And the Winner Is...

The random number generator picked 111...I counted and counted to get the winner...

...Drum roll please!

KELLY!!!

Kelly, I have your address already somewhere in my files. :) I will ship out your goodies early next week. I hope you love them! And I hope your leg feels better soon...Rachel Lucas has some great tips on fighting off dog attacks.

And I have another special announcement. All the comments and participation was SO wonderful! I can't thank you all enough for helping make this a fantastic birthday month. There were over 400 comments!!!!! Which for some blogs might not seem like a lot but for my little piece of the blog world is tremendous. :)

The top commenter was ...

Bunny B with 59 comments. Wow.

And first runner up is blueviolet with 47!

And they weren't lame comments...I think I only had one or two "please sign me up" without any other contributing thoughts. People took the time to read posts or look at photos. It's just incredible.

Oh...and the surprise. :) LOL I'm going to send Bunny B and blueviolet a little surprise. I haven't quite decided what yet but it'll be something nice. So, ladies I need your addresses. I e-mailed you from my hotmail account ... check your spam folders. :)

I hope everyone who visited in April will continue to visit and read my chaotic ramblings about random things. =) I plan to continue blogging daily...I enjoy it so much!

Only ONE More Day!

Wow. This month has just flown by! I can't thank everyone enough for helping make this the best birthday month ever.

There is only one more day to take advantage of the 30% off discount for my website. If I have any extra goody packs I may include them in orders in May but I only have a couple left.

And Thursday I will be drawing a name for the grand prize!!! I have had SO much fun reading everyone's comments. I've met so many new people and discovered some incredible blogs.

I will post the winner's name here on Thursday and just might have a surprise in store. :) If the winner didn't leave a way to contact them and doesn't check in by next Monday I will draw a new name.

You still have over a day to get your comments posted - each comment counts as an entry (one comment per post though). And if you make a purchase, not only do you save 30%, but you get 10 entries!

Thank you all!!!

Birthday Celebration Sponsor - The Dippy Chick

Veggies need a little pick me up? Looking for a little added flavor with those chips and pretzels?

May I recommend The Dippy Chick? I've been ordering her yummies for over a year as gifts and they are always a huge hit!

With fun names like "Don't Squat With Your Spurs On" and "In the Dill of the Night" it's hard not to want to learn more.

Christine, owner and stay at home mom of two boys, started her Dippy business in 2004 and is a huge hit. All of her products are made from scratch and you can be certain that she only uses the finest ingredients.

Food allergies? Gluten sensitivity? These are the dips for you. All of her recipes are gluten free and she even has a Special Diets page.

With every purchase from Casto Creations in the month of April you will receive a special "party favor" gift pack, which includes a Dippy Chick pack!


And the winner of the 30th Birthday Celebration wins the big bag of goodies which includes several Wickedly Delicious Dips!

Birthday Contributor Post - Herb & Ginger

I am not a tea drinker but I'm getting close to converting. Just the smell of Herb + Ginger teas make me crave the hot soothing drink. I've purchased a couple of times from them for family gifts and their delicious creations are always a huge hit.

Enjoy their Berry Fruity tea if you win the Birthday Celebration Gift Giveaway!

And if you place an order with Casto Creations during the month of April you'll receive an absolutely divine smelling sample of tea, Queen's Caramel. You better hurry because hubby is itching to drink all my samples!

Herb + Ginger's service is outstanding and I highly recommend them. My family loves their teas, sugars, and other goodies and I know you will too.

Birthday Contributor Post - Allyson Hill

Keeping my car clean is a constant challenge but when I found Allyson Hill that challenge got a little easier to manage.


Her car litter bags are beautiful and functional. I am so impressed with the quality of her work. I bought mine over a year ago and it's still in great shape. I also bought one for my mom for Christmas and she loves hers.

And she donated one for my special Birthday Gift Giveaway! She even sells biodegradable plastic liners, which are super convenient and keep your litter bag nice and clean.


She also put together the most adorable little gifts as part of the Casto Creations Birthday Celebration special "party favor". You can get your party favor (not to mention 30% off) by making a purchase at Casto Creations. While supplies last of course.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy Birthday to Me!
Happy Birthday to Me!
Happy Birthday to meeeeeee!
Happy Birthday to me!

Is that too narcissistic? LOL

I rarely celebrate my birthdays with any big exciting event. The last biggest one was probably my 16th ... or my 21st. And trust me they were not that exciting. I didn't even drink that much. My friends kept ordering me drinks and I didn't like any of them so they all got wasted and I was the designated driver! HAHAHAHA Story of my life.

I walked into work today and what do you know...my desk is 'decorated'...black and white 'over the hill' and little '30' confetti everywhere. OMG those things are a nightmare to clean up and I know I'll be finding them everywhere for the next 12 months.



Don't mind the messy desk...I consider it "lived in" rather than disorganized. I even have a little sign that says "organized people are just too lazy to look for things!" hahahaha My desk is a joke at my work.

