Artisan Ship Ready Gifts

Are you looking for a unique, special or even a classic gift for your loved one or friend?

Don't stress and run around in circles. I have several artisan pieces in my shop that are gift ready.

Make your gift giving a peaceful experience.

In a nutshell, feel free to visit my artisan metalwork jewelry shop to see more of my work.

Happy Holidays!

Rocki

Rocki's Artisan Metalwork - II

Just a quickie note to say that I FINally opened my second shop on Etsy: www.RockisArtisanMetal.etsy.com (there wasn't enough room for my entire biz name :(

I had decided some time ago to separate my handmade supply findings from my handmade jewelry and now is as good as time as any I say. It's a chore though. In between everything else I've got going, every day I'll be adding to my new shop.

That's it for now. Off to spend the weekend celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary. Wow, 16 years? I swear at times it still feels brand new and other times like we've been married forever - in a good way.

Happy Friday all!
Rocki

Ply Effects

Yes, I know... it's been eons since I've done a blog feature, but I'm trying to get back on track :)

I would like to introduce you to Jennifer (Jen) of Ply Effects . Jen is a metalsmith and her work clearly speaks for itself. She amazes me with her talent and extensive knowledge, and I can only hope to one day be as half as talented as she is. Oh and the above ring is one of my all time favorites - affectionately called the Garbage Ring. Why, you ask? "All of my sterling silver scrap is recycled back into a custom series named 'garbage'."

Melted Cages

Jen states: "my focus is on both form and function in relations to sections that open, twist, or move to compliment the body. Each piece that I hand craft is invented with modern design."

Puffed Heart Pendant

Jen sells her exceptionally well made work in a variety of venues such as juried art shows and her Etsy shop: http://www.plyeffects.etsy.com/ and is called Ply Effects.

Jen makes the coolest spinner rings, in fact I now own 2 - so far! The first one I bought is the Bamboo Spinning Ring that I wear on my thumb - too cool! - and the newest is above. Well, one is Mark's and the other one is mine. They are custom spinner rings that say "OM MANI PADME HUM" (in short, this is a meaningful Buddhist compassion mantra). We are more than thrilled with them!

Pop on over to her shop to check out the rest of her amazing work. Oh and she also does custom work. If you talk to her, tell her Rocki sent you. She'll know who you're talking about because I know her personally - she is part of the family as she is Jason's girlfriend :)

Have a metalriffic day!
Rocki

Wiggles!

Go ahead and giggle

over my new fun & funky Wiggles!

Looks a bit like a wave,

or maybe even a squiggle,

add a little fun to your day

and wear a Wiggle!

My new Wiggle Series Earrings! These came to mind one day while working and I just had to roll with it. The day after I listed my first Wiggle, it sold. I must admit that I was rather excited about that!

I have a few in my shop, but there will be more Wiggles on the way as I create them. There will be a variety of Wiggles in Sterling Silver, 14k Gold Filled and Copper: long, short, interchangeable, funky, fun and well, basically a variety of designs.

You can find more of my Wiggles and other handcrafted metalwork earrings, supplies and findings in my shop.

Have wiggle good day!

Rocki

Double Bubble - twice the fun!

I was playing around with an idea for a double hoop earring using my Wild West Series as inspiration and this is what I came up with.

Double Bubble.

Go ahead, say it again: "Double Bubble". If you say it real fast, it's kind of like repeating "Rubber Baby Buggy Bumper" or "Sally Sold Sea Shells by the Sea Shore".

Currently I have 20g Copper & Sterling Silver Double Bubbles in my shop, but they will also be available in 14k Gold Filled and in 18g... Double Bubble.

I'm selling my new Double Bubble hoops as finished earrings, but they can also be embellished to your hearts content, such as wire wrapping stones or beads, add a dangle or two, etc.

All this bubble talk makes me want to grab my bubble wrap and start popping away. How about you? No problem, click below:

I must admit that I am enjoying wearing my new hoops. I don't know what I like more, the hoops themselves or saying Double Bubble!

Happy popping!

Rocki

Black Friday & Cyber Monday Specials!

