Jewelry by Jaynemarie

A BEST Quartet

2011-11-18T21:23:00.000-08:00

For most of us, Friday means the end of the week, a time of relaxation or fun. And, since the holidays are quickly approaching, weekends may bring us parties and get togethers to celebrate. So, let's have a little fun and see what we can find in this week's quartet of shops from the BEST team.

The first shop I stopped in is StitchPrincess, where you can find a variety of dresses, aprons, skirts, purses and bags as well as some photography. StitchPrincess's photography is lovely, but what really caught my eye is this Ball Gown. Wouldn't you feel like Cinderella in this Custom-made Ball Gown? Make in it white or ivory, you would have a lovely wedding dress; make it in rich velvet and you would really be the belle of the ball!

Hand-made Suede Leather Journal

Next, I went to The Orange Windmill, where you can find a variety of handmade and hand-bound leather journals, not windmills. Beautiful journals in all sizes that would make perfect gifts for almost everyone on your list. Just because these are journals doesn't mean you have use them as a diary - they would be wonderful as unique photo albums, artist sketch books, guest books and more. I'm sure you could add to this list as well. Now, the one question I really wanted answered here, was, why the name The Orange Windmill? I'm going to leave the answer to this question up to the reader - you will find the answer in this artist's profile! The Orange Windmill can be found on Facebook, Blogspot and Twitter.

Gemstone Wine Charms

Next stop is the shop Blue & White Wear, where you can find jewelry and other accessories with an oriental flair. I really liked these Gemstone Wine Charms. If you like to throw parties or get togethers these would be perfect to have around and they will also make great hostess or host gifts as well. These Wine Charms are a step above the usual.

Pink Opal Sunset Earrings

And, last, but not least, is the shop ck silver. In this shop you will find a variety of earrings, necklaces, bracelets, pendants and anklets. Many of these pieces incorporate pearls and sterling silver making one of a kind jewelry with an earthy charm. You can also find ck silver on Facebook, Blogspot and Twitter.

As I said at the beginning of today's blog, the featured artists are all members of the BEST team, as am I. I am a member of a few teams on Etsy, but I have to say that the best of the bunch is definitely the BESTeam. We help each other out with advice and marketing. If you are looking for a team that can help you grow as an Etsy seller, the BESTeam is taking applications. You need to have an Etsy shop, a blog, and either a facebook page or twitter account to join. If you are interested in finding out more about us or want to apply for membership, just click HERE!

Ten years and celebrating!

2011-11-17T15:46:00.000-08:00

My husband and I own a small electronics company that makes instruments that measure water quality. Well, this is a very special year for us and for Turner Designs.

For us, it is special because it was 10 years ago that Jim (my husband) came home and said, "Can I buy Turner Designs, dear?" I think I was actually stunned into silence for a few minutes. Buy a company? How? Why?

Why? Well, Jim wanted a chance to work for himself and he really liked the company he was working for and he thought that the people there were also great employees.

OK, those were good ideas, but this was going to be a big leap for us because in order to purchase Turner Designs, we had to pledge everything we owned and there was a chance that we could lose everything we owned. That was scary! But, we decided to go ahead and take this chance; this was really a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Sunset over Lake Tahoe

Now, ten years later, Turner Designs is doing well due to the hard work of everyone. And, this year was the best year ever! There was going to be great profit sharing for everyone and in addition, Jim and I decided that to reward everyone for working so hard that we would take the entire company to Lake Tahoe for the weekend!

So, that's what we did. This past weekend, we and 21 (out of 25) employees and guests went up to Stateline, Nevada, and stayed in one of the casinos. And, on Saturday, everyone got to play a special slot machine tournament for prizes of casino chips. When Jim and I got there, we decided to check out the casino floor and we were very pleasantly surprised to see that there was a set of slot machines set up just for us! And, the casino put up a sign for everyone to see.

All in all, this was a great weekend. I am very glad Jim and I took this plunge into capitalism. Over these 10 years, there have been very scary times and some very good times. And, I am glad to say that this year has been, I think, the best time. It took a lot of work from Jim, me and all of our employees, but this is one year we all get rewarded for that hard work. It really says something that many of our employees have stayed with us throughout this journey; and I am glad they did.

Triplets

2011-11-11T11:36:00.000-08:00

Today, I am featuring three artists from the BEST team. This group has a lot of nice items that you could use for stocking stuffers or gifts for those hard to buy for this holiday season.

Mug Warmer, Hand Protector

My first artist is Knitful Dezigns. This shop is just full of accessories from hair bows, headbands with flowers, scrubbies, booties, and so on. This item I chose to highlight would be perfect for both men and women; it's this Mug Warmer, Hand Protector. And, if you don't like this lovely pink, you can have it made in any color.

Cube Picture Holder w/ Flower

Second, we have CreativityBugs. CreativityBugs is another shop that has a plethora of gifts to choose from. You can find Foot Salts, Handbags, Party Favors and wooden items. To stay with my pink color scheme, I choose this Cube Picture Holder with Flower.

University of Notre Dame Hair Bow

And last, but not least, is ChickyDs. ChickyDs shop is just chock full of accessories, from Hair Bows & Hair Flowers to Pillows. When I saw this Hair Bow, I just had to include it, even if it isn't pink. :)
This "Fighting Irish", University of Notre Dame Hair Bow is a perfect fit for autumn and football season.

As I said at the beginning of today's blog, the featured artists are all members of the BEST team, as am I. I am a member of a few teams on Etsy, but I have to say that the best of the bunch is definitely the BESTeam. We help each other out with advice and marketing. If you are looking for a team that can help you grow as an Etsy seller, the BESTeam is taking applications. You need to have an Etsy shop, a blog, and either a facebook page or twitter account to join. If you are interested in finding out more about us or want to apply for membership, just click HERE!

Diversity is the Key

2011-11-04T21:02:00.000-07:00

This week's BEST team feature will show the diversity we have on the BEST team. Interestingly enough, the three I writing about today are all jewelry makers. And, as my title states, I am going to be talking about diversity; in jewelry, as in many other areas, there is often a great diversity of jewelry, jewelers and their styles and techniques. And so, without further ado, I will let my team members' work speak for itself. I will say, that if you cannot find something truly unique from these three, you aren't trying. :)

SS Flower Earrings with Coral

So, our first stop will be in Tel Aviv. Israel, to the shop of RioRita. RioRita is a true goldsmith and her jewelry reflects that art. Now, just so you know, a goldsmith does not exclusively create in gold. A goldsmith is a metalsmith who works in precious metals to create jewelry and RioRita creates her jewelry out of gold and silver. One of my favorite pieces are these Sterling Silver Flower Earrings with Coral.

Jasper Bead Bracelet - Inspire

We next go to Brooklyn, New York to the shop of BeaderBubbe. BeaderBubbe loves to create in many mediums, some of which are crystal, paper, beads and clay. One piece that caught my eye in her shop is this Jasper Bead Bracelet with the charm that says Inspire.

.22 Shell Casing Wine Charms

Our final stop is a small city - Spearfish, South Dakota - which is the home of AbsolutelyKismet. Absolutely Kismet makes beaded jewelry, wine glass charms and stitch markers. Once I got to this shop, there was one item that demanded to be shown here. It's actually a set of Wine Charms made out of .22 Shell Casing! Now this is something that would be the talk of your company's gift exchange!

As I said at the beginning of today's blog, the featured artists are all members of the BEST team, as am I. I am a member of a few teams on Etsy, but I have to say that the best of the bunch is definitely the BESTeam. We help each other out with advice and marketing. If you are looking for a team that can help you grow as an Etsy seller, the BESTeam is taking applications. You need to have an Etsy shop, a blog, and either a facebook page or twitter account to join. If you are interested in finding out more about us or want to apply for membership, just click HERE!

Friday Foursome :)

2011-10-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

There is a nip in the air, it's cold in the mornings and warms up briefly during the day - that must mean autumn is finally here in Northern California. We don't get the bright fall colors and the real nip in the air that the rest of the United States gets, so I look for more subtle signs. Here, that means I look at my Japanese Maples and see them turn from green to burgundy or from red to gold. So, to get a real fix, I look to my teammates shops in the BEST team and see what I can find to get me in the mood. :)

Deep Rose Ruffle Flower Earrings

My first stop is the shop of GMaEllenCrochetGifts. GMaEllenCrochetGifts makes a wide variety of crochet items. I really like these Hand-crocheted Ruffle Flower Earrings. They are a lovely burgundy color and eye-catching due to being lovely and an unexpected accent due to being crocheted.

Red Flowers Greeting Card

I next popped into EmptyOnTheInside. It was very hard to pick just one of her Hand-painted greeting cards, but I persevered and finally picked this pretty Red Flowers Greeting Card, which is blank on the inside so that you can say what you like.

Chunky Cowl Crocheted Scarf

Since the mornings are chilly, it's always nice to have little extras to keep you warm. This Chunky Cowl Crocheted Scarf from OutHomeToYours in deep red is perfect! And to make it special, this yarn is accented with sparkly gold.

Vintage Japanese Laquer Tray

My final stop is in Redemptionart, where I found this lovely Vintage Japanese Lacquer Ware Covered Serving Ware with this lovely red Antherium on top. This tray is not directly related to autumn, but just think of using this to serve warm cookies on a cold afternoon.

As I said at the beginning of today's blog, the featured artists are all members of the BEST team, as am I. I am a member of a few teams on Etsy, but I have to say that the best of the bunch is definitely the BESTeam. We help each other out with advice and marketing. If you are looking for a team that can help you grow as an Etsy seller, the BESTeam is taking applications. You need to have an Etsy shop, a blog, and either a facebook page or twitter account to join. If you are interested in finding out more about us or want to apply for membership, just click HERE!

Thursday Threesome

2011-10-13T22:14:00.000-07:00

For Thursday, I am featuring a 3 of my teammates in the BEST team. These teammates are a diverse group, so I am going to simply let their work speak for them.

Gold Acorn & Vintaj Brass Earrings

Oak Leaf Necklace w/ Czech Pearls

HeadpinWear is more than a teammate to me, she is a very good friend of mine as well. She has so many lovely pieces it was hard to choose just one - so I picked two that are perfect for the start of autumn. These lovely Gold Acorn & Vintaj Brass Earrings would be perfect with any outfit from jeans to dresses.

And this Autumn Oak Leaf Necklace with Czech Glass Pumpkin Pearls would be perfect with tee shirts and sweaters.

Purple Plumeria Flower Ring

From autumn, we fast forward to spring, with this pretty purple Plumeria Flower Ring from ElizabethMD. Whenever you start wishing for the long days of summer whenever the chill in the air starts getting you down, you can remember warm summer evenings whenever you wear this ring.

Little Dead Girl Hair Bow

From summer reminiscing, we jump into Halloween. That is what I thought this Little Dead Girl Hair Bow would be perfect for. As PoisonGarden states, this is a nice and gloomy Gothic Victorian accessory!

As I said at the beginning of today's blog, the featured artists are all members of the BEST team, as am I. I am a member of a few teams on Etsy, but I have to say that the best of the bunch is definitely the BESTeam. We help each other out with advice and marketing. If you are looking for a team that can help you grow as an Etsy seller, the BESTeam is taking applications. You need to have an Etsy shop, a blog, and either a facebook page or twitter account to join. If you are interested in finding out more about us or want to apply for membership, just click HERE!

Halloween, anyone?

2011-09-29T20:09:00.000-07:00

Crystal Dangle Necklace

Goth Black & Purple Parasol

I know we are almost into October, and to a lot of us, October means Halloween. So, I decided to do a little Halloween shopping in a few shops from the BEST team. So, I started with KCDragonfly's shop and the first item that I saw was this Goth Black & Purple Parasol. Wouldn't this look great to just dress up any black and slinky outfit; just add a little mask and voila! Instant costume! Or, if parasols aren't your thing, I found this red and gold crystal dangle necklace that would be a great addition to a witchy vamp, or is that a vampy witch?

Halloween Bat Bow

Knitted Cow Hat

The next shop I checked was a big change from the first. Knitful Designs has cute accessories such as knit caps and bows. However, I had no problem finding something for Halloween. This cute Halloween Bat Bow would be perfect for any little girl (or not so little?) to wear for Halloween, especially if you don't want to do a full costume. Now, if this bow is just too cute for you to consider, how about this knitted Cow Hat? This hat is currently for an adult; don't you know someone who would wear something like this? I know I do. But, in case you want to do what a lot of parents do and get this for you little one to wear; you can order on in a child's or infant's size. Besides, what would photo albums be like if they didn't contain pictures of your kids when they were small wearing something that they will consider sooo embarrassing when they get to be teenagers. I know I have pictures of that of my two girls; he-he.

Green Aventurine & Onyx Earrings

The last shop I went to check, CK Silver, didn't have much any one item that screamed Halloween, which is fine; sometimes you just don't want to dress up for Halloween. In that case, how about these Green Aventurine & Onyx Earrings? They're cute and they reminded me of flying saucers, just to keep in the Halloween spirit! CK Silver has a variety of necklaces, bracelets and earrings that you can wear throughout the year.

