My Besteam Monday spent in Israel

I have a BESTeam mate / friend.  Her name is Irith and she has a great Etsy shop, RioRita's where she sells wonderfully hand crafted jewelry.  Irith is a gold and silversmith, and her jewelry is...simply amazing.  She takes stones, sea glass, pebbles, ancient coins, whatever catches her eye and then creates rings, bracelets, pendants, and much more.

Take this Sterling Silver Heart Necklace for example.  Irith designed and cast each heart (there are 26 double hearts), set with 5 stones, and then connected piece by piece with silver studs.  It reminds me of a chain, painstakenly attached piece by piece.  Irith herself describes it as "a snake of hearts".  The stones she used were amethyst, carnelians, turquoise, and citrine.

Did I mention that Irith lives in Israel?  Tel Aviv to be exact.  The Holy Land...a place I would love to visit...someday.  Her workshop is close to the Mediterranean Sea, and when she takes a breather, she can look out the glass door and watch the peacocks and geese.  It sounds so idylic.  I love reading her blog, wher she shares pictures about her home and life.

She grew up near the Sea of Galilee. (I "borrowed" this picture from her blog) and her mother still lives there. 

This looks like something out of a travel brochure.  I can just stare at these pictures and think, this is where my Jesus walked and teached.  You can find more pictures at the blog post I got these pictures from..."My Heart is by the Sea of Galilee". 

Today she blogged about the inspiration for this Aquamarine Sea Glass Pendant.  How the herbs in her window garden gave her the idea for this wonderful piece.
You can find Irith in many different places in cyberspace, and I highly recommend her shop for anyone looking for that special and unique gift.

Website / Etsy / Blog / Twitter / Facebook

A Besteam romance

As I sit here staring at my "blank" screen wishing for inspiration, I glance out the window.  The fog is heavy.  So heavy I can barely see the trees in the yard.  I see something moving, so I squint my eyes.   I move to the couch, closer to the window.  Yes, something definitely moved.  From the stand of trees I see him.  Tall.  Regal.  Dressed in royal robes, this ancient man walks towards me, and I see a flash as the just rising sun catch the silver and jewels on his fingers and wrist.  I am struck dumb.

There on his finger, an ancient coin set in silver, bespeaks of great wealth and high ranking in his society.  Hand hammered silver surrounds this coin, used during the First Jewish Revolt sometime in 66 to 70 A.D.  Is this man a Jew? A high priest perhaps?  Or a centurion?  He walks as one who holds great power.  A Roman! It must be.  Around his arm is this sterling cuff bracelet.  Definitely a powerful Roman.
Wait! What's that behind him?  A woman.  She is tall also, not like the man, but still...

adorning her neck I see this sapphire necklace.  She must be an Egyptian princess.  Is she with this man? Willingly? Or is he her guard?  To protect her, and to keep her from running.  But running from whom?  To where?
Her robes flow behind her as she walks, no, not walks,  she floats, closer and closer.  I can now see the subtle shades of earth and copper in her shibori long silk gown.  Every step, every breeze, and she shimmers.  The man turns towards her and reaches for her.  He cups her delicate chin with his strong hand and tilts her face up.  As he bends closer to her I can see...
a sparkle of silver.  He touches the mother of pearl dangling from her ears...and removes them.  What?  I'm ready to run out and confront this brute when he reaches under his cloak and brings out...
these red hibiscus teardrops.  They not only match the colors of her robe, they also match the shape of the tears flowing down her face.  He gently wipes the tears away and kisses her check.  He is not a brute, but a man in love.  I blink, and they're gone.  I wonder where did they came from, and where did they go?  Do they find happiness together? Or are the destined to travel together through the fog forever?  I may never know.  And I'm not so sure I want to know, let their love story just continue on and remain a mystery.

If you would like to be a part of your own romantic love story, visit these great Etsy Besteam shops and get ready.  The silver jewelry worn by our Roman is hand hammered and created by Irith at Riorita.  You can also find her here:  Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Website. 

The hand painted gorgeous gown and the jewelry worn by our Egyptian princess is created by Joy at Joyflower.  You can also find her here: Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Website. 

If you are an Etsy artisan with a blog, come join the wonderful people here at the BESTeam. 

