A few years ago I was commissioned by a relative to make an elaborate necklace. She was pretty vague on the details other than wanting it to be choker length with several strands and in colours of cream and gold. I told her in advance that my price would be the cost of materials x3 as I had been told that was a fair price for these sorts of things. I'd never made a piece this elaborate so I made sure I passed the design in front of several well known designers. It was unanimously approved as one of the most beautiful things they had seen in a long time and as a beginning designer I was nervous but happy.

The necklace was comprised of gold foil lined seed beads, Czech crystals, gold foil lamp work beads, chunks of citrine, gold vermeil findings and Swarovski crystal. As a beginner I made a few mis-steps (in my opinion) in that the pearls I used were plastic and the focal point was not gold plated but gold coloured. Still, I worked with what was available. The end result is the above necklace.


Scroll down for what happened to it.






This came back to me FOUR years later with the demand that I "fix" it. Yes, I had charged her over $400 for this necklace but I won't tell you what supplies cost. I actually UNDER charged her by quite a bit. Even as she paid me she laid a guilt trip down so thick I ended up comping her 3 more necklaces. Anyhow, when I got the necklace back it was so twisted and deformed I couldn't even lay it flat on the scanner. It took me another six months to decide what to do with it. I was so frustrated at her. She had decided the necklace was too long and took it to local "artisans" to have it fixed. They used shoddy wire, stole some of the beads and eventually gave her the twisted, dumpy mess that came to me.



This is what I re-created from the disaster she mailed back to me. I re-imagined it from scratch and when I mailed it back, (With a $45 restringing fee) this is what she had to say.

"Just received the necklace in the mail. Now THAT IS A NECKLACE! Perfect. It can be worn with dressy or even casual, just what I wanted plus lots of little touches, like the flower/heart 'clasp' and the little dangles down the front from the round shell like...sorry, don't know their proper names. Very nice... You did a great design. Thank you so much. That is a piece I will wear a lot."

So even though the original was destroyed, eventually I did right by the client and created another piece I was proud of and she enjoys.

I am VERY excited to announce my first shop promotion! This is a Blogspot only deal and I can't wait for it to kick in.

If you are a blogger, here's how to enter. Post a comment in this entry and tell me what your favorite item in my shop is. That enters you for a chance to win a custom made item!

Step two is even better! For every 10 people you get to follow my blog, you get 10% off any item in my shop on October 1st. That means, if you get 20 people to follow me, you get 20% off! What's more is, EVERY item in my shop will be 10% off that day. So, imagine 10, 20 or even 50% off any item in my Etsy shop.

I also have a Facebook promotion that is slightly different. If you get 10 friends to "Like" my Facebook page, you get entered to win a custom item. The Facebook and Blogspot promos are separate so 1 blogger will win a custom item and 1 Facebook fan will win an item.

I hope you're as excited about this as I am! Good Luck!

I don't know if any of you have ever made something that you instantly don't want to sell/give away, but this pair of Alice in Wonderland earrings was definitely one of those times where I finished and could barely stand to show them to anyone.

Sure enough, as soon as I showed them to my mom and sister I already had demands to make them pairs! If I can find tiny tea sets in different colours I would love to make pairs that can match any outfit.

So tell me, what is your favorite children's story and would you wear jewelry inspired but it?

Well, it's been a fun week end and last week I was featured in an etsy treasury! I have been making stretch bracelets made with neon and glow-in-the-dark pony beads. These bracelets are ideal for Ko-Gal and Harajuku fashion and are also popular in the Rave culture due to their ability to glow vividly under black lights. The glow-in-the-dark beads not only glow remarkably under UV lights but also retain a charge after being exposed to sunlight.



The most exciting thing about these bracelets is that they can be worn anywhere and I use super strong stretch cord. Which means that you can beat them up, let children wear them or even snag them and not worry about them breaking. And because they are plastic, I can keep the cost down! Right now the official price is $2.50 or 5 for 10! Pop on over to my shop and check them all out!

Well, I'm very excited to be here, writing the first of many posts to come. I have been making beaded jewelry since 1995 at the age of 15. Of course back then, my idea of making a necklace involved fishing line but it kindled a flame within me that has never gone out.

I'll keep this first post brief but I want to say thank you to all of my past customers and welcome to my future ones! I hope the unique and varied items I make keep you guessing, keep you interested and keep you coming back!

Welcome to Sparking Sundries!