Sneak Peek

I've been busy today photographing new work for Ashley Jewelry and new items for Olive and Aqua as well. Please keep an eye out in both shops as I will be adding these pieces and more over the next few days.
Opal and Coral Studs

















Small Pebble Hoops


















Extra Bead Drops for your Oval Hoops

And for Olive and Aqua
Rose Cut Garnets


















Rainbow Moonstone Cabochons

My Adventurous Day

Apparently I was on the Etsy front page twice yesterday. That is a first for me, and somehow I missed them both. Here are the treasuries, that graced the front page. Thanks to EnveJewelry and HHopper for curating these beauties.





The reason I was away from the computer (for once) and missed the front page, is that I was on an adventure through Denton County with my dad yesterday. We stopped by the immaculately restored historical houses on Carroll Blvd. We toured the beautiful Bayless-Selby victorian house, which was beautiful and interesting. I can't believe I hadn't done that before. I met Bill Marquis, a restoration expert who has done much of the work on these houses. He is quite a character, to say the least!

From Denton we headed north to Sanger where my dad had a meeting with Bob Pew of Woods of Mission Timber. Bob is a really nice and knowledgeable guy and gave us an awesome tour of his place. We got to see his wood drying kiln, and lots of beautiful and unique hardwoods, such as mesquite and cedar. Bob and his employess create some amazing handiwork with these woods, mantels, countertops and much more. If you are a woodworker in the DFW area, you must check out this place.

Last but not least, I spent the evening helping my mom, Connie Akers, tweak her new etsy shop. She is adding pieces on a regular basis, please stop by and keep an eye out for all her new work. Check out this lovely pieced scarf, it is really vibrant and detailed.

Etsy Metal Blog Feature

Head on over to the Etsy Metal blog to see. I'm the featured member today.
Thanks Catherine Chandler for doing the member features!

K Qoi Artisans

My work is once again at K Qoi Artisans Gallery in Rocky Neck Art Colony, Gloucester, MA.
Lindsay, the proprietor, is displaying my Small Pebble Rings, Triple Stack Cuff and a Stacked Pebble Ring. Please stop by and say hi if you are in the area. Here are some pictures of her shop.

Etsy Dallas

Of course, I officially live in Fort Worth, but the Etsy Dallas team was kind enough to let me join their ranks. There is no Fort Worth Etsy street team, so I reached out to Etsy Dallas and am so pleased to be a new member. They are a great group, and growing quickly. Check out members' etsy shops by searching "etsydallasteam" in tags.
The team puts on some great trunk shows and supports local artisans. I hope to take part in some of their goings on in the near future. Check out the Etsy Dallas blog to keep up with everything we are up to.

Etsy Front Page Today

I felt like I had a good chance of making the front page when I saw that I was featured in three treasuries. Well, my instincts were correct and Janos' lovely treasury made the front page this morning. In addition to my satellite ring, Etsy Metal members Experimetal, Mike and Mary and Danielle Jewelry were also featured.

Janos Gabor Varga is himself a talented member of Etsy Metal. Check out his Blind Spot Jewellery shop, his work is amazing. Thanks Janos!

Etsy Metal Charm Swap Complete!

So the first Etsy Metal Charm Swap is finally complete. Thanks so much to the incredible Victoria Takahashi aka Experimetal for organizing this large undertaking. Also big thanks to Beth Cyr for collecting, packaging and sending out everyone's charms. We ended up with fifteen participants, each making twenty charms. There will be five charm bracelets and/or necklaces available for sale in the Etsy Metal shop. Please stay tuned for more info on that.



Charms Made by:
Ashley Akers
Alphabetti SpaghettiBeth Cyr
Disco Medusa
Down To the Wire Designs
ES DesignsExperimetal
Howlin DoggieKismetMaggie J
NY HedyNina Gibson
Nina Dinoff
The Muses Jewels
Sudlow

I'm in three treasuries today on Etsy!