My friend on Posh Mama posted this hilarious video on my page that has me cracking up!


I certainly feel very blessed today. I need to call my mom and say Thank You. I was a BIG baby. 8 pounds and 4 ounces and I think I was 21 inches long! Poor woman.

It's still weird to think that I'm 30. Hubby was kind enough to excitedly yell Happy 30th when he got home...at 3 a.m.! The goof ball.

I hope everyone has a fabulous day. I'm going to try to go home early. *grin* Not to do anything fun just to have a few extra hours off. I'll probably end up doing work! heh Orders come before birthdays. ;)

My Coworkers are Nuts!

Oh my goodness! My team took me to lunch today for my birthday (which isn't until tomorrow...but our team is only fully together on Mondays since three of us have alternative schedules) and surprised me.

I thought lunch would be my gift but then they handed me this cute little box and a tiny little card with a silver apple on it. Yup. They got me an I-POD!!!!!!! It's even engraved! LOL

And it is so freaking cute and tiny. I love it. It's going to fit perfectly in my Tyger Lily purse too. :)

It's a Nano and it plays video apparently. It's aqua. Now I want a cool i-Pod cover!

Birthday Contributor Post - The Tyger Lily

When I saw this knit purse designed and handcrafted by Karen of The Tyger Lily I knew it would be mine. I bought it for myself as a birthday gift to me. :) The second it came in the mail I jumped up and down and made hubby take a photo of me with it. It just rocks!


This isn't your granny's knit purse. And I can't even count the number of compliments and oohs and aaahs that I've received from people all over the place - the grocery store, teriyaki restaurant, work, everywhere. People can just see the quality and then when I open it with a little snap they are even more impressed. It's hard to believe that it's handmade!

It holds quite a bit but when I first got it I was using a D&B leather wallet that was just way too big so I just "had" to order a smaller wallet and now everything fits like a glove.

Karen sent along a special little extra with my birthday gift - a fabulous knit covered journal for the Grand Prize Birthday Giveaway! It is SO cute!!!

Perfect to carry in your bag or keep by the phone for a stylish notepad helper. It matches my purse! But I'm not keeping it. :) Ha!

I highly recommend The Tyger Lily's products and service. She is excellent!

Thank you Karen for participating in my fun Birthday celebration!!!

Birthday Celebration Clarification

I'm so excited by all the great comments so far! It seems that some of ya'll aren't reading the details of this celebration very carefully. :)

I'm not giving away my jewelry except for the two pairs available via Bloggy Giveaways - and to win those you have to enter on her site.

If there is a particular piece of jewelry that you love it makes sense to buy it during the month of April while it is 30% off. I won't have such a large discount any time soon (if at all). Use the code HAPPY30 on my site.

The Grand Prize giveaway will include one small piece of jewelry but that's it. No other jewelry is being given away. I appreciate those who have commented on their favorite pieces and how they'd like to win those. But if you love them a lot and must have them in your wardrobe buy them now. =)

Regular blogging resumes tomorrow but remember that EVERY comment during the month of April counts as one entry for the grand prize.

Celebrating My 30th!

It's here! April! And with it my 30th birthday. My mom still can't quite believe that her first born is 30! ha! =)

Instead of moping or getting depressed about turning the big three zero I decided to celebrate and what better way to celebrate than to give things away? :) I love giving gifts - Christmas is my very favorite time of year because giving gifts brings me so much joy.

So without further ado...

1. Get 30% off your purchase during the ENTIRE month of April!!! No minimum purchase and no limit to the number of times you can use the code. But once April is over, that's it. :) I don't anticipate having any kind of sale like this in the future.

Use Code: HAPPY30

2. Free Birthday Gift with Purchase!

This will be while supplies last of course. I only bought (or had donated) items from Indie artists and businesses who I have purchased from in the past. I am going to go into greater detail about all these great folks during the month. I totally recommend and endorse all of these wonderful businesses.

Goodies are from Herb and Ginger, InVita Paper Studios, miSpa, Allyson Hill, and The Dippy Chick Company.

If you have sensitivity to scents please tell me before I ship our your order - there are some yummy smelling goodies in these birthday gifts.

3. Enter to win the Grand Birthday Gift Giveaway worth over $125!

Two ways to get an entry to win...Leave a comment or make a purchase!

Every time you leave a comment on my blog during the month of April you will get an entry for the Grand Prize. You can leave as many comments on my blog as you want - only one comment per blog entry will be recorded. So if I write two posts every day in April you could earn 60 entries for the whole month if you comment on each of them!

Every person who makes a purchase from my website gets TEN entries.

Prizes were purchased and donated from Indie Businesses who I have done business with in the past. I will be blogging about them throughout the month. Please visit their stores and show them some love. They're wonderful businesses with great products and service!


