bliss.

the birds are chirping...the angels singing...bells, yeah they're ringing...

why, you ask? my computer (the one that went 'kaboom!') is fixed! Yes, FIXED!

ok, well maybe i exaggerate a bit...it's fixed...for the time being. but ya know what? that so works for me.

(chirping birds. wait, do hummingbirds chirp?)

and the computer went KABOOM

Did my taxes this weekend...that was good. Looking forward to my meager little refund check, I thought of all the things I could do with it. Pay off some bills. Buy some new supplies. Maybe take a little vacation. And that was just swell with me...

...then my computer went kaboom. *sigh*

Sooo, I spent just about one whole day without a computer. And ya know what? It really REALLY sucked. I mean, bad. Withdrawal doesn't even begin to describe it. Thankfully, my dad supplied me with one of his older computers (and he's so getting a kick ass father's day card this year or something, lol), so it's not so bad now. But earlier...yikes!

I guess the tax refund is going towards a new laptop...ah well. I needed a new one anyway I suppose. But you wanna know the saddest thing about my dead computer? I mean, aside from all the lost pictures and files that I never made the time to back up? The fact that I was absolutely lost with a damn computer.

Technology...a blessing and a curse.

Super Lazy Weekend.

Even the dogs were taking it easy this weekend!

I love lazy weekends. No plans, no obligations...just me and my laptop.

*ahhhh*

As much as I love them, I must admit...I get absolutely NOTHING done! No cleaning, no creating, nadda! Which is bad. I really should pull out some beads and get some new jewelry made.

But will I? hmmm...Maybe.

Doses of Sunshine...

I don't know about you...but I'm ready for some sunshine! (minus the snow flurries, that is.)

My affair with winter is most definitely over. Ok, I admit...I'm always a little taken with the beauty of the first good snow...when the trees are coated in white and the streets are untouched and serene. And yeah, I enjoy a white christmas. I'll even own up to the short lived obsession with hot chocolate.

But in all seriousness, I'm really done now.

So since I can't necessarily take on mother nature, I've been trying to infuse my shop with sunshine instead! Bright colors...bold & vibrant...are taking over. And though I know it's not the most *popular* color in the world, I've been absolutely obsessed with bright, happy, sunshine YELLOW! Yes, yellow is everywhere! And I'm finding that it really is a bit of a mood booster...

Now if you've been here before (in my nifty little blog), you'll have noticed that I have a love for vintage components...like lucite. And the wonderful thing about lucite or vintage glass is that it comes in soooooo many amazing colors and textures. Did you know how many tones and textures of yellow there are? Ohmygosh, it's amazing!

So when the day is grey (and windy/snowy/icky as can be), and you need some springtime and warmth...sneak a peek into the shop and indulge in some SUNSHINE ♥

But what If I want to go RIGHT?

Full speed ahead!

No turning back now...

So what do I do? I sit back & enjoy the ride ;)

old keys, please

I love vintage components and odd little antique pieces. Why? Because every little piece of history has the potential for a spectacular story.

And I'm always looking for a story.

Like the little keys I find...I really know nothing about their history (other than the fact that they're pretty old). But what doors have they unlocked...or locked away? What treasures have they buried? What attic doors have they shut away? What secrets does it possess? Whose clock has it given life to...and on what mantle?

How about old tokens...the ones for trades, or mint packages. Whose pocket did those once sit in? What were some of those 5 cent in trade tokens really used for? I came across some school lunch tokens (some of which I have for sale in the shop) and my mind wondered to a time when kids actually carried tokens to use in the school cafeteria. (Let me just say that I shared that idea with my mother, who quite indignantly informed me that she was one of those kids who carried cafeteria tokens, lol!)

So I search out these little interesting pieces...and the search is usually a lot of fun! And a lot of times, I share my finds...other times I hoard them away in my secret stash.

And sometimes, a really spectacular story comes from them.

Drifting off to sleep...at 4pm???

I'm sooooooo tired today! Which is kinda odd considering I haven't done much of anything, lol. I actually took a tiny little cat nap on my laptop today! (I'm talking passed out cold, out like a light) Sheesh...I think it's these dreary winter days we've been having.

Well, I did finish up some earrings (before I zonked out that is). I'm all sorts of in love with these great little lucite flower beads I have. Ya know how when spring hits and a few warm days pop up...and suddenly everyone is out with strollers and walking dogs and what not. And it's like, out of NOWHERE there are leaves on the trees and flowers everywhere? Yeah, these remind me of that ;)

I actually have a few different color flowery beads like this listed in the shop. While the others are on copper though, these lovelies are accented with brass.

If these guys stick around long, I'll be shocked...they're just way too pretty!

yup, i'm a lemon ♥

ok, so i was bored...and looking for some mindless entertainment. so i started taking a couple of quizzes. about important things, ya know? like...if you were a fruit, which one would you be?

see? important!

