Mmm...

As if you haven't had enough delicious food to eat lately, but this recipe looks delicious. I just might have to try it. As a general rule, I don't usually like coconut, but I usually like coconut shrimp. It sounds like excellent New Years Eve finger-food. Yum.

*Update, I made them tonight and they were so tasty! Especially the dipping sauce.

5 Years Ago Today

Handmade Christmas...Again

I've sent out this years Christmas cards.

I made a stamp using one of these and some carving tools I hijacked from my mom. My oldest sister always says she wishes I would send a picture, but she just saw me so I figured she didn't need one.

Twelfth Day Winner!

Thanks to our friends at random.org we have a Twelfth Day of Christmas Winner!

Jami who said:"The gold, the green, the sparkles... so beautiful!"

Congratulations Jami! Please email me your address at angelajewell(at)gmail(dot)com so I can send you your necklace.

Thanks again everyone who stopped by and commented. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, and if you need any last minute jewelry gifts, let me know!

Eleventh Day Winner!

Thanks to our friends at random.org we have a Tenth Day of Christmas Winner!

Jenjen who said:"love the colors".

Congratulations Jen! Please email me your address at angelajewell(at)gmail(dot)com so I can send you your earrings.
And remember, sign up for the Twelfth Day of Christmas giveaway by Sunday at 8:00pm.

Tenth Day of Christmas Winner!

Thanks to our friends at random.org we have a Tenth Day of Christmas Winner!

Jolin who said:"They are gorgeous! I am glad I found your blog and your fabulous giveaways!"

Congratulations Jolin! Please email me your address at angelajewell(at)gmail(dot)com so I can send you your earrings.

And remember, sign up for the Eleventh Day of Christmas giveaway by Saturday at 8:00pm.

*Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway*

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas...

Green stone, Aquamarine, and Gold Necklace

I had to save the best for last! This necklace consists of large mint-green stones (I wish I could tell you what kind, but I don't know), small aquamarine stones in blue, green, yellow, pink, and clear (yes, aquamarine comes in all those colors!), all linked together using gold wire, and a lobster claw closure. Fancy and fun at the same time!

For all the Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway rules, please click here. Comment on this post by 8:00pm on Sunday, December 14th to enter this giveaway.

Thanks everyone who participated in the Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway! It was so fun for me to make so many pieces in a short amount of time, and fun to get feedback from so many people. I loved it! And if you fell in love with something, but didn't win, don't fret! Just email me and I can make them for you. Or better yet, have your husband email me and he can give them to you for Christmas!

P.S. Remember, the Ninth day closes tonight at 8:00pm so be sure to sign up for that if you haven't already!

Ninth Day of Christmas Winner!

Thanks to our friends at random.org we have a Ninth Day of Christmas Winner!

Tracy who said:"Love that color!"

Congratulations Tracy! Please email me your address at angelajewell(at)gmail(dot)com so I can send you your earrings.

And remember, sign up for the Ninth Day of Christmas giveaway by Friday at 8:00pm.

*Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway*

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas...

Rose Quartz and Pearl Earrings


Faceted rose quartz drops accented with white freshwater pearl, all wrapped with sterling silver. Very delicate and feminine.

For all the Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway rules, please click here. Comment on this post by 8:00pm on Saturday, December 13th to enter this giveaway.

P.S. Remember, the Eight day closes tonight at 8:00pm so be sure to sign up for that if you haven't already!

Eighth Day Winner!

Thanks to our friends at random.org we have an Eighth Day of Christmas Winner!

Sheri who said "Amazing work!"

Congratulations Sheri! Please email me your address at angelajewell(at)gmail(dot)com so I can send you your earrings. And remember, sign up for the Ninth Day of Christmas giveaway by Thursday at 8:00pm.

Seventh Day Winner!

Thanks to our friends at random.org we have a Seventh Day of Christmas Winner!

Becky who said "Beautiumous! (Is that a word?)"

(um...I know that's my sisters two days in a row, but I promise I really am using random.org!)
Congratulations Becky! Please email me your address at angelajewell(at)gmail(dot)com so I can send you your earrings.

