I’ve been considering this move for a LONG time, and after the big break I just had, it finally seemed like the right time.

And so!! From here on in, I will be blogging about Epheriell jewellery, handmade and crafty things, design, and my other creative endeavours over at Epheriell.com/blog.

I really hope you’ll join me!

This brings my blogging load down to 3 (!) blogs – the Epheriell blog, Create & Thrive, and my personal (and sporadic) blog over on JessVanDen.com.

I hope you join me over in the new space – I’ve given the Epheriell site a makeover, and the blog is a much more pleasant place to hang out!

It’s where I’ll be blogging lots of stuff from my recent 2-month holiday in Canada and the USA over the coming months (it’ll take me a LONG time to cover it all!) as well as all the usual Epheriell goodness.

This blog will stay here as an archive of the last 5 years of blogging… whew, what a ride!

Huge thanks to all of you for reading, commenting, sharing and generally being awesome. I hope to see you at my new blogging home(s)!

Jess xx

_______________________________

Find me…

Epheriell.com/blog – All the news about Epheriell jewellery, what I’m making, what I’m building, handmade goodness I’ve discovered, and other pretty things.

Create & Thrive – Articles, e-courses and guides to help you turn your handmade hobby into a real business – learn from those who’ve ACTUALLY done it!

Jess Van Den – Random musings, thoughts, talk about triathlons, hiking, and other exercise-y stuff, and whatever else I want to write about that doesn’t fit elsewhere 😀

I’m currently sitting in my Brother-in-Law’s house in Victoria, Canada, after a whirlwind few days in New York City. We arrived in Canada Monday evening, and we’ve been recovering from our manic 4 days in NYC since then.

There’s SO much I want to share with you about our NYC trip, so I thought I’d start out with my Top 20 Highlights of the trip – in no particular order. I’ve broken these up into 2 posts, I’m hoping to have the second one done tomorrow for you.

I’m also planning to share a quirky shopper’s guide to SoHo, and a few shop feature posts, because man, there was just so much goodness there!

Let’s dive in to the first 10 of my top 20…

1. Etsy HQ

I was lucky enough to be able to visit Etsy HQ with my friend Megan Auman. We had a great time chatting to Rand, one of the Etsy staff who are working on the new Wholesale feature!

The Etsy offices are, as you might expect, rather awesome. Full of art, craft, and dogs! A very chilled out, yet hard-working vibe was happening.

2. SoHo

A coffee and a VERY tasty gluten-free brownie were how I started my first day in SoHo. We stayed less than a 10 minute walk from SoHo, so I visited a few times.

SoHo was definitely my fave browsing/shopping district – though, of course, I didn’t get to many of them! Shops like Jonathan Adler, Purl Soho, Loopy Mango, Evolution, The Frye Company, Anthropologie, The MoMA Design Store, Orla Kierly, Kate Spade and more have homes here. I will be posting more about this!

3. Central Park

Central Park really is an oasis in the crazy metropolis that is NYC. New York is loud, smelly, and FULL of people.

Walking into Central Park, you feel immediately relaxed and relieved – especially for country folk like us who are not used to being in a big city.

It’s still pretty busy in there, but it’s a lot more laid back than the main streets of the city, and there is so much space to just walk, or lay down on the grass (when it’s not wet)… and there are SQUIRRELS!! Yes, I have the foreigner’s obsession with the fluffy squirrely things. They’re just so darn cute!

4. Staten Island Ferry

I was quite amazed at the number of cool things you can do in NYC for free. The Staten Island Ferry is a must-do free activity, for sure!

Don’t be put off by the massive crowd of people waiting for the ferry when you get to the terminal – the ferry is HUGE and will fit you all on there!

If you want to see the Statue of Liberty for free, this is the way to do it. It’s around a half-hour ride, and when you get to Staten Island, you can just get off and get right back on to take the ferry back to Manhattan.

If you’ve never seen Liberty before, be prepared, she is MUCH smaller than she looks in movies and on postcards! But still impressive and worth a visit.

5. Walking Broadway/Fifth Avenue

Another fabulous free thing to do is just walk up Broadway and Fifth Avenue. Broadway is Downtown, and you can switch over to Fifth when you hit Madison Square Park on your way Uptown.

You’ll get to soak in the city, and get views of some of the most famous buildings, like The Flatiron, The Empire State, The New York Public Library and even a glimpse of the Chrysler Building.

Just make sure you have some REALLY comfy shoes and a few hours to spare, it’s a long way!

6. Times Square

I wouldn’t say I *enjoyed* Times Square, but it is a must-see for the sheer scale of the advertising glut. These photos were all taken at night – the light you see is purely from all the ads – it lights up like an eerie red/blue daytime there at night.

You’ll also find a stack of people dressed up as various cartoon characters etc running around trying to get you to pose with them and tip them 🙂

7. BBQ Block Party

This was a happy accident! I’m sure there are festivals on every weekend in NYC, but we found out about this one when looking up a BBQ restaurant we wanted to visit, only to find it was closed to take part in the festival.

And what a tasty, tasty festival it was. It was in Madison Square Park, and the BBQ stalls were all ’round it on 3 sides. We tried some pork in a bun, as well as these most delicious ribs – they must be the best I’ve ever had!

8. Walking the Brooklyn Bridge

Our first 2 days in Manhattan were kinda grey and rainy, but we were blessed with beautiful weather on our last 2 days! We decided to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge on one of them, and I’d definitely recommend it.

A lovely walk, with beautiful views back over the city – and when you reach Brooklyn you can either look around, or hop on a subway train right  back to the city.

9. The High Line

The High Line is a MUST-do if you visit NYC. It’s just such a unique and amazing place, and it doesn’t take too long to walk the length of it.

It’s a park above the city built on old railway tracks that used to service the area. Now, it’s full of greenery, places to sit and relax, and awesome views and public artworks.

