How to say Thank You in a more creative way

While I was in the shower tonight I got to thinking about all the custom pieces I've been making lately.  And one of the things I started thinking about was how great these pieces are for saying thank you to someone.  So here is a little list I put together of people that you might want to say thank you to in a more creative way than the norm:

• babysitter...have a custom steampunk pendant made with your kids birthstones and some things she really likes (examples: stars, moons, music, etc)
• teacher...a simple necklace with a few pretty stones to wear instead of candles or gift baskets
• a friend who has recently helped you out...a pair of earrings that are not like ones you can get at a store
• bridesmaids...after a wedding give them a steampunk pendant with the stone that symbolizes the month you were married
• a friend who is down on their luck...a pendant with stones that are known for improving luck
• a therapist who has really helped you...a necklace with stones that symbolize clarity or focus
• a mother or mother-in law that has helped with a baby shower...a steampunk pendant with the little one's birthstones
• a friend who helped you move...a bracelet with their favorite color stones
• a hairdresser who did your hair for a special occasion...a pendant with bright stones

Here are some of the custom pieces that I have recently made just to give examples:

Labradorite pendant

Pendant made with the person's personal stones

Custom steampunk pendant symbolizing the family for mom

And the daughter's family steampunk pendant

Talisman pendant for good luck

Earrings were made custom to match the necklace

Earrings made custom to match the necklace

Bracelet for increasing luck in all areas of one person's life

A birthstone necklace for someone's loved one

A birthstone pendant made for the wife of a very thoughtful husband

A necklace to match a pair of earrings that were won in a silent auction of mine

And these are just a few...there are sooo many more I've made.  

Boy do I love getting diamonds in the mail :)

What a great find in my mailbox today!  I got diamonds :)  And of course, the minute they came in I had to start playing around with them figuring out what I wanted to make.

I made three different pendants tonight.  None are listed yet on Etsy but I've put previews up on Facebook.  And I'll share them here too :)

Here is the first one. 

And the second one

And the final one :)

Happy Anniversary to me & my hubby :)

Today has been a wonderful day spent just the way it should be...with my hubby!  :)  We celebrated our 1 year anniversary today.  Hard to believe that last year today we were standing on Smather's Beach in Key West, FL saying our vows with our girls standing beside us.  It was an amazing day, a perfect wedding in my opinion.  :)

Any my hubby surprised me with a couple wonderful gifts.  He got me the most adorable Mickey and Minnie Mouse sculpture in wedding attire. (We were on a Disney Cruise when we got married) And an absolutely beautiful pair of Fenton glass earrings with dragonflies painted on them.  Still wearing them...I just love them!

Here is my Mickey and Minnie :)

Then this evening we took the girls over to my folks and thanks to them we got take out from the Aquarium Lounge here in Fairmont.  We thought it would be night to have a quite dinner at home.  And it was...it really, really was :)  (Sometimes as a parent you forget how nice it is to have dinner at home with out all the laughing, screaming, or saying eat your dinner over and over lol)

It was a great day.  And hopefully, we will  have many, many more to celebrate together.  :)

Busy with a capital B!

Shipments of supplies in = me making lots of new things!  And between things to do with my girls and my hubby and now making new things means I am busy with a capital B!!!

I've made quite a few new pieces in time for Valentine's Day...and sold quite a few too.  Here are the recent additions to the Etsy shop:
This stunning pendant is  "Fever". It is a long glass tube vial filled with over 1 carat genuine rough bright yellow diamonds with a red round cut diamond that stays stationary in it. So packed with diamonds that they don't move around much at all. The pendant is reversible, you can either wear it to show the red diamond or on the other side you only see the yellow rough diamonds. You'll can get a different look out of it each time you wear it. Such a beautiful pendant and so unique. You are going to be more than happy making these a part of your jewelry collection! If you are a lover of all things unique and one of a kind, something like no one else will ever have, then this is for you!! These pendants are hard to photograph because of the glass but the red diamond in here is bright and deep in color. The contrast between the red and the yellow is just spectacular! You'll love it!!   http://www.etsy.com/listing/92052374/captured-love-fever-genuine-red-round

And this beautiful pendant (one of my all time favorites) is  "Perfect". It is a long glass tube vial filled with over 2 carats of bright, rough mixed white diamonds and a .15 carat genuine light pink radiant cut diamond. And just to note, my scale weighs light, so the rough diamonds most likely weigh much more than what my scale says. This pendant is sealed and cannot be opened. The bail on this pendant is 925 sterling silver. It hangs beautifully, and is reversible...the other side is open just like the front with the pink diamond but you'll only see the white rough diamonds. The pink diamond does not move as the rough diamonds are tightly packed in there to hold it in place. Such a beautiful pendant and so unique. You are going to be more than happy making these a part of your jewelry collection! If you are a lover of all things unique and one of a kind, something like no one else will ever have, then this is for you!! These pendants are very hard to photograph. The pink diamond is so light in color and has amazing sparkle to it. Pink diamonds are normally very expensive and since I was able to get this at a fantastic price, I am able to make something that is affordable for you. :)   http://www.etsy.com/listing/92077456/captured-love-perfect-genuine-15-carat

