I've been so naughty, Santa may be forced to give me a lump of coal!

I couldn't believe it when I looked at this blog. I knew I'd been somewhat lax about adding to it. I won't sugarcoat it, it's a real chore. The writing part is easy, but wrangling all the objects that never go where you want them to is hard and can be disappointing. Ba ha...oh, well!


So, I've been bad, true, but it's very hard being a one woman show--designing the banner, trying to say things that will turn people on to your style, making the jewelry, putting a lot of passion, hopes and love into it. Then there's photographing it, editing it, making a listing for it, posting it in several places, keeping up with it and on and on--including the social media with your business page.


I know--I'm good at excuses. Well, here's a good one! I have a dog--more like a beloved fur ball--my baby--very smart--she can talk! But the point is this--she really takes a huge amount of time.  She must get 6 meals a day, and probably 10 or more belly rubs, rib tickles and neck rubs and back rubs, foot massages and scalp massages. She's diabetic, so my patience for this is unlimited, but I do run out of working time and end up burning the candle at both ends and I'm beginning to look like a Zombie.  Other than that, things are normal, I guess.


Now you've heard my excuses. So I guess this could happen again. Maybe not a 2 year gap, but I expect there will be gaps. So, if you're at all interested in keeping up with my shop activities please check out my Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/meretrinkets.  I try not to bring up personal things on my biz page, but I keep breaking that rule.  In any case, I hope you'll give me a "like" while you're there--that is--if you show up.


And, of course, I'd love it if you'd check out my Etsy shop:  Mere Trinkets! That url is: https://etsy.com/shop/meretrinkets  and I'd love it if you'd "like" that page too.


Now I feel guilty, especially since my status with Santa equals a big fat lump of coal. So let's keep him out of it for now.  There is a part of me that anyone knows if they know me well--she's "Minnie." She knows what she wants. Let's just keep her on the down-low, too. The real "me" isn't greedy at all. But, where business is concerned, Minnie may sneak in there somewhere.  Well, she likes the "likes"--they make her happy and if I can stand sharing any of her values this would be it--I guess I like them, too! But don't feel any pressure, whatsoever. (Big smile!)


I hope you have a great holiday--Christmas, Kwanza, the Jewish holiday that confuses me when it comes to spelling it...you know what I mean--it sounds like, "Hanukah," but has a "C" in it somewhere. And, in case, you're wondering, that's not a politically incorrect statement. We're talking holidays--not politics!


Well, hugs and kisses then--be safe wherever you go and remember to be grateful for every little thing you have--most especially your family and friends!

Hi, remember me?  I'm the one who has trouble keeping up. Others do it with no problem.  I know several women who run large businesses that have time for newsletters and their blogs, inventory, accounting, and the rest and take care of their families and they make it seem effortless. Jennifer LaVite from Dry Gulch Beads comes to mind.  I'm truly jealous...some people are just super human. 

Well, this blog is definitely maintained by a human. So here it is, many months later. I have to say my biggest problem is getting through the holidays. They seem to overwhelm me.  Last year I was way ahead of the game.  This year not so much. But I discovered some things to do that are fun for me and these will be included in my inventory of jewelry. 

As an artist, I love to paint and I've always been a mixed-media sort of gal. I remember in art school doing a painting that included shoe polish.  I tend to use whatever I can find to get the look of something I really like. For the most part, it's the innocent paint, nothing toxic. So that's good--the painting I was referring to earlier doesn't count in this scenario. We don't have to wear paintings!

 

 

I hope you're recovering from the holidays, too, and getting back in your groove.  That's my goal, too.
I haven't made a ton of new stuff but I've made a few and will now present them to you. BTW, if you're anything like us in the Midwest, your weather is crazier than a loon. Hang in there!

