Thank you Nicole!

Nicole from Mama Knows was wonderful enough to do a review and giveaway of my jewelry. There is still time to register for the giveaway!

Thank you Rachelle and Amanda!

Rachelle at fingerprintsonthefridge and Amanda at onemommasavingmoney were kind enough to do reviews and giveaways of my jewelry. You can still register for the giveaways!

Thank you Christi at the Frugal Novice!

Win a verdigris bird initial necklace at the FRUGAL NOVICE!

Frugal Invitation

Thank you Jen at Frugal Invitation for the wonderful review and giveaway! Register now!

Luvin my lil Monkeys Review and Giveaway!

Kaitlyn at luvinmylilmonkeys was gracious enough to post a review of a nest necklace! She also is doing a review of the verdigris initial necklace.

I've worked with her before and she has been so pleasant! Thanks!

BlueButterflyVintage Giveaway

Check out BlueButterflyVintage for a giveaway of a nest ring! Jenn will be doing a review of a verdigris bird initial necklace soon too.

She also has a great Etsy shop with skirts, dresses, accessories and more!

Thanks Jenn!

SewMeMine Giveaway

Please check out SewMeMine for a sweet review of a mother's nest necklace and giveaway of my new verdigris initial bird.

http://www.sewmemine.com/2011/04/400-followers-celebration-giveaway-of-the-earth-jewelry/

Thanks Donnelle!

Our Wedding Location

In South Louisiana everyone has a 250-300+ person wedding

...so personal right?

We decided (by "we", I mean my fiance went along with what my mother, sister, and I wanted) to have a destination wedding to....

Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina

with about 50-75 guests in a picturesque location. That's more like it!

I can't wait! My mom is doing fresh flowers in a color palate of grass green, lavendar, and robin's egg blue. If you like my jewelry, you'll love my wedding even more! Our families are so excited!

Now to pick a photographer, DJ or band, and so on in North Carolina. I have a lot of decisions to make!

Bridal Party Invites

I found the one.

Five years later..

I got the ring...

We set the date....

And now to celebrate with those closest to us.

But, how to ask my bridesmaids?

What's better than a handmade personalized

card for each bridesmaid and maid of honor?

The first of many handmade items for our wedding. 

Materials needed: paper, envelopes, ribbon, decorative jewelry or button, and printer. Use whatever you have around the house...I did!

I had premade pearlized cards and envelopes. I created a design in a Word Document using various fonts and clips art and printed it. The design on the computer is probably the hardest part. Just practice on regular printer paper until you get it right.

 Cut your ribbon approximately 2 inches longer than your paper size

(longer for more ribbon overlap on back)

Punch a hole in the center. I used a Screw Punch.

 Make a small cut in the middle of the ribbon and insert the button

 (see a pictures below)

 Insert rhinestone button in the punched hole in the paper.

 With hot glue, glue the button in to place on the back and also the ribbon. Cut the ribbon longer if you want it to overlap the button.

 And here is the final product.....

All 5 of my bridesmaids loved their cards and said yes!

 Especially since I made it myself.

Oh and it requires extra postage.....I found out the hard way and so did my bridesmaids. The postmaster left them notes how much they owed the post office in extra postage! Whoops! Still they all received it. Thanks post office!

Other items I will be handmaking before our wedding: all jewelry of course, silk hair flowers, candy, flower arrangments, bouquets, and much more.

Giveaway Sweeps4Bloggers

Register for an Of the Earth Jewelry giveaway on

http://sweeps4bloggers.com/?p=17659

 

Thanks to Valerie at sweeps4bloggers, I am giving away a nest ring! Check out some of her other fabulous giveaways!

New OTE Jewelry Giveaway EXTENDED

Register to win this  Of the Earth Jewelry Verdigris Bird Initial Necklace 
                                by April 4 at midnight!

If you'd like to register to win the item above, please comment on this post along with your email address and become a follower of my blog and like my facebook fan page. New giveaways will be given weekly during the months of March and April. Check back for more items!

