Tuesday's Finds- How Presidental

I thought I would do today's finds in honor of our new President Obama. History making day for America!

palomasnest's BE THE CHANGE tiny text bowl
A little ceramic trinket bowl that measures 3 1/2 inches in diameter and has the words "Be The Change" stamped on the inside. I think this is perfect because you are reminded of this message every time you go to put your rings or other small items in it. Palomasnest ships this item within 2 days. I dare you to be the change today.

Other items tagged "obama" in Palomasnest.

Ohyeahstudios' President Obama 11'' x 8'' mixed media art print
A limited edition blue and red President Obama mixed media print on heavyweight textured paper. It is ink and oil based enamel paint. It is signed by the artist and ready to be framed and hung on your wall. I love this one in particular because it is in Red White and Blue. Ohyeahstudios ships within 24 hours, so you can having this hanging on your wall in just a few days. Be sure to check out all the other amazing work by this artist.

Other items tagged 'obama' from ohyeahstudios.

oneplaidaunt's Michelle and Barack Hair Barrettes
What and amazing idea. Photos of the couple have been edited by this seller and printed on 100% cotton buttons. A portion of the proceeds for this item go to Americans for the Arts Council.

Other items tagged "obama" from oneplaidaunt's shop.


Have any ideas for my tuesday finds? email me JuliaCatherineJewelry@gmail.com . Be sure to check out my tuesday finds on the Awesome Chicks of Etsy blog today with an MLK/Obama Theme.

xoxo
JuliaCatherine

Tuesday's Finds-Oh Deer!

Just for the fun of themes, today im featuring Deer themed items that I have found on etsy.

ShoopTiles32 Deer Coaster Set of 4.

Im a big fan of coasters, this shop has tons of amazing tile coasters. They are made from vinyl then placed onto the tiles and sealed with 3 layers of sealant. They also have cork 'feet' so nothing scratches your coffee table. This shop is really amazing. Only 10 items sold so far, but i can see a promising future. I better not see any rings on those coffee tables!

bluetricycle Printable, Giftable-Fawns Stationery and Mini Cards

What an amazing idea. bluetricycle offers many downloadable and printable graphics that you can use over and over again. When your order is recieved the shop owner just emails the graphics to you and you can print them in the size of your choosing on your own cardstock. I can see these being great for thank you notes and just about anything. Formatted to print in different sizes and even comes with templates for creating envelopes. Very economical and since they are .pdf files you don't have any shipping costs at all. Im eyeing a couple of bluetricycle's items for my own use.

sewluckygirl-Peppermint Pink-Sweet Little Baby Deer-Throw Pillow

Gorgeous 10" deer pillow made from handmade appliques, upcycled vintage fabrics and other materials. I could never resist puffball fringe a day of my life. This shop has just a ton of interesting originally designed pillows.

Have any ideas for my tuesday finds? email me JuliaCatherineJewelry@gmail.com . Be sure to check out my tuesday finds on the Awesome Chicks of Etsy blog today- Theme "chicks"

Don't forget there is only a couple days left to submit your names for my january giveaway.

xoxo
JuliaCatherine

New Sweetheart Necklace and Ice!

This morning I posted my new sweetheart necklace for '09. A perfect size floating heart pendant. Handcrafted from sterling silver. This design is similar to a heart pendant I have created before. The overlap at the clef of the heart makes it unique and gives it a bit of dimension. This heart is a free floating heart so it may hang at times from either arch of the heart or sometimes even up side down. The necklace is completed with a 16 inch sterling silver cable link chain. Chain closes with a spring ring closure, all jump rings have been soldered closed. Really gorgeous! thinking of making one for myself. head on over and check it out.


We had a bit of rain and ice yesterday. Not nearly as bad as the ice storm last winter but the trees were hanging pretty low. Luckily we did not have any power outages in the area that I have heard. I took a photo of our poor butterfly bush encased in ice. Although there is a sort of beauty in this photo, I can't wait till spring...
xoxo
JuliaCatherine

Tuesday's Finds-UniqueDichroic

Today my Christmas gift arrived in the mail from Australia. I purchased a Tree of Life Etched Glass Pendant in rainbow colors from uniquedichroic.etsy.com The seller, Deborah is extremely talented at what she does. She hand etches every one of her tree of life pendants. So although some are similar, no two are ever exactly alike. The pendant I purchased was the one below with the colors of a beautiful sunset in the background.

My buying experience was a total pleasure with Deborah. She was very prompt in answering conversations. She let me know that she received my order and when it was shipped. Another big plus was that her shipping rates were fair too. Free shipping to Australia and just $2.50 to the US and all other countries. The necklace arrived in a nice little pouch with a business card and a nice note handwritten from Deborah. All necklace from uniquedichroic.etsy.com come with a neoprene rubber necklace cord that can be customized to any length you need, so you can wear it right away! The photos do not even do this necklace justice, it's even more beautiful in person.

