Happy Monday

Good day to everyone. I've missed you. I know I posted a few blogs out here the past week for my giveaway, but I actually was on a cruise for the Thanksgiving holiday. We had a great time and was sea sick one day out of 7 which for me was good as I get sick at the drop of a hat when motion is involved. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and started their holiday shopping. I'll be starting mine here real soon and I've made a vow to either make gifts myself or buy hand made this year. We will see how this turns out.

If you missed my posts this past week I did have a giveaway over at Alterity Button Jewelry and Gifts and she picked a winner bright and early this morning. Congrats and thanks to all who entered and are now following this blog, my facebook fan page or twitter. I appreciate it.

I'm making this post short and quick as I still have a lot to catch up on. Hugs to you all. It's good to be connected again.

Let us not Forget...

You know, my Giveaway. Yea...banners flowing, confetti, balloons, lets celebrate!

Go to Alterity Button, Jewelry and Gifts for all the fantastic details.

Dear Entrecard Droppers, I have been absent, but I will be back.

Let's be Thankful

Thankful

Week before Thanksgiving,

I limp around real strange.

Huddle in the corner,

As though I have the mange.

All the other turkeys,

Just gobble, gobble on.

I'm silent, and I act

As if my gobbler's gone. Everyone is thankful

On Thanksgiving Day.

Friday it's forgotten.

You all go on your way.

I know what thankful is

So listen when I say.

"It's great to be a turkey,

After Thanksgiving Day."

Unknown

Thanksgiving Day.org

Today is the Great Giveaway Day

I know I've been having a lot of these lately, but I have a lot to be thankful for and that is you. Check out Alterity Button Jewelry and Gifts blog for all the great details on how to get these special earrings from me to you.

Off to Neverland

I just love looking at fantasy prints and jewelry. It just takes me back to my childhood and reading fairy tale books and playing dress up. I can't really call the jewelry I make fantasy when you compare it to those items I have pictured which is why I find these items so fascinating.  Sometimes I just want to go off in my dream world and find that fantasy. All these items can be found at 1000 Markets in the Magical Talents market.

Artists:

Ethereal Dream - Art Print by Ethereal Art

DRYAD NECKLACE in Sterling, and Gems by Sacred Sparks

Autumn Flame Amethyst & Copper Tiara Circlet Crown by Thyme2dream

Nevermore - 5x5 Fine Art Square Crow Print  by Zenbreeze Art Gallery

In other news, Alterity Button Jewelry & Gifts is hosting a giveaway for me. Along with finding out a little bit more about me, you can enter the giveaway and since you may already be a fan or follower...even more simple for you.  I will be giving away a pair of earrings. It will start on Tuesday which is tomorrow, but feel free to head on over to her blog and read a bit. The earrings will be similiar to those pictured below. As most of you know these are my signature charm earrings and are made to order, so you get to choose from 14 kt gold filled or sterling silver ear wires and a color choice for the charms.

Enjoy and have a great week.

Shamelessly Promoting

Yes, this will be one of those blogs where I shamelessly promote myself and others. Yesterday's post was all about earrings and today it is all about artists from the Pacific Northwest. The items in the picture above are mine and can be found in this market on the 1000 Markets site. Click HERE to see all the offerings.

Because I am shamelessly promoting, I should probably choose a few of my favorite items from this market just in case family members or friends are reading this and they need inspiration on what to get me as a present.... hint, hint.  Enjoy looking around the market.

Now doesn't this look like real chocolate. This is actually soap by Flowering Tree Botanicals.

This is a wonderful original Art Card, 2.5 by 3.5 inches by The Creators Palette.

And of course since we are all being environmentally conscious, I need more grocery bags...no more plastic for groceries. This one is made by Daogreer Earth Works and features a "Big Leaf  Maple" leaf on the front.

So, what are you wishing for this year?

Featured Artists and 1000 Markets - A Perfect Pair

One of my web sites is with 1000 Markets and one of the markets I belong to is A Perfect Pair. It's all about earrings if you didn't get the gist with the name. So, I'm doing a little marketing on my blog for them. We have a special earring category for the holidays of 20% off and free shipping. HERE is the link. Each artist was allowed 6 pair of earrings for this category. Can you find mine? Here are 5 of them.

There are some really talented jewelry designers out there so take a look around, visit my shop as well as others and get some holiday gifts marked off your list. Be sure to shop early so we can get things out in the mail to you.

Speaking of mail, most of my FB Fans have received their Facebook Fan gifts (except for those that live overseas), so if you haven't, and you sent me your address, hopefully you will soon. The gal at the postoffice did tell me that if we have a lot to mail between now and Christmas, to mail packages on a Tuesday. Monday's are their busiest day of the week. I'm definitely going to do my mailing now on a Tuesday.

Here are a few earrings that I just absolutely love that are in this same market.