Muy Caliente - Hot Cherry Pepper Coral and Turquoise Nugget Necklace

I'm having specials in both of my shops for Black Friday & Cyber Monday - all 4 days! So what are the specials?

Rocki's Rock 'n Beads: 20% off my entire shop or 25% any item with the color RED in it! Ahem... like the hot piece above (read the description and you'll see why I call it Muy Caliente!

Rocki's Supplies: Free Shipping! Sorry, due to the International mailing process this is for US only. BUT for my International customers you will receive a very nice bonus gift instead!

Oxidized Wild West - Artisan Handcrafted Sterling Silver Ear Wires

Above is another new addition to my Etsy supply shop. I've actually added a couple other new ones, but just haven't been able to post them. I'll be introducing another new item next week.

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday festivities. Enjoy your weekend and I'll see you all next week!

☼ Rocki

Behold Becky's Beautiful Beads

I'm a firm believer that things happen for a reason - whether it be good, bad or indifferent. In this case, meeting Becky Mason on Etsy was a VERY good thing. More on this later.

Above is one of the most gorgeous lampwork beads I have ever seen. It is called "SEA TURTLE SANCTUARY" and this is what brought me to Becky. I found it in a Treasury that my good friend Sharon had made. I was immediately drawn to it - like the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I found myself drawn to her shop and immediately hearted it. Even Mark was in awe of her amazing talent. After reading her Profile, I sent her a message of how much I admire her work. Becky replied... more on this later.

Oh, the Sea Turtle Sanctuary bead has since sold, but you must check it out to see the rest of the details of this beautiful piece of art.

Above is Becky's "PREHISTORIC OCEANIC HISTORY - 3 - a handmade lampwork focal bead with fish bones and barnacles" and I am in LOVE with it!

Becky Mason is Lampwork Artist & Jewelry Designer and comes from a very talented family. She was selling on Ebay for about 5 years until Diane, her talented Lampwork Artist sister who already had an Etsy shop, suggested that Becky set up her own Etsy shop as well. I suggest you read Becky's Profile to find out more about this very talented artist. It is very impressive and will make you that much more of a fan.

This lovely piece is titled "WILD MUSE" and a must see! I just can't explain enough how truly amazed I am by Becky's talented hands. She simply amazes me. Truly she does. In fact, it would be a lot easier for you to just run on over to her shop, or her website to see for yourself. Also check out her sold items - WOW!

Oh. About the "more later part". I'll make this short because this blog feature isn't about me, but I wanted to tell you how my new addition came about. Becky wanted longer & heavier gauge headpins and strongly suggested I make them for my shop as well. So I did.

Like they say: "if you build it, they will come." Bada Boom, Bada Bang! Thank you Becky, you ROCK!

Happy Creating Monday!

Rocki

Heart of a Cowgirl

"Cowgirl is an attitude, really. A pioneer spirit, a special American brand of courage. The cowgirl faces life head on, lives by her own lights, and makes no excuses. Cowgirls take stands. They speak up. They defend the things they hold dear. A cowgirl might be a rancher, or a barrel racer, or a bull rider, or an actress. But she's just as likely to be a checker at the local Winn Dixie, a full-time mother, a banker, an attorney, or an astronaut."- Dale Evans Rogers, Los Angeles, 1992

I took that quote off of Bridget's blog, but she also has it in her Etsy Profile in which she she states it: "sums up the creative force behind my jewelry designs."

Bridget is a cowgirl and creates from that heart. I can relate to how she feels about being a cowgirl as I lived the cowgirl life many years ago. I breathed, ate and slept the cowgirl life. Went to rodeo's, dated cowboys & rodeo clowns (that was a trip) rode horses and was even on a Country & Western dance team called "Hooked on Country". It was hard putting away my boots, but it was harder trying to walk two different paths. I realized my true direction and followed it. That is what you need to do. Follow your heart, be who you truly are and create with that force. This is exactly what Bridget does.

Whenever I do blog features I like to give the title a fitting name for the shop and/or person that I'm spotlighting. However in this case, the name of Bridget's Etsy shop & blog (which feels just like home) is absolutely perfect: Heart of a Cowgirl.

