Second Beagles Team Challenge Giveaway Contest!

It's been a very busy and emotional past 2 months for the members of the Etsy Beagle Street Team! The tragedy with our team member's nephew left us all very sad, but we had a very successful campaign on our blog to help the family of little Zachary Cruz. And sadly, 2 of our members had their dogs cross the rainbow bridge. We will miss our little darlings, Sid and Maggie. :0(
Two of our teammates had great vacations, though, and we were happy to see the photos they shared with us! Through good times and bad, the beagle "rule of the pack" has given us strength, determination, comfort, and also life's blessings of happiness, laughter, and joy.
We have all been getting ready for Spring, which has arrived beautifully for some of us, and sporadically for others. Despite it all, the team has had another successful team challenge; the theme this time is "Beagles and Blooms." We started our second team challenge giveaway today, which is posted on our Etsy Beagles blog. I'd like to invite everyone to check out the challenge entries. Simply post a comment telling what your favorite entry is, and you will be eligible to win a great prize! See the contest, rules, deadline, and prize on our Beagles blog: http://etsybeagles.blogspot.com/2009/03/giveaway-vote-for-your-favorite-beagles.html
Arrrooooo! Linda & Flash

Team Spotlight Series

For my Etsy Beagle Street Team, an interview with one of our team members will be posted every Friday! The interviews will let you know more about the artisans on the Beagles team! Just follow the link to the Etsy Beagles blog, posted under My Blog List . Thanks, and hope to see you at the Beagles blog! MsA

Etsy Beagle Street Team "Puppy Love" challenge

This nice photo collection of the challenge entries was made by Beagles team member Frumsglassmenagerie. Thanks so much, Sue; it is totally cool! :0)

I am so happy to see the entries for this month's Beagles team challenge! You can visit our team's blog and enter our team's first prize giveaway contest! http://etsybeagles.blogspot.com/2009/02/enter-first-ever-etsy-beagles-team.html

This is our fourth team challenge, and it's been such fun taking part in them! The theme is always different, and each team member must create an item based upon the challenge theme. This month we chose "Puppy Love" as our theme, since Valentine's day is right around the corner! Here is the final list of entries for the Beagles team "Puppy Love" challenge:

dogsrule, Puppy Love Heart Blanket for Dogs:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19645422

MsAnomaly, Puppies in Love Necklace:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19689522

cutiepiecompany, snow day gocco print:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19729603

creativecomforts07, Puppy Love ear warmer for dogs:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19836879

fatbasset, Puppy Love Beagle Paper Ornament:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19868243

kookyhandbags, Scotty/Checky dog plush/pillow:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19997841

pineapplesugar, Beagle Love necklace:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20504442

CodysCloset, Red Heart Dog Bone Placemat:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=1894185

Frumsglassmenagerie, Paw Print Cell Phone Charm:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20847357

New From Old

I've recently decided to dig into my "parts box" and try to combine some of the broken vintage brooches, lone earrings, vintage buttons, and unusual findings into a cohesive necklace. It's been interesting, and I've actually used my pliers a lot more than I do for my beaded necklaces! Honestly, I really am not crazy about head pins, eye pins, jump rings, and wire cutters, but I figure I might as well work on becoming a little more adept at using them. I also get more satisfaction from making these "new" jewelry pieces, because most are compilations of things that would have probably been tossed out as useless. shudder, shudder. That so goes against the grain for me. If it's vintage, and pretty, and most of all unique, it's not useless; it just needs reinvented! So, here are a few of my recent attempts. I've not sold any from my Etsy shop yet, though they are all listed there now. http://www.MsAnomaly.etsy.com I realize many people don't look at vintage the way I do (TREASURE!). The necklaces certainly are unique, though, and creative...I think, and it's also a great way to follow the 3 R's of recycling. I hope you like them. :)

Third Team Challenge and 2 Successes!

