Happy Presidents Day!

Washington's Birthday is a United States federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday of February in honor of George Washington, the first President of the United States, who was born on February 22, 1732. It can occur on the 15th through the 21st of February.

The day is now widely known as Presidents' Day and is often an occasion to honor all persons who have served as president, not just George Washington.The day is a state holiday in most states.
The first attempt to create a Presidents Day occurred in 1951 when the "President's Day National Committee" was formed. The purpose was not to honor any particular President but to honor the office of the Presidency. It was first thought that March 4, the original inauguration day, should be deemed Presidents Day. However, the bill recognizing the March 4 date was stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee because it was too close to Lincoln's and Washington's Birthdays. By the mid-1980s, with a push from advertisers, the term "Presidents' Day" began its public appearance.Today, the February holiday has become well known for being a day in which many stores, especially car dealers, hold sales. Until the late 1980s, corporate businesses generally closed on this day, similar to present corporate practices on Memorial Day or Christmas Day. With the late 1980s advertising push to rename the holiday, more and more businesses are staying open on the holiday each year, and, as on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Veterans Day and Columbus Day, most delivery services outside of the U.S. Postal Service now offer regular service on the day as well. Some public transit systems have also gone to regular schedules on the day. Many colleges and universities hold regular classes and operations on Presidents' Day. Various theories exist for this, when the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill debate of 1968, the supporters of the Bill were intent on moving federal holidays to Mondays to promote business. Way to keep us working!!
Source: Wikipedia

Lampwork Beaded Bracelet and Earrings

Show your Presidents Day Pride by sporting this beautiful Red White and Blue bracelet and earrings by Handmade Jewelry Haven. You can find them on their Etsy page here.

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Flashback Friday - A Bead So Beautiful...You Could Just Eat It!

Today is Michael d'Agostino's Flashback Friday! The idea is to republish an old post of yours that maybe didn't get enough attention, or that you really liked, or that you think others will really like..

As I started this blog in 2010, and then took a few years off to raise my little ones (only getting back into it this past November), I know there are a LOT of you out there that did not see some of my earlier posts.

You can see the original post HERE.

A Bead So Beautiful...You Could Just Eat It!

Amethyst Lampwork Beaded Necklace

It was in Murano that lampwork beads first became widely produced in the 19th century. To this day, the most famous style of lampwork bead is the 'Venetian' or wedding cake bead. the secret of the glass making process was jealously guarded. Many countries tried to lure glass makers away from Italy. While some succeeded in producing lampwork beads, they did not typically put up a challenge to the Murano lampwork beads. In the mid 19th century, a few Bohemian (now Czech Republic) citizens traveled to Italy to work in the glass works and learn the secrets. They returned five years later, frustrated by the wall of secrecy they had encountered. However, they did learn something and glass bead making was started in the Czech Republic.

The Czech also became masters at making lampwork beads and rivaled Italy on the national market. In time, the Czech and Italians taught the Indians how to make lampwork beads. Today the majority of lampwork beads come from India. The Czech and the Italians still make beautiful lampwork beads in much more limited production.

Handmade Jewelry Haven's beautiful 'Swirl' necklace, bracelet and matching earrings are made with lovely amethyst colored Italian Wedding Cake beads, and is set off by a gorgeous blown glass pendant in soothing colors of purples golds and silvers.
Find them all at Handmade Jewelry Haven's Etsy Shop Here.

source; The Beading Times

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BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!! HANDMADE JEWELRY HAVEN ETSY SHOP GRAND OPENING!!

Its a big day around here as most of you know, I have been working on opening my new Etsy shop and the day has FINALLY ARRIVED!!

Handmade Jewelry Haven Etsy Shop

First things first, I would love for you to come visit my new Etsy shop. This is something I've been really wanting to do for a long time. It has been a huge labor of love over the last few weeks.

And to show you my appreciation, leave a comment here on this post and I will email you a 10% Welcome Coupon towards any purchase!

Click here to visit my shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HandmadeJewelryHaven

As you know that I love social media, so, to save even more, pin 3 of my listings to your Pinterest account, then send me a message on Etsy with the links to your pins, and I'll send you a 15% off coupon code to be used on any order in my shop!

But why stop there??

To sweeten the deal a little more, share this post on your blog, or Facebook, or Tweet about my Grand Opening #HandmadeJewelryHaven and send me the link, and you will get a 20% off coupon!

You are free to get one or all three discounts that can be used on separate purchases!

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(Almost) Friday Fictioneers

They had been hastily shoved in raw packing straw and placed in crates made of old chicken pen siding for the journey. Now, after what seemed like an interminable amount of time waiting in the freezing cold, they wondered where the journey would end.

