Mother's Day Give Away!!

I struggled a lot through the last week or so, coming up with what to do for Mother's Day this year.  Finaly, a dear friend came to the rescue, suggesting I make it a classic giveaway -- pearls for Mom.  You know, the classic post pearls, which I am now offering in the shop with a modern twist -- hand wire wrapped.

However, for his giveaway -- I am leaving it up to the winner to choose, sterling silver or 14k gold filled.

Be are the two items to choose from,followed by the rafflecopter entry form(s).  This giveaway will end on Monday, May 6th, at Noon Pacific time (3pm Eastern) so that I can get these too you by Mother's day :)

Enjoy, share and please enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So many changes ...

Well, hubby came home after a 2 month temporary duty down to California (this just short of six weeks home after 2 years away just prior to that -- yeah I know, how on earth do I keep track?  I don't. I rely on the kids to tell me).  And as he was getting ready to come home, we had this stellar weather -- the weather that makes it so you don't really want to sit in your studio working on things?  Yeah, you know it, not a cloud in the sky and 70 degrees. 

So, like anyone, I decided to play as much as I could in between bouts of cleaning.  Neither of these two things ended up working out for me.  Meanwhile the whole pre-coming-home-week was spent with the kids kind of sitting there saying, "since when do you want me to put my clothes in a hamper?  Sacrilege."  No, seriously, it was that bad. 

But, I did get a few items done, and a few requests for custom items that are proving less than fruitful at this point. And for some reason, even though it's not a big color for spring, purple is really working out well for me.  Yeah, I do know there are all kinds of colors for purple, but we all also know that every shade of purple is basically just purple for me.   And Pink :)

Oh and by the way, my dear friend at Moonshine Designs and Photography made me this fabulous shop banner:

Awesome, Right?

So here are a few new spring items I have been working on between dishes, cleaning up after the kids and setting up my old computer since my laptop decided it was done last week sometime.

Monaco Blue Freshwater pearl earrings in Sterling Silver (Posts)

14k Gold Wire Wrapped Fluorite Earrings

Raw Garnet Wire Wrapped Ring in 14k Gold Filled

Rose Smoke Mystic Quartz Wire Wrapped Post Earrings in Sterling Silver

Ombre Pink Ruby Large Hoop Earrings in Sterling Silver (July Birthstone)

Raw Citrine Statement Necklace in 14k Gold Filled (November Birthstone)

And Remember, The Mother's Day Sale is going on for One More week.  I ask that stateside (domestic orders) be placed by May 6th, 2013 so that I can get the items to you for Mother's Day.

Moonshine Designs and Photography: How To Use Custom White Balance in Lightroom 3

Been having a few weather and photography issues of late because of the very --- uhhh --- temperamental weather here in Seattle.  So after I took a few indoor photos of my pictures, I noticed the "white" wasn't "white" in the final product. 

So, I asked my dear friend what to do about this -- as photos are key for me to show you what my jewelry looks like.  She sent me this wonderful post explaining what I could do so that I didn't have to reshoot the pictures. 

It's pretty awesome.

Moonshine Designs and Photography: How To Use Custom White Balance in Lightroom 3: I would assume the process is the same for Lightroom 4.  Currently I am still using Lightroom 3 because at this time I cannot justify a $100...

Discussions of Spring

Spring is all around me -- with lovely flowers poking through the ground to torrential downpours keeping me inside several days during each week.  I spend my days alternating between the "I really have to finish the kitchen cleaning" to "ooh, look, something shiny on my desk to play with."

My mom and I, when discussing spring, eventually end up on the history of spring celebrations and house-hunting.  I know it's an odd mix, but Mom and I are an odd pair.  I often get nearly giddy when the sun comes out -- because that means I can run the kids into delirium, walk to the pool not feeling odd about wearing sweats and the like, and finally, after long gray winter days -- take much better photographs so that you can see the jewelry in all its glory. 

Oooh, look, something shiny.

