Be Mine Heart Charm Beaded Bracelet Set and she can wear them individually or stacked for a double shot of style and affection!

Both bracelets are one of a kind.