Secret Santa gifts

Many thanks to my Secret Santas! I've received totally amazing gifts from two wonderful Artists.

a set of Holiday Napkins from Keri of Too Cute customs crafts



Keri also sent me these amazing earrings by BlueberryCream made of corrugated copper



My next Secret Santa gift came from Elizabeth Urquhart of Pure Nature Photos



All these wonderful gifts will make my home happy:) Thank you so much!!!

Spring post cards exchange

I've recently received four amazing post cards from my Russian Artists fellow team members. The original idea of the post cards exchange belongs to Albina from AroundBeads. Albina came up with a great idea of writing a few with warm words about spring to a few members of our team. I got beautiful cards from Albina AroundBeads, Lena SFBeads, Lena Lazo, Natalia HansHolzkopf and it was a surprise. Although I expected to get post cards I didn't know where they would come from. Thank you so much for wonderful cards and your sincere and kind words!!!

Etsy Front Page treasury

I just ran into a post by Katrinshine about Etsy Front Page. Her Cream Leather Earrings were featured on Etsy Front Page yesterday. Congrats to Katrin!

The post made me go and check my recent appearings on the front page. It turns out I was recently featured as well. A totally amazing treasury by Ayca in pale blue, sky and turquoise colors made it to Etsy's main page! The February Line 5 collection absolutely deserves its 30 minutes of fame!

Thank you Ayca for featuring me in your beautiful collection!

Spring Post Cards Exchange

One of our Russian Artists team members Albina Manning came up with a great idea of a spring post cards exchange. All participating team members exchanged mailing addresses and will now mail three spring post cards to three Russian Artists team members.

The idea of the post card exchange is to celebrate spring and to do something nice to a fellow team member. Everything is done anonymously and nobody knows where the post card will come from. As our team members are scattered all over the world I won't be surprised to see a post card arriving from Australia or Israel for example.

I decided to create my three post cards myself. I love flowers and there are always fresh flowers at my home. It's just a matter of spending some time taking pictures and turning them into postcards. I'm into hand made business myself and love items created by someone's hands rather than mass produced in hundreds of copies.

I'm super excited to get my three spring post cards from secret senders. I simply love that post card exchange idea! Thank you Albina!

Halloween countdown gifts on Etsy

It's Halloween countdown and we already started decorating our house for the upcoming holiday. My kids are very excited and a bit frightened by all the spiders and witches hanging on our neighbors' doors. It's a lovely holiday and so much fun for both kids and grown-ups. I picked up a few nice Halloween gift and decoration ideas on Etsy to share with everyone looking forward to this great holiday!

I featured the following wonderful Etsy artists in my collection:
CheekieBottoms, FleetingStillness, KarisaGraphic, YuliaKazansky, TonyaUtkina, bumblestore, honeypunk1, TomBjornDesigns, FineEmbroidery, ArtHarmony, socksandmittens, CityCrochet, cushyadornments, katrinshine, graphicland, CuffeShop

Chained Rose collection by StudioElenus

I came across this wonderful Chained Rose collection by StudioElenus on Etsy one day and completely fell in love with it. All StudioElenus necklaces, rings and brooches look so stylish, well crafted and inspirational. Luckily I got a chance to interview this talented Etsy artist and can now share StudioElenus' creative insights with the whole blogosphere.

Q: Could you please tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Lena and I'm a stay at home homeschooling mom of two. I create my hand sewn jewelry at night when kids go to sleep. It works perfect for me as I can sew my blooming flowers, rings and rose brooches while watching a movie with my hubby or listening to an audio book.
As long as I can remember myself I was making stuff. I tried just about every medium that is out there. I could never stop and my creative nature takes over me all the time. I have a feeling my kids inherited this quality from me:) Art projects go non-stop in our house. They start long before I roll out of my bed in the morning. I wake up to glue and paper cut outs on the dinner table. We live in a creative chaos!
Q: Could you please tell us a bit more about your Chained Rose collection?
For the last half a year I’ve been working on my Chained Rose collection. It features rolled chiffon rosettes wrapped up in chains, and bead embroidered blooming roses. I design statement bibs and day necklaces, bracelets, rings, brooches and hair accessories. I started making jewelry for sale about 2 years ago using chains, semi-precious stones as well as glass beads, and decided to incorporate these materials in my fabric designs. That is how the Chained Rose was born which uniquely combines bohemian chic of vintage inspired fabric rosette and luscious glamour of contemporary jewelry trends. It makes a statement without going overboard, and is light weight and easy to wear unlike most of the statement jewelry.