They’re still extending it now, so I can’t wait to visit it again next time I’m in New York. Also – the Chelsea Markets are at one end of it, so it makes a nice 1-2 combo of iconic places to visit.

10. An American Diner

One of my favourite things about America that we just don’t have at home is the traditional diner. I wasn’t sure that we’d find one in NYC, but we did!

This one was on a corner in Tribeca, and we splurged with some disgustingly good/bad diner food for breakfast one morning. Hash, eggs, bacon, french toast, and maple syrup. Also, some grape jelly, which we don’t get at home! This kept us fueled up for the rest of the day, I can tell you.

So!

There’s my first 10 highlights of our time in NYC. Keep an eye out for the next 10 very soon, as well as a few other posts!

In the meantime, you can follow along with what we’re doing each day over on Instagram. See you there!

First of all – I am going to miss these guys when we leave next week. I got this shot of them chilling out in the sun the other day. Gobbolino (the black + white one) is notoriously camera-shy. I swear, the moment I point my phone at him he pulls a face or snubs me, just like he did in the above photo. However, I did manage to thwart him the other night when I got this shot:

Mwahaa – caught unawares! He’s been snuggling under the blankets (but not the sheets, this cat-allergic girl has to draw a line somewhere) with us for the last few weeks since the weather finally turned cold. I’ll miss my little living hot water bottle while we’re away, but he’s got it sussed – he’ll just go next door and hop in bed with grandma and grandpa like he does most mornings.

Poor little Tedster, however, I am worried about – he makes himself a little nest on the floor, and is yet to work out his territorial issues with my parent’s cat, so he’ll be stuck in our place all alone. Hopefully it will prompt him and my parent’s cat to get over their issues, or he’ll have to settle for daily pats when Mum comes over to visit him.

In other news, we had a fab night on Saturday with all our friends (and saw them for the last time before heading off on our trip!). Our mates who live in the city finally had their house-warming party… which had a Bond theme.

Nick dressed up as a henchman, and I just went for Generic Bond Girl… what do you think?

I tell you what – despite the fact I love making jewellery, I’m not a particularly girly girl. I don’t normally wear makeup, paint my toes or nails (those babies would just get DESTROYED every day when I got to work at my bench), or do my hair apart from wash-and-brush… so it took me a long, long time to get myself put together for this! I was happy with the result though – especially because it forced me to pull this dress out of the box I packed it in when we moved back in 2010!!!

I found so many lovely clothes I totally forgot I had in that box. Now the question is – where on earth do I put them? I think a bit of a closet re-organise and clean-out is in order when we return…

Sunday morning was a fun awakening… we stayed over at our friends’ apartment after the party. On the 58th floor. And were woken at 8am by the building-wide fire alarm.

We traipsed down about 39 flights of stairs before the alarm was cancelled… then took a lift the rest of the way and just went out for breakfast. I had that lovely plate of pancakes, marscapone, figs, and honey with a side of bacon at the River Bar. I VERY rarely have pancakes (the whole eating-mostly-paleo-thing) but I gave into the craving. I’m glad I did, because the combo of honey, marscapone and fig was delish – definitely something I’d try again at home with some paleo pancakes.

Kirsten and I then went for a wander around the Valley – including a browse at the Valley Markets.

I got myself this new leather wallet – my old one was falling apart, and I figured it was a good investment to make pre-trip. I also got a phone case in a similar style at one of the discount shops in the Valley – which was an awesome find because my new phone is a cheap, non-standard Motorola and I couldn’t find a specialist case for it – and didn’t have time to order one from a fellow maker before we leave.

Today I also ticked off another task on our holiday-prep to-do list… to make myself a Holiday Band.

A Holiday Band is just a replacement wedding band to wear when you go travelling. I like to wear one when we travel outside of Australia because I always wear both my wedding and engagement rings, and they aren’t insured when we travel outside of Australia – not to mention I just hate the thought of them getting stolen or falling off during some outdoorsy activity.

So, they’re staying back here, safe and sound, and I made this one to wear instead. It’s a simple 2mm high-shine band. The nicest part about this ring? Both Nick and I made it 🙂

I did the initial cut and solder, and I hammered and sized it. Nick then took it and did the filing, sanding, and final polish. So it’s something we made together to symbolise our marriage (I made him put it on me, too).

I make SO many wedding bands these days, it was kinda lovely to make one for myself, even if it is just a stand-in. But now, if this one goes AWOL, it won’t be so bad… we can always make another!

Also, I finally finished ALL my customer orders today – hooray! If you bought something recently, keep an eye out for it.

The rest of this week will be finishing a wholesale order, getting all the Earring-of-the-Month Club pieces made and packed ready to go out when we’re away, and getting more stuff organised for our trip.

We’ll be spending most of June in Victoria, Canada… which has summer temperatures that are very similar to our winter temps here in Brissie. By the end of the trip we’ll be in Southern California in August, which I’m imagining will be much like summer is here, too. So I have to put together one big backpack worth of clothes that will run the gamut of my version of winter through to hot summer.

I’m thinking lots of layering-type clothes! Summer dresses that I can wear tights under and cardis over, as well as jeans and shirts and singlet tops. If you have any clever packing tips, do share – I’m usually a terrible one for over-packing, but I’m determined not to do that this time. My favourite tried-and-tested trick is to always roll my clothing, rather than folding it – do you do that, too?

{above 3 photos by BrisStyle, the rest are by me}

Today I gave my first ever craft workshop! I’ve given so many talks over the last few years, but it’s the first time I’ve taught something like this… well… ever!

My workshop was offered as part of the Saviours of the Lost Arts (SotLA) festival happening in Brisbane at the moment. SotLA is being hosted by BrisStyle this year, and there are free workshops, pop-up markets, talks and more happening all over Brisbane from now until June.

