Three Simple Tools

For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson



My goal, with this post, is to introduce you to three simple tools and empower you to take charge of your jewelry box.  These, about a year ago, were found at Walmart in a value pack for $8. That is a bargain considering they have super powers. Destroying the dastardly feeling of loss as your favorite necklace tumbles from your neck; is nothing to scoff about.

If tools could talk... they'd probably just tell you how much they hate me.  The purple pliers are good for rounding wire which you probably won't need to do unless you want to try your hand at crafting jewels.  The blue piers are going to save the majority of your jewels and the pink wire cutters are going to basically help you either destroy something or make something new.  These cutters, pictured before you, have done both. They have played both Beauty and Beast.

Jewelry's number one offender. If you take a look at your necklace or bracelet you will likely notice loops in your wire that connect the beads together.  You can't blame the wire for the calamity pictured above. It has likely been tugged and tossed about causing the wire to gap a bit. Well, unless it is aluminum, then you can blame that weakling of a metal for being such a wimp. Either way, this is where superhero number blue comes into play.

Just give it a gentle pinch shut and it is good to go.  Gaps also happen to the jump rings; which are the circle links you may find in between your beads.  These can also just be pinched closed. I have seen people try to use their teeth but the tools remove the yucky factor in that equation. 

Of all your broken jewels, this is the easiest problem to fix.  The other, more horrifying, scenerio of a broken string and jewels scattering everywhere is a bit more complicated but still easy enough to blog about so to that I will tip my hat and submit to say: to be continued..........



Just in case you were wondering about the purple pliers. They make the loops but more on that later.



Have broken jewels and need more specific instructions?  Email me.  A picture would be helpful but I can try to talk you through it.  If nothing else seems helpful, look for a local artisan and see what they would charge you for a repair.  My typical charge is $5.

Beautifully Busy

I currently have five little men in training under my wing.  They keep me busy but nothing can keep me away from spinning straw into gold, or more realistically stated: making jewelry.  I am fairly sure my sanity requires this time spent listening to the bible and crafting jewels. 

Here are but a few fruits of my labor:

Sterling Silver Chain, Pewter Nuggets, and Silver Crystals

(Quite Long) 

Seniorita Cuttlefish was a special request.  An enameled pink pendant on a double layered beaded chain of Black Agate and Pink Crystals. So much fun to create!

These are just over the top...I love them.

Oh, silver crystals and black agate. 

  

Black Teardrop and Green Crystal



SILVER CLIP- ONS



FAUX PEARL AND PINK BEADS





                                    Special Request are always welcome!  I love the challenge. 

Etsy Store  Facebook Page

A Magical Journey

Today, I want to share a magical journey where eyes twinkle more beautifully than the most precious jewels.

I walked into this enchanted forest unexpectedly one afternoon.  My sons eyes were twinkling with delight as he pulled my hand and brought be in front of the old chest that resides in our dining room. He screwed his face up and squinted one eye in thought before stating, "something is missing."  I took a hard look at the chest and decided to screw my face and squint my eye before I asked, "what is missing"? Extra sparkles entered his eyes at the invitation to continue his tale.

We sat on the floor together and I learned that the missing piece had grown legs and ran away.  These feet had taken the piece into a river where we were going to need to grab skateboards and use them for boats.  We looked into our "noculairs" and saw a waterfall coming so we had to hurry!  We grabbed for the piece but it got away.  As far as I know, it is still on the loose today.

The truth is, that piece fell off a while ago and is put up in a drawer. I am so grateful to have these children around to remind me that life shouldn't be viewed in black, white, and heavy obligations; rather, it is a colorful, magical experience where adventures are waiting to be found.

My Work

Holiday Parties

It's Friday, you don't have a thing to do.....

Time to Party.

Jewelry party that is.  Picture some wine, cheese, and jewels; sounds like a good time to me. It only takes a  guest list of 5-10 people to throw a great party.  The hardest part is having to clean the house.  :(  If you have toddlers living with you that might actually be impossible.  Just designate a do not enter room and toss it all behind closed doors.  :)

BECAUSE

To get down to the nitty gritty: you will earn free jewelry at this shin-dig.  I can  customize something special for you or you can set something aside that you have your eye on.

