A Very Special Day

For the past couple of days, I've been in an very teary and emotional state. I couldn't really put my finger on why, not able to attribute it to any event that I was aware of. I thought it was probably just the full moon. Then it dawned on me: Kevin will no longer be a first grader after today. He's growing up. He's reached a milestone and it's unconsciously getting to me I suppose.

I've been finding things in his backpack over the past few days, things he's done in school such as artwork, assignments, even love notes from his girlfriends! He brought home an award in literacy and made the honor roll too! Then yesterday he brought home some items he and his class had done since the beginning of the school year. I was so very touched by this one in particular.

There was also this outlined hand print

and this poem

Even though the poem says blue
is the best color in the world,
in comparing the following two lists,
his favorite color is still pink!

So with all these precious little mementos reminding me how big he's getting, I've been a weeping wreck!

I'm so very proud of you, my little man. You're my 'sweetpea' and always will be. That's what I called you the very first time I saw you after you were born. You'll be my sweetpea forever and always. But for now, it just seems you're growing up way too fast. I love you.

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Something else that makes this day very special is that I have been featured in a blog! Thank you so much to Shiny Adornments for the honor. I'm thrilled and grateful! (You can visit Shiny's shop here. She makes beautiful jewelry herself!)

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I was recently asked to participate in an article by the Style Campaign blog in which 10 Etsians share their photography tips. (we all know how much I grumble about doing pics of jewelry). You can find some good tips in this article.

Along those same lines, more good jewelry photography tips can be found on Jasmin's blog. She has several posts about jewelry photography techniques and tips that I found fascinating and very educational. I'm trying some of them out but haven't yet quite worked out what I want to do. I really admire her photos though. They are totally droolworthy! Thanks for all your tips Jasmin! (I want your camera!)

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So today has been a special day. Tearful and happy, it's these moments that make memories. I'm sure I'll be in tears when I pick up my little man for the last day of first grade. I'm hoping he won't cry too, but I bet he will. We'll see who cries first!

Until next time....

Thanks for stopping by!

I Made a Treasury!

I finally grabbed a treasury! This is only the second or third one I've ever made. I was in a peachy mood so tha's what I picked.

I hope you like it!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Etsy Front Page!!

Apparently I made the front page of Etsy twice on Sunday. Wow!

Even though I missed it both times, I wanted to extend my appreciation to the curators and to Etsy.

Isn't this a pretty one? I love the subtle hues.

Thank you noblegnome!

And you have to love this one too!


Thank you southernvtsoap!

And thanks to the Etsy gods for allowing these
to grace the front page!

Many, many thanks!

I'm Having a Sale!

Shop at MsBelle now through Sunday, May 31st, and receive 10% off your entire purchase! Discount will be applied after purchase and refunded via PayPal. If you choose to pay with a money order, simply contact me prior to sending your payment and I will let you know the discounted amount. I hope to see you there!

There are some new pieces in the shop and more still to come. The discount will apply to all items so if you've had your eye on something, even if it has sold, now is the time to ask about it and get it reserved! Just contact me via convo on Etsy and I may be able to recreate it. Custom orders are eligible for the discount as long as your purchase is made by midnight Sunday night.

Here are a few new things in my shop.

Flashy smooth polished labradorite necklace

Faceted citrine coin and domed textured disc necklace






Apatite briolette and domed textured disc necklace






Prasiolite (green quartz) briolette post earrings in 24K vermeil and 14K goldfill






Citrine 'dolphin' cut briolette necklace in goldfill





with more to come....

Hope you can stop by! See you there!

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

Hi all! I'm finally back after a long absence! Sorry for that (again). Spring has sprung and now summer's almost here. It's already been soooo hot in Charlotte as well as stormy. It's almost as if we missed spring totally! Kevin's doing really well in school and Barney's back seems to be all better, so things are definitely looking up!

