Subscriptions!

I did it! I took the plunge! I'm signed up for 3 subscription boxes and I can't wait to try them out!

http://yourbijouxbox.com/ - Jewelry! This was the first one I decided on, but I had browser problems signing up - I emailed the contact and received an immediate personal/human response that they were looking into it and apologized, and I got an update when they felt they had the problem fixed. When I still couldn't get my order to go through I asked if I could just do it over the phone, and promptly was allowed to, with excellent, friendly customer service (and anyone who knows me knows I NEVER get good customer service! So it was quite the pleasure!). I started with a 6 month subscription since this was my big splurgey birthday present. Should start in February, and I can't wait!

http://www.carefreecrafts.com/ - Kid friendly craft kits! I did this one on a month-by-month basis and used a coupon code for 40% off the first month so I can try it out with out too much commitment. TC actually loves to do messy crafts like painting and foam stickers (I call those messy because of the million tiny pieces of paper backing it leaves scattered across the house), it's me who runs out of patience (because guess who cleans it up?!?!?) but I resolved to work on my attitude towards such things this year, so we'll try it out. Tentatively :) I like that this is a kid thing, but not a "investment" kid thing like toys and clothes - we can have the experience, show it off for a while, and then get rid of the projects without adding too much long lasting chaos (or reselling, or donating, etc).  The subscription code I used was SAVE40, not sure how long it is valid. This subscription could start in just a week or two, which would be GREAT! UPDATE: FIRST SHIPMENT ALREADY ARRIVED!

http://www.ipsy.com/ - MAKEUP! I know, this is so not my usual style, but maybe I'm kind of tired of my (lack of) usual style? This is one of the lowest cost subscriptions at $10 a month, and you get a makeup bag (GLAM BAG) with around 5 products. The site was a little confusing - at first I just clicked directly on the glambag subscription and was put on a waiting list, but if you become a "member" of the site first, then agree to share on facebook, they'll expedite you off the waitlist immediately, so I'm signed up to get the February shipment. And then I just deleted the facebook share right after. Supposedly your selection of products is curated towards your answers to the style profile quiz, but since I have zero makeup skills or personal style, I just checked that I was interested in all the boxes. The only weird question was about hair where you only got to choose from a few weird options like frizzy, needs volume, curly, or a few others that didn't apply to me. So we'll see what I get!

Home FROM the range...

Well, we survived our trip to Texas despite seeing a snake, several smooshed armadillos, a heard of long horns, a couple wood ticks, and various other elements of nature that I steadfastly try to avoid. We ate some good meals, spent a gorgeous evening at the ballpark, and toured the JFK museum at Dealey Plaza. And then I puked on the plane ride home. Hooray.

But in happier news, I'm in love with my new necklace from Etsy seller SimplyChacha:



Isn't he adorable? I've had it on my "favorites" list for a while and finally gave in, and I'm glad that I did.

You've probably also noticed my new logo, from Etsy seller Enchanted Memories:



I'm still working on updating the blog layout (the templates are limited and I've got no idea how to do it on my own) so bear with me as I bounce between styles and colors for a bit here - nothing I've tried meets my OCD standards yet, so I predict more changes to come.

My Funny Valentine...

Don't let anyone tell you that you can't teach old dogs new tricks. On our 10th Valentine's Day together, my hubby continued his new trend of great (and completely unexpected) gifts with this beautiful locket:



He had actually given me a large and unique hand forged locket a few years ago that is GORGEOUS, but sadly it is not at all comfortable to wear - it turns out that the individually formed links have a point that scratches and catches, so I wasn't able to wear it that often. Hubby took that into account, and decided to replace it with this delicate silver one on a smooth chain. I still need to add photos:



He claims he went to several stores before picking this one out at Bibelot - I'm impressed! Thanks honey :) Love you lots!

By the way, my Valentine to him was Clue. Yeah, the board game. It's a long story...

So in love...

So out of reach :)

I shouldn't ever look at this site, but I accidentally saw it when I was looking up my current bracelet, which I had purchased as a huge naughty splurge on my first trip to New York.

Heather Wants.

Heather will never spend $600 on a bracelet though, so Heather will just keep on wanting:) Maybe if my "Minnesota Millionaire" ticket hits big...

More Craftastic Giving: Photo Necklaces

Looking back, I actually did quite a few personalized gifts this year. I didn't set out with any specific idea to do that, it just sort of happened, and I think it worked out really well. Most of these I did through Heritage Makers, and I'm very happy to report that EVERYTHING was well received - the Christmas Cards, the canvas, a calendar for Grammy (post to come) and these great photo necklaces:



The above is a shot of my mom's gift, it's a 3-pendant necklace with photos on both sides. I did a charm for each kid (me, sister, and brother) with a recent photo of us on one side, and a photo of the couples (me & hubs, sister + her new hubs, and brother & his GF) on the other side. It's really adorable! I modelled it as soon as it came:



Another great parent (or grandparent) gift idea would be to do a photo of grown children on one side, and baby or child photos on the other. They're hard to photograph because of the glare and tiny nature of the pics, but they were really cute. Brother's GF also got a photo necklace, a single pendant one with two cute photos of her & my brother together, yoinked stealthily from her facebook page. Since the photos are so small, quality isn't really an issue, and a facebook photo worked just fine.

The chains are very thick, chunky almost, and it was a lot younger and hipper vibe than I was expecting. I like it, and plan to make myself a necklace eventually as well. It'll coordinate well with my treasured Tiffany bracelet.


My mom loved hers so much, she showed it off the next day at another family Christmas gathering. I guess that means it's a hit!

More Heritage Makers Goodies - bracelet

Here's another fun Heritage Makers project from the big order I received on Tuesday, and this one is just for me!