• Just for throwing the party, you get your choice of earrings.
• For every $100 in sales you earn either $20 worth of merchandise or $15 cash.  (this will be easy)
• Every guest that books a party gets a free grab bag gift and you get $5 cash or $10 merchandise.

Rather have an online shin-dig?

This renders the do not enter room unnecessary.  All you have to do is advertise your party.  I will provide you a link to my etsy shop that you can forward to your friends and family. Make sure they give me your name when they are checking out so you can get credit for the sale. The perks are a little different:

• Just make one sale and earn a pair of earrings.
• For every 5 items sold you earn $10 in cash or merchandise.
• Book a party from your party and get $5 cash or $10 merchandise, when they make one sale.

Having a party is an easy way to earn gas money or free jewelry.  Encourage your guests to bring any broken jewels they want repaired to your house party.  The usual cost is $5 per piece to bring those old favorites back to life. I will come equipped with my tools so I can alter everything on site. The most unique thing about a Grayson Designs party is that you get to see, touch, and alter the jewels you are purchasing. I will also take special orders during your party and give you credit for the sale.

Designed by You

"I like your necklace.  Where did you get it?"
"Oh, this?  I designed it myself."

 Grayson Designs specializes in custom orders. Jewelry is more fun when there is a story behind the piece you are wearing. For that reason, we have created a lot of special pieces for our clients and thought we would share some of those stories with you.

Gorgeous. Our client had been looking for a bracelet that would match her sterling silver filigree earrings. Armed with her request for navy beads and a picture of her earrings; I went to work. The middle piece is sterling silver filigree and the beads are blue gold stone.  Don't think just because it is custom that it was expensive.  This set her back $15 and is equipped with a good chunk of sterling silver and large gold stone beads.

Pardon the crude "work" neck.  I didn't put much effort into my photography back then. This set started out as a long and heavy strand of hematite chip beads that our client had inherited from a loved one. She was unable to wear the necklace very often so we got together and transformed the one piece into three.  Now these beads that have weathered many years and adorned many outfits can keep doing their job

I love breathing life back into jewels.

When I first saw this necklace, it was nothing more than a  pretty puddle of beads. The beads were already special to our client who had purchased them during her travels. All I had to do was turn them into a necklace. By adding some gold wire, crimp beads, accent beads, and maybe some pixie dust, this puddle of ideas became a lovely reality. 

These were just a few of my favorites.  The majority of what we do is custom design what you want. So, if you see something on Etsy or  Facebook and you think you would like it if only.... then email me and let me know.  I can alter my existing jewels as easily as I can create something new. 

We operate our parties the same way.  I bring my tools with me so I can alter on sight, and you can earn free jewels. Cha-Ching. Email me to book your party today.

Want to host an Etsy Party? Even busy overworked women deserve the opportunity to earn free jewelry.

 Don't throw money away on something you might like.  Let Grayson Designs make something perfect for you.

The Faces of Grayson Designs

Today we reveal the faces behind Grayson Designs....

If you have been wondering why I always refer to Grayson Designs in the plural form, wonder no more.

 

It is because...

Two heads are better than one :)

Que?

But really, there are two of us running the show.  Grayson Designs would never have happened had I not been encouraged by, my dear friend, Kelley Haire.  The more we talked about actually getting serious about selling some jewelry, the more we realized that we could turn this hobby into an opportunity to help others.  Since then, things have been falling into place and we have been donating to some wonderful causes.  I, Amy Grayson, the two headed lady, make the jewels and try futilely to sell and market them online, while Kelley gets to go out in the real world and sell the jewels first hand.  She also helps coordinate jewelry parties, delivers merchandise, and handles the business cards.  Together we make a pretty good team, but most importantly, we both understand that God is in control.  Knowing that makes the endeavour easy.

Here she be.....

We believe that big hair will never die.

~Anyways~

While I'm at it, I should also send a shout out to my family for their support. Jamie Dyson, the perplexed lady, has worn a lot of hats for Grayson Designs, most notably as our lovely model. All of my former co workers have been wonderful supporters and customers..  particularly, Jen Borgra and her gracious donation of boxes.

Who wouldn't want to buy jewelry from us.

