Ten Years

Our wedding in Sarasota, Florida

Ten years ago today, I married the love of my life and my best friend. To celebrate our milestone, we are going away in a few weeks to The Grove Park Inn in North Carolina. We used to frequent it before we had Liam, and it has been many years since we have been there. I am excited about this rare getaway!

With the grand opening of Graceful Leigh, my Etsy store, I have been extremely busy this week to say the least! I must confess that seeing the items I have created for sale in my shop has been thrilling.

Purchase this necklace from my Graceful Leigh Etsy Shop!

I completed two new pieces yesterday to list in my store. One is a more romantic with an image of a  praying angel. I set the image into a vintage brass drawer pull to use as a center pendant. I then added chain dangles to the bottom. From there, I added a vintage flower charm.

I chose Carnelian and peach glass beads to pick up on the tones and colors in the angel image. The back is finished with a vintage box clasp that matches the peach beads in the rest of the necklace. To finish, I added a cross and a Carnelian drop charm to the back.

My Mary's Graces Etsy team is having a Mary Devotions for May challenge, and I created a pair of earrings for that. I was inspired by the Magnificat, or Song of Mary. This is one of the oldest Christian hymns and one my favorites.

You can purchase these from my Graceful Leigh Etsy store!

I modified a pair of vintage pearl and rhinestone earrings by adding chain dangles and a Miraculous Medal to each.


Don't forget to enter my special grand opening give away! It ends on Saturday, May 5th.

This Week, Bracelets!

As one of my Christmas gifts, my husband got me a subscription to my favorite jewelry making magazines- Belle Armoire Jewelry. And, my first issue arrived yesterday! I am so very excited to read it. 

As you may recall, last week I posted  about some beautiful necklaces I discovered while browsing Etsy. Sharing some wonderful bracelet designs from two jewelry crafters seems like a natural progression.  I will now turn to two bracelets I love. I follow the blogs of both these women and have observed their designs with envy.

From Lety's Creations on Ebay

First, I have to tell you about a fellow blogger I met through Donna, one of the leaders of the Mary’s Graces Etsy Team. Her name is Lety, and she is owner of Lety’s Creations on Ebay. The intricate, mixed media elements of her jewelry fascinates me. I also love her bold use of color, and surprising pairing of jewelry elements.

Enlighten My Heart Vintage Valentine Four Strand Red Bead Saint Bracelet from Three Sweet Birds

Another jewelry designer, who is part of the Mary Graces Team I am part of (well, I would be more a part of this team if I had time to stock my store), is Donna Pereira from Three Sweet Birds. In a funny coincidence, I purchased one of her necklaces long before I began crafting my own jewelry. But, today I am featuring one of her beautiful bracelets.

I Hope you all get a chance to check out the jewelry both these talented women create in their shops.