I could go on and on about how very talented Bridget is, how she truly creates from the cowgirl heart - which you can see in all her pieces from jewelry to leather work - or tell you about all her animals that surround her loving home, but this blog post would turn into a novel.

So please head on over to Bridget's Etsy shop to see her heartfelt creatioins and also to her blog to find out more about this Heart of a Cowgirl's life - you won't leave hungry.

Cowgirl up,

Rocki

It's New & Mini!

I just adore Mini Me! He's just the cutest little guy and reminds me of my brother Chris. Well, Chris is a little taller actually.

Some of the creations in my Etsy shop have been by the suggestions of my super fabulous customers. They have great minds and ideas and I truly love it! So, the other day one of my customers asked if I could make my Baby Elfin's a little smaller. You know me, it's hard to say no - well, most of the time anyway - so of course I said let me see what I can do.

Without going into all the details, let me just say that I have a new member of my Signature Elfin family. I now present to you, Mini Elfin!

Mini Elfin weighs in, er, I mean measures in at a petite 3/4" length. Don't let this little guy fool you though, he may be little but he can handle dangles & drops just like the rest. I just added Mini Elfin in my shop last night and I'll be adding other packages in different quantities as well.

I'm off to start my day. Hope you all have a terrific Thursday!

Luv,

Rocki

To Brass or Not to Brass...

Okay everyone, put your thinking caps on. I'm taking a break for a few minutes to ask my wonderful friends, fellow bloggers, buddies, customers, etc. a question that was presented to me, not only once, but a few times, and it has me thinking.

Some of my greatest additions to my shop have come from the requests of my FABulous customers. So the great question is... what do you think of Brass earwires? I know I know, this isn't the million dollar question, you do not win a prize, you do not get to pass Go & collect any money or get your name in lights. What do you get out of this? My humble friendship (insert cheezy shiny metal grin) and sincere appreciation.

Most of you know I only use Sterling Silver & 14K Gold Filled wire, with the addition of oxidizing. However, I do notice that Brass is very hot right now and since I've been approached a few times (and I'm one for signs) I wonder if I should go ahead and make this happen.

There is a variety of Brass: Red Brass, Yellow Brass, Antiqued Brass... what are your thoughts, suggestions and opinions? I sincerely appreciate your replies!

Now, just pretend you haven't seen me as I must get back into the studio :)

Oh and Josh buddy ol' pal, I just KNOW you'll have some sort of opinion for me, right? :)

Thank you all SO very much!
Luv, Rocki

In the Spotlight!

A very sweet fellow etsian featured me on her blog this morning at: Elektra Jewelry so if you get a chance, feel free to pop on over and visit her lovely blog!

Above is one of her beautiful creations titled Tibetan shell Bead and Turquoise Necklace. Below is her Purple Passion Amethyst and Opalite Bracelet.

You can find these beautiful creations and much more in her Etsy shop: Elektra Jewelry Designs.

Have a beautiful day!

Rocki

Just a few new creations

Just thought I would share with you some of my new creations and what I've been up to.

Above is a pair of my new Long Ovals French Style earwires that I just posted last night. I really love this pair: sleek, slender, secure, sexy...hmm, maybe I should have named them SSSSexy Earwires?

Above are my Oxidized Elongated Squovals that are selling pretty well. I also offer them in Sterling Silver and, by request of my dear sis Laura, 14K Gold Filled - coming soon!

These are my soon to be added Sterling Silver Rings/Links. They are a tad over 10mm in size and will be available in Hammered or Bright Finish. These came about from a request from one of my dear friends... Ang :) and since shipping them off to her, I decided to start offering them in my shop as well.

There are a few other new goodies in my shop, so feel free to take a peek at your leisure.

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Rocki

Patina, Patata, Pinata

So I owe another big thank you to one of my customers. She wanted dark oxidized earwires and asked if I could do that for her. Of course I said yes as I will do anything that I am able to in order to please my customers. I don't just say "I'm happy when my customers are happy" for nothing, I sincerely mean it.

Above are my Medium Hoops in a dark patina, rather like a gunmetal to black. I was quite surprised how cool they turned out. Even Mark commented how great they looked.