Suzie

www.etsy.com/shop/meretrinkets

I have to admit that I'm not an everyday blogger person.  I'm good at once a month or so, but it isn't because I don't want to blog more.  I really do, especially with the Fall 2013 season here upon us and fashion week just behind us, I spend a lot of time looking at what's out there and always end up liking Ralph Lauren's line for street wear.  And if I could go around in evening gowns, I have some real favorites.  If you're interested in fashion, too, please check out my Mere Trinkets site on Pinterest. It's just about fashion--clothing and accessories, beauty tips, jewelry designs--mine and many others and it's my guide for what to wear. Doing this is giving me confidence in my own style.

I haven't had that much time for my fall creations, but interestingly enough, they're turning out to be beachy, but that doesn't mean (to me) that they're for summer wear.  I've made some things that definitely can go into winter, but that doesn't matter either, because personal style comes from wearing what you want to wear when you want to wear it. The only key I see is to have the basics right and then accessorizing is a whiz.



Shell, Mother of Pearl, Leaves on Antiqued Copper Drop

One thing I like to encourage us to do more is not go so matchy-matchy with our accessories and outfits.  I know that gets a little complicated if you're wearing lots of prints. My point is that if you're wearing black it looks better to put any color accessories with it besides black, with a few exceptions. Any other color adds so much interest to this way of dressing. It's like we don't wear black shoes with our black clothes now--we wear nude shoes or red shoes--even brown shoes--that sort of thing. I'd like you to think about it because you'll be blown away by the difference. And doing this makes your wardrobe look new and trendy every time.

Oh, yes, and I have a confession to make.  I'm a vegetarian and won't eat meat, one, because I love animals too much and, two, because it's deathly--very bad for the heart and brain. But I'm crazy in love with shoes and bags, so you'll see a lot of them on my boards in Pintrest. They're just for you and just for art's sake. I love to look at them so much. Plus, I have a giant shoe fetish.

I've been reading a lot about what to do with your leather stuff that you already have and the consensus among the veggie types is that we should wear those we've already purchased or donate them and abstain from buying them in the future.  This will be my route. If you say you're vegan and you're sporting leather, people see a contradiction there. Also, I mention this because I use leather cord with some of my jewelry.  That will stop too, unfortunately, because it's so beautiful.

Anyway, that's off my chest, now I can move on to some of my stuff for fall. It's a motley crew right now. I'll be adding much more, so keep in touch!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cha Cha Bracelet for Fall 2013



My first all shell bracelet.

Well, captions aren't working for me right now, so I'll just give you the link so you can peruse new stuff at your leisure.  Happy Fall!

www.etsy.com/shop/meretrinkets

I'm Back!!!!!

I'm still here, and eager to get back to talking about my favorite "girl" thing--jewelry. I've been so busy this summer, I couldn't squeeze everything in even if I stayed up all night to do it. Well, and I went on vacation for a week and it ended up being two weeks and when I got back I spent several days a week, for an average of 4 hours each time, on the phone with AT & T.  I know you know what I'm talking about with them.  Whew!

I did fit in some time to make a few things and it's interesting to see how my color choices are evolving.  I've never been a "pink" or "blue" girl. I've always liked more ethnic and mysterious things. The pinks and blues are wholesome and flirty--the ethnic and Boho things are more arty and flirty.

My neighbor is a "pink" and "blue" girl.  And since I appear to be easily influenced by the people I'm around--not from pressure from her--just from seeing her choices--I've shifted my thinking.  I will always be drawn to the drama of the arty stuff, but I love the way the pinks and blues flatter skin. Pretty, I must say.

However, the things I've made just recently in the "pinks" and "blues" I've kept for myself and I have more Boho stuff listed on my Etsy shop.  And I've started hand-painting beads to get whatever look I want--which thrills me because I do love to paint anything and everything. And I do mean that literally.  I've even painted my frig. So you get the picture now, right?  And I don't just like to paint them, I like to give some of them a bit of an "urban decay" sort of look. And that's because some things are just too shiny. I think they need to look like they've been around for awhile. Of course, not everything should look that way, just some things, and it depends a lot on the style of the thing as to whether it needs to be knocked down a tick. Well, you'll see if you look at my shop.

