Whooo HOOO I've been Featured!

Every Monday two young ladies from the Busy Moms of Etsy group, do an interview with one lucky busy mom. This week it was my turn!!! I am so excited! If you haven't checked it out, you can check it out here. While your there, take the time to look at some of our other Busy Moms of Etsy and other past interviews!

Thanks again TRINA!!!

Laura R

Wednesday Wonderment 09/30/09

Anyone can put some pretty beads on a string and sell some jewelry, however, it takes a certain level of artistic insight and a higher level of attention to detail to really pull of some of the beautiful wonders I have seen from our Busy Moms that make jewelry. After having searched through all of our wonderful Busy Moms of Etsy, I have found the following items to not only be appealing to my own personal taste, but they look as though a lot of thought and many woman hours have gone into these. (Of course this is just my opinion). And I recommend you check all of them out because they all have beautiful things you can do that here

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I found this wonderful design at New Hope Beading and I strongly urge you to check out her many other items that she has in her shop

Now that I have your attention, lets move onto some more handmade creations from our Busy Moms of Etsy.

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The next shop is called Jacaranda Designs In this Etsy shop there are many beautiful items to choose from as well! The one I found to be most ornate or detailed to me is this

This item is also currently available for free shipping!

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Another item I would like to share with all of you is definitely an "out of the box" jewelry piece. It is lovely and unique you can find it at EminTaos

And wrapping up this blog of great jewelry designs, we will finish it off with EsThings. I found these lovely earrings listed below at her shop perfect for the upcoming holiday season.

As always, you should never take my word for it, it is only my opinion. So I encourage you to go to this site and become a follower so you can see all the other Busy Moms of Etsy and all the other wonderful wares they sell at Etsy

Wednesday Wonderment 09/23/09

This weeks Etsy features have been put together for expectant mom's and dad's.

Having been an expectant mother twice in my lifetime, I can't tell you how eager I was to run out and buy "something, anything" to acknowledge my pregnancy. There are many things a person is going to need to help feed, cloth and carry their new little bundle of joy, and where's a better place to look, than with other moms!
So, to start off, let's find some cute clothes!

One of our Busy Moms has a shop called Cantaloupe Corner. She has oodles of cute little creepers for your baby to crawl around in. I found this one that I think is just to cute to pass up

Here she specializes in handmade tees and accessories not only for you new baby, but for toddlers, preschoolers and moms too! Go check her out!
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Of course what would Christmas time be without cold weather? You are gonna wanna bundle that little baby up! I found this cute little stocking hat,

that will keep your child warm while sporting another beautiful handmade item from another mom! This mom calls her shop Huggermugger. There are also other wonderful items in her shop that you should take a gander at too.

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Although your precious little dear will look so cute in his or her little hat and creeper, don't forget, they make messes too! I found a shop called Baby Jayne's. Here you can get the cutest burp clothes that will have you smiling while burping your baby.

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Aside from preparing for the birth of your new little miracle, you will want to let everyone know all about him or her. Upon my travels through the Busy Moms of Etsy website, I came across Diva's 3 Design and found these well put together announcements. Of course, since red is my favorite color, I was definitely more drawn to this one.

As always, these shops are run by Busy Moms! Go check out their blog at Busy Moms of Etsy and become a follower so you can stay current with Time & Money Saving Tips, Hot Deals and other features provided by other busy moms.

Wednesdays Wishlist 09/16/09

Hello and thanks for stopping by! With the season of giving coming up quickly upon us, I thought I would help you all out by finding one of a kind deals on Etsy for you to give that special someone this Christmas holiday!

Today's features INEXPENSIVE YET CREATIVE AND FUN STOCKING STUFFERS!

The Etsy sellers listed on this page are a group of wonderful women who are not only mothers, but also find time to make their own personal creations that help express who they are. But you don't have to take my word for it, you can see for yourself at Busy Moms blog. You can also find all of our members Etsy items here.
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For the person who loves to personalize, I found these cute note cards plus many others at

The Art of Joy

Art of Joy also has wonderful original Batik Paintings you can find here

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For that house that always smells so wonderful, you know they must be burning a candle, might I recommend this

Ozark Scents Candle Co

Ozarks Scents also has wonderful SOAP, which I have become accustomed to making sure I keep in stock at all times!

