Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Mystery Bling




Today's guest post is from Kim Hammond...

I have many passions in my life and reading mysteries is a big one. My daily commute tends to be over an hour each morning and if I didn’t have my audio books to engage me I am afraid you’d be reading about me on the national news, something like “Deranged Ohioan Goes Postal on Highway.”

Another passion I have is jewelry, or as my three year old daughter calls it, bling. I do not discriminate, I love ALL bling. I used to be a snob and only wore gold or sterling silver, but after becoming a “beader” myself and making some of my own pieces, I have opened my mind and now like and use all mediums. I know some people are allergic to base metals, but don’t let that discourage you. You can just use your own chain on a pendant and wear it longer so it rests on your clothing and doesn’t touch the skin.




Imagine my delight when I am able to combine two of my favorite passions in what I have dubbed Mystery Bling.  This is partly made possible by the fabulous Etsy website. If you are not familiar with Etsy, run, do not walk, to your computer and plug in www.etsy.com. Etsy is an online community of artists in all their glory. WARNING to your wallet: Etsy can be very addictive.





If you’re not crafty you can purchase items ready to use/wear. I will usually purchase something and then modify it with my own touches. I can’t help myself. I’ve always had great luck with my purchases and I’d like to share some great items from sellers that I have experience with.

First up is a seller named Pattie Tierney. Her store is called Ptierneydesigns. I stumbled across Pattie on the Dorothy L website (www.dorothyl.comthat is an online community of mystery lovers. Pattie posted a comment and had a link at the end to her Etsy store. That was several years ago and I’ve been admiring her wares ever since.  Pattie specializes in the most unique mystery related Shrinky Dink items I’ve ever seen. Yes, I said Shrinky Dinks.




Quick history lesson: Shrinky Dinks are a children's toy/activity kit consisting of large flexible sheets which, when heated in an oven, shrink to small hard plates without altering their color or shape. They reached the height of their popularity in the 1980s. Most sets are pre-printed with outline images of popular children's characters or other subjects, which are then colored in before baking. Shrinky Dinks were invented in 1973 by two housewives and the shrink plastic is still available from many retailers and can be used for anything from charms to pins. (Thank you Wikipedia)

Enter Pattie Tierney


She sells fabulously crafted pins, pendants, bracelets, earrings, and more.  Want to make something yourself, just buy the charms and try your hand and a charm bracelet. Need specific charms or want a certain book cover, send her an email. She’s worked with me on some specific pieces in the past.





Next up is a seller called Sparklelab. This fabulous locket is made to look like a vintage Sherlock Holmes book in a beautiful antique bronze color. This is one of the few items I left alone and wear as is and I always get compliments! I haven’t put anything inside it yet. I am thinking of inserting a Sherlock quote though. I just need to decide on the right one to suit me.





This pendant is from NaturaPicta

You could choose from different color metals and different length of chain. There are several different Sherlock pendants in their store. I purchased this one below and began adding my own charms. Nothing too major, but I do like my bling more on the busy side.



You can read Kim's other posts here.

3 comments:

  1. Love all of this jewelry. Great post Kim!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Mystery Playground and Kim for making sure I have little money left at the end of the month .... SIGH ! These are all so great looking. I'm off to bookmark away now. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sorry Pat. I know how you feel. I almost need to get a second job to afford my habit.

    ReplyDelete