Have a Heart

Valentine's Day is one of my most favorite holidays! I've always loved and looked forward to it, but that's probably the hopeless romantic in me speaking. My husband, on the other hand, feels differently. He gets a little bah-humbug'ish this time of year ~ his reasoning is that he feels forced into buying things by pushy retailers. He'd rather do something special his way, and not when the calendar date tells him to. I can't complain ~ he does nice things for me on a regular basis. The best things come when you least expect them, right?! I guess I see his point, but I can't resist the pull of Cupid. So, I thought I'd help him out by dropping some hints ~ hopefully he's reading. I would love any of these items from Etsy.

From Left to Right, here is where you can find all of the above:

Scroll Heart Earrings - Silver Pewter Hearts, Red Swarovski Crystals, Sterling Silver ~ from Alison Kelly Designs

FORGET LOVE - I'D RATHER FALL IN CHOCOLATE pendant ALTERED ART soldered charm necklace ~ from Tickle Me Pink Boutique

Valentine's Day Cookie Gift Box ~ from Sarah Bisher

Hearts squared, pair of handmade beads ~ from Floridity

A Different Kind of Love Bracelet , Faceted Smoky Quartz and White Biwa Stick Pearl Bracelet with Silver Heart Clasp ~ from jaC jewelry

Frilly top pink cotton panties with red hearts ~ from Knickerrocker

Vampire’s Kiss Body Cream ~ from The Bubbling Cauldron

Sassy Valentine card ~ from Earmark

Tag ~ You're It!!

Thanks to Janna, I've been tagged. Since I'm a good sport, I'll join in the fun: What is your current obsession? If we’re speaking of jewelry making, then it would be scouring flea markets, estate sales, and the like, for unique pieces of vintage jewelry and other ephemera that I can use in my designs. Even if I don’t always find something on each trip, the thrill is in the hunt! What is your weirdest obsession? Cemeteries ~ the older, the better. (Preferably ones where my loved ones are not buried!) I find a lot of peace and serenity in visiting them. They can actually be very beautiful, enjoyable places to visit, and not morbid at all. I don’t think people should be forgotten, just because they are no longer living in the physical world with us. What are you wearing today? Camel colored slacks, brown sweater, heels, my own jewelry. Boring, business casual wear. What’s for dinner? Chicken enchiladas (homemade, of course) What is your favourite book? I enjoy reading and have many favorite books. I collect cookbooks, and love to flip through them. Right now I am enjoying “Gorgeously Green” by Sophie Uliano. It contains many practical tips on how to live an environmentally friendly life, which is something I’m committed to being better at. What’s the last thing you bought? Lunch What are you listening to right now? NPR streaming through my computer What is your favourite ice-cream flavour? Peanut Butter and Chocolate. What do you think of the person who tagged you? Janna is a very smart cookie. She’s super talented and successful at whatever she sets out to do. Aside from that, she’s fun and interesting to talk to :) If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be? I could not stray far from my family, so it would be in Northern Michigan, probably in the Traverse City area. That way I could still have the conveniences of life that I require (i.e. retail), but would still be close to the water, the woods and the wineries that I so love in that area. If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour where would you go? I’d fly to DC, to see the Iwo Jima memorial. It was the one thing we missed on our trip, and I regret that now. Which language do you want to learn? Italian ~ it always sounds so musical and lovely to me. What is your favourite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe? A comfy pair of jeans. If I could live in jeans every day, I surely would. If you had a £100 now, what would you spend it on? A snazzy new coat or a pair of boots for the upcoming Winter season. Describe your personal style? Laid back, fun-loving, unpretentious What are you going to do after this? Back to work! What are your favourite movies? I have too many to name. I’m a huge fan of the John Hughes (RIP) movies of the 80’s. I can pretty much recite the lines in them from memory. Is that sad, or what?!? What is your favourite fruit? Strawberries What inspires you? Vintage costume jewelry, movie starlets of the 40’s and 50’s, such as Audrey Hepburn, Rita Hayworth, Ava Gardner. The changing of seasons always inspires me too. What is your dream job? Something that allows me to be creative, while helping people at the same time. The polar opposite of my current job!! What is stopping you? Fear of the unknown, this dismal economy What is your favorite season of the year? Spring and Fall ~ aren’t they everyone’s? What do you do when nobody is around? Enjoy it. I rarely get time completely to myself. Solitude can be a very comforting thing. What physical trait about yourself would you change?* My height – I’m only 5’2. I’d love to be a few inches taller! I am tagging the “mystery readers” who read this blog ~ I know you’re out there!! It’s time for you to come forward and introduce yourselves :) The rules: 1. Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own. (I added the last question marked with an asterisk.) 2. Tag other people.