This pair is by Oceano SeaGlass

These are by Mosiac Design Jewelry. Can you imagine the work that went into these.

These are just perfect for those with a November birthday. Made by DalMare.

Enjoy!

Something New

This past week while I was getting prizes ready for mailing to my Facebook fans I created some Art Cards, Editions and Originals (ACEO's) from my original watercolor paintings. Some of my fans will be the first to receive them. I have been wanting to create some original ACEO's using watercolors or acrylics, but haven't found the time yet so prints were the next best thing. I'm hoping they are marketable so we will see what my fans have to say about them. They are limited editions of 20 of each painting. I think they turned out pretty good. The collage above is some of the ones I used in on the cards. For those of you that are unfamiliar with ACEO's, they are small trading cards 3.5"x2.5" and can be traded or sold as long as they are originals or editions. Here is a little bit more about them:

ACEO stands for "Art Cards, Editions and Originals". These cards have one main rule - they are 3.5 inches by 2.5 inches - the size of a trading card. The reason for this is, of course, that Art Cards are made to be traded! But while artists were happily trading cards, the general public was left out in the cold, having no Art Cards to trade. A group of artists realized this, and quickly made their cards available for sale at remarkably low prices so that everyone could join in the fun! Cards are also sold either as originals or editions. Make sure you know which you are buying! If it is a print it should say so, and it should be numbered and signed, usually on the back.  Art Cards can be a riot! Artists from all over the world are creating, and now selling these little gems in different mediums and of different subjects. Watercolor, Oil, Acrylic, Colored Pencil, Pastels, Pyrography, Pen and Ink, Sketching, Collage - the sky is the limit. Abstract, Surrealism, Outsider Art, Impressionism, Expressionism -every style you can think of - and then some!. Every interest and subject is covered! Extremely collectable Pocket Art, you can't stop at just one!   http://www.art-cards.org/

In other news, one of my blogger friends Nancy has a great web site where you can purchase tole painting books at a discount. I may have to give this some thought as they would probably have some great design ideas that I could use on art cards. Here is her blog and her web site.

http://tole4thee.blogspot.com/
My Idea Center

Glad that is Over

The weekend is finally over and so is the craft show and the gem and mineral show that we were getting ready for. Now to get my prizes mailed out from the November giveaway and get organized for our Thanksgiving cruise. It will be a much needed week away from the rain. On the plus side, I did get some shopping for gemstones done this week. One of the vendors, Bend Bead, that has been coming to the show for several years has expanded their gemstone offerings to some wonderful quality stones. I did get some basic briolettes such as those pictures, quartz crystal, moonstone, chalcedony, rose quartz and pink amethyst as well as Oregon Sunstones and Holly Blue. I just couldn't resist even though I should have. Both the Sunstones and Holly Blue are from Oregon. I did create a pair of earrings last night out of the Holly Blue with Pink Amethyst, Moonstone, Blue Topaz and Purple Amethyst. They're fun and I even had a lady at the show comment on them and wants a pair for herself. So a new order already. This pair I'll probably list out on my 1000 Markets site for sale. If you don't know about Holly Blue here is a little bit more about this wonderful agate. If you want to check out Bend Beads site here is their web address: http://www.bendbead.com.


What is Holly Blue Agate (Chalcedony)?
Holly Blue Chalcedony is one of the most favored materials from the Northwest of today's jewelers outside of the Ellensburg Blue Chalcedony. Holly Blue was found in the hills around Sweet Home, Oregon till a major timber company bought all the surrounding land where this material was found and made it private property with NO TRESPASSING of any kind for what ever reason. This hurt the rock hound community as this was a material with such vibrant colors that ranged for a light blue to an almost lavender in color. Holly could fetch from $5.00 per pound to $35.00 a pound back in the days when the material was still being dug. Today, it's going from $35.00 per pound and upwards of $400.00 and $500.00 per pound for the choicer grade of this excellent material. As for the cut stones, either faceted or cabed, the stones are sold by the carat and fetch an excellent price for the hobbyist or the professional jeweler. It was not uncommon to attend a gem show at a local west coast city and find pounds of this material on dealers tables for just a couple of bucks. Now days the material is rarely seen in the average gem shows in the rough for sale and if you find any, it has been cut into cabs that have grown very expensive.

The material is of a quartz makeup and is a very hard material and being of the quartz family it takes a mirror polish and the higher domes of the cabs bring the most money. The material is almost always fractured as for the ground movement when this material was being formed. It is the custom that when you got the rough with the outer rhyolite that it was to be tumbled to get the outer crust off and then you were able to see the fracture lines and brake the larger chunks down to smaller ones that would then be free of the fractures. Sometimes the old timers would then go ahead and tumble the pieces to a mirror polish as then the most discrete of cutters could see what they were buying. This was always the case and with some dealers is still being practiced today.