The festival started a few years ago, and the idea is to bring people together to celebrate and practice craft of all types… to keep ancient skills alive in our modern world.

The intersection of old and new was what I had in mind when I put this workshop together – crochet (the old) with metal (the new!).

I first made these bracelets years ago, when I was starting on my jewellery journey – I think I learnt this technique from a YouTube video, but I can’t for the life of me remember who it was by.

The beautiful thing about this technique is its versatility – once you get the hang of it, you can make wider bracelets, necklaces, add in beads… the design possibilities are vast. And if you’re afraid of crochet, don’t worry, you don’t need to do anything more complex than a simple chain stitch.

The participants in today’s workshop had a blast… and we even had a visit from a group of Spanish ladies from the respite centre next door, who promptly went back to their activities room and gave it a go! 🙂

Everyone left with 2 or three bracelets in different colours – some ladies even made necklaces, too.

The ladies who were there loved it so much, I thought I’d share the instructions here, too, in case you want to have a go at this yourself.

You can easily buy all the materials at your local Spotlight (or other craft store).

How to Make a Crochet Metal Bracelet

 

Materials

• Crochet Hook – between 4 and 8mm
• 26 gague Metal Wire – any colour!
• Wire Cutters
• Pliers
• Lobster Clasp

Instructions

1. Cut three 1 metre pieces of your chosen 26 gauge wire.

2. Tie an open knot at one end (you should be able to fit your pinkie finger through the opening of the knot) leaving a tail of no less than 6cm.

3. Take a crochet hook, thread it through the knot, and proceed to chain 18-20. Make sure you have a tail of at least 6cm when you’re done!

4. Repeat with all three pieces of wire.

5. Take your three pieces of crocheted wire and flatten them. Line them up on the table so all three are flat and facing the same direction.

6. Put the tails at one end together and twirl them so they come together as one piece of wire (like you would twirl hair around your finger).

7. Anchor your twirled end (perhaps get a friend to hold it, or put the end under something heavy) and proceed to plait the three pieces of crocheted wire together loosely.

8. When you reach the other end, repeat the twirling process with the three tails. You may need to trim them – remember to cut them no shorter than 6cm.

9. Take one end and form a loop – again, about the size your pinkie finger could fit into.

10. Wind the end of the loop tightly around its base 2-3 times. Cut off any excess and use a tool to tightly clamp the ends down into the bracelet at the base of the loop.

11. Slide a lobster clasp onto the other end, and repeat the above process OR repeat the above loop-making process and then add a lobster clasp to one loop using a jump ring.

12. Put your bracelet on, then adjust to fit! You can stretch or squeeze the bracelet so that it fits your wrist perfectly.

13. Wear and enjoy!

If you end up making any, I’d love to see them – you can tweet/instagram photos at me, I’m @JessVanDen!

{image via Tourism Tofino}

 So – exciting news here in Epheriell-land!

Nick and I will be heading off for what I’m calling #USACAN2013 as of June 4th – a huge 2-month+ trip through the US and Canada. (Look for the hashtag on twitter and instagram – I’ll be using it to share our journey!).

What this means for you, of course, is that Epheriell will be closed for a few months. As much as I would love to make jewellery on the road, the logistics are a bit of a nightmare, so I’ve decided to take a well-earned break from the jewellery bench while we’re away. I’ll still be blogging here and on Create & Thrive though!

I will be closing Epheriell as of May 24th – this Friday! – and re-opening on August 2nd, which is a few days before we return home.

So! If you had plans to buy and receive a piece of Epheriell jewellery between now and mid-August – this week is your last chance!

Friday morning will see me sitting down at the computer with a cup of coffee to go through the process of shutting down all of my online shops. I won’t be making any extensions or exceptions to this closure, so don’t wait if there is something you want to buy!

Alas, I have been so busy that I haven’t had the chance to finish and release the Yin/Yang Collection prior to my trip… but that gives us all something to look forward to when I return, right? 🙂 I’m kinda in love with the new designs, I’ve been wearing a couple of them religiously for the last few weeks.

But back to the trip!

It’s been in the works since last year, and it’s going to be epic. I’m hoping to pop in here and blog about it at least once a week, but we’ll see how that goes!

The Plan

We’ll be flying from Brisbane to LA, staying one night to start the time-zone shift process, and to break up the trip.

We’ll then fly to New York for 5 days!!! I cannot tell you how excited I am about this. I have always wanted to vist NYC. We’re staying in a cute little apartment in the East Village thanks to Airbnb, and I can’t wait to get out and explore. If you have any must-sees, please tell me!

We’re then flying from New York to Seattle, and catching the ferry up the Puget Sound to Victoria in Canada.

Nick’s brother Matt lives there with his looong-time girlfriend Kelcey, so they will be meeting us, and we’ll be staying with them for a week.

After that, Nick’s parents are flying over from the UK, and it will be family reunion time! The last time all of us were together was back in 2009 at Nick and my wedding (and that was sans Kelcey, I’m looking forward to FINALLY meeting her!), so it’s going to be lovely.

We’re staying with the fam in Canada for a few weeks… until July 3rd, when I leave Nick there and head down to Portland to attend the WDS – which no doubt will be all sorts of awesome. Again thanks to Airbnb I’ll be staying with a lovely Portland couple, their cat, new puppy, and chickens. And I get to spend my first 4th of July in the States (I am actually a dual US/Australian citizen, though I’ve only been to the US twice before for a few weeks at a time – I got my citizenship through my Mum’s side of the family, who are American). So I’ll looking forward to that experience.

After all that, Phase 2 of our trip commences – operation Road Trip!

Nick will come down and meet me in the US, and we’ll be hiring a car and heading off into the sunset for the next month. We’ll have a tent and camping stuff in our car, so we’ll alternate camping with motel living throughout the trip.