Leaf Obsessed.

I am obsessed with leaves. I think it is because they signify Fall to me, which I love as much as I love the Spring. Today is September 1st, and the first day of Autumn is just three weeks away. I’ll be sad to see Summer go, but I love this time of year, for many reasons. Here are some gorgeous handmade things with leaves that I found while browsing Etsy:

Autumn green dragonfly print, by Pretty Much Art

Rain kissed leaf necklace, by jaC jewelry

Hosta vase, by White Earth Studio

Bamboo Pillow, by Cut out and Collect

Know Your Stones: Chrysocolla

It's easy to see why Chrysocolla is a favorite stone of mine. Its characteristic shades of blue and green are extraordinarily beautiful. Chrysocolla is a mineral with a hardness of 2.5 to 3.5, and it is sometimes mistaken for turquoise. Its name comes from the Greek word "chrysos" which means "gold", and "kolla", which means "glue". In folklore Chrysocolla is associated with tranquility and peace, intuition, patience, and unconditional love. It is thought to offer gentle and soothing qualities, which I attribute to the color blue that is so reminiscent of water. Its healing properties include relief from ulcers and arthritis. This gorgeous piece from jaC jewelry features chunky nuggets of Chrysocolla ~ isn't it fabulous?! I've had my eye on this spectacular necklace for quite some time.

Shop Temporarily Closed . . . but there's good news!

Happy Monday morning to all . . . I'm just getting back into the "real" world after being out of town for a few days, and I'm a little foggy. Just flipped the calendar page to see that today is the 1st of June ~ can you believe it?? This is just a quick reminder that my Etsy shop will be on a brief hiatus for the next few weeks. No worries, I'll be back in full swing later in June. I've got many new designs planned that I can hardly wait to show you! If you can't wait until then to get your jewelry fix, then pop on over to jaC jewelry ~ shop owner Janna is having a fabulous sale from now until June 7! Here's the scoop:

Get 10% off when you buy 1 item; 15% off on 2 items; 20% off on 3 items; 25% off on 4 items or more!

Never before have such tremendous deals been offered, so jump on them while you can!

Ms. Janna is one organized lady ~ she even offers a monthly newsletter where you can be the first to hear of sales, specials and other insider tidbits. You can sign up for that here.

I hope everyone has a terrific next few weeks! I'll be popping in now and then as time permits, but after the 10th I'll be officially out of pocket (hopefully sitting on the beach with pretty drink in hand). Talk to you soon!

More *PINK* On the Front Page!!

Take a gander at this gorgeous treasury that was created by the lovely Janna of jaC jewelry!!! It made it to the Front Page of Etsy late last night. Unfortunately I was in la~la land when this was happening, but that is nothing new for me!

Janna so graciously picked my "Be Still My Heart" earrings for this treasury. I love pink, even though it often gets a bad rap. It's a cheerful color, and seeing this really brought some cheer to my day :)

Thanks Janna!

Front page feature, Computer problems and Clint

The past week has been mostly uneventful, but oddly enough, I don't know where the time went! I am playing catch up today ~ thanks to my husband for "allowing" me to use his computer (haha ~ each of us tends to be a bit of a computer hog, so we have "his" and "her" computers). I left the battery pack for my laptop at the office, and it ran out of juice ~ go figure.

Last Saturday morning I woke up to find my shop was featured on the Etsy front page, thanks to Alison Kelley Designs, who curated a lovely treasury of Valentine's inspired items. This was the first time I actually caught myself on the front page as it was happening, so that was pretty exciting. I am still completely inept when it comes to snagging a treasury of my own, but Alison and Janna of jacjewelry have been gracious enough to offer plenty of tips on how to get one. I came close on Friday, but unfortunately I was at work when the Treasury opened, and I somehow missed the window. Darn, that job really gets in the way sometimes!! :)

Speaking of treasuries and Alison Kelley, feast your eyes on this most loveliest of treasuries yet! This one features my "Splendor in the Glass" earrings and is full of girly pink. I have to say Alison, that this is one of my favorites yet. Truly I think Etsy should create a permanent position of "Treasury Curator", and Alison should get it!

