Sharma Designs - Behind the Scenes of a Handmade Jewelry Business

New Lucite Earrings

You may have noticed that there was a week or so where not a whole lot was going on in my Etsy shop.  The whole family got that nasty virus that's going around and of course I got hit the hardest.  I am usually a take 3 advil (yes 3.  much more effective than 2) and keep moving kind of gal but this thing knocked me on my butt for a week!  Not fun.

Now I am healthy-ish and starting a new workout program.  My husband and I are starting the P90x workout.  I have heard really great things and the results seem to be genuine so I am super excited.  They are hard but not so hard I am going to quit.  Unfortunately an hour + (isn't that evil?) of working out at night cuts in to my jewelry making time.  Last night I was trying to wire wrap after a killer biceps workout and my arms and fingers were almost too weak to work!  I'm determined to make it work though!

I have been uploading lots of new pretty vintage lucite earrings over the past few days.  I am a big fan of lucite.  The earrings are ornate yet very lightweight which is fabulous.

These are my favorite new style.  I love the detail and of course, the size.  I am a fan of big.  They are definitely attention grabers!  Perfect for those of you who are like me and tend to wear simple tops.  They can steal the show.  They also come in a tangerine color.

I got two new colors in the floral filigrees.  The plum color pictured above and a baby pink color.  Super fun and super light!

Lastly, for those of you who prefer smaller earrings we have this black filigree doily earrings.  Very sweet and again...very lightweight.

I have been working on some new necklaces the last few (late) nights and will hopefully start posting those tomorrow.  Have a great Thursday!

Twiggy Earrings

I got these great new wood paddles and quickly decided they needed to be earrings.  Wood is great because it is so light.  That's definitely a plus when making earrings because no one likes saggy lobes right?  I'm pretty sure those went out with the 80's.

I have a few pairs listed on the site right now and will list more over the next few days.  Special color combination requests are welcome.  I tend to make up my favorites first but can certainly accommodate yours too.

My personal favorites are of course the super sticky ones.  Aren't they funky?  Perfect for all my black shirts.

I also made these really simple delicate curved wood dangles.  My hair was up when I was working and I quickly made myself a pair too.  They look fabulous with your hair up.  Just something simple to frame your face.  They are like air too!  These are a must have.

Enjoy the new earrings!

My 1 Year Etsyversary!

Today was my one year Etsyversary!  I know if you look at my Etsy store it looks like I have been selling since 2006 but in actuality I have just been BUYING since 2006.  Oh and how I have been buying....but anyway yay me!  Yay Etsy!

Thanks to all my wonderful customers who have helped make my Etsy store such a sucess!  If you are subscribed to my newsletter (you should be!) then you know how to get a discount.  If you aren't but want to celebrate with us just email me and I'll hook you up!

Friendship Bracelets

I saw some DMC floss the other day and immediately thought of one of my first jewelry projects..friendship bracelets.  Remember those?  They were all the rage when I was in elementary school.  My mom was really good at helping us with crafts and quickly got me set up with some floss and taught me how to make one.

Of course I could not just have a few colors.  I actually bought one of those floss organizers and a million colors of floss.  Now remember I was young so that was hard earned babysitting money I was spending.  I guess the obsessive bead/craft hoarding started at a young age.

You are supposed to leave the bracelet on until it falls off on its own but if I remember correctly the bracelet kinda got too stinky and raggedy long before it fell off.  I usually wore 10 or so at a time.  This was more due to the fact that my friends and I spent every waking moment making them than my millions of friends.

Anyway, there is step by step instructions here if your childhood was deprived of the magic of friendship bracelets!  Thanks for taking a walk down memory lane with me.

The Jewelry Tags

I get a lot of comments and questions about this post where I talked about my new jewelry tags.  In all honesty I have been very bad about attaching my jewelry tags as of late.  I need to remember to do that!

I thought that I would post about the source for the jewelry tags because of all the questions I get.  It will be easier for me than answering all the emails. 

When I started making jewelry many years ago I was using base metal in my designs.   The most affordable solution for me was to have a stamp made then stamp the tags myself.  Back then you could only get sterling premade (that I could find).  I ordered a stamp from Microstamp and the tags separately and stamped them myself on an anvil.  If you weigh the costs and it is the most affordable solution it is an okay way to go.  It is a bit tedious and there is a learning curve to getting the stamp just right.  The end result is great though.

I did a quick google search and also found this company that makes them premade.  It actually seems like they are very reasonably priced and they offer both sterling and base metal.

I would suggest googling the term  "metal jewelry tags" and looking through the different companies to price compare.  Hope that helps all of you you have inquired!

Just in Time for Valentine's Day

I would not call myself a "Valentine's Day kind of girl".  In fact, growing up my friends and I always called it "Day of Death" (I still do just not around my husband. He gets mad.)  I personally would rather have little tokens of affection all year round then heaped on me on a specific day because it's expected. 

But that being said, a little gift on Valentine's Day is kinda sweet when paired with a meaningful homemade card (I like when my husband hand draws mine.  He draws a mean stick figure.  I keep them all).  As long as it is not just that one day because it is expected.

I feel like my little heart necklaces fit my feelings on Day of Death Valentine's Day perfectly because they are not just the expected red and pink and can be worn all year round.  The pendants are vintage Asian enameled hearts and are fairly small (about an inch wide) but super sweet.

I have a bunch of these little pendants and will be posting more styles as they sell.  They might have the same pendant but I will switch the beads up a bit so they will all be one of a kind (Okay I lied.  The red one I made two of because when I tried other beads they just didn't work.  That one only).  At only $29 I think they definitely qualify as a "small token of affection" and are way more useful than flowers, balloons, or chocolate (although I have never been one to turn down chocolate)!

I strive for shipping same day or next day for domestic orders.  I always ship within 48 hours.  I also send everything priority mail so you have plenty of time to hint to your honey.

Hope you have a great week!

Bloggy Carnival Winner!

I didn't even have time to enter any contests this year due to a week of sick kiddos!  I hope everyone had a great time!

Out of 116 comments the random number generator picked number 101.  That means my winner this time is gahome2mom. 

She said "I like the Lots of Hearts Black Oval Wood Filigree Earrings. I like hearts alot. Thanks."

For those of you who didn't win please feel free to sign up for my monthly newsletter to be entered to win a piece of jewelry of your choice from my Etsy shop.  You can find all the details here.

Thanks to everyone who entered!  I had a great time reading your comments!