Merry Christmas!

Wow! Remember the Good Mood set that I mentioned last blog post? It sold within 48 hours! That definitely put me in a good mood.

There is a video up on the youtube page about how to make hemp/twine bracelets with beads. The youtube channel is bluebutterflydesigns.

I want to wish everyone a merry Christmas or happy whatever else you celebrate. There are so many holidays going on this time of year! I can't keep track of them all.

 Combine with that the fact that my birthday is one the 23rd...

Amy's birthday was the 12th...

December is a weird month for me. So busy...so much going on...

Anyway! Shop news!

I'm considering bringing back the bottle cap earrings. They were insanely popular for an item that never sold...a lot of people really loved them but no one ever bought them. I want to try them again, hopefully those of you who liked them will buy a pair this time!

I've begun experimenting with making beads and charms out of polymer clay. I'm also making other things, such as magnets and trinkets. Looks for these items soon!

I've made some lovely "jean purses" that I want to sell in the shop as well. I plan to have a few of those made and listed in the shop by the new year.

Custom orders will be implemented ON OR BEFORE JANUARY 1st, 2012. There will be a $5 deposit on all custom orders before I will begin work. This non-refundable deposit is to protect me and you. It protects me from starting a potentially complicated project only to have the piece get rejected and me not earn any money, and gives you piece of mind that I'm not running off with a bunch of money. Not that I would ever do that, but people have expressed this concern in the past when I was requesting full price up front.

That's about all for today! Have a great holiday everyone!

New Website! New Products!

Blue Butterfly's online store is now located at http://www.bluebutterflyjewelry.com take a look!

In honour of the new site, I have posted all new products in the store. There's a lot of neat stuff there, if you ask me, including several necklaces, bracelets, earrings, classic wire-wrapped pendants, and the beautiful good mood set, pictured below.

This set includes earrings, necklace, and bracelet, and features hand made chain links made of silver-plated wire. The necklace boasts a lovely Mirage brand mood bead in the style Fancy Flame.


I also have several items made from vintage glass beads, including these two lovely bracelets.

Customers in Canada are likely to recieve Christmas orders in time if you order within the next TEN DAYS. US customers may not recieve theirs in time for Christmas, so order at your own risk!

Keep an eye out for more new products! Also, watch for more frequent blog posts, including some special features on the life of a jewelry maker, jewelry making in general, and the trials of running a home business.

Welcome to Blue Butterfly Blogs

Please bear with us as we build the blog and the main website. It has been a while since I have done this. :)

Hi! My name is Michelle and I am the owner and artist at Blue Butterfly Designs.

Originally from Ohio, I now live in Victoria BC with my wife and cat. I make handmade jewelry and accessories in my home as part of my therapy for Bipolar 1 Disorder, and I sell what I make here.

My shop is called Blue Butterfly Designs. I came up with that name for several reasons, the number one reason being that the butterfly is a symbol of hope, strength, and change, which are three very important concepts when dealing with mental illness. I felt that "blue" flowed very well with "butterfly" and so Blue Butterfly Designs was born.

The shop started out on NoobTrader, but no one seemed to be able to find it or trust it because no one had ever heard of NoobTrader, so I decided to move on to Etsy since it is far more trusted and widely used. After taking a class at Business Victoria aimed at helping people with disabilities start their own business, I moved the shop here in the hopes of having more control over it.

My jewelry is made of anything from recycled buttons and ribbons to glass gems and polymer clay. I will work with anything I get my hands on, and sometimes it comes out beautifully and gets posted here, other times it comes out not-so-beautifully and I learn a new technique or concept to apply to future designs.

I find inspiration in the people, places, and things around me. I feel that there is truly a little bit of myself in every piece, and each one is unique (Even if I make more than one similar, they never come out the same way!)

Later on I plan to add more to the shop, particularly things like purses and wallets. I also plan to sell some paintings.