Have you heard of whrrl?

Whrrl is a cool social networking app where you tell 'stories' using a series of photos or text.

I was turned on to whrrl by Laurie from Tip Junkie. You can see a story she made on her TJ site featuring my Aqua Sakura ring right here. Adorn Me's Holiday sale will be coming to a close within the next couple of days. I'd like to thank my wonderful customers for a very successful run, and hope they are happy with their discounts and free shipping. I truly have the best customers ever. Happy Holidays!!!

Powered by Whrrl

Blog, Bid, Hope - On Behalf of Anissa Mayhew and The Liz Longelin Foundation...

Bad things happen to good people. We all know that, but it doesn't make it any less horrible or unfair. At the same time, while there are people out there who would do harm, by and large, my opinion that most people are good still holds true, and there's a group of women out there who keep that belief alive for me. They all converge in an effort to help others. I have nothing against large charities, by and large, but what's happening here isn't administrated and promoted by a large charity who skims your monies off the top for their administration fees. All of the money directly goes to helping real people in need -- maybe even some in your neighborhood. Let me just give you a bit of info.

One minute her husband was talking to her about which hotel they could stay in over Thanksgiving and the next moment she was unresponsive in a hospital bed. Everyone is praying for Anissa Mayhew to pull through and little by little it seems they are starting to see bits of progress, but her family has a long way to go. She is still in intensive care...they need help.

Matt Logelin is no stranger to the devastating turns our lives can take. He started blogging like many of us did, as a way to update friends and family across the globe on the progress of his family...in his case, a pregnant wife, Liz. He proudly posted the excitement of the birth of his baby girl Madeline one day and the tragic loss of his beautiful wife due to a pulmonary embolism just 27 hours later.

The Liz Logelin Foundation was established by Matt to assist families suffering similar losses. The goal is to "financially assist these families as they deal with the loss of their loved ones, and struggle to move forward."

Matt also challenges his readers...and everyone...to "skip the latte" and donate 7 dollars on the 7th of every month. It can be such a small number for us, but if EVERYONE donated $7 on the 7th, we could help SO many.

The auctions start Wednesday, December 9. The auctions will remain open until Friday, December 11 at 5:00 PST at all of the various blogs listed.

The auction sponsors are Jen, Jill, Kathy, Heather, Angie, Stephanie, and Kacey & Francesca, but do not forget Laurie Turk, from Tip Junkie, facilitated this gathering and connected a bunch of mom-preneurs who have agreed to donate their goods, including blog designs, toys, art, accessories, baby gear, and SO much more. I simply adore her and think that she is in some ways a superhero. When Laurie emailed me I responded, and am donating the earrings to the left, to the cause. The fabulous Scary Mommy will be auctioning off these earrings. Please stop by and bid on them. But don't just stop there; visit them all. You can click on Scary Mommy's blog to read more about the auction and also those who will benefit. You can get yourself, or someone else, some cool stuff, but most importantly, the money will go towards helping with Anissa Mayhew's care and Matt's The Liz Logelin Foundation. Matt started the foundation in order to financially assist families who deal with the loss of their loved one and provider and struggle to move forward. He needs our help.

As Jill from Scary Mommy says, "Each host site will offer a different selection of items, so be sure to visit all of us. Bidding will begin at $10 and bids will increase at $2 increments. If you see an item you’d like to bid on, just leave a comment on that item’s post stating your price. It’s stuff you would buy anyway, and you’ll be helping two great causes."

'Tis the season, and there's very good reason, so please participate! Here are the links to the various auction blogs:

Mama's Losin' It: http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/
Adventures in Babywearing: http://www.adventuresinbabywearing.com/
Mayhem & Moxie: http://mayhemandmoxie.com/
The Extraordinary Ordinary: http://theextraordinaryordinary.blogspot.com/
Scary Mommy: http://www.scarymommy.com/
7 Clown Circus: http://angiescircus.blogspot.com/
Buried With Children: http://www.buriedwithchildren.com/

Here are all of the Twitter IDs for the hosts, in case you would like to get involved:

Kacey & Francesca: http://twitter.com/mayhemandmoxie
Kathy: http://twitter.com/mamakatslosinit
Angie: http://twitter.com/angiescircus
Jill: http://twitter.com/ScaryMommy
Jen: http://twitter.com/buriedwithkids
Stephanie: http://twitter.com/babysteph
Heather: http://twitter.com/HeatheroftheEO

Black Friday and Cyber Monday Discounts

Hello and Happy Holidays -- and Woo hoo! Adorn Me is in the Etsy Holiday Gift Guides!