Hope you will all check out her shop :)


xoxo
JuliaCatherine

P.S. Don't forget to name my earrings in the contest below to win them! And join my mailing list to receive monthly coupons>>

January Blog Giveaway Kickoff

This month's contest is a 'Name that piece' contest. The pair of earrings below are the ones that need a name! They are faceted amazonite quartz roundels with cranberry czech glass flower accents atop each. The ball end headpins and earwires are both sterling silver and handmade by me. These earrings dangle 1 1/8 inch. I see lots of possibilities for names but im going to leave it up to you all.

It will go like this. Leave your name/title suggestions (up to 5 names) as a comment on this post along with your email address. On the 15th i will take all the entries and pick my favorite from the bunch. Those few will be posted to be voted on in the form of a poll right here on my blog. Readers of this blog, and your friends and family will have till January 26th to vote. Make sure you give them the link! Then i will take a tally of all the votes and the winner will be selected. Soon after i will post the winner right here on my blog. (PLEASE make sure you leave your email, etsy shop URL or Flickr URL so i may contact you!)

The winner will win the earrings they named, and free shipping on any other purchases they would like to make in my shop. (don't forget to sign up for my mailing list to the right so you can get discounts too!) The earrings will be posted using the winning title/name and the winner will also be given proper credit in the listing also. "proper credit" in this case also includes a link to your etsy shop right in my description. Here they are! Good luck everyone! If you have not already also make sure to join my mailing list to the right of my blog posts, this way you will be notified of these giveaways, coupons and sales before anyone else!
xoxo
JuliaCatherine

Etsy Shop Review: Spoiled Kitty Cat Toys & Accessories

Every year for Christmas I like to get a little something unique for my fur babies. You know- the four legged ones with pointed ears? I had been looking at SpoiledKitty and the crochet cat ball toys for a week or 2 and i just decided i HAD to have them or rather, THEY had to have them. It didn't really matter the color, i dont think they are picky. I decided on the peacock purple. I chose these toys because

#1 They are handmade by a cat lover who I know is looking out for my pets!
#2 They might cost a bit more but are well worth it because its not mass produced crap, that may kill my little loves.
#3 Im supporting the handmade movement
#4 They are made from 100% acrylic yarn which I knew my kitty kids would love because it gets stuck on their little claws.
#5 Packed in is 100% certified organic catnip!

I recieved my package in the mail today. My cats knew EXACTLY what was up the second I set the package on the table. They all showed up! I cut the envelope and took out the little organza type drawstring pouch with the catnip and toys inside and started distributing them. My cats did exactly what I had thought they would. First they investigated, then they played! Miss Anne did that little put the toy into the mouth and kick it deal. Big Lou is more of a toy flicker. And Callie is a trouble maker because while i was taking this photos she was right behind me spilling the catnip is the baggie all over the floor. Typical! I highly reccomend you visit Sonya over at SpoiledKitty and get some of these for your fur babies this holiday.
xoxo
JuliaCatherine

Oh Yes The Holidays Have Begun...

Yesterday afternoon into the evening I printed shipping labels, set up and packed the second half of my orders from last weekend. I was so happy my sale was such a success. Thank you everyone! So That was my task yesterday afternoon and evening.

Next for me it was making thank you notes for my orders. A long time ago I decided to start making my own instead of buying them. It's alot less expensive especially when you have a high order volume. I like to buy something called "luxury stack" which is a smaller size stack of pearlized gorgeous papers from my local craft store, ACMoore. These measure 6 1/2 inches by 4 1/2 if i remember correct. I use my cutter and scorer that I have purchased a long time ago for my personal use for making cards for friends and family as well as scrapbooking! I cut them in half lengthwise around 3 1/4 inches then score them across the middle at about 2 1/4 inches. I then take my nifty stamp, ink it up and stamp the entire stack with the word 'thank you'. After they all dry i go back and fold them in half and put and elastic around them.

The entire stack of 'luxury papers' costs me about $10. This last time i managed to be at my local store on a day they were having a sale, so this last time they were $6. Just a little time and effort on my part and voila! I have about 300 thank you cards. Lasts me awhile!

Last night was a busy night for me! For dinner I hadn't put out anything for the meat eaters earlier that day so it was going to be a meatless dinner (yay) I wanted a baked potato but that wouldn't have been enough of a full meal for the meateaters. I thought if i made it a soup that would count!
Baked Potato Soup!
5 large russet potatoes
1 rib celery diced
1 medium sweet onion diced
2 cloves garlic, smashed and diced
1 tsp kosher salt
3 dashes ceyenne pepper
half a brick of cheddar shredded
Boulion cube for 1 cup- chicken i guess for meat eaters? I use Vegetaable
a small bag of broccoli-cook in the micro till done
3 cups milk
3 Tbls flour
3-4Tbls oil (olive i love)
1 cup reserved potato cooking liquid
Cooked and crumbled fake or real bacon
I peeled, cut and cleaned all my potatoes and cut them into bite sized pieces, then put them in a pot barely covered with water. Boil till potatoes are tender to your liking. In another larger pot i heated my oil over MEd hi heat then put my diced onion, celery and garlic. Sautee for a couple minutes then add your kosher salt. If your using regular salt use less. When your onions are translucent add your flour and mix it all together, break up the lumps. You will start making a roux this way. Slowly add your milk. It will be really thick till you get nearly 2 cups in the pot, i would say. Adding it slowly will prevent lumps! Once you have it all incorporated and brought to a light bubble (keep stiring frequently!) then reduce your heat to med. Add your cheese. Stir it all in. Add your boullion cube to your 1 cup of potato cooking liquid from your potatoes. mix it up. add it to the pot! add in everything else including your cooked broccoli (cut in bite sized pieces) Mix it all up. bring back to med hi heat till its bubbly and then when all your cheese is melted your done! If you like a vitamin B boost add about 3/4 -1 cup of nutritional yeast flakes!
Hope you all enjoy my recipe, im not exactly a recipe writer but im good at coming up with them! Dont forget to sign up for my mailing list to the right>> to receive notifications of great sales and be entered for my giveaway!
xoxo
Julia Catherine

