OK, so I have written about my love of old-school video games before (particularly Pac-Man and Super Mario Bros.). Add Tetris to that list. Had it on the GameBoy, played it in the arcade incessantly, and I think I even own a version that can be played on the iPod Touch.

Imagine my delight when I saw these:

Best. Idea. Ever.

These are fused glass pendants in all kinds of colors and Tetris shapes, and you can find them at Canadian shop Urban Fusions. Jen is the gal behind the shop, hand-cutting, assembling and fusing all kinds of glass goodies.

Besides the totally retro Tetris pendants, you’ll find other kinds of jewelry, cufflinks and even belt buckles at Urban Fusions. Here’s just a tiny sampling:

Maybe you’ve started doing some spring cleaning and come across some clothes you haven’t worn in a while. And maybe you’re looking at these clothes and thinking to yourself, “Gee, I wish I had some accessories that go with these clothes.”

Or maybe in the process of doing spring cleaning, you’ve taken a bunch of things to charity (bless you if you did!) and now you’re jonesing for some new stuff.

Or dang it, maybe you just like jewelry.

If any of the above applies, you might want to check these out:

These pieces are from AlmondTree, a jewelry maker based in Singapore.

If you’re a fan of wire work or soldered pieces, this is the place for you. There are all kinds of different pendants and earrings using both techniques. Stained glass or brightly colored glass cabochons are often featured with the wire and soldered pieces. And some of the airy wire work is nice (like in the black pendant above), giving pieces an added dimension.

AlmondTree also works with polymer clay — check this pig cell phone charm out — and with Japanese papers.

There’s a wide variety of jewelry in the shop, and you’re sure to find something for everyone there.

It’s one thing to paint big, pretty pictures, but painting small, pretty pictures is an awesome skill:

They’re all little works of art! And wearable! Become a walking gallery and pick up a few pieces from Binding Twine.

Each piece is one of a kind, and many pendants are hand-cut and hand-painted. You’ll find a lot of nature-inspired things — flowers and trees and birds — but there are also pretty patterns and even a set of ribs. The detail in each painting is exquisite, all the more amazing since many pieces are less than two inches square.

Sometimes, you’re just looking for that perfect jewelry accent to go with your casual wear. Nothing super blingy and super shiny. Maybe something cute but low-key.

How about a pretty art wood/decoupage necklace?

You’ll find these and a lot more at Earth Expressions. The pendants are decoupaged onto wood and coated with resin to make them shiny and durable. A whole range of designs can be found in the shop, from Japanese papers (like this pretty blue floral pendant) to animal and bird motifs and even skulls.

Even the boxes the pendants come in are pretty! (If you click on a pendant listing, you will see a picture of the box.)

You even get a choice of stringing material — leather, organza ribbon, satin or suede leather cord — so you can nail down the look you want.

There are also copper wire jewelry pieces in the shop if you want something that’s not just square. Like this flower:

At this time of year, when it’s really cold, I like nothing better than my cats curling up in bed next to me, making me feel all kinds of warm.

If you’re a person who loves fuzzy beings, you can show off your love of cats or dogs with this line of jewelry:

These lovely engraved goodies are from The Sleeping Bear, a shop in Massachusetts that specializes in creating silver and brass jewelry, all from their own original molds and patterns.

There are also earrings with paw and other pet motifs, to match the very cool pendants.

And The Sleeping Bear is not just for people! It’s for pets, of course! There are a variety of I.D. tags available, and they can all be engraved by the shop for a small fee.

If you own pets, please, please, please tag them! There is nothing more heartbreaking than losing your pet and not being able to track him or her. Or finding a stray on your doorstep that you know isn’t a true stray and actually belongs to someone, but you can’t figure out who that someone is because the pet is untagged.

So pick up a tag while you’re at it … maybe as a belated Christmas gift to your pet:

Does even looking at food make you really hungry? Do you crave the food you see?

If one of the above situations describes you to a tee, you could be in trouble if you had some of this jewelry:

This awesome (and pretty realistic) food jewelry is from Robin’s Jewelry Box. Robin works magic with polymer clay, resin and a few molds. The results are cute … and mouth-watering.