Thank you to the Etsy admin/s who featured the earrings you see on the left in their special promotion Gift Guides for Black Friday and Cyber Monday! ♥

Adorn Me jewelry is having a holiday sale starting today, on Black Friday, and into Cyber Monday. This is the last sale of the year in our store, as I'll be putting the shop in vacation mode before we leave for holiday vacations at the middle of December.

Everyone visiting the Adorn Me shop will receive FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING on everything in our shop, but only those of you mailing list members will also receive a 20% discount. In order to get your discount, just type in when checking out "Happy Holidays! 20% off!" and I will refund 20% of your order back to your PayPal account. For those if you who spend more than $100 you will receive a free adjustable flower ring. Just let me know what color you want (aqua, pink, yellow, black, white, purple, gray or green) and whether you would like it to be a smaller flower or larger flower (some colors only come in smaller chrysanthemum cabochons), and it will be yours. For those of you ordering $200 or more worth if items, you'll also receive a free pair of white Amanda earrings!

As you can see from these photos, you will find a number of new items in the store all ready for gift-giving. Remember that we are happy to box your gift items separately for you, and put a nice little gift enclosure card in the box for you. Just let us know what you want it to say on the front and the inside of the card and it will be done.

We will be shipping on Saturday, December 5th, Saturday December 12th, and Saturday December 19th. The 19th is cutting it short, though, so we cannot guarantee delivery before Christmas unless you would like to pay for Priority Mail -- in which case, drop me a line in email or as a Convo at Etsy, or when checking out at Etsy or PayPal to arrange it.

So check out Adorn Me Jewelry today, because this will be a great time to buy gifts for the holidays, and even that certain little something for yourself that you've been coveting. Come visit us today at www.AdornMeJewelry.etsy.com. :)

Great Holiday Gifts for $20 and Under from Adorn Me

Christmas is coming.

How the heck did that happen? Time took some kind of quantum leap and we've already had our first snow (two, actually, though it didn't stick) and the holidays are already upon us. I was seeing Christmas stuff in the stores even before Halloween.

So, we've been thinking here about how so many budgets are tight and wanting to encourage people to buy handmade and have what Etsy likes to call Handmade Holidays. To that end, here is a collection of items from our store that, at $20 and less would make nice inexpensive gifts for friends and loved ones. And you can get even more bang for your buck by reading the following...

Adorn Me is participating in I ♥ Handmade's Seasonally Inspired Handmade Market. They have a lot of great shops of all kinds participating in their online craft fair. Because they are a favorite venue, we are giving a special deal to those who buy from our shop (it applies to any of the items in the store) through their page by using a special code. We are offering a 15% discount and free shipping within the United States (including Alaska) to anyone using the code "I Heart Handmade for 15% and free shipping! This way, get an even better deal on your holiday shopping. Now, here is just a modest smattering of the wide selection of unique, handcrafted items using beautiful findings, stones, pearls and beads, at incredibly inexpensive prices...

Tiger Ebony Wood and Baby Blue Glass Flower earrings

Deep, Bright Green Christmas Ornament Earrings

Lillian - Bronzed Czech Glass and Vintaj Natural Brass Earrings

Aqua Sakura Flower Adjustable Ring - A little bit of Spring on your finger, size 6 up to Plus Sizes