At this stage, we don’t have a set itinerary – though we are toying with the idea of driving from Portland out to Yellowstone, then back to the coast and down through Oregon and California.

I have a few must-sees during this part of the trip so far:

• Crater Lake
• Lake Tahoe
• Big Sur
• The Redwood you can drive through
• San Francisco, because I’ve been there twice and LOVE it
• A winery or ten in the Napa Valley

Yes, we’re suckers for lakes and forests, what can I say? I am, of course, open to suggestions of things we HAVE TO SEE – so please share!!

Finally, at the beginning of August, we’ll end up back in LA, and we’re flying home on the 6th.

It’s going to be EPIC!

Are you going to come along with us via the wonders of the interwebs? I hope so! 

P.S. My lovely Earring-of-the-Month Club members… don’t worry, you’ll still be getting your earrings every month… I’ll have them all made and ready to send to you while I’m away thanks to my post office minion (a.k.a. my mum ;D).

So, this Saturday gone, I was lucky enough to be a marketeer at the inaugural BrisStyle City Hall Market. The above photo of me at my stall was taken by the lovely Helen from BrisStyle.

Here are a few more shots of my set-up – you can see a number of new designs that will be part of the Yin/Yang Collection…

I have to say a HUGE thanks to Nick for being the maker behind most of the stall design elements. He made all the wooden rounds and half-logs to my design, and he also threw the banner stand together on Friday arvo when I realised I didn’t have a way to hold it up, as we can’t stick anything to the walls in City Hall.

Kudos to Mr Clever!

Also, a huge thanks to everyone who came by – quite a number of my local Set Up Shop students visit – it was so great to chat to you all about how your businesses are going! I also had a number of lovely return customers who’ve bought from me online previously… as well as a whole lot of new customers, too. It was such a lovely vibe – we were indoors, in a fancy carpeted room, with live music… sweet!

At this stage, I’m hoping to do these markets regularly starting in August (I’ll be away for the June/July ones) so you all know that there’s a place where you can come and see me and new designs each month. It’ll also be great if you’re planning on buying my wedding bands, as I’ll have samples to try on, and I can size your finger for you, too!

So, let’s have a peek at some of the other goodness that was at the market, shall we? First, here’s a pic of the lovely Chrissy Foreman C wearing her new Epheriell ring – Pyrite and Sterling Silver. She said of this ‘I tried it on, and it picked me’. 🙂

Next we have the beautiful work of Clare from Zillpa. She handmakes these amazing rope baskets using her industrial sewing machine. I’m especially digging her new designs with fabric incorporated that you can see on the left.

Next, I spotted these gorgeous Core brooches – love the embroidery ones!

My lovely mate Kirsten of Each to Own debuted these beautiful necklaces. They’re made from vintage wallpaper!

Also, I couldn’t pass up these gorgeous prints from Chrissy, who was my market neighbour – aren’t they beautiful? All her work is so bright and positive and colourful!

Our final score was this funky piece by Mason Sinclair – this one was for Nick!

I was also over-the-moon to finally see the re-constructed original Shingle Inn – a Brisbane icon and full of wonderful memories for me. I spent a LOT of time in the original Shingle Inn during Uni, it was my quiet place to escape to in the city. So, when I walked in and saw this…

…I was overcome with happiness! It looks just like it used to, though you now walk in from the side, rather from the bottom like you used to. I couldn’t pass up getting a goodie. Enter the BIGGEST melting moment I have ever seen. And eaten. Well. I ate half. Nick had the other half!

So, long story short – next time you’re in the city on the 2nd Saturday of any month, make sure to come in to City Hall and visit the BrisStyle Market – after a stop at Shingle Inn, perhaps. You won’t regret it!

And I’ll be there every month from August on 🙂

P.S. a lot of folk don’t know this, but on Saturdays you can park underneath King George Square for just $12… for the whole day!!!

{the view of sunrise over Sandgate}

{lemon & honey tea for the sicknote}

{2 Circe Necklaces I made this week}

{a small selection of the other orders made this week}

 {the road that runs down next to the bushland near my home}

{Golden Orb spider in my path!}

{new earring designs – the Yin/Yang Chain Earrings, which will be available in black and silver}

{new Yin/Yang Chevron Necklaces}

{shiny blue patent leather flats I picked up today for just $10 when I bought a pair of boots!}

So this week started out well… on Saturday I had an awesome time at my very first Wind Surfing Lesson! It was a perfect day, as you can see from the first shot I took out over the bay, and I really enjoyed getting the hang of the Wind Surfer.

Unfortunately, the rest of the weekend was not so fun… on my way home from the lesson on Sat morning I realised I was wheezing – my cold had turned into a chest infection. So, after swinging by the doc on the way home, I was loaded up with antibiotics, steroids and a few puffers to keep me alive for the days ahead!

I spend most of the rest of Saturday resting and reading, but on Sunday I dragged myself out of bed to work. I think this is pretty much the only downside to being self-employed – when you’re sick, and there’s work that needs doing – orders that need making – there’s no-one else to get it done!

I’ve gotten better over the last few days, but it’s been a busy week – filling orders from my birthday sale, Mother’s Day, and also making new goodies for the brand new BrisStyle City Hall Markets that start this Saturday.

I don’t do many markets, as you know, but I’m pretty excited about this one! It’s a curated market of some of the absolute best handmade Brisbane has to offer, and it’s inside the gorgeous, newly refurbished Brisbane City Hall. Very excitingly – these are BrisStyle’s very first REGULAR markets! Yep, they’ll be held in City Hall the 2nd Saturday every month… so if you want some stunning local handmade, put that in your calendar!

