Cleaning Your Sterling Silver Jewelry Naturally

So I'm posed with this problem quite frequently since I sell lots of sterling silver jewelry... "How do I clean my tarnished jewelry???" As a go to, I typically recommend a polishing cloth and some elbow grease or sometimes Tarn-X but I feel like the chemicals could damage the sterling, so I came across some info online about cleaning with salt and aluminum. It creates a chemical reaction known as 'ion exchange' and naturally cleans silver quickly.

So all you need is

• small ramekin,
• 2 teaspoons of salt (any kind should work but I used kosher salt). 
• 1/4 cup water 

Fill ramekin with either boiling water or add water and microwave (60-90 seconds) If using the microwave option wait to add foil and jewelry. Once water is hot, add foil and salt to ramekin, then place jewelry on top of foil. Be sure all parts of the jewelry touch the foil to be the most effective. Soak for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then remove with a pair of tongs or a fork. Rinse and dry with a soft cloth. Tada! Repeat if necessary.


To keep your silver looking new, wear it often to naturally polish it. When you're not wearing it, store in a dark, cool, dry place. Preferably away from your bathroom. You can also store it in a zip top bag to help slow oxidation.

I do offer polish pads upon request for items purchased from my shop that don't come clean with this method. Be sure to contact me through my site or Etsy. Thank you!

**Please note that if the item has been purposely blackened this technique will not work**

~700 Facebook Fan Giveaway~

Enter to win a $30 credit to either one of my Etsy shops.

http://www.glasspoppies.etsy.com

Thank you to all my new fans and all the love and continued support of my previous fans.

Choose from a variety of custom jewelry in all price ranges. Love to wear something personalized and close to your heart? Check out my family jewelry.

 Want something chic and elegant? I've got tons of wedding jewelry perfect for a special occasions.

 Even casual everyday jewelry as well as upcycled vintage glass jewels. There's something for everyone.

Thanks again, and good luck!
~Amber~

Mother's Day Giveaway!!

Want to win one of my best selling sterling silver birds nest necklaces?? "Eggs" are swarovski element crystals in your choice of birthstone colors or choose swarovski crystal pearls instead. This would be the perfect gift for any Mom. Winner chooses the number of "eggs".

Be sure to go to my FB page Glass Poppies Facebook Page "like" my page and share it with your friends. Have your friends "like" my page too and have them post you sent them. Most referrals wins! Contest ends at 2pm EST on Friday, April 20th.

Have questions? Contact me glasspoppies@hotmail.com  or via Etsy... http://www.glasspoppies.etsy.com

*This contest is in no way endorsed, sponsored by, linked to, or affiliated with Facebook in any way.

DIY Gift Ideas

I realize it's been forever since I've posted anything, and since I've been feeling under the weather and to make up for lost time, I wanted to share with you some DIY tutorials I've come across. These are just a few of my personal favorites. All these tutorials would make great holiday gift ideas.

Now for those of you that like chocolate or know someone that likes chocolate, wait there isn't anyone that doesn't like chocolate, so this tutorial is for EVERYBODY!  Plus it's great for those of us that can't manage to get a full cake out of the pan with out breaking it and then having to patch it with icing. :)

Don't these look amazing? I know I would be tickled pink to get a present like this.

Veronica's Cornucopia Cake Pops

Veronica's Cornucopia Blog has amazing posts with lots of recipes and step by step instructions. Here's her link for chocolate cake pops. She even shows you how to wrap them for gifting.

Chocolate Cake Pop Tutorial




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The first are simple hairbows that only require a few materials and are perfect for holiday gifts especially for those with little girls in the family. Sorry for the lack of pictures... I made some bumble bees (which turned out adorable) but can't seem to find the picture now. But follow the links for instructions and photos.

Ribbon Retreat Bug Bow Tutorial


This website has butterflies, dragonflies, lady bugs, and bumble bees. Just adorable!


They also have a few other hair bow tutorials, and all of them are very thorough with pictures.
http://www.theribbonretreat.com/custom/free_projects.aspx

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I also came across an amazing blog called Tip Junkie which is an entire website of homemade gift ideas! Since I'm a bit of a jewelry freak, this one popped out at me, but it's quite adorable and would make a great gift for a friend or even for yourself. I may even try my hand at one of these for my shop. Super cute!

