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!

Breaking Bread & Hammering Metal

What do those two have in common? They're both great ways to relieve stress!

I've been baking bread for my family for many years now. In the past, though, I'd always done it in my bread machine. About a year ago, I found a new recipe that required that I do it the *old fashioned* way. And I discovered how relaxing kneading bread can be. If something isn't going well or I'm frustrated by a project, or one of my children (or husband!), kneading bread is a great way to avoid excessive conflict.

But if I don't have time to make bread, I've also found that hammering metal can be equally effective. I've gotten into making chain maille lately, and I really like being able to create my own clasps. And the beating of my hammer against the wire, turning it into a piece of functional art, is a great way to release aggression in a positive way!

It's so nice to turn a negative emotion into a beautiful work of art, be it bread or jewelry!

Be blessed!

My new schtick

My husband calls me flighty, and I'll admit, I'm a little ditzy and absent-minded, but I also enjoy allowing my creative flights of fancy free rein. Lately those flights of fancy have taken me in the direction of fabric, and more precisely, upcycled denim.

Over the summer I saw a bag my sister had made, and my attempt to re-create it let me to use some old jeans that I couldn't bear to part with, but were no longer functional. They were a gift and had sentimental value, so I didn't want to throw them away. I was thrilled to come up with the idea to repurpose them into a fabulous bag. I had so much fun making that one, that I just couldn't stop! Unfortunately, my Kenmore sewing machine just wasn't up to the task. It really didn't like sewing through more than 2 layers of denim. We were having some serious problems. Around that time, I heard about a sewing machine shop closing, so I went in to talk to the sales people about my options. When I found the BabyLock Sofia 2, it was love at first site! The capability to incorporate embroidery into my designs opened the floodgates of creativity. I had so many ideas running through my head it was unbelievable! :)

Of course, finding time to sew, with my kids, husband, opera & my job as a hairdresser, was pretty difficult. Especially trying to learn something new and incorporate it into an already pretty fluid process. Unlike my sister, I'm not big on patterns. Each one of my wallets and bags is created on the fly. I basically sit at my design table and put together an elaborate jigsaw puzzle of denim.

So being able to finish my first embroidered denim bag was awesome! There's so many pre-loaded embroidery designs on my new machine that I haven't even needed to go online to find anything new. I was so thrilled to be able to create something beautiful out of something worn out and useless. And it's so much fun to play with color!

Originally, this first bag was destined for my etsy shop. I even had a name for it: Eternal Springtime in Shades of Purple. But, I love it so much I think I have to keep it! Purple is my favorite color, and I really love how the embroidery turned out. And my first attempt at using hardware in my bags turned out really nicely as well. I love the adjustable strap! And it was amazing being able to take pictures in my basement in the middle of the night with my new photo setup! So many new techniques all coming together at once :)

I've got another bag that I've been working on that I'm planning on calling Celestial Beauty. It's suns, moons and shooting stars in golden tones. Really fabulous. I really want to keep that one, too! :)

Where has the time gone?

Wow! I can't believe how long it's been since I last posted! So much has happened since July.

I think the summer is busy in any crafter's life -- with so many shows andopportunities, it's hard to find time to stay connected online. Why would I want to spend time on my computer when I could be outside enjoying life? :)

I had a really busy summer. I was able to do two really great craft shows. As a hairdresser in my other life, taking a weekend off to do a show is a big deal. I tend to be really choosy about the shows I do. So I was very lucky to find two really good ones over the summer.

The first was at a retirement community for very active, vibrant seniors. It was wonderful to bring our handcrafted wares to them and get to talk to some really wonderful people. The second was part of the annual celebration for a beautiful park here in Pittsburgh on Mt. Washington. The park is on top of Mt. Washington with a fabulous view of the city. It was so inspiring to be there all day just soaking up the beauty of the day and getting to meet some really great people, including a couple of other Etsy sellers. Both experiences were really fabulous!

And, of course, with the holidays coming up, I've got a couple of shows scheduled. I did a really great house party a couple of weeks ago, in advance of the holiday craziness, and I'll be part of the Light-Up Night festivities in Hampton Township, north of Pittsburgh. I'm really looking forward to that!

In all of my spare time, though, I've started a new project: upcycled denim accessories. They're SO much fun to do. I've started repurposing old jeans and giving them new life as denim bags and wallets. It's the perfect way to meld my love of quilting and sewing with my love of recycling.

So between my full-time job as a mom, and all of my various part-time jobs, I've managed to find some time to feed my creative spirit. I think that's something we can all use.

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 -- Daydreem Designs

I'm back! I had to take a little mental health vacation after my show. I don't know how people do lots of shows. I find them exhausting! All the preparation, in addition to the rest of my life, is a lot to do. My kids still wanted to eat. I still had to do laundry and what little housework I do. :) And on top of that I had to create a ton of new jewelry! But luckily, I did well at the show, so all the extra work was worth it. I'll have some photos of everything a little later.

My Etsy shop has been doing well, also. I've been making a lot of trips to the post office. I recently mailed my first package to Australia! That was really exciting. :)

My most recent trip to the post office led me to meet Aimee of Daydreem Designs. I was at a stop sign behind her and saw her Etsy shop address on her back window -- what a great idea! I wrote it down so I could check it out when I got home, not realizing that we'd be in line together at the post office! It's always so awesome to meet local Etsians!

Of course, we exchanged cards and I checked out her shop when I got home. She and her fiance, Michael, are the genius behind Daydreem Designs. Michael creates beautiful engraved glass and carved wood. Exquisite goblets and shot glasses, votive candle holders and decorative glass bowls. Such beautiful work! And what a nifty gift idea for any holiday. I simply adore the halloween stuff. :) And what better way to warm up on a cold winter day than with a mug of hot cocoa in a mug engraved with snowflakes? :) Now I know where to shop for my next wedding gift, father's day, anniversary...

Be blessed! :)