I’m planning on doing more of them when Nick and I get back from our 2-month trip to Canada + the USA (I haven’t told you about that yet, have I?!), which we’re leaving for in early June. So, from August onwards, if the markets are as awesome as I expect they’ll be, I might make it a monthly thing and be at every one. What do you think? Would you like knowing where you can come check out Epheriell goodies in-person once a month?

Also, here’s a peek at the new roof in the Grand Ballroom of City Hall – that ceiling is full of LEDs that can render images – pretty groovy ;D

{source: Courier Mail}

I’ve also managed to get outside for a walk the last few mornings without feeling like I was going to cough up a lung. We have a gorgeous huge swathe of bushland at the end of my road, and over the years, someone/s have trodden a path through there, which I follow on occasion.

I don’t think anyone else had been through for a little while though, because that gorgeous spider and her web were stretched right across the path yesterday morning. Thankfully I didn’t walk into her!

I’m almost mended now, hopefully by tomorrow or Friday I’ll be properly well, and ready to get back into my normal routine. I’m missing my regular swims and runs something fierce…

Hey, hope to see you on Saturday if you’re in Brissie, yeah? Make sure to stop by my stall and say hi!

Jess xx

{source: Collecting Wonder}

Isn’t it funny how sometimes a colour combination just stops you in your tracks?

That happened to me when I saw the above image on Pinterest recently. Something about the pale blue and pink just captured my eye and drew me in.

So, I got a tad obsessed and decided to search for other images with the same striking combination.. and thought I’d share them with you.

{source: Sinziana Velicescu}

{source: insider theme}

{source: decor8}

{source: the paper mulberry}

{source: Multicityworldtravel}

{source: Pinterest}

{source: Richard & Ruthie}

{source: Pinterest}

Of course, being a designer, I then had to rummage through my supplies to see if I could come up with anything in these colours.

And lo and behold! I found some wooden beads in pastel blue, pink, and some grey for a little more interest… what do you think?

I like it! I think I will add it to my winter jewellery wardrobe. If you guys like it, too, I might pop it in the shop. Let me know in the comments…

(It’s sterling silver chain, 22 inches long.)

Have you fallen in love with a certain colour combo lately? I’d love to know what it is so I can go stalk it 🙂

P.S. Some fun news – I’m going to be one of the speakers at the Problogger Training Event this coming September! It’s in my home state, on the good old Goldie, so if you are coming along, I’ll see you there. 

Hey there, guess what? It’s my birthday!!

I am the ripe old age of 32 today 🙂

And you know what that means, right?

Yep, it’s time for my annual birthday sale – which means rather large discounts for you.

Why do I do this?

Well, I like celebrating my birthday by giving you something (a discount), and by doing that, you give me something (money and the satisfaction of making another sale. I never cease to get happy feelings whenever someone buys something I’ve made!). Give-give = win-win!

Here’s what’s happening this year:

Epheriell Jewellery – 25% off store-wide

This is the ONLY store-wide sale I have all year that’s open to everyone (I sometimes have sales only open to my Silver Service subscribers, but never with such a large discount store-wide).

So, if you’ve had your eye on something, this is the best chance you’ll get till this time next year to make it yours!

Shop on Epheriell.com and enter the code HAPPYBIRTHDAY2013 in the coupon code box on checkout to get your 25% discount.

{Yes, this sale is on in the Etsy shop, too, but stuff costs a few more dollars there due to the exchange rate, so you’re better off shopping at Epheriell.com!}

Buy as much as you like, as many times as you like. Sale runs from midnight Thursday till Sunday night, the 28th of April, midnight, AEST.

Epheriell Earring-of-the-Month-Club

Normal discounts – including the one above – do not apply to Earring-of-the-Month Club membership, as per normal.

HOWEVER – if you buy a 12 month subscription during this birthday sale period, I will give you 15% off the total subscription price! {That’s over $50 off}

Please purchase this through the store separately from any other items, and use the code CLUBSUB2013 to get this special.

Create & Thrive Guides – 50% off

Both guides currently available over on Create & Thrive – Etsy Success Stories & How to Run a Rockin’ Mailing List – are half-price from Friday-Sunday.

If you’ve got a crafty business, and need help to make it grow, both of these guides are for you.

No coupon code required, they are already altered to be half-price – $10 instead of $20 for How to Run a Rockin’ Mailing List, and $8.50 instead of $17 for Etsy Success Stories.

Same timeframe as above.

There are no extensions, no exceptions, no retroactive discounts on this sale! So don’t miss out 🙂

______________

Now, it’s time for me to chill out with a good book, but I’ll be keeping an eye on my email throughout today and the rest of the weekend if you have any questions!

I’m looking forward to my special birthday breakfast of homemade waffles, hash browns, bacon and eggs! Mmm… followed by dinner out with friends at a cider bar and restaurant tonight.

Hopefully it will be the best birthday ever!

I thought it was time to include some hoop action to my Urban Candy Challenge!

So, I had a browse through my bead collection and settled on these lovely topaz-coloured glass beads.

Like all my earrings, they’re made from eco (recycled) sterling silver, and these babies measure 3cm (1 1/4 inch) across.

These pretties are a Limited Edition of 5 pairs.

You can buy a pair for just $35 (incl postage) by commenting SOLD on the album page here on FB + email me – jessica {at} epherielldesigns.com – to confirm your purchase.

I think I might do  more hoops like this – what do you think?

There were almost 400 entries – so we’ve counted them all up and taken Mr Random.org for a spin.

And the winner is:

Elena Rudaya who won The Oceanids  Necklace!

Congratulations Elena! I’ll be in touch so you can organise your prize – two Oceanids Necklaces.

Just a reminder for everyone else – if you’re outside of Oz the deadline to order for Mother’s Day has passed, but for those of you here in Australia, you’ve got till I wake up tomorrow morning to get your order in 🙂 Anything after that won’t be guaranteed to get in the mail in time for Mother’s Day.