Q: What are your main sources of inspiration?
I am inspired by many things natural and man made. I recreate color combos I see in the streets and in scrapbook paper, I leave the botanical garden with hundreds of ideas, I look through fashion magazines to make a note of hottest influences to come home and create something that supports some fashionable idea but is unlike anything you will see in stores.
I take pictures of the jewelry during the day in natural lighting. I use shabby chic wooden boxes and boards to create Victorian inspired aura and to emphasize romantic charm and elegance of my designs.

It's always so rewarding to learn more about unique artists and things that inspire them every day!
Lena, Thank you for sharing!
Lena was interviewed by TonyaUtkina

GIVEAWAY: Red Berry Earrings

Fall is a lovely season with so much vivid and beautiful colors around us. It will be followed by a rather colorless winter so let's enjoy this feast of color while it lasts! I handmade this juicy Red Berry earrings of bright Czech glass and silver plated wire. They are absolutely unique and each piece is carefully crafted in an eco-friendly and inspiring surroundings.
I'm hosting my first Fall giveaway! One lucky giveaway participant selected by True Random Number Generator will win my handmade Red Berry earrings next Thursday, October 14, 2010.

To enter:

Please visit my Etsy shop TonyaUtkina and leave a comment about your favorite item in my Etsy shop. Don't forget to leave your e-mail address so I can contact you in case you win. Your e-mail info will NEVER be used for any other purposes!!!

Extra entries:

Please leave one separate comment for each entry. (So if it is 2 extra entries for example, leave 2 comments, etc.)

1 entry - follow my blog with Google friend connect

1 entry - follow me on Twitter TonyaUtkina

1 entry - like my Facebook Fan page TonyaUtkina Jewelry

1 entry per day - retweet the following message and post a comment about it (just copy and paste the following into the twitter window). Can be done daily:
RT @tonyautkina GIVEAWAY Red Berry Earrings! Visit my blog http://tonyautkina.blogspot.com/2010/10/giveaway-red-berry-earrings.html

2 entries - grab my button and put it on your blog

3 entries - blog about this giveaway

No purchase is neccessary, but if you happen to buy something you will get extra 5 entries .

Open to US and Canada only. Winner will be chosen by online random generator. Winner will be notified by e-mail on Thursday, October 14, 2010 and will have 3 days to reply or another winner will be chosen.

Good luck!:)

Happy Halloween findings on Etsy

I just created a Happy Halloween collection featuring bright orange Etsy findings. It's amazing how many wonderful pieces are created and sold on Etsy every day! It took me some time to locate these favorites as there are so many great items to choose from! My children love Halloween. I suspect they love it more than Christmas. Although I doubt if it's possible! Ok! They love Halloween at least as much as they love Christmas! So here is my tribute to Halloween!


I featured the following great Etsians in the Happy Halloween treasury:
MyWayToSay, FleetingStillness, graphicland, SilkMagic, bumblestore, Oksa, VitalTemptation, TomBjornDesigns, Beautyland, CuffeShop, FineEmbroidery, katrinshine, KarisaGraphic, cushyadornments, CityCrochet, herbolution

My third Esty front page

It's so cool Etsy admins picked my Urban Living treasury to be featured on Etsy front page! It's actually my third Etsy front page treasury and it's all about urban living this time. Things we like and colors we pick living in very busy, efficient and somewhat gloomy city environments.


My fellow Etsy artists I featured in the treasury include: JuliaFelt, BlueberryCream, Manonknits, SweetNumber, yevgenia, herbolution, KAPARA, CityCrochet, Aroundbeads, kpersonboutique, NeroliHandmade, sabinesydney, poaplumbagsjewelry

My first GIVEAWAY results

My first ever Giveaway ended yesterday, June 24th. Thank you so much for participating. I very much appreciate your time and attention!

I ran the number of comments through a random generator.


Let us congratulate Tina Reynolds who won the set of my handmade beach bracelets in berry cream sherbet!!!

Congratulations Tina!!!

My second Etsy Front Page treasury Chocolates

I just found out that one of my recent Etsy east treasuries Chocolates was featured on Etsy's front page. It's quite flattering to get such a huge exposure and to be picked by Etsy admins out of hundreds of other beautiful and stunning treasuries!

