A Debut

Well, I have made it through my first week of Mini Me's school. She might not, but I did. Although, I have to admit I wish school started at nine instead of eight. I am not a morning person whatsoever. And, I think only missing one day of blogging this week has not been bad given my track record for blogging the last couple of months.

On to the debut of something I am really proud of. I thought I would do this today just so you didn't think I had been up to nothing over the summer. Plus, I didn't really have anything else to blog about as my boring life has been even more boring than usual. :)

Drumroll please.......

I would like to present you with my brand new site..... jewelstreetdesigns.com. I finally finished it and launched over the summer. It still needs a few more pieces, but my most popular pieces of jewelry are on there. I plan to regularly update it when I complete new items much like I would do my etsy store. In fact, I still plan to keep my etsy store up and running, but I am going to be devoting most of time to my own site. Let's face it. You can't beat Etsy's built in customer base.

If you get a chance, run on over and check it out. Then you can let me know what you think. There are still a few bugs to be worked out and the FAQ's are coming, but for the most part, it's a done deal. I hope you like it. Champagne toasts for everyone!

You may want to read this...(if you're fast)

So, I was doing my daily bloggy thing the other day and went to visit my bloggy pal, Jenn's, blog. It was full of bloggy goodness but this bloggy goodness was extra special. She told a tale of happening upon her gal pal's blog to find a Pay it Forward post. Yay! What does all this mean? This means that Jenn got a special Pay it Forward gift which in turn means I get a special Pay it Forward gift.



Now let's see how many of you are paying attention today. Because I got a gift from Jenn, I'm going to pay it forward in this post. I'm going to give my first 4 commentors a special handmade lovely from me. Not going to tell you what it is, but you'll get something nice. Here's the catch. If you want something from me, you have to agree to continue the Pay it Forward train on your blog. Just make sure I can get up with you so I can get you your handmade goodie.

For those of you not into Valentine's Day or just want to enter a giveaway, there is a fantastic giveaway going on at the oh so talented blog of Totus Mel. It's a Friday the 13th giveaway. She's giving away a Death's Head Moth magnet and numbered Aceo from Paynesgrey. Look how great these are!



Run over there and get in on the action. Then check out Totusmel's work because she is seriously one talented lady. I would wear one of her tatted masks everyday if I could.

The Anything and Everything Post

Today's post is probably going to be a little all over the place. Don't have much time either as my phone lines are being worked on. After 4 years of complaining and griping, they are going to trench us a new line at their expense. Rock on, business plan!

First of all, I have been dying to do a bloggy swap after reading all the swaps JenSue does and the one Laura just did. Well, here's my chance. The fabulous and most lovely, Mamarazzi, is having a Favorite Things Swap. What you do is fill up a box with $20-$30 of your favorite things and mail it to your partner. Here's an example of things I might put in the box: some sort of elephant cause I love elephants, seeds because I love to garden, copper jewelry because well you know, handmade soap cause I am a soap freak. See? It's going to be so much fun so head on over to her blog and get in on the action. She even links to the swap she did before so you can see some of the things she received last time.

Remember my mad hatter ring? Well, it made it onto the front page of Etsy as well as being featured in the gift guides. Yay! So very excited about that. You can see it in the gift guides here.



My Sego Lily ring and the Mad Hatter ring are both in the Ebsq shows for January so if you are an Ebsq member please go over and vote for my pieces, but only if you like them the most.

One last thing. Don't forget about the $100 giveaway over at i Diet and Fitness. There is still plenty of time to get in on it. Okay. I'm done, and I promise to cut back on all the linking. I think I'm addicted.

P.S. If anyone has troubles with my feed, please let me know. I've recently had to move them, and it's not supposed to mess them up but you never know.

