Gift Guide-Your Coworker or Secret Santa

Love it or hate it, buying gifts for coworker or the office secret santa is a necessary evil. I personally love it! Are you stuck? Allow me to make some suggestions from the wonderful selection of handmade jewelry i have at JuliaCatherine.etsy.com. If your looking to spend about $25 the Swarovski pearl and Earrings set is a good way to go. I personally love the look of pearls and chain combined. This necklace is gorgeous. Just click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

The "earthy" co worker. The leafy brass branch earrings would be great for her. They are made from brass leaf stampings and embellished with vintage beads, green flowers and other earthy toned beads.

Your bestest girlfriend co worker- you whine over how so and so is a jerk and how your boss doesn't know how to tuck in his shirt or tie his tie because his wife left him. She would probably love the sterling silver tear necklace with a blue chalcedony accent bead. Or a pair of sterling silver circle earrings.

Your lady boss- If your boss is a lady no doubt that she LOVES earrings. You want to get on her good side. These earrings are my one of my personal favorites. The filigree drop earrings, with a swarovski crystal accent bead. They are only $15 at JuliaCatherine.etsy.com but she will think you spent way more. These are sure to get you in her good graces for at least another year.

So whichever you choose, im sure you have made an awesome decision. and I make it super easy too. Everything from JuliaCatherine.etsy.com comes in a gift box with a signature burgundy red ribbon. All ready to give!

Gifts for your childs KEEP teacher, YMCA counselor or other daycare.

For the people who have the job of taking care of your children all year round. The YMCA counselors, KEEP teachers and other daytime caregivers/ babysitters. There are a ton of items that they would love from JuliaCatherine.etsy.com but you can understand most of these items may not be child friendly.

These are people you may not chat with alot but want to get them something nice. Do they wear earrings? If so I would like to suggest the leafy bits earrings. They dangle a modest 1 inch, and are very petite otherwise. These are probably best for caregivers of school age children.

For caregivers of younger children a bracelet may be a better idea for worktime. This gorgeous bracelet made with round faceted brown and red glass beads is gorgeous and doesnt have alot of charms or any things that could risk hurting baby.

Of course you don't need to buy her something she can wear to work. Caregivers have lives outside of caring for our children. Im sure you could find many other things from JuliaCatherine.etsy.com that would be sure to please! And when in doubt JuliaCatherine.etsy.com has Gift certificates! Just shoot me an email at JuliaCatherineJewelry@gmail.com if you would like a denomination that is not listed. Useable on any items in my shop and NO expiration date.

Gifts for Your Best Friend Or Sister

The gift giving season is in full swing and JuliaCatherine.etsy has a ton of things for great gifts. Today im going to spotlight a few things i think would be great for your best friend or sister.

Circle Jewelry is HOT this season and so are hammered metals. Why not take it a step further and buy your Sis this gorgeous Hammered Sterling Silver Necklace. Handmade by Julia Catherine this necklace is a gift she is sure to LOVE, I know I would! Click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

Why not go for a matching set? Juliacatherine.etsy.com has earrings to match the hammered sterling circle necklace. There is the single circle for a more demure friend or sister.

Is she a bit more daring? Then may I suggest the double sterling hammered circle earrings? YES I said DOUBLE! These are amazing and perfect for a night out on the town. Maybe a girls night out? I would say so.
So whichever you pick im sure shes going to love anything from JuliaCatherine.etsy.com. Stay Tuned for more great gift ideas! And as always to cover all bases you can add priority mail shipping and/or insurance to your order to ensure quick delivery!

So Busy!

I have been so busy lately with getting ready for the holiday season I have barely had a chance to blog about anything new. I made a necklace yesterday that i just HAD to blog about though. Its an artisan piece that i handcrafted. It's Very Exciting!Please stop on by to JuliaCatherine.etsy.com and take a peek.
This wonderful necklace is made from a 1 inch by 3/4 of any inch piece of sterling silver sheet with holes that are reminiscent of a saxophone or musical note. It has been brushed to give it a lovely matte finish. The very unique pendant measures 1 inch by 3/4 of an inch. The necklace is 17 inches long and is sterling silver cable/tiffany style chain. It closes with a spring ring closure. This item is handmade right here in the USA. Click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

Let The Holiday Shopping BEGIN!