Today's featured artists are all members of the BEST team, as am I. I am a member of a few teams on Etsy, but I have to say that the best of the bunch is definitely the BESTeam. We help each other out with advice and marketing. If you are looking for a team that can help you grow as an Etsy seller, the BESTeam is taking applications. You need to have an Etsy shop, a blog, and either a facebook page or twitter account to join. If you are interested in finding out more about us or want to apply for membership, just click HERE!

Ack! I can't believe it's almost October!

2011-09-28T16:38:00.000-07:00

Gas pump at local Fruit Orchard

I can't believe it is the the last week of September; where did summer go? It didn't help that we had very strange weather this year - cold gray days and heavy rain in July. It's not supposed to rain in the summer in California! And now, that the weather is finally summer like, sunny warm days and cool nights, we're already in September. It's just not fair. The only good thing about this weather is that we were able to purchase peaches and nectarines through August. The last time we went to the only orchard left in Saratoga (the entire valley was originally orchards until the electronics industry took over), we bought the last fruit picked for the season. As we were leaving, I noticed this old gasoline pump and had to take a picture of it before we left.

Penny watching Karyn drive off

What does September mean to you? For me, it's still the start of school, even though it's off to college with my girls instead of elementary or high school. Even the dogs are sad to see my girls drive off. You can't see her face, but just her body language shows that Penny doesn't want to see her girls drive off.

Banana Slug

Right after everyone left, I went outside with the dogs to take a look at our plants. I try to take a slow walk around our property to check on our plants; we always have to try to keep one step ahead of everything that views our gardens as food. So, what do I see in the driveway? It's a banana slug! Yep, slugs aren't bad enough for us, we get to have the big critters that are yellow and spotted as well, hence the name. These slugs, the Pacific Banana Slug are the second largest slugs in the world and can grow as long as 10 inches (25 centimeters)! Yuck. Fortunately, the ones around our house are usually 6 inches (18 centimeters) or less. And, boy, can they leave a slime trail! And, for a little fact you can throw around into your conversation, the Banana Slug is the official mascot for the University of California, Santa Cruz. How would you like to go to a school that has a slug as a mascot?

Well, that's all for today. :) I'm really working hard on working through my pain and fatigue; so hopefully, I'll be able to keep you all posted on my life in the Santa Cruz Mountains and jewelry stories, fashion forecasts, my work and other artists I find interesting. TTFN (Ta Ta For Now, as Tigger always says).

Autumn is coming closer...

2011-09-19T13:47:00.000-07:00

I know that the calendar still says we are in summer, but many of us are experiencing a quick end to summer. And with that in mind, I thought I would give you a taste of some handmade items that would be great for this time of year.

Handpainted Soap Cat
on Pumpkin

Halloween Handpainted
Soap Witch

First stop is the shop of Mossy Creek Soaps. Mossy Creek has a great selection of handmade soaps. Even though we are still in September, it's never too early to think of Halloween. If you like to decorate for Halloween, want to throw a Halloween party, or want a gift to take to a costume party, Mossy Creek has two soaps that are perfect for this. How can you not like this jack-o-lantern soap? It's just so cute. And, if cute is not your thing, there is this witchy soap just for you.

Memory Wire Bracelet in Autumn Shades

My next shop in this autumn shopping guide is Las Flores del Sur. This is a new shop, so there are only a few items right now, but knowing this artist, she will have this shop filled before you know it. Las Flores del Sur has some cute, inexpensive jewelry that are just right for autumn. One item that caught my eye is this bracelet made with seed and glass beads in brown, yellow and orange. Those colors say autumn to me.

Halloween Gift Box,
Little Girl on Swing

Orange, Red & Gold Paperboard Stars

The final shop in today's trio is Upcycle Recycle Reuse. This artist uses old and vintage cards and other stock material to make lovely cards, boxes and other great items. This lovely box with a little girl and her black cat, made from a cute Halloween gift/greeting card is perfect for a Halloween present or for a Halloween decoration.

Upcycle Recycle Reuse also makes items that you can use in your decorating, scrapbooking, card making, collages and more. These colorful stars could be used with your autumn decorations or scrapbook - their colors are perfect.

Today's featured artists are all members of the BEST team, as am I. I am a member of a few teams on Etsy, but I have to say that the best of the bunch is definitely the BESTeam. We help each other out with advice and marketing. If you are looking for a team that can help you grow as an Etsy seller, the BESTeam is taking applications. You need to have an Etsy shop, a blog, and either a facebook page or twitter account to join. If you are interested in finding out more about us or want to apply for membership, just click HERE!

Msformaldahyde

2011-09-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. As this is Thursday, it's time for my featured artist. This will be the last featured artist I will be doing; I'll be doing shop features, just in a different way next week.

Orange Tiki Gods Hair Pins

So, without further ado, my featured artist is Msformaldehyde. Msformaldehyde, cool name, isn't it? Anyway, Msformaldehyde calls herself an employed science girl who makes interesting creations out of an eclectic blend of materials. I would never think of making Tiki God Hair Pins, but here they are in orange. And, if you don't want them as hair pins, you can have them made as barrettes or earrings.

Black & White Curled Goose Feather Fascinator

Another interesting item she has in this shop is this Black & White Curled Goose Feather Fascinator. This would make an awesome halloween hair piece that you can wear to the office if your work doesn't allow you to wear a costume and them you can rock the party that night looking stunning with this accessory!

Paradise Orchid Tiki Luau Barrette
with Cream Skulls

I kept looking at everything Msformaldehyde has in her shop with interest. I have to say, I have never really looked at the goth culture and this shop certainly is a good way to look at all the ways you can incorporate skulls into your wardrobe. When I saw this Orchid Barrette, I was at first please to see something so pretty, and then I looked a little closer.... and saw the skulls. There they are peeking out from under the green plumeria blossoms. I will never look at a luau flower accessory in the same way again. :)

Now to be fair, not all of Msformaldehyde's shop is full of skulls and tiki gods, she also has pirates, skull and cross-bones and other day of the dead motifs to choose from. And, if your tastes don't run in those lines, she also has some beautiful accessories without these little 'extras.' One pretty hair accessory is this set of Hawaiian Flower Barrettes.

Hawaiian Flower Barrette Set

Now, I hope that with this little taste of this unique shop, you will want to learn more about Msformaldehyde. You can find more about this artist and her wares at these sites:

BLOG FACEBOOK

I am a member of a few teams on Etsy, but I have to say that the best of the bunch is definitely the BESTeam. We help each other out with advice and marketing. If you are looking for a team that can help you grow as an Etsy seller, the BESTeam is taking applications. You need to have an Etsy shop, a blog, and either a facebook page or twitter account to join. If you are interested in finding out more about us or want to apply for membership, just click HERE!

Blue White Wear

2011-09-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

Blue & White Wear is my featured artist this week and there are many (too many, maybe?) items that I like for me to showcase them all! You are just going to have to go over to her shop and check it out. This artist is someone who loves to travel and you can see what she has purchased via her travels and how she has used these finds to make her jewelry.

Striped Earrings

Blue & White Wear makes and sells jewelry with an oriental flair; to me, this is shown in the many pieces that are made with blue and white porcelain beads. These beads make lovely jewelry, like this pair of Striped Earrings.

Oriental Fan Necklace

Not all the jewelry in this interesting shop are made with porcelain beads. One necklace that caught my eye is this pretty bronze Oriental Fan Necklace.

Multicolor Jade Bracelet

If you don't want a necklace or a new pair of earrings, how about this Multicolor Jade Bracelet? This bracelet would add a nice touch of color to any outfit and with its brown, green, orange and cream stones is perfect for autumn wardrobes.

In addition to jewelry, this shop also carries Wine Glass Charms in a variety of motifs.

Now, I hope I've piqued your interest in learning more about this artist and her shop. If so, here are some more links you can check out.

BLOG TWITTER FACEBOOK

I am a member of a few teams on Etsy, but I have to say that the best of the bunch is definitely the BESTeam. We help each other out with advice and marketing. If you are looking for a team that can help you grow as an Etsy seller, the BESTeam is taking applications. You need to have an Etsy shop, a blog, and either a facebook page or twitter account to join. If you are interested in finding out more about us or want to apply for membership, just click HERE!

Mossy Creek Soaps

2011-09-02T13:28:00.000-07:00

Wedding Favor Soaps

This week I'm featuring Mossy Creek Soap, who, obviously, makes soaps. But these are not any soaps, this shop has soap that is only made with pure ingredients, olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, lye and water. This simple list of ingredients is only altered by the addition of selected oils for fragrance and color.

In addition to making soap to sell on Etsy, Michelle is a certified soap maker and teaches classes on soap making in her studio in Georgia. Right now, Michelle is busy making soap for the holidays; I'm really curious on what those soaps will contain.

Coffee Mocha Soap

Enough of background, let's see some of her wonderful soap! The first soap that caught my eye is this lovely Coffee Mocha Soap. Mossy Creek Soaps says this soap is great in the kitchen because of its wonderful scent and because it will remove the odors of garlic and onion from your hands when you use it. Wouldn't this be a great soap for the coffee-holic in your life?

Frankincense Myrrh Soap

Continuing on I found a soap that will sure to be a hit this holiday season and it's a soap that I have never seen before, Frankincense Myrrh Soap for men. I think this soap would not only be great as a gift, but I would want to use it in the guest bathrooms to give this room a nice little extra touch.

Cocoa Butter Lavender Body Butter

And, to keep this shop even more interesting, Mossy Creek Soaps sell wonderful body butters, like this Cocoa Butter Lavender Body Butter. This sounds like a great moisturizer to use, especially in winter when everything seems to dry out because of heating.

And, for all of you who may be planning weddings, you can get your jewelry from me, but get your wedding favors from Mossy Creek! You can get your choice of colors and fragrances with the great selection available.

Now, I hope I've piqued your interest in this wonderful shop. If you want to know more about this great place, here are more links to explore:

BLOG FACEBOOK TWITTER

I am a member of a few teams on Etsy, but I have to say that the best of the bunch is definitely the BESTeam. We help each other out with advice and marketing. If you are looking for a team that can help you grow as an Etsy seller, the BESTeam is taking applications. You need to have an Etsy shop, a blog, and either a facebook page or twitter account to join. If you are interested in finding out more about us or want to apply for membership, just click HERE!

ElizabethMD

2011-08-18T19:21:00.000-07:00

This week, I am featuring the shop of ElizabethMD. I have to say at first I was thinking, a doctor in the BEST team, how cool; I wonder what I will find in this shop, cosmetics? cream and lotions? what would a doctor sell on Etsy? Then when I went to this shop, I found out that her shop is really named Elizabeth M Designs, and she sells jewelry.

Bold Blue Rose Ring

So, now I really had to take a look at Elizabeth's designs. What I found was a variety of cute and fun jewelry. Things like this Bold Blue Rose Ring.

Butterfly Earrings

If flowers are not what you are looking for, how about butterflies? This silver tone Butterfly Earrings with purple Czech glass accents would be a cute addition to your costume jewelry collection.

Chain Bracelet w/ Fuchsia Charm

If earrings are not your thing, Elizabeth M Designs has bracelets too, like this simple, yet eye-catching, Chain Bracelet with Pink Fuchsia Charm Detail. You can get this bracelet now and be ahead of the fashion curve. The color Honeysuckle Pink is THE color for 2012 according to the fashion industry and this color is a lighter version of fuchsia.

If you want to learn more about Elizabeth M Designs, here are links to her other sites:

BLOG TWITTER FLICKR

Babamoon

2011-08-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back from my leave of absence and I have to say I have missed all of you, especially my wonderful teammates on the BEST team.

So, as my first post back, I am featuring BabaMoon of Etsy. BabaMoon is owned by Naomi. Naomi is a very talented mother of two who lives in the Birmingham, in the United Kingdom. In addition to the adorable baby accessories Naomi creates and sells in BabaMoon, she loves baking, crafts, reading, photography, and, of course, knitting and crocheting. I really don't know how she finds the time to do all she does; just typing all that she does makes me tired. :)

Rose Flower Flapper Beanie

I have to say that I wish my daughters were still young when I see this adorable beanie. This isn't the only type of baby accessories BabaMoon sells.

Little Lamb Farm Animal Beanie

She doesn't only make hats for little girls. For all of you that love to dress up your little one, this Little Lamb Farm Animal Beanie. I have to say, I don't know how she makes such a fluffy hat.

Pom Pom Pixie Elf Beanie

As I continue to see one cute hat after another, I had a very hard time picking a few to give you an idea of the range of BabaMoon's hats. This Pom Pom Pixie Elf Hat really caught my eye. For everyone who wants family portrait for the holidays, this beanie on the head of your little one will really make everyone go "Oh, how cute!"

I hope I have piqued your interest enough to go and see all the accessories that BabaMoon sells. I have only touched on a few of her lines; a few of the others are the Bunny Rabbit Beanies, Newsboy/Newsgirl hats, Earflap Aviator Hats.

