eSMArts Team

Favorites From Our Etsy Team




More of our Favorites!...

BlueBonnet Jewelry Design by Yvonne

This feature is really Part 2 of the last post. On September 11th I also had the priviledge of chatting online in consultation with Yvonne the enchanting founder and genius behind BlueBonnet Jewelry Design - "Jewelry sophisticated enough for a night on the town - Casual enough to wear with a T-shirt and jeans".

Now Yvonne and I don't know each other that well yet, but we certainly do share many of the same passions. Yvonne has a broad experience base with needlework and several fiber arts media but I'm most in love with her intricately beaded wearable artwork.

Even just a brief visit to Yvonne's new online jewelry boutique located at http://www.bluebonnetjewelry.etsy.com/ reveals a wonderful array of beautifully crafted jewelry from this artist who tastefully blends bold fashion tones with elegant and timeless designs. Yvonne marries a variety of weaving, crochet, netting and embroidery techniques into her unique jewelry designs with stunning results.

Yvonne's drop dead gorgeous heavily beaded exotic cuff bracelets are to die for, and I can only describe the quality of her pieces as "sheer excellence" in execution.

You won't regret choosing any lovely creation from BlueBonnet Jewelry Design either to pamper yourself or to give as gifts (for even the pickiest of friends!). Each piece from BlueBonnet Jewelry is hand crafted with love and Yvonne's careful attention to even the tiniest of details is evident in the perfect choice and placement of each bead and stitch.

Follow Yvonne's blog to keep abreast of what's new in her creative world. I can't wait to see what she'll come up with next!

Submitted by:
Anna Lee Husband
Oshawa, Ontario

Day of Service - Consultation with Victoria Flaherty

I'm pleased that on the anniversary of those horrendous terror attacks on the USA, a day now deemed a National Day of Service, I was able to donate some time yesterday helping a few of my neighbours to the south. Y'all already know that I'm a strong supporter of warm international ties between our two countries, so here's what's new.

I had the joy to speak by telephone yesterday with an interesting member of my eSMArts yahoo group and etsy team. Victoria is a multi talented lady who has run a successful bricks and mortar handmade jewelry storefront in Ogunquit Maine for the past decade! The financial planner in me isn't quite sure how Victoria has managed to pull this feat off what with soaring overheads and a dismal economy of late, but anyway I applaud her marketing efforts (which in my view are stellar).

Victoria's cute storefront will unfortunately close after Columbus Day due to soaring rents, so this savvy gal is taking portions of her jewelry business online. Stay tuned to this story via Victoria's new blogs one of which is JustBrilliant where we'll likely hear how Victoria's juried Swarovski delights resulted in her being awarded approved Swarovski dealer status. When Victoria's quality sparklies (Swarovski crystals) are listed on etsy, grab them quick before she changes her mind on the remarkable pricing she's thinking of offering.

At her JewelryByVictoria blog we'll likely learn more about the trials of running a bricks and mortar shop and we'll get a sneak peak into how Victoria manages to move this business online.

For more information visit the Jewelry By Victoria website. Her etsy shoppe called "Just Brilliant" featuring quality Swarovski crystals will open soon. And hopefully Victoria will share with the etsy community her gorgeous handmade jewelry too! Stay tuned. :)

-Anna Lee Husband

eSMArts team founder

See What Our Team Does in Copper

Copper is gaining in popularity, and is no longer the very distant third against gold and silver. It is much more common in jewelry today than in recent years. The warmth, the earthy color and its natural beauty radiate in jewelry. Copper is warm against the skin and has been used in jewelry for thousands of years. Copper has the reputation as an environmentally natural metal, making it very earth-friendly.


Our eSMarts team has many members who have created pieces in copper, not just jewelry, but also bookmarks, copper wire and findings so you can create your own, and a wonderful handmade copper gemstone box! Beyond the designs that I high-lighted in the montage, there are many other copper designs in our esmarts etsy teams. Search for tags with esmarts, or go to our esmarts team and look through our stores.


In our designs, you will find hammered copper, wire wrapped pendants and beads, and combinations of gemstones with copper components. There are some wonderful pendants created almost totally from copper wire, with small gemstone chips to highlight the shape. There are some lovely copper charm bracelets and necklaces, and drop dead gorgeous drop earrings. And, if you like the more natural look, check out the copper chain maille designs, some with a patina finish that makes it look like an heirloom, or a find from an archeological dig! Want a gift, I love the bookmark, great for a teacher, professor, book club, any avid reader, or as an added touch for a coffee table book. The gemstone heirloom box is a gorgeous brushed finish; give that special someone the ring of her life this year, in this keepsake box!


See some of our teams copper work at flickr. Here you can click on one you like and it will take you to that listing on etsy: http://flickr.com/photos/28429071@N05/sets/72157607169795701/

Or see a photo montage on bubble share: http://www.bubbleshare.com/album/453927/overview

Shop for the "in" metal this season with our esmarts team on etsy!! Enjoy!

