Giveaway: Win A Pair of Vintage Lucite Earrings!!

Would you like to win a pair of vintage lucite earrings? We are partnering with Style Epiphany for the launch of their site, to offer you an opportunity to win a pair of these fun, lightweight, and trendy earrings! Available in 8 colors, they are not yet available on our website. For now, this is your chance to own a pair of these. All you have to do is visit this link, and leave your most 3 favorite pieces from our site: http://styleepiphany.com/2009/10/win-a-set-of-vintage-lucite-earrings-from-michabella-creations/ *Hurry, the giveaway ends this Sunday, 10/25!

There is also a *special discount* you will find on the link as well! Good luck!

Think Pink

It's halfway through October. Fall is here in many parts of the country. The temperatures are cooler and the leaves are changing into beautiful shades of red, yellow, and orange. Halloween is nearing and many kids (and adults) are anxious to dress up and go trick-or-treating. But the color that I associate with October is pink.

As many of you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. My grandmother was diagnosed with Breast Cancer 7 years ago, and thankfully, is in full remission and doing well. My grandmother has always been one of my best friends and I'm blessed to have her around and to be able to see my daughter grow. Chloe, by the way, LOVES her Memaw! However, not everyone is as fortunate as I am. There are too many women, and men, who die every year from Breast Cancer. That's why Cindy and I have created a Cancer Awareness line, where a portion of the proceeds go to the research and support of those suffering, or to prevent further suffering. I hope you will find something you like and will help us to donate to a worthy cause.

Elena, a fellow blogger and talented artist who repurposes items, does a weekly Pink Saturday. She has so many wonderful pieces she shares, I hope you'll pay her a visit.

I'm Taking The Plunge

I'm officially starting on our Etsy shop, which I hope will be up and running in a few days. I've been contemplating this for quite some time now, but as Etsy has really grown into the handmade marketplace, I've decided it's the right time. I will let you all know when it's officially open for business! I recently visited Jamie's blog and she has some great tips for Etsy shopkeepers. I'm going to be reviewing this, thanks Jamie!

Cindy and I have also been contemplating for awhile now about what the right type of shows are for us to be participating in. It seems as though we wind up not making much of a profit after we figure in travel, hotel expense for some, supplies, food, etc. We've done quite a variety of shows over the past 2 years and have ruled out the ones we know we definitely won't do again. My good bloggy buddy Annette, has a post about a recent experience as a first time vendor at a show (check out the gorgeous earrings as well)! Our goal is to start vending at wholesale shows, which it turns out, is very expensive! So if any of you dear readers know of any great shows Cindy and I must check out, please list it in your comment :)

My Work Featured On the Runway: Boston Fashion Week!

I am back from Boston and am excited to report that some of my pieces were chosen by Keith Lissner for his runway show! If you are not familiar with Keith, he was a contestant on Bravo TV's The Fashion Show, which aired this past spring. He is a very talented designer, with some of his pieces being worn by celebrities, including Janet Jackson! His pieces were lovely, and I wish I could have gotten some good pics of his show. If only I had a better camera!

Keith liked my dangly and bold earrings, which he chose for his models. All the girls either had short hair or had their hair pulled back as to see my earrings! Above are some of the earrings Keith chose for his show. The first pair are gold-filled chandeliers with lots of citrine and peridot. The second pair are a lovely, plump Rose Quartz briolette with gold-filled chain. You can purchase them at my shop!

Emerging Trends Event: Boston Fashion Week

I'm not quite sure why I've waited until now to share this with all of you, but I'm participating in Boston Fashion Week tomorrow!! I'm super excited, nervous, stressed out, and exhausted. I've been working very hard the past 3 weeks after I found out I was going to be exhibiting my line of handcrafted jewelry. I will be a part of the Emerging Trends event, which is being held at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers. The event will enable up-and-coming designers the unique opportunity to showcase their collections to hundreds of fellow fashion enthusiasts, retailers, press, and media.

I think this is the biggest show I've ever done and I'm really hoping it goes well! I've made a lot of new pieces, many of which were firsts for me. I've worked with some unique gemstones because I really wanted my creations to stand out. Here are a few of the pieces I've created for the event. The first picture is a statement necklace made of Biwa stick pearls in a pretty silvery green shade. I've accented them with tiny green Swarovski crystals, sterling chain, and a magnetic clasp. The second picture doesn't do the lovely Mystic Blue Topaz briolettes justice. Nonetheless, I think they're gorgeous dangling from sterling leaf chandeliers. The piece above was hard to photograph. It's solar quartz, which is a very rare gemstone. It's accented by faceted green onyx on a gold-filled chain. The last piece I will share is new for me. The collage necklace is made with antique brass findings and chain. What do you think?

The HoPo Shindig

I am gracing you with two blog posts today. Call it procrastination, but I have some things I want to share with you. First is the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Grand Opening Celebration of the HodgePodgery. I wrote about this lovely shop a few weeks ago, as I am teaching jewelry classes there. Dawn and her daughter, Jessica are lovely ladies and they have lots of fun in store. Their ribbon cutting was postponed back in August, so they're super excited to finally have it tomorrow evening. If you're in Central PA, pay them a visit!