Stand Out Kids' Clothes

My child has a fashion all her own. Much like her mother. She is ahead of her time. She has even asked for a sewing machine so she can play around with making her own clothes. I have not as of yet gotten her one because I have no clue about how to use one to help her out. So, I have resigned myself at the moment to finding shops that will make her clothes for her in the fabric she wants. It's getting harder and harder the bigger she gets.

This shop on etsy, Rozzi's Sweet Peas, is my latest find. She has some of the cutest clothes and uses the most playful fabric. Perfect for the girl with a grown up attitude and likes things slightly out of the ordinary.

She made this for K...(Look at this kid hamming it up!)

How cute is that! It fits perfectly with even some room to grow. K loves the fact that no one else has one just like it in the whole world. This is the next thing I think she's going to want.

Rozzi is a terrific person to work with. Utterly fabulous. Anyone who is willing to take direction from a 9yr old is grade A in my book. My kid's not bossy, but it is going to be her clothes so she should get a say.

Check out her shop for some cute clothes for that kid who wants to stand out.

Artisan Jewelry Review

Another Sunday has arrived. I had fun with last week's jewelry in review and thought I would do it again. It's a nice way to give you some sneak peeks without taking all the fun out of blogging or visiting my blog. I enjoy showing my creations and getting opinions on them, but I don't want to bore you with that everyday. Besides, I have some fun things to talk about later this week.

So, once again, let's start the Sunday Jewelry Review. (I think that shall be it's name here on out.)

Something hot off the presses for the men- Lines Band Ring. A simple copper and sterling hammered ring.

The Illusion Earrings are a perfect for showing off those lobes when wearing jeans or dressing up.

The Off Center Cuff is another simple piece of man jewelry.

My most favorite bangle ever- Honeycomb Bangle. How sensationally modern is this blue bangle?! It's actually copper that has been patina'd. No two will ever be the same.

And, so concludes this week's jewelry review. There are more new pieces in my shop, but I'm saving those for another day. I'm thinking about doing fashion shows for youtube like this as well. Wouldn't that be fun?! If this is your first time to my blog, make sure you check out my giveaway.

I hope you have a beautiful and awe inspiring day!

My Soap Addiction

I love anything to do with baths. No, that's wrong. I'm Addicted to bath products. From soaps to bath pillows, bath bombs and bath fizzies. I think I became so addicted because the only me time I get is bath time when the house is quiet and everyone has gone to bed.

I recently ran across Magic Hands Workshop on Etsy. It's such a lovely shop with her trademark being a hand on her soaps. She has so many wonderful sounding products that it was hard to make a decision, but I decided to try her Queen of the Nile soap and a matching bath bomb.

The wait was excrutiating. Sheer agony, I'm telling you. But, of course, when it arrived, I decided to jump right in the bath after the inmates had gone to bed.

Her bath bombs are huge. Literally, half the size of a baseball. In fact, I decided to cut it in half so I wouldn't have to argue with my daughter who is obsessed with bath bombs. This is a true bath fizzie. You can see it working as soon as you put it in the water. You can feel it working on your skin as well. Plus, it's like aromatherapy. It filled the air and water with a lovely jasmine scent as that's the flavor I chose. And, it didn't leave the tub all slippery. The soap is equally lovely. It lathered nicely and made my skin feel so clean without drying it out. The scent was heavenly without being overpowering.

I want to try some of her body polish, body butter, a sea salt soap, her Isis soap, and a gardenia bath bomb. Maybe not at all one time though. She even carries samples of her body polish and butter if you want to try some scents out or if you just don't have a lot of money to spend.

Jackie is a dream so head on over to her shop and check her out. We all deserve a little luxury and me time once in a while. Let her know I sent you.

Saturday!

So, I am back from the field trip to Baltimore. Let's just say it was not the most exciting trip and would rather have gone with just my daughter and myself. Will blog more about it on Monday, but in the meantime, here are a couple of my favorite photos from the trip.