♥ You Are a Lemon ♥ You have a very distinct personality. And if you're not being sweet, you're a little hard to take.
You're a bit overpowering, especially in one on one situations.
And while you are very dominant, sometimes your power is needed and appreciated.
You can liven up a dull situation, and you definitely bring a fresh outlook.
You are a bit of an acquired taste, and you tend to grow on people over time.
People feel refreshed and rejuvenated after spending time with you.
What fruit are YOU?

lol! i'm not sure if i'm amused...or ever so slightly offended! hehe, all in good fun. so go on...take the quiz and come back and tell me - What type of fruit are YOU?

No Day But Today

So for my birthday, a good friend of mine (who knows how crazy I am for anything Broadway) took me to see Rent at the Cadillac Theater in Chicago...one of the perks of living near the city ;)

Needless to say, I was beyond ecstatic! I've known the ENTIRE soundtrack to Rent since I was in 8th grade, lol. It really was an experience...ohmygosh, I love the theater! I had to stop myself from singing along, hehe ;)

An awfully liberal play for a conservative like me, he preached to me the WHOLE ride there...lol, but what can I say, I just LOVED it! And I'll be singing 'No Day But Today' and 'La Vie Boheme' for the next week...

Aside from that, though...I've been crazy earring lady this past week. Seriously...I just keep making them ;) I've been having a blast with different colors and textures, not to mention my newfound obsession with oxidized copper. Well, the good thing about that is that now my shop is absolutely packed!

It's been a delightfully lazy Sunday...and we're having amazingly warm (yet very VERY wet) weather here in Chicago...so I suppose I'm off to open up a window or something. I just can't wait for spring! Cabin fever in the extreme...

** Just wanted to throw in here (many hours after the fact) that this post is edited cause of this damn Chicago weather! lol...it WAS warm earlier today...now it's back to being cold and ucky. Argh...I can't wait for May! **

♥ SALE ♥

Hi All...quick post (cause my brain is moving a million miles per second this morning...too much tea for me, lol!)

I'm running a sale over at the shop this weekend...yay, right?!?! I figure, it's that icky part of winter where you just want it to be over...and it's cold and there's cold frozen snow on the ground (at least in my neck of the woods)...so why not indulge in some shopping?

So here's my deal...

This weekend only (Friday, 2/15 - Sunday 2/17 Midnight EST), I'm offering 20% off all jewelry purchases (sale items included...but sorry, no destash) ♥

Yup, 20% off...sweet deal, right?

All you have to do is shop til ya drop...checkout...and either wait for a revised invoice to reflect the discount -OR- go ahead and pay and I'll refund ya!

So go ahead and indulge in some mid-winter shopping!

Etsy Buy Handmade JezabelsJewels

mmm...CAKE!

Yesterday was my birthday (yaaaaay!) and like a big kid, I needed a birthday cake and presents and all that jazz. Thankfully, my parents are always more than happy to oblige ;)

What did I do on my 24th birthday? Shopped, of course! lol...I went a bit crazy on Etsy...I'll have to show you guys all my goodies later on.

So. Much. Fun.

Well, as I sit here, enjoying my very low-key valentine's day...I should probably throw in that I updated the shop today! Tons of new goodies (and by tons, I mean six new pairs) are now available...so whatcha waitin' for? Go check 'em out!

Jezabel's Jewels

Retro Lovin' Fool

Yeah, that's me...a retro lovin' fool ;)

Got in some of my new copper supplies earlier this week (yaaaaay!) as well as some new beads...and I started creating! I'm really into the whole retro inspired thing right now, so of course most of my new earrings take on that feel. *sigh* whatcha gonna do, right?!?!

So most of my new ones are listed up in my Etsy shop now...it will be interesting to see how it goes. Copper is new for me...I'm normally a brass or sterling gal. But when I saw the oxidized copper...well, my little crafty heart went a flutter.

Well, I suppose the night is still young enough to get a couple more pairs done...I'm telling ya, these new supplies have me motivated! Hmmmm...what to do next?

Flying By...

Ohmygosh...is it Sunday already? sheesh!

Well finally...after a loooooong week of waiting for supplies...I FINALLY got some in and started making up some new stuff! yaaaaaaaay! I got some new shamrock-y charms that I'm really loving. There's something about brass...so nostalgic...and oh so romantic!

With a little bit of mother of pearl and some awesome emerald green chrome diopside, I think it makes a lovely set ;)

I also got a pair of sterling silver shamrocks listed. Oh, and some new destash...so I've been a busy girl today (bout time, right?!?!)

Oh, and guess what? My 'Clustery Clouds on a Blustery Day' earrings were featured in this incredibly lovely treasury by FantasticPlastics! It's entitled 'Sweetest Stuff Since Sliced Bread' and it's all teal-y and GORGEOUS! Oh, and did I mention it is super pretty?