Lastly, I wanted to give a mention to the film "Gran Turino", which we went to see yesterday. I hope you all go and see it! OK, so I am biased ~ the film was shot entirely in the Detroit area. In fact, I was driving home one day last summer when I happened upon the film set as shooting was taking place at Widgren's Barber Shop on 11 mile road in Royal Oak. I even caught a glimpse of the film's star and director, Clint Eastwood. It was pretty exciting!

I won't spoil the plot of the movie, but I will just say that Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski ~ an ornery, retired Ford line worker and Korean war veteran who becomes quite likable as the story progresses. He was quite believable in this role playing a character that personifies so many men of that generation ~ those who spent 30+ years working in automotive, earning an honest decent living and supporting their families. The character still lives in the same house he raised his family in, even though the surrounding neighborhood has changed drastically and fallen to disrepair. The title of the film comes from the vintage Gran Torino that Walt proudly helped build and maintains as his most prized possession.

So, if you're looking for an escape from the dreary days of winter, I highly suggest going to see this film. Yay for Michigan!!!

How Did I Get So Lucky?!

I feel like I've hit the Treasury Jackpot!! I returned home this evening to find that I have been included in three more Treasuries, thanks to Alison of Alison Kelley Designs. She is another talented and generous jewelry artist on Etsy. By now I feel like I am completely indebted to both she and Janna. As soon as I figure out the whole Treasury thing, they will be the first ones that I chose to include. Aside from being awesome people, their work is stunning. Alison also has a second shop that features exquisite bridal jewelry. Be sure to check it out! Until this point, I've been pretty inept as far as the whole Treasury thing is concerned, but I'll work on that ;)

For the "Blue Beauties" Treasury, click here

For the "Pure and Simple" Treasury, click here

For the "Emerald Isle Treasury, click here

Thanks Alison!!!

One more surprise . . . I also found out that my shop was featured on Kriskrop Memories' blog!!! What a treat and nice surprise :) A bunch of other super talented Etsy shops were also featured; you're bound to discover some new favorites. Read about it here.

Thanks to all, you really made my weekend!! And what a busy weekend it was ~ I spent most of yesterday creating some new jewelry designs that will be premiering in my shop in the next few weeks. It was the perfect weekend for staying in where it was warm and dry. As I type this, it is snowing outside ~ yikes!!

More Treasury Love

My Friday started out on great note, thanks to an email from Janna that my "Au Naturale" necklace had been selected for yet another one of her lovely treasuries. I really don't consider myself to be one of the "cool kids" on Etsy, so this new found stardom is completely humbling. I am grateful. I wish I could say that yesterday ended on a positive note, but it didn't. The company I work for announced that it had to make cuts due to the current economic conditions. As a result, some of my colleagues are now unemployed. Thankfully, my position was spared (this time), but the grim news made for a very tense and sad day around the workplace. Unexpected job loss is not an unfamiliar concept to me, so my heart goes out to anyone who is facing it, especially at this time of year. There just seems to be no end in sight to this fiasco, and now it has completely hit home. Things have got to get better!

The Sweetest Thing . . .

. . . is when a fellow Etsyan thinks enough of you to include one of your items in a beautiful Treasury :) Thanks to the gracious and talented Janna of jaC Jewelry, two of my items recently appeared in this lovely showcase of beautiful Fall goodies.

Thank you, Janna!

Must Try: Lychee Martini

For the past several months, I’ve been on a quest to try a Lychee martini. I had first read rave reviews about this amazing cocktail and then received an overwhelming testimonial from Janna of jac jewelry as to just how delicious they are. I believe her exact words were “You’ve got to try one ~ NOW!!”

And so I did. The picture is proof ~ it is an “Amici Lychee” from Amici’s Living Room, located in Berkley Michigan.

I must say, locating a venue that serves this fine beverage was a challenge. Many a bartender looked at me as if I was from another planet when I requested it. In case you never heard of one, a lychee is a fruit bearing tree that grows primarily in Asia. The picture shows what the fruit looks like. The drink tasted refreshingly fruity ~ both sweet and a little bit tart. It went down with no problema. So be careful not to overdo it, and make sure you have a DD :)

In case your local drinking hole doesn’t yet have one on their menu, here’s a recipe I found so that you can make one yourself:

Ingredients: Ice 3 ounces lychee nectar or juice 2 ounces vodka 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1 1/2 teaspoons Simple Syrup

Directions: Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the lychee nectar, vodka, lemon juice and Simple Syrup and shake well, then strain into a chilled martini glass.