To keep up with Naomi and all that she does, I've listed all of her links below. Again, just looking at all these links makes me tired! :)

BLOG http://moonangelnay.blogspot.com
TWITTER http://twitter.com/moonangelnay
FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/pages/moonangelnay-on-Etsy/213900790295
FLICKR http://www.flickr.com/people/moonangelnay/
STUMBLEUPON http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/moonangelnay/

Headpinwear

2011-06-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

Headpinwear

This week I am featuring the BEST team member, Headpinwear. Headpinwear is owned by a wonderful friend of mine that I met through etsy, Cathy, who lives in the little town of Benicia, California. Benicia is on the top part of the San Francisco Bay, which means Cathy lives very close to me compared with many other of my etsy friends and team members. One of these day, I will have to meet Cathy in person. :)

Raspberry & Key Lime Earrings

Back to the shop Headpinwear. Cathy likes to design using alternative metals; that is metals other than gold and silver. Many of her pieces use blackened brass, which gives her jewelry a rich texture and a vintage look. A good example, as well as a lovely pair of earrings are these Raspberry and Key Lime Czech Glass Bead Earrings on Vintaj Brass.

Bright & Bold
Czech Glass & Brass Earrings

Now one of the things I wondered about when I first saw this shop was it's unusual name. Then I stopped to think about it and realized that this shop name made a lot of sense. A Headpinwear is what jewelry makers use to hold and attach a bead (or two or three) to another bead to make jewelry. I thought this was a cute and clever way to name a shop. And this same sense of wit shows through her jewelry designs, such as these Bright and bold Czech Glass multicolor Beads, and Brass Earrings.

Orange Chalcedony,
Fire Opal & Carnelian SS Bracelet

Not all of Headpinwear's jewelry is made with brass, bronze or copper. She alsomuses silver when she believes her designs require it. I really like this bold Orange Chalcedony, Fire Opal, Carnelian Gemstones and Thai Sterling Silver Bracelet..

Now, you really need to go and see all the other jewelry that Headpinwear has. I have only touched on all the wonderful jewelry she has for sale. For more information about Headpinwear, here are some other places you can check out.

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Gramme's House

2011-06-15T13:11:00.000-07:00

Personalized Mini Market Tote

This week I'm featuring Gramme's House from the BEST team on Etsy. Gramme's House is a cute shop on Etsy that sells cute accessories for babies and toddlers. Gramme's House also sells other accessories such as diaper bags, lunch and market totes and key fobs. And, best of all, everything in this shop can be personalized! One item that I really like is this Personalized Mini Market Tote that has been personalized with an initial and a wedding date.

Black Damask Print Diaper Bag

One item that I really like, and wish had been available when I had my babies is this lovely Black Damask Print Diaper Bag. This Diaper Bag can be personalized with a name or a monogram as well and you have a choice of styles as well as color for this personalization. This is a stylish Diaper Bag that you can take anywhere.

Infant White Terry Robe

Before I leave this shop, I have to stop into the section for hooded towels and nap mat covers. Here you can get Personalized Kindermat Covers and Hooded Towels, but the item I really liked is this Infant White Terry Robe. Again, I wish this shop had been around when I needed it, especially since we spent every summer at the beach for a family get-together. Just think how cute your little one will be wearing this at the beach or poolside? Or, just use it at home for after the bath.

Now, you really need to go and see Pecanieregirl's shop (that's the Etsy shop name, versus what the shop is really called) in order to see all that she has to offer. I mean, as of today, there are 288 items for sale, and as much as I love browsing through other people's shops, I really don't think I would be able to check out all of her items in time to write this feature. For more information about Pecaniergirl, here are her other sites:

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Ancient Oils

2011-06-02T20:53:00.000-07:00

This week I am featuring the BEST team artist Lilly DelValle, who owns the shop, Ancient Oils on Etsy. Lilly actually calls her shop, Goddess Blends Unique Bath Salts & Essential Oils by Ancient Oils, which I believe is a much better description of what her shop really is.

Lilly has a degree in Metaphysics and also has various Certification in Holistic Energy Healing. She studies and practices Holistic & Spiritual Healing. This is how she starting working with essential oils; this work is commonly called aromatherapy. With this background in mind, I started browsing through this shop to see if I could find some oils for myself and my family.

Ixchel - Blissful Motions

The first section I went to is called Medicine Women. In this section, there is only one item at this time, which is called Ixchel - Blissful Motions. This cleanser, includes essential oils to sooth sore muscles and assist with pain and inflammation. Interesting; I need to see if this can help me with the pain I have with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue. I with there were more items in this section now that I have seen one of them, so hopefully Lilly will add more soon.

Root Chankra - Gaia Grounding Salt

The next section of the shop I thought looked interesting is called Chakra Balancing. Chankra is a concept originating from Hindu texts and in traditional Indian medicine. Chankras are the "force centers" of life energy. So, Chankra Balancing is a method of getting your body back in harmony with itself. One of the items in this section is the Gaia, Goddess of the Earth, Grounding Salf for your Root Chankra. These salts are bath salts with the appropriate enhancing Essential Oils. These bath salts would be great to use to relax after an exhausting day of work.

Indulgence Tea Bags

Now, for my final look at this fascinating shop, I went into the Pamper Me section. This section contains some wonderful products that would be great to buy to pamper yourself or someone special. The item that immediately caught my eye are these Indulgence Tea Bags. These tea bags are to be used for soaking in your bath tub; just relax and breath in the aromas of Rose, Passion Flower and Jasmine Flowers. Much better than Calgone! :) In addition to just relaxing with these wonderful scents, you will be nurturing your skin with the additional ingredients of Dead Sea Salt, Oatmeal and Goats milk powder. Milk baths were reportedly used by Cleopatra to keep her beautiful.

I hope that this little bit I have shown you of Ancient Oils will leave you wanting to see more of this wonderful shop. When you do, you can see more of what Lilly has new on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AncientOils and on her blog at http://www.LivingVibrations. Ancient Oils also has a flickr page. You can follow Ancient Oils on Twitter using the name AncientAroma.

I am a member of a few teams on Etsy, but I have to say that the best of the bunch is definitely the BESTeam. We help each other out with advice and marketing. If you are looking for a team that can help you grow as an Etsy seller, the BESTeam is taking applications. You need to have an Etsy shop, a blog, and either a facebook page or twitter account to join. If you are interested in finding out more about us or want to apply for membership, just click HERE!

Creativity Bugs

2011-05-26T21:14:00.000-07:00

Creativity Bugs

This weeks featured artist is a fellow team member in the BEST Team, Creativity Bugs. Creativity Bugs is owned by two sisters, Sandy and Sue, who hail from Wauconda, Illinois. If you are like me, you are going Wau... where? Wauconda is a village in the northern part of Illinois, near the Wisconsin border. For this wimpy Californian, that is way too far north for me to ever get warm. :)

Well now, back to Creativity Bugs. Sandy and Sue just love crafting and this love shows through in their items for sale. Their shop carries paper crafts such as handmade cards, paper craft kits and supplies, holiday and hostess gifts and a whole lot more!

Humming Bird Hello Card

The first item that caught my eye when I went to their shop was this beautiful Blue, Green and Turquoise Hummingbird Hello Card. This is one special card, you must go and see the careful work that went into making this card!

Pink Tea Light Flower Favor

Their eye for beauty and detail is evident in other items in their shop as well. I would never have thought of taking a scented tea light and making a party favor out of it - they did and it's really cute. This Pink Tea Light Flower Favor is just perfect as a teacher's gift. And, many of us could use suggestions about what to get our children's teachers as an end of year gift.

LadyBug Mini Album

Before I leave here, I have to show you this cute LadyBug Mini Album. The is a great item to give as a gift, especially when filled with special pictures, like your new puppy, or a family picnic. Or, if you have pictures of your child's school year, showing members of their class, this would be a nice gift for their teacher(s).

Now that I have given you all a little taste of what Sue and Sandy sell in Creativity Bug, you must stop over to see more for yourself. Don't stop there, you should check out their blog with which they give tutorials on cooking and crafting. You can keep up with what they are doing on their facebook fan page

Heirlooms

2011-05-17T14:40:00.000-07:00

With the royal wedding occurring such a short time ago, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about heirloom jewelry. Don't royalty and heirlooms go together? Especially heirloom jewelry?

What did you think about the ring that Prince William gave Kate Middleton when he proposed? This ring was easily recognized as the ring that Princess Diana, Prince William's mother, wore as her engagement ring. I thought it was a very sweet gesture. This is a great example heirloom jewelry; beautiful piece of jewelry with history of making it very special.

Handmade Peach Lacework of Pearls Necklace

I think most people would love to have some heirlooms of their very own. I know I would, wouldn't you? And, even though I concentrate on jewelry, jewelry isn't the only type of article that can be an heirloom. Heirlooms can range from a serving dish or platter that your mother or grand-mother used, to furniture and clocks.

Being expensive is not required for something to be an heirloom, in my view, but the linking of an item with a special person. Even better is having this item be linked to a special occasion as well. And, I believe that the quality of an item helps; poor quality items usually are not kept or cannot last. And, in the latter quality, pearls are a good example - poor quality pearls will just wear away.

The Black Tie Affair
Handmade Pearl Earrings

In the end, I believe that we should try to purchase items that not only are special for ourselves, but also will be cherished for a long time after. That is why I make the jewelry I do, I want to make jewelry that can be worn for a special day, like your wedding, your graduation, a prom or an anniversary. Jewelry that is of great quality, what I call heirloom quality, that you will be proud to wear now and can pass down through the generations.

Mystic Wynd Creations

2011-05-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

Today I am featuring Mystic Wynd Creations. I have many member of the BEST team on Etsy; I believe we have the greatest team there. Well, a lot of the credit must go to Karen of Mystic Wynd. Karen is our exalted leader, yeah!, and she keeps all of us on the straight and narrow. :)

Well, she also makes lovely jewelry. She believes that jewelry should not only reflect the designer, but the person who is going to wear it. And, she does a wonderful job of that - she will modify her designs so that they will work for you; whether you need earrings that are not pierced, an easy to use closure for that necklace you just must have or your wrist is too small for the bracelet that you love.

Crown Necklace w/ Faux Pearl

Well, I'll get to some great examples of her jewelry now. One piece that I really like and it's topical, given that we recently were treated to a royal wedding, is this Crown Necklace with Faux Pearl in Silver. Well, now you, or someone you want to gift this to, can be a princess or a queen - immediately!

Green Crystal Chandelier Earrings

Another piece of jewelry that caught my eye are these great pair of earrings. I really like these Peridot Swarovksi Crystal Chandelier Drop Earrings because they reminded me of the Eiffel Tower in France. A closer look shows that they are a great combination of antique brass color filigree with beautiful green crystal dangles. They would be great to wear with jeans or on a night out.

Blue Green Glass Bead Bracelet

Another piece of jewelry I really like is that great Blue Green Foiled Glass Bead Bracelet. I love the colors, especially because they remind me of the beach. This bracelet would be great with today's maxi dresses; it would be the only piece of jewelry you would need to wear.

Orange & Yellow Orchid Earrings

The next pair of earrings really made me oooh and aaah! These Orange and Yellow Orchid Tropical Beauty Earrings are gorgeous. I'm not sure what I would wear them with, but I do know that I would immediately try to find something that would do. I know that is kind of back-wards, but that is exactly the way these earrings make me feel.

Well, I know I could go on and on about all the wonderful items Mystic Wynd Creations sells, but the best thing for you to do is to go there yourself and see. You should also check out her blog; it is very well written. You can find it at: http://www.mysticwynd.blogspot.com. Her facebook fan page is called MysticWynd and her twitter feed is the easy to remember mysticwynd. She also has more photos online on Flickr.

I am a member of a few teams on Etsy, but I have to say that the best of the bunch is definitely the BESTeam. We help each other out with advice and marketing. If you are looking for a team that can help you grow as an Etsy seller, the BESTeam is taking applications. You need to have an Etsy shop, a blog, and either a facebook page or twitter account to join. If you are interested in finding out more about us, or want to apply for membership, just click HERE!

Musings on this week

2011-05-08T00:46:00.000-07:00

As I look back on the events this past week, especially the one the United States will always remember, which is the death of Osama bin Laden. I do not want to celebrate the death of a fellow human being, but this case is different. He attacked us; took scores of innocent lives for his warped ideology and bragged about it. We, as a nation, needed to fight back. And only his death would sufficient punishment for his heinous crimes.

In addition this raid showed that the ben Landen of the medias was not the actual ben Lauden. through this raid, we showed ben Laden as the fraudI Not for him the life of the brave commander of his troops, the ascetic who lives simply with only a bedroll and his gun in a cave. No, he lived in a $1M villa in a resort community outside of ?????, Pakistan, with his youngest wife and their sons. There was no view from outside into the grounds; shielding bin Laden from view. For if you could see into this compound, you would see Coca-Cola and Pepsi and other products from a "decadent" society.

For in the end, what really took him down was us; our life, our dreams and our successes. He thought we were weak because we did not behave the way he thought we should and therefore, in his twisted mind, it was his duty to find and destroy the infidels. He thought it would be easy; bomb a few major targets and we would not be able to recover. What he didn't take into account, was the fact that for all our rhetoric against each other, we could and would pull together to fight him. There may be detours and some failures alone the way, but in the end, we knew what to do and pulled off this surgical strike agains him and his closest aids.