And remember, sign up for the Eighth Day of Christmas giveaway by tonight at 8:00pm.

*Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway*

On the Tenth Day of Christmas...

Zircon and Moonstone Earrings

These are faceted red zircon drops accented with faceted moonstone, all wrapped with gold wire. Very Christmas-y!

For all the Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway rules, please click here. Comment on this post by 8:00pm on Friday, December 12th to enter this giveaway.

P.S. Remember, the Eighth day closes tonight at 8:00pm so be sure to sign up for that if you haven't already!

*Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway*

On the Ninth Day of Christmas...

Blue Peruvian Opal and Pearl Earrings

These earrings are blue Peruvian opal "Chiclets" (that's what my sister calls them) accented with white freshwater pearl, wrapped with sterling silver wire.

For all the Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway rules, please click here. Comment on this post by 8:00pm on Thursday, December 11th to enter this giveaway.

P.S. Remember, the Seventh day closes tonight at 8:00pm so be sure to sign up for that if you haven't already!

Sixth Day Winner!

Thanks to our friends at random.org we have a Fifth Day of Christmas Winner!

Nancy who said:"Ohhh, ahhh, now pick me this time. I won't tell anyone!"

Congratulations Nancy! Please email me your address at angelajewell(at)gmail(dot)com so I can send you your earrings.

And remember, sign up for the Seventh Day of Christmas giveaway by Tuesday at 8:00pm.

*Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway*

On the Eighth Day of Christmas...

Yellow and Sequin Earrings

These earrings were experimental, but I think they turned out really fun. They have a big reflective silver sequin with a yellow crystal hanging in front of that (there's only one on each side but it kind of looks like there's two in the picture because of the reflection). All wrapped with sterling silver wire, and a little citrine bead on top.

For all the Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway rules, please click here. Comment on this post by 8:00pm on Wednesday, December 10th to enter this giveaway.

P.S. Remember, the Sixth day closes tonight at 8:00pm so be sure to sign up for that if you haven't already!

Thanks to our friends at random.org we have a Fifth Day of Christmas Winner!

Whit who said:"I am a fan of opal."

Congratulations Whit! Please email me your address at angelajewell(at)gmail(dot)com so I can send you your earrings.

And remember, sign up for the Sixth Day of Christmas giveaway by Monday at 8:00pm.

Fourth Day Winner!

Thanks to our friends at random.org we have a Fourth Day of Christmas Winner!

Suzette who said "I hope I win these!"

Congratulations Suzette! Please email me your address at angelajewell(at)gmail(dot)com so I can send you your earrings.
And remember, sign up for the Fifth Day of Christmas giveaway by tonight at 8:00pm.

*Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway*

On the Seventh Day of Christmas...

Pink Flower Bracelet



This is a bracelet made with pink and white freshwater pearls, faceted Czech glass beads. The center link is a pink flower with crystal accent. The beads are wrapped and linked using silver wire. The entire bracelet is about 7" long.

For all the Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway rules, please click here. Comment on this post by 8:00pm on Tuesday, December 9th to enter this giveaway.

P.S. Remember, the Fifth day closes tonight at 8:00pm so be sure to sign up for that if you haven't already!

*Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway*

On the Sixth Day of Christmas...

Citrine and Burgundy Pearl Earrings


These are faceted citrine nuggets accented with burgundy fresh water pearls, wrapped with gold wire.

For all the Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway rules, please click here. Comment on this post by 8:00pm on Monday, December 8th to enter this giveaway.

P.S. Remember, the Fourth day closes tonight at 8:00pm so be sure to sign up for that if you haven't already!

Third Day Winner!

Thanks to our friends at random.org we have a Third Day of Christmas Winner!

Gwenandbaxter who said "very pretty!"

Congratulations Gwen! Please email me your address at angelajewell(at)gmail(dot)com so I can send you your earrings. And remember, sign up for the Fourth Day of Christmas giveaway by tonight at 8:00pm.

Second Day of Christmas Winner

Thanks to our friends at random.org we have a Second Day of Christmas Winner!

Jody who said:
"Opals are my daughters birthstone, good present for her!"

