New items - Playing with my newest toy Siloutte SD

I have a new toy and I have been having a blast creating with it.  I made some new thing that I will be taking to market with me today.  They all turned out so cute.  I haven't done the tutorials yet so I know I will be doing a lot of creating with this sweet little machine.  it has taken me a long time to save up and pick which machine I wanted but I finally settle on the Silhouette because i can make my own images, saying etc.  I can also cut vinyl and iron on vinyl and fabric.  I can't wait to try those all out.  Oh and once I get a new color ink refill for my computer it can draw and then cut out so I can do things in color.  There is no limit to what I can do with this little machine if I do my homework and figure out how to work everything.  But in the meantime I am happy creating.....Anything I don't sell tonight will be going into my online store tomorrow.  Which one is your favorite??

Undiscovered Pounce by JemSweaters on Etsy

Undiscovered Pounce by JemSweaters on Etsy

Back on the blogging trail

It has been a hard two weeks.  I took a break from blogging, reading blogs and all stuff computer to get caught up on other things in life.  My booth is ready to run for the summer season and tommorow will be my first show of the season.  I am contimplating going or not because it is suppose to be cold and rainy.  I checked weather.com and the rain stops from 11-2  the show runs from 10-2 so it actually has a good chance of being decent weather but I am concerned about how rain proof my little tent is and I just bought brand new white walls for it that I don't want to ruin.  Actually I didn't think about the rain proofness of the tent until now.  O great now more negatives to sway me.  Sigh it is so hard to take that first step out to show off my new stuff.  I always get that fear that people won't like my stuff, that things are priced wrong too high or too low.   That my booth won't look good and on and on it goes.
  I was reading my little book of daily devotionals ABUNDANT LIVING and it was all about how can't keeps us from doing so many things our fears and doubts block us from doing all the things we can.  Sooooo I will go.  If my tent leaks I will pack up and go home and chalk it up as experience.  I will take food, hot coffee, warm clothes, and girl scout cookies that I just discovered in the pantry in my hiding place.  If You want one or maybe even two come visit me at BSU tommorow.  We will be set up right in the middle behind the administration building from 10-2.  But call me first and make sure I made it if it is pouring down rain in the morning and windy I won't be there.  I can't afford to ruin my tent and everything in it.


  

Giveaway winner announced

The give away is over and the winner is Lara.  Send me an email laura with your address and i will get it into the mail for you.

Congratulations.

Inspiration is all around us. blogging a to z challenge

My latest craze is checking out all these DIY home crafting project blogs.  I keep finding the coolest projects on making things out of thrift store finds.  And I think it is great to show you my favorite finds because then when I want to find them here they are on my blog.  Easier to find then my many bookmarks.  My first project is this amazing zebra stripe rug that someone made by cutting apart 2 rugs in a  zebra stripe pattern and then taping back together.  It is amazing

diy-make-your-own-zebra-rug

frame-your-own-artwork

This one is a really cool idea.  I've notice that tIFFANY  turqoise is a hot color this season.  I'm thinking of painting my  grid walls in my booth  that color what do you think?  Am I being overly influenced by all these blogs I'm reading?

diy-wedding-pennant-banner  and I still need to make that banner for my shop so i've been shopping for ideas.

Art Bead Give Away

Art Bead Give Away sign up to win 400 worth of artbeads wow great giveaway

Fabulous Friday with Amy Peters - Where Women Create

Fabulous Friday with Amy Peters - Where Women Create

Headaches are miserable: a to z blogging challenge

Woke up this morning with a pounding headahe so bad I couldn't even do anything.  Reading made me nauseous.  So I went back to bed and slept a few hours.  Sigh I hate missing Church I need my fill up spiritually and my little time to see friends and be with people.  Not to mention I have a bag full of stuff I need to give to people seriously,  easter eggs and candy for the little fun next week, a big cake pan,  jewelry I fixed,  5 rocks I wrapped,  birthday invitations for my daughters 13 birthday,  and an egg holder.  Sigh now I'm stuck at home.  Well after several hours of sleep I can atleast get a few blogs done.  It's been a rough week so I haven't even blogged so time to catch up.

G for Giveaway : A to Z blog challenge

Ah I know the perfect G word It is Giveaway.  Yea are you feeling lucky today.  I know that these giveaways are easy to win.  Because I win lots of giveaways so take a chance and you could win one too.  The question is what lovely prize should I part with.  So I will make this one for a few things.  A pretty sterling silver bracelet, some cute magnets and a magnet board.

Here is how you can win.
1. Just leave a message on this post for one entry.
2. Blog about my giveaway on you blog and leave me a link for another entry
3. Share on facebook, twitter, etc and leave me a message for each way you share my giveaway for more entries.


