Hillcrest Jewelry Design

Initial Bracelets & Mother's Day

2010-03-25T20:12:00.000-04:00

These cute little bracelets are proving to be quite popular and from them I was inspired to create a new take on an old concept. The mother's bracelet. Or, in this case, the grandmother's bracelet.

Since I began my business 3 years ago, I've received a multitude of orders for Mother's Bracelets. You've seen them, I'm sure. Some are very blingy with crystals, some with gemstones, some in sterling silver. I made myeself one for my 4 kiddies in sterling silver and gold fill. Whatever the overall look is, they all have the block letter beads in common.

They look great but since the price of precious metals has increased over the past couple of years, so has the cost to make them and they have become an investment piece, costing upwards of a couple hundred dollars depending on how many names are included and materials used. Over the past year I've noticed a dramatic decrease in requests for such pieces. The concept is still a popular one though--moms and grandmoms alike, wish to represent their favorite little people in shiny, happy bling. And so I've found a way to do so in a more affordable way.

Each child is represented by a sterling silver initial stamped tag and birth month crystal charm. Prices vary depending on the number of charms. A single tag and charm bracelet starts at $20. Up to 8 tag/charm combinations can fit on a 7" bracelet which would cost $64--a far cry from hundreds of dollars. Another great quality about this style of mother's bracelet is that it can easily be added upon for a growing family.

All of the metal used is sterling silver so it will last the test of time. I punch the tags myself out of sterling silver sheet metal. I stamp each 1/2" round tag and add the hole for hanging. The chain is sterling silver cable chain that is 2.4mm thick. All the findings are sterling silver. I hand wrap each 4mm bicone Swarovski crystal in sterling silver wire. I will make the bracelet to 7" but upon request I can make it smaller or larger to fit individual needs at no additional cost. Should you like to inquire about how you can order a bracelet for yourself or someone special, just send a line or two to:

hillcrestjewelrydesign@comcast.net

and I'll get back to you. All US orders enjoy free shipping. International orders are welcome--please e-mail me for shipping rates. Your HJD purchase will arrive in a ribbon tied, cotton filled gift box ready for gift giving. Please allow at least 2 weeks for production and shipping (International orders may take longer).

I'm going to give this bracelet to my mom for her birthday. She hasn't seen it yet so you're getting a sneak peak at it. Shhh, don't tell her, it's a surprise. I'm also going to make one for myself for mother's day. By the way, wouldn't this be the perfect gift for a mom or grandmom for Mother's Day on May 9th??

A Tribute to the Day of Green

2010-03-16T20:21:00.000-04:00

Happy St. Patty's Day!

My Appologies

2010-03-16T18:03:00.000-04:00

I just removed the popout player located at the bottom of my blog page. I really enjoyed the music that I had on there until I heard a disturbing sound bite that I assure you I did not intend to be part of the musical repertoire. I have listened to this popout player countless times and have never heard this before today nor do I know where it originated from. I just wanted to appologize to my readers for any offense that this might have caused.

Sincerely,
Heather

March Giveaway

2010-03-06T18:37:00.002-05:00

Hi All!

One of my fellow Busy Moms of Etsy is having a March Giveaway on her blog. She's got some great supplies in her etsy shop and is giving away glass crackle beads this month. Hop on over to check out her blog and see the beads. http://evelynstreasures.blogspot.com/

Hope you're having a great springlike weekend where you are. ~Heather

New Bling Update

2010-02-23T12:07:00.000-05:00

Just a quick peek at the new collection. I'm at a loss for a name for the collection though so I could really use your help. I only have these 3 made so far but plan to make more of this style with various stones.

Feel free to send me your thoughts by clicking comments below. I'd love to hear your ideas.

In the meantime I'm up to my eyeballs with custom orders, office duties and preparing for an in-home jewelry show this weekend. ---and of course the kiddies keep things busy too. Hope you're all doing well and surviving what feels like the never ending winter (at least here in PA).

~Heather

Sterling Wrapped Gemstone Necklaces

2010-02-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

Another new collection to show you this Monday. I love the rustic beauty of combining fringed edged, up-cycled corduroy ribbon with sterling silver wrapped gemstones. Each of these three pieces contain a Chinese Picture Jasper stone and as you can see in the pictures, each stone has different hues and patterns. All are stunning, if you ask me, but I am a bit biased. I'll admit that.

The other thing that I love about this particular stone is that each stone has a variety of colors that will easily fit in with a broad array of wardrobes.

These particular necklaces hang at approximately 21 1/2" and are secured with a hook clasp. All metal is sterling silver and hand forged/hand wrapped. The pendants are approximately 37mm wide by 30mm high. I have yet to post these on etsy as I'd like to debut them officially at my Valentine's Jewelry Party this Saturday. I plan to make more of this type of necklace with various other gemstones so if you like this style keep your eyes peeled for the Sterling Wrapped Gemstone Collection. I want to make matching bracelets as well but have yet to actually do so.

If you absolutely love these pieces and can't wait for the party or me posting them on etsy, send me an e-mail and we'll get you hooked up. Reference item #HJD1934 $44 each. PA sales tax where applicable.

Did You Know??

Picture jasper is named so because the patterns in the stone resemble a small landscape?
This stone can also be found in Angola, Algeria, Asia, Germany, Peru, Idaho and Oregon?
It is thought that picture jasper helps promote global awareness by bringing the wearer closer to nature?

Lesson over. Have a great Monday! ~Heather

Rosary Pieces

2010-02-07T10:18:00.008-05:00

Happy Sunday!

Some of the latest creations from the HJD studio/former dining room/ office:

Some time ago I was given bits and pieces of old family rosaries. A little lesson into my personal history here. I was raised in the Roman Catholic religion. I never really embraced the religion and always considered myself to be a Christian. Plain and simple. I can appreciate some of the Catholic traditions though and if you see me in a Catholic church these days, you might even see me genuflect. I do not attend church regularly although I feel I have a deep spiritual side and that works for me.

I also have a great appreciation for that which endures time. Vintage pieces inspire me. It's not just the fact that they're "old" it's the history of the piece, where it came from, who used it and for what purpose. I have so many memories of my grandmother sitting in her green wing back chair, Bible in her lap, rosary in her arthritic hands, reciting prayers as she made her way around the rosary, one bead at a time.

So, when I was given these time worn pieces of vintage rosary I felt so inspired to use them in my jewelry creations. Some pieces are more sentimental than others and with the family history I will be using them in jewelry pieces that I will be keeping and wearing and hopefully passing down to my girls someday. Some of the rosary bits I have a large amount of and will use them in pieces that I will sell.

This particular piece, pictured above and below I will be keeping for myself. But I just wanted to share the beauty of the medal and connector piece. I believe them to represent the Mother Mary and the Seven Sorrows. I think they're sterling silver. I polished them up enough to show the detail but I really like some of the black tarnish to accentuate the beauty of the artistry that went into making it. They may possibly have been made around 1900. If anyone out there in blogland has any knowledge of these pieces and would like to share, I'd love to learn more about them.

I've also used black wood rosary bead sections in this necklace to give it some length and moss opalite roundels because I love how the colors of the moss opalite pick up the black of the rosary beads and will go nicely with a cream colored sweater I have.

This is the back of the medal pictured above. I've also tied up-cycled cream colored corduroy ribbon to the portion that goes behind the neck. It's so comfy, no clasp and large enough to just slip overhead.

And so, since these lovely creations are made using bits and pieces of rosaries, I've named these necklaces: The Bits & Pieces Rosary Collection. Look for more pieces to be added as they are completed. How fitting that I share these with you on Sunday!

~Heather

Valentine's Day SALE!

2010-02-01T16:06:00.005-05:00

I am having a Valentine's Day Sale in my etsy shop from now until Feb. 8th, 2010. All of my 4Heart pieces are marked down 10% as well as a few Valentines-ish bracelets. Check out the SALE section for more details. http://www.heathermgannon.etsy.com/

Please place your order by Feb. 8th to ensure delivery in time for Valentine's Day. Your purchase will arrive in a cotton filled jewelry box, tied with a pretty ribbon, ready for gift giving. Free USPS priority mail insured shipping to all US locations.

I'll be posting these little lovelies on etsy in a few minutes but I just had to give you all the heads up on the SALE! I'm thinking I need another necklace like these but with the word "LOVE". What do you think? Any other suggestions? Feel free to share your thoughts, just click on comments.

~Heather

New 4Heart Pieces

2010-01-31T15:31:00.005-05:00

Happy Sunday!

I just wanted to pop on here real quick and share with you some brand new pieces in the 4Heart Collection. Some of the pieces I posted last time are already sold so make sure if you see something you like contact me right way as each piece is one of a kind. I will be posting these for sale on etsy in just a bit. Remember, I donate 20% of each sale to the American Heart Association. Perfect for Valentine's Day or to show your support on National Go Red for Women day, Feb. 5th, 2010. Thank you to all of you who have shown your support for this great cause.

By the way, if you have a facebook account check out my fanpage. I post on there daily (more often than blogger).

