recent features

Etsy Treasuries can be such a fun way to shop. 
It's like having your own clothing/home/seasonal/etc stylists right at your fingertips!  Items are grouped together by theme and you could get lost in all the fun arenas people put together.  But if you looking for something specific, treasuries can also help narrow down the great wide world that is Etsy.

They're also a lot of fun to create too!

Behind the Moon Beadworks (btmbeadworks on Etsy) was given some recent features as you can see below.

African Turquoise and Carved Wood Earrings

Green and Yellow Jewelry

Find the treasury here.

Long Fringe Silver Necklace

Inspiring , beautiful & unique!

Find the treasury here.

If you haven't perused an Etsy Treasury yet, I encourage you to give them a try.  Maybe even create one yourself!

shop re-opening

Happy New Year!

I hope all of you had joyous and peaceful holidays!    With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season behind us it's time to redirect our attention to the up and coming year.  Behind the Moon Beadworks will be available at some new locations this year (more on that to come) yet remains convenient for all at our Etsy shop.  I hope you will stop by the shop and see the latest designs that will be appearing soon!

holiday shop 2014

Behind the Moon Beadworks will be at the Holiday Shop at South Butler Primary School in Saxonburg PA tomorrow evening from 6:30 to 8:30.  If you are in the area we would love to see you there!  Enjoy some yummy refreshments as you peruse the festive offerings of several local vendors and business owners. 

Support your local businesses this holiday season!

new to the shop

Hi friends!

I'm excited to let you know that my Etsy Shop is now re-open (after a few years hiatus) and new items are being added.  Here's a peak at some of what's new.

1. Earrings - Cream, Teardrop, Chandelier, Green, Pearl, Chain, Diamond, Long, Dangle, Swag, Silver, Sterling, Beaded, Handmade

2. Necklace - Triple Strand - Autumn, Orange, Gold, Green, Glass, Fall, Multi strand, Muted, Beaded, Handmade

3. Earrings - Carnelain, Jade, Wire, Wrapped, Gold, Fall, Orange, Yellow, Chandelair, Teardrop, Long, Beaded, Handmade

4. Necklace - Fringe Charm - Long, Chain, Sterling, Silver, Cobalt, Blue, Dangle, Beaded, Handmade

5. Earrings - Cherry Blossom - Pink, Gold, Citron, Chandelier, Lime, Sweet, Spring, Summer, Beaded, Handmade

Stop by the shop and see what's new!

october's opal

The opal is said to be many things including the most powerful of healing stones, the stone of hope, the stone of great achievement and inspiration.  It is said to enhance the imagination and creativity as well.

Regardless of any deeper meaning, it's just plain beautiful if you ask me :)
Fest your eyes on these fabulous beauties from a few fellow jewelry artists.

1. pink faceted opal
2. opal filigree ring
3. opal and emerald earrings
4. opal pendant necklace
5. opal and silver ring
6. opal and gold charm bracelet
7. peruvian opal earrings

Are you a lucky October baby?

Have a lovely weekend friends!

gold fever

GOLD FEVER

It seems that silver has had my heart for most of my life.

But lately there's a new kid in town...gold.  Sorry silver I didn't mean to cheat on you but surely there is room to love you both?  I'm crushing on gold's refreshing warmth right now.  Maybe because it reminds me of the sun.  Are there any other sun worshipers out there?  I don't mean tanners, I mean those that need the sun, like air, just to function.  Surely I'm not the only one?  And Gold, right now your subtle fire is warming me up and keeping me energized...bless your little heart ; )

I'm adoring these finds from fellow handmade artists on Etsy, be sure to check them out!

1. tangle earrings
2. glitter earrings
3. hammered bangles
4. infinity bracelet
5. leaf chain necklace
6. tiered necklace
7. stacked ring
8. leaf ring

And I've been wearing my own creation below like its my job :)  Love the way this one turned out!

Magnesite Teardrop and Gold Necklace

Have you been faithful to just one metal or are you poly-metal like I am becoming?

Bring on the bangle

Summer is in full swing and one of my favorite things about the summer in terms of fashion 

are showing off a little arm accented with some great bangle bracelets.

