Happy Birthday Freddy J

Our precious jewel Freddy J is 2 years old today. Happy Birthday Freddy and Happy Day You Became Parents to Becky and Dennis. I think that time passes more quickly watching my grandchildren grow than it did with my own girls.

I remember the day he was born seeing him take his first breaths, how proud and delighted his Dad Dennis was, how exhausted and happy his Mom Becky was.

His Grandpa's Fred and Jimmy were bursting with pride at the little mite being named after them. Fred in fact was in Yankee Stadium watching his favorite team win when he got the call. Many congratulatory beers were purchased in the upper deck that day!
Freddy has grown so much. He is quite the little man now. He has always been energetic but it is hard to keep up with him these days. He loves his family, his dog Harley, the outdoors, his books and his puzzles. It is fun seeing his language skills and all of his talents grow.
He is quite the little prankster and loves to hide and play jokes on his family.

We love you little boy!

Seaglass Jewelry Sale

School's out for the Summer so Vacation time is officially here! Whether you vacation at the beach , plan a trip to the mountains or Staycation in the comfort of your own back yard The FamiLee Jewels has just the fashion accessories you need.

For the month of July all of our pearl, seaglass and shell jewelry is on sale for 15% off.

Seaglass, also known as mermaids tears, are the jewels of the beach. This glass is found along oceans and large lakes and has been tumbled smooth by the sand and surf creating a soft frosted appearance.

True found objects, pieces of sea glass are jewels created from litter by the action of the environment.

Shop The FamiLee Jewels at our weekend kiosk At The Warehouse 20 Learned Street Albany New York or online at http://www.thefamileejewels.etsy.com/ .

You can also contact Becky, Bonnie or Ella with your choices and we will be sure that they are delivered to you.

Check back frequently as new items will be listed daily.

Wow! We're double dippin!!!!

Fred and I got home from a July 4th weekend camping trip to find that The FamiLee Jewels have been featured in 2 new treasuries.

RoughMagicCreations is an Etsy jewelry vendor from coastal Maine. Her shop is full of beautiful jewelry featuring gemstones, pearls, crystals and copper wire. Rough Magic says of her work:

My handcrafted jewelry reflects not only the natural beauty that surrounds my studio and the independent spirit of Downeast Maine but also the essence of "Rough Magic" which inspires all my creations.

Rough Magic has featured Bonnie's Beach Coral found object necklace, in her treasury titled LaVentura, a lovely collection in copper and cream with black accents. Thank you Rough Magic for including us in such a lovely work of art.

Stacie Williams of Azoho is the creator of the second treasury titled Metal and Green. Stacie is an etsy jewelry vendor from Florida and a fellow member of the Starving Artist's Team on etsy. Stacie's work in sterling silver and gemstone beads is both rustic and organic. My particular favorites that she makes are her hoop earrings. Stacy says that creating things with my hands helps me find balance in my life.

Stacie featured Bonnies Lime Green Resin and brass necklace in her treasury. Thank you Azoho! Green is my favorite color. I love the way you blended the different shades of green with the neutrals of metal.

Let's go to the Beach

Beautiful!
Erika Price of ErikaPriceDesigns has made another fantastic Etsy treasury which features The FamiLee Jewels. I think she knows the Jewels well because her Treasury is titled Let's Go to the Beach!

One of Bonnie's aquamarine seaglass necklaces is featured!

This is a timely treasury because for the month of July, The FamiLee Jewels will be offering 15% off all of our beach glass and beach shell jewelry as well as our fabric bangles.

Purple Mountains and Amber Waves

The FamiLee jewels have been included in an Etsy treasury west.

Bonnie's Ruby Sunset bracelet has been been featured in Purple Mountains and Amber Waves by etsy seller Psalm104photograpy.

Psalm104photography's shop holds beautiful images for sale as photographs or as digital images for your personal use. I am particularly fond of the wide open spaces in her beach pictures, my favorite being rustic beach chair. It reminds me of vacationing at Sandbridge.

Thank you for including us in your lovely collection!

Copper

Copper, as bright as a newly minted penny or as verdigrised as the Statue of Liberty, has long been used as an ornamental metal. It enjoyed a popularity in the 1970's when it was valued for it's natural color, earthy quality and it's healing properties. Today's high precious metals prices find it making a comeback in handcrafted as well as manufactured jewelry.

Copper is one of only a few metals that occur naturally as an uncompounded mineral.

Native copper, that which is found not chemically bound to another element is still found in mining regions. These native specimens are not plentiful enough for commercial manufacturing use but are valued as ornamental pieces.

The layer that is formed on copper due to oxidation with exposure to air provides protection against corrosion. This layer begins as a dark copper color and enriches to a deep chocolate brown. Oxidized copper often exhibits a verdigrised patina which is actually a layer of copper carbonate.

In the United States copper is mined in Michigan and Arizona. It also occurs in large quantities in Germany, Russia and Australia.

Coppers discovery is dated at around 9000 BC in the Middle East. The oldest known copper work is a pendant found in what is now Northern Iraq that is dated to 8700 BC.

Prior to that time gold and meteoric iron were probably the only metals used by humans.

The Egyptians used copper widely and discovered that by adding tin to copper, creating bronze, made it easier to cast. By 2500 BC this knowledge had spread to Europe and was so widely used that this era became known as the bronze age. Pre-Colombian Americans used copper for decorative purposes as well as for weapons and armour. This use developed independently in the America's around that same time.

Random Copper Facts:

Copper is associated with the Goddess Venus in mythology.

Copper is a conductor of electrical energy and heat. It is believed by spiritualists that it also conducts spiritual energy between individuals and crystals.

Copper is believed to hold healing powers for the mind and body. It is considered particularly useful in relieving the wearer of joint pain, increasing self esteem and freeing the wearer of mental burdens.

Copper is considered a lucky metal.

Some people experience a green stain on their skin when wearing copper jewelry. This phenomenon is related to the body chemistry of the wearer and is due to the acidity of a persons perspiration. These stains can be washed off with warm soapy water or they can be left on the skin so that the copper may be absorbed overnight.

Copper is bacteriostatic. Doorknobs that contain copper will disinfect themselves of many bacteria. The anti-bacterial properties of copper are effective against many common and antibiotic organisms. Copper tubing used in air conditioning systems has been found to suppress Legionnaire's disease.

Copper jewelry is quick to tarnish but is easy to clean and restore to it's original appearance.

The following cleaning instructions are recommended by EHow editor Nicole Harris.

Make a solution out of warm water a few drops of lemon or lime juice and a tsp of salt.

Dip the tarnished copper jewelry into this solution and soak for 3 minutes.

Remove the jewelry and rinse thoroughly. Repeat if some tarnish still shows.Use a jewelry polishing cloth to finish cleaning the copper jewelry and to clean around any gemstones. You can also use the polishing cloth to keep the luster bright on your piece between cleanings.

3 Etsy treasuries in one week!

Wow! The FamiLee jewels have been featured in another fantastic Etsy Treasury this week.

Erika Price of Erika Price Designs is an Etsy seller and fellow Starving Artist's team member.

Erika is a jewelry artist from England that designs in Lamp work beads and sterling silver. Her beautiful pieces are instantly recognized on etsy as she photographs all of them on the keys of her piano.

Erika creates jewelry for the love of the craft and donates all of her profits to charity.

You can see Erika's beautiful work in her etsy store at http://www.erikaprice.etsy.com/ .

Erika featured Bonnie's Lime Resin and Brass necklace in her treasury I Love Lime.

Thank you Erika for including us in such a lovely and lively collection.