As always, feel free to check out our Etsy Shop.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/GraysonDesigns11?ref=si_shop

Like us on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Grayson-Designs/283604328334737

Charity Case

" Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."(Colossians 3:23,24 ESV)

A lady I once worked with saw me having a bad day and presented me with that token of advice. She had handwritten the scripture on a sheet of lined paper. That's all. One moment, eight years ago, that she may not even remember. However, that single moment has translated into numerous meaningful moments for me. That simple token of kindness was a constant reminder that I was toiling away for the lord and still am for that matter. I just don't have to do it in a cublicle anymore.

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."~ Aesop

We never truly feel the impact of inspirational quotes until we can relate them to our lives in a personal way. I have had that personal connection with the ripple effect of kindness and want to keep it going!

SO

~Grayson Designs challenges you to become a Charity Case~
From now until the end of May, we will be donating $5 of every sale from our Charity Case Collection to Cure International.
http://cure.org/

To view our Charity Case Collection click there-> Charity Case

Want to earn a free pair of earrings? Just sale 3 pairs of pre-selected earrings. It can all be done online or by a mini brochure. Email me for details!

Making Magic

Q: What are you doing?

A: Making Magic.

That is the answer mommy uses when she is in the "ZONE."  Of course, I know I can't actually create magic, but I can try to create magical moments.

Like This Necklace....

A lot of work was put into this necklace. I know you can't really see the mechanics in this picture but, in a nutshell, the big rings are held together by small rings.  We are talking a long time to complete! Scrapping the project sounded good many times along the way. I wasn't sure if it was going to be worth the amount of time it was taking.  Thankfully, I finished it because it still takes my breath away. 

Here are some of her siblings:

This one is comprised of silver rings and mother of pearl disks.

Here we have a pendant that was donated by my grandmother.  I love re purposing jewels that would otherwise never get a chance to leave someones jewelry box. I sprinkled on a few aged bronze rings, some pink crystals, and wha-la. 

This set doesn't have as many jump rings holding it together so I guess it would be more of a cousin to the others.  Nonetheless, she has inherited the breathtaking qualities of her ancestry. Don't you think? Again, I used mother of pear disks, golden rings, and some champagne crystals.

All of these pieces have been sold but I thought they deserved a small, poorly photographed, spotlight.

:)

If would like to purchase a necklace like one of the pieces shown above feel free to email me and we can collaborate.  It shouldn't cost more than $20 to have one adorning your lovely neck.

My Etsy Shop

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Christmas in Spring

Sweet Sterling Silver Action!

What to do with such beautiful material? I feel like a little kid in a candy store, or maybe, a little girl sneaking a peek into her grandmothers jewelry box.  Either way, I am excited to see what I can do with this mess of silver. I admit that I have had it laying around the dining room for a few days but it hasn't been until now that I have had the opportunity to "play" with it.  Of course, what you don't see in this picture is the behemoth amount of folded laundry on the table, the four month old baby sleeping on the floor to my right, or the one and three year old playing, (miraculously well) in the living room.  Quiet time rarely happens around here, so I'm diving into Mommy's la-la land and taking you along with me.  

First, lets learn a smidgen about Sterling Silver.



Sterling Silver Stamp 925 (Important)

I began dabbling in the jewelry arts about a year ago and in that time I have learned a lot about metal.  My first grievous discovery was how quickly plated silver tarnishes! What is the point in getting blisters on my fingers for such a short lived product?  I explored metal dips and inhaled monstrous fumes while dipping my silver plated chain into chemicals and hanging it to dry amongst the refuge of my cricket infested garage.  Wanting very much to nix that nightmare, I pursued other options and now focus on Sterling Silver.  Not only is the color of sterling more attractive that the plated silver, it is also more durable.  The biggest advantage is that even though it will tarnish, you can fix it.  Just polish it up and you can keep it forever.  Now say that again like Squints taught us in Sandlot, for-ev-er.

Admit it, that was more fun.

:)

These are all the ingredients necessary to produce a fabulous necklace.  In the past,  I would sit down confidently with a game plan, but it nearly always changed as I fiddled around.  I have learned to submit and let the necklaces make themselves. At times I think I must black out while I'm working.  I have had requests to recreate a few pieces and I just stare at them wondering how in the world they came to be. I'm exaggerating a bit, of course I can recreate most anything. :)

Anyways.

 BAM

POW

It hangs about 17 inches from your neck and sparkles like you wouldn't believe. 

More pictures of this necklace are available in my Etsy shop, just click the link below.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/GraysonDesigns11

 

Also, like us on facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Grayson-Designs/283604328334737