We are now open at www.OdysseyCreations.net or www.BZOriginals.com which links all our items in Odyssey Creations plus all the jewelry in BZ Originals.  This site is independent of Etsy and will be our premier site for all our unique hand made creations.

The purpose of this site is to form a location independent of Etsy that can be more organized combining products that are hand made between the two of us into one location that is more organized and easier to shop.  What is now coming together is a series of Color Collections where you can view bridal silks and accessories, jewelry, brooches, home décor, stained glass, Victorian ornaments and stands all in one location based primarily on color combinations and themes.  This list will be growing, but here are a few:

• Beach Collection
• Blush Cottage Rose
• Golden Topaz
• Marsala Collection (Pantone's 2015 Color of the Year)
• Mulberry Memories (newest)
• Peacock Collection
• Powder Green and Plum
• Pretty in Pink
• Radiant Orchid (Pantone's 2014 Color of the Year)
• Red and White Collection
• Tuscany Collection

Or shop by Season!

• Spring and Summer
• Autumn and Fall
• Christmas Holiday and Winter

These are fun and a great way to see all potential items that go with a color collection. In each item’s description, you will find links that lead you to similar items or you can click on the collection name in list on the left to see all items in that collection and category that you are in. They will continue to be fine tuned and new ones created. You can also go to All Products and see all the Color Collection names on the left there as well.

More items are being added daily so the Color Collections will be growing.  We are very excited about this site and hope you will be too.  Enjoy shopping and please let us know if you have any questions.

Barb & Dave Zinkhan – Odyssey Creations and BZ Originals
Thank  you for stopping and shopping!

 We have our own website open now at www.odysseycache.com.  As it has its own blog so I will be using that blog more than this one.  We are very excited about this move!  While we are going to continue to maintain our Etsy site as well, we believe you will see the following benefits on our new site:

• Much easier to shop with pull down menus offering more fine tuning to key in on exactly what you want!   

• Trims and other similar products can be grouped into one listing so if you have a favorite, you can add multiple colors to your cart without needing to search the site!

• There are pull down menus to sort by price or alphabetically as well as one that keys into tags which function completely differently.  If you are looking for 1/2 inch trim, just click on it in the pull down menu and you will get all our 1/2 inch trim You will also be able to click on 7mm bead in the pull downs to get all 7mm jewelry beads!  Or you can click on a color to get everything in the shop that ties to that color!  (Cool, huh!) 

• Czech Glass will have its own section with subsection for each style, and boy is this category going to be expanding!  We have Tohos and bugle beads coming as well as more CzechMate beads and a much wider selection of Czech beads! The organization of the sections will make shopping a breeze  

•  View all ON SALE items in their own collection and be able to see the compare to price!  

• More frequent sales will be offered and you may find some prices lower as we will not be paying the Etsy listing fees per item or yard and our fees overall will be lower. 

• More accurate inventory numbers are maintained automatically on each color or variation as well (a big plus for us).

• SAVE ON SHIPPING!  Shipping costs are based on the actual cost of the ITEM itself rather than the finished packaged size and an overinflated package size because Etsy dimensions currently does not accept fractions (everything is 1 inch high).  This weight reduction will include 1/2 yard listing being assessed a lower weight value which is not currently possible on Etsy. You will still be refunded anything over actual cost of shipping and shipping materials on either site!  

•  New items will be posted on our new site first and you will be able to see new items in a special section.

 We are still working on getting all of the over 200 styles of beaded fringe listings available in both 1/2 yards and 1 yard. If you need 1/2 of something that is not yet edited, please drop us a note. We should be done with that process by the end of March.


We do not have all our items up on the new site, but do have all of the beaded fringe and most of the trims and some of all other items. 

The current pull down menu offers up to 10 of each item.  You will get a message if there is not enough of the quantity you want, so reduce your quantity requested until you do not get that message. You will also be able to add more than 10 quantity, simply by choosing 10 once, then say 5 again.  We are checking into getting real time inventory numbers available to the public, but it looks like it may be expensive, but that is an improvement we are working on. 