Enjoy what's left of the weekend! ~Heather

Hearts Galore

2010-01-28T19:32:00.007-05:00

I love the color red and it's a good thing too because Valentine's Day is right around the corner. What better way to celebrate this day of Love and get through these dreary winter days, than with a PARTY!! So I've decided to have my 1st ever Hillcrest Jewelry Design Valentine's Party, the day before Valentine's Day. I have many new pieces that I'll be debuting for the Spring Collection, some oldies but goodies that are marked down, and several new pieces in the Four Heart Collection that will make the perfect Valentine's Day gift.

I'm already working on setting the mood around here. I've got some interesting display ideas going on and plan to light lots of little votive candles. Of course, I've rearranged the furniture for the bazillionth time and I've turned my Christmas tree into a Valentine's Tree. All the Christmas decor was taken off and replaced with anything heart related, raffia bows, and red berries. Oh and I whipped up a heart shaped tree topper. The best part about this tree transformation has yet to come but I'm working on it. I'm making vintage inspired Valentines that will decorate every nook and cranny of the tree. As customers finish selecting all kinds of pretty must haves, they can pick a Valentine off the tree. Inside each Valentine will be a mystery discount. One Valentine might say "10% off 1 regularly priced item" and another Valentine might say "Buy 1 regularly priced item, get 50% off the second regularly priced item". I'm excited and I hope my customers have fun with it. I'm also going to have lots of yummy candy, cookies and cakes that are Valentine's Day inspired to snack on between trying on bling.

By the way, will someone kindly remind me to snap a few pics during the party? I'd love to share it with all of you and I always tend to get wrapped up and forget about that.

The 4Heart Collection is growing. For those of you who don't know what this is, let me share with you. I started the 4Heart Collection as a way to create specialized pieces, of which a donation would be made to the American Heart Association from each sale. Back when my oldest 2 kids were little, I volunteered on the planning committee for the local Heart Walk. Like so many others, I have an extensive family history of heart disease and have been profoundly impacted by the ability of research, technology and patient care that can improve and extend the quality of life of those affected by heart disease. When baby #3 came into the picture my volunteering days ended but my participation in fundraising and walking never did. I still wanted to give to the cause. This is my little way of doing so.

I named the collection 4Heart after my 4 kids who will forever be in my heart and for the American Heart Association. A little play of words and you'll understand that I am giving back and contributing 20% of each 4Heart sale For Heart. Get it? The pieces in the 4Heart Collection are all one of a kind. They may be similar but each one differs from the other. I like to include something red in each piece as well. Sometimes I use a red Swarovski pearl (love the Bordeaux color), a red crystal, a red colored gemstone, or a red glass bead. I make simple pieces and more elaborate pieces. Sometimes I make the piece in sterling silver and sometimes I use leather cord and copper. With all this variety comes a variety of price points as well so there something for everyone.

In addition to the 4Heart Collection being the perfect Valentine's Day gift, it is a great way to recognize National Go Red Day. This year, the American Heart Association has established February 5th to be National Go Red for Women Day. You can show your support by wearing red on Feb. 5th. That's why I always like to include a little something red in my 4Heart pieces. Go Red for Women, reminds us that heart disease is the Number 1 killer of women in America. It's not just a man's disease but because it has been associated with men for so many years, often times the signs and symptoms of heart disease go unnoticed in women.

So on that note...I've included a few pics of my latest 4Heart pieces. These are currently for sale in my Etsy store, while supplies last. http://www.heathermgannon.etsy.com/

If you're in the Berks County, PA area on Feb. 13th and would like to join our Valentine's Day Jewelry Party, send me an e-mail at hillcrestjewelrydesign@comcast.net.

~Heather

Happy New Year!

2010-01-06T10:51:00.006-05:00

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone out there had a wonderful holiday season. It's been busy here as usual and now the time has come to look forward to see what the new year holds for us.

First off, nothing new with the kids. They never stop going, going, going. At the moment all are healthy (knock on wood) and aside from the typical teenage angst, all are relatively happy. :)

Potty training continues to be a struggle but I must take the blame for that as I am not consistent. I definitely need to buckle down and help my child with this as she will be 3 on the 23rd. Geez! Where'd the time go?

Last month hubby and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary! It's been quite a journey --marriage that is, over the years but I am happy to say it's all been worth it. My guy is amazing and we've both grown so much over the years. Here's to many happy years ahead.

Business is good. I'm getting ready for tax season and organizing, tweeking and revamping pretty much everything. The biggest noticeable change is in the appearance of my etsy shop. I recently joined the Busy Moms of Etsy Team, http://busymomsofetsy.ning.com , and have met some wonderful ladies and received some much appreciated advice. In particular, advice on improving my photos. Boy do they need it. The past few weeks I've been learning more about photography and my camera and have been working on the quality of my pics. Every day I try to add new photos to my products on the etsy site. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the lighting and detail in the new pics. http://www.heathermgannon.etsy.com/

I have a few custom orders in the works as well and will post those pics as they are completed. But in the meantime here's some new bling:

Have a healthy, happy and productive 2010! ~Heather

Tis the Season

2009-12-21T22:12:00.005-05:00

Happy Holidays Folks!

Where oh where did this year go? It flew by! Good news is that I've been super busy since my last post and if you've read that post from October, you may remember my comment on the economy. That weekend at the craft show in Leesport turned out to be a pretty decent show. I had another craft show in Leesport after Thanksgiving which was even better! Yay! My in-home jewelry parties have also been surprisingly successful. In fact, the 3rd annual HJD Holiday Show and Sale just recently took place in my home on Dec. 5th and despite the snow storm that just had to occur an hour before show time, I ended up with 15 guests in attendance! I am so grateful to my wonderful friends, both old and new, who braved the tretcherous roads to attend. We had a great night with yummy food courtesy of my friend Jess who sells Tastefully Simple and spiked jello jigglers courtesy of my friend Teresa who drove 45 minutes over snowy slushy roads to get there. I also must thank Miss Caitlyn, my 14 year old daughter who really came through for me that night with multiple shoveling trips up and down the driveway. We only had 1 vehicle get stuck in the snow but thanks to my hubby and Jess' hubby they were un-stuck in no time! Whew!

The kids continue to keep us busy. Zoe earned her first girl scout badge, Caitlyn's Rage soccer team made it to Nationals in Florida where they came in 2nd place and she was named to the All Tournament Team as goalkeeper and Zach was elected Senior Patrol Leader of his Scout Troop. Aeryn continues to surprise and amaze us on a daily basis but seems to be getting in less trouble these days. Following my last blog entry, Miss Aeryn managed to shave one of her eyebrows off. Fortunately she didn't hurt herself in the process and her eyebrow has grown in nicely.

So the holiday season is upon us and the kids are going nuts waiting for Christmas to get here. Funny how the excitement we had as children changes when we become adults. It is pretty cool to see the excitement in the kids but when did it turn into so much work? Christmas prep that is. I still have a few presents to wrap. Cards are finally in the mail. House is decorated and the trees (1 live, 1 fake) are trimmed. I had a bunch of last minute custom orders but they are done and ended up being really cool projects to work on.

A customer asked me to make Autism Awareness jewelry to give as gifts to the many specialists that help her autistic son. I immediately thought of a sterling silver puzzle piece charm to hang on a sterling chain and suggested we personalize the necklaces with an additional charm such as a crystal. The charm next to the puzzle piece is representative of the logo colors used by their autism management support system and consists of 4 Swarovski cyrstal cubes wrapped in fine gauge sterling silver wire within a sterling silver square. The initial order of 5 necklaces grew to 8 as we discussed details of the project. With the addition of a chakra balancing necklace and a pre-made anklet as additional gifts, I really had my work cut out for me!

Another fun project I recently worked on was custom grandmother necklaces and a custom aunt bracelet. Did I mention I'm accepting custom orders again? Yeah, give the people what they want right? Anywho...The grandmother necklaces consist of each grandchild's name hand stamped onto sterling silve sheet metal to dangle along side of a sterling silver wrapped pearl necklace. Each pearl repesents a child. The customer wanted something "funky" for the aunt bracelet. Again, I hand stamped AUNT onto a sterling silver disc that I cut out of sheet metal using my newest jewelry toy...I mean tool...and added crystals and a pearl for the birthstone of each niece and nephew of the Aunt. Fun Stuff. I also hand forged the sterling links of the bracelet.

Thank you to all my customers both new and repeat, custom and pre-made, life-long friends and new acquaintances, for all of your support and encouragement over the last year especially during these difficult economic times.

Well that's it for me tonight. Sorry this was so long but I had lots to catch you up on! If I'm not on here again before Christmas, have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! ~Heather

Earrings in Gold

2009-10-06T13:08:00.002-04:00

Just a quick sneak peak at the new gold earrings.

Have a great day! ~Heather

Another School Year is Upon Us

2009-10-06T08:38:00.007-04:00

Hello All!

My appologies for being absent from the blogosphere lately. The summer flew by and next thing I knew I was doing my happy dance and singing "It's the most wonderful time of the year" for the start of another school year. Silly me, I'll never learn, I should not have been so quick to send the kiddies out the door for when they return at the end of the day, the homework and running begin.