Announcing My First Blog Giveaway!

If you have already subscribed to my mailing list there is no doubt your enjoying the little coupons and tidbits about upcoming sales and new products. But if you haven't subscribed! Your really missing out. Especially now. This month I will be taking all the people who sign up and have signed up for my mailing list and picking one lucky one to win! Enter NOW to the right of this blog post. My mailing list is a double opt in- so you will have to click a link to the email that is sent to you. Once you do that, your smooth sailing! You will also be notified of any future sales and giveaways.

This months giveaway item will be a pair of my most popular Apple Green Drop Earrings. They are a $16 Value. This is absolutely free including free shipping and free shipping on any additional purchases you wish to make from my shop. Just join my mailing list to the right! Winner will be drawn this December 15th!
xoxo
Julia Catherine

Romantic Things...& A Big Thanks!

How romantic are these 2 new items I just listed in my shop today? The first is this 'love note necklace' It is handcrafted from sterling silver and has the word "LOVE" engraved on the front. Its a sweet necklace on its own. My thought/design process before I created it was thinking it would be even more amazing if the back was actually personalized with a love letter or better yet, something like "Will you marry me?" and a date on the back. She could wear her marriage proposal on her neck and remember that moment every time she looks at it. Or maybe something not-so-serious like "Thinking of you always"

The second item is these earrings I call "snow white earrings" they remind me the first real snow of the winter. A certain serene, calm, quietness. They are made from sterling silver handmade findings, 10mm rock crystal beads and white freshwater pearls. They are perfect to wear with nearly everything as they are clear and white.

On a side note! I would like to thank everyone who stopped by Nov 28th-Dec1st for my Black Friday 4 Day Sale. It was an amazing success! To be notified of future sales beforehand sign up for my mailing listing to the right here on my blog! In the future I plan on scheduling giveaways each month for my mailing list members, so get on the list!
xoxo
Julia Catherine

Gifts for your childs KEEP teacher, YMCA counselor or other daycare.

For the people who have the job of taking care of your children all year round. The YMCA counselors, KEEP teachers and other daytime caregivers/ babysitters. There are a ton of items that they would love from JuliaCatherine.etsy.com but you can understand most of these items may not be child friendly.

These are people you may not chat with alot but want to get them something nice. Do they wear earrings? If so I would like to suggest the leafy bits earrings. They dangle a modest 1 inch, and are very petite otherwise. These are probably best for caregivers of school age children.

For caregivers of younger children a bracelet may be a better idea for worktime. This gorgeous bracelet made with round faceted brown and red glass beads is gorgeous and doesnt have alot of charms or any things that could risk hurting baby.

Of course you don't need to buy her something she can wear to work. Caregivers have lives outside of caring for our children. Im sure you could find many other things from JuliaCatherine.etsy.com that would be sure to please! And when in doubt JuliaCatherine.etsy.com has Gift certificates! Just shoot me an email at JuliaCatherineJewelry@gmail.com if you would like a denomination that is not listed. Useable on any items in my shop and NO expiration date.

So Busy!

I have been so busy lately with getting ready for the holiday season I have barely had a chance to blog about anything new. I made a necklace yesterday that i just HAD to blog about though. Its an artisan piece that i handcrafted. It's Very Exciting!Please stop on by to JuliaCatherine.etsy.com and take a peek.
This wonderful necklace is made from a 1 inch by 3/4 of any inch piece of sterling silver sheet with holes that are reminiscent of a saxophone or musical note. It has been brushed to give it a lovely matte finish. The very unique pendant measures 1 inch by 3/4 of an inch. The necklace is 17 inches long and is sterling silver cable/tiffany style chain. It closes with a spring ring closure. This item is handmade right here in the USA. Click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

New to this blogging thing...

So this is my first blog post! Im just excited to talk about all the new things im making everyday! Like last night. I was making earrings and decided to make my own earring wires. I thought they would make the earring more pulled together. For certain styles i think it's needed to make your own earring wires so the design "flows" more. When you see these earrings you will know what i mean. Its more of a sassy, put together feel that it creates. Im going to be posting them soon on my etsy site. The address there is juliacatherine.etsy.com i hope you will take a look!