love and creative destiny

Happy...Happy...

2011-12-29T22:38:00.001-07:00

Happy Holidays!

Peace, love, and joy.

Happy New Year!

Happy Hallowe'en! A day late...

2011-11-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

The photo shows my "costume". :-)

I couldn't get my husband to take a photo of me in my costume,
but for those who have seen my blog before or know me,
you know my love of Harry Potter.

For past Halloweens and when I go to see the HP movies,
I dress as Harry Potter or a Gryffindor student.

This year I decided to be a "new" Hogwart's student who is sitting
under the Sorting Hat waiting to be sorted into the "right" house.

So which should it be? Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin?

I chose this costume to reflect my real-life situation.
I have actually gone back to school this year.
Indeed, just this month.
I started online classes at University of Phoenix on October 4th, 2011.

It's been an intense month for me.
I'm looking forward to finally earning my degree though.
I hope that my grades will make any of the houses proud...
well, maybe not Slytherin. ;-)

I am now starting my 5th and final week of my first UoPX class
and it counts for 35% of my grade, so I really should be working on
finishing my essay and PowerPoint presentation due by Sunday at midnight.

Just thought I'd drop by and say hello!

When I get myself organized, I will be making more jewelry and probably
blogging about some other wonderful fun I've had between my last blog post and this one.
It hasn't all been homework. ;-)

In the meantime, I wish you all happy creating!

~stephanie~

DIY Jewelry Tool Storage...

2011-08-16T15:36:00.004-07:00

I did some craft room organization yesterday...
and realized that I finally had gotten tired of losing track of my jewelry pliers. ;-)

I had most of my pliers sorted in these vintage memo/paper sorters,
but they sat on one of my craft desks.

The three pliers I used the most I just took "to" each project.
Since projects were/are generally done wherever I could find surface space,
this was not necessarily near the neatly organized sorters. ;-)

Often I'd end up losing track of them under some bin of beads,
or in amongst a basket of beads, or wherever.

Yesterday, I realized that this green basket was now going to be empty and an idea
just came to me. Luckily it worked!
The basket was big enough so that conveniently my two sorters of pliers fit into it together.

So here is what I came up with.

I posted this photo on Facebook and had several inquiries about how the storage was put
together, so I took a series of photos to show the details.

Finding the basket that will fit two memo/paper sorters is probably going to be the trickiest part. The basket should also be of sturdy plastic with a sturdy handle,
since it will get a bit heavy when it's full.

My two memo/paper sorters are from the thrift store and both vintage.

The blue one is one of my very favorite vintage finds ever.
It's marked on the bottom eldon office supplies 1980. I love the cool color and shape and that it has a space for pencils, which allows me to have a space for all those small tools.

Of course, now I won't be able to see the awesome blue color much, but
that does not detract from the overall awesomeness (and usefulness) of this item. :-)

I have a mishmash of pliers. LOL

Then you just stick the pliers in however they fit most conveniently for the space and for you!

I didn't check the original photo before I put the pliers back in,
so the order of how they went in changed somewhat, but that's the beauty
of this DIY project. You can put them in and take them out, any way you want! :-)

Happy Creating!

~stephanie~

Ends...

2011-07-18T10:30:00.009-07:00

I went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 yesterday!

And I like to dress up. ;-)

I could not wear the robe after all,
because it was already 90 degrees out when we left for the movie at 8:30 am. LOL

Two of my dogs were quite fascinated with my real wood wand.
Bella, the black and white, was actually trying to bite it.

My t-shirt is a Harry Potter themed one, but a bit non-traditional.
It's this one from teefury.com. I love teefury.com!

I took a photo of the the movie poster as we were leaving.

I'll miss there being new Harry Potter movies to look forward to.
I was exhilarated and devastated when book 7 finally arrived.

But as J.K. Rowling said at the London premiere
of Deathly Hallows: Part 2...

"Whether you come back page by page or by the big screen,
Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home."

I am very happy that I have had and will continue to have
Hogwarts in my life.

Happy Creating!
~stephanie~

Birthday Dinner!

2011-05-22T23:36:00.003-07:00

Friday, May 20, 2011 was my 39th birthday!

To celebrate, I was lazy most of the day, just hanging out at home with the dogs and watched The Scarlet Pimpernel on Netflix. ;-)
After my husband got off of work, he took me out to dinner.
Traditionally I have go to my favorite Japanese restaurant for my birthday, but this year,
I decided to try something different.

We went here:

Luna Bella Restaurant

And I had the Shrimp Scampi appetizer (wonderful!)
and this Ahi Salad as my entrée.

My camera phone flash doesn't really do this gorgeous salad justice!
And it was very good.

My husband had the Calamari appetizer, and though I only had a bite,
he assured me it was the best calamari dish he'd ever had.
For his entrée, he had Chicken Sweet Basil Fettuccine Alfredo (with the chicken on
the side, since he is a vegetarian...lol). He enjoyed the fettuccine very much.

For dessert we shared the Risotto Cheese Cake with Ginger Crust.
We both loved it!

There was live jazz music,
though I did not get the name of the singer with the beautiful voice.
It was a nice accompaniment to dinner, as we were seated only a couple
of tables away in a back booth.

I think we will definitely go there again soon.
My husband's birthday and our anniversary are in early June.
And looks like, from their website, we were just ahead of enjoying the
Summer Light Luna Bar Menu
I have a hankering for some Fish and Chips. ;-)

Chef Steven Shultz is also hoping to be one of the final two contestants
in the Iron Chef Tucson Culinary Experience in late June,
so I definitely placed my vote for him online.

If you haven't tried Luna Bella, I do recommend it!

How did you celebrate your last birthday?

Happy Creating!
~stephanie~

2011-05-20T12:43:00.001-07:00

Thrifty Thursday

2011-05-19T10:59:00.003-07:00

New luggage!

And it was an awesome bargain!

On my last trip, I went with one of our older carry-on rolling bags,
and though it served it's purpose, it was difficult to organize and also
kept falling over every time I left it standing on it's own in the airport. lol

On my next trip in 2 weeks, I will need a bit more room, so I have opted to have a bag I can check in, and went in search of something more sturdy and with more features than our old luggage (which is at least 12 years old). The best deal I found (a Kenneth Cole canvas suitcase that retailed for $400, usually sold at Ross for $89.99, but was on clearance for $62.99) was unfortunately much too large for my needs and my height. It was nearly half as tall as I am. ;-)

Luckily my husband found this Revo aluminum frame red suitcase at a different Ross location.
And it was on clearance for $41.99! With a retail price of $260.

I had never heard of the Revo brand, but am quite impressed with the style, light weight aluminum framing, and interior pockets/organization! Also it has 4 wheels, so is much easier to maneuver and roll through an airport. This one is a 24" size, so must be checked in (thank goodness I'm flying Southwest, so that will not cost me),
and I'd love to find the smaller carry-on version of this if at all possible.

I can't wait to use it!

Happy Creating!
and happy travels!!

~stephanie~

Woof Wednesday

2011-05-18T22:20:00.004-07:00

Removed this rug from my craft room today.

But apparently Bella wasn't as happy to see it go away. ;-)

Happy Creating!!
And tail wags from my three - Ginny, Bella, & Mocha.

~stephanie~

Adventure!

2011-05-17T14:09:00.015-07:00

Embarking on my adventure...

Have not meant to neglect my blog for 3 months,
but I do have an adventure to blog about.

I haven't traveled since 2003, when I went to visit my very sick grandmother
in Stockton, California. Only a month after my visit, my grandma passed away,
and I was unable to go back to attend her funeral.
Oddly enough, when I returned after my visit to my grandmother,
I attended my first ever Duran Duran concert at the Rialto theater here in Tucson.

This recent adventure also involves Duran Duran! A strange coincidence!!

This time though seeing them for the first time with my best friend of 27 years.

My friend Simika lives in Hesperia, CA and the concert was on April 14 in Pomona, CA.
So I flew into Ontario the day of the concert and Simika met me at the airport.
We got ready in rooms at our hotel near the airport.
I wore hot pink jeans and a green toned leopard print sleeveless top. ;-)
And being only 4'9", had to wear 3" platform sandals. I could write another blog post on my adventure of trying to find shoes (that fit - I'm a size 5!) for the concert,
but ended up wearing a pair I already had. lol

Thank goodness also for the VIP tickets we had too, guaranteeing we would be in at
least the first few rows, though we hoped to get as close to front row as possible.

Here are a several pics from the concert:

Do you think we were close enough? ;-)

It was awesome!
It was a great time, except for a bit of a sore throat from all the screaming I did. ;-)
And despite having been worried about some of the minor health problems
I'd been experiencing for over half a year (fatigue, muscle aches, dizziness),
I felt great the entire time, pain free! Gotta love adrenaline!!!

I stayed to visit with my friend and her two daughters - 16 and 9 years old -
for a couple of days after the concert and had an enjoyable time.
We had one bit of scariness when my friend's car had some engine trouble and
we had to wait for the tow truck at a rest stop off the highway (for 3 hours!),
but there was a gas station, small convenience store, McDonald's,
and three cell phones to use, so it was only a minor inconvenience.

Here is our view as we were waiting (I forgot to mention it did get dark on us):

Before the car trouble, we'd been to Hollywood Blvd., my very first trip there,
to see the Duran Duran star on the Walk of Fame, and some of the other sights.
Very interesting people on Hollywood Blvd.! :-)

Here are a few photos from that adventure:

And in two weeks, I will be embarking on yet another adventure!
Again back to California, but this time to Northern California, to see family and friends.

I have been offered a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium with a childhood
friend who also has a degree in Aquatic Biology. I was born in Monterey (Fort Ord),
so this is a special trip for me for many reasons. When I was in high school I had
plans to study marine biology, but then moved out to the desert. ;-)

My family lives in Stockton and though there's nothing much exciting about the city of
Stockton, it will be very nice to see everyone though and do some catching up!
Seven years between visits is a long time. :-/

Thanks for letting me tell you about my adventure!

Happy Creating!!
~stephanie~

Spring Facebook Giveaway!

2011-02-20T15:40:00.004-07:00

spring flowers giveaway!

enter a comment below the first post on my Facebook page
to be entered into the drawing on March 1st to win
a pair of the "spring flowers" earrings
pictured above!
(color of earrings will be my choice unless I have the color you request in stock)

ENTER HERE!

Connections...

2011-02-14T13:47:00.012-07:00

I met the lovely Heather DiSimone, and her friend Elisa
at the Whole Bead Show at Windmill Inn here in Tucson on Sunday February 6th
at their suite for The Beadin' Path during the Tucson gem show.

