tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14855392512302898342011-04-21T19:59:35.436-04:00MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.comBlogger251100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-43333618376909373092008-09-24T11:56:00.003-04:002008-09-24T12:00:39.774-04:00

Just finished this pair for the Black Gold series; prefabricated chains in 18kt gold, blackened sterling, with glossy black spinel briolettes, 18kt beads and rondelles of sparkly black garnet:As usual, the photo isn't very good... it's on my must-do list for today, to play around with the new camera lens and settings. *sigh*

MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-33017139822921578252008-09-23T11:13:00.004-04:002008-09-23T11:44:36.107-04:00

Last year I wanted to give PMC clay a try. I asked for, and received, a PMC silver clay kit for Christmas. Nothing fancy, but enough to give it a go and experiment. But that little packet of clay was so intimidating, not to mention playing with the fire in that little "hot pot" kiln! And so the kit was stashed away at the bottom of my supply closet, to await a heroic moment when I'd get up

MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-47871351143715858802008-09-19T16:27:00.005-04:002008-09-21T10:58:50.863-04:00

A sneak peek of the Mardi Black Gold series:Today is another day immersed in this little series, with a second pair of earrings nearly finished. I was discussing (actually, ranting) to JP a couple of nights ago over dinner, the problems I have photographing my jewelry...and I had read in a few places that in order to bring more of an item into sharp focus, a low f-stop (excuse my terminology, I

MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-49490578897707711452008-09-18T01:10:00.007-04:002008-09-21T10:58:03.303-04:00

I had a stellar day today, very productive (and without any interruptions, so no wonder)! No photos of today's work, but I did finish one pair of earrings that I had started on Monday, and then made a pair of earrings and a necklace for the Black Gold series, a mini collection of 18kt gold and blackened sterling pieces. I've sketched ideas for other pieces and no sooner is one sketch finished

MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-44139364581369474282008-09-12T21:40:00.009-04:002008-09-21T17:21:22.924-04:00

As I was slipping off to sleep last night I had the flash of an idea for a bracelet,which I vaguely remembered when I woke up this morning. With morning coffee in hand I sketched what I could remember and added some new ideas, then started work. Using Silver Black, I blackened lengths of sterling silver chain and headpins, then searched through my gemstones to find the perfect stones, brilliant

MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-75266868338895385752008-09-09T13:48:00.009-04:002008-09-09T14:21:17.952-04:00

I never intended to take an entire summer off from posting; I was actually embarrassed to even write a new post... Until I noticed when catching up with some of my fave blogs, I'm not the only one! :DSummer is nearly over, and though it will be missed, I won't be missing the hectic world I've been living in. I'm looking very forward to fall, and even winter (my fave season), for things to be

MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-38387467732466891052008-06-12T10:12:00.006-04:002008-06-12T15:13:30.882-04:00

I've been so busy! Major renovations to the house, custom orders that I've been working on, site updates to Mardi Studio.com, including a gallery of some of my recently sold pieces, and a slew of family get-togethers are some of the reasons that I've been in absentia! Our niece, Anaïs, and her boyfriend are arriving from France at the end of this month, thus a good incentive to have work done

MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-65365764421394192562008-04-22T18:09:00.008-04:002008-04-22T18:31:23.628-04:00

That's better!The difference a day makes. I like this one much better than what I did yesterday, and hindsight had me cutting down on the 18k beads from every other to every three pearls. Light and summery, with a gorgeous lemon quartz focal bead.Choker length at just over 16 inches, akoya pearls and faceted 18k gold beads are hand knotted on silk with a brilliant step-faceted lemon quartz

MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-26068932310811330222008-04-21T14:59:00.005-04:002008-04-21T15:42:00.771-04:00

Don't you just hate it when you have the best (or what you think is the best) inspiration for a design, and you set out everything you need, and you begin...only to spend hours on it before you realize that you hate the design that just moments before you thought was the best thing since sliced bread? Today was such a day. I have had these lovely strands of creamy white Akoya pearls in my stash

MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-25462804948992453362008-04-14T11:28:00.006-04:002008-04-14T12:43:52.301-04:00

The dreaded visit to our tax lady at H&R Block was finally over and done with on Saturday. For three days before, I was buried in receipts, invoices, spreadsheets and PayPal account printouts (thank God I saved everything!). I had a massive headache at the end of each day (I'm truly a right-side-of-the-brain person and I hate numbers!), but with minutes to spare before our appointment I was

MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-23817604370075736622008-04-03T12:22:00.005-04:002008-04-03T12:58:37.213-04:00

I can't believe that it's been so long since my last post ~ it doesn't seem like it's been long at all, but then time flies when you're suddenly overwhelmed with too much to do and too little time to do them in!I finally dug in my heels and completed my website, Mardi Studio, which I had begun working on ages ago and then procrastinated so long over because I was having such a horrid time with

MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-88602237701241133462008-03-24T12:37:00.012-04:002008-04-14T23:03:55.831-04:00

Those of us who are sellers on Etsy will use our shop banners as the banner on our blogs. A problem with this is when our chosen blog template has a banner size which differs from the size of our shop banners. Adjusting the size of your banner to fit into the dimensions that your blog template allows for is the easiest remedy, and to do this, the first thing you have to know is the dimensions

MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-64601621180701399592008-03-22T11:07:00.007-04:002008-03-22T11:28:28.251-04:00