Congratulations Jody (or should I say, congratulations Jody's daughter)! Please email me your address at angelajewell(at)gmail(dot)com so I can send you your earrings.

And remember, sign up for the Third Day of Christmas giveaway by tonight at 8:00pm.

First Day Winner!

Thanks to our friends at random.org we have a First Day of Christmas Winner!

Sarah S who said:
"Those are beautiful earrings!"

Congratulations Sarah! Please email me your address at angelajewell(at)gmail(dot)com so I can send you your earrings.

And remember, sign up for the Third Day of Christmas giveaway by tonight at 8:00pm.

*Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway*

On the Fifth Day of Christmas...

Opal and Carnelian Earrings

These are opal tear-drop shaped, faceted beads accented with orange carnelian, wrapped with silver wire.

For all the Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway rules, please click here. Comment on this post by 8:00pm on Sunday, December 7th to enter this giveaway.

P.S. Remember the third day closes tonight at 8:00pm so be sure to sign up for it if you haven't already!

*Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway*

On the Fourth Day of Christmas...

Coral and Rock Crystal Earrings

These are diamond shaped rock crystal accented with bright red coral, wrapped with gold wire.

For all the Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway rules, please click here. Comment on this post by 8:00pm on Saturday, December 6th to enter this giveaway.

P.S. Remeber, the First and Second day close tonight at 8:00pm, so be sure to sign up for those two if you haven't already. And for those of you who don't wear earrings, there are non-earring items to come!

*Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway*

On the Third Day of Christmas...

White and Burgundy Pearl Drop Earrings

These are white and burgundy (the burgundy didn't photograph very well, but it's not quite so dark in real life) fresh water pearls, wrapped with silver wire.

For all the Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway rules, please click here. Comment on this post by 8:00pm on Friday, December 5th to enter this giveaway.

*Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway*

On the Second Day of Christmas...

Opal and Green Bead Earrings

These are opal tear-drop shaped, faceted beads accented with green glass beads, wrapped with silver wire.

For all the Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway rules, please click here. Comment on this post by 8:00pm on Thursday, December 4th to enter this giveaway.

P.S. If you love any of these items, but don't win them, feel free to contact me about purchases. I love custom orders! You can also look in my etsy shop for other items.

On the First Day of Christmas...

In the spirit of holiday giving, I decided to do a giveaway! Well, actually, twelve giveaways. That's right, it's The Twelve Days of Christmas! Each day for the next twelve days I will post a new item to be given away. Here are the rules,
1. To enter a giveaway comment on the individual post by the time specified.
2. You can only win one of the twelve giveaways (we're trying to spread the Christmas miracles around here!).
Be sure to check back each day for the new item, and tell your friends, because there's plenty to go around!

On the First Day of Christmas...

Blue and Yellow Earrings



The mustard yellow stone is called mookite, and the blue stone...I have no idea what it is. Either way, they're a fun pop of color. To enter the giveaway, comment on this post by Thursday December 4th, at 8:00pm.

*JOY*

I put up my Christmas decorations yesterday, and I made a new one:

It's a grapevine wreath with glass ornaments wired to it. I got the lettering and ornaments at Target. You like?

P.S. Stay tuned...I've got a good giveaway in the works!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you have a great Thanksgiving!

Three Things I am Thankful For:

1. My Rockstar Husband
2. My Family
3. My Religon

picture found here.

Win Instantly!

Do you have a baby? or know someone who does? or know someone who might in the near future? or just want to plan ahead for some point when you might have one? Well, if you answered yes to any of those questions, you're in luck! My sister, Nancy, is doing a giveaway of my other sister, Katie's, Puj sling!

Be sure to act now! The giveaway ends Monday, the 24th at 7:00pm.

Katie is also doing a giveaway for $600 worth of Puj merchandise (Just enter your email at the top of the page to sign up). What more could you ask for?

I know, you had no idea how well connected I was, to be related to such people. I won't go on about the rest of my family, as that would take days, but check them out for yourself! A veritable smorgasbord of lovely and talented people. Oh, the pressure of being the youngest child and having to live up to all that!

Is it just me?

Or do you ever wish that you could get away with wearing things like this in your hair?

