Play Date

Recently, I learned about a creative group of bloggers called the Play Date Cafe! These ladies challenge each other’s creativity by encouraging themselves and others to come up with new designs in specific color palettes.

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The colors for this week’s challenge are Black, Fire Red, and White! After looking at some of the beautiful entries from the past two weeks, I was truly inspired and so this week I decided to throw my hat – er, necklace- into the ring! ๐Ÿ™‚

Here’s my entry:

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I love the combination of red and black so this challenge was especially fun for me. I’ve always been fascinated by the beauty of Oriental art. This necklace reminds me of those beautifully lacquered trinket boxes that are made in Japan and China. The pearls further illustrate the Oriental theme. I so admire the way art in those countries is actually expressed by living life in harmony with one’s surroundings. From the paintings and the writing to floral arranging and origami, there’s a sense of serenity in every art form. Even the taking of tea is a ceremony. Just lovely!

Thanks Play Date Cafe for the little nudge to challenge myself this week. It was fun! ๐Ÿ™‚

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Giveaway – Violet Dawn Pendant

smallwitchWelcome to my weekly giveaway!

It’s Halloween week and maybe YOU’LL be the winner of this jewelry “TREAT” ๐Ÿ˜€

Speaking of Halloween reminds me of pumpkins!!! Have you tried Edy’s Pumpkin Ice Cream, yet? It’s made with real pumpkin and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. We had some this week and give it a definite thumbs-up. But hurry! This is a “limited edition” flavor that will be in stores only through November!

Now, on to the Giveaway! ๐Ÿ˜€

Today, I have a lovely pendant with shades of lavender purple and swirls of raspberry-pink.

Violet Dawn Pendant

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The focal point is a vintage West German Glass Teardrop bead, which is accented with sparkling Swarovski crystals. The pendant is suspended from an artisan-crafted sterling silver bail that should accommodate most chains in your collection. Or perhaps youโ€™ll wear it on a leather or satin cord!

Measurements: approximately 2-1/4″ long โ€“ including the sterling silver bail.

Contest Rules and How To Enter

This week, you will have up to three (3) chances to enter the weekly giveaway.

You can choose any or all of the following 3 ways to enter:

1st Chance:

Leave a comment answering the first weekly question:

What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up today? ๐Ÿ™‚

2nd Chance:

Leave a comment answering the second weekly question:

I asked my daughter if she could think of a question for us this week. She winked and then suggested the following: “When was the first time you were in trouble at school? What did you do? And what was your punishment?” (In tomorrow’s post, I will give HER answer and also my own!)

3rd Chance:

Leave a comment on any other post except this one. You can do it today or another day this week. You do not have to tell me that you left a “comment” on another post. The blog program shows me all of the “comments” as they come in – so I do not miss any of them! ๐Ÿ˜€

The Boring Stuff . . .
You must be 18 yrs. old. After the completion of the contest, the name of the winner will be listed here. The winner will also be notified by email. If no valid email address is given at time of entry, or if winner fails to respond to email within 3 days from the time notification email has been sent, the win will be null and void and a new winner will be chosen. The prize will be mailed by USPS First Class Mail.

All entries must be received by 9:00 p.m. EST on 11/01/09, and the winner will be selected on or about 11/02/09.

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Giveaway – Lilac Moon Pendant

Happy 1st-full-week of October!!! ๐Ÿ˜€

Hope you had a lovely weekend and welcome to my weekly giveaway. Today, I have a sparkling little bauble that would make a wonderful holiday gift or maybe you’d prefer to keep it for yourself.

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As I often say . . . “Nothing sparkles like a Swarovski.” Well, this pendant has four of them! The focal point is a 10mm faceted round crystal in light amethyst. The accent crystals are also light amethyst – but with an aurora borealis flash that reflects a rainbow of blues, greens and purples.

This pendant is suspended from an artisan-crafted sterling silver bail, which should accommodate most chains in your collection. Or perhaps youโ€™ll wear it on a leather or satin cord!

Measurements: just over 2″ long โ€“ including the sterling silver bail.

Contest Rules and How To Enter

This week, you will have up to three (3) chances to enter the weekly giveaway.

