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Marvelous Mom on Etsy Mom's Blog

October 11, 2010

Have you heard about the Etsy Mom Street Team? You probably know that Etsy has MANY teams, or communities, of like-minded handcrafters. I’m a proud member of the Etsy Mom Street Team. Their mission is dedicated to promoting women artists and crafters who also share the joy of being mothers. And today their blog, Etsy Mom, is featuring me and my jewelry designs. Check out their blog, read the review, then leave a comment there so I know you stopped by.

My thanks go out to Kimberly for featuring me. {You should stop by her Etsy shop, Cinnamon Spice Papercrafts, and check out her fabulous handcrafted papergoods ~ cards, tags, embellishments and more.} If you’re an Etsy crafter, for a full list of possible Etsy teams you can join, go here. There's currently over 450 of them, so my guess is you just might find a team that's right for you.

Have a great week everyone!

Vintage Dragonfly's Halloween Giveaway Winner ~ Me!

October 8, 2010

I was lucky enough to win my friend Joanne's Halloween giveaway over at Vintage Dragonfly. I swear I never used to win anything but I guess the tides have turned for the better!

The delicate, pretty package. Excitement! I LoVe to get packages in the mail, don't you?

A lovely note card with special sentiments on the back!

And here's Grandma Skelly in all her spooky glory! She fits right in with my Halloween decor. But that's not ALL she sent me! Take a look!

Joanne is so talented! I'm totally into these tags.......

Look at that vintage lace!

Something wicked this way comes.......

Witch in training.....

And what a spectacularly decorated vintage Bingo card! I think I want to be HER for Halloween! Fabulous. Thanks again, Joanne. I am honored to be on the receiving end of your gracious and generous Halloween giveaway.

Now all of you head on over to her blog and check out her many other amazing talents!

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend everyone ~ and Fall frolicking is mandatory!

Citrine Charm Necklace and Black Friday Boutique

October 6, 2010

Okay. I know the name of this blog is CHARM BRACELET DIVA. But I'm guessing you all have noticed that I'm making quite a lot of n-e-c-k-l-a-c-e-s these days, not bracelets! I'm still the CBD, believe me, but for some reason I feel compelled to create vintage charm necklaces. Problem is, I make them and want to wear them. Put them in my Etsy shop? Nah......maybe another day. Is anybody with me on this?

Anyway ~ surprise ~ I just finished yet another necklace. I'm a very Fall Colors sort of person, and that's come out in this necklace.

I'm calling the glass beads citrine since that's the closest color I can compare them to. Or is it topaz?

You tell me. Anyway, it feels good to create something rather than just sit and tool on the computer, which is what I've been doing a lot of these days. Now if I could just get some charm bracelets made in time for my Black Friday Sale I'll be in good shape.

More news to come soon about the Black Friday Sale, or Somewhat Simple's Studio Boutique. Also, if you haven't yet entered my giveaway do not despair (sigh). The giveaway ends on October 22nd!

Oh, and am I the only one eating gobs of candy corn?

Pink is One of My Favorite Colors

October 5, 2010

You all probably know by now, but in case you don't, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In light of this, I wanted to share with you a great resource for breast cancer awareness blog buttons. Yes, BLOG BUTTONS! My very talented friend Sharon over at Plumrose Lane has been so kind as to create some "going pink for October" buttons with a Halloween twist. You've got to head on over there and check them out, as well as her awesome blog. She also designed some going pink blog backgrounds that are simply fabulous! And they're free with code for you to copy and paste, easy peasy. Check out the buttons.

So hard to choose, love them both. But I went with the spider web!

The cause is close to both our hearts, our moms having had the disease. I'm a firm believer in annual mammograms and urge all of you who are delinquent in making your annual mammogram appointment (and you know who you are!) to MAKE IT NOW!

I've placed my going pink button at the top of my blog, in honor of my mom, and Sharon's mom. Will you be joining me? Please do!

Thank you Sharon for once again unselfishly sharing your talents with us.

And for those of you who haven't yet entered my giveaway, go HERE and enter! It's not too late ~ Bonne Chance! xoxo

Ode to Fall in a Small Town (or The One That Didn’t Get Away)

October 1, 2010

Have you ever been to a flea market, antique store or estate sale and found a treasure that makes your heart go thumpety-thump? And then your heart drops because you see the asking price? This has happened to me more times than I can count. But s-o-m-e-t-i-m-e-s I’ve been able to haggle the price down and bring that baby home.

The first time I saw this painting at a local church barn sale it was way too expensive for my wallet. I left without it and hoped that it would be there the following week at a reduced price. My prayers were answered because against all odds it was! Well, the price hadn’t been reduced, but I knew they wanted to unload it so I haggled them down to a third of the asking price! And it's HUGE, exactly what I've been waiting for to hang above our family room fireplace.

I LOVE THIS!

Now let me explain why…..

We live in a “village” of around 2,900 people. This bucolic and historic village is known for its horse properties and 76-year-old riding club. The village itself will be 176 years old this year. Each fall, fox hunts are a mainstay in these parts (don't worry ~ no foxes are injured!). It’s quite common to see the riders in their red or black blazers trotting down the street or on one of the many horse trails in town. This Sunday is the annual Blessing of the Hounds ~ an event where the pastor of the village church blesses the hounds who participate in the fox hunts. The blessing will be followed by a hunt, and we’ll know that fall is officially here! This painting portrays polo players but the overall homage to horses remains the same.