It's not so much that I'm self-conscious and would feel silly (okay, it's a little bit of that), but when, exactly, does one have occasion to wear feathers in her hair?

Etsy Find

This is for all you mom's out there looking for Christmas gifts. These handmade toys on etsy are adorable! You can buy them individually for $8 or in the set for $35. That's a good price, right? I don't know, I've never bought children's toys. But I thought they were cute.

Brrrr, It's Cold In Here!*

It's about that time of year where I drink hot chocolate about once a day. You think I'm exaggerating, but I had it twice yesterday. Now, we all know that the best hot chocolate to be had is at the gas station. What, you didn't know? Well, it's true. And what makes it so delicious are all those delightfully flavored coffee creamers. You didn't know that part either? Don't worry, my rock-star husband was also not aware. And if you're making your hot chocolate at home, but wishing it was as delicious as the stuff at 7-11, fret no more! You can get the coffee creamers at Wal-Mart (or probably any other mart for that matter). They even have boxes of the little single servings like at the gas station. My favorite flavors are french vanilla and hazelnut. I recommend you use two per mug, but that is of course based on my mugs. You might need more than that if your mugs are bigger than mine. Now go have some! You can thank me later.

*Name that movie reference for extra cool points.

Shamless Sibling Promotion

My incredibly talented, beautiful, nice, funny, sister Nancy is selling some of her famous bags! And if you're lucky, you get a pendant to go with it. Hurry! And if they're all gone by the time you get there, tell her you want one. It makes us crafters feel good to know that people like our stuff. That's why we blog! The green one's my favorite, and you can see more pictures on her blog. Check it out!

A Little Stitch

I made some more embroidered onsie's for another pregnant sister! Becky is a fan of all things beach, so I decided to go with a ocean theme on these. My favorite is the octopus.

Giveaway Received!

Rebecca got her necklace, so that means I can post pictures. She pretty much gave me free reign to do whatever I felt like, and this is what I came up with:


It's made with sterling silver wire, fresh water pearls, aquamarine, appatite, and crystal beads. The pendant section is a blown glass bead from Venice, and it kind of reminds me of a jelly fish with those beads on the bottom. I really love the way it turned out, and, fortunately, so does Rebecca! It was her birthday and her anniversary the week that she won the giveaway, so she totally deserves it. Enjoy, Becca!

Shipped!

I shipped Rebecca's Giveaway prize today! She decided she wanted a necklace made with silver wire, and wanted it to be fun. Oh, the possibilities! I've got some pictures to post, but I want her to receive it first, so I'll post them next week. That was a really fun giveaway for me, so keep checking back. I just might do another one!

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Remember that calendar I got last year for Christmas? Well, it's wonderful. Every time the 1st of the month comes around, I get all excited for a new page on this gorgeous calendar. It's got lots of great hand done details that make it feel so special. And the 2009 calendar is now up in the shop! You better believe this is going at the top of my wish list.



I especially like the June page, which is important because that's my birthday month, and you have to like that month! I love all the cards in this shop too! Be sure to check it out

I'm It

The lovely Miss Aarean so kindly taged me! Here goes nothin'!

**The rule for this little game is your response to each question can only be one-word.

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Where is your significant other? Guitar
3. Your hair color? Brownish
4. Your mother? Kind
5. Your father? Driven
6. Your favorite thing? Brian
7. Your dream last night? Dunno
8. Your dream/goal? Mother
9. The room you're in? Front
10. Your hobby? Jewelry
11. Your fear? Child-labor
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Home
13. Where were you last night? Yoga
14. What you're not? Dramatic
15. One of your wish-list items? Travel
16. Where you grew up? Phoenix
17. The last thing you did? TV
18. What are you wearing? Casual
19. Your TV? On
20. Your pet? Brian
21. Your computer? Dell
22. Your mood? Calm
23. Missing someone? Family
24. Your car? Max(ima)
25. Something you're not wearing? Coat
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your summer? Warm
28. Love someone? Yup
29. Your favorite color? Red
30. When is the last time you laughed? Work
31. Last time you cried? Years

I tag...Mandy D. and Karie R. Get posting!

