First, let me send out some birthday greetings. Cathy, editor of BeadStyle magazine, and my sister Alice shared a birthday this week, so I want to say happy birthday to both of them. And speaking of celebrations, I'm in a bit of a celebratory mood. We're less than a week from Ornament Thursday, where a group of us create projects based on a theme and and post them on our blogs. The preview for this month is already online and it's from one of the "gems:" Melissa Lee. I don't have a whole lot of time left to figure out what my brew-themed project will be, but being in Milwaukee (Brew City), coming up with brew-themed inspiration shouldn't be too difficult.

The gems have been a busy group this week. Let's check out what they're up to.

About.com Jewelry Making
Mixed-Media is still a very hot topic in the jewelry making world, as evidenced by two recent book reviews posted at About.com Jewelry Making.

Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts
Another Marketing Monday and Barbe talks about what is involved with creating a line sheet.

BeadStyle Magazine
Stacy shares her story about working with the jewelry designers who contribute to BeadStyle magazine -- could you be next?

Carter Seibels for Divali Glass Jewelry
It's the beginning of the busy season, and Carter has new designs to share!

Clear Resin Silhouettes
Carmi lets her image stand alone in a clear resin ice cube.

Jennifer Jangles Blog
The new studio is finished

Jewelry & Beading
Learn one of the foundational skills of jewelry making: the wrapped wire loop

Katie's Beading Blog
Tune in this Thursday to hear Katie as a guest expert on CNBC's The Big Idea. They're profiling the inventor of a new game called Bead Trade.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's Beading to be done!
Jean finds a lot to like about the fun book by Karin Buckingham, Altered You!

Strands of Beads
Melissa reviews a book of grace, style and wit - Links by Jean Yates