I forgot to take a photo of them at the suite, but you can find lovely photos
of their time in Tucson at The Beadin' Path Facebook page!

I went specifically to the show to meet Heather,
who I've chatted with for a couple of years on Twitter!
She is super sweet and tweets about lots of fun new
designs she works on for her shop!

I did see on Twitter that she would be doing demonstrations at the suite,
and I'd seen some of the designs - via Twitter - that she had
previously done with the Pierce and Rivet tool she was
demonstrating, but I absolutely fell in LOVE with the tool in person!

I've only gotten to play with it a couple of days since I've had it.
Mostly because I'm still deciding on the collection of metal components
I want to create the designs I have in mind,
but I can tell you it only took me two mistakes to get the hang of
this small, but amazing, tool - and that the possibilities are endless!

It was even more exciting to me, because I am not a big fan of the E-6000 glue.
Not that there is anything wrong with the glue,
but I am just hyper sensitive to certain smells!

Below are some photos of the tool and a sampling of my beginner projects. ;-)

See The Beadin' Path website for some really
awesome videos on how to use the tool!
I was going to make a video, but...

The tool and the fabulous lucite beads I got at the suite!

That is my Summer Collection color palette!

What's in the box.
I know it looks similar to another hole making tool out there, but it's definitely not the same! ;-)

This photo shows the bag of assorted sample rivets that comes w/the tool.
And part of the small collection of metal components I had on hand, and that I have played around with so far!

I enjoyed mixing metals!

and look at the "backsides"! Aren't those rivets so clean and neat!!
Just amazing! And an extremely strong connection.

I can't wait to get more metal components to play around with
and I'm also hoping soon to get the add-on to this tool,
which does eyelets!! I plan to wire wrap some buttons
using the eyelet holes created in the metal components and...

...well, you'll see! ;-)

Happy Creating!

~stephanie~

Spring 2011 Collection

2011-02-09T13:54:00.003-07:00

Happy Valentine's Day...

2011-02-01T21:53:00.005-07:00

Hugging is healthy.
It helps the body's immune system,
it keeps you healthier, it cures depression,
it reduces stress, it induces sleep, it's invigorating,
it's rejuvenating, it has no unpleasant side effects,
and hugging is nothing less than a miracle drug.

Hugging is all natural. It is organic, naturally sweet,
no pesticides, no preservatives, no artificial ingredients
and 100 percent wholesome.

Hugging is practically perfect. There are no movable parts,
no batteries to wear out, no periodic check-ups,
low energy consumption, high energy yield,
inflation proof, nonfattening, no monthly payments,
no insurance requirements, theft-proof, nontaxable,
nonpolluting, and of course,
fully returnable.
-source unknown

{{{HUGS}}}

Stephanie

new year...

2011-01-09T17:52:00.003-07:00

I never put up my Happy New Year post here,
and now it has become not such a happy new year...

A tragedy occurred in Tucson yesterday,
if you have read any news, I'm sure you
have heard about it by now.

So sad.

A disturbed young man with a gun.
Five adults and a young child dead.
More still fighting for their lives.

Many everyday heroes who prevented this disturbed young man
from harming even more people.

My thoughts go out to all those affected by this tragedy.
The victims.
The families of the victims.
The city of Tucson.
The state of Arizona.
The entire country.

We all share compassion for loss of life.
Except those who choose to say they do not,
though if those lost were important to them,
they would feel pain.

Pain is universal. Unfortunately.

But so is hope and peace.
We can have hope and we can hope for peace.

I hope for peace.

S

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-24T22:26:00.003-07:00

Merry Christmas!

Wishing all those who celebrate this holiday, a happy one!

Stephanie, Michael, and
Ginny, Mocha, Bella

Save the date...

2010-12-13T12:59:00.002-07:00

I received a custom order yesterday for my double initial stamped charm necklace.

However, the customer requested a date on the larger round charm.

Since I use fairly small metal blanks, I was concerned that the date
wouldn't fit, but the customer was happy with how
it came out and so was I! :-)

What do you think?

Happy Creating!
~stephanie~

Unexpected project...mini baby scrapbook!

2010-11-30T15:26:00.007-07:00

The above mosaic is a mini chipboard scrapbook I made last week for my mom
to give as a gift to a friend.

Normally my sister would have made this and she is still working on one herself
for the same baby, but she's been super busy as her job is winding down
and she's even been working weekends to finish
out some necessary projects and help them
organize for the changeover.

She'll be spending a lot of time searching for a new job in the coming weeks,
so despite her love of her scrapbooking hobby, she hasn't and won't
have as much time to devote to it for a little while.

So I decided to try my hand at a project like this.

My sister always tells me about her ideas and she has made
me a Christmas mini chipboard scrapbook in the past, so
using that as inspiration and watching a couple of short youtube videos about
mini books, I felt I was ready to go.

I started last Sunday and finished last Wednesday.
I was in a time crunch as I wanted my mom to receive the baby book
no later than this past Monday and it had to be shipped to her
in Northern California.

I did enjoy making the baby book and was surprised that it
came together as quickly and as well as it did (if I do say so myself).

1. I used recycled cardboard as my chipboard base. I cut it into 5 x 5 squares
and also tinier squares for "in between" pages. I chose the number of pages
based on how much I got out of 2 pieces of cardboard.

2. I used purple glue stick, tacky glue, and glue dots for the most part as my
adhesives. Mainly because my rolling glue glider broke and so I was
stuck...quite literally...with sticky glues.

3. Since my scrapbooking supplies were only minimally organized, I just
had to use what I had on hand. In this case, a baby scrapbooking kit
might have worked better, as it would have been easier to
come up with themes, color matches, coordinating embellishments, etc.
and would have saved a of time.

4. I was trying to create this without spending any additional money. I had plenty
of supplies, so it was my own fault if I had to spend time searching for what
to use in my messy craft room.

5. My craft room got incredibly messy/dirty during this project.
Bits of paper on the floor, glue stick everywhere, etc. and
because of the time crunch, I had only a tiny amount of time to pick up after
myself...something I'm not very good at anyway when I'm crafting.

So what I learned or remembered while creating the scrapbook is
the real reason I left the scrapbooking (mostly) up to my sister.
It takes a lot of time!

I haven't made a lot of time for personal scrapbooking for about a year now.
With my focus being on jewelry, and because I have 5 online shops
to focus on creating inventory for, I don't really have the time or
a large enough surface area for working scrapbooking,
which takes up a huge amount of space!

To be near my paper cutter and to have even a small amount of surface
space to lay out the pages, I was working on a corner of my standing work table.

And when this corner got messy, things spilled out onto extra stools I brought into
the room (at the expense of much needed floor space to move around) and
piled up a bit too high and the piles are now in danger of falling over!
So my craft room is in a state of terrible disorder and chaos -
not so unusual - but a bit worse than usual.

And despite having learned
these lessons, I am now currently working
on a new mini chipboard scrapbook,
which is a late birthday gift. And I started
it Sunday night and need to ship it out tomorrow.
So really I should stop this post - written while I'm eating
lunch - and get back to work!;-)

Let me know what you think of my design and/or design process,
and if you are a scrapbooker, I welcome any tips and tricks!

Happy Creating!

~stephanie~

Harry Potter 7

2010-11-27T19:32:00.006-07:00

The photo above shows my "uniform" for both showings of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 that I attended.

My t-shirt is from Tee Fury, my necklace from Whskr, and my scarf was handknitted by me years ago...right after the first movie was released.

It really wasn't cold enough for the scarf, but cool enough I could get away with it, at least during the walk to the theater. ;-)

I also made this one-of-a-kind Golden Snitch ring to wear.

The idea came to me the day before I saw the movie for the first time.

I'd like to find different wings and since I can not find more of the gold knobby cord end covers I used in this design, I'll have to search for a different type of gold ball part of the Snitch.

But for myself, I really love this ring and it will now be added to my Harry Potter jewelry collection and will of course be worn when I see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

That will be a bittersweet time for me.

I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter books and have not always been a fan of the movies made based on those books, but I have always looked forward to seeing the movies since they are part of the phenomenon. Thankfully I did really enjoy this movie and so I will look forward to seeing part 2. And yet, I will also be sad that the series really is now at an end.

Though perhaps JK Rowling will write more about Harry and his world.

One can only hope! ;-)

Happy Creating!

~stephanie~

Christmas

2010-11-17T16:42:00.003-07:00

I'm usually too disorganized to even think about filling my shops with holiday,
specifically, Christmas designs...

but surprisingly, though still disorganized, I've managed to create
and list several in both the Boutique Kismet Etsy and Artfire shops.

Here is a mosaic showing the currently listed designs.

With hopefully many more to come!

Happy Holidays!

and

Happy Creating!

~stephanie~

The stars in the sky...

2010-10-26T10:44:00.002-07:00

my eyes have always looked to the stars
and my mind has always been out in the cosmos,
searching for answers to the why and how.

We will never know the why I suppose,
and only have some of the answers to the how.
But it's the curiosity that is most important.

Lately my eyes and mind have become focused
on smaller things.
And I miss daydreaming about star stuff
and the far reaches of space.

I made lots of solar systems when I was young...
out of whatever I could find.
And I dreamed of becoming an astronomer.
The depths of the ocean intrigued me too,
so for a brief time I contemplated marine biology,
and digging in the depths of the earth as a
paleontologist...
perhaps I have always like deep things.

But the stars always draw me back to them.

We are all made of star stuff.
We coalesce briefly into the beings that we are
to stand on this planet in this star system in this
universe...
to be able to observe all that surrounds us,
whether we see it or hear it or touch it,
and to wonder at it all,
before we become one with it again.

Because I could not become the
theoretical astrophysicist I wanted to be as a
college student, I let myself wander
other paths and set my love of astronomy as
a hobby in my life.
But it will always be what intrigues me the most,
what frightens me the most,
what creates the most awe and creativity in me...
so I seek my inspiration now from all
the stars in the sky...
and all that surrounds them!

Happy creating!
~stephanie~

Vitamin D

2010-10-14T23:16:00.002-07:00

As I was getting ready to write this post, I kept remembering a band I used to like in the 80s and could have sworn the band name was Vitamin D.

But of course it wasn't...they were Vitamin Z! :-)

Burning Flame

That was one of my favorite songs by them. The link takes you to the YouTube video for it.

So recently I was diagnosed with a major Vitamin D deficiency.
I live in Arizona, so I thought it was really strange diagnosis.
But we had a brutal (high temps) and long summer,
and I mostly spent it inside the house with the A/C on.
And I wore lotion with an SPF 15, so I guess even when I was outside with
my three dogs I wasn't soaking in the rays.

I had also limited my consumption of egg yolks and fish. Not good!