Here's a rundown of our fall activities:

Zach (10th grade)--school soccer, scouts, student council, Spanish club...seems like I'm forgetting something...driver's ed is coming up soon--that's a scary thought

Caitlyn (8th grade)--premiere soccer, rec soccer U17 and U14, school volleyball, student council, art club

Zoe (1st grade)--swimming, girl scouts, rec soccer U9

and then there's Aeryn......she is my lovely little 2 1/2 year old monster :). I love her dearly but as you know the age brings with it many challenges. Challenges to my patience. Yesterday, for example, I thought she was content to watch her shows on Nick Jr. so I went in the kitchen to wash dishes. Next thing I know, she comes running into the kitchen to grab a dish towel and runs back out. History has taught me that this usually means she has created some sort of mess and is attempting to clean up her "creation" and/or hide the evidence. When I followed her back to the livingroom I had discovered the peanut butter jar on the floor, clumps of smeared peanut butter on the carpet and up both her arms. Now, knowing that this would be my doggie's idea of paradise, I call the dog to clean up the chunks...hello...less work for me right? Well my little Aeryn decided she wanted to be like doggie and got down on all fours to lick the peanut butter right off the carpet. That's when I abandoned the mess and took the child straight into the shower--clothes and all.

You'd think that'd be the end of the story right? Child scrubbed, smelling all pretty, dressed. Nope. I decided to throw a load of laundry in the washer and when I returned to my precious she had found a purple marker and used it to color lines up and down her arms, legs, bottoms of her feet and armpits. Clearly, I cannot let this child out of my sight for a second.

So anyway, you'd be surprised that I can get any jewelry made at all right? Thankfully Daddy is great about taking her along to run the kids to sports or just to run errands. And well, let's face it, making jewelry is a creative outlet and keeps me relatively sane. Relatively being the key word here.

But I digress...

The summer had lots of running with the kids for sports camps, driver's ed classes, camping trips etc. We took a trip to Maryland with Caitlyn for a soccer tournament and went to Connecticut to visit family. I had a craft show and jewelry showings and just last weekend walked with the Hillcrest Jewelry Design team in the Berks County Heart Walk. This was our 2nd year walking as a team. Had wonderful weather and enjoyed the day but sadly noticed a sharp decline in overall participants this year. I can't help but wonder if that has anything to do with the current economic conditions and I hope that that is not a sign of whats to come this weekend at the Leesport Market Craft Fair.

This weekend, both Sat. & Sun. 10/10 & 10/11 I'll be set up at the Leesport Market Harvest Craft Show. For those who are interested, the show is located in Leesport, PA which is just a 15 minute ride down Rt. 61 from Cabela's. Parking and admission is free. The show starts at 9am and ends at 4pm. There is a large selection of handcrafted items including primatives, crafts, and of course jewelry. Food, candles, soaps, and framed artwork are also amongst the many items that can be found. I'll be indoors in the smaller of the two buildings. Look for the sign for the meeting room and come say hello!

Lovely Copper

2009-07-18T12:25:00.008-04:00

I was experimenting in the studio yesterday and made up a few new pieces that I wanted to share with you. This copper and fancy quartz ring was inspired by the Camille Bracelet shown below. I hammered the base of the ring flat, then added texture to the outter edge using the ball pein. A fine gauge copper wire was used to secure the quartz stones to the ring base. For an added touch, I wrapped the copper wire around the stones as well. Size 8, $15

For the Camille Bracelet, shown above, I have hammered the copper wire flat and formed it into a teardrop shape then added a fancy quartz stone to several of the links. An extra little loop at the tip of the teardrop allows each link to connect to the next. A small copper hook clasp, also hand forged by yours truly, secures the bracelet. This bracelet measures 6 3/4" but extra links can be added for a larger fit. $24

More experimentation with color led me to this brown/green jasper stone. Unfortunately, it's hard to appreciate from this picture but the stone actually has very little green in it. It is more brown with shades of rust and mustard that play off of the color of the copper very nicely. This Gwendolyn Ring is size 5. $14

All three pieces will appear for sale in my etsy shop by the end of business today. Free U.S. shipping (discounted International shipping) from my etsy stop for the summer months. I hope to see you there soon! ~Heather

Just a Few Necklaces

2009-07-17T19:36:00.012-04:00

I can't believe how fast the summer is going and I feel like I've been away from the bloggersphere for too long. So in order to catch you up on what I've been up to, I figured I'd just show you the latest in HJD neckwear. There's actually more that what I've shown on here but really, how much time do you have in the day to read blogs, right? Most of the necklaces have matching bracelets and/or earrings which you can view on either my HJD website: www.hillcrestjewelrydesign.com or my etsy shop: www.heathermgannon.etsy.com

I've been taking a great deal of time putting new bling on the etsy site as well as working on the new fall collection. Several of the older pieces have been marked down to 50% off in order to make room for the new designs. I had a blast with the summer sale at the latest HJD jewelry show that took place in my home in June as well as the Mid-Summer sale at the Leesport Farmer's market on July 11th.

The kiddies continue to be very involved in sports which has kept hubby and I busy as well. Zoe and Aeryn are currently without structured activities so aside from tagging along to the older kids activities, we've been having picnic lunches at the playground and visiting the local library.

I'm sad to say that I may hold off on the art gallery exhibit. I LOVE the idea but am finding it increasingly difficult to schedule the time to get into Philly (a 2 hr drive 1 way) amongst the soccer games, practices, sports camps, doctors/dentist/orthodontist visits, vet appointments, family vacation...well you catch my drift. I feel that it will happen but it's looking like it will happen later rather than sooner, when the timing is better.

I am looking forward to a private in home show in August, then we're going on vacation to visit my father-in-law in CT. Love going up there in the summer. Between the gorgeous seaport and lobster roll sandwiches...YUMMMMMM, I never want to leave. September is looking pretty slow at the moment so anyone in eastern PA want to book a show???

September is also birthday month. Caitlyn and I both have our birthdays in September, followed up by hubby and Zach in October. Sadly, September I also remember my dad's passing. This year will be 3 years. They say it gets easier as time goes by but I think of him each and every day.

So other than that, I'm just trying to balance family and work and starting to countdown the days until school starts!! :)

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer! Be sure to check out my etsy shop as I'm offering FREE SHIPPING for the summer months. Take care! ~Heather

Spring Showers brought May Flowers

2009-05-31T13:13:00.024-04:00

Ahhh, yummy salad, sitting on the deck w/ my laptop and listening to the hum of my dryer, the neighbor's edge trimmer and the birdies singing. It's a bit breezy but the sun is out which makes me a happy camper and the kiddies aren't fighting--for now :-).

This weekend was Miss Zoe's dance recital. It may have been her last. My little ballerina would rather twirl in the breeze than be confined by someone else's procession of steps. She was wonderful though, in her white tutu, all done up w/ make-up and enough hair spray to last a lifetime. Honestly, I don't know how the backstage mom's do this with their kids in multiple dance numbers and costume changes. Hats off to you ladies!

Besides pre-recital preparations, I've been busy with a craft fair, an in-home jewelry party, yard sale, a bridal shower, lots of HJD paperwork, earring making, kid running, still unsuccessful potty training, daily laundry that seems to multiply exponentially, shrub pruning and weeding, prep for next weekend's jewelry party in Churchville, PA and the HJD Summer Sale Jewelry Party on June 19th, and finishing up with the custom orders that were already in progress. I've been putting new jewelry on my etsy site and have so many designs floating around in my head that I can't wait to get crackin' on. In fact I received a very intriguing e-mail the other day that got me thinking about new designs. A brand spanking new art gallery is opening in Philly called The Artists Room. One of the owners saw a sample of my work on http://www.phillyartgalleries.com/ and is interested in talking to me about participating in a gallery showing. Can I tell you how excited I am?? I am jumping out of my skin!!! Nothing is in writing yet though so I should probably calm my keister down and chill but the prospect is very exciting. I'll keep you posted.

Also in the works is the 2009 Berks Co. American Heart Association Heart Walk. It will be held at the Reading Phillies First Energy Stadium on October 4th, 2009. I can't wait to assemble the Hillcrest Jewelry Design Team again this year! We had so much fun last year and hopefully we'll be able to double our walker numbers as well as our donations! I'll be adding to the Four Heart Collection as well, as I donate 20% of each sale from the Four Heart Collection to the AHA. You can read more about that on my website at https://www.hillcrestjewelrydesign.com/Awareness_Jewelry.php . So as you can see, even though I've discontinued my custom design services there is still lots of goings on with Hillcrest Jewelry Design.

Lots going on at and around home as well. The kids will be done school on June 4th and I am happy to say that this is the first time in a long time that I haven't had serious reservations about summer vacation. Cait will continue with soccer throughout the summer months as she is playing for the Berks Soccer Association's Super Y soccer program which will take us to New York and New Jersey (and elsewhere I'm sure). Hopefully we'll get to do a little sight seeing while we're in NYC. Zach has a long week of camping planned this summer as well as driving school-----eeeeek!!! I'm not sure if I'm ready for that... Zach and Caitlyn will also get together with their school soccer teams over the summer for friendly kick arounds and soccer camps. I hope to visit family in Pittsburgh and CT this summer in addition to taking the kids on day trips. Other than that, we plan to get the pool set up in the back yard and enjoy the summer.

