Finally! A decent looking banner!

When I first joined Etsy as Designs by Ros, I did my homework.... learning how to upload an item, how to write a great product description, and so on. The very first thing that I did was make up a banner (I had read on the Etsy forum that it was very important to have a banner).

Having absolutely no idea what I wanted the banner to look like, I took my camera outside, in direct sunlight (all of you who know anything about photography will probably agree that it's very difficult to take clear pictures in direct sunlight) and took a picture of a bunch of beads on a neutral-colored tile... with the flash on the camera (yikes!). I threw on a "Designs by Ros" logo and was finished with it.

When I opened Scottishlilyjewelry on Etsy, I was making (and remaking) jewelry, and retaking my photos, I started to contemplate what I wanted and took my time with the banner. My thoughts were: have to have pictures of my jewelry, the new and improved logo, and hot pink (as that's the color on my business cards) somewhere on the banner.

Here's what I came up with:
www.etsy.com/shop/scottishlilyjewelry

Beads, beads, beads!!

I'm always on the look out for new and amazing beads; be it semiprecious or lampwork glass. I usually have colors in mind, but sometimes I just can't help myself and pick amazing beads that have nothing to do with my current seasonal color scheme (an example would be the Earth Collection hammered earrings).

I have found such amazing artists and suppliers on Etsy, and try to shop there as often as possible to support my fellow sellers. I also really enjoy going to my local bead stores and chatting it up with the wonderful ladies there (free advice and jewelry tips, too!). In the Bay Area I go to House of Beads in Walnut Creek and Beaded Bliss in Danville.

Whenever I go to either of these two places I feel like a kid in a candy store and always walk out with more that what I originally went in for.... I may have to take another trip tomorrow!

Change is coming....

I love networking... meeting new people; expanding my contacts throughout the world is wonderful (and vital in gaining more customers in this day and age)

I am always looking to improve Designs by Ros (handmade jewelry) and Scottish Lily (jewelry making parties) and have had many of my friends through networking tell me that I have a lot of different online personalities (mainly Designs by Ros, Scottish Lily, and this blog). So... what I have decided to do is to bring everything under Scottish Lily to make it (drum roll, please) 

Scottish Lily Jewelry Making Parties and Handmade Jewelry Inspired by Nature!!! 

What do you think?? It has a nice ring to it...

I will still have an Etsy store, just under the name "Scottish Lily". I'm hoping to update my website, add jewelry pics and descriptions to Etsy, and move this blog to an internal blog on my website in the next couple of months. 

I'm really excited about my new business improvements, but would absolutely love to hear any suggestions or comments that any of you may have... I truly value advice from my networking friends from all over the world :) 

Match this jewelry

I often wonder what clothing to wear with my jewelry. Being a jewelry designer, I pick my jewelry out first and my clothing second (I know it's a bit backwards, but it works for me... most of the time).

I have lately been looking at other talented Etsian's work and have found many items of clothing that work very well with my jewelry. Now I just have to decide what shoes to wear...

Green/white silk chiffon dress by 13threads...

works well with...

The Grass and Sun earrings

The Adeliene Dress by DearLillie....

works well with...

The Dusk earrings

The Personalized Drawstring lotus leaf collar dress by Wangbin

works well with...

The Liliac earrings

My First Treasury on Etsy!!

Hello everyone!

What a nice start to the day... My Antique Rose necklace was featured in a treasury on Etsy! As some of you know, this is a great thing for free publicity on the site as so many people see it. Hopefully it will lead to a sale, but you never know :) Please swing by and take a look while it's still there.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=95486

Inspired by the mulberry tree comes the Mulberry ring... Here's how to make it

Mulberry fruit is so funny! Little clusters of bubble-like seeds clustered together starts out large at the bottom and spirals up to form a pointed tip. And the taste... delicious!

To celebrate these bit-sized wonders, I have created my very first ring... the Mulberry ring. It mimics the "large on the bottom, small on the top" shape of the mulberry fruit. The ring is beautiful to wear, just not quite as edible :)

Here's how to make one of your own...

Two things that I learned from making the ring are: to start with more wire than you think you need and to make the ring a size larger than what you want the finished product to be (start out with a size 7 on a ring sizer if you want a size 6 ring).

Materials:

12 inches or longer of 22 gauge sterling or gold filled wire (half hard)

3 beads of your choice (for this ring I used 4mm amethyst beads)

A ring sizer rod

Step 1:

Wrap the wire three times around a ring sizer rod so that you have a long tail on both sides... about 4 inches (remember to start out one size larger than what you actually want the ring to be)

Step 2:

After you finish wrapping the wire you should have two tails about the same size at the top of the rod

Step 3:

Twist the two tails together once

Step 4:

Add one bead onto each side of the wire (two beads total) and twist the wire around the beads. 

Step 5:

Take one of the wires and wrap the end three times around the part that fits on your finger (the part that you first wrapped around the rod)

Step 6:

Add another bead to the wire that is still free and wrap around that bead

Step 7:

Repeat step 5 with the last wire.

Congratulations! you now have a beautiful ring!

Please check out the ring on Etsy for more views: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=44131363

By far my favorite Passover recipe

This is a family recipe that has been passed down for generations. I make it every year and end up making about 2 to 3 batches by the end of Passover! It makes a great snack or dessert and it's so easy to make :) Enjoy!

Grimslich

 

4 matzot

4 oz cake meal

ground almonds

1 tsp cinnamon

4 eggs

8 oz dried fruit

4 oz sugar

oil for cooking (I use vegetable oil as it doesn’t seem to splatter as much)

 

Soak matzot in cold water till soft. Squeeze very dry.  Beat up with a fork. Separate the yokes from whites. Add beaten yokes and add to remaining ingredients (except for whites and oil). Mix thoroughly. Fold in the stiffly whipped egg whites. Drop in spoonfuls on shallow oil that is heated over a medium flame. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Sprinkle with sugar. Amazing served warm but also tastes good cooled. Holds up well when frozen.