These are my Signature Elfin earwires in a random brushed type patina, kind of like an antique look. Again, big approval from Mark who originally thought that oxidizing them wouldn't look very good. Okay, I have to be honest, I kind of thought the same thing, but wow - these are so pretty!

Above are my Baby Elfins in the same finish as the hoops. I just can't get over how awesome they turned out.

I've oxidized before and having been wanting to add some oxidized supplies to my shop, but guess I was waiting for someone to nudge me along. It's actually kind of fun to do, well except the horrific smell of the Liver of Sulfur (LOS). If you don't know what LOS smells like here's a little hint: have you ever smelled rotten eggs? I mean LOTS of rotten eggs? Well, put them all in a zip lock bag, stick your nose in the bag and take a little whiff. There you go. Now you know.

My customer's order has been shipped out and I listed my new additions the other day. Last night I sold 2 of them! Much to my surprise they were sold to one of my sweet friends who I will not name unless she wants to let everyone know (just in case what she is making is a surprise).

I'm off to start my day. Lots of earwires to make and the smell of LOS is calling my name.

Patina, Patata.... anyway you say it, Patina ROCKS!

Smell you all later,

Rocki

Short & Sweet

My oh my. The other day I came across this adorable little shop and just had to ask if I could blog about them! So, here I am to share Charlie's Unique & Fun Jewelry with all my friends. You may fall instantly in love as I did.

I know that normally I go into all sorts of details, but this time I'm going to make it short and sweet. Get it? Short... and sweet? (points up at sweet 'little' cake)

In Charlie's shop, you can find handmade earrings, necklaces, pins, etc., made from teeny tiny miniature beads/charms from food to every day items. I checked out the sold items - wow, so many cute things!

This cute cupcake ring is so realistic (as are all the pieces) that I would probably want to take a bite of it while wearing it... or maybe just a lick or two. It was so hard to choose which pictures to put in this blog and I completely forgot to insert a pic of the Ouija Board Pendant Necklace, but you can find it, along with a big variety of other miniature pieces, in Charlie's shop.

That's it. My short and sweet little blog feature has come to a close. Now go and check out this adorable little shop and have fun!

Happy Miniature Monday!

Rocki

Gold Digger

No, I'm not a gold digger, but I do dig gold.

Up until I started working with Sterling Silver all I wore was gold jewelry. However, I've always worn silver with my blue jeans because they look so darn hot together. Anyway, over the last year or so I've added more and more silver to my jewelry case. Funny, but the last time I put a piece in the case I could have SWORN I heard one of the gold pieces make a snide comment to the others about me, but that could have just been my wild imagination, right?

So what does this mean? Well, I'm excited to say that by Friday of next week I will have handcrafted 14K Gold Filled earwires in my shop! Whoo hoo!

Yep. I can hardly wait to see what my Signature Elfin earwires look like in gold! My Silver Leaf earwires will look so lovely, but of course they will be called Gold Leaf. Oh and the Hoops and the Leafettes and the... this is going to be fun!

Oh, and I heard rumors from my jewelry case that the silver will strike if I pay too much attention to the gold.

Dig it!
Rocki

CrAzY SqUiRrEl oN tHe LoOsE!

I would be cautious if I were you and DON'T get too close because you just don't know what I'm capable of!

The CrAzInEsS is running rampant throughout my entire shop! It's uncontrollable! It's darn right SCARY!

All this CrAzInEsS started one year ago (okay okay, so it started years ago) when I opened my first Etsy shop (all thanks to my dear sweet friend Janell of "Dancing Mooney"). My goal, as little as it may seem, was to have 100 sales by August 11th, 2008. I made my goal last week!

To celebrate my 100th sale and my 1st year on Etsy, I'm having a CrAzY 25% off everything in my shop this weekend and through Monday! Read my Shop Announcement for details.

So before I go completely mad, tell your friends, family, co-workers, etc. to stop by and take a peak at my shop - don't worry, I've had all my shots.

Where is all the CrAzInEsS at? Rocki's Rock 'n Beads.

I'm not crazy, I was just born that way. Wait a minute... that doesn't sound right. Oh look! Some cute guys are coming my way all dressed in white! Gotta go now.

