Holiday Gift Guide #1

Holiday Gifts in Lavender

My New LACWE Treasury! Catch The Rainbow!

My New Treasury! 

LACWE--Catch The Rainbow!

My New Treasury! Amethyst and Lemon!

Amethyst and Lemon

by

Zur Designs

Zur Designs Was Featured! How Cool Is That?

I was featured along with all these wonderful honeysuckle pink things on this wonderful blog!

Buried In Betsy's Closet

Thanks so much, Marianna!

Source: buriedinbetsyscloset.typepad.com via Deb on Pinterest

My New Treasury...A Burst of Spring!

A Burst of Spring

featuring members of Handmadeology, Handmade Harbor, Etsy Promo Love, and On Fire For Handmade Etsy Teams!

My New Treasury! A Place For Dreaming...

A Place For Dreaming

by

Zur Designs

Holiday Wishes--A Treasury...And Wishes From Jewelry by Nala!

Holiday Wishes

A Treasury...

And Wishes

 From 

Jewelrybynala!

A wonderful treasury!  Thanks so much for including my glass beads in this lovely holiday collection!

When life gives you lemons... (gift guide under 50$)

When life gives you lemons... (gift guide under 50$)

A Bold and Beautiful Yellow Treasury

by

Lbtoyos

Thank you for including my Yellow Jade Oval Beads in this fabulous collection!!

Shades of Winter Green--A Treasury by Lbtoyos

Shades of Winter Green

A Treasury

 by

Lbtoyos

Featuring some of the talented members of the Etsy Treasure Lover Team!

Thank you for including my jade beads!!

Pure Beauty--A Treasury by SigalitAlcalai

Pure Beauty

A Treasury

 by

 SigalitAlcalai

Thank you for including my beads in this stunning treasury!!

Thanks to Lapis Beach For Including Me In This Wonderful Treasury!!

Halloween's coming

by

lapisbeach

Thank you for including "I Hold You In My Heart Necklace" in this beautiful treasury!!

A Really Beautiful Treasury!

Late Summer Hues

by

JemmDee

Thanks so much for including my czech glass beads in this gorgeous treasury!!  Love the color pallette!!

Zur Designs Was Featured in Beaders Showcase!

The Beaders Showcase is a place where jewelry artists can showcase their work and be a part of an artisan community to learn and share all aspects of beading design.

Each week they showcase six different artists and choose one of their designs. This week they featured Leather and Lace, a coil bracelet that I am particularly fond of!

I am learning so much since joining this wonderful community; surrounded by talented and supportive artists!

Beaded Impressions Beading Contest is Open to Public Vote!

Vote for your favorite necklace and earring design in the 2009 Beaded Impressions Beading Contest! Public voting ends August 13th. It is a wonderful showcase of the talented jewelry artists out there! You will receive a coupon for 10% off any purchase just for voting!

They did have a bit of trouble with their voting page so there are instructions on how to access the survey and if you still have any trouble you can contact them directly.

In the necklace category, be sure to check out #26--Cosmo's Moon! No matter how it turns out, it was a lot of fun just creating the piece and entering the contest!

Have a great day!

Cosmo's Moon Necklace

So, I entered this necklace into Beaded Impressions Beading Contest!

I love the movie "Moonstruck"! I know some people think it's a little over-the-top but I grew up in an Italian family so for me it's like coming home!

In the movie, Cosmo's brother-in-law tells us about the enormous and magical moon that appeared one night during his sister's courtship. La Bella Luna--the moon brings the woman to the man. Drawn to the window the future brother-in-law found Cosmo in the yard gazing up at his sister's window. For years he believed that Cosmo's great love called up that amazing moon that woke him from his blissful sleep.

The idea that true love growing in the hearts of new lovers could draw down a moon of such splendor is a compelling metaphor and I always felt that this was more than a story of about two people falling in love. Perhaps it was really a tale exploring the intricate facets of love and the magic that love makes possible.

This necklace was inspired by such a moon, bright and shining in the midnight blue sky; an inspiration for love that will last a lifetime. I carried an image in my head of such a moon and with the help and inspiration of some beads from The Purple Door in Jamestown, R.I. and some beautiful crystals I received as a gift from my best friend, I set to work to create that vision.

Other materials used: 3.25mm sterling silver cable chain, a delicate 2.25mm diamond cut chain, mother-of-pearl 6mm beads, sterling silver star beads, czech glass beads in a midnight blue, bali spacers, bali toggle clasp, and a sterling silver heart pendant to symbolize love.