Time would only tell, and they could only wait. Being created for beauty and enjoyment was their soul reason for existing! Wanting only to please their ultimate wearers of expensive baubles and trinkets. To be ogled and have loving hands intertwine them with loving caresses! Their excitement could hardly be contained.

A big thank you to Rochelle for hosting Friday Fictioneers and to C.E Ayr for the picture!



To see a preview of our new Etsy Shop which is starting to fill with beautiful baubles, click here.


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Resolutions

With the New Year upon us, I am bound and determined to get my jewelry business back up and running. After closing my hair accessory business back in 2013, my ultimate aim was to eventually re-open the jewelry end of the business. However, with most things, life ended up getting in the way, and, that too, ended up on the back burner.

One of the great things about your kids getting older, is that they become more independent and need you a little bit less each year, freeing up your time.
So I think that 2017 is going to be 'my time' to finally revive one of my passions, making fun jewelry.

Please stay tuned for my new Etsy page, which should be ready to launch within a week or so. I intend for this just to be a stepping stone until I get my new website up and running.
Remember - It is ok to push pause on our dreams to let the Life Train through, but just remember to cross the tracks once it's passed!



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Wordless Wednesday

Please enjoy this weeks gorgeous Lampwork Beads....

To see lampwork jewelry visit Handmade Jewelry Haven's Etsy Shop Here.

To Keep Them In Our Hearts..

This blog post is dedicated to my dad, Grant Haven, who passed away a little over 3 years ago and served as a Naval Radioman aboard a PB4Y2 Aircraft in WWII.

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May.

In 1915, inspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields," Moina Michael replied with her own poem:

We cherish too, the Poppy red

That grows on fields where valor led,

It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies



Cherry Blossom Lampwork Beaded Bracelet

She then conceived of an idea to wear red poppies on Memorial day in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. She was the first to wear one, and sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit servicemen in need. Later a Madam Guerin from France was visiting the United States and learned of this new custom started by Ms.Michael and when she returned to France, made artificial red poppies to raise money for war orphaned children and widowed women. This tradition spread to other countries. In 1921, the Franco-American Children's League sold poppies nationally to benefit war orphans of France and Belgium. The League disbanded a year later and Madam Guerin approached the VFW for help. Shortly before Memorial Day in 1922 the VFW became the first veterans' organization to nationally sell poppies. Two years later their "Buddy" Poppy program was selling artificial poppies made by disabled veterans. In 1948 the US Post Office honored Ms Michael for her role in founding the National Poppy movement by issuing a red 3 cent postage stamp with her likeness on it.

Why not celebrate Memorial Day this year in style by wearing Handmade Jewelry Haven's 'Cherry Blossom' bracelet, a beautiful red lampwork bead bracelet and 'Cherry Blossom' matching earrings? Find them both at our Handmade Jewelry Haven Etsy Shop Here.

source; US Memorial Day

A Bead So Beautiful...You Could Just Eat It!



Amethyst Lampwork Beaded Necklace

It was in Murano that lampwork beads first became widely produced in the 19th century. To this day, the most famous style of lampwork bead is the 'Venetian' or wedding cake bead. the secret of the glass making process was jealously guarded. Many countries tried to lure glass makers away from Italy. While some succeeded in producing lampwork beads, they did not typically put up a challenge to the Murano lampwork beads. In the mid 19th century, a few Bohemian (now Czech Republic) citizens traveled to Italy to work in the glassworks and learn the secrets. They returned five years later, frustrated by the wall of secrecy they had encountered. However, they did learn something and glass bead making was started in the Czech Republic.
The Czech also became masters at making lampwork beads and rivaled Italy on the national market. In time, the Czech and Italians taught the Indians how to make lampwork beads. Today the majority of lampwork beads come from India. The Czech and the Italians still make beautiful lampwork beads in much more limited production.

Handmade Jewelry Haven's beautiful 'Swirl' necklace, bracelet and matching earrings are made with lovely amethyst colored Italian Wedding Cake beads, and is set off by a gorgeous blown glass pendant in soothing colors of purples golds and silvers.
Find them all at Handmade Jewelry Haven's Etsy Shop Here.

source; The Beading Times

The Fascination With Flamingos

Flamingo Earrings and Bubble Bath Lampwork Bracelet

Nearly everyone knows what flamingos look like ---pink birds with long legs. You can see them at just about every zoo. You can find them in storybooks. Alice uses flamingos as croquet mallets in Through the Looking Glass (by Lewis Carroll). Images of flamingos, standing under palm trees, appear in paperweights and snow globes. Plastic flamingos make colorful lawn ornaments!! But did you know that some flamingos live high up in the Andes Mountains of South America? Flamingos can swim, and flamingos can fly. Ornithologists (scientists who sturdy birds) spent many years arguing whether flamingos are more like ducks, or more like storks, until they decided that flamingos belong in a group by themselves. There are 5 species of flamingos that occur throughout the world. The greater flamingo is as tall as a grown-up person is. The lesser flamingo is as tall as a first-grader. Bet you didn't know that!!

