A Birthday Wish...

As many of you may remember, we had to put our beloved dachshund down in September. It's been a tough couple of months and today would have been his birthday. He would have only been 6. We miss him very much and maybe someday will once again have the affection of a dog. Right now, it's just our 11 year old cat, Pumpkin. This is a picture of them two Christmases ago. I just wanted to remember Andy today with this post.

On a happier note, I am just a little over two weeks away from my Shecky's Girls Night Out show! I have been working up a storm, and I will include some new pieces in my next post! And a fellow jewelry designer, Annette Piper and I have started up our own ning group for all you artsy people who blog! Please, please join us at Creative Bloggers for a blog ring group that is fun and promotional at the same time!

Jewelry Perfect For Valentine's Day

The annual holiday for love is upon us again. Whether you love jewelry with hearts, or are looking for some hints to give that special someone, I've found some pretty pieces sure to fit the bill!

First up is a pair of sterling silver heart earrings from iacua. These lovelies are hand cut and stamped with the word Amore. With a price of $48, you'll feel the love every time you wear them!

I just fell in love with this necklace from TheBrassHussy (don't you just love that name?)! Two hearts are joined on this vintage brass pendant and it's completed with a vintage resin heart. It comes with a the chain and is a steal at $18!

If rings are your thing, then how about this beauty from Nafsika? A sterling silver band is accented with red enamel hearts. You will always cherish this gift of love, with a price of $60.

These unique earrings are made by Kristin Perkins Glass Jewelry. She makes the glass and then suspends silver hooks into them, which she also makes! They are available in all sorts of colors and come with a price of $38.

Lastly, if you're looking for something a little more personal, try this bracelet from the Simplyuboutique. For $28, you will receive a sterling bracelet with an initial charm, a key and heart charms, and some Swarovksi crystals. What a pretty way to say I Love You!

I hope I've given you some choices to make Valentine's Day extra special! You can show your love every day of the year with this beautiful jewelry!

Originally published at Beautiful!Fabulous!

A New Era

It's official, we have a new president! I am not overly political, but I do care about certain issues a great deal. This was one election that I followed pretty closely. I am so thrilled to see what Barack Obama will do for our nation! It truly is a historical event to have our first black president elected into office! I wish him much success as I feel he has some fresh new ideas he will bring to our country.

Now, onto Michelle Obama. Since she stepped into the spotlight, Mrs. Obama has shown us she has style! Since jewelry is my passion, I have noticed that she has brought back something that has gone out of fashion, and that is the brooch. She has also been spotted wearing bold and layered pearls. I have a design I think might just be perfect for Michelle to wear! For more on Mrs. Obama's jewelry style and how to get it for yourself, check out my article at Beautiful!Fabulous!

It's Been A While...

Since this is my first post of the New Year, I hope everyone is having a great start to 2009! I unfortunately did not! I came down with a terrible cold and was in bed most of the first official weekend of the new year. It took me a while to get motivated again. I spent last week ordering tons of new supplies for my spring line! I am excited to start creating some new pieces and I hope to share some with you soon!

I updated my site yesterday with a great new pair of earrings just in time for Valentine's Day. Pictured above is the Amour earring. They are made with Garnet quartz, freshwater pearls, and tiny garnets all on gold-filled ear hooks. Right now I am having a 15% sale in my shop just to get you in the mood for the upcoming holiday! That's all I have for now, but be sure to check out my article on Valentine's Day jewelry at Beautiful!Fabulous! There are some great finds!

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009!

I had hoped to write before Christmas, but the last minute craziness took over! I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! We enjoyed festivities on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. My family gets together the night before to have dinner and exchange gifts. Chloe and I always manage to make out very well! Here she is with some of her presents:

As you can tell, she's very into Disney princesses. Since getting this Cinderella dress, she insists on wearing it all day long, every day! I do take it off for bed, however. Notice the pink computer she got? That's because she loves mine so much, my mom thought she needed her own. Great idea! Here is the princess Christmas morning when she opened her presents from Mommy & Daddy:

To carry on with the princess theme, we got her a playhut. This is because she is obsessed with playing hide and seek, and I knew she would love to hide in here. Now I'm sure you're wondering why she has a pink dress on instead of the blue one in the previous photos. Well, she got a Sleeping Beauty dress on Christmas day from her Nana & Papa. Variety!

Here it is the last day of 2008. I hope everyone has a happy and safe new year! May 2009 be wonderful and prosperous!

Busy With Everything, Not Getting Anything Done

Well, what I mean is not getting anything creative done! I've been busy getting ready for Christmas: decorating, baking cookies and entertaining Chloe, that I haven't had time to just sit down and create! With a large show coming up in two months, I need to get moving. Why is it that everytime I try to have a little time to myself, I always wind up doing for others? Don't get me wrong, I enjoy taking care of Chloe, but at the end of the day, I'm kind of exhausted and don't have much left to give.

A few weeks ago I received a very nice award from TiLT Creations, and I'm just getting to post it now. It is the Marie Antoinette award and here are the rules:

Official RULES:
1) Please add the Marie Antoinette award photo on your blog

2) Place a link to the person from whom you received the award

3) nominate 7 exceptional blogs to receive the award

4) put the links to those blogs on your blog

5) leave a message on their blogs to tell them they are the chosen ones!

I have to say it's hard for me to choose, so I am going to give it to all of my readers to post on their blogs! Once you've posted it, let me know, and I'll add your link! As a side note, check out TiLT's etsy shop for some great bags and accessories.

I did manage to get one new item posted on the site. It's my Bloomin' Earrings set which I think would make a great gift ( I can get this sent out right away)! It comes with a brass elongated earwire and 4 sets of czech glass flowers, which are accented with a brass flower bead cap. The flower can easily be removed and switched out depending on your mood! The set includes:

Seafoam green

Amethyst

Topaz

Navy blue

It's on sale! I'm working on creating a bunch more colors, so keep checking back!

The Beginning and The End

I have had so much going on this year, it's sometimes hard to put it into words. I've been overwhelmed at times with being a stay at home mom. I have done so much work for my business to try and get our name out there and gain some more sales. There have been a lot of disappointments, mainly with advertising not working out or some flops with shows we've participated in. I am, however still perservering and am looking for new avenues to further promote my handcrafted jewelry business. I love doing what I do and want to learn some new techniques and really find my true style of design. I've already booked one big show for February, which we participated in last year. Shecky's Girls Night Out is a shopping event that is super fun with lots of great discounts. Check them out if they come to your area! For me, this is the beginning of a new year as I have had to make some major decisions in my life. Without going into too much detail, both my personal life and "professional" life will be going through some major changes I believe.

Another major change is the end of Skwigga-zine. The editor, Missy, started a really great community geared towards independant artists and helping us to promote each other. She put a lot of effort into it, but when life got a little too hectic, she asked me to step in as Co-editor. I was pleased to do so and had started a spotlight on jewelry designers, gained us some more advertising, and wrote a weekly feature on How Do We Get Ourselves Out There? Unfortunately, most of the members died off and weren't participating. Each week I'd post about a member of our Blog-Ring group but only a handful of us took the commitment seriously. I am sad to see it go, but completely understand Missy's decision to shut it down. She asked if I would like to take it over, but my plate is already full and I just couldn't commit to it at this time. With one last Blog-ring post, I'd like to spotlight Kelly from Macaroni & Glue. With the holidays right around the corner, check out her shop for unique and festive designs!