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Forgiveness day 6 F: a - z blogging challenge

There is a reason I didn't post yesterday.  I was really mad at someone close to me.  So mad I couldn't see straight.  It is amazing how things spiral out of control when you let your emotions take over.  You can get so mad that only hurt comes out of your mouth and your reasoning skills go out the window.  I am sadly guilty of this.  Of course at the time it all "feels" logical but that is the problem feelings aren't logical.  They get us into all sorts of trouble and pain.  So think the best of someone. Forgive them for their failing and hope they will forgive you for yours.  Life is to short to be bitter and we are all too emotional not to make our own stupid mistakes or incorrect assumptions.  So to the person I was mad at I am sorry and I love you and lets be friends.

Education -day 5 a to z blogging challeng

What can I say about Education ---  I seem to learn so much more as an adult I never took art classes in school as I played an instrument.  Should have did art as I wasn't any good at playing an instrument.  I tried my hardest and didn't give up but I dropped it as soon as school ended and never missed it.  Well I picked it up a time or two but ....art is more interesting a varied.  I am constantly learning how to make something new.  I use to quilt way back when and tried sewing a bit but I was never perfectionistic enough to make something look awsome especially things like little ruffle sleeves and hems.  I tried out ribbon embroidery and smocking which I soon discovered when I moved back to Idaho that smocking is not something people do here.  So then I took up homeschooling and the only artsy stuff was what ever we did for school and drawing nature journals.  I learned way more at homeschool then I did growing up too.  But then my kids went off to public school as I had this awful thing call fibromyalgia that made me tire and sore all the time.  When the kids went back to school I was lost I had nothing to do with myself because homeschooling had been my hobby, job, lifestyle, everything I put all my energy into it and now there was a huge hole.  So my hubby thought I needed a hobby.. said take a class do something to get yourself past this.  So I took a jewelry making class because the other classes were full but I don't do anything half way so within two years I was teaching my own jewelry classes, selling on ETSY, and artfire and for the last year doing shows.   But there are so many other jewelry artists out there that I have had to branch out to make something I could sell so now I have spread my wings looking for new things to do.  I started  making magnets, then magnet boards, then other things with decorative paper like decorating tins, notebooks, jars, what ever I could find.  And my next project is a floor cloth for my booth.  I bought the cloth so tommorow I am teaching myself with the wonderful world of the computer how to make a floor cloth.  The first thing I have to do is sponge it down with hot water and let it dry so it can shrink then I have to fold and iron the edges and sew them for the hem.  Then will come the fun stuff painting.  It looks like I need latex paint so I will be off to the store to check out all the reject paint colors  I want to make something with hotpink, pink, brown maybe Still gotta figure it out.  I am thinking I might go with stripes except that would mean I would have to be a perfectionist and get them straight maybe pink in the middle with a boarder of stenciled flowers that sounds easier.  Hmm I am off to find pictures and ideas off the internet

how about this one maybe to busy

a little to simple

hey no straight lines this would work with a pink background no white for me

i suppose I could do this for stripes but might look to homemade

maybe a little bit of a mix of all of them.  

d Day 4 a to z blog challenge

Didn't get to blogging on day 4.  Was hit with a huge headache and didn't want to do anything.

Day 3 C :a to z blog challenge

Crunched for time.  That seems to be my life.  It always seems there is something that doesn't get done.  The dog doesn't get a haircut or a walk, dinner is late, nothing is cleaned up, projects are days late, special orders are calling to me,  I have jewelry shows and classes to plan and prepare for I have a surprise jewelry party to throw Thursday and a Jewelry Open House at my House the 15th of April and I need to send out invites to that and get everything ready.  so much to do so little time.  I am trying to plan out my booth for this summer which is impossible to do in my head but I guess the Open house will let me try out some ideas.  I am making tons of magnets and other stuff so I have a good backup supply since I will be doing a weekly show.  Here are a few of my ideas for my booth.
bright pink and white gerber daisies

pink or white table clothes

my big black walls to hang up my magnet boards and lots of  of tulle and flowers

I really want to make or buy one of these flag banners with my store name

Then I still need to find some really cute rug or floor mat thinking of maybe a painting floor throw and paint i bright pink with flowers or just stripes even.