I hope you've had a good summer so far. We've had the most unusual weather--again. From a disastrous tornado two years ago to Pacific Northwest weather with rain every day, several times a day. And our mosquitoes own every inch of my skin. We have an absolute army of them. They circle in in groups during the day even, which I thought was not in their plan book. They've changed because they're definitely cruising around in the am looking for blood. And they always find mine.



My inspiration for these bracelets comes from south of the border. I love this look and can't remember exactly what I saw there that inspired this in me, but it was somewhere in my memory or imagination!

 

 

These bracelets fit in the hand-painted category. 
I had so much fun with them.

 

This is the one that got some of that "urban decay" look I was
talking about.  This is a necklace BTW!

 

 

 

 

This bracelet looks great on! The pic is a little dark but these dangles are beautiful pinks and plums with shell, wood, sea glass, pearls, gemstones, and more.

Size 7.5".

www.etsy.com/shop/meretrinkets

www.handmadespark.com/myspark/meretrinkets

Ba-da Bing, Ba-da Boom

Exactly.  It's all going to start tonight. Audrey will be scared--she hates the ba-da booms.  90% chance we'll have a big weather fiesta of rain and hale...so we're going to wait and see.  Weather just loves to mess with us here in the Midwest and now it seems like everywhere else on the planet too.

Our neighbor and friend left for work this morning and got a huge surprise.  A flock of wild turkeys were chowing down in the neighbors yard across the street.  And this neighbor often has his sprayer in hand.  I hope they didn't get more than they bargained for by landing in his yard for grub--I mean grub worms or whatever they were feasting on.  Our yard is very organic, nary a spray in sight, so they would have been welcome here.  Maybe they were getting a feast of nuked bugs from the spray.  What's easy isn't always what's best. Ah, well, they didn't seem to care, they flew away with full bellies and were happy for it, I suppose.

Any-who, speaking of Trinkets and the like--I'm sort of in a holding pattern for making new jewelry.  I want to make everything, but I have 236 listings on my Etsy site right now, so I'm wondering if I should switch back to painting for awhile.  It's been years of not painting because I don't have the right space or light for it.  It's just an excuse, I know.  And I long to paint when I see all the beautiful paintings on Etsy and all the great masters of art on Pinterest.  All I can say is thank God for family, pets, music and ART!!!  Hope you have a great day!



Just added these today--$10.00    

Easter, Spring and Start of Baseball Season

My favorite holiday is Easter.  I'll never forget looking for Easter eggs in the beautiful newly sprouted grass. There's a certain kind we have in our yard that comes up only in Spring and it's very flamboyant with very long growth in small patches--just the right size for Easter eggs.  I wonder if it's called Easter Grass? We have hyacinths, jonquils, daffodils, and so many more Spring flowers, including lots of tulips coming in.  Beautiful.  But, I digress.  We dressed for church in lovely new clothes and my favorite--new shoes. I'm a shoe hound from birth.  No kidding.  Anyway, the Easter baskets absolutely dazzled me.  The air was fresh, the colors were beautiful, then looking for eggs after church and finally, the piece de resistance, getting the basket...glorious! Then there was Easter dinner that I really didn't care about because I was too busy eating chocolate bunnies, crème chocolates, gum drops, jelly beans and peeps.  Oh joy!

I did hear the message at church, but now it's just an overall sensation of freshness I feel when I think of Easter. Everyone says it, it's about new beginnings, everything seems fresh.  I love it!

My goose, she's so Spring-y!
Audrey waiting for Spring to Sprung!

My husband's memories of this time of year have to do with BASEBALL.  The start of the season with his beloved Cardinals.  He doesn't remember Easter baskets and candy.  He remembers the books on baseball given to him by his also beloved grandmother and the start of each new season.
  Go Cards, as he would say.