It also brings us to the almost end of spring celebration:  Mother's Day.  Granted, it's for us Moms, grandmas, even aunts.  It's kind of fun, that Sunday where you can honestly tell your kids -- all I want for Mother's Day is for you to clean your rooms without me asking. Which is actually asking now -- isn't it?

This Mother's Day, my husband will be home -- which will be odd, to say the least.  I do not remember the last Mother's Day -- or worse Anniversary -- I spent with my husband.  I wonder -- really I do -- what will he do?

Which brings us back to my conversation with my Mom.  We spent a good hour lamenting on how hard it is to choose something for each other.  Inevitably we will end up at Barnes and Noble, buying each other a book or gift card.   It's tough -- do you have any go-to gifts for the mother in your life?

Visit Maggie's Jewelry Here

The Trouble with Sunshine -- and Vanity Prevalence

Sometimes I am just in awe when that momentous, bright yellow thing appears in the sky.  It's astounding.  And without a doubt, even though I wear sunglasses all winter long in the gloom of Seattle -- I can not find my sunglasses again when the sun rears its bright sunshinyness.

It's a tragedy for me really -- when I can't find my sunglasses.   Not because I am as concerned about UV trouble with my eyes as I genuinely should be -- but because I am 35 years old and a little obsessive about crows feet. No,  seriously -- it's one vanity point within the deep dark recesses of my soul I will forever fight to keep at bay.

See, there are a ton of things I could do to help with the wrinkle factor -- you can find them on any google search, for what is google, but the ultimate vanity breeding machine?

I could drink more water.  That's  pretty much a no-brainer. Trouble is -- I got so used to buying bottled water when I lived in Texas (I wasn't fond of the water there and britta and pure water filters only went so far) that it's nearly impossible for me to gauge how much I am taking in on a daily basis.

I could drink less coffee -- this goes hand and hand with the above.  Trouble is when I limit myself to a certain number of cups a day, my "cups"  (which is actually a specific unit of measurement, rather than the design of a liquid holding dish) get larger and larger by the day.  So my 2 cups a day will still end up being oh, 48 ounces -- making null and void the "8 cups of water a day" that is often recommended.  I have now got to add on to that everything I have also had in coffee -- making me become far more acquainted with the "ladies room" than I prefer in a given day.

I could buy vast amounts of old-lady cream.   This is my preferred method of battle as it is my firm belief that old lady cream is the nectar of the gods.   I look in my "medicine cabinet" and find "Origins,"  "Lancome,"  "More Origins," Hair dye (to cover the unseemly gray my red hair seems to proliferate for no apparent reason), and possibly some medicine.  But, that is more likely to be found under the sink in my bathroom as it's just not as prominent as my vanity struggle against crows feet.

What I do not find in my "medicine cabinet" or "powder room" at all -- is my biggest weapon against crows feet:  Sunglasses.

Why sunglasses?  Well, I drive a lot, and I laugh a lot, and I generally am a pretty happy person -- so crows feet and laugh lines sure are coming.  So what do sunglasses have to do with anything?  Well, when I am driving around -- in sunglasses, even in the rain -- I am seriously much less likely to squint.

I do not, however, make use of sunglasses when taking photo's for the shop -- if anyone has figured out how to do that -- go ahead and send me a link in the comments :)

Until then -- I guess it's good to be happy it's springtime.

 ~Maggie~

Spring Colors -- Monaco Blue

I really do like quite a few of the spring colors. Monaco Blue is my favorite -- because gemstones are really quite easy to match to it.

Two very easy stones to match -- which I will focus on today are Lapis Lazuli and Iolite.  Iolite is a little trickier because it often has purple and gray hues in it.   Other stones to consider -- traditional sapphire, sodalite, azurite and london blue topaz. These are good to search for when looking for a fabulous Monaco Blue to match this season.

As for photos today, I am only going to post a few -- because my shop is really loaded with colors to "search for" related to the spring popular colors.

This is a new necklace offered in the shop -- in stunning AA grade Lapis Lazuli and "Faceted" Sterling Silver spacer beads.  Dainty and demure, and so much fun.

The Lapis Bib Necklace is $112.00.