I was actually at the doctor for a yearly check-up,
but described some of my worrisome symptoms to her, so she decided to
do some blood work. Well I guess my deficiency is so bad,
I needed a prescription for 50,000 IU a week for at least 8 weeks.
I started my first dose this past Tuesday.

I've learned from my tweets on Twitter and some status update comments
on Facebook that I'm not alone in this deficiency and
of course there is an article on vitamin D in the latest Oprah magazine.
I have the magazine but didn't read the article.

Seems like odd timing (coincidence) with all media coverage,
but I'm glad I found out what was causing
my symptoms so I could start treatment.
At least I hope this deficiency was what was causing my symptoms,
and I hope that starting the treatment now and continuing
it as instructed by my doctor will get my health back on track.

My symptoms were/are chronic fatigue, muscle weakness,
joint and muscle pain, and depression.
I should say more frequent depression.
I've battled anxiety and depression for about 18 years,
but I mostly had them under control and could function among people.
However, the chronic depression I was falling into, led to episodes of anxiety,
which of course added to the other symptoms,
had me worried about going out of the house anywhere on my own.

So I basically stayed home and thanks to Twitter and Facebook and the creating for my
online shops, I was interacting with the world, and putting on a good face.
I knew I was lucky to have what health I did and also lucky enough
that when I wasn't feeling well, I had the luxury to stay home and
work, rather than having to go outside of the house to a job.

I had my really good days, but those were usually followed by days
when I'd feel like I had the flu or a cold or a major allergy attack,
and all my energy would be zapped.
I'd have my good moments, but then I'd feel like
I just couldn't make a certain muscle move the way it should, and
then I would get frustrated and worried that I wouldn't be able
to function the way I needed to.

I'm not seeing any marked improvement three days into my first mega dose
of the vitamin. In actuality I feel a bit worse. Lots and lots of joint pain.
But I hope it's a case of feeling worse in order to feel better
and that I have not permanently damaged my health with this deficiency.

It seemed to me the symptoms had worsened within the last couple of months, so hopefully
the symptoms can be reversed in that same amount of time.
I know this is overly optimistic and unrealistic, but all we have is hope.

I'm taking in more sun when I'm out with my dogs...no SPF lotion,
so I hope that helps also.

Because of how I've been feeling lately...which is easy enough
to mask with my online communication...
I haven't really known where my business was going
or been focused on the future of it. I have had no desire to sign up for
craft shows and have concentrated mostly on doll jewelry since
I've had a very nice customer who frequently requests custom doll jewelry sets.

And speaking of fatigue. I should be asleep now. So off I go.

Tomorrow our dog Mocha has to go in for some simple surgery to remove a couple of growths, but the surgery is minor and she will go in early in the morning and we'll pick her up in the evening. I'll be glad to have the distraction of working on crafts tomorrow! And hopefully will
feel well enough to work long and hard and get some exciting new things in the shops
and stop feeling sorry for myself. ;-)

So that's been life lately.

Thanks for reading!

Happy creating!
~stephanie~

Hurry, hurry...and slow down!

2010-10-02T17:43:00.002-07:00

I have been creating a lot of doll jewelry lately.
Most of it custom requests.
Which is lovely!
Except for when I have to search through thousands of beads...
some very tiny...to find just what I want/need for a
design! ;-)

So at some point I'd like to do a major bead organization...
but I am too busy for this.

Yet I feel like I could be busier and more efficiently productive if I took the time
to do this organization.

So this makes me feel like I should hurry, hurry through my
creating (which, as we all know is good in theory and difficult in practice)
and slow down in order to spend the necessary time to organize the beads!

So one day I will hurry, hurry...and slow down for the project! ;-)

Did any of that make sense? lol

Happy creating!
~stephanie~

Coming soon: Harry Potter 7

2010-09-29T12:33:00.005-07:00

I am a huge Harry Potter fan! ;-)

The first film installment of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be in theaters
on November 19, 2010!

I'm really looking forward to it based on the trailers and of course if they stay true
to JK Rowlings' story, it will be awesome!

I purchased this pendant recently from Marjorie Dawson of Whskr Art Dolls.
I plan to wear it when I go see the movie!
(And wear it plenty of times before now and then.)

She also included a very lovely free gift necklace with my purchase!

Happy Creating!
~stephanie~

Have you heard? Artfire Group Deal

2010-09-15T13:02:00.002-07:00

Have you heard about the Artfire Group Deal offer?

http://www.artfire.com/groupdeal

They are offering 50,000 Pro user accounts for ONLY $5.95.

They need at least 20,000 people to sign up for this deal and it doesn't matter if your current account is only a basic free account, you can still sign your name to potentially quality for the
Group Deal special discounted rate!

I have two Artfire shops:

whatsleftover.artfire.com

kismet1990.artfire.com

and am thinking of opening up a third for my doll jewelry!

I'm already signed up both my shops for the Group Deal and I think you should sign up too!

The best thing about Artfire? No final value fees!!
List and sell as much as you like for the one low monthly fee - currently $15.95/mo.

Can you imagine the awesome deal this will be at ONLY $5.95/mo.!

By blogging about this deal I am trying to enter myself in this contest for a table top photo studio. So if you want a chance to enter this giveaway, blog about the Artfire Group Deal too!

Happy Creating!
~stephanie~

How to disappear...

2010-09-14T22:18:00.003-07:00

My blog has been terribly lonely lately. ;-)

My niece no longer sends me photos of her outfits, so I have had no Maylani Monday posts.

And I have paused work on my cross stitch, so no updates to show you there.

I had a giveaway on my Facebook page recently, but no new giveaway in the works.

I've been making new items and doing other projects, but have not found the time or
take the proper photos to blog about their progress, so just have a few finished item photos to share.

New upcycled/recycled plastic necklaces coming to the shop soon will look similar to this one:

Read Between the Lines Necklace

The title of this blog post comes from the title of a book that I saw in a recent email from the
Sony Reader Store.

How to Disappear
by Frank M. Ahearn and Eileen C. Horan

I haven't read it, but it sounds intriguing!

I don't have an ebook reader, although a Kindle is likely going to go on my Christmas list...
so I will see if the library has a copy of this book so I can take a peak.

Hopefully I'll have more interesting blog updates soon!

Happy Creating!
~stephanie~

Art as inspiration...

2010-08-27T16:57:00.003-07:00

New artwork I've hung up in my craft room.

The artwork is by one of my favorite artists...my friend Lorrie
of Illusio Creative (Etsy Shop)
and www.illusiocreative.co.uk.

My photos do not do Lorrie's artwork justice, but I wanted to show how I framed and displayed the new artwork. The top photo is taken with flash (eek!) and the bottom just with natural light, but lots of reflection from the window.

These two outer ACEOs are part of Lorrie's Sea Theme series

One the left is Sea Theme I - Aceo Print
On the right is Sea Theme II - Aceo Print

The middle print is Sea Life, not currently available in her Etsy shop.

I've backed all the prints with photo real ocean scrapbooking paper.
The openings in the frames are sized at 3.5" x 3.5", so I needed this backing, but I hope it compliments the prints well.

I can view this print anytime by turning my head to the right when I am at the computer
and it's always visible when I'm taking product photos.

I am not sure this will be the permanent location for the framed art.
I'm worried that the color on the prints will fade from being near the window.
But for now, I will enjoy my wonderful new artwork display.

Thank you Lorrie!

Happy Creating!

~stephanie~

ACEO introduction...

2010-08-27T15:18:00.003-07:00

ACEOs are finally in the Etsy shop.

Part of the profit from these sales goes to help support House of Imagination.

I really do need to work on my photography skills...or lack there of. ;-)

Happy Creating!

~stephanie~

We have a winner!

2010-08-12T09:09:00.002-07:00

Giveaway winner...according to Random.org is #4!

@whskr

has won the necklace!

Happy Creating!

~stephanie~

Imagination Giveaway and ACEOs...

2010-08-03T09:12:00.011-07:00

Giveaway time...again! :-)

I am a member of Etsy #TeamImagination and a fan of the dream of Alex and Gabi Lamont's House of Imagination!
To bring attention to their wonderful project and more fans to members of #teamimagination
(team members and their shop links are listed on the right-hand side of my blog)
I'm offering this handmade by me necklace as a giveaway prize!

Prize:
Antiqued copper and reversible necklace! With lovely Czech glass flower beads.
The rings have raised flowers on one side and on the other etched leaves!
Necklace measures approx. 26 1/2" long and has a stamped flower design toggle closure.

The giveaway begins today August 3, 2010 and will run until Tuesday August 10, 2010.
On Wednesday, August 11, I will choose a winner via Random.org from the entries.
Since I need numbered entries to use Random.org, I will choose the winner ONLY from the comments below.

Choose any of the 5 ways listed below to enter or use all 5!
You can leave up to 5 comments and please leave your email, twitter @ name,
or shop link in the comment so I can contact you as easily as possible if you are the winner!

To enter the giveaway:
1) Go to any of the shops listed as members of Team Imagination on my blog
and tell me your favorite item from that shop in a comment.

2) Become a follower of my blog (or if you are already a blog follower),
leave me a comment mentioning this.

3) Become a blog follower of the House of Imagination blog and come back here and
leave me a comment that you followed them.

4) Become a Facebook fan of House of Imagination and come back here and
leave me a comment that you did so.

5) Become a Facebook fan of my Boutique Kisme t and come back here and
leave me a comment that you did so.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Also here is a sneak peak of some of the ACEOs
I will be selling to help benefit the House of Imagination project in my Etsy shop and
also on the House of Imagination
www.willcreate4adollar.com website

I have never made ACEOs before and although I do sketch,
I chose scrapbooking and altered art and some felt art
for my ACEO contributions for House of Imagination.
Maybe another time I'll do some sketches. ;-)
Let me know what you think!

Alex and Gabi also just recently unveiled another project they are working on!

This one is being featured on Kickstarter
as

Yummy, Little, Pretty Things All Artisan Natural
Organic 100% Handmade Bakehouse

Helping them fun this project also gets you recipes for some very yummy looking
organic homemade treats!

Happy Creating!
~stephanie~

It's a Wrap!

2010-07-30T14:12:00.008-07:00

My friend sent me a couple of hematite stones awhile ago
and asked if I could make some rings for her.
She knew I'd done some simple wire wrapped rings
and she likes to gives me challenges, which I appreciate. ;-)
She also didn't give me a deadline, which was good,
because it took me awhile just to finish this first one.

However, I'm actually quite proud of the finished product.
And my friend loves it from the photos she's seen,
so as long as it also fits her when it arrives
and wears well, it will be an absolute win!

