Something to drool over,...

Since my elbow is a bit under the weather (long, boring story, trust me - and now comes the part where you can all crack some jokes!) I've been reduced to laying down my jewelry pliers for a few days and picking up my camera and finally snapping some pics of the gorgeous little treasures I snatched up while freezing my buns off down in Tucson during the gem show.

Mind you, this is only a sneak peak, but I wanted to post a couple of shots to help you start drooling this week - incase you had a boring Monday or something!

Anyhoo,...I'll leave you with these,.....no explanations needed, right?!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and healing vibes! (and drooling mouths!)

Cheers,

~Shel~

Tucson Bound!

Finally - today's the day I hop in my car and head down to Tucson for my annual "drooling over beads, pearls, gems and findings" fest!! 

I'm so excited I could pee right now.  Oops, that's probably TMI - but how many of you would feel the same if you could go, or do feel this way cause you're there (or almost there!)?

Yes, it's a beautiful site, full of beads, pearls, gemstones, findings, cool tools, new ideas, creative spirits wandering the city and over all excitement! 

I'll be posting to twitter nighting (like I'd stop drooling to text/type? Right!!)  The gems need my full attention mind you!  

I love Tucson!  I get to feast upon Nina's wonderful cooking, share a glass of wine with her and her hubby in the evening and hang out watching the sun set over the Catalinas - how wonderful is this?!! Then, my hubby and son roll into town Friday after school - they love the gem show too!! Then, all of us go in search of great things and share all our treasures and finds over dinner Saturday evening - it's tradition!

 

So, until I return home next week and get the new pics posted,.....here's some goodies from last year - and boy were they fantastic!!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Tucson!!  

Cheers,

~Shel~ 

Treats For You!!

Happy Halloween Weekend To You All!

Halloween is by far my favorite holiday - all the autumn colors, the wonderful smells and fun Fall Decorations and the air becoming cooler (well, not quite yet here in AZ - but I'm ready for it!!)  And, I'm ready to watch my favorite Halloween movies such as Halloween, Halloween H2O and Hocus Pocus with my hubby and son this weekend!  Popcorn and blankets and candles,.......what fun!!

Halloween always  puts me in the "Fall" mood and I love giving out candy, but since I can't do that here on my blog, I'm going to give away some great savings at my MiShel Designs Etsy Store this weekend!!

Woo Hoo!!

All of my beloved blog followers (yes, you!!), will receive a 10% discount off your total order (not including tax or shipping) from today, October 29th through Monday, November 1st! And, if you have friends you want to pass on these savings to, just have them start following my MiShel Designs blog and then they can get this same fantastic offer!

Here's how you can get your savings and treat yourself to some great goodies this weekend:

All you have to do is convo me when you order on my Etsy site with the code "Halloween" and I will then go back and refund your discount amount in Pay Pal - it's that easy!! And, it's better than candy cause it won't rot your teeth or make you have to work out any harder next week. 

So, click here to treat yourself to some great ear, arm or neck candy this weekend - guilt free!

So,  Happy Shopping Y'all! 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Happy Halloween! 

Cheers,

~Shel~

Pearls, Pearls, and More Pearls!

I love Pearls (surprise, surprise!) and since June's birthstone is the pearl, I'm taking the opportunity this month to really talk about them.

There's this cool quote (Author Unknown) that I decided was befitting for my blog about Pearls and Queens. It goes like this: "The Pearl is the Queen of Gems and the Gem of Queens!" (LOVE IT!!) 

How many of you feel like a queen (or at least a princess) when you wear pearls?  Not just your average strand of pearly whites, either. I'm talking fun, colorful, hip, trendy, fashion-forward pearls, too!  I feel absolutely heavenly when I wear pearls. Fresh, sexy, alluring - yep, that's how pearls make me feel!

Here's some tips on wearing your pearls this month (and every month!):

Can you “knot” part with your favorite strand of pearls – but want something different? Have them re-strung, tin-cup style and knotted, along with a few of your favorite colored gems and crystals into a very versatile and workable lariat necklace. Your possibilities are almost endless with what you can do with this strand now!