Make sure to check out the Gift Guide if you haven’t already!

In other news, I’ve been hard at work… (um, really, hard at play) on the 2013 Autumn Collection.

The theme of this collection is Yin/Yang – each piece will be available in 2 shade combos (silver and black). There will be necklaces, earrings, and some rings, too.

Here are a few peeks at what I’ve been up to that I’ve shared via Instagram…

Yes, I’m loving super-long necklaces at the moment!

{This giveaway is now closed}

How would you like to win a piece of Epheriell jewellery for your Mum… and one for you, too?

Here’s your chance!

I’m running a Pin-it-to-Win-it Mother’s Day competition from now until Sunday. It’s super-easy to enter!!

All you need to do is Pin a piece of jewellery from Epheriell.com/shop and tag it #EpheriellMD – and you’re in the draw to win that piece of jewellery.

Enter as many times as you like with different pieces of jewellery!

The winner will be announced next week here on the blog. Happy Pinning!

Entry Details

1. Pin any item from Epheriell.com/shop
2. Tag with #EpheriellMD on Pinterest
3. Winner will receive the item they Pinned – one for Mum, one for them! (Or for your daughter, sister, bestie…)
4. (Yes, you can Pin as many different products as you like – the more you Pin, the more entries you get! The winner will be chosen randomly, so whatever the winning Pin is will be the piece of jewellery you win, even if you’ve Pinned multiple pieces)
5. Competition ends Sunday the 21st of April, midnight AEST. Winner will be chosen at random using random.org. Open world-wide! And yes, guys can enter too 🙂 You’ll just get 2 pieces for 2 ladies you love 🙂

P.S. If you Pin the above image, make sure to tag that with #EpheriellMD too for a BONUS entry!  

Mother’s Day is rapidly approaching yet again (May 12th!) – and if you want to buy your mum something lovely online, now is the time to get shopping!

I thought I’d save you the time trawling through the Epheriell store and pick out a selection of pieces that would make a perfect gift for your mum this year.

I’ve chosen a range of necklaces and earrings – including some customisable pieces…

{P.S. make sure to scroll right to the end, there’s a special bonus offer down there!}

Necklaces

Custom Initial Necklace – the perfect customisable piece she can wear every day. Get just one initial, or get one for each member of the family, and have them on the one necklace.

Gold Ball Necklace – the perfect choice if your mum likes a bit of gold in her life! A lovely simple 9k gold ball is suspended on a delicate sterling silver chain.

Triple Silver Ball Necklace – another delicate piece perfect for everyday wear.

Single Coin Pearl Necklace – a classic, and always in style – a single, glossy coin pearl on a sterling silver chain.

Hearts Enwined Necklace – show her your love with this necklace – because her heart and yours will always be connected.

Half-Spiral Necklace – a slightly larger, bolder piece with a beautiful swirl.

 Nested Hoops Necklace – three intertwined hoops – a lovely representation of mother, father and child.

Triple Hoop Necklace – as above, except instead of nesting together, the three hoops are suspended horizontally.

 Infinity Necklace – because love has no beginning and no end – it just is.

Love Necklace – originally a commission for one mother, now available for everyone.

Earrings

Custom Initial Earrings – get her this pair of earrings with her initials, or yours!

 Convex Oval Earrings – the perfect choice for the mom who loves simple, understated pieces of jewellery. A classic.

 Del’s Heart Earrings – big bold hearts to wear in her ears!

 Coin Pearl Earrings – always popular, always loved, and a perfect special gift for mum.

 Ampersand Stud Earrings – the perfect gift for the mum who’s a teacher, writer, editor or blogger!

 Elodie Earrings – a little bit of sparkle!

 Streamlined Earrings – simple, sleek earrings for the modern mum.

Gift Sets – if you want to spoil her even more, go for a gift set! There are a range to choose from, each featuring a complimentary earring + necklace set.

Earring-of-the-Month Club – the ultimate gift that keeps giving! Buy her a subscription (3, 6, or 12 months, or ongoing) to the Epheriell Earring-of-the-Month Club and she’ll get mystery parcels in the mail each month!

Silver Polishing Cloth – a sweet little extra 🙂

BONUS – if you buy a Mother’s Day gift from me in the next 72 hours, just tell me so in the ‘message to seller’ on checkout, and I’ll include a FREE silver polishing cloth for your mum so she can keep her jewellery nice and sparkly clean!

Happy shopping!

This first photo is a prime example of the fact that jewellery making is not always pretty – it’s a shot of my sketchbook with a few in-progress pendant designs.

In fact, most of the process of creating beautiful jewellery (and most beautiful things) is pretty darn messy!

It’s only the final product that emerges clean and beautiful from the making (my hands certainly don’t – I really should invest in some good hand cream, due to how many times I wash them every day!).

Anyways, I didn’t pop in to talk about that – I want to share what I’m working on in my spare moments.

Recently I’ve become fascinated with the idea of making asymmetrical designs.

I thought I’d start out simple – with wire-based pendants.

Can I just say how hard it is to come up with an aesthetically appealing asymmetrical shape? Well, I find it hard – my brain and hand just wanted to keep drawing symmetrical circles, squares and triangles. It took real conscious effort to draw something that didn’t conform to those traditional shapes.

Here are three I’ve come up with so far that I’m reasonably happy with, though they may still get some tweaking…

I also want to introduce more contrast into my range with the use of oxidised silver.

So, I thought I’d pair these brushed-finish silver pendants with an oxidised chain. Here’s the chain I oxidised today. I love how the black metal glows!

Here’s the first necklace put together… I decided to make them uber-long necklaces – something a bit statement-y!

What do you reckon? I’m also playing with the idea of switching the finishes around – having an oxidised pendant on a bright silver chain.