And of course, there’s another bonus — these goodies are calorie-free! So if you’re all fooded out for the holidays, get your fill with this jewelry. Robin’s shop has all kinds of food for whatever hunger you’ve got. Just don’t become so hungry you eat the pendant.

Oh, and she’s got rings, too — this coffee ring is perfect for the java lover in your life … and there’s no caffeine to keep you up at weird hours.

There’s something so lovely and so mesmerizing about this piece:

It’s such a soothing blue. It radiates calmness. It’s just so darn pretty. And it can be found at PSO Design.

Pam is the gal behind PSO Design, which is based in Eugene, Oregon, and she turns out all sorts of lovely glass jewelry. There is dichroic glass (like the periwinkle pendant above) and lots of really cool fused glass (check out this sterling silver wire-wrapped beauty). Plenty of stripes and other abstract patterns to keep things interesting. And it’s not just pendants — there are earrings and rings too!

And as an added bonus, PSO Design also gives to charity! Pam makes these glass paw pendants …

… and donates part of the proceeds to her local animal shelter (the Greenhill Humane Society). Yay for helping our cute furry friends!

Needle felted jewelry, seen on Etsy:

And by far, one of the coolest pieces of felt jewelry I have ever seen, partly because it is a homage to my favorite video game series of all-time:

All these super-creative goodies are the work of fiber artist Made by Moxie. The shop’s tagline is “needle felted art for the people,” and there is definitely no shortage that here. You’ll find jewelry (in addition to the cuffs, the rings are pretty unique, including a carrot ring and a ring shaped like a round bomb), felt finger puppet creatures and wallets. It’s a wide range of work, all colorful and fuzzy.

There are also needle felting kits for sale, in case you feel inspired to create your own needle-y goodness.

I grew up Catholic, went to Catholic school and the whole nine yards. So I can appreciate many of the foibles of Catholicism, including the fact that there are many, many saints out there.

But I learned something new when stumbling upon the Etsy shop Heaven Help Us. Apparently, there is a saint for just about everything. Check this out:

According to the description, this is St. Charles Borromeo, the patron saint of stomach and intestinal problems and ulcers. Sweet! (Oh, and he’s the patron saint of apple orchards.)

Heaven Help Us carries all sorts of pendants depicting patron saints for all your problems and many professions. You might learn something new too!

Even if you’re not Catholic, ex-Catholic or sort of Catholic, it’s worth checking out just to read the absolutely hysterical descriptions of each saint and pendant.

Looking for something fun, big and cool to wear around your neck? Maybe you should try this:

Or maybe this:

(Apporpriately called the Bold Statement Necklace.)

These creations are from Yvette Designs, a jewelry maker based in Louisiana. Yvette’s jewelry is bold and chunky, utilizing eye-catching pendants as centerpieces. (Like the awesome purple heart in the Heart Wings Chain necklace.)

All these designs are one of a kind, so if you see something you like, you’d better snap it up!

Sorry for the mini hiatus (been sick, out of town, busy at craft shows, not attached to my computer, etc.), but I am back with some very nice jewelry:

This swirly delight is from Leah at Michon. I met Leah at the Pleasanton Craft Mafia’s Art & Craft show last weekend in Pleasanton. She was my booth neighbor. I enjoyed her pieces so much that I bought one! It’s swirly and silvery and pearly too.

Anyhow, Leah not only turns out some nice silver work — from pendants to earrings to bracelets — she also makes some really nice resin necklaces. The resin jewelry sometimes has copper forms in it (like a seashell-shaped thing you can view on her site), to acrylic paint (her husband is a painter) to one cool one that had a piece of a tree branch and crushed eyeshadow in the background (which I can’t find a picture of on her site).

There is some innovative stuff on Leah’s site, so do check it out. Unfortunately, what’s available for sale online isn’t even the tip of the iceberg, but she does provide a list of Bay Area places you can buy her stuff. She will also be at Maven Craft Fair in San Francisco on May 12, so you can see her there.

You can’t own squirrels and elephants (legally, of course … I think), but you can wear them on your neck:

These adorable pendants can be found at imogen’s Etsy shop. The pendants are a mix of resin and plastics.

In addition to the animals above, there are also resin pendants made with Japanese papers, some with nature scenes, and other cute things. They’re very afforable too!