zanny's blog

New Gallery for Zannedelions

2010-03-07T08:50:00.000-08:00

If you're in the Palm Desert area be sure to stop by "Robert's of course" Salon and Art Gallery. There is a great selection of my one-of-a-kind necklace designs as well as my freshwater pearl hair accessories. This gallery has other fabulous jewelry, sculptures and art work that you may find you just can't live without! I know I did, I just had to - live without that is!

Robert's, Of Course
72-790 El Paseo Suite B
at Plaza Way and Hwy 111
Palm Desert, CA 92260
760-285-8880

Know it's made in the U.S.A. like Zannedelions are.

2010-02-13T11:44:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law sent me this useful bit of info that I thought would be good to pass along.

With all the food and pet products coming from China, it is best to make sure you read labels when buying at the grocery store. Walmart especially, doesn't print where it is made, only where it is distributed from. You need to read the bar code to track it's origin. The first three digits on the code will tell you where it is from.

Buy USA and Canadian, make sure the code starts with a "0". Made in China the first three digits are 690-695. The code in the photo example indicates that it is made in Taiwan.

An easy place to start when trying to help this economy - try to buy USA when you can.

Feel and enjoy your beauty

2010-01-15T09:52:00.000-08:00

Through much cajoling I've finally decided to "take the pain" and try to implement and use Facebook for the Zannedelion business. I really do love learning new things, but hate that feeling of being an idiot that's always there up until you "get it". And though I'm far from feeling I've achieved anything close to "getting it" with Facebook, I discovered a very cool thing that I didn't expect - I'm learning who my customers are. I see all your beautiful faces now! And it really does inspire me, I feel more like we're friends. And that, re-enforces what inspired me to do this jewelry thing in the first place - to be a part of making you feel and enjoy your beauty! If you're like me, getting to wear a fun piece of jewelry always makes me feel great. It kind of reminds me of Christmas - putting the ornaments on the beautiful tree nature made for us.

Another confession is that I know the "blog" thing is very important to business but I wasn't particularly inspired to write in it a lot, because other than letting you know about new designs or sales we were running, I didn't know what to say. But look out! Now I do because I feel like I know you better and want to share things with you that might add to your life quality.

I've observed that most of us are around the same age. And if you're experiencing anything like I am, aging has introduced some challenges I wasn't prepared for.

Part of what makes you feel and enjoy your beauty is to feel good physically. And I wanted to share with you some discoveries I've made recently in that regard. I've been on this health kick lately because as I'm getting older, I'm also fighting weight gain that comes with the slower metabolism of aging. I know some of my younger customers won't believe this can happen (I didn't) - but enjoy while you can!

ANYWAY…...The word of the day is "fiber". Lots and lots of it. I first learned about it from the eatwell.com site that has a lot of great recipes for cooking healthier and then through a little bit of exploring on the subject, I found a great explanation from bellaonline.com. I'll just give you the gist of it and you can take it from there if you're interested. I'll give you the links at the end here.

What fiber does for you is help you lose weight, lower cholesterol, reduce your risk of heart disease, colon cancer, high blood sugar, diabetes - on and on and on - and last but not least, makes you feel good. When you eat fiber it passes through the digestive track undigested so…you don't get the calories from it because you don't digest it! How cool is that! PLUS….It fills you up so you don't overeat.

They say you need 30-40 grams a day and that most people only get 10. So you've gotta work at it. I started doing some gram counting and it is a challenge. But there are some great foods that are loaded with it and if you just get in the habit of making sure it's part of every meal you can pull it off without feeling like you have to eat a mountain of food to. The bellaonline article has a listing of those foods like avocado - woohoo! - apples, black beans and raspberries. So check out the list. Also, I got a bag of flax seed that you can take with water or juice or mix in with stuff like cereal or soup and you don't even notice it. Bran cereal, of course. The article recommends that you build up to the needed amount of grams - not sure why - and the flax seed package says to be sure and drink a lot of water.

It's a definite all around win that will help you feel and enjoy your beauty. Love, Zanny
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art49482.asp

New Choices in Colored Rhinestone Ear cuffs

2009-11-03T10:16:00.000-08:00

Along with some new design choices for Smokey topaz rhinestone ear cuffs in both gold and silver, there's a bunch of new selections for the "silver-only" wearers.