It's a 6-charm photo bracelet! I think it turned out pretty cute. I used photos from our first anniversary shoot with Olivia, that was such a pretty summery day and there is a great green color running through the backgrounds that is bright and fun. Now that I've taken down the large prints from that shoot (replaced with our new ones)I still wanted a way to showcase the great images from that day, and this is perfect! I also wear a lot of green, so it fits in with my wardrobe :)



I'll be honest and say I wish it were a higher quality - sterling silver, or at least water proof would be nice. It is neither. These run about $50 so I was surprised that the separator beads were just plastic, but I went ahead and ordered it anyways. I like the size, the photos are big enough to see but not too chunky to wear.



At first I wasn't sure if I'd like that it was stretchy, but I find that I really do - it doesn't twist and fall as much as a chain would, and it's pretty comfortable. Mine is the 7 inch, but you can make 7.5 inch for the same price if you need to.



If you are interested in making one of your own, feel free to contact me - right now there is a special if you want to purchase a credit for one bracelet + one single pendant necklace for $49.95, or a bracelet + 3 pendant necklace for $79.95. Credits are good for 1 year, and you can use them separately or give them as gifts. Visit my Heritage Makers site to sign up for a free account and start playing around.

Bling Box Episode II - Completed!

I finally got around to finishing my jewelry box! You'll maybe remember the post where I first got it and was so proud of my job mounting it on the wall. Well, despite how quickly I acted on getting it up and filled, I've ignored it ever since. I waffled on what I wanted to fill it with and never got around to planning anything. Finally one day I got sick of looking at the fake smiling families printed on the place holders and decided to order a bunch of prints to fill it up.

I order my prints through Costco where they are only $0.19 each, and it's convenient to upload them through their site and by the time I get there to pick them up they are done. I like the features of their photo site where you can crop and edit photos and upload quickly to organized albums, and their prices are all really reasonable.

For this project I was able to decide pretty easily on the photos for the standard size openings (once I stopped over thinking it), and just had to eyeball it for the square ones - I ordered a few extra possibilities and figured for $0.19 I'd cover all my bases and not have to make another trip if something didn't work out.

I didn't spend a lot of time choosing the photos or go for a specific event or theme, instead I just picked a bunch of my favorites from the past 10 years, mostly events where I'm dressed up like weddings and parties. I think it turned out really cute! It's fun to have a range of hairstyles and outfits represented, and a few of my favorite people around.


I've assembled a lot of these multi-opening mats, and here's how I do it:

First I lay out all the photos where I think I want them, trying to balance colors and flow and make it pleasing to the eye.

Then I line each photo up in the openings and actually tape it to the back of the mat. I've found if I don't do this, they eventually slip and hang crooked. This also gives you more control over exactly how the photo appears to be cropped - since the mat always covers at least part of the image, you can either center the photo or pull it off to one side or another depending on what you want to show - there's usually 1/2 - 1" swing, which really changes the look.

For this mat I did the standard size images first, and then went back with the square ones. That allowed me to do less cutting, since I could tape the excess of the square images right behind the other photos and not worry about them showing. The only ones I ended up having to trim were the two corner squares where parts of the photo hung off the end.

Voila! I'm still super happy with this jewelry box, and I've worn a lot more jewelry now that it's all accessible and organized and I don't have to dig through boxes and stacks. I wish it were a little longer, and more centered on necklaces than earrings, but all in all, it was a good choice.

Bling Box

I've been looking for a wall-mount jewelry box for quite a while, but they are SO EXPENSIVE! This week, however, I stumbled upon a great deal at JC Penny - this box has a photo frame cover (PERFECT, I didn't really want a mirror since we have mirrored closet doors), magnetic closure, and a bunch of hooks inside for earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings. And the BEST PART - IT WAS ON SALE! Marked down to $69.99 from $95, I got a sale price + an additional 15% off, so it was practically a steal and I went home to hang it immediately. Normally I'm pretty squeamish about my plaster walls (it can go awry so easily and end up a huge hole or gash) but I resolved myself to do this right - after a quick call to dad, here it is up on my wall!

It looks PERFECT on the space between the closet and the door, and will be so much handier than rummaging through a pile of boxes as I do now. I don't have any "real" jewelry, but I can't resist a rhinestone, so I really needed to do something with all of it. I was surprised in putting away all of my pieces that for someone without pierced ears, I still have quite a few earrings :)I also have even more necklaces than the hooks will allow for, but I don't mind doubling up.

I'm not sure which I'm more excited about, the jewelry box, or the fact I hung it immediately and all by myself! :)

Alice charm bracelet

My dad surprised me with this bracelet after I admired it in a store on our recent San Francisco trip. I lost him in the sea of tourists down at Fisherman's Wharf and when I found him again, he handed me a tiny purple bag. This was inside!

I've always loved charm bracelets, ever since my mom wouldn't let me wear hers as a child (I'll get that in the will, I've declared it - us kids divied up our claims all the good stuff years ago). In the meantime, however, I have started to collect charms from my travels though I haven't kept them in a consistent spot and the Statue of Liberty has gone missing. I believe I do have Texas (from way back in my high school science fair days), the Golden Gate Bridge from this most recent trip, a Mickey from Disneyworld, and the Duluth bridge as well. I want to say I had something from DC, but that might be lost along with Lady Liberty. I've had visions of building it on my Tiffany bracelet, but never quite got around to getting the sterling silver findings and setting down to it.

Anyways, since I love both charm bracelets AND Alice in Wonderland, you'll see why this one caught my eye. In fact, on this very trip I had picked up a copy of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass for my book club (which disbanded before we discussed it, but it was still interesting). The charms are taken straight from Tenniel's original woodcut illustrations of the stories and they are ADORABLE!