maybe with cute flowers  hmm 

A- Z blog Challenge day 1 A

Day one of the challenge and all I can think about is I have to inventory and it needed to be done tommorow.  I've tried to get out of it but seems to be required part of being in business for my self.  So A is for A bad idea of  being lazy and not doing it way back when.  It is such a huge job because I have way too much stuff.  so here is to A new start and better bookkeeping for this next year.  It's April and I have only started entering receipts for this year but at least I have started.  Another huge A  ALWAYS backup your FInancial FIles on your computer.  I'm in the huge mess I am in because my computer died and I didn't back up anything.  Too Lazy ---so lazy I made extra work for myself.  And the last one ALways be ready to Adapt to the market.  I got in a market this summer but they have too many jewelry vendors--same story everywhere I tried so I am expanding my line to all the non jewelry stuff magnets, magnet boards, cute little tins, bookmarks, cell phone charms, zipper pulls,  wire embelished vases, jewelry organization boards, you name it if it isn''t jewelry but uses beads I'm making it and it will probably sell better my last show I sold all Magnets, bookmarks, and cell phone charms so hopefully my booth will be hot as I'm selling all those impulse buy items.  And I'm on the waiting list to sell jewelry so hopefully they will let me sell jewelry sometime before the end of the summer.

these are all available in my artfire store www.frenchelegantjewelry.artfire.com

Bloggins is so cool Day 2 a-z blogging challenge

Blogging is so cool.  And I have learned so much surfing through blogging world.  I go to  my friends blog and look at their links after reading their cool posts and then I am off to make a new friend.  Being a stay at home mom with my own business I spend alot of time home alone or with my kids.  It is so nice to share the struggles and triumphs of all the people out there doing the same thing.  All my friends here don't have their own business, don't care about jewelry and have their own interests.  So this is one way I can connect without leaving home.  Believe me it doesn't replace the friends I have but it sure does feed that need to communicate with others and learn and share.  Oh and I'm always coming across giveaways and I win alot because I share it with everyone and hopefully help out that blogging friend and it does pay to share others.  We all help each other grow our business, learn new things, get new ideas, brain storm, you name it.

  So now that being said I looked at my blog followers and did a double take in one day I went from 30 followers to 44.  And now I have a question for you all.  I am going to have a give away on my blog but I don't know what It should be.  So I want you all to peruse my shops and tell me what you would like to win.  Then I will pick a few of those things and have a really sweet giveaway just for all of you sweet people that are following me now and leave such encouraging comments for me on my blog.  thanks for all the comments this blog is the only place I get positive feedback on my stuff--don't get none at home so a huge thankyou from the bottom of my heart.

Beads and Bread: Got my Buttons!!!

Beads and Bread: Got my Buttons!!!: "Oh wow! Just got the coolest buttons from my Button Swap partner, Krista at FrenchElegantJewelry. This is a challenge created by Miche..."

Shirley finally got the buttons I sent her so now I can show you them. For more pictures click over to Shirley's blog.

La Bella Joya: Celebration Giveaway!

La Bella Joya: Celebration Giveaway!  head on over and put in your name to win this very beautiful bracelet

Coastal Charm

Coastal Charm Apron Giveaway  check it out and win this beautiful apron

Button Soup Party - Got my buttons

I got my buttons in the mail this week and finally sent out some too.  I am doing a button swap blog party and each of us needed to exchange at least 3 buttons and one of them had to have special meaning. Michelle Mach is heading up the party and you can find out more at her blog button swap party Here is want I received - 5 very cute buttons. Shirley is my partner.  She said that the two hearts were made by her 10 year old daughter just for the swap.  They are my favorites you can't tell in the picture but they have some sparkly swirls in them.  So now I need to get to work to turn them into something really cute.  Don't you just love how the card she sent me (the background) matches all the colors in the buttons.  Now that is not easy to do with that aray of colors which tells me she put some thought into this.  Thanks for the beautiful buttons.  Check out Shirley's blog at shirley Moore's blog for the buttons I sent her.  I didn't get very good pictures before I sent them.  After she receives her buttons I will blog about them.  :)

In another treasury

AJG Gift Guide V Mothers Day

  Curated By: AllWireUpTOO

ArtFire.com

Craft Tutorials

Jewelry Making Classes Online at Beaducation: The Blog: National Craft Month Contest Week 4

Jewelry Making Classes Online at Beaducation: The Blog: National Craft Month Contest Week 4: "Our shipping department got their heads together and chose the giveaway for this week. When Danelle came into my office and presented me wit..."

Here is a great giveaway from beaducation.com  click on their link to check it out.  drawing is 8 am Monday.

Things I have been working on

It has been a long week.  I have not been feeling very good my fibromyalgia symptoms have flaired up and are making life a little more difficult.  Tired has been my first name all week.  It is hard to get motivated to do anything creative when I just want to sleep.  My hubby  has been gone in China so that never helps.  I did manage to make a few things and started to put everything back in my office.  It is still a mess but I have made a little progress.

   Here are a few things I have made this week.  These are 6 inch x 12 inch magnet boards with 1 inch glass marble magnets and the last picture is a little pill box with a sliding top.  I am still trying to decide if I want to list these in my shop or just sell them locally.  I picked up a few of these daisys when I went out they are going to be my decorations in my booth this year going bright pastel and fun.