Many of you will remember the Twilight inspired bracelets that I did last Christmas. The charm bracelet that I made for my niece, I recall, was a hit with her. Well, as the moon renews itself in the theaters, I have been following suit. You noticed the necklace in yesterday's entry, and here's today's version of last year's take on Twilight charm:

MOON SLIVER

Speaking of bracelets, I have a couple of special orders requiring the fancier alphabet beads. I look forward to doing these! One will be a mother's bracelet in oval pewter beads. The other may need to be done in sterling, as the customer had a lot to say in her sister bracelet! (I can't find dainty enough pewter to make it work). But first, I've needed to warn her about the cost, before we move ahead on that. So the words are all being taking to new levels, this year. Fun times, ahead!

I'm still at the very novice level, here, but I'm a delighted new convert to the free online Picasa photo editing program. For one thing, Etsy doesn't do well with Photobucket edited pictures. This has forced me to manage as best I could with my camera's own software for editing. Rudimentary, at best.

You want your featured items to pop away from the background. I'm still limited, based on the fact that my camera is nothing special. But just take a look at the difference that a better photo editing program can do:

1)Freshly uploaded to 4) Picassa Finale (added later after reading your comments):



2)Kodak Enhanced:


3)A Picasa touch which reader pals said was lightened too much....so.....see the above for side by side start to finish.

Edit to reflect less light filling. Is this better?:



Next on the list? How to update my shop banner...I've yet to find the right tools for that. There's always something to which to look foward.

THAT was excellent!

I headed to Bismarck to get my errands run, and I beat any crowds and weather impending, with ease. The freeway was westbound quiet, WalMart was sleepy, Hobby Lobby was morning-typical, the supermarket was decent, and Gloria Jean's coffee shop had front door parking. I was back home--an hour's drive--before 1:00 p.m. Sweet! And while freezing rain and/or snow was somewhat in the forcast, I didn't catch any mist until I was three miles from home. Jiggity jig!

Somehow I was, once again, a chatterbox magnet. Seriously. The clerk at WalMart must've talked at me for about five minutes AFTER she'd bagged my purchases. And while in the bead aisle at HL, a gal proceeded to talk at me about her Christmas gift projects. I actually had to consciously appear less and less interested, as she began to interrupt my browsing thoughts. Ah, but it's all far better than being among angry shoppers, worn out clerks, and nutty drivers. I'll take happy talkers, any day.

I'm sipping away at the tail end of my plain skinny latte. This barista knows how to make 'em, I tell you; fuuuuuull of espresso-y goodness.

By golly, I think I'm revved up for Christmas cheer!

What and awesome turnout for this giveaway!!! Adding up all the multiple ways that many of you submitted your name by going the extra mile in pimping out my shop, we reached over 100 slips for the drawing. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!


And now, without further delay, the winner is....
(scroll below the photo stream)



Susan Barns Kiepke!!!!! Susan happens to be a 1979 classmate of mine. How cool is this!
Congratulations, Susan. I will be needing a message from you to obtain your address so that I can mail your necklace to you. May the rest of your day be a winner!

Ahhhhh, Thanksgiving. While it's typically a time for drawing my sips of coffee over the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, as seen on television, finishing my salad to take with us to "Grandmother's House", and spending the day and evening with a very full house of family, it's become something more, this year.

Call it an epiphany, call it influence, call it simply taking the time to reflect, but this year, I've enjoyed stopping and thinking about all that makes my heart glad. Facebook, yes, Facebook has helped me with that. Several of my friends took time to make daily wall posts of personal gratitude, and I joined in. It set me heart right for the journey to this day. I am thankful, indeed.

All my very best in blessings to each of you! While some of you do not have a Thanksgiving celebration on this day, you can still take a moment to reflect upon that which makes you smile. I hope that we'll each find our smile, this very fine day.

Here we go in the yellow gold, my friend. I actually like it better than the white gold one, though I have a passion for white gold. You can let me know what you think in messages, back at our message board haunt. I have this open for public viewing, but I've disabled comments. I think I've pic spam overloaded my LJ pals, this weekend. Maybe. :-D

Welcome!! You are just in time to get in on the ground level of a jewelry giveaway that I'm doing. Contest is open until Friday--Black Friday. You don't have to enter, but you are certainly welcome to do so if you'd like.

Here are the details. Don't let all of the "fine print" scare you off!
http://gracedlace.livejournal.com/66326.html

And welcome to my journal. I look forward to getting to know you through yours, as well.

