Happy Birthday to Me! :)

Well, I'm coming up to the 10th anniversary of my 29th birthday soon, and I thought that a nice way to celebrate would be to have a giveaway! And since this is my 10th anniversary, I thought I'd give you 10 days to enter to win this fabulous 14K gold freshwater pearl & crystal bracelet!

How do I enter, you may ask? Easy! And there are lots of ways to increase your chances, too!

1. Become a follower of my blog, and leave me a comment telling me you do so (or that you already do!)
2. Go to my Etsy shop and heart my shop and then come back here and tell me what your favorite item is (go ahead and heart it, too!)
3. Tweet, blog or Facebook about my giveaway. And then come back and tell me about it (noticing a pattern?)

Extra credit:
4. Follow my personal blog. Not much about jewelry there, but some pretty funny stories about my kids & how I feel about the mess the government's gotten us into. :)
5. Make a purchase from my Etsy shop. And if you do, there's a handy dandy coupon code for free shipping! Of course, if you use the coupon code, you need to be a follower of my blog(s). Use the code FOLLOWFREE from 3/14 - 3/24 (domestic shipping in the US only).

Now, don't forget to leave me a comment to let me know everything you've done so that I can tabulate all of the entries into the giveaway. Unfortunately, Facebook comments don't count. Sorry! :) You don't need to make a purchase to be entered into the giveaway, but if you do, imagine what a happy birthday I'll have! :)

So good luck! I'll post the winner on my birthday, 3/25. :)

Be blessed!

Fabulosity -- Jabecca Designs

I recently opened a second shop on Etsy -- The Diva's Destash -- for all of my extra stuff. So far it's just fabric, but I've got a ton of lace that's ready to get added soon. But looking through Etsy for stuff to replenish my stash has lead me to a treasure trove of destash, and that led me to Jabecca's Designs this week.
I was looking for beads, because you can never have too many beads, right? :) I got a great deal on beads from Rebecca's stash, and discovered a fabulous jewelry designer.She does a lot of stuff with hemp macrame, which is such an underused art. It really adds an earthiness to her designs. And I love the combinations she uses -- colors that I wouldn't think to use together just flow seamlessly in her work. Everything just feels natural and organic.
Take a look! I think you'll love discovering for yourself a new artist with a fresh eye for design.

Be blessed!

Fabulosity -- Judy's Designs

I have met some truly wonderful people through Etsy and Twitter. I had no idea how much work goes into promoting yourself when I first started my Etsy shop! Luckily, I found a group of like-minded artisans called World Wide Etsy Sellers, and through them, I met Judy, of Judy's Designs.
As a jewelry designer, I love looking at other people's work. It gives me ideas and inspiration for my own jewelry designs. And I love to look at Judy's designs. They're really fresh and original, and they inspire me to think outside the box. She does wonderful things with color and natural elements, and I love the look of her jewelry. It feels really authentic. It's bold without being excessive or over-the-top. And the colors just pop! :)
Take a look and see for yourself. I think you'll like what you see!

Be blessed!

Fabulosity -- Maudies

I love beads. Something about them speaks to me. And I love lampwork beads. Each bead is just a little bit different. You can find some really nifty ones in stores, but they're nothing compared to the true individuality of hand crafted beads like the ones Ann creates for her Etsy shop, Maudies.

I literally stumbled upon Maudies a couple of months ago and was delighted to find that her beads were not only beautiful, but affordable! As much as I love lampwork beads, I can rarely afford to indulge my passion. Not so with Maudies! And just because her prices are low doesn't mean that her quality or workmanship is lacking. Everything that I've ordered from her has been wonderful! And she's a dream to work with on custom creations. I love everything I've gotten from her, and can't wait to get my next order in the mail! :)

Be blessed!

Fabulosity -- The Quilted House

When I started this blog feature, I thought about all the fabulous Etsy sellers I've met in the year I've been selling online, and the first person that came to mind is my sister, Michelle, of The Quilted House. But I wanted to wait until she finished my custom big sis tote, created entirely from fat quarters from my personal stash. She promised she'd have it done before I went into the hospital to have my thyroid surgery, and when she makes a promise, she delivers!

But beyond the relationship we have as sisters, she is a truly talented quilter, and her work is phenomenal. The detail that she puts into her quilts is unparalleled. I feel truly blessed to have her work hanging on the walls of my home.

