Happy holidays Blogger friends! Use coupon code: mk2014blog for 20% off all items at megankathleen.com and www.etsy.com/shop/MKCharms

New earrings

New earring designs. Coral and pearl. Sapphire and pearl.

It's Been A While...

Hi there! Lots of changes have occurred in the last few months. I will be overhauling both of my shops on Etsy so stay tuned for a big sale in MeganKathleen and MK Charms! This will be a great opportunity to pick up early holiday presents or to treat yourself to something fun. I will post new sale items here and will also have a coupon code available for blog readers.

New ruby earrings!

I found a gorgeous strand of smooth ruby teardrops at the last show I went to and found a great use for them. These will be posted in MeganKathleen on Etsy very shortly (with a much nicer picture).  ;)

New inventory for MK Charms

I'm updating the inventory in my charm necklace shop! Lots of fun new necklaces added. I have also created a "Choose 3" option - choose any three necklaces priced at $16 for $42.00.  :)  I will be adding the same discounted option for $18, $20, and $22 necklaces.

Leather and Stones

I like leather. No, not in a patent, thigh-high boots and a whip way. I mean leather cording with natural stones. Something casual and fun about the two together.

Citrine, natural mother-of-pearl, prehnite, turquoise and bone.

Turquoise, sterling silver, yellow quartz, coral and red adventurine.

Coral, freshwater pearl, sterling silver, bone, agate, and turquoise.

Citrine, prehnite, rainbow moonstone, freshwater pearl, mother-of-pearl and aquamarine.

Quartz, iolite, labradorite, aquamarine, green chalcedony, moonstone and shell.

Freshwater pearl, turquoise, citrine, mother-of-pearl and coral.

One month into 2012...

Happy new year to you. Yes, I know I'm a tad late for that greeting, but the wish for peace and contentment still applies. This year I will continue to post things here and on Etsy. Hmmm... I hear the echo of New Year's resolutions... "post more frequently..." "create something new each week..." :) Here's to keeping resolutions. Cheers!

Happy Almost 2012!

I hope you have had a good and peaceful holiday season so far and I wish you the best of all possible things for the coming year.

I have several new things coming up for MeganKathleen on Etsy and MK Charms on Etsy in the new year so stay tuned for announcements.

Happy 2012 to you all!

Fun on Etsy

For those who don't know much about the Etsy machine, there is a fun part called "Treasury." Here members can group together a series of listings to display to the community. You can pick a theme or just go with what strikes you. Here is my latest one: (yes, I am goofing off...)

Playtime! Treasury by MeganKathleen

Last event of the season!

Local to Ventura County? I will be a vendor at Ascension Lutheran's
2nd Annual "Something Unique Holiday Boutique" this Thursday 12/8 and
Friday 12/9. Stop in and see me!

1600 E. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA

11:00am - 4:30pm both days.

P.S. Both of my shops on Etsy will be in "vacation" mode during the event. ;)

Holiday Sale until December 16th!

Both of my shops will have an ongoing holiday sale until December 16th. All items will be discounted by 10%. Stop by if you are still looking for a gift. :) Oh, and the blog reader coupon will be valid too!

Blog readership coupon code

Upcoming for MKCharms...

I have had requests for a "choose a charm" option in MKCharms. I have been working on photographing the options. Many hundreds of them... Here are just a few, so watch for them in the new year.

Special Coupon Code for Blog Readers...

Both of my shops will have sales for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. All items will be discounted by 15%. For my blog readers, here is a coupon code for an additional 5% off. Use: blogread11

Cheers!

Happy Thanksgiving!

To my American readership, I wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving. To all others, a peaceful winter and holiday season.

I'll be taking a few days to prep and celebrate the holiday with my family. Then my shops will be in full swing on Friday the 25th right on through 'til Christmas. See my blog entry from earlier in the month to find out about holiday promotions in my shops: MeganKathleen Holiday Sales

Early Holiday Sale!

Take advantage of an early holiday 3-day sale! Perfect time to pick up gifts or something you've had your eye on before it's gone. Sale starts Wednesday, November 16th at 12:00am CST and ends Saturday, November 19 at 12:00am CST.

Happy Holidays!

Amethyst Daphne Necklace

Posting!

Or rather, adding new inventory to my shops.

New necklace in MK Charms: Flight Necklace

New earrings in MeganKathleen: Amazonite and Moonstone Juturna Earrings

Holiday promotions!

Staying indoors for the first real rain of the season. More specifically, staying indoors at my computer working on getting more inventory posted. During this month I will be participating in the the holiday sale events on Etsy.

Here's how it works: I will have a promotion for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. My items will be "tagged" as such - that is, you can search using my shop name (MeganKathleen or MKCharms) and items included in the sale will have the keywords "Black Friday Etsy" or "Cyber Monday Etsy." These tags will only be active for the four days of November 25th through the 28th. To go directly, just head to my shops: MeganKathleen for my artisan jewelry lines and MKCharms for my charm necklace line.

Come by and make a list! :)

Something different.

Chatted with a sweet gal at the last event I did. We were talking about our favorite jewelry. She likes to switch out her earrings everyday to match what she wears. Her necklace, however, never changes. It was a little heirloom charm from her grandmother with her initials. I am terrible at switching my jewelry and even worse at wearing my own designs. This isn't because I don't like what I make - on the contrary, I never make something I don't like. I just don't get around to changing out the ornaments. Some days I get it together just enough to not frighten people when in public. But I digress. Back to the jewelry... When I do wear jewelry, I often find that it stays with me for days on end. So I do understand the value in an everday piece. Something pretty, effortless and will go with anything.

Thinking about these qualities, I came up with a new line for my Etsy shop. I have named this section of my shop "Petit Cadeau" - "little gift." The necklaces I design for this line are pretty little accents for everyday. Enjoy!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MeganKathleen?section_id=10488303

I love Autumn.

My fascination with golden colors extends into the seasons. I love living in California. And I love autumn. Some might think those two loves are a little incompatible. This is partly true. Being in southern California specifically, there are few opportunities to see the leaves turn. Every now and again you will see a burst of gold among the evergreens, and well, brown brush, but it can be few and far between. But, I am pleased to say we do have other reminders of the shift from summer to fall. My favorite is coming outside in the morning to a clear sky and a crisp coolness.

A year ago, I had an opportunity to visit a place that does see the leaves turn. I met one of my best friends for a wonderful break in New Mexico. We stopped and took pictures on a drive from Taos to Santa Fe. This one is a favorite. Happy Fall.

Love note.

I have am in the middle of a love affair marked by deep admiration and well, a fair amount of lust. With whom you ask dear reader? With neither a person nor a thing, but with an entire period in jewelry design and fabrication - the Mughal period.

There isn't any way for me to fabricate pieces with the magnificent opulence of jewelry from this period but I did recently find a site showcasing the work of people who can.

http://www.shahjewelry.com/index.html.

Click around the site to learn more about Mughal jewelry and see beautiful examples. This wonderful site is part of Shaw Jewelry - click around that site to see contemporary pieces made by a very talented jeweler in Maine, Sam Shaw.

I admire the amazing use of color that can be seen throughout the period and have tried to capture a little of that feeling in some of my newer pieces. I tend to think my own style is more Western in arrangement, and unquestionably simpler by comparison, but I can't resist creating a sort of tribute to what, I think, is one of the most captivating styles of jewelry ever made.

These pieces will be posted soon in my online shop: www.megankathleen.com