Let me know what types of pearls you like and how they make you feel. And, if you've got any questions about your pearls, shoot 'em over to me and I'll post them here on my blog!

So, until next time,...

Peace, Love and Pearls, Baby!!

Cheers,

~Shel~

Pearls: From the Office to Happy Hour

The Right to Bare Arms! Remove your suit jacket and show off your bare arms by taking your long, chocolate pearls from around your neck and wrap them around your wrist for a bold, trendy look. At the office this type of style can get in the way when you’re typing or making a presentation, but after work, it’s a total eye-catcher as you sip your fashionable drink or are introduced to new, interesting people!

Chain Gang! Stuff your long, rocker-style chains in your purse and throw them on after work with your pearls and you’re ready for tonight’s mixer. While you show off your chic, trendy side, your pearls highlight the softness of your face against the night lights of the city and you’re seen as instantly classic, sexy and vibrant!

Largely Inappropriate! The larger the better, right? Well, with pearls, that can be true! Put your largest pearls on first, closest to your neck, with your smaller, longer ones on next,…draping all the way down to your navel! Draws the eyes,…doesn’t it? (Caution – this is a complete no-no at work – save it for after hours!)

Time to Get Colorful! Stuffy white pearls (which are so classic and essential to your every day style, don’t get us wrong!) look fabulous all dressed up next to colorful gemstones and wild metals. Wear your ‘halter style’ top with your cardigan and “stuffy whites” at the office and then ditch the cardigan in your bag and mix it up by throwing on your ultra-rich “Tahitian” colored pearls and blackened metal chain mixed with natural, chunky gemstones such as labrodorite, smoky quartz or amethyst! Bold, colorful and chic!

Rich and Good Looking! Great combination,….with,…um,…jewelry! Punch up your after work style by taking that long, single strand of pearls and throwing on some gold chains, a pearl and gold cocktail ring and some large, gold and pearl hoops for an extraordinarily warm and rich look!

Until next time,

Peace, Love and Pearls, Baby!!

Cheers,

~Shel~

Tucson Gem/Bead Show Finds!!

Wow! The 2010 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show (and, Bead Shows, too!) were fantastic this year - as usual.

Each year we try to find some super "fun" things to bring back and play with like these super-cool multi-colored stones pictured above and the mod peace signs you see at the bottom of this post - how fun are these!?!

We had a great time walking around and drooling over all the beautiful gemstones, beads, carvings, fossils and everything in between!

We met some new people and swapped stories of "Who's got the best,......and what show are they at this year?" We chatted with some familiar faces and trusted vendors, watched cool demonstrations on Kumihimo Braiding, Stamping, Metal Etching, Pearl Knotting and much more!

We've returned from Tucson and have finally 'cataloged' all our our items and wanted to share some of our cool treasures and also some of our "Just for the fun of it" finds with you as well.

We visited so many vendors and places and here are just a few:

Majestic Pearl - Pearls, Pearls, and MORE Pearls!!

Pearl Concepts - Your guessed it - Pearls!

Anil Kumar - Beautiful gemstones, silver and vermeil findings. (510-498-855)

The Realm of the Goddess - 24k gold dipped leaves, chain galore, pendants, and more.

Cargo Hold - Wonderful selection of pendants, chain and findings.

Beaducation - Geat supplier for metal stamping tools, online classes and jewelry supplies.

Hip Chick Beads - Charms, clasps, stamping tools, connectors, etc.

Object and Elements - Cool findings, great designs.

The Fiber Goddess - Exotic, hand-dyed fibers, kits for weaving/braiding cords, etc.

Rio Grande - Catalog in Motion - way cool tools!

Swarovski Crystal - Crystals, Crystals and more Crystals!!

Bokamo Designs - Boro Glass Beads - Beauitufl!!

Kent's Tools - Tools, tools, and more cool tools!