Some of my favorite all time Earrings, these "Lady Sings the Blue" are made using London Blue Topaz, Moss Aquamarine and fabulous little sapphires. 

Lady Sings the Blues are $80.00.

Part of my new "Budget Luxe" line, these are beautiful Lapis Lazuli rounds finished on hand-hammered Copper Heart Hoop Ear Wires.

The Copper Heart Hoops are $43.00.

My mother really wanted to steal these earrings from the moment I made them and showed them to her.  This is iolite at its finest, wire-wrapped on 14k gold filled hoops

The Large Iolite Hoops in 14k Gold Filled are $75.00

I made these 45mm Sterling Silver Iolite Hoops to compliment the 14k Gold Filled Monaco Blue Hoops Above.  These are just as lovely at at 1.75 inches, large, but not overwhelming.

These are all also available in my Etsy Shop.

Happy Spring :)

~Maggie~  

Spring Fling Giveaway :)

I just got back from the Jewelry Show up here in Seattle, and since it was so much fun, I am feeling seriously generous.  Plus, it's been a long time since I hosted a giveaway.  

Since we're heading into spring -- and with Spring, Easter colors, I have decided to give away one of my most elegant, yet wear forever Pearl Earrings, in the most darling Pale Lilac color. 

There are a few ways to enter -- so go ahead, you may be donning a new pair of sterling silver lilac pearls as spring hits.  Enter before Wednesday, because I am doing this as a "flash giveaway" so that you (hopefully) have them when spring hits on Wednesday, March 20th.

Here is a picture of the lovelies, rafflecopter below that.

See them in the Shop

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ooops, I did it again...

I've not been focused on my shop -- I did it again, and just before another jewelry show.  As my mother says: You always have so many pans on the fire you are inevitably spun up like a top.  

She's right you know.  This last weekend for example, I drove hubby to his "business trip" (read: Temporary Duty in the middle of nowhere for the Army), I sold a few lovely pieces and got them off in the mail, I produced an entire website, three videos, helped on a campaign for Military Spouse of the Year, thought about grocery shopping and have been attempting to catch up on my Master's thesis.  I am about three weeks behind on that. 

Besides all that last weekend-- my old Army injury flared up, making me lose about 80% use of my right arm -- ensuring that I did all the above left handed only. I lost the keys to my husbands car -- I washed mountains of laundry (putting NONE of it away, just adding to the pile of folded clothes on the top of the dryer) I took care of one sick kid -- I got some massages to work out the injury, and I read a million articles (well about 40) for my thesis.  

So, I have looked at the shop here and there -- but basically I have been going a million miles a minute and feeling like I've gotten nothing accomplished. 

In fact -- the dryer just finished with it's ominous buzzing and frankly, I am unsure if I want to complete that "chore" for today.  

I really want to be playing with the jewelry -- I want to be prepping my list for the show.  I have most of the list in my head -- but if I don't go with a plan this weekend, I will make crazy impulse buys and in a week or two I will stare at a pile of gemstones wondering aloud for days:  What on earth was I thinking?

But alas -- though I hit the show in two days with my mother -- I know also that I must focus on my school-work first, and write this thesis. 

You all know of my mother right?  And her fabulous taste in gemstones?  She chose the stones for the below beauties:

My mother knows feldspar like no tomorrow -- the three sisters of flash heavy feldspar are some of her favorite stones: Sunstone, Labradorite and of course, Moonstone.

Iolite Hoops in Sterling Silver: She has a thing for the lovely blue Iolite provides.  There is also a set of these lovelies in 14k Gold Filled.

Multi-tourmaline Hoops -- Mom had me make these in a perfect rainbow.

Pink Garnet Hoops  We kind of chose these together, but she picked out the ultimate strand.  She also picked these perfect Nectarine Spessartite Garnets.

I will still continue the spring colors series soon as I still have a few colors left. But until then, I will be neck deep in books and reading.  I will also at some point in the next 48 hours have to finish two chapters of my thesis, so that I can enjoy Friday with Mom and not be spun up like a top.  

Until then -- here's to Spring being just around the corner :)

~Maggie~