Here are some of my progress photos.
All of the wrapping came together by accident.
It's all done with sterling silver wire, 22g.
And it's all done in three parts, as you will see.

The top of the wrapped stone.
(This was about the 20th attempt. And the waves were
because I had to make it hug the stone a bit closer.)

The original base added yesterday. Measured a size 10,
which I thought was the right size, but turned out to be much too big.

So I coiled the wire around the ring base and as well as making it a smaller size -
now an 8.5. An added bonus was that it also strengthened the ring
and is a better counterpoint for the rather heavy stone.

Margaret's Ring

Let me know what you think?
Should I continue with my wire wrapping experiments? ;-)

Thank you to
my friend Jodi of Jewels-by-Jules
and
my friend Danielle of Don't Eat Beads
for
inspiring and encouraging my wire wrapping!

Happy Creating!
~stephanie~

Maylani Monday - Cute!

2010-07-26T14:22:00.004-07:00

My niece Stephanie sent me some new pics of her in cute outfits!
I chose this one to re-introduce Maylani Mondays on my blog.

She's wearing a vintage Esprit dress bought at the thrift store, skinny belt, and
$2.00 Soda plaid pointy toe flats.
I know the flats cost $2.00 because I bought them here in Tucson at Factory-2-U (now closed, boo!) and sent them to Stephanie because they were too big for me - size 5.5 and I normally wear a 5.

She looks so comfy and cute, and yet professional at the same time.
She just needs a cute little cardigan to make this an awesome work place outfit.

Doesn't she look adorable?

Happy creating!
~stephanie~

Leave an impression...

2010-07-20T11:07:00.005-07:00

I bought some beginner metal stamping supplies last week with the idea
to add some initial drops to a few designs I'm working on.

My friend Beth of besu
(besu.etsy.com, her shop of awesomely cute handmade bags, buttons and rings)
requested an initial necklace
and the above design was what I came up with
for her and is now a design I'm offering in my shop.
(Personalized for the buyer of course.)

Let me know what you think?

Happy Creating!
~stephanie~

Pink and Green...

2010-07-18T10:03:00.008-07:00

This lovely Etsy treasury was created - for me - by my friend Vicki!

Isn't it lovely?

I always wish I had more time to spend with my friends, like Vicki and Alex,
who came to visit with me yesterday and are always
encouraging, honest, helpful, and just plain fun to be around!

Thanks again for reminding me of the joys of pink and green!
You are a treasure. :-)

Vicki makes colorful and amazing recycled jewelry as wearable art!
Visit her newly redesigned website here:

www.wearwolfs.com

Alex is the Alex Keller of jewelry recycled by alexkeller!
Remember the Elf Queen necklace I featured on my blog. Yes, she is the designer!

Happy Creating!
~stephanie~

Treasury for whatsleftover...

2010-07-14T08:14:00.004-07:00

my whatsleftover shop
(supplies, vintage, and upcycled jewelry)
was featured in a treasury!

my item is the pair of triangle shaped vintage post earrings by Napier!

Thank you to leslieursula for
creating this lovely treasury.

Happy Creating!
~stephanie~

#Etsy TEAM IMAGINATION

2010-07-13T13:26:00.019-07:00

Below are items from the shops that are part ofEtsy Team Imagination,
who help support
House of Imagination andWill Create 4 A Dollar.
Click on the photos or links to visit the shops!

ANSMV.etsy.com

BanjoBaySoaps.etsy.com

tcbaskets14.etsy.com

blakenetizen.etsy.com

ObsidianStudios.etsy.com

hotsupplies.etsy.com

mikemetal.etsy.com

mllamb47.etsy.com
SuzeesJubileeZ.etsy.com

NotSoShabbyChic.etsy.c om

BlushingDoveBoutique.etsy.com

Hendrix9906.etsy.com
MollyDear.etsy.com

VARTjewelry.etsy.com

thisandthatteam.etsy.com

QueenBCreations05.etsy.com

Happy Creating!
~stephanie~

Shimmer and Shine...and enter a Giveaway!

2010-07-10T20:22:00.005-07:00

Team Imagination is having a giveaway!!

Visit the Team Imagination/House of Imagination blog to see all the awesome and easy ways you can enter!!

Here is what the winner gets:
Pure Vegan Mineral Eyeshadow

Gonna Get Ya Cheetah Edition, full set as shown!

Happy Creating!
~stephanie~

Red, White, & Blue...

2010-07-02T22:30:00.005-07:00

new earrings in my shop...

if you are a fan of Smallville, these were inspired by the pair Chloe
was wearing when she attended senior prom. ;-)

Happy 4th of July holiday to us in the U.S.
Have a safe and enjoyable weekend!

Happy Creating!
~stephanie~

Mellow Yellow...

2010-06-28T18:44:00.006-07:00

...searching for the perfect shade of yellow is not easy!

Below are several of the custom doll jewelry sets I've been working on this week.
In search of the perfect yellow shade to match 2 dresses for my customer.
None of these sets were a match, so they will be listed for sale in my e*bay shop tonight.

And by coincidence, I received a beautiful yellow beaded wire wrapped ring that was part of a bead/supplies trade with my friend Danielle in TX. You can see more designs like these in her Artfire shop...Don't Eat Beads.

This week I'll be searching for more yellow bead options.

Happy Creating!

~stephanie~

I can have my cake...

2010-06-26T13:58:00.004-07:00

...but I can't eat it too. ;-)

Look at these adorable handcut paper items I received from Noemi of imeondesign.etsy.com.

Cheesecake is my absolute favorite dessert in the world. And this is one of the yummiest pieces of cheesecake I've ever seen...even if it's inedible. The strawberries look scrumptious too!

So if you want your cake too...head on over to Noemi's shop for lots of cute handcut paper cakes, cake slices, cards, and invitations.

Thanks Noemi!!

Happy Creating!
~stephanie~

My Imagination...

2010-06-22T00:03:00.004-07:00

I received the gorgeous ACEOs I purchased from willcreate4adollar.com
in support of the fund-raising efforts for House of Imagination

and was also featured (twice) in this gorgeous treasury
(whose colors perfectly match my blog redo!)

Others featured in the treasury:
tcbaskets14.etsy.com
BanjoBaySoaps.etsy.com
lineardesignboutique.etsy.com
ObsidianStudios.etsy.com
Blakenetizen.etsy.com
SuzeesJubileeZ.etsy.com
mikemetal.etsy.com
mllamb47.etsy.com
kissmekrafty.etsy.com
tinylovetreasures.etsy.com

Thank you to Alexandria for the ACEOs!

And to Gabi and Alex of House of Imagination.

Click on any of the links to see how you can help in the fund-raising
or be involved with Etsy Team Imagination.

Happy Creating!
~stephanie~

Golden Dreams Week 4

2010-06-17T10:59:00.004-07:00

Slow...very slow...but steady progress. ;-)
And most of my new work is done in white and doesn't show up very well in the latest photo.

Happy Creating!
~stephanie~

I am an elf queen...

2010-06-16T17:03:00.010-07:00

Well, not really, but I get to wear a necklace named "elf queen"... :-)

Remember this post?

20th Anniversary

I did get my necklace after all!!!
Thanks to my fabulous friend Alex of alexkeller.etsy.com!

Here are photos of it with the sweet pocket mirror that displays the lovely saying "You are Beautiful" and Alex's logo and believe me, you WILL feel beautiful in one of her lovely jewelry recycled creations. :-)

Doesn't it look lovely with my tank top? No, really, it's actually a pretty necklace for dressing up or down...but perhaps maybe a little more dressed up than my tank top. ;-)

Thank you again Alex!!! <3

Happy Creating!
~stephanie~

Supporting Imagination

2010-06-14T18:14:00.008-07:00

Alexandria Natalie Stargirl Marie Valentine (Lamont) and Gabriel Lamont are
"...dreamers and self-proclaimed idea enthusiasts."

They are hoping to create an eco-friendly and expansive retreat (on 40 forested rural acres in Oregon) that allows innovative and artistic persons - or anyone else who sees themselves benefiting by visiting such a place - free access to supplies and equipment and a comfortable and inspirational environment in which to nurture ingenuity and invention.

The retreat is to be called House of Imagination and Alexandria and Gabriel are hoping to raise funds toward this endeavor by selling wonderful ACEO's by Alexandria Natalie Stargirl Marie Valentine (Lamont) ANSMV(L) and other contributing artists. ACEOs are currently priced at $1 plus $0.82 to cover the cost of shipping and Paypal fees. Other art is also listed at other price points if buyers are interested.

I purchased two gorgeous ACEOs from the Will Create 4 a Dollar website in their One of a Kind Shoppe and hope to purchase more in support of the House of Imagination and also to contribute some of my own (and my husband's) ACEOs for Alexandria and Gabriel to sell on their website, with 100% of the proceeds from sales of these contributed ACEOs going toward the House of Imagination fund raising effort.

To get more detailed information and see what this project is all about, I encourage you to visit the website:

Will Create 4 a Dollar

*ACEO stands for Art Cards, Editions, and Originals and are miniature works of art that measure 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches (6 cm x 9 cm).

Happy Creating!
~stephanie~

20th Anniversary

2010-06-10T22:40:00.010-07:00

Happy 20th Anniversary to my husband Michael!

Us 20 years ago. May 5, 1990. Senior Prom. Second Date.

The traditional gift for 20th anniversary is platinum.
I have a 10kt gold band that looks like this lovely beveled platinum band, I wonder if Michael would replace mine with this one. ;-)
Bevel Ring Platinum 950 by redcatrun.etsy.com

Us today - well, actually yesterday - June 10, 2010

Our dog Mocha wanted to get into the picture! :-)
And she deserves it!! She's recovered so well from her recent surgery.

Though we are celebrating 20 years together, we've only been married for 14 years. We celebrated that anniversary this past February. Traditionally ivory was the gift for the 14th anniversary, but the modern alternative is gold. (However, I don't think I'll be getting a gift featuring either of those!) This necklace would be a lovely option though!!

elf queen - a necklace of vintage and recycled jewelry by alexkeller.etsy.com

I'm told we are going out for Japanese dinner tonight for our anniversary.
So my plate will look something like this below...
except more sashimi and...you know, not being made of fabric. ;-)

Tiny Bento Box Sushi Plate Business Card Holder by Coolbeans717.etsy.com

~stephanie~

Thimble Thursday - Golden Dreams Week 3

2010-06-10T20:54:00.004-07:00

I missed three days and today will be a 4th day's worth of stitching for the week, so it's actually not a full week of progress, and only 4 days worth. Yes, I'm making excuses. ;-)

Not bad progress, but will really need to make up for the lost time this weekend. I'm still on a deadline and if a trip up to Stockton (hometown where all the family is) happens at the end of July/beginning of August, I'm going to lose more than a week than as well. But taking these progress photos is really good for me, because I can definitely see the pattern emerging.

