May 11, 2011 | Score!
Well, it’s high time for another giveaway! This time I am partnering with lovely reader Stina, who has recently launched her Etsy store StinaJimerson. She is offering a beautiful Double-Sided Pendant with Recycled Green and Brown Glass for giveaway.
Stina is an incredibly talented metalworker, and has posted a number of her creations on her eponymous blog (including a ring reminiscent of the Edwardian Cuffs I DIY’d last summer!) Her recently-launched Etsy includes beautiful fold-formed leaf hoop earrings, pendants and hairpins with glass accents. She actually launched her store in order to help pay for her upcoming wedding in June. In addition to her love of crafting metal, she also works with an organization locally to recycle glass bottles. In her words:
My friends at church were sitting around talking about the major issue created when our city cancelled our recycling program 2 or 3 years ago, when they decided to do something about it. They began putting the word out that they would like to collect glass bottles (mainly wine bottles) from fellow church members, rigged up some home-made tools, and got to work. Now, there are quite a few regular weekly volunteers…and we’re even in the process of applying for non-profit status. We make sets of drinking glasses, wind chimes, tea-lights, lamps, and lots of other things out of these bottles! We sell them at the farmers’ market here in town, and all the proceeds go to our local Habitat for Humanity. We’re trying to raise enough money to say we built a whole house! When we break bottles, which happens a LOT, the glass gets tumbled to break it into small, smooth chunks. This we sell as mulch [people say that the smaller pieces are good for mixing into the soil because they help water flow or something]. I use the tumbled glass in my jewelry, and I make a 30% donation to Habitat for every item that sells. I started an Etsy for [the organization as well], but we’re not selling until we get this non-profit status or whatever it is we need because we can’t get a paypal account without that. This Etsy is Kuttbottle.etsy.com.
Its a really fun organization to be a part of. We now get bottles coming in from all over the community. We calculated that we’ve saved about 20,000 bottles from the landfill so far, and we have a whole storage room full of bottles, as well as the entire back side of the Habitat Restore!
This pendant is about 1 inch by 1.5 inches and is made of plated nickle. One side is green glass and the other is brown glass.
The glass comes from an organization here in Nacogdoches [TX], C&R KuttBottle, that takes in all kinds of glass bottles and makes various things out of them (such as drinking glasses and windchimes). Whenever a bottle breaks – which is frequently because cutting them is sometimes hard – it gets put in a tumbler and makes glass like I have used in this piece. The most wonderful thing about this organization is that their proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity. Since I get the glass from them, I donate a portion to Habitat as well!
The pendant will be strung on a ribbon for the winner.
How to Enter
REQUIRED:
1. Check out StinaJimerson’s Etsy shop and leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite item in the shop is! (make sure you leave your email address or that your address is in your profile so I can contact you). (1 entry)
ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:
2. Follow Stina’s blog and leave a SEPARATE comment here letting me know. (1 entry)
3. Tweet this giveaway. Leave a SEPARATE comment on this post with the link to your tweet! (1 entry)
Total: 3 entries per person allowed.
However, if you do not keep your additional entry comments separate from your required entry comment, they WILL NOT BE COUNTED.
Giveaway open to anyone in the world!!
Giveaway period is open from now until Thursday, May 19, 11:59 PM PST. (Extended 1 day from original deadline)
Edit 5/20: Giveaway period is now closed and winner will be announced shortly. Thanks to everyone who entered!
Winner chosen by Random.org and notified by email.
