stud.

In my nearly non-existent spare time, I have been trying to perfect my technique for soldering posts onto my earrings because I have been enamored with the idea of utilizing sterling scrap (between Julie and myself we generate tons of scrap) - it's the eco-friendly part of me I suppose.  so now I finally am happy with the results and am introducing these recycled sterling stud earrings into my repertoire!  using a combination of solder and fusion, I've been able to solidly attach sterling posts onto wonderfully rough and organic recycled silver "buds".  so yummy.

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it's all about the necklace...

i always love working with people on custom jewelry - they always have wonderful ideas and perspective!  this is a trio of pendants that i made for a birthday present - organic and modern at the same time, and in sterling, rose gold and 14K gold filled.  love love love these!

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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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trying to embrace facebook. again.

i tried twice to set up a facebook account/page for muffintopdesigns, but to this day, i cannot for the life of me figure out how to make the social networking site work for me. facebook actually kind of scares me, because, since i am a social recluse at heart, the idea of putting myself out there for people to find is frightening and makes me feel exposed.  i have found twitter to actually be fun and easy - not to mention, the brevity is refreshing - but a bajillion facebook people can't be wrong, right?  plus, i'd love to have another marketing platform for my work. 

so, with the whole name change thing, i set up a brand new account for TheLovelySmith.  you can check it out here, and my page here.  and to kick it all off, if you 'like' my page (seriously, how juvenile, it smacks of - "if you like me, check the box that says YES" or who can get the most signatures in their yearbook) you can use the facebook discount code on my page for a whopping 25% off your entire order.  and with the holidays coming up, i am sure we are all looking for a sweet deal.  and of course, my ego could use the props.  make sure you check the box that says "yes".

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the itty bitty gift guide. part 1.

t'is that time of year again... the snow will start to fall, the temperatures already have, and minds have turned to the thoughts of sugarplums and mistletoe. so, in honour of this festive season, i bring you my etsy gift guides! part 1 - my recent favorites in shades of winter. yum.

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gift giving. & the joy of the gift certificate.

the best gift in my mind is something lovingly handmade, created with great thought and consideration, and fantastically well constructed.  however, not everyone is good at thinking of presents to give, so the second best thing is the wonderful gift certificate.  and of course, theLovelySmith now offers them for the holiday season!

redeemable for anything in my shop (except for other gift certificates), these expire a good 6 months after the date of purchase!  so give handmade this holiday!!!

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bye bye, little muffintop!

so i finally did it - in the wee hours of the morning, my sweet little muffintopdesigns shop was renamed.  i am now "the lovely smith".  while i've been trying on that name for a while and it definitely is the ONE, i am very sad to be saying goodbye to the muffintop.  new business cards have been ordered, a new etsy banner uploaded, a heartsy deal on deck and now i'm looking at revamping my packaging.  i have kept my 'colours' - it was my intention to maintain my current palette, knowing that i was eventually going to take the plunge, and hopefully it will help with the transition.  i am going to keep my blog and twitter accounts the way they are, just because i'm not ready to completely let go yet.  and really, the "muffintop" is still a part of me.

this has been a long time coming.  i think there will be a period of mourning, but i am still quite excited.  i think that moving in this direction will free me to think a little more outside the box - and better describe what i do now.  the lovely julie already refers to me as TLS - so funny but yet it was kind of the push that i needed to click the button to change my name on etsy.

thanks, little muffintop.  i will always love you!  (now i have to re-register my business name when ServiceOntario opens.  crap, i hope no one has taken it yet...)

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still thinking about the name change...

 i am still thinking about renaming my shop.  even though i am horribly relucant to let go of the "muffintop" (the one i possess in real life, not so much, sigh!) i really do feel like i should.  i know that julie and L doth protest much, and M likes the muffin stamp i designed ages ago and still use on my packaging, but i think that "jewelry by muffin top designs" does not look professional as a byline on the fashion pages of InStyle.  not that i'd ever get there, but a girl can dream, can't she?  i also seem to get a lot of web traffic to my blog and my shop by people searching for things like "muffin top jewelry" or "muffin top shop".  can i give that up?  i don't know.

anyhow, the latest name i am enamored with is "TheLovelySmith".  (i wiki-ed the definition of "smith" - here it is.)  i can envision a handcrafted wooden sign hanging outside a small, thatched roof studio cottage in the forest and me hammering over an open flame.  kind of dorky and sappy, huh?  i do kind of feel badly referring to myself as "lovely" (self-esteem is not my strong point, obviously) but it just FITS for some reason.  i don't know if i can parlay the muffin into a lovely smith, but maybe this is what i've been looking for?

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