***BLACK FRIDAY SALE!*** At JuliaCatherine.etsy.com
Take $2 off every pair of earrings or ring and $4 off every necklace. Make sure to use promo code "BlackFridayBlog" in your notes to seller at checkout. Please wait for a revised invoice before paying with paypal. Stop on by!

Item of the Day 11/22/07 Thanksgiving!

Today's Item of the day is this really pretty angel wings necklace. Only available at Juliacatherine.etsy.com This necklace is 18" inches 43.2 cm long made from vintage goldtone chain and brass wings. I have put a gorgeous black patina on the brass wings to bring out all the little details. They show very nicely. I have taken this 18 inch chain and dangled each wing from it. The one hangs shorter at about 2 inches long or 4.8cm The longest hangs 3 1/2 inches or 8.4cm down. This necklace is embellished with 4 swarovski crystal briolettes and closes with an antiqued brass lobster claw closure. A very nice necklace to keep the angels with you always. It is regularly priced at $38 but for today only it will be $34. Till 7am tomorrow. You can purchase this item by going to JuliaCatherine.etsy.com or go directly to this listing by clicking the photo. Type "Angelblog" in at checkout and get free shipping on this item. Just make sure to wait for a revised invoice before paying with paypal! Thanks for reading and having a Happy Thanksgiving!

Item Of The Day 11/21/07

Today's item of the day at JuliaCatherine.etsy.com is these lovely Leafy Brass Branch Earrings earrings. These earrings are made from a leafy brass branch that is accented on top with a wasabi green opaque glass flower with a clambroth color vintage bead center, a deep red czech glass bead and a vintage square picasso bead. These earrings dangle 2 inches or 4.8cm from handformed goldtone earwires. Perfect with an updo! Great for a nature lover!These earrings are normally priced at $17 but till tomorrow at 7am they will be just $15. Type "blogleaf" in at checkout and enjoy free shipping when you purchase this item. Just remember to wait for a revised invoice from paypal before paying. This particular earring is one of a kind, as Im not able to get a few of the beads again. These are only available at JuliaCatherine.etsy.com Click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

Item of the Day 11/20

Today's item of the day at JuliaCatherine.etsy.com is these lovely earrings that are made from a 7mm Cream Rose` Swarovski pearl that has been capped with a gorgeous red czech glass flower. These earrings with dangle just about 2 1/4 inches or 5.4cm from your ears. The kidney wires are handmade by myself from silvertone metal. These earrings would make great holiday earrings. The snow white pearl and the bright red of the flower just brings reminders of the holidays for me. These earrings are normally priced at $14 but till tomorrow at 7am they will be just $12. I have additional pairs but these would still be considered a holiday limited edition. These are only available at JuliaCatherine.etsy.com Click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

Item of the Day 11/19/07

Todays item of the day at JuliaCatherine.etsy.com is this luxurious pair of 11mm swarovski pearls in a deep burgandy color each earring has a deep purple vintage crystal dangling from it. These earrings dangle just over 1 1/2 inches or 3.6cm from handmade goldtone wires which are extended on the back to add drama to both sides of the ear. These earrings are regularly priced at $15 but today only are $13. Click the photo to the left to go straight to the listing. These come packaged in a white gift box with a signature red ribbon, ready for gift giving. Type "blogger" in your notes to seller at checkout and get free US shipping on this item today only. Please wait for a revised invoice from paypal before paying. Remember this item is only available by going to JuliaCatherine.etsy.com

Item of the Day Starts today.

Everyday this week I will be featuring something called "Item of The Day". Everyday i will feature a lovely item at a discounted price. It was be at that price for 24 hours and will return to its normal price the next day by 7am. This price is ONE DAY ONLY. These items will be new items and some of my more favorite items. I hope you enjoy it. Please stay tuned.

My newest (most favorite) Creation.

My newest creation at JuliaCatherine.etsy.com is this Filigree flower necklace that I have embellished with czech glass crystals and a small yellow vintage flower bead in the center. The centerpiece of the necklace is actually a pin i have found while i was antiquing in a nearby town. I have taken the pin, which i believe to be brass and removed the pin finding from the back. Then i took this pendant and gave it a nice dark patina. After all this i burnished it with a metal bristle brush to give it a nice shine. I then added a chain and the other beads. The result is this gorgeous necklace. Whats old is now new again!

Etsy Front Page!