As a prelude to summer, I've included photos from my yard. I was recently asked what inspires me in jewelry designing. The answer is...everything! My surroundings are very inspirational, especially with the color combinations that I see in flowers throughout the seasonally changing landscape. I hope you enjoy! ~Heather

Rain Rain, Go Away

2009-05-04T23:16:00.007-04:00

Yeah, yeah, spring showers May flowers. I hear ya. Every time I turn around soccer games are being rescheduled due to the rain. Yuck. Bring back the sun! Again, I was dreaming of warm weather, the beach, you've heard it all before...hence the shells:

So here we are, another week has begun. Last week I got to meet Angie in person, face to face. You may remember I have been working on angel pins that I was selling and donating a portion of each sale to help raise money for a local family that is up to their eyeballs with Leukemia. http://hillcrestjewelrydesign.blogspot.com/search/label/pins Let's just say, meeting her and her family and knowing what they're going through put things into perspective for me. I have many blessings that I am grateful for and I am honored to have been asked to design a specialty piece for this cause. Thanks to all who purchased angel pins.

The rest of last week is a blurr...oh wait-new brakes and tires on my van. Picture this people, an hour from home, at night, alone, van full of shiny bling and displays and I've got the brake pedal to the floor and hearing metal grinding on metal. Wait, it gets better...I had to go DOWN a ginormous hill on Rt. 78 outside Allentown, PA. Fortunately, after white knuckling it and lots and lots of chats with the good lord above, I made it home, safe and sound. Shaking, but safe.

Last week in the studio was spent finishing up custom orders, mailing out orders, catching up on paperwork from the previous weekend's party and making necklaces for HJD's new Men's Collection. So far 3 necklaces are made. I have another design sketched out and hope to get to it soon. This week I need to get invitations in the mail for the next private party, build up earring inventory and work on my guest list as I've decided to host a party in June. I'm also working on a bridal set, listing products for sale in my etsy shop http://www.heathermgannon.etsy.com/ and marking down some older product that I'd like to see sell this weekend at the Leesport Market Craft Fair. If you're in the area this Saturday, May 9th from 9am to 4pm, please visit me inside the Meeting Room. That's the smaller building, I'm right across from Scoot and Bubba's Restaurant.

Tomorrow I get to catch up with a dear friend over lunch and I'm so looking forward to that! Have a great night! I'm going to go catch some Zzzzzz's. ~Heather

Trying to find balance

2009-04-23T10:14:00.010-04:00

I crave balance in my life. I am a Libra, you know, the scales? When I feel like life is imbalanced I get a little wackier than normal :) Lately, the scales don't come to mind but for some reason I have this image of a seesaw that can never really stay horizontal for long. It's not natural for a seesaw to be like that. A seesaw is more about the extremes-high or low and that's what makes seesaws so much fun, if you go with the flow of the ride and enjoy it. Hence my problem. I'm always fighting the natural ebb and flow of the seesaw. I get too much weight on my end so I put it off to the other end. That's where hubby sits. He balances the load and he does it well and I know if he weren't on the other end I'd be on my keister on the ground. Are ya all following me? Problem is, when he's all the way down there at the other end, we rarely get to meet up and that's what it's been like lately. He is wonderful with the kids, the food shopping, cooking meals and paying the bills and ladies, you can't have him! He's so great with the kids that I find I'm seeing less of him and the kids as I throw myself into building my little business. I miss my family. It is the price I pay and so I've decided that while I do not wish to sacrifice my entrepreneurial endeavours, I need to change something so that I can make the time to see them. After much thought and consideration, it finally dawned on me that hello...I am the boss, I can call my own shots, right? So, the shots have been called.

I am discontinuing my custom design services. All current projects will be filled, however, going forward, I will not be accepting new custom orders. Custom design can be extremely rewarding (as well as frustrating at times) and time consuming. In the current market it's not as profitable as one would think. I will still be making my unique, funky, wonderful (okay, I'm biased) designs and selling them through in home jewelry parties and craft fairs. I am also in the process of listing pieces for sale on my new etsy on-line shop, http://www.heathermgannon.etsy.com/. The shop is up but it's looking very sparse at the moment so feel free to stop by but please be patient as I figure out all the etsy ins and outs and get my products listed. For now, I plan to put all the newest items in the etsy shop. I will be removing items from the original http://www.hillcrestjewelrydesign.com/ website as they sell so you may want to view both sites. You may purchase directly from the etsy shop, however please send me an e-mail at hillcrestjewelrydesign@comcast.net if you would like to purchase an item from the hillcrest site as the hillcrest site does not have a shopping cart on it. Confused? I hope not. Let me explain.

I set up the original website with the intention of adding a shopping cart at a later date. I found out after the fact that the options I chose with the website necessitated certain requirements for a shopping cart that would have been costly and time-consuming. Live and learn. The website serves as a sort of on-line catalogue though so I kept it going. When I'm having a show, my customers can preview stock prior to party time. I do not have a printed catalogue as my inventory is constantly changing. So that's that, in a nutshell.

Now, getting back to the basics. The jewelry making continues as I prepare for an in home jewelry party this weekend. Potty training is in full swing: potty, pull ups and pee accidents OH MY! We missed dance class this week as someone forgot her dance bag and mommy didn't remind her prior to leaving the house, so more than half way there, we turned around to get the bag only to realize that we'd be missing more than half of the class by the time we got there. The amazing goalie got to play the field for the school's varsity team yesterday and managed to score a goal from the center fullback position!!! She was quickly pulled off the field as her coaches didn't want her to push up the field that far. Big picture people--she scored! She also had an assist from the same position. For those of you not in the soccer mindset, the full back position is way back on the field far away from scoring position. In addition, more soccer, volleyball, a yearly check up at the pediatrician, a school field trip and Zoe's birthday party mark the calendar this week. Did I forget something?? Probably.

Enjoy the pics, enjoy the wonderful weather we're suppose to get this weekend and happy belated earth day! ~Heather

Bridesmaids Necklaces

2009-04-16T23:56:00.004-04:00

The Bridesmaids necklaces are finally done! The bride had a color scheme in mind that incorporates the color of the crystals with colors in the floral arrangements. The girls will be wearing black dresses so this pop of color will be stunning without being overpowering. I can't wait to see the girls all done up!!!

The amethyst crystals are Swarovski, the olivine and orange pear shaped crystals are cubic zirconium. I hand forged the sterling silver links and extender and finished off the extender with another crystal.

That's it for tonight. Have a good night! ~Heather

Spring Fever? Yup, little bit!

2009-04-05T15:31:00.012-04:00

Let's take a little break from the bling to enjoy this gorgeous weather, shall we?

Welcome to my garden. I just wanted to share with you some signs of spring that are popping up around my yard.

The spirea is beginning to bloom. The metal little trellis thingy is what I cut my hand on while weeding this flower bed. Nothing major people, just a flesh wound and yes, I'm still current on my tetanus shot. Maybe I should stick to the jewelry. LOL!

A tufted titmouse at the feeder. My little diva, the 6 year old (otherwise known as 003), wanted the birdies to eat from her hand but it was not meant to be as the holy terror (004) refused to sit still and kept scaring the birds off.

The crocuses are done blooming but they looked so pretty while they lasted.

The lamb's ears are now filling in where the crocuses were blooming.

That's our fat cat, Schayna, scaling the fence.

Pulsatilla Vulgaris, or commonly known as Pasque Flower. This one is new to me but I'm told it is native to PA. It's a perennial, gets to be 8-10" high and enjoys full sun to part shade.

The maple tree has buds on it!

Ahhhh, I wish you could smell the hyacinths.

A couple of the fishies in our very murky pond. I was so relieved to see that they survived the cold winter.

More garden pics will follow as more plants bloom. I also have a very scary before picture of our veggie garden. Makes me sad to look at it with all the weeds and so neglected. Hopefully I'll get out soon to clean things up (good intentions, right?)

For my facebook friends who have already seen these pics, I apologize for being redundant. I'm just so happy for the warmer sunny weather!!!!

Enjoy your day! ~Heather

New Earrings and Necklace

2009-04-02T12:33:00.009-04:00

I managed to get more earrings made yesterday but the kitchen floor still looks like a bomb exploded and landed on it. I've marked oodles of earrings down to make room for the new spring/summer ear bling. Anything that I am tired of looking at got marked down. Unfortunately I don't have time to make the price changes on the website so if any of the earrings on the website float your boat just shoot me an e-mail at hillcrestjewelrydesign@comcast.net to inquire about the price. I still have a lot of empty space on my earring racks so more newbies are yet to come.

I just had to share this necklace with you. I found this carved bone pendant and thought ocean jasper, with all it's color variations, would look great with it. The necklace is adjustable and measures 16-19". I've hand turned each sterling silver link. HJD1353 $43.00

These dainty rhodonite earrings are wrapped in sterling silver and measure approximately 1" from the top of the ear wire to the bottom of the wrapped stone. The stone is a mauvish pink. HJD1347 $10

I found a mix of wood beads at a great price and couldn't pass them up. The white beads in these earrings are actually wooden and very lightweight. A tiny Chinese turquoise bead dangles from the bottom. Sterling silver accents and components. HJD1354 $12 approx. 2" long

It's hard to see in the photo but the teardrop shaped Unakite stone has a mottled dark and light green w/ a peachy pink color to it. The cube hanging above is pink lepidolite and picks up on the pink in the unakite. These earrings hang approx. 1 3/4" from the top of the ear wire to the bottom of the teardrop. HJD1355 $14

I've dressed up a buri nut in these earrings. You'd never know it but the red bead is actually a nut that has been dyed. I've combined sterling silver accents with vintage crystals to make these earrings sparkle and shine. Measuring approx. 1 1/2" long. HJD1356 $16

Again with the wooden beads. I love the casual look of these earrings. At approx. 2 1/4" long, the wooden beads make these earrings very lightweight and comfortable to wear. A green glass lentil bead dangles below the wooden beads. All sterling silver. HJD1357 $14

My daughter shrieked when I showed her these. Okay, she's 13 so does that make these earrings teeny bopperish? I don't think so. They are fun though!! The sterling silver chain dresses the wood up a bit. Hanging at 3" long, the wood circles keep them light. HJD1358 $21

I am currently updating the website so you'll be able to see these on there in a bit--assuming of course that I'm not interrupted in the meantime--ha ha! I can hear 004 running amuck upstairs. God only knows what I'll find when I get up there.