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For the coffee / Cocoa drinker, there are these cute cozies at

Bagel Creations

Bagel Creations not only has cozies, but also plenty of other items, such as wristlets, key fobs, card holders (and you can get matching on the go sets)!
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And last but certainly not least, let us not forget about all the little people we adore, for my little guy, I purchased this last week to put in his stocking... I received it yesterday and LOVE them. They even come with the crayons!!! Wylie will feel just like he is a little professional artist when he rolls out his own crayon roll made by

Amievoltaire

Amievoltaire also stitches up some pretty darn cute skirts, check them out here

I hope this blog has got you thinking about the up coming holiday season!
Once again, thanks for taking the time to view my posting!

Tealight Giveaway

I wanted to let all of you in on this awesome giveaway. What a perfect way to decorate you home this halloween should you win! Rachel at http://www.huggermuggerblog.blogspot.com/ is giving away three cute little glass votive holders! Check them out below






So, go to her blog http://www.huggermuggerblog.blogspot.com/ and follow her instructions HURRY your chance to win ends at midnight on September 23rd! Good luck on the win!

Stationary Giveaway

I personally love stationary. I love to send cards, get cards, look at cards, you name it, and I love it when it comes to cards. What's better than giving someone a card that is personalized for you? Nothing thats what! Amy at http://www.ozarkscents.blogspot.com is doing a feature for Tricia's Hand Crafted Monogrammed Note Cards you can find her Etsy store at http://tricia16.etsy.com.

So it's pretty simple. Go to Amy's website, follow her instructions on how to enter and leave the rest to fate! Good luck!

Gemstones and Crystals, which one would you require?

So I have recently been reading up on gemstones and crystals and what their “healing powers” are. I found that Rose Quartz is a common crystal among those with multiple healing powers.
I have put together a little bit of information and I have cited all references in this blog so you do your own looking as there are tons of ailments; crystals and gemstones can help people with.
With Rose Quartz being the most common among my reading – I thought I would list its healing powers first.
Rose Quartz can help a person with – Ease of Aches and Pains, Anger, Illness in Animals, Angina, Anorexia, Asthma, Bruises, Burns, your Central Nervous System and the list goes on and on. The most efficient source of information that I found while researching common ailments for Rose Quartz was at http://www.sobrietystones.com/resources/healing.htm This website was the easiest to maneuver around as I have found the resources of Gemstone and Crystal information to be a little overwhelming.

I have decided to retain a few crystals and gemstones for my own use. The ones I will be using in my own home and on my person will be Rose Quartz (obviously), Carnelian, Blue Tiger Eye, Amethyst and Aquamarine.

Another thought you should put into the gemstone you purchase, is where on your body will it lie. There are 12 major Chakra’s within your person. Chakra – center of spiritual power in body I found useful information regarding this at http://www.healinggemstones.net/products

One final note you might want to consider is the Cleansing of your crystal or gemstone. I had never heard of this, but have watched The Green Mile a few years back, I can certainly see where this would be needed. I found the most useful information regarding cleaning your gemstone or crystal at http://www.mkprojects.com/fa_Cleansing_Gems_Jewelry_Pendulums.htm.

Now that I have armed you with a new education… I highly recommend you think about the possibility that these things can work. We should quit turning to pills and start turning to natural cures whenever possible.

FREE FREE, did I mention FREE?

You asked for it, so you got it. Amy Sims at http://ozarkscents.blogspot.com is doing a feature on me! So you ask yourself, what does this mean for you? It means, go check out her site, follow her instructions and be entered to win (your choice) a piece of my jewelry!

Good luck to all!

August Birthstone - Peridot

Good day everyone! This months birthstone is Peridot. The vivid green of the peridot, with just a slight hint of gold, is the ideal gemstone color to go with that light summer wardrobe. No wonder – since the peridot is the gemstone of the summer month of August.

Recently peridot deposits were located in the Kashmir region; and the stones from those deposits, being of an incomparably beautiful colour and transparency, have succeeded in giving a good polish to the image of this beautiful gemstone, which had paled somewhat over the millennia.

With Peridot being the Gemstone of the month, take a moment to go to my Etsy page and check out my sales on Peridot jewelry for the month of August!

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Does anybody but me even read these post I am making?

Childrens Craft Making beads

Believe it or not, Christmas is quickly approaching. I usually like for my children to try to make something hand crafted or decorated by their little hands to add a little extra flair to packages for Aunts, Uncles, Grandmas, Grandpa’s and other close friends. Last year, we made individual Gingerbread ornaments to tie onto the ribbon of the gift we were giving.
With everyone’s budget being negatively affected here recently, I think it is important for us to try and hold onto as many pennies as we can, therefore, I share with you, our Christmas gift for our friends and family this year. This year, Jacob and Wylie will be making beaded bracelets or necklaces for Aunt’s, Grandma’s and other female friends. To give their gift a more personal touch, we are going to make our own beads as well! I know you gasp thinking this is going to be messy and difficult, but if you follow the recipe below, you will have a recipe for smiles and success on Christmas morning.