No-Sew Fabric Pom Pom Necklace

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This last tutorial is perfect for those of you with kids. The kids can help make these (and even decorate them to make them more personal) and send them out to family for gifts. Found this off a blog called Meet the Dubiens

Homemade Snowflake Ornaments

Snowflake Ornament Tutorial

The blog is especially great for anyone with kids, there are so many creative project ideas that are super fun for kids. I really love all her Halloween bento box ideas.

Well that concludes my DIY gift idea post. Hope you have enjoyed these project ideas, and will be able to use them for your holidays. Hope everyone has a great weekend.


Cheers!
Amber

300 Facebook Fan Giveaway - $30 in Free Jewelry

Thank you all for your love and support, here's a little giveaway to thank you. 

Please click the link below and fill out info required for an entry into the giveaway. Starts 8/23/2011 and will end at 11:59pm EST on 8/29/2011. Winner will be announced on August 30th on this blog, facebook and will also be contacted via email. You will have 2 days to respond if you win, after 2 days a new winner will be drawn.

Glass Poppies Jewelry Giveaway Entry Form (giveaway has ended)

Please only 1 entry per person.

Winner will be chosen at random by random.org/integers/

Your email address will be kept private and will only be used to contact you if you win.

Entry form asks for Facebook profile name (this is for verification purposes) and this giveaway is for facebook fans only, if you'd like to enter but aren't a fan visit. www.facebook.com/glasspoppies 

blogger.com and facebook.com are not part of or responsible for any part of this giveaway.

For the Love of Milk Glass

I remember as a kid my parents having a huge collection of depression glass of all colors shapes and sizes. They still have some but have scaled down their collection quite a bit since I was young. As I got older I found my own love for depression glass... especially milk glass. I love the white lace pieces with it's quiet simplicity, but it's so hard to find now a days intact. The lace is usually so delicate that being stacked in a thrift store or antique shop shortens it's life and is rarely found without cracks or chips in them. Luckily I've finally found 3 great pieces over the last 6 months to start my collection (pictured below). All found in quaint little antique shops for next to nothing. My favorite of the 3 pieces is the one in front I found on mother's day this year, it's got that very thin lace trim that I just adore.

I love looking at pieces online, but will rarely ever purchase anything over the computer because I can't pick up and hold, turn over, or feel it, and my favorite part of finding new pieces is the hunt. Some of my next pieces I'd like to find include hobnail and ruffled edged styles.

A bit of history:

First made in Venice in the 1500's, colors included white, black, brown, blue, yellow and pink. In the 1800's glass makers called milky white opaque glass "opal glass". The white color is achieved through adding an opacifer, e.g. tin oxide or bone ash. Only recently has the name milk glass become widely used.

Milk glass was highly popular during the fin de siecle and was made into decorative vases, dinnerware, costume jewelry and lamps. Pieces that were made for the wealthy during the Gilded Age are known for their delicacy and beauty in color and design, while Depression glass pieces made during 1930-1940 are less extravagant.

Some of the top milk glass manufacturer's

• Westmoreland Glass Company
• Fostoria Glass Company
• Fenton Glass Company
• Imperial Glass Company
• Kanawha Glass Co
• Mosser Glass

So what about you? Do you collect anything that's difficult to find in good condition? Or that may be scarce in local antique stores.

Here's a photo from a blog called "High Street Market" that did a blog about milk glass also.

http://highstreetmarket.blogspot.com/2009/03/milk-glass.html

Someday, I would love to have a collection like this, so many different shapes and styles and so beautifully displayed. I'm in love. =)

What's the Difference? Swarovski Crystal Beads or Glass Beads?

Faceted Glass Beads

Did you know typical glass beads don't contain lead or only minimal traces of it? But when lead is added to the equation and you've got crystal, the amount of lead can be as small as 1% to be considered crystal in the jewelry making world, but how much lead it contains also determines it's quality. The more lead, the higher the quality. Did you know that Swarovski crystal contains at least 30% lead or more? Making it the highest quality crystal worldwide.

Faceted Swarovski Crystals

 Lead adds weight to glass, lead is also what makes crystal reflect light. The higher the lead content, the more light and colors it reflects. The light-reflecting quality of plain glass pales in comparison to Swarovski crystal. Unlike glass beads, Swarovski crystals are uniform in shape in size. They are cut with precision and polished using high-tech machines also used to cut gemstones. These machines use a process similar to diamond cutting to facet the crystal, which ensures no bubbles or scratches are left inside the bead.