Today is Saturday, and that means Saturday Night Specials in my etsy shop. The rule with the SNS is to start at 5pm EST, but if you are one of my blog readers, you can start earlier. Just mention "SNS" in the notes to seller when checking out, and I'll send you an updated invoice. Tonight's specials are:

15%OFF when you purchase 1 item
20%OFF when you purchase 2 items
25%OFF when you purchase 3 or more items.

Plus, if you purchase 3 or more items, receive free shipping including international customers!

And remember, all new customers receive a coupon for a return visit. Have a great weekend.

Tranquility

The latest addition to my Etsy shop and ring collection is my Tranquility ring. It's a copper band ring that has been accented with copper tube set sapphires. 5 of them to be exact! I've had these little sapphires laying around for quite some time but never had anything to do with them. I think they look magnificent against the copper.

The ring itself has been formed from copper sheet. The copper sheet was rolled over a copper tube to create a one piece effect. Originally, I had only planned for there to be two smaller tube settings on the other side of this roll, but I changed my mind. I decided there wasn't enough depth. I'm glad I did. Looks better with the three, don't you think? I then set the sapphires in all the tubes including either end of the roll. The name tranquility came about from the blue of the sapphires.

In other news, it's a very dreary day here. So much so, I am missing summer even though it hasn't completely gone yet. I will mourn it until it returns next year which seems oh so far away from now. I do believe I would be quite happy to live somewhere where it's summer all year. So, for those of you who are mourning the loss of summer like me, I will leave you with an original photograph by me to remind you of the joys of summer.

Short and Sweet

I might get this blog back on track at some point in time. It seems to have fallen by the wayside.

Got K's report card. It was all A's and B's, and she brought the grades up that I wanted her too. Yay! Now if I could just get her to care about schoolwork. She used to love to do workbooks and educational software and schoolwork wasn't too bad. This year it's been a struggle to get her to do anything. She's only in the 3rd grade. It shouldn't be a struggle with these teenager issues. Grrrrr.

There's something in my chimney again. I'm a little scared as to what it is. I say something because the bird cage is on the chimney. I even checked it myself. I don't know what it is about my chimney these things love so much. I'm afraid I'm going to get eaten one day by something that crawls out of my chimney. Good thing I have all those remodel materials piled up in front of it.

News at JSD. I was on the front page the other day thanks to Elements by Dawn. Yay! Thank you to the Diva for telling me and taking this fabulous screenshot. There I am on the bottom row in the middle. I also relisted that cuff you see pictured. It seems I have a few things that need to be relisted. I'm just falling more and more behind. I might have to put myself through jewelry bootcamp. All things can be found in my shop.

Orchid and Vintage

I hope the time change, for those in the U.S, is not screwing you up like it's screwing me up. We don't really have clocks in our house other than the ones on the satellite and the computers. The satellites changed by themselves, and we have been too lazy to change the others. The inconsistency is driving me crazy. I keep running back and forth to make sure I know what time it is. I'm forcing Steve to change the remaining clocks.

Well, I decided I did not have enough work to do with my one shop on Etsy and started a second. I have had plans for awhile to do this because K and I have been wanting to start a shop for pottery. We just have to find a good place to put our kilns. I didn't want to wait any longer because I had a name so I opened one up for my vintage things and supplies.


As many of you know, I am remodeling and have found so many vintage items that I have acquired from yard sales, flea markets, and auctions. They either no longer fit my style or I never had the heart to throw them away when they came in box lots and didn't need them. I'm such a hoarder. It's all my father's fault. He's an auctioneer and antiques dealer/appraiser. His house is full to the brim and overflowing. I'm trying to break the cycle.

I've even sold my first item in my little shop which was surprising as I had to wait 6 weeks for my first sale at JewelStreet. I only have two items in the shop right now, but I have a ton getting ready. I'm going to spread them out as we all know that's the best way to do things. My first two items are pictured- a vintage set of 3teacups and a strand of multi-colored two hole onyx beads. I'm getting ready to list a really pretty vintage porcelain horse figurine.

