Win a Beautiful Woven Wire Bracelet from Mana Moon Studios

My inestimable friend Sharon of Mana Moon Studios is nearing a great milestone in her career as an artist! She is soon to create her one thousandth gorgeous piece of jewelry, and to celebrate, she's giving away one of her signature woven wire bracelets which she's designing specially for this contest!

Sharon's speciality is a very recognizable style of chunky cuff bracelet which features a handmade artisan focal bead in a nest of carefully wrapped wire, set off with other matching beads and dangles. You must see them to believe how beautiful they are, so here are some examples!

Not content to use focal pieces that aren't one of a kind, Sharon forms partnerships with talented glass and clay artists all over the world to find the most exquisite and fascinating centerpieces for her bracelets and necklaces. She also makes keychains and earrings!

Scuttle over to Sharon's blog now for your chance to win her special commemorative bracelet!

Jellybug Featured on Friday Finds!

“Wine and cheese go great together, so how clever to make a serving tray out of a wine bottle.”

My etched recycled wine bottle serving tray was featured on Friday Finds, a new weekly spotlight of Etsy artists by architect, photographer, and wine lover Erin Garrison. Erin sells prints of her original photographs in her Etsy shop. My personal favorite is Rome Architecture -- I love the way the tight circle of the skylight widens into the rings on the dome walls, then reflects across the border between wall and ceiling to curve the other way toward the statue. The photo has wonderful movement.

Erin's favorite of tray is the etched sweet pea tray. I also sell plain bottle trays with a cheese spreader or a decorative gift bag in a variety of colors. All of my trays have hanger so that they can be displayed on a wall or in a window when not in use! They make great entertaining, housewarming, and thank you gifts, and they're perfect for wine lovers!

Artist Spotlight: Maggie Sue Designs

Fellow Capitol Region Etsy Street Team member Meredith of Maggie Sue Designs was kind enough to include one of my pieces in an Etsy treasury she created. While writing a blog post about the treasury, I was nosing through her shop, and I found so many fabulous things that I just had to share!

Meredith is a seamstress who makes awesome cup cozies and handbags.

Coffee Cup Cozies

Meredith's fleece-lined coffee cup cozies are right up my alley -- bright-colored and fuzzy! Being a frequenter of Starbucks and the coffee bar at Whole Foods, I'm totally in the market for one of those. The three at left are my favorites, but she makes them in a huge variety of colors and patterns.

Handbags, Purses, Totes

Meredith also makes adorable small purses in vibrant colors. As you might guess, I'm a sucker for vibrant colors. My favorites are her vibrant patchwork bag, her Manzanita Modern Bag, and her Red Crazy Squares Front Pocket Bag.

I usually go without a bag, but when I'm pocketless, I like a cross-body bag that isn't huge -- just big enough for wallet, phone, and keys. I've been looking for an appropriately-sized bag, and I think I've find the source!