So, we hope to see you there and don't forget to use GRANDOPENING for your coupon code for 10% off your purchase through March 31, 2016 regardless of the order size!  The same discount coupon codes available on Etsy are also available on our new site.

Thank you all for your continued business!  We hope to see you soon!

Barb & Dave Zinkhan
 

New Semiprecious Briolettes

I just got in an order of semiprecious briolette gemstones in a variety of styles, shapes and stones.  Most of these I will match into pairs and sell by the pair.  As we are getting our finished jewelry line and our Odyssey Creations line ready for shows, I may not get these posted until December, but will try to get some on sooner.  I am very excited about not only working with these myself, but also with including them to my Odyssey Cache customers!  It's a step in the direction of increased quality while still being affordable.  Stones include smokey quartz, ruby fluorite, spotted chalcedony, lots of amethyst in different shapes, citrine, aventurine and more.  Stay posted! 

New metal findings

I will have some newer metal findings coming soon to www.OdysseyCache.Etsy.com, including some sterling silver and gold fill.  Most of what you will find on my site is small quantities for those that just want enough to do their project or make one bracelet or pair of earrings.  Larger quantities are often available as well though.  Here is a pair of earrings made from some of the new beads and findings in my shop.

New Products coming

The Paua shell pendants have been so popular, I have ordered some more styles so keep posted.  I don't have pictures of the new ones yet, but here are some of the old ones.  I am also contemplating putting some Bali 925 Sterling Silver earrings wires and links on the site.  I am always looking for new stuff, so keep posted!   Barb Z

Acrylic Beaded Fringe compared to Glass Beaded Fringe

I have many people ask if the beaded fringe carried in my shop at www.OdysseyCache.Etsy.com are glass or acrylic.  I have been purchasing and using beaded fringe for well over 10 years now and have in my personal stock probably 200 types of beaded fringe.  If anyone is telling you their teardrop beaded fringe is glass and they are charging less than $50 a foot, they are mistaken.  I have never seen 100% glass beaded fringe yet unless it is all seed beads. I think they use acrylic on teardrop fringe as otherwise it would be entirely too breakable and fragile.  

If you have priced Czech glass teardrops or briolletes, you will find that they are between $.50 and $1.00 per bead.  Celestial crystal beads are about the same and Swarovski will run between $.75 and $2.00 at most shops per teardrop or briollete.   Thus, glass beaded fringe would have to be hand made and would probably cost about $25 to $35 per foot just to make.  Swarovski would be more like $75 to $150 per foot.  So, to those looking to purchase glass or crystal beaded fringe, I wish you the best, but you would likely have better luck buying the beads and making it yourself than you would finding it. 

Most acrylic beads have shine and luster much like glass.  Acrylic is a very hardened, high quality plastic.  Teardrop ends also provide weight for even distribution and hanging of the beaded fringe.  The better quality the acrylic beads, the better it hangs.  Plastic beads or beaded fringe without heavier beads on the bottom will often have a more uneven look to the way they hang.  I have certainly found many very nice quality beaded fringe types in acrylic and glass seed beads.

I make Victorian ornaments using beaded fringe (see picture).  I put Swarovski crystals on the ornaments themselves by hand, but when asked if the beaded fringe is Swarovski, I always answer, "If it were, the price tag would have another 0 on the end of it."  Someday I will make an ornament with all hand made Swarovski beaded fringe that I will make myself.  When I do, it will indeed another 0 on the end of the price (or I will just keep it).

Happy days and thanks for stopping in!

Love Summer

I love summer, and need to do some gardening today before it hits 94 degrees, but I know that summer means that fall is just around the corner!  Fall also means shows for me as we have 3 of them in November and October and it is all I can do working full time at my regular job and about 30-40 weeks on my Etsy businesses to get  products ready.  I still haven't made all the fun summer shell necklaces I wanted to make and here I need to be thinking about fall stuff.  Conflicted!  Love the summer shell collections I put together for Odyssey Cache, but have some great beads for fall - check out these new Harvest Stone Jasper Beads and 4mm Italian Onyx Beads just posted on Odyssey Cache - got to use some before they all sell!   Guess I better get busy!.