Good luck!
xoxox
Carly
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May 10, 2011 | DIY
(Pamela Love ring img source)
I fell in love with this tough but earthy Arrowhead Ring from Pamela Love (link is to the matte pink version) awhile ago. Sporting a hand-carved arrowhead set in a thick silver bezel, this ring also has a line of silver flattened discs at the base creating a Southwestern-feel setting – which looks great with all the sheer pieces, bleached denim, and leather we’re seeing for Spring. It’s taken me awhile, but I’ve finally figured out a way to recreate something similar to this lovely piece (less the $528 pricetag!). Definitely not for the faint of heart, this 3-stage tutorial will take you some time, but the results are amazing. It uses Apoxie Sculpt**, a new non-toxic, moldable crafting substance I’ve discovered recently, to emulate the black resin setting. So, for around $40 total, here we go….. (more…)
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May 8, 2011 | From You
Question Mark Ring from CHAO & EERO – you can place an order from them here
Since beginning this week chock-full of ring-themed posts, I realize I haven’t delved into the basics just yet. So for all of you who have questions about rings: how to clean em’, how to size em’, how to keep ’em…this post’s for YOU! (more…)
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May 7, 2011 | Fashion
Boy, I wish this site had been around when I got engaged! Hub, kind and loving that he is, honestly isn’t the most clued-in when it comes to my personal taste or jewelry that I am drawn to. As a result, I’m not really a fan of my own engagement…or wedding rings, sad to say.:-( Though they are representative of our bond and our commitment to each other, they’re really not representative of either of us!
But shopping for an engagement ring is one of the most difficult things to do for a guy – ever! You (as the lady on the receiving end) probably don’t want to whip out a list and say “This is what I want…something like this….but not THIS…” and hand it over to your guy before he even gets around to popping the question (talk about putting the cart before the horse!) You can drop hints all you like prior to being asked but sometimes they go right over your guy’s head – or worse, he hears all of your hints and decides instead to choose something that he likes because it symbolizes his love for you. (Yet you’re the one who has to wear it. Ladies – please chime in here: is this ever okay?) Oftentimes guys have no clue where to start and just ask their other guy friends, or other women in their lives for their advice…often even defaulting to their mothers to make this difficult choice!(*ahem*) And sometimes there’s no hinting at all – and you are caught completely by surprise by the proposal – and didn’t even have a chance to mention what you’d really like to wear to show off as a symbol of your bond.
Enter ThisRING.com, designed to take the guesswork out of buying an engagement ring for someone else. From their description:
It’s straightforward, no matter if you are in a relationship or not you just create an account, including diamond color and shape, ring size and metal type, and ring styles that you might have seen and wish to replicate. It’s a very simple process, and can take as little as five minutes to complete. Once done, for a very small fee the man can secretly access your details so the proposal is still a surprise, but present you with the ring of your dreams!
The style guides are specific enough so that the bride-to-be can lay out the details of what she likes…and vague enough so that the groom-to-be can still make his own decisions for the final piece.
What do all of you think? Is this a service you can see yourself using? Are you happy with your engagement/wedding ring yourself? How did you get the hint across to your beau?
(Take it from somebody who’s been on the receiving end of something…less than perfect…it ends up as a permanent “wish it couldabeen….” years down the road. Perhaps at our 10th wedding anniversary we’ll renew our wedding/engagement rings so they’re more…our style…but gosh, it would have been soooo nice to get them right the first time around!!)
I had some different content planned for all of you this evening…but I have the flu, and have spent most of this week cocooned in blankets and tissues. Hopefully I’ll be able to string together a couple sentences in coherent thought when the Dayquil kicks in tomorrow, and post something more meaty then. Til tomorrow, lovelies!
xoxox
Carly
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May 5, 2011 | Media
Well, according to Emitations.com – check out the amazing infographic above that they put together about the iconic Kate Middleton Ring! (Probably the most well-known and discussed ring of late…)
If you are looking to purchase the affordable version of the Kate Middleton ring in Sterling Silver or in silvertone (or any other jewelry inspired by Kate and the Royal Family), Emitations has an entire page of possibilities! Also: Until May 9th, take $4 off a $40 order with code HN440, and take $12 off a $80 order with code HN1280 (So the Kate Middleton ring in Sterling Silver would end up at $70 using code HN440, for example.)
What do all of you think? Is the appeal in owning what feels to be a part of history? A pretty jewel? An icon of royalty? Do tell!
xoxox
Carly
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