Grayslake Holiday Boutique

This is a fabulous shopping experience that you cannot miss! The fabulous Liz Nonnemacher of wickedlychic.com is opening her home for an experience like no other. Local artisans gather to showcase their work. Jewelry, handbags, photography and much, much more.

For a sneak peek of some of the fabulous artisans, check out these links:
http://SapphireLizard.etsy.com
http://SunnyKristi.etsy.com
http://artunderCJ.etsy.com
http://iamsusie.etsy.com
http://www.jackieplier.com
http://aliBart.etsy.com
http://nightswork.etsy.com
http://thepinkorange.etsy.com
http://papercrazy.etsy.com

This event will run from 11am-2pm and again from 5pm-9pm. So, whether you're a daytime shopper or an evening shopper, we've got you covered! Join us at 235 Prairie View Ave in Grayslake. Not sure where this is? Take a peek at this map.

Grab a friend or two and stop by for a fabulous fun time!!

Spring is Near!

As spring very slowly rolls in to the Chicagoland area, I am going to be spotlighting some lovely spring items. Check back for more random Etsy finds throughout the week!

Check out this stunning Cherry Blossom print from Galerija Baltica:

* * * Snowy Winter Blowout! * * *

Snowy Winter Blowout at Sapphire Lizard Designs!

2 days only!

Tuesday & Wednesday, February 5th & 6th

Everything in the shop is 20% off! Just enter "Snowy" at checkout and I will send you a revised invoice for 20% off your entire purchase. (Discount is applied before shipping.)

Sapphire Lizard's Gift Guide (6)

How about a lovely Wine Bottle Stopper, decorated with a stunning dichroic glass piece from Paula's Stress Art? Pick one up today for just $23!!

Sapphire Lizard's Gift Guide (5)

Know someone who needs a bit of pampering, but you're just not sure what scent to choose? Then consider this Mini Lotion Gift Sampler from Right as Rain Creations. For only $10 you get to sample 6 scents. The only challenge will be choosing just 6 from more than 25 available scents!

Sapphire Lizard's Gift Guide (4)

Here is a great and inexpensive gift idea. Tile coaster sets from Little Tile Gnome. Sets of four tile coasters sell for only $10. She carries every style imaginable. Retro, floral, holiday, vintage and more!!

Here is just one example of these fabulous coasters:

Sapphire Lizard's Gift Guide (3)

Like a more natural look to your jewelry? Then you might consider a River Rock pendant from Sarah Wong Jewelry.


This particular pendant retails for just $23.

Sapphire Lizard's Gift Guide (2)

Know someone who is decorating a new home? Well, then you may want to consider this lovely piece from Amy Giacomelli. I admire Amy's work, most of which is well beyond my budget right now. This piece is a bit smaller than many of Amy's pieces and so is its price.

Give this serene painting this holiday season for only $53.
Lakeside at Sunset:

Of course, feel free to browse Amy's shop for many more fabulous pieces!

Sapphire Lizard's Gift Guide

Everyday for the next 2 weeks, I'm going to be posting some neat Etsy finds. This is my own personal gift guide.

Today, I'll start things off with this Large Serving Bowl from Dishfuls of Doodles:
This bowl, like all of her other products, is handpainted with Mary's original design. This particular bowl caught my eye because of its color. These lovely bowls are available in multiple sizes and an assortment of different colors. Looking for a platter or a vase instead? No problem! Mary has those too! Just stop by dishfulofdoodles.etsy.com today!

Leaves, Leaves, Leaves

Lately, the weather around here has been crazy. This past weekend it was 90 degrees and incredibly humid...not typical for October in Chicago. Now, here it is Wednesday and only a high in the low 50's. Now that's much more like normal. So...its finally starting to look and feel like fall.

Wind gusts swoosh through and blow up clouds of fallen leaves. So, I thought I'd swoosh through and show off some great leafy items I found on Etsy.

Gold Heart and Leaves Pendant by Tiny Montgomery:

Autumn Oak and Acorn Procelain Ring by Round Rabbit:

And, last but not least, this adorable bag from Homegrown Skinny:

If you find that you're needing an extra large helping of autumn these days, then just hop on over to Etsy and search for leaves. There's definitely plenty to choose from!

Kronos Rocks!

I don't know all that much about Kronos glass, but one thing's for sure...I love Kronos glass beads!! It makes for absolutely stunning shades of blue/green color. I love it!!!

One example is this lovely focal bead from Mary Lockwood:
A lovely focal from Seattle Lampwork Designs:
This lovely set from Bead Abundant:

More Heavy Metal!

In case you hadn't already figured it out, I've been swooning over heavy metal jewelry lately. Today's feature is another fabulous metal jewelry artist.

