Tuesday, August 25, 2009

New special offer through Sept 1

Until 11:59 PM on Tuesday, Sept. 1, get a free pair of soda tab earrings with any purchase of a necklace or bracelet. Use the code word "bagel" in the Notes to Seller section.


Available here.

I'll make you a pair of the popular soda tab earrings in the color of your choice. Jewelry sets count for your purchased item!

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Pearls plus polymer ...

Looking at the items that the week's special offer applies to, I have to say ... I always seem to have these bizarre whims to combine pearls with really inappropriate materials.

There was this early-on experiment with printed wood beads where I appeared to think that red plastic and white pearls went perfectly together.


Available here.

And then there's these. Polymer clay and freshwater pearl is just not generally thought of together. As M says, "Those are strange. I like them, but ... they're strange."


Available here.

Mind you, I think both of those are great designs and great pieces of jewelry, but there's this ... almost a creeping sense of guilt for combining the two. Bead elitism, if you will. Like the clay should stay on its own side of the tracks, or the pearls' fathers will beat them up. Is that weird?

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

New offer through Aug 25

Until 11:59 PM Pacific (that's GMT -8, for reference, have I mentioned?) on Tuesday, August 25:

Get a free pair of simple pearl earrings with the purchase of any item containing pearls when you enter the code "almost" in the Notes to Seller section.


Available here.

No, sorry, glass pearls don't count, but mother-of-pearl does. :) The offer includes several items from the Etsy shop, and more to come in the next week!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Fimo is our friend

M and I spent most of the day playing with fimo clays. M made a fairy door with yellow roses on the frame, a gorgeous thing. I made several pendants, some of which worked, some of which cracked through. Many of these will be showing up on Etsy in the next few weeks.

I quickly discovered that simple tools work very well for this task. A deck of playing cards and an old rolling pin work as a slab roller, and my jewelry-making charms work just as well as texture sheets to give the clay surface designs. Great fun, and after some finishing with acrylic paint, the resulting pendant are absolutely beautiful.

Very special new offer through Aug 18!

This week, you do me a favor and I'll do you one ...

I still have several shop images that are on a background I was using before I switched to the unfinished pottery background you'll see in my more recent photos. I'd rather not have to retake all those pictures, so I need some of that jewelry to sell.

So, until 11:59 PM PST on Tuesday, August 18:

* The first item which was photographed on an old background entitles you to a free pair of earrings in your color of choice.
* The second item on an old background gets you absolutely free shipping for that item.
* The third item, and any subsequent purchases, will be discounted by 10% off the item's price.

To claim these rewards, enter the code "snow white" in the Notes to Seller section, along with the color in which you'd like your earrings made.


Available here.

That's actually a pretty good photo, if I do say so myself, but on some of them ... well, you can see why the light-colored background works better. Since I took the first couple batches of a photos, I've learned that I need texture to contrast with the usually glossy jewelry; to use light-but-not-white colors so the contrast doesn't go all wonky; and to avoid direct sunlight like a vampire soaked in orange oil.

So there you go -- the jewelry is just as beautiful and high-quality, but the photos are slightly lacking, so you get great deals on every item from that section you purchase!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Ten Unique Ways to Wear Your Jewelry

For when you need some extra uniqueness in an accessory. For when the pieces from your jewelry box, however fabulous they might be, need a new twist.

1. Layer a few simple chains around your neck for an instant multi-strand necklace. Mixed metals are very stylish, as are multiple layers. And you don't actually need a scoop neck for them; this can be effective and elegant inside the collar of an open-necked shirt.

2. Wear two charm bracelets with similar themes or color schemes on the same wrist. You get twice the noise, twice the movement and twice the glitter! My mother wears a gold charm bracelet I made for her all the time, but during high school football season, she adds one on the same kind of chain that has football buttons and my brother's school colors.

3. A favorite pendant can be strung onto bracelet-length instead of necklace-length chain. Double-sided pendants work especially well for this. If the bail is large enough, you can even slide the pendant over a simple beaded bracelet.

4. Have a necklace with an interesting clasp? Turn the clasp in front for a fresh look. This works best with longer necklaces, so that toggles lie flat and hooks aren't strained.

5. Cluster necklaces are especially trendy these days, but sometimes they all seem to feature the same bird, pearl and inspiring phrase charms. Create a unique one by adding several of your own pendants to a single chain, and let the personality of the new necklace change as they shift around each other.

6. Cuff bracelets and heavy bangles are all over the runway, but they're difficult to fit over large hands and unflattering to arms that taper significantly toward the wrist. Consider a memory bracelet instead; they're easy to fasten, since they just wrap around your wrist, and conform to the taper of your arm, while looking very much like the bold fashion bracelets from designer collections.

7. Fasten two bracelets together to make a stylish new anklet. Close the first bracelet. Then fasten the clasp of a second bracelet around the strand of the first. Bring the second bracelet around your ankle. Reopen the hook of the first bracelet to catch the ends of both, and voila!

8. Similarly, you can use a simple bracelet as an extender to make a choker into a longer necklace, and suddenly your occasions to wear it are limitless.

9. If you're fortunate enough to own a pocketwatch, don't let it sit in your jewelry box! String it on a chain and wear it as a necklace, or if you have the fob chain, wear it in the lapel pocket of a suit jacket for timeless (no pun intended) glamour.

10. Mix up your styles and types of jewelry. Put an heirloom locket or gemstone pendant on a more casual leather cord (just make sure it's fastened securely!). Wear a classic pearl bracelet with a chunky, colorful plastic one. Layering your jewelry will give you an effortless chic look and a sense of brand-newness without having to shop for a single piece.

Special Offer for my favorite color!

Though it's still summer-hot where I live, now is the time to do back-to-school and autumn shopping. Isn't it time to treat yourself to an inexpensive but wonderful new accessory?

Until 11:59 PM on Sunday, August 9, get a free pair of earrings with the purchase of any item from my shop containing the color orange. Just enter the discount code "truffle" in the Notes to Seller section. You can find all orange items by using the search bar at the top of the Etsy page, with the pulldown menu set to "tangopig's shop."


Available here.

I find that the combination of green and orange says "autumn" no matter what you do with them. I don't know if it's a childhood adoration for pumpkins or if other people see not only rich spicy tones but also pastel green and orange as an autumn palette. In this one, of course, the squash blossoms and wood help. Are those squash blossoms? Not daisies, in that color.

But ... orange. You can't possibly go wrong with orange.

My mother-in-law, by the way, says that orange is the new neutral. She's a quilter, and has started using orange fabrics instead of beiges and greys. Speaking of which, I owe her a new pair of orange and copper earrings, so if you'll excuse me ...