Learn to make your very own homemade beads with this family craft. Turn plain bread into colorful masterpieces and create necklaces, bracelets, holiday themed gifts and more.
What you'll need:
· one loaf of white bread
· white craft glue
· acrylic paint
· podgy or acrylic sealer
· plastic lacing or yarn
· straws
· bowl
· paint brushes

How to make it:
1. Begin by having the children tear the slices of bread into really small bits and placing them into the bowl. (Note that the crusts should be taken off before you begin to tear the bread up). After all the bread slices have been shredded, pour the white glue into the bowl with the bread and form a dough -- mixing with your hands. I recommend that an adult do the mixing (and yes it is really gross but just remember that the finished product is quite nice). I also recommend that the glue be added a bit at a time so as not to add too much glue to the dough.
3. Once the dough is mixed, divide it among the participants and have them form small balls for beads or any other desired shape. If you are making beads, use the straws to poke a hole into the balls for string to be put through.
4. Let the modeled dough sit to dry for about 1-2 days.
5. When the beads seem hard, use acrylic paint to color. When the paint is dry, glaze with either craft Podge or a spray acrylic sealer.
6. String with plastic lacing or yarn(I prefer the plastic lacing because it is more durable.

Thanks for reading and happy beading!
To review or rate this recipe or find similar recipes, please go to http://familycrafts.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=familycrafts&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kidsdomain.com%2Fcraft%2Fbeads.html
This is where I found this recipe.

Laura Robinson

Traditional & Contemporary Anniversary Gifts

With today being the 9 year mark of my friend Amy's anniversary, I thought I would post something in regards to Traditional vs Contemporary Anniversary gifts. I personally have always tried to follow the traditional gift giving tables when it comes to my dear hubby. He has received some mighty odd things (we've only been married for 5 years). You should always try to be creative and think outside of the box a bit. See the chart below

Year Traditional Contemporary
1st Paper Clocks
Had a personalized
book made with Keith & I
being the main characters
http://www.bookbyyou.com/favicon.ico
2nd Cotton China
Made a t-shirt with a
preggo lady and a man
on it (see photo on bottom of this blog)

3rd Leather Crystal/Glass
Got him a belt
4th Fruit/Flowers Appliances
Edible Arrangement
http://www.ediblearrangements.com/
5th Wood Silverware
Bar-B-Q Brander
http://www.texasirons.com/favicon.ico
6th Candy/Iron Wood
7th Wool/Copper Desk Sets
8th Bronze/Potter Linens/Lace
9th Pottery/Willow Leather
10th Tin/Aluminum Diamond Jewelry
11th Steel Fashion Jewelry
12th Silk Linen
13th Lace Textiles/Furs
14th Ivory Gold Jewelry
15th Crystal Watches
20th China Platinum
25th Silver Silver
30th Pearl Diamond
35th Coral Jade
40th Ruby Ruby
45th Sapphire Sapphire
50th Gold Gold
55th Emerald Emerald
60th Diamond Diamond

Each year I know Keith waits in complete anticipation as to see what on earth he will be getting! I have never clued him in as to how I got my ideas or where it comes from. I think my favorite so far though was the T-Shirt I made for him. I simply drew a picture of what I wanted to depict on PaintBrush (MS) and printed it onto an Iron On sticky. He was so puzzled. See photo below

Swarvoski Crystals – What does that really mean anyway?

With so many references to Swarvoski Crystals, I decided I had to search it on the internet. I wanted to know what was special about them, where they came from, and what’s the big deal anyhow? After a little (I use that term loosely) searching, I found my best source of information to be at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarovski . You can either click on the link provided, or read below and see the information I found.