As promised in the email promotional, I'm letting you know which ones I've got up in each series shopping carts. So far you can order peridot, aquamarine and smokey topaz ear cuffs in silver in the following series: 1600 Series, 7900 Series, 3100 Series, 7700 Series, 9900C Series,
7100 Series

Here's some photos of the new earcuff choices in smokey topaz.

Tanzanite Rhinestone Earcuff

2009-09-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

I've just added this beautiful new color to the ear cuff rhinestone selections. Thought you might like to get a peak! Right now, I've only got it up in this one, the 7600 Series, but soon it will be available in all of the designs. Isn't it beautiful.

I've also just learned we've been accepted to a new show in La Jolla, California. The La Jolla Art and Wine Festival - on October 10 & 11. So if any one of you are in the neighborhood, come by and say hi! I'll post more details about the show soon - like where it is, stuff you might like to know.

New Multi color necklace selections up

2009-09-23T08:39:00.000-07:00

For those of you that have been wondering if I'd ever put new offerings up on the multi-color necklace page, that day has finally come. Sorry it took so long - got caught up doing summer shows and didn't realize I'd had "sold" ones up for a long time. And, there's more to come I swear!!.

I have a show in Genoa, Nevada this weekend - the popular - Candydance, and when I get home I'll make sure I have all that remains up on the one-of-a-kind page as well. I have some new offerings in that category too that you might want to check out. Pretty selections in green. Gone green crazy lately - don't know why.

The Z3 All metal ear cuffs are up!

2009-09-17T15:49:00.000-07:00

The all metal ear cuff that was once only available in 14kt gold is now available in sterling silver. Find it and order it from the "All Ear Cuff Designs" page. Take a looksy too - it's pretty cool in silver.

I've added a couple of other shots of this ear cuff to show you the smooth rounded edge of the piece that grabs onto the ear just to give you an idea of how comfortable it is. Also, since the ear form is of a pretty small ear, I've added of photo of it on my ear, which is probably at least 1/2" longer - just to give you an idea of how great it looks on many different ears. We're excited about it because that's hard to achieve in an all metal piece like this, especially one as elaborate as it is. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

Soon to Offer Z14KT Ear Cuff in Sterling

2009-09-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

Jesse and I have been working diligently on the Sterling Silver version of the Z14kt Ear Cuff that so many of you have been asking us to offer and we're just about there! It was a matter of getting the silver soldering to coordinate with the shaping process - all boring techno stuff but important none the less - especially when pairs are concerned. Anyway, look for it soon at about $25. A bit more affordable than the 14kt gold version!

New Ear Cuff design

2009-04-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not there's a new ear cuff design in the future. With and without a drop. Just when I thought I couldn't think of anything more to do on the ear! So be looking for it on the new designs page.

Also, I've discovered crocheting wire. What Fun!!!! It compliments my one-of-a-kind madness so nice that I'm just obsessed. Look for those on the new designs page too.

Approached by Elle Magazine

2009-03-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

Exciting news in the Zannedelions world!!! We got an email last Friday from Kyle Anderson, the Accessories Editor at Elle magazine, requesting us to submit several selections of ear cuffs and my zany earrings for an upcoming photo shoot with stylist Kate Lanphear for a story on actress, Chloe Sevigny, scheduled for the upcoming July issue.

I had to get the ear cuffs in the shipping office by 3:00 in order get them to Kate in New York by Monday morning. Admittedly, a bit of a stressful time, but exciting too. And we gotter done!

So keep your fingers crossed - you might be able to say to your friends, "oh yes, I know Zannedelion ear cuffs, I wear them all the time" right???

Curious which ones we sent? Here's a hint - they were all in rhinestone. What would be your vote?

New Ear Cuff Photos of the Siam Rhinestone

2009-02-23T18:40:00.000-08:00

I just made up some ear cuffs in the Siam Rhinestone since it has been so popular in the 7900 and 7700 series ear cuffs. Here is the Siam rhinestone in the 7600 Series and the 7000 series ear cuffs. Aren't they fun in red!

Sorry I was too late for Valentine's Day.
Here are links to order them 7600 Ear Cuff Series and 7000 Ear Cuff Series. Scroll down the page of the 7000 to the Colored Rhinestone offering to find the siam. It's shown in Light Sapphire on the page but the drop down window has the option of the siam.