Taste of Mustard

Although I don't really know any mustard recipes, I've assembled this collection in a shade of mustard. It looks sort of yummy to me :)))

I featured my fellow Etsians in this Mustard treasury: lireca, leapinggazelle, Arfeiniel, YuliaKazansky, FunEmbroidery, katrinshine, TwoPoodlePress, StudioElenus, IrinaPhotography, TonyaUtkina, gleenashop, RosemaryManufacture, VitalTemptation, dgordon, beautyspot, sexyhandmade

Lemon Candy

I love yellow lemon colors! It's all about sun, summer and happiness. I've assembled a few bright and shiny items for you!

I've featured the following artists in my Lemon Candy east treasury:
NataJane, Fairyfolk, peppermintdesigns, susanleighdesigns, Arctida, TonyaUtkina, daimblond, allmadewithlove, JaneBoFelt, IrinaPhotography, StudioElenus, KAPARA, sexyhandmade, lucysnowephotography, TomBjornDesigns, yevgenia

Caipirinha recipe

I love Caipirinha! It's just an excellent summer cocktail drink. Take Brazil's cachaça, lime and sugar and mix it up well. Add some ice and you will get a tasty and dangerous drink. It's just perfect for an evening with friends. Enjoy!!!

Shades of Amethyst east treasury

It's rainy and gray outside and I felt like looking at things that are not bold and bright but rather elegant, pale and exquisite. Apparently there are so many amazing items in shades of amethyst created by talented artists from all over the world!!!

I've included amazing items by the following artists: CityCrochet, herbolution, TwistedCrystals, Arctida, EdenInvitations, papermoth, MyWayToSay, JaneBoFelt, bumblestore, embellishedbytiffany, NeroliHandmade, BreezewayArts, galafilc, lightkeeping, OlgaAlmond, VitalTemptation

Mojito east treasury

It's getting hot and our favorite Mojito is turning into a lifesaver! Just mix some mint, lime, sugar, rum, refreshingly cold ice cubes and you will get a party perfect Mojito! Hurray!

I've included the following talented fellow Etsians in this new and fresh Mojito treasury:
EightSeasons, yevgenia, Lori411, JuliaFelt, TonyaUtkina, Arctida, VitalTemptation, MyWayToSay, JaneBoFelt, printube, thequietcanadian, lucysnowephotography, lightkeeping, littlebugjewelry, herbolution, NeroliHandmade

Up in the sky east treasury

Thousands of people travel by airplanes every minute. They are all up there in the sky right now! I just thought about them for a minute and about pilots and airplane crews and all other people who help us get to our destinations on time! Thank you for your wonderful work!


The following fellow Etsians were featured in this up in the sky east treasury: littlebrumble, sanagiros, manonknits, itsastitch, galafilc, bumblestore, CalvinEngel, allmadewithlove, ustwinginit, ChristopherBoswell, FlyingFun, JaneBoFelt, candycrack, TonyaUtkina, daimblond, jezek

Gone hiking east treasury

It's getting warm and sunny with summer practically around the corner. Let's pack our backpacks and go hiking! Be it Appalachian mountains, Rocky mountains or forests of Washington state it's great to get out and spend a good few days walking, climbing and jumping.



I featured the following talented fellow Etsians in my Gone Hiking treasury east: bellsandunicorns, jezek, theangryrobot, tonyautkina, papercutworks, yuliaart, Beesnetta, YuliaKazansky, HappyfrogfromAlaska, FunEmbroidery, IrinaPhotography, socksandmittens, stevester, wildernest, FlowersbyIrene, peacemagnetgirl

Deep red and twisted

I like to work with wire as it gives a lot of room for creativity. One can bend and twist a silver plated wire to give it the shape and form one is looking for. When I combine my twisted wire with transparent Czech glass beads jewelry pieces get even fancier!

Etsy EAST treasury Paris in bloom

I was in a romantic mood yesterday and came up with this Paris themed collection of items. It's all about pink airy and light flowers, elegant and beautiful women, streets and rooftops of Paris. I've been to this wonderful city a few times and wish I could return back every year! I just wanted to share a small bit of Paris with you!

The following wonderful fellow Etsians were featured in my Paris in bloom East treasury:
JaneBoFelt, Justlena, Kristybee, AliciaBock, moonbeamwishes, daimblond, CafeSprinkles, JuliaFelt, cushyadornments, Beautyland, afiori, TonyaUtkina, plumprettysugar, wickedpen, VitalTemptation, SucreEtCannelle

I just found out that my Paris in Bloom east treasury was featured on Etsy Front Page. Nice! :)