Have a good one! ~Heather

New Bling, Craft Fair Wrap Up & To-Do List Additions

2009-03-31T23:25:00.000-04:00

I'm lying in bed w/ my laptop listening to the snoring princess beside me. Sleeping beauty is beside her. I'm a night owl by nature but my little ones won't settle down to sleep unless I'm lying in bed with them. Do you know how much I could be getting done right about now?? I've already closed up shop so there's no point in going downstairs now though. So here I am, wide awake and finding the need to be productive in one form or another which led me to updating my website w/ new bling pics. I'll save you the trip to the website by publishing the latest HJD creations here:

Last weekend I was set up at the local craft fair. Saturday was a nice day so there was a larger crowd than Sunday, what with the damp rainy chilly weather. I really wasn't expecting any crowd at all on Sunday but much to my surprise the die hard craft connoisseurs were out and about, purses slung across the chest, donning rain gear and pulling carts along to wheel around all their bargains. I really do enjoy working that craft fair, partially because I'm indoors now(thank you Woody!!), and partially because my local loyal customers know where to find me and come to visit and shop. As many of you know, I long for the day when I can afford to open my own little piece of retail heaven so for me this craft show is a tiny sliver of what's to come. Sales were pretty decent considering the current economic situation. I did better than the Christmas show but we had awful weather that weekend. And I made some new friends, both in fellow vendors and new customers as well.

This evening I spent some time with a bride to be and her daughter, my tastefully simple rep/friend. Let me just tell you, her dress is amazing! I have never seen a wedding gown like this one. She didn't want a traditional gown as this is her 2nd marriage. It's off white with a sweetheart neckline, sleeveless, and a fairly straight, maybe A line drop to the floor. There's beautiful floral embroidery on the bodice, along the hem and train, in ecru, rose, lavender and sage. I can't wait to get the pics on here for you to see but we'll have to wait until June for that. Anyway, I'm making custom earrings and matching bracelet for the bride. I'll keep you posted.

My to-do list for this week is never ending as items from last week's to-do list spilled over to this week. I still have yet to make 2 swirly rings and a hand forged sterling link bracelet. Adding a matching anklet to that order, as well as another swirly ring but this one will be silver and gold--should be a gorgeous combination. I finished the custom mother's bracelet from last week. I did get some earrings made last week but marked down several earrings that I've been looking at too long during the craft show so I need to make oodles more. I'm still working on the other bridesmaids necklaces. I had to reconfigure the connections as I wasn't happy with how the crystals were hanging. It was a logistics issue but I think I have a solution. I need to find the supplies for the new bride-to-be's jewelry and price it. I'll need to order bags soon and I think I'm going to go w/ a "greener" option this time. Last but not least, more angle pins.

As usual we have the normal multitude of kids' activities. Volleyball practices and games, soccer, soccer and more soccer, gymnastics and an eye appointment. Somewhere in there my kitchen floor needs a hose down. Any volunteers?

Have a great night if you're up late like me, if not, happy morning! ~Heather

New Bling Update

2009-03-27T21:20:00.010-04:00

As usual, I felt I didn't have enough made for the craft fair this weekend. I really do have an abundance but I just had to make a few more things. Plus, I received new supplies yesterday that I couldn't wait to get my hands on. Here's the result:

The pictures don't really do them justice. All the more reason to see them in person! Hopefully the weather will be nice and we'll have lots and lots of shoppers. Let's help stimulate the economy people!!!

Well I'm tuckered out and I have an early morning so I'm off to bed. Have a great weekend! ~Heather

Just a Reminder...Craft Fair This Weekend

2009-03-25T21:01:00.003-04:00

This weekend, March 28th & 29th from 9am to 4pm I, loaded up with all my bling, will be at Leesport Farmer's Market Easter Craft Fair in Leesport, PA. To celebrate spring as well as the anniversary of my 2nd official year in business, I will be offering a sale on all regularly priced items: buy 2, get the 3rd at 1/2 off. Please visit me in the meeting room (the smaller building) across from the restaurant. I hope to see you there!

Just wanted to share....

2009-03-25T09:18:00.003-04:00

I am very happy to be one of the artists included on www.phillyartgalleries.com.

Have a great day!

March Madness Champs!!

2009-03-22T23:29:00.010-04:00

This weekend was spent, for once, entirely away from my office/studio/former formal dining room. Caitlyn had a soccer tournament in Maryland with her new BSA Rage U13 premier soccer team. We made a family mini-vacation out of it. The hotel stay was a bit challenging for Aeryn, the 2 year old, a.k.a 004, as she doesn't like to be cooped up. Even though we spent a few hours in Baltimore following Cait's game, by 8:30pm Sat. night Aeryn had enough of the hotel room and was literally hanging off the door handle, pleading with me to go "out". So with that, Zoe and Aeryn, donning jammies and freshly washed hair, ran up and down the hallway outside our room. Fortunately there was another soccer team of U14 girls who were making way more noise playing leap frog at the other end of the hall so the lighting fast pitter-patter of my little ones wasn't so bad. You'd think they would have worn themselves out but apparently they share the same genetic code as the energizer bunny and had no intentions of slowing down.

Although we didn't spend as much time as I would have liked sight seeing, we did walk around Baltimore's Inner Harbour where my sheltered children got to see homeless people for the first time. Maybe they'll appreciate their blessings a little more now? They also saw a street performer for the first time and a group of young adults happily giving away free hugs. We stopped at Phillip's for dinner. I was determined to eat crab cakes before returning to PA. YUMMMMM!!! Aeryn, on the other hand, preferred butter and tarter sauce over her hot dog and fries. She does love her condiments.

Cait's team won their division!! There were 4 games, 2 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. She had a shut out in 3 of the games, and only allowed 2 balls in net in 1 game. Oh, by the way, she's a goal keeper. At 13 years old, the child already towers over me at 5'8ish".

Although we missed miss Zoe's soccer game this afternoon, Zach was able to make 1 of his soccer games after we arrived home and he scored a goal! Of course I missed it :-( Maybe next time I'll get to see him score again.

Looking at the week ahead, more angel pins, 2 lunch dates, 1 doctor visit, a volleyball game, ballet, gymnastics, after school practices for 001 & 002, a few custom orders and the Leesport Market Easter Craft Show Sat. & Sun. from 9am-4pm. Come visit me in the meeting room. I have lots of new pieces for Spring and I'll be having a SALE!!! Buy 2 regularly priced pieces, get the 3rd regularly priced piece (of equal or lesser value) 1/2 off!! I hope to see you there!

Have a great night! ~Heather

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T13:09:00.011-04:00

There's been so much going on this past week. The angel pins continue to be quite popular. I've been receiving batch orders on a weekly basis and am happy to say that $410 have been raised thus far for the Leukemia fundraiser. We're so close to my $500 goal--just 9 more pins!

Here's some new pieces that I mentioned in a previous post. The bracelet below is made with coconut shell, sterling silver and chinese turquoise. The colorful bracelet under that is made with capiz shells and sterling silver chain. Did I mention I'm looking forward to warmer weather??

Last week was busy with hubby and my daughter suffering from a stomach bug and let me just say, it wasn't pretty. Fortunately I dodged that bullet. Last week we also had the usual run of taxiing kids to and from volleyball, soccer, ballet and gymnastics as well as a doctor's appointment. In between all of that I was preparing for an in home jewelry party on Saturday, in Newtown, PA. Being so close to my high school brought back lots of memories. I had a great time with old friends and also had the opportunity to meet up with family for dinner before heading back to Berks County. The week concluded with more soccer--4 games for 3 kids. Unfortunately I only made 1 of them as I was at home dealing with a cranky toddler. Looks like there may be another goal keeper in the family.

It's now Tuesday, St. Patty's Day, and I've finished off all the Irish Potatoes--YUMMMM. I totally forgot to dress my child in green for school this morning and I hope she's not too upset over that one but she did have on teal which is pretty close right? Anywho...looking at the rest of this week, there is another doctor's appointment, more soccer, volleyball and gymnastics, 2 birthdays on Friday (Happy Birthday Mom & Stacey!!), angel pins to finish and deliver, invitations to print and mail for an April jewelry party, a bracelet to adjust and mail, more paperwork to enter from last weekend's show, and Bridal jewelry to price and order supplies for. I also have 3 swirly ring orders and a hand forged link bracelet order to fill and earrings to make for my next show.