So, stop Orchid Pottery and check out my very bare but up and coming shop. It's kind of fun starting all over again.

Pink Flamingos

I thought I would use these two older pics today as I didn't have a chance to take other pictures because of a very large remodeling project that is going on. I chose these pics for the photopalooza because they are a little exotic even if they were taken at my zoo. Maybe they will inspire you to do an exotic piece or something.

I like pink flamingos, and I don't know why. I think some of it might be the color, and I know some of it is their shape. I just love shapes that their necks can make. it's really amazing. The second pic is of a banana tree leaf. I just love the shape of it, and I like to stand underneath of it and pretend I'm in the jungle. There's not enough good pretending that goes on in the world these days if you ask me.

Well, almost done for today. I will be updating my shop tonight with a new piece of two. So, come by around 10:30EST or so and check it out. Maybe today I will get some work done.

An Experiment with My Camera

So, I'm updating my blog today with pictures for WallCandy's photopalooza. I decided to experiment with my nighttime setting and no flash on my camera while I was driving down the road. These are two of my favorites. Of course, I took about 30 of them to get these.

I will be updating my shop tomorrow night because I am having a very secret sale. I won't be telling anyone except you lovely readers so if you've been eyeing something now is the time to get it. You will not be seeing this sale for a while.

Photopalooza

I am joining WallCandy's blog photopalooza. You can read all about it on her blog. I decided it seemed like a lot of fun and a great way to become one with my camera.

My first pic is of my favorite elephant from my collection. He's so pretty, but underneath of all his prettiness, he's a little broken. You can't tell unless you get real close. He's like a lot of us.

Featured

I have discovered a new show on Fit tv for my exercising journey. It's just perfect, too, since my ankle is still too sensitive to do the workouts I would normally do. It's called Shimmy, and it's about bellydancing. I discovered it quite accidentally, but I'm glad I did because it's fun. I think I'm going to start recording the episodes so I can do them at night after Steve has left. This way I will only get minimal smirks from K who no longer questions what I do. She just assumes her mother is weird all the time.

Today I have a couple features of Etsy artists. I haven't done one of these in a while. Most of the features I do are from people I have either traded with or bought from, just so you know. My first feature is of the shop, erinandjanet. They are an amazing shop filled with beautiful photography. I like to highlight photographers from Etsy because I don't think they get the accolades they should. I traded for the Dead Tree photograph and the Broken Railway one:

I noticed they have lots of new pieces in their shop like In the Pines. Love that one. You can get your photograph in most any size and with a white border if you choose to do so. Janet is just fabulous to work with. A very lovely person.

Another lovely person I have traded recently with is ezrascousin. Such a talent and just the nicest person! I love her shop and her capelets though I'm not quite small enough to wear one. If you are into a vintage look, hers is the shop. Her crochet work is just amazing! I love the two pieces I got. One is a cloche-style hat and the other is a scarflette. I really wanted a capelette, but as I said before, I'm a big German girl. Go check her out!

Off to work on more photos for the shop and actually make something new today. Until tomorrow, my lovelies!

Shake Your Booty

Well, you don't have to really, but it will make me smile if you do. I have this problem with saying those words. I like to put them to different tunes like the theme song to the Howdy Doody show. People think I have Terret's Syndrome because of this. My family especially likes it when I do it in public places like the grocery store. My little well kept secret.

Did I mention I'm on a healthier eating kick to help me lose weight? It's not a diet. I'm very adamant about that. It's just improving what I eat and cutting out fried and fatty foods. I've been doing pretty well. Eating some cereal or a smoothie in the morning, having a small lunch with a salad. I haven't lost any weight yet, but I haven't been able to exercise either. At least, I haven't gained weight.

Here's one of my smoothie recipes. Some of you may all ready know this one, but it's my favorite. Feel free to share smoothie recipes with me if you have any.