See y'all tomorrow (hopefully) so until then...be blessed.

Debbi

the Best Hearts have it!

We all know that as retailers (I don't like that word, we are NOT walfart) we artisans that sell our creations need to think ahead when creating items for our customers, so with that in mind, I would like to share with you some lovely heart items from 3 of my Etsy BESTeam buddies that you can order now and be ready for Valentines Day.  Or you can "share" this post with your one and only so they can surprise you next month, haha.  And the first one up to share her heart is...

Sandy from Sandy's Handmade Soaps and Things.  As you can tell by her shop name, Sandy sells soaps, but she also sells other things, like knitting markers and jewelry.  These frosted heart earrings are very cute, and perfect for those parents (like me) that likes to give our children gifts on Valentines day.  Yeah, I know, it's suppose to be about adult couples, but come on, I love my little girl too.  You can check out her other items, and find Sandy at these sites.

Etsy / Blog



I absolutely love these Silver Heart earrings created by Irith from Riorita.  She is a silversmith and a goldsmith, and handhammered these earrings.  What an amazing talent!  Plus she lives in Israel, which is one of the few places I would love to visit....and she gets to watch peacocks and geese outside her windows while creating her beautiful items.  Doesn't that sound wonderful?  Check her out here..

Etsy / Blog / Website / Facebook / Twitter / Tumbler

And last, but not least, there's Claire.  Her shop is Blue and White Wear.  Claire is an American that lives overseas.  First in Thailand, where she discovered a love of oriental items and styles, and now she calls South America her home.  I chose these adorable Simply Hearts Wine Charms mostly because I love the colors.  Crisp and clean, the perfect way to track your glass of wine, or in my case, Pepsi.  Yes, I drink soda out of my "good" glasses because I don't see why we wait for special holidays to use those special items.  Every day is special to me.  Look for Claire here.

Etsy / Blog / Twitter

So now we're ready for Valentines Day.  And if you really want that "perfect" relationship....make everyday Valentines Day with the people you love.

Debbi





The BESTeam is a group of artist/bloggers that have become friends while sharing, supporting, and promoting each others endeavors in our shops an on our blogs.  So....

If you are an Etsy artisian that likes to blog, check out the BESTeam on Etsy.

If you are a blogger that happens to sell on Etsy, check out the Besteam blog.

I'm dreaming of a White Besteam Christmas

My all time favorite Christmas movie is "White Christmas" with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera Ellen.  I have it on a VCR tape, but a few years ago Amanda gave me a 2-disc holiday edition.  Which is a good thing since I start watching this in July, lol.  My favorite scene is the end and I really love the beautiful red and white dresses the girls wear while trimming the tree.  Boy, I wish we still dressed like that today, but that's another whole post topic, lol.  Anywho, I decided to do this weeks Besteam feature based on my favorite movie to get us all in the mood for the Christmas season. 

Freshwater Pearl Earrings



Flower with Coral earrings

First up is my newest Besteam friend, Irith from Riorita. Based out of Israel, I knew I would not find the traditional western Christmas items, but I did find these great pieces. Both would look wonderful with a long, full, and furry Christmas dress. Find her  here
                         
Etsy / Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Website / Tumbler

Sterling Pearls and Crystal earrings

Carnelian Bowtie earrings

 Today is an earring sort of day, and with the large collars of these dresses, necklaces would get lost.  Here are my picks from the shop of Jewelry by Jaynemarie.  She creates gorgeous pieces worthy of that very special woman in your life.  Check her out here..
Etsy / Blog / Facebook / Twitter

Frosted Heart earrings

White Christmas Tree earrings

SandyVern is mostly known for her wonderful soaps, but she does dabble in creating jewelry.  And I was lucky enough to find these earrings to complete my White Christmas theme.  But don't just settle on these 2 examples, check out her shop, and other links here...

Etsy / Blog / Etsy / Etsy

 

Now, if you're an Etsy artist that likes to blog, or a blogger that has a shop on Etsy, come and join the BESTeam ever.  A wonderful group of artisans that supports and promotes each other thru our blogs and other social media.  You can read our team blog here, and check out our team page here.

Debbi