And that's final!

I know I can be indecisive. Trust me. I know.

But I most usually come to a final conclusion and stick with it. Usually.

This time it's final for real:

I am combining this blog and my personal blog.

I tried it once before and changed my mind almost immediately. But the past several months have brought about changes that make combining my two blogs not only a good idea, but downright necessary.

I'm busy! I need simplicity.

Also, I'm getting a better idea of where I want my little business to go and what I want the focus to be. Combining my two blogs... or better, adding this blog to my personal blog, just makes much more sense with my vision for my business.

So with all that said, head over to The Jacobs Journal and follow me there.

And that's final! I hope... :)

I like presents

It's my birthday month! I've always loved April for being my birthday month, but hated it for being in the midst of tornado season. Now I'm beginning to not like the part that it's my birthday. I've developed a growing fear of getting old. So here I go again, turning 25 for the 3rd time.

Of course I would be sad to not have a birthday month because I am a fan of presents. Who isn't, really? Christmas is about giving and celebrating Jesus' birth. Birthdays... those are all mine! A perfect excuse to be completely selfish.

To counteract this possible selfish attack, I'm giving stuff away! (Okay really I'm giving these away because I want to. It's my birthday, I can give if I want to!)

Not only is there this ridiculous spring sale going on over at my shop, I'm giving away one of these cute and dainty rings with every single order this month! Woot woot!

You can choose blue or green or silver or copper (all will have the silver wrap) and of course whatever size you'd like. I could even make it as a toe ring!

So for your next order during the month of April, tell me your color and size choice in the "message to seller" and it'll be like a happy birthday to you! :)

Teardrops

Have you ever seen someone smile through their tears? There's something so beautiful about that kind of smile. This picture portrays one of those smiles to me -

That's my husband, his grandma, and our son who is named after Gram Jacobs' late husband, Jack. It was a precious moment when she held baby Jack in her arms, overwhelmed with emotion. A perfect depiction of smiling through the tears.

The Teardrops Dangles are a celebration of such beautiful moments.

It's That Time of Year...

... for a Spring Cleaning Sale!!

Usually spring cleaning doesn't sound appealing in the least to me. But in this situation, I'm very excited!

I love every piece of jewelry I make but there are a handful of pieces that are in need of a new home. Basically I need to "de-clutter." Interested in helping me out??

Just about every piece of jewelry that is older than 3 months is going on serious sale. I'm tellin' ya I'm practically giving some of this gorgeousness away!

Like these hand-formed Fallen Red Heart Dangles for only $5! ...

Find them HERE!

And this delicate and sweet Clear Blue Sea Bracelet, also only $5.00! ...

Find it HERE!

Oh, and there's plenty more!  So help me clean out my jewelry box by purchasing one (or many) of these little hand-made beauties to add sparkle to your life and a little organization to mine! :)

...DandLsDangLs.com...

Happy Spring!

Night Sky Collection

We recently moved from the city out to what feels like the middle of nowhere. It's amazing how beautifully clear the night sky is so far from city lights. It's often breathtaking.

The Night Sky Collection, with it's dark metal chain and contrasting golden yellow beads sends my mind reeling through fond memories and sweet emotions all connected to an image similar to this...

(Photo Credit Unknown)

Now we live in our very first home. Sometimes it's like a dream. A midnight sky flecked with more stars than I thought possible of seeing outside of a planetarium gives me all sorts of warm fuzzies :)

If you are like me, this collection has your name on it.

Find the necklace listed here and the earrings listed here.

I Heart Hearts

I'm not big on the Valentine's Day thing but I am big on hearts. I like them lots.

So in preparation of Valentine's Day (my excuse to make lots of hearts!), I'd like to introduce you to my heart dangles and a Sweetest Design.

Sweetest Design!

The "I love you" Necklace

 This very special necklace was created for a very special person in my littlest brother's life. 

It's a unique way to tell that special someone, "I love you."

What better time to do so than Valentine's Day? (Which is 1 month from today, by the way!)

Request your "I love you" necklace by February 1st and you will have it in time for the Day of Love :)

I can add a hanging crystal and even make a pair of earrings to match. It's also great for Mother's Day or simply a gift for yourself!

But hurry, because time and supplies are limited!

Contact me: dandlsdangls {at} gmail {dot} com

or visit my website: DandLsDangLs.com

What's Your Favorite?

Is there a type of jewelry that you're always drawn to when browsing the racks?

I LOVE earrings. Hence the name DandLs DangLs.

 

Back before I made my own jewelry, when I'd shop for jewelry, I couldn't get away from the earrings. If I'm only going to wear one piece of jewelry, it would be earrings.

(This is other than my wedding rings. Those never come off!!)

It's hard for me to come up with necklace, ring, and bracelet designs. When I want to create with the goal of de-stressing, earrings it is!

Do you prefer necklaces? Bracelets? Rings? Brooches? Anklets? ??

How to Open a jumpring.

I didn't learn this til late in the game. It was so nice to know when I did finally learn it. And if you're interested in trying your hand at chainmaille jewelry, this is a simple must-know!

How to open (and close) a jump ring.

You need two pliers. I use my chain nose and my flat nose pliers. You can also use bent nose pliers rather than chain nose as I explain here. Whatever works best for you!

Grasp your lil' jump ring with both pliers on either side of the cut and twist open like so:

It's important that you don't pull the jump ring from the seam as it will misshape the ring. Twist one of the pliers up and one of the pliers down. This will be your open ring:

Be sure to close it the same way. Your nice round jump ring will remain nice and round and it will be simple to make it flush and appear seamless.

So simple, right? Life as you know it just got a tiny bit easier.

Green Coils Bracelet

On Black Friday last November, the husband ventured out to find some deals.

No, I did not go with him. I will probably never go with him.

But now that I know he likes going out bright and early on Black Friday, I'm totally going to be prepared next year with a nice long list!

Anyway,

He didn't find much (as I hadn't thought to make a list for him!) but he did come home with some goodies for me completely on his own!!

One of which was this coiling thing-a-ma-jig.

I love this thing! It makes coiling wire so easy it almost feels like cheating. You can make your own "beads" out of coiled wire like I did with this Green Coils Bracelet:

Purchase HERE!

Awesome, right?!? You definitely need to get one! The husband got mine at Joann Fabrics.

Tools for Chainmaille

You've already got your chain nose and flat nose pliers. These will work just fine to open and close jump rings and create beautiful chainmaille pieces like this:

But you can also purchase a pair of bent nose pliers. If you're going to be working with lots of jump rings, bent nose pliers would probably be a wise purchase.

You can find a pair at my fave website - wire-sculpture.com.

These particular pair are definitely on my wish list!

Click on the picture to find them to purchase.

What on earth is chainmaille jewelry?? I give the rundown here.

Happy Chainmailling! :)