Yesterday evening I stumbled upon a very welcomed surprise. I have been in about 4 treasuries this past week. 3 of them were with my limited edition peppermint earrings and the 4th one was my pair of cream patterned earrings on kidney wires in a treasury by MaryMary called "great gift ideas!" It was very exciting and I was able to get a screen shot of this special ocassion! That pair of earrings managed to accumulate over 300 views in the short time the front page was up and my shop JuliaCatherine.etsy.com had 19 users add it to their favorites. It sure was an exciting evening!

Christmas Limited Edition Just Listed!

As of this morning the limited edition Christmas Peppermint and Swarovski Crystal Earrings are available for purchase! Only 16 pairs will be made and only 12 will be available for purchase in my etsy shop. These earrings are great pre christmas gifts and also great just to show your christmas spirit! Click here to go to JuliaCatherine.etsy.com or click on the photo of the peppermint earrings to go directly to the listing.

Fall SALE!

Today is November 1st! Thanksgiving will be here before you know it! Many of my great fall pieces are now on sale at JuliaCatherine.etsy.com.
Insane right? Some favorites too. The oak leaf necklace with matching earrings is now only $26 and the absolute LAST pair of my acorn earrings with swarovski pearls are now only $8.75. These items are going to go fast so click here to see the 8 fall items on sale at JuliaCatherine.etsy.com Perfect for all your fall ocassions!

Special Limited Editions

As a regular part of my collection at JuliaCatherine.etsy.com, from time to time I do limited edition items. Typically in relations to the seasons. My last limited edition nearly sold out in less than 4 days. There is a single pair of that limited edition left. Click here or on the photo to go purchase them.

My next limited edition will be for sale in the coming weeks. But here is a sneak preview. They are a Holiday earring. They are made from a vintage peppermint bead and accented on the bottom by a clear Swarovski crystal bead. These are very much inspired by the Christmas Holiday for me. The peppermints reminds us of the sugar plum dreams dancing in our heads. The Swarovski crystals are reminiscent of the snowy magic we all dream of for Christmas day. The light dances over the Swarovski crystals like Christmas lights dancing across the snowy icicles on a late Christmas afternoon. Gosh I just can't wait now. I will be making 16 pairs of these earrings. A few will be given to friends and family so estimate that only about 12 pairs will be available for purchasing. Like I said before though these are not yet available for purchase on JuliaCatherine.etsy.com but will be in the coming weeks.

Thanks for 100 Sales!

This weekend JuliaCatherine.etsy.com reached 100 sales and 400 hearts! Thanks to all my customers for helping me achieve my goal of 100 items sold- Till Sunday Oct 28th all orders placed will include a gift of Swarovski Pearl Dangle Earrings. No minimum order. The least I can do to thank you all for your continued support. Stop on by!

Self-Representing Artist Jewelry Designer

I have recently applied to become part of the SRAJD organization. Well actually it was about a month ago. I just heard back last night and got my banner and number. You can find out more about Self-Representing Artist Jewelry Designers, or becoming one by going here.
My number is 1180 and my banner is below! It's exciting being apart of this.

Falling into fall...

Fall is in full swing right about now! Everyone loves this season between summer and winter. The changing colors of the leaves and the smell of fall! For the occasion i have created some GORGEOUS pieces for fall, all of which can be found in my etsy store. My absolute favorites are these few things.

The Oak leaf charm necklace. The oak leaf is made from an Oak Leaf Charm Iridized in Beautiful Autumn Colors, This charm has been Iridized and has gone through a process of blending colors and having several coats of Polyurethane to protect the finish. Colors are Fade Resistant. It's absolutely GORGEOUS! I have embellished the charm with other charms of czech glass beads and swarovski pearls in a beautiful golden color. This particular necklace comes with a matching pair of earrings. Click the photo to go directly to the listing.


The second fall item im featuring is the Almost Fall Cluster ring. It's sort of like that time around late September where there is still alot green on the trees but just a hint of those fall browns and goldens peeking through. I have created this ring using goldtone wire, a pea green vintage czech glass bead, russian amazonite, a maple leaf glass bead, pressed czech glass green trumpet flowers and on the underside chocolate brown vintage glass beads. This ring comes in a size 7. Click on the photo to go directly to the listing in my etsy store.