Earthy Elegance from Jewelry Elegance by Jill

-a feature by Teri Baskett

Today I want to introduce everyone to Jewelry Elegance by Jill. From her studio in Marietta, Georgia Jill combines a wide range of jewelry skills and techniques in her unique handmade collections. Today copper is finally enjoying its day in the sun as a popular metal; the warm, earthy hue brings out nature’s bounty when blended in this stunning copper and gemstone bracelet.

Jill’s carefully executed wire coils enhance the natural beauty of the gemstones, and add dimension and depth to this bracelet. Serpentine-like curves hold the eye as you look all around the design, finding new details at every curl.

As I explored Jill’s work, I was next struck by her unique take on the traditional chain maille technique! What a beauty she created in gold filled wire with pretty heart swirls wrapping delicately around the wrist in this glamorous bracelet.

Look at the extra element of the gold bead on each ring connection. What a fresh look that’s suitable for day or evening wear. And anyone who sees this piece will recognize the quality and Jill’s obvious attention to detail.

But Jill’s skills and breadth of design doesn’t stop there. She completed a multi-strand in small seed beads in turquoise and brown. Another in color this year, Jill is one designer who tracks the trends and provides fashionable creations for everyone. Yet, this piece isn’t a fad, by any stretch of the imagination.

This gorgeous necklace can be a staple component of your wardrobe. I can see this under an open blouse, with a suit jacket for fall and winter wear; yet it would look equally lovely with summer jeans and tops! The turquoise color really pops between the brown, and the many strands Jill created add texture and dimension.

Jill also has a very light, flirty look to some of her work. I wanted to share her Drop Earrings, made with shell beads as an example of what I mean. The small Swarovski cubes really enhance the color of the shells. What fun---imagine these dangling from your ears, swinging lightly as you move!

Jill has many other bead designs in her store and even more are shown on her website. She has a gorgeous gray ocean jasper large coin pendant, surrounded, again, by several strands of various gray stones and beads. But this time, her strands include various sizes and shapes of stones. I think this highlights the way these would appear in nature. Not all stones would be round, or flat, or square, or, well, or anything. By mixing and matching shapes and sizes, this multi-strand commands attention, and announces its presence anytime it’s worn!

I have one final piece I want to talk about and that is another wire piece. Jill has really outdone herself, combining a typical fiber craft, crochet, with wire and beads. She calls this her beadhive design and I love it! She’s used carnelian stones, metal leaf charms, and other chips and stones. However all of these have been added while she crocheted fine wire. The result is a broad choker, with nice cone finishing detail at the lobster clasp. Wow everyone with this beadhive design.


















Jill’s online boutique “Jewelry Elegance” on etsy features many of her creations at http://jewelryelegance.etsy.com/. Jill gladly accepts custom orders so feel free to convo her for a prompt free quote.

Visit Jill’s blog http://jewelryelegancebyjill.blogspot.com to learn more about this fascinating artist’s work and inspirations. Often this intimate peak into the studio environment allows us to connect with a designer and his or her work in a whole new way!



Teri Baskett is a contributing editor and Team Blog Manager for eSMArts (etsy Social Marketing Artisans Guild) a global multi media collective of independent artisans. From her base in Jeffersonville, IN, Teri designs unique handmade jewelry collectables. Teri’s gemstone jewelry collections are available for purchase at http://www.sandtcreations.etsy.com.

Crafty Princess Joins Forces with eSmart!

Before I start blogging away here as one of the newest members of the eSmart Team Blog, I thought I better step up and introduce myself. My name is Tammy Powley, and I am a writer, teacher, and designer. You may know me from my weblog, Crafty Princess Diaries, or from my About.com Jewelry Making site, where I've been writing and designing jewelry for about ten years.

After opening the Crafty Princess Etsy Shop, where I sell jewelry making supplies, fine silver metal charms, and the occasional finished piece of jewelry, I discovered the eSmart Team and decided to take the plunge and join up in order to help promote my shop as well as get the "true" Etsy experience.

The nutshell version of my life story is that I have a day job where I teach college English, and when I'm not grading papers, I'm crafting and writing about it. Though much of my writing and designing work has been on the Internet, I also have a number of jewelry making books published.

You can read more about me as well as listen to an audio introduction at my weblog, the Crafty Princess Diaries, which I update just about daily.

A Jewelry Legacy

Hi! My name is Kari Bryde and I am a member of eSMArts and the owner of Novel Approach. My formal education is in Interior Design. I feel like jewelry pieces are mini architectural structures. I decided to make a change from designing environments that enhanced my clients’ lives to designing adornments that enhanced my clients’ personal images.

Many of my designs have a commitment to “Repurposing.” “Repurposing” follows the school of thought of Sustainable Design; i.e. finding what you have in your environment that is usable and choosing to redesign a piece in order to give it new purpose and a revived enjoyment.

My style employs crafting contemporary jewelry built around vintage components. I love the idea of time creating an energy continuum. I think about what a woman must have felt and thought when wearing a piece of jewelry and I like the idea of passing that energy along. Every time a woman wears a piece of jewelry she adds a layer of experience; I like creating pieces that can bridge past experiences with new ones.

New collections are in the works – please view my work on the following sites:
http://www.novelapproachdesigns.com/
http://www.novelapproachdesigns.blogspot.com/
http://www.novelapproachdesigns.etsy.com/

Thank you! ~Kari