Holiday Gifts for the hard to buy for

It was so wonderful meeting everyone at the Polk Museum of Art and Berkley Charter Fall Festival Shows! Talk about being crazy busy!! Thank you very much for all of your excitement over my work. It really warms my heart!!

I hope you all found wonderful pieces not only for yourself, but also for the special ones in your life who may be hard to buy for this holiday season. Even the ones who have everything, more than likely, have never seen my work. Most of my pieces are sold direct to the public and are one of a kind. Even if they have seen my work or even own some, most would love to add to their collections because they love the attention and compliments they receive when wearing my pieces.

Now that I have caught my breath from the rush of shows in November and the family reunion over Thanksgiving week, I will be ramping up my listings in my Etsy shop once again. All of you who do not have the luxury of seeing my work in person, can see it online and knock out some of those difficult gift giving individuals from your "To Do" list. My plan is to DAILY add more listings of fused glass pendants, ceramic beaded jewelry, BRAND NEW BY POPULAR DEMAND fused glass earring sets, very affordable leather necklaces, and much much more. Remember, most are one of a kind, so if you hesitate, someone else might beat you to it. :o)

Remember, if you would like me to add free gift wrap for your purchases, just indicate it during check-out. I have a large selection of Christmas, Birthday, and other occassion wraps for no additional charge. Just my little way of making your holiday gift giving just a little less stressful.

Thanks again for your well wishes and overwhelming response to my work. Happy shopping!

Berkley Charter School Fall Festival

Come get a jump start on your holiday shopping at the Berkley Charter School Fall Festival this Friday, November 7th, 2008, from 5 PM - 8 PM. This is the first year they will be having craft vendors set up in the cafeteria for your shopping pleasure. I will also be there with lots of great holiday deals. There will be lots of food, fun, and games for all ages. The school is located at 5240 Berkley Rd. Auburndale, FL 33823. Hope to see you there!

$$*New*$$ Economic Incentive Holiday Pricing!!

I know times have been a little tougher this year for everyone. Thank goodness the gas prices have eased up a little lately, but everything else is still pretty darn pricey compared to last year at this time. I know one person cannot fix the economic problems we are all facing, but I'd like to do my little part to hopefully make the holiday gift giving this year a little easier on my customers. I have slashed prices on a number of items in my shop, and I am working on building my inventory on these bargains more and more each day.

For example: I have slashed my prices on my handmade ceramic pendants from $12-$16 all the way down to $5-$12!!! Plus, I have added waxed corded necklaces with metal clasps to them as a FREE bonus!! Many of my handmade fused glass pendants, including the ever popular dicroic glass, normally sell for $15-$18. I have slashed them all to only $10-$15, plus I am including a free corded necklace with these as well! I am also making a variety of child's necklaces which will be priced from $1-$5 each!! Bargains, Bargains, Bargains!!! Don't wait to snatch up these great deals. I have two local art shows this month alone and these will surely fly out the door. Check back at my shop regularly for new additions and dropping prices.
www.ShifflettStudios.Etsy.com

Gems and Jewels: A Wearable Art Event

The Polk Museum of Art in Downtown Lakeland, Florida, will be hosting the juried Gems & Jewels: A Wearable Art Event on Thursday, November 20th, 2008 from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM. I have recently been selected to exhibit at this event and would love to meet you all. I have been working on lots of new creations so I will have plenty of inventory for the holiday season.

Why not stop by and get some of your holiday shopping out of the way? Not only will there be beautiful one of a kind hand-crafted jewelry, there will also be other artisians who make silk scarves, purses, etc... just to name a few. These hand-picked artisians will be traveling to Lakeland from all over Florida to exhibit at this FREE admission event. For more detailed information, please see the Polk Museum of Art website.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Seed Beads Galore!!!

Beautiful seed beads in a rainbow of colors and finishes. I am packaging them in affordable sizes so you can get as many colors as your little heart desires and you still won't break the bank. If you need larger quantities, just convo me via Etsy and I can make you a custom sized package. I have begun to list my seed beads, but I am nowhere near finished. Yes!! There are lots more to come. I have lots of matte finishes, more AB finishes, more silver lined in fabulous blues and greens, and some hex beads as well. I know I have some others, that must be stashed away in a box somewhere, because I know there are some other colors I have, but can't locate yet. Keep checking back for more great stuff and great prices, too!! Happy shopping!!

www.ShifflettStudios.etsy.com

Brand new AWESOME deals on loose bead strands:

Green and pink crackle beads

Peacock colored fresh water pearls

Antique Gold colored fresh water pearls

8mm Hematite bead strand

6mm Hematite bead strand

Pink Quartz chip bead strand

Check back often, I'll be adding lots of other new stuff daily.

New Creations and Supplies

I've been busy taking lots of photos and going through my inventory to see what I am over stocked on. Besides some great new creations never before listed, I am also going to start selling more supplies like loose bead strands and findings.

Don't you hate when you go through the effort of creating your own jewelry and just the cost of the supplies is just as much or more than if you were to have bought an already made piece of jewelry? I know I do!! I buy these items wholesale, so I can pass the savings on to you. One of my major suppliers is within driving distance and imports directly from overseas cutting out a lot of the extra expense of the middle man, unlike most other wholesalers I have found. Not only do I not pay shipping costs, but their prices are usually half of what other wholesale suppliers charge. You are asking.."So, why do I care and why are you telling me this?" By saving me money, it also SAVES YOU MONEY. It lets me sell smaller quantities of items for the same price or less than most wholesale jewelry supply companies sell large bulk supplies to jewelry supply companies and jewelry makers. Plus, you don't even need a business license to get access to these great deals, like they do!! It's a win, win!! Your local bead stores hate people like me.


I posted some of these great deals on some of my fresh water pearls today.


Keep checking back often for more great deals on blue coral, faceted glass beads, key chain findings, barrette blanks, and much much more!!

Go to my shop at www.ShifflettStudios.etsy.com to see the details on these awesome deals.

My Baby is off to school!

I can hardly believe it. My little girl is starting pre-school on Monday. Part of me will definitely miss her during the day, but another part of me is very excited to have more time to work on my art. Between the play dates, potty training, and the constant, "What has she gotten into now?!" she has kept me pretty busy over the last few months.

Starting next week, I will be working on getting new inventory listed in my Etsy shop, and of course, creating new lovely surprises for you to browse and purchase. Check in often to see my new offerings.

www.ShifflettStudios.etsy.com

Ceramic Peridot Necklace by Tammie Stephens

Here is a beautiful ceramic and peridot necklace designed and created by Tammie Stephens.

It features sterling silver chain and one of my handcrafted ceramic pendants. If you would like one of Tammie's creations for yourself, she can be contacted at budandtammie@comcast.net.

Thanks, Tammie for submitting this great necklace for my blog!

2008 Challenge!!

Want to be featured on my blog? I'd love to see your creations using my beads and pendants or even a picture of you wearing some of my finished jewelry. If you make your own crafts and resell them, here's a great opportunity for some free advertising. How do you get featured? Either place a comment here with your info or send me an email at lshiffle@tampabay.rr.com with a little info about yourself, your work, and a picture or two. I do ask that pictures are in focus, please. If you sell your work, please let us know how others can find you to purchase your creations. I will be updating the featured person/crafts at least once a month, or maybe twice a month, if I get enough submissions.

Looking forward to hearing from you and seeing your great pictures!