Sterling Silver Jewelry
by
Industria
http://industria.etsy.com

Industria offers many choices of unique sterling jewelry. The first piece that caught my eye in her shop is this stunning Curve Bracelet.
If you're into rings, then you should definitely check out these Sterling Stamped Stack Rings.
Looking for a necklace that is sure to stand out in the crowd? Well then I suggest the ZAP POW WHAM Sterling Silver Necklace.
Take a moment to stop by and browse the rest of the shop at Industria. And be sure to mention that you saw her here!!

Somthing to talk about!

Yes, definitely something to talk about here! Today's spotlight is:

Moore Taste
Designer Jewellery by Toni
at
http://Mooretaste.etsy.com

Toni from Moore Taste offers a lovely variety of unique metal jewelry pieces. For starters, this Etched Copper Pendant:
Another eye catching piece is the Etched Brass Pendant:

And finally, these lovely Ripple Etched Copper Earrings, also available without the ripple or in sterling silver.

So...stop by Moore Taste to check out these beauties and much, much more!! Be sure to mention that you saw her here!

Impromptu Etsy Front Page Contest

The Etsy Treasury has become such a hot place to be, that the poor servers can't handle all of the traffic they're getting. So...while the Treasury is down, one of the Etsy Admins is running a bit of an impromptu contest to find a front page treasury. I just so happened to have a treasury planned and was going to try to grab a spot. Here it is:

I was planning on blogging on this theme tonight anyways!!

Stunning!

Calling all bead addicts!! These are some of the most stunning beads I've ever seen!!! Boy, I sure do love Bead Abundant!!

I can always count on seeing some stunning shades of blue and green at Bead Abundant, but there's just something about this "Renaissance Pair" that takes the blue and green to a whole new level!

Heavy Metal

Wanted to share a few awesome new favorites. I have been on a major metal jewelry kick lately.

Take a few minutes to check out this lovely Blue-Green and Ice Blue Chainmaille bracelet from Avionmaille.
For you copper fans like myself, you'll adore this Copper and Silver Necklace from Accent Yourself.Last, but certainly not least...check out the Copper Circles Bracelet from Grassy Mountain Design.

In addition to making such fabulous pieces, these 3 artists are all relatively new to Etsy. Stroll on over and check out their shops, and be sure to mention that you saw them here.

Dressing up Denim

The EtsyBEAD theme of the week this week is "Dressing up Denim". Some of my fellow street team members have been lucky (patient) enough to snag a few treasuries to show off some of the lovely items that are on sale this week.See something you like?? Want to see more?? Search Etsy for "Dressing up Denim" or just click here!! And remember...each and every week you can search for the tag "EBTW" to find items for that week's theme. To learn more about the EtsyBEAD street team and our weekly sales, stop by our team blog at http://etsybeadstreet.blogspot.com/ !!

Etsy Spotlight~ Frozen in Time

I am incredibly excited to introduce you to an awesome new Etsy seller. I have to admit, I discovered this shop through the Daily Ditties at Wickedly Chic.

Frozen in Time is a shop full of truly unique pendants. These pendants are photographic images from inside of kaleidescopes, mounted in acrylic pendants. Absolutely stunning!!

Go Colts!

The secret's out! I'm a football fanatic, and a big time Indianapolis Colts fan! In celebration of tonight's big season opener game...just a little bit of team spirit.

Feeling Lucky Earrings by Girl in World:

Blue and White Fused Dichroic Glass Pendant by Lucky Girl Trading Company:
Blue Spiral Lampwork Pendant by Avenue Beads:
OCEANIA Fused Glass Pendant by Willow Glass:
Go Colts!!

Where have you been???

Many of you may have been wondering where I've been. Things have been busy at home, and I haven't had much time for blogging.

The biggest chunk of my time has gone to my son. Our 4 yr old son had his tonsils and adenoids removed last Thursday. So, we spent our Labor Day weekend nursing him back to health. I'd say that he pulled through it very well, but we definitely had our ups and downs. He has been fairly low key, and his appetite comes and goes. The biggest challenge we've had is getting him to drink enough fluids. Today is his first day back at daycare...a little sad for me. Hopefully it goes well, because tomorrow is another big day for him. Tomorrow is the first day of preschool. Last week they had an open house, and he had a blast. So much so that when it came time to leave, he didn't want to go home.

It is a bit weird not having the kids around today. It has been a while since I've taken them to daycare on one of my days off...and after a long weekend with them, it sure is quiet around here. I mustn't spend too much time enjoying the peace and quiet though...there is much to do today. I need to finish cleaning up around the house. More importantly, I must finish getting things together for an appointment I have this afternoon. I'm headed over to check out the lovely little shop opening today in Lake Villa, called Artisans Ball. I actually heard about the shop through Etsy, as the owner is an Etsy seller. The shop features a number of indie artists, a list which will hopefully include myself soon too.

Over the coming weeks, I will do what I can to bring the blog back up to normal speed. It may take a while though because my husband has a couple of business trips, and I'll be a single mom for a while. Thanks so much for your patience!!