GIVEAWAY Ashley Jewelry Saucer Ring for Haiti Relief CLOSED

AND THE WINNER IS KATE AND OLI!

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When I saw that the amazingly talented Ashley Akers of Ashley Jewelry was offering 50% of her proceeds from this little goodie to Doctors Without Borders for Haiti Relief- I gobbled it up because I knew someone out there would just love to win it!

Ashley has lived and worked in Fort Worth for seven years. She graduated from the University of North Texas with a BFA majoring in jewelry and metalsmithing. The rocks and pebbles in her jewelry are inspired by her job at a garden shop and she a great passion for plants and the outdoors. Ashley enjoys elevating the perceived value of a found object such as a pebble by juxtaposing it with silver and semi-precious gemstones.


I know you will love her work as much as I do!

WHAT YOU GET:

One lucky winner will receive Ashley's saucer ring in choice of size.





HOW TO WIN:

This one is easy peasy- just leave a comment below with your contact info!

For additional entries:

(5) Twitter this post
(5) Blog about this contest; linking to this post
(5) Follow my blog

Let me know if you have done these things so I can give you additional entries. This contest is open to everyone.

DRAWING:

MIDNIGHT on Sunday, January 24th! Good luck!! CLOSED

Haiti Relief Fundraiser at Indie Fixx



The wonderful Jen of Indie Fixx has collected an amazing assortment of handmade goodies from some talented and generous artists which will be auctioned off and the proceeds sent on to the Red Cross for Haiti Relief.

She needs our help with some bidding- so meander on over and take a look- new items added each day!

Small Things = Big Difference or how NOT to burn out

This is the first of a new weekly column this winter with tiny tips to save the planet by buying eco friendly items and maximizing the value of those items by making them last longer.

Dark Suckers; most commonly known as CANDLES

1. What to Buy


BEESWAX: Candles made with beeswax are naturally fragrant, nontoxic, soot-free, and non-allergenic. They’re completely renewable and require little, if any, additives. They burn longer than regular petroleum based paraffin candles.

SOY: Candles with soybean-based wax are generally vegan, soot-free, and biodegradable, and like beeswax, they’re renewable. They also burn up to 50 percent longer than paraffin candles.

PALM OIL: This wax comes from coconuts (the fruit of palm trees) so no plants die during harvesting. Palm oil candles are clean burning and long lasting. When buying soy or palm oil candles look for GMO free- certified organic ingredients are GMO-free and therefore healthier for the world's seed supplies.

2. How to Make 'Em Last

LIGHTS OUT- Although it seems counter-intuitive, the fact is that burning a pillar or jar candle for at least an hour per inch of candle diameter every time you light up will give the candle many more burning hours. This way the flame has enough time to melt the wax all the way to the outer edges so the candle burns down evenly.

VOTIVES- Burn votives in holders and they will last up to twice as long.

WINDS- Moving air makes the candle burn down unevenly and can waste alot of wax- of course it does look more dramatic casting dancing shadows on the walls

PINCUSHION- Tapered candle or votive remnants make great pincushions just chop off the wick- pins with a bit of wax on them slip through fabric easily, too.

WAX DRIPS- I kind of like wax drips- but when they get to be too much on your candle holders - pop the holder into the freezer for 1/2 an hour and the wax will shrink and pop off

MELT 'EM DOWN - It is easy to melt down your leftover candles into one large candle- melt them in a food can (not aluminum) set in 2 inches of boiling water and melt over low heat- scoop out the wicks with a stick and then pour the wax back into a candle jar, etc and add a new craft-store wick - easy, peasy

3. Final Tips

Be sure to choose 100 percent paraffin-free options (some natural candle manufacturers add a little paraffin to the mix). Paraffin wax is made from petroleum and produces carcinogens and soot when burned. Soot from a paraffin candle contains many of the same toxins produced by burning diesel fuel and even many of the so-called healthy, aromatherapy candles sold today can do more harm than good.

Opt out of lead-based wicks (very common in regular candles). Seek out animal-free products: sometimes candles (yes, even natural ones) are made with stearic acid — an animal-derived fat from meatpacking plants. Synthetic fragrances have been identified as VOC-emitters so choose candles scented with botanical oils and natural fragrances.

"Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." - Buddha

(yes I know, I am quoting Buddha now, but you know how Olive and I like to dispense great truths with this little blog)

Whining Wednesday or what your gifts are trying to tell you


I think you can tell what people really think of you by the gifts they give you or don't give you.

So, when I was unChristmas-ing my house the other day I took a look at the gifts I was given and the thought that the people who know me best had put into them.

I mean we give our kids gifts that they 'want' - within reason and price and age appropriateness (of course this is because they tell us what they want- they drag us over to watch tv commercials, give us lists to mail and are smart enough to tell people what they want- we could learn alot from these short people we live with).

But we give most people what we think they want.

Anyhoo, I got 2 pocketbooks-both Fossil cross-bodies- one red and one black. So what is the message here? I need alot of places to keep all my loot? I need alot of places to keep my broken Sephora bronzers? Maybe people are thinking of me as an abundant, organized person... yeah, I think I will go with that one.

I got alot of things that smell nice- like soaps and lotions and candles.

(hmmm... this could be saying good or not so good things about me)

We got alot of packaged meat and cheese

(I am sadly serious here)

mostly from hubby's customers and when I say to hubby "look at all this meat" he says- "well when Jerry - you know, the dog trainer guy- gave me that box- he said you would really like it."

(huh?? I would really like it)

Me "What did he mean by that?"

Hubby "Huh, I guess there is something in there he thought you would like."

Me "I wonder if he thinks I'm fat?"

Hubby "No."

Me "Well, maybe not as a human, but if I were a dog and were wearing a collar, would I have a roll of fat that is squeezed out over the collar?"

Hubby "Um…"

Me "Would my collar have to be adjusted or could I wear it off the rack?"

Then we laughed and proceeded to eat all the Hickory out of Hickory Farms.

P.S. There is a little post script to this story because today hubby remembered that the customer who told him 'your wife will like this' had given him a bottle of wine (not a case of beef sticks and monteray jack)

so was probably referring to my drinking habit the cork.


1. Awesome Ipod/Iphone case by FannyAlioli
2. Adorable My Little Bird Ring by MGMart
3. Beautiful red infinity scarf by Mojospastyle
4. Blue halter dress by the amazing Larimeloom
5. You Are So Loved framed print by the incredible Jess Gonacha Swift.
6. Stunning burgundy earrings by CoolJewelryDesign.