jewelry = happiness

So ladies (& gentlemen...if you're out there?), I've come bearing pictures of beautiful jewelry! Not just any jewelry...but some things I've made. :) Yes, I'm about to take over this post with my shameless self-promotion.

Jewelry always makes a great gift, and a little someum' someum' for yourself never hurts. ;)

Right now I only have completed pieces of jewelry for sale on my site. But I'm thinking of making little kits, with cute little instructions, that you can buy to make simple projects - earrings, simple necklace, etc. Soon, I'll also post some extra beads I have that you can buy. So, if you're interested in a kit or beads, but don't see them on the site within the next few weeks, don't hesitate to contact me (and give me a kick in the pants) if you'd like to purchase one!

Click here to go to my Etsy site (I have more jewelry listed on there. I also do custom orders.)

Numero Uno

(Sold - but could make another. I have different bird charms though, since I ran out of those kind)

Numero Dos

(Still available!)

Numero Tres

(Sold - but have materials to make something a little similar.)

$7.00 - not listed in my shop yet, but will post them soon. Contact me if you'd like to buy them pronto!

If you purchase a piece of jewelry from me, 15% of the profit will be donated to Invisible Children.

Invisible Children is a non-profit organization I'm passionate about - they are committed to ending the longest-running war in Africa, rescuing child soldiers, & rebuilding Uganda & surrounding countries. They are doing some amazing things right now, so check out their site if you get a chance.

~~~~~

And I promise, soon I'll resume to making comments & all that. I've been slacking.

oh, Tim Gunn

(image from weheartit.com)

I just finished watching the latest episode of this season's Project Runway. Have I mentioned how much I love that show? Oh man, so great. One of the best reality shows too because there's not that much drama between the contestants, and the show seems to stay true to the contest. It's about the designer's craftsmanship and artistry, instead of who they got into a fight with last week. Anyways, I just wanted to say Jay made me so happy! He was finished with his dress, and helped Ben with his garment. I thought that was so awesome. Kindness is underrated and not something that's very popular, especially in the fashion industry it seems.

If I saw Jay on the street, I'd give him a hug. For being nice, and because he's so darn cute! haha Like a teddy bear.

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2 things:

1) I have been feeling so productive & on top of things lately, especially my finances. It feels really good. I think I only ate out once last week on my own money. Here's a glimpse into my finances:

top 4 things normally eating my $$$ faster than a PMSing woman eats chocolate:

1. eating out

2. coffee

3. beads/jewelry supplies

4. clothes

Hopefully that will be changing. Seems to be already. I haven't bought new clothes in awhile. Hooray!

2) Remember that potential new job I was talking about earlier here? Well, I did the volunteer thing last Tuesday. It was okay, time went by quickly, and the 'work' wasn't hard at all. I think I was alright, but I'm not so sure about the boss' feelings towards me/my performance. I was under the impression from their facial expressions, some comments, and lack of enthusiasm for me that they just weren't feeling me. Perhaps the boss had a bad day though, and just overall wasn't in a good mood, who knows. All that was said when I was done was "I'll be in contact with you." I haven't heard from them yet. hmm... Maybe they sensed my nervousness, like a dog smells fear. haha Could be true.

All that I did was scan cards and greet guests. Honestly, kind of boring. It did go by quickly, like I said, but I've always enjoyed work where I can see a finished product, an end result, where I'm actively doing something. I was sitting on a chair scanning membership cards. Woohoo! (sarcasm) haha Not very productive in my opinion.

But the good thing out of all of this, is that I am getting more hours at my current job, which could very well (& hopefully) nullify my need for a 2nd job. Yayyy!!!

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Question of the day:

I'm thinking of being adventurous and making taquitos.

Has anyone ever made them before & used an awesome recipe they'd like to share with me?

I found one, which I might use, but I'm open to suggestions.

~~~

Also, I've discovered weheartit.com.

That site is full of beautiful pictures & inspiration.

I stumbled upon it from following Juliana @ A blonde walks into a blog. She uses pictures from the site a lot. And she's an awesome blogger.

So, I've decided to do a

weheartit Wordless Wednesday

every week now, to share some of my favorites from the site with you guys. :)

So make sure you tune in Wednesday to check it out!

Much love dahlings!

& I have new followers!! Don't be shy - comments make my day. Truly.

Dear Spring...I've been waiting for you

So, I'm pretty new to this blog and I'm fairly certain no one is reading this. I don't know many other people that have one of these. Alas, that will not keep me from posting on here. Today has been a pretty good day - I watched some of Heroes Season 2. Can I just say that show is awesome?! haha I just recently started watching it, and I believe I'm already addicted to it. It is just such a well-made show, with an original storyline. Later in the afternoon, I ventured to the park for some painting time. I've never done that before - painted outside (I've sketched outside, of course, but never painted - at least that I can recall). The one difficulty I encountered was keeping up with the setting sun - I don't know how Monet did it.
Here is my painting - acrylic on stiff cardboard. I improvised since I don't have a spare smallish canvas at the moment. It's not a masterpiece, but I had fun painting it. It was relaxing. I haven't decided if I should touch it up a little bit more, or just leave it. Suggestions??
The weather was so beautiful, I just had to get out there - it was around 70 degrees today! Wonderful, eh? And to think - it just snowed on Monday. That's good ole' North Carolina weather for you. I cannot wait for Spring - it's definitely my favorite season.
After din-din (dinner for you non-Leah speaking peoples), we went on an adventure downtown! We went to this cute coffee/ice cream shop called Crema. I enjoyed a French Vanilla Latte.
When I got back home, lo and behold, guess who called?! That's right, Bobby! It was definitely a good surprise since I wasn't expecting him to call until tomorrow or Sunday. For some reason, this time around hasn't been as hard on me as it is on him. I think I needed an adjustment period, and now I'm more emotionally stable. Not that it isn't hard at times, it's just that for some reason it's a little bit easier now. And I'm sooo glad that's the case! =) If you have a moment in your day though, please pray for all of our troops. Our prayers are powerful, and they could definitely use them. Pray for their emotional health, not only while they are deployed, but just as importantly for when they get back. Many soldiers go through Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and they go untreated. I think that is definitely one area that the Army needs to put more focus on.

On a lighter note, I have been making jewelry, and lots of it! I usually sell some of my jewelry at City Florist in Clayton (none of my jewelry is on the site, but it gives the address & such). It's not currently at the store, but I'm taking it back up there towards the end of the month to get ready for prom season. Hopefully that will draw a lot of younger girls into the shop, and my jewelry will catch their eye! I'm trying to go to a deeper level with my jewelry and thinking about making a catalog or newsletter of some sort. I'm also trying to decide if I should keep the website I originally started awhile ago, or make a new one, potentially on Blogger. I'm thinking about taking my jewelry to some different stores/boutiques and asking about selling it there on consignment. I have been making jewelry for a few years now, but I'm fairly new to the "business/marketing" aspect of it all. Any help, suggestions, tips, etc. are greatly appreciated!
Here are a few pieces I have made recently.

If you're interested in purchasing any of these, just leave a comment or email me and let me know!

I think that is all for now; have a great weekend and enjoy this gorgeous weather!



~L~