In our area, it's going to be a perfect weekend for raking and picking up sticks. It's going to be around 70 degrees--idyllic weather no matter who you are. But we do have to wait until April 15th to put anything new in the ground. So much has to take place before then, that it's the perfect amount of time to wait and gives us the time we need to fix fences, clean out beds, pull up old barrier cloth that is clogged with fescue grass, cut down dead trees and clean out a poison ivy patch. I forgot to mention that we'll just have two days of this precious waiting time because it's going to snow Monday.  Oh well, as they say.

In the studio, I'll do a little organizing and I'll do the same on my Etsy site. I'll bring some Spring-y looking things to my front pages and move some darker things to the back pages. Although, this is probably fruitless because people wear some of the dark colors year round.  Who could go too long
without wearing some smoky quartz?
 
I'll reassess my prices and shipping costs and try to decide whether to take some time off from making new things or just keep plugging away.  It's hard to stay away from the work table too long.  And I'll spend more time looking at the Etsy shops of those who've favorite-d my jewelry.  There are so many gifted people on Etsy.  It makes me swoon!  Check it out!

Ethnic Series Bracelets

 

Spring is trying to lift its head in our area, but we're not there quite yet.  We're in the Zone 6 area for gardening and all the spring flowers are coming up and getting bitten by our not so spring-y weather. Ah, well, it'll be here before we know it, inspiring our beading friends and family to hit the studio.

Happy and sweet Spring to you!

Y'all be turning green, I suppose, from yesterday's celebration of St. Paddy's day.  Get well soon!

And while you do, I'll just add a few more Mere Trinkets.  I hope you'll be finding them lovely!

 

 

 

A teeny-tiny bit behind...

Well, it's obvious I haven't been blogging for several months.  There have been a few health issues that involved running back and forth every other day to doctors' offices.  Everything is fine now and hopefully I can get busy with the things that interest me so much--one of them being my love of jewelry and making it and sharing it with you--my millions of followers.  You're so many and I don't want to let you down:)

I'm starting my business Pinterest page.  I don't have everything posted, but it's started.  I can't begin to explain my love of pinning.  It's so fantastic. For one thing, I used to buy so many subscriptions to magazines and saved them creating a magazine museum in my home and now Pinterest just fills that need.  I love it!

You can check out my new site, Mere Trinkets and my personal one on Pinterest is Suzie Jackson. I have my jewelry listed and a huge showcase of other artists' jewelry and my favorites from other posts of jewelry. Plus, I've included fashion and beauty tips on my Mere Trinkets page.  I hope you'll check it out.

Here's a new item recently added to my Mere Trinkets shop.  Please feel free to stop by anytime. :)

 

I absolutely love using vintage beads or costume jewelry to make new things. I love sifting through all the beads to find new life for them.  Modeling her bracelets:  Kristie Tusinger

 

This stack of bracelets is made from repurposed beads that belonged to various people in her
family. 

Now the holidays are really on us.  I know, because the pressure starts building up and I wonder if I've eaten too much candy.  Then, I realize that's the same feeling I get several weeks before my birthday.  It doesn't go away until the (what seems like a zillion) family birthdays are over in January. Then, I can drink my tea without the other head on my shoulder telling me I need to get busy--something I find hard to do unless I'm making something and then I turn into marathon woman.

So much for all that blah, blah, I need to change the subject to jewelry...handmade jewelry, most notably from my shop, because, yes, it is holiday time and you may be interested in some of my things. 

As you know, I love the ETHNIC stuff. I wish I could be happy with doing pearls and crystal and sterling silver but I don't last with that stuff.  I like to paint on my things and add bits and pieces to everything.  And with ethnic jewelry you get color, texture, history, charm, drama, mystery and tons of other stuff.

So, without any further ado, if you're online during the season, I'm going to have the Black Friday Sale on Etsy from November 23 to 26.  I'll have 20% off everything.  So might want to peek in and see what's there for your gift list.  Also, doing the 20% off for Cyber Monday.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by yet again.  And you have my sincerest wishes for a beautiful and blessed holiday!
 


Escaramuza Pendant Necklace

www.etsy.com/shop/meretrinkets

 

 

Beaded Posey Necklace

                                        

Take My Heart Necklace