And check out new photos of the 2800 Series. See them in Black Onyx and Silver. 2800 Series Ear Cuff

Make Earring Mates for the Floral Pendant Necklace

2009-02-13T08:31:00.001-08:00

And here is the final instruction offered for the twisted wire Floral Pendant Necklace set. The earring mates. Earrings Instructions Part One
Earrings Instructions Part Two

New Celery Green Freshwater Pearl Ear Cuff

2009-02-13T08:04:00.000-08:00

I went to the L.A. Gift Show a few weeks ago and found a bunch of fun stuff to work with. In particular a beautiful celery green freshwater pearl that I've, of course, done up in ear cuffs! I sent it on to Etsy though it'll be offered today on the website and then in my ear cuff promotional for St. Paddy's day, (again ) of course!

Ooo! and I also found some great pendant type fused glass pieces at the gift show to use in my one-of-a-kind multicolor necklaces. And tried scanning them to really get a true to life shot of them. Loved how they turned out!

I'm afraid the one with the triangle-shaped focus piece is already sold. It went pretty quickly at Villagefest last night. They have been selling well there - unusual for this time of year. I'm thinking it might be because they are so fun and we can all use some cheering up. Too much darn worrying about this silly economy, don't you think!

Step 8 - Stringing the Necklace

2009-02-08T13:14:00.000-08:00

Here is the final step in the Necklace portion of this tutorial on jewelry done in twisted wire. Step 8 of the Floral Pendant Tutorial

I've been trying to organize these steps for you but sadly, as I'm sure you can see, without success. In one of the many attempts to offer a listing of all of the steps, I put them all in the archives - so if you need to go back and review past steps, look there. I apologize if it's confusing - just think how I feel!! But I won't give up - well, for today maybe, but not forever!

The final bit of this will come next week which will be the instruction on the earring mates. I can't wait to see what you come up with. Hope you're having fun with it!

Step 7 - Connecting the Floral pieces

2009-02-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

This is the next step in the Floral Pendant Tutorial which covers connecting the two floral pieces. It is basically the same as step five, except that you don't close the loop until the two pieces are attached. Take me To Step 7

Step 6 - Floral Pendant Tutortial

2009-01-30T09:43:00.001-08:00

I got a little behind adding my steps. Yesterday was the weekly artshow we do here in Palm Springs and as usual the day ends up being spent catching up with all the stocking I was supposed to be doing during the week. Step 6 - Building The Hanging Flower

Please let me know how it goes and if you could have used more explanation at any point. Enjoy

Comments on the cuff portion of my ear cuff designs

2009-01-30T08:52:00.000-08:00

In response to Sonya's comment inquiring about the building of the cuff portion of my earcuffs, I have to confess that I passed that task on to my husband a few years ago and since, he has become the expert. Just to clarify - this is the portion of the ear cuff aka ear wrap, earclip, earring cuff, - that holds the piece to the ear. I'm definately gonna have to keep him because it would take longer than I have to reach his quality of work in that area. But I have done it and have some comments that I think might be of help. Also, I'll see if I can't coax him into sharing his expertise too. He has shared his discoveries with me through the years and I'm sure can explain the "whys of them" better - though I'll have to warn you, he's pretty scientific about it.

The cuff itself is soldered. I had originally done them in a thinner gauge wire and knotted them but came to the conclusion that they needed more strength to be a better product. So I went to a thicker gauge wire (18 gauge) which then had to be soldered since it was too difficult to knot. As usual, one thing leads to another and another etc.etc.!

I asked other jewelers for advise - first of all, whether it could even be done. I was first encouraged to learn that it could, but soon after a bit discouraged to not be given the easy answer as to how. I was told, which was the honest truth, you've just gotta play with it and get a feel for it. No matter how many feet of expensive gold or silver wire you've got to go through.

Soldering, of course, is a common jewelry making technique and like any skill worth acquiring, takes practice. Every different application of soldering has it's own little quirks you just need to try and work out. The materials and tools you use comes into play. The heat disbursement and timing of the solder application effect the outcome as well. And so on. In the process of playing with it, pay attention to how the different elements involved effect the outcome, make adjustments and you'll get it pretty quickly. It's just a feel thing. Understanding the metals at their different levels of liquidity and having control over that is the goal. Initial failures are a bummer, but you eventually break through and the success you've earned is fun!