Here are a few I've been scouting out lately from the magical land of Etsy.

Love me some copper

{1}

big, bold, and beautiful

{2}

gorgeous horn

{3}

love the intricate focal

{4}

 

sweet and delicate

{5}

birch trees are my favorite

{6}

flirty fringe makes wearing this fun

 {7}

1.Christina Steward

2. William Morris

3. quecraft

4. Frosted Willow

5. ADelicateWorld

6. RosellaResin

7. btmbeadworks

Which one is your favorite?

Go on....bare those arms and embellish those wrists!

New to the Shop - Book bling (Plus a chance at FREE Jewelry!)

Got a new summer read your itching to get your hands on?  

Don't spoil it with a crumpled up scrap piece of paper as your bookmark.  

You need to get you some book bling :)  

A great story deserves it!

And my new Book Bling Bookmarks happen to be new to the Shop this week!

Talk about the stars aligning :)

Fossil Coral Bookmark

Mabolo Wood and "Turquoise" Bookmark

Amber Glass and Flourite Bookmark

I also have my first giveaway today!

Head on over to The Chronicles of Ruthie Hart to enter.  

Oh.  And be sure to follow along with Miss Ruthie,
she has a heart on fire for God, a hilarious poochie, 

and all sorts of awesome goings-on.  

You DON'T want to miss out :)

New to the shop - Pretty in Pink

I'm so excited to be adding some new designs to my Etsy Shop!

Feast you eyes on Pretty in Pink

A 36" long necklace with a fun delicate beauty.  

Pink is not really my color, doesn't look good on my skin tone,

but I love it so I satisfy my need with some pink accessories :)

I'm absolutely in love with this one.

Some great pairings for pink include...

Chocolate

Aqua

Buttercream

Olive

Just have fun with it and feel utterly "Pretty in Pink"!

Interview with a Dad & a Sale

I recently saw a wonderful little interview series that Lisa is doing at Lisa Leonard Blog to celebrate fatherhood and I thought "I'd really love to hear what my own husband has to say".

So I asked him :)

1.  What is something you love about being a dad?
Just looking at my boys everyday.

2.  What is one of your proudest moments of being a dad?
I have lots of them.  Every time I see one of them learn a new skill/discover something new 
or express happiness.

3.  What did you learn from your dad that you want to pass on to our boys?
How to take care of things and not have to rely on others. My Dad taught me how to fix things around the house, work on cars, change oil, etc...

4.  What have you learned from your kids?
To find the good in simple things and have patience. Both of which I am still learning from them.

5.  What is one of your funniest dad moments? 
 Potty training our boys.  We would "house break" them naked outside on our deck.  There's something about the fresh air and being naked that seems to help push things along.  Plus boys just love peeing on plants/trees. 

So there you have it, straight from me Hubsy's mouth :)


Love that man!  He is a wonderful dad to our two boys.  Firm when necessary but loving always.  He never ceases to go out of his way to make our kids happy.  If he can do some small thing to bring a smile to their faces you better believe he's gonna do it.

Since Father's Day is fast approaching I thought I'd run a little sale for that special dad in your life.  

Be it you own dad, your husband or any other special "dad' you may want to celebrate.  They play such an important role in all our lives and deserve a little something special don't ya think?

So from June 5th to June 12th, I'll be offering 20% off my Unisex designs in my Etsy Shop.

Lucky you :)

Mabolo Wood Necklace

Wood Agate Necklace

Just enter coupon code "DAD2012" when checking out.

Happy Father's Day to all the loving 
and encouraging dad's out there!

Finally getting close - the hair that is

Cobalt tank: New York & Co

Earrings: Drops of Rain - b e h i n d  t h e  m o o n  BEADWORKS (available on Etsy)

Necklace: Custom - b e h i n d  t h e  m o o n  BEADWORKS (email me for details)

Bracelet: Custom - b e h i n d  t h e  m o o n  BEADWORKS (email me for details)

 Five months ago I did this post about trying to grow out my hair and achieve those loose luscious curls I so often admire on celebs and several of you other bloggers!  I got a "body wave" that was more like a full on

"finger in an electric socket" perm.  Not that I minded it much once it started to relax but it was still tighter than I wanted.  Well my hair is finally showing some length gained.  And I curled it with a curling iron despite that my perm is still going strong.  I was actually able to get something close to what I've been wanting for a long time...which made me really happy.  