You can choose any or all of the following 3 ways to enter:

1st Chance:

Leave a comment answering the first weekly question:

Name a website that you visit daily.

2nd Chance:

Leave a comment answering the second weekly question:

When you choose a greeting card, which is more important to you โ€“ the words or the picture?

3rd Chance:

Comment on any other post except this one. You can do it today or another day this week. You do not have to tell me that you left a “comment” on another post. The blog program shows me all of the “comments” as they come in – so I do not miss any of them! ๐Ÿ˜€

The Boring Stuff . . .
You must be 18 yrs. old. After the completion of the contest, the name of the winner will be listed here. The winner will also be notified by email. If no valid email address is given at time of entry, or if winner fails to respond to email within 3 days from the time notification email has been sent, the win will be null and void and a new winner will be chosen. The prize will be mailed by USPS First Class Mail.

All entries must be received by 9:00 p.m. EST on 10/11/09, and the winner will be selected on or about 10/12/09.

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Giveaway- Coral Skies Earrings

Hey there! ๐Ÿ˜€

Welcome to my weekly giveaway. For this week, I have a delicious pair of earrings in a mouth-watering shade of coral. They sparkle like crazy!

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These โ€œCoral Skiesโ€ earrings feature bold and beautiful 10mm round Swarovski Padparadscha faceted crystals as focal points. Iโ€™ve embellished the rounds with lacy silver-plated beadcaps and sterling silver beads/findings. The elegant earwires are sterling silver.

Measurements: approximately 1-5/8โ€” long ( including the sterling silver earwires).

Contest Rules and How To Enter

This week, you will have up to three (3) chances to enter the weekly giveaway.

You can choose any or all of the following 3 ways to enter:

1st Chance:

Leave a comment answering the first weekly question:

What is your favorite candy? If you’re not a fan of candy, what food do you consider a “treat”?

2nd Chance:

Leave a comment answering the second weekly question:

When you are shopping for an item that appears to be โ€œon saleโ€ and then you notice that you must send in a rebate form to actually get the โ€œsaleโ€, does it irritate you? Do you still buy the item, and do you actually send in the form?

3rd Chance:

Comment on any other post except this one. You can do it today or another day this week. You do not have to tell me that you left a “comment” on another post. The blog program shows me all of the “comments” as they come in – so I do not miss any of them! ๐Ÿ˜€

The Boring Stuff . . .
You must be 18 yrs. old. After the completion of the contest, the name of the winner will be listed here. The winner will also be notified by email. If no valid email address is given at time of entry, or if winner fails to respond to email within 3 days from the time notification email has been sent, the win will be null and void and a new winner will be chosen. The prize will be mailed by USPS First Class Mail.

All entries must be received by 9:00 p.m. EST on 09/27/09, and the winner will be selected on or about 09/28/09.

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Rainbow City

Well Kids, let me tell ya . . .

It’s been a wild and wooly ride trying to get a picture of this baby! I tried on three different occasions, and I don’t know whether to say, “third time’s the charm”, or “three strikes and you’re out’! ๐Ÿ˜‰

No wonder Tiffany’s pays a fortune for photography! Taking pictures of sparkling stones and crystals is both an art and a science. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever be really good at it.

My first attempt was frustrating. It’s artsy maybe – but not sharp enough, even with photoshop . . .

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Next try, a few days later, I was going for a soft “mood lighting” effect, but this was still not quite what I was hoping for . . .

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Here’s one I took today. What can I say? This set is so much prettier in person!

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Oh well, maybe with all three photos you can get an idea of how striking the bracelet and earrings truly are!

I used glittering Swarovski Aurora Borealis Crystals in multiple shapes and sizes, then added Swarovski “Squaredelles” to enhance the cube shaped crystals. The finished effect is absolutely mesmerizing – especially when the light hits just right.

Recently, I made a similar set for my sister to wear for her son’s wedding (the wedding I mentioned yesterday!). ๐Ÿ™‚

OK then, it’s back to the tripod for me. There’s still some good sunlight out there and I need to take more pictures – but not of this set.

Maybe on another day . . . ๐Ÿ˜‰

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