I really had no idea what huge differences there were in these two beautiful types of beads before starting jewelry making. I have come to love both the colors and qualities of glass and crystal beads, I really enjoy using both elements in my pieces. I hope this blog has shed some "light" on this subject for you.

Plastic, Lucite, and Acrylic Jewelry... Cheap Looking or Versatile?

So I got to thinking about incorporating acrylic beads into my creations, but I'm having mixed feelings about it, as I think of cheap costume jewelry when I think of plastic or acrylic beads. But as I started looking through my current collection of jewelry that I've purchased over the years, I found that I actually own some pieces with acrylic beads. Well my only defense is they didn't look like cheap plastic, so maybe with high quality beads, I could make jewelry with larger beads without the extra weight.  

Found this listing from an artist in Philadelphia, and I couldn't figure out (without reading the description) which beads were glass and which were acrylic.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/69787776/

Did some research and found a few things about the differences in the type of beads you use...

Plastic beads are made from a mold with a product called styrene. While a more light-weight product, styrene can produce a lower quality, cloudier looking plastic bead. Often times plastic beads will have pieces of the mold still attached to create sharp edges and the seam is highly visible.  

Acrylic beads are usually injected into a mold so they are almost virtually seamless and are cut similar to glass crystal beads so they look like glass but without the weight or cost. 

Found an Etsy seller from Australia that uses a lot of acrylic beads in her creations and they look beautiful. And they seem so much more versatile than glass beads. May have to rethink my initials feelings towards these beads.

http://www.etsy.com/people/stratdesigns?ref=ls_profile

http://www.etsy.com/listing/61361907/

What do you think?? Do you wear or buy, or would you wear or buy acrylic jewelry?

The Magic of 100... Well Maybe.

So I'm working hard today creating jewelry and adding new listings, and attempting to reach, what people on etsy refer to as the magic 100. I've heard once you reach 100 listings your store gets more business. Not sure if it's just a fluke, or that your page gets seen more because you have so many more listings. Either way, I'm attempting to get there, plus I enjoy keeping my hands busy. Here's some of what I've been up to today.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/77653361/ 

 

 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/77652696/

http://www.etsy.com/listing/77651850/

http://www.etsy.com/listing/77651282/

I Should Have Been a 50's Wife

Not that I don't love all the new technology out there these days (such as the blog I'm writing on now) but there are days that I  feel like I should have been a wife back in the 50's, you know with fantastic hair, makeup and dresses. The kind of woman you'd see in old magazine ads with their adorable aprons and high heels pushing around a vacuum cleaner or doing some monotonous house chore and smiling while doing it. Maybe I just envy the fashion of that era as opposed to actually wanting to live in that era, although it's tempting to live without cell phones and computers sometimes.

 I just love that the whole retro, rockabilly style has made a huge comeback and I especially love the new twists on old classics, this one in particular is an amazing dress that I've been eying for quite some time on Etsy. Now to create some fantastic jewelry and fascinators to compliment it.

Fishtail Pencil Dress from http://www.heartmycloset.etsy.com

I had the pleasure of visiting the Bettie Page store in Las Vegas recently, www.bettiepage.com and I loved all the adorable pencil dresses. I was so tempted to buy, but all the yummy food and drinks in Las Vegas weren't so nice to my waist line, so for now I'll just wait.

Although I'm a child of the 80's I cringe seeing the comebacks of neon colored leggings and fanny packs as well as the really bright neon ray ban sunglasses (though it's real fun dressing like this for an 80's throwback party). Hopefully it's just a temporary fad, I much rather enjoy the classic style of the 40's and 50's. 

Well enough of my randomness, just thought I would share my thoughts on that. =)

Who wants discounts? I do, I do!

So to celebrate finally starting my new blog, I want to offer you a 20% off coupon to use in my etsy shop http://glasspoppies.etsy.com now through July 20th, 2011.  Coupon code: NEWBLOG enter this at checkout for discount.

Make sure to follow my blog and share with your friends as I will be posting tutorials, promotions, new products, and random info.

Please feel free to comment if there is something you'd like to see posted in this blog.

Thanks for visiting!