Happy creating!
~stephanie~

Maylani Monday - She's Back!

2010-06-07T12:35:00.005-07:00

Maylani Monday - She's Back!, originally uploaded by KISMET1990.

I missed a couple of weeks of Maylani Monday!

She's back in three more cute outfits! I rather think the middle one reminds of a very Parisian outfit. Well 80s Parisian. Not that I've ever been to Paris.

Don't you just love her comfy style?! I love the folded jeans too.

I wish I could get her to wear more of the jewelry I create, but apparently the current jewelry trend for many young ladies - teens especially - are stretchy beaded bracelets they create themselves. They are super fun and remind me of an 80s trend as well, so I'll forgive her for not wearing more of my jewelry. ;-)

Thimble Thursday - Golden Dreams

2010-06-03T13:14:00.008-07:00

My current x-stitch project!

Golden Dreams
counted x-stitch kit by Bucilla
I've linked the photo to a website where the kit can be purchased if you are interested in making it yourself.

My progress so far - after a little under two weeks. Hoping to have this done by 9/7/2010.
It's for my mother-in-law's birthday!

I work on this in the evenings while watching Smallville with the hubby. He just started season 1.
Since I've already watched the series up to the current season, I don't really watch what's on the screen, and make good progress on the x-stitch, but it's always enjoyable to look up every now and then and see Tom Welling on the TV! ;-)

Happy Creating!

~stephanie~

Between a Rock and a Cheesecake...

2010-05-24T11:45:00.005-07:00

I missed Maylani Monday last week and have only two photos for this week. So hopefully it will be back next Monday for the holiday!

This past week has been all about Mocha. Our nearly 8 year old female GSP (German Shorthair Pointer), who swallowed a rock - not sure how or exactly when, but sometime last weekend and ended up having to have surgery this past Monday to remove it. She also had a small bump removed from her neck which thankfully tested benign, and developed one other minor side effect that created a busy and stressful week cleaning up almost constantly after her, and hoping she would get all better soon. She's definitely on a full mend now, but since she's still a feisty dog with puppy-like tendencies even at her age - that I'm sure we'll be in for more adventures with her in the future! More expensive adventures!!

Doesn't she look so peaceful! lol Wish she were like this all the time. Well...without the cone preferably!

She still has one week before going back to the vet to get some staples removed from her surgery and she has to wear one of those lovely (not!) Cones of Shame (as a friend called it) - which though we are keeping clean enough - makes her a bit dangerous to be around, as she doesn't mind ramming into things with. She's definitely not tentative or depressed in it, though she really is not happy about it at all!

Mocha watching for daddy and her two sisters to come back from their daily evening walk.

So this past weekend and this week is going to be all about catching up on business and since I had started revamping some shops and outlining some new business ideas, I'm even further behind than I normally run. :-)

But I'm hoping this past week has given me a better perspective on what is important to me and what I want to focus on with my shops and in my personal life. That is the hope anyway, as life always interferes with my best laid plans. ;-)

Oh! And it was also my 38th birthday last Thursday. :-) We didn't get a chance to go out to dinner, but my husband did eventually pick me up a cheesecake on Saturday, which I had high hopes of eating in entirety all by myself...but of course that is not realistic and so my husband is doing his best to help me out! Good thing the cheesecake keeps in the fridge for 5 days!

Here's a fun low-calorie "cheesecake" option that I'll probably end up choosing next year for my birthday! ;-)

Cheesecake Soap by sunbasilgarden.etsy.com

Happy Creating!
~stephanie~

Maylani Monday - Birthday Girl!

2010-05-10T14:35:00.004-07:00

My niece! She turned 19 on Wednesday May 5!

Happy Birthday!!

The photos above show the pics she sent me of her outfits for last week.

1. Cute and sporty in red Vans, black shorts from Old Navy and a bohemian style shirt from TJ Maxx, a denim shirt vest made from an old shirt of her mom's and a cute vintage thrift store red belt.

2. The vintage belt makes another appearance in an adorable outfit with some moccasin wedges, folded jeans, a tiny floral print shirt, and a cardigan.

3. One of the two birthday girl outfits! Isn't the tiara adorable?! Bright pink tights and a fun leopard print cardigan worn with her prom dress and a lovely set of faux pearls.

4. Another birthday girl outfit - actually what she wore to college and work that day. The fun leopard print cardigan, plus a black tank and gorgeous dark teal short skirt! I love the patterned tights and thrift store ankle boots.

I really love her style! :-)

See this previous post for an introduction to my niece and why I chose to do these weekly post.

Happy Creating!
~stephanie~

Maylani Monday - Thrifty Style!

2010-05-03T16:35:00.005-07:00

Let me introduce you to my niece, Stephanie, above. She likes to go by different names and I've chosen Maylani to be the title for my (hopefully) weekly posts regarding her and her fun and thrifty style of dressing.

She will be 19 in less than 2 days. Happy Birthday Steph! (oops, Maylani)

When she was very young, she would wear the thrift store clothes her mom bought for her, but most of the family spoiled her and since I worked at a large retail store in a mall back then as well, she got lots of fun, but mostly "new" clothes. Then in high school she was into Aeropostle and Vans and other expensive brands and totally loved the mall!

I think she still enjoys going to the mall, but her style has become slightly different, with a more bohemian influence and she loves the 80's and now shopping at thrift stores once again, as well as outlet stores, and other more "thriftily" priced places.

Above are some of her recent outfits which she sent me pics of (she's in CA and I'm in AZ, so we don't see each other in person often, but I love getting text messages and phone pics from the family).

Pic 1: A thrift store dress in silky satin with cream background and black polka dots. Worn with black leggings and some boots from gojane.com.

Pic 2: A totally awesome Hello Kitty sweater dress in teal with Hello Kitty face outline from H&M. Again with leggings and some tall black boots from the thrift store!

Pic 3: A lovely white long-sleeved peasant shirt with waist tie and some dark jeans, and some adorable dark brown suede look fringe boots from the thrift store - the boots were only $4.98! What a deal!!

I'll try to do more close-ups of each individual piece in future posts, but thought I'd do a quick introduction as I hope this will be my weekly Monday post! Well, as long as my niece sends me pics to share. ;-)

Happy creating!
~stephanie~

April Giveaway Winner!

2010-04-30T21:31:00.003-07:00

April Giveaway Winner chosen!

The final winner in my April Giveaway - chosen by random drawing this evening - is
Susan Seeley Roe!

Congratulations Susan!

And as a thank you for all those who participated or who see this blog post, I am offering 20% off any order you place in May. Just use code "MAY20" in the notes to seller section (on etsy orders) or via email after your purchase and you will receive a Paypal refund for the 20% discount after your payment.

Happy creating!

~stephanie~

April Giveaway Early Surprise Winner!

2010-04-14T18:23:00.003-07:00

By random drawing this evening I chose the April Giveaway Early Surprise Winner!

The winner is FB fan ABIGAIL'S KNITS!

Congratulations Abigail!

Everyone else (besides Abigail) who is a Boutique Kismet Facebook fan, love and creative destiny blog fan, or has left a comment for this giveaway, is still eligible for the April 30 April Giveaway drawing!

Good luck and thank you!

Happy Creating!

~stephanie~

Woof Wednesday - Toby

2010-04-14T07:50:00.003-07:00

Haven't done a Woof Wednesday post in a couple of weeks!

Today I want to feature a dog currently being fostered in Tucson. Toby is a male German Shorthaired Pointer, who was rescued in Kansas, but was not doing well in the shelter, so was transported to Tucson and is being fostered by Kimberley of PurplePupDesign.

Toby seems to be thriving in his new foster environment and is listed on Petfinder.

If you are interested in giving Toby his forever home, see all the information on him here:

Toby

Thank you!

Hugs and tail wags!

~stephanie~

April Giveaway Early Surprise!

2010-04-13T22:05:00.006-07:00

I won a giveaway this past week on the fansite of my all-time favorite band - Duran Duran!

Here is what I won:

Deluxe Edition of the band's first album, two CDS and DVD, with previously unreleased footage. Available in the US on April 20!

I know one doesn't really seem to have anything to do with the other, but I'm feeling in the "giving" mood. ;0)

So I decided to do pick an early surprise winner of my own April Giveaway - in addition to choosing another winner on April 30!

This early surprise winner will not be eligible for the drawing on April 30, but will get the same prize - a piece of jewelry of their choice from any of my Boutique Kismet shops!

I'll announce the winner on my FB page and on my blog and send them an email tomorrow evening (that is the evening of Wednesday April 14...so 18 hours from now).

Stay tuned and thank you!

~stephanie~

APRIL GIVEAWAY CONTEST! for Boutique Kismet

2010-04-02T12:37:00.004-07:00

Hello everyone!

I'm super excited because I have "officially" started my April Blog Giveaway.

PRIZE:
Winner's choice of any one item (a pr of earrings counts as one item) from any of my Boutique Kismet shops.

I have a shop on Etsy
www.kismet1990.etsy.com

necklace - Alice - inspired by Wonderland

A shop on Artfire
www.kismet1990.artfire.com

bracelet - Roll The Dice

and a recently stocked shop
on www.FunkyFinds.us
(easiest way to access this shop is to click on the pink swirl button in the left column of the blog)

TO ENTER:earrings - Trio (in the FunkyFinds shop only)

if you are a fan of Boutique Kismet on Facebook, you receive one entry automatically.

if you are a follower of this blog, you receive one entry automatically.

to enter or receive additional entries, just leave a comment on this post of your favorite item from any of my Boutique Kismet shops, and please leave your email in the comment as well.

ENDS APRIL 30

Winner will be chosen from a random drawing of all entries on May 1.

Thank you!!

~stephanie~

No April Fool's Joke...

2010-04-01T14:53:00.009-07:00

Seriously...no joke!

Starting tomorrow Friday, April 2, I will be having a giveaway on my blog.

Your choice of any item from my Boutique Kismet jewelry and accessories shop on

Etsy
www.kismet1990.etsy.com
earrings - Stacy - in sterling silver

Artfire
www.kismet1990.artfire.com
necklace - Alice - inspired by Wonderland

or

Funky Finds
www.funkyfinds.us/theshops/boutique-kismet
(having trouble with a direct link for this shop in this post, but just click the Funky Finds button on the left side of the blog page)

button bracelet - Citrus

Tune into this blog tomorrow for details on entering the giveaway!

Thank you!

Happy Creating!

