i've been

pretty neglectful just lately haven't i? in my attempt to keep a little cleaner/more organized house my craft falls by the wayside because i don't have an office or studio of my own. i normally work in the breakfast nook or in the living room, but that always makes for a bit of a mess. and according to my husband little bits of wire all over the floor are unforgiving to sensitive soles. those of you who know me would think that second line is a joke...cleaner/more organized house. i have a kid a dog...if it's not spit up on it's covered in dog hair and most of it gets both treatments! so, now i'll share a pic of my doggie:



and in case you need a laugh today:



tee he he. my husband hates that picture, but me on the other hand, i think it's HILArious. but then again i am the one that put socks and pants on my kids head just for a chuckle. maybe i'll share that picture another day.

until then i'm going to sit here at the table and think about the fact that i really need to go take a shower, but i don't feel like it. i have a few blogs i need to catch up on and hey, that's important, right?

woooo hoooooo

i made the front page of etsy today! i went online to see what was going on and to my suprise, my brittany earrings were front and center! that's so awesome!

see, i have proof!! :

even cuter

i decided to bump the froggie picture down with an even cuter picture.



he is totally worth not getting more than 5 hours sleep straight since he was born! and not for the next umpteen years!

evolution of art

first off, i have this cute little froggie picture i took the other day and wanted to share. isn't he so cute?


second, let's talk about the evolution of art. in my case, right now, jewelry. so, i saw this bracelet that was added on etsy the other day. Spiny Knotted... by LeiDesign and i was immediately drawn to it.



She notes the originator of the pattern she used for the bracelet in the description, Stephanie Sersich, so, off i go to find out more about this lady and her book that taught LeiDesign to make this gorgeous and tactile bracelet. I found Stephanie's website and read through everything I could find - her work is posted on alot of websites and she teaches classes so alot of people mentioned her on their blogs. well, me being the person i am, i decided i HAD to have her book. i had to see what this "special technique" was that LeiDesign learned from Stephanie's book and executed so beautifully in her bracelet.

so off to amazon i go, and barnes and noble.com, and ebay, did i mention that i'm cheap? a penny pincher? i found stephanie's book on buy.com and since i used my google checkout i got $10 off the book, so with 2 day UPS shipping i still only paid like $16 for the book. that's WAY under the $22.95 price. I got the book on wednesday and let me say...woohoo. but also let me say, had I seen the book first and not the bracelet by LeiDesign, i might not have bought it. anyways, i flipped quickly through it to the page with the how-to for the bracelet i had seen. i was shocked (it's really easy). i've done macrame before so i found the bracelet pattern very simple - but the drawings and the step-by-step how to's were fantastic. she even shows you how to add more thread when you run out - something that is very important.

so, i was going to make the bracelet as the pattern indicates, but i don't have any waxed linen thread or any pearl cotton. i could go to the store, yes, but cameron was sleeping and i had to wait for him to get up so in the meantime i started brainstorming how could i execute this bracelet with items i have on hand. my first thought was yarn, but that seemed more like a practice bracelet to me, you know? so my second thought was, of course, wire.

i started toying around with my copper wire. i had a couple practice runs and a little trial and error, and this is the bracelet i came up with. i don't know if i will list it in my shop. i really like it. it fits nicely :)







macrame with wire was definitely not the easiest thing i've ever done. i have sore index fingers on both hands. i can see if i make more of these wire bracelets i will develop a callus. but i think it's awesome. now, i will probably make a few bracelets out of twine (it will definitely be easier on my hands) but i just wanted to share my new endeavour with you special people, my blog readers. :) i was hesitant to post these pictures, because i don't want someone to 'steal' my idea, but i figure anyone with integrity will take my ideas and do exactly as i've done with Stephanie's - let it evolve.

let's talk wholesale

ok, not really talk, read.

i found a great blog here:

Part I
Part II

thanks qbranchltd for so much info!!

photoshop highlights - before and after

it was suggested to me by a wonderful reader of my blog (and there aren't many of you!) that i should do photoshop before and afters and maybe i could help some etsians along the way. i thought about her suggestion (thanks kim!) and have decided to do exactly what she suggested. today i have worked on the cubecone's photos. she makes flower arrangements for tiny spaces (cubicles, apartments, hospitals) for places where a large arrangement isn't feasible. these wonderful creations can be hung with nothing more than a straight pin! i think that's pretty incredible.

unfortunately, the photos cubecone has doesn't always showcase the items as well as they could. a couple of them were a tad dark and the blue flowers were a good idea, but i found the background extremely distracting. i have tried to take the photos she already has in her shop and highlight her items just a little better. let me know what you think!






neep help with your photos? drop me a line (etsy@brandianndesigns.com) or leave a comment and i will do what i can to help!

more pictures...to be listed for sale soon

i went on monday to the botanical gardens not far from my house and got some great pictures (if i do say so myself :) ) i ordered a few today from my printer and will be listing them soon! here's a sneak peak:


and my favorite one:


and don't forget to check out my shop for new jewelry!