“Swarovski (English pronunciation: /ˌswɔrˈɒvˌskiː/[2]) is the luxury brand name for the range of precision-cut lead crystal glass and related products produced by Swarovski AG of Wattens, Austria.”
“Daniel Swarovski (born October 24, 1862, in Georgenthal bei Gablonz, now known as Jiřetín pod Bukovou, near Jablonec nad Nisou northern Bohemia - Czech Republic. Died January 23, 1956, Wattens)[3] was born to a glass cutter in the Austrian monarchy. In 1892 he patented an electric cutting machine that facilitated the production of lead crystal glass jewelry. In 1895, Swarovski financier Armand Kosmann and Franz Weis founded the Swarovski company, originally known as A. Kosmann, Daniel Swarovski & Co, which was later shortened to K.S. & Co. The company established a crystal cutting factory in Wattens, Tyrol, to take advantage of local hydroelectricity for the energy-intensive grinding processes which Daniel Swarovski had patented.”
“The Swarovski Crystal range includes crystal sculptures and miniatures, jewelry and couture, home decor and chandeliers. All sculptures are marked with a logo. The original Swarovski logo was an edelweiss flower, but was replaced with the current swan logo in 1988. In order to create a crystal that allows light to refract in a rainbow spectrum, Swarovski coats some of its crystals with special metallic chemical coatings.”
“Crystallized - Swarovski Elements
Swarovski also sells beads and rhinestones for use by manufacturers, artists and consumers in their designs. In 2007 the company also launched the product brand website crystallized.com which provides information for designers and manufacturers in the worlds of fashion, jewelry, accessories and interiors. Crystallized - Swarovski Elements is the new product brand for Swarovski crystals in a variety of sizes, shapes and colours. Products that are labeled with this brand guarantee the originality of Swarovski crystals used in creations of international fashion houses and designers.”

So, now that you know the history and importance of the Swarovski Elements, I certainly hope you take the time to browse my Etsy Store and see the lovely creations I have made out of them.

Reference site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarovski

Have a wonderful day,
Laura Robinson

How to take care of that Precious Gem

So he/she finally proposed and gave you the most gorgeous diamond ring you could ever imagine, now, not only do you have to start stressing about the worlds most fabulous and perfect wedding, but you are also concerned about how to keep your gem looking as fabulous as it did the day he/she gave it to you. After all, this is the piece of jewelry you plan on keeping Until Death Do You Part. Right?, Right!

You could always go and get a bottle of jewelry cleaner at your local department/drugstore, but lets face it, we’re “Do-it-yourselfers”. So a bottle of something at the drugstore wouldn’t quite fit our concept of using less harmful chemicals. I spoke with my friend Amy at http://www.ozarkscents.blogspot.com/ and she told me she uses toothpaste and loves the results. After a little research, I found this is a quite common practice. I did some research on http://www.ehow.com/ (a website everyone should add thier favorites) and came up with the following recipe for success:

You will need the following 3 items:
Denture cleaner tablets (any brand will do)
large glass or cup
warm water
1. Fill the glass or cup with warm water. Drop in denture cleaner tablet(s) as directed. Always read the label and warning information on the box of the denture cleaner before using.
2. Drop into the cup any pieces of jewelry you would like to clean. I have not tried this method for larger pieces of jewelry or costume jewelry. Please make sure NOT to try this method with any piece of jewelry that my rust or break. Let the jewelry sit inside the glass or cup of denture cleaner for 30-45 minutes. Let it soak.
3. Rinse jewelry in cool water and let air dry. Enjoy the renewed sparkles and shine!

Coming along as it may

Good evening fellow bloggers. As most of you are beginning to settle in for the evening, I want to let you know I am fervishly working on creating one of a kind peices of jewelry for each one of you! I am just waiting on you to come and see what's new!

Come to my ETSY!!!

Although I still need schooling from my dearest Amy - here is what I have so far. So much more to learn though!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7753505

WyJa Jewels

Hello world! My name is Laura Robinson and I am located in the Desert Southwest were beauty is in every direction you turn, visions of history cross your path with each step and the weather is HOT! Although I work full time already, I have decided to venture outside of the cubicle and try to find something that suits me to do in my free time, although most of us know that is rare. After many attempts to find my second... actually third calling in life, I have discovered I do enjoy making earrings. I hope to begin making necklaces and bracelets and other adorned accessories, but for now, I have started with earrings.

I am fairly new to this blog thing which is to coincide with my on-line store to help promote sells (I hope), but under the tutelage of my great friend Amy, I am sure I will emerge from this concept feeling adequate enough to carry on. (No pressure Amy)

Speaking of Amy, did you know she has a store at Etsy.com too? She sells Soy candles (more varieties than a person could hope for) and hand milled soaps. I have sampled quite a few of the candles, and I have loved them all. Why don't you take a moment to go check her out at .

When your done there, come back to my blog and start following so you can track my sales and success. Once I have produced enough stock to feel comfortable selling, you will also be able to find me on Etsy.com.

Much love,
Laura Robinson
WyJaJewels