1239 Corp - Semi-Precious Stones and Pearls (212-889-0555)

Evergreen Trading Co - Freshwater Pearls (626-279-2723)

Shivam Imports - Precious and Semi-Precious Gemstones and Diamonds

Prominent Gems and Rough - Gemstone Beads and Loose Gem Stones (212-730-1562)

The Bead Palce - Beads, Beads, and more Beads!

Queenly Global Trading - Beads, Crystals, Pendants and More!

We've got some spring jewelry designs we'll be putting up on the website and our MiShel Designs Facebook Fan page in the next couple of weeks - so be on the look out!



Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Pearls, Baby!!

(And all kinds of fun finds from the Tucson Gem/Mineral and Bead Shows!!)

Cheers!

~Shel~

We're Back From the Gem and Mineral Show

We're back from the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show with all our 'treasures' - lots of pretty pearls, gemstones and more! (pictures in another entry - I promise)

We're going to be posting some links and photos of a few of the great people/vendors we met while at the gem show, too - so stay tuned for that as well. We would like you to have the opportunity to visit their websites or local shops if you're in their area - so we'll get some of these up with in the week.

Also, come March, we're going to be doing some jewelry fashion reviews, telling you about some really cool designers (both established ones and up-and-coming ones!), and gathering information to share with you regarding spring and summer's latest trends and what to watch for through out the year, so check back often!

Until next time!

Peace, Love and Pearls!

~Shel~

Gearing up for the Tucson Gem Show!

I love Tucson! My son was born there, so that makes it pretty special. Living there for 6 years was nice, too. But the absolute best thing about Tucson, aside from my family and friends who live there and my friend Nina's wonderful cooking, is the annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show!

It's THE gem and mineral show of the year (seriously!) and it's such a behemoth that it's simply referred to by those in the industry as "Tucson". Yep, no need to say more!

I'm so exited to meet w/my suppliers and peruse the vast selections of lusterous pearls, lucsious gemstones and everything else that goes along with "Tucson", that I can hardly stand myself!! (and at this point, neither can anyone else!)

Along with all the wonderful gem/mineral and fossil shows there's almost as many bead shows in town. And if there's beads, then there's all sorts of wonderful things that go along with beads, like silver and gold findings, more beads, and of course classes and workshops!

Speaking of classes and workshops, not only will I be "Shopping Till I Drop" while I'm in Tucson, but I'll be teaching some wire work classes at the Manning House Bead Show that's being held at the beautiful and historic Manning House Mansion between February 3rd and 8th, 2009.

You'll want to take either my "Eye Catching Ear Candy" class that's super fun and packed with tons of techniques and designs, or, for those of you who want a bold, signature necklace, I'm teaching my "Hammered Chain and Wire Wrapped Circle Pendant Necklace" class complete with hammering, texturing, forming and wire wrapping. Follow the links above to read all the details and to sign up - I'd love to have you in one of my classes this year!

Be sure to sign up soon though because registration for my classes will be closing shortly so I can pack up and make the long drive south! Okay, so it's only a 2 hour drive from Phoenix to Tucson, but I'm spoiled because I don't travel much outside my littel 5 mile radius - thanks to the internet!

Here's a great article about the 2008 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show that was in Lapidary Journal/Jewelry Artist Magazine - it's packed with valuable information! And, for those attending the show this year, visit Colored Stone - The Tucson Show Guide to view all the show locations, complete with dates and times, vendor lists, shuttle schedules, and information on things around town like where to eat, stay and play.

Okay, so I could tell you that I'll be giving nightly updates here on my blog about all that's uniquely "Tucson", but honestly, I'll be ogling my 'daily stash', feasting on Nina's gourmet cooking and sipping wine w/her and the family. And then there's that thing called SLEEP,...if you want to keep up the pace again the next day! But I promise to do all I can to keep you in the loupe! (I mean loop!)

So, come join in the fun and feel the energy! After all - it's "Tucson"!!

Until then, have a good one!

Cheers,

~Shel~

P.S. - Okay, Just FYI - My posts will normally NOT be this long - Honest!! Really,.....