I hope everyone had a fun if not relaxing weekend. I'll catch you later.

So Much to Do

and so little time. The day has come when my dad gets here. We have been remodeling my MIL's house for the past couple of months getting it ready for him to move here (she passed away this past Summer). Well that day has arrived. He gets in around 12:30..now that house isn't completely ready but it is liveable, new bathroom, updated kitchen, fresh paint all around and a new front on the fireplace. We will be leaving here shortly to go put some final touches on it and move furniture around. It is fully furnished as he is just flying here with his personal clothes. He sold his car and furniture and most of his belongings. I'm sure this was a hard thing for a 73 year old man to do giving up all his personal items, but this is a fresh start for him and that is how he is seeing it. So my brother and I are very glad he will be close by.

So along with getting the house ready for dad, I have a craft show tomorrow...no I'm not ready and a gem and mineral show this weekend. At least at the gem and mineral show I demonstrate and can work on making things as well as selling. I will be selling my book at both of them so I'll let you know which venue was better. I usually do well at gem and mineral shows since the book is right up their alley... you know how to make a gem tree, but I have high hopes that the folks at the craft show will want to make their own tree and will buy the book.

Okay, that's all I have time for today. Pictures of the finished house and my show will be posted soon. Have a good day.

Free Gift, Yes no kidding

This is the week for my November Giveaway and I'm beginning to wonder if we as a society have become so jaded that we can't really see a true gift when it is offered. My giveaway is part thank you and part marketing, obviously it has to be for me to invest this much money and time into making the items to send out, but I'm not getting the response I expected.

This giveaway is directed at my Facebook Fans, you are all winners. Yep, no drawing, all of you will receive a gift in the mail. What do you need to do, just send me an e-mail via Facebook with your home address so that I can send your gift. That's it, so easy, so just do it. I will not be spamming your e-mail or sending junk mail to your home after this giveaway. Oh, and I need that email no later than next Sunday, November 15th at 11:30 pm PST.

If you are reading my blog for the first time and are wondering "How do I get in on this?", simple become a my Fan on Facebook, send me that important e-mail with your home address or mailing address and wait for your gift to arrive.

This sounds so great even I want in on it. Oh wait, I am in on it. Maybe I don't want everyone to participate and I can keep all the cool items I've created. Nah, it really is better to give than receive and I'm feeling generous.

Thought Provoking

I don't usually write thought provoking blogs, but my husband and I were watching TV tonight and a show about 2012 was on. Have I been living in the dark or what? I had no idea about the Mayan and Nostradamus ideas about 2012 and other theories or maybe I had just put it out of my mind as I don't really believe in these things. I don't know, but it did get me thinking about if the world were going to come to an end, would I want to know about it. Did I really care of the Governments of all Nations have been planning their survival but not the rest of us? The predictions are for either mass destruction or a transformation of our world. Isn't it one in the same? Now, there is a new disaster movie about December 21, 2012 to be released this week. There are so many sites out here on the internet talking about this date and what it means, so if you want to find out more information all you need to do is search.  I think I would rather be in the dark, live my life to the fullest now and not worry about the future, but I probably will see the movie...for entertainment purposes of course.

November Giveaway - Hurry Time Sensitive

Last month my giveaway was for a pair of my handmade charm earrings and this month it will be a surprise to my Facebook Fans. One of the options for my giveaway last month was to become a Fan of mine on FB, so now it pays to be a Fan. If you are one of my Fans on Facebook or Fan me now then you are a winner. Send me your home address via Facebook e-mail and you will receive something in the mail. I will mail worldwide, so if you are outside of the US, please feel free to become a Fan and send me that address. I promise I will not start sending your random junk mail....I can't afford that.  For those that know me, I'm very crafty. I make jewelry, paint and create gem trees, so you never know what will arrive at your door. Not all gifts will be the same.

Once you receive your gift in the mail, I would appreciate either a comment here or on my Facebook page about what you received and because this is part marketing and part thanks for being a Fan, you will receive a couple of business cards to pass out to a friend and tell them how wonderful I am....ha ha.  You know it will be good if I've asked you to do that. I do have an end date for this giveaway and it will be Sunday, November 15th, 11:30 pm PST so you don't have much time.

HURRY, HURRY, HURRY

Thanks for being my Fan. Oh, my Facebook info is a little lower on the right hand side of this blog.

Entrecard Top Droppers

Top Entrecard droppers this month. Here is the list and links for my friends and followers to check out their sites. These folks visit my site regularly if not daily. Thanks bunches.

DigiVickie's Word Art

My gypsygoods

Laane on the World

Laane Loves (link broken)

A Rose By Name

Greetje greets You

D Anjhel Scraps Of Life

Anna's Adornments

Three Fates Design - Beaded Jewelry

Fashion & Crafts Creator