I’m loving the challenge that these new designs are giving me… I’ve got lots more ideas of where I can take this new line of designs! Maybe even 3D pendants…

Goodness, it’s taken me until today to get the weekly special up! I’ve been so caught up in making orders and working with my Set Up Shop students, that it’s taken me until Wednesday.

Whoops 😉 We are, none of us, perfect!

This one will stay up until the end of next week, as I have a feeling it’ll be a popular special!

The Half-Spiral Earrings are on special for just $30 this week (normally $35).

These are an awesome, everyday pseudo-hoop earring. Hoops with a twist!

Hope you’re having an ace week! x

I thought I’d pull out a total classic this week – the Nested Hoops Necklace.

I sell this one on a consistent basis to this day, and it’s been in the Epheriell range for many years. It’s also the necklace I picked to put on my new business cards:

Here are a few I’ve made recently…

I’ve put the Nested Necklace on special this week for just $46.

Now, it’s off to make some jewellery – have an ace day x

This weekend just gone I did my very first proper expo! It was the Queensland Brides Wedding and Honeymoon Expo at the Brisbane Convention Centre.

I’ve spent the last few weeks prepping for it – making all the ring samples, organising and planning my display (which I could NOT have pulled off without help from Nick and Sarah – thank you lady!).

I wanted to make sure my stand not only drew people in – and stood out – but immediately said ‘natural’ and ‘eco’. Oh, and classy, too.

I think I pulled it off…

The moss and wooden rounds really created a little ‘ring forest’ feel (I actually brought along some tiny ceramic birds on the second day and put them in there, too).

The hanging tulips (my favourite flower) were beautiful – they moved and swung slowly in the air.

I got heaps of great feedback from people – since I so rarely do events or markets, it was so lovely to see people touch and examine my work, and comment on how beautiful the rings were.

It was fascinating to see which pieces drew people in – the square rings were a real talking piece!

I handed out a gazillion cards and silver polishing cloths, so now it’s over, it’s time to sit back, relax, and see what comes of it… thanks to everyone who came by and visited!

Oh, here’s me doing a minor duckface with a pair of GORGEOUS wooden sunglasses by Alejandro Eyewear – Kim and Alejandro (who I know from my *bespoke* days) popped by and said hello, and I just had to try these… thanks for letting me, Alejandro!

When my friend Katia contacted me and asked if I’d like to try out one of her cute felt toy patterns, how could I say no?

We all know sewing is not my thing, but I’m always willing to give it another crack… especially when there is a cute kitty to be sewn! Katia makes these kitties for her shop – here’s an example of one she made… SO CUTE!

But she also sells the pattern for those who’d like to have a go at making one for themselves. Now, let’s all just take a moment to glory in the cuteness of Katia’s kitty above before we dive into my version, shall we? Ahem…

It was a good excuse to break out my seldom used (but very sweet) sewing paraphernalia.

Okay, so here’s the nitty gritty. I did this last night, so please excuse the not-so-perfect phone photos I snapped while working on my bed.

The pattern was simple and easy to follow – and hand-drawn, too! I just had to print it out, and cut out all the little bits from the paper – pin them to the felt and cut it out. Easy – even for me!

I then got sidetracked playing the ‘what is my kitty thinking’ game while deciding where to place his pupils…

I kinda ran out of time to finish him, as I’ve been crazy-busy prepping for the QLD Brides Expo (starting tonight, eep!) but I think you get the idea! I’m really pleased with my kitty so far – Katia’s pattern really made getting this far effortless.

Now I just have to do that pesky sewing bit… and decide what to do with kitty when he’s finished! Keep him or give him to someone? Hmm…

You can get your paws on this pattern here.

So this week’s Urban Candy Challenge is more of a classic design – the Embrace design with a trio of gorgeous, shimmery cinnamon beads! They’re a groovy twisty shape with facets that catch the light like crazy.

I call them Cinnamon Twist!

I really like this style of bead – I’m thinking maybe I should get some more colours in this style. What do you reckon?

So the last week and a bit have been a tad crazy round these parts.

I’ve been madly making a whole stack of wedding bands for the QLD Brides Expo coming up this weekend, and on top of that, seemed to have a glut of wedding band orders to fill, too. Nick’s been acting as my trusty apprentice, helping me with some of the ring finishing stages – filing, sanding and polishing. It’s so awesome to be able to work together – and he loves the chance to do hands-on creative work, rather than being stuck doing the ‘boring stuff’ like bookwork and admin. I’m a hard taskmaster sometimes!

I was super-happy when my new business cards arrived… thank you all so much for your help over on the Epheriell Facebook page – if it wasn’t for your design feedback I know they wouldn’t look as ace as they do!

During my making in the last few days I somehow seriously messed up a measurement for an Infinity ring – and ended up with a loop of silver that was WAY too big. I didn’t quite know what to do with it, so I just sat there and played with it until this new necklace design just flowed through my hands. I like how it’s quite organic and three-dimensional… not sure if I’ll add it to the shop, but I like it for myself, if nothing else! Sometimes it’s fun to come up with a design that might not be fully ‘saleable’ or ‘sensible’ – occasionally I wish I had the time to come up with crazy, over-the-top designs as artwork. Perhaps I’ll get to do that one day down the line.

I think Nick picked up on the fact that I’ve been going slightly crazy with all the ring-making… and when he went out to run some errands today, he came home with that gorgeous bunch of flowers for me. It was such a sweet surprise! The man treats me very well, it has to be said. I’m a lucky gal 🙂

Tomorrow is the last day of prep before the show – all my rings are done, we’ve got most of our display sorted out (except for a tablecloth – honestly, I ask you, why is it SO hard to find a simple white tablecloth?!) I’ve just got some last-minute photos to take and edit before I can put my lookbook together to get printed out tomorrow. Time to take a deep breath before diving into the rest of a big week!