Oasis, lavender glass, crystal and copper earrings

Sage Green Lily Adjustable Ring

Little Leaves, Brass and Freshwater Pearls earrings

Mini Pumpkins - In Blue - Long Earrings

Heavy Metal Rocker - Wild Feather and Metal Very Long Earrings

Mod Design - Carnelian and Eggplant Copper Circle earrings

Adorable Little Birdies Earrings in Silver with Aqua Peacock Spear Beads

Karen - Striking Carnelian earrings

Aqua Chalcedony Faceted Briolettes earrings - from the Petits Luxes Collection

Charming Forest Lily Adjustable Ring - size 6 up to Plus Sizes

MagentAqua, from the Posey Bouquet Earring Collection

Purple Nostalgic Earrings With An Art Nouveau Feel

Birdie in a Basket - Whimsical Birds in Nest Baskets Earrings

You'll find even more gorgeous gifts -- including unique gemstones and luxe creations by clicking here, as well as the rest of our offerings, including our $20 and under gift selection by checking out all of our offerings here, at our our jewelry store at Etsy. :c)

Thank you, Jessica!

Jessica from Crazy Daisies Designs made a treasury that was chosen to be on the Front Page of Etsy. Thank you for including my earrings, Jessica!!



Come visit us at www.AdornMeJewelry.etsy.com. :)

Today's Treasury: AquaViolet

Today's treasury has a favorite color combination: aqua and violet. While they are not complimentary colors, and as someone who loves op art and vibrant colors, it pleases my optic nerves because the color combination pops off the page.

Please come take a look at it, maybe click the items to look at them, and comment, if you're so inclined. You can find it here, before it's retired.

And as always, you may find our jewelry store at www.AdornMeJewelry.etsy.com. :)

The American Craft Guide Community...

Some of the photos I've uploaded to the American Craft Guide Community. My page there can be seen by clicking here.

My Birthstone is Peridot...

Some of you may or may not know that Adorn Me isn't our only store at Etsy -- the other shop Fractal Girl is for my fractal art, though I have to say, that store isn't as well attended as Adorn Me. Last night I made a treasury for the Treasury Team for my other shop and thought I'd post it here. For the next two days you may find it here, before it's retired.

Artists featured in this treasury are, in order from left to right, top to bottom:

ByTheWayside: Vintage dishes, knick knacks and books. (team member)

Dal Mare: Handcrafted Classic Jewelry.

Flanders Field: Fine Art Nature and Floral Photography.

AAARealGem: Basic and exotic hard to find gemstones.

M. Wilson's Groovy Inclinations: Photography-based creations from prints to t-shirts.

Susan Sheehan: Lampwork Glass and Pandora Compatible Beads. (team member)

Susan Sheehan: Lampwork Glass and Pandora Compatible Beads.

Arosha Jewelry Design: Quality, Individuality, Freedom, Art - Jewelry design.

Beyond The Rockz: Jewelry handmade | repurposed | antique | vintage | eco.

Zaftig Delights: Plus Size Clothing * Jewelry * HairStyx * Accessories.

Rosey Corner Creations: Original handmade items to make you smile!!!.

Waterrose: Hand Embroidery Textile Artist - Jewelry, Quilting, Home Decor.

Liat Fine Jewelry: Handcrafted Gold Vermeil & Semi-precious Jewelry.

See my fractal art at www.Fractalgirl.etsy.com

And as always, you may find our jewelry store our www.AdornMeJewelry.etsy.com. :)

Thank you, thank you!

Adorn Me jewelry is pleased to announce that our necklace design, Lucid Dream, using Vintage Natural Brass has won the Vintaj Design Challenge for July! To read more about it please click here. Click the thumbnails to view the photos at their full size.

I know I already made a somewhat similar post before this, but this post gives more info on the elements used in the necklace. This necklace is basically a nostalgic statement necklace. It has a lovely Vintaj Soaring Swallow that swings free at its top by a Vintaj petite etched cable chain as its wearer moves about. Up that side is a large, darker red not-quite-round carnelian that is nestled into a Vintaj 16mm filigree bead cap. The chain used is Vintaj petite etched cable chain and Vintaj flat oval chain. Headpins used are by Vintaj, as well.

The stones used in this necklace are an amazing - huge - carnelian teardrop pendant, inverted and wrapped in a Vintaj peony filigree. From it hangs an amazonite round, a peacock freshwater pearl, a faceted Czech glass teardrop in topaz color, and it is surrounded by a drape of more Vintaj petite etched cable chain. Along one side are more amazonite rounds alternated with carnelian-colored Czech glass melon beads, and Vintaj flat oval chain. Hanging from the swallow's tail are a teardrop amazonite and a pretty little pearcock freshwater pearl.

