giveaway

{photo credit}

hey all! just a quick post today to let you guys know about a giveaway samantha at elah tree is doing with a piece of my jewelry! samantha has an amazing blog and runs a fabulous etsy shop. i have been enjoying getting to know her through our emails and from reading her fun posts. she is a sweet girl and super talented to boot! she made an awesome sidebar button for my blog (see on right side) as well as an amazing new banner for my etsy shop. i am way impressed with her work. i would have tried and failed miserably to make those things on my own. thank you, samantha!

head on over to her blog for a chance to win and stick around and get to know samantha while you're there. happy monday! 

jewelry souvenirs

{photo credit: me}

if you guys have been around my blog block recently, you know that i love to travel and i try to as much as i can. within the last year i've been able to travel to lots of different cities (and a new country!)

i've had such wonderful experiences during each of my travels, and as a way to help me remember my trips, i decided to start a new tradition. instead of getting a type of souvenir that i honestly won't use-a plastic snow globe, a gift store t-shirt, a picture frame with garish colors-i had the idea to get a piece of jewelry from each place i travel.

i think it's such a cool way to remember a trip and definitely something that i will actually use and wear. the piece of jewelry doesn't have to be expensive (one of the bracelets i got in england already has fake jewels missing, who cares), but it does have to be something i like, something that will remind me of the trip when i wear it. and it's fun to be able to tell people where it came from when they ask!

here are most of the pieces i have collected within the last year.

{photo credit: me}

starting from two necklaces at the top:

necklace on the left: claremont, ca
necklace on the right: charleston, sc
brass triangle bracelet: wilmington, nc
jeweled chain bracelet: cambridge, england
stone wrap bracelet: nashville, tn

{photo credit: me}

small silver studs and turquoise square studs: cambridge, england

do you guys have any special souvenirs from travels you've made? the jewelry idea works for me, but i'd love to hear if you look for a different something special when you go on trips!

new in my etsy shop

{photo credit: me}

after a long absence, my etsy shop is back up and running! i have been busy listing a bunch of fresh pieces, and i'd love for you to stop by. i still have more to list, but i will add them little by little as i go along. it feels good to be back.

new in the shop!

{photo credit: me}

ok, guys, new etsy pretties are here! i have been tinkering away at my dining room table turned craft workspace, and i am proud to present you all with some new necklaces. 

keep in mind that i also do custom orders. {they're my favorite.} so, if you like what you see, convo me with your special request,  and i will be at your service. 

enough with the reading! head on over to hum right along and do some browsing. 

sneak peek

{photo credit: me}

i've been busy crafting up a storm over here. here's a little sneak peek at one of the new necklaces i'm adding to my etsy shop! stay tuned. more to come. 

arm party!

{photo credit}

a few posts back i put up a picture of a bracelet i had made, and one of my readers commented that i should join the arm party. i like arms, and i like parties. it sounded like a good mix. i looked into it and found out that illy of much love illy and leonora of yellow heart art were hosting a sort of crafty pen pal exchange. the rules were as follows: sign up, get a partner, make a bracelet for them, get a bracelet in return. hello, arm party? RSVP for one. 

it wasn't long before i found out my partner was jamie from grey sky saturday. we emailed back and forth and got to know each other a little bit. we covered all the important topics like who our childhood crushes were. me: macaulay culkin. her: jonathan brandis (i had to imdb him, and i still don't know who he is). she lives in beautiful hawaii and likes to hike and shop and explore new places on the island. what she failed to mention is that she is an expert bracelet maker. check these bad boys out. 

{photo credit: me}

{photo credit: me}

here we have the beautiful and elegant beaded square knot bracelet. i love these colors! it looks very complicated. i'm not sure i could make this on my own. in fact, i've already given up in my mind.

up next is my fave of the two. look at this! just look at it. red ball chain, tan cord and string, and a gold hex nut. genius move, jamie. believe it or not i didn't own a wrap bracelet until now, and i am in love with this design. 

