Hand Jive

Welcome the latest in my hand series of charm beads: Live Long and Prosper. This is a Vulcan hand sign that we so often saw the solemn Spock make. It was said that Leonard Nimoy made up the sign, on set, just before that classic series to his homeland. Years later, he let fly that it was a Jewish blessing sign he had seen as a child. Shalom hand. I love that story.

Wear "Live long and prosper" charm bead. It's a little bit treky, a little bit kitch, a little bit of ancient Jewish blessing, and a lot a bit fun.



Peace. Peace, Man. Victory! Hi, I'm here and loving life.

It's the classic peace sign. Does it mean "peace" officially in ASL?

Peace out.

Let them eat CAKE

Yey! I'm happy to announce the release of happy cupcake charms! Cherry on Top and Crown topped.

Let us also celebrate that the photos are now watermarked. The European beads market happens to be a little competitive. Knock off companies will not only take my designs and copy them directly, they will also snag my photos for use in sales. Talk about lack of creativity. As serious as that sounds, I don't worry about it, or spend time looking to see who's got what. I'm full of new design ideas, and always moving forward. Creative, positive minded people rock, right? LOL!

I'm posting them in the store now. Enjoy!

Fantasy Series - pandora style beads for charm bracelets

Inspired by folk takes, I designed this series of Fantasy charm beads. Everyone has a bit of magic in them, they may simply need reminding........






The Frog Prince has been arrested? What's the rap? Can he still wear his crown in jail? I think the King will bail him out shortly. He is a real prince after all..... he just needs one simple kiss. Is that so hard to come by?

Don't worry, it's only the size chart photo.



The Wishing Well. Did you know that tourists throw just under 3 million pounds per year into wishing wells? (In November 2006 the "Fountain Money Mountain" reported). Clearly wishing well beliefs are still getting high marks in our modern day world.

I had a wonderful time researching the history and symbolism of wishing wells for this design project. Would you care to learn more? Read on.

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From the Wiki
A wishing well is a term from European folklore to describe wells where it was thought that any spoken wish would be granted. The idea that a wish would be granted came from the idea that water housed deities or had been placed there as a gift from the gods, since water was a source of life and often a scarce commodity.

The Germanic and Celtic peoples considered springs and wells sacred places. Sometimes the places were marked with wooden statues possibly of the god associated with the pool. Germanic peoples were known to throw the armour and weapons of defeated enemies into bogs and other pools of water as offerings to their gods.

Water was seen to have healing powers and therefore wells became popular with many people drinking, bathing or just simply wishing over it. People believe that the guardians or dwellers of the well would grant them their wish if they paid a price. After uttering the wish, one would generally drop coins in the well. That wish would then be granted by the guardian or dweller, based upon how the coin would land at the bottom of the well. Traditionally coins were made of copper or silver and had biocidal properties which kept the water from going sour (bacteria produces various acidic compounds which affect the taste, notably Hydrogen sulfide). It was thus lucky to throw coins in the well.

The tradition of dropping pennies in ponds and fountains stems from this. Coins would be placed there as gifts for the deity to show appreciation.

This may be a left over from ancient mythology such as Mímir's Well from Nordic myths, also known as the ¨Well of Wisdom¨, a Well that could grant you infinite wisdom provided you sacrificed something you held dear. Odin was asked to sacrifice his right eye which he threw into the well to receive not only the wisdom of seeing the future but the understanding of why things must be. Mímir is the Nordic god of wisdom, and his well sits at the roots of Yggdrasil, the World Tree which draws its water from the well.
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The Good Wizard. What is the castle or the king and queen without a loyal Wizard at their side? He wields his magic only for the good of the kingdom, of course.

Symbolism: knowledge, magic, education, and goodness.

Visit my etsy store Charmish to see the whole fantasy series: Castle Keep, Wishing Well, Wizard, King (Queen coming soon), Frog Prince, Mushroom, Book. Shop while supplies last.

New Birthstone Series- European Beads Charm Bracelet

New birthstone charm beads available at Charmish! I love the two styles I have in my shop, and wear both on my own bracelet, marking my children's birthday. This is the Pebbles Birthstone style, which comes in all birthstones of course. :-)




Special of the week: $10 off a bracelet with purchase of one bracelet and one bead. It's a great time to start your very first bracelet, or enjoy a second one. They look great in two's and three's on the wrist. Be sure to send me your wrist size in the message to seller's box. We add one inch or 3cm to allow room for the beads.


This gives a good sense of the actual size and detail in each bead. Centimeters on top and inches on the bottom.

New Designs in Pandora Style European Beads

Greetings! Have a look at some of the new charm bead designs in my Charmish etsy store. I'm so in love with European Bead charm bracelets, and the beads are so much fun for me to design. I'm proud to offer fresh, modern, FUN designs in solid sterling, heirloom quality, handcrafted sterling.

This one is Circus Tent. Wouldn't that be fun for a circus fan, urban circus performer, or Burning Man Festi?


I give the size in MM, but here's a clearer idea of how much detail is involved with such a tiny bead.


Rocket!


This is the cutest Scooter! I almost have to have one for my bracelet even though I don't RIDE a scooter!!

Sterling bracelets coming to my shop next week.


Lazer Blaster! This cracks me up. Goes with the Rocket and Robot series.

Big news!!!! Big hole beads!

I am very pleased to announce: I'm now respresenting my own jewelry line, Charmish on etsy. It is a great and unusual opportunity to represent the jewelry that I design for another company. Along with the things I create in my Bliss Monkey Studio, and share with you here, I also spend two days a week working with EuropeanBling and desiging their super fun charm braclets.



European beads are the new wave in charm bracelets and modular jewelry. You start with a gorgeous, thick silver braclet, and collect beautiful, sterling charm beads to go on it. The charm beads come in many styles and themes, so you can tell your life story (with birthstone beads, anniverary momentos, first house, zodiac, etc), collect them to represent special accomplishments (first race, gallery art show, spiritual quest), or collect your hobbies and favorite animals and colors. Our beads are fully compatible with other major brands of European charm beads, such as Pandora, Biagi, Troll beads, and Chamilia.

European style charm bracelets are normally rather expensive. We use the same quality, craftsmanship and materials, but create them with more affordable prices and super fresh designs. I hope you love them as much as I do!