Oh – if you happen to be in Bris on Friday night or Sat/Sunday, come and say hi – I’ll be at the QLD Brides Wedding Expo at the Convention Centre – would love to meet you!

So, these are a new, and smaller, version of the classic sterling silver hoops I’ve had in store for ages. I already have a Small, Medium and Large version, but my friend Jade wanted an even SMALLER version! So, the Tiny Hoops were born!

I’ve just added these pretties to the shop this evening, and they’re in there for just $25. Normally I’ll be selling them for $30 – so they’re this week’s special!

I think I need to make myself a pair of these to wear to bed – and just for every day wear. I don’t usually wear earrings around at home – I do a lot of sport these days and have to take them off to swim and cycle etc – plus I’m just generally lazy when it comes to daily dressing if I’m not going anywhere. I don’t quite stoop to ‘working in my PJ’s’ level, but I don’t do myself up at all, either 😉

Do you work from home? If you do, I’d love to know if you ‘do’ yourself up at all for a regular day’s work?

 Why hello there, you gorgeous sexy jewellery, you!

I was stoked when I got a pretty little package in the post a little while back from the lovely Jenn of Joyo. Of course, the actual package was pretty…

But I really wanted to get to what was inside it…

…which was a pair of Nested Drop Earrings and…

…a Leaves Cuff…

I love, love, LOVE how the aluminium glows through the wood, and the light moves across it as you move.

I decided to pair my new pretties up with a gorgeous handmade dress I found during our last jaunt around the country in The Luggage. I found it in a tiny church op shop in the little country town of Walcha, NSW. In fact, I found TWO dresses in that tiny shop – what are the odds?

But this one is special. It’s obviously handmade, as the inside seams are all rough and ragged. It’s also extremely sheer… but I just could go past the gorgeous powder blue colour and the cut – I love the bodice – and those pleats!!

Miraculously, it fit me like a glove, and I thought it would make a lovely compliment to my new Joyo jewellery.

Lucky for you, I am not the only one who’s going to feel the Joyo joyousness!

Jenn is giving away one of her stunning Metropolis Cuffs to one of you, hurrah!

Giveaway

This giveaway is open world-wide, and closes Tuesday the 19th of March at midnight, AEST.

Here’s Jenn explaining just how she makes this cuff: “I laser cut a pattern inspired by art deco and vintage designs into real wood and layer it over a brushed aluminum metal cuff. An ultrasuede lining makes this bracelet incredibly comfortable to wear. It is flexible, and with gentle pressure, can adjust to fit most size wrists.”

Can I tell you that 1) I have the teeny-tiniest wrist imaginable, especially for a tall women, and this fit me just lovely by squeezing it gently and 2) the ultrasuede lining = awesome! So comfy!

Enter via your method of choice below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out all of the Joyo Goodness via an Internet connection near you…

Web: shopjoyo.us

Facebook: facebook.com/ShopJoyo

Pinterest: pinterest.com/shopjoyo/

This design is an awesome example of those ‘grabs you and won’t let go till you make it a reality’ type of ideas. You know the ones I mean.

So, despite the fact it’s not technically an Urban Candy design, it’s going up as my challenge design this week – because I couldn’t wait to make it and get it out there!

I foresee SO many possibilities with this design – adding all types of gemstones/beads to the front… ‘tries to clamp down on creative urge in order to focus on the huge amount of work she has to get done this week’.

Say hello to the new Snowdrop design! This initial version features turquoise magnesite gemstones – slightly asymmetric but complementary. They remind me of the sweet, nodding snowdrop flower, hence the name.

I can make just 5 of these with the gemstones I have.

So, they’re going up over on Facebook as this week’s challenge pair! Just $40 (including postage) – limited edition of 5.

Each pair will feature asymmetric but complimentary turquoise magnesite gemstones on sterling silver.

I’m SO SO SO looking forward to making more versions of this when the current madness is over! What madness, you say?

Well, I’m doing my first BIG show next week – the Queensland Brides Wedding Expo in Brissie! Make sure to pop by if you’re in town – I’ll be exhibiting all of my sterling silver wedding bands (including a few new styles!). It’s on Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday. The prep has been crazy – mostly because I need to make samples of all my rings, as well as organise marketing material etc. Kinda equally nervous and excited, but I hope it will be a fun few days.

Also! In case you haven’t been over to Create & Thrive, I’m running a new ecourse in April called ‘Set Up Shop’ – and this week I’m giving away 2 places. The response has been phenomenal… I can’t say how blown away I am by all the heartfelt stories of people who want to make a living from their craft. It’s going to be epically hard to chose a winner for the Gold Membership… but we will do it – I will have to rope Nick into helping me, I think. You can check it out here.

Right, time to get back to the bench – have an awesome day!

Jess xx

P.S. Keep an eye on the blog, I’ve got a gorgeous giveaway coming this evening!

Happy Monday, all!

I’m on a bit of a crazy making jag today – finishing off an epic wholesale order, as well as all the orders that have come in over the last week. Monday is always a day that I hit the jewellery bench hard to get lots of beautiful things made and out to their new owners.

Of course, I needed to take a little break to pop in here and share this week’s special with you all.

This week, the Circe Necklace is on special for just $44 – it’s normally $52!

This is a perennial favourite design – I have sold many of these necklaces over the last few years. So, don’t miss out on getting one for yourself at this week’s special price.

Have an awesome week,

Jess xx

Now that I’m back at home, it’s time to get the Urban Candy Challenge underway again!

This week, it’s a pair of Oxidised Earrings in the Elegance design + a bit of colourful bling! They hang around 2 1/2 inches in length.

To buy a pair for just $35 (including postage) you need to hop on over to the Epheriell FB page and comment SOLD on the photo… and shoot me a quick email.

I’m off to UQ – my old uni – to give a business lecture today, and I’m wearing my pair of these for sure.