Monday, January 11, 2010

First Give A Way of The Year

To celebrate the new year, I am giving away a set of magnets or if the winner prefers, push pins. The magnets come in 1 inch square or circle, and come in sets of 4 or 5. The push pins are 1 inch circles and also come in a set of 4 or 5. The winner can choose whether they would like square or circle magnets or circle push pins. The winner will also choose what images they would like.




There are 4 ways to enter.



1. Follow my blog (http://doodlebugfairy.blogspot.com/)  or already be a member of this blog and leave a comment.

2. Become a fan of j. moore design (http://www.facebook.com/jmooredesignjewelry )on FACEBOOK and leave a comment on this blog letting me know that you are know or already are a fan.

3. Recommend friends to follow this blog or join my fan page. Be sure they include your name when the leave a comment on this blog.

4. Follow me on twitter (@doodlebugfairy) (http://twitter.com/doodlebugfairy ) and leave a comment on this post letting me know that you are following me on twitter.



Here are a few examples.
 Magnets






Push Pins


The deadline for entry is 7 p.m. CST Tuesday, January 26, 2010. The winner will be announced Wednesday, January 27, 2010.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

How I Handcraft Jewelry Clasps

Most people appreciate the hard work that goes into  handcrafted jewelry.  Each piece has it's own characteristics.  Even though some pieces are similar no two pieces are exactly the same.

I handcraft most of the clasps that I use on the bracelets I make.  It gives the jewelry a more unique look.

First I collect all the materials need to make the clasp.  wire jig and pegs, wire, wire cutters, needle nose pliers, ruler, and round nose pliers.



Cut the wire 3 inches long.



Make a P-loop on one end of the wire.




Place the P-loop at the small peg.



Wrap the wire around the larger peg.








Make another P-loop on the end of the wire.
Continue the spiral.


It can be left like this or hammered.



Wednesday, December 2, 2009

New Etsy Listing--Personalized Fine Silver Jewelry

With Christmas just around the corner, I decided to add personalized fine silver jewelry to my etsy shop.  These necklaces make the perfect gift for you mother or grandmother.  You can have charms with the initial of your kids or grand kids.  This necklace comes with two (2) charms.  Additional charms are $10 each.  The charms are made from precious metal clay (PMC).  PMC or precious metal clay consists of very small particles of silver mixed with an organic binder and water. The binder burns away, leaving the pure fine silver (99.9%). It is also Eco Friendly (100% reclaimed and recycled silver) .  They are completely handcrafted by me.  I shape, sand, fire, oxidize and hand polish each charm.  They hang from a sterling silver 18 inch ball style chain.


I also added a Monogrammed Fine Silver necklace.  This charm is also handcrafted by me.   It's a great gift.  The monogram is in the order of first, last, middle.  Example:  JMP for Jacquelyn Patrece Moore 



Stop by my etsy shop, j. moore design, llc, to check these out.  I'm offering free shipping within the United States for the holidays.

Friday, November 27, 2009

And The Winner Is....

and the winner is Abigail!!!


Abigail is the winner of my first giveaway. She will receive a fine silver initial pendant (you choose the initial) on an 18" sterling silver ball chain. The pendant is made from Art Clay Silver (precious metal clay).



The winner was chosen using random.org .

Abigail's blog Ample Goodies lists different giveaways, so check it out.


Congratulations Abigail!!!

Friday, November 20, 2009

My First Giveaway

To celebrate reaching 100 followers on my facebook fan page, I'm hosting  my first giveaway. The winner will receive a sterling silver initial pendant (you choose the initial) on an 18" sterling silver ball chain.



IMPORTANT Each comment counts as one entrance, you will have up to 5 chances to win.


Winner will be announced in one week, Friday, November 27, 2009.  I will name the winner on both of my blogs (j. moore design and Simply Creative). So be sure to check one of these on the 27th of November.


 Here are the 5 ways you can enter:
(All links are found to the right of this post or click the links below)


1. Comment that you have become or are already a follower of my blog
2. Check out my etsy shop and come back and paste a link of your favorite item.
3. Twitter about this giveaway, and follow me @doodlebugfairy
4. Become a fan of the j. moore design page on facebook . 
5. Blog about this giveaway

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

New Etsy Listings

Check out what I've added to etsy. 


Tuesday, November 17, 2009

How to Properly Care for Sterling Silver

If you care for your sterling silver jewelry properly, it will stay beautiful for a long time.  Here are some ways to keep it looking like when you first purchased it. 

Always store your sterling silver jewelry in a dry, cool place.  Sterling silver is going to tarnish.  There is no way around this, but you can slow down the process by storing your jewelry properly.   Wearing your jewelry often this will actually coat the silver with oils from your skin and slow down the oxidation. When you are not wearing your jewelry store it in a dry cool place.  I recommend keeping it in the box which it came.  I use anti-tarnish strips in the boxes.  Your jewelry should be the last thing you put on when you wake up and the first thing you take off before bed.  Things such as perfume and lotions help to speed up the tarnish process.

It is best to remove sterling silver jewelry when swimming, bathing, or cleaning with chemicals. Wearing your jewelry while swimming, bathing, or cleaning causes the silver to oxidize at extremely fast rate.  This chemical reaction can form pits in the surface that won't go away with cleaning or buffing.

Remove your jewelry while sleeping.  This is true for all types of jewelry.  Sleeping in jewelry can cause it to become tangle or misshapen.

It is good to clean your sterling silver jewelry occasionally with mild soap, water, and a soft toothbrush.   Rinse thoroughly and dry completely. The warm, soapy water will remove the light layer of tarnish that causes your jewelry to look dull. Make sure you dry it completely after cleaning. Water left inside the beads could begin to corrode the wire. Simply shake your jewelry inside a towel to remove the droplets remain behind. You don't want to use anything harder than a soft toothbrush.  This may scratch the surface.

DO NOT use a silver polishing cloth on Swarovski crystals. A silver polishing cloth has tiny abrasives that buff the tarnish off silver making it look like new. However, these same abrasives will scratch the surface of Swarovski crystals causing them to look dull. The only silver cloth I recommend using on Swarovski crystals is the Sunshine cloth.  It is gentle enough to use on the crystals without scratching the surface.

DO NOT use jewelry cleaners that you have to dip your jewelry in.   Not even “sterling silver cleaners” should be used.  These cleaners have chemicals that can remove the antique finish on sterling silver jewelry.  This is especially true for alphabet beads found on mother's bracelets. These kinds of cleaners can also have the same effect mentioned above as household cleaners and chlorine.  

If you follow these steps, your jewelry should remain beautiful for a long time.