Me?
Happy with my hair? 
It's like an impossibilty and yet...I kinda am.

We recently had a Indian Summer weekend so we decided to have one last cookout at our house.  This is the prettiest I have felt in a good while so I had my hubby document it for me.  

Gee, I don't look stiff do I?  

Not used to posing for a pic ;)

Are you ever happy with your hair?

A big decision

All this self examination and simplifying has let me to make a hard decision.  I need to put more effort into my family and less into extraneous stuff....that is clear.  

But what to eliminate?

You may or may not have noticed a distinct lack of posts on Behind the Moon Beadworks.  I had lofty goals for growing the business this year but in recent months my husband was having some issues with his job that required a lot more time from him and so I had to pick up the slack at home.  And then it seems we just ran into a string of regular life "stuff" that has kept me from making much progress.  But even though I was not pushing forward with much, it was definitely on my mind and I was really stressing over it spending a lot of mental energy on it

I can't quit my day job...DANG!...so I have decided to take a little break from the business for a few months and really concentrate on our home life. My Etsy shop will still be up and running so purchases can continue to be made that way.  I just won't be adding any new designs for a few months.

On that note I will leave you with a pic of a new design I created recently 

that will post up to the shop at a later date.  

Thanks to everyone for your support of Behind the Moon Beadworks!

I look forward to debuting some new designs in the fall!

New to the Shop - Mabolo Wood Necklace, Spring Fling I Earrings, & Wood Agate Necklace

I've been busy adding more designs to my Etsy Shop including two new Unisex necklaces and a fun and flirty pair of earrings.  Great for summer birthdays and hard-to-find men's gifts!

Mabolo Wood Necklace

Yep, you've seen this necklace before in my Tough guy meets Teddybear post.  

My husband wears this one all the time :)

Wood Agate Necklace

 This straightforward/neutral design work well with just about anything!

Spring Fling I Earrings

Dangling Czech glass fringe make this pair fun and flirty!   

They are a great compliment to my Spring Fling Bracelet design.

Favorite Things Friday

A few things I'm loving these days....

1. My Bodycology fragrance mist in Coconut Lime.  My husband says I smell like a Pina Colada.  I can think of worse things...I bought this on a clearance shelf at Wal-Mart ~ love it!  Light and fresh!

2.  My new Target Mossimo sandals.  I wear them constantly now.  They seem to go with everything and are so comfy!

3. This Feta and Poppyseed Salad....perfect for spring.  Mixed greens, feta cheese, sunflower seeds, raisins, and poppyseed dressing.  Can you say delicious!?!

4.  This song by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.  I love the raw sound of her voice.

5.  Handpicked flowers from my boys.  Buttercups and columbine...they bring such cheer to the house and a bright smile to my face.

6.  These pretty little lace mirrors from  Sunny Inspirations on Etsy.
I may be getting quite a few of these to have on hand for gifts.  Love them!  So dainty and perfect for your purse.

7.  This T-Shirt from Neena Creates on Etsy.
I love the romance of all her items...check out her shop!

What are you loving?

Finding Joy

New to the Shop - Carnelian Candy

 Beads always remind me of candy for some reason.  

When a new shipment arrives, I'm like a kid in a candy store and all those bright colors look so delicious.  The carnelian and coral I used in this pair is no exception.  I could just gobble them up!

Carnelian Candy

Have a SWEET day!

New to the Shop - Royal Simplicity

I recently added a new necklace and bracelet design to my Etsy shop!

Meet Royal Simplicity!

Royal Simplicity Necklace

I'm a big fan of stones with varying tonal ranges.  

I think it makes the piece more versatile and complimentary to several wardrobe colors.

Royal Simplicity Bracelet

The Antique "New" Jade in this piece has tones ranging from warm tans and browns to light greens and aquas.  

Set off beautifully by a lovely vermeil clasp, this design is both simple and regal at the same time!
Gee, wonder how it got it's name? : )