And, in the end, we are left with these words from the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence. Reading thee words always gives me chills. For almost 250 years, our country is unique because it was founded by men of ideals. The Preamble is simple, but what other country makes it the purpose of the state to allow its individuals "the pursuit of Happiness."

These four little words, "the pursuit of Happines," means that you and I can do what we want to do. If we want to collect figurines, we can, if we want to collect shot glasses, golf balls, jewelry, we can! We can start businesses to sell what we make or collect and no one can stop us!

So, what do you think about this momentous occasion? Did you do anything to celebrate? Let me know; I'd like your thoughts on this.

Thank you for letting me express myself. I look forward from hearing from you.

Our Home to Yours

2011-05-03T22:04:00.000-07:00

Butterfly Quilt Coverlet

Well, if it seems like I skipped a post this time, I did. I'm trying to get back into sync and have a BEST team posting in the first part of the week and leave the rest of the week for other matters. So, with that said, this week I am featuring the great shop of Our Home to Yours on Etsy!
Now, comes the hard part, how to describe this shop. Our Home to Yours is a place that stocks original and one of a kind items. Everything there is made by either Debbi, or her daughter Amanda.

Handmade Red Violet Necklace

I really like their philosophy of craft - they love to try to make new things, so that you will never see the same thing twice. I have to appreciate how Debbi makes jewelry, it is similar to mine - she just lets the bead speak for themselves and the designs the jewelry from what they say. One of the pieces that I really like is this Handmade Red Violet Necklace. I really like the color and shape of these beads.

White Quilled Wedding Invitation Border

Another type of craft this shop carries are items for weddings. Not just wedding supplies, but also, some wonderful items that would be perfect for gifts. One great wedding present would be this Handmade White Quilled Wedding Invitation Border.

Purple & White Fun Fur Scarf

To keep going with their philosophy of trying to make new things, Amanda is now crocheting some wonderful items. I really like this Handmade Purple and White Fun Fur Scarf.

Before I leave this shop, I have to show you one more accessory from this wonderful shop. This is something I would never have thought of myself. This shows me that this is one shop that you should go back to regularly because you never know what you will find! ....and this final accessory is: Fuzzy Flip-Flops! Just thinking of these, makes me smile - you should buy a pair just for that; although, I bet this pair of furry flip-flops are very comfortable.

Hot Pink Fuzzy Flip Flops

To keep up with these two wonderful crafters, their blog is at: http://www.ourhometoyourscrafts.blogspot.com, their facebook fan page is: http://www.facebook.com/ourhometoyours and their twitter feed is ourhometoyours.

Spring!

2011-04-27T16:35:00.000-07:00

California Buckeye Bud

It seems like Spring is finally here in Los Gatos. I guess it took Easter to make sure of that. A month ago, the California buckeye trees were starting to leaf out; now they have flower buds - very long buds.

So, now I go outside and it is all sunny and I can't wait for our deck work to finish. That's one thing I had to get used to living on the hillside of the Santa Cruz Mountain chain. Deck maintenance! Constant deck maintenance. We don't have a backyard, our house is tucked into the hillside and because of that, we live on our deck. That means every year we have to take a look at our decking and decide which part really needs to be done this year and what part we can leave off until next year.

Well, this year we decided the next section to be done would be the portion of the deck out to what we call our "View Deck." The former owners had just a tiny little spot about 8' x 10' and the walkway out was just boards laid down on the ground. You had to walk single file to get to the view. Being on the ground, the walkway boards were rotting away and the ground shifts (lots of rain, hills begin to move... ) were making it hard to walk out. Plus the view deck itself was coming apart.

Deck Work with Snow

Back in February when it snowed here for the first time since 1976, I had taken a shot of the "skeleton" in trying to get more pictures of the snow.

Deck Work almost complete!

Now, it much closer to completion and we are eagerly awaiting its finish. As you can see, we are almost there.

To give you a little idea of what I mean when I say our house in built into a hillside, take a closer look at the deck work. To the right of the decking, those are tree branches. And, to the left is the retaining wall to hold back the hill.

All about Cats on Etsy

2011-04-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

Cindy Organic Catnip Bell Toy

This week, I am featuring this week is All about Cats from the BEST team on Etsy. All about Cats is a store that is dedicated to, as you might have guessed by the name, cats - anything that is wanted, needed, desired, or dreamed of by cat owners for their cats. All about Cats is owned by Linda, who lives in Vermont. She has three cats of her own, all rescued. She also has an aquarium of fish! I don't know if I would have all these tempting goodies around my cats. But, I guess that's why she has such neat cat toys. With all these great toys to choose from, especially when they are filled with organic catnip, her cats are too busy with all their choices to even think about fish. What a great recommendation that is!

Sally the Pastel Owl

I don't own any cats, but, if I did, this is a shop I would buy all the cat accessories I would want. I love the toys she carries; they are not the same old toys you always find at the chain stores for cats. A good example is this Pastel Owl Organic Catnip Bell Toy.

Cat Print Travel Tissue Holder

All about Cats carries more than just cat toys. I would never have thought about getting Travel Tissue Holders in cat prints. What a great idea. You can show everybody how much you love your cats in such a nice way.

Reversible Cat Print Coasters

Other items in this shop are accessories for you home, like these Four Reversible Cat Print Fabric Coasters.

Tiger Print Reusable Swiffer Duster

I have to say my favorite, is this Reusable Swiffer or Pledge Duster Cover. I would never have thought of this, but this is a great idea. I know with pets, you are constantly battling fur and for me a Swiffer is one of the tools I use. Here, with this cover, you can continue the battle and help save the environment at the same time.

To keep up with Linda, follow her blog at http://www.allaboutcatsatetsy.blogspot.com, and on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/All-About-Cats/178751288826475 and on Twitter as All_About_Cats.

I'll be back soon.....

2011-04-21T16:08:00.000-07:00

I have to apologize to all my followers for my lack of updates on me, my life in the Santa Cruz mountains in California and the antics of my two dogs.

My Sleeping Beauties

This has been a very rough month for me. I don't like to complain, but this month my CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) has flared and left me with virtually no energy and a lot of pain. My best shot of getting over this hump is for me to rest as much as possible.

I know I have missed playing with my dogs and seeing what is going on outside, and I hope you have missed my updates. All I can say, is please hang in there with me and I will be back soon with more funny dog stories.

I have to say that my dogs have not abandoned me during this time; they are sleeping right along with me. Well, not with me exactly, but they are sleeping none the less. :)

Stylish Blogger Award

2011-04-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

I've got to say I'm really please that 2 people have chosen me for the Stylish Blogger Award and I procrastinated acknowledging it. I'm so ashamed....... :(

So, very belated thank-yous to Milena of Just the Goods and Cathy of Headpin Wear.

And, now, I get to tell all of you 7 things about myself - I have to say, I don't like this part, I'm not very good at biographical writing... Enough procrastinating, here they are:

1. I live in a lovely house in Los Gatos, California. Los Gatos is in the San Francisco Bay Area, down in the south part, in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Los Gatos is a small town that still has a real downtown, with small shops. Since our house is in the mountains, the house is built into a hillside. This means that we have a lot of decking around our house. There is no level piece of land on our property. By the way, you can't find our house on Google Maps because our street is a private road, so they couldn't come up and take pictures.

2. My husband and I own our own business. This is Turner Designs, which makes fluorometers. A fancy word there :) These instruments are used to measure water quality, so a lot of researchers use them to watch what the ocean is doing. Some of our instruments are used around oil wells to check for oil in the water (there were a lot being used during the Gulf oil spill) and others are used to check the water in streams, lakes and cooling systems.

3. My husband and I are both electrical engineers and we met at one of the companies we both worked at. He didn't like me when he first met me because I was hired to test this big in-house test system that he had built and I told him it didn't work! He was not a happy camper then. Obviously, that changed! :)

4. We have 2 daughters who are both taller than me, so that makes me the shrimp in the family. My husband is 6'1", daughter #1 is 5'5", daughter #2 is 5'10" and I am 5'2". This makes hugging my girls a little interesting. :)

5. I quit working as an engineering manager (director level) when my oldest daughter was in kindergarten because she was diagnosed with a learning disability. I hated to quit, but I knew I had to stay home with her for a while to help her learn. Both daughters were thrilled!

6. I volunteer and taught science in the elementary school that my daughters went to. And, when my oldest hit high school, I was the Robotics teacher. :)

7. I love animals and so does the rest of my family. I was such a soft touch, that my oldest daughter has a bird, a cockatiel named Dover and my youngest has a Dutch bunny named Oreo. We also have 2 Australian Shepherds, as I have written about before.

Boy, I feel really strange telling all of you about me. I wrote a lot more than I expected. I hope you found this little glimpse into my life interesting.

Danizabeth

2011-04-14T15:56:00.000-07:00

My featured BEST team artist this week is Danizabeth. Danizabeth is a wonderful shop in Etsy specializing in photo prints. Danizabeth is a shop owned by Danielle of Peru, Illinois. Her shop mainly sells absolutely lovely prints of antique autos and architecture. I really love this print of a Red Covered Bridge, one of the last five cover bridges left in Illinois. Can't you just feel the warm sunshine on your arm as you drive up to see this Historical Landmark?

Pink and Pearls 8x10 Matte Print

It would be a perfect drive, especially if you were driving a restored 1950's Pink and Ivory Mercury - which happens to be the star of another of her great photographs. Of course, you would have to use your imagination of this care as well, since Danielle took this picture in a local salvage yard. And, to keep in line with our imagination, I just imagined this was a 1950's Mercury! After all, look at those fins! This must have been one magnificent car which is lucky to live on in Danizabeth's photos.

Taking it on the Road

As I continued to look at Danizabeth's shop, the next item that caught my eye was this print, called Taking it on the Road. I felt like singing "On the Road Again;" and no, I will not subject you to my singing voice. :)

Dashboard

Danizabeth's photos really put you in a nostalgic mood. I found myself missing this era of big cars and when taking a Sunday drive was what you did with your shiny carefully waxed cars. Can't you just imagine yourself behind this dashboard?

Danizabeth's shop statement which states that her hope is that these photos can take us back to a beloved memory; well, I can't say I remember these times, but her photos are so good at taking you back in time and letting you see her vision of this time so strongly, that you really would like to have been in the 50's when life seemed slower and it was a big event to have a new car and driving was fun.

Special Deluxe Car Emblem

You really have to go see her photos that will take you to a Special Deluxe period of time. And when you see her photos, go ahead a purchase one to place where you can lean back and imagine you have gone back in time and go for your Sunday drive.

To learn more about Danizabeth and to keep up with what's happening in this shop, follow Danizabeth's blog at: www.danizabeth.blogspot.com.
Her facebook page is: www.facebook.com/danizabethphotography.
And, she can be followed on Twitter under Danizabeth2.

I have a weird dog :)

2011-04-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

As you may know, we have 2 Aussies. One Aussie is from a breeder who was trying to breed a dog that could compete both as a show dog and as a herding dog. It wasn't a successful attempt. :)

Shadow is cute and friendly and loves to cuddle. But, for an Aussie, he's not too bright. So, when we went to get a second Aussie, I looked for a dog from a herding line. Actually, this dog is our third Aussie, our first one died from cancer and I missed her so much, I needed to get a puppy.

So, enter Penny. She is a herding dog that I got from a breeder in Missouri. She's smart, energetic and a lot of fun (and work). We are constantly learning new things that she can do. One of the strangest is the way she sits on the stairs. She will sit on one step and put her front legs on another! I have never seen a dog do this before, so of course, I had to take a picture.

She will sit this way outside too. I guess she is so long that it's more comfortable for her to sit this way. Every time I see her doing this, I have to laugh!

Shadow, on the other hand, will lay down every opportunity he can get. You can see how hard a life he has when you see him yawning when I try to wake him up and get him off the sofa. I'm going to bed, but Shadow would prefer that I leave him alone to sleep on the sofa all night.

I may be a softie with my dogs, but letting him sleep on the sofa all night - I don't think so.

Actually, both my husband and myself are real softies with our dogs. Both of them love to sleep on the sofa when ever they can. Penny still sleeps as a puppy, all sprawled out and when she does, you can see that she has very long legs.

In fact, I have to make sure she doesn't push me off the sofa when she stretches out her full length. :)

Redemption Art on Etsy

2011-04-06T16:45:00.000-07:00

Vintage Toddler's Hawaiian Shirt

My artist feature this week is about Redemption Art on Etsy. Redemption Art is a owned and operated by Connie Haskell in Hawaii and her shop carries a cornucopia of items, from vintage items to unique Hawaiian supplies. I am going to have a hard time showcasing her shop because there is so much variety!

First question I had about this shop was its unusual name. Connie named her shop Redemption Art because she strongly believes in hope; hope for the redemption of all things ranging from old, everyday items to broken lives. I like this, because we all need hope in our lives; hope for the future, for our ourselves and our children.

Vintage Ceramic Chicken Trinket Box

Connie is a native Hawaiian and through her and her shop, you can get a glimpse of this tropical culture. I knew she was the real deal when I saw this Vintage Ceramic Chicken Trinket Box. Everywhere you go on the islands, you see chickens everywhere!