The last (but not at all least) for my fall picks is my Vintage Picasso Bead and Swarovski Pearl Earrings. The Top bead is a Pressed Czech Glass flower bead in picasso color, dangling from that is the vintage picasso bead, The vintage picasso beads are so gorgeous, they have such great detail and beauty in them. And dangling below that is 3 small swarovski crystal pearls in an olive color. The swarovski pearls bring that finishing touch to these earrings. I dont think they would be quite the same without the pearls to finish them off. You can go directly to the listing in my etsy store by clicking on the photo of the earrings.

For these and much more fall jewelry take a peek at my etsy store- http://JuliaCatherine.etsy.com
Now all we need is some pumpkin pie!

Only from Julia Catherine Jewelry!

I have created these gorgeous Floating Floral Earrings. These earrings are unique in the way the flower sits up from and does not dangle, allowing you to see the full beauty of the wonderful flower beads. You can only get these from Julia Catherine Jewelry.
I currently have these earrings listed in a few different colors but will have many more to come. So keep an eye out for those! Only Available at JuliaCatherine.etsy.com

A little touch of modern...

So im pretty excited about 2 of my new jewelry creations. Both are a but modern and different. The first is a pair of earrings made from sterling silver wire, shaped to a modern leafy shape then embellished with a single Red Carnelian bead on each. The ends have been hammered to make sure these beads stay on these earrings and adding a nice extra touch of modern! This pair is available for purchase in my etsy store. here is the link! The second pair is the most unique! I have taken a couple lengths of sterling silver wire and shaped them. One into a spiral type shape and have embellished with some very nice yellow jade. The next wire i shaped and put through the eye and added a few more yellow jade beads. These i call mobile earrings because they move nice like mobile.. but for grown ups! Buy em here! These and all of my other 'blogged about' creations can always be found in my etsy store for purchase. JuliaCatherine.etsy.com
Thanks for reading!

Cats like my jewelry too..

After all the times my little Miss Annabelle has helped me create beautiful pieces of jewelry I finally have proof from other etsy user. That CATS like my jewelry. This photo (a bit dark) shows Annie the cat browsing my website JuliaCatherine.etsy.com You too can admire my jewelry by clicking the link in the last sentence! Enjoy!

Mommy where does designer jewelry come from?

If you ever wanted to know how plain old metal becomes designer jewelry here is a little show for you. Well I didnt take a photo of the plain wire but here goes anyway. First I start out with 2 lengths of 8 guage sterling silver wire. I then heat and shape them to my desired shape. After doing this I let the metal cool and place it in a solution to take off the impurities that accumulate during heating. When thats over I placed the 2 shapes over each other in the desired position. Solder them together. Once again let the metal cool and soak in a solution for awhile.

After that I decided I did want to use that stone I had set aside. In this case I have a marquise shaped amethyst that is 1.47 carats in size. The two shapes together form a perfect marquise crevice to add this stone. The next step is to place the stone in the crevice and mark where I need to add prongs to set the stone into the pendant. Prongs are soldered on! We are almost there!

Lots of polished and filing later the pendant is ready to have the stone set into it. The stone is set and everything is polished once more.. This piece is ready for it's close up!

Hope you enjoyed this blog as much as I enjoy bringing this to you! This piece is now available on etsy along with all my other designer creations! Thanks for looking! New items are listed daily at JuliaCatherine.etsy.com

More beaded necklaces.

Yes I have been busy.. again. I recently made a few more beaded necklaces. These are even more exotic than the last ones. This time I have very large coin amazonite paired with smaller russian amazonite and black onyx beads. This is my first time working with Amazonite, I have to say i really love the stone. Just a gorgeous color. The necklace is finnished with sterling silver findings. Then there is the ever-so-interesting Turquiose and Mauve Pearl necklace. I really love this unique combination. I don't recall seeing the two mixed that often. But what a good combanation it is. The bright Turquoise with the softness of the pink pearl. Of course also finnished with sterling silver findings. Just perfect! As always these and much, much more available at my website JuliaCatherine.etsy.com, New items added daily! Thanks so much for reading!

New Fall/Winter Line-Sneak Peek!

Currently (Im a little late) Im working on new jewelry for my fall/winter line. (date for launch posted soon) I just wanted to post a photo of my favorite item so far. This gorgeous pair of earrings. A few items in the line will have the title "winter dreams" This is one of them. So as I hunt and gather materials, ocassionally I will post blogs with new things I have made along the way and other information on available dates. Please enjoy this little tidbit.. For now.
In the meantime please check out my etsy shop JuliaCatherine.etsy.com and snatch up my summer items while they are still available! Thanks so much for stopping by!

