Doing the Front Page of Etsy Happy Dance!

We received a happy email from http://www.statsy.org ! Statsy is a great website for Etsy sellers, and will inform you if one of your items is featured on the front page of Etsy if you sign up for their Featurator right here: http://statsy.org/featurator.php It is delightfully easy to sign up and I recommend it to all our Etsy friends!

Our faux pearl necklace was featured on the front page and we're thrilled to pieces! A great big Thank You to the person who selected it. This pretty necklace also happens to be on sale!

Who's Ready For Fall? Owl Bet You Are!

I think that most of us are probably a little sad to see summer go, but I'm looking forward to so many wonderful things about autumn! I've already made my first batch of chocolate-chip pumpkin cookies. Overcast skies take me back to happy childhood evenings spent with grilled cheese sandwiches and Disney cartoons. Thanksgiving gives us a special day to focus on how much we have to be grateful for, and the leaves have already begun their carnival of color-changing!

What are your favorite things about autumn?

Yay Coupons!

Yay Coupons!

Here at the ShinyGoLucky house we are always on the lookout for a good bargain. When we raid a Michael’s craft store, you can be sure that we check our receipt for a coupon!

We waited until we got an excellent one, and then it was time to go shopping!

We purchased this nifty set of jewelry-making tools. They come in a case, and the underside of the container is full of little dividers. We’ve organized a lot of our beads in it (and our living room table is grateful!).

Here’s the best part:

Fifty.

Percent.

Off.

Woohoo! It’s hard to find something more fun than jewelry-related goodies, but half priced jewelry-related goodies are even better!

That Quarter-Machine Feeling

One of my earliest memories of jewelry is the surge of excitement I’d feel when a parent gave me a quarter in the supermarket – I could try my luck with a quarter machine and maybe take home a treasure!

I would stare into the machines, scanning the little plastic containers for what they actually contained (as opposed to the cool stuff always displayed in front). I carefully made my machine selection, put in my quarter, turned the crank, held my breath, and waited for the metallic “clink” that meant my new item, whatever it might be, was ready and waiting. The moment before I checked was the most magical one of all. I might find almost anything inside!

Sometimes it was a cheap friendship bracelet. I remember getting gaudy plastic rings with huge stones. Every now and then, I would get something wonderful.

It’s been years since those days, and now it takes a bit more to catch my eye. Still, I love chasing down that feeling: a treasure might be waiting.

Estate sales, second-hand stores, and beyond are the new places where that sense of victory waits (and the let-down of a “wasted” afternoon from time to time, it’s not a perfect system). The thrill of the hunt, I guess!

When you set out to search for treasures, what catches your eye?
Big Sis

Catch Us, We're Fainting!

Our first two sales in two days - we are thrilled!

Younger SGL Sis - Out of boredom I decided to look at our Etsy page and check views, when suddenly, one of the featured items was a blank spot. I thought it was just slow to load, but then I noticed that we had had a sale! I screamed for the older SGL Sis, and we stared for a few moments in shock. The next day (today) we got the payment and mailed it at the post office, happy that we had sent off our first item. Then something even better happened!

Big Sis - That would be Sale #2! Needless to say, we are both very happy to see Shiny Go Lucky taking off and look forward to bringing you more great items.

To celebrate, we took some photos of a vintage necklace with a wonderful new prop of ours. These fun faux pearls are now available in our Etsy shop, and our little column is proudly keeping watch over our inventory.

Our Interview at Lefthand Madens

Lori of Lefthand Madens is featuring an interview with the Big Sis at ShinyGoLucky! You can read my interview about being a left-handed crafter there, along with many other talented artists sharing what it's like in the world of southpaw arts and crafts! Be sure to check out her awesome blog!

http://lefthandmadens.blogspot.com/2009/06/lefty-artisan-interview-43-shinygolucky.html

Step Away From the Donut! Cameos are better!

Brave Younger Sis got up early and went to the opening of an estate sale last week, skipping breakfast. Address in hand, she combed backstreets looking for the place. It was easy to spot thanks to the crowd forming!

Sale-goers signed a clipboard as they arrived and were given numbers based on their order. Getting up early and skipping breakfast won her the coveted #40 position in line, LOL!

When they didn't open on the hour as they had advertised, the crowd started getting antsy. The sign on their front lawn stating that they wouldn't be held accountable didn't make Younger Sis (an intimidating 5'5" tall) feel any better. But eventually they opened up and prevented any bloodshed.

#40 got in maybe 5 minutes into the opening, and immediately started trolling for vintage jewelry. There were no prices, and bless their hearts, the people in charge were nowhere to be found. Eventually Younger Sis found a jewelry drawer filled with cameos, and knew she had hit the motherload. As she was selecting which ones she wanted to buy, they announced free donuts in the driveway. Dad tried to make her go grab one, but Younger Sis stood firm, and bought her cameos. She then went home, ate some microwaveable concoction, and took a nap.

There were no donuts for breakfast that morning, but Younger Sis brought home some treasures. This cameo and two others from the same sale will be available in our Etsy shop soon!

Our Three Musketeers Series Revealed!

A girl doesn't generally wind up with five copies of a book unless she loves it very, very much, so it's small wonder that Big Sis got the idea to create three necklaces based on Aramis, Athos, and Porthos, the three musketeers!

Like Dumas' characters, the necklaces are very different from each other. The Porthos necklace features a bold shield design, the Athos necklace a touch of elegance with upcycled faux pearls, and the Aramis necklace's rich, multicolor beads draw in the eye with a hint of mystery. With all their differences, each necklace features the Fleur de Lis, a famed symbol of France.

The Porthos necklace is already available in our shop. Athos and Aramis will be uploaded soon.

We're thrilled to bring you this series. All for one and one for all!

A Very Big Hint!

When we said exciting things were coming, we meant it! We have a new project (or three!) in the works for you and they'll be premiering on Etsy very very soon!

By the way, Big Sis has five copies of "The Three Musketeers" and they are all in storage. We made a special trip to the library, one of our favorite places anyway.

Younger Sis also found some GORGEOUS pieces we can't wait to bring you.

Until next time, keep shining!

Our New Blog and Why We Love Estate Sales

Welcome to our new blog! Exciting things are afoot for Shiny Go Lucky and we want to be able to share them with you.

We are a pair of sisters in our early twenties who hail from Southern California and recently started selling stuff on Etsy to earn some extra money on the side. We sell handmade jewelry and vintage items, and although we're still waiting for that first sale, we've got some more exciting pieces in the works.

Last week we spent some family bonding time at an estate sale, where we located a gorgeous vintage pearl collar. The girls of days gone by could really get their bling on, and we're thrilled to have this classy little wonder available in our Etsy shop!

Since this is our first post, it seems like the perfect time for us to introduce ourselves!

I'm the Big Sis! I love jewelry, my jewelry box is like a costume box (and who doesn't love dressing up?) I've had friends, roommates, and my Younger Sis all come to me when they need to accessorize outfits for costume parties or Halloween. In this way I've loaned jewelry to a sorceress, a fortune teller, and more, LOL! I also love vintage items and have spent hours staring at old jewelry and pocket watches in glass displays. I made jewelry years ago and am now kicking off a personal beading renaissance!

I'm the Younger Sis! I've definitely got the darker taste between the two of us, and so any way-out-there pieces will be from me. :) I'm the girl known in my circle of friends for having the goods necessary for an instant zombie costume. Lately I've been developing a good eye for vintage pieces, and am excited to start expanding on that horizon. What else? I'm a pirate as opposed to a ninja, Team Jacob, and sell stuff on Craigslist to help fatten my wallet.

Keep your eyes open for new developments from us!