The clasp in the back is a simply gorgeous Vintaj Large Woodland Toggle Set The beautiful etched jump rings you see are Vintaj's Etched Jump Rings, and they are used in multiple areas of the necklace - every place where I wanted a strong and beautiful connection. At one side of the toggle you can see the cluster of pretty danglies - a glass melon round, a peacock freshwater pearl and an amazonite round, with the melon and amazonite hanging from hammered, antiqued brass (non-Vintaj) headpins. Because the necklace is so substantial I decided that less is more for the matching earrings. I used the hammered headpins for the lower, smaller amazonites and Vintaj's Round Loop Ear Wire. You can find many of these Vintaj products from Sue at Blue Marble Beads and Karen at Karen's Treasures. Thanks upon thanks to those who voted our Lucid Dream necklace into the winning spot!

There will be more Vintaj Statement Necklaces (and more sedate items, too) in the near futire, and as always, you may find us our Adorn Me Jewelry store at Etsy. :)

I Love Vintaj Brass!

There is something about the deep caramel color of Vintaj brand brass that draws me in. Their name is synonymous with "quality." As brass goes, it is definitely more expensive than your run of the mill, generic brass findings and materials. But worth it. Yes, it's brass, not fine silver, gold or platinum. I know that some turn their noses up at what they consider to be the 'lesser' metals. But let me tell you, you just don't find jewelry made with the old Arts & Crafts, Art Deco and Art Nouveau molds in those higher-priced metals. And when you do, well... better check your bank account, because you're going to pay dearly.

My friend Sue, at Blue Marble Beads, has carried Vintaj for a while, and my friend Karen, of Treasures by Karen, carries Vintaj brand findings now. She also sells Tierra Cast findings, which are GORGEOUS, but another story for a different day. Karen sent me this Vintaj Peony filigree to work with, wanting to see what I would make with it. My friend Sue at Blue Marble Beads sent me the bead caps used in this piece. The photos in this entry are the result of these generous gifts. Thank you, darling women!

What you see is my newest necklace, "Lucid Dreams" for short. I entered it into Vintaj Blog's Design Challenge for July. Wish me luck, please. :) As always, you are always welcome at our Adorn Me Jewelry store at Etsy. :)

I ♥ Handmade Summer

I like the I ♥ Handmade site and their projects and mission. From time to time I join their online virtual craft shows, and right now their "I ♥ Handmade Summer" show is going on from Jun 19th through July 11th.

As a vendor, it's a great place to get some exposure for your wares, and as a buyer, it's a wonderful collection of a huge variety of superior handmade goods, where you'll also find some great Sales & Specials that will save you some $$$. If you buy from Adorn Me during the show, and follow the instructions listed on our page at the following link, you'll receive 15% off of your entire order, plus free shipping. Here is the Adorn Me page at I ♥ Handmade Summer. Some vendors are also giving away free prizes that you can register for. Come on over and take a look at my page, and that of the other vendors.

A lot has been going on at Adorn Me Jewelry. Many new items, and many more that have been created and photographed but not yet listed. Here is just one of the new listings; it's a pair of earrings called Little Leaves. They are made of antiqued brass and feature lovely little luminous freshwater potato pearls.

You'll also find many new rings and earrings, with many more to come soon. As always, you are always welcome at our Adorn Me Jewelry store at Etsy. :)

New Statement Necklace: A Fashion Forward Vintage Daffodil with Mixed Coal Black Chains

Statement necklaces are definitely very fashion forward right now, and this one mixes Vintage and Modern to make a visually strong statement with a very Summery feel that is perfect for Summertime outfits and sultry weather.


A single, very large (almost 3") rare Vintage daffodil is strung asymmetrically on four different types and sizes of black metal chain. The necklace is simple, but very trending and beautiful, with the ability to go with jeans or a black dress. It's held together with gunmetal jump rings and lobster clasp. You can find this bold, beautiful statement piec at our Adorn Me Jewelry store at Etsy.

