Featured in an Etsy Treasury!

Yesterday I joined an Etsy team called All Handmade by Me which is only for artists who sell real handmade items and not mass produced ones on Etsy. It is nice because you have to apply to it and they make sure your creations are indeed handmade by you. After you have been approved you will be able to display the handmade badge on your shop; I put mine in my about page. Not everyone gets approved (awesome!) and it separates true handmade shops from the masses which Etsy is not controlling (or caring about) anymore.

Anyways, today I was featured in a treasury by a fellow teammate, and made my day! Feel free to visit the treasury curated by Sheena from Koolnecks Accessories and the team too! My piece is the Blue Magnesite Bead Necklace.

Always With Love,

Adriana

blue treasury

Advertisement

Visit me at the Old Cutler Arts & Crafts Festival!

OCPC Invite-page-001

I’m so happy to announce that in November 2, 2013 I will be participating at the OCPC Arts & Crafts Show! Woot, Woot! Its is very exciting news for Always With Love as it is our first major outdoor event and I can’t wait to show off my jewelry!

So, please save the date for November 2, 2013 and come visit me! I will have jewelry from every price range, perfect time to get started on your Christmas shopping.

Hope to see you there!
Adriana

My First Jewelry Party!

I am so happy, I did my first “show”! It may seem small for some of you (and me), but it was a complete hit!  I guess the fact that it was exclusively held for family members ensured its success. Ha, ha!  🙂

I exhibited some old pieces as well as some new creations, and they were all greatly received. My most popular item of the day was my personalized “mom” necklace.  I got so many orders for those I could barely keep up! I’m so happy the ladies loved it!

I also tested my Square Card reader for the first time and boy, that thing is awesome! Some of my aunts and cousins couldn’t believe I accepted credit cards on the spot! I was also very pleased with its ease of use and how fast the money was deposited in my account. If you are thinking of getting one, you should!

Right now I’m working on creating more pieces for a bigger event I have in mind for November. I will keep you updated as new details develop. After the success of my first party, I’ve been bitten by the craft show bug so stay tuned for where I will be next!

Love,

Adriana

Adriana Lyden next to her  jewelry designs.

Adriana W. Lyden next to her jewelry designs.

p.s. Thank you so much to everyone who attended my party! You help me believe in myself and my craft.

Filigree Earrings with Butterflies and Amethysts

This is the new addition to my Tears of Joy Earring collection! Hope you like it! Depending on the angle, the butterflies also look like daisies! 🙂always with love butterfly earrings

always with love butterfly earrings 2

always with love butterfly earrings 3

sorry for the blur in the pics! 

always with love butterfly earrings 4

polish and clean the earrings

always with love butterfly earrings 5

always with love butterfly earrings 6

Add them to your earrings and you’re done!

IMG_7540

Always With Love,

Adriana

 

Argentium Silver Dangle Earrings

I am so proud of these new earrings! Aren’t they beautiful?

I used argentium sterling silver twisted wire a friend gave me about 2 years ago. She purchased the argentium wire and never used it. For some reason I misplaced it and found it this week.
I’m so happy I did!

Love the luster and how easy it is to fuse!

Will have to buy more for sure!

argentium silver dangle earrings

argentium silver dangle earrings

Bubble Earring and Ring Set

Here are some pictures (taken with my iPhone) that show you how I made my latest jewelry set. The pictures demonstrate how I made the earrings first, and then the ring. The fabrication process required many steps and here I show you the most important ones.

The order of pictures goes from left to right.

Oh, my Jewelry Photographer is out of town which means that the final earrings pic will come soon! For now, enjoy the process and the finished ring pic professionally shot by Pixeltoaster Studios!

1.
earring and ring tutorial2.

earring and ring tutorial23.

earring and ring tutorial34.

earring and ring tutorial4

 

IMG_7544

 

Always With Love - Silver Bubbles ring

Facebook Milestone: 1000 Likes!!

I am THRILLED to announce that my Facebook Page just made it to 1000 Fans! Woot! I am so happy thankful for every single one of my fans/likers/followers and everyone who entered the cash giveaway.

I would like to give something back, the best way I know how. So… shipping is on me! Yay! Promo code expires 8/31/2013. Enjoy!

Adriana

Image

Men’s Cut Out Ring

End of may means one thing for me. Gotta get ready and make father’s day items!

In honor of all cool jewelry wearing dads, I made a cut-out ring that looks like two ring bands in one. I love the jeweler’s saw and instead of making two rings and soldering them together I cut them. Let me show you.

1. Gather your tools.

Image

some tools used

•Jeweler’s Saw •Precision Square •220 & 400 Sandpaper Stick •Automatic Hole Puncher •Flat hand file • Scribe •Inside ring sanding mandrel • Drill bit •3m Sanding Wheels •Divider •Digital Caliper

2.  To make a size 11 men’s ring cut a 16 gauge sterling sheet 64.6mm X 11mm with the saw. File the sides flat, checking for angles and evenness with the square. Open the divider to 3.68mm and trace a line on all 4 sides. Find the center and trace two perpendicular lines 8mm wide. Drill holes in the center lines. I color the metal with a Sharpie marker to remind me where not to cut.

Image

measure, scribe and drill

3. Once cut, file and sand the metal. It should look like this:

Image

after cutting and sanding

4. Before bending the ring, we need to anneal it with the torch to make the metal soft. Wide rings can be hard to shape if you skip this step, not to mention you may crack the metal. Quench, pickle, rinse, and dry.

Image

anneal your metal

5. Bend the ring and make sure the ends meet without gaps. Ring is ready to flux, solder, quench, pickle, rinse, and dry.

Image

bend and join ends for soldering. pretty comes later.

6. Place ring in the ring mandrel and with a rawhide hammer, give it its beautiful round shape. File, sand polish… and don’t forget the stamp!

Image

after shaping, sanding, and polishing.

handmade jewelry by always with love

handmade jewelry by always with love

And done.