Handmade Jewelry Blog

How to Prevent Allergies When Wearing Handmade Jewelry

Dec 1, 2011 handcrafted jewelry, handmade bracelets, handmade earrings, Handmade Jewelry, unique jewelry Leave a comment

For over twenty-five years we have been making and selling handmade jewelry. Over that time we have met many people who have sensitive skin and have allergies to metal. We make copper handcrafted jewelry so many customers have asked our advice on various topics regarding metal allergies.

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The most common complaint is regarding ear wires. When choosing handmade earrings, always select hypo-allergenic or surgical steel ear wires, as this is the least reactive type of metal. Sterling silver and even gold have trace amounts of other metals which can cause an allergic reaction. Surgical steel ear wires are the safest choice if you are buying handmade earrings as a gift and do not know how the person reacts to metals. Cleaning the ear wires with rubbing alcohol before wearing will also reduce any allergic reaction.

Also keep in mind that dangle earrings with surgical steel ear wires will cause less irritation than stud earrings or post earrings as there is less metal in contact with the skin. Along the same line of thinking, lightweight handmade earrings are always preferable compared with heavy earrings that can stretch the ear lobes. Not only can this be quite painful, it can also cause swelling, irritation and cause head aches so avoid heavy earrings altogether.

There are some people who use jewelry cleaners available commercially to care for their handmade jewelry. If you choose to use these be sure that you remove any residue completely. Some of the chemicals used to clean silver and copper jewelry can also cause an allergic reaction if it comes in contact with the skin, especially handmade bracelets and handcrafted rings.

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Many people have reactions when their skin comes into contact with copper jewelry. Copper oxidizes by darkening and then turning green, just as sterling does so by tarnishing and iron does so by rusting. It is a natural process but the environment determines how quickly it happens. It happens faster in high humidity, but the speed of oxidation is also determined by the body chemistry of different people. Some people wear copper every day and it never turns their skin green while other people wear it and it turns in one day. Some people can turn sterling dark in one day, as well. Everyone is different in the way their skin reacts to metal jewelry. We always use a clear lacquer finish on all our copper handmade jewelry so that it does not react with the skin. You can seal your copper jewelry so that it cannot tarnish by coating it at home with a clear acrylic spray paint. Be careful to make sure that the piece of jewelry is completely clean, dry and free from finger prints.

Anyone who has allergic reactions to metals should use common sense when wearing handmade jewelry. Always keep your metal handcrafted jewelry clean. Do not wear metal or copper jewelry if it is hot and humid, or you are participating in sports. Sweating will increase the chances of skin rashes, as will any activity involving water like swimming or gardening. Ask when buying handmade jewelry to learn how to care for handmade jewelry as every type may have special cleaning requirements to keep them looking new.

Handmade Christmas Ornaments Make Unique Christmas Tree Decorations

Nov 22, 2011 how to, unique gift ideas, unique gifts 1 Comment

Decorating your Christmas tree for the holidays can be pleasant and exciting rather than nerve wrecking and expensive. This is more true if you start early investigating the different types of unique Christmas ornaments your family can make together.

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Many of these handmade Christmas ornaments can be made with minimal expense for the needed supplies to make your tree personalized and unique. Never underestimate that there are many different ways to decorate your tree, by using your imagination and a little patience you can decorate your Christmas tree with pride. A new tradition can be created and joyfully experienced by deciding that each year you will add a new type of handmade Christmas ornaments to decorate the family tree.

A good place to begin adding to your Christmas tree decorations is with the left over wrapping paper products from last year. Unused or partially used rolls of wrapping paper make new decorations a snap, especially if you’re on a limited budget for this season. Paper can be measured to any size you desire, and then folded into the designs of your choice. Some popular shapes are stars and delicate fan shapes. Attach to the paper by gluing a brightly colored ribbon, and if desired hang a hook through the ribbon. Also, beautiful origami nature shapes such as birds from left over holiday paper are another option.