I've been quite busy since my last post. Kevin and I went to the mountains over his spring break in April which included Easter weekend. He had a great time playing in the snow (yes, snow) and even got to make snowballs. Then two days later it was sunny again and he was riding his bike. Go figure! We had lots of fun getting back to the mountains. It's always nice. :)

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This morning I had a very pleasant surprise. A pair of my new chalcedony earrings was on the front page of Etsy! I was so tickled! It was very, very unexpected.

Thank you Etsy gods!

I've been creating lots of new pieces for my shop. As always, I'm struggling with the pics. It takes me forever since I'm so very picky and hate it when the sun keeps going in and out of the clouds. Can't get the white balance correct to save my life and it's so frustrating! Here is the necklace that matches the earrings that were on the front page. (I such a sucker for chalcedony.)

And these use natural colored chalcedony (not dyed).

I love the cut of these briolettes.
They aren't being sold as a set, but would make a beautiful one!

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Also, I'm about to hit a milestone in my shop. I'm almost to 700 total sales! I'm so very excited about that! And with today's front page appearance, I made it to 4000 hearts! :D

So as a result, this is how I'm feeling today.

This is Kevin's "Happy Shirt." He picked it out all by himself. It's his favorite shirt now. Mine too! You just can't help but feel happy when you look at it. He's such a sweetie!

Well, I have to run. I just wanted to pop in and catch up with everyone. Since I will be adding these new pieces to my shop (and more), I thought I'd give you all the first sneak peek.

And I can't forget this. Solid 14K and AAA blue topaz.

Multi-color sapphire rondelle and blue topaz necklace in goldfill.

Look for these and more coming soon!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day and great rest of the week! Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time....

Howdy!!

Hi everyone! It's been a long time since I wrote. (I know, I know. I did it again. I'm a slacker!) No one ever said I was a very good blogger and I'm more than living proof of that, aren't I? But I'm here to update you about what's been going on since December.

Since Christmas, it seems like it's been one thing after another. Starting the week before Christmas, Barney developed a disabling back problem and had to be strictly crated for a while (as well as take meds). No more jumping or climbing stairs for him. I had to carry him in and out to potty which put a strain on my back and I was then laid up with a bad back myself for a while. I am happy to say that he's recovering but is not completely well yet. It's so hard seeing him not be able to do things the way he once did. Hopefully with time the healing process will continue to work its magic.

Not only has Barney been ailing, but so have the rest of us. We've all had bouts with one cold right after another. Kevin had ear infections twice. Seems like he'd just get better and then get hit again within a week after the antibiotic was finished. (Reminiscent of his kindergarten year.) I was sick for 3 weeks in January and just couldn't seem to kick it. It's been a rough start to the year but things are finally looking up (thankfully).

Sunday night we FINALLY got snow!! Yes, snow in Charlotte! I couldn't believe it! It's been about 5 years since we had any real accumulation.

Kevin even got to go outside and make a snowman as there was no school yesterday! I'm so glad he finally got to play in the snow. He enjoyed it. Now it's practically all gone. He named his snowman "Indy" after Indiana Jones!

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And now for some good news!! I was given the honor of being chosen one of Etsy's Featured Sellers! It hit the front page of Etsy yesterday around noon and is turning out to be an incredible experience!

From Blogger Pictures

I'm pretty exhausted right now after answering tons of emails! I'm beginning to run out of new things to put in my shop. I had a hard time coming up with new pieces having the year start off the way it did. But I feverishly made what I could and will do all that I can. I regret I could not prepare more thoroughly but given the circumstances there was not a lot more I could do. I'm hanging in there though!

I can't thank everyone enough for all their support and kind words. And welcome to all my new customers!! I have to relay that I'm running a little behind in shipping, but I promise I'll get all caught up this weekend. Here is a little collage of some of my new pieces. Some may have already sold and to those customers "thank you!" But there is still a lot remaining in my shop.

From Blogger Pictures

Thank you to everyone who is hanging in there with me! I truly appreciate your support!

And thank you Etsy! It's been a wild ride so far!!! Whew!!