I'm all about the teal/greenish-blue lately...so I was quite happy! If you clickity-click on the picture...you'll get a nice zoomy shot of all the lovely pieces featured...absolutely droolworthy ;)

Who put together this fantastic treasury? FantasticPlastics, of course! An awesome new shop on Etsy...all of their items are crocheted using recycled plastic bags. Seriously, it's awesome and completely earth-friendly! If you haven't checked it out already...what the heck are you waiting for?

Ok, well I start playing with my new copper findings tomorrow...so until then...HAPPY SUNDAY!

...la la la...

So, because of some awfully poor planning on my part, I'm bored silly. Slap my hand!

What did I do? Well, I got caught up in creating. Which is an awesome thing, don't get me wrong...but I created and created and created...and then I ran out of supplies! oops! So here I sit, relatively supply-less...

*sigh*

I suppose I should take comfort in the oodles of supplies I have on order, though. Guess what I'm gonna be playing with. Go ahead...guess! COPPER! yay, right?!?!

Well, in the meantime, while I sit here with a big cup of tea, I am keeping myself occupied with other things...like a new listing in my shop! Yes, I had enough supplies for one more set of earrings (ya know, the hidden stash supplies).

I had ordered some pillow-y powder blue vintage glass beads awhile back and couldn't figure out what the heck to do with them. They're sooooo pretty, especially with the slight swirling cloudy white inside! Well, then (to my unending delight) I stumbled upon some little antique brass charms...little girls in fly-away skirts and big ol' umbrellas. They go perfectly together!

I'm calling them my 'Rainy Day Girl' earrings...I keep saying that they're inspired by the springtime I keep wishing for...because, of course, I REFUSE to admit that they were partially inspired by this horribly wet Chicago weather we've been having. Yup, this is me...refusing to admit it ;P

Super Quiet.

It's been really super quiet around here the last few days. Hear that? Yup, those are crickets.

..............................

But it's ok, I suppose...we all need a little peace and quiet every once in a while. So while I sit here, waiting for my new supplies to get here (I'm soooooo impatient, lol), I'll grab a little bit of bragging time ;)

Over this past weekend, Etsy featured not one, but TWO, of my treasuries on it's front page! Cool, right? The first one was a treasury west spot I grabbed. Electric blue & plum. Yummy, huh?

It was entitled 'Spifferiffic'...and while I was thrilled to have my treasury up on the front page, filled with some of my favorite Etsy finds...most of them sold right out from under me! lol ;P

The handblown glass creamer in the middle by rivulettecraft is soooooo on my wishlist! I'm telling ya, I'm buying it one of these days! What the heck am I gonna do with a handblown glass creamer? Ummmmm....does it matter?!?!

So while I was absolutely thrilled about that, imagine my surprise to see another one up on the front page two days later! (Yippee!)

This other one was a lot less colorful...but strikingly beautiful (well, at least I thought so!) It was entitled 'Life' with a subtitle of 'in shades of grey'.

This one was sooooo much fun to put together...you would believe how many tones & textures of grey there are!

So there you have it...my Etsy front page glory ;)

Well, I'm off to enjoy my quiet...but I have to say, I'm gonna cross my fingers that it doesn't last for too long. I like being busy! Someone, quick...send me to the post office!!!

I have WINNERS!

Wow...first of all let me throw a MILLION THANKS out to all the folks who posted a comment and entered in my nifty lil' giveaway! Seriously, I expected a slightly embarrassing 10-15 comments...but got 128! You guys blew me away ;)

But the question of the day remains...who the heck won? Ok...so I printed up all 128 comments (my poor, overworked little printer)...

(a lot of names, huh?!)

And then I cut them all out and double folded them...and stuck them all in my favorite hand-turned Black Walnut bowl (which I got from Bowls-n-Annies. Seriously, if you haven't already, you just HAVE checked out her husband's handcrafted bowls OMG...but I digress ;P )


And then I stuck my very un-manicured hand into the pot and plucked out Shannon's name! WooHoo! We have a winner!

.......................

And then I looked at that big bowl...with all those names still inside. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a giveaway, lol. I just HAD to pull out another name...I just HAD to! Which is why Playful Professional is also getting a pair of 'Pretty in Pink' earrings ;)

(I apologize for the blurred pic! Jezabel, my incredibly spoiled, quite fluffy kitty cat kept trying to jump up in my lap!) So Shannon and Playful Professional...CONGRATS!

And to everyone who took part...thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! You guys made this week so much fun (I'm a comment junkie ;P) and I'll definitely be doing another giveaway soon!

And if you can't wait til the next giveaway...feel free to stop by and do a little shopping ;)

Jezabel's Jewels