Speaking of bridal jewelry, I can't wait to show you the design I came up with. The bride has an idea of the look and colors to be used for her bridesmaid's jewelry but she pretty much gave me artistic freedom with this project. I came up with a design in sterling silver, staying true (I hope) to the Bride's wishes while injecting my own artistic impression on the pieces. I will be using crystals in vibrant colors and bending and curling sterling wire. Once I get the Bride's approval I'll share photos with you.

I will also be working on more Bridal jewelry at the end of the month. This project is for the Bride herself. After gathering information from the Bride, I already have an idea of the design I will be proposing and can't wait to meet with her to discuss the particulars.

The end of this month holds another show for HJD. I will be at the Leesport Farmer's Market for their annual Easter Craft Show Saturday and Sunday, March 28th & 29th, from 9am to 4pm. I will be set up inside the meeting room. I hope to see you there!

Aeryn is asleep on the couch so I am going to use this opportunity to work on angel pins. Have a great St. Patty's Day! ~Heather

What a beautiful Day!!

2009-03-07T10:12:00.006-05:00

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, there's a warm breeze and I couldn't be happier playing outside with my girls. I'm sure however, that mother nature is teasing me with this beautiful day. So for now, I'm soaking it all up in anticipation of 38 degree weather on Monday.

It's funny how much my perspective on my home changes when Spring rolls around. During the winter months I focus on the indoors because basically I hibernate all winter. I could take it or leave it though with regard to my house. It's a nice house but the kids are hard on it and I have days when I'd just like to pack it all in and head south to a milder climate. But then the temperature rises and things outside turn green again and all the flowers bloom and then I'm hooked. By the way, these pictures were taken last year.

We moved here in 2001 and have done a lot of landscaping on our own. Okay, mostly hubby but I had lots of creative input: "that should go there, move this here..." etc. Hubby and I have designed flower beds throughout the 1 1/2ish acres and put in a pond with trickling stream running into it from the hillside above. So when I stand on the crest of the hill in our back yard, on the soccer field, I can't help but appreciate all the hard work and creativity that went into our beautiful surroundings. Even though everything is still different shades of brown, I've noticed buds appearing on some of the trees and I can't wait to see all the beautiful colors that will sprout around me in the next couple of months. I find it inspiring.

As I said in my previous post, I have been dreaming (literally) of warmer weather and beautiful jewelry to go with it. With warmer weather comes shorter sleeves and more skin surface area to show off bling! So after receiveing a very tempting coupon I found myself on-line, shopping with my favorite jewelry supply website , clicking on coconut shell links, capiz shell drops, and assorted wood beads, amongst other things. When I see individual components I have visions of bracelets, earrings and matching necklaces and I can't wait to create. You'll have to check out my website at www.hillcrestjewelrydesign.com to see the finished creations. I'm picturing lots of shells.

I've also been obsessing over Swarovski crystals and combining them in different ways with lampwork beads, semi-precious gemstones and hand forged sterling silver. Pictures will be coming soon. I'm currently oxidizing silver pieces to give added depth and character to the piece. The process takes several hours as I've made a conscious effort to use a non-toxic eco-friendly oxidation method.

More hand forged sterling silver pieces were created in the studio last week. My sterling silver swirly ring has been very popular since I introduced it last month. I've received many requests for this ring and although I pride myself in making one of a kind pieces, I feel that I should give the people what they want! I will be offering seasonal "staple HJD items". These pieces will still be hand made, hand forged pieces but several of the same piece will be available and complementary to other pieces in the staple line. This line will consist primarily of hand forged sterling silver.

Last week I received another batch order for the silver angel pins. If you recall from my last post I was asked to design an angel pin as a fundraiser to help support a local family dealing with Leukemia. So far $180 have been raised. That's a good start but I'd like to get that number closer to $500 so feel free to e-mail me at hillcrestjewelrydesign@comcast.net with your order!

Well, I should get back to playing with the girls and enjoying the warm, sunny weather. Enjoy your day! ~Heather

Warm Weather Daydreams, Angel Pins and Fibulas--Oh My!

2009-02-24T11:03:00.013-05:00

Those of you who know me, know that I am a huge baby about this cold winter Pennsylvania weather and can't wait for the crocus bulbs to signal Spring and the warmer weather that it brings. Lately my designs are reflecting that as I have been incorporating "beachy" elements, such as a starfish charm dangling off of beautiful sand colored pearls or natural blue coral nuggets, here and there.

In addition to daydreaming of warm sandy beaches, I've been obsessing over pins. I had wanted to do a line w/ pins but always seem to be busy with something else that it wasn't until I was contacted by a repeat customer and friend who asked if I would design something special for a fundraiser that I revisited the pin idea and put my pliers into motion. My friend had a simple request for a pin in the shape of an angel. I could put my special touch on it, my own artistic expression etc. Yay!! I immediately had a vision of how I wanted the angel to look but to make it functional as a pin was a another story. After sketching several variations and playing w/ my copper wire, I had settled on a functional and fashionable sterling silver pin. Each pin is approximately 1 1/4" wide by 2 1/4" high. As an extra touch, I want to dangle a small orange Swarovski crystal from the halo to represent the fight against leukemia. The crystals, which are a very nice shade of orange, have been ordered but I couldn't wait to share the pin w/ you. So just imagine the crystal dangling there and I'll update the picture when the crystals arrive. More information regarding the fundraiser will follow as this is private fundraiser to benefit a local family affected by leukemia. If you would like to help this cause by purchasing a pin, please e-mail me at hillcrestjewelrydesign@comcast.net. Each pin, with crystal, is $25 (tax included) with a portion of each sale being donated.

So angels aside, I also made a handful of fibulas. These are larger and would look great on a scarf or shawl. Prices and materials vary so if you'd like more information or would like to see more designs, please refer to my website at http://www.hillcrestjewelrydesign.com/ or contact me at the above e-mail address. Thank you for reading and wherever you are I hope you are warm and cozy. ~Heather

Time Really Does Fly!

2009-01-31T01:28:00.014-05:00

It's already February 2009 and I just noticed the last time I made an entry on here was in October of 2008! Where'd the time go? I've been so busy with the business and the kids that aside from my facebook addiction, I haven't had much "down" time.

From September to December, business was very brisk with shows and custom orders. I wrapped up the year with my 2nd annual Hillcrest Jewelry Design Holiday Show & Sale. I was so grateful to co-host the Holiday Show with my favorite Tastefully Simple rep. We did a show together during the summer and it was such a hit that I asked her to return for the December show. Bonus: I didn't have to prepare any food!! That show was a great finale to the year as it was record setting for show sales to date.

During this time I was also very fortunate to get new show bookings for 2009. Currently, my schedule is booked full until the beginning of June! My intention was to keep the month of January free to build up stock and gather my records and take inventory for tax preparations. Custom orders have continued to come in though which has delayed inventory but I'm very grateful for the business, and really, I'm not looking forward to counting all those little beads.

The kids continue with sports and extracurricular activities which makes time management in the "studio/office" critical. Zach and Caitlyn are finishing up the basketball season. Zach is playing for the high school JV team and Caitlyn is playing for the middle school JV team. The middle school varsity team has asked her to play in several of their games and tournaments as well. Caitlyn continues to play soccer year round and currently plays indoor for her premier soccer club. Zach and Caitlyn are both very involved in several clubs at school and somehow manage to keep getting straight A's in all their subjects. Miss Zoe has turned into a little Diva. Oh Miss Zoe. The things that come out of her 5 year old mouth amaze me. She doesn't miss a beat. She continues with ballet and gymnastics but prefers gymnastics and doesn't mind telling you so. She's so good at ballet and keeps up with the teacher but finds it to be "boring". If you met Zoe, you'd understand...the child is rarely still. If she's not spinning, she's up-side-down. And then there's little Aeryn. I can't believe we just celebrated her 2nd birthday. She did not care for us singing happy birthday to her. She shushed us and then began crying. Could it have been my off-key singing? Anyway...she is learning so many new words and stringing them into sentences that only I understand. She likes to sing songs that I do not understand but they make her happy so I bopp along with her. Oh and she already has a love for books. She always wants to be read to and if that's not an option she'll sit down w/ a book and turn the pages and babble to herself as if she's reading--too cute.

At Christmas hubby had an issue with his eye. It was actually quite scary as he had limited vision and considerable pain in his eye. The eye issue is improving slowly but as it turns out we found out he has a rare form of rheumatoid arthritis called ankylosing spondylitis (AS) which explains the years of chronic back/hip pain that he has been experiencing. The uveitis that he had with his eye is a symptom of the arthritis. He plugs away though, not ever letting the pain interfere with coaching the kids in soccer, baseball and basketball over the years. I must admit, I am terrified for him as this condition can lead to the spine fusing. He thinks he's invincible though and refuses to let the AS keep him down so for once, his stubbornness (if that's a word) will pay off (hopefully). It could be worse. It just gives me a lot to think about and a lot of what ifs to worry about.

So other than that, in between the doctor visits and general kid issues, I've been working on the spring collection. I have also been working on the Four Heart Collection, of which, 20% of sales are donated to the American Heart Association. This year I've decided to create individual Four Heart pieces that are truly unique. New pieces will be added as they are completed and will continue to be added throughout the year. With regard to the spring collection, my goal is to create a diverse collection to suit many styles and occasionally I will go a little further out on the limb but it is out there, swinging in the breeze that I, as a creative soul, am truly happiest.