~stephanie~

An Award Surprise and Treasure Tuesday!

2010-03-22T19:14:00.024-07:00

I received an awesome surprise on my blog yesterday!

I have been nominated for a Sunshine Award by lovely Lisa of
http://theweezistore.blogspot.com

The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity & creativity inspires others in the blog world.

Thank you again to Lisa! :)

Here are the rules for accepting this award...

* Put the logo on your blog or within your post.

* Pass the award onto 12 bloggers.

* Link the nominees within your post.

* Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

* Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.
Here is my list of 12 positive and creative bloggers:

1. Weezi.com

2. Alex Keller

3. Waterrose Handcrafted Obsessions

4. Here Comes Lilithevy

5. Humblebeads Blog

6. LacOblog by LacOkine

7. Paper*Cakes Finds

8. Parkside Harmony

9. S and O Productions

10. tenthings.

11. Creative Kismet

12. Koti Beth - Functional by Design

I am tying this award into my Treasure Tuesday blog post about Koti Beth.

Last month I won her 1000 Sales Giveaway and got a gift certificate worth $15 to spend in her shops! I picked out my goodies and they will soon be on their way to me.

Here are some of my favorite items from her shops on Etsy and Artfire:

Baby Girl Altered Band Aid Keepsake Tin Gift Card Holder

Princess Crowns Vinyl Checkbook Cover

Birdcage Die Cuts

Amy Butler Tea Box Embossed Owl Die Cuts Punchies

Thank you to Cari of Koti Beth for her wonderful blog giveaway!

Happy Creating!

~stephanie~

Woof Wednesday: A New Backyard

2010-03-17T10:47:00.006-07:00

A new backyard for the dogs!

Before: From inside because I forgot to take one outside. The backyard is basically all tan cool deck coated concrete and tan stucco wall. Blah!

It served it's purpose for years though, as one of our dogs was perfectly happy with all that concrete to potty on. The other one was well-behaved enough to be taken out that back gate to the lovely large grassy common area.

However, recently we got Bella and she didn't much care for the concrete backyard and it was a bit complicated at times to take two dogs either together or one at a time out to the common area. So we had to do something! :)

Saturday 3-14-2010 after all the concrete (that is being removed) has been broken up with the jackhammer. Half of it was already hauled away by the end of the first day of work.

Tuesday 3-16-2010. After the 4th day of work, it's quite a transformation for us. No plantings as of yet. We need to concentrate on keeping the grass alive through the AZ summer. ;-) And there is still some outdoor and inside covered patio painting to do, but we love the result so far!

And at least one of the dogs (that's Bella, our newest girl) seems to be enjoying her new area as well.
Ginny (our first dog, who we got at 9 mths old and she is now 6+ years) is surveying the lay of the land.

Mocha had no problem using the grassy area when necessary, but preferred to hang out on the remaining concrete portion. Old habits are hard to break! ;-)

Tail Wags!

~stephanie~

Treasure Tuesday

2010-03-16T10:55:00.001-07:00

A bit late, but...better late than never.

Heather Powers of Humble Beads is a bead creator and a jewelry maker and featured an awesome bead related giveaway on her blog yesterday March 15, 2010. The giveaway runs until March 26, 2010, so you still have plenty of time to enter.

The giveaway is an entire box of goodies (valued at over $200) purged from her craft room. The winner will pay only the $8.95 shipping fee.

Heather has called this giveaway "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Beads" giveaway and is hoping that the winner of the box will continue the giveaway on their own blog, with their own box of beads.

I am actually a member of a currently only 4 person group that has both a similar name and a similar motto, though on a much smaller scale. We usually only exchange $15 worth of beads at a time, each of us pays for the cost of shipping to the next member, and if we receive any of our original beads back when the package completes the circle back to us, we are to take those out and replace them with other beads.
So I would be very excited to win Heather's giveaway and add any of the wonderful purged beads into my collection or send them on in my own Sisterhood of the Traveling Beads group, or have a similar giveaway on my blog! It's great fun and a wonderful way to destash/share and receive/discover fabulous items!
So go check out Heather's giveaway (open to U.S. bloggers only) here:

Sisterhood of the Traveling Beads Giveaway

Here are a couple of my favorite picks from Heather's Etsy shop:

Golden Kiss Disk Beads by Humble Beads

Gnome Beads by Humble Beads

Happy Creating!

~stephanie~

Thimble Thursday

2010-03-11T16:07:00.005-07:00

I will be featuring adventures in sewing on Thursdays here on my blog. Mostly
my adventures in sewing...but I'd also like to feature tips and hints from others that sew as well!

Currently I am only hand sewing, since I snapped the needle on my sewing machine the last time I attempted to use it. My poor sewing machine has been sitting neglected for several years.

But I do hope to get back to using the machine soon!

My latest creations using hand sewing are all felt items, such as the St. Patrick's Day Pot o' Gold felt donut featured in my shop. As seen below:

Sew happy!

~stephanie~

Woof Wednesday

2010-03-10T00:10:00.009-07:00

I'm starting a new feature on my blog. I borrowed the feature title from a #tag that is popular on Twitter.

As the title suggests, this feature is about dogs.

Every Wednesday I will blog about my dogs - I have three now - Ginny, Mocha, & Bella - or other dogs. Especially dogs (or in some cases other animals) that may need to be adopted or fostered.

My first Woof Wednesday feature is an update on Bella.
Bella came to live with us as a foster dog on 2/13/2010. We had every intention of "just" fostering her, but it soon became apparent that she was making herself quite at home here and we were happy to have her! She's a real sweetheart and had very good manners from the beginning. She does enjoy barking a bit more than our other two dogs, but that's something we are working on training her out of.

My previous post had some cute photos that were taken shortly after Bella arrived. But here are a few more to show just how well she is fitting in.

Mocha & Bella

Mocha, Bella, & Ginny

Bella napping in the hallway!

Bella getting some sun! (On the left is the patio wall.)

We had to get approval from our HOA for permission to have a third pet, so now that we have that, the adoption process will soon be underway.

Tail wags!

~stephanie~

Bella

2010-02-15T12:08:00.006-07:00

We are fostering Bella...a female GSP (German Shorthaired Pointer)...approx. 3 yrs old. She arrived late Saturday morning and is a real sweetheart. Here are some photos of her in our home and with our dogs.

Bella sitting pretty.

She thinks the chair is comfy for napping.

Checking out the door!

Our girl Mocha might be thinking "so who is this stranger and how long will she be staying with us?" ;-)

Plenty of napping spots for all the dogs - since they don't want to share just yet!

I love having dogs around...the more the merrier...but it can be exhausting too! I'm ready for a nap already today. All the girls are very well-behaved though - Bella is learning the routines around here - so I should catch up on my sleep tonight and have plenty of time for getting back to crafting.

Happy creating!

Stephanie

First craft show...

2009-12-14T10:49:00.016-07:00

Boutique Kismet on display!

My first craft show "booth". Actually a 4 ft table on one side of a pop-up tent that I shared with my friend Jodi of Jewels by Jules. Can you tell what my favorite colors are?! ;)
The show was Friday and Saturday, December 4 & 5 from 9 am to 5 pm each day and it was very cold setting up the tent at 7 am on Friday morning! :)

The second day I brought my dolls/doll jewelry to display.

I sold 8 items, including these items pictured (I sold a pink version of the felt cupcake brooch).

It was a great first experience for me, and even though everyone at the show had hoped for better foot traffic and more sales, it was a good show. It was the first one held at Rincon Mountain Presbyterian church (Bear Canyon/Tanque Verde) and with more scheduled for that location in the future, I think future shows will be awesome! Thank you to everyone who came out to see us, and especially though who bought items from me. It is much appreciated!

Happy Creating!

Happy Holidays!

~Stephanie~

Happy Thanksgiving & Sales!

2009-11-26T19:50:00.008-07:00

Today on my blog I wanted to highlight a couple of AZ Etsy shops who are having wonderful Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales! And also provide a link for a directory of Local Businesses in Arizona...so if you are in Arizona, you know where you can shop local for your holiday - or everday shopping needs!

Arizona Knitter
www.arizonaknitter.etsy.com
FREE SHIPPING on all HATS, KITS and MARKERS!!!
This offer is good from Thursday, November 26th to Saturday, November 28th and is for shipping within the continental U.S. only.

Awesome Lime Twist Hat Pattern - available for purchase as a PDF!

Unravel Me Designs
www.unravelme.etsy.com
11/27-11-30 ~ 10% off all orders. 20% off orders $75 or more. Spend $25 or more and get free shipping.

Adorable Teddy Bear Beanie in the Unravel Me Designs shop!

Local Business Directory for Arizona:
www.localfirstaz.com

And of course, you can always visit my shop/shops for a little holiday shopping if you feel like it. ;) In my Artfire shop am offering a selection of earrings marked down to $1 over the weekend (11/26-11/30) and will be adding more each day until Monday.

CRANBERRIES earrings
Were $4.90, now only $1 !!!

*****In my blog post for tomorrow, I will have details for a special Cyber Monday sale in my Etsy shop only.*****

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy creating!

~Stephanie~

Scrap Happy Sale!

2009-11-25T11:13:00.006-07:00

I am featuring Scrap With Style in my blog today.

Become a fan of Scrap With Style today on Facebook and you can start taking advantages of Janelle's awesome Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale! Otherwise non-fans have to wait until Friday for the following discounts:

Scrap with Style Scrapbooking Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale! ---starts Wednesday November 25th for FB fans- Friday November 27th for non-fans and runs through Monday November 30th (see shop announcement for more details!)

Buy More- Save More:
up to $10 10% off
$10 to $20 15% off
$20 to $30 20% off
$30 to $40 25% off
over $40 30% off

Visit Janelle's Etsy & Artfire shops for these sales! Here is a preview of some of her fabulous scrapbooking items (a few of my faves):

With a Cherry on Top Cute Yummy Cupcakes on White Grosgrain Ribbon in 1.5 inches wide Bows

Chipboard Album Kit Alterable Numbers

Christmas Holiday mini paper pack cardstock 4x6 number four red and green stars and checkers for cards scrapbooking

Happy Thanksgiving week!

Happy creating!

~Stephanie

Hello sales!

2009-11-24T11:41:00.010-07:00

Hello!

I am featuring Northern Watters Knitwear in my blog today to preview their Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale - more sale details will be revealed on Friday, so be sure to follow them on Twitter (@nwknitwear) and/or on Facebook !

Here are a few of my favorite items from their website - http://nwknitwear.com

1. These mini sheep are so adorable! And so affordable!

Sheep-3092
Handcrafted 4.5" mini sheep with raffia and bell

2. So luxurious! A cashmere hat!!!

207CPLTQ
Luxurious ultra soft cashmere hat...simpicilty of design but the ultimate in fashion.

