Word of the Day: Quixotic

quix·ot·ic    Audio Help   (kwĭk-sŏt'ĭk)  Pronunciation Key 
adj.  

1. Caught up in the romance of noble deeds and the pursuit of unreachable goals; idealistic without regard to practicality.
2. Capricious; impulsive: "At worst his scruples must have been quixotic, not malicious" (Louis Auchincloss).

A reporter used this word to describe Hillary Clinton. Hmm...............

Artist Spotlight on Etsy Artist of Color

Today I'm the artist featured on Etsy's Artist of Color blog spotlight.  Check it out!

 

http://eaoc.blogspot.com/2008/05/spotlight-on_07.html

Etsy Buy - Hideaway Earrings from Satin Doll & Co.

Since I did the big chop on my hair, I need new earrings that dangle. I fell in love with these from Satin Doll & Co. Earthy but still elegant.

Etsy Treasury Love: Yooo-Hooo

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=9217&show_panel=true

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Best regards,
Danielle L. Green
The site: http://www.collectiveelements.com
The blog: http://blog.collectiveelements.com

Wedding Challenge Voting

The Jewelry on Etsy Team (JET), EtsyFAST, and ETSY Greetings street teams have come together to offer their members a creative Wedding Challenge. Members were challenged to design a “jewelry”, “fiber”, or “paper” item inspired by a featured bride’s wedding details. The bride and groom were chosen from another online community, Our Little Universe. The challenge - to create a piece that would be a perfect fit for their - Autumn and John’s - wedding event. The piece could be for the wedding, reception or the honeymoon - the choice was left to the designer.

Info on the bride and groom (as well as the challenge itself) can be found at the EtsyFast blog and in the FAST wedding challenge subforum and on the team blogs of the JET and EtsyGreetings teams.

FAST has the honors of hosting the voting for EtsyGreetings (the paper entries). Voting is open from April 29 until midnight EST May 6th and the results will be announced on May 9th. So skip on over, check it out, and vote!!!

http://www.etsyfast.com/blog/?p=65

Save That Old Bangle!

Somewhere between high school and college, I developed this obsession with silver jewelry. Maybe it was the overabundance of door knocker earrings, fat gold chains, and four finger rings dominating my high school culture that turned me off to the shiny yellow stuff. (Not that my mom ever let me wear anything cool or hip anyway.)

During college I searched for interesting silver pieces to complement my "special" sense of style. Now, eleven years after graduation, they're sitting in a jewelry box tarnishing away.

So how could I save the old pieces of jewelry that oxidiation claimed? I decided to refashion them by crocheting over them with scrap yarn. This way I can use remnants of yarn I have laying around and recycle jewelry that has sentimental value. Want to make your own crocheted bangle?

Start by cleaning up some of the tarnish. You can do this by first lining a glass casserole dish with aluminum foil. Place your jewelry on top of the foil and sprinkle liberally with baking soda. Pour boiling water over the jewelry till its covered. (It's going to bubble and fizz but that's normal.) Let sit for ten minutes, then rinse with cold water. This baking soda bath will clean some, if not all, of the tarnish off. Now comes the fun part.

Supplies Needed:

• Bangle Bracelet
• Size J Crochet Hook
• Small Ball of Yarn

With yarn and hook:
1: Chain 30.
2. (Now we'll connect the yarn to the bangle. ) Hold the bangle in the same hand you are holding your leading yarn.

2. Start to single crochet into the second chain. Insert the hook under the top loop of the second chain from the hook, as shown in the photo (do not count the loop already on the hook when determining which chain is the second chain from the hook.

3. Yarn over hook and pull through first two loops on hook. At this point, you have 2 loops on the hook. Yarn over and pull through the remaining loops to finish a single crochet.

4. Continue working your way across the row, attaching the yarn to the bracelet by repeating steps 1 - 3 to the end of your chain.

5. Slip stitch the end of your row to the top of the beginning of your row. Fasten off and weave ends. Ta Da!!!



If you don't have a silver bangle, use a plastic or wood one. Whatever you have handy is fine. You can certainly adapt the directions to a smaller bangle, or a bangle of different material. You can also use different weights of yarn for this project. A lighter weight of yarn or thread will result in a lighter feel of the design. It may also allow more of the bangle to show through. This can be a nice effect paired with the color of the yarn.

There are many other ways you can crochet over jewelry to create new and interesting pieces. Crochet over old rings with thread to add a dash of color. Add earwires to a thinner bangle to make earrings that pop!

These beat any old doorknocker earrings!

Experiment with different ideas and make your old jewelry new again.

Well after some initial hesitation...

Yesterday I took the plunge and chopped off my hair. No relaxers, no color...just natural hair. We'll see how this goes...