Vargas Hula Girl circa WWII

Redemption Arts has some fantastic vintage artwork, such as this Vargas Hula Girl print from a 1944 calendar.

Vintage Hawaiian Libby's Pineapple Juice Ad

And, just look at this Vintage Libby's Pineapple Juice Ad from the 1950's! I just love it; I don't know what I would do with this ad, but looking at it just screams Hawaii to me.

Newborn Hula Girl Outfit

In addition to prints and other decorating items, Redemption Art has clothing, both vintage and new made from vintage fabric. Here's a cute Hula girl outfit for a newborn made out of extra fabric from an aloha shirt factory. I wish I knew a baby girl for this outfit.

Heart Shaped Pig Bones from Hawaii

I could keep going because there is so much to love in this shop. So, I'm making myself finish up with these heart shaped pig bones. Who knew pigs had heart shaped bones? I certainly didn't. And, in case you are wondering, pigs are a real problem in Hawaii. These are wild pigs descended from the pigs the first explorers brought to Hawaii and they are killing off native plants and wildlife, especially birds. These wild pigs have no predators other than man and so the Hawaiian people are in a race against time to reduce the number of wild pigs so that more native species don't go extinct due to the pigs' predation.

If you want to know more about Connie and her shop, check out her blog at http://www.islandbuzzy.com. Her facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/connie.haskell and you can follow her on Twitter at IslandBuzzy. Aloha.

Jewelry by Jaynemarie: It's Raining, It's Pouring.....

2011-03-27T17:20:00.000-07:00

Jewelry by Jaynemarie: It's Raining, It's Pouring.....

It's Raining, It's Pouring.....

2011-03-27T17:19:00.000-07:00

Well, this past week has been an exciting week in my little spot of the Santa Cruz Mountains. This was the week of my daughter's Spring Break from UC Merced, and a Spring Break should have some sunshine in it, shouldn't it?
Well, not this week. It poured! And then it poured some more. I know, it's not snow, but this is our winter, and I have to say that if I don't see the sun, I get very depressed. So, this was a depressing week, right? No,
I have to look at the brighter things in my life, so I went around to find some.

First, my daughter came home for spring break! This is great! She says it's only because she didn't have the money to go away for her break; OK, I'll take that excuse and I won't raise your allowance either. :)

Second, the more it rains, the longer the stream on our property will run; and I love the sound the stream makes as it runs down the mountain. After this week's rain, I hope this means the stream will run into the summer. To have this stream run until next winter, it would have to rain a whole lot more. And, as much as I like this sound, I would rather have more sun. I'll buy a fountain to listen to in the summer.

To show you what happens when it rains, I have two pictures of this stream. One is from last week, before this deluge started. The second is from yesterday. The entire stream bed if full of water and most of the rocks are under water. I was a little worried about it at its peak, because one dog, Shadow (he's in the picture with my daughter above) is really sweet, but not a very smart Aussie. He was so fascinated by the fast water, he was leaning over farther and farther to look at it and I was really afraid he would fall in. That would not be one of his brighter moves!

Today the stream is down from its peak, but faster and with more water than before. A lot of the rocks have been rearranged and lost, so we may have to find others to line the stream bed with.

Even though Shadow was fascinated by the fast running stream, he doesn't like to go outside in the rain. He might get all of his pretty fur wet! And Australian Shepherds are herding dogs, too. Well, both Penny and he stayed in most of this week. Their favorite spot is, of course, our sofa. At least, they share!

The forecast is for this rain to end and we'll finally get some sun - and warmer weather. I'm all ready for that, and so are the dogs. They go crazy staying in the house all day, as do I.

Sandy's Handmade Soaps & Things on Etsy

2011-03-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

Sandy's Shop

This week my feature is on the BEST team member Sandy Vern. Sandy has a shop that sells mainly soaps, but also jewelry, knitting accessories and hand knits. Sandy is a New Englander, born and bred. She was born in Massachusetts and lived there for many years, then New Hampshire and finally settling in Stamford, Connecticut.

Lavender Soap

Sandy describes herself as being owned by her pets. She has 1 dog, 2 cats, 1 ferret, 2 parrotlets and 3 bearded dragons. Wow, I'm impressed. I have 2 australian shepherds and they are fun, but a lot of work. To take care of all of the pets Sandy owns must take a lot of time. In between taking care of her pets, as well as others (she is a pet sitter), she crafts. I would love to have half of Sandy's energy. :)

Molded Horse Head Soap

And as for her crafts, her soaps are incredible! When I first saw her shop, I was looking at all these different soaps, like Almond Joy, Blueberry Crunch, and Toasted Coconut Bar. These don't sound like soap, but something good to eat. :)

Then as I scrolled down and saw this horse! It was a soap. Oh, I love it and I could see getting this soap for anyone who loves horses, like my eldest daughter.

Knitted Sock Monkey

But don't think Sandy only makes soaps, this lady describes herself as a crafter, and she is. She knits such items as this adorable sock monkey. You just have to smile when you see him sitting there.

Summer Time Stitch Markers

And, because she knits, she knows knitters need stitch markers such as these cute Summer Time Stitch Markers.

Green Cocktail Earrings

And, wouldn't it be cute to not only use these stitch markers when you are knitting, but to wear earrings to match?

I could continue on and on about all the nice items Sandy has for sale, but I think I would end up listing her entire shop here! :)

No, for that you need to go straight to Sandy's Handmade Soaps & Things on Etsy yourself and see all she sells. If you want more information about Sandy, you can follow her blog at http://theadventuresofsandyvern.blogspot.com/

Life in the Santa Cruz Mountains

2011-03-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

As I let everyone know via my Facebook page, on Wednesday, March 16, we lost power. Well, now everything is fixed, so I can tell you what really happened.

Tree and Pole on Road

I was busily writing my weekly feature on a fellow BESTeam member, and had just finished it when the power went out. My first thought was "great - not" in that I finished the feature and needed to post it. Well, here's were technology helped. My new iPhone came with a hotspot (internet connection via mobile phone) and so I quickly started this application up and was able to transfer my feature up to my blog and let everyone know I was finished. I wasn't really paying much attention to anything else, but getting this done.

Well, once finished, I realized that the lights were not really off, just very low and wavering in intensity. That's odd, that's not how an outage usually works. So, I went around the house and tried to figure out what was going on. I noticed a buzzing sound and found it came from outside, so as I tried to trace it, I realized I was smelling smoke! SMOKE! Oh, no! I'm surrounded by trees and my house has cedar siding; this is scary!

Scorch Marks on Road

OK, back into the house for my binoculars, to look for any signs of smoke. Nothing I could see around the house, so I went out to the road and since I heard arcing and hissing from down the road, I went down. As I went, I saw power lines on the road. I looked closer and I could see scorch marks - the line is still live - I better keep clear.

Broken Pole w/ Broken Insulators

As I round the curve in the road, I see wood on the road; it was a power pole and a big tree. I got closer and saw that it was a smashed power pole - you can see broken insulators.

Fire in Trees

Wow, the damage was worse than I thought. But, where was the smoke coming from? I looked up, and there in the trees, the power line had started a fire. I called 911 and the fire fighters were here in minutes! We were lucky, since there has been so much rain, everything was too wet to burn. The only place that was burning was just where the line touched the tree tops and it wasn't spreading.

Tree next to Workers

That was the good news, the bad news was that it would take PG&E 24 to 48 hours to fix this. Oh no. No lights, no heat, no computer. It turned out to be done quicker than expected. It was a huge tree, you can see its size in the picture on the right, in relation to the workers waiting for the big equipment.

Lights came back on in a few hours; the power company rerouted some lines to get power up quicker.

Penny & Shadow w/
Cut Tree

Today, I went out before the rains started again and took a look at what they did. They sawed up the tree and left most of it behind. Take a look at the pieces of the trunk - they're huge! I put my dogs in front to get a picture of this.

New Power Pole

And, with my final picture, you can see that the power pole had snapped in half (20' left standing) and they just put a new pole right next to what was left of the old pole. The line that is running low, is the phone company's line. I hope they'll repair their lines too, but I doubt it.

If you want to see more pictures, check out my Facebook Page. I have an album of pictures there. Like me there and follow me on Twitter - JewlryJaynmarie to keep up with my life and my jewelry.

You are my Sunshine on Etsy

2011-03-16T13:20:00.000-07:00

This week, I'm featuring the shop You are my Sunshine on Etsy. Nina sells flowers - handmade fabric flowers in brooches, hair pins and jewelry. I loved the name because it's raining again (sigh) and seeing her bright and beautiful flowers makes me smile. Nina is a member of the Etsy BEST team; so obviously, she only makes the best accessories. :)

Fabric Flower Statement Necklace, My Heart is Yours

I thought her shop's name was You are my Sunshine because of the fabric flowers she sells. But, that's not the case. She says that when her sons were little, she would sing them to sleep with the song "You are my Sunshine," and since she still thinks that way (have they hit the teenage years yet? :) ), she thought she would use this title as her shop name. I think this is a beautiful shop with a name that will make every mom smile.

Yellow & Violet Fresh Water Pearls Brooch

Well, after that interlude, I should write about what Nina makes so beautifully in her shop. Two examples are the necklace above and the brooch shown here. These accessories are both lovely and imaginative.

Shamrock Green Mums Bobby Pins

Not all of the items in this shop are fabric flowers, like these bobby pins on the right.

Ear Anatomy Vintage Poker Chip Pendant

And, some items are not flower based at all, like this vintage poker chip pendant on the left.

Don't just take my word for it, visit You are my Sunshine whenever you are searching for the right gift, whether you are shopping for a friend, family member, colleague or for yourself.

For more information about Nina and her accessories, follow her on her blog and like her on her facebook page, To keep up with new items, sales and other news, follow her on twitter. And, last, but not least, check out her Flickr account, where she posts her upcoming new items.

Countdown to Spring

2011-03-14T22:34:00.000-07:00

We're just adjusted our clocks and I know I am past ready for Spring to be here. This has been an unusual year of weather, even Northern California weather.

Rains started a little late
Then it poured
Followed by days of warmth and sunshine
Freak dusting of snow
Now, it's raining again.....

Well, in between the showers, I went outside to check for signs of Spring. After all, Spring is officially here in 6 days! {on Sunday, March 20th}

Bee gathering nectar
from rosemary blooms

Want to play? Please....

I found out that I am not the only one anxious for good weather.

Bees humming from flower to flower, only to disappear when the rain starts again.

California Fuchsia

One of my dogs, Penny, running to grab a tennis ball and then trying to get me to play with her.

And, finally, some more flowers! This time from my California Fuchsia in a pot outside on the deck.

Now that I know that I am not the only one anxious for Spring to be here. The bees have started looking for flowers. My dogs want to go outside and play. And, one of California's native species, telling me that, yes, it's almost Spring!

I can't wait!

Life, Dogs and Thunder God Vine

2011-03-01T11:39:00.000-08:00

Today, I'm going to write on a subject that important to me and to many others who suffer constant pain. My pain is from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. For those of you who don't know what Chronic Fatigue (CFS) is, its a constant lack of any energy at all. Fatigue is really a misnomer, because many people who see the word fatigue say, "oh yes, I know what it is; I've been really tired lately too." Well, not to get morbid, but CFS fatigue goes way beyond mere tiredness; you don't have the energy to move at all. And, there is the constant pain as well. If you want to read more about CFS, the famous writer Laura Hillenbrand, the best-selling author of “Seabiscuit: An American Legend" has CFS and here is an interview with her about her writing and living with CFS.

Now, I don't want you to think I sit around in pain all the time, I have pain medication that helps, and I know how much to push myself. So, some days, all I can do is lay down and read; other days I can make jewelry and work on my computer to support my blog, my shop and my teammates. And, I have to say, watching my dogs, always brings a smile to my face. Laughter is sometimes the best medicine.

So, I was surprised when Time Magazine devoted an issue to dealing with pain. I was a little afraid to read it because many doctors don't believe in CFS or constant pain, but I was pleasantly surprised. It actually said that doctors are starting to treat pain as a real disease in itself. And, they talked about what you could do for pain other than medication; things like massage, qi gong, yoga, acupuncture and taking something called thunder god vine.

Now, I know what the other items on this list are, but thunder god vine? What is it? How do you use it? And, most important at all, where and how do you get some?

Help! Any clues? Ideas? Hints?

Turquoise Angels on Etsy

2011-02-28T15:07:00.000-08:00

My featured artist this week is Turquoise Angels. Turquoise Angels is a mother and daughter team who makes handmade apparel and accessories.

Turquoise Angels

Daisy Tutu Dress

I wish I had been able to purchase items from this shop when my daughters were young. I have one daughter who loved pretty and sparkly clothing! (In fact, she still does☺) I can just see her wearing a dress like this everyday when she was little. A dress like this would be gorgeous for a flower girl at any time of the year.

Don't think Turquoise Angels only makes tutus for little girls, she has a variety of embellished clothing.