Be Careful What You Wish For

2008-10-29T11:29:00.009-04:00

All summer long I was counting the days until the first day of school. When that day arrived, I welcomed it with open arms. I did my happy dance all day that first day. I embraced the new school year. You see, I've come to realize that my children cannot be in each other's presence for any length of time without getting the urge to pummel each other. I don't like this but I accept this. It is what it is. Therefor, I viewed the new school year as a bit of a reprieve from the bickering and sibling rivalry. This year Zoe started full day kindergarten which left me with only 1 at home. I must admit, my days are much quieter now, at least until the older 2 get home. You'd think I'd gets lots done between housework and the jewelry biz. Not so.

Since school started I've been busier than ever, both personally and professionally. With Zach and Caitlyn at school all day, I've lost my helpers. I've trained them well when it comes to helping around the house. When the day comes that they go out into the world they'll do just fine. I, on the other hand, am feeling the pain. Laundry seems to multiply exponentially on a daily basis. And with the kids constantly running in and out, from school to sports, they drop their stuff and run. Speaking of running, thank god that hubby is so hands on and willing to do the running. But, with 3 kids who are very active and always in a different location, hubby and I are outnumbered. Again, time management is key. My goal has been to get as much work done prior to 4pm as possible. Easier said than done when the littlest munchkin has had her playmates taken away. Aeryn is now 21 months old and has officially entered the infamous terrible twos. She's into everything and good lord is that child fast! There are moments during the day that she is content to play on her own and then there's nap time (thank god). It is during those times that I am busily preparing for jewelry shows, keeping up with office tasks and creating one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces.

Thankfully, even in this economy, I have been very busy with craft shows, in-home jewelry shows and custom orders. Since September I have had back to back events which requires me to keep my stock full. Since I refuse to be a cookie cutter jewelry designer, this means constantly coming up with new designs. I have found the hour during Zoe's ballet class is a good time to brainstorm w/ my pen and paper. And I have found this to be almost as good of a creative outlet as actually making the jewelry, although nothing compares to seeing a happy customer proudly wearing a finished piece.

Aside from making jewelry, I was very excited to organize my first walking team in the American Heart Association's 2008 Heart Walk. I was able to gather enough walkers to exceed my participant goal as well as my team goal for monies collected. Team Hillcrest Jewelry Design raised over $1,000! Not bad for my first year, right? What a great day we had. Beautiful weather, great friends and a great DJ played music over the PA system while we walked (and danced). Next year I've challenged the team to bring a friend to double our numbers. Some team members are missing and/or hiding from the pictures.

The Natives are Getting Restless

2008-08-07T12:33:00.010-04:00

The natives in question are the kids of course. It's that time of year when our family starts preparing for the school year ahead. Yes, I'm still counting down...18 days until the first day of school! I should really go through their closets and see what needs to be bought for school clothes and back packs, notebooks, binders, etc etc etc. Zoe will need dance wear as she is starting ballet in the fall as well as gymnastics. She's up-side-down most of the time anyway so that seemed to make sense. Sports continue for Zach and Cait and little Aeryn gets to come along for the ride wherever we go.

Besides preparing for school to start, I've been busy both in the office and with the family. We actually got to go on vacation to CT where we visited with Jim's dad and did quite a bit of sightseeing on our own as well. It was great to be near the coast, to smell the salt air, see the sailboats, yachts and fish and feel the sand on my toes. One of the places we visited was Gillette Castle. The detail in the workmanship throughout the castle was amazing and the grounds surrounding it were beautiful.

Earlier this week we went hiking in Nolde Forest and got to see lots of funky colored fungi (created a little I-spy game with this to occupy the little ones) and painted turtles. Zach stayed home since he hurt himself playing soccer but I have a feeling it had more to do w/ the teenager too cool to hang w/ his family factor. Zoe is always our little trailblazer.

Prior to our CT trip I had been working tirelessly on a custom order for bridesmaid jewelry. I even filed raw wire during the car trip! I finally finished the order and am just now getting ready to ship it to the bride. I can't wait to see the girls in their dresses w/ their jewelry on.

Next up, summer shopping days at Hillcrest, this Saturday, 12-4pm. New pieces for sale include this freshwater pearl necklace which has a matching bracelet. I'm thinking earrings will follow.

Lots of designs are floating around in my head for the fall and I can't wait to create the finished product. I will also be working on a custom Sterling and Gold choker for my dear friend so check back for updates on that.

I hope you're all enjoying what's left of the summer! ~Heather

32 Days Until School Starts!

2008-07-26T21:08:00.005-04:00

Have you ever seen the commercial where the parents are shopping for school supplies for the start of another school year and in the background you hear the song..."it's the most wonderful time of the year..."? While I am a bit intimidated with the prospect of my son starting high school this year, I am also anxiously anticipating my little Zoe going to full day kindergarten!! I will be singing this song all day on August 25th. That day will start off early but how peaceful will it be when there is no one to home to bicker with each other? Just me and my little Aeryn. And the dog.

But I digress.

Back to jewelry. Hillcrest hosted another fabulous party this past Sunday. Thank you to all that attended, including some new attendees whom I hope will be repeat customers and friends for years to come. A special thanks goes out to my Tastefully Simple rep who provided all the yummy treats.

Check out some new pieces that made their debut but have yet to be snatched up. The top photo is of a Lapis and Sterling Silver bracelet followed by a photo of Green Chalcedony and gold fill bracelet with vermeil bead caps.

And then there's this Russian Jade Necklace that has a matching bracelet. I want to keep them all.

Check out www.hillcrestjewelrydesign.com for more jewelry.

I'd love to blog more but it is past Miss Zoe's bedtime and she refuses to sleep so I'm off to read her chapter 4 of Junie B., First Grader.

Have a great night where you are.

Gold, Pearls, Kids and Sports

2008-07-15T10:53:00.014-04:00

The past few weeks have been happily busy for Hillcrest Jewelry Design. I was pleasantly surprised with the enthusiasm for my jewelry at a family bridal shower 3 weeks ago. I had packed up a basket of various bracelets, necklaces and earrings with the intention of the Bride-to-be picking out some pieces that suit her specific style. I attached a poem and gift certificate to the basket. Since I haven't seen her in years and wasn't quite sure what her style is I thought this would be a nice way for her to select her gift. Not only did she enjoy "shopping" out of the basket, but the other bridal shower attendees also enjoyed trying on the jewelry and subsequently purchased several pieces. Yeah! Not only was it a beautiful day spending time with family that I rarely get a chance to see but it was great to get such positive feedback on my designs. Thank you!

The following week was spent creating a few new pieces and prep work for the Leesport Market Mid-Summer Craft Fair. I had been thinking of doing a gold version of the Mogadouro earrings. These are about half the size of the sterling version. I will have to make more since these are on hold and I already have a request for another pair.

While playing with my gold wire, I came up with these earrings. A friend of mine suggested I flatten the bottom of the wire underneath the bead and I'm so happy with the result. The bead is hematite, which is wrapped in sterling silver wire.

In between all the jewelry, the kids have been keeping me busy as well. Zoe had so much fun at dance camp last week. Zach and Cait both played in summer basketball leagues and have been having fun with basketball and volleyball open gym sessions, respectively. Soccer continues throughout the summer as Caitlyn is playing on a Super Y team. Hubby took the girls up to New York last Saturday while Zach kept me company at the Leesport Craft Fair. Despite the 92 degree heat and humidity, the shoppers were out in full force. I can't wait to see all the shoppers return in October. Sunday I joined the family in Queens for another soccer game. Caitlyn was spectacular in goal! I was surprised to see the New York Fire Department Ladder 140 show up to watch the game. Several firefighters climbed on top of the truck to get a better view. It reminded me of my dad, who volunteered for 20 years with a fire department in Bucks County, and made me wish that he could have been there to see her play.

This week hubby will be shuttling kids to soccer camp in the morning and keeper camp in the evening while I'll be home in the office getting ready for my summer jewelry show with Tastefully Simple. I have several new designs that will be for sale in addition to the selection of earrings, bracelets and necklaces that I have marked down 50%!

I love this white fresh water pearl bracelet and almost kept it for myself. There are 2 bronze pearls that are set off-center along with a sterling silver cut out tube and sterling bead caps.

This tri-strand bracelet is the result of mixing all my left over rice pearls. Peacock, light blue, white and gold rice pearls combine for a stunning look. Two more sterling capped pearls dangle off the extender.

I must have been on a roll with the pearls when I decided that these black button pearls would look great in an anklet design. A sterling silver heart locket daintily dangles at the clasp.

I have also been designing custom bridesmaid jewelry which will entail a significant amount of sterling silver wire-work. I'll keep you posted as it develops.

I have a few more pieces to work on for the show this weekend and will be cleaning like crazy.

Oh one more thing...Welcome to the world Sydney Maureen! I can't wait to meet you! ~Heather

Summer is in full swing

2008-06-30T09:12:00.004-04:00

Summer already seems to be flying by as we're busy as ever shuttling kids to their various activities. Silly me, thought that the arrival of summer vacation would mean a less hectic schedule. This has not been the case. Every day of the week, including weekends, has something on the calendar. July looks as busy as June. I keep telling myself that keeping the kids, especially the teens, busy will keep them active and hopefully out of trouble.

