Heartful Handmade Blog

hoop earrings with nuggets of golden citrine

I first wrote about etco back in January, when I featured the elegant papier-mache bowls to be found there.  Well I'm happy to report that Yamarilet Pacheco, the etco artist, is still making those gorgeous bowls.  But I was drawn this time to her elegantly simple jewelry.  There's a natural quality in Pacheco's jewelry, and her pieces project a sense of serenity.  I love crystals with a raw quality, so these citrine nugget earrings spoke directly to me.  The gold-filled hoops are just over an inch in diameter, and the citrine stones were hammer faceted by hand to create a subtle show of reflected light.  Etco's jewelry is packaged in boxes ready for gift giving.  And there are lots of earrings, necklaces, and bracelets in this shop.  So click on over to etco and check them all out now.  These earrings are $25.

heirlooms, jewelry box kits, and memories

Alice Suszynski is an award-winning cabinetmaker who sells exquisite heirloom quality jewelry boxes and silverware chests.  These elegant handcrafted works of functional art are available through her Dream Mountain Studio website.  And now Alice has combined her fine craftsmanship with her experience as a teacher to develop a line of jewelry box kits that can be assembled with ordinary tools.  These kits are in a class by themselves and offer a unique opportunity for people with limited wordworking skills to create top-notch, high-quality jewelry boxes.  I'll let Alice tell you all about it in this video:

These kits make it possible for you to create a very special keepsake for a loved one.  Or to give a very unusual gift to a craftsperson in your life.  Maybe even one who will give you the finished product.  How cool is that?

And I love Alice's suggestion that a jewelry box building project be shared with a child. Not only will it help to build the child's confidence and sense of accomplishment. It will also add to his or her store of warm and treasured memories when grown.   So click on over to Alice's new website, Ready to Build, to check out her new jewelry box woodworking kits.