Cosmo's Moon Necklace can be purchased at my Etsy Shop and at USTrendy. Don't forget to check out all the entries in The Beaded Impression Beading Contest. They are all so amazing! I'd like to thank abeadstore.com for hosting this contest. Don't forget to check out their wonderful selection of beads and beading supplies!

P.S. I love the name Cosmo. It reminds me of a sweet man I grew up around who always saw me as a sweet little girl with curly blond hair long after I was no longer even close to being that anymore! Also, the Hermit Designer's middle name is Cosmo; proving I never met a Cosmo I didn't like!

Use The Muse II Contest

Well, I even though I didn't win the Use The Muse II Contest, I must say it was great fun and helped my design skills to stretch a bit; although for good or bad, my style still shone through! Here is my finished product!

I call it Dancing in the light because I picture pixies dancing. Perhaps because of the whimsical charms attached along the chain or the delicate nature of the Muse itself--a LillyPilly pendant made of soft shell and decorated in beautiful blues and yellows.

The swarovski crystals represent the light--I used the ones from the kit and also added some beautiful jonquil rounds, small blue bicones, and a gorgeous jonquil crystal pendant that I attached to the Muse with sterling silver wire.

The delicate pearls and silver balls that came with the kit and some bali spacers, bali bead caps, and a lovely silver toggle clasp seemed to tie the piece together nicely!

I would like to thank Scarlet Larson from The Beader's Muse as well as ArtBeads and Rainbows of Light who sponsored the contest. It was an opportunity for all jewelry artists to stretch their creativity, use gorgeous materials, and take a chance at winning a chest filled with beautiful beading treasures!

Dancing in the Light can be purchased at USTrendy and at my Etsy Shop!

Use The Muse Contest

I am so excited...I entered the Use the Muse II contest and am anxiously awaiting my kit! The prizes are awesome...all my favorite things! The grand prize is a treasure chest filled with freshwater pearls, all kinds of swarovski products (pearls, crystals, pendants), seed beads in a rainbow of colors and different sizes, and a LillyPilly Pendant, as well as a vast array of hand-dyed silk ribbons...plus much more. In addition, the grand prize winner gets a $50 gift certificate to ArtBeads.com who is one of the sponsors of this contest(the other sponsor is Rainbows of Light). Talk about heaven! There are several different levels of prizes so that many people can be winners.

The primary reason I am entering is I think it may help me think out of the box and grow as a jewelry artist...but don't get me wrong, a chest full of beautiful beads would also be wonderful! Wish me luck!

A Wonderful Holiday

I went down to Rhode Island for a family reunion and birthday party for my sister Pat and for me! It was great! My sister Jude lives down there and I stayed with her.

Hooked up with the Hermit Designer who is working on some interesting designs I'll be able to show you later on this summer!

My sister Pat and I went to a great bead store in Jamestown called The Purple Door (formerly Deb's Beads)! I bought some beads for this design I have been carrying around in my head for the longest time that uses two different types of chain and stones that reflect white and blue and gray and resemble what it feels like when you look at the moon at night. Found some really great black-gray jasper ovals to capture that moon like quality and some smaller stones that tie into the theme nicely.

What a great shop! It carries both beads and beading accessories and beautifully handcrafted jewelry pieces. If you are in or around Jamestown this summer...you should definitely stop in!

Okay, here's a tiny peek of what this moon necklace is beginning to look like...I am still in the early stages of design but I am soooo excited to show you!

Welcome to Zur Designs Blog!

Hi Everyone!

My name is Deb and I am the owner of Zur Designs! Zur is what my best friend and I say for "yes" or "yup"...don't ask...it all makes sense in our wacky little world. It seemed the perfect name for my shop that sells handcrafted jewelry using beads, wire wrapping designs, and chain. Check out my Etsy shop or visit the Zur Designs website. There is always something new at Zur Designs!

I have always wanted to learn the art of handcrafted jewelry. I love all the different beads, particularly gemstones, and I am absolutely in love with Swarovski crystals! All that sparkle just truly makes me happy!

Lately, I have been concentrating on wire wrapping and working with chain; trying to hone my skills with those mediums...because they are so much fun! Here's a necklace I have been working on...it's not finished yet. I have ordered a hammered silver pendant to attach to it and I found a really neat hammered silver clasp at Jewelry Supply.

I have a few chain pieces for sale on Etsy and I am hoping this one will be up there soon. My one wish is the next pieces I do with chain--I want them to be a little bit wilder! So stay tuned because this could get interesting!