The winner will be chosen at random.org. This giveaway will end Monday, April 4 at midnight. The winner will be notified soon after the closing of the current giveaway. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, another winner will be randomly selected. All OTE jewelry items are handmade and will be shipped by Randee Hofmann. Check out this item for details on my Etsy store at http://www.etsy.com/listing/70347842/verdigris-bird-with-copper-initial.

San Francisco Plantation Show

I spent last weekend at my first jewelry show of the spring season at San Francisco Plantation in Garyville, LA. The weather was beautiful! Here's my booth!

My new flower hair jewelry....

All of these items will be available for sale at http://www.oftheearthjewelry.etsy.com/ shortly!

My items featured on Etsy Treasury!

My items were recently featured in some treasuries on Etsy...thanks!

Check them out!!!!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d73980caef56d919dff14f5/easter-eggstravaganza

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d6a7b1e34aa8eef01e77eca/the-robins-egg-a-sign-of-spring

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d69efd392a88eef1b89c328/is-it-coral-or-is-it-red

http://www.etsy.com/convo_view.php?convo_id=40907903

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d3e4c2b8b508eef7af545f0/from-the-depths-of-the-ocean-to-the

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d2ed244ed4e8eef0b214c96/my-blue-valentine

Thanks again Etsy friends!



Necessity is the Mother of Invention: Part 2

Ok...so here is the follow up to my previous entry Necessity is the Mother of Invention. Enjoy!

Before: Nice parts, but a little gaudy and too heavy!

After: Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, oh my

1. A rhinestone gold bow and a pearl with gold chain

2. A versatile hair clip featuring rhinestone chain with

 ribbon and metal hair clip added

3. Dangle earrings with rhinestone and gold chain and

crystal, pearl, and earwire added

4. Rhinestone headband with added round

charms, pale gray ribbon, and headband

5. Black rhinestone and gold heart with

added black ribbon and headband

6. Several shades of gold chain connected with a rhinestone

gold key and heart lock with added lobster clasp.

7. A long necklace with multiple gold chain, black rhinestones featuring an

assymetrical rhinestone heart and pearl centered with a gold key

8. A rhinestone starburst set atop a gold flower connected with an

added green crystal and rhinestone headpin on a gold chain

Before: Multiple layers of rhinestone, silver, and black chains

After: Chain, chain, chain....

9. A simple long rhinestone chain tied with an added robin's egg blue ribbon

10. Black and Crystal Rhinestones set on gunmetal chain

11. A black chain bracelet with added lime green ribbon entwined in midst

Before: A GORGEOUS rhinestone necklace, but a little too heavy and large

 12. A glamorous rhinestone medallion on silver chain set long and finished with a robin's egg blue frayed ribbon.

I get so many compliments on this piece!

13. The matching bracelet with chain from all three necklaces...love it!



14. Another piece to add to the collection...a headband!



15. The original form of the necklace minus all the chains

and medallions...definitely more versatile!

16. A rhinestone chain on purple silk ribbon bracelet



17. A wrapped chain and rhinestone bundle with added pearls and turquoise ribbon



18. A long necklace featuring rhinestones, chain, and added pearls.



A mixture of all three necklaces...

19. A simple flower cluster on a gunmetal chain

20. A chain adjustable belt finished with a gold key

21. A hodgepodge of the leftover materials



22. A multi-layered necklace featuring gold butterfly and rose

charms, black chain, and purple beads.

 The grand total: 21 individual pieces of jewelry

Necklaces-11

Bracelets-5

Headbands-3

Earrings-1

Hairclip-1

Belt-1

There are so many things you can do with unwanted, old, inexpensive, or gaudy jewelry. Just break it apart and start from stratch. There's bound to be at least one nice feature on any old piece of jewelry to use. Mix and match with other pieces of jewelry that you don't want or with your current stock of bead/jewelry supplies. 

I still have a few pieces left over. A couple of rhinestone flowers will be used in my wedding bouquet and the other pieces...well I'm just not sure about it yet! I still have to think about it!

Post pictures of your unwanted jewelry and I'll do my best to give you some project ideas of your own. I hope this sparks some creativity!