PMC stands for precious metal clay!

Recently I got my PMC starter kit in the mail. First I guess I should talk about what PMC is. It stands for precious metal clay. It's a clay that is just like any other clay you shape it and dry it then fire it.. Only thing is when you fire it it doesn't come out as ceramic it comes out at SILVER! It is also made in 22 kt gold I believe. How does this happen? Im not totally sure on the process but it's something like this. The clay is made from liquids and other binders with sterling silver particles. When fired all those things are lost and what is left is pure silver or gold. There is a tiny bit of shrinkage but not much to balk about. Im able to make jewelry in many shapes and even use impressions of molds or stamps. Very interesting stuff to work with. Last night I made my first item. I made a freeform disc with a floral like pattern on it. It antiqued or oxodized it with a black patina and all the sudden you have this gorgeous piece of jewelry! Im looking forward to working more with it in the future. For now this piece and a few others are available on my site for purchase at JuliaCatherine.etsy.com.

Va-Va-Va Vintage!

I think I have really flipped for vintage! Recently I purchased some vintage beads. Mostly Czech Glass which is my favorite. They are truly unique as they are only available in limited quantities. The photos are a sampling of my work using vintage beads. The earrings are like a topaz or champagne color with individually wrapped seed beads in the center that look like flower stamens. The Pendant is a similar style flower in a purple swirl color. The wire acts like sort of a branch or a stem for the flowers. Very lovely look on a ribbon necklace. They are available on my site for purchase at JuliaCatherine.etsy.com while in my shop search my shop using the keyword 'vintage' to see all my vintage items. Thanks for taking a peek!

Just Fabulous!

I was playing around with my supplies yesterday and starting making the most fabulous thing. I take a cable type chain (oval links) and wire wrap a bead on each link of the chain. The resulting piece looks like a beautiful cluster or a bunch of grapes depending on the shape of the beads. Simply fabulous! I made the first as a pendant. I used Sterling silver and very nice beads that were citrine, blue topaz and amethyst. They are all different sizes and wouldn't quite work for any other project so being the resourceful person that iam I came up with a use for them! The earrings are made from silver plated chain and these delightful seaglass type beads. They are all different shapes, some are frosted and some are polish finnishes. I really love them! Of course these and many other pieces are for sale on my website JuliaCatherine.etsy.com
New items added daily!

Crazy for tassels...

I have just started doing something a little different. I take very small seed beads and wire wrap them. When they get put together they have the look of tassels! It's such a pretty look I recently made 2 pairs of earrings with this look. It's kind of time consuming but well worth it! All these earrings are available on juliacatherine.etsy.com for purchase as always!

A little detour...

This week im on vacation (sun-thurs) for everyone who knows me you know that vacation means boredom! I always have to keep busy! So I decided to bring out the paint and do a few paintings. Painting Art has always been apart of my life. As a child I would spend everyday after school watching my mom make jewelry at work. Every summer I would watch my grandmother paint gorgeous works of art. I made two paintings last night. Very simple ones. They are basic and clean. I really love them. But don't worry make gorgeous jewelry is still my biggest passion! These paintings are available for purchase on my etsy site along with my jewelry at juliacatherine.etsy.com

Classic Design... Modern Flair

I think a lot of my jewelry has a classic design but with a modern flair. I have interesting color/gem combinations. Like a simple gemstone bead necklace but alternating colors/gemstones and shapes of the beads even. Here is a perfect Classic design modern flair example. This necklace that i call "tiffany pearls" you have the classic tiffany style toggle and heart clasp and then I have added a string of multicolored pearls to it. Classic being the tiffany heart and toggle and modern being the pearls. Multi colored pearls are so fashionable right now. This and all items i feature on my blog are available on my etsy store. JuliaCatherine.etsy.com

Perfect For Each Other...

My most recent listing on my etsy site. Juliacatherine.etsy.com
Is this perfect matching set of a Vintage Beaded 2 strand bracelet and matching earrings. The Vintage beads on the bracelet are individually wire wrapped to create this two strand bracelet. The bracelet is even finished with a handmade hook and eye clasp i took a little extra time and made one this time. It adds such a unique touch to the bracelet. The earrings match perfectly with the added touch of the swirl on either side. These vintage beads were such a great find. they are almost the shape and size of an M&M candy and they have white and salmon pink with little flecks of gold in them. Gorgeous!