But in a good way. :-) I'm reading your comments and trying hard not to reply, just because the thread often gets so long when I do. Perhaps in a couple of days, after I think that we've got who we're going to get entered, I'll go back and talk on it. It's fun to read what you like and why you do.

Meanwhile, I just so appreciate your willingness to let me use you--yes, use you--to help me advertise. I know that if I had an open house on the local level, as I'd planned to do in October, some of my items would have been sold off the Etsy shelf. In-person shopping is much easier for the buyer. But when things were getting so busy with school and with life, I had to turn down my friend's offer to do that open house for me. But it's allowing me, otherwise, to slowly build up a bigger inventory!

Anyway, you guys rock!

Here we gooooo!
Enter to win this vintage siam red Swarovski and new brass chain with snowflake charm necklace. BLACK FRIDAY BLINGSTORM

A) As a thank you to each Facebook fan who has fanned (or will fan) my Facebook page, you are automatically entered into this giveaway contest. I appreciate you!! Want your name entered up to three times?
Read below. And LJ-only friends, read further!:
______________________________________________
PROMO to copy and paste to your "places":

Let me introduce you to my friend, GracedLace.
Http://www.gracedlace.etsy.com
She's got your back covered for your jewelry-giving (and keeping) needs, this season!

______________________________________________

B) If you aren't a Facebook user or fan, but are one of my LiveJournal friends, you may enter by posting here about your favorite item in my shop:

And if you'd like your name submitted again, share the above promo on your own Livejournal and/or Twitter. Just reply here with a link to your submitted journal or twitter post.

Essentially, I'll allow you the opportunity to have your name submitted up to 3 times:

1) Facebook fan automatically entered
2) copy and paste above promo on wall for a second submission to contest
3) comment here with a favorite item here, for a third try -just be sure to post your name in your reply, if you aren't an LJ user.

OR

1) As an LJ-only friend, comment here with favorite item
2) copy and past promo to your journal for a second submission
3) tweet promo on your Twitter for a third chance to win.

Contest closes on Black Friday. Best wishes to all who enter, and thank you for your submissions! Be sure to share proof of your submissions. I'll have fun reading!

The only little hissy fit that I'm going to throw, right now, is my disappointment in some sterling silver stations that I ordered for earrings. A potential customer spotted these at one of my favorite supply shops, and so I thought that I'd make up a couple of different color combinations for her to consider. The little do-dads are tiny, I'm telling you. No drama in that, unless you count my mood over the matter. ;-)

Purrring right along, I have a fun necklace to share. I consider it to be a grown up version of kitty love. (Left click on photos for close up view):




Formerly a pin, the three kitties in the basket have found a new home:




Have an amewsing evening, All.

Everyone should be so blessed as to have the sort of rural mail service that my hubby and I experience. The phrases, 'through rain and sleet and snow' are certainly Janet's motto. There may be school cancellations, no travel advisories, and blocked roads, but our mail carrier were drive through thick and thin, just so that she can deliver. Yep, she's quite a package!

Ever since I started mailing out jewelry orders, Janet has been my best ally. She takes my parcels from our box, weighs them at the post office, and later reports the amount that I owe. Things couldn't be more handy. She even brings me customs labels for international packages. What a wonderful thing, this Mail on Wheels.

Today, on the back of my money envelope, Janet wrote a question as to whether or not my packages are arriving to their destinations in satisfactory condition. Since she knows that I'm generally sending off jewelry, she's thoughtful to stamp warnings of fragility on each parcel.

And so I ask! Since no one has ever reported a mishap with their package from me, would you kindly let me know if things are arriving safely? Not just for Janet's sake, but for mine; please take this opportunity to let me know if packaging quality needs attention.

Thank you kindly! I know that Janet will appreciate anything that I can report back to her, as well.

Ahhhhhh. While I'm still busy with meetings, testing, paperwork, new referrals, and rumors of new referrals, I'm embracing a current state of having a little bit of breathing room in my brain, once more. Breathing means a bit of room for reflecting, dreaming, and creating; at least until the next round of deadlines hits!

Wednesday, a most glorious Veteran's Day, was like a turnaround day, times ten!

So what does this mean to all of you?
Hmmmmm.....
Stay tuned! I sense a jewelry giveaway on the horizon. No need to chime in with your signing up, just yet. Just leave room in your own mind for being on the watch for this. Facebook and LiveJournal pals, heads up!