Oh, so busy over the holidays! Cleaning, decorating, baking, baking, baking! I was also sick with bronchitis for two weeks before Christmas, though I ignored it until I finally felt so horrible I did go to the Dr. Many meds got me finally feeling better, but not 100%. Good enough to finally get something posted here, though! I would like to share the item I made for the third Etsy Beagle Street Team's challenge. The theme was "Warm Winter Wishes," and I purchased the beagle-head bead on my ornament entry from Etsy bead artist NanjoDogz. It is the second time I have used one of her beagle beads in my designs, and I absolutely love the details and expressive little beagle faces! I named this entry "Angeleagle." Since so many dogs are beagle mixes, the names for them are just adorable: puggles, bagles, poogles....well, my ornament is a beagle and an angel, so Angeleagle! I am happy to report that she was purchased and "flew" to Florida. I think she will enjoy the climate there much more than what she dealt with in Ohio! After the New Year, my autumn challenge necklace, with the Bronze Beagle pendant (see previous post) was also purchased. Bronze Beagle moved to Texas. Looks like my beagle jewelry is seeking warmer climates. I don't blame them! I'd like to thank the two ladies who purchased these challenge entries. I have donated the stated percentage of each sale to our local Animal Welfare League, a non-kill shelter and adoption center for abandoned dogs and cats. I know the Trumbull Co. AWL greatly appreciates all donations, and I am happy to do my part to ensure that all their wards get a fair chance at finding a happy loving home. Paws Up to my 2 customers who made this donation possible in such financially difficult times; Paws Up to the AWL for continuing their good work; Paws Up to NanjoDogz for sharing her talents and allowing me to make my beagle jewelry; Paws Up to my dear Etsy Beagles team; and Paws Up to my sweet beagle Flash, my inspiration! I wish everyone a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year, and thank all of you for taking a little time to read my blog! :0)

Finally Back!

Hello, all! I know I am behind on updating this blog, so here goes! The Etsy Beagle Street team, which I belong to, has had two team challenges. The entries have been really great, and you can see them at our team's blog: http://etsybeagles.blogspot.com/ Here are the two I made for the challenges. The first challenge was in August, and the theme was "Dog Days of Summer." I made this Victorian Summer blue vintage glass and brass findings necklace. I purchased the findings from Etsian amuzemee's shop. An old clip-on earring, sans clip, is the focal piece of this necklace. The earrings colors matched the brass and glass beads "just right!" The second Autumn/Fall challenge had the theme "Hounds and Harvest." I used my stash of vintage carved bone tube beads, vintage bakelite and lucite beads, small vintage "root beer" glass beads, and this wonderful jewelers bronze pendant that I purchased from eBay seller celticmorph. The little beaded dangles above the pendant help transition the large size of the pendant from the necklace strands. Plus, I just kinda liked doing that! :) The team is going to have a winter/holidays challenge with the theme of "Warm Winter Wishes." It will be starting Nov. 1st, and I've already got "my plan" for my entry.

Link to my Bronze Beagle Necklace
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15149760

Link to my Victorian Summer Necklace
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14569650

The Coral Collection

For a while, I was making jewelry with red branch coral. My sister wanted some custom pieces done, and sent me some coral - too much coral! :) It had been sitting around for quite a while, and I wanted to pair it up with something different, but nothing seemed to be "right." A friend of mine gave me some seashells from her vacation at Myrtle Beach. These weren't the kind of shells you buy at tourist shops. They were much better! I instantly fell in love with the texture of these really worn shell pieces. They had been tumbled by nature, and the sand and salt-water had left small holes in them. They screamed "organic," and were a perfect match with my red coral. Great pendants! Stringing them together and getting the coral pieces to "hug" the shells was not as easy as I thought it would be. I use monofilament line for most of my jewelry. I like it because it's strong, lays more softly, like string, and holds a nice tight knot. I ended up trying each pendant combo several times, then found it was best to actually "hand-sew" the shell and coral together. The coral had been machine-drilled, I assume, but not the shells. The little holes drilled by nature did not go straight through,; some were "foolers," and didn't go through the shell completely at all. I finally discovered that holding the shell in front of my work-light would let me see the tiny holes straight through, and also what angle they were. I decided that in starting with a long section of monofilament, I could sew the pendant pieces together, then continue beading small shells, stone chips, or beads up the same strand. It took time! Anyway, here are the end results, and I hope you enjoy them!