{photo credit: me}

{photo credit: me}

{photo credit: me}

jamie packaged my bracelets up in a cute kraft box with these origami stars. this girl seriously outdid me. have i ever tried making origami stars? no. do i think they're sweet like candy? oooh, yes.

{photo credit: me}

a big thank you to jamie for these sweet handmade bracelets! i will rock them and give you all the credit. also, now that we're practically life best friends, can i come visit you in hawaii? mmmkay. 

go check out all the other fun arm parties! linking up here and here.

big huge ginormous announcement

{photo credit}

drumroll please. bang some pots and pans around, too. if you could get a choir of small children to start singing hallelujah that would be just about perfect. 

why?

because i finally opened my etsy shop! HUZZAH! (confetti machine, gogogo). i have been putting it off for years, ya'll. probably five or something. how embarrassing. i have had about a million different excuses for why i didn't have one. reasons ranged from i don't have time to ugh. i feel fat today.

i've been doing a lot of thinking lately about what i want to do in life and what am i good at and blah blah blah. it dawned on me that what i really like to do is be crafty. i like to make things. i like cutting paper and playing with glitter and snipping chain and fastening jump rings to lobster clasps. i like simple, pretty arts and crafts.

{photo credit: me}

i believe God has given me this gift of creativity, and i realized that i was not properly using it. by making excuses for not opening an etsy shop, i was putting my talents to waste in a sense. i don't expect to make a gazillion dollars by doing this (a million would be fine), but i do expect to make friends, get my name out there, make mistakes, learn how to be a "business owner", be brave, come up with new ideas, be inspired, make myself proud.

during the beginning stages of when i seriously started re-thinking my etsy shop i read this post by kelly ann of the flowerchild dwelling. 

"the moral of the story: you can do it. don't you dare listen to anyone who tells you that you can't. whatever it is that you want do, whoever you want to become... go for it. it will be hard, and frustrating, and stressful, and emotional, and scary... but it will be one of the greatest things you will ever do. you will meet people who will make you stronger, who will make you cry, who will lift you up, who will change your life, and who will push you to be better, because they know you can be. you will create things you hate, and things you love, and things you never knew you could create. you will find your your strengths, and your weaknesses. you will grow, change, and be stretched. you will be better, stronger, and more brave every day."

kelly ann is an amazing designer and photographer, and while her business is bigger than mine will ever be, her message encouraged me to just jump in and start. no more excuses. no more fear. no more laziness.

{photo credit: me}

so, now that i have made you cry tears of sweet emotion with my heart wrenching post, please head over to my shop and browse a bit! (or buy something. i highly suggest that). i am starting with my hand stamped coin necklaces and see where that leads me. i plan to add more stock as i go. 

two final things:

a great BIG shout-out to my dad for being my VERY FIRST ETSY SALE! daddio, you rock. 

thank you to everyone who always asked if i had an etsy shop. i finally do. 

make a statement

{photo credit}

ever since kendi has been wearing this rock-solid necklace, i've had statement necklace envy. it's a real thing because i'm experiencing it firsthand. you can't argue with me.

unfortunately, because miss fashionista got her necklace from anthro, i doubt i will be able to afford the exact same one. or any necklace from anthro that isn't on some sort of freak 90% off sale.

{photo credit: me}

cue my sweet friend kelly. for my birthday last month, she presented me with this amazing necklace (see above! see below!) it's honestly not something i would have picked out for myself. it took me a bit to get used to it, but now it's one of my favorite pieces. i wear it alone or combined with a three strand gold chain.

{photo credit: me}

basically, i've caught the statement necklace fever, and i don't have eyes for anything else. check out these beauts i found on the interwebs.

{photo credit}

feeling inspired to make this myself.

{photo credit}

nava-who?

{photo credit}

the only time i would ever feel complimented if someone said "you look bejeweled" to me would be if i was wearing this necklace.

{photo credit}

this necklace looks like it would make a nice jangling noise. jingle-jangle.

{photo credit}

i would risk puncturing my jugular for this necklace.


ok. i spilled my current fashion fixation. what's yours?