1 1/4 cup of orange juice
1 banana
1 1/4 cup of frozen mixed berries
1/2 cups of lowfat yogurt
1 tablespoon of sugar

Combine oj, banana, yogurt, and sugar in blender. Add berries slowly while blender is running. Blend until creamy.

That smoothie will help you shake your booty all day long.


Here's a taste of one of my new pics. I really like how it turned out. I guess that book I got on Sunday knew what they were talking about. Much better than my old pics, and a lot easier to get. The item in the pic is my Atomium ring recently relisted on Etsy.

I'm back! Again.

So many things to blog about and so little time!

Let's see if I can catch you up with my life since the last time I blogged. Hmmm. It's a good thing nothing happens in my life or we might be there all day. Last week was the big week. We had a friend die in an accident which was really hard. He was so bubbly and full of life and only 23. He was like an uncle to my daughter. Not two days after finding that out, I fell going to check my mail(darn Etsy packages!) and sprained my ankle.

The sprained ankle is an interesting story. We live on a major highway which is only two lanes. Who thought of that I have no idea! My mailbox is across the street so pretty much everyday I play frogger(if you remember that game) to check my mail. Did I mention this highway is also one of the deadliest highways for people falling asleep? Because of this, they have grooves cut into the center of said highway. Well, I stepped in one just right. Went rolling across the highway and couldn't get back across. I had to wait for ever and a day for no cars to come so I could hop across the highway to get to my truck. I drove the truck up my driveway then crawled about 200 ft to my house. What a day!

I'm getting better now. I only use crutches if I'm going out of the house because I can't handle uneven surfaces yet. I can walk though with a bit of a limp and pain. Grrr. I hate being broken.

Did I mention I'm in the Valentine showcase today? Leave it to me to pick the worst day possible. Only every spot is filled with jewelry people. They should just call it the jewelry showcase. lol. If you want to know the worst day to get a showcase, ask me.

You might have noticed the ring in the picture. That's my latest called "I love me" ring. It's completely sterling silver. The heart centerpiece has been created from individually cut pieces of sterling silver tubing. Everyone needs something that just says or reminds you to say I love me. You are your biggest fan. It can be found in my shop.

Just Another Day

Day 3. Still no heat. At least it will be another beautiful day today. I have until Friday when the temp is supposed to drop like a brick.


My feature fairy made me a visit last night. That's right stephaniegibson left me a convo because she spotted my men's off center ring in the Storque on Etsy. That's right I'm in the Storque. Swoon picked me and others for a modern gift list. I'm so excited. So, go check out stephanie's shop because she is just too fabulous.

Remember yesterday I was talking about the lack of gift ideas for my kid? Well, she happened to see something on Etsy this morning that suited her fancy. Hooray! Maybe the tree won't be so empty after all. lol. Btw, it wasn't a toy.

Look what a pretty job my new torch and tip do! I was so amazed at how well this bangle bracelet turned out. Seriously. I had very little to do to it when it came out of the tumbler. It's a copper Art Deco style bracelet. Isn't it just lovely?! As always, it can be found in my shop.

Oh, and wish me luck. I have a spot in the jewelry category showcase today on Etsy. I'll let you know how it goes.

Trunk Show and the Labs

Well, I am back from my trip complete with pics. It was an interesting trip to say the least, and K had the, to quote her, the best day of ever.

The start to the trip went bad because of course the guy delivering my siding decided to deliver it that day then was like 2 hours late. That put me in a really great mood because I don't like to be late anywhere. The rest of the ride went swimmingly until we got to the Jersey turnpike where we encountered like an hour's worth of traffic. Coming into the city, K got to see the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge which she was so excited about. She loved seeing the skyline of Manhattan. I admit I did too. There is nothing like that skyline. Getting to and finding the building where the labs are held is a pain in the behind. If you ever do it, just remember it is a beige building with red trim and a clock at the top. There are about 6 street parking spaces, an expensive parking lot next door, and a gas station across the street where if you sweet talk(that means money) he will watch your car like a hawk and allow you to park in his small parking lot. Once you are at the building, you will have to be buzzed in. I don't see how this is conducive to a show, but I guess I am just used to living in the country.