A very dear LJ friend and steady-Eddie customer, babeofbryan, gifted me with a great big package of toss-away jewelry. First of all, not only did she give me some wonderful things that I can polish up and part out for redesigning, but she included a piece that may not mean anything to her, but promted a research mission for me!

One thing that I've loved about this jewelry journey is all that I'm learning. I stop and take notice of details that may have otherwise gone unnoticed in my path. Well I definitely stopped and took notice of a few things, and I especially investigated this little fellow:



Judging by the pinback, I knew that he was either old, made of silver, or both.  Prior to cleaning him up a bit, as he was grizzly bear brown with tarnish, I noticed a stamping beneath the pinback.    With tarnish removed,  bifocals in place, and good lighting on the subject, I read: 

MARLEEN
STERLING
PAT PEND

I've yet to find other bear brooches by this line/designer/company, but I have come across other sterling brooches by Marleen.  They are all pirates, which would be cool to have, and they date back to the 1940's. 

Would I ever have the heart to work this little cub into a piece of jewelry?  Probably not.  But I'll hold on to him for safekeeping.  And if my dear friend finds that she wants to call him home, she has my blessing to do so.  Meanwhile, he's in safe hands.

Thank you, in advance. And I'll love you, even if you aren't prompted to fan me. Seriously. ♥

So what does GracedLace do after a three day weekend filled with company, commotion, and camaraderie?

Laundry and jewelry-making!

Perhaps it would be better time spent to dig into things that are higher on the priority list, but sometimes you just have to yank some chains.

These will soon enter the shop, once I've had time to do the listings. Thought I'd share them with you, meanwhile. Left click pics for close ups.

The brooch in this necklace was just waiting for the proper place to shine. A vintage Swarovski helps it do just that:


I figured that it was time to polish up my wire crochet, once more:

For those of you who know me, you'll recall that there is a time of year when our place is flooded with friends and family. In my neck of the prairie, it's a holiday. Schools are off on the opener for this event, and there you have it: Deer Season.

Our own house fills with family, and some of our friends essentially move into a vacant trailer house that we have in an adjacent farm yard. Wayne and I went over, yesterday, to see how this place is holding up. Essentially, it's deteriorating, but for hunting friends, it beats their driving a hour, back and forth, during opener weekend.

Alas, mice are dearly loving the house. While we're not yet to the point of the place being overrun with the cute little creatures, we're getting closer with each passing year.

My job, as I've chosen to accept it, is to go over and clean the place as best I can. I'll be taking with me all things of a disinfectant nature. And while I could spend a few days there, to really ready the place for two-legged dwellers, I won't be doing that. I love my friends, but they elect to stay there. I can only do so much. So think of it as sleeping in a place that is better than a barn! Yeah!

Last, but not least, I'll be taking my radio over with me. I want these pesky little creatures to stay hidden while I'm there. Ewwwwwww factor times 10!

I'm not sure, but I think that any of you can click on the "share" button and zip my ad to any of your own posting haunts. If any of you want to give that a try, I certainly won't stop you! ♥

Punny or not, I'm long overdue for catching up on several levels. On this wonderful Friday, I must say that I'm starting to see a path through my paperwork. While I'm still significantly swamped, I can see my way, and that's huge.

This afternoon was a fun break from this looOoong week. My lovely assistant, Lisa (who happens to cut the muster, in my world), had ordered these darling Halloween costumes and hoped that I'd agree to be the ketchup for her mustard. I think that we made a fun pair. In fact, we caught up to one of the first graders, who happened to be dressed up as a hotdog. The poor guy wanted nothing to do with us, but it wasn't until later that we discovered why. You see, another teacher had planted a huge Cruella D'Ville kiss on his cheek. Scarred him for life, I'm sure. So having a couple of condiments chasing you around could not be a good thing in his mind. Get a load of his excited expression. (Since he's in costume, I feel safe enough in posting the photo. No lurker would figure him out.)

We wish that we would have been dressed up earlier for school lunch. We could have had a lot of fun with the kids:


Full length view, though blurry:


Hanging out with our little hotdog. He's much more of a character than he expresses in this photo....but if looks could kill...:

Etsy Buy Handmade GracedLace

Yep, Barbie and I have just one thing in common, and it isn't our measurements.
We both lack proper shoes for next weekend's reception.

But I now have the jewelry to go with my outfit. Left click the photos for close up view.







On a related note, I added a dangle to the mother-of-the-Mr.'s necklace, as her jacket and dress dictate a bit longer length. Lengthening the necklace made it look saggy, in my opinion, and so I did the next best thing. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she'll accept this latest proposal.