Come and take a gander (oop's! that's a male goose) at our cute Flamingo Bubble Bath Bracelet above at Handmade Jewelry Haven's Etsy Store Here.

The Hypnosis of Hibiscus

Hibiscus Lampwork Beaded Bracelet

Many Hibiscus plants are grown for their showy flowers or used as landscape shrubs. Many species are used to attract butterflies and bees. Hibiscus is also a primary ingredient in many herbal teas. It is used as a vegetable and to make herbal teas and jams, especially in the Caribbean. All over the world, the tea drink is consumed hot or cold. It is known as Bissap in West Africa, Karkady in the Middle East, flor de Jamaica in Mexico, Gongura in India and Brazil. Some refer to it as roselle, a common name for the hibiscus flower. The Hibiscus is used as an offering to goddess Kali and Lord Ganesha in Hindu worship.The Hibiscus is used as an offering to goddess Kali and Lord Ganesha in Hindu worship.Hibiscus, especially White Hibiscus and Red hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis), is considered to have medicinal properties in the Indian traditional system of medicine, Ayurveda. Roots make various concoctions believed to cure ailments such as cough. The flowers are boiled in oil along with other spices to make a medicated hair oil to prevent greying and hair loss. The leaves and flowers are ground into a fine paste with a little water and the resulting lathery paste is used as a shampoo plus conditioner.A 2008 USDA study shows consuming hibiscus tea lowers blood pressure. And I bet you thought it was just another pretty flower!!

To buy our Hibiscus Bracelet and Earrings, visit Handmade Jewelry Haven's Etsy Page Here.

Lampwork Beads

To my eye, lampwork beads are the most beautiful of all. Each one is individually handmade and no two are exactly alike. Lampwork beads are made on a metal rod called a mandrel. The mandrel is coated with a white powder that will allow the bead to be taken off the rod when the bead is finished. Molten glass is wound around the mandrel and the mandrel is placed over the flame (originally it was the flame of a gas LAMP). The bead is shaped and decorated. It is then annealed (allowed to cool evenly and slowly) to add durability.
There are lampwork beads designed to fit your every mood, from fun to funky to elegant or classy. There are lampwork beads made to fit every fashion trend and there are lampwork bead styles that have endured through the centuries.
While lampwork beads have been made since 1300 BC in Greece, Venice is considered the birthplace of modern lampwork beads. During the Renaissaince, Italy was the undisputed glass capitol of the world. The glassworks were centered in the city of Venice and glass making secrets were jealously guarded.
Glass making was divided up into tasks so that each person only knew part of the process. Telling the secrets of glass or bead production was considered an act of treason punishable by death. In the late 13th century, the glass making industry moved from Venice to the island of Murano, Italy. Folklore says that the reason glass production moved from Venice to Murano was that an island was better able to isolate the craftspeople and thus the secret process. While this is a romantic notion, it's a myth. In fact, lampworking was extremely dangerous and resulted in many fires. The glass production was moved out of the city of Venice to the Island of Murano to control the spread of fire. It was in Murano that lampwork beads first became widely produced in the 19th century. Lampwork bead making is a cottage industry all around the globe.

There is a huge disparity in the price of lampwork beads. Some can be bought for less than .10 USD. Others fetch prices in the hundreds. Several factors account for this difference.
First of all, the more detailed the bead and the more colors used to make the bead, the more expensive it is.
The type of glass used also contributes to the price of the bead. Murano (Effetre) glass is more expensive than Indian glass. It is also much more beautiful, giving the most gorgeous colors.
Another factor that goes into the pricing of the bead is its country of origin. Labor is cheaper in India than it is in the USA. Also, different countries typically produce different quality levels. The key word is typically. Some Italian bead makers import cheap glass and then label their beads as Made In Murano. It is also possible to get some Indian beads made from Murano glass.
The preciseness of the size and pattern of the beads will also weigh heavily into costing a bead. For example, the handwork on the Czech beads is beautifully done. By comparison, most mass produced Indian beads are sloppy. While each lampwork bead is hand made and they all vary slightly from each other, this variance will be more pronounced in a cheaper bead. The final factor that gets weighed into the costing mix is the annealing process used to finish the bead. Today there are kilns available with computerized temperature controls that allow precise annealing. Ideally, lampwork beads are annealed overnight.

When selecting lampwork beads for my personal collection, I look first for a bead that 'calls to me'. Then I ask what type of glass was used and how it was annealed. I personally have bought some very inexpensive lampwork beads that I love. On the other hand, I have spent a great deal of money on one single bead that I just had to have. In my humble opinion, there is a use and a need for lampwork beads in all different price ranges.

source; Beading Times