3. Yummy yarn!!! Spun on PEI - local for Northern Watters Knitwear! Lovely colors!

MacAusland's Yarn
From the famous MacAusland's Woolen Mill on PEI, 100% virgin wool - basic 2ply, 220 yards per skein. No color dye lot colors are very consistent. Available in a range of natural and dyed colors.

Northern Watters Knitwear has many, many more other wonderful items to choose from for your holiday shopping! :) So be sure to check them out on Black Friday/Cyber Monday.

More preview of items that will be listed in my Etsy shop for a Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale!

OOAK button bracelets:

Retro Pop earrings!

Happy Thanksgiving week!

Happy creating!

~Stephanie

Catching Up & Sales

2009-11-23T14:40:00.010-07:00

My laptop crashed several weeks ago. Luckily I have this desktop to use, but I lost lots of email that was only saved on my hard drive and more importantly saved passwords I'd long since forgotten. ;) I was fortunate that my husband was able to back up most of my photos & documents from my crashed computer, which is now saved on an external hard drive...so I've been doing lots of catching up. As well as getting ready for my very first appearance at a craft show. The craft show will be on Dec. 4 & 5 and I'll post an update on that later. This week I plan to have a Black Friday sale and am hoping over the next few days to also promote other sales - from fellow local handmade artisans or merchants or pretty much any Black Friday sales from handmade artisans around the world that I come across.

Today I'm featuring my Tucson friend Alex Keller's sales in her two Etsy shops.
Vintage by Alex Keller and Alex Keller Jewelry Recycled shops.

SALE vintage Crow n Trifari brooch - gold tone crescent

in Vintage by Alex Keller

SALE - goldie locks - a necklace of vintage and recycled jewelry

in Alex Keller Etsy shop

Below are some new items I'm hoping to list in my own Etsy shop for the Black Friday sale:

OOAK button bracelets

Felt ornaments and brooches.

More sales & previews tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving week!

Happy creating!

~Stephanie

1st 5 to post a comment win a prize!

2009-07-31T09:09:00.008-07:00

The first 5 people to post a comment win a prize!

Pay It Foward

Everyone likes FREEBIES! Hurry, only the first 5 comments get one!

Thanks to http://nomadcraftsetc.blogspot.com/ (via http://appleblossomfl.blogspot.com/) for the great idea and fun PIF game!

Here's how it works:

I am entering into the following contract with the first 5 people who comment on this post and then commit to do the same on their blog. Just read below and if you feel up to the task copy the following into your blog and leave me a comment. I am willing to ship international, for all my friends not in the states (make sure you are willing to do the same).

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. Whatcha get is whatcha get.

2. What I create will be just for you, with love.

3. It’ll be done this year (2009).

4. I will not give you any clue what it’s going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber.

5. I reserve the right to do something strange or weird.

6. In return, all you need to do is post this text on your blog and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to your blog post.

7. Send your mailing address – after I contact you. I'll send you a surprise (it will be something nice, I promise) if you agree to do the same for 5 other people!

Ready...Set...Comment!

awesome pink & black!

2009-07-29T15:42:00.011-07:00

These photos are of my custom tote & clutch set with matching wallet created for me by Beth at besu.etsy.com.

Beth is talented and AWESOME and very easy to work with for custom orders. I saw her Foldover Clutch and Tote w/ruffle designs and requested those two designs in the above fabric/color combination.

I LOVE THEM!

They are so perfect and fit my style perfectly!

Go to Beth's shop and see all of her wonderful bag & wallet designs, cute rings, and fun buttons!

~Stephanie~

Harry Potter 6

2009-07-14T23:17:00.013-07:00

I am...almost...ready to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at 1:40 pm. Some call it Harry Potter 6...but since there will be "two" more movies, Book 7 having been broken up into two films...what will I call them? Harry Potter 7a & Harry Potter 7b?

But I digress...I am almost ready to see the latest Harry Potter movie tomorrow. Well, tomorrow for me, as it is 40 minutes until midnight here. I didn't have time to read the book yet again, and I had planned on a Harry Potter audiobook listening marathon, but ended up just listening to the Half-Blood Prince audiobook over the last 3 days. I plan to watch Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter 5) tomorrow morning. :0)

I am just a little excited about seeing the new movie. I know there will be lots of laughs, lots of darkness, and a sad ending...if the movie ends as the book does. (Sorry for the spoiler.) With the delay this movie release has already had, I have had many more months of anticipation to build up, so I'm glad the wait is finally...nearly...over.

A peek at my "Harry Potter Room":

Click on the rug for more photos.

Happy creating! ^0^
Stephanie

"cracks in the pavement"

2009-07-08T16:01:00.032-07:00

CRAFT ROOM CHAOS:

Just a few photos of the disaster that my craft room had become.

I have a decent size room, enough storage space & plenty of storage containers. I might perhaps have too much stuff. I am a bit of a pack rat, though I do part with things on occasion, but since I like to trade, it doesn't always mean I end up with less things.

My sister pointed out my problem might be not having "like things together" and/or having the room separated in crafting "zones". Each "zone" would have supplies & tools stored neatly and easily accessible near a crafting surface suited for that particular craft. So that was my goal with this particular cleanup/reorganization, since I often clean up my craft room and had thought it was somewhat organized previously. LOL

It took me approx. 6 days to create these zones and get all of my supplies contained. I had no options for moving major furniture/storage shelves, so I had to work within those confines, but actually I think that was a good thing.

ORDER:

Of course...now that I have gotten my craft room so well organized, I have absolutely no excuses not to complete all the dozens of projects that I have been planning & procrastinating on for many months now.

Hmmm...darn! LOL

Happy creating! ^0^
-Stephanie

Tuesday's Featured Artisan: Danielle Murphy

2009-07-07T12:53:00.013-07:00

Wrap it Up Size 4.5

Danielle Murphy is the creative force behind beadesandbags.etsy.com and she also sells jewelry kits she makes up herself along with tutorials, and her extra supplies, at her two shops donteatbeads.etsy.com and donteatbeads.artfire.com.

I have gotten over 30 of her wondeful wire-wrapped rings and also admire her other jewelry designs. She is my blog's first featured artistan, though I hope to continue this artisan feature every Tuesday from now on.

I sent Danielle a short list of questions regarding her life and her craft and here are her answers and also photos of and links to her fabulous creations.

a ring suited for stripes SIZE 7.5

Where were you born and when?

I was born in boston mass march 8th of 1975 .. a pisces, it was fate that i became a crafter ... pisces are known for there creative talents

When did you first start creating/crafting?

I remember being a little kid (6ish) and when all other kids had there lemonaid stands I was attaching paper plates together, coloring them, decorating them and selling them door to door as mail holders

What inspired you to create your first piece of jewelry?

My first real job was working at a jewelry store ... There were always broken pieces of stuff laying around, i quickly learned how to put items together to create even better things ... First thing i remember officially creating was a belly chain ...

Futuristic Fun SIZE 7

List all of the types of crafts you enjoy?

* jewelry making, especially ring making
* scrapbooking
* sewing

How long does it typically take to complete one [wire-wrapped] ring?

If i already have the design it only takes about 6 or so minutes

Where are your favorite places to get [jewelry/beading] supplies?

I love etsy for the unique items .. I miss my bead stores back in [MA] ... bead creative, bead cachet, and definately the one in wilmington ...

What is your favorite piece of jewelry you have ever made?

my most memorable is a simple necklace that i made for my moms friend before she passed .. it was just a simple seed bead necklace

Red Crystal and pearld Necklace

If you could tell fellow crafters 1 thing what would it be?
that any dream is possible .. keep dreaming and move towards your dreams

Danielle's ultimate goal for her business is to have a successful (or successful chain of) "beading cafe's", where jewelry makers and other crafters can come to enjoy companionship, creative inspiration, and conversation - along with yummy goodies to eat and drink!

Sea glass inspired ring SIZE 5.5

Best of luck Danielle!!

Happy creating! ^0^
-Stephanie

"shadows on your side..."

2009-06-26T00:16:00.005-07:00

contemplation...

to ponder our own fragile mortality...

the passing of a dignified beauty...

the passing of an iconic enigma, mourned by some, yet some rejoice at the demise...

so many other deaths overshadowed...

and sadness for all around.

Scrapbooking with my sister...

2009-06-23T19:57:00.008-07:00

My sister lives 800 miles away from me in Northern California, so we communicate a lot via text messaging, online instant messaging, phone, and occasionally webcam.

For several months now we have been trying to organize weekly scrapbook challenges that we will both participate in. But my sister, and I, have been busy with other things, so we are not always able to scrap regularly, especially "together".

We are currently exchanging a couple of boxes a month of scrapbooking supplies with each other as a way to "share" the extras from our individual stashes. We also bought some new scrapbook supplies for specific projects.

Recently, when some of the new supplies arrived the other, including some glitter chipboard shapes/letters, I immediately was inspired to create the following page:

SISTERS

Stephanie & Kimberly 1985

It' a simple page.
And it came together rather quickly for me...which is rarely the case for anything...even a simple page. ^0^

I had had the background paper on hand and the glitter chipboard shapes/letters coordinated with the paper pack this background paper came from. I had not previously used chipboard in any projects, even though I have lots of chipboard letters which were part of a large trade I made a month or so ago.

The photos are of my sister and I in 1985 (I was in 8th grade and my sister a junior in high school). These were taken as part of a series at Olan Mills. Our mother put us in color coordinated outfits of black & pink. When I look at it now, it looks very 80s preppy, even though that was not my personal "style" at that time.

I'm still trying to decide whether the page needs a titles. "Sisters" would be the perfect title, but after I added the name in white vinyl Thickers alphas, I decided the page looked very much done, so I am leaving it this way for now.

Since I put it together quickly and made a huge mess putting it together, I don't have photos of my progress...just the photos of the final product. And since I'm terrible at taking photos, these are really bad, but I wanted to put this blog post together, so for now these photos will stay. Unless I can get some really fabulous photos tomorrow in natural light with a clean background to change these out with. We'll see.

Happy creating! ^0^
Stephanie

Update June 25: No new photos as of yet.
If you think this page needs a title, please let me know. Thank you!

"I'm changing my name just as the sun goes down..."