Have a fun weekend!
Rocki

p.s. my handcrafted supply shop isn't on sale, but I am adding new goodies to it, so feel free to stop on by Rocki's Supplies. Oh, and of course my sister's awesome shop Any Occasion Boutique

Beat Still My Heart

If you have not seen Beat Black's shop, you must, I repeat, MUST go and check out her amazing polymer clay creations!

I "met" Sarah via blogging & Etsy and then became friends on MySpace. Who is Sarah? She is the fun creator behind Beat Black. Here's a quote from her profile that I just love: "I'm a 21 year old food junkie with a diploma in fashion design. I live in Toronto with my roommate and cactus whose name seems to change on a monthly basis (the cactus not the roommate)"

We can thank Sarah's mom for her amazing talent as her mom is an artist. Sarah has been creating things longer than she can even remember. In fact, before she knew about polymer clay, she would make little sculptures from her brothers "ball of a browny purple colour (clearly a mix of whatever he stole from school). It always had hair in it...ew". I agree Sarah... EWWWW!

Sarah's inspiration comes from many things, such as "weird colour combinations, the folds in a blanket, strange fairytale-ish movies, music, going through old sketchbooks, dreams, nature..."

When asked what her surroundings are like, this is what she had to say:"Pretty boring actually. I rent so I've never painted or put nails in my walls for artwork. Three of five light bulbs are burnt out in my chandelier. My futon looks like a lumpy monster and there's a microwave in my living room." Sarah my friend, you made this blog post very easy for me to write!

I really love her shop name, Beat Black. Sarah knew she wanted to use a black heart as her logo and after writing down several names, Beat Black stuck in her head. Speaking of heads, make sure you check out her 'brain' creations. Braaaaaaaains (zombie free, of course).

We know that Sarah has a thing for food. In fact, she has a tator fetish. Yes. I said tator, as in potato. Actually, I think my 'tator dude' is what brought Sarah & I together. What? You don't know who 'tator dude' is? Well in order for this to make any sense, you must read my "Weird. That's All I Can Say" post.

On top of her talent, funny humor, creativity & imagination, she opens up her heart and shares many unique fellow Etsian's shops on her fun to read blog: "In The Shadows".

Please visit her shop and blog. Oh, and tell her 'tator dude' says hello ;)

Beat still my heart,
Rocki

Happy 4th of July!

I know, I'm a day early, but since Mark is off tomorrow I do not plan on working at all. We are going to enjoy our long holiday weekend together doing nothing. Well, almost nothing.

Today I'm spending the day cleaning and doing other chores so I won't have to bother with it for 3 looooong days! Tomorrow we'll spend the day in the pool, lounging around and doing nothing. Later we'll light up the bbq for some yummy grilled veggies and whatever else sounds good.

Saturday will be filled with more swimming, friends and enjoying each moment.

Sunday we will be celebrating Cody's birthday, one of my nephews, at their house. Lots of food, good times, laughter and yes, more swimming!
Whatever you have or not have planned for this holiday weekend, may it be filled with love, happiness, peace and all you want it to be.

Have fun, be safe and enjoy!
☼ Rocki

Okay, and yes I threw in a shameless "I'm having a big sale in my shop" plug ;)

Gold n Desert

I'm pretty excited to say that I am now adding Gold Filled wire creations to my shop! You may notice that the handmade earrings above look like my Elfin earwires... yep, that's right! These are a bit smaller than my standard 1" size - these are 3/4" in size.

Funny thing is that I've always loved gold over silver, but ever since I picked up a torch it's been all about the silver. Okay, and MAYbe it's due to the price of gold is WAY too expensive to play with. But not Gold Filled!

I'm also terribly in love with these beads! Gold Plated (also have silver plated) beads that undergo a process of coloring and then firing to make them crack and see the plating underneath. Totally cool! I've titled these creations "Desert Romance" and you can see them in my Etsy shop for more details.

Off and running today - many errands to run before our mini vacation this Friday!! I'll let you know tomorrow where we're going.

Happy Hump Day!!

☼ Rocki

p.s. Gold Filled supplies coming soon!