Saturday, December 19, 2009

Merry Christmas Everyone!


Wishing you all the best for the holidays. Hope 2010 is full of joy, happiness and health!
It's been a really busy selling season so I'm winding down for a few weeks. I'll be back to posting on a more regular basis again in the new year.
Have fun everyone!

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Christmas Mantelpiece Arrangement - First Attempt



Last week my Mom and I went to a local nursury where we attended a demonstration on creating Christmas floral/greenery arrangements. Well I had my first kick at it today. I wanted an arrangement that I could put on top of our dining room buffet. I used pine, BC cedar and dried proteas (memories of South Africa!). Not the greatest photos but you get the basic idea.


Thursday, December 3, 2009

Jacaranda Designs Featured on the Following Blogs This Week

I was so thrilled to find out that I had been featured on the following blogs this week. They're wonderful blogs with some great finds so read on!

Abel Mabel's Blog



Simply Inviting Cards

Cuteable

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Winner of Darling Red Dazzle Earrings Giveaway

Morning everyone! Thanks for entering the Jacaranda Designs giveaway for November. The winner of the darling red dazzle earrings is..

Corinna

Congrats!


November Giveaway - Enter Here!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Black Friday SALE

Black Friday SALE

Black Blossom Brass Jeweled Necklace

Black Friday will soon be here and hence, the biggest shopping long weekend of the year. Jacaranda Designs will be offering free worldwide shipping on everything the shop on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday!
Not long to go until Christmas.
Shop early to avoid disappointment!


Vintage Glass Jewel Earrings - ClearGreen Tea Pearl Bloom Brass NecklaceRed Starlight NecklaceFestive Posy Bracelet

Monday, November 23, 2009

Search Etsy Treasuries, View Hearts Easily!

I came across this website the day other. Some of you may be familiar with it already but it was new to me and I really find it useful. It is craftopolis.com

There are 4 useful tabs on the page - Treasure Hunt, Treasury Clock, Gift Guide Search and Shop Lovers.

This is the Treasure Hunt page. Just enter you Etsy user name and press "Submit". It will show you all treasuries (including Treasury West) where your items are featured.




Use the Treasury Clock tab to determine how long before the treasury becomes available again for new entries.



Use the Gift Guide Search to see if any of your treasures are featured in the Etsy Gift Guide (sadly, none of mine are right now!)



Use the Shop Lovers to see how many people have "hearted" your shop on each day of the month.


Use Item Lovers to see when your shop has received hearts for a particular item. Just select the item and the hearts for the month will show up.



Hope I've been able to provide you with a link to a useful tool today. Have fun!


Friday, November 20, 2009

JACARANDA DESIGNS JEWELRY 30% SALE SALE SALE!



Today, Saturday and Sunday I am offering 30% off all orders over $25. Once payment is complete, I will promptly refund you the 30% using Paypal. Wonderful opportunity to get some holiday shopping done for you or a friend!








Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Isn't This What Being a Kid Is All About?

On the weekend, we decided it was time to rake all the leave sin the backyard. Ever since the boys were little, we've raked a huge pile of leaves to the base of the slide and let them slide down into them. Of course, as they get older they get a bit more daring as you can see from the photos and my heart skipped a beat a few times! Oh to be a kid again!


Monday, November 16, 2009

Featured Artist - ToBoldlyFold

This week's featured Etsy artist is Melissa from ToBoldlyFold. I love the name of her shop! It's so appropriate when you see what she sells - what an incredible craft! Read on...

Softcover Warm Brown Leather Sketchbook or Journal with Dark Emerald Green Thread and Vintage Button - Edition 112

- A little background about yourself
My name is Melissa and I am an artist and bookbinder working out of Boston, MA. My aesthetic is strongly influenced by a love of nature and reverence for Italian culture. I love cooking, creating, and most of all, sending and receiving mail. My shop currently sells handmade sketchbooks and journals. They are softcover leather journals with artist paper inside and vintage buttons for closures.

Softcover Golden Brown Leather Sketchbook or Journal with Bright Autumn Yellow Thread and Vintage Button - Edition 117

- Why you love what you do
In this increasingly digital and virtual world, I find myself wondering what we’re leaving behind. To do my part in keeping the art of paper alive, I want to start a handmade bookbinding business. I find enjoyment in creating sketchbooks and journals for other creative types. Surrounded by mass produced merchandise, I celebrate the creativity, care, and individuality that can only be found in high-quality handmade goods.

- What inspires you
I'm inspired by nature, and Italian culture.

- Favorite item in your shop
Softcover Warm Brown Leather Sketchbook or Journal with White Thread and Vintage Button
I love the strong contrast between the stark white thread and the dark leather. The button also mimics that contrast beautifully.