She is also an inspiration to me. She challenges me and encourages me with my own Etsy shop. We have challenged each other, along with a couple of friends, to try to list an item every day. That really helps to keep us focused on our businesses and keep our shops fresh and vibrant.

In her shop, she specializes in quirky, quilted items that you would never think of, like picture frames and greeting cards, as well as what you would expect, like hot pads and placemats. But even with these items, the workmanship is exquisite! Every detail is thought of ahead of time, and nothing is too small or trivial to be concerned with. I know that when I order something from Michelle, either from her shop or something custom, that when I receive it, I will be thrilled beyond words!

Fabulosity -- Glass River Jewelry

I absolutely adore lampwork beads. They are all one of a kind, even if they're part of a set, because they are completely handmade. Etsy has quite a few lampwork artists, but I adore the work done with lampwork beads by Vicki, of Glass River Jewelry.

I asked her once if she creates any of the beads she uses herself, and she told me that she doesn't, but she finds them in a variety of places, including Etsy. But what she does with these beautiful handcrafted beads is truly remarkable! I love to browse her shop just to get inspiration for my own jewelry designs. Even though I haven't yet created anything with lampwork beads, outside of seasonal designs, their beauty calls to me. Looking at the amazing creations by Glass River Jewelry will open your mind and heart to the beauty and versatility of lampwork beads.

Stop by and check out all the beautiful jewelry created by Vicki -- you won't be disappointed!

Fabulosity -- Braggin Rights Bath

I have discovered that there are some many wonderfully talented artisans on Etsy, and they need to be recognized as such. So I've decided to share with you some of my favorites!

First up is Tracy, of Braggin' Rights Bath. I met Tracy though my sister and boy am I glad I did! She creates wonderful bath and body products that are to die for! So, for my birthday I treated myself to 3 fabulous soaps, Orange 'n Cream, Aloha Sugar Scrub, and Rose n' Passionfruit. The thing that is so wonderful about Tracy's soaps is that they are created using only the highest quality ingredients, including shea butter, goats milk and real fruit essence. She even uses grated orange peel and crushed almonds for their exfoliating benefits!

But my true joy didn't begin until I received these soaps -- ordered for myself as a birthday gift. They are truly luxurious in not only their lather and exfoliation, but also their moisturizing. And the scent is truly heavenly! My next purchase is definitely going to be her whipped body butters and a jar of fluffy fruity happiness -- foaming body parfait. Could you get more decadent? I also want some of her cupcake bath bombs, not that I ever have time to take a bath.

If you're ever in the market to treat yourself, you can't go wrong with Braggin' Bath -- she doesn't disappoint!

Playing with fire

Well, I've been very busy these past couple of months. I've started selling my jewelry at another retail location here in Pittsburgh: Crafted Treasures, which is in Monroeville at 4366 Old William Penn Hwy. The first weekend of every month there's an open house during which everything is 10% off! Of course, the first weekend of April is Easter, so maybe not. :) But I've been doing very well there. I've been there since the beginning of February and I'm very pleased with what's been going on there. So if you're local, please stop by! :)

I've also been very busy on Etsy. I've been challenged by The Quilted House, Coco's Greenhouse, Just Ice Jewelry, and Braggin' Rights Bath to list an item a day. It's been a great way to force myself to be constantly productive, to keep my shop new and interesting, and make some great new friends! I've also joined my local team, Steel Town Etsy, which is fabulous, and the World Wide Etsy Sellers, which is a fabulously supportive group of people who tweet like fiends! :) I've been working very hard to get more visibility, which is hard since there's so many jewelry makers out there! :)

But my newest line of jewelry has forced me to learn a new skill: soldering. I've fallen in love with chains and instead of buying chain by the spool, I've been making my own with jumprings, which really gives me a lot of versatility. But in order to make them secure, I've got to solder them closed. I'm just wondering how long it will take me to realize that the jumprings are metal and they get hot as well as the soldering iron and the solder itself. I don't know how I'm typing with as many burns I have on my fingertips! :)

But I really am in love with the new stuff I've been doing. It really has a different energy than some of my other jewelry designs. It's lighter and more playful, which is really cool. And i've gotten a lot of really positive feedback from people about it, too. :)