Custom Flower Flip-Flops

Can't you see yourself tripping around town wearing these flip-flops. OK, maybe not around town, but at least at home where seeing these flowers on your feet will make you smile. These flip-flops are available in custom size and color combination, so you can always find exactly the pair you want to buy.

Patriotic Colors Hair Bow

If flowers are not what you are looking for, check out the hair bows and embellished head bands. Can't you see yourself wearing this just above your pony-tail for the Fourth of July Picnic?

Embellished Raceback Dress

I could keep writing on and on about all the lovely things Joni and her daughter, Rebecca, make. (Like this dress ☺) But, I won't, you need to go to their shop on etsy to see more.

If all this makes you want to know more about the BEST team member, you can become a friend of theirs on Facebook, follow their blog, and make sure you are kept up to date with their twitter feed.

Whatever you do, their work should put a smile on your face. Especially now when everyone is anxiously awaiting Spring.

IT SNOWED!!!!

2011-02-26T22:00:00.000-08:00

I couldn't believe it when I woke up this morning. It Snowed! It hasn't snowed in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1976.

It wasn't much, but it was enough to confuse my dogs. They couldn't figure out what this white stuff was. They wandered around, they sniffed, they licked. It was funny to see.

Of course, it didn't last long. Just until the sun came up. Then it was goodbye to the light dusting of powder we got. Its a good thing; I'm not sure how all my plants took this brief kiss of winter. I guess I'll find out next week.

Spring ?

2011-02-24T14:26:00.000-08:00

I know here in California, we don't experience the real cold many of you regularly have each winter. But, our winters can get long, because they are our rainy season. Yes, it really only rains here in California in the winter - but when it rains, it can rain for weeks on end. We start to see moss growing everywhere.

California Maple against a rare winter blue sky

Whenever we get a clear day, with blue sky, I always start wishing for spring to be here. But, when the rain stops, that's when the weather gets cold (for us). Even so, I crave the sun so much, I go outside for some sun therapy!

California Buckeye

This time, I decided to go out and look to see if I could find any signs of spring. Our first sign is usually the California Buckeye. This tree is uniquely Californian; during the rainy season it waits for the first rays of the sun and then it starts budding like crazy. It has started its race to propagate. So, here it was - my first sign of spring! I was so pleased.

Once I saw that, I started hoping that I might see some early flowers, and yes, here is an azalea bush bravely budding. There is danger here, since it is still February and we may get a freeze or two if the weather remains clear. But, this azalea has started, and if its lucky, it will bloom. If not, the freeze will kill all those flowers.

Now, I feel a little better, I have had some sun and have seen my first signs of spring. I know we will probably get more rain; we need it, since winter rains are what keeps California in water for the rest of the year. But, having seen some sun, blue sky, flower and tree buds, I can deal with rain again for a while.

How do you handle your winter blues? Share your coping mechanisms here.

Efrat Deutsch's shop on Etsy

2011-02-22T11:58:00.000-08:00

This week I am highlighting the work of another member of the BESTeam, Efrat Deutsch. Efrat is a jewelry designer and goldsmith in Toronto, Canada.

Efrat has a BFA degree in jewelry design and creates designs the are inspired by her urban life and the nature around her. Her jewelry is deceptively simple looking, but it takes skill and work to create beauty like this.

Bell Flower Earrings

These earrings are a good example of her art. As you look closely at them, you realize that these earrings are not flat; they are a 3-D representation of this lovely flower.

Rose Necklace

Many of her designs are flowers. Another pretty piece is this necklace. It is not only jewelry, but modern art with its silver lines denoting a rose in full bloom.

Rose Earrings

One thing that Efrat does is to make collections of her work. So if you like a certain necklace, like the Rose Necklace above, you can find earrings to match.

Heart Ring

I have to say I had a difficult time picking jewelry to highlight in this feature because Efrat has so many beautiful pieces. For a final pick, here is a lovely sterling silver ring with a pink rhodolite stone.

If you want to keep up with Efrat Deutsch, in addition to her etsy shop, she also has a personal blog. Efrat also highlights a BEST team member every week; to view these features, click on the top right button, called Weekly Featured Artists.

Now that you have read all about Efrat, let me know your comments on her shop, my features, and anything else you would like to share. Also, let your friends know about my blog, especially since in addition to highlighting an artist every week, I am going to write about other topics as well. These topics will include information about jewelry, my observations my pocket of California and anything else that I may dream up. If there is a specific topic you would like addressed, please let me know.

Handmade Artisan Jewelry by Gilliauna

2011-02-15T17:01:00.000-08:00

This week I am featuring the wonderful work of Gilliauna.

Gillianua's Bits n' Beads is a collaboration between two wonderful artists, Leal and Zole. This pair enriches Etsy, the internet and specifically the BESTeam by making jewelry as well as some neat tools! What I found interesting what that one is from Vancouver and the other from Seattle. I won't tell you who works where. Gillianua's Bits n' Beads offers necklaces, bracelets, rings and some nice surprises.

Long Green Jade Stones
and Brass Stitch Markers

The first item that caught my eye was these Stitch Markers. This is an wonderful example of their creativity. I mean, who would have thought of making Stitch Markers with gems for all of your knitters out there? And, what a great gift idea!

Nautical Anchors Away
Bookmark

And, they have really nice bookmarks, too. You won't find these at your local mall! If you have the same problem I have, its the relative whose birthday is coming up and you can never think of what to get him or her. If they like to sail, your search is over. This bookmark is perfect.

Vineyard Charm Bracelet

Gillianua's Bits n' Beads also makes jewelry. I really like their unique items, such as this Vineyard Charm Bracelet. I has beautiful colors and looks like it has a nice shape and texture.

Handcrafted Rosary

I was pleasantly surprised by all they offer! Go and check them out.

For more information, become a facebook fan of Gillianua and follow them on twitter. In addition to this wonderful shop, you can keep up with Leal with her shopping guide.

Wayfaring Magnolia on Etsy

2011-02-07T17:10:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my BESTeam feature. This week, I am featuring Wayfaring Magnolia.

Vintage Blue Belted Sundress

Wayfaring Magnolia is a vintage fashion shop run by Amanda in a little town near Lansing Michigan. She's got vintage shoes, jewelry and clothes for both men and women. Great selections and a range of sizes.
Once I saw her shop, I started popping from item to item. I mean, isn't this blue sundress just adorable?

I just love shopping and so does one of my daughters and we do shop in vintage shops. I'm thinking this is a dangerous combination; me, my daughter, shopping, a great vintage store! OMG, I better not let my husband see this place; he'd cut off my credit cards! :)

Vintage Black Lace Dress

I can just see my teenage daughter drooling over this little black number, and give my husband a heart attack!

Funky Multicolor Tie

Well, we can't have all the fun - isn't there a man in your life who just needs this funky tie. I just look at this and I see flower children, mini's and pop art!

There is much more than just clothes in this shop, Wayfaring Magnolia has vintage jewelry too. This beautiful Monarch butterfly brooch looks like it is ready to fly off of what ever you pin it to. Just looking at this pin makes me yearn for summer.

Vintage Butterfly Brooch pin

When I started doing a review of this shop, I started to think about it's name. I think Wayfaring Magnolia is a neat name, but what does it have to do with vintage stuff? Why is it named this? I had to find out.

First, I thought, maybe Amanda really likes Magnolias, especially the type called Wayfaring. But, I couldn't find any mention of a Magnolia with this name. OK, I had to find out more.

Vintage Etienne Aigner Sandals

Amanda is a musician and loves to travel. She loves constant change and is always restless - her friends gave her the nickname Gypsy. So, when she decided to open a shop on Etsy, she picked Wayfaring for the first part of her shop name. Wayfaring? I never knew this was a word, so I looked it up. Wayfaring means traveling and is actually an Old English term. Wow! I'm getting a vocabulary lesson here! :)

Vintage Pink Peep Toe Shoes

And, Magnolia was chosen because of its symbolism for beauty; hence, wayfaring magnolia translates to a rambling, traveling beauty. And, don't these pretty pink peep toe shoes just go with this image?

Vintage Etra Clutch

To finish off, I really like this shop. I have to say, my absolute favorite item in this shop is this clutch. I really like vintage evening purses; that's the first thing I have to look at if I go to an estate sale or to a resale shop. It's really tempting me.......

And, finally, if this little glimpse of this great shop isn't enough, go to Wayfaring Magnolia and if you purchase something this week, use the coupon code BESTIES for 15% off.

Off the Wall Expressions on Etsy

2011-02-01T13:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my BESTeam feature. This week, I am featuring Off the Wall Expressions.

Off the Wall Expressions makes fabulous vinyl lettering and wall designs. All their designs can be personalized and you can choose the color of them as well. This shop has so many designs that I really like, I had a hard time picking just a few to highlight here.

Girl - Sweetness with attitude

Because I have 2 daughters, I wish I could have had something like this when my daughters were small. This decal would have been perfect on one of their walls.

Personalized Wedding Hearts Dance Floor

And, their designs don't stop there! You can use their designs on any smooth surface! I really like their idea of using a design on a dance floor. This one for a wedding just makes me wish I could be planning a wedding right now and use a design like this one. I told my husband about this design, and he liked it too!

Just Married Personalized decal

And, of course, every wedding needs personalization for the back of the couples "escape vehicle."

Family Definition decal

Marriage obviously leads to the making of a new family, and this leads to some of my favorite decals. I can just see this family definition being posted in the entryway.

Family is a Gift decal

And, I can see this decal placed in my family room, with photos of our family under it.

And, I finally have a gift for my husband, who is so hard to buy gifts for. This chalkboard decal is perfect for his office. I only wish I had enough room near our phone in the kitchen to post one of these as well!

Chalkboard Decal

So, to keep up with Tina, of Off the Wall Expressions, 'like' her on Facebook for sales and special coupon codes.
Follow her blog for new stuff, features on other Etsians and the occasional funny story.

I'm in the BESTeam!

2011-01-30T17:43:00.000-08:00

I am so happy to have been accepted in the BESTeam. This is the BOOSTING ETSY SHOPS TEAM, which exists to help fellow teammates boost their shop presence via blogs, facebook, and twitter.

This week, I have been featured in 2 treasuries. The first treasury is called Royalty by PurplePlatypusPrints and the second is Unique and Unusual Gifts by AncientOils.

I thank the both of them very much!

Black Lace Agate

I've also been busy designing and making new jewelry. I've started to post them, but I have to say, writing descriptions is not my favorite thing to do. Any volunteers to help me with this part? Oh, well, check out these 2 new necklaces.

Pearl Flowers Necklace

Fabric Flowers

2010-12-10T12:36:00.000-08:00

I enjoy sewing, both by machine and by hand, as well as my main passion which is making jewelry. It would be great if I could incorporate both of my loves.

I've found a great how-to on making fabric flowers. If you are like me, you enjoy other crafty things.

I have to say, the internet is great for having information about just about everything, but it can be a real pain to actually find what you are looking for. I think search engines need to be able to figure out what I want even if I can't actually get the right terms for this.

What do you think?

I'm in multiple Treasuries

2010-07-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

My jewelry has been selected for several treasuries. This is real morale booster for me. Please go check them out and make comments.

The first Treasury was also featured in a blog also; this was a treat. Check out my Prehnite and Peridot Earrings.

And our team Treasury has my Moonstone and Blue Topaz Earrings.

I'm in LJ's Studio in her Shades of the Oceans

2010-07-05T12:22:00.000-07:00

I'm so proud that I am in LJ's Studio creations Theme for this Month! Actually, I am honored. She used my Turquoise, Topaz and Moonstone Necklace.

I really like this necklace and I have others that are also beautiful, using Sleeping Beauty Turquoise, which I believe is the most beautiful Turquoise in the world. The Sleeping Beauty Mine is now closed, so there is only a limited amount of Sleeping Beauty Turquoise for sale.

Please go and see this treasury today, and leave a comment. ☺

Featured Artist

2010-06-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

I am so excited that I was picked to be the featured artist of the week by Q Branch Ltd. blog starting
this Thursday at 6 pm Eastern time.

To keep this post short and sweet, please go visit them starting Tomorrow Evening to see my spot.

Meanwhile, I'm going to be working on a new series of earrings. See you later.

What Does Your Birthstone Mean?

2010-06-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

As I researched birthstone lore, I found out that one or more characteristics or meanings are attached to the different stones. I because fascinated by not only finding this out, but also finding out that in addition to Europe (mainly England) having birthstones, Tibet and India also used certain stones to signify each month.

So, first a quick refresher on birthstones. Tiffany & Co. was the first jeweler to market the concepts of birthstones in 1870. The idea of birthstones was already in place by then as referenced by an old English poem. In this poem, birthstones were not only noted, but there were characteristics attached to each gemstone. The belief was that if you wore a particular stone you would be endowed with the same strengths. The months and their stones have pretty much stayed the same until today, with the addition of an alternative birthstone as the cost of the original stones has increased.

When I started looking into the history of birthstones, I found that there are gems associated with each of the signs of the zodiac as well as gemstones for each day of the week. Now that information was a surprise to me. I knew that astrology attached characteristics to each zodiac sign, but I never thought that in addition to this there were gemstones too.