This one features one of the largest cut diamonds I can fit into a glass vial pendant and is named  "Always". It is a long glass tube vial filled with .42 carats of bright, rough mixed white diamonds, .40 carats of bright yellow rough diamonds, and a .41 carat deep orange oval cut diamond (which is technically considered to be a half carat solitaire). And just to note, my scale weighs light, so the rough diamonds most likely weigh about twice what my scale says. This pendant is sealed and cannot be opened. It hangs beautifully, diamonds moving in the tube so that every move of your body shows a different look. The orange diamond stays pretty much right in the middle of the white and yellow diamonds. But they all move around freely so you'll get a different look out of it each time you wear it. Such a beautiful pendant and so unique. You are going to be more than happy making these a part of your jewelry collection! If you are a lover of all things unique and one of a kind, something like no one else will ever have, then this is for you!! These pendants are very hard to photograph. The orange is so bright and deep in color. Very unique!  http://www.etsy.com/listing/92056446/captured-love-always-genuine-41-carat

And these stunning beauties sold today, pretty much as quick as they were listed:
"Patriotic"

"Spirit"

And this one, which was a custom pendant made like "Pride"

So as you can see...busy busy busy!

Diamonds are a girls best friend ;)

Nothing excites me more than opening my mail box and finding diamonds in it!  LOL  Today I got a great shipment in the mail...blue marquise diamonds and round red diamonds.  So beautiful!  And of course I had to make things right away. 

One of my favorite ways to showcase diamonds is by mixing rough and cut diamonds.  The pendants I made today are similar to ones I have made before but still very different and very unique.  Recently I sold a stunning blue round cut and white rough diamond pendant on Etsy.  It was very, very popular so I wanted to make something that caught eyes the way that one did.  So I made these lovelies.

This one is a blue marquise cut diamond with lots of larger yellow diamonds surrounding it...so packed that they don't move.  This pendant is reversible...one side shows the blue and yellow, the other shows only the yellow. 

Then after it was made I thought about how pretty the yellows would look with a little round cut red diamond.  And boy was I right, what a pairing.  I just wish the red showed just how bright it is in the pictures.

After that I thought about how I also like the diamonds to be free moving so I paired up a blue marquise, red round, and clear (white) round cut diamond and get a stunning, unique, patriotic pendant that will get everyones attention.

And finally I found in my drawer of goodies a .41 carat deep orange oval cut diamond that I didn't know at the time what I wanted to do with so I got creative with it too.  I mixed it in with larger yellow rough diamonds and little white rough diamonds and came up with this stunner.

They can't be found on Etsy just yet, but if you see one you like I can give you a price.  :)  And with Valentine's Day coming up...keep in mind guys...diamonds are a girls best friend ;)

TGIF: end of a busy week!

This has been such a busy week for me!  Normally my weeks are kind of slow, not much going on and not much leaving the house, but this one...whew!  Glad it is Friday!!

The silent auction on my Facebook page to clear out some inventory went well.  Glad to be making some room on Etsy so I can get some Valentine's Day stuff listed.  Put more items on sale on Etsy and created a whole new section just for Valentine's Day (this link should take you right to it:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/DirtyGirlDiamonds?section_id=10643100).  Everything in there is heart shaped or has to do with love and romance.  A word to all you men out there trying to figure out what to get your love for V Day...women love jewelry!  And nothing shows more thought than something that was handmade (even if by someone else) or custom made just for her. 

Speaking of custom made, this week has been busy with custom pieces.  One I still have to finish but two are done and on their way.  This is one that was made that I have to admit, I absolutely love!  This is going to be a gift for a very lucky lady on her birthday and is a 34.12 carat genuine amethyst:

Talk about a stunner!  I hope she loves it too!!
Then there was this necklace that I made.  Sunstone and a sun face on silver plate.  Really turned out nicely and matches perfectly the earrings that were won in the Pet Helpers silent auction:

I love doing custom work.  Besides the fact that it gives me a chance to create something new, it also is amazing to see other people's creativity come through in what they are looking for.  Plus there is such an amazing feeling that I get when I make something for someone that makes them happy.  I actually feel like an artist when I get to do this.  :)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 

Working on some things :)

So my New Year's resolution is still going strong.  I'm still working on me and getting back to the me that I want to be.  So far so good. 

One of the biggest parts of that is making changes in me to make me happier.  I'm letting go of somethings and embracing others.  Letting go for me is kind of hard.  I've learned to hold on to angers of the past as reminders of what I don't want in my life.  But I think by holding on to those reminders I've held myself back.  Kept myself in a constant source of pain even though I never really thought about it that way before.  So I'm letting go.  And it feels good.

I'm working on some things here at the house.  Cleaning out and clearing out...slowly.  Working on things with Gracie...trying to get her on a more regimented schedule with time limits to hopefully help with her ADHD and making new friends.  And I'm working on new pieces of jewelry and working on clearing out some old inventory.  I'm doing a silent auction on Facebook...ends tonight...to help with that.  Here is the link to that album:  http://www.etsy.com/listing/87995055/sale-30-off-new-life-oceans-keeper

So I just keep on working on things...and so far, I'm liking the results.  :)
(Here is one piece I just finished...not listed yet)