We did manage a family day a couple of weeks ago. We took all the kids to Longwood Gardens for the day. Our family has been visiting Longwood since 1992 so we have lots of great memories there. Longwood Gardens has recently reconstructed their indoor children's garden which is a site to see. The kids, as well as the adults, didn't want to leave this indoor oasis that stimulated the imagination with architectural and fresco-like details. Their outdoor gardens are always beautiful and lush with flowers but this year they added 3 tree houses. Zoe was our little trail-blazer, leading the way to the next tree house. We couldn't wait to climb into the trees and take in the beautiful views.

As you can imagine, with 4 kids, the house can get very noisy. It's been very challenging to get work done between refereeing the fights and arguments. How do I have time to make jewelry? I have noticed that my pace has slowed since summer began. I'll start to work on a piece and stop to make lunch, return to the piece, stop to change a diaper, get a sippy cup, do a load of laundry, by the time I finish working on a piece of jewelry it might be day 2. Time management is my friend. I find that most of my marketing ideas come to me while in the shower!! No one is in there distracting me!! I'm sure any mom reading this can relate.

I did manage to make this necklace last week. The center piece is chalcedony, which is flanked by pink opal nuggets. Rhodonite climbs each strand, ending in a hand-tooled and sterling silver wrapped toggle clasp.

Last week was my first office trunk show. It was a great success! I can't wait to do another one! Much thanks to the hostess and all of her co-workers who shopped.

Well this busy mom still needs to get to work! Enjoy your summer!

Something About Copper

2008-06-17T18:43:00.005-04:00

This rose colored metal has a mirror finish which plays with the sunlight that seems to highlight the stones it surrounds.

I have a new appreciation for copper. I generally keep copper wire on hand to test out new designs. Copper is less expensive compared to sterling silver wire and malleable which makes it a suitable material for prototypes. So I had this design idea floating around in my head for a while and finally had a chance to sit down last night and work with my wire and pliers. I created a frame for the ring and wrapped it in copper wire. The fresh water pearls are also hand wrapped in copper wire. The pearls actually dangle off the ring, creating movement that will undoubtedly attract lots of attention for the person wearing it.

Today was so peaceful since my older children had sports camps and hubby took the younger kiddies to run errands. I was so inspired by how well the copper ring had turned out that I took advantage of the quiet and created a pendant out of copper wire and gemstones, specifically Flower New Jade surrounded by Ocean Jasper. Three strands of thin brown leather cord and my hand-tooled copper hook and findings finish off the 15 1/2" choker.

I made this sterling silver link bracelet between customers this past Saturday at the Summer Shopping Days event. I hand turned each figure eight link then hammer them flat. For added interest, a fine silver Thai charm and rhodonite charm dangle off the end. The sterling silver hook is also hand-tooled by yours truly.

I have yet to price my lovely new additions but when I do I'll add them to the website--unless I decide to keep them for myself!

Flower Girl Bracelets

2008-06-10T15:13:00.006-04:00

I'm half way through the day and functioning on 1 cup of coffee after sleeping 4ish hours last night. I need a nap. By now I have usually downed several cups of jo but I happily received a phone call this morning requesting a private showing. You may know by now that when I get a call for a showing I make a mad dash around the house picking up after 4 kids, a husband and a dog. This requires fierce time management skills and in addition to corralling the younger two, the ability to delegate tasks to my older kids, who are so thrilled to be home from school. You see, the bride is getting married in 4 days and she forgot flower girl bracelets. That's where I come in. Simple, yet elegant Swarovski Pearl stretch bracelets for 2 flower girls, ages 3 and 6. Fortunately I had enough pearls to accommodate the order and they look precious.

An update on the Chakra Earrings. This is another version with sterling silver. I think I'll make a pair using 1 kind of gemstone as opposed to the variety. The various gemstone beads are hematite, red aventurine, calcite, rose quartz, sodalite, amethyst and crystal quartz. The colors are representative of the Chakra energy centers in the body and when combined in this specific order,are believed to help balance the body's energy centers which in turn balances the person. I'm all for a little balance in life!!

On that note, I'm off to markdown some pieces that will be for sale this Sat. during the 1st ever Hillcrest Summer Shopping Days and price out a project for my girl who has a need for beads--you know who you are!! I'll be in touch soon.

Have a great day! ~Heather

A Day at Hershey Park

2008-06-06T22:57:00.002-04:00

I actually stepped away from my desk for the day in order to enjoy a day with the family at Hershey Park. Zach and Caitlyn attended with their school chorus group. Hubby and I had the little ones with us. At 16 months of age, it was Aeryn's first trip to an amusement park and she loved it! What surprised me is that my Zoe, who is forever running and jumping off of anything that's standing still, was quite reserved with the amusement rides. It took her several rides with her dad and I before she got the nerve to ride independently. Although the day turned out to be hot and sticky and my old ankle injury got the best of me after several hours of walking up and down the hills, it ended up being a beautiful day with the girls. We never did run into Zach and Caitlyn but they probably preferred it that way!

As a side note, I am forever checking out what other people are sporting for bling. I had the opportunity to check out styles while walking from ride to ride. Surprisingly, there were oodles of park goers dawning a wide variety of jewelry styles, even in the sticky heat. Chunky necklaces seemed to stand out the most.

Have a great weekend and stay cool as we're suppose to have record high temps. ~Heather

The Last Day of School

2008-06-04T11:13:00.000-04:00

For my older 2 children, summer will officially begin in a matter of minutes when they step off the bus. I'm bracing myself for a summer filled with bickering. Zach, 14 years old, and Caitlyn, 12 years old, are fiercly competetive with each other--about everything. I'll never forget when they were both riding the school bus with each other for the first time, Zach was in 3rd grade and Caitlyn was in 1st. She would push her way past him to be the first on the bus. Not much has changed since then.

As I await their arrival home, I'm enjoying the relative peace and quiet. My little ones are content at the moment, I'm sipping my 1st of many cups of coffee for the day, and contemplating the next piece of jewelry that will hopefully take shape by the day's end. I have so many designs floating around in my head and unfortunately I don't have enough silver wire at the moment to make all of them.

So I made these earrings on Monday. They are a spin off of the Chakra Balancing Bracelet that I made for the Yoga Collection. Each gemstone is representative of a Chakra Energy Center. I'm learning as I go (I'm no expert) as the Yoga Collection was born out of a custom order and the customer has been kind enough to share this very interesting information with me. More on that later. The point I'm trying to get to is that I'm thinking the earrings need a little something more. A little silver daisy spacer in between the beads just might do the trick. What do you think? If I get around to making the change, I'll post the picture for your viewing pleasure.

Guess what? They're home.....suddenly, the house got very loud. ~Heather

Late night last night

2008-05-31T18:59:00.000-04:00

No, it's not as interesting as it sounds. I was up late working on my newsletter. I have a tendency to stay up late after the kids are in bed so that I can work without distractions. So last night I remember getting up from my desk at about 11pm with the intention of going to bed. I was yawning and dozing off in front of the computer, after all. But I went back to the desk to proof read what I had just worked on and next thing I knew it was going on 1am. "Just one more edit", I told myself and 2 hours later I was in bed asleep. Half of what I had worked on last night I changed this morning. Figures. I should have called it a night at 11. I did get the newsletter finished and I'm pretty happy with it. Now I need to print out address labels and get them in the mail Monday. I also finished off a new Chakra Balancing Bracelet that was ordered last week. I need to work on the coordinating anklet and get that in the mail. I finished Teresa's two-tone anklet today as well. I'd love to keep it for myself!! And I designed a proposal for a custom cancer awareness bracelet made out of gemstones. I actually accomplished a lot today regardless of the fact that 3 of the 4 kids were home with me. Thankfully my older 2 help occupy the little ones when I'm trying to work. Well, I'm off to make dinner...not sure what I'm making yet but I guess I'll figure it out when I stick my head in the freezer. Have a good weekend! ~Heather

The necklace was "bangin"

2008-05-22T17:12:00.000-04:00

I finished the custom necklace last night after attending Miss Zoe's preschool graduation. Zoe is 5, very rambunctious and thankfully going to full day kindergarten in the fall. Graduation was very nice. All the children had caps and gowns and they sang songs and then the teachers gave each child an award that is specific to that child. Zoe received the "most athletic" award. Needless to say, Daddy was very proud.

So, back to the necklace. My client returned this afternoon to pick up the necklace. She is wearing it to prom tomorrow night and she looks great in it. She was so happy with it, she said it was "bangin!"

Busy Day

2008-05-20T11:01:00.000-04:00

Not that everyday isn't busy. There's usually a multitude of activities on the calendar between all of the kids' activities and the business. Today is a busy day because I ended up changing my plans when I received a phone call last night that a new customer would like a custom design to be completed by Friday. Of course, I'm thrilled...new customers make me happy (actually all customers make me happy)! She is coming to the office/studio that is in my home to discuss the particulars of the piece. With 4 kids, hubby and a dog in the mix, I'm thinking the house needs to be tidied up --by 3pm today. No small task. Hubby is off today (thank god) so he'll keep the little ones occupied. And on that note...I must go spruce up the place. One of these days I'll have my own boutique.