Here, then, is the list of the signs of the Zodiac and their corresponding birthstones:

Capricorn	12/22 – 1/20	Ruby
Aquarius	1/21 – 2/19	Garnet
Pisces	2/20 – 3/20	Amethyst
Aries	3/21 – 4/20	Bloodstone
Taurus	4/21 – 5/20	Sapphire
Gemini	5/21 – 6/21	Agate
Cancer	6/22 – 7/22	Emerald
Leo	7/23 – 8/23	Onyx
Virgo	8/24 – 9/23	Carnelian
Libra	9/24 – 10/23	Peridot
Scorpio	10/24 – 11/22	Beryl
Sagittarius	11/23 – 12/21	Topaz

The next time you are searching for a gift, do something unexpected. Give some jewelry based on the zodiac. If you need any help in finding the perfect gift, just ask me.

For more information about Birthstones, see my Ezine article.

I have a winner!

2010-06-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

Congratulation to freeindeed! She is the lucky winner of my Light Blue Triple Crystal Sapphire Earrings.

Stay tuned for more giveaways and coupons.

Keep those entries coming!

2010-06-09T13:30:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that there is only 4 days left until my giveaway ends! Keep those entries coming because if this is a successful giveaway, I will be doing more of these in the near future.

So, please tell your friends about this giveaway. The more people I get, the more likely I'll do more of these very soon.

I have a lot of really nice earrings and necklaces, so please be sure to go to my site and look around.

Remember, if you purchase something, your entry will automatically gain 5 extra positions! These are really nice earrings I am giving away, so to increase your chances, buy!

Give-away! - My First Giveaway

2010-06-03T23:48:00.000-07:00

The winner of this Giveaway- My First! - will receive a pair of my Light Sapphire Blue Triple Crystal Earrings. These Earrings are made with Pretty Light Blue Faceted Swarovski Crystals dangling from the end of 3 Sterling Silver Snake Chains of different lengths. These chains are attached to a Ball Post pierced Earring.

These Earrings with this Icy Blue color are perfect for this summer. They will complement almost everything you will wear, not only this summer, but the rest of the year as well. I just love these earrings!
They are 2 1/2" (6.3cm) long and sell for $89.98.

Now the rules:

Visit http://www.etsy.com/shop/JewelryByJaynemarie. Come back here and leave a comment listing the item that you like the best and why. If you have multiple "bests," you can enter them here also, but each item must be given a separate comment. (And, no, you cannot list everything I have, you will be disqualified if you attempt to do this). Each comment = 1 entry for a maximum of 3 entries.
Blog, Twitter, Facebook this giveaway and leave a comment for each action with the link = 1 entry.
Follow My Blog and Leave Comment = 1 entry
Become a "Fan" on my Facebook page and Leave Comment = 1 entry
Follow me on Twitter and Leave a Comment = 1 entry
Purchase something from my shop and you get 5 entries. PLUS, for every $10 you spend in my shop, you will get an additional entry. For example, you purchase a pearl earring that costs $29.86, I round that up to $30, which gives you 3 extra entries for a total of 8 entries. If you purchase the Copper and Bronze Fan Necklace at $72.23, I would round that up to $80 to give you 8 extra entries, for a total of 13 entries.

This contest is open to everyone
Please make sure I have your email address, otherwise I cannot award you the prize.

This contest will run until Midnight, Sunday, June 13th, 2010. The winner will be chose using a random number generator.

Good luck!

I've decided to simplify

2010-05-28T10:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I took a long hard look at all of my supplies and tools and realized that I really have more than I need. So, yesterday, I decided to start this and listed my first tool that I hadn't used for months. I really only used a couple of times to start with - that seemed a prime candidate for started this process.

So, I took the plunge and listed my Pepe disk cutter on ebay, hoping that I would be able to sell it at a reasonable price. Well, I was surprised! I put it in for 10 days thinking that it would take that long to get a good price, but after one day I already had 5 bids and the price is near my reserve price. At this rate, I may sell more of my non-essential stock.

If you are interested, take a look at: Disk Cutter. I put it at a very good price, so if you are interested - go and get it.

Well, that all for now. See you later. I have got to start remembering to come here more often and let you know what is going on.

New Treasury

2010-05-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

My earrings are in a new treasury on Etsy! Go take a look at it; I think it is a fun treasury. I would never have thought of doing a treasury based on the the theme of bows. This one turned out really well.

I'm really glad that Miriam of MiniMade chose me in this treasury called Bow Bonanza.

And you can see a lot of her lovely quilts at Miriam's Sewing Studio.

And, of course, you can always see my jewelry at my site and become a fan on my Facebook page.

My Earrings are in a Treasury!

2010-04-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

I am so pleased! My earrings were picked for a Treasury, I hope I get new pictures taken of them before the Treasury expires, so they will really pop. But if not, at least they are up there.

But a really strange thing happened. I couldn't leave any comments in the Treasury area using Firefox. I had to go to Safari in order to do this and I don't know why. I don't know if this is a problem with Firefox or a problem with Firefox because I added the Craftomania Toolbar. If its the Toolbar, I need to get rid of it, because I really prefer using Firefox to Safari, especially since Firefox remembers my passwords for certain sites (only the ones I want). This is a real time save for me. I don't think Safari has this feature. If it did, it would be a fantastic addition!

Anyway, since I always include a picture, here is a picture of the earrings that are in this treasury. You can follow this link to see the treasury, because it is really full of pretty blues. But, if you don't want to, here are my Moonstone Filigree Earrings that are in this treasury. This is not the same picture as in the treasury. This is a picture that I took using the new lens that I bought specifically to photograph jewelry. I think it takes fantastic pictures of my earrings!

It's been way too long

2010-04-16T22:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm now on TheKnot, the wedding website, where I hope to get a lot of business doing personalized wedding jewelry. I'm excited about this opportunity, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed here!

I also bought a new lens for my camera, just for photographing jewelry! Wow, did that cost a lot! But, it made a big difference in the quality of my pictures. Even I can see the difference. ☺ I'm also making new jewelry just for this market, so I've really been keeping busy here.

So, I'll end here with a picture of one of my new pieces, I'll pick the Fire Opal and Pearls Earrings this time. But, I have a lot more new pieces at my shop, you'll just have to go there to see them. Unfortunately, they haven't all been re-photographed with my new lens, but these earrings have been. As you can now clearly see, these have handmade earwires too.

Next time I write, it shouldn't be so long before I do so, but I only have so many hours in the day, and I'm still taking my health one day at a time. So, without further ado, here are the earrings -

I'm still writing

2010-03-30T19:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I have now had 2 articles published by Ezine and I'm currently working on my third. Wow, I never thought I would actually be doing this much writing and enjoying it. So, next time you want something to read, other than my blog, pop on over to Ezine and search for my articles. And, so that you don't miss any of them, sign up to follow me on Twitter - I'm JewlryJaynmarie, and never miss any of my articles again!

I write about subjects all jewelers would like to hear about, such as where the best place to sell your scrap is, and about gemstones, and so on. So, sign up and never miss an issue; and its free!

I'm now working on more wedding jewelry, because I am really interested in this market. I think of all places, this is the market that I can be really good at. If you look at my website:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/JewelryByJaynemarie

you will see many examples of my work. Tomorrow, I will have many new designs up because I have spent the weekend working on a lot of new wedding jewelry. Unfortunately, I didn't get to take any pictures yet, because of my busy life of both of my two daughters! But, I'll get there. But, I can't leave without something of my work pictured, so here is my one and only calla lily earrings, made of hand carved white onyx with a tiny blue Swarovski Crystal in the center.

Craftomania Tools: Craftomania I-Scream is on the front page!

2010-03-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

Craftomania Tools: Craftomania I-Scream is on the front page!

And I am a now a member of the Craftomania Tools Team. I really like their toolbar, it makes working on my Etsy site so much easier! You really should take a look at it and download it. I was surprised at how easy it makes navigating around Etsy and other sites to promote yourself. Now, I don't know how I ever lived without it - just kidding. But, it does make the Etsy side of the my jewelry job easier.

And, since we are talking about jewelry, I might as well show you another piece of my collections, This time, I'll show a Moonstone Necklace that would be great for a Wedding or any other special occasion. This is in my Special Designs Section.

Weddings, Weddings, Weddings

2010-03-25T17:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm trying to figure out how to market my wedding jewelry. I know I have some good jewelry, but how to get it to the right market it the tough part. I'm in the research part of do I advertise? Or, do I do a lot of blogging and convos, etc. Give-aways are a definite part of my strategy, but is this enough? Then, there is always the question of what to give away? And, where to launch the give-away from?

That's a lot of questions for me to figure out. It almost makes my head spin. No, it really does make my head spin. But for an ending, here is one of my wedding earrings, so you can see, I do have a good variety.

You can follow me on Twitter!

2010-03-21T21:49:00.001-07:00

Well, you can now follow me on Twitter! I'm moving up in the world. I've submitted a second article to Ezine and now have my Twitter account up and have a button on my blog so you can follow me on Twitter and keep up to date when I get new articles published and new designs on my website.

And, when I have any giveaways and contests, I'll let you know as well. So, make sure you keep updated by signing up for my twitter updates!

I'm an Author!

2010-03-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

I did it! My article was accepted! I'm so excited, Ezine like my article and now I'm going to be published. I just got the news and was given the code to put the banner on my website. Wow, now I really have to get going on another article.

Well, I better get writing then. Bye for now.

I hate waiting!

2010-03-19T20:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm waiting to hear from Ezine on my article about where to sell you scrap and I'm already writing another article for them. I can't believe I'm doing this. I mean, Engineers aren't supposed to be able to write. That's what I was told all my life. Well, I've been breaking molds all the time, so I suppose, this is another one to go (I hope, I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this).

I know I said I got a Twitter account, but I haven't figured out how to set it up so that when I post here, I will send out a Tweet. I need to do that, but if anyone know how to do that, please let me know.

Well, my CFS and Fibromyalgia is acting up, so to keep busy I'm writing and trying to learn some new Filigree techniques. I have to practice a lot to make new shapes because my long term goal is to do Russian Filigree work.

Until then, I work on other designs, especially for weddings, that utilize wirework techniques. Like these new Silver Pearl Earrings.

I just started to Twitter

2010-03-18T21:13:00.000-07:00

I know I need to market myself, so I've been asking for help from my team mates and so I took the leap and opened a Twitter account. So, now you can follow me on Twitter. My Twitter name is JewlryJaynmarie.

I was surprised to see that soon as I signed up, I got a follower. Someone from Australia. I think that is so neat. It shows that the Internet really has shrunk the world.

Now, I just need to figure out how to get Twitter on my blog. I'll get that next. I also submitted my previous posting to Ezine. I hope they publish it. I can use the publicity for my jewelry. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed on that one.

Selling Your Scrap

2010-03-05T11:22:00.000-08:00

Last time I talked about working green for the sake of our planet as well as for the sake of our checkbooks. Then comes the next question of, where do I sell my scrap?

This is a very good question! There are so many ads on the TV, the radio and the newspapers all asking for your scrap metal. Well, I would caution you about going to any of those places. NONE of them will pay you anywhere near what you should receive for the precious metals you are turning in for scrap. In fact, most of them will be either reselling your jewelry at a tidy profit, or they are going to sell it to either of these places that I am going to tell you about. They just don't want you to know that.

First off, if you have a wholesaler's license, and have an active account with merchants who do sell gold, silver and gold filled metal, wire and findings, then they usually have a way for their customers to send them their scrap for either a credit for future metal buys, or will give you a check, which will usually be for less than the credit you would receive if you took the credit.

If you don't have an active account with a merchant such as this, don't despair! There is still as way to make a MUCH better deal that you would by going with any of the places I told you about in the second paragraph. This place is a precious metals refinery. That is all they do!

So, of course, they would want your scrap. And, the neatest feature of all, is their website, it has a way to determine how much money your scrap is worth, once you have measured it. Now, this will only be an approximation, because you will probably be using a kitchen scale such as I do. And make sure you measure in grams, because otherwise, the ounces jewelers mean when they say ounce is a troy ounce which is actually 1.097 ounces.

You will need to have a minimum amount of scrap in order to send off to the refiner, it has to be worth their while to re-refine new metal out of scrap, but this calculator will tell you if you don't have enough, so you can go back and keep saving. But once you see how much this refiner gives you, you will NEVER consider going anywhere else again. Believe me - I won't!

Oh, I have absolutely NO ties to this refiner. I haven't used them yet, but I will. Every other jewelry who has, recommends them highly!

This refiner is: Midwest Refineries, LLC in Waterford, Michigan. And their link is:

http://www.midwestrefineries.com/

Green Jewelry

2010-03-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

I know recycling is very important today, so I wanted to let everyone know that I too, am aware of this issue and make sure that the silver, gold and gold filled material I use is made of recycled silver and gold from jewelers like me. We send in the material that is left over whenever we make our jewelry.

You know what I mean, you do a wire wrap, for example, and there is always a little bit of wire left over. Well, what do you do with that wire? For me, I have recycling jars. I have a separate jar for each type of material I work with: one for gold, one for silver and one for gold-filled.