2009-06-22T11:59:00.005-07:00

Very soon I am going to be changing my name. Well, my main shop name at least. I have already purchased the .com domain using this *fabulous* new name. Though setting up a website is going to prove to be a lot more challenging for me than I anticipated. I want a website as a landing page for all of my various online shops, such as those at Etsy and Artfire and the shops are for jewelry, doll jewelry, and supplies, so having one main spot to direct friends and customers too would be great for me! As well as having fewer url addresses on my business cards, and fewer business cards for that matter. ^0^

I have recently had a very nice consultation with a web designer. Though I don't think I will be able to afford her, she has given me a lot to think about and a better direction to go in for this website. I lacked focus before and now I think I have more of it and can better assess my goals for this website.

So I will unveil the new name in a week or maybe two. I am rather slow at things. Takes me awhile to make decisions (as anyone following my bevello dress purchase might have noticed, and also the fact that I have yet to have the blog giveaway I mentioned weeks ago)...but I hope that having a better focus and also this "new" name, will inspire me to go bigger and better...and faster. ^0^

Happy creating!
Stephanie

Nina & the Girls

2009-06-08T13:46:00.013-07:00

Nina

I am puppy sitting this week. Nina is a 2 year old cocker spaniel whose regular dog sitter was unavailable so this was the first time we have ever watched her. Actually she is the only puppy/dog we have ever been a sitter for - though we did foster a Brussels Griffon a few years ago, but we only had one dog of our own back then, and little Be Be was only with us a week.

My two dogs, Ginny & Mocha, are relatively dog friendly, but we had a meet & greet for the dogs last Tuesday - just to test the waters. Everything went well and so Nina arrived again with her dog bed, food, and a couple of toys early Sunday morning and will be with us until Thursday afternoon sometime.

I have not been able to get as many good photos of Nina as I would like - that is somewhat due to my poor photography skills in general, but also because she is camera shy. She knows when you have the camera in your hand and she generally runs off. I find this intriguing because her mommy owner is a professional photographer. :0)

Mocha, Nina, & Ginny (standing) in the office/dog lounge

In the photo above the dogs are all watching my husband, Michael, as he sits at the computer. There are two dog couch beds and a third round dog bed & large dog crate (that's the green in the right bottom corner of the photo) in this room, that's why I call it the dog lounge. Behind Nina is the "atrium", which previous owners enclosed so is an extra "indoor" room. There is another large dog bed out there...and two modern style fabric chairs the dogs now use as "raised" dog thrones. They like to lay in these and stare out the front door...as Mocha demonstrates in the photo below.

Mocha watching the birds/creatures in the front yard.

Nina testing one of the dog couch beds. She didn't like me sneaking up on her. :0)

Nina on her dog bed in my craft room.

And below...Mocha testing out Nina's dog bed...silly girl! :0)

Ginny asking me to throw her toy. :0)

My "girls", as I like to call them, keep me busy, but with the addition of Nina this week, I have been extra busy - thanks to having no doggy door - but I have also been enjoying having another dog around. I am definitely considering adopting a third dog. :0)

Happy creating! ^o^
Stephanie

Help Me Choose A Dress @ Bevello.com

2009-06-01T17:54:00.010-07:00

So I won last week's super cool bevello.com stylist contest (see my previous post: I WON @ BEVELLO.COM) and am really wanting to use my prize of $20 bevello bucks toward a new dress.

I need your help deciding which one!

Below is my "short" list:

(Please indicate your choice by number or description of the dress in your comment, thanks!
Clicking on the photo or title will link you to the dress detail page on bevello.com.)

#1
White Embroidered Bubble Dress by Miss Closet

#2
Charcoal Gray Cotton Silk Dress by Trinity (Has pockets!)

#3
Jade Green Rouche Ribbon Dress by Trinity (Organic Cotton)

#4
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Dress by Ryu

Happy creating! ^o^
-Stephanie

I WON @ BEVELLO.COM

2009-05-29T16:34:00.011-07:00

I won something! That in itself is a surprise since I rarely win anything, but to win a really cool contest at a unique online clothing boutique like bevello.com is a SUPER AWESOME surprise!

I discovered bevello via Twitter and love the look of their website and the fun, stylish clothing and accessories they sell, featured on models that pose in the cutest lifestyle photos. And bevello is dedicated to "representing designs by America's independent, emerging designers". Plus it has an "organics" section...yay!!!

The contest asked me to be a "stylist" and choose three pieces to coordinate with an item chosen by bevello. (And to tell them how I would wear the pieces together and where to!)

Their clothing item of choice last Tuesday was this adorable Heather Gray Cropped Sleeveless Cardigan by [Ryu:]

Heather Gray Sleeveless Cardigan by [Ryu:] available at bevello.com

The following three items and explanation were my winning entry!!!

C & C California Rosebud Organic Cotton Dress

http://www.bluefly.com/C-C-California-rosebud-organic-slub-cotton-tank-dress/SEARCH/301377803/detail.fly

Merona Sport Ballet Flats / Target

http://www.target.com/Merona-Maria-Sport-Ballet-Flats/dp/B0018282Z4/sr=1-2/qid=1243362720/ref=sr_1_2/184-0709035-4210826?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=0&rh=k%3AGrey%20Ballet%20Flats&page=1

The Sak ‘Eco Harmony’ Organic Drawstring Bag

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3009994/0~2376779~6008000~6014864?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6014864&P=6

HOW: The Heather Grey Cropped Sleeveless Cardigan by [Ryu: is worn over the C & C Company tank dress. I prefer unbuttoned, but it would look great either way. I love ballet flats and think the gray matches the cardigan but the two tone and metallic accent adds texture and contrast!! I love The Sak bags and this one complements the dress and is also great for the environment.

WHERE: For me I would wear this outfit anywhere! For meeting a friend for a nice casual dinner (all dinners in Tucson are pretty casual – LOL), or for a daytime shopping excursion, or for any daytime social event in the summer here.

==============================

What did I win?! I won $20 in bevello bucks toward my next purchase...SWEET!!!! My next blog post will be about the items I am considering putting my bevello bucks toward. ^o^

Until then! Happy creating!!!

-Stephanie

Prom

2009-05-10T21:23:00.009-07:00

michael & stephanie
may 5, 1990

I had every intention of posting this photo on May 5 to coincide with the 19th anniversary of the year this photo was taken. I even posted it a few days early so as not to forget. Then I archived all my blog posts and started fresh with my blog on May 7 and completely forgot about it until today when I was getting ready to do a short post on Mother's Day. This photo was taken at the Amos Alonzo Stagg high school prom at the Fox Theater in downtown Stockton, California.

My 5 Tips for Creating Jewelry for Dolls

2009-05-08T18:38:00.012-07:00

This post was inspired by the awesome Dave Robertson who is the Web Optimizer and Twitters for Rings & Thin gs.

When Dave asked me (a couple of weeks ago) via Twitter if I had any tips for making doll jewelry, I pretty quickly replied "not really". I mean I love making doll jewelry, and I have had some success selling my doll jewelry, but working on miniatures can be hard on the eyes and hands and it's definitely not a "mainstream" craft, or one that I make a ton of profit on (I like to keep my prices low). I did tell him one tip - "magnifier glasses are a must" - and that's true, at least for me. So I suppose that is my tip #1.

Dave's question did get me thinking though and other doll jewelry making "tips" just kept coming to me, so I told Dave I would create a blog post of my "tips for creating doll jewelry". HA! Easier said than done.

The moment I seriously set out to write this blog, I developed a case of writers bloc. I began to question whether I really had any relevant or useful tips for people who might want to get into making doll jewelry. As I mentioned above, my profit margin isn't high (read: non-existent), so these are not tips for "making a lot of money by creating and selling doll jewelry". These are also not "time-saving" tips necessarily. But I have been creating doll jewelry since 2006 and I have learned a few things during these past few years that have made my doll jewelry making experience more enjoyable and which allow me to continue to do it.

So here are my 5 tips for creating jewelry for dolls:

Tip #1: Magnifier glasses are a must. I did say I would start out with this tip, so here it is. This is miniature work, no matter how you look at it. I already wear glasses, but I have magnifier glasses, magnifying lenses, whatever type of magnifiers I can find, to help me create this miniature jewelry. Along with this goes good lighting, but I think that is a must no matter what kind of crafts you create. I am a fan of Ott-Lite and have 5 of them in my craft room.

Magnifiers.

People jewelry vs. doll jewelry.

Tip #2: Be aware of the target market. I sell my doll jewelry to adult doll collectors all over the world. I don't market my doll jewelry to children or collectors under the age of 14. It's not that I don't want young people who play with dolls, or young doll collectors to enjoy my doll jewelry, but that is just not my target market. The styles I create and the materials I use are selected with my specific target market in mind.

Tip #3: A lot of different dolls will be needed as fit and photography models. (At least this is what I tell my husband.) I wasn't a doll collector before I started creating doll jewelry. I liked dolls and was a huge fan of dolls, but I was not a collector. I would be considered one now, though I always "justify" my purchases by saying the dolls are "models" for my jewelry. There are a LOT of dolls out there and I don't even have one of each type of doll that it's possible to create jewelry for, but I have 11.5" Barbie dolls, 11.5" Silkstone dolls, 12" Fashion Royalty dolls, 16" Tonner dolls like Tyler, Shauna, Ellowyne...as well as a couple of other miscellaneous dolls. I'm currently looking for the right Blythe or Pullip doll to use as a model. (Doll collectors: Any suggestions?) You can certainly photograph your doll jewelry without it being on a doll, but how will you know how it "fits" the doll you are marketing it for if don't have the doll to try it out on?

Tonner Shauna 16", Barbie Silkstone 11.5", Tonner Ellowyne 16"

Which brings me to my next tip.

Tip #4: Consider scale/proportion. Oversized jewelry is in. So I would say just about anything goes with doll jewelry, but for the most part I try to use beads and findings that make the designs look proportional and scaled down for that particular sized doll. Also I make my own bracelet and necklace hook closures, since I have never been able to find anything premade that I feel is to the right scale. The photo below shows my handcrafted hooks and the size eyepins I use to create them.

Doll jewelry necklaces, eyepins, doll jewelry hooks made from eyepins.

And least, but not last, and perhaps the most important tip of all...

Tip #5: Have fun. Dressing up dolls is all about fun...and a little fantasy...so creating jewelry that will allow doll collectors to have even more fun with their dolls should be fun, so have fun!! :-)

Happy creating!
Stephanie

Starting Over

2009-05-07T15:42:00.004-07:00

I've archived all of my old blog posts and am writing this one so no one thinks I've abandoned my blog. I'm currently working on ways to make this blog better...more interesting, more relevant, more readable. Thank you to those who are currently following this blog and to any who commented on anything I wrote in the past. I hope to start blogging more regularly starting this weekend.

Oh! And I am going to start having giveaways. I'm pretty sure the first one will involve a Banana Bread scented candle...yummy!

Happy creating!
Stephanie

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