Floral Pendant Tutorial Step 5

2009-01-24T12:48:00.001-08:00

As promised, here's the next step of this tutorial. By the way, I wanted to apologize for some of the wierd spacing in the text here and there. When I save the file from my graphics program it does that for some typical inexplicable, computer madness reason. Figuring that life is entirely too short to be too bothered with anymore useless frustration than is necessary (..breath) and knowing you're all smart enough to figure it out - I blew it off! ANYWAY....Here's Step 5 - Instructs on forming the Pendant hanger. Step 5

Introduction to Working with Twisted Wire

2009-01-19T12:12:00.001-08:00

I've been getting approached alot lately with requests for some instruction on this kind of work so I've been working on some ideas. Here is some introductory comments to help those interested start to get an idea of what it entails. Later I will be writing on some techniques that are used in alot of my work and then I'll add some projects, once the techniques have been explained so I don't have to bore you with alot of repetition later.

The following talks about the building process of this style of wire work.

Working in this style of wire wrap requires that you string your beads first. With a specific design, then, you must count backwards so that the first twist you are going to make will be the last bead strung.

I envision a tree, with branches and stems and a trunk which I will use for my terminology. This will help you recognize where you are in the building process and help you start developing your feel for how to build your own pieces.

You need to know your path as you twist back to your base, and begin to get a feel for how much length to allow for twisting. As an example of a path, to form a tree with two branches, you would start “X measurement -( i.e. 1-1/2") ” distance into the wire and twist a stem of “x - measurement - (1.e. 1/2")” that would meet up with the branch, continuing your path of stems and branches that would eventually twist back to the trunk.

The numbers shown on the diagram below shows the order of twisting to help conceptualize this. The lines with arrows indicating the direction the twist would grow to.

When first working in twisted wire, you’ll want to practice with tin or brass. These metals in 24 gauge will break easily if you twist them too tight. (Also, later if you manipulate them too much - so PLEASE, don't try to sell jewelry made with these metals.) Practicing with these metals will give you a good feel for what the wire can withstand within this realm - though silver, and even more so, gold, will be more forgiving.

But remember that wire hardens the more it is manipulated, so you want to strive to only make one twist.

For designs that require exact measurments, like my ear cuffs, I make my measurements from the point on the ruler to the end so that I can bend the wire over the end to make my mark. I recommend trying to find a ruler that ends at the beginning of the measurement. (See the post entitled "Measuring" in Techniques to get a better idea of this.)

Many rulers have extra space at the end which you will have to compensate for in your measurements, ie, if the instruction calls for a ½” stem, and the ruler extends another ¼” from its numbers, your measurement will need to start from the ¼” on the ruler. Whew! No Thanks!
If you're doing something very repetitious in measurements, you might want to make your own measuring device.

I've been looking around for a good source for the ruler I use and the closest I've found so far are the rulers used to measure hems at your local fabric store. They still have a little extra on the end but they're pretty close.

If anyone knows of a good source for the rulers I've shown in the measuring segment, I'd love to know. I lost my once and wasn't pretty!

Floral Pendant Tutorial Step 4

2009-01-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

This step of the Floral Pendant Necklace Tutorial covers positioning the pearl stamen and securing the pendant. Floral pendant Necklace Step 4.

Floral Pendant Necklace Tutorial page 4 Step 3

2009-01-13T10:01:00.000-08:00

This step covers forming the hanger for the second flower. Floral Pendant Necklace Tutorial Step 3

Floral Pendant Necklace Tutorial page 3 - Steps 1 & 2

2009-01-12T08:25:00.000-08:00

Now let's get started! This page covers the first two steps of the tutorial. Floral Pendant Tutorial - Steps 1 and 2

Floral Pendant Necklace Tutorial Pg 2 - Measuring Technique

2009-01-12T08:14:00.000-08:00

Here is page two of the Floral Pendant Necklace Tutorial in twisted wire. This page covers the measuring technique I used in my work. Tutorial Page 2 - Measuring Technique.

Floral Pendant Necklace Tutorial Intro and Table of Contents

2009-01-08T08:28:00.000-08:00

Well I finally finished my first twisted wire tutorial. Unfortunately, I've yet to learn how to publish it's 12 pages at once so I'm forced to offer it to you one page at a time. This tutorial is of one of my necklaces designs.

It's a relatively easy piece to do and allows alot of design freedom for yourself in how you compliment the pendant with the bead work.

Hope you have fun with this. Please let me know if there is anything in the instruction that is unclear or confusing. I'm new to this tutorial stuff, so input is greatly appreciated. Floral Pendant Tutorial Table of Contents