There are so many Etsy bloggers who not only blog to promote their own creations, but go out of their way to help others in promoting their shops as well. Brandi Ann Designs with indispensable photography pointers, Contrariwise with her "Lessons Learned on Etsy" series, and Wyred on Wire with advice on time management, to name a few.I've learned so much from reading blogs like these, and in the

MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-26213117879111681912008-03-22T09:37:00.009-04:002008-03-24T14:57:24.187-04:00

If you're like me, creating jewelry is the easy part. Marketing and promotion, unless you have tons of money for subscription fees and advertising, is the tough part! I recently added a blogger to my list of favorites: Wyred On Wire. Alicia has written a great series of articles on time management, something we can all use some pointers on...and she's also posted links to two great sites:A

MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-26856559347752071052008-03-17T12:09:00.015-04:002008-03-24T14:57:51.699-04:00

I was browsing Alchemy on Etsy the other night to familiarize myself with it and came across a request for donated items for an auction to be held in October for a very worthy organization, Project Night Night. I filled out a bid request, offering a pair of earrings, and by next morning I had received an acceptance from Kendra, the organization founder. The earrings will be based on my Trianon

MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-67052193729292196772008-03-11T17:57:00.009-04:002008-03-24T14:58:04.363-04:00

Sometimes it pays to stay up until the wee hours of the morning: I happened to trip on over to the Etsy Treasury page and saw that it was nearly time for treasury snagging to start. I love making treasuries, mostly for the inspirational finds on Etsy that I come across when I do. This one features loveliness from Oklahoma Mama and Brandi Ann Designs and many other fine Etsians. Give it a peek!

MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-10235125711394077392008-03-10T16:32:00.011-04:002008-03-24T14:58:15.364-04:00

After several days of grappling with a nasty cold I'm at last feeling myself again! I was feeling so miserable that I haven't picked up pliers, wire and gems for the whole week until today... and just in time for my recovery, I found some gorgeous gemstones in my mail today. Instant inspiration! I also found an email waiting for me to let me know that I've been featured on the front page of

MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-70954415809753112852008-02-29T19:49:00.013-05:002008-03-24T14:58:28.370-04:00

It was a great start to the day when I received a convo from my BFF Brenda to let me know that she'd snagged a treasury and featured my Chantilly earrings in it! I've made several treasuries of my own, but had never been featured in one, so thank you, sweetie xoxo!.

MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-3615347574802229062008-02-23T15:56:00.014-05:002008-03-24T14:59:49.292-04:00

Today was the day to get out the micro torch and fire it up! So easy, and much faster than I imagined. Other than a few panic-stricken seconds when I clumsily hit the torch with my arm and knocked it over, with it set on continuous flame no less, it was such a simple process. And nobody was burned! :DIn less than an hour, counting the time taken to reread the operating instructions and

MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-69668332187558877442008-02-22T12:38:00.011-05:002008-03-24T14:58:40.605-04:00

Two new arrivals just added to my Etsy shop!There's the Lucy earrings with sparkling faceted coins of iolite and flawless step-faceted citrine ovals, all handlinked on solid 18k yellow gold, and finished with 18k gold earwires:The Chantilly earrings are cascades of shimmering Oregon sunstone rondelles, shaded green faceted ovals of tourmaline, and perfect smooth and polished briolettes of cognac

MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-52630762636027346322008-02-18T06:57:00.006-05:002008-02-24T10:24:40.100-05:00

In the first step to overcoming my fear of being within inches of an open flame, I went out and bought myself a micro torch yesterday! I hadn't thought very much about how much could be saved by making my own headpins, but the huge savings along with the joy of having as many as I need on hand when I'm itching to start a new design made it impossible for me to not give it a try. Huge savings if

MarDihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02715229119578623359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-6785796036430502652008-02-10T14:19:00.001-05:002008-03-24T14:59:08.705-04:00

Why does jewelry have to be so difficult to photograph?!A pair of earrings that are just waiting for some decent pics so that they can be listed in my Etsy shop, but it's been snowing for three days here, and so overcast that there's just not enough good natural light in these parts. I should have taken more photos of them back when this one shot was taken a few weeks ago on a clear day! *can't

Marilynnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-51701329647531523512008-02-07T17:18:00.001-05:002008-03-24T14:58:51.754-04:00

I just love these earrings! Perfect for a February birthday, the Anaïs earrings feature beautiful coin pearls set with amethyst in 18k yellow gold bezels, which are linked in 18k solid gold wire to deep purple, step-faceted amethyst twist rondelles, petite white freshwater pearls, and faceted amethyst briolettes. Finished with 18k solid gold earwires, they are a fraction under 2 1/2 inches in

Marilynnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-14334632479744544092008-02-05T12:10:00.001-05:002008-03-24T14:59:21.917-04:00

I've been an Etsy buyer for quite some time and just within the past couple of weeks I've taken the plunge and put a few of my designs up for sale. Much to my delight, my BFF Brenda (Oklahoma Mama) plugged my newly opened Mardi Studio shop on her blog!Brenda is enjoying great success with her Etsy shop, and for good reason. With a keen eye for overall design and wonderful color sense, her

Marilynnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485539251230289834.post-54107449294502403832008-02-05T02:07:00.001-05:002008-03-24T14:59:34.800-04:00

It's like opening a brand new journal with a stark white page staring up at you, pleading with you to get over your writer's block! ;)...and these few words are all I can muster at 2:05 AM!To bed, and the second post will appear when I have a cup of coffee in hand (and we all know the second post is always easier)!

Marilynnnoreply@blogger.com0