Handmade Holidays - Just Ice Jewelry

I am always on the hunt for original and stylish accessories. Pieces that tell a story are especially interesting to me.
Linda from Just Ice Jewelry some of the most wonderful and classy pieces with an unusual twist.
She creates earrings and necklaces using shards of antique china from the Ming, Shun and Qing dynasties. These broken pieces of gorgeous pottery were unearthed during construction digs as well as washed up from shipwrecks. Some of the pieces could be over 300 years old!
The small pieces retain the lovely handpainted artwork that the fine china is renowned for.
Each piece of the pottery shard jewelry at Just Ice Jewelry is lovingly set in silver plate to showcase the art, and suspended from sterling silver French hooks. The necklaces often feature coordinating semi-precious stone beads to accent the pendant.
I have a pair of the earrings, and they are so beautiful, and surprisingly light to wear. I don't even notice that I have them on - until I get a compliment on them (which has already happened a few times, and I have only had them for a few days!).
My pair was named Cecelia, and is a beautiful rich burnt orange and blue abstract floral pattern.

Just Ice Jewelry also has many beautiful pieces of jewelry made from other materials including semi-precious stones and genuine Swarovski crystal. The Twilight opalite and blackstone necklace is a must-see!

Linda has recently opened an independent online shop showcasing pieces that have never been listed in her Etsy shop . It is still a work in progress, but there are already several pieces there including a line of epoxy pendants and silver ball earrings that are lovely (and so inexpensive!).

If you have a loved one who has an interest in Chinese pottery, history, or just gorgeous jewelry, check out Just Ice Jewelry . The pottery shard earrings are only $13, and the necklaces start at only $18. Amazing gifts that have been handmade with love.

Happy Handmade Holidays!

The opinions expressed in this review are my own, and I was not compensated for this post.

Handmade Holidays for the Vintage Vixen

Ok, so these items aren't actually handmade, but they are vintage-fabulous. I am a big fan of shopping vintage for unique styles from years past.
Here are a few of my faves currently found on Etsy:



Top row from left:

Vintage 1960's or 1970's Retro Multicolor Feathered Hat from TeaAtHomeWithOlivia

1950's Vintage Sapphire-Blue Starlet Dress from TimelessVintageVixen

Birds Love Purses from StephieD


Bottom row from left:

Vintage Vera Avocado, Lime, Navy, Teal and Orange Scarf from LucyMaude

A Big and Bold Art Nouveau Green Czech Glass Lavalier Necklace - Circa 1900 from NouveauMotley

Cute 1940s 1950s Blue Babydoll Pumps Size 6 from FrauleinMarlene

Handmade Holidays 2 - CMS Designs

I met Chris aka crafty gurll on Craftster quite awhile back. She is always friendly and fun, and has so many crafty talents.
An Ohio native, she is a member of Cleveland Handmade
Chris organized her first craft show, Crafty Goodness, just last month! Hurray Chris! That is fantastic!
If you have never visited Chris's Etsy shop, CMS Designs, you MUST stop by and browse her gorgeous stoneware pottery. Her designs are very organic and beautiful, often incorporating nature elements into her work. With most of her handcrafted pottery costing less than $20, it is a great place to do some Handmade Holidays shopping on a budget!

Here are a few of my favorites from CMS Designs

Set of SIX stoneware appetizer/dessert plates, each one lovingly handstamped with a unique pattern and glazed in bright, happy colors.


Beautiful sushi serving set for 2. Includes chopstick rests in the shape of gingko leaves!



Leaf shape soap dish/spoon rest. This wonderful piece is only SIX DOLLARS! She even sells handmade soap, so you can complete the gift all in one place!



Chris has a lovely blog, Crafty Goodness . Pop by and see what she has been up to.

Happy Handmade Holidays!

