twisted.

slightly nautical-inspired (not that i am a seafaring type of gal - i am fearful of drowing and legionnaire's disease) these knot rings are a fantastic twist (yes, pun intended!) on my knot ring design!  i had purchased some gold fill twisted wire for a potential custom order that did not come to fruition and i was interested to see if it would "knot" like regular round wire.  a new best seller?  maybe, but i still love the look!

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a picture says a thousand words. or at least enough to describe my rings.

i was having a chat with julie yesterday, lamenting the fact that i realized that some of my product photos date back to 2008.  yeah.  that long ago.  and while most of them are exactly what i want in regards to clarity and composition (in addition to great focus, awesome natural light and attention to detail), it has been nagging at me for quite a long time that my knot ring photos are not, in my opinion, up to par.  gotta keep it fresh, right?  so this week, i've been working on the knot ring photos - yesterday, i even brought my camera to the office so i could take advantage of the great light that comes through my window. 

admittedly, i am much happier with these - they show how delicate yet bright and shiny these rings are.  and yes, the knot ring is one of my best selling designs, but i wonder if the new photos will impact that statistic.  i hope so - god forbid that i get boring!

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knotted up in you. the bangle.

i feel like i've been negligent in posting any new designs - because frankly, between day to day life stuff and keeping up with holiday orders, i haven't had much time to play around with anything.  however, someone requested a knot bangle based on my knot ring and of course i was intrigued.  i had been thinking about making one for a while now, but just never had the inclination.

the person didn't come back to my shop, but i still made the bangle anyway - in both sterling and rose gold filled.  and it is just lovely - delicate, simple and sweet.  wedding, valentine's day, mother's day... wish i had had these out in time for the holidays!

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holiday giveaway!

i have noticed that there has been some traffic to my blog to my past knotted up ring giveaways.  and i realized that i haven't hosted one in some time.  plus, it's the holidays and i am sure that you all have been super busy maxing out your visa cards buying presents for your mile-long list (as i have)!  so i figured, i'd have a giveaway so that one of you can be the recipient of a gift from ME!

up for grabs is a knotted up ring - in your choice of sterling, rose gold filled, or 14K gold filled!

so here is what you need to do:
- become a "follower" of my blog (if you are already, that's fantastic - you're already ahead of the game) and leave me a message here saying that you are following!)
- you NEED to "like" my facebook page.  yeah, it's not the best page, but i'm working on it.  it's HERE.
- for extra entries, you can go to my shop and tell me what you like the best, "friend" me on facebook, add me to your circle on etsy, and follow me on twitter (i'm @muffintop5). 

PLEASE leave a separate message for each entry - i'm using random.org to choose a winner, so make it count!

make sure you leave details (a link to your blog, an email address, etc.) so i can find you! go enter! now! i'll be picking a winner on New Year's Eve, 2011!!!!

happy holidays, everyone!!!!!! xxoxooxox

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showing off. again.

 just showing off some new designs - the above is a thicker, more substantial version of my sterling knotted up ring.  it must have been a good one because my mother - who is notoriously hard to please - loved it right away and claimed it for her own.  yes, mom, it's yours.

and the newest addition to my "we are in love" collection - a rose gold filled heart floating ethereally from an oxidized rolo-type chain.  i seriously can't take mine off.  i am going to also make sterling and 14K gold filled versions as well... a girl can't have too many hearts. 

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lovely sunday morning.

this morning was almost luxurious - the mini was engrossed in her favorite breakfast (pancakes and maple syrup, yum) and i had some time to browse blogs.  i don't get to do it as often as i'd like, but i love the little glimpses into people - especially other crafters/artists.  i wandered along, bookmarking articles i loved and adding to my wish list. 

i'm drooling over moop's fantastic bag, pictured here:

and am so into this bandolier by cleverhands (i just can't find one to fit my tiny moleskine planner yet):

i also stumbled upon the fabulous blog of joanna goddard "cup of jo" and subsequently this lovely photostory about the legalization of gay marriage in NY.  (about time, people.)  seriously, i am a firm believer that you cannot help who you fall in love with (seriously, there were a few times where i was so in love but puzzled as to how it even came about) and really, a human being is a human being.  and doesn't the government know how much revenue, jobs and taxes can be generated just by legalizing something that shouldn't have even been unaccepted in the first place?  well, as i always say, you can't help stupid.

(that also being said, brad pitt famously said that he and angelina wouldn't get married until everyone in the world could. not that i'm a team jolie person, but live up to your word.)

i also found a similar version of my knotted up ring online (the vendor will remain unnamed) for $80.  seriously?  $80?  while lovely, so is mine.  and at $18 with free shipping, can you top that?  sometimes i wonder if i'm going about my pricing/markup/marketing all wrong.  but then again, i feel true to my handmade roots and wouldn't want it any other way. 

(think i'm going to go and make one for myself and revel in the fact that i didn't pay $80.)

 happy sunday. all!

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happy mother's day!

my "mommy and me" set of knot rings

slept in, and woke up to a sunshiny sky.  a beautiful start to a beautiful day.  am now rolling out some homemade cinnamon rolls to take to our mother's day luncheon at my parents' house.  (note to self - the dough is much easier to handle when chilled!) 

happy happy mother's day to all the moms out there!  (especially to my mom and to becks, who is going to be a mom any day now!)

love love love to you!  xoxoox

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knotted up in you - the duo ring design

i've been making these "knotted up" rings for some time now and recently, someone asked for a stacked, intertwined version in sterling.  after a couple of sketches and a little bit of thinking, the duo knot ring was born.  i've always liked the knot ring idea - the first one i made was for someone who wanted to use it as a wedding band.  romantic, much?  the trimetal stacking knot set was also chosen by the middle daughter of two amazing movie stars (not to name drop or anything - *ahem, demi and bruce*) - obviously she has great taste!

there is much symbolism behind the simple knot - the intertwining of wisdom and compassion, the binding of time and change, and the cycle of life, death and rebirth.  all a pretty hefty burden for such a small thing!  but if you think about it, the knot also ties together much in life, as does love.  the double knot just emphasizes it a little bit more, and makes it a little more complicated.  but then, isn't love itself just a little bit complicated???  (it is for me, but maybe i'm just like that?)

thank you to the lovely fnine for including the duo ring in this treasury!  lovely theme, and lovely picks!

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new idea - FINALLY! introducing the knot & tangle ring!

so thanks to the lovely katie shuttle, i finally got inspired! i am introducing my new knot & tangle ring - the latest addition to my 'knotted up' collection! i made one each in copper and in sterling silver and they are just lovely. a new classic, perhaps? what do you think?

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