The building is still in need of some renovation. I know this because I have seen at least one floor that the owner uses, and it is really nice. Oh, also, remember when using the elevator, up means down. That labs, themselves, are nice though there are a lots of twists and turns, and I don't quite understand why they have some things. It has offices, crafting space, a small kitchen, a bathroom, a sitting area, and even a skate ramp. They have plans to add a darkroom in one unused space. The view is incredible. The Empire State building is framed nicely through the buildings.


The show was all right. I got one sale which was better than expected. K bought from everyone but like 3 people. She is now in indentured servitude for the next month. lol. The admin was nice, and I enjoyed the webcam. I really don't know that the trip was worth it. Actually, I guess it was, but I don't know that I would do it again if I had to travel much further. It was nice to put faces with names and see that labs, but really other than that, there wasn't much to it.

Can't wait to show you some of the new pieces I have but that will have to wait until next time.

On the Catwalk

I have decided that I need plastic surgery. I want an eye tuck, I think that is what it is called, and breast reduction surgery. The twins are just getting too big for their own good. Well, my own good, but that's neither here nor there. Liposuction probably wouldn't hurt either, but I've seen that done. Ewwww! Aww, hell! I'm too much of a scaredy cat when it comes to doctors and hospitals. Though, it couldn't hurt.

I got tagged by Jenn yesterday. Uh, oh! I am supposed to come up with a list of 10 little known things about me. Not a big deal since I am on the verge of being a recluse. Then I am supposed to tag 10 other people. Hmmm. That could be difficult. I have a few picked out but not many. Anyway, watch for that later this week.

Lots of new designs will be coming forth from Jewel Street Designs soon. I even purchased a notebook so I could sketch them out and not forget. Forgetting is a big thing of mine, and there is nothing worse than coming up with a great design and forgetting about it. In fact, the earrings pictured are from that notebook of designs. Love them! They are the perfect long earring in my humble opinion. Constructed of solid copper with a slight curve, I added iolite rondelles for an extra zing. Plus, it is finished with iolites on both sides so you will look fabulous coming or going. Steve named them the Catwalk earrings hence the title of this post. They can currently be found in my shop.

I've got the I wants

Have I mentioned that birthday is next week? Yes, indeed it is. And, even at 28, I love it.

I am such a child when it comes to my birthday. Not that I want a party. I want presents. I want to make lists and get the things I want. When I was a child I hated going to birthday parties because I hated other people getting all the presents. I love giving presents now, but I want some too. My family either doesn't know me well or just doesn't listen. I'm opting for a little of both. Because, every year I get a bunch of stuff that I won't wear or won't use. It really is depressing. Last year, I did get something I wanted-money, but of course, my washing machine died. So, guess what I did with it?! I really do love my birthday no matter how old I get. I wake up and think, Yay! It's my birthday. Love it! So, this year I have made a birthday wish list. Feel free to buy anything and everything off the list for me for my birthday. I told you I was such a child. The things pictured today are the top three things on my list. Aren't they gorgeous?

Birthday Wish List
1. Floral Decorative Nature Design shortsleeve T by ahpeele
2. Birds and Swirls Aqua Shirred Cap Sleeve T by muttsywonder
3. Dragonfly Pattern Flying Solo Top by circularaccessories
4. Geisha in Blossom Rain Baby Rib Cami by polymer
5. A Coral Room Wearable Art Corset Belt by gifling
6. Pretty much anything from jenclaire
7. Lady Charm Pits by aliceofkansas
8. Grey Rondue Purse by christysquilts
9. Val and her dog by Craftymoose
10. Mummies Boy Art Doll by TheDevilsWallpaper