Handmade Holidays 1 - NyBlaque

I first met Andrea of NyBlaque back in October of 2008. I immediately fell in love with her beautiful jewelry and wonderful personality. Andrea is a true gem of an Etsian, always friendly and helpful and very creative. She just celebrated her 500th sale on Etsy. Now that is something to cheer about! Yay Andrea!
Right now, Andrea has a wonderful promotion going on in her shop. She will donate 25% of her sales proceeds on ALL items to The American Cancer Society. In addition, to thank her customers for their support of this worthy cause, she has the following offer:
$5 off + Free Shipping w/total purchase of $25-$49
$5 off + Free Shipping + Your Choice of Necklace or earrings as a Free Contributor Gift. Mention "Fundraiser" in your notes to seller to receive a revised invoice or refund via Paypal.

I encourage all of my readers to pop by and visit Andrea at NyBlaque and do a little holiday shopping. Her prices are low, but the quality and service is top notch.

Have a Handmade Holiday (and help out a great charity too!).

A couple of my NyBlaque favorites:

Rainbow yarn sterling silver hoops



Dyed man-made peacock feather earrings

I am NOT EVIL!

On my November 24 blog post, I wrote up a quick blurb about the 150^th anniversary of Darwin’s book On Origin Of Species. It was an innocent-enough post (or so I thought) which gave a nod to the occasion while respecting the fact that this is still a controversial issue.

Today I read a comment from reader Anna (no blog profile shown) who expressed dismay at my post. I know there are probably many others who feel the same way but did not comment.

For this reason, I would like to take this opportunity to clear up a few matters which may or may not be of some concern to my readers.

I am an Atheist.

Please, before you condemn me as a worshipper of Satan and click away, finish reading this piece.

It would seem that Atheism is the new homosexuality. As we slowly “come out of the closet” we face harsh criticism for our beliefs – or lack thereof.

I love visiting the many blogs in this little digital world. Many of the bloggers proclaim to be “good” Christians, or Jews, or Mormons, or Muslims, or Pagans. I am sure they are. I am not here to “convert” anybody. I am not here to judge anybody either.

I would never DREAM of making a derogatory comment on a blog post where someone thanked God or Jesus for something wonderful in their life.

When I say I am Atheist, people gasp and make all kinds of assumptions about me and my morality.

I am here to say that I am a “good Atheist”.

I would like to dispel a few myths about Atheists:

1: Atheists hate God.

No, we do not bear any ill will towards your God. We simply to not believe that God exists. This applies to the all gods – Jesus, Holy Father, Thor, Zeus, Vishnu, the Triple Goddess, and yes, even Satan. All monotheists are quick to discount the other gods as false. I just believe in one less god than they do.

I actually truly enjoy reading about various religions, especially Greek mythology. I do not believe that Dionysus was born from the thigh of Zeus up on Mount Olympus any more than I believe that a 600 year old man constructed an ark to house all of the animal species of the planet for 40 days and nights. They do make for an entertaining read.

2: Atheists hate believers.

Certainly not! I believe that everyone has a right to their faith (or lack thereof). There ARE militant Atheists out there who are out to argue against faith with anybody who will give them the time of day. The same can be said for theists who will argue FOR their faith. I do hate intolerance from either side.

3: Atheists are know-it-alls.

Quite the contrary, we don’t know it all. Most Atheists are rather passive. We are accustomed to living in a theist world. I accept that science has yet to fully explain how the universe began, and I doubt it ever will. I do not worry myself over something that happened billions of years ago. I do not think that not knowing the answers means that I have to insert a deity into the equation to explain what science is not yet capable of. Atheism is not a religious belief system nor a philosophy, but rather the absence of such.

Most religions seem to be primarily concerned with 2 things: how we began, and what happens after we die. Everything in between is basically morality lessons.

Which brings me to…

4: Atheists are immoral.

I do not think that morality is dependent upon belief in a supernatural power. We all have brains to use logic to make decisions about right and wrong. I do not believe in “sin” or absolute good or evil. I do believe that nature (brain chemistry) and nuture (upbringing) are the 2 factors which work in combination to form our social behavior.

In conclusion, I just want to thank you for taking the time to read this post. I know I will probably lose a few readers, and that is unfortunate. I love all of my readers, of all faiths. I respect you and your right to believe.

Don’t hate me because I’m Atheist.