Coupon code for Already Pretty readers

Whew, what a response! Thanks for all your feedback about my guest post at Already Pretty. I've been overwhelmed with your comments, emails, etc. and have enjoyed reading everyone's perspectives.

To say thanks for your support, I'm offering a coupon code in my Etsy shop. Visit the Stacybeads Jewelry shop, pick out some goodies, and when you're ready to check out, enter coupon code APGUEST2011 to receive free shipping on your order. Get a jump start on some holiday shopping, or treat yourself to something special. This coupon will expire on 10/31/11.

And if you haven't yet "liked" Stacybeads Jewelry on Facebook, you can do so by following the link in my sidebar.

Thanks again, everyone. You're fabulous.

Guest post on Already Pretty

Today I'm honored to have a guest post on one of my favorite blogs, Already Pretty. Thank you, Sally, for inviting me!

Stacybeads Style: Smoke & Mirrors

It's been a long time since I've played with Polyvore to create some styling ideas for you with Stacybeads. Fall is on my mind today, and I started thinking about how gorgeous the Smoke & Mirrors necklace would be for an autumn wedding. What do you think?

Smoke & Mirrors necklace: Czech fire-polished glass beads, pewter clasp with chain for adjustable length. $54.00

New and improved

Sometimes after I've created a piece of jewelry, photographed it, and put it up for sale in my Etsy shop, I have second thoughts. A little light bulb comes on over my head and I go, Ah ha! That piece could be improved if I changed X/Y/Z about it.

Recently, that was the case with my Metropolitan necklace design. The necklace had been for sale on Etsy for a while, when I had an idea to make it even better (which was a shame, because I did like it the way it was, and I was really happy with the photos I took of it). I donated the original to a charity auction, and am now about to embark on a re-do that I believe will make the necklace even more awesome.

The Metropolitan was beautiful in its first incarnation (left), but when I did a custom piece (right) for a client using these hammered silver links, I realized I wanted to replace the finer silver links of Metropolitan with something more substantial. (Click photo to enlarge.)

I'll be constructing the new version this weekend. The more dramatic links will be a great addition to this bold necklace!

Me-Made-June recap

Greetings, Stacybeads fans! I hope you're all having a wonderful summer (or winter, for you friends in the southern hemisphere). After a bit of a break, I'm ready to refocus and begin looking ahead. I have some lovely new things in the works for fall, which I look forward to telling you all about.

But first, a look back. Me-Made-June was a great success, and I'm pleased to report that I was able to incorporate Stacybeads jewelry into each and every one of my outfits. The photos here represent a few of my favorites. Jewelry is such a fun, easy way to change up your look or add a bit of color and sparkle to a tried and true outfit.

What are your favorite ways to use jewelry in your everyday style?

Joining Me-Made-June

[I'm cross-posting this from my personal blog, Stacyverb.]



Last spring, I was one of the participants in Me-Made-May. This event was the brainchild of the fabulous Zoe from "So, Zo..." and it was a lot of fun. The idea was for bloggers who make their own fashions to wear their own creations every day for a month and document it on their blogs. I enjoyed the challenge of getting my me-made clothes into more frequent rotation in my wardrobe, and I met lots of cool, creative people on the internet during the process.

Now Zoe is organizing another such event, Me-Made-June. I've been debating about whether or not to sign up. With two jobs and various other stresses, my schedule has been overwhelming, so I haven't had time to do any sewing since last fall. Plus, documenting the outfits every day can be time-consuming, which could get tricky since free time is so hard for me to come by right now.

But I've decided to take the plunge. Two things I've been dearly missing lately are blogging and sewing, so I'm hoping Me-Made-June will motivate me to find ways to make both of these things higher priorities in my life again. I might not have time to sew anything new (although surely I can carve out enough time to make at least one new thing...), but at least my existing me-made items can get more action. Plus, jewelry counts! So that takes a bit of pressure off of the sewing.

Let's make it official with the Me-Made-June pledge: 'I, Stacy, of Stacyverb, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-June '11. I endeavour to wear at least one me-made garment or piece of jewelry each day for the duration of June 2011.'