It is always nice to be featured in treasuries, but today is extra special with tree great ones. Thanks so much to Disco Medusa, Blind Spot Jewellery and Jennifer Dennispotter for featuring me in these beatiful treasuries!

Olive and Aqua Update

I have added some new cabochons and beads to my Olive and Aqua supply shop. I also got a bunch of new pearl strands and some coral beads that I will be adding soon.

Etsy Buy Handmade oliveandaqua

Xeno Tees

I came home yesterday to a highly anticipated package. It was two tshirts from Xeno Tees of etsy. Noelle is super nice , and obviously very talented. She prints on American Apparel tees, which is a bonus being sweat shop free. I love her color choices and designs. I got two shirts in the star moss design and will be wearing these a lot this summer.
Check out the close up, the ink is 3-d, so cool!

Thanks so much Noelle, I will be back.

Texas Camping

We just got back from a Father's Day weekend at Mineral Wells Lake State Park. It was really pretty, fun and tiring. We swam in the lake, ate a lot and drove around to avoid the heat. We did a little road trip to Possum Kingdom Lake to check it out (nice, but we liked where we were camping better). I made the dogs swim a little, so they were exhausted. I gave my dad this great card from Anemone Letterpress. Domo Arigato is one of his favorite sayings, so it was perfect.

Here are some pictures of the trip.

Orange

Flowers for my friend in the hospital
Originally uploaded by ashleyjewelry

I'm really into orange right now. I've always liked orange as an accent to turquoise in my jewelry. Turquoise and carnelian or coral or sunstone. But lately I have found myself attracted to orange independently of any other colors. I made this little bouquet for a friend that is in the hospital. I think it turned out quite nicely with store bought roses and zinnias and coneflower from my garden. Check out my orange jewelry and supplies.

Texas Metal Arts

I'm really excited to be participating in this years Texas Metal Arts Festival. The festival is happening in Gruene, Texas September 13th and 14th. My info has been added to their website, check it out. Don't forget to mark your calendar and come out and see me. I will be exhibiting many of my new designs and some one of a kind pieces as well. Lena Marie Eschelle, a fellow Etsy Metal member, will also be exhibiting. I will be camping out in the airstream with my family on the banks of the beautiful Guadalupe river. I am so excited, I better get to work...

Some pieces you might find in my booth:

Sara Westermark

I have to give a big thank you to fellow Etsy Metal member and all around awesome lady Sara Westermark. I have admired Sara's metal work for quite a while now. As you know, I was inspired to open a jewelry supply shop on Etsy this week. Well, I emailed Sara for advice and her thoughts because she has her own successful supply shop called Mermaid Stones. Sara went above and beyond with her advice and support. She is just so nice and helpful and I can't say how much I appreciate her. Please check out her Etsy shops and give her your support.

Here are a few of my favorite piece from her jewelry collection.

Etsy Front Page

6/5/08
Originally uploaded by ashleyjewelry

Thanks to Matilou for including my Satellite ring in this wonderful Robot Treasury. It's on the front page of Etsy right now, which is always exciting. My ring fits right in too, what a good eye Matilou has!

Multi Pebble Ring

Multi Pebble Ring
Originally uploaded by ashleyjewelry

My Multi Pebble Ring is finally a reality. The idea came from customers suggesting that I make my Small Pebble Rings stackable. Well, my first experiment has them all on one band. I may still try a set with three thin bands, but I thought it would be easier to wear this way. The ring features three pebbles of different colors, each with a bezel set gemstone tube riveted to the top. The gemstones are Rohdolite Garnet, Labradorite and Peridot, three of my favorites! The band is a substantial 1/2" wide and has a square or finger shape to it. It is actually quite comfortable to wear. I will be listing this one in my Etsy shop soon, so keep an eye out.

Announcing Olive and Aqua!

I have started a new endeavor, a jewelry supply shop on Etsy called Olive and Aqua.
I am currently stocking the shop with unusual and interesting gemstone cabochons. Handmade sterling silver jewelry findings and beads will be added in the near future.
Please stop by and check out my selection.

Etsy Buy Handmade oliveandaqua