Old greeting cards can be used to liven up a Christmas tree. Simply cut the back off the card and hole-punch at top and add a ribbon, and cards may be cut into different shapes and a light weight frame added to set it off too. Other crafty type projects can be created using Christmas cards by saving Mason Jar type lids which have a flat underside. Cutting and gluing felt can be placed on the underside along with a beautiful card holiday scene, and add some yarn around the edge of the top and hang on your tree.

Other craft ideas which are especially fun for kids are mixing flour and water and using a cookie cutter to create the holiday shapes. Ginger bread cookies can be hung on the tree along with some stringed popcorn or construction paper chains in place of the traditional metal garland or icicles.

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Another type of beautiful handmade Christmas tree ornament is made from tin. Supplies for making them can be found in a home supply and repair store, or a craft store. You will need snips for the tin, and a specialized hole-punch to make the decorative holes for the design. Thin sheets of tin are not expensive and can be bought rolled or in single sheets. This type of Christmas decoration would probably work best for older children due to the fact that a certain amount of hand strength is needed for cutting and the use of sharp tin.

Handmade Christmas ornaments can be made from plastic craft balls. These balls have hollow clear design allowing for painting on the outside of the ball and inside. Painting the inside is as simple as filling it with paint and shaking. Allow twenty four hours for drying. Stencil design patterns or free hand painting allow for any holiday scene to be painted on the outside. Dating your handmade Christmas ornaments is always a good idea too. You are creating a precious memory.

There are many ways to make handmade Christmas decorations for your tree. You can even add handmade jewelry designs. Most craft stores carry kits to make Christmas decorations, but you can buy wire for handmade jewelry and string your own beads. Kids can make cute ornaments for the tree by using precut foam from a craft store too.

Whatever type of handmade Christmas ornament you decide to make it is a sure bet that along the way you will make a lot of good memories from interacting with family or friends, you may even find a lot of personal fulfillment by reminiscing about Christmas days of yesteryear. Handmade Christmas ornaments mean that you care about adding a personal touch to the holidays.

Our Christmas tree is filled with photo-frame Christmas tree ornaments, one for each year for each child. Not only are they beautiful they remind us of when the children were young. Traditions and keepsakes are a treasured thing that are passed down to those that come after you, so make sure to experiment, be creative and have lots of fun handcrafting an ornament that you will be proud to hand down and display on your tree this Christmas season.

Internet Marketing Ideas for Handmade Jewelry Websites

Nov 15, 2011 handcrafted jewelry, handmade bracelets, handmade earrings, Handmade Jewelry, online marketing 2 Comments

Launching an internet marketing campaign for a handmade jewelry website is not difficult or overly complicated. Here are some ideas that you can easily implement to get increased traffic to your handcrafted jewelry website that you will see the results quickly. Many times seeing the results immediately will encourage you to be more actively involved in online marketing. There is never a better time to start promoting your website than right now. Shoppers are online looking for unique gifts and handmade jewelry is always at the top of list this time of year.

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Writing articles is a great way to generate targeted traffic to your handmade jewelry site. Well written, relevant articles can be a good addition to your handcrafted jewelry web site. Always include a text link to your URL in your author resource box. Articles should be about 500 words in length. Shorter articles are easier to write and read. You can submit articles to respected article sites like Article City, GoArticles, InfoBarrel and Ezine Articles. It is far better to submit unique articles to the top sites rather than posting the same article to lesser directories.

Social bookmark each page of your site, every article and each blog entry you post. While this might seem tedious, it is worthwhile. You will see an increase in traffic if you social bookmark each page on your handmade jewelry site and each of your blog entries. Join related groups on social sites and follow up on the conversations.

List yourself in the best directories. You will have to pay for this but you could really enhance your traffic by getting listed in the yahoo directory, DMOZ and other major business directories. Getting you handmade jewelry website listed at DMOZ is a free service, but it is not easy to get listed there as they have few editors and many submissions.

To review hot new products or books within your market, go to Amazon and start positioning yourself as a handmade jewelry expert. In order to do this effectively you will want to create an Amazon profile and make sure and sign each review with a reference to your web site URL. You can also go to Epinions and Revoo to review products as well.

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Join relevant groups at Yahoo groups and Google groups. You will find groups on every subject and many will apply to your handmade jewelry website. When you do find the right group, join and participate as you can but remember to contribute useful information not just an advertisement.