Look at the open book, the wire-rimmed glasses (which may be hard for you to see), riding gloves, riding hat and the vintage clock.

And I really love the "paintings within a painting" thing that's going on as well. The frame, not so much. But I guess that's going to be a whole other barn sale!

I hope you enjoyed reading about my

Ode To Fall In A Small Town.

And thanks so much

for spending time with me today!

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Belated Spooky Monday and a Special Gift!

September 29, 2010

I was so behind this week that I thought I wouldn't be able to post a Spooky Mondays post. Turns out our host Wendy, of Wendy's Adventures in Wonderland, was a bit behind herself due to technical difficulties. Sooooooo I have a Spooky Mondays post after all, and it's a very special one.

You see, today I received a treasured gift in the mail from none other than ~ Wendy! Her talent is amazing to me, as well as her kindness. I was so excited to receive a package. I opened it and what did I find?

The treasures were wrapped so lovely in vintage eyelet and muslin. My heart was beating fast! Then I opened it.

And ta~da! Two of the cutest Halloween tags I've ever seen! Let's have a closer look, shall we?

She's such a doll! I love the whole vintage-esqueness (?) of it! And even the back of the tag is something to behold.

So gorgeous! And check out this little "witch."

How cool is that?

So incredibly cute, yet a bit eeeeerie as well. So perfect for this belated Spooky Mondays post! Thank you, Wendy, for your kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity. I am so glad to have made your bloggy friendship! Now everyone head on over to Wendy's Adventures in Wonderland and check out all the other Spooky Mondays links for this week.

Show Your Vintage Charm Launch Party

September 25, 2010

Ok, so I MAY be a tad late for the party (2 hours and 5 mins. left in order to still make it, to be exact), BUT I'M HERE! Here to celebrate the launch of Creating Vintage Charm Magazine. It's a fantasmic creation, and it's senior editor/designer, Sonia Crouse, has graciously invited us all to be a part of it's first voyage today!

My contribution to the Party is a new necklace I created just for the occasion. Drumroll, please.............

The focal piece is a vintage cameo charm which was once a stick pin. I added a vintage pearl drop earring (minus the earring part!) and a vintage rhinestone ball, along with some faceted glass beads for added color and sparkle. The ribbon is silk dupioni.

Finally, the chain incorporates antique brass links with faceted glass beads and vintage bead spacers.

I have always had a love for all things vintage. And my jewelry creations have become an extension of that love. Thanks, Sonia, for being such a gracious host. And all you readers ~ hel-lo! ~ head on over to Sonia's blog and check out all the other bloggers who are sharing their vintage charm as part of this fabulous launch party! You can also find out the details of how to order yourself a copy of this beautiful magazine. From what I've seen so far you don't want to miss it!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

I'm linking this up with Common Ground's Inspiration Friday

Practical Magic Blog Party

September 24, 2010

I've had fun conjuring up a creation to go along with the theme of this blog party {the movie (or the book) "Practical Magic"}.

The story is about two sisters who are born into a long line of witches. They are orphaned and sent to live with their two witchy (literally!) aunts in this fabulous house. Yes, I want it!

And the kitchen is to die for!

The aunts. (We love them!)

And you gotta love a movie that has no shortage of handsome men in it.

Aidan Quinn

Goran Visnjic

Mark Feurstein

My creation was inspired by the recurring theme of birds in the movie as well as the scene where Nicole Kidman admits to giving her boyfriend bella donna to knock him out, only it killed him! Well, here it is.

The charm is a bird on a nest (with actual eggs underneath it!) that hangs from a little tin box that says "Witch Hazel" on it. I could just see the sisters or the aunts using it to hide their secret stash of spell ingredients.

Thanks to Justina and Anna for hosting this spectacular event! Now it's time to head on over to their Party Blog and discover a long list of other bloggers who are also participating in the Practical Magic Blog Party fun! Check out their blogs and help get this party started!

Well, that's it ladies. Hope this puts you in the mood to go out there and rent this movie in anticipation of Halloween. It really is a hoot! Oh, and don't forget the midnight margaritas.....

Charm Bracelet Diva's Vintage Jewelry Giveaway is Here!

September 22, 2010

***************GIVEAWAY CLOSED***************

***************GIVEAWAY CLOSED*************** ***************GIVEAWAY CLOSED***************

Yup, this is it. Made lovingly by me….for you! Are you feeling lucky? Check out the many ways to enter this giveaway extravaganza:

* One Entry ~ Leave a comment.

* One Entry ~ Become a follower and leave a comment telling me you did (or that you already are!)

* One Entry ~ Snag my giveaway button in my top right sidebar (or my regular Charm Bracelet Diva blog button, I'm not picky) for your sidebar and leave a comment that you did.

* Two Entries ~ Post about my giveaway on your blog, and link back to me. Come back here and leave a comment telling me it’s a done deal.

Whew! I think that’s it…..oh, and if you’re unsure about how to copy and paste my giveaway button, tell me that in your comment and I’ll help you out. Also, if you don’t have a blog, be sure to list an e-mail address so I can contact you if you win!

One last peek: