Virtual Wish List. Seed bead jewellery

Just lovely necklace! Awesome autumn piece of jewellery, one of a kind.... will always stay in my virtual wish list, as it has been sold to somebody lucky!

The author of it is Svetlana Dubinsky, the winner of multiple seed bead jewellery contests (I definitely can see why). Of course she has other wonderful beaded jewellery in her etsy shop. Check them out, you will have no regret about visiting her store!

Too much bragging, perhaps :)

My maple leaf necklace is on front page! :)

Vintage Russian designs in my jewellery is inspired by...

 

A few times at different shows I have been asked to look at that book that I have always mentioned when telling about my vintage Russian designs being my inspiration...
 

I was looking at my etsy shop, checking what could be improved, when my eye was caught by a few pictures... That's right! This is the book! It is more than 50 years old now and sure looks like it too :) 

Very photogenic book for taking nice pictures of my jewellery!

So, if anybody is still interested in looking at my inspiration book, here it is!

Etsy finds. Russian Artists Team

One of my first finds on Etsy was the Russian Artists team. I just have to mention them, as it was a really great find! When I have decided to be an active part of Etsy, I had no idea where to start. They had all necessary information and even more! Very friendly and helpful team.

 

They also have a great blog that is open for help for a newbie. The blog is in English, by the way ;) It has tons of useful information, no wonder they have so many followers! They write about their members, about the green living, recipes, patterns, giveaways ;) and more. The latest giveaway that they are hosting is mine (it is still not too late to participate in it ;) These silver earrings are going to somebody at the end of this month!

 

(The Russian-speaking etsians may also join the team itself)
 

Bragging time!

My squirrel necklace is on front page of etsy!

Well, if they are still available, check them out here :)

A unique gift that I have received for no reason at all, just because I am so nice :)

Have you ever seen this jewellery making technique? It looks like tatting... some of you might say. However, tatting is an old technique for making flat lace. This piece is not flat, but 3D. The tatting is only a small part of this new technique that was developed by a group of four Russian handmaders. They used the first letters of their names to come up with a name for it. They called it ANKARS.  If you are curious what jewellery is made in ankars technique, you should google and look for yourself. They are amazing!

I was lucky enough to meet one of the ankars developers a few years ago and make virtual friends with her. She is a nice lady, very intellectual and intelligent. She is also the most popular teacher of the ankars technique in Russia. I had one of her books about ankars... and now I have a set of jewellery made by her... this bracelet and earrings.

I love my jewellery that I get as a gift exchange with my friends. I have known them for years... It is so nice to have something they make. Touch what they were touching... even though I have never seen them in real life while spending hours communicating in Internet...

It is amazing, that any ankars piece of jewellery is a conversation piece. Its history is so new and the look is so unusual, that it will attract attention of anybody who likes jewellery. They can only be one of the two: either know exactly what it is or know nothing about it :) In both cases they will be interested in talking about it :) I will be putting it on only when I am in a "talking mood" (that is pretty much always :)

Who is this fairy who made me the set? Her name is Rina Stepnaya. And this is her web-site: http://rina-ankars.narod.ru/  It is in Russian. The pictures do not need a translation, though ;)

Autumn necklace

This Fall necklace was not made "yesterday". As it happens sometimes, its time just has not come until now. The smaller leaf has a color of a vintage book as well as dry leaves lost by the trees in autumn. The metal of it is nothing special, though rear. It is so called white bronze with patina.

 

This piece is one of a kind because of this. Another one can be done with gold, or brass, with or without patina, but no white bronze again and no "vintage book" patina :) 

 

This wonderful necklace is still for sale in my etsy shop. If you are interested in something unique, it might be just for you! Click here to see more pictures or purchase it.

Virtual Wish List. Victoria Antolini

As an active seller on etsy (who I have become), I see a lot more products now and come across wonderful artists and the things that they make and sell. Etsy is a very dynamic website. The items are constantly being sold or expire. It is very difficult to save all those wonderful things that I find. I think, a blog is a perfect virtual place where I can save them together with some information about the artists and their contact info.

Look for the label "virtual wish list" to your right.

My first find is an illustration artist Victoria Antolini.

If you look at this picture (a print, actually) you will understand me, why her art has caught my eye! This is a magical picture... This deer is straight from a fairy tale! The print goes straight to my wish list for my son's room.

There is a Russian fairy tale "Silver Hoof" that I instantly thought about when saw this deer.

The print is sold here (I do not mind sharing ;)

However I do like other artwork by Victoria too.  She has a wonderful ocean art print that I am in love with. That fish is from a fairy tale too, though not Russian... I will have to think what story can be related to it...

Here is some info from Victoria's website:

"Victoria Semykina is a Russian illustrator and fine artist currently based in Bologna, Italy.

In between illustrating, she loves observing people, traveling and riding her red bicycle which features a basket that serves well collecting materials for her collages and other artwork.

Her strong passion for ships propels Victoria to spend considerable time at her shipyard working on the realization of her dream, which is to sail around the world in her largest paper vessel."

www.semykina.com/

What I do not sell... on etsy

These pictures are courtesy of  Just Jewellery gallery. The pieces are from my Fashion Week collection, that was designed for the catwalk. If you think you have not seen anything like this in my etsy shop, you would be right :) You have not. This collection has been designed to be sold in this fabulous jewellery gallery in White Rock. All pieces are handmade by myself and they are one of a kind. Lots of black, lace and Swarovski crystals. Casual or fancy? You will have to decide for yourself! :)

 

In order to be pretty, you need...

This is a story from one Russian web-site where people send funny stories that happened to them. It speaks to me so much, that I've decided to share :)

Little boys says: "Mom, why are you not eating?"
- I am on a diet, I want to lose weight to be pretty, - his mom says.
- Mom, are you crazy? In order to be pretty you need beads, not a diet.

Well... I do not need a diet either :) I have beads that can make me pretty :)

Russian jewellery artist and a friend of mine Irina Belinskaya made this beaded rose for me (this rose can be worn as a pin, or hear pin, or a bracelet). Irina did not expect that I had some gem beads perfect for her rose pin! :) Now I have this fantastic bead necklace!

Click here to see other works by Irina (this is a Russian online store). If you do not speak Russian, but wish to contact her,  write Irina through her etsy shop (there are no published works there yet)

Update. If you like this necklace enough to want to have it, let us know too! This is a two-artist project, but we will see what we can do for you.