Surf's Up!

I found an interesting art blog while I was surfing. Here are links to some posts I liked:

Paper Sculpture
I think it's the crafter in me that always enjoys good paper sculpture


Painted Elephant

Balloon Girl
Both this painting and the elephant are by the same famous (in-famous) graffiti artist, Banksy

God's Eye View
Interesting twist on the religious art tradition. This is meant to be an aerial image of Moses parting the Red Sea.

Ball-Point Pen Drawing
Simply amazing

Face Morphing
Fun to watch



Living Walls
This one's pretty long and bizarre, but I thought Austin would find the animation interesting.

Please note: the blog has some nudity and otherwise potentially offensive images. Consider yourself warned.

Drum Roll Please

And the winner, chosen using a random number generator, is....

Rebecca!

Call or email me so I can get started on your custom piece of jewelry! And thanks to everyone who entered! It's fun to see who's reading.

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-BOO! {and a GIVEAWAY!}

Halloween pumpkins are up! The big reddish-orange ones are called Cinderella pumpkins and they're gorgeous. All the little ones are just small pumpkins covered in glitter.

In other news, this is my 100th post! Don't worry, my one year blogiversary came and went with out me even noticing. However, in honor of the 100th post, I think a giveaway is in order, don't you? I'm just not totally decided on what the giveaway should be. So, the giveaway is up to you! A custom piece of jewelry just for you! Necklace, bracelet, earrings, whatever. Once the winner is selected, we'll have a little consultation and then I'll make YOUR piece of jewelry. Awesome, right?

Giveaway ends Sunday at 12:00am MST, so sign up already!

Peanut Butter Makes Everything Better

I made these cookies yesterday, mostly because I wanted to eat them. The second best part is that all the ingredients are pantry items, so no special trip to the store required. The best part is that they have a surprise in the middle! One thing I will say is if there are more than two people in your household, you might want to double the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1 tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1. In a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda; set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat butter, granulated and brown sugar and 1/4 cup peanut butter with an electric mixer until combined. bean in egg, milk and vanilla until combined. Add flower mixture and beat until combined. Set aside.

2. For peanut butter filling, in a medium bowl stir together powdered sugar and 1/2 cup peanut butter until smooth (I used my hand to knead this dough until it was combined).

3. Scoop out chocolate dough into balls on cookie sheet and the flatten with the bottom of a glass or bowl. Scoop out peanut butter filling into balls about half the size the chocolate balls and place in the middle of each chocolate circle. fold the chocolate dough around the peanut butter dough until fully enclosed. Lightly flatten each cookie again with the bottom of the glass.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

5. Try not to eat yourself silly!

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Cookies.

We'll Start the Bidding at...

I've got to tell you. One of the hardest things for me to do is price my jewelry. I mean, yeah, it can be time consuming work, but I really enjoy it, so I have a hard time feeling like I should include my time in the price. The other problem is that since I make all my jewelry I never buy it. And since I can make it, I have a bad tendency to de-value the stuff, because I can always make another one. And how do you even begin to price the design aspect of it? So I'm asking for a little input from you guys. What should I price these pieces at for the Nie Nie fundraiser at Soel? Since it's a fundraiser, I think it should be a little higher than what I would put it up for on etsy. And do you think a set price is better, or should I put them up for auction? Thanks for the input!

This first necklace is made with sterling silver wire, burgundy and white freshwater pearls, crystal, onyx, and moonstone. I'd probably price this one around $60 for the etsy shop.

This second necklace is made with gold filled wire, onyx in two sizes, and the pendant, I'm not positive, but I believe it's dyed jade. I'd probably price this one around $45 for the etsy shop

These earrings are way more gorgeous in person! I have yet to figure out how to take a good picture of labradorite, but it's beautiful. They're made of sterling silver wire, labradorite and moonstone. These earrings are actually up in the shop for $17.50

Nie Nie Fundraiser at Soel Boutique

I'll be participating in the Nie Nie Fundraiser at Soel Boutique! Come and buy if you can and help spread the word!
If you're also interested in participating, contact shelby(at)soelboutique(dot)com. They need all items by Thursday.