Start a handcrafted jewelry blog and then once you do, start commenting on other blogs, linking to them from your site or adding them to your blog roll. Again, add useful information not self-promotion. Always think if you would approve the comment for your own blog. A handmade jewelry blog is a great way to keep people in your marketing loop without bombarding them with advertising. Research shows that visitors landing on a site will not buy anything the first time. You want to help them with their own mission by providing information that they can use. At the same time they will become familiar with your work and keep you in mind for the future.

Make sure you know what your traffic numbers are before you launch into any internet marketing campaign so you know how many people are visiting your site. You want to know this so you can compare the before and after view of your handmade jewelry marketing efforts.

There are many ways to promote your handmade jewelry website online. The suggestions mentioned here are easy to start and maintain to get results quickly. Once you have a routine in place you will find that it becomes a part of your daily schedule.

Animal Jewelry Makes Unique Jewelry Gifts for Animal Lovers

Oct 27, 2011 Animal Jewelry, butterfly bracelets, Handmade Jewelry, horse jewelry, hummingbird bracelets, unique gifts Leave a comment

Animal Jewelry is the best choice for animal lovers as a special unique gift. Animals are the living creatures of our planet like us human. Through out history humans killed them for many different reasons, as animal did not have the right in this world as we do. Humans ruined and destroyed animals like the rest of the nature. New generation would only be reading about these animals in the books as many different species became extinct. We all should be doing everything in our power to change this by educating people so everyone learns that animals have as much right to live in this world as we humans do.

Animal Jewelry, Animal bracelets

The best way of expressing your feelings for animal is to wear a beautiful animal jewelry, this might be an animal theme bracelets or a pair of animal earrings. Everybody who admired your beautiful animal jewelry will be reminded about these beautiful animals. Animal jewelry is a great way of encouraging environmental awareness and love of animals. Looking for a unique animal jewelry design that is attractive and at the same time distinctive, animal jewelry is the best choice. Animal jewelry is rather distinguishing and graceful to show all of the beauty and peace in these creatures.

Animal lovers jewelry symbolize these beautiful animals may serve as a reminder for someone who loves and cares for them that they needed to be protected. Dragonfly symbolizes fantasies, butterflies symbolize tenderness and wolves mean power. The inner strength that jewelry artisans derive from inspiring animal designs is one of the best things about animal jewelry. Delicately hand crafted jewelry in animal jewelry motifs lends a mysterious appearance to the person who wears them.

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Animal jewelry is a wonderful way to express your love and appreciation for your favorite animals. Animal jewelry bracelets is an ideal unique gift to give to animal lovers. Because of these reasons, animal jewelry has become even more popular in recent years, though animal jewelry has been around since ancient Egyptians. Animal jewelry is available in wide varieties of bracelets, earrings, necklaces, brooches and more.

Animal jewelry earrings is available in many different animal themes like horse jewelry, cat jewelry, wolf jewelry, hummingbird jewelry, dragonfly jewelry and many more. These exclusive animal jewelry pieces are so beautiful that they will be truly appreciated by animal lovers. You will love the distinctive designs of animal jewelry made carefully by hand, silver-plated and diamond cut to give mesmerizing sparkles like diamonds. Such a beautiful animal jewelry can only be created with skilled artisanship, using unique jewelry designs, jewelry materials and the best finishes.

By wearing animal jewelry you show the whole world how much you care for animal, wildlife and nature. A beautiful horse bracelet with glamorous dress would be complete each other to make you even more beautiful.  Unique jewelry designs can be achieved in wide selections of horse, hummingbird, butterflies, cat, wolf, dolphins and other beautiful beings of animals represent naked beauty and spirituality. Appeal of wearing animal themed is to show how much we care about animals.

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If you notice that celebrities walking down the red carpet and their jewelry adds a touch of sparkle to their completely glamorous image. When wearing handmade jewelry you will feel like a star and everybody will notice you and complement on your beautiful look. There are many occasions that people wear unique handmade earrings in animal themes for an evening out or a wedding but rarely will you see a woman without some kind of fashion accessory.