Softcover Golden Brown Leather Sketchbook or Journal with Salmon Thread and Vintage Button - Edition 119

- What items are you promoting for the holidays?
I will be posting some mini books in a few weeks! They're perfect for stocking stuffers and as gifts for co-workers!

- Any specials deals customers should know about?
Free shipping from now until December 1st when they mention this blog post in the convo when purchasing!


Softcover Golden Brown Leather Sketchbook or Journal with Williamsburg Blue Thread and Vintage Button - Edition 102

- Blog?: www.ToBoldlyFold.com

- Facebook?: http://www.facebook.com/ToBoldlyFold

- Twitter?: ToBoldlyFold

Also, http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/toboldlyfold/to-boldly-fold-where-no-bookbinder-has-gone-befor

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Phew! It's over and I'm tired!

On Thursday and Saturday I hosted my annual jewelry sale at my parents' home here in Oakville. It takes hours to set everything up and a lot of preparation for weeks before as many of you know. We had a good turnout, not great but I still moved a fair amount of stock which is always a good thing!

Here's some photos of the setup. Every time I host a sale, I seem to set everything up differently. The earrings are always a challenge though. If anyone has any good ideas, let me know!

So it's a day of rest today and then back to the grindstone with photographing pieces for my web site tomorrow!

Happy Sunday everyone.





Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Jacaranda Designs November Giveaway!

Time for my giveaway of the month for November. This month's piece of jewelry for one lucky person is a pair of Darling Red Dazzle Earrings .

Darling Red Dazzle Earrings

These rich red faceted earrings are made from antique brass plated lead and nickel free metal and red crystal beads. They are perfect for party season!

To enter....

Please leave a comment on this post telling us what your favorite item is from Jacaranda Designs

You can enter once per day and you must include your first name -and- etsy username or email address with every entry. If you are worried about email spam, you can spell out the 'at' and 'dot' rather than using the standard email format.

Receive additional entries:
- if you follow or subscribe to my blog
- twitter about the giveaway and/or blog about the giveaway
- become a my facebook page
- feature any of my items on your blog
- purchase any item from Jacaranda Designs (5 additional entries!)

Just leave a comment/link letting me know!

To go ahead, have fun and maybe you'll be the lucky winner.

As usual, I'll be using random.org to select the winner.

Giveaway ends Nov 30th at 5pm.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Etsy Artist Feature - Stolen Time

Today's featured artist is Sarah from StolenTime.

Simple Pocket Apron, Autumn Stripes

Some background on Sarah
My name is Sarah. I've been married to my wonderful husband for six years and I'm a sahm to two very busy little boys. Since leaving my job as a teacher to stay at home, I've learned how to knit and am teaching myself how to sew. I steal time here and there to work on my projects. hence, my shop's name, StolenTime.

Pink Fish with Black and White, Plush Animal Friend

Why you love what you do
It's a fabulous creative outlet. it is a great break for my day and even when nothing else gets done that day or it's been "one of those days", I can feel like I've accomplished something if I knit a few rows of a little something or get something pieced and pinned or run through the machine.

Favorite item in your shop
Right now my favorite item in my shop are the "lovies". They are so simple yet really great for little ones to love on - easy to clean, care for and carry around.

Fleece and Frogs Lovie

What items are you promoting for the holidays?
EVERYTHING! everything in my shop is marked down 15% until Black Friday - a litte early shopper bonus!

Mr. Scrappypants Cat, Plush Animal Friend

- Blog?:www.stolentime-sarah.blogspot.com
- Facebook?:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Erie-PA/StolenTime/93113347697?ref=ts
- Twitter?:StolenTime

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Time For Tea

It's a cool day out there today. I ventured into Toronto and walked a fair distance along Queen Street and came back feeling quite chilled. Went to make myself a hot cup of tea and noticed that I'm almost out of green tea. That started a hunt on Etsy for different teas. Here's a few interesting looking teas - I still haven't made up my mind which to purchase!

2 oz - VANILLA SENCHA - GREEN Flavoured Loose Leaf Tea

Vanilla Scented Green Loose Leaf Tea from IvyKeep.

Organic PINK ROSE and GREEN Tea 15-20 cups- Full of powerful ANTIOXIDANTS.

Organic Pink Rose Green Tea from TheLooseLeaf

Caladosai


Caladosai from BlueRavenTea

Pu erh 2006 Roasted BLACK Tea in BAMBOO

And lastly, a tea I have never heard of..
Pu Erh 2006 Roasted Black Tea in Bamboo from ParkHillPantry