Every piece of material, not matter how small, goes into the recycling jar. I even keep the dust from my filing. It adds up. When the jars get full enough - I go by weight, then I send the contents to the recyclers. They in turn will either send me cash, so that I can purchase more materials, or they will give me credit for me to purchase more metal.

This way, instead of relying on mining for more gold and silver, I know I am doing my part to help mother earth by recycling and reusing precious metals. And today, it couldn't be easier, with all the companies out there wanting to purchase your scrap.

My jewelry is been picked for a blog!

2010-02-25T18:22:00.000-08:00

My wedding jewelry is now featured on Misscheviousdesigns blog for Wedding Ideas! If you would like to see what she said, click here. I am so excited about this. I loved making these earrings and to have someone love it enough to add it to her blog so that others might want it is wonderful. I am starting to get somewhere!

And, I now have the secret of making good pictures - to make your gems and crystals sparkle, use LED lights. Those lights with light up anything that sparkles. That's the jeweler's secret to making those wonderful pictures of sparkling jewelry. LEDs!

Now I have them too! And, my pictures look so much better for it, you can really see the detail and the actual colors of the gemstones and the luster of the pearls. I only but the best, so it helps to have the lighting to show off what I have.

These are not the earrings chosen, but another example of some of the earrings I have for weddings on my web site.

My pictures are starting to get better

2010-02-22T23:44:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to take better pictures finally. Its been really tough getting there though. My health hasn't been great, which makes it really hard to get things done; so I set myself with a goal of I at least have to take pictures of 5 items every day and at least I must edit them and then upload 3 or four of them every day. But I think some of these are pretty good:

I think I'm getting there, but with so little sleep; its tough to get into making new jewelry. I have so many ideas - but I'm so frustrated by not having the energy to make them. I keep telling myself that I'll get there, but its getting harder to keep going and not get depressed and give up. I really want this business to work. I know I have good ideas and whenever I wear what I make everyone loves them. I just have to figure out how to take good pictures and descriptions and then get good marketing.

It just takes so much energy that I don't have right now. I has to get better - I don't see how it can get any worse. Oh well, I don't want to sound so depressed right now, but I hope the doctor's can come up with something, anything, that can help me with my pain and fatigue, so that I can work.

I want my business to work so much - this is my dream!

It'a been too long

2009-11-06T12:45:00.001-08:00

Well, I didn't think it would take this long. The cloud dome had a bigger learning curve than I thought. But, now I think I have it and will now start updating my website.

I'll first start with my existing jewelry, then my new -- well I have to dash. Must start now. Down to the coal mines.

And I Thought It Would be Easy......

2009-09-25T02:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I got my Cloud Dome; and realized that it would not fit with my camera! What a rotten feeling! But the people at Cloud Dome were WONDERFUL! I called them and asked them what I could do. They were great! Even though I bought this Dome used, they immediately said they would take it back and send me the dome for larger cameras! In fact, I paid them the difference between the larger and smaller dome and they shipped out the larger dome first and told me to ship back the smaller dome as soon as I got the larger dome.

I could not believe a company would do something like that basically on trust! So, I get the bigger dome and put it together, and it's still too small for my camera with its great big zoom lens. OK, now its time to, in engineering terms, kludge something together. So, I went to the hardware store and got longer screws and nuts to fit the screws and lock nuts as well as spacers. The spacers went in between the base of the dome and the bottom of the L shaped camera holder. Bingo! It worked perfectly! I now have a cloud dome that fits my camera with its extra large lens! Hooray!! My B.S.E.E. was put to use - ha, ha.

Well, now I have not excuse, except one, and that's to make the the light used to light up the jewelry inside the cloud dome to take the pictures and hopefully to get hold of cloud dome for some tips on jewelry photography first! I'm excited -- this is supposed to make my pictures look great, so I have very hight hopes for this equipment! I hope I'm not disappointed!

Well, good night for now, and keep your fingers crossed for me and hope this succeeds!

IT'S IN!!

2009-09-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

I finally got my cloud dome! Now I have to put it together! I never knew it took that many parts to put together - well time to roll up my sleeves and get to work doing that! But, I wasn't idle during the time I was waiting -- I was making new jewelry! So, as soon as I get new chain to complete these necklaces - so that they will be of variable length - I'll have five more new necklaces to photograph, as well as all my old ones and then photoshop.

I don't even want to think of all the work it's going to take just to get them ready to list.... this is the part I don't like. I love creating; but all the other work I don't, but I don't sell enough to hire someone to do the parts I don't like to do yet!

Plus with my Chronic Fatigue, I get insomnia; which I've had for the last 5 nights, which means I don't get to bed before 4:00 A.M. and I'm not going to use my torch that late at night; so by the time I wake up ( 10:30 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. - half of the morning is shot! That doesn't leave much time for my work.

That is the most frustrating thing about having CFS!

Oh well, I've got to get to work if I want to be productive today! Talk to you later; and feel free to contact me or of course follow my links to my other sites for more jewelry. Thank you for reading me today.

A new Day

2009-09-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

Since I've been waiting for such a long time for my new camera equipment, I finally called Cloud Dome to find out what happened to my order - they don't know! I have a lot of new jewelry that I want to take pictures of, plus retake all the pictures on my web site, so this is very frustrating! Just another setback.

Well, one good piece of news, no more anonymous postings - I really hate that! If you are going to post, let me know who you are please.

Well, I'm slowly getting better from the pneumonia that turned into an abscessed lung. This all happened in early February. I was hospitalized for 5 days - it was supposed to be for 2 weeks; but I couldn't take 2 weeks in the hospital. So, as soon as I could, I started walking the hallways; I was determined to get out as soon as possible. It worked; my doctor could see some improvement after 4 days of a ton of IV antibiotics and my walking. So, I was sent home with a ton of antibiotics and told to get as much rest as I could at home, but keep walking and as soon as I could get a personal trainer (which, of course, insurance would not pay for!) to start improving my lung capacity. But, not to expect any miracles -- it would take at least a year to recover, and by the way, part of my lung died.

So, now its September, I need to make an appointment with him and for another CAT scan. By now, with all my X-rays and CAT scans, I should be glowing in the dark!

But, I am getting better, I can now drive some. That is a major step for me; and my daughters are very happy about that. They were my chauffeurs from about April (which is how long it took for me to get the energy to actually get out of bed and go somewhere, even if only for an hour) and the start of September! Which was actually good timing. One daughter stayed at home and is going to community college (which is great for me, because I can't drive all day or very far) and the other has gone to UC Merced, which is not very far (2 1/2 hours drive time away) and since it is the newest UC -- this is its fifth year, all the class sizes are small and all the classes are taught by full professors (PhDs) and since she is majoring in Chemistry; she will have the opportunity to work with a professor on research starting in her junior year! WOW, I don't know of any university that gives you that type of opportunity. And all the science labs are brand new -- I (since I trained as an Electrical Engineer as did my husband) were just in awe in the labs.

It almost made me want to go back to school; but unfortunately they don't have any post graduate programs yet; which is why undergrads get to do research. Even with the budget cuts, which translated into increased college tuition; she's getting a private school education right now with UC tuition. That can't get any better -- well it can; in the fifties and sixties, all colleges in California were free (tuition only). You still had to pay room and board.

Oh well, I better stop and call Cloud Dome again and find out what happened with my order! Until next time, everyone have a great weekend!

WOW - My Last Post Really Pissed People Off

2009-09-08T15:13:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, I received two comments concerning the flame war I apparently started in the jewelers group, Ganoksin, both were nasty and both were anonymous. So, I've been busy making jewelry and trying out new techniques; and I admit, no really keeping up with my blog (no good), so whin I read those comments, I felt I had to answer them here -- again. I'm sorry for all of you who thought this issue was already put to bed; I thought it was too. But, I can't let these type of comments go unanswered. After this, I promise, I'm done with this issue. As I said below, after this; I'll deal with these type of comments by ignoring them -- especially since they didn't even have the courage to sign their names! So, below is my final answer (truncated from my final answer on Ganoksin/Orchid.) You are hereby warned and can continue reading or not; whatever you decided. Thank you for being here reading my blog!

I have to disagree with their comments. I was not the one spreading the vitriol. I received many emails supporting me and one that really summed up the entire incident. No One took the time to really listen to (or read) what I was saying. They immediately went up in arms to support the school; without listening to what I was asking for. They assumed I was the one out of line and their comments really hurt. They also assumed that I was the one who didn't want to work hard. All of this was made up out of thin air.
So, my last posting was to try to make everyone who made fun of me to try to understand what my life was about. What it was to be me and to live with my illness day in and day out. What it was like to go immediately from being a very active person one day to the next day become as someone who has to live with immense pain and fatigue (like you have the flu that never goes away!) ALL THE TIME.
I am not trying to be a victim; but try to put yourself in my shoes and feel what it would be like to have yourself taken out of a class and told to leave and never come back because of your disability. I can already tell from your comments you do not have any disabilities - so you don't know what that feels like.
And, yes, to me, jewelry was to be my escape from my pain and to bring me joy. And, even without comments from people like you -- it will continue to do so. Why -- because I have learned that ignorance can only be dealt with in one of two ways. The first was is to try to explain and educate. Well, in this case; it didn't work. So, I go the second way, which is to ignore. So, with that; I now go back to my commissions and ignore comments from people like you!
I especially like that you do not even have the courage to include your names to your postings! At least I had the courage to include my name to my opinions and stand by my opinions. You two on the other have would rather take the cowards way out and post anonymously! Big risk takers! You don't want your opinions to show up on Google, do you? That is that lowest of the low; to try to take someone down; but to do it anonymously. Real big of you! Well, goodbye; because I don't care what someone like you thinks -- your minds are closed and you are wasting my time.

Change in Direction

2009-08-26T00:48:00.000-07:00

I started this blog to tie in with my jewelry selling, but after a while, I realized that it means more to me to have a place to let people know who I am and more importantly what I felt, especially after a very nasty email exchange that took place on Orchid (a place that jewelers meet online) where we are suppose to be able to express out views and I got blasted for putting up my opinion.

I realized, that part of the problem was, that now really knew, who I really was, and what I physically fought with everyday as part of life.

So, I'll start with that, and the direction of this blog will change, to show you what daily life is for me.

First off, I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrone (CFS) and Fibromyalmia (FMS) which leaves me weak and in daily pain. And, as the name CFS implies, fatigue. On good days, I can get through a day without a nap; on a bad day - a 2 to 3 hour nap is a must. That really cuts into my productivity!

Even on a good day, I need a break (or 2) in the afternoon, and that is what caused the huge controversy on the jewelers group. The school I said I would not recommend, would not let me have those 2 rest periods in the afternoon, even though I said I knew that meant that I would not finish projects they decided must be done, and without talking it over at all with me; they decided to kick me out of school. I was humiliated!

Well, because of that experience, I said I could no longer recomend that school. Boy, did that cause a flame war! All of a sudden the owner of this school was a saint who could do no wrong. Well, the soap opera continues tomorrow, since I need to go to sleep.
aaaaaaaaag

Just sent out a grand opening letter!

2009-08-04T01:31:00.000-07:00

I just sent out my grand opening letter yesterday! Finally! You can take 5% off any order over $100! And keep coming back to may website, because I keep adding new items.
Tell a friend!

This is a delicate pearl necklace which is not yet on my web site. I just love it

Continuing to add to my shop

2009-07-12T00:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I am continuing to add inventory to my shop. The question is, when do I stop and start advertising? When is enough, enough? Or, do I have too much in there already? I guess I'll finish this batch of necklaces and earrings and do some advertising and see what happens and then decide what I should do next.

I did decide to add carat weight to some of the pendants where I could find out what they were. I had to use a size to carat converter; which isn't very accurate, but since the pieces are made and I'm not going to remove the stones and I don't have a carat weighing machine - that's the best I can do. That means more edits, but so be it!
I love these pieces, they are going to be so hard to sell.

Wow, its been a long time

2009-07-10T01:22:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize how long its been since I've written in my blog. I've been busy trying to get more jewelry on my website, but it hard because of my CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and Fibromyalgia.

I decided no deadlines, because that just puts most stress on me and stress justs makes my CFS and Fibromyalgia worse. Well, its late, I must get some sleep, more later.

Blog - Jewelry By Jaynemarie

2009-07-07T23:26:00.000-07:00

Jewelry By Jaynemarie Blog

OOPS!!!!

2009-07-03T22:13:00.000-07:00

I wanted to have my grand opening for my web store on July 1st, but so many thing went wrong. It was very frustrating for me. Etsy was very slow and would not take my jewelry pictures; my Chronic Fatigue was flaring up, so I was hurting and was very tired; and the list goes on.

So, my first post is a downer, not a good start to my blog. So, I figure, I have nowhere to go but up from here! I'll just take it a day at a time, as trite as it sounds and eventually things will work out as they should.

To make sure there is something good here, there is a picture of a model wearing a custom three piece set made for a formal event. It consists of a triple necklace, five strand bracelet and double drop earrings.

So, its back to the salt mines to enter more of my jewelry into my store on Etsy.
I really enjoy designing and making jewelry more than marketing it; but to sell, I must market.... Good night and have a good and safe Fourth of July!