We have a winner!

Ms. moushka's name was pulled out of the hat by my husband, Eric tonight, so she may choose anything from the Adorn Adorn Me Jewelry store at Etsy to use it towards.

Congratulations, moushka!! Your gift cert is in the (e-)mail, so we'll get this going for you!

A little Thank You graphic made from a photo taken when my husband and I went to the Botanical Garden and Butterfly show at the Insectarium in Montreal. The most beautiful butterflies I've ever seen where there, flying all around us. I want to thank you all so very, very much for participating, and many thanks for your kind words about our jewelry!

Until next time. :)

Gift Certificate Giveaway!

Today is the start of our Gift Certificate Giveaway, wherein our winner will receive a $15.00 gift cert good for any purchase in our store. All you pay is shipping. This giveaway will end on Wednesday, May 20th, when the entrants' names will be put in a hat and Mr. Adorn Me will pull it out, as last time. In order to enter you must go to our Adorn Me Jewelry at Etsy store and and look through our items. Come back here and in the comments section of this post let me know which item is your favorite and why. But don't forget to leave me your email address, so I can contact you for your snail mail address if you win. Please be sure to do this before Midnight, Eastern time, on Wednesday, May 20th, or you'll be too late! Good luck!!

Meet Adorn Me jewelry's Mascot, Buddy!

Introducing our little toddler Shih Tzu puppy, Buddy. He's been making life even more fun and interesting around here with his sweet cuddles, playful nature, googly eyes, sweet smile and adorable face. Ha! No bias here!

Buddy is just over 3 months old and as sweet as could be. Aside from his adorableness, Shih Tzus are known for their almost non-shedding, low-allergenic coat -- which is important to me, since I have had animal allergies since childhood. No problems with Buddy, thankfully. But for those of you who do have allergies and are concerned, first, he doesn't seem to shed, but also, I use a very good foaming hand sanitizer before making and packing each piece of jewelry we sell.

Now, onto the earrings! We have a cute new design in the store: Birdie in a Basket - Whimsical Birds in Nest Baskets Earrings.

I'm a total bird person when it comes to art and design, and these little simply-designed birdies in nest baskets caught my eye immediately. The findings are a very nice quality tarnish resistant silver plate over brass. Above them, on silver plated jump rings, are little green and red glass beads that kind of look like berries. They hang from silver plated ear wires, and an extra pair of wires comes with them, since plating can wear off over time. You can wear them with the birdies facing you, or away from you, as they do not face the same direction, which is how I prefer it, myself. You can find them here.

You may find other new designs, not shown here, at our Adorn Me Jewelry at Etsy store. Come see. :)

Vicki Diane's famous (at Etsy anyway) personality treasuries.

So, the fabulous Vicki Diane, an artist friend and Etsy Treasury Team teammate, makes these great Artists of Etsy Exposed treasuries. Her aim is to give each seller a face, because often our customers never see who we are or what we look like. It personalizes things more, I think. She's this very vibrant, beautiful minx who just seems to enjoy life in ways one rarely sees. Vicki has included me in her latestArtists Exposed treasury, which you can see below. My fellow teammate, Nubahar, from BaharCollection, is in there, too, looking beautiful.

In other news, right now, we're having a sale for mailing list members only -- 25% off and free shipping any place in the U.S. In order to participate, you'll need to sign up for our mailing list. You can do so right here. As always, we invite you to visit our Adorn Me Jewelry at Etsy store.

Going on a mailing run today...

Every other week I go to New York to ship , so that my clients don't have to wait a month for their jewelry. Today is the day. Also going to pick up a magazine called "Stringing" based upon my friend, Sue's (www.wisperings.etsy.com) recommendation. I don't often look at such magazines, but why not?

Thought I'd post one of the items from our Adorn Me Jewelry at Etsy store. It's a huge vintage ceramic peony cabochon from occupied Japan (1940s-50s), has been mounted on an antiqued brass filigree, which was wired and mounted onto an antiqued brass filigree ring shank. It is a limited edition, so get it while you can.

Have a fantastic weekend!