4. Win a Pair of Earrings!
As if all the above weren't enough, from April 1 to April 5 visit Bloggy Giveaways and leave a comment to win a pair of earrings. I'm giving away two pairs of my Love Knot earrings!!! You can win the earrings and still be eligible for the Grand Birthday Gift. :)

Questions? Clarifications? Post here and get your first entry for the Grand Prize!!!


Fine Print....aka the "rules"

• Comments are all moderated. Sorry but I can't stand Spam and the only way I can control the spammers (those people who try to sell stuff via comments) is to moderate. All comments (even disagreeing ones) will be published if they aren't spam.
  
  
• I must be able to contact you so if you leave an anonymous comment you'll also have to leave your e-mail address. Otherwise I will have no way of tracking your entry or notifying you if you win.
  
  The other option is for you to leave your name or nickname anonymously and then send me an e-mail via my Contact Form on my website. Please list the time and date that you left your comment and your name. I'll record your comment entry.
  
  
• Spam will NOT be tolerated. Any entry that is clearly spam will not be approved.
  
  
• Try to leave some sort of relevant comment, k? Don't just say "entering" cause that kind of sucks. I want this to be fun and interactive.
  
  
• Giveaway is open to anyone in the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, Germany and any other country that I can ship to without any customs restrictions (there are a few of them out there).
  
  
• No purchase necessary to enter the Grand Birthday Gift Giveaway. :) Though you will get ten more entries if you do purchase!
  
  
• To receive 30% off you must shop on my main website. Discount is not available at my Etsy shop. Sorry!
  
  
• Final drawing will be held on May 1. The winner will be chosen using a Random Number Generator. I will be tracking entries and names using Excel.
  
  
• Grand Giveaway will be shipped in the most economical manner - UPS, USPS, or FedEx. I will probably have to use bubble wrap and packing peanuts. Your shipping address must be accessible to all carriers, which means no PO boxes. Please provide a GOOD address - I don't want to deal with returned packages. If the package is returned I will move on to the next person as the winner.
  

Birthday Contributor Post - MiSpa

Mi Spa is an Indie bath and body business I discovered at least a year and a half ago, maybe even further back. I've ordered several times and their products are excellent. This yummy Mango Iced Tea is part of my Birthday Giveaway.


I'm not a big perfume person - I usually forget to even put it on. But she has a fabulous roll on perfume that is super convenient. I'm able to swipe it on my wrists before I get out of my car and head inside to work.

My scent is Peony Blossom. I also have the matching scent in a great pump bottle lotion that I keep at my desk. It's super convenient and it's non greasy and doesn't linger or stay sticky on my hands. I need it at work because our soap is so drying.


If you place a jewelry order during the month of April you'll get one of MiSpa's amazing soap samples as part of your birthday "party favor" pack (not to mention the 30% off!).

Not An Animal Blog You Say?

So I've been super obsessed with animals lately - mostly dogs - and a few cats. Which is funny since the original intention of this blog was to talk about jewelry. Ha!

But April will be less focused on animals because April is going to be very very busy. I'm busy now getting ready for it.

Here's a hint for what's coming up ... less than one week away!!!


hee hee hee

Find out a day early by signing up for my newsletter. I think it's going to be a very fun month.

Another Monday Morning

Oh my gosh I cannot tell you how cold I am right now! It was definitely less than 30 degrees at our house this morning and the ice was thick on my windshield. I had to sit while it thawed. And I'm still not thawed out!

Though the cold does help to keep my eyes open since they are so heavy. I don't know why I feel so tired since I really slept well and hard. Maybe it's all the upcoming work I need to do that is pre-exhausting me! lol

My kitchen table is just about covered up with exciting stuff and I'm just waiting for one more shipment. Woohoo!!! I'll start working on my newsletter this week and get it sent off next Monday. Only one more week for everyone signed up. The rest of you will find out on Tuesday! Fun fun fun! :)

Not only am I getting ready for April but I have some new jewelry to add to my website ... oh and of course my "real" job is quite busy right now as well. I need a couple extra weekends!

My Easter Egg Personality

What Your Easter Egg Says About You

You are whimsical, spontaneous, and fun loving. You connect well with people, but nature is your true love. Changing locations and scenery is important to your creativity. You are inspired by the surroundings around you

The Easter Egg Personality Test

Yeah...but tomorrow I'll be someone else!

Happy New Year!

I'm home all alone with my three sleeping doggies. Hubby wouldn't let me ride along. He seems to get more protective as the years go by. So I am praying he will be safe tonight while all the drunks party and rabble rouse.

I'll stay home, eat chocolate, watch TV, and make new jewelry. I have several new designs that I'm super excited about. A couple are one of a kinds. A few are limited editions. And some are just neat. :)

So have a Happy, Safe, and Healthy New Year!

I'm Published - Again

How exciting...twice in one year. =D I submitted one of my pieces to Holly Gage for the 2008 "The Art and Design of Metal Clay" calendar and was accepted!!!


My Aquamarine and Fine Silver "Bullseye" pendant is featured in November. Woohoo!