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